Spirits of the Earth

East Coast; Hivan Ocean.

Word had gotten around that the God of War would be in town, and the city of Thaedes had become restless. A lot of people were hustling to move in... and out of the city. With a reputation following him after the slaughter of Havanlaar, anyone that even smelled like a mage was ready to wet their pants. Others wanted a piece of him, so it was no surprise that anger was already rising in the streets as they were alerted that the man and his men were about to enter town. Within the hour the streets were swarming with men, others bolting their door, while children were heard crying, even through the buildings.

It was ten to midnight by the time Krah and his men arrived, a full army of men, weapons and black powder at their disposal. Some of them were even flashing around fancy new pistols at their sides, no thanks to their fearless leading demanding only the best for his men. And considering Krah was taking care of business more so than some of the other general's as far as the fighting was concerned, it seemed the Grand Duke was just too eager to give it away.

With the backing of the Grand Duke and an ego a mile long, it seemed nothing could stand in the God of War's way. But something did, and it was difficult to discern just where it had begun, but that night was a night no one in Thaedes would ever forget.


Sometime in the night, the crickets had stopped their chirping, the frogs, their croaking and the sea- though it was still a few miles from Thaedes, could be heard as it's waves crashed along the shore and the sea winds fluttered wind chimes and lanterns about. It was also dreadfully cold, and with the clouds rolling in, it was a lot darker than it normally was. So it was hard to say if it was a trick of shadows that started it, or intentional, but what started off as a whisper; soon grew into a roar as the beast of war unleashed his heartless rage upon the city, declaring it a supporter of the renegade mage population and a mark against the crown.
"Thaedes will fall for this!"

How dare they speak out against the Grand Duke, this nation. And soon Thaedes would take to fire and run with blood.


Foot steps were heard upon the wet cobblestone, men's garbled cries and the striking of swords echoed through the streets. The winds came in harder, just as the orders were bellowed out, and soon the street's glossy cobblestone was reflecting the orange hot flames that were soon roaring and reaching for the skies.


The White Crested Inn had bordered up it's windows, much like it had done when wild storms would come in. This time, the owners feared for the city's safety- ever since the rumors spread and word got out that there were mages in hiding- and that boats were smuggling them down to Serendipity and the islands through the Hivan Sea.

And the warlord that came was right about this, however, and the air was too tense for them to hide the secrets; and the God of War just needed one good reason to declare this town was full of mages...


And it would become her fault.
Had Krah never came to the White Crested for some drinks, perhaps the city could have been spared, but Kella Harmond had been there, hoping to catch the next ship out of the city come morning, and in doing so, was trying to remain discrete but even in her tattered clothing, the god of war spotted her out in the crowd. And when she tried to avoid flirtations, the man came in for a gruff beard kiss, and was shocked when he felt something course through him.

Drawing his blade he cried out she was a mage and demanded the place be burned, and the chaos started from there. He locked the patrons and all inside and bolted the door closed. Kella and the rest were left begging through bleeding, knocking fists to be let out- but the God of War thought nothing of it before he tossed a flaming bottle in through the window, and the Inn took to flame.

And so the fall of Thaedes had begun.

(( This is um...kinda long. xD ))

Thirteen hours earlier, a man and a boy arrived at The White Crested Inn.The pair looked worn-down, their clothing dirty , waterlogged and in tatters. They looked every bit as much like beggars and the innkeeper frowned as the pair of them made their way to the reception desk. The man wore a hooded cloak of forest green, his facial features predominantly masked by shadows provided by the cowl; he laid a gloved hand down on the counter, " A room for two, please."

The innkeeper stared at him dubiously, "Sorry, son, but this isn't a poor house. I'll need to see some coin, "leaning back in his seat and rubbing his double chin hidden by a scruffy silver beard. 

The lad beside the hooded man seemed to look suddenly smaller, his shoulders slumping and his head lowering as if defeat. The poor thing wore an exhausted and dejected expression, but whatever he was feeling he kept it to herself. He was a thin , delicate thing and like the man standing beside him, he was swathed in a cloak of green that masked the majority of his features.

The hooded man nodded and removed his hand from resting on the desk, " Will this do?"

The innkeeper shot up in his seat and snatched up the gold coin that rested on his desk. Now he narrowed his eyes even more suspiciously at the man , "How come you by this?"

"Ask no more and there is more to be earned." The hooded man replied, holding up a second gold coin. " I'm acquainted with the Captain. I know that you know him, Mister Miller. We're only here for the night and you will hardly notice our presence and we'll be gone by morning. "

The innkeeper nodded, but spoke not a word on the matter. For to speak of mages and of ferrying them away from the Grand Duke's judgment, the judgment of Ansgar was considered a high form of treason. The innkeeper was a religious man, but all the faith in the world hadn't done well for his business. He needed the coin to feed his family and keep his business and sometimes this meant doing business with the devil. But most of these mages he'd done business with were seemingly a decent folk. They all could pay well for the risks that Miller was taking to temporarily harbor them . How could he say no? The Grand Duke certainly wasn't paying him any money for his loyalty so he figured he owed the man little. Afterall, Calent hadn't delivered on any of the promises he'd made before ascending to the throne as far as the bitter old innkeeper was concerned!

