The Tiran Wars: Liberty, at all Costs

[Deleted User - 819397]

Joshua ran down the steps, paying no attention to any lingering danger. He continued in this manner until he reached the door that led to the cells. Since the capital was in the middle of the desert, the builders of the Hall had deemed it prudent that the prison be built into it as well. Appearing suddenly nervous, he hesitated for a moment before trying the door. It was locked. Muttering, he moved back several paces and pulled out a brick that seemed to be flush with the rest of the wall. Inside the rear of the brick was a key. He inserted it and walked in.

The prison block was relatively simply built. Just a row of cells. Moving along the way, Joshua peered into each one before continuing onward. At the second to last one on the left, he stopped short. Queen Ismaire sat on a simple cot, eyes closed. She had red hair, similar to Joshua's, only longer. Her face was angled, giving her a refined look. No visible trauma was discernible on her. Joshua stopped breathing for a moment, then collected himself and approached the cell. Ismaire looked up, then gasped. Joshua flinched as Ismaire rose slowly and looked at him.

"Joshua?!?" the Queen breathed.

In his native tongue, Joshua replied, "Hello Mother."

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Caellach watched as Ral helped Thorin, cursing inwardly. Riev promised me it wouldn't end like this...he thought. He was contemplating how to escape with a broken leg when he caught the beginnings of the stench of smoke. With a flash he remembered that Riev had said something about a "final blaze of defense" that had yet to come. Realizing the trick the head of the magi in Jehanna had laid, he croaked, "fire." When Ral and Thorin didn't react, he said it again, stronger. "FIRE. The Hall is on fire. We need to get out." He tried to stand, then collapsed as his broken leg screamed in agony. "Take me with you...please..." he pleaded.

(My 4,000th post. Been here just over 2.5 years...man time flies.)

 

[DeletedUser28032]

The two women moved slowly across the corpse strewn floor having been abandoned by the others in their pursuit of Caellach.
"I am going to need a new outfit" Mei mumbled more to herself than anybody else as her eyes fell to her bare shoulder, only the remnants of her collar were holding the rightside of her kimono together, the sheer heat and power of the Magi's spell had incinerated the fabric along with a large proportion of the skin on her shoulder.
Leaving the main hall the two of them turned to walk down a corridor, the faint sound of voices in the distance acting as a guide for them "Ral's father he....he wasn't very nice to you was he?" Mei asked tentativley, fully understanding that from how her friend had sudenly gone quiet that what Mei had said was the understatement of the century yet she was unsure how to broach the subject "Have...have you ever heard of Karma?...I am not sure if it exist's outside of the east but....if you ever need a favour...." she let the sentence drift away and die hoping that her friend would understand what she was saying and more importantly wouldn't be offeneded by such an offer, some people took this sort of stuff very seriously.
It was as they were walking that Mei started to pick up the slightest hint of a smell..."Alex....Do you smell burning?"

 

[DeletedUser]

Ral was sitting against the wall across from Thorin. There was a vague smile on his lips, though his eyes were closed and he was still in a little pain from the lacerations inflicted upon him by the revenants inside the throne room. A violent coughing fit racked Ral's body and he doubled over momentarily. Leaning over, he spit a considerable amount of blood onto the stone floor, it splattered across his leggings but there was already so much crimson upon the garment that it was already lost with the blood of the revenants.

As Ral returned to his previous position he sniffled momentarily and a strange smell caught his attention. It was the smell of smoke.

"Take me with you...please..."

The pleading tone in Caellach's voice sent a burst of fury through Ral's mind, as it ran through what needed to be done. Joshua was missing and-looking around- so was Alexandria; as much as Ral hated to admit it his fear wasn't for Joshua's safety. Joshua knew this place, he would find a way out; Ral was positive of this. The more pressing concern was finding Alexandria and Mei, Ral came to the decision immediately.

Standing, Ral motioned for Thorin to stand "Come, my friend, this place is going to come down any minute." Then, Ral looked down at the traitor. The renegade nobleman wanted to leave the man to his fate so badly and he realized that the usurper's added weight would slow him down. Caellach deserved to die in the hall he had perverted with blood magic-he deserved to rot for all of eternity. "But damn it, its not for me to judge you. That is for the queen."

