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Post by Remus on Jan 31, 2015 19:21:41 GMT -6
The nights in Ilia were cold. However the people in Ilia could be colder. Not to far from the Broken-Blade inn, a wooden two story house rested near the outskirts of the town. Most passed by it on the way in or out without batting an eye lash. Inside though a series of men dealt with the darker more underhanded aspects of Ilian life. Mercenaries were but a single face of Ilia. Not all men able to fight turned to any owner for coin. Within the first floor of the building, a middle-aged man sat upon a lavished cushioned couch. One arm draped over it, a series of leather coats on the other side with one around himself that looked like that of a wolf's pelt. His fingers tapped impatiently upon the top of the couch as he examined the two men before him. Both were laying on their stomachs before him, hands bound in rope as the man shook his head in disgust. Candle lights flicked through out the room that kept part of his face hidden in shadows. Not enough to keep the vague expression of disgust though from slipping through. When he spoke, his voice carried the stiff edge in it notorious with Bernese way of life. "What's this? I give you boys a night off for once instead of keeping an eye on my' buisness establishment and you go and get your damn arses handed to you!? In public no less! What does that say about my choice of bouncers and guards eh? That some random stranger, a WOMAN no less can just beat them senseless? You two gutless rats are lucky I don't have your bellies cut and show you off to make an example. No..your lucky alright. "
Muffled grunts of desperation from both the large muscular man who had been firmly planted into the ground, and his thin dangerous companion who had fled indicated they did not want their stomachs cut. The man instead snapped his fingers and two particularly armored thugs approached him and lifted them onto their feet. Their bounds were cut and gags removed as the man spoke again. This time leaning forwards he revealed a whited out eye with horrific burn marks running along the side of his face. "No, I think were going to have to send a message. What was it you said..a priest and two kids? They must be friends of hers. Infact, I think I'm starting to get the full of it. See, I never liked priests. Greedy bastards the lot o' em. I'm betting you lads were set up. Helpless ol' priest with two ragged looking kids show up and he's asking who he can give a bag o' gold to? No sod's that dumb. You and by extension me have been had we have. So were going to have to send this priest a message. Seems fair it does. Zeid, Rickon. Get in here. "
Two men walked into the room. Each one seemed to ooze murderous intent. Both quiet, lean and covered in black clothes which shrouded most of their face save for their eyes. Assassins. Men designed to hide and wait to strike. Trained killers. As they entered, the seated man spoke with a smug expression. "Pay our friends a visit before they leave in the morning. Bring the little ones to me. We'll make sure the Holy man and his lady friend decide never to make a fool of me again..."
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Remus eased his eyes open as the light flashed through the windows. It was not the windows light however that actually woke him. The loud crashing sounds that sounded like objects breaking did. He started as he looked around frantically. The blue haired priest clutched his staff tightly as he saw the two children lunging into the air. Up, and down. Up and down. His gaze followed them a few times as the foggy slow cognitive disadvantage to sleep wore off and he realized they were jumping on the bed. Amelia giggled loudly as she smacked Owain with the pillow in her hand mid air while his collided with her. "He's awake! He's awake! Yesss! That means breakfast! Foooood!" Now changing her priorities, Amelia hopped off the bed excitedly. Remus laughed heartily while he stood up slowly, nodding a bit to them. He had only managed an hour and a half of sleep yet save for the bags naturally under his eyes he looked entirely fine. His gaze even brimmed with energy as the priest smiled comfortingly ruffling their heads, Amelia now standing infront of him and Owain having slid off the bed and was approaching with pillow still in hand. He nodded as he smiled to them. "Certainly. We'll head down to the innkeep to pay for the next night and then we'll find some food yeah?" Their cheers were answer enough for Remus.
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The two men had entered the inn where the brainless oaf had been embarrassed outside of earlier. They could still detect his stench embedded onto the ground. Anywhere else they would have attracted danger. In Ilia though? They were just two more mercenaries looking to secure their room for the night. With violently foul curved daggers hidden under their coats tucked out of sight with black veils over them to hide them further they moved over to the innkeep. No words spoken. A practiced exchange. They gave him a slightly larger than normal pile of coins, and he handed them the same silver key he gave them each time. Instead of proceeding to their room however they turned to walk to the small gathering of chairs that passed for a lobby. They had to wait. Confirm. Pretending to converse, speaking idly of practiced jobs they created the night before the two men aimlessly traded quips. They would wait until either the man, or the woman entered the lobby; and tail them until they had a chance to discern the location of the children. A simple job...
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Jan 31, 2015 20:15:31 GMT -6
Nothing. Nothing at all.
Nayru ended her fruitless journey of the morning by making her way to the hotel, her face masked in part by a frown of disappointment that was ill-hidden at best. She hadn't exactly -expected- anything, but no one here had ever heard of Elly. And there was a bit of an atmosphere of - she might be imagining it but it seemed a bit... cold. One would think that after a few hundred years of wandering it would be easy to figure these things out, but Nayru had her fair share of personal issues over time and had never mingled much with city folks, so while she had her private theories, there wasn't much to go on to prove or disprove them.