"Very well, lad. You have yourself a room for the night and meals and a baths. If you need anything, ask my wife or daughters and they will see to it. " Mister Miller replied with a knowing smile and a nod. He slipped the coin into his pocket then opened his desk drawer up and pulled out a key which he handed to the hooded man, "So, what shall I call you ,good sir?"

The hooded man claimed the key that was offered to him and smiled, "Conner Tremaine and this here is my nephew, Jon. "

Miller knew it was a fake name. Few mages were comfortable with revealing their identity, but he accepted this. It hardly mattered to him who they were so long as he got paid. Miller nodded and smiled, "Welcome to the White Crested Inn, Mister Tremaine."

~

Their room was cramped and hardly even worth a silver, but Alastrom understood what sort of risk that the innkeeper was taking in providing him and Alanna shelter. The innkeeper thought they were simply mages and Alastrom knew that so long as he kept on believing this that he and Alanna could survive this final night in hell . In the morning, they'd be sailing away to freedom and peace.

Alastrom quietly set his traveling pack on the floor at the foot of his bed and paused to glance over his shoulder at the sleeping form of Alanna curled up atop the bed on the opposite side of the room. He watched her for a few moments , smiling softly and shaking his head. Poor girl. She'd been so tired that she hadn't bothered to pull back the blankets or sheets and get under them. He moved over to her bed and leaned over her with the intend to amend that because it was going to be a cold evening and there was no heating in the inn. It didn't help that he clothing was still damp.

He gently pulled the blanket out from under her and brought it up to cover her body up to her chin. He leaned over her and kissed her forehead as he always had when she was a little girl.

Alanna groaned and stirred, " Al? " She opened one eye groggily and stared up at his face. She smiled when he nodded and rested a hand on her head." Jon? Seriously? You couldn't come up with something more masculine?"

Alastrom frowned at her and  moved away.  He crossed the room and sat down on his bed, " It was the first name that came to my mind. "

Alanna pouted, "I'd rather be Connor. "

"Too late. You're Jon. "

"Ugh..."Alanna pulled the blanket up over her head.   

Alastrom shook his head, "Even when he isn't here, you still have to give the poor kid a hard time. "

"Because it's Jon and he's dumb."

With a loud yawn, Alastrom pulled the blanket up over himself and laid his head to rest on the pillow. "Get some sleep. We need to wake a couple hours before sunrise."

~

It was the smell of smoke that woke him first. He lay there for a moment , sniffing and pondering whether or not he was imagining things because it smelled as if something very close was burning and the room itself felt warmer. Then he heard the pounding of fists against wood and the shattering of glass and sat bolt upright in bed. He heard Alanna gasp and when he turned his head to regard her he saw she too was wide awake and already rising from bed.
"What was that?"

Alastrom quickly gathered his pack, "Dunno. I think the inn is under attack."
"I think the building is on fire. We should get out of here." Alanna moved to open the window, but as she drew near it something crashed through it , showering her in wooden splinters and glass shards. Alanna turned her back quickly towards the window to protect her face, the glass fragments tearing mercilessly into her cloak.

She heard a man laughing on the outside of the window. Probably an attacker, Alanna thought.

"Alanna! Get away from that window!"

Alanna moved away quickly and looked down at the floor at the blazing torch that had been thrown into their room. The flames were already hungrily feeding off of the wood floor and spreading quickly. Alanna moved to pick up the torch. Fire was not something she had to fear usually. As an elementalist, she could touch fire without being harmed but now she could feel the heat. Her magic wasn't working. She looked across the room at her guardian whom was already opening the door, " There's a mordecai here. "

Alastrom cursed their luck and gestured for her to run to the door, "Come on, we'll find a different way out! Hurry!"

Alanna needed no second bidding. She ran past Alastrom, exiting the room and stumbling out into the hall. The pair made their way to the common room and found the other patrons of the inn gathered there, huddled together in fear. Mostly women, children and elderly. The few men present at the inn were searching the building for a way out.

Mister Miller himself was at the front door, banging on it with his fists and crying out to their attackers on the other side hysterically , "Let me out! I've nothing to do with these heretics! I beg you! My family and I are innocent! Please, spare us!" He sobbed pathetically.

"Oh Ansgar have mercy!" One old woman cried, " We're going to be cooked alive!"

"Well, if you think you're going to die then don't stand there crying about it!" Alanna snapped. "Do something!"

Alastrom went over to Mister Miller and put a hand on his shoulder, " That won't do you any good."

"Get your hands off me!" The hysterical innkeeper shrieked and wrenched his shoulder free. Red-faced , he spun around and pointed an accusing finger at Kella, "This is YOUR fault! You should go out there and die for what you did! All of you mages should!  "

Alastrom quirked a brow and frowned, " It doesn't matter who is to blame. Pointing fingers is not going to save anyone. They think you are a mage supporter and nothing you say is going to make them spare your life. "

"Shut up! I've heard enough from you, Tremaine! I'm not going to die for you mages ! " He moved forward to grab for Kella and Alanna moved in front of his path. She stared up at him defiantly though she was much smaller and thinner and could probably be snapped in two by the sturdy innkeeper. "Leave her alone! Al- er I mean, my uncle is right. Blaming other people is not going to save your life. Instead of fighting each other, we should be getting out of here."

"Get out of my way,you foolish brat!" Miller snarled and lifted a meaty arm to strike her.

