Adventures in Edassa: Summer, 1375 S.E - City of Menkor

[Seonid]

Ned sat on a chair in a guardroom, breathing heavily. Joran was reloading his crossbow; Ned's was broken, used as a desperate shield against an Inquisition sword in that first, frighteningly brutal melee after they stormed the Tower gate. They were both bleeding slowly from several small cuts, but miraculously, neither of them had sustained serious injury. Thank the Seven, he thought. He'd never been a good member of the Martyr's flock, and fighting the Inquisition...well, it seemed to make sense to pray to the gods that he had once abandoned for the Martyr. Surely they would understand, right?

 

He pulled out his shortsword, already nicked from rough contact with enemy armor. Pulling out a cloth, he began to clean it. A rush job, to be sure, but you had to keep your equipment in good order if you wanted to live as a soldier. Poorly maintained equipment meant a dead squire as sure as rancid butter meant an upset stomach.

 

Suddenly, the floor rumbled, as if from a heavy impact. There were no windows in this guardroon, otherwise Ned would have rushed to one to see what had happened. Joran looked up from his winching, looking concerned.

 

"I think the Inquisition just broke down our doors," he said.

 

Ned just nodded mutely. Things just got a whole lot more difficult.

[Unodus]

The rumbling floor snapped Shuster to his senses. Turning away from the window, he faces the prisoners- sheathing his sword and pulling out the keys to the cells, he runs to where Joran and Ned are.

 

No sense stopping now, let's try our luck one more time...

 

"Joran, gather all the weaponry from the fallen guards that you can and bring them here. Ned, block the stairs anyway you can. Throw furniture down there if you must, just buy us as much time as you dare."

 

The two spurred into action, leaving Shuster behind with the prisoners. Resisting the urge to panic and waste quicktime, Shuster starts unlocking prisoner doors at random.

 

"If you want to live, pick up a weapon from Joran and fight for your life. The inquisitors won't be needing political prisoners in an all out war against Menkor."

 

Untrained prisoners won't last long in a conflict against bloodthirsty inquisitor soldiers, but Chronomancy is only effective if it can catch the opponent by surprise. The only way to do that is to have a distraction. While the attackers are occupied with hunting down defenseless prisoners, that'll leave them open for me to sneak around to attack. Hopefully, the real Mathiene won't get clubbed in the process- but it's not like I have a choice. The only issue is the only way to get down is the stairs which are currently blocked by inquisitors, it'll be impossible to sneak up on them from that direction. So instead...

 

Shuster eyed the open window. Apparently, the tower was about 80 feet in total. Even at the floor Shuster was at, it still is not a height a normal human could survive unscathed

 

I haven't tried distorting the very wind itself in a long time, lets see if I've still got what it takes...

 

Leaping onto the windowsill, Shuster looked back to the cells. The prisoners were in a daze, not only had they been thrown into a situation of kill or be killed, but now their rescuer was about to throw himself out the window. 

 

Such despair... But if I don't abandon them, then they will all die. At least this way a majority will survive. If I'm lucky I might even get paid.

 

A small voice within himself resonated around Shusters mind 

 

Give them something to hope for...

 

Gritting his teeth at his insecurities, Shuster shouted at the stunned prisoners
"Hey! For any of you who survive, I'll personally recommend you to the King himself. I'll see to it that you have a life to return to once this is over. I give my word."

More confused looks. Time to leave.

Spreading his arms out, Shuster leans forward- falling face first out the window.

 

Goddess of Time, don't fail me now...

 

Using slowtime on the air just in front of him, Shusters air resistance increases dramatically as the air particles move much slower. Like sinking through watered syrup instead of air- Shuster glides down. By controlling where the resistance is stronger, he keeps his feet against the wall to maintain balance. To the untrained eye, it would appear that he was running down the very wall of the tower itself. As the ground grew closer, Shuster used more quicktime on himself to make the descent seem slower for himself. While this wouldn't affect his momentum, it means he could execute a more advanced break roll to ease his fall which would otherwise be impossible. Even with his Chronomancy, the height could still cripple him. Pushing away from the tower wall, and executing a well placed roll at the last second- Shuster hits the ground running. As gravity catches up to him, he stumbles slightly- but nothing seems broken.

Looking around, it doesn't seem that anyone has noticed- everyone's so focused on the battle at hand that they all seemed to have missed Shusters stunt. At least- that is how it seemed, nobody was raising an alarm- or charging blindly at him.

 

Lets make this quick...

 

Sneaking back into the tower through the door, Shuster crept up behind the inquisition forces. With their backs turned, Shuster could work through their defenses easily. This time, he decided to ration his quicktime, and rely primarily on slowtime- Quicktime was simply far too useful to waste. One group at a time, he'd slow them so they couldn't move or call for help- and then stab them in their helpless state. Over the noise and chaos of the battle, the people in front would not notice until it was too late. So Shuster ascended the tower once more. It was depressing how easy the trained soldiers fell when distracted. Shuster passed some rough barricades that had been thrown down in haste, no doubt the work of Ned- but something of impossible strength had torn through them with ease. It was not long till Shuster reached the center of the conflict. The Soldiers seemed to be hanging back from the prison cell room, as if they feared to enter it- how strange. Shuster cut them down quickly. What could have caused them to fear the room itself? Perhaps the prisoners were more hardened criminals than he thought. As he turned the corner, he saw he couldn't have been further from the truth. Within the room, stood a full inquisitor-  a tanned sorcerer dressed in a crimson red Martyr uniform, protected by three inquisitor guards. The prisoners themselves seemed relatively unharmed, there were a few injured- but not nearly as great a loss as would be expected. 

 

What is going on here...?

 

And then he saw it, a great beast engulfed the center of the room. Scaled and green, long and formidable. Some sort of Primevil Reptile, a Demon lizard. Shuster had heard of such creatures, but not seen them himself. Truly its appearance was beyond intimidating.

 

How in Matryrs Flames am I going to beat a "Crocodile"?