Ral grabbed Caellach by the collar of his fine tunic and pointed Thorin down the hall "We'll go back the way we came in. Out through the side entrance and into the courtyards surrounding the hall, we'll be safe to wait for Joshua and the queen there." Ral didn't think of the excruciating pain Caellach must have felt in his legs, as he was drug bodily across the cold floor.

"Alex....Do you smell burning?"

Alexandria smelled the air. "Yes, Mei, I do." The bard looked around the corridor they stood in. "I heard Ral's voice just down this corridor, he'll have smelled the smoke by now. We need to head back, Mei, do you have the strength to run?"

Trying to make the best time she could with the wounded Mei, Alexandria began to trace her steps back through to the hall. By now the entire place was ablaze in blue and red fire. Magical flames leaped across portraits of the previous monarchs of this land, upon the floor the drapes Caellach had flung in his haste to escape had caught fire. The smell of rotting flesh was horrible, but Alexandria knew there was only one way out, straight through the field flame covered corpses.

"I doubt we'll be finding you a new outfit anytime soon, Mei. Let's go. We'll talk later, alright?"

 

[DeletedUser28032]

"Run?...I am not all that sure i can stand" Mei spoke nervously as the stench of smoke got stronger, forcing herself to move, Mei with the help of Alexandria managed to quicken the pace as they double backed into the main hall, the stench of burning flesh and the slightly metallic scent of sorcery greeting them as they entered. For the first time in quite some time an awed smile appeared on the young magi's face as she watched the flames around them dance and grow "Its so beautiful" she said in an awe filled voice, Mei had always had a soft spot for fire though she found in situations like this it was best not to dwell on it too much.
Tugging slightly on the bards hand Mei led her the direction of another door "We can't go that way the tunnel caved in" she said regretting her previous course of action and wishing that Joshua was with them, at least he'd know a way out as it was they'd just have to risk it and hope for the best.
Shoving open a single leaf of the double doors the two of the entered into a corridor junction, the smoke billowing out from the left causing them to take the right hand corridor "There has to be a window or something?" Mei said as she frantically searched for an escape route as they passed the open doorways of the halls many room's.

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

Joshua stood there, unsure of what to do or say. Ismaire seemed similarly affected. Finally, he opened his mouth. "I-"

"I failed you, Joshua," Ismaire stated. "You were a growing child who needed to spend time with your mother. I spent all of my time talking politics with my advisors. I failed you as a mother. Can you forgive me?"

Joshua pulled out the key he had picked up and opened the cell door. "Of course, Mother. Can you forgive me for running away instead of staying as a prince should?" A wordless nod was his answer as Ismaire hugged him. He stood there awkwardly, trying to determine what to do. "We should go meet the rest of the group," he finally stated.

"How did you liberate the Hall?"

Joshua was about to explain when he smelled smoke. "What on...the Hall...it's on fire!" He looked to Ismaire, who seemed similarly shocked. "The stones themselves can't burn, but everything inside is flammable..." Joshua was utterly at a loss for words.

"Joshua...the Twins! Audhulma and..." the Queen noticed Audhulma's sheath hanging from Joshua's waist, the elegant sword inside it. "You stole Audhulma before you left?...There's no time for this now...we have to get the other Twin!"

Joshua knew what the issue was...the other Twin was a scroll that held the methods to releasing a massive magic offensive spell with very little energy. No one had ever seen it used, as no one but the Royal Family knew of the Twins, or had the means to access them. Audhulma and Excalibur. The Ice Blade and the Axe of Winds. The sword was safe with Joshua...the tome...that was in danger. The Twins were Jehanna's greatest treasures. They were irreplaceable. "Mother...you're weak from your imprisonment...I know what you were like before I left so I know I'm right. You get out. I'll get the Twin." Without waiting for a reply he took off again, leaving the cell block and tearing down a side corridor. There wasn't a moment to lose.

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Caellach resisted the urge to scream aloud. The pain was excruciating, but he couldn't take the risk that showing weakness might cause Ral to drop him. Besides, he had his own orders as well. He intended to carry them through, regardless of the fact it likely would be his own demise. All he had to do was wait.

(When did I get two NPCs? Ah well, Caellach is likely going to die soon, and once we leave Jehanna the Queen won't factor in anymore)

 

[DeletedUser]

Smoked billowed around the pair, as they stumbled forward desperately searching for a way out-any access to the outside. Alexandria finally saw a small beam of light ahead of them, a window let in the harsh sunlight of the Jehannan deserts. She tightened her grip around Mei's waist and fought on.