And even if they turned out to be right, she had to get back to Veigue and the others that evening, she couldn't really afford to go hunting for mysteries in some town she'd probably never return to in her life. So while it was possible - perhaps even likely - there might be something off with the town, she was willing to write it off as nerves.
As a pleasant surprise(?), the inn didn't seem to be particularly on fire, exploded, covered in spiders, or being eaten by a dragon, so that was nice. Nayru entered without paying much attention to her surroundings - while she generally kept a certain degree of situational awareness when not completely sidetracked by debate, there was no particular magic powers to it, nor was Nayru a trained combatant exactly; at best she had feral instinct and some ability to respond to attacks, but no clue whatsoever of the ways of assassins or even all that much of secrecy.
She nodded to the innkeeper, hoping he would recognize her from the previous night, and after a moment of hesitation, opted to wait by the stairwell for whenever her newfound friends might join her... she didn't know for sure that they would be along soon, but priests usually woke early, and she didn't expect two boisterous children to let him sleep THAT much longer.
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Post by Remus on Jan 31, 2015 20:34:47 GMT -6
Remus tried to calm the excited children. Amelia, who had yet to discover the appeal of tending ones looks had her hair not only frizzled entirely but messily hanging down her back and blocking part of her face. The raven strands otherwise would have looked pleasant to most. Owain had two small cow licks on the back and right side of his head respectively and the rest of his hair wasn't fairing to well. It had been one of the better nights of sleep he had obtained. However even with his protests Remus couldn't precisely keep the kids from dragging him to the door excitedly. It was all he had done to manage to grab his staff. There was no degree of quiet either, much to the annoyance of almost anyone in ear shot. Loudly Amelia giggled happily as she exclaimed with utter joy. "What kind of food do you think they've got here? I bet they've got lots of great treats!!! It's so excitttting!" Owain seemed more or less simply happy to be getting a meal in, swept up in the contagious energy of the small black haired girl.
Remus laughed a bit, stumbling along and making sure to close the door behind them. He chuckled as they dragged him along further. "Wait now, hold on you two. We should wait for Miss Nayru remember? If she's going to visit us we should give her a chance to arrive first before we leave. I'm sure she's busy so we can't keep her waiting all day after all!" The stamping of a uniquely small foot outside their door echoed down the stairs and through the hall in the opposing direction before Amelia all but scolded the priest. She even waggled her little finger at him. "Brother Remus, Miss Nayru is probably already waiting! You don't keep a lady waiting it's rude! " With a huff she turned and started dragging him once more by the sleeve, Owain taking the other hand to drag as well. In reality they were not dragging him against his arm though they applied the effort as if they were; yet merely leading him along. They approached the stairs and started to make their way down. In moments they would have been in site for the woman waiting by the stairs, had she not already heard their obvious lack of silence.
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Meanwhile the twin assassins shifted in their seats. They had also heard the commotion. One lifted his eyebrow to the other with a slight tilt of the head and then a nod. No sensible Ilian child would have spoken like that. They were likely to have their head removed by some drunken Merc. That was clearly the man they were after, this "Brother Remus" they heard a child speaking too. Rising slowly both men turned to gaze at the door way quietly from across the lobby. Their knee's took a slight crouch as if to stretch for a moment. In reality they waited, poised to move if the opportunity gave it's self. Padded shoes made almost no noise as they adjusted the black muffler scarfs around their mouth and slipped their hoods up. As if a dark deed was about to be done, seeing only the innkeep who upon noticing their preparations turned his back and started to "examine" ledgers and the woman looking up the stairs. Once more they had but to wait a few breaths of patience.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Feb 1, 2015 16:04:23 GMT -6
Wwwwwwell she was guessing there weren't two other girls quite like Amelia in Ilia, certainly not in this drowsy little town, and even fewer of them that would be talking about her. Somewhere in the vicinity of one, in fact, which cut down the guesswork significantly. And - for better or for worse - the speaker didn't sound like Elly.
Pushing off from her position as a silent watcher, Nayru turned her attention entirely to the stairwell and her impending company, blissfully unaware to the events unfolding behind her back. It was a move gloriously free of pain - while she had yet to come anywhere NEAR mastering her abilities, at least her body was in fairly good shape again, her magic circuits reasonably active or at least capable of channeling her power if push came to shove. Not that she'd really had much in the wise of opportunities to experiment with any of the new ones. Super strength was cool and all but Nayru was more interesting in trying to figure out how better to improve her control over her element.
