Open These Streets Aren't Racetracks!

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

Oh shyke. True enough, the Akalak would never hurt either Pycon, but that didn't mean that he really wanted to let her get caught by the man. If she made it to open ground, though.. there was no chance it wouldn't happen. He tried to wheel Xarex around to pursue, but the girl was bolting through the crowds at high enough speeds that people in the crowds were pushing out to make way. He couldn't even budge from the spot until she was long-gone, along with the Akalak that completely ignored the squirrel in favor for her. No, no no no... He needed to find her, quick as possible.. the only question was, which way did she go?

The best chance was to continue running through the same street she'd gone through moments ago. The farther he went down it, the less confident he became. Did she go to the left.. to the right? Heck, she could have bolted straight out of the city walls by that point, or she could have backed all the way up to where he'd been moments ago. There was simply no telling among all the thick legs of the passers-by. He didn't really want to, but in the end, he dismounted from Xarex and gave him a comforting pat on the head. If there was any city safe enough to keep the dog out of harms' way, it was Syliras. "Go on, go fetch clay!" He didn't have a clue whether this would work, but heck, it was worth a shot wasn't it? "Go find Nivel, go on, go find clay!" The dog began barking, excited, and practically pounced the squirrel. "No, not me! Other clay!" There really was nothing to it. He shoved the dog off gently and nimbly hopped between the legs of the few that still lingered about the streets until he found a wall, and gripped it with all his strength.

Climbing it wasn't hard at all, but searching for Nivel once he got to the top was. Thankfully not everything was actually stretched out into the narrow corridors and stuffy apartments like most of the other districts of Syliras in the Nettle District, and he had some space to gain ground and search over a little more of it. The rooftops became stepping-stones that the squirrel easily bound over, scouring through the streets below. He couldn't see Nivel, but worryingly he could see his own patron dismounting his horse to begin slipping between the stalls of one of the alleys. The thick, shining platemail and weapons clasped to his hip meant that he found it quite a bit easier to part the crowds than normal when people eventually saw just what he was.

She can't be far. He turned and ran along the rooftops leading down the same alley he'd seen the Akalak enter, turning corners and rounding the smaller corridors leading off. "Nivel!"

[Nivel]

Nivel was sure she had lost the enraged Akalak but she didn't know where her partner in crime was and she couldn't retrace her steps with the knight after her. The pycon meandered through the crowds on the back of Patcha, who was panting quite heavily. The game had turned from a game of tag to hide and seek and Nivel wasn't always a fan of hide and seek. Tag was always more active and Nivel liked being active more than aimlessly looking for people. She wanted to go back but Patcha refused any attempt at turning around. While continuing to drift aimlessly through the streets of endless crowds, Nivel caught sight of something suspicious right in front of her. A rough looking young man had used slight of hand almost directly over top of Nivel to relive a women of a sizable change purse. The women had failed to take notice but Nivel saw the whole thing as it progressed. "Thief!!" Nivel Cried "Hand that lady her purse back right now!" The criminal was to startled to investigate where the voice was coming from he just ran as fast as he could through the crowds. "Seek'em Patcha" Nivel commanded as she firmly pointed her tail at the criminal. The victim had only just realized her purse was stolen and let out an alarming scream as Patcha began her pursuit. "Don't worry I'll get your belongings back citizen" Nivel called back. The thief still didn't realize who was chasing him, he just ran and shoved as many people out of the way as possible. It made less obstacles for Patcha but his rudeness also made Nivel all the more determined to catch him. The Squire was not going to let some ingrate ruin her city with petty thievery. Nivel though of this in very black in white terms and didn't think of why this punk teenager would want to steal other than to do bad. Nivel had gotten close enough to preform a whiplash from her elongated arms to his lower calf. The theif cursed loudly in pain but kept running only with a slight limp. "Stop right now and you won't get hurt!" Nivel demanded but the Criminal kept running. Nivel was about to let out another attack but the thief had pushed a civilian in her path. Patcha narrowly evaded the large feet of the man stepping back to regain his balance but as a result Nivel was no longer in attacking range of the thief. Nivel suddenly heard a familiar voice calling her name. "AArch!! Help Theif!" She shouted in reply. She didn't know where the squirrel was but he was close by and she felt relieved that she was going to be getting help with her new problem.

