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 Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 3:06 pm
Maliarc had been doing nothing more than meditating during his free time. He assumed Captain Red would need him whenever she needed him, so he would simply wait until then. If she never needed him, then he would leave, but she seemed a sensible woman. After such a long time, he finally felt a tug. His tired eyes shot open, hoping it was Lady Aaren. He missed her dearly, if not only for the intelligent company. However, he was dismayed to find that it was not here. He could still feel the tug however, and he needed to find out who it was He could feel that the person saying his name was familiar, but he couldn't pinpoint who it was exactly. Within seconds, something that could only be explained as a phenomenon happened. Maliarc was gone.
((EXIT))
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 6:56 pm
Xavier watched with quiet intrigue as Alfred received his letter. It looked like government waited for no one. Already he was receiving mail. He watched Alfred walk back focusing more on the letter than the man. There was an instant level of curiosity, and more than he wanted to admit, Xavi was quite relived when Alfred chose to open the latter in present company. He watched him read, trying to decipher the contents of the letter by Albert's reaction. They didn't look all too well by the looks of it. When Alfred tossed the letter down Xavi leaned back into his chair. He had been slowly leaning forward towards the desk. He listened to Alfred words as he handed Xavi the letter. "What?"What did he mean by that? What in the world did the letter say. Xavier looked down at the words reading them carefully. These words, if true, would be reason enough for war and the lawful incarceration of the guilty Ater nox members. After all they were traitors now. This was a very valuable piece of paper. Xavi carefully folded the piece of paper and slide it back into its envelope. Then paced the room. "Firstly, You need to hide this let no one know of it, all I need to know is that it exists. Secondly, we need to find out where this information came from and how valid it is. It is no coincidence that it was delivered to you so soon and we must be ever thankful that I am not just some lackey for the council." His arms were now crossed behind his back as he looked at the floor, thinking. "I'm sorry I forget myself. What are your opinions on the matter?" He looked over to Alfred but also the city and all those people who went on with their daily tasks not knowing the dangers they were in. Most would shudder at the thought. He loved it.
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 7:42 pm
Alfred listened to each word that came from Xaviers mouth, and he weighed them all carefully. Keeping things a secret was never the way he preferred to do things, but he was no longer able to throw information around willy nilly. He was going to lead a faction, and that was no easy feat, especially for him. He slowly got up and put his hands on his desk as he thought this through. What was the best thing for him to do in this situation? What would happen if he chose to display this to the public instead of keeping it secret? A lot of skepticism, no doubt. Along with his speech, it would likely only produce riots, which meant the council would see him as an un fit leader, thereby making them have to quell the riot, and people could die. He didn't want that. So, revealing it was not a wise choice. "Very well...." he said finally, turning around to look out at the city. "Consider the letter gone. Only you, I, the man who wrote it, and the person who delivered it know of it's existence. However, as of now, it is no longer." he said, grabbed the envelope with the letter inside and stuffing it inside of his jacket. He didn't plan on destroying it. That was simply silly, but he planned on letting nobody other than himself and Xavier know of it any longer. "As for where it came from and how valid it is, I do not doubt he contents of it. I have lived in Ater Nox for far too long to not believe this. Where it is from, I will have someone look into it." he said, still looking outside. There was one thing that bothered him about Xavier, and he wanted to make it known. "Listen to my words very carefully. I will do what I have to in order to lead Ater Nox out of this disaster that some dumb witch led it into. However, I will not forget about the people. People are fascinating. Those types, I should say. The ones that walk around the streets everyday going about their business, completely oblivious to what we are doing up here. Look at them. A meteor could fall from the skies right now, and they would cower in their houses and hope we did something. Yet, if a murderer were outside their door with a gun, or some weapon just like that, and they would stand up in an instant. When faced with certain death, they are more confident than if they were faced with an unlikely death circumstance." he said, still looking out of the window with a smile on his face. "Just a look into my mind, is all. Do not think this will skewer my outlook on what I think needs to be done."
If they were going to be close in this working relationship, then they would likely need to get to know one another eventually.