Hm. Thoughts for another time. Might as well greet them since they were nearly upon her, right? It was quite clear that Amelia was eager to see her again, which was actually pretty nice for the ego, and Remus's calm but bemused tones were familiar enough after the events of the day before. Owain hadn't said much of anything himself, but then he didn't seem to often. It was a safe assumption he was there regardless, and so she resolved to greet all three... and REALLY hope she didn't look like a tool if her assumption had been wrong. "Good morning, Remus, Amelia, Owain."
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Post by Remus on Feb 1, 2015 16:41:42 GMT -6
The children were loud. They were very noisy even. Not just their voices carried into the town but they stumbled around loudly and the squeals/giggles of Amelia were beyond subtle. Slowly yet suddenly a Blue haired priest guided by two small bouncing children came into sight from the top of the steps. Remus would have waved but his hands were currently weighed down by the two noisy children. Instead he simply smiled nodding to the woman and calling out to her a bit. "Good morning Miss Nayru!" Amelia squealed happily and relinquished Remus'es hand as she giggled and started to run down the stairs towards Nayru excitedly. Her outstretched arms indicated she was about to give the woman a hug. The tone of the girls voice was akin to one of someone who had just received a gift. "Miss Nayru! Good moooorrnnning!!~" As she ran down the stairs, a sudden blur of movement that was entirely silent transpired behind Nayru.
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The black haired little girl was all the confirmation they needed combined with the identity of the priest revealed. Both men moved in a blur of trailing black coats. They sprinted past the woman, each one moving like a wrath as they dashed. One moved before the other, the girl's expression of excitement shifting to shock when the men were before her. Scooping her up over his shoulder the man in the front did so and kept moving. Each man ascended two steps at a time, quickly moving upwards while they took advantage of the girl's distance from them to secure a grip over her before the lead man ducked down to rip the blonde haired boy from the shocked priests grip. As he grabbed Owain who was holding onto the arm Remus held his staff in it caused the staff to rise infront of Remus lengthwise running up and down. Perceiving this as a threat the man behind the one toting both children quickly tucked his hands behind him. The slight metallic grating noise created a sound of warning. The other man was indeed fast. Holding both children over his shoulders like sacks of potatoes despite their flailing and frightened shouts he was able to slide to a stop and sprint up the steps to the third floor.
The screams still echoed as he made to escape with the children. His partner however would buy him time.
While his compatriot dashed ahead the second hooded man unsheathed his daggers. Whipping both out revealed cruel serrated blades. He moved his hands with a scissor motion from either side to bring them in with pincer fashion intending to hit the priest in the sides of his ribs. The man stumbled backwards in shock as his staff caught the sides of his arms and effectively; even if accidentally parried the blows out of lethal range. However the blades still found their mark to a degree. Sweeping the blades sideways the man shifted his foot to continue the momentum and still strike even though it resulted in him trying to follow it as he flipped onto his side. Razor sharp tips slashed at the priests sides, easily shredding the blue robes and rending skin. Like a brand of hot iron the pain split through Remus'es sides. Though he shouted out in shock, he found his grip lax and release the staff from his hand as it clattered to the ground. The hooded man landed on his side and spun rolling back onto the balls of his feet. Spinning the daggers to get back into his crouched poise he paused for a moment and then lunged forwards. This time without his staff to defend him the priest was unable to do much beyond curl up slightly as he wordlessly attempted to pray in sure terror. The man's blades aimed for either side of his neck as he lunged forwards; yet even then all Remus could focus on was the distant screams of the children being carried up the stairs in the distance.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Feb 1, 2015 18:38:49 GMT -6
Nayru's smile died on her face as she completely failed to actually understand what in the seven hells was going on - if either of the assassins had bothered planting a knife in her back... it probably wouldn't have killed her, at least not immediately, but it would have done a great deal to ensure that she was otherwise occupied.
But they didn't, and that gave her confused mind time to comprehend what was happening, at least to some degree. What she wouldn't give for the superpower to always know everything! Still, she was at least fairly good at keeping calm... ish... in stressful situations, and while that tendency did very little of anything to quell her growing rage as she realized that Remus and the children were under attack, it did help impress in her mind that, oh hey, maybe she should help out.
Unfortunately, she had not yet figured out how to teleport, and given her severely lacking initial response, Nayru had barely made it up the first step by the time the first assassin was already past Remus with his ill-gotten bounty and the second engaged Remus.
At least she had the presence of mind to recognize that while Remus was not dead yet - hopefully - he certainly would be in the near future without some level of backup, and given that she had not herself been injured yet, Nayru was able to remember her weapons for once, drawing each with her opposite arm as she bounded up the stairs like a hound on the hunt.
By the time she reached the top, there was already blood - Remus's - she couldn't tell how badly he was hurt at first glance, but seeing someone she had grown even a little attached to bleeding out like that was all she needed to drop any pretense of entertaining diplomacy.
