Forum Thread

Barry said nervously, “F-fine. Do what you want.” He still looked pretty shaken and then left Sage’s house, running back to his training tree. He found a nearby stump and sat down on that to process everything that had just occured in the few seconds of that knife throw.

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Blossom decided to head back home so that she could help Leaf get set up in case they had anyone come in. So, she pays for her things and returns home.

Blossom: I'm home!

Leaf, of course, was happy to have her lover back. So when she does return, Leaf comes up and they share an embrace and a light peck.

Leaf: Did you find everything?

Blossom: I think so.

The two of them work on putting the medical supplies away

---

Alas, alas
Too broken to stand
But I raise my fist
I close my hand

---

Derek nodded almost instantly in response, knowing that any words from him would send Sylas into an uproar of claiming he was perfectly fine, even despite the drunkard's own statements earlier. Sylas, after throwing back another glass of ale, stood slowly, taking Gwen's arm gratefully. In addition, Derek held on tightly to Sylas' free arm, ensuring that he wouldn't stumble or fall.. After a brief moment, Derek whistled two sharp notes. His foxes trotted ahead of the group, darting out from under a table. With that settled, Derek began to lead the way out of the tavern, ensuring Sylas and Gwen were stable.. Syals was droning on in his drunken tongue, mostly stories of far-fetched ideas, lands beyond compare, and seeing the dead walk again...

"... en' it w's a byoo-t'fil place.. Decorated with all sorts'v flowers, and I sawr my older br'th'r there, too.. Hey's dead, thoow, so Aye'm sure it w's a dream..."

Derek was shockingly unbothered by the story, despite the mention of seeing a dead relative.. Oddly enough, though, the slurred speech described a place very near to Telmar..

A hillside dappled with flowers and sparse of trees...

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Translations:

"...and it was a beautiful place.. Decorated with all sorts of flowers, and I saw my older brother there, too.. He's dead, though, so I'm sure it was a dream..."

Sylas must be crazy Gwen thinks to herself with an amused smile. They likely passed by the flowered hill on their way here, or maybe his land also had a similar environment. That image was messing with his head. Regardless, Gwen waved it off as him being drunk and crazy. "I'm sorry to hear about your older brother, I can understand the heartbreak of losing someone close" somehow she manages to say this smoothly, although her face darkened a bit. She silently listens to him speak and stares at the road ahead.

---

Forlorn watcher,
Foul blooded king
Raise your stature
Bow to the ring..

---

Sylas let out a laugh comparable to that which an animal might make. He barked out his laugh without a care in the world, being lead out of the tavern with glee. Derek offered a glance towards Gwen out of the very corner of his eye, as if he might understand what she had said a little better. Still, he didn't speak much in the presence of Sylas, knowing just how volatile the drunkard could be...

That, of course, didn't stop Sylas from rambling on.

"Oh, nawh, I b'rely knew hey'ad been kell't, I on'y found out wh'n I saw hem thur.. We got to a-talking, though, it was ney-ace.. Though, I will a-say... Esserpresing hew many of 'em want'ya t'just.. Let em go..."

Sylas droned on for some good time as the three traveled towards their destination, but those few lines were really all that stood out from the blissful drunk's monologue..

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Translations:
"Oh, naw, I barely knew he'd been killed, I only found out when I saw him there.. We got to talking, though, it was nice.. Though, I will say... It's surprising how many of them want you to just.. Let them go..."

He really believes these crazy fantasies. Talking to the dead? That was all crazy talk, it was impossible. Perhaps it was just a way for Sylas to cope with death. She couldn't judge too harshly, afterall, her way wasn't much better.

The inn was just ahead. Gwen glances at her solider, who was nervously walking next to her. She seemed uncomfortable, probably because she was basically standing around while Gwen was working. "You've done enough, go change shifts with someone else. I can keep watch in the meantime" Gwen tells the woman softly before returning her attention to Derek and Sylas.

