King and Country

Vixen looked up and saw the dragon clutching it's prey as it flew away. Then she heard the shout and she recognised the voice. Every nerve in her body froze with fear. Mansard. She mouthed a voiceless... "no!" as the beast flew away. Just then the hairs on the back of her neck rose and she heard a menacing growl from behind her.

She sniffed the air. Wolves. She turned carefully. Fully aware that Glorianna and the camp site was not too far away. She faced the beasts. There were three of them, all males... hunters. The leader barred his teeth viciously. Vixen didn't blink. She lowered her eyes hoping they would understand she wasn't a threat. She felt them edging closer.. the low rumbling growl menacing. She suddenly knew that these wolves wouldn't be letting her pass. She looked up into the yellow eyes of the leader. If she could take him down the others should leave her be.

Meanwhile back in the Patrician's office, the great man himself looked into his crystal ball and saw Vixen standing there confronting his minion. The view was from a low angle... from that of about a wolves height.

"Ahhh... " he mused to himself... "little Vixen"
He watched with interest as she faced the wolf. Vixen circled the wolf and was surprised to see the other two back off. Her focus returned to the wolf who was now looking at her calmly. She remained defensive... there was something about the wolves eyes.
 
Glorianna did not realise she drifted off to sleep. In her state, she was drifting, through a starry sky that felt familiar...
"...why have I been poisoned?"
A voice, a cold male one. She does not see the owner of the voice. A meek, feeble female voice replies.
"I do not know."
"You are a healer! The best in the land. Heal me, bitch's whelp!" Crack. The sound of fist hitting delicate jaw, the sound of out cry... No, thinks Glorianna. No, no no... don't hit her. But a maze of fog blocks her view. She wants to help, but cannot.
"I am sorry. But the poison... it is magical. I am only a healer; not a mage."
"Get out of my sight."
"I am sorry..."
"Get out!"
A gentle moan of pain, and Glorianna focuses through the mist and sees the hidden voice: Indigo.
"You!" She cries out. She sees his sufference and thinks of Pierce and Marietta... and feels no sympathy.
"How did you...?" Indigo starts, seeing her.
"I've come here because..." Think, Glorianna says in her mind over and over again. Think of any reason, anything to get Pierce back...
"I've come here to make a deal." A grim smile forms her lips.
Indigo tries to form a fireball in his hands, but collapses in a fit of sweaty exertion. He moans softly, too weak to raise his head, too weak to fight her.
"I am listening."
In her form, (was she in a form? She did not feel solid) Glorianna floated to were he was. "I think I can heal you. I think I can help you..."
Indigo snorted in disgust. "Yeah. And I'll believe you because...?"
"Because I want my coison back."
Indigo, too weak even to argue, smiles. "And how will you heal me, 'healer?' How do I know it... wasn't you that did this. How do I know..."
"You have my word. But first give me Pierce."
***

Elsewhere, in a darkened room, a vulture-like man sits in his chair, staring over his steepled fingers over a bear of a man, swathed in dead furs of kills. A collection of ears -trophies from past wars- hang from his neck like a grotesque necklace.
"He say he do not care about war. He say, he will win." A similar looking babarian says to the vulture, laughing at him.
"You said that there would not be an open declaration of war. The plan was that we accept the peace treaty, then attack."
A brief exchange of words -a foreign language that the vulture understood, but played it to his advantage to let them know that he was ignorant.
"He say fuck you. He boss, you dog."
They laugh again. The vulture raises an eyebrow, then enhales deeply.
"Tell your leader Daleland and all her bounty has pulled out of this game. tell him," and at this point the vulture leans over his hands, staring coolly, "that I will no longer fund his little excursions."
The vulture smiles, then settle back into his chair regally.
"He say he will take what you will not give. He say fuck you." The man tried to laugh, but the bear did not join in.
"Oh, I was hoping you were going to say that. Don't let me keep you..." and for once in his life, the Patrician showed emotion. He laughed, his tinny laughter echoing around Ku-athra like an annoying fly.
****

Elsewhere- so very far away from Daleland- King Morbius was seething, staring down at his long-time friend with utter vemon.
"How. Did. This. Happen."
Queen Petulia merely sobbed into her hankie, her face blotched with tears.
"Your majesties, Pierce was in good care. We left him at camp -guarded- but a mage more powerful then we assumed-"
"WELL YOU ASSUMED WRONGLY!" Morbuis's great voice boomed to the very tower of the castle, bounding of ancient walls.
He calmed down, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. "Very well. My worse fears have arisen; we must prepare for war. This is an open declaration- stealing my son away from me is more then reason for blood."
Petulia looks away, tears running down her face silently. She looks at her husband, biting her lip, thinking of the future that once seemed so promising...
"Prepare for war. I trust we have adaquate numbers...?"
Rothrar bowed deeply.
"Yes, sire. I took it upon myself to try and enrole 10,000 men in the art of soldiery before this mission, for fear of the worst. As we speak, the training sessions I instructed my recruiting officers to teach good men of Elbonia is in operation and should be finished by now."
Morbius shook his head sadly. "Always thinking in fear of the worse, old friend."
"Because the worse always happens," Rothrar replied.