Her anger nearly boiling over - while it was safe enough for her to experience emotions now, they held a special extremism to them that was almost a movement in the opposite direction - Nayru felt her power through through her, gripping the handles of her blades hard enough to make the metal almost groan - but much more visible was the crackling hum of electricity that played along her arms, and the weapons, as she brought them both around in a wide horizontal swathe of destruction with a kiai shout, cutting through the wooden edge of the stairwell without so much as an instant of hesitation, the wood more crushed than cut and singed in her wake, before the arc reached the charging assassin in his midsection, scything through flesh and bone alike with a golden glow and the sudden scent of boiling flesh.
All in all, the little part of her brain that stayed neutral in times like this, that was actually a pretty clean bisection along two nearly-perfectly parallel planes. "Remus!"
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Post by Remus on Feb 1, 2015 19:54:23 GMT -6
Remus had a split second to look up. The man was moving towards him in what seemed like slow motion as adrenaline tore through his body. Each heart-beat seemed to have a finite definition to it. As if it resonated through his ear drums and within each vein of his body. The pain was numb, even though red was starting to spread and dampen his white and blue robes to his body. One hand clasped the left side of his body where one of the two scratches were. On the other hand, there was his right hand frantically trying to tug with shaking fingers for the healing stave that was also his only form of protection. The air rushed past him like a slight breeze as his eyes barely caught the furious motion of Miss Nayru moving by with unsheathed blades. The man hissed as his body shifted. Eyes on the priest like the very serrated daggers he wielded as he angled forwards shifting his entire forwards motion into the blow. The priest found himself in this moment as he forced himself to stand as best he could. Rising upwards he made to try shakily while he heard the man's words. "Holy man or not, the boss want's ye-.""
The horrific sound of flesh being torn, no butchered as Nayru's blades clean cut his body drew Remus'es attention. Bisecting him and halting his momentum. However in the moment that she cut him; all muscle control halted after a spasm. The weapons released from his hands as they went limp. In his forwards leaning motion his body simply collapsed into a brutalized mess. However the daggers sailed in the air whipping past Nayru. One clattered against the burnt wall devastated by the electrical power amplified within her blades. It bounced before scattering against the floor with a series of metallic clatters. Sliding further it bumped into the edge of the hallway near the wooden support aside a patrons closed door. The other one flew in the opposing direction. A second sound of metal piercing flesh filled the hallway. A more solid sound however with a thump as the serrated dagger dug into the side of the priests mid-torso to the hilt. In reality, it had not broken but brutally fractured one of his ribs along multiple points even though it didn't break it. The Priest had just managed to grab his staff when the blade sunk into his body under his chest. A sharp inhaling was the only noise he could manage at first as his body felt the petrifying flash of pain boil over. He seized up and clasped his staff tightly as his eyes widened. All air left his lungs and he felt as if he had been thrown entirely against the ground as the pain became partially uniform to his whole left side.
He would have collapsed then and there honestly, if the screams of the children that he was dedicated to watching over hadn't reached him. It was a miraculous thing, parenthood. Even though he was not their father, he truly felt like such. That he would walk to the ends of the world to see them happy; throw himself with a smile into the hordes of darkness to see them safe. Now power in his mind had yet come close, save for the love he imagined Elimine to have for those she viewed as children. Remus tried to muster himself. Though blood trailed from now this extra wound, he found fortune in the blade keeping the wound sealed. He understood enough about the human body to know a closed wound was easier to manage. That didn't make walking any better. Remus heard Nayru's shout of his name as she turned to examine him. However he briefly rushed past her.
He stumbled, not falling but resulting to limping before groaning in pain. A man reduced to something most would have considered pathetic as he shifted his weight onto his staff and pushed himself harder. Patches of red dotted the floor behind him as the strain caused him to bleed further. Remus tried making singular long strides, almost like sliding motions for the side of his body that was wounded. He groaned out in pain as he tried to shout back to the screaming children. "Owain! Amelia! I'm-Gah!" He buckled forwards in pain. This time he slid forwards onto the ground. Though he had the ability to heal, his urgency to recover the children took priority. It would take him time to heal his wounds. His hand gripped the side where the blade hilt rested in him. He shifted onto his side as he felt blood start to trickle down his lip. Most times wounds into the body could cause blood to get caught in the digestive tract or lungs; other parts of the respiratory system even. The body's desire to push this out made the wounded man vomit this blood up. Remus was now suffering these effects as he struggled to get up; forehead pressing to the wood and blood trailing from his lips to the ground.
He managed to turn to Nayru, a pleading gaze lingering on her to save the children. He knew he would never reach them in time.
