The last few days for Massua Opal had been somewhat of a blur. She remembers the knights found her amidst those dead bodies, hiding in a ball and muttering incoherently. Her eyes were wide with fright and horror, signifying how little she has witnessed any real battle. Who knows the condition that this girl had to suffer within that box? Those were words she heard them say as they loaded her on a horse with the female Arkoudan knight and took her to the nearest city to question her further. All her time within that box, she never truly felt broken. She had hoped that she would find a way out, or someone would come to save her. Well, someone has. And if all things do go well, she may be on her way home. But she did not think about such hopeful topics. Her mind was still on the blood and carnage. Even when she tried to focus on anything else, it was always just outside her memory of that young man falling before her, blood pooling under his dead eyes that stared blankly through her; th
It has been a few days since the attack from that Chimera. They were lucky that there were relatively few injuries amongst their crew. Nemean Lions are known for their ferocity and high body counts. They are a challenging threat, even for knights, with their nearly impenetrable hide. There would be no question why a regular guildsman died, and two more maimed beyond belief. And a young girl was impaled through the chest by the spines of the leading Manticore in a display of cruelty. They did their best to console the mother, who grieved all night until they had to bury the girl. This was the best they could do for a funeral. Carrying the dead was itself a walking death flag and could summon things much worse than a pride of lions. Custom was to burn the body in a pyre, but doing so in the wilderness is far too arduous. At least now they know that the body will be at peace and return from which it came.The guildsman rode off silently, the mother's reasons for continuing on smoldered,
Lyse and his companions, rode the hills of Koraki. The stings of the cold rain rejuvenated them, kept them aware. The gloomy skies almost distracted them of their troubles. But then they remembered what exactly tailed them. Their horses pounded the dirt road, their breaths themselves becoming deeper and more haggard. Despite how far they've galloped so far, they were not surprised when they looked behind them to see three figures, cloaks shadowing them into the night. Three Makhai wounded to an immeasurable degree, yet still, they pursued with purpose unmatched.Lyse looked down at his mother, limply laying in his lap as they galloped along. She was still not awake, and those green veins still ran up both her arms, pulsing ever so slightly like poison running through her. Lyse tried to keep his mind off of the worst of thought and keep it on help. Any help. His arm felt better than before. He tried to focus on avra to heal the broken bone. A clean break won't take long, but the pain w
Lyse was not able to fully understand what was going on. He never thought that a ghost would be the first shocking information of the day, but it did prove to be the case. And he was talking to one, somehow. And this was not just any specter, but one of a godslayer, a member of Theurgy who knew his mother. His name was Maurice and supposedly was born and raised here in Pumavut. He also didn't think that the pendant of death would be in a place like this, and he could find it in such a way. It was bizarre for him to think about. But Fate does work in unconventional ways, most often. It is difficult to criticize something that had been so consistent so far.But still, the thought of ghosts was chilling for him. You never hear good stories about them. Well, real stories. There are some tales that show some ghosts to be quite benevolent, helping a noble find the killer of his family or providing something to the hero that would otherwise be impossible. But from accounts of knights, they c
James was not used to dreams. They did not come easily. Neither did sleep really these days. Sleep has avoided him as if from sickness since the civil war. Since he was a godslayer. Or yet, a young prince turned adventurer of his early career as a knight. It was not because of the horrid things he had witnessed, as others would surmise from these symptoms. In the past, he has slept soundly knowing what he knows and seeing what he has seen. It bugged him once how he could do that, sleep when others were suffering, and there was nothing he could do. But eventually, he could get over it and return to normalcy. No, this unwillingness to let his mind wander into the immaterial plane of dreams was a different but familiar feeling. A mental affliction that had followed him from the war. And that: is that Talin still lives.Indeed, he himself nearly killed the ruler of this evil organization; several of the Plithos purged and severed whatever ties to the clans they once had. For the first tim
Starting a day in a medical bed was beginning to be far too familiar for Celia these days. While it was true that she much enjoyed the life on the road, full of adventures and excitement, the encounter with Thanatos reminded her of something. No, not reminded. It just made it much clearer the dangers of simply being what she was. And now, her son was also in the midst of this dangerous storm forming around each of them. It is untold who will be claimed inside its rain and winds. Even the pendant is large of little use to her. As she looked down at her hands, covered in gauze, she could feel the faint, but alarming, pulse of pain in her arms. She dreads to see what they looked like. It was horrific when she saw what the pendant did to James. And for such a weak attack, she is surprised that she and the rest were not dead. Yes, her son is now pulled into the storm and must learn to navigate through it with or without her. Their mere existence endures that any sense of normalcy is
