The Fall From Grace

[DeletedUser13682]

Finally, something going Daniel's way. Daniel had sliced nearly through the opponent's chest, splattering blood everywhere. The opponent wasn't dead yet, and Daniel was about to go in for the kill, when the new help called out for Daniel and Dist to go save the king, while they cleaned up. Dist led the way, calling for Daniel to come with him. "You catch up when you're done here," Daniel said to the mysterious helper before running after Dist in the golem he had created.

 

[DeletedUser]

Krane

As the neck was severed, the figure abruptly crumbled into a pile of grey ash, leaving no trace.
The guards fought back against the nineteen remaining grey figures, who were pushing against them. However their blows had little effect. Suddenly the grey-clad warriors did something unexpected. Like beetles they scuttled up to the walls and ceiling and moved over the guards, not attempting to fight them.

Oren

Four guards moved to attack Shyther, one stumbled on Leo’s body and was cut down instantly. Another was knocked to the ground by a chance blow.
The assassin managed to pick up a kukri and chuck it into the throat of a royal guard before Oren’s blade slammed down into her neck, nearly severing it, she barely had time to cry out before the life drained out of her body.

Daniel & Dist

Upon barging into the royal chambers, the two Inquisitors were greeted by a strange sight. Eight Royal Bodyguards lay sprawled across the floor, dead. Shyther was stood strangely, his head lolled form side to side, his eyes wide open and unmoving. His chest did not move. He was dead. His body stood limp, but he still moved like a rag doll. He was fighting two Royal Bodyguards at the same time, and winning. Count Cladenhon sat in a corner, rooted to the spot. Oren was stood over the body of a woman clad all in black, whose head had just been disconnected from her lithe body.

 

[DeletedUser31931]

Oren saw Daniel and a giant stone contraption which he assumed was under Dist's control, burst into the room. He called out to them "Shyther has been possessed. Daniel, you guard the way you just came, Dist my way and I'll take Shyther." With that he raised his sword. He didn't want to kill the man, but it may come to that. "Guards, I think that Shyther is long gone from this world, therefore it doesn't matter if we kill him a second time, we're never getting him back." He sheathed his sword and drew his bow, notching an arrow, he aimed at Shyther and then began to open fire.

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

Dist quickly complied with Oren's commands as they reached the place they were making their final stand. He wasn't a leader...if Oren had taken command of the forces, he wasn't going to complain. Rather, he understood he needed to be working smoothly with the others if he and the king were to survive the night. From inside his Golem's head, he lovingly stroked the cool stone. His contraption would keep him safe, and with it he could ensure the others would remain safe. He just hoped he could maintain it long enough to win the fight...the drain on his energy was incredible. Once he consumed the last mouthful of his drink...he'd lose the ability to keep it formed rather quickly.

 

[DeletedUser13682]

Where was the king? They were in the king's chamber, but he wasn't there. Oren was, as was Shyther (albeit in a Gulf Island undead state), some Royal Guardsmen (most of them dead), Count Cladenhon laid on the floor, trying to move but failing. Oren told Daniel to guard the entrance, which would have been fine if the king was there. "I need to get to the king, Oren. Do you know where he is?"

 

[DeletedUser31931]

Daniel asked Oren where the king was just after he fired the first arrow. "He's sealed in the chamber, this is the only exit, so cover where you came from. That's an order Daniel! I'm in charge of defending this room and I will do so to the death. Those doors will not open unless all of us are dead or the attack is over!" Oren very rarely gave orders, but he was under a large amount of pressure and stress and hadn't had too much sleep lately, which combined with the threat of imminent death meant that he was a quite grouchy. He notched another arrow and fired at Shyther again.

 

[DeletedUser35174]

Krane watched as the hooded figures scuttled across the wall over the guards, "WATCH YOUR BACKS MEN!" He roared as he charged at one of the attackers, who was trying to get up on the wall.

