Tale of Heroes - Part 1: Reign of Diaz (PG:14)

[Nythe]

(OOC: @Accelgor: So far only Natalia didn't tell about her origin anyone but Artus.)

Natalia Denar
Kale
Meredith’s Inn

Before Artus could answer Keres, of all people, decided to show up and sat next to Natalia. He immediately had a go at her. “Mornin’ Nat.” Natalia decided to ignore him completely. There’s no way I can achieve much now that he’s here. And that was probably the last time I’ll be alone with Artus for a while. Artus seemed to be a bit irritated by Keres’ entrance as well. After the slight delay he answered Natalia’s question.

“So anyways…I haven’t really come up with anything good, but I did think of one thing.” Artus said. “I know that there’s multiple routes to get to Galvez. If we want to stay out of sight and maintain a low profile we should probably stay away from the main route.” He took a brief pause. “But I have no clue which is the next quickest route. We’re probably gonna need a map, and I’m pretty sure most of the shops in town are closed.” He stopped for a moment to take a sip of his tea. “Unless either of you guys have another idea. I’m all ears.”

At that time Ethan entered the room as well. He ordered his breakfast and joined them at the table. “Artus, Keres, Nat.” Ethan didn’t waste words on the greeting and went straight to the point. “If the main route is too rough for you lot, I know there’s a river nearby here that runs by Galvez, we can follow that.” He said “Not sure how fast it is, though.” He shrugged. Crap. There’s someone with a reasonable suggestion and I know next to nothing about the local geography. How can I top that?

Still, Natalia managed to come up with something to add. “Considering we’re in a hurry, we could hire a ferry, if we find someone to take us there. If there’s no such person we can still get at least a boat or a raft. It won’t be exactly stealthy, though.” Natalia looked around and waited for others’ opinions.

 

[AJ2000]

Meredith's Inn
Kale
Artus Callum & Co.


Soon enough, another member of their little brigade had shown up. Artus noticed it was Ethan, who was probably the oldest of the group. “Artus, Keres, Nat” He said, taking a drink followed by a bite of the bread. “If the main route is too rough for you lot, I know there’s a river nearby here that runs by Galvez, we can follow that.” He said “Not sure how fast it is, though.” He shrugged. Artus pondered about Ethan's route, however following the river seemed like a good idea. And besides, Ethan seemed like he a good understanding of navigation.

"Considering we’re in a hurry, we could hire a ferry, if we find someone to take us there. If there’s no such person we can still get at least a boat or a raft. It won’t be exactly stealthy, though.” Natalia looked around and waited for the others’ opinions.

Artus sat silently for a moment thinking. They were stumped. None of them had ever done this before, so it was almost as if everyone was just spitting out ideas. "Yeah, that's not gonna happen Nat. We're never going to find someone willing to carry us all the way to the prison. Not to mention they'll see us coming before we even get there." Artus sighed. "Well I guess we should just go with Ethan's plan. I mean, if the river points the way to the Prison, then I guess we would be dumb not to take that route." He then looked at Keres. "Keres...what do you think we should do?" He figured he'd ask Keres, since it's usually the quiet one in the group that comes up with the best ideas. Besides, Artus kind of felt like putting the spotlight on him.

 

[Schade]

Keres Adrastea
Merediths inn

After greeting Natalia, who seemed rather irritated this morning, Keres ate his breakfast, and the small group was shortly after joiend by Ethan. “Artus, Keres, Nat” he said, greeting them all. Keres noticed how Natalia reacted to her annoyingly fitting nickname. “If the main route is too rough for you lot, I know there’s a river nearby here that runs by Galvez, we can follow that.” he then said, and Artus seemed to like the idea. Keres, however, hated it. He hated being on boats and easily got seasick. He shrugged by the idea of the unsteady ferry..

"Considering we’re in a hurry, we could hire a ferry, if we find someone to take us there. If there’s no such person we can still get at least a boat or a raft. It won’t be exactly stealthy, though.” Natalia said, before awaiting the others response. But it fell flat with Artus, who lectured her on how obvious they would seem if they did so. Keres sighed in relief after this, and Artus turned his attention to him, asking him of his opinions. wether or not this was a 'test' of Keres liability, he did not know.

Keres took out his Crystal orb again and peered into it while speaking, mainly for himself. "We should.. go directly to the prison, and kill everyone who dare standing in our way". He was a bit unsure if this method would be accepted by the others, and he knew he had to tag along on their little journey in order to somehow gain their trust. "Or we could.. y'know, ask around or something..." he then said, thoughtfully. He did not mean it. Killing was his way of getting stuff done.

 

[Deleted member 300066]

Ethan Daggett
Meredith’s Inn
Kale

A few suggestions were bounced around, including a boat. This would have been ideal for Ethan had his boat not been half way across the country and too big to fit in a river. Ethan certainly liked travel by water, but as mentioned, they would be seen incredibly easily. And its probably too obvious.