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

The words grounded him on the spot as he ducked over the edge of the narrow roof to spot Nivel speeding through the street as fast as possible. First instincts told him that she was being chased by Ser Iros, but then she saw the man in front, and heard those words.. great Sylir, those words. Thief. Why in Sylir's Peace did every damn criminal think they could find their way into the city and make it out alive with the Gold their greedy hands could find. True enough that the city prospered more than the likes of Sunberth, and the citizens could be more relaxed under the meticulous eyes of the knights guarding every street and bastion.. but that didn't mean that any of them had a chance to make it out again.

Nettle District was right next to the Main Gates, so they needed to work quickly. Great. I could have caught up with him on Xarex by now, easily. Why did these things only happen to him. Nevertheless, the squirrel wheeled around on the spot and began following Nivels speeding form and the thief intent of throwing everyone and anyone off his path. Some of the other knights on general patrol wheeled around to try and catch up, but the narrow corridors meant that they could hardly begin to catch up. Even the squirrel was having a hard time from high above, because although there was no traffic to hold him back, the guy was still a pretty fast runner, and had much longer legs than the poor Pycon.

Come on, make a mistake, make a mistake... He alternated focusing between either the path ahead or the man below, waiting for just a simple turning, a little dip.. something, anything! Then, it finally came. The man turned a corner, trying to dip away from Nivel, and the squirrel slammed all four paws into the ground as hard as possible, tail stretched out behind him to stop the momentum from simply throwing him forward over both front paws to slam onto his own face, right before the gap that led to the short alley. He was coming down. All Arch needed to do was time the moment, hop over the edge, slam straight onto him and ground the guy.

He waited, and watched.. silently preparing for the final moment. Now! He nimbly leaped off the edge, arms stretched out above his head. The impact didn't come from the mans shoulder, though.. it came onto the ground, right behind him as the thief continued his sprint down the street, pushing aside passers-by with loud and colourful yelling. Shyke. I missed. How did I miss? He was about to turn and sprint after him, not that it'd do much good.. but then he remembered, Nivel was chasing the guy, right? "Nivel... Please don't hit me, please don't hit me.. She didn't weigh that much, but she and that dog of hers' combined weight was going to really sting.

[Nivel]

Nivel had already been surprised by the unexpected appearance of a thief but she had no way of anticipating Arch's to sudden arrival from the sky. Nivel didn't even think to look the up and her reflexes weren't well tuned enough to prevent herself from colliding like a tiny meteor into the squirrel. Luckily for everyone involved she didn't have to, Patcha stopped on a dime in front of Arch. The kelvic stopped so abruptly that Nivel was almost thrown off but was thankfully able to hang on. "Why did you st-" Nivel began to ask in alarm before she spotted her fellow squire sprawled out on the stone streets. "Oh Arch! Help me catch this thief...he went that..." Nivel had lost sight of the thief she was after "Oh Buttons!" she Cursed. "Okay! You take the roof tops and I'll continue on the road" She instructed "I'm going to catch this thief if it's that last thing I do!" If Nivel had more control over her face she would most likely have an expression of determination and maybe a touch of anger, at the moment it could only be heard in her voice. She knew this miscreant hadn't gone far and a spot in The Tank had the little buggers name on it. Nivel hadn't been to the tank and didn't really know what it was like only that it was where the criminals went. She assumed they would go there and get a stern talking to about educate and maybe do a few chores that needed doing. She gave the command for Patcha to go forward down the street through the crowds. Luckily since this thief didn't really know who or what was perusing him he kept pushing people around, leaving a pathway of disarray. Nivel followed the path of people that looked to be recovering from the shoves and jabs they had received from Nivel's Target. When she got to a clearing she saw him fanatically conversing with one of the guards in the distance, no doubt doing his best to lie his way to freedom. The Construction going on at the Gate from the horrible events that happened earlier in the season were making it harder for people to come and go which was a stroke of luck for the two pycon squires but was unfortunate for the poor thief. "Theif!" Nivel called out again "Don't let that Tall Folk out, Guardsmen!" Nivel only hoped she would be heard in time.

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

He raised both paws up to protect his head and nexus, but it was all for nothing - after a few ticks, both arms lowered again and he even managed a moment to pat the dog on the head. "Thanks." Even as he spoke, though, the supposed thief was escaping. Hai only knew where he was going though - if he made it outside the city walls, surely he would be spotted on the way back in.. unless, of course, nobody managed to get a good look at his face. That was always an issue. "I saw, he went down street.. we need to catch up, fast." At her command, he nodded and turned back to the walls leading up to the open sky.