 

It seemed to be toying with the prisoners, closing in on them slowly like a cat about to pounce. The Inquisitor seemed to be Goading it on.

 

Of course! A familiar! I should have expected no less from a full inquisitor

 

The Crocodile had rounded up the remaining resistance, the prisoners stood there- paralyzed with fear. I doubt their weapons could pierce its thick scales anyway. clearly, it intended to savor the kill. This wasn't a creature fighting for survival, it was a monster- driven purely on its lust to destroy.

 

I have to do something... I can't let them all die now...

 

Carelessly, Shuster blurted out the first thing that came to his mind

"I... I challenge your Faith!"

 

Maybe... Maybe I can bluff my way out of this...

 

He had the attention of the entire room, the Inquisitors eyes seemed to burn into him with lucid hate. The Crocodile turned away from the cowering prisoners to face its new prey- its not as if they had anywhere to run to.

Swallowing his fear, and sheathing his sword- Shuster spoke with a Steely determination, and withdrew a dice from his pocket.

"Clearly we are both veterans of our class, I'd rather not waste the time necessary dueling an opponent as skilled as you. We'd be here till dawn- I'm sure you don't want to waste anytime not purging heathens, right? We don't need to fight, I'm not even from the Menkor army. But, if you truly believe in the power of the Martyr, then you will heed my words."

Before the Inquisitor could interrupt him with a spell, Shuster tossed the dice over- forcing the Inquisitor to catch it and disrupt the spell he was casting.

"Some say luck is the will of the Gods. Well, I propose a trial to see which of ours is the greater. My Patron Goddess versus your Martyr. If you win, I'll surrender right now- and let you kill me and my comrades without resistance. But if I win, you let me and the prisoners go- and..."

Shuster points with more confidence than he was feeling at the Ginormous crocodile.

"I get to keep that things head. It's a familiar, right? You can just get it to grow a new one."

 

I haven't got any inquisitor heads to get extra bonus's from the King yet, presenting him a crocodile head would surely be much more impressive... 

 

"This is how it works, we roll a dice- and let our Gods decide who will be victor. I'll let you choose five  numbers on the dice, because my God is just that much stronger than yours- and if the dice rolls on any of those numbers, you win. If it lands on the number you didn't pick, I win. There's no way I can cheat, I'll let you roll the dice and choose the numbers- the Gods will decide the victor. I won't blame you if you refuse, the Martyr is such a pathetic God it doesn't stand a chance anyway."

 

The Inquisitor was practically seething now. 

Coal and Timber! This guy... He seems so intense... He looks like he could snap at any second...!

 

"Tell you what, if I lose, I'll even change sides. Sure, if you're God is better than mine- then I'll reform. You could use all the fighters you can get, yknow- since I just killed so many of yours. Your Choice."

 

The crocodile was getting ready to pounce, it gave a sideways glance to the inquisitor, as if asking its permission. Shuster kept persisting

 

"How much is your faith really worth, huh- tough guy? Do you truly believe? Now's your chance to prove yourself, the "odds" are in your favor, at least. I wonder how your God will feel if you turned down your one chance to prove your eternal loyalty, or if you broke such an ethereal agreement. The dice is in your hands, will you play- or will you accept that what you are doing is against the will of your own God?"

[Voidus]

Samuel eyed the interrupter, one of the jailbreakers it would seem. He examined the die in his hand with a distasteful eye. Games of chance had always been considered with the utmost disdain by Samuel.

"Tell me, oh great Veteran." Samuel said softly "Why I shouldn't just run you through right now for such blasphemy?"

His eyes narrowed dangerously.

"The Martyr does not play dice with the world, heathen. You will burn along with the rest of those in this city, burn in His holy flame.There is nothing you nor whichever pitiful pagan god you worship can do about it. You may escape, may even evade me for a while. But I will not rest until you have been found. I am aided by the very spirit of the hunt and I can assure you, we do not lose our quarry."

He tossed the die back.

"So we will play your game, but allow me to alter the stakes. I will take the high three, you the low. We will wager whether you die now, or die later."

Samuel wished that he'd prepared the Word of Command, but he'd not thought he'd have to face off against a sorcerer today, everything had gotten out of hand so quickly. He was sure the heathen sorcerer had some kind of trick up his sleeve but there was little to be done about it. He'd need to rely on his truthsense for now.

"If you win you may take one prisoner with you, I will give you one hour to run. Or of course you could try to test us in a different way." Samuel said, stroking the hilt of his sword, an eager gleam in his eye.

[BreathTaker]

Four days ago…

 

Bran Mariksen, Paladin of The Tribunal and General of the Banner of the Raven sat on his horse atop the hillside, looking through his spyglass at the city of Menkor. “Huni, go tell the Captain to set up camp in the valley behind us.” He said as he lowered the brass tube. “It is as close to the city as I dare get without alarming the watch. Muni, I want you to go in to the city and find out what you can of the situation there. Your brother and I will meet you there soon.” Bran’s nephew nodded, turned his horse and rode around the hill so that he could approach the city from a direction that did not point directly towards the camp.

 

For the next two hours Bran rode below the ridge line and scouted for patrols from Menkor. Of course, he would have scouts do the job as well but sometimes it was better to see what you could for yourself. Once he got back to his army, after seeing nothing, he found that the camp was mostly set up, a few smokeless cook fires were set up, spaced far apart and using dry firewood to avoid notice. Fortunately it was summer so it was warm during both the day and the night; there would be no camp fires to alert the nearby city of visitors. Meals would be finished before sunset and the fires would be smothered.

