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Post by Vincent on Aug 31, 2014 12:05:21 GMT -6
Vincent listened to Neil's raving like a madman. This was the very thing he had feared coming forth from himself so many times and seeing it in his friend hit him hard and was disturbing. Vincent wanted the criminals to suffer as well, he wanted justice but then Neil, he wanted more slaughter. "Listen! I understand but you need to calm do-" He never finished as Neil wanted him off. Neil used flux to grab and throw him away. Vincent hit the ground and rolled several feet down the hill after a hard slam. "AH! SON OF A..."
Vincent lost Neil in the chase and saw 31 pegasi all fly over head. If those were the killers then he was way wrong. It was terrifying to think of what would happen in a fight like that one. He tried to wave them down but he must have gone unseen. He rushed to Neil and saw him sobbing on the hilltop.
He could sympathize more than he wanted to let Neil know but now was not the time to let himself be reminded of that fact. He slapped Neil holding back. He remembered he had gauntlets on and had to hold back a lot or risk serious harm. "Get a hold of yourself!"
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Sonneillon
Shaman
DEAD
"You will pay for what you've done..."
Posts: 142
Profession: Student of the Elder Arts
Affinity: Dark
OoC Alias: Ryu
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Post by Sonneillon on Aug 31, 2014 13:31:36 GMT -6
As his friend hit him yet again, Neil rose, not facing him. The flood of sadness and horror again evaporated as the unquenchable flames of rage and hate sprung forth. The second sweep division would die. Every last one. He would be sure of that.
Slowly swiveling to face Vincent, Neil appeared to be almost inhuman himself, trembling uncontrollably as dark power crackled and hummed around him like an aura.
"The Second Sweep Division. Thirty-one pegasus knights... All of them must die. Every last one, slain like a dog, left for the carrion birds. I will hunt them down, Vincent. One day, I will kill them all. Maybe not all by my hand, but in my heart, they are all mine.
To try now would be suicide. You are right, Vincent. But later... When I am stronger... I will slay them like cattle. I will paint Ilia red with their lifeblood and leave their corpses to decorate their snowy fields."
Turning around and walking back the way they'd come, the shaman moved into the midst of the carnage and found a pile of tools. Taking a shovel, he moved to the side of the road and began to dig. Shovel by shovel, he would dig them their final resting place, a home where they would be disturbed no longer.
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Post by Vincent on Aug 31, 2014 14:00:29 GMT -6
Vincent was convinced for a moment that Neil was going to lash out at him, but he stayed his hand. Neil looked lifeless, almost more than even the corpses. Neil's power looked out of control. It moved and crackled as an aura. Vincent could feel the strength from where he stood. Phoenix Heart thrummed from its scabbard, reacting to the sheer amount of power. He had summoned forth so much his body was incapable of holding it back.
"That boy is going to send himself into another seizure if he's not careful." Phoenix Heart was offering advice? "His power is great but he needs control. He needs to calm down." Suddenly Neil spoke of seeing them all dead. It sounded like Vincent when he swore to bring down Baako and his gang. It was as if looking in a mirror. But here he was much angrier and speaking of slaughter.
Neil then wordlessly found a shovel in the wreckage and began to dig. Vincent watched for a moment wordlessly unsure of what he ought to do. "Any advice?" He asked his sword.
"I'm just a sword, no." Why did he expect anything different? After several minutes Vincent rummaged through the wreckage finding a shovel of his own.
He came up from Neil's side placing a hand on his shoulder. When Neil acknowledged his presence he said, "You're going to need a hand getting through the permafrost around here." He shoved the shovel into the frozen dirt and began to dig. It was much more difficult than he had anticipated. There was no way Vincent could tell Neil about the assassins he met just yet. He was likely to accept out of rage.
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Sonneillon
Shaman
DEAD
"You will pay for what you've done..."
Posts: 142
Profession: Student of the Elder Arts
Affinity: Dark
OoC Alias: Ryu
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Post by Sonneillon on Aug 31, 2014 14:59:11 GMT -6
Turning to his friend, Neil nodded and mumbled back in a hoarse voice.
"Thanks."
The two worked in silence, spending a good two hours digging and then laying the dead to rest. Finally, the job was done, and Neil dropped the last shovelful of dirt back on top of the mound.
Moving over to a large, flat slab of rock, the shaman used a tendril to score the rock, writing a humble message:
"Here lie innocents"
"Help me lift, this, Vincent."
The shaman wanted to position the large rock over the mound, as a marker to remember the horrors that had taken place here.
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Post by Vincent on Aug 31, 2014 15:11:18 GMT -6
Vincent read the words to himself. Here lie innocents... Vincent looked down at the mound. They deserved justice. He would walk this path with Neil in order to see it done. But there was a nagging feeling he just couldn't shake. What if the pegasus knights were not their killers? What if they had not done it? Then there would be needless bloodshed that Vincent could not forgive himself for.
Wordlessly Vincent dug his hands beneath the stone and lifted from his legs. It was a very heavy rock and his legs shook under the weight. His muscles screamed at him, all tearing and searing. Finally the stone was in place after several awkward steps. "There. Let all who pass here know what happened."
