The Ashes of the Phoenix (Open)

[Vincent]

He felt groggy and sore. His feet dangled and under his arms it burned. Where was he? It was so dark, had he even opened his eyes yet? as his consciousness returned he heard the clanging of chains. Chains around his feet. Where were his boots? His ankles ached, the chains had chaffed the flesh away leaving them raw and sore, cracking with light bleeding. Suddenly his hand burned. The sigil was like a hot iron pressed to the skin. The faint pale blue light shining in the darkness.

"We got a live one!" A man to Vincent's left declared.

"I don't like it. I don't like that glow or the screaming! He just keeps screaming!" Another to his right protested.

Two men on each side? Oh, he was being dragged. Pulled by his arms. Explained a lot actually. But screaming? He opened his mouth to ask something but found his tongue was swollen and his throat parched as though he had burned within. His memory returned then. He was arrested for the murder of a corrupted noble. For lighting the man on fire. He did no such thing! It was another. That swordsman with the empty soulless eyes. He stole the blade from him, and worse it accepted him freely.

Now Vincent could feel it, all of it. The pain the swordsman was inflicting. Every one of his victims were suffering, bathed in flames. All because he was too weak to stop him. Vincent needed out of here. He had to stop the mad assassin and his team. An archer and unknown Mage. But now he was a criminal in the eyes of Lycian law. At least locally for now. He began to fight against his guards, trying to get free. It did little aside from earn him a sharp punch to his ribs.

"Sit still!" A guard ordered. In a hall full of torches Vincent saw cells on each side. The prisoners gaunt and half starved with shallow eyes. Decaying bodies and bones in others. Soon he was at his own cell. Himself and another though he could tell nothing about them. He was thrown inside and with his legs bound he hit the floor with a hard thud. The cell door slammed and a voice declared, "you'll be lucky to live another week for what you did. Your head is on the chopping block for sure."

Vincent clutched his bare hand. All his gear was taken. The light faded from the sigil. Another person was murdered. He knew it.

[Amelinde Forss]

It went without saying that this most recent endeavor had been less than a success. Really, it came down to a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time - a Pegasus goes missing in the middle of the night, you wake up a little after and decide to take leave of the inn you're staying at a little bit early, you're seen leaving town on your own Pegasus, a few guards approach to question you and things get a little out of hand and you knock 'em a round a little bit and there you go, you land yourself in jail.

All things considered, this place wasn't too bad - Amelinde had a cell all to herself, they came once or twice a day to toss a few crusts of bread at her, and the view of the streets through the bars was nice, if you fancy yourself an admirer of the latest trends in the fashion of footwear. To be honest, the establishment seemed a little harsh for what basically amounted to a few scratches and bruises left on a few knuckleheaded guards, but Amelinde had seen a lot worse; she certainly seemed to be in a lot better condition than most of the other prisoners in the neighboring cells, most of whom had surely been residents here for a lot longer than the few days Amelinde had. But she certainly wasn't about to let that get her down. What was most unacceptable, however, was that they had separated her from Alcyone. I swear, if they so much as mess up her coat, I'll come after each and every one of their mothers and spear them myself.

Amelinde was interrupted from her musings by the sound of her cell door being jerked open with a loud, agonizing creak. A moment later a body was tossed haphazardly onto the floor by two prison guards, one of whom spat out an epithet before leaving with the other guard. Hello! Looks like something interesting has finally happened around here after all! Rising to her feet, Amelinde approached the newcomer, who lay motionless on the floor.

"Hey there, roommate! What'd they get you for? Mail fraud? Illegal street crossing? Something else equally serious and depraved?" She grinned expectantly down at the newcomer, who appeared to be a young boy, younger than her. A few moments passed, then a few more. When the boy didn't respond, she frowned and gave him a gentle kick in the side.

"Hello? You all right, or did they knock the sense out of you before they dragged you here?"

[Vincent]

"Mph!" Had he not yet been kicked enough? Now even his cell mate wanted in on the fun. It was not a particularly hard kick but the bruising in his ribs made it more than painful enough. The voice to follow the kick took him off guard. A woman? Why would they jail a man with a woman? Particularly a believed murderer. They must not have any care what happens to the woman. Or maybe he was the one in real danger here.