This was officially the farthest that Elena has been from her home. It was a strange thought, a thought she did not expect to have now. She doesn't even know how she could tell how far away she was without the map, but she knew. As the ship lurched, from her room she shared with a sleeping Gray, she felt a small connection somehow being severed from where she was from. This must have been what it was like to leave home, truly. Out of range of a simple letter really. And her father was on the fronts with the Frostlandians as their annual war became more and more violent. Their Manor would be empty now, only the servants to decorate the halls till she returns. When she returns. There was no uncertainty whether or not she will come home. No matter how close to death, she refused to believe so. Even still, the thought of that cold hand on her throat, a blade placed at the base of her head, she wished not to dwell upon it.Gray was getting more and more anxious, understandably. He was wary
The world had gone dark for Massua Opal. She remembers nothing from before, not a flickering flame, of why she was in a prison cell. She remembers coming face to face with death itself, being grasped by a cold hand that sucked the life out of her like a leak in a bucket. His presence had shaken her. And then, that was it. She doesn't know what happened after that point if anything did. When she opened her eyes, she was sure she was indeed dead, and the bleak afterlife had taken her. Death had seemed such a comforting thing then, she would not relish in her death as much as she initially thought.But then, shock. A shock back into reality, as deep pain, responding to her consciousness, decided upon itself that she needs to be reminded. Pain suddenly flourished, her stomach becoming a bed of cold heat and twisting skin. She felt simultaneously lit on fire and stabbed. It was unbearable pain, and she weighed in place on the cold stone ground. Her skin grew red with the intensity as could
LYSE OPAL: Human. From the Liontari Kingdom within the Empire of Clans; Trained to be a knight from an early age; the Godslayer of Athena, Dionysus, and Demeter. Age 21His family:EDLUND: Human. Lyse's adoptive younger brother. Trained alongside Lyse. Age 19MASSUA: Human. Lyse's younger sister. Age 16CELIA: Thirian(LION). Lyse's mother; From the kingdom of Hath; Former Godslayer of Athena, Dionysus, and Demeter; Age 47WILBUR: Human. Lyse's Father; a Former knight who retired after the civil war; former godslayer. Age 50MAKYRA: Thirian(WOLF). From the Lykos Clan; orphaned since a kid; the guardian for Celia and her family; age 33Characters of the Empire:KING JAMES COLTON: Human. A knight and King of Liontari; the former godslayer of Apollo, Artemis, and Prometheus; Age 48NOVIA: Umani. A knight of Liontari; Paladin of Exploration; age 47LUPURIOUS: Human. A knight of Liontari; Paladin of Security; Best Friend fo James; age 48ELENA: Human. A Knight from the noble faction; Lyse's
Celia led her sons into the fortress's inner halls. Many of the nobles and staff were tending to the many preparations for the funeral of King James Colton. Lyse had already seen his body burned; usually, they burn bodies as soon as there are sufficient witnesses for it. So they prepared a high altar, where his body was set on top of and lit on fire, on the peak of Mount Silondras, so that the winds may wash away his ashes like all those who preceded him. The funeral itself would be a formal celebration, where all nobility and royalty from across the empire would attend to honor his death, every king, every queen, and their royal line, as well as any other noble family who was able. But for now, sorrow shall be the symphony of mind for the empire. And the Opal family shared in this song. But for Lyse, now was not the time for grieving over his king. Now was the time for action. Lyse wished that he had met his sister on much better terms. While it was great to see her, huggin
They were coming home. It had been two weeks of travel along the Frostlandian border. Two weeks of extended travel, though in high spirits. They could almost feel the difference in climate as soon as they passed along the Silondras Trail that directed them back southward towards the city itself. It was still late into the winter season for the empire, but they felt warmer seeing the barrier markings introducing them back into Liontari. They have had a few close encounters with a few passing armies, a small force of Frostlandian soldiers camping out about fifteen miles away from yet another Lykan outpost. They decided to take the long way around this time and cut through the very top of the Forest of Silence to avoid any further halts in their plans. Otherwise, the road was unbothered, and nature was as unruly as it ever was. Lyse felt the warm embrace better than anyone, the Pendant of Life radiation ti's infectious aura that only he could grasp. They tried a few experiments to see if
