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 Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:30 pm
Leaf's helm snapped down of it's own accord...or maybe not since she threw herself backwards to avoid the enitial attack from the elemental, and hitting the floor probably did the trick. Why an elemental would need blood, she didn't understand. And all she'd brought was a sailor's dirk and a small dagger.
To fight an elemental, you needed some other element. Wind or earth, fire was good too. But Leaf did not have control over such things, nor where these other elements abundant anywhere.
She threw a kick at the being, only to have her foot slide through the water. The follow through spun her off her objective, and instead hit a rune on the floor, filling the temple again with water.
Meilikki followed, as trusting as she ever was with this drow. Strange, when she knew he was fully capable of killing her, possibly with ot without much thought.
She did not beat around the bush, because that was useless with Kim anyway. "I had hoped that you would come to say goodbye, before taking your place on the pantheon.
Aella did not know Onyx was watching. From the onset, she knew she had to listen closey, or she'd miss most of what the elf was saying to her. Some things that made her loose track were things she had not picked up on. Persuing her? When?
His question nearly stopped her thought completely with it's sudden forwardness. She had to think for sometime, to try and answer Cedric asn honestly as she could. But her thought proccess was slow, and as a result, left Cedric standing and staring at her for some time.
"In love with him..." that hung there a moment...."No. Never in love. I love him, yes. I regard him as part of my family." Her slow mind raced to try and give an appropriate answer. "At the time, Tarathiel was the first...man...I had met that did not first look at my body. He saw me as useful. And whether or not her cared for my well being, I wished to be as useful as he envisioned me."
"He did not pursue me. He did not push me. I acted tough around him, because he was tough. Eventually, that allowed him to touch me, or...." She blushed hard "kiss...me without my instinctive reactions." Even now, she was shivering, and feared where this conversation would lead. She rubbed at her arms.
"Now...I can stand a touch. I can take a kiss." She swallowed. "It's when i know the intentions behind it that I become...."
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:45 pm
The water element seemed to dissipate in the greater volume. Fin sheafed his sword and swam near to Leaf, and shrugged. He had no idea what to do next. He waited to see if she would give any indication of which way they might go, and give if she didn't he decided that he'd try to find another rune on a higher level and see what happens if he pushed it.
----------------
At the end of the great hall, there stood a small cove or alter, that seemed to double as a bed. A pillow was placed at one end to rest someone's head upon as she lay on the alter, paralized with euphoria. "Time was not a luxery I was rewarded with for my duty as the Child of Chaos. Drow need to be reigned in, or they will act as I have during the later years of my life. How would you fare against the likes of fifty Kimmuriels dancing about the dark, disreguarding Drow customs and traditions, bringing the fires of hatred and death upon all living things." Rather hot sounding from the usually collected drow. "Lloth is a needed part in the balance, or many would perish quickly." He called himself the assumed name he had taken up. "But, you are here now, and so am I. A proper farewell, I guess you are entitled too." He seemed to be a bit out of character, somewhat disjointed from his previous life.
---------------
"You love Kimmuriel." The elf seemed to be rather white in the face, which could not be guessed by most, save other elves and those accustome to the fairest of the skined humaniods. "The absurdity of that notion is not lost to my senses, by guilt and abhoration swell within my bossum, choking the life from the peace I hoped to find after many long years of Darkness. The gravity of this universe never fails to drag us under the wieght of eternal torment, simply because happy people are the same, but unhappy people are unhappy in different ways." Philisophical in heartbreak.
"How is it you are certain you were never in love with Kimmuriel?" The elf had to ask. If he was going to be offset by a drow, at least he would like to know by how much.
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 8:08 pm
Leaf looked around for the elemental, and found it disconcerting that the thing disipeared when in it's own medium. She waved a ahnd, following the odd swishing current to the far end of the current chamber they were in. They came across a dark hallway, lit here and there with gems and sea shells.
