Open Will Magic For Food

[Ethan Ironhorse]

Ethan turned back to Karu as if to explain that a small fighter still could overcome a bigger one, but stopped when a familiar feeling came to him. Ethan turned quickly to Erin, she was working magic out in the open. Ethan knew way before Erin had summoned the flames, because every mage had become attuned to the environment around them. By her summoning res, Ethan felt the disturbance in the world around him. He was a novice the magickal discipline of Shielding, and as such the Djed that Erin manipulated he couldn’t define. However, he moved to slightly protect Karu from a direct attack. Ethan was in front of the man, but didn’t block Erin view of Karu’s eyes. Ethan was shaking his head as if to say, Don’t do it! Yet Erin lit the res into flames and Ethan’s eyes hardened. Was she insane? Didn’t he just warn her about using magic in public! Ethan had a choice now, he had seen the two squires down the way, he wasn’t sure if they had seen Erin’s flames or night, but Karu had. He was a witness to someone breaking the laws of Syliras, and even if he didn’t know what the laws were, he could pass a tale of Erin and Ethan off to the wrong people. When the flames dissipated Ethan didn’t have a choice, Erin had done what she done in front of multiple people. As she dismissed Ethan and Karu, he angrily grabbed the top of her arm and pulled her in close. Ethan whispered, “Shortly I am going to call for the Knighthood, pray to whatever Gods and Goddesses that you can out run them.” Ethan pushed Erin away and balled the other hand in a fist. If he sensed her using Djed again, he was punch her in the face to break her concentration. Otherwise, he loosened his grip so that if she struggled a small amount she could break free and run. Ethan took a deep breath and sent a silent prayer to the Gods and Goddesses that he was doing the right thing. “Knights! Here! A mage is using fire! To Here!” Ethan kept shouting hoping that Erin had the intelligence to escape and run for her life. Ethan didn’t turn his vision from Erin to look at Karu, he was more worried that Erin would try something insane.

[Accolade]

Talber and his men were close by on patrol, but the men were still a far distance off in the walls of the castle. While some might have seen a glimpse of fire, they were not amongst them. What they did hear however, was the pleading for help some distance away, but were unable to make out exactly what was said. Still when trouble was abound, the Knights were called to action. Talber and his men headed off into the direction of the call to see what they could do.

But...

They weren't the only ones to hear the call, not the only ones to see the fire sparks. As subtle as it had been the effects were enough in the eyes of some. Out of the shadows an armored figure appeared, his knightly attire worn, and battered, appearing of the older versions than what the Knight now wore. The knightly armored shadow towered over the three easily. He came with a mission out of the void, however anyone paying attention would have heard the clanking of his rusted armor moments before he actually appeared.

The dark figure made quick work, shoving Ethan out of the way, and with a heavy shield, it was bashed right into Erin knocking the woman off her feet. Ethen and Karu would receive a glare from hidden eyes beneath a tarnished helmet, but where otherwise left alone. Erin on the other hand was in serious trouble, a heavy boot slammed into her chest keeping the woman planted on the ground as the rusted blade of a long sword, it stabbed it deep into the shoulder of the woman seemingly just to make a point.

A heavy hand reached down and wrapped itself around the woman's neck, and as the blade was pulled free of her now bleeding shoulder, yet another look was placed upon the other two. There were dark eyes watching them, daring them to make a move, and as a way to show this act, a fist was aggressively smashed into the side of the girl's head, almost shattering her skull, before she was yanked off the ground and pulled away into the shadows...her future uncertain.

Ethan and Karu had a choice, they would stand by and do nothing, call again for the Knights..or try and save her themselves...

OOCErr..surprise?

[Karu]

Ethan caught Stella by her arm while he called for the Knights. Why was Ethan doing that?

Before Karu could say something, a huge Knight appeared from the shadows. His armor wasnt like the one Knights use. He threw Stella to the ground and then stabbed his sword in her shoulder.

"What are you doing? Who are you?" Karu was angry. "This is the law you have here?"

After he grab the neck of the woman, he pulled out the sword and looked to Karu and Ethan.

Instead of answer, he hit her with a powerful punch and pulled her into the shadows.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Karu was thinking how could he help her, the Knight was huge.

"Come on, we have to go after him! That guy is going to kill her because of a joke!" at the same time he was speaking, Karu ran to the point where they dissapeared in the shadows.

