[Nexus] Mithar Keep

[Shadowcaller]

Entrance

The earth elemental let go of Samantha, the door opening for her. "Just go." She commands him.

The mage then sigh once the bunny girl is gone, "I just don't know what to do with him, he isn't even replying to my mental messages anymore. What should I do? He refuses to listen to reason, he just likes to deliver a message for some demon." And it sounded even more stupid when she said it.

"I'm afraid he's already under demonic influence, I just don't know what to do Ariel." She confesses. "I need the cure but how do I stop him from hurting himself in the meantime?"

[Guest Room - Harnel]

And while we are on the subject of hurting yourself...

Cessie had tried to make these with Harnel in mind so they aren't giving in in one hit, he can feel it weakening however, he might just need one or two more hits before it gives in.

It likely hurts like hell though.

[Lost_Deep]

Entrance

Kirin has been standing here for a while now, with a blank look on her face. What the...

"Uh... I don't know what's going on, but is there any way I can help? I was about to go get some knives from the armory... but I don't want to hurt Harnel either, and he's probably strong enough we wouldn't even notice me if I tried to."

[UncleWolf]

Entrance

Ariel lets Alice go with her tail and shudders at the mention of demons. "If I may offer my knowledge of such things, even helpful demons are more than a little hostile. No good will ever come from them, and if he's possessed, then we need to exorcise him before his body, soul, and mind warp."

[Gullara]

[Entrance]

Samantha shoots Ariel a dirty look as she's let go. She leaves without another word. There's more to be done!

[Halae]

[Guest Room - Harnel]

Harnel won't stop until he's cracked through the force field, no matter how hard it hurts. When the spells shatters, He'll climb out the window and take off.

First order of business; get some equipment. Harnel will land in the courtyard, through the chimney of his forge. It's a large one because of all the heat and smoke that would build up in here. His reason? because he has a mini fridge in here.

...

No, I'm not kidding. He spends long hours working in the forge, and going back into the house when he's dealing with a project is an action assosciated with so much ennui that he simply won't have it. The less time away from his work the better, after all.

He picks up his smithing apron and stuffs it full of food. He has water, sandwiches (mostly with meat), and some trail mix that he had stored in a little cupboard off to the side. It's not enough to last him more than a day or two, but at this point he doesn't really care.

He swaddles the apron into a bundle, which he carries with him as he sets off into the air.

It's possible for someone to come down to find him if they're quick enough.

[Shadowcaller]

[Entrance]

Cessie breathes out slowly, "Exorcism? I heard the cure was dragonbone. I was going to go to a dragongraveyard to get it. Are you sure we are talking about the same kind of demon?" Cessie asks as she attempts to contact Harnel once again.

[Guest Room - Harnel]

Harnel, please talk to me, I can the dragon graveyard isn't far away, I will be able to find the cure in no time. She pleads.

Just talk to me, I hate when you do this.

[Reinholdt]

I'm sorry to hear that... but we're guests here, so we really shouldn't abuse Cessie's hospitality. Dorota shifts uneasily.

"Yes, Dorota's right. It would be rude of us to impose ourselves upon her in such a manner after she so willingly offered the use of her home to us, if only in a manner akin to that of visitors." Which is what they are. Visitors.

[Lost_Deep]

Entrance

"Um, I'm going to go get some throwing knives."

Kirin will walk out... and miss Harnel as he disappears into the forge. She will make her way to the armory and look into the throwing knives. There is a good chance she'll be in there longer than Harnel will be in the forge, so she'll probably miss him.

[Slii Arhem]

Foyer

Kashi nods, not really expecting anything different by this point. He turns towards the nearest door, that which leads into the kitchen.

"Snnyyui! <I think I'm gonna go get something to eat then. Bye, hope to see you again!>"

Then he shuffles out, taking a very long time from the point where his head goes through the door to where his tail finally crosses it.

Courtyard

Later, Kashi is lounging around on top of the aerie, having digested his meal and made a fair sized pile of coins to sleep on. He isn't aware of Harnel in the forge yet, but could be, if some noise is made to alert him of it.

[UncleWolf]

Entrance

Ariel sighs and holds her arms close to herself. "No, probably not. But as a part-daemon myself, I figure it'd be worth a shot at least. I can't do it personally though, even if I know how."

