The Sentinels: Sleeping Giants

[Apelatia]

"Perhaps you need to learn not to judge a book by its cover then. Because you're wrong in every sense." Illrea replied condescendingly in response to Kaella's comment about Selune being a *****. He gently placed a hand around the other girl's shoulders in reaction to her outburst of emotion, before glaring back at Kaella as the awful woman agreed to fetch both Elijah and the Dawnstar, before issuing a warning to him to keep Selune close. He resisted the temptation to fire back a response. As much as he would have liked to, Kaella was in charge of a band of warriors who would obey each and every command which they were issued, and trying her was not something he wanted to do beyond a reasonable limit... As the woman then asked about the "inhabitants" that he had mentioned, Illrea visibly shuddered, before speaking. "I don't think that you want to know about these particular inhabitants... I certainly wouldn't. I'll say this much though. You wouldn't want to meet one to have a conversation..."

Kaella's crew were then summoned to push the boats into the water, which once fully pushed out, they then boarded, Illrea keeping Selune close to him as he did so. As they set off, Illrea felt a strange feeling well up inside him. Once again, he could see the Dawnstar in front of him, and a desire to grip the handle and keep it close to him became prevalent... This train of thought continued for a few moments, before he realised what was going on. With this realisation now present, he pushed the longing as far from the forefront of his mind as he could, though even with this done he could feel tinges making their way through to try to alter the direction of his mind's currents again... In an attempt to push the longing further away, Illrea turned to Selune, who was sat beside him. "Are you feeling better now, Selune?" He asked in a soft voice, so as to not attract Kaella's attention. With her having replied, he ventured on in what could only be described as an anxious voice. "Do you think that he'll be safe and well? Elijah...that is..."

 

[DeletedUser31931]

Pain. Pain ran through his mind, through his body. He mouth opened to scream and mentally he was broken inside, the carousel of agony spinning faster and faster, threatening to break the mind of the hardened man. This episode was the worst that he'd had for about six months now. He had been slowly adjusting to it, finally. He'd had to deal with it, deal with hiding it and he was beginning to settle into a routine. Now here he was again, the chips were down and death seemed like it would be a blessed relief from the woes and agony of life. Aaaaaaaaaaah, to be a Sentinel. The sarcastic thought ran through his mind as he considered his situation. He had entered the tranquil phase of the attack, the point where his mind had adjusted to the sensation and now it was a mere dull throbbing internally as he retreated into his mind, his body simply refusing to accept that that amount of pain existed. Here he was trapped, waiting, thinking until the attack ended, until his body returned to being his own. He came to a realisation though, despite the attack, despite the fact that they were currently being hunted down and that should they fail that not only would they suffer gruesome deaths but that, likely, the world would fall to the Kavori and the Sidhe, Ben was enjoying this. If either of the pair was watching him, as his body went through spasms and his back jerked and arched, a grim smile etched itself across his face, almost as if his mind had finally snapped and he was enjoying the pain. Ben was, himself, unaware of this but he had come to a realisation. With the mercenaries, with Jaime, he'd had no purpose. They'd ridden round, fought off basic bandits and generally been small time swords for hire, now he was back doing his job, doing the duty he had sworn to fulfil, just on a slightly grander scale. He remembered his initiation ceremony, he remembered swearing an oath of fealty and another oath, to protect and serve the people of the Kingdom and to, until his dying breath, fight on. That was what he was going to do. Fight on. He made his decision. No more. He held a prophecy, one that might well bring about the salvation of humanity and he would not rest until it was fulfilled. As the pain faded, he swung his legs over the bed, brushing his hand against the symbol once more and releasing the spell. Spotting that Mark had raised his glamour he moved over and picked up his axes. "We need a ship and to get out of here but you two know the details. Mark, lead on, I trust you to sort things out, Lothar couldn't make a decision like that anyway." Chuckling to himself he slung the axes over his back, and waited to see what was happening.

(OOC: Time jump time?)

 

[DeletedUser28032]

Lamadon
It had taken them three days to find a ship heading to the isles of Lamdaon, or at least a ship not laden with Star men as the trio had decided that two weeks of religious zealotry would drive them all mad long before they reached their destination. The merchant ship that they had found; a fat waddling vessel had willingly hired them to defend the ship against raiders after Ames, the only one amongst them able to leave the hotel without fear of being recognised had convinced the captain that they were all experienced in the art of shipboard combat, which considering that Ben was the only one to have ever set foot upon a ship was a blatant lie but one he’d felt they could get away with.
Two weeks, three minor pirate attacks and a horrific storm later they arrived at the cluster of rocky islands that made up Lamadon, with a vast fleet of brightly coloured ships of varying sizes constantly flitting between its numerous ports. Upon the larger islands large forts and walled ports had been built from the dark local stone with the banners of their respective tyrants flying from atop the walls. However it was towards a far smaller and less well maintained port on one of the smaller islands that the captain turned his ship towards "I thought as much...Our illustrious leader is a crook" A large bearded warrior growled from where he sat dicing with the rest of the mercenaries "Arcturus are you always such a cantankerous old goat or is today just a particularly bad day?" a lithe Lysian man by the name of Guido asked; laughing as the Talamh warrior turned to glare at him "The only reason you would go to that rats nest is to avoid the customs inspector, meaning that whatever is in the hold is nicked"
"What do you care? We’ve got free passage and a purse full of silver...Isn't that right priest?" a red headed woman by the name of Lilith called over to Drake; giving him a flirtatious wink before then laughing at his reaction.
It hadn’t taken long for word of Lilith’s...tastes...to get around the ship. The short, attractive if heavily scarred redhead had been all over Ames on the third night of their voyage however a group of pirates scaling the ship had prevented them from getting any further than a few kisses. However after a deckhand had shown Ames the injuries he'd sustained after enjoying her company it was perhaps a small miracle that they'd been attacked when they had "Have you given any further thought to our offer to join forces?" Guido asked the trio as he rolled the dice across the deck with both Arcturus and Lilith turning to watch with interest "...six will get a far better price than three and we all know that we can work together without killing one another...well so long as we stay out of Lilith's bed that is" the Lysian finished with a laugh that was quickly cut off as the woman in question punched him in the guts "oops...I slipped" she tittered as the other man gasped for air.
Meanwhile the ship was beginning to make its final approach upon a harbour that looked about ready to drop into the sea.

