The War of the Ancients (Invite only -NEW RULE-)

[Raziel Sarafin]

((Just so you know YunMei, he made a point of not outing anyone. He didn't mention any names other than his own. You're not outed, and Charnel won't expose you. He was just bringing the point to others attention, and you can still introduce yourself as you like. Sorry if that was troublesome... sweatdrop ))

[YunMei]

[No, don't worry about it. I figured since Marcello is a bit new to socializing he would be a bit more on edge. As well as a bit paranoid or at least I think he would be.The potential he was referring to was more of them knowing another 'being' was there and being more likely to search for it. He after all said some of us, which I'm guessing means more than himself. Unless I got it wrong...]

[Raziel Sarafin]

((Nope, you're spot on, although he may have been referencing the whole world... Re-reading it, I'm not even sure what I meant there, lol. Anyways, makes sense now, just didn't want to mess up anybody's plans. Thanks!))

[Aeros Endeem]

After the girl accepts the bard's offer, he hears the creatures words echo throughout the Tavern, asking him to speak of the ritual that creats pacts. Indeed there is such a tale, but it is just mere legend, whether it's true or not, not even he knows. He does know of the story, and he's willing to tell the story. Picking up his guitar, he strums once as he tunes his instrument to match the tone and notes for the song he'll begin to sing momentarily.

After finishing the tune-up on his guitar, the bard king strums the strings, a harmonizing sound fills the room, to get the attention of the entire room. "The story I'm about to tell, is one of legend, legecy." He says as he begins to play a slow tune, letting out a slight hum. Then he continues to play the tune as he speaks again. "Come hither, and listen to the story that I'm about to tell. Takes place in the worlds of olden, the past that echoes across time to this day, and beyond."

Continuing to play, the bard begins to sing his song in a low, yet energetic tone.


Come my children and listen to my song
the song of time and generations
A song of friends
A song of making a pact

A pact, a blood oath
signifies a true connection
between a human and a legend
the legends power is almighty
the true power unlocked by the human

The legend takes a blade
the human follows the legends actions
The touch of each other's blood activates the power
the power of the legend
a pact made, making the human thrive with a mere sample
a mere sample of the legend's true power

[Akira Jaganshi]

Charlotte was taken rather aback when Charnel took her hand in agreement. It wasn't that he had agreed, it was the blood moving off his hand and seemingly twisting around hers.
The flash out of that reality and into the past shook the thought from her. She grimaced, seeing the familiar scene playing out as it had earlier that night. However, watching herself from a third person point of view wasn't nearly as bad as if he had made her relive it from her own perspective.
When Charnel appeared, Charlotte knew it was to carry out her first request. When he stabbed her, she felt a twinge of pain in the area he impaled on her seeming copy. She didn't look away, however. After all, she had asked for it.
Charnel's words were a relief for her. Having no bounds, no ties, nothing to hold her down in the world was nice. Well, nothing except Charnel. She was, however, not too disturbed by this notion. She'd observed that he seemed be quite violent and war-like. And war was something she enjoyed.
As Charlotte watched the scenes play out, she suspended her own thoughts and focused, taking in everything she could from these visions of his past. She hadn't expected him to show her, but rather to tell. This, however, was much better and more effective. Not to mention it was much more enjoyable for her. When the conclusion came and the reaper appeared before Charnel in his dead human state, Charlotte wished she'd understood all that had been said. Perhaps Charnel would explain on a later date.
As the visions finally came to a close, Charlotte blinked several times to clear her eyes. She couldn't help but smirk at Charnel's words. She realized now that he wasn't so far from her tastes. In fact, Charnel was, in more ways than one, a being of great interest to her. His offer was a while different ballpark. The bard's song, which she now heard, only had he grinning. Now only would she be able to study Charnel, but she would gain some of his abilities. She would somewhat become what she studied!
Her excitement was drained slightly when Charnel's maniacal laughter finally rang in her ears. She didn't have second thoughts, however. His presence was evil, or felt that way, but soon she would have a similar one. Fearing him wasn't something she planned on continuing.

[Raziel Sarafin]

As his laughter subsided, and the bard's song set in, Charnel calmed significantly. He enjoyed the tune, but he liked the message much more: All that was required to unlock his potential was a bit of exchanged blood! Blood was a specialty of his, after all. He looked over to Charlotte, and smirked.

"A blade and blood, eh? No problem for us..."

He pulled her murder-dagger out of his cloak again, and wiped the blood off it carefully. He then grabbed a nearby bottle of whiskey and doused the blade in it, wiping it again to make certain that all the blood was gone from its silver edge. It was a beautiful weapon, and he was glad to see it so well used. He held it up again, letting the low light of the tavern give it a small gleam down the blade.