[Erin Stella]

When Ethan Grabbed her arm she tried to simply pull away but it was no use, he was much stronger than her. He leaned in close, too close for her comfort, and whispered a very valuable warning into her ear. Unfortunately for her, the information in the warning was not information that she wanted to hear so she, as she always did, decided not to hear it. Completely ignoring his cries for the guards she pulled out of his arms, with surprising ease, stumbled back a few steps and shouted back at him, "Don't touch me! Who do you think you are?" Her inquiry went unanswered. Seeming to appear out of thin air a tremendous knight of shadow stood towering behind Ethan. Moving with clear purpose he moved Ethan from his path and landed a solid blow on Stella, sending her to the ground. She collided to the floor with a great grunt of pain. She was yet unable to fully process what had just happened and began to lift herself from the streets. Her back made it only a few inches from the ground before it was stomped back down. The weight of his foot on her chest sent waves of pain through her, she had vivid images in her mind of her sternum and ribs cracking, and the wind was knocked completely out of her-she found herself unable to breath. Luckily, the knights next move solved that problem. As his sword entered her shoulder she shot out a tremendous cry of pain, tears streaming down her face. She tried to grab her shoulder to contain the blood with her opposite hand but seemed to be unable to move her whole arm.

As the man bent down and placed his massive iron gauntlet around her neck. It was at that moment, and for only a moment, that things became more clear to Erin. She understood that she was being attacked and that there was a distinct possibility that she was about to die. It was also at that moment that her cries changed from pure pain to those of pure terror. She had always thought that when facing death one would feel a sense of calm and reflection onto all their life. But no. Her mind was blank, all she knew was that she needed to escape. She flailed her body wildly trying to pry free but all it served to do was intensify her pain and inability to breath, which further intensified her need to escape. This only lasted a moment as the next blow to her head knocked her nearly unconscious. Her body fell limp and numb as she was lifted into the air and carried into the shadows from whence the knight came. In her dazed state she thought she could here other voices crying out for her, but she dismissed them as the last beacon of a dead women.

[Ethan Ironhorse]

As Ethan loosen his grip, expecting Erin to run, a Knight stepped out of the dark shadows. To Ethan it seemed almost magickal, how had the knight reacted so quickly. As the glare came to Ethan, he realizes something… The Rogue Knight! Ethan couldn’t believe it, it wasn’t possible. He took several steps back, partially in fear and partially in shock. The Rogue Knight was a rumor, a myth, a story that could be used to scare children. Ethan had heard the rumors in the tavern, everyone had a story of the Rogue Knight, a friend of a friend had a relative that saw the Rogue Knight do something. Yet, Ethan had never believed, how could he, this was Syliras… Knights walked the hallways to protect. This was impossible! Then the impossible, thrust a rusty sword into Erin’s shoulder and clubbed her over her head. Ethan felt sick, this couldn’t be happening. It wasn’t till Karu spoke to him the shock of the whole thing wore off. Ethan looked at Karu and for a brief moment didn’t say anything, then like a bolt of lightning strike the world became real again, Ethan took after Karu. “Karu hold on! Don’t just run into a darken area.” Ethan had a real fear that the Rogue knight would somehow materialize out of nowhere and stab Karu. On the other hand if they didn’t hurry, they would lose sight of Erin. How had the Rogue Knight appeared out of nowhere? With all that plate mail, won’t he be noisy sneaking up them? Ethan had been yelling for the guard and then… yes, he had heard the clanking armor, he just had thought it was coming from the knights down the way. He had been distracted trying to get Erin to run, and since Ros had taken over the Ironworks had stopped making that type of armor. What was going on, something seemed off about the Rogue Knight and Ethan couldn’t just place it yet.

[Accolade]

By the time the Knights made it to the location where they had first heard the cries for help, there was no one there. The corrupts, wrong doers and those that wished to stop them were no where to be found. The Knights looked around inspecting the area as they should. Talber was the one to notice the fresh blood on the ground and the trail that led through Winthrop Alley.

"This way men!"

The shadowy figure that had taken Erin moved through the narrow strips as if they knew them blind. It was easy to do even in the heavy armor on his back.