Alastrom tackled him in an instant, knocking the larger man up against the door and pinning him there with a strength that wasn't human. "Cooperate or I'll kill you personally." He growled softly, his eyes filled with murderous promise.

He then turned to the people that were still huddled together in the central-most part of the common room,  "We're probably going to have to fight our way out unless there's some secret escape route?" His eyes went over to Mister Miller who was slumped dejectedly against the door. The man didn't even look up or acknowledge him, "Miller?" Still no response.

Alanna pointed to one of the windows, "What if we removed the boards around the back?"

"It's no use, " a man towards the back of the common room volunteered, " they've surrounded the inn. Probably because they think everyone in here is a mage. "

"We may not have any other choice, " Alastrom replied. "Let's remove the boards and I'll go out first."

"Right. I'll get the hammer then, "the man replied and went over to a table to fetch the tool. The other men moved to do the same and positioned themselves near the windows to pry the nails from the wood and pull the boards free.

Kella, already frightened and burdened by guilt, shrunk back at Mr. Miller's claims. She knew it was true, even if she hadn't even tried to gain the mordecai's interest, but as luck would have it, that's how things would go, and now fire was every where. THough she was surprised when a young boy stood between her and the angered inn-keep, that when the chaos was quelled and the events began t flow outwards like river of panic, with men all working desperately together for a means to escape, Kella peered down towards the boy and whispered a soft, trembling, "Thank you."

Alanna offered Kella a warm smile, "Don't mention it. That guy is an asshole."

"Jon! " Alastrom heard the girl from where he was working at his own window. He turned his head to look back over his shoulder, "Language."

"Ugh. Well, it's true!"

"Jon." Alastrom growled.

Alanna sighed , "Fine. I'm sorry," and when Alastrom nodded approval and turned back to clearing the window, she added under her breath , "but not really." 

"I heard that."

Alanna pouted, " You're no fun."

Alastrom pulled the last bit of wood planking free from his window and shouted above the crackling of scorching fire and wood, "I've got a window clear."

"Same here!" Another man a couple windows down shouted back.

"The men will go first. Everyone else , please line up behind an open window and don't panic. We'll get out of here-"

They heard the sound of gunfire and screams , followed by a rush of panic.

"Away from the windows! Down!" He shouted and threw himself down flat on his stomach, crawling away from the window as bullets passed overhead. Some of the people listened, others did not.

Alanna followed her guardian's instructions immediately. Seeing Kella, she crawled over to the girl, "You okay? Don't worry. My uncle will get us out of here."

"No one stand up!" Alastrom instructed, " I'm going to try something. Might want to keep your distance from me."  Alastrom rose slowly and moved towards the window. The soldier standing on the other side, raised his pistol and fired. The aim was true but the bullet stopped in mid air just a split second shy of entering the mage's skull. The soldier's eyes widened and instinctively he fired again. The first bullet dropped harmlessly to the ground and the second stopped as well just as the first had. The soldier fired again ,but only in vain. He dropped the gun and drew a blade,which seemed to melt in his hands. He screamed, the remnants of his weapon burning his flesh.

Alastrom climbed through the window and found himself surrounded by soldiers. He tilted his head to one side as they aimed their guns and blades at him and screamed orders to surrender. "Leave this town and its people alone. I won't ask twice. " Alastrom replied icily.


(( Let me know in messenger if you want me to add more or make some changes))

Krah, who had just been about ready to move out once he watched the place take fire clean to it's roof top, paused upon his war horse to peer back towards a man that came out from the burning wreckage. And that made him grin.

"Did that mage just give us orders?" And with a laugh, he turned his horse around with a sharp pull and kick to it's side and shouted. "Kill him! AND FIRE THE CANON INTO THAT PLACE!"
And his men hesitated not to pull- and the canon fired, the ball aiming to take off the top half of the inn and finally make the groaning remains cave in.

Inside, Kella had been taken back by the young boy's language. But under Alastrom's instructions, she simply obeyed and remained on the floor. Though to watch his powers was truly a sight as a breath caught in her throat and as she watched him manage to stop the bullets before they sunk clean into his head.

Though the moment was lost when a crack occurred over head, and the support beams to the inn suddenly gave way and began to fall towards the people below.

Alastrom wasn't surprised that his words went unheeded. Even so, his expression couldn't mask the horror as the canon exploded , the large iron ball devastating a portion of the roof and causing it to collapse inward.  He shook his head, "Mistake." And in the same breath he turned his focus to the earth and, with a stomp of his foot, he sent a shockwave through the earth that staggered the soldiers and sent many of them to their knees.

Alanna heard the din above them and looked up immediately to see a part of the ceiling come crashing down. She shot Kella a frantic look, " We have to get out of here!" If they stayed inside, they'd get killed. If they went outside, they'd probably die too but Alanna would rather take her chances outside. "Come on! To the window and try to stay low!"


((You told me in messenger that only a portion of the ceiling is falling so...that's what I wrote. xD I'm not going to assume much more but feel free for some unfortunate soul to get crushed)) 

Alanna and Kella had avoided the ceiling, but some others weren't so fortunate. The poor inn-keeper... perhaps his own greed had got him in the end, but the remaining souls were still wallowing in the smoke and fire. Kella, not certain what to do, felt dizzy and numb as she followed the girl to the window and somehow, managed to get herself outside of it.