Selune
"Well best you make sure that your not doing the same Illrea...there’s something not right about that girl, pretty face or not... and when I find out what it is there is going to be hell to pay" those had been the last words that Kaella had uttered to him before boarding the rowboat; the woman pointedly ignoring them from that point onwards.
With his arms about her Selune's tears had eventually slowed if not stopped entirely with her face turning red and blotchy from crying "She's right you know...I am a *****" Selune whispered into Illrea's chest "...I didn't want to be but that’s what they made me into...what she made me into" she continued, her voice threatening to burst into full blown sobbing any minute. A sudden splash of water to their right broke the spell however, followed by the shouting of Kavori soldiers from atop the cliffs. A pair of bow armed Sentinel's carefully standing up to shoot up at them as yet more projectiles were sent their way "I don't want to be a ***** anymore Illrea...I want to be something else…something you can be proud of" Selune quietly announced with a note of defiance to her voice as the girls arms squeezed him tightly.
A scream cut through the air as one of the men fell from the cliffs to crash into water; a parody of what they had done only a few hours earlier "Elijah will be fine...grumpy at being left by himself but fine...you'll see" Selune replied to his question forcing herself to sound cheerful but not really feeling it at the moment; Kaella's words having touched a very raw nerve.
The cave wasn’t far away now, just a short distance around the corner, and the Kavori had stopped shooting at them now that they’d realised that they couldn’t hit anything at that range, though it no doubt meant that they would be racing down the cliffs in order to meet them on the beach instead.

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

Two…weeks. Two…godforsaken…weeks. Drake was horribly weary having to keep up his disguise the whole time without anything living upon which to leech small amounts of life from (for he absolutely refused to do so on another human)…he'd been hit by his curse roughly every other day, such was the drain on his resources. He'd been concerned that the crew and other hired swords would think him an easy target, but the first pirate attack had come early enough that no one had a chance to act on any such thoughts, and he'd handled himself readily enough that he was safe afterwards…a grim smile touched his face as he remembered their reactions when Ben had tossed him his axe during the attack…the makeshift staff he'd hobbled together while holed up in the hotel room was serviceable enough, but he'd relied more on the steel of his weapon so as to not overload the magical conduit. The alchemist's explanation of how a priest knew how to handle a weapon had been simple enough…in these dark times everyone needed to be prepared, though carrying his blade on his person was foolhardy as it would draw into question his legitimacy, which of course wasn't optimal when he was trying to help. Still…being forced to keep his ruined body hidden and his armor tucked into its compact form for a full two weeks had been draining beyond belief, and he was looking forward to being able to drop it once they made land…he doubted anyone here would care about any supposed murder warrants on the mainland.

Lilith called over to Mark to confirm that they had a decent voyage and a solid amount of money to boot, capping it off with a very suggestive wink. "We earned our pay and our travel…even if there is something stolen down there, I doubt we could be incriminated…though a priest full of rather…interesting…wounds might cause some problems," he smiled slightly over at the mercenary woman. He couldn't help but like her personality…despite her infamous borderline sadistic tendencies when it came to more intimate areas, she wasn't exactly jaded when it came to the world…sure she knew it was a craphole now, but she didn't let that get her down. The same went to her companions, more or less. They were examples of those who deserved better now…better than the world he'd forced them into. Guido then asked if their trio had put more thought into joining up with his. Ah…the alchemist had somewhat hoped they had forgotten about this…he didn't want to have to decline…they were good people, after all…Ames wasn't exactly a joy to be around and Ben was…Ben…they were a nice change of pace. However…"We're actually in the middle of a job right now…an old friend hired Ames and called in a favor for Ben and me to do something in Lamadon for a while…it's not the kind of favor we can refuse midway through…but if I'm being honest, I've enjoyed getting to know the three of you…is there any way we could convince you all to join on with us? My friend wouldn't be happy with me as far as needing to pay other people, but I think they'd secretly be happy for the extra manpower. It's nothing major, just guard duty like this, but on land. Sound like something you'd be interested in?" This wasn't a perfect idea…he'd need to explain more about why they were here, and saying Matheld wouldn't be happy about needing to pay others was the understatement of the century, but the trio had been one of the few positive things about the past two weeks, and such things were in short supply these days. Plus they'd realized he wasn't a real priest and hadn't tried to out him…even better…though his knowledge of scripture from back when he actually had been a holy man would've shut them up if they'd've tried.

 

[DeletedUser37114]

It wasn't like the voyage had been bad, but the company was... well, they were certainly characters. Drake would spend about every other day in his cabin, though he'd done quite well during the fights with pirates. Likewise, Ben handled himself tolerably enough and Ames' satisfaction with his companions grew with every encounter. Ames himself had stuck to fighting with his shortsword and daggers though his chain had also seen some use against a pair of particularly tenacious fighters. Better not to reveal everything he could do quite yet, hole cards were best kept in the hole until they were truly needed. The others... were good fighters, more used to shipboard combat than any of his companions, not that the captain knew that. The man was crooked enough that he didn't question that any of the "experienced sailing mercenaries" had struggled a little in their first combat, especially since he was obviously holding questionable cargo given his choice of destination.