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The man had managed to cross most of the third floor hallway while hefting the flailing children. Had they been larger it might have slowed him down; kicks to the face and punches to the back would have actually distracted him as opposed to the light slaps. Only being one floor above though he knew that something had backfired. His partner and him were trained in silent killing. That was anything but. Of-course. The lady. The woman that had roughed up the meatheads the day before. As he sailed up the flight of stares for the fourth floor he threw the children against the corner. Not lightly either, flipping out his blades and kneeling to gaze at them both with cold eyes. "Neither of ye' moves, or I cut ya' open. Now hold still while I deal with yer' lady friend." Turning around swiftly the man flipped his daggers and crouched. He was above the stairs, but he had more experience and corridor combat. Most underestimated the ability to jump up against a wall and lunge to dodge while striking. The shivering children behind him were of no concern and he wasn't worried about a priest. He waited as he started to focus himself, to try ending it in a single instant when he got the chance.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Feb 2, 2015 19:05:11 GMT -6
Well, this wasn't exactly going as... planned? Couldn't really say that if there hadn't been a plan in the first place. Nayru was still pretty much clueless about what in the hell was going on, but the only hypotheses that made senses were that either Remus had 'forgotten' to mention he was being hunted, or their little display the night before had turned a spark into a flame.
The former wouldn't really have surprised her; after traveling with Veigue for months and dealing with the insane psychopaths he apparently attracted, it was pretty much rote for her. Much like bandits, they seemed to proliferate like amorous rabbits, a cancer on a continent nearly fatally sick. The latter... well, she'd burn that bridge when she came to it. At least Remus... seemed... to still be alive, which was nice; if the assassin's blade had finished the job she'd tried to interrupt, that would be pretty hard to explain to the children. But there was nothing she could do for him right now, not without letting the assassin get away with the children, and Remus was a healer - he could heal himself given time. Hopefully. She was a little fuzzy on healing magic.
Knowing that there was little more for her to do here, Nayru gently placed her hand on Remus's shoulder as she passed him, a light touch, more of a brush than anything, that said what she didn't have the time to convey in words.
The third floor's hallway was empty - no tracks that she could see, no freshly-swinging doors to announce the man's entrance or exit, no gleaming blades flying at her from nowhere. Where? Nayru was more a scholar than a warrior or detective, and outside of ancestral instincts, which were currently useless outside of telling her she wasn't dead or about to be, she had no way of knowing where the man had gone. She rushed forwards, trying to eye every bit of the hallway as she passed through it; windows? Closed. Doors? Closed. Movement? Nothing outside of the ordinary... no crying children or stifled sniffles. No scent of blood, save that which clung to her.
The fourth floor? Should she investigate one of the rooms with motion inside? She didn't have time to hesitate - the man was clearly much faster than her unladen, and apparently still pretty quick with the two children in tow. If she lost him now, there would be no catching up.
Caught in the moment with no time to choose, Nayru resigned herself to following her gut - instincts, hunches, whatever. Not always a good decision in the past, but if the man hadn't turned and fought already, he was likely focused on escape still. Probably... or had he already looped around for Remus? So many questions, so few answers. Still moving, she sheathed both weapons, dashing up the stairs to the fourth floor with her senses alert but no inkling of what awaited her.
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Post by Remus on Feb 2, 2015 20:24:16 GMT -6
As Nayru ran off, he felt the ghost of a touch that filled him with reassurance. The knowledge that someone far more capable than him was after the children eased the stifling burden that weighed the priest down. Figuratively. The raw weight of his body was still unbearable. Remus felt the searing pain burn along the side of his body. All along the man's rib-cage and eating away at him mentally to the point where a seething expression crossed between frustration and desperation twisted unto his visage. As his fingers coiled more resolutely along his staff, he knew now would be his moment to heal himself. He had to focus. He had to..focus. It was going to hurt. Gods was it going to hurt. Remus mumbled quietly to himself, now audibly praying as he felt the tight brand smack him once more from even tugging the hilt of the blade in his side. He started panting in fast short breaths, attempting not to hyper-ventilate yet still intake enough air in those short breaths so he didn't run the risk of inhaling too deeply and further damaging himself by his chest expanding with the blade inside.
He gripped the staff tightly while he whispered his prayer. "Elimine preserve me. Guide me from this evil. " He couldn't help but shout out in pain as he ripped the blade out of him. The serrated edge caught flesh like a hook. Remus tossed the blade to the side as crippling pain washed over him. He tried to bare through it however, grunting as he whipped his hand to the wound and ignored the agonizing sensation with him leaning onto his good (subjectively) side to start forcing himself into slow breaths. Blood profusely washed out of his side with it quickly staining his robes and coating his skin. His staff began to flicker before glowing a bright blue. He focused on the source of his pain. He focused on it and let his desire to save the children serve as his iron clad will. It flickered before pulsing with a bright blue light that bathed outwards and began to form a sphere around the staff before condensing and breaking into swirling patterns before forming a circle around his wound. A sphere of blue radiance that started stitching up the wound as flesh and meat regenerated. Remus started panting in swift short breaths as he tried to recover himself.
