Edward Zobek
Sage
Posts: 46
Profession: Viscount of Ligure
Affiliation: Knights Radiant
Affinity: Light
Profile: Edward Zobek
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Post by Edward Zobek on Dec 17, 2014 18:09:27 GMT -6
“What you feel hardly matters at this point,” said Edward in a darkly matter-of-fact tone. However polite the boy’s defiance was, it was still defiance, and Edward was hardly in the mood for it given the circumstances. “But please, continue to defy me. It can only get worse for you." He shook his head. "I wouldn’t expect more from the kind of craven, predatory scum that abducts young women. The world can’t see enough of your kind sunk to the deeps.” The bitterness of past battles echoed in the old viscount's voice as he pushed off of the mantel. He knew plenty of pirates. A greedy, desperate, violent lot. Edward had never cared much for criminals or their excuses. They were all predators, something which, in the viscount's mind, there was no excuse for. Indeed, the disdain etched a sharp scowl into the knight's face as he turned once again toward's the pirate youth.
It took him little more than a second to spot the young man’s hand buried within his bag. The knight’s body tensed.
“Monroe, move Nora away,” Edward barked, gesturing for Monroe to pull the young princess away. He rose his other hand aggressively towards the downed pirate, his fingers sparkling with light. “Get your hand out of your bag,” he said, his words terse and commanding. The youth still had some pluck in him it seemed. Not entirely unexpected. A defeated pirate typically did one of two things: give up at the first sign of trouble, or fight until the bitter end, so if Edward’s experience had taught him anything, the man was probably dreaming up an escape. What was in the bag? A weapon? If it was a knife, Edward could disarm the boy in seconds, but there was no guarantee that it was just a knife. “Now.”
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Nora
Archer
Posts: 48
Profession: Pain in Edward's A$$
Affiliation: The Etrurian Throne
Affinity: Light
Profile: Link
OoC Alias: Charlie
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Post by Nora on Dec 30, 2014 13:00:19 GMT -6
With Nora still sitting on Monroe’s lap, the two had been watching the exchange between Edward and Ephraim, barely able to keep their mouths from hanging agape. Like Edward, Monroe especially had been expecting a much different response from Nora’s captor, but he supposed he couldn’t complain that the young man was essentially harmless. It was likely that fact that allowed Monroe and Mr. Zobek to catch up with the pair and reclaim Nora from his clutches.
As soon as Edward instructed Monroe to move Nora away, Monroe sprung to his feet, scooping Nora and quickly moving towards the door. As he did, though, he passed the window Ephraim and Nora had likely entered through, catching a glimpse of three burly men approaching the cabin. Eyes widening, Monroe guessed they still had about 100 feet before the men were upon the front door, and once they were they would have little time to react.
“Mr. Zobek,” Monroe finally spoke, eyes tearing away from the approaching men as he moved away from the window, setting Nora down on the ground. “I believe the boy’s friends have found us. Three of them”
Nora’s head instantly whipped to the window; she couldn’t see anything, but she more than trusted Monroe. The girl knew she was important in some sense, but did her existence really warrant all of this? “How can we stop them? They’re right outside, aren’t they?” While Nora tried to be brave, her voice could help but shake a bit with worry. She’d only ever shot arrows at rabbits and squirrels, and only from far away; how could she help if they were right upon them?
Monroe seemed to have a plan, though. “Nora, stay here,” the blue haired man said, though not without a resigned sigh as he looked over to Mr. Zobek. “Sir, I’m going to take care of them best I can. Please, watch the boy and protect Nora.” He had planned to move Nora out of this room to allow Edward to deal with the boy and whatever it was he was grasping for in his bag, but at this point there was a much more apparent and immediate threat that needed to be dealt with. And while he’d have preferred to request Mr. Zobek to help him, someone did need to keep the boy from absconding with Nora.
“I can help you Monroe!” Nora said, placing herself between him and the door. “Ephraim has my bow, so I can sit in the back of the room and shoot to scare them.”
“Nora, no,” Monroe sternly replied; the girl was being ridiculous if she thought he would place her into danger. “Close the door best you can behind me,” he said as he drew his sword, walking through the door frame they had kicked through only moments ago. Nora furiously furrowed her brow, moving to close the door as he’d requested. It wouldn’t stay shut as one of the hinges was broken, but there was a small table nearby she was able to block the door with.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2015 14:30:52 GMT -6
Ephraim looked at Edward as calmly as he could trying to conceal emotions now. His daze was slowly clearing and he was able to take in the surroundings much better by the second. "Alright, here is my hand." Ephraim released the mine and raised up both arms in a sign of surrender. If he was not careful this knight would strike him dead without another thought.
