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 Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 8:15 pm
The call of battle
The call of duty
They both mean the same.x - [Leon] - x The discussion between Watch members might have very well continued, if Leon hadn't noticed a rather rude fighter coming to interrupt them. Amelia engaged Drake, and he thought he too might have had the chance to join the fray, but then he felt something, or rather, someone knock him clean off Anri's back! He cursed. Seeing the assassin's blade, Leon gripped the man's wrist, stopping the dagger from coming close enough.
He struggled against the cutthroat, finally kicking him away. With the assassin disoriented, Leon had time to get his pole axe off his back, and get right back on his horse again, just as he was trained to. Anri rushed at the one who tried to do his master harm, with a rage that was never before seen, as Leon lifted his weapon, and then brought it down with a single stroke.
"Foward!" He said, ordering Anri to charge now towards the battle that raged between Drake and Amelia. The horse and rider raced even faster when they saw Amelia get thrown outside the gate. Leon glared in Drake's direction, but held in his urge to shout at him for the opportunity of an attack from behind. Raising his pole axe as the two sword fighters were deadlocked, he sliced downward, knowing he'd get that brute pretty good should he hit. x - [Watch Lieutenant] - xTo always fight
For what is right
By my knightly name!
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Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 9:12 pm
"What's wrong?!" Drake grumbled, strenuously. "I thought you could handle... anything I dished out!" He continued to push against the girl's sword, but found that he was struggling to overwhelm her. He glanced up at the tip of his broadsword to see that it was lodged into the gate, which seemed to be barely held shut anymore. It apparently hadn't been fortified, which made sense, since there was still the possibility of Learanians having to go through it, such as the need to retreat behind it. That was good for Drake, but at that moment, his sword was stuck. He gave it tug and his eyes flared when he discovered it wouldn't dislodge. He tried again and again, showing evident frustration, and each tug failed to free the sword. If only he could have freed his blade right then, the girl would have been dead.
Drake continued to try and free his sword to avail, when one of his tugs caused the gate to open slightly. The wood was breaking apart and had been with each tug. The girl was sure to have noticed, but it was only after the gate opened a little and a smile came upon Drake's face that things probably seemed dim. Drake increased his pressure to keep the girl's sword in check and began to use his blade as a wedge. The wood moaned and cracked every time he pushed and pulled and the gate doors reciprocated by continuing to move back.
Finally, after a strong push, the board supporting the gate broke in two and the doors flung open. The momentum sent Drake rolling over top of the girl, freeing her of the trap she was in. His blade dislodged but missed her completely, while her sword had nicked the side of his leg. As Drake got to his feet, he felt the scratch, but it didn't hinder his movement significantly. He was completely unaware that the horseman almost cleaved his head off. Had the gate opened a few seconds later, Drake would have probably been killed. He only saw the horseman after he stood up and faced the girl. By then, it was pretty dark and the only light was coming from torches being lit.
Just then, he heard a faint signal that he recognized well and smirked at the sound of it. He responded by whistling a distinctive bird call. Hopefully, it was clear enough that he wanted the horseman dealt with. With him preoccupied, Drake could focus on finishing off the girl in the castle's beautiful courtyard.
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Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 9:32 pm
 Anxious as Blythe was, Soren’s motioning at him for the Troubadour to follow was a good sign. That Saint guy definitely had a room in this house, and Soren knew where it was! Blythe wasted no time in quickly pursuing the Sage-Researcher, spurred on by the footsteps ascending the staircase that could be heard. The tension was at an all-time high.  …And FD is still thrashing like a madman-dragon gone Feral. At least he’s killing things in the process with his aimless Flametongues. Good luck to Zeiss and Mihara in dealing with the bat lizards plaguing the dragon without getting themselves killed in the process.Okay, I know they're crap, and if I had the time, I'd figure out some way to give them more substance. But I have a paper to write tonight. Still, I don't want to slow down the RP. Apologies.
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Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 9:39 pm
Amelia gritted her teeth and glared at Drake. "What do you think I'm doing?" she muttered, pushing harder. She braced herself more securely and pushed and pushed, but either her time spent in motherhood had left her softer, or she was simply unable to best him with pure strength. Either way, they were locked in an unstable stalemate.
