Quest Best Hands In The World

[Accolade]

Dinah had assumed that the man didn't have a horse. Of course she could have been wrong, but he didn't look the type to leave the city often, especially alone. She didn't mind having him ride with her, in fact she preferred it. The doctor was under her care after all, and she didn't want him stumbling into danger as he seemed to enjoy carrying on quite a bit. Although the woman wasn't daft, and she knew that he would enjoy being so close to her and for as long as the ride took. She listened to his story, or complaints and smiled, though Orion couldn't see her expression. "You must have a pretty comfortable life back in the city. Maybe I'm in the wrong line of work. Don't you worry, we'll get you back safely to your cozy nest."

They rode on, Dinah raced but knowing that the good doctor had a firm grip on her waist, she wasn't worried that he'd fall off. Besides the small group rode in formation and even if he did fall someone would spot the man tumbling off the back of the horse. It had been in her plan to reach her destination on the same day and hopefully be heading back before it was too dark. Once they had crossed the distance and Dinah started to talk to Orion more about their trip. She wasn't surprised that he didn't know much about the city, as most in the city didn't.

The captain almost chuckled at his question, it was so innocent and naive. She found herself surprised that he knew so little of the troubles going on right outside of the city. Though she had to imagine that it was the same with many others back home. "You must understand Orion, this is serious and I'm sure that our enemies don't want spys telling their secrets. There is too much at risk and it's better that we see him there safely than to leave it to fate."

Dinah imagined that she could understand his logic a bit, although it was likely mixed with nervousness and fear. But it was good that he was wary and on the edge, it would do him better to fear his mortality than think himself immortal. "This may seem like a waste of time, but I promise you that this is the best way." After speaking with Orion more, and giving their horses time to rest, they started off again, riding hard through the forest. Orion would notice the forest around him changing as they came closer to the mountains.

Of course the mountains were still far off from where they were but his view of them would be crystal clear by now. He would also notice that the area was cloaked in a light mist, and the tree's surrounding them grew tall and thick. They branched out onto the others and sheltered the forest floor from the light above with only slim rays peeking in through the holes in the foliage. The small group continued on until they could see a clearing beyond the valley of trees.

In that clearing stood the ruins of an old building. An old shrine perhaps, or judging from the size of it, more like a tower. Dinah was certain that she would find the person she was searching for traveling near by as they had decided would be best. Suddenly, Dinah's scout stopped and halted the others. There was something wrong, it was too quiet.

"What is it?" Dinah asked reaching for her sword.

The scout didn't answer for a moment and continued to look around. Another in their company moved from Dinah's flank and moved closer to the far side to investigate. There was an eerie silence followed by a clanking noise as something was tossed from the near bush, causing a full mist of dander to burst into the air right in front of them. Dinah, along with her group became choked up, coughing hard as their lungs inhaled the thick powders.

"Back..back away!" she demanded.

The horses spun around, shaking their heads as they tried to clear themselves from the dusk. More vials dropped before them, this time creating small explosions across the line. The horses bucked and turned away quickly herding the group backwards. "We're under attack!" Dinah yelled as she turned her horse back and around to duck away from the blast. She turned to Orion, her voice firm and in charge as she relaid his orders. "Get to the ruins, find shelter and wait for us there!"

OOCSo I think Dinah summed it up well lol. But if you want to have Orion go exploring be my guess!

[Orion Michaels]