 

Bran left his horse with a young soldier at the mouth of the barricade and walked the rest of the way to his command tent in the center of the circular camp. Along the way many men who were either eating or maintaining their weapons stood and saluted their general. He smiled and returned their salute, addressing most of them by name. It was good for a commander to know his troops. Once he reached his tent he found it completely set up. A sleeping mat rolled up and tucked into a corner, his small writing desk sat in the middle of the room and his raven, Odin, sat on a small perch behind his chair. Fen remained outside to enjoy the evening weather and keep watch. His captain, snapped to attention as soon as the Paladin entered the tent but Bran waved at him to stand at ease. The man relaxed and handed Bran a stack of papers, “Camp reports, Lord Mariksen.” “Thank you Anders, what other news do you have for me?” The man stood silent for a brief second, “Nothing out of the ordinary General, food supplies are sustainable and morale is still good among the soldiers.” Bran nodded as he packed his pipe, “That’s good, extend the curfew by half of an hour for tonight only so that the men can see to their equipment. Also, double the guards around the perimeter; we don’t want any patrols surprising us.” Anders saluted and left the tent.

 

Bran sat down, lit his pipe with a small flint and poured himself a drink from the pitcher of Svalding Mead; he gathered the papers and began reading through them. Odin leaped from his perch and alighted on the Paladin’s shoulder, seeming to read the reports as well. Everything seemed in order, just as Anders had said; food stocks were satisfactory, morale was good, horses were healthy and weapons and armor were taken care of. Good. After reading the reports and finishing his mead Bran left his tent to visit with some of the soldiers and generally be seen by his men. They would need that if he was going to be gone for a few days as he had planned.

 

The next morning Bran inspected his troops again in a more formal setting. He also watched as his men practiced fighting in a shield wall and sparred individually. At noon, he ate lunch and changed in to plain clothes before leaving the camp and riding in to the city with his nephew Huni. There he would rent a room at an inn in the dirtier part of the city and wait for his nephews to scout out the city and let him know what was going on.

 

Three days later… 

[Unodus]

Shuster caught the dice with one hand.

 

Whoever this guy was, he did not like gambling. Lowering the stakes and his chances? An unheard concept to Shuster. That crocodile must be very important to him. All the more reason to be wary.

He pretended to consider the offer, even though the choice seemed obvious to him- he needed a moment to plan his next move.

Sure, he could easily manipulate the dice to his favor, but without being able to know which prisoner was the real Father- he'd be gambling on more than just a dice role. Also, there was no guarantee that the inquisitor would keep his word. Perhaps he only made the offer so he could see who the king so desperately wanted to save, to hold that person hostage. It was only a matter of time before he realized Shuster was bluffing about the extent of his powers anyway... The other option of fighting him head on was out of the question, Shuster would be no match in a direct fight- and fighting him and the crocodile at once would be impossible. That left only one other possibility, a possibility Shuster extensively liked to use whenever he gambled.

He could cheat.

 

The "game" itself was a ruse to lure the inquisitor into a sense of false confidence. It didn't matter whether Shuster won or lost, it was all part of the distraction. All that anger blinded the inquisitor to Shusters true motive, and playing on his sense of righteousness made him arrogant. Arrogant enough to fall into Shusters trap while keeping the prisoners alive.

 

He's losing his patience... Say something, anything!

 

Lowering his outstretched hand, Shuster continued to taunt the Inquisitor in his unnerving tone.

"You and I aren't so different, you know...

Time is a funny thing, you see- you can save it, you can kill it, you can make it or even take it"

Shaking the dice in one hand he continued his lure, occasionally throwing it up in the air and catching it with one hand.

"But one thing you can't change, is fate. Everyone has there time, it is the unavoidable- no matter how far you run or hide. Like your fire, we both believe that demise is inevitable, only a matter of time...

But, if someone were to know my fate- then nothing anyone could do could change that sealed moment in time. Time cannot be changed. Therefore, whenever I gamble my life- I cannot lose. As long as my stake is high enough to risk my life, I am destined to win- because my death is already organized elsewhere."

This was a blatant lie, while seeing the future wasn't impossible- fate did not work in that way. Not only that, but Shuster didn't have that kind of power yet. The boast was merely put in place to make the inquisitor feel even more confident with himself. Looking up, it was clear that the inquisitor had taken the bait, his face was pulled back into a sneer of disbelief. He opened his mouth to say something in jest. Too slow. Now was the time to strike.

 

Before the inquisitor could speak, Shuster flung the Dice as hard as he could towards the inquisitors head- and used quicktime on himself. He only had so much quicktime, so he also used slowtime on the inquisitor, the crocodile and the guards. Spread out over so many targets over such a distance barely affected them, but he needed every second he could get. Shuster ran behind the dice as it glided through the air, crossing the distance of the room easily before anyone could react. As he reaches the first guard, Shuster leans backward into a slide, and as he slides past- pulls on the guards leg to pull him down while simultaneously pulling himself up. From there, he fell one guard standing next to the fallen guard with one swift stab, then turning the blade he cleaves the fallen guard as well in one fluid motion. With each fallen guard, the slowtime takes more strength on the remaining targets- meaning they could only slowly turn in horror. The Inquisitor had only just caught the dice, mocking jeer replaced with a surprised grimace. He slowly drops the dice and reaches for his sword, but his motions are too sluggish. Shuster delivers a powerful kick to the inquisitors leg, causing the inquisitor to drop to one knee so that he can reach behind the inquisitor and stab the final guard behind him. Seeing its master under attack, the crocodile instinctively leaped across the room towards Shuster. In its Chronomatic distortion, however- it could only hover slowly across the room, getting slower the further it approached Shuster. Shuster delivers one swift punch to the side of the Inquisitors head to disorientate him to prevent him from casting any magic- and sidesteps the crocodile as it approaches. Placing a hand on the crocodile belly, Shuster lets go of his quicktime on himself- and the slowtime on the inquisitor. With no other targets, and being within a close proximity- the crocodile could only slowly drift through the air. Holding the inquisitor in a lock to prevent him from retaliating, Shuster shouts out to the prisoners.

"Bring me rope! I cannot hold them both forever!" 

 

The king had only asked for inquisitor heads, but a live inquisitor would be much more useful to his cause. Bringing him alive could perhaps earn Shuster a vital bonus in pay. Fortunately, prison had an abundance of shackles for prisoners, and within the minute the Inquisitor was safely handcuffed and gagged. Shuster kicked the inquisitors weapons away, just in case- and picked up the dice. It had ironically landed on a 3. 

