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Post by Gabriel on Dec 29, 2009 14:17:40 GMT -6
Nearly a week had passed. Saturos and Papilion had gone missing, probably leaving on their own will without telling anyone. That morning at the inn, what was left of the group had decided to part ways. Gabriel noticed how some members felt rather uneasy, letting someone so young as him go on his own, but he had no regrets and nowhere to go to.
He doubted he'd meet any of the travelers again, given the size of the world, but he hoped that he would hear word of them, at some point in his life.
With no real objective in mind, Gabriel went back to the original plan. Going to Ostia and make a living there. Perhaps he could train his magic and become a wandering performer, or something.
And to think that a noble would fall this low.
He let out a sigh. The plains of Sacae could be seen in the distance already. He had managed to go around the mountains south of Ilia. The rough part of the journey was now over.
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Post by Gabriel on Dec 31, 2009 12:18:45 GMT -6
Night came around, and Gabriel decided to set up camp, taking cover in a small crevice at the foot of the mountain. He has filled his newly bought backpack with food that would last him roughly two weeks before departing(salty meat, since that was the only thing that would last that long), and since there were no branches or wood nearby, he'd have to use blades of the tall grass that lies all over the Sacaen plains.
Having practiced his magic for a while the past week, he could now make without fail flames the size of a cherry. Sad, but it would have to do. He burned the pile of grass he had collected, having saved some to keep the fire alive for some extra time. Not enough to cook the meat, but it would at least be better than eating it completely raw. If anything, he could still use his cherry-sized flame to cook the meat some more, though he would be exhausted after that.
It wasn't that bad, really, though the wood he had brought from Ilia had been all used up during the trip through the mountains. At least tomorrow would be a better day, away from the freezing cold of the northern lands.
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Post by Rayl Torien on Dec 31, 2009 16:10:35 GMT -6
While one walked with determination, another rode. Rayl and Elibe had set out with renewed vigor from Barigan's temple. The weather hadn't been as bad to ride in as it had been earlier, and even when it picked up a notch, the two still pressed onward. It had been some time since he had been back in Pherae, and he needed to return to report for service along with catching up with recent news.
The day's ride had been uneventful enough, he occasionally had to stop for Pegasi Knights on patrol, and would ask directions on these stops, never in an instant looking at the riders for fear of seeing someone who looked similar to Persephone...actually it wasn't so much fear as it was the still painful grief. As the day stretched on and slowly turned to sunset, he looked back one last time, seeing the faint glimmer in the Temple of Barigan still. Horse and Rider would soon arrive through Sacae before continuing on, and they would both be happy to be away from the cold.
...and finally: Night struck and the stars were out. Rayl could no longer see the lights of the temple behind him. It was getting harder to ride now in the dark and increasing weather, and it almost felt like a sign to the Knight when he saw a faint red-orange glow emmiting from a crevice, and he knew full well he'd have to continue into Sacae the next day, and could only pray that whoever was in there was friendly, and thus cautiously headed forward, you could quite easily hear his armor and steed in the quiet cold air.
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Post by Gabriel on Dec 31, 2009 18:27:36 GMT -6
Gabriel was just about to get some rest, when the sound of hoofs against the ground and steel clashing startled him. A bandit? Bandits don't generally wear steel or any heavy armor. Some do go on horse, but not as heavily equipped. A knight? The only likely knights around here would be riding pegasi, not horses. Probably a traveler, and by the sounds of it, one going on his or her own.
The horse came to a stop close to the fire, but not enough to be visible, and whoever was on it hopped off and onto the ground. It was too dark to see from where he was, but the light was now reflecting on the armor. From the physique, it seemed like a man.
Gabriel gave it a thought, and decided to come out from behind the rock he was hiding at. If the newcomer was an enemy, then it would only be a matter of time before he was found, and Gabriel knew he had no chance against an enemy on his own. Much less an armored one. If a friend, then there would be no reason to be afraid.
"Who are you?" Gabriel said, a hand on his now open tome, the other stretched towards the horseman. The least he could do was try and bluff it.
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Post by Rayl Torien on Dec 31, 2009 19:42:25 GMT -6
stepping closer into the light, one could easily see the knight, considerably more intimidating than before, as he removed his helmet to fully reveal his smiling face as he shook the young man's hand," I am Sir Rayl, Knight and Emissary of Pherae. This here is my loyal companion Elibe." he patted the mighty steed on the side of the neck before resting his lance against a cavern wall," Do not fret young one, I mean you no harm, I merely seek shelter for the night if it is not of any trouble to you." it was obvious that Rayl was sincere, a strange sense of security could be felt from his presence as the armored man knelt down closer to the fire, and shifted slightly as he had yet to get used to his new armor. Elibe to shifted in unease of it's own armor before moving a tad closer to the fire and one could get a better look at the large creature.