Orion "It's only thanks to your brilliant protection, Sera. I live a life of luxuries and protection on the edge of your blade and the face of your shield." Boy, that was laying it on thick, but it wasn't a lie. Without the protection of these armored warriors, what could Orion truly do? He had no ability to protect himself further than to defend against drunken man or spurned woman. Orion fell silent after her explanation of their purpose, of why they had to get the spy in the way they did. It made sense enough, and Orion had nothing further to say regarding it. He had no reason to doubt her judgement, as she was the expert, and Orion but a simple doctor. If they had to ride in order to escort a spy, so be it. Quietly he watched his surroundings, watching in awe as the mountains grew larger and larger, clearly coming into view. He'd never been up this far north, his travels always along the Kabrin Road. The tall peaks of the Cobalt Mountains were foreign to him, and for now they would remain so, for the clearing which held the ruins they sought. A soft mist was set upon the ground, and it, combined with the light peeking through the tops of the trees created a uniquely eerie backdrop for their journey. With some bit of relief, they opened into a clearing, their destination dropping into view. They'd only been there for a few moments when Orion could sense something was amiss. He wasn't combat trained, but Orion had spent the better part of his life identifying when something was wrong. The small hairs on the back of his neck stood up as the knights about him looked around nervously. Then everything broke loose. Small explosions culminating with thick smoke went up around them, and Orion's heart nearly jumped from his throat as the horse they were upon began moving frantically to get away from the canisters. Reacting like the leader she was, Dinah ordered Orion to get to the ruins. He didn't need to be told twice. "You'd better be right behind me!" Orion whipped his legs over the horse, tumbling messily to the ground beside it. The doctor scrambled to his feet, drawing the blade from his side while rushing forward to the ruins. Step after step his feet pounded against the ground, heart racing, and lungs seeking precious oxygen. The shield shifted uncomfortably on his back as Orion rushed into the entrance of the ruins. He scanned the area quickly for any signs of danger, trained eyes looking at the corners of the room as well as for any corridors or stairs still functioning. Anywhere where people could come from. If there were no signs of threat to Orion, he turned and looked outside to see what was going down. If danger presented itself, he gripped the sword in two hands, ready to defend himself to the best of his non existent ability.

[Accolade]

Orion was a playboy, and a viscous flirt by any means, but the man was smart and knew when to listen and follow along. Doing so had saved him from getting hurt when the arrows started to fly. Dinah and the other Knights blocked his path from view so that those hiding behind the trees couldn't see him escaping. It was the best way to protect him being that he was the only one in the group who wasn't fully armed and ready to fight. Once he was in the clear, the Knights scattered into the trees and flanked their hidden foes forcing them to reveal their location and drew them out.

There was a group of them, swordsmen and archers, and fully armed as well. They didn't look like Ravok's army, but it was possible that they were mercenaries hired by them. Dinah and the Knights moved into battle which gave them a small advantage being on horseback, but left them open to the archers at the same time. The fight raged on and Orion could hear it all from the entrance to the ruin that he stood in.

Although his instincts might have told him to race out and help the Knights, or perhaps they told him to run and hide deeper into the ruins for cover. But either way, he stayed still and watched from the entrance. There were no monsters or animals in the ruins fort. Only the remains of what was once a grand sight. Though time may not have pasted as slowly as it seemed, Orion was a bit worried that it was taking so long for the Knights to arrive.

Chimes later the sounds of battle had faded, but still he saw no one coming towards the ruins, nor did he hear the beating of hooves on the ground. The good doctor wasn't sure what to think, or if he should wait longer or head out to find them. But suddenly there was a sound, not from the forest, but from the ruins behind him. A light padding sound, softly muffled on purpose with bated breaths. The sound would slowly stir in Orion's ears until he felt compelled to turn around.

Behind him, lowly crouched on the floor was a man in dark clothing holding a sword in his hands. Orion wouldn't know the spy turned rogue by sight, but he might have taken a guess at who he was, or perhaps he didn't have time too. The man stared at him for a moment, a bit frustrated that Orion caught him before he was able to sneak up behind him. "Take a walk buddy boy, this ruin is already taken. You're gonna have to find some place else to slum."