"Well, Crocodile boy- a deals a deal" Shuster chuckled as he showed the inquisitor the dice, to his confusion

"You said I could take one prisoner with me and run for one hour. Well, I pick you. Now call off your crocodile for an hour, Familiars are connected to their Masters mentally, right? I take you as prisoner, now you have to let me have an hour to run away before you're allowed to kill me." 

Shuster pocketed the dice, and turned to Ned and Joran- who had miraculously survived the conflict. 

"Ned, scout the tunnels and report back to me if they're blocked. If they're not, go straight to the general and report our progress. Joran, you make your way to Lord Earney and report our progress. If he does not require our help, report back to me so that we know we can take the main gate in an emergency."

Seeing the two run off down the tower, Shuster then turned to the prisoners 

"Carry the inquisitor, and wait for me by the entrance of the tower. I will hold off the crocodile for as long as possible, then we can sprint from the tower back through the tunnels and to the Kings palace. Ensure the prisoner cannot speak or move his arms freely, he is a magic user"

Waiting for all the men to leave, Shuster finally turned his attention to the crocodile. Its eyes were unfocused, but clearly it was in a rage. It still hadn't landed from its instinctive jump.  Shuster didn't want to leave the crocodile behind, it would have made a neat bonus- presenting that to the king. Alas, his sword could not pierce the Crocodiles scales, never mind cut through it. Never mind, there were bigger fish to fry. Shuster applied quicktime to himself once more, and leaped for the door, closing it behind him and running downstairs. Once he had let the slowtime go, the sound of the crocodile slamming across the room could be heard echoing throughout the tower. Shuster sprinted down the stairs, it didn't seem like the Crocodile was planning on giving them an hour head start. Seeing the Prisoners huddled around the door, Shuster let go of his quicktime and shouted to them.

"We run now! To the Tunnels! Nobody is to be left behind!"

Leading the group from the back, the prisoners make their way across the courtyard and dash to where Ned had headed.

[Seonid]

The Tower of Estgarde rang as if it had been struck by a blow. Paithyar Kondraty looked up from his desk, where he had just finished his set of orders. Intruders! In my tower! The security in this place was an affront to all that was holy! He had been sure that he had manned the fortress with enough soldiers to keep out any assault while the Inquisitorial army camped outside the city mobilized. And the sorcerer he had on duty should have been more than enough to even out any miscalculations he had made. Apparently, he had been wrong. He began to dress in his armor, preparing to go to the battle below.

 

He stopped halfway through buckling his sword belt on, struck by a sudden thought. If the tower had been compromised, there was a risk of prisoners escaping. Most of these were high-profile nobility, useful for hostages or blackmail, but there was one...

 

Face twisted into a growl of fury, he began to run towards the cell of the heretic priest.

 

*  *  *  *  *  *

 

Lord Earney brought his poleaxe down on another Inquisition soldier with a wild yell. The initial rush out of the ruins near the tunnel's mouth had been wildly successful. More than twenty dead soldiers littered the courtyard, and many more were wounded. But the weight of numbers was beginning to tell. Several squires were down, and two of his men of arms were sorely wounded. He'd lost sight of one of them a couple of minutes ago, and was not happy with the prospects.

 

Suddenly, from behind him, he heard a loud crack and felt a wave of heat. Turning, he saw the remnants of a large fireball dissipating, leaving behind a smoking hole in the tower door. An Inquisitor sorcerer had blown it in. Must be going after that mercenary, he thought. I don't have much time.

 

Cutting down another soldier, he found himself in an empty space for a moment. Two of his men of arms, Josephe and Jean d'Morde, were fighting near him. As he watched, they dispatched their opponents. Calling them to him, he took stock of his surroundings. He was only a hundred yards away from the main gates of Estgarde, and the path was clear. Ordering the brothers to protect his back, he began to sprint towards the gate, poleaxe pulling backwards for a mighty swing.

[Seonid]

A compilation post between myself and BreathTaker

 

The door to the throne room swung open, silently.

Avar waited tensely upon his throne. Bran the Blessed, Banner General of the Raven, was an awesome figure, nearly legendary already in his own lifetime. And now he was a guest in Avar’s own throne room, a superior of the Paladin order come to visit an apostate king.

The servants announced their distinguished visitor, and the Lord of the Raven Banner approached the throne.

“Lord Bran, we bid you welcome to our city during this dark hour. To what do we owe this honor?” To his relief, Avar was able to keep his voice steady.

Bran smiled and bowed respectfully to King Avar, “It is an honor to finally meet you, King of Menkor.” The Paladin straightened, unabashed at his shirtlessness. There was nothing to do about that. “I have come because you are in quite a difficult situation.” Bran spoke plainly, he didn’t like mincing words. “I currently have my entire banner positioned about an hour’s ride from your gates. We did not come to harm you, originally we were just passing through but when my men reported to me what was happening…” The Paladin trailed off for a moment meeting the King’s gaze, “I decided to come to you and offer my aid.” It wasn’t the complete truth but it was close enough.

Avar relaxed slightly. “This is a welcome coincidence, milord. These hours are brightened by the presence of a servant of justice such as yourself. We have much to discuss.”

“Of course, Your Majesty, before we continue this conversation, is there any way I could trouble you for a washcloth and something cold to drink? I’m a mite thirsty from the little scuffle we just had outside.”

“Certainly, Bran.” Avar waved a servant over. “Two glasses of chilled wine, and a heated washcloth for the Lord Paladin!” The servant rushed off. Another walked up with a tray of cheeses. “While you are here, will you avail yourself of our hospitality?”

Bran nodded to the servant as he took a piece of cheese and popped it into his mouth. “It would be an honor King Avar.” Time was short and he was sure there would be more trouble soon. A few minutes later, two more servants arrived. One was carrying a steaming bowl of water with a cloth and the other, a pair of chalices and a sweating pitcher of wine. Bran took the washcloth and wiped the blood and dirt off of his face before accepting a cup of excellent wine. He lifted the cup to the king and drained the glass.

