Arthis
The "Before" years
[M:0]
Posts: 43
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Post by Arthis on May 30, 2010 14:59:30 GMT -6
Arthis would manage to surprise people, sometimes.
"Unfortunately, we had enough trouble just getting you out of there in time. I do not know the fate of the rest of your squad. Some may have survived, but that depends how well they were prepared for an Ilian Night." He looked over her, his stone face softening slightly. "As cruel as it is to say, it is inevitable that in war our subordinates will die. An unfortunate fact of life, but let your past failures motivate you to become a stronger leader so it doesn't have to keep happening."
It might sound like he was blaming her, but in truth it was his own odd way of attempting to encourage her. He gestured over his shoulder to Elias.
"Truth be told, if you want someone to thank for your life, he probably deserves most of it. If he hadn't been setting off fireworks like he was at a coronation I would probably not have arrived in time."
Maybe there was more to him then met the eye...maybe.
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Marle Daviau
General
The Lance of the North
One word of encouragement, One person believing in me, It's all I need to become stronger.
Posts: 436
Illia Fame: 2
Affinity: Ice
OoC Alias: Marle
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Post by Marle Daviau on May 30, 2010 20:09:35 GMT -6
The sight of the red-clad figure caught her eye the moment he had stepped inside, but she waited a while on actually saying anything. She didn't know who he was, but figured him a subordinate of Arthis as odd as that may be, but the way he kept quiet and stayed behind him, it would have made sense. Giving him a smile which seemed to go against her sad expression. Upon hearing that he was to thank for her life, she eyed him longer, as if weighing him and his abilities, and nodded, recalling the memories, as unwanted as they were, and remembered the explosions.
"Ah...the explosions...so you must be a mage then...thank you.."
Getting up with reserved strength, she touched the tips of her fingers to her heart and bowed, as she would a person of nobility, giving him respect as she knew how to give. Shifting her eyes back to Arthis, she finally understood by what he meant, having dismissed it earlier, and been a bit...puzzled...
"I had many wounded...possibly none survived, as you said...stronger...I need to be just that...but I will not abandon their memory, they fought bravely, and nobly...I will mourn them my own way, on my own time."
With slow motions, she moved to a window, and slumped against the wall, and looked out of it down into the city, light bathing her face. With a finger, she traced a finger along the side of her head where a cut used to be, now healed up, but she could still remember the burning, and the pulsing that was there. She felt like crying, and began to shake her head, trying to rid the thought of the emotion.
I won't cry...I won't!
Turning back to the other two, dropping her hand to her side to clutch the gray wool dress, her haggard, tired stare gazed at the two Bernsmen, looking them both top to bottom before opening her mouth to speak.
"So what were you both doing there in the first place? And please, mage, do speak up, your silence does you no credit. I'd also like to know your name."
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Elias
Mage Knight
The Crimson Mage
I'm just saying that the problem isn't going away, no matter how good we get at stabbing them.
Posts: 451
Etruria Fame: 1
Sacae Fame: 2
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: The Crimson Mage
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Profile (updated)
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Elias on May 30, 2010 20:38:12 GMT -6
Woah... She looks rough. He had an awkward little smile on his face. On one hand, it felt good to be acknowledged, on the other he felt like a total failure of a goodguy since it got so bad in the first place. If he had just got there a few minutes sooner... dang it. He'd have to run twice as fast next time! Yes, he would have to run everywhere from now on, so he can get faster! That way he wouldn't be late next time, and can save everyone.
He rubbed the back of his neck a sheepish smile. "Thank you mam." She actually bowed, that was a bit unexpected. Normally people just told him to calm down and all that stuff, like Migdig did. Not as rudely as him, but still. "Yup, I'm a mage. The Crimson Mage." He laughed to his self. She looked tired, rough, and all around not very happy.
"What were we doing there? Well, I dunno about him, but I was passing by. I'm on a super secret mission, don't tell anyone I told you, when I saw the strangest thing. It was a shaman dude with a little army of axe people. So I hid in the trees, and waited for them to pass. Only to see they were being total villains and were ransacking a fortress of justice." His words were their usual erratic self, but his tone sounded subdued. Even the great Crimson Mage knew she was probably in no mood for his usual energy. That only seemed to annoy people. Ham, Captain-Guy, Kyro, Migdig... "So I did what I had to. I attack from behind, to save my fellow men... Only... I wasn't quite fast enough. I'm sorry Iron Maiden." He said with a sad smile.
