Islands of Destiny [IC]

[Silverkiss]

The guard awakens inside Nocturn's shop, and apologises for his lack of perception. Aryil and Norainu help the man stand on his feet, and prepare to leave for the guardhouse, helping the man move. They leave the shop with Nocturn, who closes the door behind him, intending to go back to the plaza for some unfinished business. However, shortly before Nocturn parts with the others, a great explosion is heard, and a giant cloud of smoke can be seen rising above the buildings. "Oh no... That came from the guardhouse near here !" - says the guard, in shock.

-------

Ash reveals himself to the two men following the beggar, and starts a conversation with them. They are discussing plans, when they hear a great explosion somewhere near. A trail of smoke goes up from amidst the buildings up ahead, revealing the location of the disaster. The beggar, afraid, starts to run back to the plaza, shouting that he never saw something like that before, and that he is afraid to continue forward.

[deepsear]

Ash's eyes grow wide, then narrow again. He whips out his sword, regardless of any laws, and then... stops, and looks at the fleeing beggar.

"Dammit!" he shouts.

"Argh... I don't know about you two, but I'm going to see what has happened!"

These must be related! Maybe the beggar won't matter...

With this firmly set, he dashes off to the site.

[El_Frenchie]

Arkturus

The Elf was listening to the humans talking as if he wasn't there. And it fit him perfectly. He was looking at the new human intently. Well, looks like they're two excellent materials. It's interesting that they'd show up at the same time. His mind goes back to his former slaves, men and women that served him loyally and were trained under his whip. The Elf sighs, his eyes shifting sideways as his mind lingers on the thoughts of finding and taking back his prized possessions.

When suddenly, there is an explosion, the Elven eyes narrow, his face remaining expressionless. He looks to Ash that dashes towards it, then Daniel. "There's certainly a lot going on. We've lost our guide, it's too bad, but it can't be helped. I imagine you'll want to go there?" He asks, as if he was going to follow him around whether he'd go there or not.

The High Elf then smiles. "Well, I'm going there myself." And with that, the Elven Slavemaster hurries forward.

[Maxymiuk]

Spoiler

Show

Suddenly left alone, Daniel says "Screw it" and goes home.

"But..."

"Because it's day of coincidences, yes?

With little other choice, Daniel follows the other two.

[Leon Stormchild]

Aryil's eyes widen when he hears the explosion. He looks at the guard, then at his companions and says, "We need to get him there, and quickly." He then takes off with the guard, supporting him and moving as fast as possible.

[Manthus]

Feeling the ground heave with the sudden explosion, Nocturn drops to his knees. Turning to the direction of the guardhouse he sees the guard and Ayril start running towards the guardhouse. He sighs and says in a quiet singsong voice. "So many things, so little time." He takes a quick turn and heads for the guard house.

[Silverkiss]

Everyone starts running to the place where the explosion happened, while the townsfolk runs to the other way. Arriving at the place where the guardhouse should be, you're met with a crumbling building, burning with strong red flames. Arkturus, Daniel and Aston recognize the guard on Aryil's back as the one from before, as he starts shouting for his comrades.

There is a group of wounded guardsmen lying close to the building, while some, who managed to avoid injuries, try to put some order in the chaotic scene. The guard goes to the group, and the four of you follow him, your curiosity to know what is happening taking the better of you. As the guard arrives near his comrades, he reports to a lighly wounded man, who seems to be the captain. As the two men talk, you can grasp that a hooded man, much like the one who was fighting the guard before, came in the guardhouse and exploded it with some kind of magical device, and then left in the shadows. The guard does not talk about his previous fight with the hooded man, and the captain doesn't ask about his blade wound. Both men go silent, and you're left with nothing in especial to hear or see.

[El_Frenchie]

Arkturus

"Pathetic..." murmurs Arkturus. His eyes going from one man to the other, he hails the would-be captain and introduces himself.

"This guard didn't tell you he had a fight with a hooded man that looked like the figure that caused the destruction of your building. Maybe you should consider his wound? Your men are all half dead, and perhaps it would have been best they wouldn't live to see the lack of strength in each other's eyes."

The high Elf interrupts if the captain looks like he's about to say anything.

"I hate to see your folk in such a very embarrassing and difficult situation. What if I offered to help you nail down that criminal? I've dealt with a worse lot than this, and I'll personally guarantee results."

The Elf's violet eyes gaze on the commander. "I mean, why not? What do you have to lose now that your entire guard post is up in flame? Let me help, and all I ask is to be shown the training your guards are given and a bit of coin."