 

[DeletedUser]

Krane

The guards began to poke at the figures using their spears, but to no avail. The cloaked figure slipped onto the floor as Krane slammed into it, his blade taking off it's left arm. But there was no blood, just a little showering of gray ash before the figure got up and tried to climb again, this time with just three limbs. The rest of the group scuttled along the ceilings, moving over the heads of the guardsmen, heading towards the courtyard.

The King's Chamber

Oren's arrows both hit Shyther's chest, piercing his mail. However this did not affect him, and the Inquisitor went on to kill another guardsman, leaving just one alive.
Meanwhile looking through the door Dist could see that the man and Torin had overcome their opponent, killing the hooded warrior.
Back in the chamber, from the far side of the room came a banging from behind the king's doors. "What is going on?" Cried out the muffled voice of Herenduil.

 

[DeletedUser35174]

The blade cut straight through the foe's arm, but instead of blood......ash seemed to shower from the wound. Krane was frozen in sight, only did he regain his balance and understanding when the man..thing, whatever it was got up and tried to climb again. Taking a step back as to have room, he swung his sword, aiming for the figure's neck.

 

[DeletedUser31931]

"What's going on?" came the voice of Herenduil.
Oren opted to lie at this point in order to not panic the King. "We have the situation under control, however, it's still not safe enough to come out, stay where you are for now and keep that door sealed. That's an order!" He seemed to be giving out more orders today than he ever had before. He sheathed his bow and drew his sword. Since arrows no longer appeared to work, he'd have to do the job with his sword. "Daniel, Dist, tell me what you see!" he shouted before charging at Shyther, only to roll to the left of the inquisitor and make a slash for his arm.

 

[DeletedUser]

Krane

As the neck was severed, the figure abruptly crumbled into a pile of grey ash, leaving no trace.

Oren

Shyther's left arm was slashed wide open, and hung by a few threads. The possessed Inquisitor turned and made a wild slash. Suddenly the last guard dived and knocked Shyther to the floor. Saving Oren's life, only to lose his own as Shyther stabbed him in the neck.

Dist & Daniel

"Looks like you can handle it here. We'll be on our way down to the courtyard." Said the man, he and Torin bothed sheathed their weapons before walking off down the corrridor. "If I were you. I'd find out who that last assassin was." He called back.

 

[DeletedUser13682]

Though it irritated him that Oren was giving Daniel orders, they were equals in the Inquisitors, Daniel understood that the situation called for smoothness and lack of bickering if the king was to make it through the night. As Daniel guarded the door, the mysterious helpers headed to the courtyard, dropping a hint to find out about the last assassin. "Dist, you know who the dead woman is? She's the only one here that's properly dead, not zombied or ashed."

 

[DeletedUser31931]

Oren swore loudly as the last guard died. Shyther however was still on the floor and Oren took advantage of this by side-stepping around the body and before Shyther could so much as move a muscle his sword had sliced cleanly through Shyther's sword arm. Disarmed, there was not much else for Oren to do other than slash of Shyther's head. Standing back he admired his handiwork and tried to figure out if Shyther was still being controlled.

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

Dist looked around as Oren asked what he saw. "A lot of rock, people fighting, you, Shyther killing everyone...oh, you killed him heehee." Daniel then asked him if he knew who the dead woman was. He peered down at the corpse. "She's dead. Very dead. Doesn't matter who she is...she's dead. No threat there, no need to worry, right? We need to be focusing on keeping the king safe...we just need a good amount of people and I can get to the crushing. No time to worry about a dead woman. No, no need." It appeared that the strain of holding the Golem together was taking a lot of his sane brainpower, giving the insanity prevalence for everything else.

 

[DeletedUser35174]

As the neck of the figure was severed, he....it crumpled to a pile of ash. Krane charged at the next opponent, he was gonna worry about what they were after the battle.

 

[DeletedUser]

Sir Krane

His charge had no effect. By now all the creatures were on the ceiling, and were scuttling towards the courtyard, impervious to the spear blows delivered by the guardsmen beneath.
Once they reached the courtyard they leapt off the ceiling and down onto the flagstones. In a perfect grey diamond formation they charged towards the mass of black-clad fighters and joined in the fray, slaying both the Luchper and the Brystkel.
"KRANE! WHAT IS GOING ON?" Raerrith screamed.