He couldn't stop. He couldn't let the pain break his concentration. He continued using the healing spell until he could feel the majority of the wound closed up. It was still a frighteningly painful wound but now it was far more shallow and thinner. It was simply like another laceration to match the other two. Remus panted for a moment or two longer; grasping his staff as he forced himself onto his feet and started to make his way upwards. Slowly at first. Struggling he got up and started to find his pace. Steps came faster. He was not sprinting; nor able but he made his way to the stairs soon enough.
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The children were shivering. Terror washed over them. As they heard the fast approaching sound of footsteps they were hopefully that it had been Remus and Miss Nayru. However it was coming from the wrong direction. Three men appeared from down the hallway, dashing quickly towards them wearing similar garb as the man waiting in ambush. However they were cloaked in brown coats with small wrappings around their mouth and foreheads. They were both terrified. That was when the children began whimpering from back behind the top of the stairs. The black shrouded man extended his hand and clasped at one of the wooden boards placed above for ceiling work. Lifting himself upwards he propped his legs against the wall with one hand ready and dagger drawn; positioning himself for a single quick lethal blow. He had no knowledge of Nayru's inhuman durability and powers. He could hear it. Inbetween the uniform foot steps of the backup, the sound of someone running up the stairs. In that instant as she turned the corner, the man shifted his weight and prepared to strike.
The only warning was Amelia suddenly shrieking as the man dove forwards. "Miss Nayru Look Out!" The man had already dove inwards, silently cursing himself for not having just knocked the damn brats out. He dived for Nayru with his blade angled to hit her near her neck and shoulder by kicking off the wall to dive past her so he could roll back to his feet and recover. At-least, that had been the plan before the brat had warned her.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Feb 2, 2015 23:05:54 GMT -6
Well, having good hearing was nice - Nayru could make out several sets of footsteps approaching from somewhere down the hall... or leaving. Possibly the assassin and the two children? But why would they be running themselves if he had been carrying them...? There were other alternatives, but she didn't like them much better either. Either it was a set of innocents, potentially about to be drawn into a situation with a trained assassin who obviously had no qualms about taking prisoners or murdering people, or reinforcements for the assassin, in which case this crap was about DANGEROUS. For them. ...Hopefully. The adrenaline pounding in her ears and inflaming her blood made it hard to tell.
Unfortunately, that all meant that she was not expecting the surprise attack from the man waiting for her, his silence having served him well, and she was barely registering Amelia's horrified screaming before the brown and grey blur was already nearly on her, with a glimmering silver blade aimed - at her face? It took a long moment to even recognize what was going on and an even longer one to realize where he was actually aiming, and while her hands were rising to defend herself, it was too little, too late, to completely negate the coming attack. The best she managed was to partially deflect it, but the blade still lanced lightly through the skin and drew blood, nearly sending her panicking for a moment before she realized she wasn't dead (yet).
Not that it really helped calm her down, but at least fighting was something she could do.
There wasn't enough room to really draw her own weapons and use them freely, nor did she think she had the time to do so, so Nayru pivoted on the step, trying to ignore the disgusting slickness on her neck, and charged after the assassin... albeit with a little more care this time. She had to take care of him before the other people showed up, whether to deal with the reinforcements or to protect innocent investigators.
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Post by Remus on Feb 2, 2015 23:59:06 GMT -6
Remus was slow to act. It was an ironic twist, that one floor above such intense fast paced tension unfolded while he slowly forced himself up each step. When moving the right side of his body the wound on his left throbbed with a searing pain. He could feel the hot thick fluid trailing down his side. Remus groaned a bit as he tried to urge himself onwards. Faster, he had to push himself. He had to get there. Gods only knew what would happen if one of the children was hurt. Or Nayru for trying to protect them. Though pale in complexion he hurried himself leaving small red patches along the floor.
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The man felt the slight resistance of flesh meet as he cut the woman. A mere passing blow however. Not the lethal slice he had been aiming for. As he ducked past her he rolled, spinning and bounding back up to his feet. He lunged to the side moving past the woman as he acted on instinct. Now that the back-up had arrived, incase they had fallen into trouble*Which it seemed they had* he could manage to grab them and still go. The little bitch screaming hadn't made it any easier either. He had to slide his dagger into the sash on his hip as he grabbed for them while spinning around slightly on his heels and hoisted the noisy brats over his shoulders. He shouted his order through the veiled muffler over his mouth as he started sprinting down the hall way again.
"Knife the bitch and let's get out of here!
He turned to move, as the brown cloaked men withdrew iron blades and blocked the hall way. Each one was a bit hesitant however, mere thugs instead of trained killers. They had heard of the woman's ferocity the night prior. They seemed eager to simply block her path, hesitantly waiting for one of the others to try to lunge in and end her. The sound of the children shouting once more filled the hall as the man started to flee again.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Feb 3, 2015 13:34:53 GMT -6
The molten fury bubbling up inside her was an almost welcome guest, a friend she had housed for countless years. For a long time, she had been unable to safely indulge in it lest she lose control entirely and become the monster that had wrought so much suffering on Elibe, but now it ran through her veins like fire, wild and free, and rather than constraining it she reveled in it.