***
A gentle kiss on the forehead awoke Pierce. He was greeted with the smiling face of Varden.
"You are leaving soon... I just know it." And Pierce smiled, and was glad of his friend's warming embrace. Tommorow looked good... and as he sank into a soft, warming arms, it felt even better. It felt like the chains had evaporated.
 
Glorianna:

She shook the fog from her head and sat up. Pierce would be returned to her. Tomorrow she would leave camp and go to Indigo's castle and she would give him life for that of her cousin. She now had the power to stop the war she knew was coming. She had the heir to the Elbonian throne in one hand, and the life of a very powerful mage in the other.
 
Mansard wakes from a dazed slumber to the sound of stone sliding on stone. A light breaks the darkness from the corner of his cell. Squinting as his eyes adjust from the darkness, he sees a figure crawl through a hole created by several loose stones in the wall.
"Don't speak," the figure, a man, smells of woman's perfume. He cuts Mansard's bonds, then holds the small man's face in his soft hand's. "Follow me, quietly as you can."
Mansard crawls through the hole following the man.
 
Rorthrar and the army

"Men, our prince has been kidnapped by Daleland!" shouted Rorthrar, and was answered by the shouts of rage of his army, as he hoped; paladins where very charismatic and good at swaying people.
"And not only that, they've dared attack our princess Marietta with fire!" An even bigger roar came from the mass of men and women that made up Elbonias army, one thing was kidnapping the prince, who was a warrior, but attacking the princess, who was only a child, was a heinous act indeed in the Elbonian people's mind.

A squadron of 500 elite paladins stood to guard the palace, the rest of the army went out to smash their enemies. The army was formed by 10000 infantery units and 5000 cavalry, of these, 500 where elite paladins. In front of them rode Rorthrar, wondering how they could move faster. He was glad for the energy his men had showed that morning. They would need it in war. He knew they would win, because Daleland's army had to split in two to defend against them and a possible attack by Ku'athra.
 
Sith

Sith finished the spell that would enable his friends to travel to nightmare. When they didn't go through inmediately he said "Do you think I like holding up the portal for the whole day? Get in!"
 
ooc: Just Curious...WHERES ROLAND??!??!!?!?
Bonjour Mesames! It has been too long...i have been lucky so far and been in ALOT of Net Cafes lately...*im Running out of Money! ACK!* i just wanted to check up on one of my famous posts and i cant seem to fnd roland after i left...this isnt Good! Wheres The man they call Roland? The instigator? The Maniacel Plotter??? Whered I GO?!?!?!