[Maxymiuk]

"A mercenary then," Daniel hangs back a bit, listening to the elf talk, while at once looking around the area. "Not like he'd stay to watch his work."

"And magic, on top," it hits him. "That's trouble. Expensive trouble. Why waste on a guardpost?"

[Leon Stormchild]

Aryil also stands back, next to Daniel as luck would have it, and listens too. He thinks to himself, Hmm, this highb elf sounds serious. I'd love to help too, but I don't know if I want to get involved with whatever caused that. He idly runs his fingers along his scar. Then again, if I have that attitude, I'll never get strong enough to go back to the Cave. He steps forward. "I'd like to help to, If you'll have me." He looks down at his shirtless torso. "Uh, If anyone happens to have a spare tunic or something, I'd be really grateful..."

[deepsear]

"You may or may not be at liberty to say this, sir, but we would like to know what in the hell is going on! Could there be any group or guild or something that would want to cause this mayhem?"

The next part he says in quite a lower voice.

"Or use it as a distraction?"

[Silverkiss]

The captain stays silent as he hears you speak, his deep dark eyes analyzing you. "You have a lot of nerve to talk like that, elf. - He says - However, we indeed are in need of help." The captain grabs some tunic that was laying close and trows it at Aryil, without a word. "I have too much to do right now, fixing this mess and all. Talk with Lieutenant Russel here - he points to the wounded guard from before -, he's the one working on this case."

You watch as the captain dissapears into the mass of guards, shouting orders and listening to reports. The guard from before, Russel, turns to you, and speaks slowly. You can see, from his movements and his voice, that he must still be in pain from the blade wound. "Hey there, sorry for the trouble. I will explain you what is happening... But please, come with me. I think I know where the bastard is going, we must not lose him."

Russel starts walking in the opposite direction from the other guards, closing in on the aflame guardhouse, without waiting for you.

[deepsear]

Ash repeats his question to Russel, with a little less brusqueness this time.

[Silverkiss]

"Well, it's a long history. Some time ago, some attacks and assassinations started happening. We thought, at the beggining, that it was just a normal criminal, but the methods and the... well, for lack of a better word, intrackeability of the crimes began to freak us out. I started investigating, and discovered a mercenary that had arrived in the city roughly at the same time the crimes started. Problem is, there is almost no information about this mercenary avaiable. I believe that the hooded man that wounded me is the same as the one who exploded the guardhouse, and in turn is the same mercenary that I was tracking. His motives and purposes are unclear, but I know that I must stop him... He is leaving a trail of destruction in this city."

[deepsear]

Ash walks at a brisk pace, sometimes getting a little ahead of the guard, and dutifully dropping back to his side.

"What do you know of this mercenary as of now? I may have heard a little about him in... My work."

Spoiler

Show

Has Ash heard anything about this man?

[Leon Stormchild]

Aryil gratefully shrugs on the shirt, then proceeds to follow the guard and Ash, listening to them and looking around, trying to take in as much as possible.

Spoiler

Show

In plain english- he's trying to be aware of anything unusual. Kinda like making a spot check

[Maxymiuk]

"Take it this way, then: the boat's in town for a week. And other than drink, nothing to do in that time."

"Who were the assassin's targets?" Daniel asks, catching up to the group.

[El_Frenchie]

Arkturus

The captain stays silent as he hears you speak, his deep dark eyes analyzing you. "You have a lot of nerve to talk like that, elf. - He says - However, we indeed are in need of help." The captain grabs some tunic that was laying close and trows it at Aryil, without a word. "I have too much to do right now, fixing this mess and all. Talk with Lieutenant Russel here - he points to the wounded guard from before -, he's the one working on this case."

"Of course. Don't let me keep you." The High Elf looks at the man that had been wounded in the fight, and that he had thought dead. As Ash speaks up, he lets him do so, listening in on the conversation and following them.

"An assassin huh? Good to know. Let's go quickly, he's not going to be waiting for us."

[Silverkiss]

Ash remembers some strange, unsolved cases, but also remembers that there were almost no information about them, and the man behind the crimes was never found.

As you walk through the small roads of the city, you notice that the sky is already dark. There are almost no people on the streets, as it's already night and the explosion scared the few that were still outside. You continue quickly going forward, without knowing your destination.

"There really wasn't anything in common between his targets. - Russel continues talking, while moving as fast as his wounds let him - But, lately, there were attacks against my guardhouse and the guards from there. I assume the mercenary found out that we were investigating him and tried to stop us. I think that now he is heading for the Golden Falcon tavern, on the other side of the city... There is a man there that greatly helped me with information, and I think that his life is in danger."