Outside the air was much cooler, though not unwelcomed, but when Alastrom shook the ground, the soldiers weren't the only ones who fell to their knees as Kella, off-set by it and having a rather slight frame, fell to the ground as well.

The power was enough to spook the horse the God of War sat upon as he fought for control, but in his moment of annoyance he didn't fail to bark out another command.
"Keep firing at the inn and if you see any one trying to run, shoot them on the spot!"
And not even a moment later, a few nearby buildings also began to take to flame...
And the inn itself was groaning and about ready to collapse, while the ones inside were still scrambling to get out. And it was on her knees Kella watched in horror as the building finally cracked, and down it went, flames and all, an the screams inside were horrifying as the few that remained got burned alive.

Alanna cringed at the sound of the destruction and death crashing down behind them. She too was sent to her hands and knees when Alastrom's powers caused the earth to tremor. Part of her was relieved for the distraction, as brief as it was, but even so this wouldn't deter the soldiers from their murderous task. Alanna saw a soldier regaining his balance and noted that he was looking directly at her.

"Two more here!" The soldier snarled and unsheathed his blade, pointing it at Alanna whom was already on her feet, "I got 'em!"

Alanna leaned over Kella and grasped her arm, trying to help pull her up to her feet, "Get up! Hurry!"

Chaos was everywhere, and Kella's world was in a whirl, though when Alanna dragged her to her feet, she gasped and instinctively pulled away, but realized, she had nothing to fear, for her cloak still protected the pair from having any skin to skin contact. But even then, she turned to cast an apologetic look to the young 'boy' as she cringed and nodded, and scrambled off behind her as the two made their way away from the scorching flames that were now engufling the inn. The White Crested would be no more, and as the soldiers were gaining on them, others were taking to the street when suddenly- an arrow shot out from seemingly nowhere and caught a soldier off guard but nailing him in the face.

Krah had turned just in time to catch this as his gaze narrowed towards a fortified set of houses nearby as he threw his blade holding arm out and commanded, "Over there! Note the way the houses look like barracks? See the arrows fly fromthem? Take that building down! All of it! Make it burn! Take this treasonous city down! Make those who fight us pay for their sins against Angsar!"

ANd with his voice echoing across the orange-flamed reflecting cobblestone, the soldiers moved out, moving away from the fallen Inn towards the sudden attack. And archers were quickly assembled, and flame arrows produced, and they began to fire away at the building and as Kella ran, she watched in horror as they too, began to take a light.

When the whole in caved in, becoming little more than a flaming rubble Alastrom lost everything. Howling like a wounded wolf, he thundered towards the soldiers with his sights set on the coward on horseback that led them. As predicted, there were too many soldiers for him to fight with and they weren't about to let him get anywhere near Krah. This did little to deter Alastrom whom was convinced that there was nothing left for him now...

~

Alanna afforded Kella a brief peculiar look, "It's okay! I won't hurt you, lady. I just want to help!" She reassured her, oblivious to Kella's reasons for recoiling from her touch. As soon as the woman accepted this , the pair of them took off running together through the town. Alanna wasn't used to being in charge though. Alastrom had always told her what to do or how to react to a situation. With him gone, Alanna felt like a fish out of water but she didn't have time to think about how lost or helpless she felt because it was fear that fueled her actions, but that fear wasn't blind to the danger. Alastrom and the Free Folk had taught Alanna survival skills and it was second nature to the girl now.

She moved away from Krah's main force . There were soldiers everywhere they went , but the heavier artillery was what Alanna wanted to avoid. Using the buildings for cover, they ran from one building to another. Each time they would reach a building, Alanna would brace herself against the wall and pause to quickly assess their surroundings . At one such pause, she turned her head to regard the woman with her, " Which way leads out of -"she saw the soldier coming towards them out of the corner of her eye with murderous intent shining in his eyes. Before he could reach them, however , an arrow hit him right between the eyes and he collapsed backwards. Alanna ran over to him and searched his body quickly, claiming anything she could. Things like this used to disgust her so much when she had been much younger, but Alastrom had forced her to grow accustomed to death and anyone watching someone as young as she was looting a corpse so readily like she did might have been unnerved.  From the soldier she claimed only his blade. She had no talent with firearms.

She quickly returned to Kella's side and held out the sword. Kella WAS the adult here. But then it occurred to her that Kella was a woman and therefore probably not a fighter. She, however, had training and was masquerading as a male anyway,  "Er. I guess maybe I should hold onto this since you're a girl." She shook her head, " I want to find my uncle , but I don't think staying here is a good idea. Do you know which way we should go, Miss?" 

Watching the man die was horrifying,- it always was, but to see the first deaths in battle really rattled her. She knew she was part of this chaos, this mess- though really, another mess like Havanlaar was over due, as the God of War had become bored quickly afterwards, and was also reveling in the praise. But this mess was a lot different, and this town, like Havanlaar, was under high suspicion of treasonous activity. Kella was just an unfortunate catalyst the egotistical 'God of War' needed to call his men to arms.