The 'boy's friends' were here? No, only he, the captain and First Mate knew anything of these people. Something was terribly wrong. He could feel it. "I don't have any friends in these parts, let alone THREE that could be accounted for. I was a single man operation." Keeping his surrendered pose he slowly made his way to stand. "Don't kill me... please." Slowly and cautiously he unslung the bow and arrows dropping them to the floor. With a little kick he tried to send them to Nora. His eyes ever on Edward.
"In my bag is a mine. It is inactive now, and with the Lady I planted a special rune. Use them and you can offer time to get away. I'll let you take my things." Ephraim turned around exposing his bag. "If it was armed it would blow all of us up. I don't particularly fancy dying." Ephraim tilted his head forward and gave it a shake. "No chance I could get off with a never let me see your face again? ...No?" he never bothered looking, he could feel the answer. "What if I help you deal with those men? I can't exactly outrun magic after all and I won't win a fight with a knight. I keep my word. Especially to a lady." He looked to Nora without turning his body. "I'm sorry. But if you can ever forgive me, I will fight for you."
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Edward Zobek
Sage
Posts: 46
Profession: Viscount of Ligure
Affiliation: Knights Radiant
Affinity: Light
Profile: Edward Zobek
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Post by Edward Zobek on Jan 18, 2015 0:59:48 GMT -6
Edward watched Monroe walk out the door with a mild anxiousness. If this pirate wasn't lying through his teeth, then perhaps the men outside weren't of an aggressive disposition. That being said, if the viscount heard fighting, he would be the first to rush to the younger knight's aid, but hopefully Sir Monroe would be able to keep things from coming to blows. So with eyes like daggers, he turned his attention back on the pirate, before motioning for princess Nora to pick up the bow that had been pushed in her direction.
"Pick up your bow and please stand behind me, Eleonora," commanded the old knight. As ever the traditionalist, there was a pang of oddness that came with giving orders to a member of the royal family, but now was not the time to be adhering to royal custom. Sir Monroe didn't. The princess was, after all, just a girl, and on top of that had no idea how to deal with a situation like this. As not only her elder but her better, Edward had little issue taking charge of the situation.
"You," he said with a deadly finger pointed at the younger man, "I won't kill if you continue to cooperate. Put the bag on the ground and kick it over to me." The old knight's finger drifted from the boy's hands to his own feet, then back, making sure not to leave its target for more than a few seconds at a time. It was then that Edward spotted a tangle of rope lying not a few feet away from them. Hmm, that would do. The knight sidled over to the cords, his finger still affixed on the pirate, then picked up the rope and began untangling it with his free hand.
"On second thought, kick the bag to Eleonora. After she picks up the bag, I'm going to be binding you. Approach me facing away from me with your hands behind your back. Do not struggle. This is not a suggestion."
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Solomon
Manakete
The best way to befriend a hungry dragon is to give him food.
Posts: 39
Profession: Dragon
Affinity: Light
Dragon Element: Ice
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Solomon on Jan 19, 2015 19:37:37 GMT -6
Mr. Zobek had been here hasn't he? He could tell. The little dragon looked around the woods with a sort of wanderlust, until he came across something that caught his interest. He stopped walking, turning is head around, his face pointed slightly upward as if he was looking for something in the trees. His eyes caught sounds that carried themselves in the silent woods, and he could smell familiar scents. He recognized one in particular, not that he was a tracking dog or anything, but Dragons had a better sense of smell then humans. Well some do. Maybe. He had been focusing his senses for a while now, looking for some animals, so that's how he probably caught it. Or something. He didn't know a lot about dragons. Humans either. In fact he knew very little about anything. What he did know, however, was that Mr. Zobek went this way.
So he followed, curious as Solomon often is, what was he doing in the forest? Wasn't he doing important stuff? That's why he left him in the first place, he was busy and didn't need annoying little Solomons wandering around and making him worry, getting caught underfoot and making him trip and break his face. Also he was hungry, but that went without saying. He was hungry all the time, he ate very little actually. He ate like a human, but he was hungry like a dragon. Of course seeing a kid his size devour more then their body literally should be able to hold tended to put people off, and confused. Confused people asked questions, Solomon knew this because he asked lots of questions because he was always confused. The less people suspect him though, the less they think he's a dragon and the less likely they are to kill him for being a dragon. It's something that was always on his mind. It was the real reason he wasn't with Mr. Zobek at the moment, so he wouldn't have to worry so much for a little bit.