[Orion Michaels]

Orion Some panic began to set in as the sound of battle began to rage. Ambushed? How was this possible. They were just supposed to go and pick up this petching spy and be on their way. He was supposed to be there as just in case. What he wasn't to do was actually be needed. Arrows flying? Swords drawn? This was madness. Nothing that was he expected to happen had, and everything which he'd feared had began its path to fruition. His nerves were on edge as the sound of blades meeting metal and painful screams filled the air. Yet for as fearful as that made him, the silence was a million times worse. When there was still fighting, he knew at least someone was okay. When there was fighting, the chances of Dinah being alive. As it faded, the realization that the worst could have happened began to set over him. What if Dinah had died? What if those bandits, mercenaries, Ravokian soliders, whomever they were, had won? Would they kill him, too? Would they take him prisoner. He wanted to go and look and ensure everyone was alive who was supposed to be. If he was alone out here... Pat...pat..pat.. Orion wheeled around when he heard the sound of soft footsteps behind him. Some vagabond was trying to sneak up on him? The doctor took a few steps back, the long sword shaking slightly in his grasp. Was he trying to kill him? The thought caused Orion's stomach to turn, but at the same time, it upset him to no end. He wasn't a knight, he wasn't a thread. Just a simple doctor. Why would he try and stealthily end him? Orion took a deep breath and sized the man up. He didn't look too tough. Shorter than he, and much worse on the eyes. "Gods, you're an ugly woman, aren't you? I was promised a much better reward than this," he quipped. "No, I shan't be leaving. I quite like it here. I do suggest you drop your blade. They sent me to secure these ruins alone," he lied, hoping the man would buy his ruse. It wasn't unheard of for Orion to twist the truth or embellish a story in order to bed a beautiful woman, but to outright fabricate a story based on skills he didn't have? "I'll strike you down before you know what happened, so again, I insist, drop your blade and come with me. I've fell much more dangerous foes than you, so don't waste my time." What the petch are you doing, Orion!? He took a step forward, holding his blade ready to strike if the man made any sudden movements at him. Of course, his shield hung loosely at his side. Orion was many things. A great speaker, a skilled physician, an even more skilled lover, but a master of the sword and shield he was not. Hopefully his foe couldn't read that, and if he could, Orion prayed he was even less skilled than he.

[Accolade]

The man was Barnabas Leathans, a spy, a crook, a traitor. He was the kind of man who only did things that worked in a way that would benefit him. He was in no way on the side of the Knights but found himself in a situation where a short alliance was a good idea. Sadly those he stole information from had come after him, or paid someone else to do it. Like the group that Orion arrived with, he too had been ambushed, however his escorts hadn't been so lucky to survive. Barnabas ran away as fast as he could and hid in the ruins to escape capture.

If it hadn't been for the roaring of the horses that the Knights rode in on, his pursuers would have found him soon enough. From his hiding place, he could hear the yells and explosions from the near distance but he had no ideas who else was out there and wasn't about to go look. When Orion came in he had first thought the man was one of the group that attacked him, but as he looked closer he noticed that he wasn't dressed as a soldier.

"An ugly woman? W-What is that supposed to be some kind of joke?" Barnabas scoffed at him and looked him over in disgust. "Listen buddy, I don't know what you're on, but you better beat it out of here before I.."

He suddenly paused when Orion lied about being sent to clear the ruins. The spy found himself silent for a moment as he thought over what the man was saying. "They sent you to do what? Who is they? Who are you for that matters?" he yelled pointing his sword at him and slowly walking around to Orion's side.

"What, you some kind of lame Knight? W-where's your armor huh? where's your war horse?." He smiled then, leaning forward and taking a quick jab at the squires ribs. "Where's your buddies?" He wasn't buying the squires story and the man to him appeared weaker then himself. "No I don't think I'm going to put down anything, and you're about to split one way or another. " He finished and started to swing on Orion.

OOCI'll leave the fight up to you to work out. You can make it short or as long as you want...Just don't kill him. Have fun!!

[Orion Michaels]

Utter failure. Was it the lie itself? Perhaps the way he held the sword like it was diseased. Or maybe it was his scrawny arms that could scarce be relied upon to lift the shield to a useful level? Could it have been the fact that he looked nothing at all like a knight? Maybe it was all of the above. He was so out of place on a battlefield, it was comical. "Whoa, whoa. I'm not your buddy, clearly!" Orion moved his shield up to block the stabs, just getting the heavy forged metal in place to prevent a few unsightly holes in his side. "Buddies don't stab buddies!"