Silondras. Named after the mountain range of which it sits. Surviving millennia of progress and wars, desolation, and having been rebuilt twice in its history, this site has obvious importance to the heritage of the Liontarian people. The clans' first emperor was said to have been born on the peak of Mount Silondras, his kin being the first royals of each clan. Even in his demise, the clans cling to their idea of being an empire, despite no man ever reclaiming that sacred throne. The throne of Silondras. It was a beacon, never folding to any threat that had ever come to it, surviving every single attempt of siege. And when James came into possession of this treasure, he vowed to allow it to stand for another ten thousand years. That was his promise, his duty as the last Colton. And over the centuries, they made sure that any attack would be easy enough to defend against. The position was highly defensible. Not only were they surrounded by natural barriers, but with the impossibly high
Elena escorted Massua to her temporary rooms. Quite a few royals were roaming the halls at this hour, most she was rather familiar with. Even though it has been nearly half a year since the Trial of Knights, some residual excitement was still echoing in the halls here and there. The most they could pick up was wondering where The four record-breakers had disappeared so suddenly, barely celebrating such a monumental achievement. Of course, any such person would have the right to carry their praise and accomplishments to the highest tiers of heaven. But no, nothing but silence. So seeing two of them was a surprise all in itself. Thankfully they weren't swarming the three of them or any of the sort; Massua seemed already trying to hide in Elena's shadows, avoiding even glancing at those who passed them by."Thought this place will be a bit busier," Gray said."I'm sure many nobles have taken back to their estates," Elena said, then turned back to Massua, who nervously looked like a group
17 years ago"This is where you were born?"Wilbur helped his pregnant wife down from the small coach. It was late in the summer days. It was quite beautiful, the skies bright blue and the fields an untamed vibrance that spoke of mystical forces. The forest of Silence was strangely comforting, contrary to its innate intentions. She could feel that power resonating off of her own pendant that now laid upon her breast. It looked the same as when she first touched it when Wilbur had bound her under vows, and her fate turned into that of strife. Even, after all, they have achieved, the dismantlement of Talin, and the end of the civil war, they felt even more greatly the cost. Two of the godslayers were missing, and only one of their pendants was retrieved. Torlak, Hath, and The Clans, sister nations who have prospered along with one another, find themselves in a delicate state of tension due to the sheer intensity of the fighting that cost the lives in all three parties. Their friend, Rem
Lyse felt like he was dead. That was the first thought. Even though he knew that this world was immaterial, the pain in all of his extremities was blaring and obvious once realized. The last he remembered, Hephaestus was blown to dust. They had won. He had no opportunity to build a new body, no time to resurrect his brethren in some glorious crusade in heaven. He, a simple man, had done him in. It was a powerful feeling, a massive relief. But this relief was also so brief. Because he realized quite quickly that this was not the end. He looked around at the expanse of sky that surrounded him. It had been a while, but this ever-present feeling of raw power and aura was unmistakable. The forever dawn of a nonexistent sun dotted with long and narrow clouds and the clear water-like surface reflecting the picturesque view. He was back in heaven, the apparent meeting destination for him and the gods from now on. And he was not surprised to see the proud and tall visage of the goddess looking
The forest was quite enchanting and terrifying. When they left the village, Massua actually had to take some time to compose herself. Not just emotionally but mentally. That awakening realization of who she was was a massive shake to her mind. Coupled with the intense emotions that bubbled beneath her, composure was hard to maintain then. She really felt like a child comforted by her mother in front of two knights, but the more she tried to hold it in, the more uncontrollable it became, as if her emotions were fighting her to be freed. By the time her sobbing stopped, they were already deep within the Forest of Silence, the very heart of their kingdom.She remembers far back into her childhood, as far as she could at least, being told not to wander off into the forest. That was one of the first things that she learned, really. Don't go out at night. Stay away from the monsters. Stay with an adult. Never venture outside the walls. Truth be told, she violated each of these doctrines at
The cold wind stripped away the sounds of hundred of beaten breaths, still as intense as the days that came before. It was miraculous to Lyse that no man refused to move back, despite the display laid before them. But he got the feeling that their loyalty to this woman was obviously above such dread they could derive from the encounters forced upon them so far. Besides, their priority was to protect their captain, nothing else. And if she was going into battle, it will be backed by a hundred swords and a hundred guns. But also, they seem somewhatas amiable towards Lyse as well, almost sympathetic. Many were his seniors, veterans in this life he now treads filled with danger. They must have sensed the impact of his failures. And for that he is thankful. Because he has one last thing to ask for them, and he is afraid that their lives will be far more in danger than before.Once he had heard that there were metal creatures that roamed these lands, he knew it had some connection t