For the two that followed him, the clanking of this armor was the only thing that told them which was he went. The chase would end soon, when Ethen and Karu would come to a dead end as they stared at the tallest of buildings in the city. Li Mauta, whether they chose to go back or not would be left up to them, but it was a sure guess that the Knightly figure had escaped into the building ahead of them along with Erin.

If they chose to go inside, the heat from the fire of the crematorium and the smells of the bodies would touch them instantly. The smell would touch Karu a lot more than his companion, but again, it was up to each if they wanted to stay or flee. If they continued on they would find themselves heading down a long hall with openings on each side. The building was constructed to house a lot, but with the subject of death being what it was, secrecy was in place.

There were bodies in two rooms, some waiting to be burned and others in store for use later by other Nuits. There was a sound, a quick shuffle and groan from both directions, Erin had to be in one of the rooms.

For the injured woman, she wouldn't know where she was, but the scent of death surrounded her on both sides. She was weak, but not dead and barely conscious enough to see her arms and legs being tied up. What would happen next?

[Erin Stella]

The pain, blood loss, and shock were too much for Erin to handle. She lost consciousness while being carried down the unfamiliar alley only regaining herself for a few moments, and even then she was in a dazed state, unable to make out what was transpiring around her. Finally she was set down and was able to gain some sense of self. Was she dead, she wondered. She dismissed this theory, if she were dead she wouldn't still be bleeding. She lifted her head slightly and opened her eyes to see some figure binding her limbs. Even in this state Stella's mind couldn't help but see opportunities to test her magic. She considered waiting until the person turned away and then using her astral body to untie herself. But considering this plan was as far as she got, she was just too weak. Even the thought of using her powers was enough to exhaust her. She let her head fall back and eyes close. She was still awake, though looking at her one might think her dead.

When did I go so wrong, she wondered. Should I have never left home? Never come to this city? Despite her situation, despite being so close to telling herself what she needed to hear, her answer was what she had always told herself: No. This was their fault, not hers. That Iron worker, that street dweller, and these insane Knights. It had not yet occurred to her that her captor was no ordinary Knight. She opened her eyes, just enough to show consciousness but not enough to really see, and tried to speak. "Ho...wh...hhhu." It was no use. She knew what she wanted to say but she couldn't will her body into obeying. She again closed her eyes and fell silent until a look of pain flashed across her face. Finally, she found herself able to speak a single word. With tremendous pain she whispered it into the air, "Daddy." She wanted to cry, but couldn't.

[Karu]

Karu was running almost in a complete darkness. The poor light he could see where only the stars and some fires inside the houses. Thanks to his Falcon part he has a good sight, but if you cant see without light, its useless in this situation. Arg! The worst thing is that the girl may be seriously injured, and it was all because of him, because of his stupid way to be, of his stupid joke about the Ice Queen. He wanted to say that she was pale, thin and beautiful, like the lady known as the Snow Queen. The one men die for without thinking.

Inside that darkness, Karu just could hear the clinking from the armor. He tried to follow the sound untill he reached a big building. The great smokestack didnt looked friendly either.

Karu stopped at the entrance of the big building to catch some breath while he take off his shirt. It would be easy to shapeshift if needed. He cant see if Ethan was at the next corner or even if he follow him, so he shouted at him as loud as he can:
"Ethan! Bring all the Knights you can find to the building with the big smokestack!" and he entered inside the building.

"What is your problem, sir? Why are you shouting like that?" An old man with gray hair was looking at him. He was wearing thick leather workman's pants and elbow-high gloves but he looked strange, as if he were... close to death.

"Have you seen a huge Knigth carrying a young woman?" Karu asked without answer him.

"Sorry, I have seen a lot of knights today, but none of them was carrying a woman" answered the man, without a change in his face.

Karu noticed the blood in the floor. «It must be from Stella's wound», he thougt.
"Hey oldman, what about that blood?"