He reached up and itched his ear a bit as he followed the trail left behind by humans, quickly paced, but still kinda slow because of his little legs. The closer he got, the more he began to overhear. People talking, something something something, wasn't very clear. It wasn't voices he recognized though. A girl, some guy, or a very high pitched guy and a deep voiced girl maybe. Then someone shouted about someone being hurt? Wait was that- He scooted forward faster as a scuffle broke out and a lot of voices began to sort of overlap. As he got close however, he started to see other people. Carrying those metal pointy things humans used to hurt each other, weapons. As he saw them come he sort of panicked, instead of going to see Mr. Zobek who wasn't very far by now, instead he sort of scrambled up a tree, quickly climbing up the bark and hiding in the branches as they passed by. They were going the same way. He was lucky they didn't notice him, he kind of stood out. Then again maybe they just thought he was a rabbit or something.
He watched as they passed under where he had been, and kept moving, Solomon frowning the entire time. He was worried about Mr. Zobek, these people seemed to be going the same way he had. Of course just because people had weapons it didn't make them bad. Mr. Pendragon had a sword, and he remembered some guy who waved an axe around at him and he was just confused and actually was a nice guy. These people were probably nice guys too, right? He was naive, but he wasn't clueless about bandits. He went out of his way to avoid them on his travels, and he knew they existed, but it was hard to imagine anyone actually doing that. Why would anyone want to hurt other people? That wasn't very nice. So while he was worried, he assumed the best. They might be friends he just didn't know yet, right?
So why was he hiding? Uh... Solomon's shy? So the incredibly meek and timid dragon followed the people with weapons from the treetops, watching what they were doing. With completely reasonable apprehension that in no way could be confused with fear. All the way outside of some... little house thingy. He could hear Mr. Zobek from inside, but he just watched from up in the trees. He saw someone with blue hair he didn't recognize, but he didn't recognize most people. Humans all looked so different from each other.
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Nora
Archer
Posts: 48
Profession: Pain in Edward's A$$
Affiliation: The Etrurian Throne
Affinity: Light
Profile: Link
OoC Alias: Charlie
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Post by Nora on Jan 22, 2015 12:52:15 GMT -6
Nora didn’t hesitate to grab her bow from the ground when instructed by Mr. Zobek, though she felt strange responding to her full name instead of just Nora. Regardless, she instantly grabbed it up from the ground along with her quiver before moving to stand beside the older man. The Etrurian girl didn’t stand directly behind him as she was told, wanting to keep an eye on her kidnapper as well as the door herself. Mr. Zobek seemed to be able to hold his own, but Nora could too now that she had her bow back.
It was frustrating that she couldn’t help Monroe. Sure, it was dangerous, but it couldn’t be any less dangerous than being in this room with Ephraim, who had just revealed that there was a mine in his bag. Nora took a step back as soon as he mentioned the mine, and her hand dove into her pocket at the mention of what he called a special rune. Her hand wrapped around the small, circular stone which was inscribed with a strange design the young woman had never seen before. She worried it might be another mine, so she placed it in front of her at her feet.
Nora’s head turned sharply as Mr. Zobek instructed Ephraim to kick the bag over to her, interrupting him as he finished instructing the young man as to how he would be bound. “What do you mean ‘after I pick up the bag?’ He just said there’s a mine in it, I’m not touching that bag! What if it explodes?!”
Mines, runes, pirates... All of this was beginning to be too much for her. As soon as Monroe took care of the men outside, all Nora wanted was to go back home with him and go back to their daily life. She’d listen to everything he told her to do, and she wouldn’t ever run away like this again.
[OOC: Will advance Monroe and the pirates after another round w/ the people inside the room]
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2015 12:34:09 GMT -6
Ephraim could not resist his exasperated sigh. This was... frustrating now. It seems that there would be no more negotiating, not that it ever worked for him. "Alright, alright. I'll set the bag on the ground but I will NOT kick it. Mines can be touchy even unarmed. I hope you understand."
It was almost painfully slow but he set about unlatching the bag. With the bag undone it sagged low before the straps unrolled from the belt falling free into his hands. Without turning around he slowly knelt down placing the bag on the floor. "I promise it is not armed and I won't try anything."
Ephraim stepped forward with arms up and moved against the wall. "Alright, the bag is yours." Ephraim laid his head against the wall and sighed. "If you don't pick it up then mister knight over there can not bind my arms behind my back, or whatever he plans to do to me."
In a weird way, this took him back a bit. He remembered when the crew had him bind his arms and walk the plank. It was quite the terrifying experience. But managing the stay above the water was an important feat. It showed him that if you stay calm you will overcome all trials. Even if it is exhausting or takes time. Now was no different. Tolerate the old man and he would be fine. Even if he was imprisoned he could get out. "You sure you can't just let me go?"