Vincent clutched at the woman's leg in an attempt to pull himself up. Failing at first he gradually managed with or without her. "I've, I've been better." He managed. "Been worse too." He joked. Ignoring the questioning as to his crime he tended to his torn flesh. His ankles were swollen and still bound. He frowned at the sight. Looking at the woman he noticed... She was very tall. "Er, you wouldn't happen to... Have any tools or anything?" She was obviously not chained now or possibly even when she got here.

She did not look much like a depraved killer or cannibal. Why did his mind jump to such an extreme? He shook the nonsense away. She was probably here for something small judging from her words. Maybe innocent and a victim of circumstance herself. "I'm Vincent by the way. I'm a sword for higher, or sell sword if you prefer." He rubbed his brow to find his headband was missing. The long scar was clear on display now. "Guess my boots weren't enough." He muttered.

The floor was silent save the two and the moaning a of the near dead.

[Amelinde Forss]

Now that the boy was standing, Amelinde was able to get a better look at him. He had certainly seen better days - his white hair was matted and dirty, and his face was covered with scratches. Also there was a long scar on his forehead that had surely been there for a while; Amelinde wondered if it had been earned in battle or was merely an accident.

"The name is Amelinde, and I'd thank you kindly not to grab at my leg like that again!" She grinned playfully to let him know she wasn't truthfully upset; he looked like he needed a little cheering up.

Noticing for the first time that his hands were bound, and recalling his question about tools, she crossed her arms and scowled. "Don't have any tools - those bastards took all my gear. Afraid I can't help you with those chains at the moment. Sorry." She wondered why they hadn't chained her at all. Maybe they were just being chivalrous. I am a lady, after all. That probably wasn't it, but no matter - it would remain a mystery for now.

"Anyways, you're a merc, huh? I've done a bit of that myself. Finest flier in all of Elibe, if I do say so myself." She paused, eyeing the boy up and down. "You been roughed up pretty bad. Must have gotten in with the wrong crowd to end up here. Me, I just got lucky, I guess. Ain't my fault they spooked my mount, 'specially when I told them not to." Realizing she was rambling, Amelinde fell silent, staring at Vincent expectantly. She didn't know much about this boy, or even why he was here, but he seemed like better company than the other prisoners. All they did was lay on the floor and moan - not the best party people, really. Hopefully this Vincent would provide a little interest to break up the monotony of sitting against the wall counting the mice that ran by. Eight today already, and it's only noon, judging by the light filtering in through the grate.

[Vincent]

"Finest flier in ALL of Elibe eh? That is quite the tall order. I'd welcome a demonstration had we been in a more ideal locale." Vincent grinned at his own joke. The more upbeat attitude of the woman in front of him took him by surprise. Almost made him forget all his worries. Vincent debated on telling anything to this woman. Allies could be useful to him now but a snitch could be all the more deadly.

"It's a real pity about those tools though. Maybe I can improvise." He looked around the cell for, anything really. Up high he saw a metal beam with little support in the wall. "Hmm..." He quickly set about making a stool out of anything available to him: stones, bones, more stones. "I think I pull that down from the wall. I may need a bit of a boost though if you would be so kind."

Vincent looked at the woman expectantly. He knew he should expect nothing from her but why not help him? They were both here for any guess of time. "I guess I could answer your question though. I am here for the murder of a nobleman here in Lycia. Believe whoever you want but I did not kill him. I do know however the man that did. I need to get out of here and stop him." He turned back to the bar and began to try o jump up and reach it. Would she believe the words of a stranger?

[Mila]

Oh dear! Mila thought to herself as she hasty ran through the town. She was in her traveler's garb and sticking around the shadows and corners eyeing the two guards who had dragged that unconscious fellow. Her traveler's garb consisted of her cloak, clothes, scarf, and gloves. These all served to hide her frame within the folds and allow her to pass undetected at checkpoints and such usually with out trouble. She made sure to keep herself hidden away from the eyes of the two guards as they dragged the young man into a building which she perceived to be a jail.

She had seen what had happened. The white haired man lost his blade to that assassin and the owner of the estate she had been in was set a flame. She paid close attention to the skirmish mostly due to the peculiar blade the white haired man carried. Was it white? She shook her head. That sword looked like it was magic from the distance. Which is rare to her and thus caught her interest. Which led her to watch the whole assassination, from a distance. But now the real killer has it, and this poor fellow is in jail for it.