"That is common here, this is a crematorium. That is why Im always cleaning it from the floor. By the way, my name is Benoit, Benoit Grivin, not oldman"

[Ethan Ironhorse]

Ethan kept running, the faint echo’s of the metal from the Rogue Knights armor kept him going. Right, left… Syliras was a warren of avenues and corridors and every turn had Ethan guessing where they were. They had been running through the Winthrop Alley, since they hadn’t gone through a gate and the sky was still visible they hadn’t left the district, but when Ethan rushed down a dead end alley, he seemed relatively confused. This wasn’t possible? Did they make a wrong turn or is there some kind of bolt hole. Ethan was breathing heavy as he looked around. How could the Rogue Knight outrun two people on foot… carrying another person? As Ethan took a moment to slow his heavy breathing, he began to feel not just confused but curious about the Rogue Knight. Either the person was in incredible shape, or magic had to be in use, and if magic was in use why hadn’t Ethan felt the Djed being manipulated? Karu then demanded that Ethan bring the knights into Li Mauta. The question, made Ethan wondered if he looked like someone who would take orders from a crazy man, but if the man wanted to go into Li Mauta along with a dangerous and crazy knight… Well at least they wouldn’t have to go far to move the body. Karu took off, and Ethan developed his own urge to run blindly into Li Mauta… Shaking his head, Ethan knew that his own courage was there but he needed the skill to back it up. Besides, how could they have gone down the wrong alleyway. Ethan called out again. “Knights to here! To Li Mauta!” As he started to look around, something wasn’t right. Why did the Rogue knight wear the old armor? It was in good shape, but structure of it was outdated, which didn’t match the Knights sword. The armor was well preserved but worn and battered, yet that was in stark contrast to the knights sword. The sword was rusted and in need of a good grinding, if the man took care to make sure his armor was corroded, why not his sword? A part of Ethan wondered what he would find underneath the handle of the sword, was the wood as old and cracking or had the Knight repaired it but not the sword? Ethan kept looking around, how had the Rogue Knight evaded him? By the Gods and Goddesses they were running without any type of gear or anything to slow them down! The armor had to be heavy, unless magecrafted not to be… that might account for reason why it wasn’t corroded, but why not harden the armor so that dents didn’t occur? And did Ethan take a wrong turn, though he wasn’t a tracker by nature surely there had to be a sign of the Knights passage, he just needed to find it. Once more he called out for the nights to bring them to his location. How did he do it? It was a question that rang throughout his mind and soul as he waited for the Order.

[Accolade]

It seemed that things would only get worse for Erin, with Karu having a conversation with Benoit Grivin, and Ethan outside waiting for the Knights to arrive, there was no one inside to stop the ghostly Knight from having his way. He towered over the woman lying on the table, her cries for her father falling on death ears.

With her arms and legs tied together, the Knight was ready to move on with his plans. But there was something of note to be had, if the woman would open her eyes and look up again. Dark brown eyes stared down upon her, skin dirt rendered and flawed hiding behind the face of the old style Syliran helmet. Careless eyes they were, eyes that had no mercy or sympathy for those with no respect for the law.

With his captive ready, the Knight once again pulled her onto his shoulder and headed back out into the hallway. He stopped for only a moment after he heard voices nearby, but not close enough to stop him. Heading off again, he turned and found his way to the room that housed the furnace. The place was empty besides two carts with human remains waiting to go in next and the slab itself had been freshly cleaned. The heat in the room was very noticeable and only grew hotter as they came closer to the furnace. The Knight carelessly dropped the woman onto the slab and tightly gripped the bars as he started to push it into the mouth of the furnace with her on top of it. Suddenly he stopped, perhaps he was rethinking his actions, or was it something else?

Whatever the reason, the Knight turned and glanced towards the door before he decided to step back and away from the woman, leaving Erin alone. But the woman wasn't safe just yet, the Knight had pushed her close enough into the furnace that the heat from the fire started to burn at her hair and scalp.

Benoit Grivin, did notice the blood, but at the moment he was more concerned with the mouthy man in front of him. It was already late in the evening and the Nuit was busy. He didn't have the time to deal with people who were in his presence for any other reason that didn't involve his work.

"Listen young man, I have work to do, if you don't have a reason for being here then I suggest that you be on your way. The dead are not to be toyed with." That last sentence held two meaning of which Karu might not catch the second.

Talber continued on his way with his men behind him. They were heading in the right direction, following the trail of blood. It was harder to make out in the areas where the light from the moon didn't catch the spots of black drops and the trail ran dry a few times. There was also the voice, the voice loud and bouncing off the walls of the castle that threw them off. Talber had a decision to make and sent two of his men off into the direction of the last echo and he and the other raced off into the direction of creepy tall building. It was a long hall to cross, but once upon it, one could see shapes and figures in the backdrop.

"You there! There has been a disturbance in the area, what do you know about it?" Talber called out as he came closer to Ethan.