Xanthus
The "Before" years
Existence Terminated[M:0]
Posts: 28
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Post by Xanthus on Feb 1, 2011 10:45:47 GMT -6
Xanthus signed, hugging the temple's walls. "There is always something in the way," he said to himself. He moved along the said wall, hiding behind pillars when possible. Ajax had lead the others into the battle already, knowing that his friend would be in the shadows for when he was needed.
Xanthia was having trouble keeping a bandit away form herself, so Xanthus moved in. He run up behind the axe user, who was busy missing a swing at his sister. He jumped on the mans back, stabbing him twice in quick succession. The bandit fell, never to rise again.
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Post by Cess Kache on Feb 1, 2011 19:50:27 GMT -6
"That was then, and this is now." Although, Wyrne was right, always the voice of reason. She shouldn't use her powers unless the humans seemed desperate, which may or may not be soon, considering the numbers against them.
That meant that for the moment there was nothing that she could do but wait until the tide of battle turned against them. So she stayed behind the group of Nabatans with Wyrne.
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Post by Wyrne Amerelle on Feb 3, 2011 18:11:00 GMT -6
Wyrne stood near the back as the group of Nabatans went in and assaulted the bandits. He would pretend to be a civilian who was just stronger than normal civilians but could not fight unless he needed to show his powers or use them for something drastic. But even so, it would be unsafe to even show that he had those powers, as humans were just that greedy.
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Xanthus
The "Before" years
Existence Terminated[M:0]
Posts: 28
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Post by Xanthus on Feb 4, 2011 7:24:15 GMT -6
Xanthus and the others had managed to whittle the bandit's number down. There were only three left, not including the leader. Xanthus had been working on one of the bandits, who now had multiple small, deep gashed on his torso, when an arrow seemed to grow from the bandit's neck. Xanthus turned around to see Sheba giving him a thumbs up.
Ajax and Xanthia had teamed up to take down another bandit... but the last one was nowhere to be found. Xanthus shrugged, guessing he had fled once he had seen his fellow brigands leaving. The quad moved in on the last of the bandits, the sword wielder sitting on the altar.
"You know, It is not god manner's to sit upon the altar of the gods," Xanthia said. She held her fire tome out, and her first two fingers were outstretched, ready to cast a spell.
"Pah! You think I care about your crackpot gods! I'll have nothing to do with them, but with the gold people leave here to offer 'em!" the swordsman said. "I am Jerrick, the Blade of Dusk. Come at me, fools!"
"Actually, I'd rather stay right here," Xanthia responded. A spell flew from her lips, and a fireball formed at her fingertips. The ball of flame hit the man, doubling him over in pain. Sheba them unleashed an arrow into his torso. Ajax ran forward, and Xanthus crept to the side, the pair landing their hits on the man at the same time. he fell without another word.
Xanthus held his head in his hands. "This is grisly work... Let's get these bodies out." he said. The friends them proceeded to dispose of the bodies, bringing them outside and covering them with a layer of sand. The desert would the the rest.
They went back inside, at which point Xanthus said to the two bystanders, "Well, It is safe now. Do what you will, for my allies and I are going into the inner chambers."
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Post by Cess Kache on Feb 4, 2011 17:53:31 GMT -6
"Wow, you guys are strong if you work together." She praised the Nabatans.
She then turned to Wyrne, "Ah, I guess they didn't need our help after all. They might've gotten out without those wounds if we had, though." The Nabatans were done with the bandits, and were going to go further inside.
"Wait, that bandit mentioned treasure, right? Is it around here somewhere? I could always use a couple shiny objects for my collection." Cess kept shiny things the sand had brought around. Most of it was junk in a bag she had strapped around her chest.
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Xanthus
The "Before" years
Existence Terminated[M:0]
Posts: 28
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Post by Xanthus on Feb 6, 2011 20:59:58 GMT -6
Xanthus and the others entered a larger, round room. In the center of the room, a normal-looking sword was half-encased in stone. The four nabatans gathered around the stone and joined hands. Xanthia began chanting something in an ancient tongue, an old, traditional song used only for coming of age ceremonies. The others joined in, having learned the song and its meaning from their elders. It sang of a time of great trouble, when men behaved like boys and women like girls. A time when there was no order, no boundaries, and how important it was to recognize child from adult.
On the last note, Sheba drew a decanter of oil from her bag. She dipped her finger in the oil, drawing the symbol of adulthood on head of their foreheads (Xanthus drew hers). They then threw a bit of ash on their faces, making the symbol stick out.
"We are adults now," Xanthus said, smiling. "Now, friends, He said, addressing the two who followed them. We are going to return to our village. Our parents will have been preparing a feast for when we return, the symbol of adulthood on our brows. Please, will you join us?"
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Post by Cess Kache on Feb 11, 2011 20:44:33 GMT -6
Wyrne was taking too long thinking of an answer, so Cess did so for him. "Oh, we're friends now? Okay, we'll join you!" Feast = fun, so there was no harm in joining them. Absolutely nothing could go wrong.
She took one final look at the temple insides, still not seeing anything of value. "I still wonder what that bandit was saying about treasure, but maybe whatever it is should stay here."