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Edward Zobek
Sage
Posts: 46
Profession: Viscount of Ligure
Affiliation: Knights Radiant
Affinity: Light
Profile: Edward Zobek
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Post by Edward Zobek on Feb 2, 2015 17:18:07 GMT -6
"No, I cannot," said Edward. He sighed as he crouched down to pick up the bag that the two youths had refused to move, then placed it on a moth-ridden old bed as he walked past. Considering his peerage in addition to his former rank as knight commander, the Etrurian wasn't used to being talked back to by children Eleonora's age, but he had to remind himself that, for all Sir Monroe's efforts, she had probably not been raised with the propriety or manners that befit her station. There was also the fact that she was a teenage girl, and Edward, having a daughter himself, knew what that was like.
As for the pirate, the old knight didn’t expect much of his character in the first place, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when he refused to follow directions. He didn’t move the bag, and he didn’t place his arms behind his back as instructed, despite the fact that he acknowledged that Edward had told him to do so. Edward was losing his patience. He walked over to Ephraim, huffing as he did so, and made a motion to grab the young vagrant’s hands, currently above his head, and bind them behind his back.
“Check on, Monroe,” he said, looking at Eleonora and gesturing his head towards the window. "See if he's alright." He couldn’t hear a commotion, not yet at least, but if things went south, the two of them, and their hostage, would need to be ready upon opening the door.
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Nora
Archer
Posts: 48
Profession: Pain in Edward's A$$
Affiliation: The Etrurian Throne
Affinity: Light
Profile: Link
OoC Alias: Charlie
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Post by Nora on Feb 10, 2015 23:46:00 GMT -6
Monroe bounced on the balls of his toes, eyes locked on the front door as he waited to hear the approaching men arrive at the front door. Only problem was, it was hard to hear over the commotion coming from the room he’d left Nora and Mr. Zobek in. The walls in this little house were mighty thin, to the point that Monroe could hear the three of them bickering instead of what he wanted to hear. He sighed, moving closer to the front door and waiting to hear -
BANGBANGBANG! There it was! Sword in hand, Monroe threw the door up, which instantly knocked the pirate closest to him to the ground. Wasting no time, the navy-haired man took the opportunity to grab the closest man to him by the shoulder, forcefully stabbing his blade through the man’s stomach with a yell. The knight was angry, no, furious that these ruffians had found him and Nora. He hadn’t done a good enough job of keeping them hidden, had he? They’d had one too many fights, or she’d run off one too many times.
Monroe yanked the blade from the pirate’s stomach, foot kicking out at the pirate who’d fallen to the ground and was trying to get back to his feet. Instead, Monroe’s booted foot connected with his face, flooring him again as his still-standing buddy pulled his axe from his belt and charged Monroe, swinging at his head. Monroe ducked, lunging at the man’s torso. The two grabbed for each other’s weapon hands before tumbling to the ground.
---
“Mr. Zobek, he’s in trouble!” Nora yelled over her shoulder anxiously, jumping down from the bed. She’d listened to the older man when he’d told her to check on Monroe, mostly because, well, she’d wanted to anyways. But of course, when she’d hopped up onto the bed to peek out of the high window she’d seen Monroe crashing to the ground along with another of the pirates. You didn’t have to be a genius to know he needed help.
Running to the door and pushing the table from in front of it, Nora flung the door open, whipping around to face Mr. Zobek, who was still finishing tying up Ephraim’s hands behind his back. Nora furrowed her brow as she pointed out the door. “Ephraim will be fine, we have to help Monroe, come on!”
With that, Nora shot towards the front, nearly tripping over something in front of the door as she did. Instead, she looked down, gasping as she saw the blood-stained grass and the dying pirate’s body splayed out in front of her, blocking her exit. But it wouldn’t have mattered anyways. Even with a bow and arrows in hand, even with Monroe in danger, she couldn’t move, tearing eyes locked on the man bleeding out in front of her. She’d never seen... so much blood.
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Solomon
Manakete
The best way to befriend a hungry dragon is to give him food.
Posts: 39
Profession: Dragon
Affinity: Light
Dragon Element: Ice
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Solomon on Feb 13, 2015 11:35:54 GMT -6
That's where Mr. Zobek was, Solomon could smell it. Er hear it. A little bit of both actually. He leapt from tree to tree as he followed the people heading towards the building, it wasn't too difficult as he climbed trees all the time. He made mighty little leaps from branch to branch, but he wasn't particularly heavy and didn't make too much noise, they never even looked his way. They were busy talking and fighting about something they probably couldn't even notice him if they wanted. He could overhear what they were talking about, but he didn't understand it. They were talking about something weird, a girl? Money? Some guy named Herschel was missing or something.