"I'm Elias Root." He added after his little apology. Something told him that if he blabbed he was Lycian, Mig would get all grumpy on him, so he kept his mouth shut.
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Arthis
The "Before" years
[M:0]
Posts: 43
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Post by Arthis on May 31, 2010 3:21:12 GMT -6
Arthis stood in the doorway, and let her go on with her despair. She was new, so it was going to happen. Every death was a tragedy. Eventually, that would pass, and she would be able to deal with it. For now though, she would be allowed to mourn.
"I was reporting to my command, I told you before I was placed in your squad. I was detained here due to bureaucracy when you left, and it was not until several hours later that I was able to catch up. It seems that delay could have been the difference between life and death."
He looked about the room, this was more talkative then he usually was. But Marle had proved herself to him, so she might find a change in his personality. "The details of what happened can wait until our official debriefing though, for now you should probably rest and recover. You will be of no use to us or Ilia without your full strength back. I've already sent your armor down to the smith to be repaired, and your other equipment is down there as well."
Arthis gave Marle a formal salute, even though they were likely the same rank, and turned on his heel to leave the room.
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Marle Daviau
General
The Lance of the North
One word of encouragement, One person believing in me, It's all I need to become stronger.
Posts: 436
Illia Fame: 2
Affinity: Ice
OoC Alias: Marle
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Post by Marle Daviau on Jun 1, 2010 23:15:38 GMT -6
Those sad green eyes stared at Elias a moment longer after he introduced himself, and then gave a little nod, acknowledging him. However, Marle did frown at being addressed to as "Iron Maiden." She didn't care much for the nickname, but she didn't voice disagreement with it, and allowed it to slip comfortably in place as a alias for him to call her.
"As Arthis said. They were soldiers, They were mine to protect alone, and I have to live with my failure. I will live with it, and learn accordingly."
She said this as Arthis ducked out of the room, gracing him with a nod as he gave his information about her equipment. Moving towards her dresser, she swung open the two large wooden doors to reveal her clothes that were folded neatly on shelves. Looking over her shoulder to Elias, she raised an eyebrow at him.
"I thank you for your aid, Elias Root, back at the bandit camp, if you please, I'd like to get dressed...I have things that need attending...and I don't think I need the help of getting myself clothed."
She cracked a smile as Marle then rose an eyebrow, joking with him as she was, and then began to pick out a top, with pants that would match.
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Elias
Mage Knight
The Crimson Mage
I'm just saying that the problem isn't going away, no matter how good we get at stabbing them.
Posts: 451
Etruria Fame: 1
Sacae Fame: 2
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: The Crimson Mage
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Profile (updated)
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Elias on Jun 1, 2010 23:38:47 GMT -6
I was supposed to be the hero though. You know. Busting in, saving everyone and defeating all the bad guys. Blow them up, then having a triumphant laugh of the defeated. HUAHAHAHAHA! But no.... it was nothing like that... It was more me coming in too late, getting my butt beat, and only scraping through by thanks of faulty architectural design. His face was screwed up as he thought, staring intently at some thing that didn't actually exist. Iron was a strong woman. Strong like iron, red iron. Seriously, a lot of people would of given up after something like this. Just like in the stories his dad used to tell him. They would fall into a stupor, and the Hero would have to smack them out of it.
"I'm sorry." He said gently. He gave no excuse nor reason, he was just sorry... and he wanted her to know that. "Next time, I promise I'll be twice as fast, twice as powerful, and help everyone." He smiled innocently, his eyes staring straight into Iron's.
He suddenly broke it off and chuckled, Iron needed to get dressed. "Oh, okay. Have fun getting dressed Iron. You should wear red, red is awesome. It'd look totally good on you, it looks good on anyone." He called cheerfully, "I'll go now, bye bye." He smiled and waved goodbye. He walked out of the room with an odd look on his face. Hopefully he'd see Ms. Maiden again. No, he would see her again. He needed to keep his promise, and The Crimson Mage never breaks a promise, ever.
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Marle Daviau
General
The Lance of the North
One word of encouragement, One person believing in me, It's all I need to become stronger.
