[EVENT RP] The Reclamation of Tania

[Swift_Assassin]

As Lennox approached the square, it became awfully quiet despite the chaos through the city. He looked around and saw several slain men. He recognized them to be the relic seekers that fled from before. He knelt down next to one leaning against a building. He had a single crossbow bolt in the neck. He pried the bolt from the neck and examined it. It had an odd colored feather attached to it. It was a colored somewhere between blue and green with the base having a blueish purple coloration to it. "Must have been dyed, but by who?"

He took the feather off the bolt and took it with him as he continued his walk to the square. The most prominent sound was barking, belonging to a dog tied to an abandoned stall. Other than the dog it appeared as if everyone else here fled or was slain. But then he heard footsteps and hid against a nearby wall. He peaked back in and saw someone, coming from an elevated part of the square.

He was almost entranced by what he saw. A young woman, with stark white hair. She was clad in a tattered black cloak; wearing an unusual top that exposes the entire front of her torso, save for her bust, that hung a little low around the waist with what appeared to be a pair of gloves stuffed in them; thigh high black boots that were attached by belts to a pair of matching black shorts with stockings visible in the gap between them. Her face was partially obscured by a piece of fabric covering her right eye, and over that was a headband with a distinctly familiar feather decorating it.

As he looked on, he noticed she was carrying a puppy in her left arm. Her right hand was holding a black crossbow. He could feel a sense of overwhelming sadness as she walked down the steps looking at the puppy in her arm. She made her way down the steps and to the barking dog and laid the puppy down next to it. "I found them," Lennox heard her say. She then cut loose the dog. "Those fiends only attack humans. Live in peace." The mysterious crossbowman watched the pair of dogs flee into the wind.

As Lennox looked on, he had unknowingly walked out from his hiding place. The girls expression had changed as she turned her attention to Lennox. "Who are you?"

A barely audible noise left his mouth as he realized his cover was blown. "Um...You like dogs?" He didn't expect to be found out and blurted that out without thinking.

"Yes, I like dogs. I don't like humans, though."

Lennox thought it a weird response, but decided he might as well continue with it. He began to walk towards her, "I like them both." He stopped when she raised the crossbow and aimed it at him.

"Who are you?" She asked once more, as she threatened him. "Have you come to kill me?"

"Don't shoot! I'm Lennox Hyperion," He replied, at a loss for words. "I'm just a drifter, like you." He pleaded.

"That's true," She replied, as she glared at Lennox. There was something behind that glare that unnerved him a bit. "I am Illya of the Mahsa."

Something about that sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it. It was hard to think with a crossbow aimed at him. He resumed his slow approach, "Illya, would you just put that down?"

"No."

With that, a crossbow bolt flew past his head, striking the wall he hit behind. He turned his head to look, but looked back to see she her finish reloading the crossbow. That was faster than he's seen anyone load a crossbow before. He found himself looking down the at bolt just resting there just a foot from his face.

"Answer me," She demanded. "Have you come to kill me?"

Looking around at the Lycian troops, he figured that she was wanted too. "We're both wanted."

"That is why I ask." Illya repeated as her left eye glared down the crossbow at Lennox. "Lennox Hyperion...I've heard your name before. Wielder of the greatsword Dyrnwyn. Rumored to be a total monster."

She knows about Dyrnwyn? He took have a step back and put a hand out in front of him. "Wait. I don't kill indiscriminately. This sword kills regardless of if someone is wielding it. I'm certainly not a monster. A monster would have attacked you already. So don't point your crossbow at me."

"Where are your companions?"

Is she guessing or does she know? "Carla is nearby. She is my cousin, and she's also wanted." Why was he revealing all that to her? Oh, right. Crossbow.

"Oh." That didn't seem to be the response Illya expected. "Tell Carla and the others you meet that I am Illya of the Mahsa, the Saint of Bolts."

"The Saint of Bolts?"

"I won't go with you." Lennox was confused by that comment. "I'll fight the Emperor on my own." That took Lennox aback a bit. "I won't get in your way, so leave me alone." Illya pauses briefly and puts down the crossbow. "Tell them in those exact words. You're capable of that much, yes?"

Lennox was confused by her. "What are you-" She then fired a bolt into the window of a nearby building, distracting Lennox enough to start fleeing. "Hey!" He called out as she was getting away. "Wait!" He called out once more, as if that would sway her. "Damn."

"Lennox!" Lennox turned to the voice. Carla caught up with him. "What happened here? Who killed the relic hunters?"

"Illya of the Mahsa, the 'Saint of Bolts'. She refuses to go with us. She'll fight the Emperor on her own. She won't get in our way, so leave her alone. That's the jist of what she told me."

"Illya! Come on Lennox, we need to go after her!" Carla yelled, pulling Lennox's arm. He's never seen her this antsy before. Well, except towards Roland.

"Just who is she to you?"

"Lennox. I'm also of the Mahsa. That's a Sacaen tribe...and Illya is my blood, just like you are mine." Lennox looked confused again. Illya and Carla are...related? "Our mothers are sisters, you daft idiot. Let's get going before I can lose her trail."