The other mercenaries were mostly the usual sort, a hard faced warrior named Arcturus, a slender man named Guido, and an intriguing woman named Lilith. The last one, he'd almost gotten involved with for some mutual enjoyment, though a pirate attack and a couple stories turned that around. He'd broken it off with her truthfully enough, telling her that he didn't want any new scars and that he still respected her, but judging from her behavior towards him since, he was apparently only now getting back into her good graces. At the moment, however, Ames' focus was on Guido as the man proposed yet again that they should team up. Annoying suggestion. He'd rather not spend the extra coin that they'd inevitably want or ask the blonde for more, couldn't trust them not to take a bigger payment in return for betraying them all, and he wasn't sure how easily Drake would be able to get the three of them in, let alone with three mercs along for the ride. Thankfully, Drake explained the situation, then... Ames looked up from the dice in surprise as his companion suggested these people join them. He'd voiced some of the same arguments that Ames had just thought through, but he actually seemed to want them to come with them... He looked away, not really wanting to get involved with this discussion. Maybe the hired fighters would tell him no. It would only become a problem if they said yes, after all...

 

[DeletedUser28032]

Lamadon
“Aw now you’re not scared of me too?” Lilith pouted at the former priest her brown eyes briefly flickering over to Ames to see if he’d caught the subtly aimed insult before once again returning them to Drake.
By all rights Lilith shouldn’t have been attractive, at the corner of her mouth there was a scar curving up towards her cheek that gave her a permanent, leering half smile with the effect made even worse when she actually did smile. There was another scar running diagonally from above her right eye down to her jaw that had miraculously missed her eye and another small one that went through the centre of her bottom lip, not to mention the plethora of other wounds distributed about her person and yet...the mercenary woman was still alarmingly pretty. Her shoulder length fiery red hair was decorated with tiny beads and bells in the Chasind style and her body though short was nicely proportioned and clad in tight fitting breeches, knee length boots and a leather waistcoat.
Leaning towards Drake so as to make the most of her good looks she continued speaking to him in a husky voice “Don’t you listen to him, we could have a lot of fun you and I...and I can be gently if you...” the spell was suddenly broken by Guido clicking his fingers irritably in front of her face “focus Lilith focus, you can add another notch to your already prodigious bedpost once we’ve finished discussing the money...remember? The whole reason we’re in this line of work?” the well spoken Lysian interrupted; the girl throwing him a sullen look before leaning back to sulk. Rolling his eyes heavenwards in exasperation Guido shook his head before turning the conversation back towards their proposed partnership “as we were saying; you join us, we join you whichever suits your ego best so long as we all get an equal cut, and if you’ve already got a contract lined up all the better though I am curious you speak as if your deal is with a third party and not our illustrious deity so tell me...what exactly is it that you are guarding? Not merchant ships obviously but something of considerable value to warrant three mercenaries...” he mused, looking from between Drake and Ames in hope of an answer before speaking again “ a counter proposal if you will...in addition to us working with you on your private venture, the six of us sign up with Stiorra and we run both contracts in parallel claiming an equal share from both with the caveat that should your benefactor prove reluctant in hiring additional swords we take an appropriate cut out of your wages from Stiorra in order to compensate for this fact, you would gain the extra manpower without incurring any bad graces from your employer, not to mention the extra coin from Stiorra’s war chest… does that sound like a reasonable offer to you?” Guido asked with a questioning look on his face as he stroked his short neatly trimmed beard that seemed a part of his black, oiled hair and fastidious attire.
His clothes although worn were of an exceedingly high quality as were his weapons and armour. His riding boots had engraved steel plates sewn upon them in a style favoured by those fighting on horseback and his thick leather jerkin bore the signs of a crest having once been embroidered upon his breast that had since been removed; a similar device had no doubt adorned his now plain black shield.
With them now beside the long wooden jetty, the ship became a hive of activity as the crew set about mooring the ship in place prompting the cluster of mercenaries to collect their dice and winnings and move out of the way though it was clear that Guido wouldn’t be distracted by this and was still awaiting an answer or failing that a counter offer to his proposal from the three men.

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

Drake couldn't help but smile a bit as Lilith asked if he was afraid of her, adding as she leaned in seductively that she could be gentle. As Guido snapped her back to attention, he replied, "Can't say I'm scared of you, though…" he trailed off…he'd been about to say that she would be afraid of him if he dropped the glamour completely, but that wasn't a smart way to do things…he didn't want people knowing about the ruined person underneath…he could deal with people knowing he had scars, that he didn't look great…but revealing the state his eyes and mouth were in specifically wasn't something he was willing to do…and unfortunately he didn't think he'd be able to enjoy anyone's company without dropping the glamour…he didn't have many morals anymore, but the few he'd retained he was loathe to lose. Fortunately, the topic moved smoothly back to the situation involving the two trios combining. When asked why he'd made it sound as though their work came from a third party instead of Stiorra, and what that meant for their guard job, the alchemist shrugged. "My friend requested we work to protect Her Holiness herself, actually, so we're technically working for her anyway." He knew he was taking a risk by exposing their mission objective, but figured since they'd need to be filled in should they join anyway there wasn't too much harm.

Guido went on to propose that not only would they do guard duty for Stiorra, but also work for her, taking equal cuts from the pay. Mark couldn't help but smile a little…this would work well, actually…they could get close to the supposed deity and possible runaway princess and pull protection duty all while operating under the guise of simply being sellswords in her employ. "I have to say that's an appealing deal…assuming my friend refuses to pay you, I wouldn't have an issue compensating you from my money at that point…" the former priest began, leaving out that money wasn't something he particularly cared about…he needed enough to live, that was all…he'd never desired more, even after his days as a holy man had ended. "…and I do like how subtly we could get close to her to do our job while also making a good profit on the side as well…" He came to a decision, rubbing his hands together as he prepared. "Assuming my companions don't have an issue they've neglected to voice until now, I think this will work well for us, with the added stipulation that should either group wish to part ways at any point they can do so with no ill will, though if we're the ones who choose to leave and it's before the payment for the guard duty we need to compensate you. If you go, we don't. Sound fair to you?" He looked around, not only at Guido, Lilith, and Arcturus, but Ben and Ames as well…assuming no one had any remaining issues, they'd have a partnership ready to go…and one that he was looking forward to, if he was being honest.