Murder is a capital offense, punishable by death! She couldn't stand for it. But she couldn't exactly run off an tell the guards he was an innocent man. She knew nothing more of the situation. For all she knew those guards could have been hired by the assassins to frame the white haired lad. And where would that put her if she opened her mouth, in a cell along with him. Or worse, to be the plaything of the guards, or sold off as a slave. No No. Mila we must think carefully and rationally.

She peeked her head over the corner. She was still quite a bit away from the jail itself and safely out of sight. But sooner or later someone or something was going to draw attention to her. She sighed softly and put her back to the nearest wall, and began to think. How does one free an innocent man out of prison?

Hmm... I suppose I could set fire to something nearby.. and with the guards distracted by that sneak in. But i'd have to be a rather LARGE fire. Hmm.. And i'm not fond of setting innocent people's property on fire. But it's the only idea I've got. Lets see if we can sneak around looking for the prison supplies area. I can burn that with out too much guilt. If it's in a good spot it might catch to the roof.. that would surely distract everyone!.... That could also KILL every one. Including innocent guy.

"Ooh.... I wonder if they would just let me visit if I bribed the front guard with some coin." That sounded like a safer and more rational plan for now. She sighed, and made her approach to the jail. 

[Vincent]

Two guards stood at the gate to the jail with bored and vacant expressions. Their shoulders hunched and sweat slid down their faces leaving traces of salt behind. It was a hot day and they had been there for the majority of it. The younger of the two took a quick notice of Mila in the distance. Nudging his partner he spoke in whispers. "Look over there. That cutie is totally staring at us. I think she wants me."

The elder soldier remained silent opting out of provoking the boy. The boy however took the silence as a chance to talk to the woman. "Hey there pretty lady. What brings you over to this part of town? You know these jails are dangerous. I have to uh, quell about two riots a week." The older man groaned breaking his bearing.

"Excuse us miss. I apologize for him." Noticing that she did however appear to be interested in getting inside he continued. "Are you here to visit someone?"
-------------------------------------
It took several tries, each jump hurt more than the prior but he managed to get the pole around the chains. In hindsight it seemed like a good idea but now he was simply left hanging with the metal cutting at his flesh. "MMPH AH!" He cried out in pain. The pole was meant to simply pull free under the weight but it was lodged deeper in than he anticipated.

Slowly he used his strength pulling himself up. Without a grip it put strain on his wrists and the chain. Blood began to run down his arms until he could grab hold of the metal. With a sharp cry he pushed against the wall slowly it pulled free. Both it and he fell to the ground with a harsh slam. The piled garbage beneath made for an uneven landing.

'I can't breath' He thought.

[Amelinde Forss]

Woah, jailed for murder, huh? That's a little more... intense than I'd thought. In fact, seems a lot more intense than attempted pegasus theft... and the guards thought it appropriate to house a lady such as myself with a murderer? How... ungentlemanly! She wasn't sure if she actually believed this boy capable of murder, but then, you never could tell these days.

"A boost? I suppose I could give you a small boost, just hang on a second..." Before she was able to offer her assistance, however, Amelinde was distracted by some chatter coming from the guards. Apparently one of them had spotted a young woman a little ways off and was trying to charm her with his... well, charms. Or lack of them. What a blockhead. It's just as I thought - a jail is no place to find a good man.

A sudden crash redirected her attention to Vincent, who had apparently decided to make do without that boost and was now lying on the floor amidst a pile of debris. "Good God, Vincent, what are you doing down there? This is no time for playing games! We've got to find a way to..." A moment Amelinde realized what had just happened; the boy had pulled down a support beam from the ceiling, taking a bit of the roof of the cell down with it. While it wasn't quite enough to expose sunlight, it certainly seemed to have weakened the structural integrity a little bit. Not only that, but along with the metal beam Vincent had managed to pull down a split wooden shaft that could easily serve as a makeshift lance if the need should arise. "Oh! Clever Vincent! But, em, are you all right?"

Not waiting for an answer, Amelinde began lifting bits of rock and rubble off of the boy. In the meantime, the noise definitely seemed to have caught the attention of the guards.