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Fallen Heroes
Rising Dawns
Take Up Their Quarrels
Become Their Pawns

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Sylas kept blubbering and mumbling, every word a confused mix of drunken, slurred speech. After a few moments of this, though, he descending back to speaking in his native tongue, the unfamiliar words only sounding more and more confused. He seemed to speak mostly towards Gwen, though occasionally he barked Derek's name to speak to the guard. On one occasion, Derek grimaced and turned to Gwen, speaking slowly as he tried to translate the drunken words..

"Eh.. Hey seys.. Ahh..."

Derek turned his head to Sylas, listening carefully..

"Hey seys thar wus a men en th'tavern, hey say-ed hey'd like t'a see y-ew agin, by th'name of.. Err..?"

Another brief session of listening occurred as Sylas repeated a single phrase over and over, the alcohol on his tongue making it hard to understand for either of the listening parties.. After a few moments of struggle, Sylas mumbled and shook his head, giving up.. Derek grimaced again, then glanced at Gwen apologetically..

"Wey well feg-ir et ou-wt let'r, hey's not understendible."

---

Translations:

"Eh.. He says.. Ahh..."

"He says there was a man in the tavern, he said he'd like to see you again, by the name of.. Err..?"

"We will figure it out later, he's not understandable.."

A man in the tavern? Gwen's jaw tightens and she glances back at the tavern. Was it someone dangerous? It wasn't likely. She couldn't recall seeing anyone that looked like they didn't belong in Telmar. It was also difficult for newcomers to sneak into Telmar. Gwen ensured that after the last battle. The walls had been reinforced, with more guards watching at a time. Maybe it was an internal threat?

"Let me know as soon you can" Gwen tells Derek. Again, her eyes darkened. Who was so desperate to speak to her that they would rely this message to an old drunken newcomer rather than speak with her directly? If it were an outsider and they managed to successfully sneak in, would they really risk hiding in plain sight? Part of her wanted to interrogate Sylas, but she was ordered to be kind and respectful to them. While she had the authority to ignore Sage's order, she wouldn't risk doing it unless she was positive that it was necessary. She needed to be in Sage's good graces now, just like how she needed to start acting like a true leader.

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Come, Come
The devil's cry
Rise, Rise
Take to the sky

---

Derek nodded briefly, showing that he understood what Gwen had said. He said nothing, though, mostly intent on getting to the inn and getting Sylas sober again. The guildsman took his job very seriously, it seemed. How long would Sylas have survived without Derek there? How long would Derek be there? Even then, the curiosity surrounding the drunken foreigner seemed more important.. Why was he here at all, if there was indeed a reason? Fleeing war? Fleeing people?

Perhaps, fleeing his past..?

The three have arrived at the inn. Gwen pauses, waiting for Derek to take on Sylas' whole bodyweight before stepping in front of the two to open the door for them. "This is where we say goodbye" she tells the two. "I am rather interested in this unnamed person you speak of. Please send my solider over to me if you need any assistance, or if you figure out who this person is" she tells the two politely.

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Luke had gotten everything he needed from the market and waved to the shop owners. He couldn’t see them wave back, but he knew that most would. He was glad that the owners helped him find what he needed. He walked back to his house and opened the door. After he put everything away, he yelled to wherever Tani was and sat down on the couch.

Barry had calmed down by now and gone to his little area. He didn’t live in the bet of conditions since he was still poor, but he was able to manage. He was living in a nearby inn in the kingdom, and went to his room. He saw Gwen with someone else who he hadn’t seen before nearby, but didn’t question it as Gwen was a trustworthy person to him. He laid down on the bed in the room.

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Surprised looks land on her soldier's faces as Gwen strolls through the barracks. She didn't know whenever or not it should offend her. She chose to let it go... For now. Her Officers move forward to speak to her, but she waves them away. She analyzes the sorry state of her army. She sees improvement, but not enough- they still aren't strong enough to wipe out the Cloaks.

"Everyone gather up!" Gwen calls. She waits until a majority of her soldier's were around her before grabbing her sword. Many visibly wince, having not practiced against an actual weapon. "I understand I have left you all to yourselves for awhile! And I sincerely apologise for that" Gwen tells them with a regretful look. "But as of now, your vacation time is over!" She swipes her sword at a younger soldier, who flinches and steps back, despite the fact that he was out of hitting range. "The Cloaks will show you no mercy! It's time I prepare you for their brutality! It's time you learn how to fight a real enemy!"