"What irony this is: The very weapon that ended your old life turns out to be the key to the door of your new life!"

With that, he slashed his palm diagonally, letting the blood flow freely onto the blade. His blood was somehow even more crimson that normal blood, almost seeming to glow with feverish life as it oozed onto the finely crafted dagger. Cut complete, Charnel handed the dagger to Charlotte, grinning broadly.

[Aeros Endeem]

The bard looks around the room a little as he notices the blade that was uncovered from the creatures robes, or so it seemed. Then, another thought hits him, that same exact one mentioned about going against the dragon that drove the knight away. As he thought on the subject, he looks to the knight, then back to the people in the tavern. There was something he wanted to say, but the creature had already cut his palm open to get the bond made.

The look on the bard king's face was far from the typical cheery, happy mood that a bard normally wears. This look is of something along the lines of worry and depression mixed. He knows of the dragon's story, it's not out to harm anyone, it's just lost it's way in the life of a guardian. Bane knows of the entire story, but he'd rather wait until the bind has been made between the two beings, last thing he wants is to have two beings die of blood loss on his behalf.

[YunMei]

"Why are you...?" Marcello started, a faint stutter penetrating his already shaky facade as he watched the two. It had already been quite discomforting, to be honest, to see the signs of brutality at the tavern's entrance; Which he doubted highly would do much for the poor lady's business. The young nearly swore to himself as he edged away and took a seat at a nearby table. Between that, the weird pressure that still rang in his ears and the show boaty ceremony he had an odd feeling he fully understood why the father he had known so well never entered the darned town.

Letting out his umpteenth sigh of the day, Cello attempted to lean back almost casually into the frame of the chair. It wasn't as though the others noticed him all to much anyway. Nor did he find that to be all too much of a bad thing. He would to be honest be rather glad to not be of interest to the other being anytime soon. He did not, if he recalled correctly, get said male's name just yet. Rolling his eyes, the young nymph looked from the knight to the bard. Neither of which seeming all too comfortable with the aura that filled the tavern. Or at least they didn't appear to be such.

"Are you feeling all right?" He uttered at last, watching the bard king in curiosity. If he didn't know any better, Cello would have sworn he could have seen the boy's face pale at the sight of what the dark haired man was doing. "Don't worry. I think I can help if the wounds get too bad."

[Sorry it's not very good. For some reason I couldn't quite think of a response for how crazy things have gotten... ^_^']

[Aeros Endeem]

Looking to the nymph, the bard king simply shakes his head. "No, it isn't the wounds, it's what the dark one's words are about the dragon that scared the knight off. It's not against us, nor is it with us. It's really just lost in the path of the guardian. He's lost two already and he just want's some time to cope with the losses. It's not out to kill us, just to keep us away from his home. His story is indeed a sad one..."

The knight moves himself from his spot to the table nearby both the bard and the nymph. "Besides, I know the REAL threat that lurks here and the only way to even slow him is to have the dragon's help. I went to ask, but he drove me away to what you all see now..."

[YunMei]

He nodded slowly, curiosity increasing as the young bard spoke. "I see." The man seemed to know quite a bit about the dragon in question. Though he also seemed to have a gift of being incredibly vague. Angar, as he believed the figure was called, had lost two apparently. Marcello had to wonder what he had lost two of. It could be relatives, lovers or most likely the other was referring to human familiars [If that was what they still called them].

"He doesn't seem to be one for tact either..." Marcello whispered cynically as he momentarily eyed the other two. The horrible energy had cooled slightly or so he believed as he turned his attention back to the two other men.

"The real threat?" He questioned, gaze resting on the young knight. "If you don't mind me asking can you be a bit more specific?"

[Aeros Endeem]

The knight looks to the nymph with a stern look. "The REAL threat, is yet to come. One of the last remaining Immortals of the Eden era. HE is the reason that the dragon is in such distress... I tried to bring him to reason, but it won't listen to me, as you can clearly tell..." Keith grins as he looks back the bard. "Surely, YOU know of the tale of the dragon's life..."

The bard looks to the knight and nods slightly. "I do, but as I said before, It's a sad tale...."