[Maxymiuk]

"Not what I asked."

"Who is he, then?"

[El_Frenchie]

Arkturus

"Let's hurry it up then, hopefully the victim will be able to stall him for us so we can get there before he gets away."

[Leon Stormchild]

Aryil frowns a bit at the callous tone of the high elf's words. But he nods and says, "Let's hope that we can catch him."

[deepsear]

Ash follows the guard closely, trying to gain his bearings, thinking of safe houses along their path they could retreat to in an emergency.

"Do you need some help? We might, er, get there faster."

He says this to the guard, a little unsatisfied with the pace.

[Silverkiss]

"Where almost there, I can see the tavern already... Let's go !" - Russel suddenly shouts, hurrying up. You can see a great building up ahead, three stories tall, a huge golden statue of a falcon above a great wooden door, open to the street. You start running faster, getting closer and closer to the tavern, looking for signs of the mercenary, but it seems that you arrived before the man.

Russel stops near the tavern's door, regaining his breath. "Great, everything is fi-"; a great explosion stops the guard from completing his thoughts, as the third floor of the tavern blows up in a ball of fire. The entire third floor is set in flames, and starts to crumble. From amongst the flames, you see the shadow of a man moving closer, staring at you.

"You are late. Your friend is dead. And soon, you will meet him in the afterlife !"

The man jumps down, unsheating his sword from under his cape. Russel, taken by surprise, doesn't follow the enemy's movements, and so the man comes down cutting through the guard's chest, pushing him to the ground with the blow, unconscious. The hooded man gets on his feet, licking the blood from his blade.

"Four more to go."

[Maxymiuk]

"I knew I shouldn't ha- oh, what's the use."

Daniel chuck his bag at the hooded man knowing that it's too light to cause any harm, but it might distract him. As he does so, he frantically looks about for anything that might serve as a makeshift polearm - a broom, a rake, anything with a long pole.

[Leon Stormchild]

Aryil stands, completely paralyzed by what he just saw. He just killed the guard! I- I don't stand a chance. He takes a deep breath. I'll never get stronger if I never try. Finally, he manages to break out of it, and attempts to get around the back of the mercenary, planning to knock the man down with a sweeping kick when the opportunity presents itself.

[deepsear]

Ash hears the man, and lunges at the mercenary almost too late.

He utilizes his usual style, using agility and tactics to incapacitate him.

[El_Frenchie]

Arkturus

As Arkturus sees the man amongst the flames, his hand clenches slightly. He remembers the faces of the men and women he had under him, submissive looks, bowed bodies before him. As this overpowering feeling fills him, his pupils dilate ever so slightly, the eyes watching the every move of the hooded man. His hand unrolls his whip ever so slightly. He knew every way a man would try to free himself from the hold, every way they would try to get rid of the whip, or so he thought.

As the man jumps, Arkturus' right leg steps back slightly, the upper half of his body motioning slightly towards his right, the hand unrolling the whip fully. The jump ends in a splatter of blood as the man that was leading them falls with a deep wound in his chest. Arkturus' eyes keenly return the gaze of the hooded man and waits for the first move, but as he sees Daniel suddenly throwing his bag in the hooded man's face, the elf can't help but smile at the opportune distraction.

The whip lashes forward, a great vibrant sound coming from it as it whizzes through the air. His left hand takes out his short sword and if the whip twirls around the arm of the man as intended, he will tug hard, bringing the hooded man closer to his charging companions. The bright violet eyes of the High Elf shine:

"I'll give you true pain, scum."

[Silverkiss]

The man smiles as Daniel throws the bag, and with a quick movement of his sword the bag is cut in two, it's contents spilled on the floor around him. Arkturus seizes the moment, grabbing the man's left arm as Aston comes charging. The hooded man deflects all of Aston's blows with ease, even having his left hand tied up in Arkturus' whip.

While the two man exchange blows, Daniel searches for something to be used as a weapon, but he sees nothing of use. As the thought of using his bare hands as weapons comes to him, Daniel sees a wooden staff-like item on the ground, probably the shaft of a broom or something similar that flew with the explosion. He grabs the unusual weapon, ready to fight, and sees Aryil sneaking behind the enemy, ready to launch a surprise attack.

[Leon Stormchild]

His skills are amazing! How did he block all of those?? Aryil moves forward, trying to take advantage of the man being distracted, and tries to sweep him off his feet.