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 8:18 pm
Xavi chuckled. It looked like his love for people wasn't an act, he truly cared for them. It was almost admirable. However, the sooner he started seeing people as nothing but expendable pawns the easier ruling would be. That being said even a single pawn could topple a king. The adviser exhaled casting out all the tension built by the damned letter. He'd only wished there had been a little more time to get his bearings before the mother of all foreign affairs issues took place. Some people had no luck. Sitting back down in his chair " Yes I can see your point. However, I'm of the mind set that ignorance is bliss. The less they know the better. See, I think people need a job and a purpose and they are quite content in doing just that. Getting from point A to point B then doing it all over again. I believe our job is to make sure that they can get from point A to point B easily enough that they don't complain. They don't need to know how we do it, really." Xavi crossed his legs leaning back. It felt like they were having a natural conversation, it was nice.
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 8:38 pm
Alfred listened to each and every word that came from Xavier's mouth, just as he always did. This man was truly smart, but that isn't what caught his attention. This man always thought of the opposite of what Alfred said. That would prove invaluable in the years to come;assuming they remained together that long. The council had indeed made a mistake in appointing this man as his adviser. "I see your point, and it makes plenty of sense..." Alfred replied, returning to his seat. "Ignorance is bliss....for them maybe..." he said, chuckling as he looked at his desk in thought. "Ignorance is death for the rest of us...." he said as his mind trailed off to almost nothingness before he remembered Xavier was in the room. "So, Xavier, do you think we can use this new...information....to our advantage against the council?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 12:28 pm
The transport air ship was cramped, to Emer's dismay. His bigger body build made it hard to get comfortable in the tiny seats they were provided with. He looked out the window, noticing that they were in Ater Nox territory now. Shuffling around in his seat uncomfortably, he looked over at Maliarc.
"Wont be long now... We'll have to lay as low as we can." he said with a sigh. This was a dangerous place to come to, and he knew of no one here he could trust besides himself and Maliarc. His number of friends didn't stretch as far as Benjamin Black's did.
The Airship landed shortly thereafter, and Emer was glad to be able to stretch his legs once he exited the airship. The buzz of an international port was strange to him, for it was different than any he had seen in Lucidus. There were beggars everywhere, and dirty looking merchants selling assortments of fake treasures, and nearly spoiled food. He half expected something more...grandeur than what he saw, though it was apparently not the case.
He looked around, taking in the surroundings. He felt more an outsider here than anywhere else he had been. He looked at Maliarc. "Let's get moving, I doubt a Lucidus Magus Council Knight and his mage companion would be welcome here, after the whole ordeal with Judith." He began walking further into the buzz of the port, towards the entrance into the city the port was connected to.
As he passed a merchant's stand, a scraggly looking beggar stumbled into him suddenly, catching him off guard. His hand immediately went to his sword at his waist, before he realized it was a mere beggar.
"Ey, watch it ya brute!" The beggar shouted at Emer, as if it was the knights fault that the beggar ran into him. Emer scowled at the beggar, who ran off towards the entrance to the city. Emer watched him go, a perplexed expression now on his face.
He then noticed the absence of the coin purse that had been strapped to his waist moments earlier. He fumbled around his belt, and looked down at his feet to see if it had dropped. It took less then a moment for Emer to realize that the beggar had taken it. He cursed under his breath and motioned to Maliarc to join him and give chase to the beggar.
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 12:54 pm
Maliarc had remained silent throughout their entire flight. It was only natural for him to remain quiet, for it he opened his mouth, he was sure he would have only spewed out the last thing he had eaten. Thinking of that, he had reminded himself that he needed to put something into his stomach as soon as he could. When they landed, Maliarc felt much better, though he could tell Ser Emer was not very happy about having to be in this place. Not that he blamed him, but Maliarc was happy to be anywhere that may help him find Lady Aaren.
As they walked along the street, Maliarc took great pride in silently laughing at all of the fakes lined up across each side of the street. He watched the confrontation between Ser Emer and the beggar rather passively, only then picking up his feet to run to chase the damned man. He hadn't anything to eat yet, and he was growing tired of the deplorable state of this place already, and he hadn't been here a day! He pulled a hand out of his sleeve, readying himself to do something if Ser Emery could not. Oh, how he detested thievery.
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 1:17 pm
Emer followed the scraggly beggar, running as fast as his legs would take him. Emer was gaining on him, and the beggar looked over his shoulder as he ran, a not so confident expression on his face now. Suddenly the beggar changed direction, and flung himself into an alleyway, stumbling, but picking himself up just as quickly. A chuckled mixed with a few panting breathes escaped the beggar's open mouth as he continued down the alleyway.
