Crystan: Dawn of War

Aida didn't like this guy even more. Oh look at me I read books and being smart is all I ever need, I like being alone I think I'm so cool, Aida said inside his head.
"Actually it wasn't very hard to get me out of the village they just forced me to do it, I decided to join up with Hawk because I wouldn't see the end of day about not following him," Aida said, "Why didn't you save your people Aida? You are suppose to be the helper of these people Aida? Aida this Aida that. If they wanted it done so bad they should do it themselves."
Of course none of these question would be asked by Bell, they would be asked by Jas. Jas was an older man, his full name Jasequirius. He was the leader of the seven prodigies and he was the oldest one out of them all.
He made Aida most mad.

 

She stuck her tongue out at Sharp playfully, and started to speak back, when Raymus got there before her.

"Whatever weapon she feels is easiest to use is the one that's best for her! A handaxe, or something similar can be used just as swiftly as a short sword. Then again, she might take a liking to something more exotic! I'd have no clue how to swing a Mahri-crafted blade, and don't even get me started on fencing!" He laughed heartily.

“I’d like to learn both. It’s good to know a little bit of everything.” She looked at the weapons that lay on her comrades sides with interest. She dared not touch the blades. Her ears suddenly perched up at the sound of horses.

“Horses? I looove horses.” The last phrase came out in a purr, “They’re wonderful creatures… not like other things.” Her eyes trailed to the wolf not far off, a slight shiver hitting her. The wolf greatly scared her.

 

I noticed she looked at my axes, and smirked, I really didn't need four, it just felt safe having the extra two just incase I got disarmed or dropped one. With a slow, and steady move I drew out the two axes that where against the small of my back and with a twirl offered her the handle, the ax head facing the ground towards me. "I really didn't need four axes anyways." I said matter of factly, and noted to myself that I could really pick up one from anytown, wasn't like hand axes were hard to come by.

 

She grabbed the handle gently, letting the weight come upon her padded hand. It felt alien to her, much different then her dagger. She weighed it in her hand, steadying it as she looked up at him with a hidden blush.

"You don't have to..." she muttered, "I don't even know how to use it!"

 

I smirked and gave her a sly wink. "Looks like I'll have to give you some lessons then." I said and offered her the second ax's handle. "Two or one? I only need two axes." I said and waited to see her reasponse. The axes weren't heavy, so she should be able to use them fairly eaisily. "The trick with axes is mommentum." I added, "So unless you have a shield you'll need two axes to keep yourself from having an opening in between swingings."

 

“One will do,” she said with a grin. She continued to study the weapon, her fingers stopping at the blade. She barely touched the sharp end, a thin slice collecting on the tip of her finger. She maneuvered the blades that clung to her sash, making room for the axe. I hung loosely at her side. She gave a hop to test out it’s liability, and she looked up at him with a smile. She jumped at him and squeezed his wrist gently.

“Thank you.” She said with a giggle, “Now, when you have time. You’ll have to teach me.”

 

I put back the extra ax, now having three axes, plenty really. If disarmed three times then I'd be introuble anyways. She held my other wrist squeezing it gently. "We'll see about making time for training." I said and thought that if we ever stopped to make camp that'd be a good time. And on that chain of thought I let out a yawn, our sleep had been alot shorter than we had expected, and we had walked a long ways. "I can't wait till we get the horses." I stated though I was rather used to walking after years of traveling around, renting horses on and off. That didn't stop me from being rather lazy at times.

 

The busy port city of Maeril broke the horizon just before the sun did. One of the crew of the Albatross woke Orillon to inform him. He hastily threw on this clothes and made his way to the deck. For most of the journey, the Albatross had been side by side with the Fighting Syrenka, the ship they were escorting. It was captained by a man named Cid, who Orillon had come to find out knew his grandfather. When he was younger, he crewed on the elder Benoit's ship and learned much of his ocean and sailing knowledge through him.

"Hello there!" Orillon heard Cid call to him when he was above deck.
"Good morning, captain!" he called back.
"Make for port, boy," he yelled. "And if all is right, send us a signal so we may enter the bay!"
"Sure thing, captain!"