“Boat could work,” Ethan commented “It’d definitely be fast, but they’d see it comin’ a mile away”

"We should.. go directly to the prison, and kill everyone who dare standing in our way" Commented Keres. Seriously? This guy had balls. Ethan wasn’t sure whether he was joking or not. "Or we could.. y'know, ask around or something..." He added. Whilst it was a very risky idea, Ethan couldn’t help but feel a little bit disappointed at Keres’ after thought. It had been a while since Ethan was in a big fight, the last of which was the battle in which he lost his entire crew. Oh well, Ethan was sure they could get into some good brawls at the prison. Ethan took a couple of bites from the bread

“Heh,” Ethan chuckled “I wish. But if Artus wants a chance at gettin’ his girlfriend back” Ethan said jokingly “We’ll need to at least stay unnoticed until we actually get there. Besides, we don’t know how many soldiers there’ll actually be.” Ethan ate some more bread

Ethan thought over their options for a moment, horses came to mind, but truth be told Ethan hated horseback riding, he decided not to mention it.
“Anybody got a map?” He asked. Ethan then finished off his bread and took a drink of his rum. “That ought to make things easier”

 

[SteelKing 2012]

Coelnar Ellidyn
Meredith's Inn
Kale

Coelnar felt quite well rested when he woke up, and he'd clearly slept quite well, because by the time he opened his eyes, the sun was glaring on his face, dazzling him so that he couldn't see a thing. He stumbled over to the wall, leaning on it and blinking until he could see properly again. Once his vision returned to normal, he knelt down and picked up his chainmail shirt, pulling it over his head. He looked around, and it was clear to him that nothing had happened in the night. At least, no-one had entered his room, or made off with anything, something which he'd been half expecting. He leant down, and slid his axe out from under the bed. I really need to make a sheath for this thing. If I could get myself some leather, it would be simple enough, I'm sure, he thought, as he stood up, and headed out of the room, down to the tavern area.

Most of the others were already down, and appeared to be deep in conversation. Coelnar went over, and took one of the bowls of oatmeal, before heading over to their table. As he neared the table, the topic of their conversation became apparent. They were discussing how they would make it to Galvez. Something that worried him was that they seemed to be considering taking a boat. As Coelnar sat down, he also heard Keres saying something about killing everyone there. Ethan seemed to like the idea, but he dismissed it.

"You know," he said, after Ethan had spoken. "This might be a stupid idea, but we could.. Well.. Let ourselves be captured. Just hear me out. I can use magic, and I wont find it hard to break out of my cell. There'll only be a few guards at each dungeon, and we'll just need to take them out before they raise the alarm. Then we can take out a few guards at a time, or find whoever's in charge of the prison. If we take them out, then there'll be no-one to give out orders." he shrugged. "But we definitely cant let ourselves be caught up in an all out attack. We'll end up dead before we reach the walls. Same if we use the river. The archers will tear us to shreds. Its all I can come up with. It might work, I dont know. Speaking of which, can any of you use magic, though? Just wondering." he looked around the table. "Of course, if we went with this plan, we wouldnt have our weapons for the battle, so if you cant use magic, you might be in trouble. I just think that we need to attack when they don't expect it, that's all. We need a strategy they won't expect."

 

[AJ2000]

Meredith's Inn
Kale
Artus Callum & co.

"We should.. go directly to the prison, and kill everyone who dare standing in our way." Artus wasn't too sure of his strategy. Sure it was straightforward, but there was no way they had enough manpower to take down every foe in the prison. "Or we could.. y'know, ask around or something..." Clearly Keres was no help. It didn't really bother Artus, seeing as the others were pitching in ideas as well.

“Heh,” Ethan chuckled “I wish. But if Artus wants a chance at gettin’ his girlfriend back” Ethan said jokingly “We’ll need to at least stay unnoticed until we actually get there. Besides, we don’t know how many soldiers there’ll actually be.” Ethan ate some more bread. “Anybody got a map?” He asked. Ethan then finished off his bread and took a drink of his rum. “That ought to make things easier”

Girlfriend? Artus thought. "I wish Luna was my girlfriend." Artus laughed. "But yeah, we'll need a map. It'll make things a hell of a lot easier." Artus then looked at Coelnar, who arrived at the table not too long ago.

"You know," Coelnar said. "This might be a stupid idea, but we could.. Well.. Let ourselves be captured. Just hear me out. I can use magic, and I wont find it hard to break out of my cell. There'll only be a few guards at each dungeon, and we'll just need to take them out before they raise the alarm. Then we can take out a few guards at a time, or find whoever's in charge of the prison. If we take them out, then there'll be no-one to give out orders." he shrugged. "But we definitely cant let ourselves be caught up in an all out attack. We'll end up dead before we reach the walls. Same if we use the river. The archers will tear us to shreds. Its all I can come up with. It might work, I dont know. Speaking of which, can any of you use magic, though? Just wondering." he looked around the table. "Of course, if we went with this plan, we wouldnt have our weapons for the battle, so if you cant use magic, you might be in trouble. I just think that we need to attack when they don't expect it, that's all. We need a strategy they won't expect."

Artus thought about Coelnar's strategy. Sure it was unexpected, but Artus wasn't too keen on the idea. It seemed to be too much of a risk getting caught. "I'm not sure if I feel comfortable with that idea. What if we get caught, and end up in different cells? Not to mention, there are probably other people who can use magic that are currently being held at Galvez Prison, so there must be a reason why they can't escape if that's the case." Artus thought about it some more. There has to be a way... "Okay so then let's sum this up. So far we got Nat's boat idea, which is a no-go, we got getting captured on purpose, and Ethan's river idea." These were not what Artus was expecting, but seeing as there were no more ideas getting thrown out, Artus decided to vouch for one of them. "If that's all we got...then I say we do a vote. I'm gonna vote for Ethan's idea. What about you guys? We'll see what others vote for when they get down here."

 

[Nythe]

Natalia Denar
Kale
Meredith’s Inn

Artus rejected Natalia’s suggestion due to the same two shortcomings Natalia mentioned: finding someone to take them there and risking being noticed from far away. Natalia didn’t like the patronising tone Artus used when dismissing her suggestion. Artus then turned to Keres for ideas.