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Xanthus
The "Before" years
Existence Terminated[M:0]
Posts: 28
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Post by Xanthus on Feb 17, 2011 13:28:28 GMT -6
"The only treasure here is the sword. If the bandits though there was anything else, they were mistaken..." Xanthus said. The group left the temple, and headed back to their village, their spirits high. Xanthus hung back by the two newcomers, wanting to learn more about them.
"So, Cess, is it? What brings you out to the desert? I've only seen a few people with similar features as you; traders from Bern. Is that where you are from?" He hoped he was not being too intrusive. Even so, the pair had decided to travel with them, so he had a right to know who he was putting his back to.
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Post by Cess Kache on Feb 17, 2011 18:45:23 GMT -6
Where was she from? That wouldn't be an easy question to answer. She also couldn't ask Wyrne for help, since that would look awkward.
"Well, we're from a village further in the desert. We haven't been out of the village much, so we don't have tans. There are some people with tans like yours, though." The guardians of the village was who she was talking about. They protected the village from intruders that slipped by the bearded one unnoticed.
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Xanthus
The "Before" years
Existence Terminated[M:0]
Posts: 28
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Post by Xanthus on Feb 19, 2011 15:15:04 GMT -6
Xanthus listened intently, his eyes widening. "So you are from Nabata. Forgive me. But... that must mean you have not seen much other than desert, correct? Well the valley my village is in is the very opposite of that. It is a beautiful place, full of farms and lush fields of grass. Most compare it to the fields of Sacae, but those I have never seen. All I can say is that there is no place I love more than that valley. It is a jewel amount the rocks of the desert... And it is just over this mountain." Xanthus pointed to a range of small mountains. 'the mountains protect the valley from the desert winds, and allow the ocean to provide us with rain needed for us to thrive. You will feel a change in both temperature and humidity as soon was we scale to it's peak and start descending," he told Cess. The group started up a beaten mountain trail, and Xanthus followed behind Cess to make she her footing was sound.
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Post by Cess Kache on Feb 19, 2011 15:37:50 GMT -6
"Only desert..? No, our village is on a small oasis, so there's some grass and trees. I'm sure your village is pretty though. Hey, come to think of it, you overheard my name from Wyrnie, but I don't know yours. That's pretty rude of you, yaknow?"
She giggled as they continued to hike. She only stated it as she had been told. Cess tripped over a small pebble, not being quite used to walking yet and not looking where she was going.
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Xanthus
The "Before" years
Existence Terminated[M:0]
Posts: 28
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Post by Xanthus on Feb 21, 2011 7:12:57 GMT -6
Xanthus steadied Cess, making sure she was alright, before saying, "Ah, forgive me. With all of the excitement of today, it seems like I have forgotten my manners. My name is Xanthus Atrean. The mage leading us is my sister, Xanthia, the archer is Sheba Kilfa, and the swordsman is Ajax Opus. Again, I'm sorry for not saying before... Aha! We near the top!"
The sun had started to set when the group made their way to the mountain's peak. They walked a little farther, far enough to find a grove of trees.
"Oi, Xanthus," Ajax said, "We should probably camp here and make our way to the village at dawn tomorrow." the swordsman had already began pitching the tents they had away in their bags, showing that he was not looking for Xanthus's permission.
"Aye, it would be best... Now, Cess, Do you mind if we stop?" Xanthus asked the pigtailed girl.
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Post by Cess Kache on Feb 21, 2011 17:52:30 GMT -6
"Hmm..." Cess said to herself, "I can't call you both 'Xanthie,' so I'll call you," she said, pointing at Xanthus, "Xanny, and the girl Xanthy. Then Shebie and Ajie. Perfect." To Cess, everything sounded cuter with a 'ie' or 'y' at the end of it. Everyone had to have a nickname of some kind.
"Eh? Stopping? Sure, I could go for a break." What she really wanted was to stretch her wings, but she was doubtful Wyrne would approve in the presence of humans.
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Xanthus
The "Before" years
Existence Terminated[M:0]
Posts: 28
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Post by Xanthus on Feb 21, 2011 19:20:18 GMT -6
Xanthus laughed at Cess's new nicknames for them, and he heard Xanthia giggling along with Sheba. Ajax was the only one who did not find the whole thing all that funny. "As long as you can tell who is who, you may call me whatever you like," he said the the girl.
"Now, would you mind sharing a tent with the girls? We didn't think to bring along another. Wyrne can stay in the boy's tent if he would like, though. The mountains are our saviors, as they guard us from becoming part of the desert, but it is not safe to be in the open at night." After letting Cess and Wyrne their choices, he started to make a fire with some sticks Ajax had gathered. When the fire lit up the campsite, he began to warm up some dried meat for the gang.
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Post by Cess Kache on Feb 21, 2011 22:46:08 GMT -6
Cess got quiet, as if she had just remembered something important. "That's fine... I'm going on a short walk, kay?" Without waiting for the group's acceptance, she headed off into the trees alone.
Cess wondered where Prin was. Not a single clue as to where her twin sister had gone. She took out her wings, aching to stretch a bit. Cess flew up to the top of a tree, and looked out at the sunset. "Sis, where are you..?" She asked the sky, a tear rolled down her cheek. When one loses half of oneself, what becomes of the half that remains? With any luck, some clues would turn up in this Nabatan village.
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