 

[DeletedUser31931]

Ben didn't like boats. This was namely due to the fact that the last time he'd been on a boat, it had blown up in his face and he'd ended up stranded on a beach with the woman that was most likely dead by now and instead they were off to protect some feeble hack leading a ramshackle force of peasants that'd be slaughtered in their first true battle. He'd enjoyed the combat though, dispatching the pirates had been relatively easy going work and it had been of great amusement to watch their companion's reactions when, during the first fight, both of the axes had buried themselves in the skulls of two men about to assail Mark, only for him to pull them out of the men and proceed to use them. Ben hadn't remained in the character of Lothar but nor had he been exactly himself. He had remained stoically silent and had only spoken to any real extent when barking orders or warning his comrades of a threat in the heat of battle. This detachment had been nice for him, after losing his band and the people he'd called friends for the past couple of years, it was taking him a while to adjust to normal mercenary life and, so far, he didn't much care for it. Then again, that might be more to do with his situation at present than anything else. He'd managed to keep the attacks hidden from the other three but he didn't trust them and especially didn't trust the woman. Women, in his experience, tended to lead to bad places and he'd sworn them off after his escape from the bandits he had once served with as he'd received enough torture in there to ensure that he'd never sleep comfortably again (and he had not). Still, that aside, this one was particularly troublesome and he was loathe to trust a group of strangers, especially considering how secretive in nature Matheld had been about their task. He knew Mark knew and didn't like the fact that the priest was clearly hiding something from him but he had decided that this would be revealed in time and it was probably best not to press the issue at a time when all of their lives were at stake should they be discovered. Still, it appeared to be too late to intervene now as Mark had all but decided upon a deal. As he asked for any objections, Ben grunted out a short response, "If it's fine by you and Ames, then it's fine by me." He lapsed back into silence again, his eyes scanning the horizon ensuring that none of them were missing an approaching foe.

 

[Apelatia]

Illrea's head rang with the threatening words that Kaella had left with him before they had boarded the boat. If it had been anyone else, perhaps with a few exceptions, he would have taken serious notice, and forced her to apologise. However, in the position that he was currently in, the young man did not feel confident that confronting the leader of a dangerous band of so called Sentinels was necessarily a very good idea, nor would the resulting consequences be good for him or Selune. No, it was definitely much safer to stay silent for the time being. With these thoughts ringing around his head, interrupted occasionally by the strange longing for the Dawnstar, Illrea listened empathetically as Selune spoke to him of her personal troubles. As she spoke, he gently stroked her hair whilst holding her tight to him in a genuine show of caring and support. In a low, yet firm voice, he spoke back to her. "You're not a *****, Selune, and I don't believe you ever were or will be. Don't listen to that fool of a woman; I won't stand for her trying to harm you." Illrea ten found himself ducking to avoid being hit by the projectiles that were being fired by the Kavori from the cliff top. As it became clear that none of the missiles were coming anywhere close to the boat, he resumed first listening and then speaking. "To me, you don't have anything to prove. You're a brave woman, Selune. You are already something that I can be proud of. You're kind and strong, and I care about you very much." Offering her a warm smile, Illrea turned his attention to what was going on around them.

A Kavori warrior had fallen from the cliffs after an overly loud scream in a manner not too dissimilar to what they had done earlier on. After that, the missile fire stopped; it appeared that the Kavori archers had realised that nothing was to be gained from shooting at them from that distance. With their destination nearly in reach, Illrea prepared himself mentally for what was to happen next. Despite Selune's words, he worried for Elijah's safety. When strong, the young initiate would be able to hold his own against any potential attackers, but in his current state, Elijah was nigh on defenceless. With the Kavori perhaps waiting to meet them on the beach, they would need to be both efficient and precise in the way they dealt with the situation. After giving Selune a quick squeeze, he made his way over to Kaella's position, dreading the impending conversation as if it were destined to result in an argument. Once in position, Illrea spoke quickly in what he hoped was an assured voice, though whether that effect was achieved was doubtful... "I imagine that the Kavori will want to cut us off from our destination. If your warriors can hold them off, then I will be able to retrieve both Elijah and the Dawnstar. Perhaps Astarot will be there too..." His part said, Illrea waited for Kaella to respond.

 

[DeletedUser28032]