Keres apparently tried to find a solution by looking in a crystal ball. “We should.. go directly to prison, and kill everyone who dare standing in our way.” Natalia raised her eyebrows. Seriously? This crystal ball is clearly a fake. Or maybe it’s just that the guy’s crazy. Keres then continued. “Or we could.. y’know, ask around or something…” And the award for the most useless suggestion goes to…

Ethan, on the other hand, quite liked the boat idea. Aside from it being too easy to spot. He also brought up an important question. “Anybody got a map? That ought to make things a lot easier.” It was hard not to agree.

Coelnar, who had just joined them at the table with his breakfast, also chipped it with his idea. “You know,” he said, after Ethan had spoken. “This might be a stupid idea, but we could.. Well.. Let ourselves be captured. Just hear me out. I can use magic, and I wont find it hard to break out of my cell. There'll only be a few guards at each dungeon, and we'll just need to take them out before they raise the alarm. Then we can take out a few guards at a time, or find whoever's in charge of the prison. If we take them out, then there'll be no-one to give out orders.” he shrugged. “But we definitely cant let ourselves be caught up in an all out attack. We'll end up dead before we reach the walls. Same if we use the river. The archers will tear us to shreds. Its all I can come up with. It might work, I dont know. Speaking of which, can any of you use magic, though? Just wondering.” he looked around the table. “Of course, if we went with this plan, we wouldnt have our weapons for the battle, so if you cant use magic, you might be in trouble. I just think that we need to attack when they don't expect it, that's all. We need a strategy they won't expect.”

In theory, it was a good plan, but it had many flaws. Once again, Artus was the first to name point them out. “I'm not sure if I feel comfortable with that idea. What if we get caught, and end up in different cells? Not to mention, there are probably other people who can use magic that are currently being held at Galvez Prison, so there must be a reason why they can't escape if that's the case.” On top of that, I can’t do much without my swords.

Artus decided to sum everything up. “Okay so then let's sum this up. So far we got Nat's boat idea, which is a no-go, we got getting captured on purpose, and Ethan's river idea. If that's all we got...then I say we do a vote. I'm gonna vote for Ethan's idea. What about you guys? We'll see what others vote for when they get down here.”

Natalia was annoyed by how Artus was treating her suggestion. It was more or less the same as Ethan’s, which he considered to be the best, except it carried slightly more risk but would save them a lot of time. Still, she managed to hide her emotions and speak with her most convincing voice. “Well, I think it would be best to combine Eth’s idea with mine, considering, they are both based on travelling along the same river. We could go by boat at first to save time and strength, but do the last mile or so on foot to avoid detection.” Natalia was about to finish, when she had an idea. Time to earn some trust as well as useful information about who should be offered to work for me when this is done. “It is, however, difficult to come up with a great strategy, when we know so little about our fighting styles. How about we tell each other about our abilities and fighting styles? I use this pair of swords, of course, which I back up with some magic to create opportunities to strike.” She looked at the people around her. “What about you?”

 

[Schade]

Keres Adrastea
Merediths inn

“Anybody got a map? That ought to make things a lot easier.” Ethan asked, looking at the three others at the table. "I do." Keres said slowly, waving the map he so kindly got from the man at the old tavern in the air in front of them.

“You know,” Colenar suddenly said after Ethan had made his suggestion. “This might be a stupid idea, but we could.. Well.. Let ourselves be captured. Just hear me out. I can use magic, and I wont find it hard to break out of my cell. There'll only be a few guards at each dungeon, and we'll just need to take them out before they raise the alarm. Then we can take out a few guards at a time, or find whoever's in charge of the prison. If we take them out, then there'll be no-one to give out orders.” he then said, a bit enthusiastic. Letting ourselves get caught? That could work.. Or not. “But we definitely cant let ourselves be caught up in an all out attack. We'll end up dead before we reach the walls. Same if we use the river. The archers will tear us to shreds. Its all I can come up with. It might work, I dont know. Speaking of which, can any of you use magic, though? Just wondering.” he then continued. "I can." Keres said, making his orb float around his head in a cute little circle, before bumping it 'accidently' into Natalias head. Colenar continued: “Of course, if we went with this plan, we wouldnt have our weapons for the battle, so if you cant use magic, you might be in trouble. I just think that we need to attack when they don't expect it, that's all. We need a strategy they won't expect.” Keres gave it a bit tought. He could recall his orb from wherever it might be, so that wouldn't be a problem..

“I'm not sure if I feel comfortable with that idea. What if we get caught, and end up in different cells? Not to mention, there are probably other people who can use magic that are currently being held at Galvez Prison, so there must be a reason why they can't escape if that's the case.” Artus then said. Keres sighed. "We have to take chances, you big whiny b!tch." He then carved a small synbol on the table. "We simply just kill them all" he then said ominously.

Artus decided to sum everything up. “Okay so then let's sum this up. So far we got Nat's boat idea, which is a no-go, we got getting captured on purpose, and Ethan's river idea. If that's all we got...then I say we do a vote. I'm gonna vote for Ethan's idea. What about you guys? We'll see what others vote for when they get down here.” Keres gave it a quick thought before answering: "I want to kill someone, so I'm good with whatever you guys pick." he then coughed and said. "But I don't like traveling on water..." and felt embarassed.

 

[AJ2000]

Meredith's Inn
Kale
Artus Callum

“Well, I think it would be best to combine Eth’s idea with mine, considering, they are both based on travelling along the same river. We could go by boat at first to save time and strength, but do the last mile or so on foot to avoid detection.” Natalia took a pause. “It is, however, difficult to come up with a great strategy, when we know so little about our fighting styles. How about we tell each other about our abilities and fighting styles? I use this pair of swords, of course, which I back up with some magic to create opportunities to strike.” Natalia came up with the idea of getting to know each other’s abilities better so they knew what they were working with. It was a rather good idea to say the least. This way they could know each others weaknesses and try to make up for it in other areas.