“Highness, as much as I would love to sit and speak to you of travels and news of other lands over a pipe, I believe we have more… pressing issues to discuss.” The Paladin set the cup on the servant’s tray and thanked him quietly while wiping the excess wine off of his beard before meeting the eyes of the king again.

Avar looked at the bloodied Paladin, still slightly wary. “Yes,” he replied curtly. “That we do.” Then, taking a deep breath, he steeled himself for the plunge. “Lord Bran, let me be blunt. The devotion of the Paladinate order to the cause of justice is well-known, and they are justifiably proud of it. But second in their loyalty is the Court of the Gods, and that is, these days, ruled by the Emperor of Alcorazim. And as much as we are grateful for your presence, if your aid comes with Imperial strings, we will struggle on on our own. We have fought hard for our independence, and will fight harder in the coming days for it. But, by the High One’s grace, we believe we will conquer.”

“I understand King Avar. I would not allow a rival government to barge in to my city either, no matter how much help was needed.” The comment would have sounded condescending coming from anyone but a Svalding, but Bran only spoke the truth. “We did not come to set up a Tribunal government. We came to help.” The Paladin paused for a moment before continuing, “The only thing I ask for, is the opportunity to speak to you about... changing the world.” Bran smiled at the king. “Think about this Your Majesty, if you truly ruled this kingdom without the thumb of the Inquisition or the Tribunal pressing down on you, you would have the potential to be one of the greatest kings the world has ever seen.”

The Paladin waved over the servant and poured himself another cup of wine, “If you would allow a small hand full of priests in to your city to preach, not forcefully convert mind you, but preach to those willing. Do you think people would come?” Before Avar could reply, “What if you set up laws that allowed anyone to worship who they would, so long as it did not hurt those around them? What if… people from all around Edassa could come to your city for peace and to escape persecution for their beliefs?” The Svalding took a small drink from his cup, watching the King think on what he had just said.

The offer was...intriguing, to say the least. Avar frowned as he mulled the implications of the Paladin’s statement. It reminded him strongly of something Father Julian might have said, were he here. A city that didn’t have to fear Court or Inquisition alike, where no allegiance to a religion took preeminence to allegiance to the city that made such a place possible.

Of course, such a course of action was just as likely to end in said city being caught between the Inquisition and the Tribunal legions. That was the way of the world. If you wanted to avoid being crushed, you joined yourself to a larger faction. But then again, picking sides had led him to the same juncture without the luxury of self-determination. It wasn’t as if there was anything to lose.

“We find your offer intriguing, Lord Bran. Intriguing enough that we would be honored to discuss this further with you. At great length.” The palace rumbled softly, as if the earth itself was shaking. Avar looked up, slightly alarmed at the noise. What devilry has the Inquisition stooped to now? Turning back to the Paladin, he continued. “I hope that you can agree, however, that as the salvation of my city is a fundamental prerequisite to the society you envision, so must that salvation be prerequisite to our discussion.”

Bran nodded to the king, “Of course, Majesty. As I said before, we are not here to undermine your power, quite the opposite in fact. But please, allow me to prove myself further.”

The Paladin went down on one knee and drew the long curved sword of the Inquisitor he had faced outside, “Avar, King of Menkor! I, Bran Mariksen, Paladin of the Tribunal and Leader of the Banner of the Raven; give you this sword, the weapon of a fallen and respected enemy as proof of my loyalty in aiding you in freeing your country from the oppressive grip of the Church of the Martyr.” For the third time Bran met the King’s eyes levelly. “I also swear, that I do not aim to establish the rule of the Tribunal in it’s wake. I only wish to aid a people in need. If I am false, may Argon strike me down with Holy Fire.” With that Bran stood and handed the sword, hilt first to Avar. What Bran had done was not a traditional Paladin oath by any means. It was an oath of truth and honor, combining both Svalding and Tribunal concepts and making them his own.

Avar looked into the Paladin’s eyes for a long moment. Then, he spoke, his voice ringing clearly in the throne room. “Bran Mariksen! I, Avar Leduinne, King of Menkor and High Seat of House Duinne, do accept your loyalty, and swear my own. Honor given to honor. Blood given for blood. Our steel is bound together in this cause.” It was not the traditional oath of fealty from a lord to his vassal, rather the oath of alliance between a king and his equal. Avar himself was surprised at the oath that had left his mouth, but it had felt right. The words hang heavily in the ornate hall. Still meeting the steely gaze of the Paladin, Avar felt a chill running down his spine. He had never been a man foresighted, but at that moment, he saw one thing as clear as morning. The world would never be the same again, and these few words spoken in a darkened hall would kindle a flame that would consume the whole world.

Finally, the Paladin broke the silence.

“”King Avar, I must go to my army now and prepare for war.” Bran glanced out a window to judge the darkness for time, “It will near sunrise before I return if you lend me a horse. I pray you can hold out for four more hours.”

Bran stepped out of Avar’s castle and was led to a small back gate so that he could leave the city discreetly. He jumped on the horse a groom brought to him and rode through the portal on the the open field. As soon as he was clear of the wall, the Paladin stopped his horse and sent to Fen, I need you my friend, this is going to take a lot of power.

In a moment he could feel the power coming from his familiar for the spell he was about to perform. After a few hand gestures and muttered spell, Bran thrust his hands up and the image of an enormous Black Raven on an even bigger red flag materialized into the sky, visible for miles around. Although the colors of the Banner of the Raven were dark, they seemed to emit their own light, visible even in the dark of the very early morning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Paladin urged his horse to a gallop, headed right for his encampment. Once the horse started to tire, Bran cast a healing spell on it to give another boost of strength.

An hour later Bran rode into what was once his army’s camp, now all that remained were three hundred men in armor, divided into shield wall squads, ready to march out at their commander’s order. A single, albeit large tent stood before that army. The men saluted in unison as Bran dismounted, he returned the salute quickly before entering the enclosure.