Before the pair could reach the window however, another billowing cloud of smoke engulfed them and they lost track of the light in the darkness. Their steps faultered and the pair fell to the side, Alexandria hitting her head hard against the opposite wall, the bard let out a cry of pain as stars swam in front of her vision. Mei had been braced beside her and so Alexandria had cushioned much of the fall for the mage.

Smiling over at Mei -just visible through the smoke even though their faces were a hand's length apart- Alexandria said "Give me your arm." It wasn't a request, and Alexandria pulled Mei's good arm across "It was a lovely outfit, Mei, it really was." she whispered into the mage's ear, as she pulled one of her daggers from behind her back. She slit the sleeve in two and the cut them length-wise. "Hold your breath."

Alexandria's lungs burned for in the smokey air it was too dangerous to take a breath large enough to sustain life for long. She fumbled through the bag she shared with Ral until she triumphantly produced a water skin. She felt as if she were about to burst, pulling the stopper out of the skin and dumping the contents over each of the strands of the kimono. Alexandria was too worried about staying alive to save any of the water-so she just tossed what little remained aside and pulled Mei's face close to hers.

Taking the first of the masks from her lap, which was soaking, Alexandria slapped it over Mei's mouth and sputtered through briefly parted lips "Breath, Mei." She tied the other around her own face and took in a deep breath of partially cleansed air. The masks wouldn't filter out all the smoke, but Alexandria hoped they would hold long enough to reach the window-which she could once again see in the distance.

Pulling Mei to her feet, Alexandria continued on, every few moments she would call Ral's name; both trying to locate him and with the hope that he might hear her.

Ral rushed down the hall. With each step he took the traitor he drug behind him seemed to weigh more and more-especially since he had no sheath to put his sword away and free his right hand. Finally, Ral dropped Caellach to the ground and thrust his sword through his belt-next to the deadly curved pick he used when no shield could be found. "You're lucky." Ral muttered, as he grabbed theman by the collar again and continued pulling him down the corridor; which was rapidly filling with smoke.

Finally, they rounded the corner and they were inside the throne room. The stench of bodies ablaze assailed their nostrils and sunk into their clothing. Ral had to force himself to breath through his mouth, he wasn't sure if he imagined it-but Ral could swear he could taste the death in the air. Caellach felt like deadweight behind him, but Ral was too focused on finding Alexandria and escaping this hell to worry about the fate of the one he towed behind him.

Looking around the throne room, Ral's eyes desperaately searched for any clue as to where his love had sought to make her escape. The tunnels were closed off to them, so she wouldn't have gone that way, but there were so many doorways opening off the main room that she could have went through any of them. Tears of frustration and fear tried to cloud Ral's eyes, but he pushed them away with his free hand and continued searching. Finally his eyes fell upon something that was out of place in the blood splattered and corpse strewn throne room.

Ral pulled Caellach over to it and knelt down, picking it up. He held one of the only things he had taken from his father's estate in the southlands. There is a ceremony that couples perform in the southlands, it is not a marriage, it is something far more intimate. Ral and Alexandria had held each others hands that night and together they tied the finely weaved fabric around their clasped hands. It symbolized an eternal bond, held together by unconditional love-symbolized by the finely weaved but otherwise plain white fabric. They had performed it alone, in the dark of night and in secret, Lord Belfast had already showed his interest in the bard but had not yet acted upon his dark desires. Ral wondered if his father and mother had done the ceremony he had with Alexandria, Ral doubted it- his father didn't seem to believe in the vows he took to Ral's mother.

Dropping the traitor once more, Ral wrapped the fabric around his right wrist and tied it tight, as not to lose it. Tears now freely flowed from his eyes, but he had a direction to search for her in. Ral believed that the bag they shared and that she carried had bumped against the doorjamb, knocking the plain ribbon to the ground.

Then, far in the distance and above the crackling and snapping of burning fabric, wood and bodies, Ral heard Alexandria's voice call his name.

"I'm on my way, Alexandria!" he called through the door, before grabbing the traitor and continuing.

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

Caellach looked at Ral in astonishment. "You're going to get us all killed!" he exclaimed. He then realized that yelling at the one person who could get him out alive wasn't a good idea and returned to his taciturn silence. He was alarmed by how high up they still were in the truncated pyramid. The throne room they had just left was at the very top of it. They would have to hurry to get out alive.