"Hey! What in Elibe is going on in there?" Amelinde looked up to see the guards glaring at her threateningly, swords already drawn. Uh oh. This isn't good. Well, Vincent said to improvise, I guess this is where we improvise. She cleared her throat and adopted an annoyed expression, placing her hands on her hips in an exaggerated stance.

"Woah! Woah, there! What kind of shoddy architecture is this, that a piece of the ceiling just falls down on top of somebody like that? You guys are really not impressing me in the area of customer service today. I'm going to have to leave a negative critique in the quarterly gazette unless you really turn things around, you understand me?"

The guards stared back at her quizzically, neither of them responding immediately. Amelinde noticed that the girl in the green cloak was still standing there behind the guards. Who exactly was she, anyways? A friend of Vincent's? Was she here to help? Or maybe she was just here to visit some other prisoners. Either way, Amelinde did her best to make eye contact with her, giving her best "HELP!" signal with her eyes and hoping the guards didn't notice. She couldn't tell if the girl had noticed her signal, so just in case she readied herself to snatch up the wooden shaft and adopt a fighting position should the guards make a move for the gate. All right, here we go - things are about to get a little messy.

[Mila]

Oh OH! The guards are friendly. And wait did the elder sir say visiting? Yes Yes. That's what I want to do. The tiny voice of optimism in Mila's head commented before she spoke outright.

"Yes good sir. I am here to visit a prisoner. Specifically that young man they brought in chains a short bit ago. May you escort me to his cell? It's important I speak with him." In her hand she had some coin in case if they refuse. Before the guard could respond there was a large crash of some sort, and the three of them went in to investigate.

"Oh dear." Mila commented at the state of things. The person she needed to talk to was on the ground and the woman he was with was making a comment about shoddy architecture. It was true. A quick glance at her surroundings told her that this jail was in desperate need of repairs. Not even monsters would make a home here. This is just deplorable. She glanced at the woman for a moment. A Pegasus rider or a cavalier of some kind from the looks of her armor. Ah, I see. The two guards went to get a closer look at the damages to the cell. She pulled her hood up over her head, and the cloth mask over her mouth and nose. The keys were hanging on a hook near her, so she quietly grabbed them. Mila carefully made her way to the opposite side. She quietly pulled out of her sleeve her fire tome.

"I'm Sorry about this good sirs!" She launched a fire ball at both their backsides. Forcing them to jump back. She threw the iron keys into the cell with the two prisoners. She threw more fire to keep the two guards moving back, so they wouldn't interfere. The little sparks started to catch bits of dried hay and wood on fire. This is going to get very ugly very quickly.

"I can only do this for so long! Quick get out!"

[Vincent]

Vincent was in a daze of confusion. Gasping for air it all happened so fast. Keys debris fire an chaos. Vincent was confused but not hindered. He quickly tackled the keys and got to work on the chains. "Is she a friend of yours?" He asked weakly, finally being able to breath.

The chains soon came free and he grabbed the pole. "Come on, be ready to fight! Just don't kill!!!" Vincent tended to the cell door with the pole becoming increasingly difficult to hold due to slipping. "Come on!" The stress was getting to him. The ceiling fell on him, his wrists were cut up, and now fire. Kerchink! The heavy iron lock come off. The guards were busy with their assailant but they were still getting close.

Pushing the door open he ran through and up the stairs. Wasting no time he beat the pole over the younger guards head dropping him on the spot. The older and more skilled guard however quickly decked Vincent in the face knocking him to the ground in a daze.

"You will pay for this!" The older guard shouted lashing out at Mila with his sword. He rushed out grabbing a horn on the way. He could be heard blasting a low tune as he ran. The sound would travel far and the jail would be overrun with soldiers. Vincent looked to see the sword the younger had held was no other than his own sword. The little thief! "Looking to check on Amelinde he hadn't given her any thought. He was going to let her act on her own accord. Still he yelled to both of the women. "Let him go. We have a way out!"

[Ryuzaki]

There was a loud commotion, and the thief looked up the road towards the shoddy and dilapidated building they called a prison. He'd come seeking coin and driven by rumors of murderers and nobles... He'd hoped for a lion's share of the leftover loot. Instead, he'd found nothing but the local gossip and the usual stupid shopkeepers. But one rumor in particular had piqued his interest - a white-haired swordsman had apparently murdered the noble. As he was already in town, the thief figured it would be worth his time to look - perhaps the swordsman would be willing to pay a fee for his freedom, or hire someone to foil his undoubtedly pending execution.