Sure enough, as he continued to tug, he realized each motion forced the wooden door open just a little bit more. Amelia shifted her feet and forced her sword against his with all of her might, but couldn't stop him. If I move my sword to slice at him, he could bring his sword right down through that damage and kill me, if I knock down his footing he drops and the sword falls--
The gate burst. Amelia rolled backwards with Drake, though he went considerably farther. She could hear the sound of his large broadsword clattering to the ground just beside her, and as she got herself to her feet, wobbling slightly, she could see the blood smeared on her blade. Her eyes moved to him; his leg was cut. ...Hah.
Anri's snorting breaths were clearly audible from her position, but Amelia didn't face Leon. She did, however, smile gratefully. "Thanks, Leon. Go check on the others, I think--" A rustling came from the trees, and then suddenly the lone shadowy figure burst out, leaping down towards Leon and his horse. He was a much smaller figure than one might have expected, but with both daggers drawn, he was no less imposing. He landed on Leon's shoulders, giving a mighty slash of the daggers at his arms, so as to cripple his ability to use his poleaxe, and then bounded right off of him, landing in front of Anri. He rose to his feet, the many layers of black fabric around his form rustling slightly with the wind. He spun one dagger around lightly in his fingers, hands wrapped in worn bandages. "If you want to fight with our leader, then you'll have to get through me." His voice was soft, but still strong. "That is, if you can find me." With that, he seemed to vanish into the darkness. The nearest torch suddenly went out, and then his daggers were whistling inaudibly through the air, aimed at Anri's exposed flank.
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 10:28 am
Joshua by now had caught up to the group at large, "I seem to remember something about the gate Captain... and a bet I think I won?" He said with a wider grin.
The mage meanwhile had quite the irked expression on his face, "Right, a 'Thank you Derrin for killing the huge smelly monster would be appreciated'? Or maybe a 'Wow, that was neat' would be acceptable? No? Fine then, I'm off to check out the direction that this," He paused to kick Iguldra's smoldering corpse. "Thing came from, maybe there are a few survivors who will be more appreciative of my help." And with that the red head took off at a light trot down the way that Iguldra had come from, slaughtering bandits that weren't smart enough to already be dead with glee as he went.
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 2:26 pm
They asked him if he was fine. Well, of course he was fine, did he look hurt? But there was that brand on his arm, the chain-shaped one. That was his problem, he said. He could tell that story another time, when they weren't in the middle of a war. But then, Aeolus had a feeling they already knew, since they couldn't stay to focus long on him or the red-haired swordsman.
Right, things were urgent. He understood that. He understood that a little too well, actually. Aeolus reflected on all the times his masters had driven him and the others to work faster because they had a deadline of some kind, except this time the deadline was, well, death. Or conquest. He wasn't too sure. Either way it went, he couldn't afford to idle around.
Well, he was okay. He wasn't a fighter, but he could be doing something. Just because he had gotten into Learania didn't make him safe, and that thought alone restrained him from celebration.
"Somebody," he called out into the confusion of healers and the wounded, "somebody, is there anybody I can talk to? Who can use a wind edge? Is there a shortage of tome menders? Is there a want for soldiers? Somebody, talk to me, anybody!"
But things must have been truly frantic, for it seemed that no one heard him, at least not right away. "A tome, then! Has anyone a tome I can use? Or maybe a half-finished one I could finish?"
Still, the crowd rushed and wheeled in his vision. It almost gave Aeolus a headache. He decided he'd wasted enough time on asking questions and grabbed the wind edge, and he looked once more for the red-haired swordsman, perhaps hoping that he could throw the sword at him. But he could not spot him amid the confusion, so Aeolus instead rushed out, thinking of only one clear-cut way he could help—find that horseman and make sure he didn't die.
"Here!" blurted Soren, skidding to a stop in front of a door. He twisted the knob or lever or whatever was in the way (he wasn't paying attention) and thrust the door open to what he expected to be a relatively empty room. "He keeps a spare or two in here, I'm sure of it," Soren said, scurrying inside and shuffling around in search of a staff. "He's been through a lot, he has to have been prepared..."