Again did the rogue's blade lash out, but even with minimal skill using the large shield, it protected his front easily enough. The strike was fruitless, the sound of metal on metal echoing through what remained of the entrance to this now ruined tower. "Slow down, I'm with the knights. If that's enough to make you attack me," he began, starting to circle his foe slowly. "well, I guess we really aren't buddies at all." Orion waited for another attempted slash from his foe, and after the clang of another failed swing, he rushed forward, bashing the vagabond with the front of his shield. The surprise attack sent Orion's opponent crashing to the ground. Perfect execution.

Almost.

Of course, Orion's legs got tangled in the mess of his foe, and over did Orion go, meeting the ground with great intensity. His shield had been strapped incorrectly on his arm, and without paying as much attention to it as when he was standing, there it went, sliding across the rugged floor of the ruins. Both the men scrambled to get to their feet, the spy getting there just before Orion. After identifying what had occurred he moved quickly to put himself between the doctor and the defensive item, eliminating Orion's advantage. "I said you should leave. But ya couldn't listen." Slowly he advanced on the blue eyed man's position.

Orion grasped his weapon with both hands, swallowing heavily as he got to his feet. SHYKE! Orion, come on! How can you lose your shield! Now you're dead! Idiot! Fool! Dumb vagik! The thoughts screamed in Orion's head as he beat himself up mentally for likely dooming himself. The doctor swung viciously, or as viciously as he could, rather, to meet an attempt on his life. A great ringing went through Orion's arm as the blades clashed, both men taking a step back to recover. His foe was relentless, however, forcing Orion to twist to side to avoid a stab to his gut. The man had overstepped, and a skilled combatant would have pushed the offensive right there. That was not a title one associated with Doctor Orion Michaels, however. Orion stepped back, giving the man his space again.

After another deep breath, Orion now advanced for the man, swinging again and again, having started his assault just a little too late. Powerful swings turned into average swings, which turned into weak swings, which turned into half hearted pokes. He expended himself too quickly, hoping to overpower and stop the man in his tracks. Orion had no intention of dying this day, but neither did the man. After parrying and dodging the physician's onslaught, he struck fiercely at Orion's blade, and the doctor was unable to hold on.

Orion's heart nearly stopped as he watched his life, his sword, go bouncing across the stone floor. He moved to try and retrieve it, but the rogue intercepted at every attempt. "Shoulda listened. Shoulda gone. Now you're dead, buddy." Orion tripped over backwards after ducking and jumping back to avoid a couple of swings. A wicked grin spread across the thugs lips as he advanced slowly on the downed man. Orion scooted backwards along the ground, hoping that he could buy just a second more to give the real knights a chance to intercede, but when he realized they weren't coming, when his back touched the wall, when there was no where else to run, something clicked inside. It wasn't his life flashing before his eyes. It wasn't regrets for words unsaid or things undone. No, it was something so much more. It was something bigger. A memory stirred of a power long unused. Only in emergencies, right Orion?

The man spoke, but none of the words registered in Orion's head. Instead he was digging deep inside of himself, reaching and grasping for it. His djed. His res. His strength. The last time he'd tapped into this source was during his time in the caves Spring of this same year. During the aftermath of those horrible djed storms. Back when he couldn't protect anyone. Back when he decided he'd save people. Yet, if he couldn't protect himself here, how could he save anyone? How could he ever get strong enough to protect anyone?

Res began to flow forth from his unarmed hands. Clear. It had to be clear. The man couldn't know it was coming. Labored breaths escaped Orion's lungs as the man was nearly in striking distance. It was such a slow process for him. No slower or quicker than it'd ever been though. Wisps of magical energy continued to come from him, twisting, folding, and joining together into a long narrow, pointed shape. Though invisible to the naked eye, Orion could feel it. It was ready.

"It's been fun, friend."

"What? Shut up!" He raised his blade to strike Orion down.