Some time passes and soon, the barracks seemed far more lively. Officers- all who were survivors of previous wars, were teaching others how to properly fight. Adjustments have been made from Gwen, who had far more experience than any person at the barracks. The difference may not have seemed big to any passerby, but to Gwen's army, it was vast.

Gwen took the time to spar against her Officers. Memories of the last war flood into her head. Her own Officers, betraying her. Never again! She pushes the memories aside. Her army was loyal, all the hidden Cloaks have been killed. She had nothing to worry about. With every hit she slowly becomes more and more confident in herself. She was strong, sharp, dangerous. There was a reason why she had survived this long- some of it was luck, most of it was due to her skills as a swordswoman. At the end of it, she finds that she lost a few fights. But she doesn't care. She managed to prove to herself, and her army, that she still had what it took to be a warrior- no, a leader!
...
A regretful looks suddenly appears on Sage's face. She had been out for too long. With a regretful look, she returns the jewelry back to Thalia and gives her a soft smile. "Next time we meet, I would love to buy those from you. Unfortunately, I have to attend to my duties." She starts to walk away but pauses and turns around. "Take some time to consider being my personal spy. You can give me your answer then too." She waves goodbye to the younger girl and strolls back to her her workplace.

She manages to sit down at her desk for about two seconds before one of her messengers races into her office. "Urgent message madam Sage!" They declare while thrusting the letter into her hands. Sage smiles and whispers a quick thank you at them before she visibly pales at the stamp on the letter. She quickly opens it and reads the contents, chuckling to herself. "About time" she says out loud with a sly smile. "The tides are about to change. I do hope they'll be prepared for it" she mutters venomously.

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*Deep in the woods, far from Telmar, stood a small tavern. A small barricade surrounded the tavern along with some armored, yet bloodied men. While some sat watching the darkness, others were in the process of removing the dead bodies of both friend and foe from the area....*

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*Inside, several men stood around a table looking at a stratigical map of the area with markings on it listing things such as where other troops were. They stood arguing about something however suddenly the biggest one held up his hand and they went silent. It was faint, but he heard swords colliding and men groaning. He looked to his side and pointed at several of the men who ran to the door with their swords drawn. Then the fighting drew closer and old man readied his own sword and began to take deep breaths....*

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*From the darkness of the woods, the snap of a branch was heard from in the distance. The soldiers all raised their heads and looked in the direction of the noise and suddenly, a light fog began to settle in the area. The soldiers raced to get behind the barricade, drawing their swords and held up their spears. An ominous laugh filled the air, causing the soldiers to look all around as they didnt know where the noise came from. One soldier, however, didnt waver from looking forward. From the distance, he could see nothing until he suddenly, he saw the shadow of a figure just standing and watching them. He took deep breaths and begin to whisper.* Guys.. *The other soldiers looked at him then where he was looking and also saw the figure. But as the fog continued to roll in, the figure slowly disappeared. After a few moments of waiting and looking towards where they saw the figure, two black eyes quickly emerged from the fog and decapitated the man with their sword before moving to battle the others....*

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*As the sound of fighting slowly came to a halt, silence filled the tavern. Suddenly, a figure busted through the door, and slid to dodge the men's blades. In a matter of seconds, they had impaled or decapitated them all. The old man tried to draw his sword but his hand was chopped off and he was thrown to the wall by the figure. The figure began to walk around the room until suddenly, they saw the map and walked over to it. The old man yelled at the figure* Dont you dare touch that!