Posts: 436
Illia Fame: 2
Affinity: Ice
OoC Alias: Marle
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Post by Marle Daviau on Jun 2, 2010 10:24:41 GMT -6
As Elias left, Marle watched after him as he left through the door. As it closed, she simply chuckled, but tears came to her eyes quickly, but were fought down, dabbing at them with her sleeves to get rid of the excess water. With a sigh, she began to get dressed in regular attire of breaches and shirts that seemed more fitting for a man. The only reason she wore them, well, not the only, was because with the armor, these felt more comfortable...and in general...they were more comfortable.
"Get there twice as fast, huh?" Marle said suddenly out loud, as she put on her first boot. Beginning to to tie at the laces, again, she gave a small laugh and shook her head. "Since you're this Crimson Mage...better make it three times faster.."
Marle finished getting dressed, and then looked into the mirror, touching at her blonde hair, remembering the red that stained it almost a odd sort of brown. Caressing the strands that ran down and covered her left eye for the most part, she gave a determined nod, and set outside the room, down to the apothecary on the ground level of the castle. She passed by people who gave her welcome, but everyone seemed to shy away from her a little. Marle tried not to notice.
Entering the Apothecary's study, Marle walked up to his desk, to which a withered old man peered up past a heavy, furrowed brow.
"Yes yes? What is it?"
"My apologies, Master Apothecary...I was wondering. Do you happen to have any herbs or oils that could turn hair to a brown in colour?"
Almost immediately as her words were spoken, the Apothecary stood up, and planted bony hands upon his well-cut tabletop, and tapped his index finger upon it, gracing Marle with a raised eyebrow of question, but still, he asked no questions of yet.
"...Banesworth might do it, certainly turns my hands that colour when I use them...I take it you'd like some prepared?"
With a small nod, the Apothecary went to work, griding up the herbs in a mixing bowl. As he worked, he looked up from grinding down the plants, and weighed Marle with a level look.
"The stuff is hard to take out...oh, girl, don't give me that puzzled look..you're hardly the first girl who's come to ask me for something of the sort...here.." Handing the finished results to Marle, the Apothecary sat back at his table slowly. "Ask for Elayne. She's had the most experience at it. I'll bet there's atleast eight girls here in the castle who don't wear their natural colours...now go on, I have work to do."
Marle stayed quiet, with her mouth slightly gaping, but she backed away with a nod of her head, and exited the room, and leaning against his door once closed.
Thank you, sir.
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Arthis
The "Before" years
[M:0]
Posts: 43
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Post by Arthis on Jun 3, 2010 16:03:12 GMT -6
Arthis was now a man with a mission. He had more respect for Marle then before, but as a warrior, not a leader. If they were going to survive this, their next group of troops needed to be better trained, and she clearly was not up to the task yet. So off he walked, heading down to the Quartermaster. He walked up to the older man, who glanced at the mountain from behind his glasses.
"Ah, you must be that Bern Rider everyones been talking about, the one who came back with Sir Daviau half dead." Was that an accusation in his voice? Arthis had half a mind to drag the old man across the table and slam him through it, but he restrained himself.
"Show me the list of soldiers to be placed under her command."
The elderly gentlemen looked at him. "And by whose authority would you be allowed to look at that?"
Arthis slammed his hands on the table, causing the books and the man to jump. "On the authority that I am Second-In-Command of that new battle group, and I want to make sure I don't have wet-behind-the-ears recruits marching into a slaughterhouse."
Ok, so he'd given himself a promotion. It was still true, he was the same rank as Marle, so her leadership fell to him if she were not present. And currently, she was not in service. The old man wasn't meeting Arthis' gaze this time, and flipped through his files until he handed Arthis a sheet.
"There, they are currently training in the indoor proving grounds. You know where they are, yes?"
Arthis snatched the paper and turned on his plated heel. "I'll find it." He said as he left the hall.
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Elias
Mage Knight
The Crimson Mage
I'm just saying that the problem isn't going away, no matter how good we get at stabbing them.