Loves, Hugs, Kisses, Lix, and Random Gropes for good luck,
Rolando Gilliad
 
The Patrician entered Indigo's quarters with a flourish. Sitting himself down, he waited for his secretary to show himself.
"I am sorry," said a soft voiced female. Her hair was as white as snow, yet her face was oddly young. She spoke listlessly, like the words were programmed in her head. "I am sorry your eminence, but Indigo cannot see anyone. He is ill; in bed with sickness."
Patrician smiled, then pulled out a dagger from his belt. He ran it over his cheek distantly, smiling to himself. "Oh, I'm sure he would see me. Show me where he is."
"But-"
"Now."
With a bow, the woman beckoned the Patrician to follow. They both entered a dingy, cantle dimmed room. At the centre was a bed, with the slumped form of Indigo half dead somewhere in its' folds.
"Leave us," the Patrician said to the servants. The servants however, where commanded by Indigo and Indigo alone. Beckoning the white-haired woman over, he whispered something, while the pillows werer plumped and primed for him. She nodded her head and left with the other servants, with a final bow to the Patrician. The Patrician leaned into Indigo, his face motionless.
"Feeling under the weather lately?"
Indigo coughed, a hard, dry racking cough. "No, I'm the perfection of health."
The Patrician smirked. reaching into his dark clothes, he pulled out a glass ball. In it, a purple-blue mist swirled.
"Recognise it, Indigo? You should." Indigo half smiled, then shook his head weakly. It was his mana in that ball, his life force. That ball was slowly draining him of his power. Soon he would die- a long, slow painful death of starvation of the soul, mind and body.
"So it was you. You poisoned me."
"Yes. You were getting over-confident. You needed to be reined in... put in you place." The Patrician said it in the same dispassionate way as one would ask for the price of peas.
"You have something I want," he continued. "The heir to the throne of Eldonia. Give him to me, now." Indigo had enough strength to muster a smirk. With a brisk hand signal, the Patrician motioned something towards him. As if by magic -and it was probably magic- something -soneone- de-kurked themselves from the shadows of the room and stalked its way to them.
"My liege," said a voice in a rich alto.
"Find the Prince. Take him to the place."
"Sire," and with a swirl of a cloak that was liquid the thing disapeared into the shadows.
"I haven't told you can have the Prince yet."
"Oh, we've made that deal," the Patrican waved his hand dismissively. "The Prince for your mana. Here, take it." And with that, the Patrician put the ball into Indigo's limp hands. A grim smile flooded his lips, and as he felt the power rush back into his veins, he thought triumphantly one perticular phrase that was running in his head: the Patrician made the mistake of trusting him. In the recesses of his minds, he pulled the bonds that held Pierce closer around him. With a wave, the Prince disapeared... but as soon as he opened the portal, a shadow followed... like a moth drawn to a flame. Indigo followed through a different portal. Soon he would be in Eldonia... selling the Prince off to the highest bidder.
***

Glorianna woke up and poked Marietta awake.
"Whaddyawant?" Said a perticular grumpy Marietta. It had been a long time since she had a good nights' sleep, and to be woken up before such an important mission as rescuing the heir of Eldonia -her brother- made her just a little tetchy.
"Sorry, but I think... I think Pierce has gone."
Rubbing the sleeping dust out of her eyes, Marietta thought rude thoughts- but had the decency to curb her tongue. "And you know this because...?"
"Because I felt it. Here." Glorianna place a hand on her heart. "And Indigo has- odd, he is better." Glorianna looked into the distance, but not focusing on it. Marietta knew she did not see what she saw.
"What are we going to do?" Marietta fingered her scar distantly, smirking.
"We? You are going home. To your parents."
Marietta started in outrage, but Glorianna held out her hand. She had no time for Marietta's temper.
"I am connected to Indigo somehow. I do not know why- or how- but I know where he is... and I can follow him. He's... in the astral plane. But how do I get there...?" Marietta knew that Glorianna was not speaking to her... she mainly speaking to herself, working out her plan. Marietta shook her head and pulled out her sword; she would protect her cousin while she did her "mage stuff" as she called it.
 
Glorianna:

She paced back and forth fingering the amulets around her neck. The one from her mother familar and the one Mansard a new weight around her neck. She looked down at them, one in each hand, holding them very close together. They almost looked as if they would fit together, one inside the other. She placed the rose inside of the silver cresant moon of Mansard's pendant. The stone began to glow purple and the pendant's melded together forming one. In front of her a portal opened and Glorianna knew it was to the astral plane. She stepped through it ready to face the man who was holding her cousin.
 
Roland and Valdor glanced at each other before Roland shrugged cockily and stepped through the portal and disappeared. Valdor looked at Sith one last time as if to confirm they would be able to return. Sith's face didn't waver. With a sigh he too stepped through the portal.

At first they saw nothing but black and mists and then a scream of fear and they felt like they were on solid ground again. Roland looked back at Valdor. "So... we chase the scream then?"
Valdor shrugged, "I guess so..."
The two men moved towards the sounds of the screaming... towards Lokken's inner horrific nightmare.

***************

Vixen backed slowly away from the wolf and realised it was only watching her not attacking. Slowly she left the clearing clearly confused. When she returned to the camp she found the mirror lying on the ground and Glorianna gone.

She screamed out... "GLORI!" Where ARE you??" Her own voice echoed back. Her heart was beating terribly fast as she panicked. It was only sheer force of will that enabled her to calm herself down and think clearly. There was no sign of a struggle, yet Glorianna clearly wasn't here. Funnily, the first thing she thought of after the fear of her friend's disappearance was that Valdor was going to crucify her if anything happened to Glorianna.

She picked up the mirror but no one was on the other side. No help there. She thought about it, and she figured that the others couldn't be all that far away... with Lokken's injuries, they were slowed. She calculated in her mind how far they had come before they set up camp.
 
