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 Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 12:20 pm
"We have no reason to think that hostilities would come all the way to here." She allowed herself a small shrug. "But if it comes down to it, what needs to be done shall be done. We'll work to minimize civilian casualties, but the Purge has no responsibility toward Barton's citizens."
A shadow passed over Amelia's eyes. It was hard, sometimes, to know how cold they'd have to be should a full-scale war break out in a place where many innocent lives could be endangered. Still, she knew they were fighting against death itself.
"The end justifies the means, you could say."
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Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 10:14 pm
"You miss my meaning entire.... Tell me, to crush the forces of evil, would you be willing to sacrifice your Queen to open the King?"
His eyes peered forward, and he'd continue walking, ears perked, so to speak, as his mind wandered it's own paths.
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Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 11:11 am
"You mean lady Rachelle?" Surprise tinted her tone. To sacrifice her leader, the thought had never even crossed Amelie's mind. Her pace slowed down slightly as she carefully thought out her answer.
"Sacrifice, yes, I would. If it cannot be helped. Although to say I'd do it willingly would be lying both to you and to myself. The thought of harm ever befalling my lady burdens my heart. That I should kill her, I don't think I could find the strength to ever forgive myself." She scratched the back of her head, somewhat sheepishly. "You may think my words are foolish, for you have only talked to her a moment, and in unfavorable circumstances, but lady Rachelle is the heart that pumps the strength through this army."
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Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 1:44 pm
Nexxus would smile, pausing and turning to the woman, hoping that her slowed pace might cause her to stop next to him.
"I do not think anything foolish, my lady Amelie. I only hope to allow you to understand the gravity of what you walk into."
His fingers came forward, counting out four fingers on each hand.
"In chess, if you haven't played, you have Eight pawns. Eight, common men... Minutemen, Men-at-arms... The soldiers that support the people behing them."
He would close everything but his pinkies.
"Rooks."
Pinkies would go down, ring-fingers up.
"Knights."
Ring down, Mid up.
"Bishops."
Mid fingers would go down, and then index, the last.
"The King, and The Queen. It alternates on which side, depending on what color you play."
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Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 11:57 pm
Sometime in the night...
Something was amiss on the outskirts of Barton. To the southwest, shadowy figures were climbing out of the Barton Trench, keeping to the shadows. There were five in total, four of which immediately darted toward Barton's walls. The fifth remained behind, as if guarding the trench. However, none of this would be visible to the naked eye. The figures had cast themselves in invisibility, and their stealth made it very difficult for their footsteps or movements to be heard.
The four who went to the walls to the south and east would pause upon reaching them, looking about to see if there were any guards posted along or around the walls. If there were none, they would begin scaling the walls with ease, with no gear or anything - as if they were spiders. If there were guards posted, they would be taken out quickly and quietly with sleep darts shot at their necks. The tranquilizers would take effect immediately, knocking the guards out before they could even realize they had just been hit.
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Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 11:57 pm
"Yes, I am familiar with the rules of chess." She indeed understood very little of what Nexxus meant by this metaphor of sorts. Amelie knew the game of chess, and some about its hazy origins, supposedly related to wars of the ages past. She simply gave a nod and waited, offering the man to continue his explanation uninterrupted.
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Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 12:16 am
Nexxus would yawn, and stretch, abandoning the metaphor.with a yawn. Relaxing after his stretch, he would drift, his head gliding, his eyes listlessly drifting with them... Something, was off, without a doubt....
He would yawn again, giving a very cat-like purr as he looks back to Amelie. "Mmm... Seems I won't have to go." A pause, as his fingers would comb his hair...
"Perhaps... Is there somewhere nearby that I might take shelter?"
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Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 10:35 am
She blinkied, surprised. It had sounded for a moment as if Nexxus was going somewhere interesting wih chess. Dropping it all so suddenly started Amelie. Quickly though, she shrugged it off her mind, and answered as she kep walking: "Hotels, motels, inns and generous souls are plentiful within the city. I can have a soldier show you the way , if needs be."
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Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 2:50 pm
Nexxus would sigh, and frown, his mind tossing right and left like some Gods forsaken tennis match.
"You, my dear, are a Bishop. The right hand of your King and Queen... And by some... perverted, dark means.... I am a Knight, I would call myself, for this metaphor, Defending the Bishop's Will in a way that the Pawns cannot." He would move forward a bit, past the guards, and stomp a foot firmly into the floor of the airship. "And these... These shall be your Rooks. North, South, East, West... The only way that they can move, but move they do... Even Transport can be used, my dear Amelie the Captain, Even transport can become a war-machine.