No doubt, he'd be slower than Nivel, but at least he had the advantage of a birds-eye view and a straight line to run down, with no obstacles. The gaps between the bricks were rungs on a ladder for the squirrel and his malleable clay claws, that dug into even the smallest gaps and spread out for surface area. By the time he made it back to the roof, though, Nivel and the thief were both long-gone. People were milling about the streets, and he didn't really have much of a clue where he was supposed to go - or how he was supposed to get there before the thief escaped. Come on, think simple, think obvious. He needs to escape.. where do people go when they want to escape.. hide in a building, nah.. escape the city, possibly.. I don't know! Instead of moving, he was left sitting on the rooftop, massaging his little clay scalp.

There was no chance he'd catch the thief like this. Soon, the squirrel was back on his feet and sprinting in the last direction he'd seen the man running. If I had help, this'd be so much easier. He didn't, though - all he could really do was drop down to all-fours and pick up the pace. It wasn't that hard running as much as it had been long ago, but it didn't make him any faster. The squirrel leaped gracefully straight over the narrow streets and wound himself over the slanted rooftops with only brief glances down towards the streets below, searching for anything out of the ordinary - better yet, Nivel, since she would at least point him in the right direction. Instead, all he could see were people. People talking, people laughing, walking around and staring into stores. They all looked the same from above.

He was near the Main Gates when he finally came across something a little more.. for lack of a better word, abnormal. About four different knights had congregated before a single man, who was just ahead of... Nivel? What on earth is going on down there, I wonder. There seemed to be a lot of sweating, and explaining, but he was too far away to really see what was going on. He could definitely see that the man was trying to push between the knights and get out, though. Is that him? Really? Or not...

[Nivel]

The knights guarding the gate were a bit confused by this boys desperate need to get out of the city. The gates were still under construction so it was a little hard to get out of the gate no amount of excuses were going to make the process any faster. It didn't take long for them to start suspecting something was up with this frantic behaviour. Although as soon as soon as the guilty party heard someone call out thief he was off like an arrow. The thief wasn't very good at subterfuge or resolve but he was undeniably fast and nimble. Only one of the knights was on their horse but the boy was well within the crowds of people before the mounted knight knew to pursue. This stubborn little miscreant had already doomed himself with all the knights now after him but he didn't for one moment stop to look back. He was probably far to afraid of what the Knights would do to him if he was ever caught. Nivel was frustrated that the thief was so laughably close to getting caught but was still able to run free. Nivel was still hot on the trail even if it was far more likely that the knights would be doing the apprehending. Nivel was faster than the knights in their heavy armour but no where near as fast as a mounted Knight, if it weren't for the crowds and narrow streets this boy would have been caught long ago. Although to Nivel's surprise the thief was tripped and thrown to the ground by a helpful stranger before any of the knights could even get to him. As the pycon got closer that heroic stranger wasn't a stranger at all, it was Sera grey in her more casual attire. The Mage knight had her leg firmly on the thieves back, her face was hidden as it always was but her presence was still fierce. She released the thief into the custody of the mounted knight after binding his wrists. Sera Grey was just finishing a conversation with the other knight when Nivel rode into the scene. "Aww thank Harameus you caught him" Nivel said with relief "I was in pursuit of him but he got away from me" "You did a good job of alerting the knights of his alleged crimes" Grey replied "The fool had no hope of escaping but you played a very important part in his apprehension" Nivel felt a great sense of pride at his patrons kinds words, Grey wasn't very known for paying compliments. "Arch helped me as well" Nivel blurted out remembering the squirrels contribution "We were playing a game when that thief ruined it." "Oh really what was this game?" "Run from Sir Iros" "...Nivel" Sera Grey pressed her fingers to her temples in aggravation.

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

As the thief drew closer and closer to the exit, Arch pushed himself to the very limit - arms straining with the effort of powering his body just a few inches further across the rooftops, moving a little faster.. but it was all for naught, as by the time he'd finally reached the edge and literally leaped off into the air, dropped down nearly two tiers and barely managed to stop himself from squishing under his own weight by tipping forwards into a roll over one shoulder and right to the thief's leg, he'd already been floored by a kindly stranger who turned out to be nothing more than a knight as well. Damn it all - he'd hoped to catch the criminal and save the day single-handedly.

"It's my fault, Sera Grey." At least he was quick enough to offer himself up for the shooting arrow of disappointment. It was true, after all. He was the one that'd set the entire thing off, and if there was going to be anyone blamed for what'd happened, then it was going to be the squirrel. "I hold myself solely accountable for everything." He was probably going to get a stern rebuke from Ser Iros on top of everything, but he could deal with it, he hoped. A silly thief was going to spent a considerable amount of the next few seasons toiling away in the Fields thanks to the two Pycons, and that was as good a reason as any to feel proud.