That's when he reached the point where he saw the blue haired man, Solomon gasped as he saw the man barreling out and stabbing the man near the door in the gut with his sword. The dragon covered his mouth but stayed silent as his eyes grew wide, he's never actually... seen someone die. Not like that. People died in Arcadia, age, sickness, he was there and watched as Mrs. Kali stopped moving, but... That man killed the other. Just a stab with his sword, and then that man wasn't alive any more. That was how humans were though, wasn't it? Violent, killing others, that's what they did to the dragons isn't it? That's what they'd do to him if they knew. Solomon didn't want to die.
His breaths grew shallow, scared, really though what did he expect? These people came with weapons, they weren't going to do anything nice to the people inside the house. Just because he's never seen fighting and death didn't mean he didn't know it existed, he wasn't an idiot. He just preferred to think it never happened. He didn't like the thought of people getting hurt, even if they were bad people. Who was a bad person anyways? Was it the people who came, or the blue haired man? The man with blue hair was with Mr. Zobek, but he killed that man before he did anything. There was man on the ground trying to get up, and he was doing something that looked like wrestling with the final one.
What did Solomon do? Does he just watch as this happens? Watch and do nothing? He was just a kid, no Solomon you're not a kid. Everyone said you were a kid, that you didn't understand, that you couldn't understand. Solomon wasn't a kid anymore, and he couldn't just sit there and watch, pretending things like this didn't happen. It just, it, it scared him. He had to do something though, only a kid would sit around complaining about being unable to do a thing, but what? Who? He clutched his at his arm, feeling a band of metal that was underneath the thin cloth, a smooth gem sitting engraved in. He hid it, his dragonstone, but with it he could maybe help. He couldn't let anyone know he used it though. What could he do that no one would see? Or that he could do that someone his size should be able to do? He felt a chill through his spine, a cool chill, as the power inside the gem subtly flowed into his body. His eyes grew sharp, like a lizards, and his teeth grew a bit pointier then normal. Hope he didn't bite his tongue. He could almost feel parts of his skin become scaled, but he stopped and backed it off. That was too much, that was too obvious.
The little dragon took a deep breath as he thought of what he could do. He had two ideas, one was to run away and turn into a dragon and roar as loud as he could. Hoping it would scare them away, but to do that he'd have to get really far so no one saw him transform or see him in his dragon form. He might also scare Mr. Zobek, and the people in town too though. He didn't want to do that. The second was this.
Solomon leapt from the branches of the trees, above that poor man who keeps getting knocked down over and over. He had gotten up a third time and pulled out a sword, probably going to try and hurt the blue haired man wrestling. That wasn't fair, attacking someone from behind while they were doing something else. So Solomon attacked him from behind while he was doing something else. As he fell he held out his foot out, spearing through the air like a missile and crashing directly into the man's back, sending him toppling to the ground with the small white haired boy standing on his body. Either way the guy was clearly not getting up a third time, the fact he (only hopefully) passed out made that even more likely. Oh sorry. He hopped off the man's back, that probably would hurt a lot.
He felt the bits of power in his body ebb away, his face losing the small hints of draconic lineage it held a moment ago. He was still very much stronger then a boy his size had any right to be, but he wouldn't be dropkicking people from trees again. "Hey!" He said, or shouted, or somewhere in between. "Are you alright?" He asked to the blue haired man, who was grappling someone who he was gonna dropkick instead, but it was difficult with how they were rolling around on the ground like that. He didn't want to hurt the wrong person on accident. Actually he didn't want to hurt anyone at all really, but he didn't want to see people get hurt either. Especially if they were Mr. Zobek's friends.
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Edward Zobek
Sage
Posts: 46
Profession: Viscount of Ligure
Affiliation: Knights Radiant
Affinity: Light
Profile: Edward Zobek
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Post by Edward Zobek on Mar 5, 2015 11:56:04 GMT -6
Fortunately Edward had just finished binding the pirate’s hands when Eleonora called for his help. The old knight could hear the shouting and yelling outside, so he trusted that the princess wasn’t overreacting, but he wasn’t about to follow her direction and leave Ephraim in this hut to simply let him escape. No, the kidnapper would be coming with whether he liked it or not.
“You will walk in front of me,” Edward ordered as he attempted to pull Ephraim in front of him and push him towards the door with unmistakable command. “Head forward, no sudden movements, and no speaking.”