Vincent wished there was more that could be done but there was nothing. Would this be enough to get Neil to join the rebellion? The thought struck fast and hard. He needed to talk to him about it but, he also didn't want to plant the idea in his head if that was not his goal. No, for now he would wait.
"What if those knights were innocent as well? What if they stumbled upon the carnage as well? I didn't see any signs of blood on their blades after all." It was easy to clean them but he had to think objectively.
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Sonneillon
Shaman
DEAD
"You will pay for what you've done..."
Posts: 142
Profession: Student of the Elder Arts
Affinity: Dark
OoC Alias: Ryu
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Post by Sonneillon on Aug 31, 2014 16:04:57 GMT -6
"I don't know who was responsible... But I will find out. I will find out the true perpetrators, and I will tear them limb from limb."
What kind of Ilian knights would just leave a scene of such devastation like that? Vincent had apparently looked closer than Neil; the shaman had no idea if there was blood on their blades. One thing did bother him... Pegasus knights were females. It appeared as if the women in the group had been violated... Which was something only the most craven of bandits would do. But what if the soldiers had faked the scene to avoid suspicion? This was too complex. He'd have to do some deductive reasoning later. But for now, he wanted to just get out of here. They could think about it later.
"C'mon. Let's keep going... There's nothing we can do now. We should focus on getting to Lycia. We can worry about this later, along the way."
The shaman shook his head, trying to clear his head from all of the horrific sights he'd just been exposed to.
"Ah, here. This will make it easier on us."
Spying a wagon that seemed less damaged, Neil rummaged through and found a map, which he opened.
"We're here. The border should be in about... Ten kilometers. So a good day's trek, still. There's a town about a kilometer ahead, where we can stop for the night. Should we?"
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Post by Vincent on Aug 31, 2014 16:30:04 GMT -6
"A MAP!!!" Vincent exclaimed excitedly. He looked at Neil for a second before apologizing. It had been ages since he'd seen one let alone had one. Ash had theirs and he'd traveled blindly since the separation. A town would be a nice sight. It had been a couple days since they'd seen one after all and the nights were still cold.
"I say it is a very good Idea. We can use a good night's rest in town. Plus we'll be hitting the plains. We should restock before then." In town he would propose the feather idea to Neil. There would never be a 'right time' he decided and by a warm fire would likely be the best they were going to get. Vincent began to rummage through the cart.
"I won't lie, this feels wrong but let's see what we can find in here. Vulneraries, elixers, it's like they left everything valuable behind." Vincent pulled the various bottles out and noticed something beneath one of them. A long black feather. His blood ran cold. Were they being watched? Were these left here for them? Were the assassins the true culprits? He backed away from the cart and sighed a heavy sigh.
Regardless of the meaning, he couldn't say no to them, that much was clear now. They would always have an advantage over them if this kept up. He would need to learn their ways and for that he needed to join with Neil as well as learn from an assassin. Near... Putting on a better and less strained face he put the medicines into a bag.
"Well, where to? You have the map so it's your lead."
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Sonneillon
Shaman
DEAD
"You will pay for what you've done..."
Posts: 142
Profession: Student of the Elder Arts
Affinity: Dark
OoC Alias: Ryu
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Post by Sonneillon on Aug 31, 2014 16:51:54 GMT -6
Laughing now, strangely enough, the shaman tossed the map to Vincent.
"Go wild with it, Vincent! Hey, if a map can make you that excited, I'm glad to help. Please, take it!"
For his part, Neil simply stared into the cart. No tomes of magic, it seemed. What a shame. Still, Vincent was right. There was valuable merchandise in the ruins. The shaman tucked two elixers away, grabbed another map from another cart, and then fished out something strange.
"Could it be?"
Holding it up to the light, the shaman stared, his eyes widening in awe.
"These are so rare... Nobody has these nowadays!"
It was an unusually shaped pendant with no chain. The teardrop shape was made of a stunningly cut sapphire, and running around it was a clasplike band of silver. Embedded in the silver were many hooklike barbs, each razor-sharp.
Neil laughed in amazement.
"I never thought I'd find one of these... This must have been fated. Watch, Vincent, and observe the use of an antumbral talisman."
The shaman raised his cloak and slid his sleeve up, exposing his right arm. Aiming right beneath the shoulder, he positioned the teardrop and then slammed his palm into it, sending the hooks deep in his flesh.
Wincing with pain, Neil dropped his sleeve back over the now-embedded charm.
"It's the object of an old tale -- if you find one and wear it, it's supposed to ward off evil spirits."
Nodding, the shaman set off with his friend down the road to the town of Lumberg.
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Post by Vincent on Aug 31, 2014 17:16:03 GMT -6
Vincent fumbled with the map not expecting to have it thrown at him. After tossing it off his fingers a few times he managed to catch it. Vincent smiled lightly. It was good to hear his friend laughing. He felt the paper in his hands. It was thick and something aside from your typical parchment paper.