"Actually, I believe it was my fault." The squirrel wheeled round on the spot to find none other than Ser Iros himself, with the butt of his spear resting on the ground and his mount not too far away either. How long had he been standing there, and was he waiting to intervene in case the thief escaped? Goodness, it seemed things were getting more and more confusing. "I shouldn't have lost my temper so quickly. The squires here were just having a bit of fun about it. Evidently, they knew when to stop." He took a few more steps forwards, taking a place just behind Nivel and Archailist. "I think that you should be proud of them."

Civilians were forced to slowly make room as other knights moved in - a few separating from the main gates to surround the thief left under Sera Grey's foot. He really didn't look that old at all, on closer inspection.. just about old enough to become a squire, but nothing more. His eyes were filled with tears, but he didn't even bother to struggle as he looked up and saw the surrounding men and women - the squirrel really felt sorry for him. What could have driven such a young boy to crime..

[Nivel]

Sera Grey was taken a back by all the sudden confession of guilt that seemed to come from nowhere not that any one could tell with that ridiculous mask covering her face. While the Mage Knight didn't really know exactly what there silly game was about she could still imagine it was grand spectacle of immaturity. She never the less was happy that they could admit when they had done wrong, It was a hard thing to do. She was especially surprised at the imposing Akalak man, She assumed he was a boorish stubborn old goat with to much pride to admit any mistakes. She had clearly mistaken him for he seemed completely sincere in his apologies. "Thank you sir Archilist and Sir Eros but no one is in trouble" The Mage knight said calmly " I do not know what type of tomfoolery you got yourselves into but you're all adults...at least I believe so." She took a brief pause as she wondered if the Pycons could in fact be considered adults but quickly continued. "Anyway, as adults you can do what you want but I hope next time you have the foresight to re think your actions and know that everything you do is reflected back on the order." Nivel thought about Greys words she didn't really think their actions were dishonourable in anyway. They were only playing a game after all, they weren't stealing or hurting anyone. Although I guess some of the Tall folk did seem a little scared when Sir Eros came charging down the street, maybe inciting that wasn't the best of ideas. All of this made Nivel wonder what was really expected of her as a knight, did being a knight really mean she wasn't able to play games anymore? Playing the game certainly didn't stop her from preforming her duties. Nivel was feeling a bit logy from all of her previous magic use, that she didn't really want to think about all of this serious stuff. Nivel just focused on the gratitude she felt when the other to members of the order came to her aid. If they hadn't she would have surely have gotten a scolding. She looked back at the others and gave a misshapen smile of gratitude. "Thank you guys for the game and for sticking up for me." Nivel turned back and saw the Thief get carried away, she couldn't help feel sorry for the boy even if he did do a crime. She would need to find out what happened to him later and maybe see why he turned to a life of crime.

[Katelyn Marks]

Due Rewards

“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.”

― Philip Pullman

 

Archailist

Skills
➢ Socialization 5
➢ Riding 3
➢ Running 2
➢ Tracking 2
➢ Animal Husbandry 1
➢ Climbing 1
➢ Endurance 1
➢ Tactics 1

Lores
➢ Nivel: Changed Her Appearance
➢ Nivel: Has Feline Features
➢ Cats: Can They Be Ridden?
➢ Nivel: Practices Flux
➢ Nivel: Practices Shielding
➢ Flux: Combat Magic
➢ Shielding: Defensive Magic
➢ Riding: Steering Through Dense Crowds
➢ Ser Iros: Not So Bad After All?

Misc.
Shield Points: +1 for patron, +3 for stopping a thief

Comments: Well, your Observation and Acrobatics are maxed out so I couldn't award you for that! So it doesn't seem like much, I'm sorry.

 

Nivel

Skills
➢ Socialization 5
➢ Observation 5
➢ Riding 4
➢ Shielding 1
➢ Flux 1
➢ Pyken 1
➢ Tracking 1
➢ Tactics 1

Lores
➢ Sera Baxter: Pleased with Auristics Progress
➢ Sera Baxter: Displeased with Shielding Progress
➢ Archailist: Not a Fan of Magic
➢ Riding: Steering Through Dense Crowds
➢ Ser Iros: Not So Bad After All?
➢ Can Knights Have Fun?

Misc.
Shield Points: +1 for patron, +1 for training, +3 for stopping a thief

If you have any concerns or questions about your rewards please feel free to send me a message. Also, please edit your original grade request and mark it as graded. Thank you and enjoy!