“My specialty is Lightning based magic.” He said while looking at Keres. Artus kept thinking about Keres’ previous remark. Something about what he said didn’t sit right with Artus. The way he said it actually irritated him. “And you know, we can’t just barge in there, idiot.” Artus defended himself, changing the subject. There’s no way this skinny bastard is gonna 1-up me. Artus knew this wasn’t the place for a fight, but he didn’t want to seem weak in front of the group, especially not in front of a girl. “We’re not gonna be able to kill an entire army of prison wardens, retard. And I doubt your skinnyass will be able to do anything either.” Artus said. He looked at Keres, and noticed there was a sheet of rolled paper sitting right in front of him. This guy…he had a map and didn’t even bother saying anything. He swiped the paper in front of him and took a brief look at it. There was a small moment of silence between the members. Artus felt bad that he had just completely changed the topic from Natalia’s idea. Artus sighed. He really just screwed up the flow of the conversation. Not to mention they still had to decide what route to take. Natalia's idea seemed good though, combining both Ethan's and hers to provide more safety. However he still had a bone to pick with Keres. “Besides, what can you do?” He asked Keres, with a slightly sarcastic tone.

 

[Schade]

Keres Adrastea
Merediths inn

After watching Artus and Natalia discuss on how to enter the prison, for whatever reason they had, Artus didn't seem to like Keres for some reason, but for whatever reason that might be, Keres did not care. He knew he could easily wipe out that naive youngster without much effort. “My specialty is Lightning based magic.” he said when looking at Keres. It appeared he tried to appear somehow intimidating, trying to act like a leader for the group. He tried to dominate Keres, without much luck, it apppeared. Keres held back a small laugh of pity, and an urge to brutally murder the kid here and now

“We’re not gonna be able to kill an entire army of prison wardens, retard. And I doubt your skinnyass will be able to do anything either.” he then said rather aggressivly. Keres laughed. "Heheh.. you're cute" he then took a breath before continuing. "It's piece of cake when you're able to ressurect fallen men into obidient revenants that kill for you" he said while carving into the table with his claws. “Besides, what can you do?”, Artus said. "My speciality is death" Keres then said, dead serious. "And by judging your apperance, and your rather lack of any interesting energies, I believe defeating you one on one would be as difficult as irritating poor Nat here" he then said and pointed to Natalia with one of his claws. "Now stop making a fool out of yourself, you're attracting unwanted attention". A maid had started paying attention to the rising tone of voices, and Keres blew her off by laughing loud and cheerfully, trying to make her think nothing was happening.

 

[AJ2000]

Meredith's Inn
Kale
Artus Callum


Keres laughed. "Heheh.. you're cute" he then took a breath before continuing. "It's piece of cake when you're able to ressurect fallen men into obidient revenants that kill for you" he said while carving into the table with his claws."My speciality is death" Keres then said, dead serious. "And by judging your apperance, and your rather lack of any interesting energies, I believe defeating you one on one would be as difficult as irritating poor Nat here" he then said and pointed to Natalia with one of his claws. "Now stop making a fool out of yourself, you're attracting unwanted attention". A maid had started paying attention to the rising tone of voices, and Keres blew her off by laughing loud and cheerfully, trying to make her think nothing was happening.

Artus sized up Keres. One-on-one, with no magic, Artus was fairly sure he could take on Keres on pure physical strength alone. However, his little speech about controlling death and whatnot made Artus uneasy. The maid was eyeing the group, as if they were up to something. He pointed at Nat, basically saying she was a hot-head. Artus looked at Keres. It was obvious Keres wasn't going to be intimidated, and he didn't want to end up as one of his dead revenant-thingies. "Screw this sh*t." Artus said. He gripped the map and got up, pushing in his chair. "Come outside when you guys are ready." He said as he walked out the door.

-------------

Outside, it was the same as the day before. It was quiet, with minimal people walking around. However the sun was shining, and it wasn't too hot of a morning. He looked at the map to take the whole Keres fiasco off his mind. I guess we could take this route... He observed the map, and saw a route that was totally not mentioned within the group. It lead north, and then veered off to the east, where the map located Galvez Prison. It looks safe...but what's this blur? He said, as he rubbed the paper with his finger, on a purple blur. It had looked like someone had worn the map out, which was weird, considering Galvez Prison is a recent landmark. The blur was near midway between the prison and Kale. Probably just a coffee spill or something... He thought. The route intercepted the river at one point, and honestly, Artus wasn't too keen on travelling on water, so this route was already peaking his curiosity.

 

[SteelKing 2012]

Coelnar Elllidyn
Meredith's Inn
Kale

Coelnar watched the proceedings, with a slightly concerned smile. "Honestly." he said, after Artus had walked out, "Would it be so difficult for you lot to get along, for once? This really won't help when we get to Galvez, you know." he shook his head slowly, casting a pointed look at Keres. "And as for how we go to Galvez, it would seem it's already been decided, hasn't it. Though we'd do well to avoid getting carried away when we get there, okay?" there was no mistaking who that last part was directed at. "Of course, I've told you I can use magic already, and I imagine you've all figured out what I use to fight." He said, gesturing to his axe. "The only problem is, my axe may be powerful, but I cant attack too quickly, of course. My specialty is Light based magic, and given a bit of time, I can heal most injuries."