Orion quickly hardened the outer layer of res into smooth stone. It carried a shape like that of a stalactite or stalagmite, big at one end, narrowing into a sharp point at the other. With a wave on his hand, the spire flew forth at the man's left leg. Orion hardened the core at the edge of his reach, allowing the full mass to burrow into his foe's flesh. Instinctively, both the man's hands went to his leg, dropping his weapon and as he cried out in pain.

Orion scrambled to his feet, picking up the spy's weapon quickly to prevent any funny business from going down. Somehow, by the grace of the gods, he'd won. The ego boost was not something Orion needed, but like petch he was anything but awesome.

"You just got your ass handed to you by a doctor, bitch."

Wasn't he just something?

[Accolade]

"What's going on here!?"

A strong feminine voice echoed through the front of the ruin. The Knights had finally foiled their aggressors and sent the remaining few running back into the forest. Dinah wanted to pursue them, but she knew that she had other more important tasks ahead of her, such as finding Orion and the spy. It came as a bit of a surprise to find them both in the ruin and facing out against each other.

The leading Knight stepped inside along with the Knights that had accompanied them there and quickly moved between the two men. The wound in the spy's leg was quickly noticed but the method remained a secret. The spy huffed and puffed, even grunting louder as one of the Knights moved to help him stand up.

"Argh!..petch!"

he roared and stared at Orion. The spy had been taken off guard and had no idea that Orion was more than a scum bag looking for a nest to sleep in. He had paid for his ignorance, and at the worst possible time. Just as well, Orion had also made their task harder. The men that had attacked them were still in the forest somewhere and with the spy injured he would need even more protection than before just to survive the trip back.

"You sure took your time getting here, didn't ya? Yea those petchers took my group by surprise and I barely made it alive and then you send this "boy" in here to rough me up. Yea thanks for the welcome."

He was pissed, livid and ready to strike out at anyone to account for his wound and bruised ego. His gaze moved to Orion, the last words of the squire still fresh in his mind and eating at his insides. "What about you tough guy, you gonna man up and tell them how you attacked me? ME? the guy who you are supposed to be here to protect?" He sought the man's honor now that he had been bested in battle. Proving that he was incompetent would make him feel better and possibly even look it.

"Alright that's enough. Mr.Leathans I'm sorry that your group was attacked but you understood the danger in this when we made our agreement. But we don't have time for this now, we need to get you back to the city, we can discuss this further once we're safe." Without a word to Orion Dinah headed back outside followed by the Knights now escorting Orion and the wounded Barnabas.

[Orion Michaels]

Orion turned to look at the knights as they entered. Right on time! He kept his sarcastic comment inside, as he was genuinely happy to see them. If there had been anyone else to come, Orion didn't think he had the stamina to fight another off. "Thank the gods. What in the world happened? Those explosions, and then everything went silent..." He fell silent, at least for the momoent, as Dinah didn't even acknowledge him, instead focusing on the spy. She had motioned for the other knights to get Barnabas moving so they could be on their way, but when the spy began his verbal assault on Orion, he couldn't keep quiet anymore?

"You stupid oaf. Why are you so loud? I mean, I'm grateful. If you were of any skill you'd have slipped that blade in my back when you tried to sneak up on me and kill me." His words were laced with venom. He cared not who this man was. He'd wanted Orion dead, and that was all that mattered. "I was mistaken when you came. I thought I a toddler had stumbled into the wine cellar and had himself a little party. Though I think the toddler could have moved up behind a man with more stealth and grace than you." He turned his nose up at the injured man and turned away when Dinah intervened, telling them to move on. She was right, of course. If there were anymore rogues wondering about, it was best they avoided them. Still, he couldn't let it go.