"But Tania-"

"Screw Tania. Blood comes first and Illya has a lot less support than Shad does. Let's go!" Carla yelled running in the direction Illya left from. Lennox turned back and sighed, before running after her. At least this way Shad won't have to worry about the relic hunters attacking him as well.

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All this commotion has been disturbing Taika's studying. She's been very patient, waiting for the chaos to die down, but she finally had enough. She poked her head out to say something when she saw Eli and a soldier tumble down the stairs. She froze up a bit at the sight of the soldier. She didn't know what was going on, so she crept out of her room into the open one to see an old man just peaking out from a hiding place inside. She pressed her index finger to her lips as she approached the window and looked outside. She saw the soldiers entering the inn from her vantage point. Bernese soldiers at that. This isn't good. What's going on down there? She hid under the sill and waited a bit. She looked back out and saw Shad down the road with a knight heading back to the inn. They must be completely clueless as to what's going on. As she was thinking about how to inform him, she heard some more noise. It sounded like it came from this floor.

She peaked out from the door to see a soldier close a door behind him and head downstairs. She crept over and opened the door, finding a woman tied to the bed post. Was this some soldiers trophy? What kind of sick man does this? "Shh..." She took out a magic tome and closed her eyes. After a quick almost silent chant, a small magic circle appeared at the tip of a finger, one she positioned below some of the ropes. Soon, a small three inch flame spewed out from the circle, charring the rope. She kept her cool and stayed focused on making sure she wouldn't burn either the bed or the woman. She burnt through most of the rope, but suddenly stopped. "You should be able to break through it on your own now."

"Please don't tell anyone I did that. You probably know how magic is looked upon on this country. You'd be doing me a big favor if you just ignore that I was here." Taika said as she retreated back to her room, leaving the woman alone to free herself at her own pace.

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Shad felt a bit uncomfortable on the way back. That sight was horrifying. The smell was worse. And to leave that to Carla to clean up. How desensitized have the two of them became thanks to that sword? And for that to happen in front of the church of all places? Ugh. No amount of gold could possibly convince Shad to switch places with Lennox. How maladjusted could Lennox be to be used to that sight? "Who am I to judge? I almost kill myself every opportunity I get." Shad voiced his thoughts aloud. It wasn't wrong, though. Shad almost gets himself killed all the time. But not today. Today, he walks away on his own two feet. Not carried off. Not dragged off. Not stumbling on a cane. He will walk away on his own power, supported by his own two legs.

"Heh. Of course I am. Who am I going to fight anyway?" Shad said aloud. Then he looked around. The street was quiet. It was him and Roland approaching the inn. He looked around. "Oh Elimine. The hell?! Why now?!" Shad shouted. Wyverns on the inn. Soldiers taking sniping positions on rooftops. Their target? None other than the inn he was renting. The same inn the others were already at. He recognized the armor as wearing Bern's colors. He saw some men run into the inn. "Shit. Shit. Shit! Am I going to have to fight Bern? Agh!"

IfIfightwithBernImightalienatePaigebutifIfightwithLyciaImight[i]alienateoffElibutifIdon'tfightImightlosebothwhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdoThissucksthissucksthissucksthissucksIdon'tevenhaveabadideatofallbackonwhyisthishappening?![/i] Shad fell to his knees. He just stared at the inn, unsure of what to do. His thoughts are going through his head so fast, he can't even breath. That battle in the inn might end up with the Vanguard as it's casualties. Then something came to his mind. It was a horrible idea. One that put his life on the line, and perhaps might still hurt the Vanguard. "I could...fight both. No...that's...a bad idea. A bad idea. A...very bad idea." He got back to a standing position. He drew his sword and looked at the inn in front of him. "It's a terrible situation. Heh...so there is no bad ideas!"

He ran as quickly as he could as the two knights entered the inn. Unfortunately for them, Shad's sword is their weakness. He ran up on them before they knew it. He barely acknowledged the narrowly dodged arrows and outpaced the spells cast against him. He wasn't going to let them take this inn. So almost as soon as they broke through the door, Shad's Schiavona had broken through the gaps in the knights armor, stabbed from side to side. The knight fell to his knees in front of Shad. Shad grabbed the neck of his armor after removing his sword and inserted it again at the base of the neck. When it stopped against the other side of the chestplate, he removed the sword and let the knight fall in front of him, some blood spurting over his face as the man fell. He just stared into the inn. He saw Satsume and Yuri there. Paige and Eli were out of sight, Taika must still be upstairs. The patrons of the inn were armed and scared. There was also a group of Lycian soldiers. Damn. If he attacked the soldiers now, the patrons may turn on him. How cowardly of them to conscript civilians to die for them. He turned towards the other knight, who had noticed the lithe swordsman after his ally was taken out. Shad dove out of the reach of the knight, and looked at the man who seemed to be in charge. He had to bottle up his pent up rage for now. After all, they forced the citizens to fight for them. Last thing he should do is stab the commander in front of them. "There are more on the rooftops. They've planned an ambush." Shad informed as he walked past their lines without care for their opinions. He grabbed a cloth rag and wiped his face with it.