He sat back, his little speech over, and looked around the table. To be honest, he wasn't too surprised by the power Keres controlled. It seemed.. Rather fitting, more so every time he thought about it. Coelnar had read about revenants once or twice in the village, and if the information was to be believed, only Light magic could kill one, or the will of its creator, which meant he might have to stop Keres if he got out of hand. Yay. Keeping Keres in hand? One duty I didn't want. Coelnar shrugged, and stood up. "In any case, I think I'll be going outside. There's no sense in hanging around here any longer than we have to, and I don't feel like sorting out any more of your petty squabbling." he said, picking up his axe, and heading out of the door. He gave a nod to Artus as he headed out. I was going to find some leather for a sheath, but somehow I don't think the tanner's shop'll be open. he thought, as he looked around the square, which was just as deserted as the day before.

 

[Corrosion]

((OOC: Yaaay, someone’s applied for a spot!))

Meredith’s Inn
Kale
Asher Ikakois

Asher awoke to the side of him farthest away from the wall becoming warming than the rest of. The sun had made a bit of progress across the sky already, but his head and front had been shaded by the wall. His nose was barely peeking out from the blankets; he had fallen asleep with his head under the covers. He brushed the blankets off of himself, swung himself over the edge of the bed and blinked a few times. He was still slightly tired, but he knew that the majority of the group would be awake by now, so he had to make haste. He quickly changed into his clothes from the previous day, regretting that they had not been washed.

After folding the clothes that he had slept in, Asher picked up his bag and headed for the door. He took quick steps down the stairs and was greeted by a waitress.

“Would you like breakfast?” she inquired, and motioned him toward the table where Keres, Natalia, and Coelnar awaited. Asher nodded his head, but not empathetically, but enough so that she could understand that he was in agreement with the breakfast plan. He had not eaten true food for nearly a week now, and had used some magic to restore his body and obtain energy. If he was to embark upon this journey, then conserving his magic was imperative.

Keres looked smug, Natalia irritated, and Coelnar calm. The construct could not determine what Ethan was feeling, but he supposed that might be for the best as that person…might have impure or ulterior motives. Asher immediately drew up a chair and sat down between Natalia and Keres in the event of a violent outburst from either. He was entirely clueless as to why, but he concluded that Keres was the cause of it. He looked at the space on the table in the middle of Keres and Natalia, and then realized something. He had pulled up a chair and forgotten to take even a small plate of food. He looked down at his lap as if to apologize, strung his bag around the back of his chair, and went to take a sizeable bowl of oatmeal. He hurried back to the table, but not much had happened – everyone seemed to be eating their food without comment.

He looked around and did not see Artus; there had to be a reason that Keres was nearly grinning. ’Did he vex Artus? His would personality create friction with most people,’ Asher thought, unsure of what to do. ’Oh. I have not thought of one thing – what if Keres took advantage of the darkness of the night and murdered Artus while I was asleep? He set his spoon next to his bowl of oatmeal, turned his torso halfway around in his chair, and fished out his lump of metal from his bag.

Turning back to the group, Asher held the metal in such a manner that everyone at the table could see and etched upon it with magic, “I shall search for Artus.” He had had hesitation about even that simple sentence; he did not know how the others would react; he was taking a gamble.

Coelnar interrupted his departure by saying, “"Honestly. Would it be so difficult for you lot to get along, for once? This really won't help when we get to Galvez, you know." The axeman shook his head in disapproval, for what Asher could only guess. "And as for how we go to Galvez, it would seem it's already been decided, hasn't it. Though we'd do well to avoid getting carried away when we get there, okay.” He had cast a glance at Keres, so Asher determined that the necromancer had done something foolish yet again. "Of course, I've told you I can use magic already, and I imagine you've all figured out what I use to fight. The only problem is, my axe may be powerful, but I can’t attack too quickly, of course,” he said and then took a breath in the short pause, “My specialty is Light based magic, and given a bit of time, I can heal most injuries."

Asher nodded and quickly the changed the message on the metal to say, “I am also able to cast a recovery spell, but it applies only to my body.” The sentence was structured strangely, and Asher was aware of that, yet it was the most exact explanation that he had. He felt that he had said too much already, for sounding selfish like that would only bring him trouble. Why mention that he could heal, if it only affected his own body? He felt foolish for relating that information, but it was important that he do so – Coelnar could end up wasting his mana healing him when the others had no healing spell.

Coelnar said, “In any case, I think I'll be going outside. There's no sense in hanging around here any longer than we have to, and I don't feel like sorting out any more of your petty squabbling.” That confirmed utterly Asher’s suspicions that Keres had begun a small verbal fight. The axe-wielder headed out of the inn.

Asher was unsure of what to do now that Coelnar had said that he was headed outside. The construct had declared that his intention was to find Artus, but the others might find that suspicious now that Coelnar was to do something in the same vein. Asher stood up, pushing his chair backwards at the same time. It nearly tipped over and he caught it before it could crash down. He carefully removed his bag from the chair and left the inn.

He found Artus mulling about outside the inn while staring intently at the map. He had surely taken it from Keres; he knew that there a reason for the conflict. The map was a constant problem, perhaps it would be best if he took it into his care, but he would not force it from Artus’ hands. Artus seemed to concentrate on a certain place on the map where it was darker than the rest.

’How am I to approach him?’ Asher asked him, having not taken this into consideration before. ’He knows that I am a companion of Keres, and, having had a spat, how will he react…?’ He simply stood behind Artus and awaited the time when he would notice him.

((OOC:…Asher the creeper…?))