Now running along wtih Alanna, she took one look at the sword with a trembling expression and shook her head.
"I.. I have no skills with a sword. If you know how to use that weapon, it's best if you keep it," she told the boy meekly. THough once asked of which direction, she hadn't a clue.
"The harbor is just beyond those buildings over there. Though I'm not sure it's wise to let the soldiers chase us to the ocean. We'd be trapped." Glancing around, she tried to figure out where the exits were for town, and one quieter area, with no fire looming over it seemed to be the best option. So she pointed North.

"Up there. To the Northern Gate. There's no smoke. Let's head that way." She could only hope they'd be able to find an exit there. ANd as the two raced up the street, the God of War himself came galloping their way. Panicked, Kella froze.

Alanna nodded and replied solemnly, "That's okay; I do. I've fought before. " And killed more than once. The first time had been terrible. The second time gave her horrible nightmares and the third had caused her to become disgusted with herself. But , gradually, the killing was something she grew accustomed to because it was either their life or hers, if not the life of someone dear to her.

She nodded at Kella's instructions, glad that at least one of them was somewhat familiar with their surroundings. "Alright, I guess we'll head north then. " She could feel herself shaking with her own nervousess. She'd never made decisions like this before and she wondered if she ought to rethink her decision but her indecision was cut horribly short when she heard the sound of hoofbeats rushing towards them and saw Krah coming. She gasped , but unlike Kella her instincts to flee kicked in, but she found her morality rooted her momentarily as she saw her new companion frozen in place, staring the galloping death right in the face.

Oh God. Was the woman just going to stand there and get hit? "MOVE!" Alanna pushed her out of the way just in time, falling over Kella as they both fell to the cobbles out of harm's way. Alanna scrambled up to her feet, "YOU ASSHOLE!" Alanna shouted after Krah. " Get off your horse and fight like a man!" Oh she was so mad! That coward! That JERK! And oh shit...she should have just shut her mouth and she knew it. She shook with such a rage and a fear and she helped Kella up quickly, "I'm sorry. I lost my temper.  I ... God, we should go! Now. In case he turns around and decides to try and kill us a second time. "

((Potty mouth Alanna. Alastrom, you failed at parenting! ))

Kella let out a yelp as she a shoved aside, and cringed at the pain of the fall. But even as they were safe, she flinched back at Alanna's choice of words, but only nodded numbly at her idea to retreat.

Scrambling into the shadow-laced alley ways, Kella's heart was thumping heavily within her chest. And her boots were thumping heavily on the cobblestone.
"H-here, around this bend!" Kella managed to call out. "There's a street that connects to the Northern Street, but if we follow the back of these houses, we should miss any soldiers riding through the middle of the town."

And by the time they made it a few streets over, the fire was spreading and the screams from the townsfolk could be heard, wailing into the night. People were already beginning to flee, others racing all around them as they all tried to make quick work to leave the city. As one man ran past, he bumped into the two girls and apologized while fixing his spectacles.

"So sorry, but the lot of you ought to run. It seems the God of War aims to make Thaedes his next Havanalaar!" and off he run, fearful he'd become just another pile of bones in the slaughter. Though not knowing why everyone seemed to be running south, Kella found out just as the pair reached the end of the street.

"Oh no. There are soldiers at the Gate. They're already creating a barricade."

((Alanna's glorious potty talk continues. xD))

Alanna followed closely behind Kella and , thankfully, their route led to no unfortunate encounters . However , when they bumped into the poor spectacled man, Alanna almost poked his eyes out with her sword, which she held pointed at his face in a slightly shaky grip. She lowered it immediately when she realized the poor ,distraught fellow was not a soldier. "Sorry. " She offered hastily and then frowned when the man told them to run. "Duh. What do you think we've been doing, mister?"  If Al had been there, he wouldn't have approved of her attitude. She could imagine him glaring at her and then telling her to be nice. Her frown deepened as the spectacled man told them about Krah and his intentions for the town. 

"God of War? " Alanna scoffed at the likely self-given title and rolled her eyes, "Thanks for the info, pops." And then she frowned when he took off running for his life. Alanna turned to Kella and then glanced towards the North, "Well, shit.  I guess we're not going that way after all." She looked in the direction everyone else was running. South. "Fine. Plan B. We follow the rest of the sheep. Come on!" She snatched Kella's sleeve and pulled her to run along with her.

Kella stumbled as she ran behind the girl. They were about the same height though Alanna was much stronger than she, for life on the road had been most unkind towards her since she had fled from the Duchy of Turgall. But those sorts of dangers were the least of her worries now, as the pair rounded the bend and witnessed a group of civilians being cut down by their throats. Their hot red blood splattered across the cobblestone, and glowed darkly int he moonlight.

Kella let out a gasp, but slapped a hand over her lips when she realized her voice drew the attention of the men.
"After them! And be wary for mages!"

The words were barked and echoed down the alley, and as Kella promptly tuned to run, they were cut off by another pair of soldiers on horse back. And this time, the men swiftly circled around them and paused their horses abruptly, who huffed with strained breaths.
With swords pointed at them, Kella knew they were doomed, as her blue eyes widened with fear.

"Drop your weapon there! Or we'll cut you down here on the spot!" the one man spat.
Kella instinctively backed up against Alanna, realizing they had no other options, but seeing how the other soldiers who's blades were still dripping with blood were coming there way, she panicked. No,... they could not die like this. Not like this.