*The figure lifted their head and threw a knife into the old mans shoulder with such force it lodged in his shoulder and pined him to the wall. The figure then began to speak* Do you know what I am? *The old man spat in the direction of the figure and they walked towards him, taking off their hood to reveal a mask made from an animal's skull. Talla grabbed him and looked him in the eyes with her corrupted eyes* Do you remember this face? *The mans eyes began to constrict. He began to speak as he slowly began to take out a knife* You killed the last Drakonov *Talla smiled and the old man took the knife and stabbed Talla's gut. She looked down at the knife and then up at him. She took the knife out of her gut and shoved it up the old mans neck* And this is the face that will be smiling when your armies burn. *Talla ripped her knife from the mans shoulder and walked out of the tavern, back into the fog, leaving blood and destruction in her wake*

The sun was just barely beginning to rise. For the first time in years a lone figure was no longer seen standing over a gravestone. Instead, Gwen was seen patrolling her lands. It felt freeing and she didn't realize how badly she missed this until now. She didn't get to spend too long patrolling though, she was going to train her army again, nonstop, until their skills surpassed even the Cloaks!

Gwen had just arrived back to the Barracks when she heard something. A horn, signaling a Telmarian warning tune. But it wasn't any horn that she knew of. She swivels around, facing towards the entrance of the kingdom. While it sounded somewhat far, the sound of galloping horses seemed impossibly loud. A small army, but one to be wary of, was heading directly towards Telmar!

Fear fills Gwen's eyes as she expects the worse. It's the Cloaks! They finally have come to finish us off! She lowers her head and places a trembling hand onto the hilt of her sword. She lowers her head in defeat and simply listens to the thunderous noise.

-No!

The cloaks have taken too much from them already! They destroyed everything they loved! Revenge was long overdue! She would face them! She would get her revenge! For Dylan! No, this was bigger than the two of them, she would get revenge for Telmar! She screams her rage and pulls out her sword, pointing it towards the sky. Her army, who seemed to have been a mix of trembling in fear, and eagerly awaiting her command stare at her.

"We will not go down with our bellies up!" Gwen screams. "Everyone mount up! We will be facing these Cloaks head on! We will defeat them! If any one of us dies we will be going down fighting like heroes instead of dying like cowards! This is what we've been training for! Let's show them what we can do! Show no mercy!" Hyped up screams roar from her soldiers as they do what's commanded- protect this kingdom! Gwen races to the nearest horse and waits for a majority of her soldiers to mount up before racing ahead to the entrance of the kingdom.

The enemies were far, but quickly closing in. One thing Gwen noticed was the leader. She road slightly ahead of the group on a large shire. She also had an impossibly large sword on her hip. There was no way she could properly wield it. Gwen grins, determined to take advantage of this weakness. War cries sound from behind her as her army races behind her.

Gwen lifts up a hand, ceasing fire momentarily. She eyes the woman, who had drawn her sword and was staring dead at her. Not far behind her, road another woman who seemed to be the exact opposite of the one leading the charge. While she looked determined about her current task at hand, she seemed like she wasn't much of a warrior. She wore a dress instead of armor, and didn't appear to have a weapon. Even stranger was the rest of the army. Nobody seemed to have their swords drawn other than the leader. Why?

These people didn't have the signature Cloak armor, but was this a trap to lower their guard?

They were close now, Gwen had to make a decision, and now! Will they fight? Or will they wait?

"Stop!" Gwen roars while putting a first in the air. It takes a few seconds for her command to be understood within her army. Suddenly, the cries stop and there is silence. Both armies start at eachother. Both leaders sit ahead of their ranks, standing so close they could easily stab one another if they dared.

"Well, well, well, what a very warm welcome" the woman says with an amused smirk. "Do you greet all guests like this? Or am I special?"

"State your name and your reason for being here!" Gwen demands. She tightens the grip on her sword, highly considering stabbing the bold newcomer.

"I am here by the orders of miss Sage." The woman calmly sheaves her sword and digs around in her saddle pouch. She pulls out a note with the signature seal that only Sage is allowed to use. "I see... Sage didn't warn you about my arrival. That must mean you aren't anything special. Move aside, I only speak with real authority. Consider this chat as my gift to you." The woman draws her horse forward and leans off a bit to bump into Gwen while passing. She chuckles to herself, not having to turn around to know that Gwen was enraged.