This was not the first time the older man had taken prisoners, that was for sure. He grabbed the younger man by his bindings, picked up the bag the pirate had relinquished from off of the table and slung it over his shoulder, then grabbed his walking stick which had been leaning against the wall. In truth the viscount currently looked more like a simple traveler than he did a knight saving a princess, and if not for his captive, would be easily mistakable as such.
“Move.”
The command was firm and insistant. Not one to be taken lightly, and not one to be disobeyed, and as the two left the cabin, Edward's hand began to glow with a readied spell as the old knight preapred to blast the first man he saw with a face full of searing light. But what the viscount saw next surprised him. One of the two strange men was passed out on the ground while Monroe grappled about on the ground with the other. From here Edward could not see who had the advantage, but Monroe's aggressor was on top. Solomon was even there, standing over them awkwardly, not knowing what to do. The viscount couldn't help but wonder when the child had shown up, but there really wasn't any time for questions.
"Aside, Solomon!" shouted Edward, pushing Ephraim down and throwing his right hand over his captive's shoulder. The old knight's fingers flashed brilliantly, and a spiraling bolt of heavenly light drove straight into the side of the thug's head. The concussive force threw the man from Monroe, immediately knocking him unconcious, and Edward charged forward to check on his fellow knight.
"Monroe, Solomon, are you alright?" he asked, parroting Solomon.
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Nora
Archer
Posts: 48
Profession: Pain in Edward's A$$
Affiliation: The Etrurian Throne
Affinity: Light
Profile: Link
OoC Alias: Charlie
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Post by Nora on Mar 9, 2015 12:44:45 GMT -6
Monroe had never been one to follow combat rules to a T, especially when presented with a dishonorable opponent. Of course, the navy-haired man was a knight, and with that came a code that he had to follow. But rarely did his enemy follow those same rules, as clearly evidenced by these moral-less men here to kidnap a girl for pay, likely leading her to her death at the hands of madmen and zealots.
The thought of it absolutely enraged the man, and as Monroe wrestled with the last standing – well, conscious – pirate on the dry grass, he barely thought about the myriad of combat rules he was likely breaking. His hands, elbows, knees, feet, hell, even his head searched for any weak exposed weak point on the man’s body, looking to cause him as much pain as possible. He jammed his knee into the man’s privates as hard as he could to try and get him off from on top of him. Curses erupted from the filthy man’s mount as Monroe’s right hand shot out, intending to connect with the man’s eyes, when he heard the Viscount’s booming command:
“Aside, Solomon!” While not directed at him, Monroe was going to hazard a guess and say that the Grandmaster had readied an attack to finish off one of the remaining pirates. Monroe didn’t hesitate as he threw another knee into the pirate’s stomach, eliciting a loud moan and separating their bodies’ just enough to allow the Grandmaster’s attack to connect with his temple. Monroe braced himself and watched as the man’s body flew across the field in rag-doll fashion. As soon as he saw that the man didn’t stir at all, Monroe sighed with relief, pulling himself to his feet and retrieving his sword.
Now able to split his attention, Monroe saw Zobek standing with the pirate who’d kidnapped Nora, but he also saw another boy, small with snow-white hair, and who couldn’t have been more than nine or ten years old. This must have been Solomon, Monroe supposed, but where had he come from? He was lucky Monroe had kicked the other pirate hard enough to knock him out, then, but even then, Monroe could have sworn he’d seen the man stir while he was still grappling with his buddy.
“I’ve dealt with worse,” Monroe shrugged, breaths still a bit haggard as he used his cloak to wipe the blood from his blade. No need for it to rust, after all.
“But ah, thank you Sir,” Monroe said, eyes focused on Zobek before glancing back to the cabin. “Now, where’s...”
Before the navy-haired knight could finish his inquiry, he spotted exactly who he was looking for, though she looked dreadful. Standing flesh against the small shack’s wall, just beside the door, her eyes were glassy saucers as they stared at the man Monroe had stabbed upon bursting out of the cabin. His heart ached deeply as he sheathed his sword, quickly moving over to Nora and kneeling down so his eyes were level with hers.
“Nora, look at me sweetheart,” Monroe attempted to coo, a weak smile coming to him as he placed his arms gently on his shoulders. “It’s over, okay? None of them can hurt you now.”
