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 Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2009 4:51 pm
There were a lot of morphs still left on the battlefield. Amelia vaguely reflected on this as she slid out of the way of a sword's strike, hissing in pain from the gash in her thigh. The cold was enough to numb the pain, but this movement was more than enough to tear the wound open farther. Attacks were flying everywhere. Should I have run in like this?
Amelia narrowly managed to dodge a flying arrow. Another hiss came out of her throat as an axe sank into the soft flesh of her side, just above the metal guards on her hips. She leaped away from the morph when he brought the weapon back to him. Lances weren't good against axes; even if a lance had reach, an axe had raw strength, and his axe could make quick work of the wooden shaft of her lance. Amelia readied herself, blood still sliding down her skin, prepared to fight...
A hand came out of nowhere, crashing into the face of the axeman. What? Amelia watched almost numbly as the morphs filtered off to other targets, avoiding this man in gray robes that seemed to draw the very essence of existence out of the axe-wielding morph with a single touch. Her stance faltered a little, but she didn't move away. "A... melia."
Green eyes met gold as Amelia stared. You're still fighting. Focus. Focus. Drop your guard and you're wide-open for attack.
The thoughts didn't seem to connect, though, as tears came to her eyes. Amelia's arms dropped to her sides. Blood continued to pool against the fabric of her sweater, slide down the skin of her thigh and towards her boot. "Dad...!"
[[Uh, don't worry, she IS going to notice that something's wrong, okay? XD"]]
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2009 5:41 pm
There was more blood. From his daughter this time. Unlike the blood coming from him, this was not a good thing. He would have to stop it. Battle? It could wait for a moment. For now, there was something to be taken care of. His arms reached out, wrapping around the girl and pulling her to him. "Amelia... my beloved... daughter..." A soft blue glow surrounded him for a moment, some of the quintessence he'd drained transferring into her body, sealing off the wounds. His daughter would not be harmed while he was around. He would protect her. These soulless beings would not touch her. Not while he was here to protect her.
He pulled back then, odd golden eyes still gazing over his daughter quietly. "A battle again... must it always... be fighting?" he asked. "I know that you are... a good fighter, but... I don't want you to be hurt..." He looked around, just now taking in the scenery. He didn't understand this at all. What had happened while he was away? There was destruction and death and these creatures... so many creatures... and more of the powerful beings he had felt before. Not right. Not riiiiiiigggggghhhhhhtttttt...
His thoughts trailed off into an abyss. A hole in his mind, so to speak. There seemed to be a gap in his memory spanning the last few hours. And before that, everything was fuzzy, as if he had been in a daze. He had gone out to recover some item, correct? He'd made sure to tell everyone he was leaving so that they wouldn't worry. And he had not been gone for long. Surely no more than a few days, or he would remember this. Then he had returned. He thought he'd seen Amelia earlier. But he couldn't have, or she would not be so shocked to see him.
He had gone to Fefga's house. He'd popped his head in the door, hadn't he? Amelia hadn't been there, so he'd stopped by his room to leave his things and then left again. No incidents. But then, why did he recognize this presence? And why had he expected morphs? He would not have brought the dagger if he hadn't. His mind stretched for a moment, struggling to wrap itself around this conundrum. But then it was gone, and he was no longer concerned. Past was past. This was now. Amelia was here, and he would take care of her. Take care of her and gather quintessence for his ailing body, yes. He couldn't leave her alone. He couldn't die.
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Overlord of Night- Shadow
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2009 5:55 pm
Something wasn't right about this. Father Renault was wrong. What had happened? Amelia had a few moments to stare at his gold eyes. They were supposed to be green. They were always green. Grey robes instead of white... gold eyes instead of green... What happened to you...? The tears were falling now. Was this really him?
"Amelia... my beloved... daughter..." the General felt her hands go limp and the spear hit the wet grass as her father held her close, arms wrapped around her body. She let out a long, loose breath as suddenly the wounds in her thigh and side didn't hurt any longer. Energy seemed to return to her body, bringing a healthy color to her cold face. She turned her eyes down just long enough to see the perfect flesh under the ripped fabric of her shirt and against her rounded thigh. As if it was never there... how did he do that...? There was no staff...
Amelia paused. Gold eyes. The ability to drain the life out of a morph, born entirely of quintessence and sheer magical power. The ability to rejuvenate someone with a single touch. Amelia turned her eyes up to her father, wet eyes wide in a horrified realization. One hand moved to grip the fabric of his robe, afraid he would walk away from her.
"Hu... Humor me, Dad..." she mumbled. Her eyes flickered to the knife at his side, then back up to his golden irises. Her chest shook a little under her breastplate before she spoke again, her voice quiet, like a small child afraid to be punished. "What... are you...?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2009 6:43 pm
Renault's eyes misted with sadness for a moment. "I... I am sorry, Amelia," he whispered. "I had to do this... to stay here with you..." She... hadn't run away. This was good. If she ran, that would hurt. He might look odd. But he was still her father. He hadn't changed in that regard. "I had to change my body... to stay alive... but I promise you that my mind has not changed..." His eyes reflected sorrow, and something else as well... confusion? Perhaps he himself didn't quite understand what had happened to him. But... he had Amelia, right? That was all that mattered. These things here didn't matter. None of it should, as long as his family was safe.