Orillon instructed his crew to make for port. On the way in, he wondered why the Fighting Syrenka needed an escort in the first place. It wasn't standard for Shales to request something like that, unless this vessel was under orders from whatever semblance of a government Shalan had. It was something he never though to ask Cid over the dinner and drinks he had shared with his crew during the travel. It was too late now, as the Albatross coasted into the harbor and tied to the dock.

"You all stay here," Orillon ordered his crew as he hopped out. "I'll go check out whatever it is I'm supposed to be checking out."

He walked off the deck towards Maeril. Something didn't seem right, but the young Shale couldn't figure out what.

 

As Hawk’s group walked, Piesca studiously ignored the Solan as he walked alongside the Erissi and the wolf. She had noticed that the young sailor had vanished after the meeting at the monolith. It was a pity, he was one of the group she wanted to talk to as she could tell he had lived a life of adventure.

She stole curious glances at the Mahri. Most of her experience with other races had begun at the monolith and the cat-people were new and definitely different.

Rani had been open and friendly but that was no guarantee that this Mahri would be. After all, the two Aelin had been almost complete opposites so she supposed you couldn’t generalize about an entire race.

“How are you called?” Piesca asked the Mahri unthinkingly in her own Alarin tongue, “I am Piesca.”

 

Raymus: "Saereth...was attacked."

The day began as they walked across the open plains, talking and laughing together. Raymus' laughter stopped when he saw something approaching on the horizon. As it came closer, he was better able to make it out; a rider. More details became apparent quickly. The rider was slumped forward, half-hanging on the horse's neck. The horse itself was drenched in a lather of sweat. It had been running, and hard. As it approached, it came to a trot in front of them, whinnying loudly.

Raymus walked up to it and let it smell his hand. He talked to it softly, trying to calm it. He then crossed to the side and carefully lowered the rider out of the saddle. He laid him on the grass beside the road.

The rider's hands were drenched in the blood of the wound they clutched; a hole in his chest. Raymus ripped aside his cloth shirt, examining the wound closely. It was abnormally shaped, and far too clean for a sword wound. It was as if the flesh had been peeled cleanly away and a deep hole dug into him.

"Some devilry is at work here." Raymus said. He did what he could to bandage the wound, and the Lennira man began to regain consciousness.

"You...you are Raymus?" He asked through labored breaths.

"Yes."

"Saereth...was attacked. Aelin. They wanted the stables..."

"Easy, son. Don't speak." The young man obeyed, leaning his head back. He lay there for a moment, and then lurched forward, coughing blood onto the grass. Raymus held him as he convulsed again and again, his face twisted in pain. When at last he relaxed, his eyes were wide....but glazed over in death. Raymus laid him down and stood. He touched his chest and his forehead in the Silaran gesture of farewell. He then turned to his companions.

"Unless we steal horses from the Aelin, we'll have to walk to Maeril, which will take an extra two or three days at least."

 

She looked down at the fallen soldier, her eyes looked his still form over. She felt for the man, she wasn’t fond of death, more specifically when it was someone on her own side. She looked up at Raymus with a nod.

She went to the horse’s side, her hand sliding gently through it’s mane. She purred lightly her chest against the creature so only it could hear her. She loved horses more then any creature she had yet encountered. She continued with a gently brush from her hand.

“I guess we don’t have much of a choice then.” She muttered.

 

"I'm Arven Dol, nice to make your acquaintance," he replied with a big smile as the Aelin girl introduced herself, "I don't know if I'm fit for the job or not, but I will do my best.". People could see he smiled but deep inside he's still scared about what just happened, to think there's a day he's on the verge of death two times in one night. With the injuries, he couldn't go fast, but Riana's just so thoughtful as she walked slowly besides him.

"Riana, I couldn't say this back then, thank you for treating my wounds." He said this with a big blush, now that he thought about it, all he could do was lament about the pain, shame on him. "Oh I have to say thanks to Aida too, see ya around.", he said this and quickly walked pass her.