"Dinah! Are you okay?" After picking up his shield and sheathing his blade, Orion moved after the experienced knight. "Is anyone injured?" More sheepishly, he continued on. "I..uh..I didn't know who he was. I didn't realize I'd make it more difficult...But I'm glad you're okay. I mean, I know you're a knight, but when the sounds of battle stopped and I didn't hear anything from you or any of the other knights, well, I was worried something had happened." The adrenaline was still coursing through his veins, and with jumbled thoughts he rambled on. "His wound doesn't look bad. I can treat it, though I feel like he won't want anything to do with me. . . "

[Accolade]

Dinah wasn't in the mood for the spy's complaining, and she hadn't expected Orion to act one way or the other given the situation. But she was glad that the man was ok and would remind herself to ask about his fight later after the mission was over. But for now, she just wanted to get the men back to the city. That was easier said than done and the moment the first Knight peeked out from the stone structure another wave of dander vials and flash bombs dropped right in front of them. It appeared that the stragglers hadn't run away just regrouped and readied themselves to attack again.

"Orion, Leathans, back inside!!"

The Captain felt like a fool for not going after them and finishing them off as she had started to. That decision had allowed them to regroup and another fight was about to begin. Unlike last time it was harder to determine where the enemy was, at least until they left the shelter of the ruins. Whether Orion and the spy decided to listen they were both shoved backwards into the ruins by the other Knights just before they turned and headed back out with Dinah.

"Petch this.."

Leathans spat, glaring for a short moment at Orion before turning and hopping back further into the ruins. Just before the first battle had started, he had ventured to look around deeper into the walls behind the crossed pillars that had fallen. It was hard to see much else from a distance, but up close one would see that there was in fact a slim but long hole in the wall where a skinny person could fit through. On the other side was the side walled, entrance to a long hall way that was cloaked mostly in shadows.

Leathans hobbled his way down further into the ruins, cursing Orion and the Knights the whole way. He pushed himself through the hole in the wall and stumbled out the other side where he landed on his wounded leg with a thud. Orion would be able to easily hear his cursed yelling from the door if he was still there. Or perhaps he wasn't, but it was a choice for the good doctor. He could stand by and allow the spy to escape likely to his doom, or he could save Dinah the trouble of finding his corpse later and go after him.

[Orion Michaels]

Before Dinah could answer, the air lit up in explosions once again. The knight hadn't needed to tell Orion once to move the first time this happened. She wouldn't need to say so twice this time. He was already pulling at his shield before the were able to get back into the ruins. "What the petch is going on?! Are those reinforcements?" Had they kicked the proverbial hornet's nest when it came to bandits with exploding canisters? And why hadn't the knights routed this men already? If they couldn't handle them, what use was Orion?

Fear had began to creep into Orion's heart once again when he heard the attempted escape of this simply stupid spy begin to unfold. With a curse he was off, hobbling further into the ruins, pushing his way through a tiny hole to escape both Orion and the knights meant to escort him to safety. Orion turned to look to Dinah for guidance, but it seemed that none of them had even noticed the man leaving. "The bastard is escaping," he yelled to Dinah before turning to give chase. "I'll chase him down. You guys keep us alive, alright?"

Orion was forced to ditch his shield at the hole, as it was just barely big enough for him. The shield was too wide for such a small opening, and the doctor didn't have enough time to mess with this and make enough room. The satisfying thump of the rogue falling to the ground was more than enough to make up for it, though. Orion shimmied his way through the narrow passage, before escaping through to the other side, listening for the inescapable pitter pater of an that injured beady eyed man.

It only took a half a minute or so to catch up with the stupid spy. He'd wandered off into a weakly lit hallway, and Orion needed to halt his advance quickly. His long strides aloud him to catch up with his mark with minimal effort, and as he did so, the doctor cried out for the spy. "Mr. Lethans!" Out of some misguided sense, the rogue turned back to see who was calling him. It was almost surprise to him to see Orion being the one after him. The spy had no time to react before Orion turned the blade of his sword on the side, reared back, and struck the fool with the flat side of his blade, the heavy steel blade contacting with the side of the weak man's head, halting any further advance.

Still, this place was strange. The dark hall had an eerie feel about it and Orion wanted to get back to the group ASAP. Orion would drag the little potbelly the entire path if he had to.