Rhys as well. Yes. If he was hurt Amelia would be sad. Unacceptable. Where was Rhys? Not close. Odd. But all right. He would just be involved in this battle until they could leave. Though he didn't know the point of this battle; that was likely bad. He didn't mind though. One hand reached up and touched Amelia's face gently; and the touch was the familiar touch of her father. He held her against him more tightly; and the embrace was a gentle yet firm one, no different from what it normally would be. "Please..." he whispered, his voice betraying a hint of fear. "You won't leave... even though I'm like this... will you?"
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Overlord of Night- Shadow
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2009 6:52 pm
Amelia's eyes stayed on her father's face as he spoke; his whisper was barely audible over the sounds of battle, but she managed to catch every word. "I... I am sorry, Amelia. I had to do this... to stay here with you... I had to change my body... to stay alive... but I promise you that my mind has not changed..."
You... were dying...? she thought. Her hand tightened on the elder man's grey robes, watching as Renault's eyes seemed to cast around the battlefield. Who was he looking for? Amelia couldn't tell. Her breath came out in a small puff that condensed in the newly-cooled air as his hand came in contact with her face. Another fat tear fell from her eyelid and hit his finger, and when he held her close, Amelia sank against him. It was amazing, going without any semblance of family for years, becoming so accustomed to it... and then when an adopted parent disappeared for a month, perhaps, Amelia realized she maybe wasn't so accustomed to going without family after all.
"Please... You won't leave... even though I'm like this... will you?"
The fear stabbed into Amelia's gut. She wrapped her arms tightly around his torso, cheek against his chest. His hug was the same as before. "I would never," she managed. Wasn't there still a battle going on? She ignored that; this was infinitely more important. There were plenty of people still on the battlefield. They could go without her for a few minutes. "I won't, Dad. I won't..."
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2009 6:54 pm
Rhys had tried to keep close to Amelia. Really, he did. Victoria could help the others; he'd stick close for support. But he was getting tired... oh, so tired... after a long night of doing nothing but fighting, the rain was very cold, but felt good... when you're hot and tired and sweaty, a nice cold rain does quite a bit for at least half of those problems.
And the extra quintessence... had run out. He was just so... exhausted. Running all day and all night, with... what, a quarter hour's nap, if that?
Well. There weren't any morphs around... and the forest fire was out, thanks to Soren... however the hell he got there...
Maybe... maybe he'd just... no! He still had to help them! He still could... could...
...I'm tired... so very tired...
He hit the ground with a thud, his body coming to rest in a thicket, the deep grasses shielding his body from view.
He was dead.
...
...Tired.
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2009 9:11 pm
Soren's despondent body stretched across Pitch's back. Malachi dug its claws into the mage knight's robe, chittering in all the danger and the excitement, wondering what was going to happen next. But Pitch continued whinnying and fretting, stepping forward, then back, not seeming to know where to go or what to do. Run? Turn tail? No, Pitch only stomped in place and tossed its head noisily.
The rouncey would require guidance, but there was no familiar gesture or command to steer it. After all, like Rhys, Soren was completely out — dead weight, so to speak.
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Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2009 10:09 am
Victoria had noticed her fellow Bishop, Renault, only he wasn't the same. What was he becoming... a morph? The elder one had explained how his mind remained the same. Was that really true... was he...
"Father... Renault...?" was all the female bishop managed to say. Nothing else seemed to matter at the moment...
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Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2009 1:32 pm
Isadora gave a smack in the morph's face with her shield before stabbed it with her sword. She was so tired. She would be losing her energy and strength by the time the battle was over. When was the last time the paladin sleep? She was unsure. She felt like it was days since she last slept.
Turning her attention to her comrades, she noticed Father Renault in the field. Since when did he appear? She wasn't sure. However, she was glad that her dear friend had come to help.
Suddenly, she noticed something wrong. Both Soren and Rhys collapsed from lack of energy and strength as morphs moved in.
"No!" Isadora yelled as she charged her horse and stabbed the first morph with her sword. She slashed out all the morphs before getting off her horse. Isadora continued to fight until the last morph fell from her blade.
She then picked up Soren and placed him until his horse while placing Rhys onto hers. Getting back onto her horse and grabbed both hers and Soren's reins, Isadora cried out to her comrades.
"We must retreat at once! We can't continue battle with two men down!"
Isadora then gave a yelp and led both Tuomas and Soren's horse out of the battlefield with two unconscious men. She was unsure if her comrades would retreat. However, now was the time to retreat and they needed rest immediately.
[Exit Darkness Pursues and into We Must Return.]
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Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2009 1:50 pm
Pitch was all too glad to finally have some direction. Although he was unable to clearly perceive just who had grabbed the reins, Pitch was asserted back to calmness by the gesture and followed after Tuomas, hooves falling heavily against the earth, the hairs of his chopped mane flickering with the movement. The weight on his back was oddly distributed, but he paid it no mind. He just needed to get out of here and needed to know where.