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Joshua had ran all the way down to what most considered the basement of the Hall. It was all one great storage room, with non-perishable food, festival decorations, and other such items. The fire hadn't reached the basement yet, as it had started higher up in the truncated pyramid that was the Hall. However, it was only a matter of time, so time was of the essence. He hurried over to a seemly inconspicuous spot on the far wall. He then searched for the proper brick and put his hand on it. The mage who, along with his ancestor had founded the Hall, long before the magi had formed their own union, had built in the spell Joshua had to activate. Speaking clearly in an archaic form of his native tongue, he stated his full name, his lineage to prove he was a direct descendant of the original King of Jehanna, and then, using a nearby knife, ed his finger and placed the blood on the brick, proving beyond a doubt his assertion was true. The stone absorbed the blood, and silently a door swung open. The path to the Twin was open. He rushed through, knowing he had to get in and out as soon as he could.

The desert had grown taller over the years. As such the original pyramid had been larger than what was visible. The stairs leading up to the main entrance actually went much higher than what could be seen. However, the rising sands had hidden the true depths of the Hall, and made sure no one questioned why there was only one floor below the main floor of the Hall. The door led to a long flight of stairs, spiraling downward. Joshua took them 3 at a time to conserve the precious seconds he had left. A scant minute later, he was down. He ran to a large set of double doors and pushed the left one open, avoiding a trap that had been put into the right one. A second set of double doors was beyond that, to which he pushed the right one. The third set he approached neither, but a hidden door to the right of the larger set. The path the doors followed led to a series of nasty traps designed to kill anyone trying to find the Twins...indeed the main path was one large trap. The side door led to a second flight of stairs, at the bottom of which sat 3 statues. Joshua pressed the center one, then the right, and finally the left. A final hidden door swung open, but Joshua didn't approach it. Instead he pressed the statues again, in reverse order. This disarmed the final trap designed to protect the Twins.

The room in which the Twins rested was simple. Just a stone room, much like the rest of the Hall. However, there were two chests. The one chest used to contain Audhulma. It was the other one Joshua approached. The sacred tome Excalibur met his eyes, a scroll protected by a leather cover patterned with exquisite designs. He took it and reverently placed it in a pouch his light clothes contained. Then he backtracked all the way back, closing the initial door, knowing it would reset all the traps. The fire was much closer now...it was time to go.

 

[DeletedUser28032]

Bright sunlight shone from out of the window, a beacon of hope for the two woman who had become lost and disorientated in amongst the thick and choking smoke, only to watch in horror as it was swept from sight.
Forging on in the direction that they thought the window would lie Mei suddenly found herself falling as Alexandria tripped over an ottoman concealed by the smoke around them causing Mei to give a short shriek of pain despite having a relatively soft landing upon the bard, Mei gritted her teeth against the pain as large, fat tears began to slowly trace their way down her cheeks.

As the smoke continued to billow all around them, slowly choking them in the process Alexandria gently took hold of Mei's good arm for what she assumed was in order to help her back onto her feet. However upon speaking directly into Mei's ear in an appologetic tone Mei soon discovered that wasn't the case. The knife glided easily through the silk of her kimono's arm with only the barest of sounds well its already missing one sleave why not the other? Mei thought sadly to herself as Alexandria quickly doused the strips of silk with water, pressing one such strip across Mei's lips and nose.

They carried on wandering through the thick smoke, pausing every so often to call Ral's name I wish i had somebody to call for Mei thought to herself the smoke causing her eyes to sting and water No if i am going to get out of here i'll have to do something myself.
Pulling the fan out from the sash about her narrow waist, Mei flicked it open with her left hand, nearly dropping it in the process "Alex I am going to try something....you....you may have to catch me" she said apologetically there was no telling how much even this simple spell would take out of her in her current state.
Wafting the fan slowly back and forth to what must have seemed a random patern, Mei repeatedly spoke the same three words over and over in what Joshua would have recognised as a form of Jehennan, her voice growing more and more pleading as she went on please work...please oh why won't you work? she silently begged until suddenly a great blast of air shot through the room to form a corridor of clean air through the smoke
"Look its over there" Mei croaked pointing out the small window with the tip of her now folded fan "We'll have to be quick i won't be able to cast it again" she said as the two of them made their way towards the window, the smoke already starting to fill in what Mei had created.
Squeezing through the window Mei sucked great lungful's of fresh, clean air only to find upon opening her eyes to her horror that they were currently perched on the external wall of the pyramid and a long way from the ground, her voice coming out as a pained whisper "Damn...I thought we were a lot closer to the ground"