He heard a thunk and turned his head. A staff went rolling across the floor toward the entranceway, as if presenting itself to Blythe. Of course, it was just a random staff—who was to say it was a Rescue staff—because Ed certainly didn't know he wanted a Rescue staff.
The giant rat poked her head out from underneath the bed, followed by the two-headed doog-like puppy, Orthrus. Ed twitched her whiskers at Soren, and then looked at the doorway. She hadn't really found much of a better hiding place than this, and she was in too much a panic to try and transform back to climb into the attic.
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 3:40 pm
O holy light,
Smite my enemy!
Bless my friends!₪Victoria₪ Victoria was using just a heal staff to attend to the many patients that came in and out of the healers' ward. Any other staff would just prove too fragile, with this many patients to be cared for. Her eyes caught someone moving. "Wait! Where do you think you're going?!" The bishop called out, as she proceeded to grab her trusty Divine tome and bound after Aeolus. Wherever he was going, it was in a hurry, so she stepped up her pace to try and catch him.
This far back into the city, the chaos of the outer parts hadn't reached, so at least she wasn't dodging enemy strokes just yet. She slowly but surely, she caught up to the escapee, all the while wondering if a certain redhead was going to pursue them both or remain with the other healers a bit longer. Hopefully, Roy would choose the latter, because it might end badly for him otherwise. "You're a bit too hasty in returning to the battlefield, aren't you, sir?" asked the holy one to Aeolus. "You can at least let a gifted one like me help! I can use light magic! Why charge off alone when you can have such great backup?"
"Come on! Wherever we go, we'll go together." Victoria said, now following Aeolus's lead. "There's no need to worry about the others back at the ward. They're in good hands! For now, let's keep going. And may St. Elimine bless us!" Whether or not he believed, Victoria had great belief in the Lady Saint. She had heard of how the battle wasn't exactly in Learania's favor right now, but maybe her light could make a difference, just maybe. Right now, all Eyris had was a prayer.ΘжElmine's LightжΘSaint Elimine,
I give you a prayer!
Grant us fortune.
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:33 pm
The call of battle
The call of duty
They both mean the same.x - [Leon] - xHe barely missed Drake! Leon couldn't believe his luck! The knight was just about to launch another attack when he heard something... or rather, someone behind him. By the time he heard, it was already too late. Leon gritted his teeth, trying not to cry out as he felt the assassin's strikes on his arms. He dropped his weapon just as the shadowy assailant jumped off of him.
With the light doused, the Watch's Lieutenant could hardly see two feet in front of him. His eyes searched around, all the while bracing against the pain he felt in both arms. "Damn him! Where is he?!" He thought with a hint of both desperation and anger. Leon felt his pulse quicken. Was he actually feeling fear right now? Of course he was. Who wouldn't feel it in near pitch-blackness, knowing an assassin could be around any corner? He latched onto Anri, as much as he could without aggravating his injuries. For now, his fear had stopped him from doing much more.
Anri felt his master's grip, but where were Leon's orders? The steed was confused by this turn of events! Wasn't his partner a warrior like the war horse was bred to be? Where was his fighter's spirit, where were his commands? Something must be wrong if he wasn't speaking now! His ears perked to hear quiet footsteps, ones that sounded like they were trying to hide themselves. By instinct, he side-stepped, and it was a good thing too, for he was able to spare himself the assassin's strike. x - [Watch Lieutenant] - xTo always fight
For what is right
By my knightly name!
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 5:16 pm
Roy was in the infirmary with the other person that Leon had brought in. His wounds were light compared to some of the others, but he was tired. The duel with Ali had drained much out of him. A healer tended to him with a Mend Staff, and all he needed now was to rest.
Just as he was about to, there were sounds of combat outside the infirmary. Dammit, could the enemy not be frikkin civil and attack at a more reasonable hour? Any hope of rest went out the window when he noticed a certain blonde bishop chasing after the man Leon had brought in. He grumbled something about looking after the others before he grabbed his things and hurried off after the two.
He then paused. If he went with those two, who would protect the infirmary? As long as no one was dead, they could be healed with magic to an extent. If they lost their healers, they'd be in some pretty deep s**t in the morning.
"Medics, move the injured away from the doorway." he told them.