Inside the hall, solid blocks of stone slide across, halting the flow of water. When the stones slid back, the water continued. "lead pointed down the hallway. This was where she wanted to go.
Meilikki sighed, feeling that something was missing from Kimmuriel's usual speak. But then, she suppose one could not remain unchanged when become a god. "Had there been so many of those like you, and had I still been blind, I would have survived. The Earth Mother would have seen to that."
A bit bitterly. "Did your sister have a hand in calling yourself that?" It seemed unbecoming of him.
"I am not here entirly for goodbyes. I have missed your company these past four years. You offered some excitement and change to this woman's sheltered life."
She frowned, thinking Cedric had not understood her properly. "Yeah. I love him like I love Meilikki. Like family."
She got a bit angry though. "Why is it so absurd? Are you aying I'm crazy for caring for a drow?"
"Because I never wanted anything more than what I got from him. He felt too much like my father to want anything else. Meilikki told me a million times that the heart is too big for once person. We love all kinds of people in different ways. So what, am I tainted now? Am I too broken in?" She was making herself angry by jumping to conclusions and throwing words in his mouth. "Am I not good enough all of a sudden? Little half-elf been spoiled?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 8:51 pm
"I doubt mom would let you do that. however, since someone wants to play, and the other is feeling lazy and mom isn't in condition to be playing. Why not you, Isle. test your mettle to an old man like me."
though he did mus his son's hair some.
"Maybe next time."
Onyx's eyes narrowed, and he barely contained the growl in the back of his throat. What's that. Cedric not allowed or able to get into Aella's pants, so he decides to find some reason why he can write her off as 'tainted'? Elves were awfully strange creatures. but he just continued to watch for now. though he was idly cleaning his claws now.
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Fractured Moonlight Captain
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 9:14 pm
"Now why are you going to say that and make me the bad guy?"
"Because you would of said no because you think I'm too little." A huff from him.
"Only maybe."
He pouted a moment and plopped back down between his parents with a sigh, pulling his book from under his bottom which he had plopped on it when he sat. Squinting an eye when his father ruffled his hair. "Alright..." Thinking of what to do to make this better, ah idea and he looked to his father. "I'll protect mommy while you're busy." Because downstairs was dangerous and when daddy wasn't around to protect her, it was his job.
Wasn't that just adorable. "I suppose that works." Though boy she didn't know how much longer of 'taking it easy' she could handle. Physical things were a no go, Malik wouldn't let her do paperwork, she had horses to deal with as well as a trip to Deep Water to make in the near future. But a look back to Malik. "Then you and me can talk numbers equality about something when you're done." She'd allow him some talk. And she reached over and poked Arthur in the shoulder. "And you still owe me steel you know."
Isle gave a chuckle. "Aw why does Gale have to be lazy and Pip all banged up. You two need to shape up." Picking at them just because she could before a look to Malik. "That's a fair deal to me. Besides, my sword has never crossed with a drow's before now has it?" A little snort from her. "Don't get stuck in the mud if it happens to grace us, by the way." Of course she had to look at Galesen at that and just smirk.
Keely pulled her pack over her shoulder, various items on the list that had been given to her settling against one another. Not a good market day for her...or at least not for personal shopping. Meilikki's shopping was easy. So then she had herself some of her own steel to spend anohter day then. Heading back home she went through what to do in her head. She knew Meil was out for some reason today.
Though as she approached the manor once more the teen stopped and merely listened a moment. Wow, it sounded like Aella wasn't happy and it seemed Cedric was the upset here. And then she could see Onyx as well, eavesdropping or something. Hm...that looked bad to walk in to.
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 9:42 pm
Fin followed Leaf without question. He guessed that her years may have provided her with greater insight than his shorter period of life. Since neither he nor her had ever ventured into this type of place with these circumstances, personal experience was the best policy.
Not much seemed to happen. Fin wondered what type of quest this small Temple would be now that it seemed they were without an enemy.