After about ten minutes Bran exited the tent wearing the mark of his order. A full set of enchanted plate armor, painted in a flat black and red. An unusual color scheme for a Paladin. In one hand Bran carried his shield, Svalin, and his helmet while in the other he carried Gungnir, his long bladed spear. On his back rested Allenir and Jotunfist, his axe and hammer, both hilt up for easy access. Finally on his hip sat his father’s long sword, Balmung, in it’s black and read sheath.

The hulking man strode to his own horse, which had been brought to him, and mounted it before turning and speaking to his men, “Warriors of the Raven!” cheers resounded, “As you know by now, we ride to battle!” more cheers, “Today we fight for a cause, not only to defeat the Inquisition of the Martyr, but to free an oppressed people!” Bran let the cheers and shield banging subside, “Today, we will bathe in the blood of our rivals, but they too may bathe in ours. Respect them, but give them no quarter.” With those simple words Bran placed his wicked looking helmet on his head, turned his warhorse and charged to the city.

[Voidus]

Compilation post:
 

As Shuster reached the entrance to the tunnel, he turned to analyse the courtyard one last time. Neither Ned or Joran had returned... Which either meant the tunnel was the only safe option, or they had both been killed. Neither were particularly enthusiastic possibilities. A few prison guards challenged the group, but they were clearly novices in combat- perhaps held back from the wall to do other tasks because of what they lacked in their skill in fighting. Any guard worth his sword was at the gate, holding off the Kings forces- and as a result, Shusters party of prisoners made its way across the courtyard relatively unchallenged. Turning back, Shuster ushered the already tiring prisoners on again

"Keep moving! We can't stop now, we shall rest only once we are away from this battle!"

Such was the support Shuster provided over and over as they ran through the tunnels.

 

Approaching the exit to the tunnel, they found no one was guarding the end of the tunnel

How strange... No one here? How refreshing to have a stroke of good luck for once...

"We can't afford to stop here, men! We're not out of the woods yet, the city is in uproar- if any Inquisitor supporters spot us, it could cost us everything we’ve worked for. Follow me, I have been in this city long enough to know the back alleys where we won't disturbed."

Fear was wearing the prisoners down, and each one looked ready to bolt in separate directions- yet they all pushed on regardless.

One of these men must be the Father... Which one though?

Shuster lead them through the maze of back streets, which were surprisingly quiet compared to when he had used them earlier.

Everyone must be at the Town Square, listening to the denouncing of the Inquisitors...

Well, I'll take any advantages I can get...

The gang of Prisoners kept up their pace, and soon the Kings palace came into view. The hope in their eyes dimmed slightly as they passed signs of a recent battle.

As the Guards started to approach, Shuster waved to them and shouted out urgently.

"I must see the King immediately! Tell him his Mercenary has returned, with a few guests. Go quickly, Time is of the essence!"

Anxiously, Shuster fidgeted nervously as one of the guards went back round the corner. Large battles always made him twitchy.

Its ok to calm down now... We're out of the fight, all I need to do is deliver the Father- pick up the reward, and get the heck out of this forsaken city...

 

Avar, King of Menkor, fidgeted with the Eagle-adorned crown on his brow as he listened to the report of his guard. The outer walls of Estgarde had fallen, and the few remaining Inquisition soldiers there were holed up in the tower, under siege.

 

“Sir, the Northerner, Shuster, has returned, and he’s brought a gaggle of prisoners with him. He requests an immediate audience with your Majesty. Shall I show him in?” Avar smiled as he heard the news. Father Julian was out of that foul cell, and soon all would be as it should be. He had missed the aged priest’s advice these past years.

 

“Yes, soldier. Show him in post-haste.”

Samuel tested his gag once more, they’d done a good job of it, he’d been completely unable to move it enough even to get out one word.

Which was lucky for his captors he supposed, one word and they’d all be dead before they could react.

He reviewed what had happened in the tower in his minds eye, replaying the entire scene over and over from memory until he could make sense of it, what he’d done wrong, his surprise as the heretic had suddenly vanished from view, everything happening in a blur too fast for even his eyes to follow.

He should have acted as soon as he’d noticed something strange, that sort of situation was exactly why the Inquisition had honed the Word of Power.

His mind ran through it all once more, calmly analytical, his emotions he separated, seething and powerful though they were they would just distract him right now. He would think, meditate, recognise his mistakes and learn from them.

Then, when he was free, he would kill the heretic along with whoever he served.

He continued alternately tensing and relaxing all his muscles, steadily loosening his binds. Even without magic if he could free his hands and get a weapon…

Well he’d been a lethal man for many years before he’d met Murk, he had no qualms about killing with steel instead of sorcery.

Indeed he usually prefered it.

 

Shuster was whispering to the prisoners as the guard returned, "Wait here while I speak with the king, and I'll see to it that you each receive your rewards for your efforts." Then after glancing at the prisoner Inquisitor- who was staring intensly at him like a wolf that had been tied down, added "Make sure to keep the prisoner with you, too- don't let the guards take him in until after the King and I have finished our discussion. Whatever you do, do not let him take off that gag."

With that, Shuster left the prisoners and followed the guard to the Kings room. On the way, he tried to clean himself up a little: straightening his hat, wiping the blood of his coat, and other such exercises in attempt to make him seem more presentable. Upon arriving, unsure how to greet the king- Shuster bowed awkwardly, trying to impersonate the guards. Rising, Shuster spoke carefully to explain himself.