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Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2009 2:29 pm
Victoria had no time to gaze upon the morph-like man any longer. She needed to retreat with the others. While shooting off Divine spells along the way, she started to make her way to the smoke and fire of the campsite. Besides, the rest of the morphs were falling anyhow...
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Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2009 4:41 pm
Roy watched as Isadora and Victoria, as well as several others, made their retreat with the unconscious Soren and Rhys. He glanced over at his Uncle and the few that remained behind. He was tired, yes, but these guys were fighting longer than he had at this battle.
A brigand swung his axe down on the young lord, but Roy merely sidestepped, letting the heavy axe smash into the ground. He jumped on the back of the Hammer to hold it down before he swung the sword at the morph, decapitating it. He then backflipped off the axe to get back on the ground. He tested his right arm, opening and closing his hand. Good...the Runesword's dark healing magic had almost healed his injury completely. He could draw another sword forth.
Wind Blade and Light Brand in hands now, he straightened up a little. There were nicks and tears on his clothes and armor from fighting, but any possible harm that was dealt to him was already healed thanks to the Runesword.
There were less than five morphs left now...enough for only one person to have to stay behind while the others could escape.
"Go...all of you. I'll hold off the last of them." he told the others.
"And Uncle...make sure you do something about your injuries...Mother won't be happy to see you injured." he added, words directed to the bard.
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Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2009 5:47 pm
Nils stubbornly shook his head, raising his flute. His injuries were starting to really get to him, yes, but it wasn't enough to get him to leave yet. Besides... he would feel terrible to leave Roy to fight alone. What if Roy did need help and no one was there to help him?
Ninian may not be happy when she'd see Nils injured, but she'd feel worse if Roy didn't even return.
"Nephew... I'm not leaving without you."
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Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2009 6:10 pm
The battlefield was quieting. There were not enough morphs left to make any difference. He should leave. He probably shouldn't be here in the first place. No, he needed to go. He needed to get quintessence. It was essential. But his daughter's arms were still wrapped around him. He could not leave her. He had wronged her before. But no, he hadn't. He'd only left for a short time. And she'd known he was leaving. She would not have worried. But why was she so emotional now? And why was there a pain in his heart? This didn't make sense. But no. It wasn't important. Not at all. Amelia, and quintessence. Those two things mattered right now. Nothing else was important. Nothing at all.
The first thing to worry about was Amelia. She had dropped her lance. One foot pressed down onto the hilt of the weapon, then slammed down, flipping the wooden shaft up into the bishop's hand. "I believe... we should not stay," he said quietly. "It is time to leave. Come with me. Amelia." Without waiting for a response, he shifted his position, bringing her up into his arms like a small child. There was armor. But he didn't seem to worry about that; his steps slowed only a little. Had he been this powerful before? Or was it a side effect of this process? That couldn't really be determined, but he didn't seem to have trouble now. A moment of silence passed, then the man leaned forward, lips pressing against Amelia's forehead in a soft kiss. "I will never leave you..." The gray cloak draped over her, helping to hide her from the world as her father kept her close.
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Overlord of Night- Shadow
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Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2009 6:24 pm
Amelia turned her eyes up from her father's chest. The morphs had disappeared. When had that happened? Isadora was leaving on her horse, with Soren unconscious on his rouncey and Rhys laying across the back of her own. Rhys? she wondered, eyes widening. He was all right, wasn't he? He just passed out... that's it, he's passed out, he's tired, he doesn't even look injured... Amelia tightened her hands against Renault's robes. Why was she hesitating so much? I'm stronger than this. He'll be fine. And I can help Roy take out the rest of the morphs. Spear... need spear...
Amelia moved to pick the lance back up, only to step back as Renault easily flipped the weapon up into his own hand. "I believe... we should not stay. It is time to leave. Come with me. Amelia."
The General was surprised, to say the least, as Renault drew her up into his arms, cradling her against his broad chest. "I can walk," she tried, but he was already walking. Her weight--armor included--did not phase him. He's gotten so much stronger... Amelia tilted her head up to look at his face. He'd... probably just pick me up again... if I tried to get down... Amelia turned her eyes to her knees. She wondered what had happened, exactly. How had he done this to himself? He was falling apart... back at the manor... is that what he meant by "Had to do it"?
There was a kiss on her forehead, and Amelia looked back up to Renault's face. "I will never leave you..."
Amelia nodded slowly. If he said he wouldn't, he wouldn't. If he had done this to himself, just to lengthen his time here for her sake... that was more than enough for her to believe him. Amelia closed her eyes. Teifi... would have killed you to be my mother, Dad... she thought, letting herself relax against his arms and the tension drain out of her limbs as he covered her with his cloak. How might things have changed if she was willing to share? To let me keep the ones I love? I hope... Maybe I can apologize... she seemed lonely, somehow. Amelia mused over this as Renault walked. Even with the others. If I could reach her... maybe I'll apologize. Not alone, though. Can't see her if I'm by myself, everything would cycle again...
With that, Amelia fell into a light nap. The sleep was colored with guilt--she had fought far less than anyone else, they were much wearier than she--but she was calm in her father's arms, the worry and fear from hours past leaving her face.
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