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Kimmuriel chuckled softly, "Are you upset that I chose my sibling to be my Apostle?" The form of the armoured drow was sitting on the opposite side of the alter, in a very relaxed posture. He hands were empty of any weapon, as was his normally well equipped belts and harness. His left hand still bore the strange gauntlet he acquired late in life. His hair was drawn behind his head in the rather well organized braid that he normally donned when his hair reached his waist. "I am sorry for not being better suited for any relationship beyond warrior-hero or captain of a pirate ship." His voice sounded very earnest, which usually caused people to fear for their lives (as normally that voice promised death). "Four Years you say, seems like an eternity for me, or rather, several eternities. Time is no longer calculated by simplistic rhythms or aging. Sad to say, I know your future, and more depressing, is I cannot do much about it." He smiled, "I may be your choice in life, but your heart belongs to another Deity."
--------------------
Cedric felt the tension rise in the girl, and heard every syllable of her speech, and knew too that he seemed to be very arrogant. "Tainted? Broken In? Half-elf?" He paused, "I soiled my soul by serving along side the murderer of my Father. I broke in my pride by cooperating with the bane of my people. I all but abandoned my homeland, which makes me less of an elf than you." He paused again, his voice was growing far to emotional for his liking. Logically, feelings were obsolete and foolish. But here the philosopher was, dangling his head where it should not be by his profession. "Shame and indignity are my sins, what are yours? Merely being attached to someone who gave you something that he took away from me?" Someone had a lot of concealed emotional hardship buried deep within his heart. "So, I, an elf of lowly stature, come to you, the half elf 'golden child' of the murder of my family, wondering, just how much did this woman feel for that poisoneous lecher, and trying to be considerate of her being to see if she was going to tell me "Oh, how I wish I was with him still, as since those days upon his ship, my heart has never beat so fast or long, for with him and Meilikki I have had all I could hope, a father and a mother to love and care for me, and for me to love and care for in return."..." His Aella impression was rather fuzzy and inaccurate, given a cooler mind, a cantrip would have let him make an actual impression that was within a range of accuracy. But not from this perticular Cedric on the this perticulary hot day.
"Perhaps I am just jealous of all the affections you awarded my nemesis, and wish to completely have you to myself." The elf walked strangely close to Aella, "Maybe I am just tired of being a lost sheep, and wish for the same thing you have." His eyes, at this range, showed his dread and his sleeplessness. "Maybe, it has been so long since the last time I heard you speak, I wish to hear your voice alive with the sounds of rage, love, defiance, and the many other attractive qualities you hold. Then again, that would be incredibly selfish of me, and I have no right to do so to you, Master. After all, I am but your Retainer, a servant to fulfill your needs, even when you do not voice them yourself." What did he mean by that, I wonder. He held up his right arm.
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 10:09 pm
Moving through this hallway was simply than she'd emagined. The sliding stones paused before each movement long enough for her and Fin to swim between each one and avoid getting crushed. The push and pull of the water took some getting used to, but did not prove as much a hinderance as she expected.
The next hallway was much the same with sliding stones that bloacked the path. Except that this one moved in the rythem of a wave. The would need to swim through at a constant speed to keep within the right space.
The few years that Lead had above Fin had brought her a measure of timing and accuracy, though she would have admited that it seemed foolish to travel these halls when it was not even certain what was at the end. She grabbed Fin's wrist when the time was right, and pulled him into the dhifting hallway.
She smiled softly. "No, I would not survive such a place." She sat next to him, her ruffled petticoats swishing across the floor. The elegant dress gave her that sophisitcated but not overbearing look, which she wore well. "I admit their was a desire for something more than what we had, but an appology is unnecessary. I did not need anymore from you, and I am content with the time we spent together."
She, unlike most people, did not fear Kimmuriel. "Aye. My future is bleek. The one I serve now allowed me a short glimpse of my own future, so that I might prepare for it." She looked into his eyes. "I am preparing for it now."