For a moment, as Roland and Valdor stepped into nightmare, the spell almost collapsed with them in midway. Sith sent more energy to it. Once they where safely in, he decided to investigate what was hapening.
He looked around at the gloomy forest and found a place where the trees where not too gnarled and their roots didn't seem sick worms. Once there, he cast a commune spell with the dead body of Rei Tigero, as was the nearest alm to him. He asked one question only, and got an answer. Someone had been moving in and out of shadows spending quite a lot of energy, and that someone, for what could be deduced, worked for the Patrician.

Sith casted another spell, one that was dangerous: he booby trapped the shadow realm. Next one to step through shadows would have a surprise, an ugly surprise.
 
Mansard, smelling of the cities sewers, crawls out of a drain near the castles front gate. Hesitating, he listens for guards, then rising to his feet he staggers out of the castle. Moving slowly, he walks away from the castle unchallenged. Finding cover, he rests, almost dozing until he hears a familar snort.
"Lightening! Your alive, and here! How did you..oh forget it. Come here boy." The gallant gelding walks to his master, head down nosing his face. Mansard grips the horses neck with all his remaining strengh.
"Lift boy, lift!" Lightening rears up lifting the man, who swings over into the saddle.
"Come on Lightening let's get outta here."
 
Garret got off the "borrowed" horse, and went up to camp. Vixen stood there, alone.
He came up beside her, "Are you all right?"
She jumped, surprised to see him, "Garret, what the hell are you doing here?"
Garret took out his broadsword, looking around, "This isn't safe Vixen. I need to protect you, you are the one who can save us all."
She took a step back from him, Garret smiled.
"What are you doing?"
She stopped, "Ummm, uhh, nothing Garret. You just don't seem like yourself latey."
He gave her a mean look, the broadsword glinting off the fire, "I am myself Vixen. You better remember it."
wHy was he being so mean? She didn't mean anything by it, but for some reason he was angered with her.
"I.. I am sorry, you are right, I haven't been myself, but that doesn't matter now. What matters is that you are safe."
She looked at him, "Yes, but Glorianna isn't..."
 
Vixen couldn't put her finger on it. There was something about Garret that was making her uneasy. She tried to shake off the feeling, she was probably just on edge because of the sudden disappearance of Glori.

"Yes but Glorianna isn't..." she told him. Garret looked at her with a strange intensity for a moment and then looked around again. "Garret, did you see her on your way here?"

He continued to look around his sword still drawn, he slowly shook his head 'no'. Vixen reached over to touch his arm. He jerked away from her raising his sword almost aggressively. Vixen's eyes widened in shock and she stepped back realising suddenly that she only had one knife on her at the moment and it was in her boot. She blinked. What was she thinking? Was she paranoid? Garret wouldn't hurt her. She looked at him and he stared back at her.

"Garret? Are you okay?" He nodded impatiently and Vixen took a steadying breath. She had to calm down. She had to find Glorianna. She turned away from Garret to pick up her pack intending to get her knives together before searching for Glorianna.
 
Mansard rides up on Garret and Vixen. He pulls his gelding to a sudden stop and flops down on the ground.
"Mansard, your injured, and..oh my do you smell." Vixen took a step back from the small man.
"Stink is more the word, where have you been?" Garret also kept his distance. Mansard sitting up, sniffs at his vest and shutters.
"I had to crawl out of that castle through the sewers. After a while I couldn't smell it anymore. Hey, anyone got some soap?"
 
_What where Roland and Valdor doing_ thought Sith. He tried to contact Roland with the mirror, but he didn't get through.
 
Roland and Valdor approached the screaming until they were confronted by a huge terrifying monster.

"That must be the culmination of Lokken's nightmares!" Roland yelled to Valdor. Valdor stared aghast at the giant creature. "How the hell do we defeat it?" He asked Roland who grinned cockily back at him.
 
"The castle? You know where the castle is? Then, let's go."
Garret ran over to the trail.
"But what about Glorianna?"
Garret looked at her, "Ka... Ka-tet."
"What the hell does that mean?" Jonas looked at him.
"It means that we all know inside that he already has her. We need to rescue her, to save her."
He walked over to Vixen, "Look inside, you already know where she is."
He took her hand, and pulled it up to the peice of wood around his neck. She took it in her hand, a small jolt went to her hand.
She looked at him, shaking her head. Garret pointed the wood at Jonas, but he shook his head.
"There's something not right about that."
Garret shrugged his shoulders.
"Vixen, tell me in your heart, what we should do. Just say it, and I will follow, I promise."
She looked back at him.
 
Glorianna:

The floating sensation came over her again, and Glorianna peered into the darkness. "I know you're here. I can feel you."