[Halae]

[Courtyard - Forge ==> The Skies!]

Harnel will go back out the chimney, climbing up with ease before taking to the air.

Kashi will hear the sound of flapping leathery wings as Harnel passes over the roof of the building. Harnel hadn't been expecting Kashi to sleep up there... nor for him to be so big. He hopes the alchemical dragon doesn't wake up, but that seems unlikely.

Harnel still doesn't answer Cessie's mental messages.

[Slii Arhem]

The Skies!

Kashi's eyes open wide, instantly spotting his flying master. Hardly a hairsbreadth of time later his wings are carrying him toward Harnel, most likely faster than the half-dragon can outpace due to his streamlined form.

If Kashi catches up, he'll soar alongside Harnel for a brief moment before folding one wing and giving the other a flap. This causes him to roll straight at Harnel, and unless he can dodge then Kashi will proceed to wrap his legs and tail around him. The serpentine dragon will then re-open his wings and try to glide back to solid earth, just outside of the Keep's outer walls.

[Halae]

[The Skies!]

Harnel will manage to dodge out of the way, with a little effort, "Augh, Kashi! I'm sorry, I don't have time to play right now. I'm leaving for a trip."

At the very least, the "little" dragon has stopped him from moving forward, and now he merely hovers in place.

[Slii Arhem]

The Skies!

"Snyuui? <What?! Why are you leaving? Where are you going? Can I come too?>" Kashi tucks out of his barrel roll and rights himself, now significantly lower than Harnel. A few wingbeats soon put that to rights though.

[Halae]

[The Skies!]

Harnel shakes his head, "No Kashi, you can't come with me. I'm counting on you to keep Cessie safe, alright? I'll be back in a few days."

[Slii Arhem]

The Skies!

Such a cliche. Shame that Kashi still has the mind of a child, despite his size, or he might have caught on to that.

He doesn't really see why he has to protect Cessie though. She has all those crazy... thing golems around her, right?

Nonetheless, Harnel is telling him to go back, so he's going back. Laying on the roof in the sun is enough exertion for the lazy dragon.

"Snyyuuu. <Okay, bye!>"

And with that, Kashi completely forgets about his other two questions, and the fact that Harnel didn't answer them.

[Halae]

[The Skies]

Harnel continues on his flight away from the keep, towards Sojourn. Over their link, Cessie hears the following, I'll be back in a few days, Cessie, once I've gone to Sojourn. Please be careful, and don't follow me, alright? I move a lot faster than you anyways, so you'd just be wasting your time. I'll see you when I get back.

She may feel a sort of closing off as Harnel attempts to close their telepathic link from his end. He really doesn't want to hear anything else at this point, even if it's not entirely probable that he can actually do something like that.

[Shadowcaller]

Entrance

Cessie sigh, "And he still refuses to respond... I'm actually starting to get really worried. Perhaps I should check on him?"
She turns to the catgirl, "Kirin, have you checked on Harnel lately? Is his condition getting worse somehow?"

It's at this point she gets the message and her eyes visibly widens.

[The Skies]

Harnel can't really close the link, but he might try to ignore the reply. You stupid, childish, inconsiderate... a few days?! You might be dead or worse in a few days! Don't you even have a sense of self-preservation? Anything could happen there Harnel! It could be a trap! Please come back!" She sounds to be somewhere between wild rage and desperation.

[Lost_Deep]

Entrance

I'm going to assume that the question was asked a moment before Kirin stepped outside.

"I've been checking on him regularly... but it must have been a quarter an hour ago I last checked. I didn't notice any real changes; not since he first came in."

It may be worth noting that Kirin, due to her catlike qualities, has some empathy problems. This may have been noticed in the time that she's been working for Harnel and Cessie... but it may have come off as more general dullness.

"I can run up and check really quick, if you want me to do that before I get the knives."

[UncleWolf]

Entrance

"Do you wish for me to leave?" Ariel asks hesitantly. "I mean, I don't mind coming back later."

[Halae]

[The Skies]

I'll be fine Cessie, He says back. Frankly, it almost sounds like he's annoyed she's doubting his ability to defend himself, I just can't stay in that room anymore, and this is giving me an excuse to do something. Like I said; I'll see you in a few days.