"When I die, I will be alone. My goddess will not be there waiting for me on the other side. No one will."
Every word he spoke to her, her anger and fear compounded until she was too confused to tell one from the other anymore. She didn't understand most of his feelings towards Tara/Kim, although she tried her best. "What makes me so special?" Was all her mind could ask at the moment. "What do I offer? I have a body that's been worn out, and fears still. I am not smart or clever, I know little of battle and fighting. I can just barely read. Why me?"
And then he got up close to her, and her shaking became almost violent. She made herself hold her ground, because she was not sure she would be able to loook Cedric in the eye if she ran away. Forcing the shivers down, forcing away her imidiate response too look away. Rather boldly, she looked back at him. "I don't understand, Cedric, what it is you are trying to tell me, or make me see." Regarding the arm. "The only thing I get, is that maybe you and I are alike in the way we've been thrown around by fate like so much fodder at war. And maybe you feel conflicted that I've found family in the one who killed yours."
"Stop with the riddles, Cedric. I'm too simple for that."
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 10:30 pm
Fin tried his best to keep up with Leaf, but at times his rhythm was not keen enough to allow him to keep entirely up. He lagged slightly, but not enough to cause them failure. The path was not an easy road to walk, nor did he know where it lead. He was rather happy though, and he knew why too. Each moment he moved forward on step, he was getting closer to a dream that he shared with a great many people, perhaps it was this distraction that did not alert him to the danger that lurked around that final bend, or maybe it was because the danger had the keen sense to hid its presence. It waited for the duet to come where it would have the most favourable ground. It over looked the runic pattern on the nearby wall. The large 'fish' would wait for them to draw near, and then smash them with its 'tentacles' and finally devour them. They would suffer for adventuring here, and awaking him from his eternal slumber.
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"We can't have that." Kimmuriel said with his old double-speak voice. "So... Not much to talk about, me being omnipotent and you not being the type to ask me grand questions of the universe-life-everything. I guess this visit is merely another early pleasure for you, and another expression of my powerful abuse of power. Just like the good old days, eh?" He seemed relatively less like the Kimmuriel who greeted her, but the taint was still there.
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"Yes, I am conflicted by how easy it was to get along with that murderer, and how easy it was to start liking him for his cocky-self-centred-bastardly essence. The blood of my mentor still wet on his hands, he pat's my back and tells me 'Good Work, for you have ensure the success of my plan.' How exactly does one get over the fact, no matter how hard you try to kill Kimmuriel, you'll only walk into his plots and be his puppet. Here I am after his demise," a colourful remembrance of Kimmuriel's disappearance, "and still serving his will, as though the gods find joy in making this torment. To drive an elf to the brink of madness, so he callously picks upon someone dear to him, and acts to rashly in relationships with others."
"I am Kimmuriel's puppet, as much as you are Kimmuriel's daughter. We both share a common enemy-turned ally, and we both feel a strange affimity for him." Cedric kept his close distance, as his voice grew quiet and less aggressive. His eyes did not change, and he placed his metal hand on Aella's chin, and held her face so he could stare into her orbs and not allow her to escape. "Are you going to run away, because everything I saw to you is a riddle, in the place of doublespeak, or would you prefer me to adopt a personality similar to Kimmuriel?"
"Would you love someone for who they are, or would you make them into someone you can love? Would you have them become demons so you can sedate your desires, could you accept them for the mistakes they made? Can you forgive a middle aged elf, for being too aggressive just now, because he is jealous of the man who murdered his family?" Odd, apology. Yet rather pride destroying. When an elf admits he's jealous of a drow, the heavens may fall upon the Earth and smite it with holy vengeance. But, that happened 1500 years ago, so no need to worry about that now.