The King's Chamber

Cutting off Shyther's head did the trick, as his body fell limp and lifeless.
From his seat Cladenhon looked up at the destruction. Ten dead guards. Two dead Inquisitors. And a dead assassin.
"We've done it!" He said exuberantly. "We're alive! The king is alive!" He stepped over to the body of the assassin.
"Will someone please let me out!" Shouted the king.
Ignoring him, Cladenhon put his sword down and knelt on the floor. "Let's see who she was..." Peeling back the hood, his face turned from exuberance, to shock and horror.
Although bloodied, the face belonged to Iss'ane Cladenhon. Count Cladenhon's daughter. She was the assassin.
"By the gods..." He said, horrified. He turned to face Oren. "You.... you killed her..."

 

[DeletedUser31931]

Cladenhon pulled back the face mask to reveal a girls face. It was the girl from the night of the banquet, Iss'ane Cladenhon. She was the assassin and she had been sitting there draped off Vorashti's arm probably planning their next move and he had had no idea. Oren swore, loudly. "Count Cladenhon, I am sorry, however, it appears that she was a member of the enemy. Sir, I'd be willing to bet your own daughter has been fooling you for a very long time now. I know that it hurts and I'm sorry, but my duty to the king comes first. At least we know who the final assassin is now." He spoke sincerely to the man, and then thinking quickly spoke again. "In reparation if we make it out of this alive, I will allow you to challenge me in single combat in order that you might have the chance to avenge the death of your daughter if you felt so inclined. However, right now our duty is to protect the king no matter what the cost." then turning away from Cladenhon he shouted to the king "Sir, we have stopped them for now but I think that the battle in the courtyard is still on going on and therefore it is still not safe." Then he turned to Dist and spoke again "Dist, dismantle the Golem, from what I know of magic that must be killing you right now and with the rest still in the courtyard we can manage without it. Once you've dismantled it you can put it up as a barrier in front of the King's Chambers." He finished speaking and turned back to Cladenhon, awaiting a reply.

 

[DeletedUser35174]

Krane was too late to tackle any of the creatures, they were on the ceiling, the guards attempt at attacking had no effect. Once clear over the guards, the creatures landed on the floor and went into the fight, fighting the hooded figures, Krane heard Raerrith yell what's going on. "DON'T ATTACK, LET THEM KILL EACH OTHER!" he yelled in response.

 

[DeletedUser13682]

The battle was over, at least for the moment. The King was still alive, and the last assassin was dead. Now to find out who she was. Cladenhon took off the hood to reveal his daughter, Iss'ane. He turned from smug to horrified. Oren was stupid enough to allow Cladenhon to challenge him to a duel after the day was won.

"No, " Daniel ordered. "There will be no more fighting over this. Cladenhon, I am terribly sorry for your loss, but Iss'ane brought this upon herself. Hide her body, and forget she was here. She was killed in the fighting, but in her sleep, not trying to kill the King. There will be no duel over this. We can't let anyone know a Cladenhon was an assassin, and ruin the entire family name.

"Dist, if you think you can hold that golem for the rest of the battle, that would be great. I think we could use some heavy stuff down there. But if you can't hold it, then do what Oren said. Speaking of which..." Daniel turned to Oren. "Think next time before you try playing captain. Ready yourselves and head to the courtyard." Daniel waited for the other Inquisitors at the exit to the room.

 

[DeletedUser31931]

Oren shook his head at Daniel as he admonished him "I was put in charge of defending here. I did my job. We're not going to the courtyard. We will stay here and defend the chamber. I refuse to leave this place undefended and I need you here. What if someone managed to slip through the fighting and bash down the door. The king would be dead. We are not going up and if you wish to challenge that then I ask you to a duel."
Oren spoke angrily. He was doing his job and Daniel was rushing into things without thinking. He would not let the King die because Daniel wasn't thinking. He was the better swordsman and Daniel should know it.