The Beach
With her body pressed up against his as he gently stroked her hair, Selune was almost able to imagine that the past five years of her life had never happened; She’d never been a slave, never been beaten and used, her home village hadn’t been burnt to ash, and her father was just a simple farmer married to the woman that ran a market stall and Selune herself had just fallen in love with a nice local boy that occasionally daydreamed of being a heroic prince.
But sadly all those things had happened and no amount of nice words were going to change that “you’re sweet to say that Illrea...but even I know that no man wants to marry a *****” she said offering him a sad little smile that said she knew her lot in life. But I can change! I can become something else, something better than an escaped slave with mixed blood! She silently exclaimed in defiance, as much to prove Kaella wrong than to make her own life better. The question was how?
Kaella gave Illrea a cold look as he came to join her at the front of the row boat, the woman listening impassively as he suggested that she use her men to hold off the Kavori whilst he retrieved both his friend and the Dawnstar, the look on her face making it clear that she wasn’t happy about him issuing orders to her men even by proxy “Do I look stupid to you?” she asked in a flat calm voice “...No, the three of us will go and I hope for her sake that the weapon really is there” her tone of voice making it all too clear what would happen to Selune if it all proved to be a trick.
They arrived at the beach to find that the Kavori were already in position as the lightly armed auxiliaries took control of the high ground where the beach turned into the mainland. Despite being close enough to harass and threaten with long distance bowshots the Kavori made no move to engage the Sentinel’s currently spreading out along the beach but instead seemed intent to simply watch them.
With her hand clamped about the top of Selune’s arm Kaella strides through the surf with sword in hand issuing commands “Hold this position and do not shoot unless they make the first move!” she croaked at one of her lieutenants; the loudest her voice was seemingly capable of before then turning to look at Illrea “lead the way Illrea, we’ll be right behind you” she said dropping her voice to its usual whispering quality.
It was as they were heading towards the cave that yet more Kavori arrived. Clad from head to toe in heavy bronze armour and carrying large rectangular shields these were the feared legionaries that made up the backbone of the Kavori army; their plumed helmets cast into the guises of mythical beasts and serpents so that they looked like an army of golden demons. Although the Sentinels still comfortably outnumbered the Kavori and carried powerful longbows that could pierce their armour it was clear that they were more than a little nervous about facing these new arrivals in combat. Even Kaella became decidedly nervous as she followed Illrea to the cave, casting backwards glances all the way there.
Once inside it quickly became apparent that very little had changed since they’d left other than the fire having finally gone out with their friend fast asleep beside its dying embers “You, go and fetch the sword whilst Illrea and I carry your friend out” Kaella instructed a horrified Selune, the Warden giving the girl a gentle shove in its direction.
It was as they were picking up the still very pale initiate that Selune gingerly picked up the Dawnstar and held it out at almost arms length as if it was poisonous snake or more accurately boiling hot, which unintentionally provoked Kaella to snap at her “if you drop that thing by being silly I’ll strip you and leave you for the Kavori, now come on before they get themselves organised” she shouted before heading for the way out the three of them arriving back on the beach just in time to see the Kavori begin their charge.

Lamadon
“Excellent, so we have an accord” Guido enthusiastically replied to Drakes tentative agreement as he shook the alchemists hand “we’d best gather our possessions and be away before we’re press ganged into unloading, I shall endeavour to prize our silver from the good captains hands” he said with a good natured grin before leaving to do just that.
They had been quartered at the front end of the ship along with all the other guards for the duration of journey. It was cramped, dark and with next to no privacy and extremely choppy much to the anguish of those who were sea sick. The only redeeming feature being that it was relatively dry and safe from thievery as none of the crew wished to get on the wrong side of the mercenaries that lived there.
It was during the course of them collecting their things that Drake would hear the slight creak of a floorboard behind him, whereupon he would find Lilith stood in the doorway watching him. The girl slowly running her tongue across her lips as she looked him up and down.
Upon realising that she’d been spotted she would blow Drake a single kiss before then disappearing once again.
Once they had finished packing they would find Guido waiting for them out on the jetty with their wages in hand “well Gentlemen...and Lilith, after conversing with one of the crew it would appear that we are in fact on the wrong island, So unless any of you have any other ideas, I suggest we sample the delights of one of the local dives before seeking out an appropriate vessel to carry us to our destination...any objections?”

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

Drake smiled and returned the handshake as Guido confirmed they had a deal. The mercenary suggested they go get packed up so they could leave before being pressed into extra service while he went to get their pay, which sounded good to the alchemist. Not that he had all that much to get, but even so, he didn't like the sound of spending another half a day unloading the ship. It was as he was ensuring everything was still in his pack (it was) that he heard a floorboard creak. Knowing it couldn't be someone he hadn't been on the ship with for the past two weeks he didn't turn around immediately, but when no further sounds emanated his suspicion got the better of him and he rotated on the spot slowly. He found Lilith standing there, staring at him intently as her tongue snaked slowly across her lips. She noticed his gaze and blew him a kiss before departing, leaving him a little unsettled. He knew, just knew, that if he let the glamour drop completely, so that she could see his blind eye with its missing partner, the mouth without a tongue or most of its teeth, and the skin choked with scars and burns that refused to heal for whatever reason she wouldn't be acting this way towards him. She was likely mainly looking to make him another conquest, but even that was disconcerting…the alchemist wouldn't want to get involved with anyone without revealing what he actually looked like to them, and that would undoubtably end anything with anyone…and besides, he'd been a priest most of his life before the whole torture thing…he knew nothing of courtship. Plus he'd noticed that since he survived his extended stay with Oberon his desires of the flesh had all but flatlined. And none of this made him feel better about Lilith's interest in him. If it had been five years ago he'd've likely been ensnared to some extent despite the rather apparent dangers, but as it was, he felt like not showing her his true self was leading her on…but at the same time it was so nice being treated like a real person again…someone with more depth to them than their job…he'd been lacking that a bit since he'd left Cytringham…and he was loathe to lose it, which he strongly suspected he would in addition to Lilith's more amorous attentions…which put him at a crossroads. He'd have to think on this…he supposed that it depended on how bold she got, though if her dealings with Ames earlier were any inclination that was a matter of when rather than if. He'd cross the bridge between alienating her and her companions and abandoning whatever morals he had left when he got there.

Upon returning to the deck Guido informed Drake and the others that they were on the wrong island before suggesting they at least grab a meal before looking for passage to the correct hunk of rock. "Works for me…been a while since we've had a meal not coming from dry stores…it'd be nice to have a more substantial meal for once." With that, he waited for either a dissenting opinion or the decision to go in search of food.