[Akira Jaganshi]

((CAIN! It's CAIN!... Ahem sorry...))
Charlotte blinked, breaking from her reveries, and looking at Charnel as he spoke. She watched him as he pulled out her dagger and washed the blood off. She snatched the bottle of whiskey from him before he set it down and poured it over both of her hands before taking his cloak and using it for a wash clothe and a towel.
"I suppose that is a rather amusing irony, isn't it?" she said as she finished cleaning her hands.
Charlotte watched as he cut his palm before taking the blade. She smirked up at him before doing anything, holding the dagger up and pointing it at leisurely.
"I'll be wanting this back after this pact is made."
She made an identical cut in her palm, opposite hand to his. She then grasped his hand, their cuts perfectly aligned and touching. Charlotte was amused, oddly enough, by the feeling of their blood running together as it filled their palms and dripped down their wrists and forearms.
"Well, now what?"

[Raziel Sarafin]

((Not quite sure what's gonna happen, but here goes nothin'! First pact of the season!))

He clasped his hand to hers, and smirked broadly.

"Well, I suppose we'll find out, eh?"

As their blood mixed, he felt a certain twinge within him, as though his organs had suddenly grasped onto something without his approval. The blood swirled in his veins, his and hers mixing, and he felt an odd magnetism; the blood was growing together into something new and different. As their blood suffused each other's veins, the power rushed through them both, rising and churning as their shared strength grew. However, Charnel felt his power rise to a head, like a tidal wave; it crashed over him, and his vision dimmed for a moment. It focused into the palm of his hand, and blasted out of his veins and into Charlotte's in a small convocation of bluish-yellow flame, cauterizing both wounds shut and locking the power into her. Charnel felt intensely drained, and slumped forward onto the bar, devoid of energy. He coughed a few times as his vision slowly returned, then glanced up at Charlotte.

"Well.... The Bard never said anything about YOU getting all the power..."

Slowly though, his power returned, creeping back to its original level, and then beyond. It felt as though he had vented all his old power to her, making room for the newer and better. He didn't know what he had gained, but he certainly felt stronger....

[Akira Jaganshi]

Charlotte felt the blood mixing and bonding. She could feel power slowly creeping into her veins from Charnel. The creeping power inflow steadily increased until a sudden wave crashed through her hand into her body. She nearly let go of Charnel's hand, gasping at bit at the feeling of the flames, but it seemed her body wouldn't let her until the process was complete. When her wound sealed completely, she pulled her hand away in shock. Her eyes swirled crimson, though she couldn't see it, as she looked at her palm in wonder.
Charlotte glanced up at Charnel when he spoke to her. She smiled a bit, the crimson in her eyes fading away into their normal honey-color.
"I doubt I got it all, Charnel. I feel... stronger... but it's not as different as you think it is for me. Do you need some help?"
She figured he'd turn her help down, but if they were to be partners she felt that they should have some kindness between them. She wouldn't hope for anything past a mild friendship, if even that.

[Raziel Sarafin]

Charnel grinned even more broadly when he saw the crimson gleam in her eye. It worked! As his power crept back into him, it steadily increased in speed. First it was just a trickle, but soon it was a rush unlike any he had ever felt; his body shivered from the rush, and he rose from the bar on his own, a broad grin spreading across his face, razor edged teeth glimmering.

"I spoke too soon! Perhaps you're right; I can honestly say that I feel great! There's still a lot of potential for expansion, but for now, this is preeeeetty nice! Oh, and thanks for the offer, but trust me when I say: you'll know when I need help."

He blinked several times: the world seemed much clearer than before. The lights were brighter, the air was richer, and the scent of blood was even more... intoxicating... His pupils dilated, turning his eyes a dead black with no color, like a shark's eye. His nostrils flared, and he rose stiffly from the bar, walking towards the door with a rictus adorning his face. He looked like a Cheshire cat, complete with claws: His fingernails stretched and grew, bursting the nail beds and causing blood to run down them in tight rivulets. He twisted his head back to Charlotte, and tipped his head to the door.

"C'mon, let's see what you can do. I've got a craving... and its real bad..."

He opened the door, revealing a small crowd of people who had gathered around the pile of bodies Charnel had created. He looked them over, and they froze in horror, eyes locked on his cloak and his dead, cold eyes. A few mutters could be heard vaguely as the crowd stood stock still.

"Is it-"
"-Really be-"
"The Fiend-"
"Why is he-"
"-all doomed-"
"-Rags and Tatters-"

He looked them over one last time, and a low growl rose in his throat. However, he denied himself the pleasure temporarily, and looked to Charlotte, throat gurgling with bloodlust.

"Indulge yourself my apprentice. Gorge on their flesh, drink their blood, satiate your dark hunger!"

His last words rang out with particular ferocity, and he raised his clawed hands to the sky, cackling madly.

"Show me your strength: SLAUGHER THEM ALL!!!"