He wanted it so that no one could be seen from outside the entrance, simply because it would be difficult to protect them when he wouldn't be able to see the enemy from in the shadows. They would actually have to enter the infirmary if they wanted to get the people in here. And if they did enter, they would be open to an attack from the redhead.
This was about as much as he could do right now, given his exhaustion.
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 5:27 pm
 In the shadows, on the roof of the infirmary, two glowing blue eyes peered at the battle on the ground. It seemed like the bandits were giving the Learanians a hard time. His eyes had long become adjust to the night, so he could see most of the fighting well enough. There was that b*****d with the broadsword that turned things around on him in that one village, fighting with the female general. Seems like there were some assassins about. Let's see how they would handle against a Laguz.
His tail swished silently as he watched carefully. A torchlight had suddenly gone out underneath him, and he pounced. One paw was raised before he fell down onto the unsuspecting assassin, who had launched his blades at Leon. As he reached where the assassin was, he brought his paw down onto where the man's head would be. It would have been a fearsome blow to the assassin if he was still there, but if he had already moved away, he would have just blown his cover.
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:00 pm
Murphy's steps were light as he rushed over the grass and stone paths of the castle courtyard. With eyes well-trained to make out shapes in the dark, he could see Leon's form, astride his large warhorse. The poleaxe had made a satisfyingly loud clatter as it hit the ground. It was tempting to kick it away into the bushes, where he'd not find it, but that would alert him to his location, and even if Leon wasn't armed, his horse was still dangerous, and he at least had dodged the blow. There were footsteps everywhere, screaming ringing out from all directions, and it made it quite difficult to track specific movement in their vicinity. He could make out the scuffling, heavy breathing, and clashing of steel from Drake's battle with the red General. They were taking no steps towards subtlety, as always; Drake wasn't one for underplaying anything he did. The rushing of air overhead made the hair on the back of Murphy's neck prickle under his hood, and only by instinctively leaping away, cloth audibly rubbing against the ground as he tucked into a roll to absorb the shock damage, but more noticeable was the loud scraping against the stones. Think you can sneak up on a thief? Murphy pulled himself up, pulling his neck cowl up to cover the lower half of his face and muffle the sound of his breathing. His attacker, it seemed, didn't quite realize any of his or her detriments in the art of stealth; their eyes absorbed the orange glow of the torchlight, and two faint orbs of blue seemed to float, detached, in the darkness. Murphy swapped both daggers to one hand, used his free hand to remove a throwing knife from his sleeve, and threw it as noiselessly as can humanly be achieved at the space between their eyes. Then both daggers were in each hand again, and he continued to move. Standing in one place would make him a target again, and he was the hunter right now. Never the hunted. The armored boy was still on his horse. His arms were damaged now, so the next course of action was either to separate him from the horse, or to cripple the horse, and it was much easier to attempt to injure his horse with less chance of being seen than it was to physically separate a man from the saddle. So he removed a second throwing knife from his sleeve and threw it at the horse's flank. At the very least, chaos would suffice as a distraction, and even well-trained horses could still be spooked.
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 11:10 pm
Tch. He missed. The Beorc had caught onto him at the last minute and dodged. Their eyes met briefly, cold orange and deep blue. In that brief moment, this poor fool had already been decided to be the cat's new plaything for the moment, just enough for the beast to stretch his legs before he would go help the Beorc girl with her opponent.
There was a faint glint near the orange eyes, and Sunil noticed that the Beorc was now drawing something out. It was difficult to tell what it was, even by smell. Curse the Beorc and their metalworks. There must have been forged weapons all over this man, hidden away on his body. Even if it was thrown as noiselessy as humanly possible, the faint sound of the dagger cutting through the air could still be heard by Laguz's ears.
The cat ducked, the dagger clattering against the stone wall, before he stalked after the assassin. Tonight, it was the night of the hunter, and this assassin would be the hunted.
He could smell the fear in Anri. The horse seemed to be at a loss, due to his rider getting hurt. If the steed had any sense, it would have tried to take the rider into the infirmary that was nearby to get Leon's arms treated. The cat could at least occupy the assassin long enough for the horseman to get away.
Sunil crept closer towards the assassin, camouflaging himself with darkness.
