04-11-2016, 07:28 PM
As the sounds of combat were stifled against the scramble of the group and their wounded, Ellie found a smirk as Shad opened his eyes; ever so slightly at first, but they were open.
"What are you doing here, Alice? Weren't you back in the town?"
Ellie was perplexed, but said nothing - shushing her friend, she heard his companion approach from nearby, analyzing the extent of his wounds. However great they were, it seemed it was neither the first nor the last time he'd wind up in this state - a testament to his fortitude and stupidity in equal measure, Ellie joked in the back of her mind.
"Agh. Huh? Oh, that was you Eli."
Smiling lightly with a faint nod, Ellie scurried back away a smidgen, resting Shad's head on the cool ground to relax his neck.
"Eli, can you see if Shad's tome is back there somewhere? He's not going to be using his swords for a while now."
"You got it, miss!" Ellie piped up, turning to find the tome as Cass scolded the wounded noble; not a bad idea by any means, but futile - something the group would likely discover should their paths align in the future. Shad had a knack for heroics, it seemed.
Ellie found the magic book cast aside, laying open near a toppled corpse drenched in blood - she stared a moment without a thought in her head; she didn't feel sorry, but she didn't feel happy. She found herself swallowing a piece of her humanity as she turned, taking in the scene around them - she hadn't thought about it all until now, taking lives. But they were the enemy, so she pressed on. She dusted off the old tome and tucked it under her arm, bringing it back to Cass and laying it gently at her side.
The group discussed further while they tended to Shad and the fallen monk, who in his final moments, broke his vows of silence. Then their newest companion, the turncoat named Yuri, spoke quietly, then shouted abruptly - his voice dripping with what sounded to be equal parts anger and fear.
"You must go to the east,"
"Without an army at our back, we couldn't even challenge the emperor in the first place."
“What?! Challenge him? Are you mad?!”
Ellie stared in confusion - she wasn't quite sure what was going to happen; she rest a hand on the end of one of her daggers, in hopes that the soldier was merely issuing caution, not threats. She listened as she studied his body language, every movement.
“The Emperor is… he is unlike any man I have ever seen before. I only saw him once… at the Elimine Church in Thria. I was just an acolyte then… I saw him meet with the Archbishop during mass some two or three years ago. Everything about him – his armor, his eyes, his walk… it was like witnessing a god among those who walk this earth. I dared not meet his gaze, for I feared that he could pluck my very soul from my body… I know this does nothing to dissuade you, but you must listen to me when I say that hoping to stand against him is a terrible mistake!”
Ellie eased up, the description of the emperor sent chills down her spine. She turned to each of her companions to find them in very much the same state of shock, pondering the move that would follow. As Yuri continued to speak, she felt a confidence fill the air, whatever it was - these friends of hers, however scared they may have been, were prepared to face this man, one way or the other, and Ellie knew it. She wasn't going to let them walk into sure danger alone; her mind was made up once more, she was going to fight with them - to the bitter end.
With a final warning, Yuri mounted his horse and rode off into the night, and Paige wasted little time in her pursuit. She turned to Ellie before she left.
"Eli, if you still want to help us, I'd appreciate the company- WOAH!"
The horse took off at a blistering pace, nearly throwing Paige from the saddle. Turning to look at Shad and Cass, Ellie met Cass's gaze.
"You can go ahead first. We shouldn't be more than a day's ride behind at most."
Ellie nodded and approached the two, kneeling next to the bleeding noble. She smirked as she squeezed his shoulder lightly; she'd see him again soon, something told her - Cass's confidence seemed to be contagious. "I'll be looking for you come dusk tomorrow, then. Ride carefully!"
Ellie rushed off towards the stables, preparing her horse and mounting up with haste. She dug her heels into its sides, a little more sharply than she'd intended, and they were off on Yuri's trail. She hunkered down low and rode hard into the night, hoping to catch up to the ruby-haired speck in the distance. Taking down an emperor... not exactly what I'd expected when I came out here...