"Too many people love me, yet I am just me, and I only know one kind of love. When I die at the hands my Master's enemy, I shall know only two things. The shame of betraying my kin, and the shame of never acting upon my feelings. At least now, I have almost remedied the later."
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Picking Up Stars Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 10:45 pm
"Half the fun of cooking is making a mess but I'll make sure he's careful." Thus turning to their son. "Zykariel, keep it in the bowl baby." Look she was using endearments already. Moving forward rather quickly. Then back to Sevilin, hands on her hips. "Figuring what? You have a place to live, you have no reason to travel and you already finished your work for Malik. What could you possibly have to figure." Did she trust that Sevilin wasn't going to try something to get past her? Hell no. The whole time she'd kept him in bed he'd been trying to get up. She knew it was only a matter of time before he tried a ploy to get out of the house.
Zykariel merely glanced up his finger firmly inserted in teh batter and nodded. "Okay." Before pulling out that finger and slipping it into his mouth. Chocolate chip cookie batter was some of the best stuff on the plane and with his mother occupied he could have as much as he wanted.
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 10:49 pm
Onyx's eyes narrowed, and he could feel his skin heating and that ichor slipping into the fur that covered him. Now he was really starting to get highly agitated. a small point of light started to form in his hand, getting longer, like a crystal shard. No, not a happy kitty right now.
Malik got himself up, and smirked lightly at Isle, before hopping over the railing of the arena wall and landing on the dirt with his sword drawn, the black mithril blade glittering a bit.
"You'll find me quite versatile I imagine, Isle. and I think you're in for a real treat. testing your steel to a drow shadowknight not may surface elves get that opportunity without a very real threat and usual promise of death."
yes he was playing up on himself too. hey had to give them some entertainment theatrics.
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 10:51 pm
Leaf was feeling exilerated after their swim through the clever hallway. The purian desirem, the dream of her people...maybe it really would be realized. Maybe it wasn't such an impossible endevor as they thought. Thus, lost in thought she swam right into the sea creatures face. She stared straight at an eyeball without realizing what it was for a full twenty seconds. A tentical snapped, struck her side, forcing her hard up agains one wall. Even though that cause quite a bit of pain for her, she pulled her dirk and swam for the creature, prepared to battle with it.
She shrugged. "I have lived for life's sake. I have no regrets, even if it has granted me an eternity without no one."
"Yes, good old days." She lied, she knew he knew that. A moment of quiet that was not awkward. "You know when I'll be taking my last breath. I confes I do not want to go so silently." She fiddled with the bracelet on her wrist. "My heart is just another mass of flesh, but at that moment, it might be of use to you." Never one to waist, she was making him an offer.
She listened intently, did her best to keep tears from spilling though she did not know why she wanted to cry. SHe involentarily flinshed when his hand touched her chin, and perhaps if it hadne't been for Onyx's nearly constant presence she might have pulled away completely.
"I..." a stutter, "I have asked to be accepted as I am, because I can be no one else. I cannot expect anything different from anyone else. I can forgive." She stared back, unable to blink incase she missed soemthing subtle, her eyes wet and gleaming in the dim light.
"Do you hate me for loving him? Do you want me to...to love you like I do him? Because I don't want you to be him..." Answering an earlier question.
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 10:59 pm
"Yes...but I haven't cleaned a thing in two days. And I'm not in the condition to." Smell of cleaning supplies anyone? His nose and throat wouldn't appreciate that. No matter how much he wanted to. A slgiht raise of an eyebrow, she was really ready wasn't she? But he checked his attitude because being cooped up make him cranky anyway.
"Figuring how I was completely unaware of five seperate drow, and allowed them so close in the first place." Yes his pride hurt. Which was a new thing for him seeing as he never knew pride until the last five or so years.