 

[DeletedUser31931]

Apparently it had settled. Ben didn't think it was necessarily the most prudent course of action but as far as he was concerned this adventure wasn't entirely prudent. He lived his life with two real purposes, the first being the fulfilment of the prophecy which he had been given, a task which he saw as his to carry out. The second was revenge. Revenge against Jaime. Ben had come to a conclusion during his time aboard the ship (where he'd had plenty of time to think about it) that the act of betrayal by his deputy, though understandable, could not go unpunished. When he'd made that decision, he'd felt a part of him die, the last of his humanity. He'd had attachments once, attachments to his fellow Sentinels, to Isolla, to his mercenary band, to Jaime. He was done with that now, the less he cared about people the less he stood to be hurt when they abandoned him or they died. Yes, it might be heartless but at this point his heart had been chipped away at so much that he wasn't sure if he still had one left...
As they disembarked it became apparent they were in the wrong location. It was suggested that they found lunch before attempting to find another ship to charter them to their destination. Ben grunted his consent, checking that Drake's axes were clearly visible on his belt and within quick grasp for him, his sword more conspicuously hidden behind a layer of clothing so that people wouldn't figure out the rouse. He doubted that news of the search for them would have spread this far yet but it wouldn't hurt either way. The sooner that they had some food the sooner that they could hit the road again and try to find a ship towards their infernal destination.

 

[DeletedUser28032]

Lamadon
After leaving the wooden jetty against which they had moored there didn’t appear to be a single flat surface upon the island. With every path and cobbled street seeming to wind up and around the islands steep rocky crags with many of the square flat-roofed buildings either built perilously close to or overhanging the cliffs, or built into the side of the island itself.
It was in the latter style that the tavern was built, with the majority of the large whitewashed main room under the mountainside with a set of stairs on the far side of the common room leading down into a cellar and sub-cellar where the taverns rooms and kitchens were located.
Taking a seat at one of the low tables in a corner away from the other patrons; the majority of whom seemed to be bare-chested Lamadon dockworkers or sailors, Guido ordered them some food and a jug of red wine from one of the serving girls that were circulating around the inn; all of them pretty Lamadon girls with olive skin and with their long hair dyed in a myriad of bright colours ranging from bright red to pale blue, and all wearing low cut and extremely tight fitting dresses that were as bright and varied as their hair.
Whilst they waited for the food to arrive Guido once again produced a set of dice from about his person in order to continue where they’d left off back on the ship. Though Lilith’s attention seemed to be elsewhere for the time being. Alternating between the serving girls in their tight dresses and Drake beside whom she’d sat so closely that she was almost in his lap. Unsurprisingly it wasn’t long until Drake would feel the girls hand slowly sliding up the inside of his leg with her giggling playfully when her hand was either removed from its present position or had reached its final destination.
It was as Lilith was busily “Making friends” with Drake that Guido turned his attention to the other two men, pausing to take a mouthful of wine before speaking “Come on you two, you’re making Arcturus here seem positively loquacious” he said rolling the pair of dice across the table and grimacing at the result “...so tell me what do you guys know of this...Stiorra, I’ve only heard rumours and mad rantings so it’d be nice to know who exactly it is I am signing up with...wouldn’t want to be on the wrong side again now would I?”

 

[Apelatia]

Kaella was seemingly far from impressed with his suggestion, and though she carried out half of it regardless, she did change the part about him going by himself to collect Elijah and the Dawnstar, instead opting for Selune, herself and him to go. Not in the mood to argue with the self-righteous woman, Illrea merely nodded his head and stayed quiet until they had landed, at which point he led Kaella and Selune through the surf to Elijah's location. Upon arrival, they found Elijah sleeping contentedly where they had left him beside the dying fire. With Selune being instructed to carry the Dawnstar, Illrea found himself having to help Kaella to carry Elijah's sleeping form back to the boat. Inside of him, Illrea silently hoped that Selune's picking up the Dawnstar would not have the adverse effect of tying her to its fate, or of giving her the strange and irritating longing which he had been experiencing since he had first picked it up. Whilst on their way out, Illrea gazed at the line of Sentinels that had formed on the rise at the top of the beach. He hadn't put much thought into the group's existence since he had first been captured, along with Astarot and company. Now that he looked at them though, he found their very existence very strange. He had heard stories when he was young about the Sentinels of old, but in reality he knew nothing about what they had truly been like. However, for as little as he knew, this group of fighters certainly did not tie in with his scattered knowledge of the way in which the Sentinels had been organised and the way in which they had worked. Why then had they been formed? Why was a woman with no voice their leader, and what reason did she have to make the band? These were all questions that played on his mind, and ones that he intended to ask Kaella later on, when they were safely away from this beach.

Making it safely away from the beach was going to be another matter altogether though... Having just reached their landing point, Illrea was astonished to see the Kavori charge. Being outnumbered as they were by the Sentinels, he had not expected them to make such a bold move. A sense of urgency creeping into his voice, he spoke quickly to Kaella. "Let's get Elijah in the boat quickly... What are your orders for us, Kaella?" By using the word "us", he was intentionally looping Selune's fate in with his own, though whether Kaella would give an order meant for the two of them, he did not know... They certainly needed to do something. Getting away from the beach would be their primary objective, but with the Kavori now starting an offensive against them, a retreat was not really a good option at present. They would lose far too many lives in the process...

 

[DeletedUser28032]