Closing her eyes, she whispered a prayer of forgiveness, and as the men circled around them she slipped a hand out, unseen and touched the horse.
she could feel the pull of life energies suck into her from the massive beast- see it's memories, the strength and power within it. It had lived a life much simpler before the war- a life of leisure out on the plans of Adela, then a small farm to the south of Turgall in the Valley-


The memory was beautiful, and to see the wordl how it was through the eyes of a horse, was something that put her in a temporary mind-set of piece. For the golden flowers never looked so beautiful, and as the horse raced across the valley, kicking up pollen and dust, the world seemed to swim in a sea of golden snow.

but just as Kella was becoming enchanted by the small memories and lifeforce sucking into her, the horse reacted most unkindly to being touched and it reared back, bucking wildly before it's rider was thrown off, and the second horseman was fighting with his own horse as well, for the sort of fear the horse Kella touched was unnatural and wild, and it made the second beast rear up as well.

Her eyes still wide with fear, Kella felt terrible for the horse, but was relieved to see the chaos gave them an opening, and through teary eyes she turned.
"Run!" she told the boy, and was quickly working at returning her thick glove to her hand.

((Mature themes. Warning: some explicit language, violence and attempted rape. Not graphic , but I am slapping a warning regardless. ))

Alanna cursed their ill fortunes when they unintentionally ran into a group of soldiers. Much harsher expletives exploded from her uncouth tongue the moment the soldier on horseback cut them off, depriving her and Kella of their escape route. In spite of her deep and very real feelings of fear, Alanna boldly laughed scornfully at the man whom ordered her to lower her weapon. "I'm not a coward nor am I fool! If you want my blade then come and try to take it, you murderous curs!" If she was going to die, she'd do it fighting. She knew that these men had no intentions of allowing her or Kella to live.

A couple of them teased her. They had cruel, twisted smiles on their faces and they laughed mockingly at the girl as they took turns feinting at her . Alanna snarled her frustration at them and almost made the mistake at striking at them with her weapon. She knew that was what they wanted. For her to leave herself wide open so that she'd be that much easier to cut down. No, no. She would wait for the right moment that would present her with a guaranteed hit. She wanted to hurt, maybe kill, at least one of these bastards before she fell.
As the men closed in around them, Alanna trained her blade towards the man whom dared to draw the nearest to them . She was too preoccupied watching him that she failed to notice what Kella was up to until the horses spooked for no see-able reason that Alanna could discern. She didn't pause to concern herself over the details though because all she needed to know was that now the soldiers had become distracted with the terrified beasts. 

She stared at Kella curiously for a moment, watching her slip her glove on. What an odd thing to do at a time like this. But of course it didn't occur to her that Kella , like Alastrom, was a sort of mage that wasn't affected by the mordecai as she was. She did, however , note the tears in the woman's eyes and briefly set a gentle, reassuring hand on her shoulder. She nodded, her touch going away as soon as it was there, "Right!"

And they continued running south, heading towards the harbor which was also ablaze. Alanna's eyes scanned the docks, her eyes going to every ship. There wasn't one that wasn't alight, but in the distance she could see men and women leaping into the water only to have soldiers firing arrows and shots into the water. And the waters ran red with the blood of many unfortunate souls.

As they were nearing the harbor Alanna heard a desperate cry for help and skidded to a stop, abruptly turning east and spying a couple of soldiers in the alley harassing a poor girl . "Get your hands off me! Someone, help!" The girl sobbed and tried to struggle against the soldier that had her pinned up against the wall of a building while his buddy's hands roughly felt her up and more than once in places that made Alanna blush furiously. 

"Please, let me go!" The girl begged her captors. The man molesting her laughed and did not heed her while the one holding her down slapped her face with a free hand.

"Shut it, bitch!"

Without a thought, without hesitation Alanna ran towards the woman and the soldiers who didn't see her coming until it was too late. The soldier holding the woman started to turn, hearing the approaching footsteps, although the action wasn't swift enough. Alanna's blade struck low, cutting through muscle and tendon. The man screamed and fell away from the woman he'd had at his mercy, dropping his blade instinctively to grab at his hamstring which bled profusely. His partner lunged for Alanna and the girl barely avoided the thrusting sword point that was aimed at her heart.

"Sneaky bastard!" The soldier spat and lunged again. Alanna's blade snapped up and deflected the blow , barely. The strength of his sword swing nearly caused her to lose the grip on her weapon, but she managed to keep it and deflected another killing blow. But she wasn't as experienced as he was and he had her constantly on the defensive. "Run! Both of you!" She called to the other women because she could see where this scenario was going and she didn't want any more people to die needlessly. Though part of her hoped that someone would step in and she wouldn't have to die here...

The blade was finally knocked from her hand and her opponent's sword raised high, readying for the finishing strike. "Time to meet your maker, boy!"

Without a weapon, it seemed as if Kella was trying to go upstream in a boat, but without a paddle- though soon it was a paddle she only had, for near the harbor were series of abandoned and burning and broken boats and paddles littered all across the ground. And as the madness went on, Kella did the only thing seh could think of to save the young boy as she picked up a paddle and wailed it across the man's skull.

Though it shouldn't have been so effective because Kella was so slight, she hit the man in just the right place,a nd because the paddle itself had a broke spot on it, the splinters cut into his temple, and a huge gash was made that bubbled blood. The man stumbled, and slumped over, only garbling words as his body twitched with the last systematic glitches of life.