Not too much. She had work to do, and actually berserking might potentially cause its own issues. Nayru was still in control of herself, at least mostly, but she felt more - alive - than she had in a long time. This fighting for her life thing was a hell of a rush. She could feel the thrill run through her body like a shiver. So much for a pleasant and peaceful sojourn... she probably wasn't going to be able to come back to this town for a few decades at least. Maybe half a century to be safe. Not that any of her Ilian adventures ended well; if she came here more often she'd probably be a wanted woman.
The assassin reminded her of Zarius to a degree. Fast, almost impossibly so. Maybe faster. But she was faster too, now, and what might well have been enough to slip under her guard entirely previously was now just a minor cut, one that was slowly sealing itself. And three roadblocks. She was having trouble focusing on just one thing, but not to the point of having difficulty functioning. Nayru took one step towards the group, pulling herself together, trying to hone in on the moment of perfect clarity in rage she had glimpsed moments before. She slowly raised her left hand, balled into a fist, clenching her own hand for focus. "Get. Out." She ground the words out, trying to form the sentence, but the reality that the assassin was getting away made it difficult. "Of. My. WAY!"
With the last word her temper frayed, the balled fist coming forward and to the right a bit before lashing against the outside wall to her left, instantly pulverizing the wood and blowing out the nearest window with a shockwave of force - and sent momentary flickers of electricity arcing between the fragments as they flew outwards. The message was none too subtle, but considering she was still walking towards them, neither was there much choice for the three cutthroats.
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Post by Remus on Feb 3, 2015 14:13:32 GMT -6
Albeit shakily, Remus had managed to make it to the top of the steps. His sides still warm with the slow trailing dark crimson which stained him; exiting the wounds steadily and still feeling the brand of pain wash over him as he moved. However after having suffered through it he was starting to find the strength to grit his teeth and force himself through the motion. The priest was no great warrior, no bold fighter or champion of combat. It was the first time he had actually suffered a serious wound. The blue haired priest gazed on with pale complexion down the hallway. The sudden sound of the children screaming told him he wasn't too far behind. Remus started to take longer strides at a bit of a faster interval while using his staff as a smaller psuedo crutch when moving with his right side. The extra wound made it harder to support his entire weight naturally without feeling like he was stretching out the injury.
Hearing the sudden crashing sound however terrified him. Vibrations from the force could be felt even to the priest who had barely made it half way across the third floor hallway. Panic struck his expression and he started trying to force himself to move faster. He had to get to the children. He had to know they were safe.
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The man turned the to the stairway leading up to the roof tops. Both children hefted over his shoulders he began to quickly move upwards, body tucked down as he pumped his knees to get two steps per motion. Even he paused as he heard the loud crashing sound. It sounded as if part of the damn building was coming down. What in the hells was going on? He didn't have time. He moved to run back up the stairs, however as he saw the latch that he'd need to turn to open up the door to the roof he felt a sudden sharp resistance. As he turned around, several small jarring hits caused him to lose his balance. Small feet pounded against his face repeatedly as he was kicked to the right side of The head. Amelia was holding on to one of the brass hooks mounted into the wall for hanging lanterns and candles and had managed to wiggle herself free. Even though she didn't strike the man hard, leaning light footed on the stairs was a precarious place to be. His balance shifted and he started to lean back when more blows of the other child suddenly struggling kicked him loose. Both children had squirmed from his grasp when he was distracted by the crashing noise. The man shouted in surprise as he saw the children fall a step only to get up while his vision started to forcefully go upwards. Then backwards. In a disorienting tumble he fell down the stairs backwards.
Falling down the stairs the black hooded man reappeared at the end of the hallway landing down collapsed. He was slow to stir, visibly disoriented as he coughed and tried to regain himself.
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The three men were not the obvious trained killers that the other had been. Nayru's display of force not only terrified them, but the electric shock that sparked out actually managed to catch one off guard and burn through the side of his cloth along his face before singing his skin. Quickly shouting in pain the man struggled to grasp it before stumbling to the side. He floundered before falling onto his back. Attempting to flee from the woman all three men practically shouldered eachother to attempt a flee. They had been hired to help capture two kids and /possibly/ kill a normal woman. The display of strength terrorized them enough that it did not only demoralize them; yet gave them the right to consider switching careers in the future...if they were blessed with the fortune to survive.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Feb 3, 2015 15:03:05 GMT -6
Nayru wasn't sure if she had succeeded or failed in the chain of events rapidly unfolding - all of her instincts screamed at her to chase, to act the part of apex predator and rip them all apart, but her conscious mind recognized that wanton bloodshed would accomplish little, and likely cause more problems than it solved. Even if they probably deserved it - but she couldn't make that judgement herself. Not now.