The Beach
Drawing a sword that seemed far too large for a woman of her stature to wield, Kaella’s response was all but drowned out by the thrumming of bowstrings as a fusillade of arrows was launched against the charging Kavori “You join the battle line, we’re going to need all the swords we can get if we don’t stop them....she keeps the hell out of the way and hopes we don’t lose” Kaella rasped as she helped Illrea lower the injured Elijah into one of the waiting boats before departing to join her men.
Before Illrea was able to leave to do the same he felt his wrist being grabbed by a clearly terrified Selune; the pretty hybrid girl still holding onto the Dawnstar as if she feared it would explode “Please be careful Illrea...I don’t think I could cope without you” she said in a tiny voice before hesitantly standing on tiptoes to give him a quick peck on the lips before letting go of him.
The charge had faltered under the pure weight of arrows that had fallen upon them leaving a score of the lightly armoured auxiliaries dead or dying upon the sand. Now instead, with their large rectangular shields now locked together in a near impenetrable wall they were advancing with the slow, unstoppable, inevitability of an avalanche towards the thinly stretched line of Sentinels.
Kaella knew full well what would happen. They would now simply advance upon her men letting them waste their arrows upon their shield wall before then bursting into a charge at the last second that would smash through her line like a hammer through glass. It was time to try something desperate and hope that she would be able to at least save some of her men from the coming slaughter “Illrea we can’t beat them in a straight up fight, so I am going to lead a charge against their shield wall so as to but enough time for the rest my men to get the boats into the water...if you want to join your woman in the boats and leave I won’t hold it against you, but you need to decide quickly” she spoke to him in her quiet voice, using a tone that said those who followed her into the attack most likely wouldn’t survive.
It was around about this point that Illrea would realise that it wasn’t his sword but the Dawnstar that he was holding in his hand. The young swordsman seeming to have drawn the weapon from its scabbard as he’d left Selune to join the others.
It was far too late for him to return the weapon with the enemy now so close to them and besides the blade felt good in his hands; exuding a quiet confidence that said that so long as he held it that nothing could touch him and that everything would be alright.

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

Why was it that lechery could exist even post apocalypse? That thought ran itself through Drake's mind as he looked around the bar at the working girls. He knew people had to hang onto something through dark times, but why that of all things? People…he couldn't believe them at times…whatever was left of his priest mentality was bothered by this more than he'd admit if anyone were to ask. He wasn't able to really focus on the question, though, because of the woman more or less in his lap…Lilith had been distracting him with small talk, which he was fine with…though her sitting so close was more or less indicative of her true goals. Sure enough, he felt a hand on his leg, moving upwards. He was fairly surprised by her blunt mannerisms…sure she didn't exactly keep it a secret that she was no stranger to men in any sense, but even so…this was a little ridiculous. Again, Drake was torn between letting her see what he actually looked like, which would more than likely alienate her for good, or stall and enjoy being treated like an actual human being for once. He decided that nothing good would come of dropping his glamour in the middle of so many people…that meant stalling, which he felt bad about, but even so…he took her offending hand in his own, smiling slightly. "I'm afraid it won't be that easy," he intoned softly, which was completely true…he wouldn't let her take it too far without showing her what he looked like, which would make anything else far more difficult (assuming of course it didn't scare her away outright)…but even so, he knew the usual meaning of the phrase and inwardly berated himself for being careless…now she was going to try even harder…he hoped that he'd be able to talk to her alone at some point before much longer…he'd settle things then…and while a small part of him couldn't help but hope that she wouldn't turn away when she saw his true body, the majority knew it was too good to be true. He released her hand after gently but firmly removing it from his leg, smiled slightly again, then returned the conversation to what they'd been discussing before the incident.

 

[DeletedUser28032]

Lamadon
“Oh…playing hard to get are we? I’ll just have to think of some other way of getting your attention then, won’t I?” Lilith said with a playful giggle as Drake removed her straying hand with the pair of them resuming their conversation on why exactly they’d decided to go to Lamadon, with the female mercenary stating in not so many words that like everyone else in their particular trade that she viewed Stiorra as the golden goose that would make her rich. The conversation was short lived however as a pretty serving girl in a red dress and with hair to match placed a platter of spiced lamb chops upon the table with Lilith seemingly enchanted by the pretty young girl. There was a moment of hesitation between the girl and the food on the table before finally Lilith got up from her place at the table “Sorry boys, but a girls got needs” she said blowing Drake a kiss before then dashing after the girl with pack in hand so as to stop her before she could disappear back into the kitchens.
Although they were too far away to actually hear what was being said it was clear that the young girl was rather unsure about whatever proposition Lilith was asking of her although it didn’t take much imagination to guess. However once a pair of gold coins had been pushed into her hand the girl readily agreed; taking Lilith by the hand and leading her downstairs “By the gods, anything with a pulse!” Arcturus grumbled as he took yet another chop from the platter and proceeded to tear the meat from it “now, now Arcturus we all have our vice’s and if it keeps her satiated then all the better…especially for our new friend Drake here” Guido said, flashing the alchemist a knowing look before rather delicately taking a piece of lamb from off of the platter using the minimal cutlery provided and tucking in with far more grace than the average mercenary “but anyway I digress, you were about to tell us more about this mysterious Stiorra, I mean is this person truly old royalty like the rumours say or just another despot looking for validation by taking a crown with the point of a sword?”

The Beach
You could be magnificent…a hero for all the ages, all you need to do is fight and survive this day a tiny voice whispered in the back of his mind. Images of him dressed in the finery of a king fleetingly passed through his mind, no doubt the result of his overwrought imagination trying to cope with the approaching army.
Obviously deciding that the young swordsman was taking far too long for her liking Kaella dashed to the front of her thin line and raised her blade high above her head making a tempting target for a would be marksman and indeed several of the Kavori auxiliaries broke rank in order to take pot shots at her with either bow or javelin with many dying at the hands of the keen eyed Sentinels waiting for such a move “The day is lost but the war is far from over! For all those that would be heroes, with me! Let us draw steel and drain blood from their veins in order to water our fields!” Kaella shrieked in an obviously painful manner before launching herself at the enemy shield wall with a cry followed by a good number of her men. The rest under the careful supervision of a sergeant were quickly led back towards the waiting boats so that they could be pushed off of the beach and into the water and safety.
The line of Kavori seeing their foe charge towards them quickly grounded their large shields and braced themselves for the impact that would surely shatter the lightly armed and armoured Sentinels. Yet it would seem that the gods were against them this day as Kaella leapt into the air to then run up the enemies shield before driving her sword into the neck of the dumbstruck warrior causing them both to collapse into a heap that opened a hole in the enemies line through which the Sentinels poured, and then the real killing began.