She heard a low clapping sound. "Very good Princess. You power it seems has grown, but so has mine."

"Give me Pierce."

Indigo laughed. "You don't actually think I would give up my best weapon do you? Please don't tell me you are that naive or that stupid."

Glorianna stiffened at the insult. "I know that I am not stupid, I shall reserve on you though. Now, I repeat, Give me Pierce."

A knife was suddenly pressed against her throat. "Why when I have you too?" Indigo stepped forward out of the darkness as his minnion clasped her struggling body closer. "No, no Princess. You will not struggle."

"And why is that you pompous son of a..."

"Ah ah ah, temper, temper. As I was saying. You will not struggle because I have something very important to you." He snapped his finger and Pierce stepped forward.

"Are you okay?"

Pierce stared at her. "I think so. What about you?"

Glori nodded.

"Now that the family reunion is over, we really do need to be going. We have some friends of yours to greet."
 
OOC: please don't scream at me for this...
But I would greatly appreciate if someone could just quickly sum up all these long posts into a quick paragraph and help me get back into the game?
 
Mansard scrubbing his body rapidly with a towel, scoffs at Garret and pours a bucket of water over his head.
"Goddess, that's cold. Garret as I see it Indigo grabbed Pierce and was holding him hostage in that castle. But while I was escaping, this sweet smelling guy told me that they had fled the castle. I don't think that evil patrician is still there. Where Glorianna is..hey I'm no wizard, but I figure she went after Pierce. The others are still trying to revive Lokken I take it?" Garret shrugged. "Ok, if you and the lady want to get in the castle, I'll lead the way to the gate." He sniffs the air. "Getting better." He reaches for another towel.
 
I SAY THAT YOU WILL LIVE YOU THREAD!!!

ooc: And thus, Roland Gave Life to the Long Forgotten Thread, Using All of his Mighty Spell Points of Justice he Brought it Back From the Dead, Hoping the world would Recognize That It had Risen Again!!!! *WEG* I want to Bring this Bad Boy back to life...It has come a LONG Way...I think We Should Keep it going!! If sith still comes around that is...
 
OOC:

Okay going to try and clear a few things up here.

On page 14... Garret (Poohlive) was kidnapped by the elves who had originally given him the questionable gift of a bag of magickal weapons. Mansard (Jonas)... discovered a ransom note for his return. Vixen (Moneytalks) decides that two small groups should go out and search for Garret. Vixen, Lokken (Morgoth) & Mansard go North while Glorianna (ShyGoddess), Sith (Sith) and Valdor (Moneytalks) head North East. They discover Garret and manage to save him with the help of Glorianna's magickal ability to speak reason with a natural power all her own.

However apon their return they find the Inn destroyed by fire and that the Prince Pierce (Lady Aline) has been captured by the Patrician's evil secretary Indigo (Lady Aline). A powerful wizard with homosexual leanings. He's a handsome dude, 6'2", muscular 30 year old. Also, the Princess Marietta (Lady Aline) has been severely burnt by Indigo in an attempt to protect her brother.

The group decides to follow the path towards the Patrician's lair during their journey however Lokken is severely injured while trying to protect them all. He is lost in a troubled deep coma which Sith says he is unable to cure with even shadow magick. He suggests that he could possibly allow access to Lokken's troubled mind. Thus Valdor & Roland decide to volunteer and Sith enables them to physically enter Lokken's mind. Garret, who has been magickally touched by some unknown entity seems to have been programmed to kill Vixen before she reaches the Patrician. However, no one is aware of this.

Meanwhile, Glorianna & Vixen decide to travel ahead and hopefully find an access to the Patrician's lair. Vixen contacts Sith through a magickal pocket mirror he had given her years ago. While she is communicating with them however, something happen's to Glorianna. She seems to have disappeared. In fact Glorianna has discovered a portal to a nether world where she confronts Indigo who is slowly deteriorating from some unknown disease. Mansard, who has feelings for Vixen realises she is in trouble and rushes to help her. He is captured on his way where he discovers that the Patrician is the one who cursed him with his height affliction. He escapes to find Garret with Vixen in the small camp she had built before Glorianna's disappearance.

Meanwhile, Rothrar (the King's man)... had returned to Elbonia to inform the Kind of the Prince's capture and is about to return with an army.

This is very roughly where the story stands at the moment...

Anyone want to make the first move?
 
*Standing Ovation* BRAVO!!!! *Clapclapclap* I Will, For once, allow someone else to make zee first move....WE VILL BRING THIS BACK!!
 
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