Posts: 451
Etruria Fame: 1
Sacae Fame: 2
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: The Crimson Mage
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Profile (updated)
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Elias on Jun 3, 2010 20:33:56 GMT -6
He was sitting in the room he had been given for the time being. It was with other soldiers in the barracks, despite the fact he wasn't actually a soldier. So he suffered the sound of other people coming in and out all the time, and an all around lack of privacy. He gathered all of his things in a pack, there wasn't much. He was just updating his diary manly journal that will totally be worth a fortune when he's done.
"Hrm... now where to?" He muttered to his self as he thought. "I need to continue my mission... but... I also need to keep my promise to save Iron..." He tilted his head, looking at the wall. A soldier in the room gave him a weary look, before leaving to go do whatever soldiers do.
He hopped on to his feet with a big smile, his finger in the air and a mischievous glint in his eye. "Ahah! My brilliant mind has come out with the most genius solution! Truly I am The Crimson Mage! Hahahahaha! I know exactly what to do!"
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Marle Daviau
General
The Lance of the North
One word of encouragement, One person believing in me, It's all I need to become stronger.
Posts: 436
Illia Fame: 2
Affinity: Ice
OoC Alias: Marle
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Post by Marle Daviau on Jun 3, 2010 22:14:34 GMT -6
It took time, but after having found this 'Elayne' the apothecary spoke of, she had her hair dyed a strange shade of brown by the use of the herbs. Sitting in the chair, looking at a mirror that resided on her tabletop, Marle gave it a look over at every angle she could manage to see it at, and nodded, lightly touching it, even though it was still a little wet, but quickly drying with the heat of the room doing it's job.
"This will be a testament to my remembrance."
It was...rather corny, really, to make this her remembrance, but it meant something for Marle, like a solemn oath. Every time she looked at herself, she would remember, and others would too, even if they didn't know about it. With a grin, Marle pushed back the chair she was sitting on, hearing it scrape across the floorboards, and began to exit her room, pulling on a coat before going outside, since it was probably much colder than it was inside.
And it was.
With a shiver, Marle went on down the hallway, and made sure to grab her lance that dwarfed her in size now that she didn't have her armor on, not that that didn't make much of a difference, the lance was a long weapon afterall. Marle needed to think of other things, more positive things, so now, she went down to see the soldiers training, her soldiers, from the papers she was reading after she met Arthis. Hopefully they wouldn't let her failure betray their trust to her...Well...Arthis was there...and he could scare anyone into loyalty, be it fear or awe...Marle certainly feared him, somewhat, anyways.
It didn't take too long to get down to the training yard, seeing the soldiers attending to their duties, jousting at targets, or swinging swords at wooden poles to best their technique and strength...it was...relaxing in a way.
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Arthis
The "Before" years
[M:0]
Posts: 43
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Post by Arthis on Jun 4, 2010 21:52:27 GMT -6
Relaxing until she turned at least, because in one area of the training yard was Arthis, along with a few grunt soldiers. From the wooden poles they held, it seemed obvious they were practicing grounded lance combat.
Or rather, that they were. In the moments before Marle had entered Arthis had taken control of this small groups training, and was quick to belittle them. Of course it wasn't long before one took offense to Arthis, and was determine to put him in his place.
Approximately five seconds later when Marle walked in, this man had a painful looking bruise on his jaw, as he was bent over clutching his stomach. Arthis stood over him, his own pole gripped in one hand.
"Now, do you still think I don't have the ability to match my words?" He spoke at the groaning man underneath him. He then became aware of Marle's presence, though he almost missed her by the changed hair color. Still, he could tell it was her.
He turned to face her and gave a salute. The best way to promote good discipline was by example. "Hello Ma'am, we've begun combat training for some of our new troops."
The mutter behind Arthis was nearly silent.
"Yeah, to replace all the ones you let get killed..."
But Arthis heard it, and rounded on the terrified soldier like a personification of death itself. He stared him down, his gaze burning into him.
"Care to say that again soldier?"
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Marle Daviau
General
The Lance of the North
One word of encouragement, One person believing in me, It's all I need to become stronger.
Posts: 436
Illia Fame: 2
Affinity: Ice
OoC Alias: Marle
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Post by Marle Daviau on Jun 4, 2010 23:14:53 GMT -6
Marle walked closer, upon seeing Arthis doing discipline to one of the soldiers under her command. As she neared, the bruise on the man's jaw was quite visible, and painful in the way it looked. Still, she couldn't help but grin at it, she could remember being kicked off a pegasus during training, as well as being physically kicked by one...it wasn't pleasant that's for sure. Using her lance as a walking stick, she slightly supported herself with it, but still, she was mostly strong on her own.