"What are you doing here, Alice? Weren't you back in the town?"
Ellie was perplexed, but said nothing - shushing her friend, she heard his companion approach from nearby, analyzing the extent of his wounds. However great they were, it seemed it was neither the first nor the last time he'd wind up in this state - a testament to his fortitude and stupidity in equal measure, Ellie joked in the back of her mind.
"Agh. Huh? Oh, that was you Eli."
Smiling lightly with a faint nod, Ellie scurried back away a smidgen, resting Shad's head on the cool ground to relax his neck.
"Eli, can you see if Shad's tome is back there somewhere? He's not going to be using his swords for a while now."
"You got it, miss!" Ellie piped up, turning to find the tome as Cass scolded the wounded noble; not a bad idea by any means, but futile - something the group would likely discover should their paths align in the future. Shad had a knack for heroics, it seemed.
Ellie found the magic book cast aside, laying open near a toppled corpse drenched in blood - she stared a moment without a thought in her head; she didn't feel sorry, but she didn't feel happy. She found herself swallowing a piece of her humanity as she turned, taking in the scene around them - she hadn't thought about it all until now, taking lives. But they were the enemy, so she pressed on. She dusted off the old tome and tucked it under her arm, bringing it back to Cass and laying it gently at her side.
The group discussed further while they tended to Shad and the fallen monk, who in his final moments, broke his vows of silence. Then their newest companion, the turncoat named Yuri, spoke quietly, then shouted abruptly - his voice dripping with what sounded to be equal parts anger and fear.
"You must go to the east,"
"Without an army at our back, we couldn't even challenge the emperor in the first place."
“What?! Challenge him? Are you mad?!”
Ellie stared in confusion - she wasn't quite sure what was going to happen; she rest a hand on the end of one of her daggers, in hopes that the soldier was merely issuing caution, not threats. She listened as she studied his body language, every movement.
“The Emperor is… he is unlike any man I have ever seen before. I only saw him once… at the Elimine Church in Thria. I was just an acolyte then… I saw him meet with the Archbishop during mass some two or three years ago. Everything about him – his armor, his eyes, his walk… it was like witnessing a god among those who walk this earth. I dared not meet his gaze, for I feared that he could pluck my very soul from my body… I know this does nothing to dissuade you, but you must listen to me when I say that hoping to stand against him is a terrible mistake!”
Ellie eased up, the description of the emperor sent chills down her spine. She turned to each of her companions to find them in very much the same state of shock, pondering the move that would follow. As Yuri continued to speak, she felt a confidence fill the air, whatever it was - these friends of hers, however scared they may have been, were prepared to face this man, one way or the other, and Ellie knew it. She wasn't going to let them walk into sure danger alone; her mind was made up once more, she was going to fight with them - to the bitter end.
With a final warning, Yuri mounted his horse and rode off into the night, and Paige wasted little time in her pursuit. She turned to Ellie before she left.
"Eli, if you still want to help us, I'd appreciate the company- WOAH!"
The horse took off at a blistering pace, nearly throwing Paige from the saddle. Turning to look at Shad and Cass, Ellie met Cass's gaze.
"You can go ahead first. We shouldn't be more than a day's ride behind at most."
Ellie nodded and approached the two, kneeling next to the bleeding noble. She smirked as she squeezed his shoulder lightly; she'd see him again soon, something told her - Cass's confidence seemed to be contagious. "I'll be looking for you come dusk tomorrow, then. Ride carefully!"
Ellie rushed off towards the stables, preparing her horse and mounting up with haste. She dug her heels into its sides, a little more sharply than she'd intended, and they were off on Yuri's trail. She hunkered down low and rode hard into the night, hoping to catch up to the ruby-haired speck in the distance. Taking down an emperor... not exactly what I'd expected when I came out here...
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