 

[Deleted member 300066]

Ethan Daggett
Meredith’s Inn
Kale

Coelnar made the suggestion of getting captured on purpose. It was brought up however that their weapons would definitely be taken away, and that magic would be the only way out. Ethan didn’t like it.
“Speaking of which, can any of you use magic, though?” Coelnar asked. Coelnar, Artus and Keres revealed that they could use some magic. It sounded a lot more impressive than Ethan’s.
“I can do some basic wind magic” Ethan explained “But I’m more of a weapons guy, personally”
Artus seemed to be agreeing with Ethan’s idea, Natalia jumped into the conversation.
“Well, I think it would be best to combine Eth’s idea with mine, considering, they are both based on travelling along the same river. We could go by boat at first to save time and strength, but do the last mile or so on foot to avoid detection.” She said. Ethan hated to say it, but she was right.
“If we can get a hold of a boat,” Ethan said “I’ve got plenty experience of experience with bigger vessels on the ocean, I should be able to man a smaller boat, no problem. We’ll just need to know when to get off, it’ll need to be well before we can be seen.”

Natalia then asked about fighting styles. Ethan unholstered his gun and unsheathed his cutlass. He placed the pair of weapons on the table.
“I use a cutlass and flintlock combo.” He said “A bit of wind magic here and there, works well with the flintlock to blow some heads off.”

Soon enough, Artus began to get irritated with Keres, a fight seemed to be brewing. Ethan sat back and watched.
“And you know, we can’t just barge in there, idiot. We’re not gonna be able to kill an entire army of prison wardens, retard. And I doubt your skinnyass will be able to do anything either.” There was a brief pause. Ethan chuckled slightly under his breath, though the others may not have heard him. Artus then apparently noticed a map that Keres had kept to himself, Artus snatched the map out of Keres’ robes and stormed out the door.
“Screw this sh*t. Come outside when you guys are ready.”

Coelnar then came downstairs. Though his visit was brief. He didn’t seem keen on sticking around to see a possible fight unfold. He went outside to greet Artus.

Asher soon followed Coelnar. This was the silent one that had accompanied Keres. Ethan wondered if he was as eager to kill as crystal-orb-boy. Asher did not talk. He held up a strip of metal that read
“I shall search for Artus.” The inscription upon the metal then changed to explain Asher’s magical abilities. Asher also didn’t stick around for long. He left the inn to join Artus and Coelnar outside.

“Well, I guess I’ll head outside too” Ethan said as put his weapons back in their sheath and holster. Ethan downed his rum and tossed the keys to the inn-keeper, to Ethan’s surprise she caught them. “You two have fun.” He said as he left Natalia and Keres on their own.

Ethen emerged from the inn. It was still pretty empty outside. He saw Artus mulling over Keres’ map, with Asher standing slightly creepily behind him. Ethan looked at the pair for a moment.
“So you just gonna stand there and watch ‘im?” Ethan said, slightly making fun of Asher. Ethan then noticed Coelnar standing in the middle of the square; he seemed to be looking around for something.

Ethan peeked his nose over Artus’ map slightly.
“See any decent routes?” Ethan asked.

 

[Schade]

Keres Adrastea
Meredith's inn

Artus ended up going outside. He was cute whenh e was mad, and Keres enjoyed watching him conflicted. Was this a man worthy of Keres respect? "Hmpfh.. No" He said. "I'll be going outside now" he then said to the others inside. "Don't take too long, Nat." he said and blinked to Natalia. He went out to where Artus was standing. he had at some point obtained Keres' map, and he was inspecting it, figuring where they would go next. Ethan and Asher was out there as well. Keres snuk up behind them and just stood there with his orb, overhearing what they were talking about. It was morning outside, and the sun had started rising in the horizon. there was no one else outside but the small group

“So you just gonna stand there and watch ‘im?” Ethan said to Asher, who was standing behind Artus. Ethan obviously didn't notice Keres behind him.

 

[Nythe]

Natalia Denar
Kale
Meredith’s Inn

The discussion swiftly deteriorated into a fight between the two guys sitting next to Natalia. Natalia felt uncomfortable sitting in the middle of the two immature hot-headed boys having a fight, but weathered the storm without getting involved. She still managed to get at least some information about others’ abilities. As she had already known, Artus wielded a sword and used Lightning based magic; Keres claimed his specialty was death for he was able to turn the dead into revenants; Ethan used a cutlass, a flintlock and some Wind magic; and all three of them loved to wind Natalia up. On top of that Artus and Keres were clearly unable to work together.

There were also two less problematic: Coelnar, who wielded the axe and Light magic, and Asher, who didn’t share much about his abilities. For his non-human appearance and him seemingly being Keres’ partner he was turning out to be one of the more likeable members of the group. That wasn’t saying much, though, as the majority of the group was mostly focused on annoying her.

One by one, everyone left the inn, until Natalia was left alone at the table. “Don’t take too long, Nat.” were the last words Keres said before going out, so she wasn’t in a hurry. She was quite relieved she was on her own and enjoyed the silence for about a minute before. How are we going to save anyone? We can’t even make it through breakfast without incidents. She briefly considered staying behind and not bothering with the rescue mission. She could stay here in Kale until some other adventurers show up. It wasn’t really an option, she was too proud to let those idiots to influence her decisions. So she eventually followed the others out of the inn. They were standing in front of the door, staring at the map Artus took from Keres.

 

[AJ2000]

Meredith's Inn
Kale
Artus Callum & co.

One by one, the members of the group joined Artus outside, as he observed the map. “So you just gonna stand there and watch ‘im?” Ethan said. Artus turned around noticed the quiet guy form the day before just standing there staring at Artus.