So when the commotion started, the thief took off towards the jail, his hand sliding to Gemini even as he approached. Reaching the empty doorway, he slipped inside, moving up the stairs to a landing. And suddenly, his eyes narrowed and his eyebrow raised. It was the young swordsman he'd offered to mentor... The one he'd marked. Well, this was indeed an interesting turn of fate. Well, well.

The young man and his two lady friends, who had undoubtedly served as his hired mercs for the job, were busting their way out, past two guards near them, one of whom had a very nice sword... Ryu wanted that sword. It didn't seem right in that guard's hand.

So as the young man yelled to his friends, the thief closed the remaining distance and drew his blade, whirling it in a sparkling arc and blocking the elder guard's slash, which had been aimed at one of the women.

"You're welcome. Pay more attention next time."

A quick duel commenced, as the guard punched at the thief and then followed it up with a swift stab. The punch connected, but Ryu whirled out of the way, bringing his blade down to deflect the stab to the side and lower the man's guard. With another quick swipe, the thief slit the guard's throat and moved onto the younger one, who viciously sliced at the thief in the singular way only a novice could.

"Fool."

Ryuzaki blocked the strike, suddenly flicking his right arm forward and then catching the guard as he fell forward, clutching the dagger protruding from his neck and gurgling blood. The sword!

Wrenching it up, the thief grimaced. It was heavy and awkward. It felt unnatural. And plus, he had Gemini. He'd arm the young swordsman, and get the blade back later.

"Here, marked one. Take this."

Ryu tossed the swordsman the blade and then moved to the stairwell, beginning to descend and calling from over his shoulder to the rest.

"Let's go. I'm leaving, now, and you all are coming with me."

[Vincent]

The veteran's swing was met with the clank of metal. Before him stood the assassin Near. The situation was not in his favor and he needed out. The combat was quick and fierce the two traded blow for blow until the senior had his back to the exit. Making a break for it he grabbed the horn shouting that they would pay. As he ran Ryu pursued. Vincent's pleas would go unheeded as the assassin caught the target slitting his throat in the road. The man fell with the horn silenced and clattering on the floor.

The civilians quickly retreated to the safety if their homes. The sharpness of the horns end would only serve to rush the town soldiers to the scene quicker. As Ryu returned to the jail he snatched up the lancereaver. Vincent was too weak to argue with the man but his face told all. There was a mixture of hatred and fear as well as genuine thanks. He knew Near would not hurt him yet but he had not intended to encounter him, not yet.

"Near!?" The blade was tossed back to his feet. Vincent stood grabbing it by the hilt and weakly lifting it. He hated to admit it but at the moment he was at the mercy of his allies. Near began demanding they follow him but Vincent had another plan. "Amelinde, we need to find your Pegasus. Our gear if we are lucky. This way we can fly out." Turning to the stranger Vincent awkwardly stared before nodding wordlessly. "Thanks."

More gravely he looked at the slain boy. Maybe 5 years his elder he met an untimely end. "He was unconscious. You could have left him."

[Mila]

Mila barely noticed that one guard had made a motion to strike at her, another man emerged from somewhere and disposed of her assailant. She stopped casting her fire one the two men, innocent guy, and new guy delt with the two guards. She really didn't want either of them to die, which is why she attacked them non lethally. She frowned a bit, before realizing that there were more pressing issues then two dead men. One of them tutted a horn did they not? That means reinforcements. The grey haired man told her to pay attention next time. Granted sometimes it is hard to pay attention to surroundings while casting magic.

"Uhm.. Thank you." She spoke. Grateful she still had her life in tact. She ran up ahead for a moment to get a feel for there surroundings. She knew the two former prisoners were unarmed. She assumed their gear was in storage. Both men spoke to follow them out. Until the white haired man spoke up about the supplies. The girl's name is Amelinde. And she's a pegsai rider.