 

[DeletedUser]

"if you don't want my axe stuck in you, you should shut up." Thorin growled at Caellach as they moved through the throne room.
the hall was on fire. great. hordes of undead? he could handle that, but trapped in a tall buidling that was on fire? no way.
ah well, looks like he might end up in the halls of Valhalla sooner than he expected.
wait, did being burnt to death count as death in battle? not really. better get out then.
Thorin turned to see Ral attempting to drag the traitor along.
"I'm on my way, Alexandria!" Ral called through the door.
"I'll take the traitor, i can carry him more easily than you. now run along." Thorin said. as he picked up Caellach and hoisted him over his shoulder.

 

[DeletedUser]

"Thank you, Thorin." Ral dropped Caellach and nodded back at the northman. Reaching down, Ral tore off more of the usurper's tunic and turned them into masks similar to the ones Alexandria had made. He clapped the wet fabric over his mouth and motioned for Thorin to do the same, his voice was muffled beneath the mask but he shouted to Thorin "We have to move quickly, or we'll be crushed if the roof caves in after the supporting columns burn. These will help you to breath in the smoke."

Ral turned and charged straight into the smoke, leaning low to the floor- as to not inhale as much of the smoke as he would standing. Thorin and Ral made better time than the women had-they were not forced to stumble through the smoke as they had been. It still seemed like an eternity of wandering through the heavy clouds of smoke. Above them, wooden beams braces across the ceiling were beginning to catch fire-chunks of wood and masonry falling down around them; until finally one of the timbers could no longer hold on.

The burning column fell hard and fast. Ral was only alerted to it by the shrieking sound of wood sheering and was able to throw himself forward upon the ground as it came crashing down. The wood splintered and showered Ral and his northern friend in flaming bits cinders. Ral rolled upon the ground, beating the burning wood from his clothing and skin. Taking no notice of the burns across his hands, arms and body-Ral pushed himself to his feet once again and carrying on.

Finally he broke through the great cloud of smoke and was standing before Alexandria and Mei; panting through the mask. "I was so worried." he gasped "I'm so relieved. You're okay." Ral immediately regretted that he was talking to Alexandria and not to his companions as a whole. I'm no leader.

There was a window that Alexandria and Mei had thrown open. It was venting the smoke enough for the companions to stand in front of it and breath blessedly clean air. Ral stood there, the morning's sunlight streaming through the smoke and corruption that purveyed the hall and surveyed their options. Behind them the great timbers that held the stone roof were crackling with bluish fire, they slowly came down-one by one. The way back was blocked.

That was when Ral looked down and saw Jehanna Hall in the sunlight for the first time. It was a truncated pyramid, just as Joshua had said, and that gave Ral and idea- a crazy idea. The sides of the hall were slanted at just the right angle to slide down, it was risky and it was likely they would sustain serious injuries during the attempt-but it was that or burn to death when the final timber they stood under was reached by the flames.

"Out the window, everyone, hold onto the sides of the hall and pray to whatever gods you hold dear." Ral called, as he took a few steps back from the window and looking into Alexandria's eyes one last time, cast himself through.

 

[DeletedUser]

"You're joking." Thorin replied, shocked.
Ral jumped through the window and disappeared from sight.
"You've got to admire his guts." Thorin muttered, thinking aloud.
he looked at Caellach. "out you go." he said as he tossed Caellach through the window. he might survive. probably not.
strapping his treasured Dane Axe inbetween his back and his shield.
he stepped back from the window, and muttering a prayer to the Aesir, he jumped through the window.

 

[DeletedUser28032]

Carefully lowering herself out of the window, Mei began to make her descent using the cracks and crevices between the large sandstone blocks, the mortar long since worn away by the harsh desert sun and winds.
Had she a clear head and a pair of working arms she probably would have been capable of climbing the majority of the way down before having to make the final death defying leap onto the sands below, however with her head feeling like it was stuffed with cotton wool and a right arm that she could barely move it wasn't long before the inevitable slip.
Throwing her hands clear of the masonry lest she risk breaking her fingers scrabbling for purchase, Mei slid down the side of the pyramid at an alarming rate, the delicate silk of her clothing was rapidly being worn through by the rough sandstone blocks and then....she was airborn.