It reminded her of something Erim had said when asked about how many humans she had killed during the Scouring. She hadn't understood it then, and in truth Nayru wasn't sure she agreed with it now, but it did sound pretty nice. ...the men I kill deserve to die, but they also deserve peace. After all, they must have believed in something. We all do. Even the worst of us. Without knowing what had put the sellswords on the path they now walked, without knowing who they really were behind the masks they put up to get through life - if they made the choice to leave her be, perhaps there was still some good left in them.
Or maybe they were just cowards who would come around from behind in a few minutes, or return to their ways within a day. She didn't know. But if there was a chance of her having scared them straight, perhaps they could avoid a little bloodshed today. Not much, but a little. And who knew? Sometimes good deeds spawned something more than the sum of their parts. Or maybe she was just a witless fool with too many stories on the brain. But Nayru wanted to believe there was a chance of something good coming from all of this, so she allowed them to leave, no matter what effort it took to restrain herself - bloodlust, as it happened, she was able to redirect VERY conveniently when a familiar form came tumbling down the stairs ahead of her...
The grasping hand came around with inexorable force, hauling the fallen assassin aloft by the neck and slamming him into the outside wall with jolting force - not enough to shatter his body or the wall, but the naked threat was as clear as day; with her hand around his neck and the gaping hole in the wall not far down the hallway, it didn't take a great deal of imagination to see what might happen next if he didn't cooperate. Her voice was harsh, demanding; none of the amused pleasantness that Remus might be familiar with.
"Why are you doing this?"
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Post by Remus on Feb 3, 2015 15:27:37 GMT -6
The three men continued to run. They had not only abandon their "superior" by stumbling and scrambling past him as he attempted to stir but continued down the hallway to the other set of stairs that lead down to the third floor. The frantic shouts of terror were enough to hint at their commitment to flee; beyond the cowardly almost pathetic site of them as they took flight. Men hired to fight a woman were not payed well enough to fight a demon physically gifted one like Nayru. Amelia saw the slight image of the three men running past the fallen man. Curiosity almost drove her to peek down the stairs, but as the man in the black stared to stir a bit she frantically scooted up against and practically pressing herself to the wooden door blocking them from the roof. Frightened, her and Owain clutched to one another trying to hide, hoping the dark stairway would keep them quiet as they tucked so far back they couldn't even see the bit of the hallway the man had fallen unto. They could hear the struggling muffled grunts as the man was suddenly gripped by Nayru and the intimating slamming motion of him being pressed roughly to the wall.
The man had regained his senses moment before the hulk-bitch had grabbed him and slammed him back. Even in that brief moment he could feel her absurd strength. The force that gripped him was like a damn vice. Hitched breathing came in shorter breaths, as he maximized on the amount of air he took in each breath. The small subtle traces showed just how knowledgable the man was for such situations. As if he had been trained to react in specific points such as that. His body's limp nature it took as she gripped him seemed to belittle the tension running along the legs in brief moments. Flexing, testing. Gauging if he could break her grip. Fingers that seemed to be idly dangling were actually preparing. Practiced motions attempting to mentally see how fast he could grab for his blades.
He gazed at her with cold eyes. No reflection of fear in them, as he steeled himself. As if she was but a bag of flesh before him; looking at a living thing not as a person would. He looked at her more as a butcher examined the next lamb for slaughter. His tone was gruff as he spoke. He was honest, because at this point either she died and what he said mattered not...or he died and his boss would be able to set a trap of some sorts. Assuming they had even heard of him. "Blue haired bastard made a fool o' me boss. Can't have that. Let the priest learn Mr. Morrison runs this town. Simple. Grab the kids, carve em' up and show em' his place. Didn't expect no super powered bitch though."
As he spat the term at her he attempted to grab for his blades. His wrists had flicked quickly, slowly while he spoke trying to angle them to blend in with his black coat as he moved to grip them. If he could he was going to carve her up. If .
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Remus had gotten slower. Even if he could have kept running. Would he have really made any difference? Weariness ached in every bone as he started to slow again. Each step got heavier. He made it to the stairs, and the adrenaline flowing through him started to recede. Though he carried alot of pain, the numbness of the wounds still belittled the /real/ pain. Groaning with slightly blurry vision he arrived at the stairway only to slouch slightly. Swaying in his step he caught himself with his staff only to lean against the wall in a slight slump. The bleeding had started to become more profuse from ripping the wounds open; and he feared he would soon pass out from blood loss. In that time? He prayed. As he forced himself up the first step, he prayed with every ounce of determination. That Elimine would keep the children safe. That she would keep Nayru safe. That Nayru could rescue the children. Then came the second step. Then the third. Agony tore through him as he fought to stay conscious. He had struggled through sleep deprivation. He had struggled through fasts. Never however, had the act of maintaining open eyes been so powerfully difficult. Still, there had gone the fifth step. Remus wouldn't stop. Not as long as he could manage to keep moving.
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