"I don't believe I caught your name yesterday." Artus said to Asher. He got so caught up in planning and whatnot, he completely forgot to ask that quiet hooded girl, and this quiet dark-skinned guy their names. Suddenly Ethan peered over to the map Artus was holding.

“See any decent routes?” Ethan asked. Artus glared at the map, and pointed to the new route he found, and nodded.

"I found this route. It looks safe, and there's no need to travel along the river." He then moved his finger along the route to guide everyone's attention, as held the map for everyone to see. "Although the river does intercept the route here at this point." He said, as he pointed to the purple blur. I have no clue what it is though. It looks smudged. Possibly a coffee spill?" He said, questioningly. "Anyways, whatever, it seems like a good enough route." He said. He then loked at Ethan. "Also, what was that other girl's name that was chilling with you Ethan? You know the quiet one, with the hood?"

 

[Samantha Sparks]

Undine Pandora Aqua
Meredith's Inn

Undine spoke not a word, primarily because she was afraid of crowds, and got crowdsick pretty easily. Thus, with that, she snuck out, away from the captain and the others for a while, to buy a more 'civilised' dress at a nearby shop. It was only after this where she noted what everyone was speaking of.

Galvez Prison.

Even she had heard of it. It was a... prison. Of course it was a prison. But it was no ordinary prison. It was said to be so cruel, no one ever comes out. The thought of it terrified Undine. Some members of her extinct tribe may still be there, and that was what worried her the most.

It wasn't just about Galvez Prison, it was about going to Galvez Prison.

As much as people go in there and never came out, she believed that these people knew what they were doing. They were going to be heroes, attempting to save the people in the inpenetratable prison. Seeing that some of her tribe may be in there, she decided to tag along.

"I think I'll go..." after a long while, the aquatic lifeform agreed to venture into the horrifying place. "My name... Undine..." she told the leader of the plan, Artus. "Smudge... suspicious..." she shyly spoke in a monotonous voice again. That smudge seemed too purple to be another safe piece of the map. What could it be? The trooper's hideout? A less significant prison? Maybe she was just being pessimistic for a while, so she thought, and thus decided to join the rest.

 

[AJ2000]

Meredith's Inn
Kale
Artus Callum & co.



Artus noticed that the group was missing one person. It was the girl that was hanging out with Ethan earlier last day. Artus had no clue who she was, so it would make sense he asked Ethan her name. “My name…Undine…” A voice spoke from behind. Artus turned around. Speaking of the devil… He thought. Undine had popped up within the group. Artus wasn’t sure how long she had been standing there, but it didn’t matter. “Smudge….Suspicious…” She said. Artus realized she was talking about the purple smudge. Honestly, Artus didn’t think anything was wrong with it, but the way Undine spoke made it sound so….ominous.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s probably nothing Undine.” Artus said smiling. She seemed to be a bit shy, however unlike Asher, she also seemed more timid. Artus turned to the group. We seem to have a pretty good variation in the types of people. He thought. He figured the more variation, the better their chances of survival were. There was no guarantee that they would be safe on this route, but it seemed to be a good choice. “Alright guys, let’s head out.” He said, as the group of travellers headed for the city’s eastern exit. Artus wasn’t sure what their trip had planned for them, but if he knew anything, it was that this battle wasn’t going to be easy.


---------------------


Route to Galvez Prison
Artus Callum & co.



“Oh god…” Artus lazily walked down the beaten pathway, drops of sweat coming down the side of his head. He wasn’t expecting the day to be this hot, considering it was cloudy just the other day. However this heat was getting to him. They had been travelling for about 2 hours now, and Galvez was nowhere in sight. Did we take a wrong turn…? Can’t be. The route doesn’t meet at crossroads until later. He was starting to doubt his navigation skills. He was debating whether to hand the position to Ethan, who seemed good at this kind of stuff. Artus looked around. The path went straight, with a few nooks here and there, but the whole path was, well, boring. There were trees littered throughout the grasses and some hills, as well as a small house a short distance away. “I need a break guys, sorry.” He said. As the group approached the house, Artus sat down on the grass and leaned his body against the wall in the shade. The house itself was small, and only had one door, but also a second smaller floor. Artus took out his canteen, which was attached to his belt. He had filled it up with water in the morning, and luckily it was still somewhat cold. That’s good stuff. He thirstily took a few sips, and closed it up and put it on the grass. “You guys can have some too. It’s not that cold, but it’s not warm either.” He put his head up against the wall, and rested for bit. There was a silence among the group, probably due to the long walk. He took out the map once again, trying to make sense of their location. “Whatever this purple blur thing is, it’s not too far away. Probably 20 minute walk or so.” He said, as pointed to the map, and directed his finger along the their route. The map obviously didn’t mark any residency, which was why the house they were at wasn’t on the map. However, the house was in an odd area, considering it was so far away from any towns.