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Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 4:01 pm
The call of battle
The call of duty
They both mean the same.x - [Leon] - xAnri backed away from the knife that was flung at him. He was merely reacting on his instincts to try and get himself and Leon away from danger. A horse, no matter how well-trained, did not have a human's reasoning to say whether or not he was evading into a further trap. To Anri, he was just evading. He was trying to protect his rider. The horse's instincts told him that as long as his rider's arms couldn't steer him, he had to go in a less perilous direction.
Leon tried to think. How could he escape now? Staying back and fighting wasn't an option. Ever since that torch went out, it felt like his hope had been snuffed out with it. The Lieutenant's mind was in a state of chaos, confused by the darkness, paralyzed by his own fear. Was this how it was going to be? Was the light, his hope he had even as his country went to war, going to be another dimmed torch?
Some part of him, when he thought of losing, when he thought of the darkness, came alive. He did not want to fall here! He did not want to suffer defeat, or much less pay the ultimate price! The assassin had not come close yet, and he swore he'd heard the sounds of fighting nearby! Someone was trying to help him. Leon couldn't let them down by just giving up!
"Fall... back." Leon finally ordered Anri, just loud enough for his steed to hear. He might have lost his favorite weapon, but he still had the other two, and a healer's staff could fix him up in a hurry! Using his left hand, he struggled now against his pain, steering the war horse to retreat for now. The Watch's Lieutenant of course had no idea that a healer and another warrior were also coming right to him. x - [Watch Lieutenant] - xTo always fight
For what is right
By my knightly name!
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Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 4:37 pm
This would all be so much more simple if that laguz hadn't leaped into the fray. Not expecting alterations to a plan was naive and foolish - disastrous, even - but that didn't mean Murphy couldn't be indignant about it. There was time later to be angry, though; for now, quick reflexes were required. Murphy tucked one dagger back into its holster and drew another throwing dagger from a baggy sleeve. There were only so many that could be stored within clothing without becoming apparent or making noise, and this store of concealed, long-range weaponry would be fleeting if quick work could not be made of Sunil. As much as he tried to blend into the shadows, his coloration did nothing to help him. The darkness easily muddled colors, but the blue of his fur, ears, tail acted as detectors in this dark night. Even the slight bits of metal on his person were enough to catch the light for a split second, acting as beacons to his location, not to mention the light on his feline eyes or catching the edges of his white whiskers. Murphy threw another sharp, needle-like dagger and continued to move, slipping another into a bandage-wrapped palm. At the very least, these attempts had worked on the rider, as he was beginning to back up and away from the battle. Sure enough, the great white horse was turning around to leave. That's one issue dealt with. Murphy crouched low to the grass as Drake and Amelia continued to fight, watching Sunil warily. The third dagger aimed at the cat flew as Murphy rolled to the side. Keep moving. He can't keep a dart on you if you don't sit still.
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Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 5:11 pm
→ → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → →
"There's even more now than before... the south end of the city must have fallen..." Abel blocked an axe and pushed the bandit back, following up with an upward sash that left the brigand to fall backwards as his blood sprayed onto his nearby companions. Things seemed to be getting worse, but Abel wasn't giving up. Hope was not gone.
Suddenly, Clara's voice called out with bad news. "What?!" Abel slashed a bandit and then turned around to see that the bandits were trying to break the line of soldiers. Some pushed their way passed the soldiers and were going for Akihi. "No!"
Abel ran back, cutting his way through the bandits. Clara's handiwork made a good enough path for him to get through, thankfully. It allowed him to gain on the bandits trying to kill Akihi. On the way, one of them somehow went down. Abel darted to the side as the body fell. Just as the other bandit was about to swing at the made, Abel jumped in front an blocked the axe with his sword. "You don't mess with him. You're problem is me!" Abel pushed forward and as the bandit flung his arms up in the air, Abel pulled back his sword and then jabbed forward. The bandit grabbed the steel, but his grip loosened and his limbs fell limp at his side. Abel pulled out his sword and allowed the body to fall to the ground.
"Akihi," Abel started. "the light of your fire will attract the bandits to you. Just stay behind me." He lifted his sword as more bandits started to come. "We'll take them all down!"
← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ←
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