"We don't have much time before this whole place goes up in flame. I highly doubt a Pegasus can carry all of us at once. We might be able to steal a horse. Or split into two groups of two. Two foot men to distract any guards on foot and two on the Pegasus and fly out." She coughed a bit at the last part of that sentence.

"Oh and your welcome Innocent Guy." She replied to the lighter haired man. Still need to learn his name. Fire was starting to spread around the prison. She ran up ahead and opened a door she spied on the way in. She was hoping to find either an alternate way out, a way to the stables or the storage room.

"Found the supplies! Get your stuff and lets get the heck out of here!"

[Amelinde Forss]

Things had gotten "a little messy" indeed. The girl with the hood had distracted the guards and tossed the keys to Vincent, and no sooner had he managed to get the gate open before a new stranger had arrived, swiftly dispatching of the guards with his sword and dagger, but not before one of them had managed to sound an alarm. Which meant that there would be more guards swarming the prison corridor within a matter of minutes. Amelinde had seen her fair share of violence, but that had escalated incredibly rapidly; though it was a rare occurrence, she found herself at a total loss for words.

She was shaken out of her stunned silence by the sharp order of the blue-robed rescuer commanding them to follow him down the corridor. Snapping out of her stupor, Amelinde spied the broken pole-shaft at Vincent's feet - he must have picked it up before she had been able to herself - and quickly snatched it up, seeing that the boy now had his own sword. She broke the last third of the shaft off over her knee, ensuring that the end was now sharp and splintery. It was a little short for a lance, but it would serve it's purpose.

While she was doing this, the others were trying to come up with an escape plan. Currently the plan seemed to center around finding Alcyone and taking to the skies. But the other girl had made a good point in that there was no way all four of them would be escaping on one pegasus. Also, it occurred to Amelinde that she didn't even have the slightest idea who these two newcomers were or even their names, though this certainly wasn't the right time for introductions. To be honest, she didn't really even care what the other guy did - he could dash his way out the front door for all she cared - though she instinctively felt like trusting the mage girl.

"Good plan," she replied, I don't exactly know the layout of this place, but I'm fairly certain if we go out that way," she indicated in the direction the stranger seemed to want to go, "We should be arriving at the main entrance. Which might not be a good thing, seeing as there are probably a dozen-ish angry guards going to be pouring in from there as we speak. There might be another way out of here, but I don't know for sure. If I remember correctly, the stables are out around the backside of the complex." She pointed in the opposite direction down the corridor, wondering out loud "Maybe there's an exit down that way? What do you guys think?"

Turning around, she realized that the mage girl had already started down the corridor and had apparently found the room where the guards had stashed the prisoners' supplies. Oh. So I just broke this pole over my leg for nothing. Great. The bruise will go nicely with my wardrobe. She dropped the makeshift lance carelessly on the ground and ran over to the storage room where all of her things were arranged haphazardly both on the floor and in some crates. She spied her lance immediately, hoisting it up onto her shoulders and letting out a satisfied sigh. There you are, my old friend. You have no idea how nice it is to see you again!" She quickly grabbed the rest of her things and stepped back out into the corridor. She could hear the sound of fresh opponents already approaching rapidly down the hall."Looks like we're making our stand here, friends, unless one of you has any better ideas?"

[Vincent]

Vincent could only stand by and watch as everyone scrambled around the prison coming up with plans and taking action. He found himself with a grim smile on his face. He always seemed to find himself in the company of capable allies despite deciding to go it alone. With a sigh he stumbled along to the store room.

There was a lot of gear in there. A lot of gear that would merely be destroyed in the fire. A real pity really. Thankfully it took mere moments for Amelinde and himself to find their missing things. Rearmed Vincent felt better for his morale if nothing more. "We only have at best five minutes before we are overrun so I will follow whatever plans you have. I'm in no shape to fight."

Ensuring that Near would not hear him he hushed his voice and spoke to the women with caution. "THAT man," he motioned with his head, "is a dangerous assassin. I met him briefly once and learned of his treachery after. He may mean no harm to us now but keep on your guards."

The sound of soldiers arriving came quickly. So much for five minutes. "Don't fight, just run!" Grabbing Amelinde's wrist he took off down the stairs trying to pull her away from the potential danger. When he passed he Mila was next. He felt weak but the will for survival was always a factor for strength. "Let's go! Near! Lead the way, if you know a way out take us."