Emer followed close behind, almost within arms reach of the beggar. He reached out with a gloved hand, and grabbed a fist-full of the beggars torn and scraggly clothes. The beggar tripped and fell forward, causing Emer to do so as well.
The knight quickly regained himself, rising onto one knee, but he was suddenly aware that there were at least 15 men surrounding himself, the beggar, and Maliarc. They looked to be thieves, buy the twinkle in their eyes. Emer realized that this was a trap, deliberately set by the beggar. Each of the thieves held some form of a weapon in their hands, some had clubs, some had rusty daggers, and a few even had crossbows. A few chuckles were heard around Emer, though from which thieves, he did not know. Anger coursed through him, and suddenly, he smashed his fist into the side of the beggars head that had stolen his coin purse.
The force of the hit sent the beggar tumbling off to the left, and he skidded to a halt in front of one of the 15 thieves holding a club. This did not bode well with the thieves, however, for they all raised their weapons in a threatening manner.
"Leave yer coin purse, and yer weapons, and we wont kill ya" one of them shouted. Emer looked over at Maliarc, and hesitated. One of the thieves, a young boy holding a crossbow, accidentally pulled the trigger and released a bolt that soared through the air, and buried itself in Emer's shoulder. Emer let out a cry of pain, and looked to his left shoulder, where the crossbow bolt had pierced through his shoulder.
"Ya idiot!" one of them shouted, smacking the boy in the face for the mistake. "Yer not supposed ta kill your targets! Stupid boy!" He smacked the kid again, and the kid cried out in protest.
"Now, just do as we said, and no more harm'll come to ye!" The thief said, in a threatening tone.
Emer grunted, and drew his sword in a swift movement, despite the pain in his shoulder and the blood that ran down his cloak from it. He looked at Maliarc, wondering if it was a just thing, to kill the thieves.
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 1:40 pm
Maliarc was quickly becoming annoyed by this situation he found himself and Ser Emer in. He sighed as he watched the events, but what unnerved him was that the thief that had shot Emer was a child! No more than a mere child! Maliarc looked at all of them, and simply closed his eyes, letting his arms stay where they are in a neutral stance, showing he meant no harm to these bandits. After a few seconds, little balls, colored a beautiful mixture of red and orage, appeared next to him, floating in the air. The next part was very important, and even more a mage like Maliarc, it was going to be hard. He was still technically young, and was prone to mistakes.
As the balls of fire picked out their targets, mainly targeting the beggars that had the most chance at killing the duo, Maliarc focused his mind on the young ones feet, making him unable to run. Once the fires had killed most of the rest of the bandits, Maliarc quickly walked over to the boy and yanked the crossbow from him. "Young man, return home. Find a job, and quit this life! It holds nothing for you beyond misery and death!" he yelled, suddenly letting his magic go. The kids stumbled backwards shaking his head as he ran from the alleyway as fast as his legs would go. Maliarc turned his head to Emer. "Come, good knight. I am hungry."
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 2:31 pm
Emer just stared at Maliarc as everything happened, even while he frightened the young boy. As Maliarc said something about being hungry, Emer just continued to stare at him in silence, with a look that almost said, "you have to be joking". Emer shook his head, and sheathed his longsword.
He gave out a sigh, and replied, "Hungry? I see. Lead the way." He then grunted loudly as he yanked out the bolt in his shoulder with a sickening pop. He grit his teeth and tore a piece of cloth off the bottom of his cloak, and bandaged the bolt would the best he could.
Standing, he looked at the mage, and motioned towards the entrance of the city. He had never been to Ater Nox, nor had he been in the company of pirates and thieves. Maliarc, on the other hand, had been in the company of one of Ater Nox's most notorious pirates, Captain Red.
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 2:51 pm
Maliarc turned towards the city and looked around. "Truth be told, my good knight, I know nothing of this city. I spend my entirety on that damned ship." he grumbled simply walking away from the entrance to the city. He couldn't very well find somewhere to eat if they walked out of the city. After a little while of walking and taking in their surroundings, Maliarc found a nice little outside cafe type place. Luckily, it was in a better part of town. After getting his stew, he sat down to eat.
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 3:20 pm
Emer eyed Maliarc's stew questionably, and sniffed towards its direction, and made a face at the smell. "What in the seven hells is that?" he said, clearly not impressed with Noxian cuisine. Whatever it was, Emer knew by the smell that it wouldn't be to his liking.