Nora’s eyes finally connected with Monroe’s, and she instantly burst into tears, dropping her bow and quiver and wrapping her arms around her retainer. Monroe returned her embrace, tightly holding the young woman in what he theorized could be one of the last hugs they would give one another for a long, long time. With the threat of the kidnappers gone, there was nothing to distract him from thinking of what was coming. Nora was not a daft girl, and with everything that had happened today, she was sure to ask –
“Monroe,” she sniffled, wiping her face on her shoulder as she pulled back to look at Monroe again. She didn’t have to finish for Monroe to know what she was going to ask, but he let her finish anyway.
“Please, can we go home?” The pink-haired girl pleaded. She was shaken, upset by what she had seen, and because of that, there was no way Monroe could tell her no. Instead he stuttered for a moment before falling silent. As much as he’d wanted Nora to hear it from him, Monroe couldn’t bear to disappoint the young woman. She’d already been through so much, how could he handle being yet another person letting her down and leaving her?
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Edward Zobek
Sage
Posts: 46
Profession: Viscount of Ligure
Affiliation: Knights Radiant
Affinity: Light
Profile: Edward Zobek
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Post by Edward Zobek on Mar 23, 2015 15:46:29 GMT -6
Edward was no stranger to tears. As a knight, he’d watched children tearfully say their goodbyes to their fathers as they marched off to war, and he’d watched many a mother cry into her husband’s arms when their son never returned. It happened more than he cared to admit, but it was a fact of life. And he had not always been an observer. Leaving Asthore and Gabriel behind to go fight in the Western Isles had been one of the hardest things Edward had ever had to do, and leaving Gabriel and Iadra behind with his parents after his wife’s death had been even harder. But through it all, the old knight had made it his duty to never shed a tear. He had always made sure to be the rock that his family, friends, and comrades alike could rely on for stability and assurance.
No child wants to see their father cry, and no soldier wants to see their commander weep. Some may see the inability to mourn over fallen friend’s corpse as heartless, but everyone looks towards that same man minutes later when the enemy comes bearing down upon them.
But despite the many long years worth of stone walls that the old knight had built to encase his humanly fragile heart from the tragedies his life had thrown at him, Edward’s heart couldn’t keep from falling as he watched Eleonora sob into Monroe’s shoulder. He could still feel Iadra’s head buried into his breast, her wet eyes soaking his shirt as her slender arms wrapped around him with a remarkable strength, drawn from her desire to never let her father go. Kraft’s tyranny had already taken his son from his side. He never spent a day not wondering if his son still looked up and saw the same sky he did. The last thing Edward had wanted was to leave his daughter at that convent, but he knew it had been his only option. He needed to give her a safety he couldn’t provide.
And now he had to take Eleonora, a poor girl who had been through so much at such a young age, from what was probably the only place she felt safe so that people she had never even met could have a better future. It seemed cruel, but Edward knew it was the only option. They needed to go to Etruria. They needed to prepare to bring hope back to the people that had suffered so much under a dictator’s rule.
But was that worth stripping this girl of one more night with the closest thing she had to a father?
“Yes, let’s get you home,” said Edward answering in Monroe’s stead. He held out a hand to help the larger of the two up, assuming that the teenager’s monkey grip would carry her up along with him. “It’s been a trying day. We can talk more in the morning.”
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Nora
Archer
Posts: 48
Profession: Pain in Edward's A$$
Affiliation: The Etrurian Throne
Affinity: Light
Profile: Link
OoC Alias: Charlie
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Post by Nora on Apr 6, 2015 12:03:48 GMT -6
While Edward’s concession of another night before having to say goodbye to Nora was appreciated, Monroe’s stomach filled with dread as he lay awake, watching as the rising sun peeked through the window. Nora had clung to him through most of the night in their shared bed, which was a welcome change considering most nights the teen kicked him off to retire to one of his old cots they normally used for hunting. While it pained him to think about Nora having to be told about everything going on, Monroe knew it had to happen. They’d saved the conversation for today, as Monroe knew once it happened, Nora wouldn’t want to be anywhere near Monroe any longer.
Monroe had set the two cots up for Edward and the little boy – Solomon, as he’d later introduced himself – and the two had used them in some capacity after the troupe dropped off the kidnapper with the sheriff’s office for the night, until they could properly transport him on their own. Edward still lay on his cot, though he’d likely rise soon since it was dawn. Solomon, though, had disappeared in the middle of the night; Monroe assumed he’d slipped of as the caretaker tried to soothe Nora back to sleep from a nightmare, but considering Edward had warned of the small boy’s predisposition to, well, disappear at a moment’s notice, Monroe didn’t worry when he saw the boy’s cot empty. There was too much going through his mind, anyways.