"Who do you think you are!" Gwen practically growls at Irida.

"I am general Irida Mannering of Kestria, but you can refer to me as your savior" Irida winks at Gwen before nodding at the woman in the dress. Both women ride next to one another, with the rest of their army in tow. The Telmarian army, having no choice, moves their horses aside for this army. Irida and the unnamed woman bravery lead the charge into this foreign kingdom.

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(ERROR- nothing)



Sorry, I had to take out what I put, and I'll put something in back later...

Blossom and Leaf were like usual, at home. A woman had tripped on a large rock and snapped her ankle, suffering a sprain, her husband rushed her over here and abandoned their groceries from the marketplace. By the time they get back to them they'll probably be no good. . .but he just wanted to make sure she'd be alright.

Leaf in the meantime had bandaged up the ankle with some wrap. It was a bit of a bummer they didn't have snow to use to reduce the swelling. But, she makes do as Blossom gets a few painkillers to help with the pain.

Leaf: Just try to keep the pressure off your foot as often as possible, and be sure to change the bandages after you get cleaned up.

Both thank the two and he helps her up, Blossom hands his wife some crutches for her to loan until the ankle heals up to the point where she wouldn't need them anymore. As they leave, Blossom rejoins Leaf's side as they clean the area. Technically they don't have to since she didn't leave a mess, but for sanitary reasons, they kinda have to anyway. . .plus it's good practice

---

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Priya Knight

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The horse pounded along the beaten trail, upheaving piles of dirt, sending dust scattering in the air. She could tell- when she closed her eyes she could sense each thump and the return of power.

Laws of thermodynamics. Energy could not be lost, only changed. The pounding of the hooves became motion, and the motion flung dirt off into the grass beyond. The horseshoe would be hot from the motion, and the trip over the beaten path. Perhaps the soil would be as well.

But it would benefit no one. Not even a mouse cared for a clump of earth that smelled like metal and blood. Waste of energy, waste of life. Uncivilized.

Priya opened her eyes. They were here. She drew the reins tightly against her chest. "Ho, there!" she exclaimed, pulling the horse up short. It skidded across the earth, stopping short at Irida's horse.

From the bristling of the spears and the snarl of the woman across the clearing, Priya supposed that Irida had already started her usual charming routine.

Oh dear.

Priya really should pay more attention.

To her surprise, the army stepped aside. "No one fear!" she called. "There will be no harm done!" She kicked her horses flanks and rode up to Irida's side.

"Irida," she warned in a low voice. "I don't want any casualities. Our situation can be peacefully resolved."

She veered around a soldier. He hardly looked more than a boy- trembling in his armour. She heard a thump as she rode past.

---

The amused smile that was on Irida's lips quickly vanishes upon hearing Priya's warning. Right, this is a rescue mission, not a battle. I should act accordingly Irida reminds herself. She tries to put a kind smile on her face, but it looks obviously forced. Fortunately, she can miminalize the condescending look in her eyes as she passes the Telmarian army. They looked quite pitiful- a kingdom long at war would do that. She had to give them credit- they could act fast. There was a reason why this small kingdom survived all these years. That's why she couldn't lower her guard. Despite her heavy reinforcements, she had to remind herself that they were waltzing into enemy territory.

Irida sneaks a look at Priya. I wonder what she is thinking? Irida's thoughts were often rooted away from reality. She was all about fear, strength, and power. It worked out well in the battlefield, but made her cold and cruel in normal settings. Priya was different. She was smarter, calmer, and far more patient than Irida could ever hope to be- those were the reasons why Irida chose her to be her advisor. "What are you thinking?" She decides to ask. "Is this what you were expecting Telmar to be like?" Irida was sharp. If there was danger, she would find it fast. But she would never turn down a chance to get a new outlook. She could trust that Priya would see what was really there.

---

Feeling slightly disappointed but understanding Thalia nodded, perhaps she has taken too long to respond to sage. "I-I will,", Thalia muttered as Sage walked off, as she left she was reminded of her her eggs. She finished quickly cleaning the remainder of the mess and walked away quite content.

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