"Yeah yeah yeah, gloat gloat gloat." Said as she got herself up, taking her flute in hand as she walked herself to the arena grunds a few quick notes plated before it was put back and in that wonderful convient fashion, her sword on its belt and in its sheath popped out of the hair and landed in her waiting hand. "Get too cocky there and I'll bog you down like I did Gale. And remember Malik, I've spent time with you, I know your footing on various surfaces." Cliping hersword belt on, and drawing her ornate blade. "Well, age before beauty." Oh so that's where Piper got that phrase.
Piper shook her head lightly but sat up in her seat as Malikhai climbed into her lap so he could get a better look at the things going on. She shook her head with a little smile. The boy really did idolize his father. Though her own mind wandered to other things. Eventually she snagged a serf to dispense commands and do things for her. Couldn't stand it anymore...wasn't like she wasn't 'taking it easy'. Someone else was doing things. More pointedly checking on Lharika for her and also on the horses and the draithix pups of course...as well as feed Malikhai's one...she knew that would end up happening.
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Fractured Moonlight Captain
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:06 pm
Lady Luck perhaps misrolled the fish's die, and let the tentacle hit only the women, leaving the flank bare before the dwarven blade. A single stroke would fell a beast of equal character on the surface, because surface animals and beasts have the distinct disability of requiring their bodies to be intact to the fullest, while this fish could live on cleaved practically in twine (as long as it could still move, it would live forever). The second strike from the tentacle swatted the other elf into the opposite wall, and allowed the dirk to sneak a nasty gash alongside the fish's face, taking out one eye easily.
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"Please, in your own words, speak your mind." The drow god shrugged, "It would be more appropriate that way."
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The elf released his grasp on the woman, because he knew he was in the wrong with restraining her like that. He could not fully control his impulses, and that was showing rather well with the conversation and the actions. "What do you want me to be?" He asked simply and openly.
"I hate how someone like Kimmuriel can be loved, but I could never justify hating those who love him for their affection. Love is not something that should be lightly thrown about or cast upon others, nor rebuked. Taking love from someone is not the same thing as being loved by someone. I was once told that 'truth is love', and 'love is truth', but I have never been a firm believer in that philosophy. What is love?" His common diverging thought pattern surfaced near the end of that conversational piece, as his mood seemed to shift away from the paranoid spectre to rather content.
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:13 pm
"No cleaning. Cleaning will only put you right back in bed under my watch which I know you don't want." She just shook her head, knowing exactly what her son was doign without even needing to look. "Zykariel, if you eat too much of that you're going to give yourself a stomachache and I won't be giving you a potion to make it better." Thus back to Sevilin and she finally realized what was going on. He was embarassed because he'd been brought down by those drow and she knew that he was probably spitting mad over the one woman's sexual aspects. Plopping down in the chair next to him, she shook her head. "You were just doing your job. None of us would have been prepared for five of them and you would have beaten them if it hadn't been for me and my stupidity."
Zykariel stared at her for a long moment and guiltily hid his finger, wiping it off on his shirt. How did she know that? He was amazed since he hadn't seen her look over at all. Then he was reminded that Miss Piper knew a lot of things were happening without looking at them. She really was his Mommy! Now she even had eyes in the back of her head....
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Picking Up Stars Vice Captain
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Fractured Moonlight Captain
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:23 pm
He though she was making cookies? Sure...he was coughing up blood and such right now but that was his own fault and she didn't need to know that and thus hover. Didn't need to hover much at all in his opinion. But whatever made her feel better about him not being up to par. "With runes designed to say 'hey something's there'. And I didn't lose, I was ambushed. I wasn't even looking to fight." Vengence of the sorts he was kind of feeling was new for him too. Stupid new things like this.
"No, if I hadn't of tried to shortchange myself, I would be much better off. But I did, so, now I'm merely going to find how they managed to get that close, and then fix the problem." Even if that meant he had to level the ground in that area to do it. After all, wasn't it his job to protect Malik's borders? Yes indeed it was. Giving a sigh he pinched the bridge of his nose before rubbing at his temples and giving a cough.
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