Realzing that there was no time to defend herself, Alanna closed her eyes and prepared herself for death. There'd be no pearly gates for her. As a magic-user , she knew precisely where Ansgar would be sending her. But unexpectedly she heard a loud cracking sound followed by the pained grunt and dull thud. Her eyes snapped open and she looked up and over at the soldier's still form and then at Kella holding the oar. It took her few moments to collect her wits, "Thanks." She manged, feeling herself shake slightly. And then she offered Kella a lopsided grin that might have been charming if her face hadn't been quite so dirty, " I guess that makes us even now!" 

Alanna turned to the poor girl whom the soldiers had been harassing, "Are you alright, miss?" 

The woman rushed over to Alanna and threw her arms around the girl and planted a kiss in her cheek. "Ansgar bless you, lad!"

"Uh...yeah. Great. Um...not to be rude or anything but we probably keep moving," she nodded at the girl, "I'm Jon and this is...erm...no idea? " She'd leave it up to Kella to introduce herself or not, "You can come with us, if you like. Although, I have no idea where we're going."

"I'm Imogene, " the girl introduced herself, "it's nice to meet you both in spite of the circumstances. " She turned her head over her shoulder, "I um...actually, if you could help me find someone then  I could take you both to a safe place."

Alanna exchanged uncertain glances with Kella. "Safe here? I don't know...but I guess we don't have many options. So who is it that you're looking for?"

Imogene frowned and tugged nervously on one of her blonde pigtails, " My little brother. His name is John too. He's about nine years old , short messy blond hair and a grey tunic and oh...he always carries his stuffed bear with him wherever he goes."

Alanna nodded, "Okay then, can you fight?"

The girl stared at Alanna as though she were mad.

"Girls.Sheesh! Fine, let's just go find little John as quickly as possible and hope we don't run into anymore trouble!" Although in all honesty, Alanna didn't expect to find the kid alive!

"He might be at his favorite fishing spot. Follow me!" Immogene gestured for the pair to follow.

Continuing their run along the docks, Alanna spotted a familiar face surrounded by soldiers. Just by looking at his bloodied and tattered clothing from a distance, Alanna figured that the poor man must've given the soldiers hell but was quickly losing steam. Though he didn't talk about it much, she knew that he suffered immensely every time he used magic and he probably had been using it a lot here. She saw three children standing close behind him, two boys and a girl. None of them looked older than ten. And the soldiers were closing in with their weapons poised to kill.

"Oh my God! " Immogene pointed in Alastrom's direction and gasped, "That's Jon with that mage!" And before Alanna knew what was happening, Immogene was running towards the soldiers , crying out for her brother.

"Immogene! NO!"

The warning came too late. As soon as the girl drew near, one of the soldiers cut her down with no hesitation at all.

"We've got to help them!" Alanna told Kella. But what match was she for five soldiers when she couldn't handle two?

~

"Stay close to me." A weary Alastrom calmly instructed the frightened children who cowered behind him in fear. His eyes never left the soldiers and he only slightly flinched in the face of the woman's death.

Behind him  , Alastrom could hear one of the boys crying, "That was my sister!"

"Running out of tricks, mage?" One of the soldiers taunted. "Your wicked magics will not save you from Ansgar's justice."

Alastrom snorted with disgust and , " You sick, delusional fools. Committing genocide is hardly justice. " He kept himself positioned squarely , bodily shielding the children from harm but his body had already taken enough of a beating and he'd nearly reached his limits. He looked about ready to collapse .

(( you may need to bring npcs in here since Kella might not do a whole lot here. OR I could make Alanna distract them somehow? You left messenger soooo can't  xD ))

It didn't take much for one of the five soldiers to notice Alanna and Kella, and with a growl to his companions, he abandoned them to strike; besides, he had already killed off the girl and was seeing the red of war. It drove him forward, lke the killer the military wanted him to be, and soon Kella was pulling Alanna away, lest the young 'boy' be struck down by the blade.

Kella and Alanna nearly had fallen over, but the man was after them, quicker than lightning as his sword cut a gash across Kella's defending arm. She let out a cry of pain,a nd clutched at her arm as she doubled over, but kept herself at the boy's side, even as the man struck at them again.

OOC: Sorry, another smaller post than yours but I felt it best here to pause and let you do more Alastrom-ness or a reaction wtih Alanna~ but I guess I could add more if you want? it'd really just be more npc ness than anything :T

"You dummy!" Alanna hissed angrily at Kella as she protected the girl from what would have most likely had ended in death , "You're unarmed!" And then her blade snapped up defensively and parried the soldier's incoming attack and she spat viciously at the man, "You asshole! She's not armed!"

~
Four men left. At least that increased their chances of surviving. "Kids, take a swim. "

"But-" one of the boys started to protest.

"Do it or die!" Alastrom snarled as viciously as he could, regretting having to speak to a child like that , but in a situation like this...there was little else he could do.

Before the soldiers could do anything the trio jumped into the water and disappeared beneath the waves, leaving Alastrom alone to contend with four men. But when he saw the soldier attacking two people, a woman and...was that... ?