Realizing that Arthis addressed her with a salute, she gave a nod in acknowledgment, until the voice carried from on behind him, from the now ranked soldiers. Their faces were slightly shadowed from the sun and their helmets, so it was hard to make out who said it, until Arthis addressed the fellow, and the way he stiffened gave him away.
With a slight frown, she held up a hand to touch Arthis' shoulder to halt him, and then moved by him.
"You, come forward. Now."
Once the fellow came forwards, Marle put a hand into her pocket, and tightened her grip on her lance, steadying herself.
"I imagine a lot of you feel the same way as this fellow. Lets get this out into the open now, before it festers and bursts during a time when we all must be strong. So, out with it..."
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Arthis
The "Before" years
[M:0]
Posts: 43
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Post by Arthis on Jun 6, 2010 10:22:32 GMT -6
At her command, Arthis stepped aside, and all eyes were on this soldier. He looked nervous, but at the order, spoke. Though his voice probably could have been overshadowed by a mouse.
"Well...erm...Ma'am...we...um..." Arthis shot a glare to the man that seemed to suggest her should speak before he pounded him through the ground.
"We'd heard about the previous mission, and we're worried about...um...your...command ability..."
The last two words were barely a whisper, and the entire lot of them went quiet. Arthis knew how he wanted to respond, but Marle needed to take command. This was her outfit, meaning she had to ultimately be the one in charge. He looked from the panicking soldier to her, wondering how she would respond to the criticism of her leadership.
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Marle Daviau
General
The Lance of the North
One word of encouragement, One person believing in me, It's all I need to become stronger.
Posts: 436
Illia Fame: 2
Affinity: Ice
OoC Alias: Marle
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Post by Marle Daviau on Jun 6, 2010 12:44:50 GMT -6
Marle met his eyes even though the soldier had left her's long before. Her eyes seemed tired, and exhausted, like it was a fight to even be on her feet, but she stood resolute. Once he finished, though she had strained to hear what was last said, a small nod, an understanding nod, was given in response. Holding out her arms, cradling her lance upon both hands, she let the man see the battle damage that had suffered it from the previous encounter. Her blade was battered, dulled and needed repair, but there was also dried blood in the nicks of the blade.
"I felt the same as you, when I was placed under command for the first time. As well, I didn't feel my commander was an adequate leader, since the man was born of a wealthy mercenary family and had no previous exploits."
Marle trailed for a moment, and began to laugh, as she rubbed her cheek, it felt like it was burning, but that was just her imagination of a past experience.
"I was vocal about it too, and earned me a firm backhand for insubordination." She added emphasis onto the last word, eyes narrowing, but she wasn't like that, not right now, too tired. "I never brought it up again. It wasn't my place to decide the leadership qualities of my superiors. Nor is it yours."
She plucked back her weapon, and rested it into her right shoulder, with the butt into the ground, looking rather relaxed in this pose.
"It's true, my last command failed. It was a hasty assortment of recruits, who were ill-prepared for the environment, but that's no excuse for my failure. No. I take my failure in stride. I know what I must do now, how to be a better leader, how to keep you all alive, and so I'll trust all of you, if you will trust me. A foundation needs to be strong to uphold the entire building, and so must we too, be strong."
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Arthis
The "Before" years
[M:0]
Posts: 43
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Post by Arthis on Jun 7, 2010 15:53:17 GMT -6
Arthis watched and analyzed her. She maintained her strength, but also her compassion. Not bad for a rookie. He nodded as she finished, turning to the recruits who seemed impressed by the answer.
"All right! Break is over, back to work the lot of you! One of you better be able to land a blow on me by sundown or you'll all be working with me personally tomorrow! And if you can walk by the end of that day, we'll try it again!" The recruits ran off, back to training themselves. They actually had some drive now, some motivation beyond survival. Survival was a good motivator, but only in a life or death situation. By that time, it was usually too late, but fear was an excellent motivator for these times.
Once they were out of earshot, he turned to Marle. "Well said. You still don't look well, are you here to train or just watch your new troops?"
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