I hope they don’t mind that we are resting here. Artus thought. As he got up he took a small stroll around the house, which was covered in shade. As he got to the back of the house a certain scent caught his attention. As he got closer, it became more of a foul stench, which caused Artus to gag. He turned the corner, and saw the grass turning red. There was a body lying on the grass, the body of an old lady. Her arms were carved up, and the clothes were stained red by the blood. The stench was incredibly strong at this point, with flies buzzing around the body. Artus backed away and quickly ran to the group where he kneeled to the ground and vomited. White-ish liquid shot out of his mouth, as it made a puddle in the grass. “Guys…there’s a body back there…” He wiped the liquid caking around his mouth, Artus always did have a somewhat weak stomach. He couldn’t really help it. However, usually he didn’t have a problem with blood, but the way this lady was carved up made his stomach turn. Suddenly, a dagger was thrown right next to the group, and mounted into the ground. Artus tried to get his act together and got up, identifying the point of launch. He frantically looked around, and in a blink, three guys jumped down from the roof of the house. Artus clumsily drew his sword, still shaken up by his upset stomach. He looked at the unknown men. One was muscularly built, and was bald. He was wearing a black, torn shirt, and rag-like pants with black boots. The other two looked exactly identical, like twins. They had short, brown hair, and were wearing no shirts, but the same brown, rag-like pants with black boots. All of them were armed with claws on each hand, similar Keres’, plus daggers attached to their belt.

“I don’t suppose you guys know you’re trespassing, do you?” The bald one spoke. Artus didn’t reply. He started to get a bit nervous, still thinking about the old lady, not wanting the same to happen to him. The bald man sighed. “Look, we run sh*t around here. And now that you’re here, we obviously can’t let you live.” He then turned to the twins. “Get rid of them now. The clan can’t handle losing anymore credibility.” Suddenly one of the twins ran up to Artus, attempting at a slash at his throat. Artus quickly ducked, blocking with his sword, stumbling backwards and landing on his behind.

Dang! This guy is fast! He thought. The other two started to run towards the group as well. “Look out guys, here they come!”


((OOC: I Edited my post in the Discussion thread with info on the enemies))

 

[SteelKing 2012]

Coelnar Ellidyn
Meredith's Inn
Kale

It wasn't long before the others headed out of the inn as well, and at least they weren't arguing anymore, which, to him at least, was certainly a bonus. They headed out in quick succession, but didn't make very much conversation, apparently just wanting to head out, which didn't surprise Coelnar, who considered himself to be a good judge of character. He had to admit, while their bickering was irritating, it certainly was amusing at times. The first one, Keres' companion, just stood behind Artus, but Coelnar didn't point it out, mainly because Ethan came out a minute or so later, and was the one to do so. Artus turned, apparently undeterred, and asked his name. Before he got an answer, though, he turned to Ethan, asking about the girl in the hood, who promptly turned up a couple minutes later.

She went and spoke to Artus, who she'd clearly marked out as the leader of the group, and spoke to him, so quietly that Coelnar didn't catch anything but her name. Undine, huh? I suppose she's asking to come along as well. Coelnar was slightly nervous about the journey, and still unnerved by that smudge on the map. It was probably nothing, but still, it made him think. He didn't have time to worry, as soon after, Natalia came out, and they were on their way, heading out and towards the eastern gate of the city. Coelnar smiled slightly to himself. No turning back now, huh. I guess we'll have to watch each other's backs. Coelnar had had time to buy a proper sheath for his axe, rather than the straps he'd used on the mountains, so he slung it over his back, and headed out with the group.


Route to Galvez prison

'Ugh. What is with this heat?" Coelnar muttered. It seemed boiling to him, especially as he'd spent his life in snow-covered mountains, and considered there to be perfectly normal. This? He'd considered Kale to be warm enough, thank you. It was strange, though, how quickly the weather had turned. It had been cloudy for the last few days, and he'd been fine with that. Coelnar liked cloudy, certainly more than he liked this. Not that complaining would change anything as such, but it was nice to get it off his chest, even if he wasn't saying it aloud. Coelnar's water bottle was empty, which surprised precisely no-one. Two hours in this heat? It wasn't pleasant, especially as the others insisted on sticking to the paths, rather than heading into the shade of the forest. Coelnar had given up on convincing them, instead just heading into the trees that bordered the path, so that he was just in sight of the group, but out of most of the sun. He was grateful for Artus's offer of water, but instead disappeared into the woods, and came back with a full bottle of water, feeling refreshed. Still, he was relieved when they found a house, that would present some form of shelter, at least.

When they reached the house, there was something about it that felt a little.. Off. Coelnar had an instinct for this sort of thing. He drifted off in his thoughts for a moment, but was snapped out of it when he saw Artus vomiting into the grass. "Guys.. There's a body back here." that's what he'd said. Coelnar knew there was something wrong, and almost without realising it, he slid his axe out of its sheath. Looking at Artus, it was clear that he wasn't used to seeing death up close. Coelnar had seen it before, mostly animals after hunting, but once.. He shook his head. Better not to think of that now. he thought, and he heard someone talking to a pair of twins nearby. "Get rid of them now. The clan can't handle losing any more credibility." at that, one of them lunged at Artus, aiming for his throat. Artus managed to dodge it, and blocked the attack with his sword, but he was clealy in trouble. "Look out guys," Artus yelled. "Here they come!"

Coelnar looked at the others. "You guys can handle these two, right?" he yelled to them. "I'll go help Artus!" he looked at the man attacking Artus. He moved with a speed that Coelnar couldn't match, and he realised that he wouldn't win a straight fight, so he disappeared into the bushes. "Running, are you?" the bald guy yelled. "We'll catch up with you soon enough." but Coelnar wasn't running. He moved silently through the bushes. Just think of it like a hunt. Be the predator, not the prey. he thought, focusing. The guy attacking Artus launched another slash, and Coelnar realised he didn't have time to sneak up. He ran out of the bushes, and launched a Sunbeam between them, causing the twin to leap back in shock, as Coelnar ran between them, blocking a slash on the haft of his axe. The twin looked startled. It looked like he'd assumed none of them could get past to help. "Get up, Artus. " Coelnar said, his voice low. "I can't fight this alone."