Mei had often wondered what would be like to soar through the air like a bird, she'd heard tales of powerful magi harnessing the powers of the wind to do so, however she felt pretty certain that it felt nothing like this sensation of plunging weightlessness.
Crashing into the sand Mei screamed in agony as her arm made contact with the ground, pain so intense that she feared that she may have re-dislocated her shoulder in the process though thankfully this wasn't the case.

Now the magi of the east are taught to harness their anger, to channel it deep within through the arts of meditation, after all a magi that lost its temper was apt to cause serious harm to all of those around them, a simple argument over a spilt drink could result in the establishment being burnt to the ground along with all of those within, it was also for this very reason that the eastern magi were forbidden alcohol.
However all of this was forgotten by Mei who scrambling to her knee's, her shoulder a ball of white hot pain began to scream at the world "I hate this place!....I've been burnt, beaten and choked, my shoulders been dislocated and my outfit is ruined!....oh" Mei's voice trailed away to nothing as she stared down the length of the mans sword, her fury rapidly being replaced with a heady mix of fear and embarrassment.
There was around a dozen of them, five of them were dressed from head to toe in grey with long slender swords not all that dissimiler to the one Joshua carried, the rest of them were armed and atired in a similar manner to revenants they'd fought within.
Swallowing hard Mei edge back away from the blades tip and in shaking Jehennan spoke the first thing that came into her mind "Hello..."

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

Joshua made it out of the Hall without too much trouble...the fire had reached the ground floor, but hadn't caused as much damage as on the upper floors...yet. He didn't see his mother, but figured she would be closer to the wall than the flaming pyramid. Looking around, he was in time to see Mei fly off the wall of the structure. Shouting out in shock he ran toward where she was going to fall. He was far too late, however, and she was lost to his view as she fell behind a dune. Upon climbing the dune, he saw a group of Swordmasters and a few rougher warriors surrounding Mei. He continued his trek, calling out "HALT!" in Jehannan.

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Caellach cried out as Thorin threw him out the window. He bounced once off the side of the pyramid and then flew out toward open space. After that, it was all a blur as he fell freely through the air. He figured he was going to die, as his speed was increasing to insane levels. When he hit the sands, a cloud of the grits went up in the air. Caellach had landed on his stomach, several ribs broken. He was alive, but he wasn't sure how much internal damage he had taken...he figured he wasn't long for this world...but the job still had to be completed...

 

[DeletedUser]

Ral pushed all of his weight down, trying to control his fall to the best of his ability. Glancing upwards he watched as Alexandria, Mei, Thorin and Caellach threw themselves out of the open window as well. Ral's chainmail made an awful grating sound upon the stone under him and the friction was already becoming uncomfortable and to make it worse; he wasn't slowing down.

Finally he could no longer control his descent and his feet came down, impacting upon the side of the hall. Ral's momentum couldn't be stopped and his boots made a perfect point for his entire body to pivot forward. His vision nearly blacked out as his forehead came into contact with the stone, but he clung to the remnants of consciousness with all of his might as he began to tumble head-over-heels.

With each revolution Ral made he caught a glimpse of his companions, all sliding down behind him. His eyes were only for Alexandria however, and she had fallen to a similar fate as he had, she was now desperately trying to control an uncontrollable tumble down the pyramid's almost sheer face.

Sand might be soft to lay in, but it's as hard as rock when you slam into it with the force of a runaway carriage. Every inch of his already beaten frame was aching when Ral finally had the strength to lift his head from sand that was beginning to clog his nose and get into his mouth. He lifted his gaze from the sand and his heart sunk as his eyes fell upon the bag Alexandria and he shared. It had been torn during the fall.

Clothing, the journal Alexandria kept, a few pieces of parchment and certain articles of women's clothing Ral couldn't really identify lay scattered across the dunes. This was not what made Ral's heart fall into the black pit that was his stomach; Alexandria lay unmoving in the midst of their scattered and meager belongings.