"My Liege, sorry to keep you waiting. There were... Complications with the retrieval of the Father. It appears that there was an informant among your fellows who warned the inquisitors of our advance, which made the Fathers extraction more complicated than was predicted- I was forced to improvise. Fortunately, I was able to rescue all the surviving prisoners from the tower- and I managed to capture and restrain a full inquisitor. I figured he'd be worth more to you alive than dead, sir- and I made sure to have them all wait by the gates until our business is concluded. I'd love to stay and see you all reunited, sir- but business has callen me elsewhere, and I must depart soon. By your leave, I would like to take my pay as soon as possible- and make my way south, if that is alright with you. While working under you has indeed been an honour and a privilege, as a lowly mercenary- I am forced to swap coats for whichever employer pays best- I apologize for the inconvenience. But first, I would very much like to collect my earnings for todays hard work- 500 gold marks, plus my standard retainer, and a bonus 50 for the inquisitor? That sounds about right to me..." Shuster smiled hopefully. He needed the money desperately, and he wasn't the best at negotiating. Negotiating had always been her job, while he took down the targets. Now that she wasn't here, being a mercenary had become a great deal more difficult. At least he was starting to get the hang of it now...

[Voidus]

Compilation post part 2:
 

Avar looked at the Northern mercenary, only half-listening to his report. His mind was on fire, racing with plans to share with Father Julian. As the mercenary wound down, a guard approached. Avar motioned for him to speak, and the guard responded in a low whisper.

 

“Your Majesty, we have examined the prisoners brought back with the Northerner. The priest is not among them. However, there is another matter that concerns me greatly. This sellsword has brought back a full Inquisitor sorcerer, bound and gagged to the very gate of the palace. This is an inexcusable lapse of security. I cannot help but think that it was done deliberately.”

 

White fear clutched Avar’s gut. “You brought a sorcerer here!” He roared in anger. “You dare endanger my life by such a measure! And then you dare ask for reward.” His voice become ice-cold. “Unless, of course, you already have taken pay from Corento. That would be a likely move on their part.”

 

With a curt gesture, he motioned his guards forward. “Guards, take this assassin and his sorcerer companion into the secure prison. I want a double watch on their cell, every hour. Now!”

 

With a rattle of steel, the guards surrounded the pale Northerner.

 

Seeing the guards approach, Shuster cries out desperately-

"Wait, there must be some mistake!". When no one stopped, he tried again- only this time it was barely a whisper,

"I rescued every prisoner in the tower, if the Father isn't among the survivors- then he is either dead, or he was never in the tower!" The guards did not slow in their pace.

"I... I only wanted more pay... Please, I can't afford to go to prison..."

Panicking, Shuster reached for his sword-and tapped quicktime. As the world once again slowed around him, he turned and ran to the nearest door.

Damnation, shouldn't have been so... careless...

Before he could take even two steps, he felt a sharp tug- like a fishing hook that was embedded in the back of his neck that had reached the end of its wire- and was pulling violently at the pressure points behind his ears. The feeling was unpleasant, but not new to Shuster- yet it grew stronger with each passing moment, causing him to trip and fall to his knees. Shuster looked around- despite drawing quicktime, the world went by at its usual pace. Hearing suppressed laughter from the apprehending guards at Shusters display, Shuster dropped his quicktime- and the pain silently faded away.

Great, no more unnatural bursts of speed from me today- just my luck...

Pushing himself up onto his feet, Shuster growled as a pair of guards took his sword and leather rucksack- while another set of guards escorted him down the corridor. Turning, Shuster saw the king- already with his eyes distant, as if in deep thought, staring statically through one of the corridors open windows. They took a corner, and Shuster was forced to face forward in restlessness.

Me, an Assassin? How dare you insult me by comparing me to a creature as disgusting and as lowly as that... I'd rather die if the only thing I was capable of was murder. I haven't sunk that far... Not yet...

 

 

Within the hour, the escort had reached its destination- the palace dungeons. Far beneath the lofty establishment that was the kings palace was a set of private prisons, carved into the stony ground. The dungeon was big enough to fit around twelve cages, each with rusty steel bars and sturdy locks- decaying slightly from neglect. Since the inquisition arrived, the king hadn't needed to imprison any serious criminals, considering the inquisition usually executed common criminals- but now the inquisitors controlled the city prison, Avar had to improvise a new location to put troublemakers while he resolved reclaiming it. A third of the cages were already full- no doubt troublemakers who were bound for public execution, who Avar did not have time to deal with yet. Each prisoner huddled the back wall of their cell as if they intended to escape by clinging to the very stone itself. Since the place was lit by torchlight, Shuster could barely see the shady faces of the prisoners he passed, none of which he recognized. Shusters cell was right at the back, which was fine by him- the cell was as far away from the guards as possible. However, the prisoner in the neighboring cell caught his attention- as he was bound by his wrists to both cage walls by a chain, preventing him from moving his arms to remove the  rag in his mouth- it didn't take long to identify the Full Inquisitor which he had captured. The Inquisitor was also caught by surprise, but only for a moment- his eyes turned back into a dark stare, accusingly. Despite still wearing the gag, the Inquisitor practically radiated a sense of burning hatred towards Shuster.

Great, another stroke of bad luck. What next? Perhaps the martyr himself will descend from the sky itself to smite me for gambling against him.

The guards dragged him into his cell, locking the prison doors on their way out. The inquisitor was still staring lividly through the barred wall that separated their two cells- no doubt if it weren't for that, the inquisitor would probably have tried to cripple him as soon as his cell door closed. Shuster stood there, standing awkwardly for a few moments till the guards were out of earshot before summoning as much courage as he had to face the inquisitor. Forcing his face and voice to be expressionless and defiant despite the Inquisitors glare, Shuster leaned as close as he could to the barred wall the inquisitor was chained to in order to whisper to him while remaining inconspicuous to the guards.

"We meet again, Alligator Inquisitor. I do apologize for us getting off on the wrong foot, I was hoping we would meet under different circumstances." Already, the Inquisitors eyes were bugging out with frustration- but Shuster continued,

"Oh yes, I know who you are- how could any servant of the church of Martyr not know of you and your famous familiar? Unfortunately, you probably won't recognize me, and with good reason- but I believe I must reveal my... True identity before things get out of hand."