"Aida, thank you for saving me back then. If there's anything I can do to return the favor, don't hesitate to tell me.".

 

Hawk: "...get off the road..."

The night turned to a bright morning as Hawk's group entered a forested glade. The road wound through a beautiful setting of green accompanied by the whistling of songbirds.

"Enjoy it," Hawk said. "This is the last we'll see of forest for a long time."

As the day went on, though, clouds moved in, blocking the sunshine, and threating rain. The forest seemed considerably less friendly without the warm embrace of the sun.

The road fell silent except for their footfalls. A snap in the brush alerted him, but he moved on as if he hadn't heard. He knew Piesca, at least, would have heard it, too. Hoden's wolf sniffed the air curiously.

It was no animal that followed them.

He heard another rustle of leaves. He fell back slightly, letting his group catch up so they could hear him.

"We're being followed. When I move, get off the road. Go to your right and keep running. I'll find you." He whispered.

He waited another few seconds, then darted to the left into the forest. As the others ran to the right, they heard the sound of footfalls behind them...

 

Riana: "Just try it."

Riana smiled at the Drenning as he introduced himself and thanked her.

They walked on, and slowly the day broke around them. The sun was bright and lovely for most of the morning, but then dimmed as clouds overtook it. In the distance she saw a trio of travelers heading their way. She thought nothing of it, but merely continued walking.

As they grew closer, she noticed they were Aelin, dressed in elaborate black and white robes. Two were males, and the third was female. All were immaculate and well-groomed. Their travels had not seemed to reduce their bearing or confidence in the least.

When they came close enough, they addressed Riana.

"We respectfully request that you come with us," Their leader said in Aelinic.

"I decline." Riana said solidly.

"Then we regret that we shall have to take you into custody." Riana didn't want to fight. These three were undoubtedly Crystalmancers...and good ones. But what was the choice?

"Just try it." She said, preparing herself mentally to use her own Crystals.

 

There was something amiss in the port city of Maeril. Orillon noted a strong military presence by the Aelin. He wasn't an expert on the culture he loathed so much but, comparatively, there were a lot more soldiers marching around the city than in others he had been to. He could tell they were tense also, as if this wasn't a mundane routine procedure, but an actual need for them to be there. He had stopped at a vendor to get some fruit to eat, when he heard this an exchance between two Aelin females. When they saw him, they changed their tongue from common to their own, but Orillon still understood clearly. Despite his inheritant dislike of them, he was still forced to learn the language from a young age.

"Did you hear?" one female asked.
The other nodded. "Do you think it is true?" the other questioned back. "Did we really sack Saereth?"
The first nodded slowly. "I heard the soldiers speaking of it after it happened."
"This is awful," the second responded. "I fear we are doomed for terrible times ahead."

Orillon paid for fruit and walked off. The Aelin are at it again, he thought. Breeding war, their nobleness does not shadow out their dark hearts and desires. Orillon ate and walked, resuming his patrol to uncover more information about what was going on and see if he could flesh out a possible threat to his Shale comrades.

 

The Alarin girl had attempted conversation with Ostran, in a tongue that he was not acquainted with. He opened his mouth, on the verge of talking to a different species for the first time. Never had he felt so nervous, he had had lessons in speaking common, but he knew himself that he was far from fluent in the dialect. He almost felt relieved when the strange man that led them urged them all to get off the road.

Ostran followed the others and found a rock to hide behind, slowing his breathing down in order to remain quiet. Whatever followed them would never know where he was, if he had the chance to attack, he would.

He almost felt sorry for the girl, that he hadn't replied to her. When this was over, he would try to speak with her again, it was his obligation...

 

"Enjoy it," Hawk said. "This is the last we'll see of forest for a long time."

Piesca did. Forest land was familiar and she walked lightly, smiling with pleasure at the birdsongs.

When the weather clouded up and became colder Piesca sniffed the damp breeze. Rain was simply another face of nature.