 

[Apelatia]

Illrea stared ahead anxiously as Kaella pronounced that he would need to join the battle line in order to give them the best possible chance of winning, and additionally ordered Selune to stay out of the way of the fighting. By this point, they had managed to set the still sleeping Elijah back down into the boat, and Kaella had departed up the beach to join the remainder of her Sentinels. It was then that Illrea felt himself clasped strongly by the arm; he whirled around in response, only to discover Selune beside him. "I'm sorry..." he said quietly. Clearly, the impending situation had heightened his senses, and as such he felt nervous. Illrea listened as Selune pleaded for him to be careful, with her stating that she likely wouldn't be able to cope without him. She then planted a kiss on his lips, before letting go of him. "Stay safe in the boat, OK? ...and look after Elijah. I will imagine that you are fighting beside me, and that will give me strength." He gave her a warm smile, before turning his back and striding towards Kaella's forces. As he walked, he went to draw his sword, before noticing that his other hand was already clasping it. Except... Illrea stopped in his tracks as he realised that it was not his sword that he was holding, but in fact the Dawnstar. A shiver of fear ran through his body as he realised the implications of the situation. Once again, the mysterious sword seemed to be trying to tie him to its will; changing his destiny and altering paths once set in stone... He didn't like it one bit, and his immediate thought was to run back to the boat to retrieve his own sword from Selune. Common sense overrode this sentiment however, as it would take far too much time to make his way back to the boats and then back to the battle.

Groaning in frustration, Illrea continued to stride towards the battle, ignoring the stupid voice that seemed to be speaking to him from somewhere within his mind. He could deal with the Dawnstar later. Disposing of it would be the best thing to do. Disposing of it somewhere no one would ever find it. With this though in mind, Illrea turned his attention to the battle at hand. Kaella was currently giving a rousing speech in a voice that he had thought her incapable of using to stir up the courage of her men. The Kavori had ceased their charge, and had instead formed themselves into a foreboding shield wall that threatened to overwhelm the Sentinels, who were clad in their light armour. Kaella had told him that she intended to lead a charge, and it was then that it started, the woman bravely running up a shield in order to impale the unassuming Kavori warrior with the tip of her sword. To Illrea, this was a nightmare situation. Fighting was his talent, but his forte was most certainly single combat, and also where he felt the most comfortable. Fighting in a close-knit battle was a nightmare, and was part of the reason behind his flight that night when Pentref had been under siege from the Sidhe. He despised the wildness and unpredictability that came with a battle situation. During single combat, he needed only to concentrate on his opponent, and there was a security in that, knowing that the one person able to eliminate you stood right before you. In a battle however, not only did one have to concentrate on the immediate enemy, but also on anyone who might take a wild swing from beside oneself, or anyone that might sneak up from behind to slip their weapon of choice into the base of one's neck... There was no safety in a battle. Nowhere to retreat, nowhere to hide, nowhere to flee. Once you were in, you were in. This was Illrea's last regret as he jumped through the gap and into the Kavori line. Immediately, he turned left to slice upwards with the Dawnstar towards an enemy's crotch.

 

[DeletedUser28032]

The Beach
The Dawnstar bit deeply into the Kavori’s leg causing him to drop to his knees; his scream of pain muffled by the large ornate helmet he wore. Wrought into the shape of a fox, it was then quickly destroyed by the Sentinel behind Illrea as he drove a hatchet repeatedly into the metal so that his victim’s blood was soon freely flowing through the vision slits.
But Illrea had little time to dwell on this as the whole world seemed to slow down; his reactions seeming increase tenfold as he gazed around at the brawling mass of men. A sword thrust was simply deflected by the slightest motion of his arm. A falling body was easily sidestepped with the barest of movements. Every action he took seemingly effortless even though deep down he knew this couldn’t be the case.
Before him Illrea watched as Kaella and the seriously wounded Kavori she’d attacked grappled with one another upon the sand with the heavier and far stronger warrior slowly choking the life out of her as a terrified Kaella futilely beat at the man’s armoured form with her bare fists with her sword lying just out of her reach.
Another Kavori suddenly appeared on Illrea’s right, this one wearing a helmet in the form of some great snarling cat with the warrior endeavouring to part Illrea’s head from his body with a short handled war axe which seemed move at a snails pace but would be deadly none the less if nothing was done to stop it. Just as Kaella and her men would surely die if nothing was done to avert to rapidly approaching disaster. The Kavori were recovering from their shock and soon they would crush the impudent Sentinels like an iron fist.

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

Lilith accepted Drake's removal of her hand with good grace, which relieved the alchemist. He didn't want to alienate her, and it appeared he had avoided that. The woman appeared to still be in a good mood, though, judging from her seduction of their serving girl…and the kiss she blew him as she departed. Arcturus grumbled about her chasing after anything with a pulse, while Guido decided that a satisfied Lilith was a happy Lilith, and was better for all of them. "Plus, I could see our tab being given a discount, depending on what they get up to and how much sway her partner has over such things," Mark added a little dryly. The conversation turned to Stiorra, with the mercenaries asking about what they knew of her. "Unfortunately I don't have much beyond rumors myself. Our employer certainly seems to think she's worthy of keeping an eye on, and that's enough to get me interested…the woman doesn't really care about most people." He was tempted to mention the fact that Matheld thought she was Isolla in disguise, but decided against it both because he didn't want that being overheard and he still didn't trust Ben's reaction when he found out that this mysterious Stiorra might be the woman he had failed to protect back when. No, better to leave it unknown. "Plus, I heard she pays well, which was extra incentive to take the job. I'll be curious to see what she's like though, that's for sure…when you build up that much of a name for yourself, it's always worth it to find out if the myth holds up to reality." With him being a supposedly dead man in hiding, it wouldn't surprise him if Matheld's hunch was correct, but if not, then the question remained: who had fooled the assassin? And regardless, what were they to do if she was Isolla…and remembered them?