Shusters primary instinct to compulsorily lie had helped him out of tricky situations before, and he had since developed a talent for spinning a convincing tale on the spot. Given that his options were to risk earning the trust of an Inquisitor to help him escape, or face execution for betraying the royal family- Shuster chose practically instantaneously. Taking a deep breath, he spoke in a sharp and serious voice-

"I am one of Paithyar Kondratys undercover agent, one of the best. Only Paithyar and you know my true identity now, we've worked hard to keep it a secret- even among our own. We have been anticipating that Avar would break his oaths for a couple of months, Paithyar stationed me here so I could keep close tabs on the king as one of his personal guards. When Avar organized a secret meeting among his closest allies, Paithyar organized for me to take special orders from the king at that meeting, specifically for the retrieval of the Father. Paithyar had already organized for the Father to be secretly escorted off campus, so there's no way Avars men could retrieve the real Father. Originally, we had organized for me to retrieve a servant of the Matyr disguised as the Father, who I would rescue and deliver to the king, and then we would have the king under our thumb- considering how he values the Father. However, our efforts to disguise our doppelganger who was among the prisoners I rescued was not enough, as the guards were not fooled by the disguise. Paithyar also anticipated that you would try stop our mission in its critical stage, and planned that if you did try and stop us- that I should specifically go against the Kings orders of killing you, and capture you if necessary. He said that if things went awry, I could rely on you to keep a level head- and he also said that he was confident enough in your abilities to rescue yourself if need be, with my assistance."

Shuster took a deep breath, already he was beginning to ramble- he needed to conclude quickly before his story became too suspicious. Thankfully the gag prevented the inquisitor from asking any probing questions whatsoever, meaning Shuster could create his story uninterrupted without having to go into huge detail. Shuster locked eyes with the inquisitor once again, which now held the expression of confusion in place of the intense anger.

"If you don't believe me" He added, "take a look at this letter I received this morning". Reaching into his coat, Shuster pulled out the mysterious crumpled note he had received randomly that morning, and showed it to the inquisitor.

"This is... Paithyars order that I received this morning that I mentioned earlier, it says to meet with king at his meeting, and take a special task from him- the special task being code for rescuing the Father. I did not have time to burn it, considering the series of events that followed- but only we three know of its existence. It also bears Paithyars private seal, which proves that it is from Paithyar himself- and that I am one of his agents" Shuster pointed at the two squared signature at the bottom of the page. Evidently, the Inquisitor didn't recognize it- which therefore meant he couldn't deny it, hopefully.

"And now..." Shuster licked his lips, thinking desperately for what his fabrication required him to do next-

"We need to break out of this prison, and report to Paithyar the status of our mission. That is of the utmost importance, having a fake Father advising the king would have been a key advantage that we now don't have. Preparations will have to be made, there are battles that we could have avoided that we must now consider at length. However, I must rest to regain... my strength, that I lost in our conflict. We should aim to have our breakout tomorrow, at the very least- under the cover of night. I understand that you must prepare spells prior before you use them, use this time to prepare as many as you can. When the time is right, I can reach through the bars to pull that rag out of your mouth, and you can use a spell to open our cages. Since most of the Kings men will be out on patrol, chasing our brothers away- the building can't be that well fortified, we will be able to slip out of the castle with ease."

Shuster stopped himself, not wanting to get carried away any further.

"Well? Are you in? This strategic information could tip the balance of the war to our favor. If you are not... Well, then we will both be executed for treason- you've seen how I can fight, you won't be able to pass the kings guard by yourself- even with your crocodile. Whats it going to be, Alligator Inquisitor? You've got all day to decide."

 

Samuel glared at his erstwhile captor turned fellow captive. His mouth tried once more to work its way free of his bindings so that he could reply.

Still too tight. This is going to take too long to get free of. The heretic king knows his work well. Although if he’d known it better he would have executed us and been done with it.

Shifting his gaze from the face in the next cell he faced forwards towards his own cell door, deep in thought.

An undercover agent? I’ve always suspected that others were secretly using spies and assassins from outside of the Inquisition to do their work. But it’s all too convenient. Why not mention it earlier? Why not show some sign or mark?

He turned to regard the man once more, his former smoldering hatred now turned into a few embers of distrust.

Samuel didn’t believe him. But it also wasn’t impossible that he was wrong. In any event he could determine the truth at a later time, seeking out the truth was a specialty of the Inquisition after all.

Yes, he could determine what to do with this man, be he heretic or spy at a later point. For now, he needed to escape and rejoin the Inquisition’s main forces. He would need to help retake the city, with the chaos from the fighting he might be the only Inquisitor left to help break the walls down.

Meeting the curious eyes next to him he allowed his suspicions to show. But still he nodded slowly.

I don’t trust you. But for now, you are the enemy of my enemy…

 

Seeing the Inquisitors slow nod, Shuster let out an inward sigh of relief. Without the inquisitors destructive magic, it would have been impossible to break out of the cell. What he was going to do to escape the Inquisitor once they escaped the prison however, was still a little uncertain, hopefully a solution would present itself before it was too late. Shuster lay back onto the bunk of his cell and forced his eyes shut. He had relied too much on his powers today, and now he was going to suffer the consequences. Whenever he used his quicktime or slowtime on objects- every time he lost consciousness, the opposite effect would happen would happen while he slept. For every second that he had applied quicktime on himself while he was awake, he would have to endure a second of slowtime while he slept- and every second he affected another object with slowtime, objects around him would be affected by quicktime while he slept. Apparently, it was the only way to recover his reserves. The danger of using too much slowtime on his enemies while he was awake meant he would be more vulnerable if he lost consciousness- and overuse of quicktime on himself would lead to gradual sleep deprivation, which would make him more likely to pass out. It was for these reasons that Shuster had to learn to restrain the use of his powers- but after todays outburst, the consequences would have to be severe. Daunted, Shuster slowly tried to drift off into sleep- wondering like he did every night, if this would be his last. The fact that time just flew by around him terrified him, what if the inquisitor tried to kill him while he slept? Asleep, was totally defenceless. While he was awake, he was undefeatable- but when he slept, he was so incredibly vulnerable. If it wasn't for her, he would have lost his mind under the pressure.

 

As the sleep took hold, Shuster was once again flung into a deep dream.