She realized that she hadn't heard the birdsongs for a while. No creatures whatever, in fact. When the sound in the brush came Piesca opened her mouth to tell Hawk but she closed it again when she saw that he had looked that direction and his eyes were wary.

"We're being followed. When I move, get off the road. Go to your right and keep running. I'll find you." He whispered.

Hawke abruptly darted left and Piesca leapt into the trees at the right, swinging herself up and racing over the others' heads as they ran.

Who was chasing them? She wondered as she gracefully ran and jumped from branch to branch, occasionally swinging over the longer spaces. And why?

 

"We're being followed. When I move, get off the road. Go to your right and keep running. I'll find you."

Elryn decided he would stay out of sight, but he wouldn't run. He jumped into the ditch at the side of the road and readied his crystals. He would see their stalker and fight if he was needed.

 

Orillon continued his patrol until he came across the Blue Stallion Cafe. As soon as he entered, the young Shale automatically knew he didn't fit in. His flamboyant outfit contrasted with the eloquent clothing worn by the Aelins that resided inside. Ignoring the disturbed onlookers, Orillon took a seat at the bar.

"I'll have your finest ale, barkeep," he said with a smile.
The barkeeper shook his head and raised his eyebrow. "We don't serve ale, young man," he said with a slight snootiness. "Wine, tea, and water."
Despite the barkeep's tone, Orillon continued to smile. "I'll have a wine then, white please."
"Coming right up, young man."

Orillon observed the bar while he waited for his drink. The two-floor building was a beautiful mixture of marble, ivory, and wood. All the posts had been shaped into large stallions. Even the single posts on the sturdy tables were horses. Large carved and paints murals to the greatness of the Aelin race decorated the walls around the area, and a minstral band played softly in the corner.

The barkeeper came back and slid Orillon his wine. He sipped on it and continued to look around. He was trying to hone in on various Aelin conversations, seeing if he could pick up some information as to what was going on.

 

Aida looked at the men who were trying to take them or Riana, he couldn't really tell, into custody. Aida walked up a little closer.
"If you want I can handle them" Aida whispered in her ear.
One of the men gave a demanding look as if to know what Aida had just told Riana.
"I was telling her that her shoe strap is broken," Aida said.
A complete and utter lie, but the men didn't even try to look down at her shoes.

 

Chaos walks up to the Aelin men and gives them a polite head nod. "I am Chaos, the youngest child of Lord Niel of Aegis. I ask that you tell me where it is that you plan to take us."

........These men don't look like they will take no for an answer. Maybe we should go with them for a little bit, and see what information they have to offer us. Though I doudt the others would be willing to follow my lead without knowing the plan.......

Chaos concentrates on his blinding light crystal, just i case they decide to pick a fight.

 

Aida frowned slightly. Chaos was trying to take over his coolness. Using his status as a weapon. Now he wanted to ruin Chaos's plan at any cost. Aida smiled at his cleverness.
"Yeah you pig warts his is a lord's son....so step down," Aida said.
That is what you deserve show off, Aida thought inside his head.

 

Riana

Riana shook her head fractionally at Aida's suggestion. They'd wait until the last possible moment.

The leader of the approaching Aelin turned to Chaos and looked him over, ignoring Aida's comments. The other two Aelin looked at Aida with a mixture of confusion and contempt.

"I have heard of Lord Niel. Nevertheless, the purpose of our errand cannot be disclosed. Whether you come by choice is irrelevant. You will come."

 

"The lord's son goes with nobody, you wanna die and have the lord execute you," Aida said.
Aida had already made his choice, if Chaos had a plan Aida wouldn't follow. Chaos just wanted to seem like the smarter and cooler one. Aida wasn't going to have Chaos show off.

 

Chaos look the men over. By the way they are dressed, they more than likely work for some powerful noble. "Please, forgive Aida, he seems to have a disorder, where he can't control what he is saying. Very well then. We will come, and offer no resistance, on the condition that we keep our weapons. If you refuse, then I'm afraid I can't go along with your request."

........What the hell is Aida's problem. Even a country bumpkin like him should be able to see that this situation isn't to be taken lightly.........