Neil produced an odd charm of sorts. It was a beautiful gem encassed by... Barbs? He needn't ask what it was before Neil revealed it to him. Plunging it deep into his arm Vincent watched horrified. "What the heck!? What are you doing!?" He moved forward ready to knock sense into his friend but he explained it.
"A charm to ward off evil!? That's insane! You just stabbed yourself!" Vincent opened a vulnerary in order to keep it from getting infected. Maybe it had to do with dark magic but Vincent would never be the type to use such a trinket.
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Sonneillon
Shaman
DEAD
"You will pay for what you've done..."
Posts: 142
Profession: Student of the Elder Arts
Affinity: Dark
OoC Alias: Ryu
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Post by Sonneillon on Aug 31, 2014 21:09:45 GMT -6
"Hey, hold up. I'm fine, man. It's all good. The charm's fine, I'm fine... In fact, we're all just groovy!"
Laughing off Vincent's worry as they started towards the town, moving down the road, the shaman explained the significance of the self-harm ward.
"So the story goes that a man was constantly tormented by demons, after he killed his own son. So he took fish-hooks and stabbed himself with them all over, and then, when he cried, it formed a talisman whenever a tear touched a hook. They're extremely rare to find, and impossible to forge... There are no sapphires like these in the world.
I wear it not only for protection... But to remind myself never to do what that man did... What my father did. I was abandoned, did I tell you that? No, I did not. It was tough. But I have steel in me, and I survived. Just like you, I am a survivor. I fight on."
Rubbing the spot where the talisman rested, Neil smiled. He felt refreshed, restored, and purified of his tormenting feelings.
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Post by Vincent on Aug 31, 2014 21:22:57 GMT -6
Vincent furrowed his brow at Neil's story. What his father did? Something told Vincent this went beyond issue with being abandoned. It must have gone deeper. "I didn't know," he wasn't going to get down about it but he ought to say something in return.
"But hey, if he didn't where would we be now? Id probably be dead already and you'd be living with an abusive and deadbeat father." He hoped his comments would be a bit encouraging. "Maybe I'm not the guy to say much. I had a normal life, but I also firmly believe what happens is what shapes our lives. If we let it we can always be stronger for it. Of course we could let them break us as well."
Vincent produced his map and took a look. "No wonder ash had a hard time reading this." He had no idea what to do with it. He couldn't read normally and as simple as it may be he couldn't tell what was what on a map.
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Sonneillon
Shaman
DEAD
"You will pay for what you've done..."
Posts: 142
Profession: Student of the Elder Arts
Affinity: Dark
OoC Alias: Ryu
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Post by Sonneillon on Sept 1, 2014 9:22:16 GMT -6
"...That is true. Heh, what would we have done without each other? I'm not sure."
The shaman looked at Vincent as he struggled with the map.
"Here, let me help. We're here, by this town, moving southwest down this road...here. With the scale, I'd estimate a good kilometer to the town, so it shouldn't be too far."
Hoping he'd helped, Neil nodded and put his own map away, leaving Vincent with his. Giving the abandoned carts one last glance, he continued down the road, thinking over the recent past.
"You seem troubled. You've seemed troubled ever since we left... Are you all right?"
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Post by Vincent on Sept 1, 2014 14:40:12 GMT -6
Vincent was walking and staring at the map. So from here to this town is a kilometer then, back home will be... a really long way. Suddenly Neil broke him from his map trance by calling him out. "What do you mean? I'm just fine." He knew he was lying through his teeth. From being lost in thought to how he'd just reacted to seeing one of those feathers. It wasn't good for him. Maybe he ought to show Neil what was going on now. His hand was already in his bag before he knew it himself.
Vincent produced the long black feather and looked at it. "This one is yours."
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Sonneillon
Shaman
DEAD
"You will pay for what you've done..."
Posts: 142
Profession: Student of the Elder Arts
Affinity: Dark
OoC Alias: Ryu
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Post by Sonneillon on Sept 1, 2014 16:50:25 GMT -6
"A feather? Gee, thanks, Vincent. But what's it for? I mean, I could use it as a fashion accessory, but I highly doubt that's what you planned. What's the significance to it?'
The shaman looked at the feather his friend was holding. Probably a crow's feather. What could he be so wrapped up in? Was he some sort of bird worshipper? Was this a new cult, or some sort of strange deviant tendency? The possibilities of that feather were almost literally endless.
"It's long and black. It's a feather. I don't see any tricks to it, unless you plan to tickle me with it, in which case I will promptly Flux your scrawny frame into oblivion."
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Post by Vincent on Sept 1, 2014 17:23:46 GMT -6
That was a pretty vague introduction. He couldn't expect Neil to have reacted any differently. "It isn't just a feather. The night we failed that job I met a strange woman. She said she was a part of a group of assassins called the Black Feathers. This was their calling card. She wants us to join them and follow up on our lead with that Lucius guy." Vincent didn't feel that would be the best course of action and it showed on his face.
He handed the first feather over to Neil and produced his own. "So, I wasn't ready to give an answer and back at the carts I found a third feather. They are tracking us."
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