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Post by Gabriel on Jan 1, 2010 16:20:46 GMT -6
OoC: You...shook his hand? He was ready to fireball you to hell with that hand. XD
...what is going on here?
The man had shook his hand while introducing himself as a knight of Pherae. After seeing that Rayl put his weapon against the wall of the small cave, Gabriel let out a sigh. The man had no weapon now, though that still did not make him harmless. He seemed to have good intentions, though. For some reason, Gabriel felt comfortable around the man. He still decided to be cautious, though.
"My name is Gabriel, a wandering mage" he said after a bit. "You may stay if you wish, though I'm afraid I can't offer you anything to eat or cover yourself with. You may have some water, though" he added, handing his canteen to the man. Gabriel had cleverly refilled it by melting some snow at the mountains.
"Might I ask what you are doing here, Sir Rayl?" He knew it better than to get on the man's bad side, so the least he could do is gather some info.
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Post by Rayl Torien on Jan 1, 2010 16:40:06 GMT -6
OOC: It's doubted Rayl would be too intimidated by you...that and he isn't too hostile in the first place nowadays...old Rayl would have just ran his lance through your face. :D
And Now for STORY TIME!!!
IC: He paused, before looking downwards, slightly ashamed," It's a long story, but as you have asked, and seeing as how there is much time to spend, I will tell you." he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, taking a brief period to rewind through past events, before exhaling and opening his eyes," I'm sure you are well aware of the Hargus Incident five years ago, yes? Well, I was one of those who stood against him...as a matter of fact," He pointed back to his lance,"It was that very weapon that took his life. Before I had joined the group of people out to stop him I had been a fresh recruit having finished training in Laus..."
He clenched a fist before continuing," I had thought being a knight was all glory and wealth, and had dome some things I was ashamed of. It was after the incident that I had learned the true meaning. I have spent these past years redeeming myself and assisting those I had harmed. Ilia was last step, I was going to ask the woman I loved if she would marry me, but..." he paused, and the pain in his face was an obvious give away to his next words,
"But I learned that she had died in the final battle with Hargus...sorry to bore you with such a tale, I hardly doubt you found it interesting." he then handed the canteen back to Gabriel before going to the saddlebags on Elibe's saddle, pulling out a small sack, which contained some beef jerky," If you wish, you may have some...I'm not too hungry myself."
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Post by Gabriel on Jan 1, 2010 17:21:22 GMT -6
OoC: Oh, I realize that. XD
IC: Gabriel listened to the knight talking. The battle against the bandits. He was only 10 when that happened. The news spread out pretty quickly back then, though they were somewhat overshadowed by Kraft's uprise.
All he had heard and could remember was that bandits had, somehow, organized themselves and began a rebellion in Bern, led by a bandit named Hargus. He remembered that the streets of Etruria cheered at some point, saying that Hargus was dead and that the rebellion had been stopped, but his memory was sort of fuzzy on the matter.
"I...see. I'm sorry". He took the canteen and put it in his backpack. "And thanks, but keep it. You might need it later."
Besides, he had already eaten a somewhat cooked piece of meat already.
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Post by Rayl Torien on Jan 1, 2010 21:09:46 GMT -6
"That's quite alright, these things were meant to happen. Life has it's way of guiding us along." shifting a bit before resting against the side wall, he glanced out into the darkness, only broken by the dark gray of snow made dark by...well, being in the dark.
"So tell me, what does a young man such as yourself be doing in a place such as this? Surely an Etrurian would have even less business here than I...at least, I assume you are from Etruria." Indicating the fire tome from before, he merely smiled a brief moment. Rayl had known a few mages in the past...it was a shame he could no long recall their names...
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Post by Gabriel on Jan 2, 2010 12:38:14 GMT -6
"I am from Etruria, as you guessed. I...escorted a friend to Ilia and was on my way to Ostia when night fell, so I took refuge here. I have some errands to take care for in Ostia, and I will probably head back towards Etruria afterwards". He had started playing with a fireball on his hands at some point during the conversation. It was a habit of his, now that he could actually conjure some flames whenever he wanted. They were still rather small to be effective in actual battle, but they were enough to make a campfire or distract someone for a while.
"Where were you headed, Sir Rayl? Back to Pherae?" he asked. Rayl had mentioned why he got there, but not what he would do afterwards. Perhaps, if he was lucky, he could hitch a ride, even if only through the plains.