One thing he’d unfortunately come to understand through the course of the night was how they’d been found. He still wasn’t 100% certain, but he was very aware that, since moving himself and Nora to Wilderose, there was only one person outside of the Knights Radiant was his good friend Jon. Unless someone in the Knights had leaked the information of their whereabouts, the only person left to betray their location was him. Somehow, someway the Prophet’s Intelligence had gotten to the once trustworthy man, likely threatened his own family’s safety if he didn’t reveal their location. What a fool Monroe had been, sharing with anyone besides the Knights.
Nora stirred next to Monroe; the navy haired man’s eyes shot to the young woman, noticing her furrowed brows and sour expression. Was she having another nightmare? Monroe lightly shook the pink-haired princess’s shoulder.
“Nora, are you okay?” His voice was barely above a whisper, his tone a gentle dove’s coo. He knew if she was just waking, it wouldn’t be long before the questions began.
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By the time they’d gotten back to the house the night previous, Nora didn’t think she had a tear left in her body to cry. She was exhausted, terrified, and confused, but she barely had enough energy to keep her eyes open as Monroe laid her down in the bed, let alone ask any questions about what was going on. On any other night she’d moan and groan about having to share with the tall, broad-shouldered man, but she wouldn’t let him out of her sight now, begging him to stay with her as they took Ephraim to the sherrif’s office. Monroe obliged her, and she slept as well as she could.
Since leaving Etruria Nora only had the nightmares every so often, but that night they plagued her to no end. Countless times her mind’s eye forced her to relive her escape from the castle, finding out her father had been executed, being separated from her mother and brothers. Oh how she wished she could see her mother once more; it had been so long she could barely remember her face, let alone her soothing voice. Maybe one day soon she’d get to see her and her brothers again.
Nora stretched, covering her face with her right hand to block the light from the window. She’d never been a late sleeper, but now she wouldn’t have minded if she never had to leave her bed, this safe place with Monroe at her side to protect her.
“Mmmhmm,” Nora hummed in response to Monroe’s question as she yawned, her arms leaving Monroe for a moment as her muscles stretched a bit more. They instantly latched back onto him as his hand moved to rest on the top of her head.
“Good,” the man sighed, his chest buzzing under Nora’s ear. There was a long pause, but before long Monroe said the word’s Nora dreaded hearing.
“We should be getting up soon.”
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Edward Zobek
Sage
Posts: 46
Profession: Viscount of Ligure
Affiliation: Knights Radiant
Affinity: Light
Profile: Edward Zobek
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Post by Edward Zobek on Apr 10, 2015 12:21:41 GMT -6
Though the others still slept soundly in their beds, Lord Edward Zobek was, in fact, on his way back to the hut, having already been up for hours. The old knight was always an early riser, as the elderly were so stereotyped to be. He would wake up just before dawn, eat his breakfast, run through some drills, do a bit of magical study, then begin performing whatever tasks or errands the day demanded of him. But today had required him to begin a bit early, and because of it Edward had been out of his bed and fully dressed before the sun had even begun thinking about poking its head out over the mountains.
While Monroe had seen to Eleonora after the incident yesterday afternoon, the knight had brought all three of their captive pirates, including Ephraim, to the local sheriff’s office for holding. Today, however, he had made sure to get up early to move the miscreants onto the next leg of their journey before the first ships left port. In just a few hours, the unfortunate souls would find themselves on their way to Etrurian mine of Eburacum, where they would find themselves sweating off their misdeeds with each swing of the miner’s pick. It had cost Edward a bit extra to secure four non-existent seats on the only boat headed that far, but the old knight had wanted to make sure the amount of handoff would be minimal. He didn’t need any of them escaping after all, and perhaps they were finished atoning for their crimes, they would think twice about their current line of work.
Approaching the hut, Edward ran a hand through his snowy white beard. There was a slight twinge in his chest, which he would have normally attributed his gradually aging body, but it was a bit different. He felt no sympathy for the two men that had assaulted Monroe, of that much he could be certain, but he found himself asking himself if it a bit harsh to press an incredibly compliant, admittedly incompetent young kidnapper into physical labor halfway across the continent in a prison mine for an indefinite amount of time. Under normal circumstances yes, but somehow the boy, along with the other two men, had found out about Eleonora, which meant that while Edward was not in the position to figure out exactly how these men had come about such knowledge, or who their associates were, he knew he could, at the very list, tie up loose ends by seeing them imprisoned. It would cover his tracks when he left the village with the young princess, hopefully long enough for the two them to make it safely to Etruria.
“Rise and shine,” he said loudly as he opened the door, in that annoying fatherly drill seargant voice. “It’s already past dawn. The Light has given us another day, and has not done so that we can sleep it away.”
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