His body protested-each sinew and muscle crying out in agony- as Ral reached out and pulled himself towards her. A red tint slowly rolled through his vision as the numerous head injuries he'd taken began to cry crimson tears that rolled over his face and splattered the sand under him. Ral couldn't pull himself along any further-there was just too much weight holding him down. Reaching down, he unclasped the buckle that held his weapons upon his belt and it fell into the sand.

Finally Ral made it to her side. With trembling fingers he felt for a pulse at her neck. Above his own frantically beating heart and the uncontrollable shake in his hands he could not feel that Alexandria's pulse was weak-he felt none at all. Tears came and washed away the crimson tint from his vision, black tendrils were beginning to inch their way into the sides of his vision and this time; Ral did not fight it. He didn't want to.

Ral knew that he was not long for this world. He had failed his friends, his love, all of Tiran. He didn't care about his companions at that point, he didn't care about Tiran either. He pulled the woven fabric from his wrist. Clasping Alexandria's unmoving hand in his own, Ral wound it around each of their hands once more and tied it as tightly as he could.

Even as the metallic pounding of heavy armor came and the drawing of swords and Mei's shouting began to recede, Ral's vision finally clouded over and his head fell forward into the sand. His heart beating almost in unison with his love's. The last thing Ral heard until the darkness took him was the strong and commanding sound of Joshua's commands in his own melodic language. This was all a mistake.

 

[DeletedUser28032]

The swordmasters eyes opened slightly in shock upon hearing the woman before him speaking his native tongue yet the blade still remained poised, ready to strike should she prove to be a threat.

"You speak our language well my lady but if you do not answer my questions truthfully then i will not hesitate to cut you down" Mei nodded her head in understanding as the tall man before her spoke, his companions fanning out behind him, the men in grey constantly scanning the horizon for any sign's of hostility.
"Now tell me who are you? and for whom do you fight? why is the hall ablaze and what fate has befallen our queen...answer me girl!" Mei stammered uselessly as the man preceded to bark questions at her, questions that her mind refused to supply answers for regardless of how easy they should have been. Struggling through the fog of pain and magic fatigue Mei managed to come up with the answers only have the words alude her would this man understand the common tongue and if not how would he react?. Glancing up she realised that the man in front of her was getting impatient with her silence however thankfully it was at this point that Joshua decided to intervene.

What was to happen next however was to prove mightilly confusing to Mei as the man before her not only sheathed his weapon but preceded to drop down to one knee as did the other grey clad men behind him "My lord....I hadn't realised that you had returned....upon spotting the smoke we'd assumed that someone had struck a blow against the magi but we had no idea that such a blow had been delivered by yourself....forgive me but what is the fate of your mother?"
"Mother!" Mei blurted in shock upon hearing the revelation for the first time he's a prince....oh gods i cauterised his arm! Mei thought to herself as the first vestiges of panic began to set in Had i realised he was royalty i could have done something a little less....painful.
Slowly pulling herself onto her feet Mei looked from between the group of swordmasters to Joshua in a somewhat dazed manner before preceding to stagger away "You....you guys probably have a lot ot discuss...I...I am going to check on Alexandria and Ral.... if that ok with you" this was going to take some getting used to...i need a lie down.

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

Joshua sighed. This was one of the many things he had disliked when he was acting as the prince. He much preferred to be on equal footing with people, as when he was on an elevated status people tended to hide their true feelings about things. He had hoped to announce who he really was in a controlled environment, after the fight was over for sure, but obviously that wasn't going to happen. Looking to Mei first, he said "I'm sorry you had to find out this way...that doesn't change who I am, you know." He felt as though he should say more, but he had never been great with personal wordplay...he tended to fall back on gambling lingo when he was talking to others, but with a shock, he realized he hadn't even flipped a coin in forever. I'm not as carefree as I was anymore...he thought. Without his fallback, he was unable to say any more to Mei, though he wished to explain further why he hadn't said anything.

Turning to the warriors, he said, "At ease, men." When they rose, he stated dryly, "I have to admit, I wasn't expecting anyone to recognize me after all this time...I suppose it was the hair?" Before a reply could come he continued, filling them in on everything that had occurred in the battle, leaving out the existence of the Twins. "My mother is somewhere outside the pyramid, I'm assuming..." he suddenly grew somewhat worried...where was she, anyway?