OoC: That is a wicked battle sprite, by the way.
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Post by Rayl Torien on Jan 2, 2010 14:56:59 GMT -6
OOC: Yes I came to the conclusion that all the other horses I could have used were too puny to fit our resident monster Elibe's Stature...too bad I forgot to remove the second horn from the horse's armor.
"Yes, I have to return to service to Pherae." he watched Gabriel play about with the fire, a small smirk upon his face...One could say Gabriel's distraction technique could prove to be effective," The marquess will be wondering where I went." Rayl's face obviously grew dim when Wyatt spoke to returning to Etruria," If you don't mind my asking: how could you stand to live under such a man? The self-proclaimed Prophet?" He refrained from showing too much hatred in his words, though it was still obvious his true opinion on Kraft.
The same opinions were obvious on Elibe's reaction to the subject, letting out a heavy snort.
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Post by Gabriel on Jan 2, 2010 18:44:21 GMT -6
OoC: Wyatt? Got the characters mixed up there.
IC: "Oh, trust me, I can't stand him either. It was because of him that..." and he stopped right on his tracks once he noticed what he was about to say. Should he tell the knight? The man seemed trustworthy.
"I would go to the outer parts of Etruria, if anything. The idea was to stay at Ostia for a while first. I was...kicked out of Delfia." He kept the details to himself. There was no need to worry the man that much. "I don't think I am allowed back there, or close by."
"That man, Kraft, was the reason I was kicked out of the city. Or rather, my father's beliefs."
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Post by Rayl Torien on Jan 2, 2010 20:27:42 GMT -6
OOC: Yeah I didn't realize I'd made the mistake twice in the same post, only fixed one incident...All good now, though!
"Hrmm..." Rayl shifted uncomfortably. He could feel the young man's pain, having had a similar, albeit more bloodier event. He patted Gabriel on the shoulder, before speaking, "That's alright. Fives years ago, back when I was still a young man, I had joined Crowley the Magnificent, if you know who he is, and several others in an attempt to take him out before he got too powerful...only a handful of us got out alive." his eyes downcast, he began recalling the incident in one of his frequent moments of remembrance. A hand fell on the scarf that was around his neck, still trying to figure out how he'd obtained Crowley's scarf...it was easy to tell it was the genuine though.
" Since then I've dedicated my life not just to my people, but to opposing him...I don't want him to take away anymore lives, whether they deserve it or not. We do not have the right to carelessly take the lives of others...everyone deserves the right to live..." He got up and once again returned to the saddlebags, pulling out his blue cloak," But it is best if you rest, you'll need as much strength as you can for trip, young Gabriel. If you wish, I can take you as far as Pherae, I am sure the Marquess will allow you to rest awhile before you continue out to Ostia." putting the cloak around the young mage, he returned to his horse's side and sat back down against the wall, shuddering slightly from the cold.
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Post by Lethenir Vanether on Jan 3, 2010 1:31:35 GMT -6
It had been hours since he managed to escape the castle in the mountains. He didn't know what direction he had been wandering in, or what time of night it was. The cold still lingered in his bones. His fingers and toes were nearly blue from the extended time he'd spent in the snow before finally reaching his current location. He was exhausted to the point that his whole body ached. Some parts of him were numb, but they were few and far between. He saw light flickering on the rocks ahead. He hadn't noticed that he'd gotten turned around and was actually heading back towards the mountains. A small crevice where what he hopes was light from a fire flickering against the rock walls was now his destination. He prayed that it would be a hospitable environment. His footsteps had become heavy and sluggish. They would likely hear his approach and his entry should they not come to meet him at the mouth of their stone sanctuary.
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Post by Rayl Torien on Jan 3, 2010 1:50:05 GMT -6
In the still of the night Rayl heard movement, it was neither himself or his new acquaintance...it must have been someone outside who noticed the fire: friend or near-do-well was the question. Rising to his feet and grabbing his lance and shield he headed out towards the cavern entrance, before double backing: wait- where'd the shield come from? Must have been one of those magical occurance he had ignored at the temple...no matter.
Stepping out into the snow and peering through the dark cold, he noticed the figure, in scuffed up clothing and cuts on his arm. He had the look of a bandit, but his face and condition said otherwise. Moving out quicker, he moved to Lethinier's side in haste and pulled the young man's arm over his armoed shoulder, and helped him inside. No one, no matter their intentions, should be outside in the condition they were in. helping the boy to the fire, he picked up his jerky bag," Have some. Rest up by the fire before you catch your death of cold!"
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