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Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 3:52 pm
The first thing they noticed after scaling the walls and infiltrating the town was the docked airship. If that wasn't a significant change from the norm, what was? They stuck to the shadows, invisible, staying out of the main streets, skirting along the wall and taking to the rooftops for better vantage points, especially of the airship.
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Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 5:11 pm
"A knight? Defending my will." She chuckled brightly. "How chivalrous of you. I'll not forget these words any day soon, believe it. Should I think of you as concerned for the Purge's goal, then?"
She did not answer his comment about the airships, mostly because she knew something that very little others did. The rooks. A very symbolic piece, waiting idly at the edge of the board for its time to move.
She stopped walking. "Is it night already?" A sigh escaped her lips. "You will have to forgive me, sir Nexxus, but I must attend to duty. I am already late for my appointment with lady Rachelle."
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Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 5:30 pm
As if to challenge the airship for superiority of the sky, a huge black battlecruiser descended from the sky, though it couldn't get very close to the ground for it was longer then a football stadium! If one could sense such things, one couldn't sense any life on the vessle, or at least any tradional life.
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Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 7:13 pm
Nexxus would make a bow, crossing vambraces acrossed his breast. "Not to the T, but yes, I do abhorr the more dark and descrating forms of Dark Magic."
The man would rise from his bow with a frown, once more running his fingers through his hair.
"It seems we are no longer alone, as we could have hoped."
Who did he mean, one could wonder? The enigmas on the edge of existance, or the blunt, tactless battlecruiser above them? Or, perhaps, both?
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Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 7:42 pm
Down below, the Purge was finally at home in its new fortress. With night falling, and undeath raising active, patrols were being conducted both in the HQ's grounds and down in the city's streets. Patrols were all comprised of a stick-wielding guardian and a knuckle hammer-wielding knight. There were 8 patrols walking down through Barton town's streets, while scores were spread through the walls of the Arena, making sure everything was safe. It was Antoine that first saw the battleship. He immediately warned his partner Annie, who had taken a pause to tie her shoes. "s**t, 'Nie-kins, we got something." Annie immediately straightened, ready to remind Antoine how much she despises the annoying nickname, but her words were halted by the dark omen in the sky. "... don't mind it. Big like that, the Arena will notice it before long if it hasn't already. The fleet can take care of it." "Aye, it's just givin' me chills. Got bad feels 'bout tonite. Know Barton's all life'n hearts, but Iunno. S'like, guardian sense tingling, rite?" "Shut up, Ant." --------------- Deep within the Arena, everyone knew about the battleship by now. In her quarters, Lady Rachelle was sitting at her desk, with ambassador Mathieu standing at her side, and a hand in front, awaiting orders. "While no life can be sensed within the vessel, there is no undeath to be felt either. Please inform the aerialists to stay on foot in the case of a threat and assign team 19 on the Arena's high walls to constantly watch upon it, but no one should pay heed to it further." Rachelle's voice was so soft, it hardly felt like she had the authority to lead an army. Still, it filled a man with pride and joy. Soldiers followed her orders not because they had to, but because they wanted to to the bottom of their hearts. The hand saluted, and left. Only when the door was shut close that Mathieu, up to now silent, spoke: "What of the people of Barton? Won't they panic?" "They probably will," she answered calmly, "but it cannot be helped. Please return to the city and follow the local law's moves. Answer their requests how you see fit." "Right away, my lady." He gave a bow and circled the desk, heading toward the door, when Rachelle interrupted him: "Mathieu?" "Yes?" She smiled. "Be careful. Something else is coming our way." "... very well." --------------- "Are we?" Amelie could not see outside, the sky hidden by the large walls of the Arena. It's only when she stepped out that she noticed the large monument, flying between the clouds by forces unknown. Immediately, her smiled disappear, replaced by a frowned that showed all too clearly there was more to the Saintmorning's captain than a lighthearted young woman. "You will understand, then, that I must return to my ship. Sir Nexxus, it was a pleasure." She bowed. "Please do take care in the streets." A last smile, and she turned away from him. "Soldiers! To your post, with haste! We must be ready to raise at any time, should the order come!" And all three ran bad to the docks, two floors higher.
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Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 7:52 pm
Ah hell. Of all the things that could happen...
With the sudden appearance of the guargantuan battlecruiser in the skies, the four invisible figures who were conducting their scouting mission suddenly retreated into the shadows. This was sure to stir up whoever was protecting Barton, and they did not want to get caught in the middle of some firefight. They pulled back to a safe distance - at least, as safe as it could be without going back over the walls again. Meanwhile, the fifth who had remained behind observed from afar.
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