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Ismaire had run outside as she and Joshua had agreed upon. She had moved away from the main door, as any reinforcements for the enemy would head through there. It was because of that that she saw Caellach fall from the pyramid. Not sure who it was, she hurried toward the near prone figure on the ground.

Caellach looked up as Ismaire approached. He was extremely glad that he had agreed to Riev's idea to not let Ismaire see him in company of the enemy forces. The idea was that if the Queen did escape, Caellach could bring her back by pretending to be the loyal mercenary he had always been. Now, however, the result was going to be different...

"Caellach!" Ismaire exclaimed, bending down to the fallen mercenary. "I thought you fell with the Hall!"

"My Lady..." Caellach groaned. "I managed to escape that day...bided my time...Joshua showed up...convinced me to help..." his wounds were sapping his strength...every movement buried his broken ribs further into him...a wrong motion would pierce his heart. "Please...help..."

"Of course..." Ismaire bent down close to the traitor, trying to see if she could safely move him.

In a blur of motion, Caellach pulled the dagger he had concealed in his armor from its spot and stabbed Ismaire in the heart, feeling his lungs become pierced as he did so. As the Queen of the White Dunes fell atop him, he felt her soft weight push a rib into his heart. Silently, he waited for Riev's promise of healing him to full strength should he finish the job to come to him. After a few short seconds, he realized the lead Magi in Jehanna had lied to him. That thought was his last thought that ever crossed his mind. The traitor was dead, his dread work completed.

 

[DeletedUser]

Thorin woke up, he was lying face down in the sand. he was alive! thank Odin for that!
with immense pain he pulled himself up and rubbed the sand out of his eyes.
he tried to stand up but was only met with pain. something must be broken.
he silently cursed the cruel sand. the sooner he was back in the north the better.
Thorin looked around. his vision was slightly hazy. some distance away from him he could see a lump in the sand, a human lump. no wait, two human lumps. one lying on top of the other. they weren't moving and he couldn't hear anything.
"Hello?" he shouted. no reply came. he looked in the other direction. he could see more shapes, people standing upright.
"HELLO?" he shouted, cupping his hands to his mouth to increase the sound.

 

[DeletedUser28032]

Staggering away from Joshua and the group of kneeling soldiers, the apology barely registering in her mind as she made her way across the shifting sands in search of her friend. Cresting the dune upon which she'd landed she spotted a pair of figures laid upon the ground, no doubt due to exhaustion after all Mei herself felt like she could sleep for a year however as she drew closer she realised that not only were the figures were those of Ral and Alexandria but that neither of them appeared to be moving "Ral?...Alexandria?..." receiving no response from either of them Mei began to move quicker, falling to her knee's beside them.
Checking Ral first she quickly noticed that despite being covered in cuts he would live his breathing was still normal, he would live but it would appear that Karma had collected the debt he made upon the blood mage with interest.
Alexandria on the other hand scared her, sweeping aside the bards red hair Mei found her friends pulse and breathing to be so low so as to be nearly non-existant "Joshua!....Anybody I need help!" she shouted at the top of her lungs hoping that someone would hear her.
Rolling the bard onto her back Mei placed her lips onto those of Alexandria's and blew down into her lungs hoping to bring some life back to her friend, however still suffering from the effects of her own injuries Mei knew that she'd struggle to help either of them by herself.

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

Joshua heard two cries for help at the same time...one from Mei, one from Thorin. Looking to the group of warriors who had shown up at the Hall, he said simply, "Help the man" meaning Thorin. He then ran over to Mei, kneeling down and examining the fallen lovers. "What can I do to help?" he asked simply.

 

[DeletedUser28032]

"Her pulse is very faint I need you to pump on her chest like so...." Mei said positioning Joshua's hands upon Alexandria's sternum and demonstrating the action required "...with any luck her pulse will get stronger if not then we're real trouble" Mei wasn't sure what action to take if these measures didn't work, she didn't want her friend to die.
As Joshua followed the instructions given to him Mei moved over to look at Ral, most of the cuts and scrapes he'd received would heal on their own though one or two would probably require stitches.
Opening her bag Mei quickly began searching the contents, throwing a pair of broken bottles out onto the sand, thankful that her mortar and pestle were made of sturdier stuff. Pulling what appeared to be a small dry twig with an air of triumph, Mei ground it her bare hands grimacing at the strong aroma it gave off before holding it under Ral's nose, if this didn't bring him back to teh land of the living then nothing would.