He looked around, and grabbed the attention of the nearest server, and ordered the "Noxian Trident Slab", whatever that was. He assumed it was a slab of meat, and Emer loved meat. Shortly after, the server brought out his order, and began walking it towards Emer and Maliarc's table. Emer's face betrayed his excitement, though when the server sat down the plate in front of him, his heart sank.
The meal was an assortment of fine crab and seaweed, doused in some sort of blue colored sauce as a topping. He stared at the plate as the server walked away to tend to other customers, and poked at it with one of his eating utensils.
"What in the Seven Hell's do these Noxian's eat?" He muttered, still poking at the strange food in front of him. He figured ordering one of the most expensive items on the menu would have been a good idea, but as it turned out, it wasn't.
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 6:22 pm
Xavi nodded. "Yes, we bear the burden of information. It is or job to know everything. Absolutely everything." The adviser scratched his brow at the question. This day was certainly putting his mind to the test. He tapped his fingers. "Well... We have a few options here. We could blackmail one of the weaker members, or perhaps plant our own person and see what he figures out." These were all plausible options. Xavi clicked his teeth when yet another option crossed his mind. "Or... We watch all communications from all members of the council, their subordinates, their family, their pets. We announce a fake issue that would force any guilty party in the council to reach out to whom ever is responsible and we watch and wait. ." He looked over to see how Alfred would weigh the options. Xavi eyes lit up momentarily there was a better, dark option. One that could deal with the council all together and make sure that Ater nox would be the seen in a better light through out. "War." Xavi rose as if energized by this plan. "Hear me out. We take this information to another nation, one who's abilities would benefit us. Military or other wise. Perhaps the technological power house Aes?" He smiled, this was the part he loved. "We go on our own volition. We tell them we are acting on our own and that if they back us against the corrupt council They will have Ater Nox as an ally. Then the one who accuses the council of wrong doing will not be us, but Aesian government. You will then act as the only legitimate leadership. We can arrange and exchange of 'Information that can benefit both our nations." He laughed and slammed his hand on the desk. It seemed that Xavi was getting into it.
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 9:29 pm
In the simple span of seconds, Alfred had catagorized each option that his new adviser, Xavier, had laid out for him. He was going to weigh each of them carefully, discussing the pros and cons of each of them with himself. His conversation would not be one that he shared out loud, but rather it would be shared in his head. The first option was blackmail. No. That option immediately stood out in his mind because a leader should not be sinking to a level like that. It simply wasn't good for his image, nor would he stand to go that low. Only if it was his last choice would he ever think of sinking to such a low level of humanity. The next choice was planting their own person in the council. That was a good idea, and required no real dirty dealing. Besides, people like those of the council needed to be watched. The third option was simply too much work for Alfred to care about. Watching and waiting? No, that was not his game. Twiddling his thumbs would not do for him. Not while his people were forced to sit and wait as well. They went about their daily lives, sure, but he knew there were plenty that would wonder what was going on up here. That left one option. War. The one thing in this world he didn't want. He wanted his nation back into it's former standing-no. He wanted Ater Nox into the high light. He wanted it to be seen as a completely new place, devoid of people like Judith. But, if he wanted to do that, war would be necessary. He really would have to stop thinking that people were more then specs of dust. Xavier was right about one thing;they truly did believe ignorance was bliss. Meandering about each day worried only about themselves or their family. "War...." he finally said, looking his desk as he rested his chin on his hands, his elbows already on his desk. "So, we approach Aes with this information. Become allies. Destroy Lucidus council, thereby erasing this entire problem right then and there, without us being the ones to openly accuse them." he said, looking up at Xavier without actually moving his head. He liked it. He liked it a lot.
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 9:33 pm
Maliarc had been completely satisfied with the soup he had gotten. It didn't hold much flavor, but that was fine with him. He was here to fill his belly, not to get some kind of a pleasurable sensation for his taste buds. He couldn't help but laugh at everything Ser Emer said, as he assumed the knight was used to his own food. "After eating in the west for a while, you get used to fowl smelling things...." Maliarc commented, hardly looking up at the night. He was far too into his own food, and he wasn't going to risk it getting cold while he watched the knight wage war against a plate full of critters.
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