[Shadowcaller]

Entrance

Cessie takes a deep breath before she calmly start to summarize what had just happened, "He just flew away, the idiot just flew away to help some demon who had contacted him. I don't even think he's corrupted, I just think he's plain stupid." She grins her teeth against each other in pure frustration, her nostrils flaring. She had never been so frustrated with someone in a long, long time. Besides, it was easier to be angry then sad and worried.

She doesn't respond to Ariel or Kirin yet though, she need to finish this conversation first.

[The Skies]

She attempts to sound somewhat calm in her reply however, Harnel, your being influenced by a demonic corruption, you said that you were worried about it. I'm fine with you going outside the room but I don't think you should be with demons right now if this corruption worries you. It will likely only make things worse, please Harnel, just listen to me for one second, okay? If you want to go there I can come with you but I'm worried that you might lose it even more. We hardly know anything about this corruption but don't you agree that being around other demons, the same ones with this corruption in their veins is a bad idea if you are worried about losing control? You already told me where you were going so it's not like I can't follow you, so please, just come back so we can talk this out. I swear I won't put you back in the room again if you are feeling trapped. If you don't come back... if you disappear like Aegnor... please don't Harnel. Please. Cessie pleads.

[Lost_Deep]

Entrance

Kirin will frown. "Well, what can we do now? Unless you have a way to chase him... I don't know. I'll go and get some knives, so we can get that adventure going... if he makes it back intact, we might as well have a cure ready for him by then."

Kirin will then rush out to the armory. Let's get some knives already!

[Earl of Purple]

Cessie's Study

On a desk in here rests a necklace. It is made of silver chain, and bears a black jet stone carved to resemble a scarab beetle. It's lying somewhere it can't be missed, should Cessie (or anybody else) choose to visit the study.

[Halae]

[Entrance]

A mental sigh, Cessie, let me explain something. The only time I ever feel good is when I have an objective, somewhere to go that will take both physical and mental exertion. It's why I like doing smithing work, because there's an end result that I can feel with my hands, see with my eyes. I have been doing work as a mercenary and an adventurer for the past twenty years.

I know it's a bad idea, but I'm going anyways. And no, you can't come with me. This gets me away from you and everybody else and into a place where if I go wild I'll do some good rather than hurt someone I care about. This is a safety measure. Besides, I'm not exactly defenseless. I never have been.

And you are not going to follow me, because you don't want to put the children at risk. I don't want you to risk yourself or the children. Speaking of which, I doubt you should even be getting the cure yourself, considering how you are. If you do insist on going, at least bring a few people with you. Please.

I will be back. Make no mistake on that.

[UncleWolf]

Entrance

Ariel doesn't say anything and just tries to hug Cessie again, knowing that this would be stressful for her. At least Mother-Jezebel would never do this... she thinks to herself.

[Shadowcaller]

[Entrance]

Cessie returns Ariel's hug, feeling very miserable at the moment, why did he have to be so stupid?

"He told me where he's going..." Cessie mumbles to Kirin. "Can you look up a place called Sojurn... please?"

[The Skies]

And you couldn't have waited until I got your cure?! Void! You can go with me if you want instead of taking a huge risk by going off into some potential trap. Isn't going to a dragon graveyard enough of an adventure for you? You have a choice here Harnel, either you come with me where you will be able to find your cure while protecting both me and our children, or you are going to break my heart by going off into the unknown to help a demon you never meet before into a potential trap from where you never might return. What is it going to be?

[Halae]

[The Skies]

Alright.

That's it. there's no argument, no fighting. Cessie will be able to tell from their bond that there's a certain degree of satisfaction in him, even if he's not expressing it at the moment.

I'll be back in a moment.

Was he... was he planning that?

[UncleWolf]

Entrance

"It's okay, Mo-Cessie." Ariel tells her quietly, correcting herself mid-sentence.

[Shadowcaller]

Entrance

The mage seem to calm down slightly as she declares, "He's coming back." She let's go of Ariel slightly.

[The Skies]

There is no response from Cessie, just the feeling of relief and anger.

But suddenly another voice can be heard, Hi Harnel! Can we like be friends again? I totally didn't mean that about your children. I wouldn't have killed them see? It was all pretend.