"ALANA!" Alastrom's attentions immediately focused on the man attacking his - no, she was not his child. And the soldier exchanging blows with Alanna suddenly faltered when his sword melted in his hand . The poor soldier looked confused for a moment. With no weapon and facing a boy with a sword, he knew his fate was to be sealed in a matter of moments; he wasn't wrong. Alanna's blade cut mercilessly across his exposed throat and he went down.

Alanna started to run towards Alastrom ,but then stopped and went back to Kella whom had been injured. She knew she wouldn't hear the end of it from her guardian if she left someone in need to fend for themselves and especially a lady, "Are you okay? Ansgar, you're mad! You weren't - you could've been killed! "

Weakened by the use of his magic, Alastrom's mind was wracked with pain and he lost focus on the danger in front of him. The soldiers rushed him and the first to reach Alastrom went down under the might of Alastrom's brutal fist. The second that drew near took a devastating kick to the gut and went splashing into the water, however , weighted down by heavy plate...the soldier vanished under the waters to suffer a fate worse than a sword through the chest.

Two men remained but Alastrom was too exhausted to deal with them. Fortunately , he didn't have to as more civilians joined the fight on the harbor and threw themselves at the soldiers with brave but reckless abandon. Alastrom used the distraction to slip out of harm's way and run off towards Alanna and Kella. "Alanna! You're alive!" Guardian and child embraced for a moment before Alastrom turned his attention to Kella. "You have my gratitude  for keeping her out of trouble, miss."

Alanna's expression tightened with irritation, "Trouble? Excuse me, but I was totally kicking ass out there, Al. "

Alastrom glanced at the bloodied sword in Alanna's hand and frowned.

"Whatever. Al, listen. The nice lady got hurt and we should help her because she did help me too. "

Alastrom's eyes went to Kella's wound and he nodded, "Agreed, but she'll suffer worse if we stand around here talking about it. We should leave through the northern - "

"It's blocked. "Alanna cut him off, "Me and the nice lady were already there. It's crazy. They brought a fucking army! Can you believe it? For a town!  "

Alastrom shook his head, " We need to keep moving at least. We're sitting ducks out here. "

Alanna nodded, "Yeah. Um..." She looked to Kella and then to Alastrom, "Can she come with us ? She kinda saved my life."

Her guardian nodded. Really, the silly girl didn't need to ask.

Kella's heart was racing. Chaos was roaring everywhere, and to witness all of the things she had seen- devastating. Trembling in pain and fear, she was almost too numb to move- though she wouldn't have to. As the group was about to turn around and make a get away- the streets suddenly came alive with roars and Kella found herself flinching back while clutching onto her bleeding wound.

Withint he streets now roared men and woman alike- fighting against the very guards that were seeking to destroy their town. And it was terrible. The number of the dead was quickly multiplying as the chaos rose with the roars of flames that flapped like wicked flags of the devil over the city- and long clouds of smoke were now covering the skies, nearly blotting out the stars.

Realizing the townsfolk were beginning to fight back, rather than flee, Kella grit her teeth.
"The townsfolk- they're... they're now all working together to fight the soldiers."
But it seemed crazy! Especially as, even from where she stood, she could see how useless their effrts were. Sure, some were able to strike down a man or two, but the soldiers had the upper hand.


And then the canons were fired again, slamming into the middle of the city as men were scattered into pieces. Her hands clapped to her ears, the sound nearly deafening her as the ringing sensation made her eyes prickle with tears. She stumbled a little, finding herself dropping to the ground- too dizzy to stand, too dizzy to know what to do in all of this chaos.

And then everything got worse- as the townsfolk began to retreat their way, a wave of soldiers quickly following hot on their heels. Where Kella had remained on the ground, fear now had her suddenly rising off the ground. Her blue eyes widened, the very sight horrible to witness as fear creeped over her and froze her into place.

"Oh, Ansgar save us," she whispered, just as another canon ball tore across the sky.

Another explosion rocked the street as the tall brick building in front of them was struck by one of the cannonballs and sent a deadly rain of stone and wood down, threatening to crush the poor civilians whom were fleeing for their lives. Alastrom knew he shouldn't have tried to save these people because it would cost him and that it would benefit him and Alanna better to let these people die so that he could reserve his mental strength but...he saw Alanna's fearful eyes watching and made up his mind.

"Run, both of you. " Alastrom growled.

Alanna's mouth fell open , "But-"

"I said go!" Alastrom snarled at her angrily and then turned his back on the women, facing the oncoming tide of people that rushed past them. He focused his thoughts on the falling debris , pouring every bit of his mental reserve into slowing their descent until it stopped just a couple feet above the people who hardly noticed as they continued to run for their lives. The weight of debris on his mind was excruciating and he knew that he only had a few precious seconds to reverse the course of their descent and direct it elsewhere. With a cry of pain and defiance, Alastrom raised his hands and made a sweeping gesture towards the incoming soldiers that charged their way as if he were hurling something enormous at them. And, well, he was. The stone debris came crashing down on the first dozen soldiers that drew close  , crushing them to death before they could scream.

This slowed the oncoming soldiers now whom eyed the mage warily, but this didn't deter them. The bastards were still coming though much more cautiously now. Alastrom turned around only to see that neither Alanna nor Kella had listened to him and he was pissed, "You – I told you to- !"

"Kill the mages! Shoot them! "Their captain shrieked the command, drawing his sword and pointing the glinting steel with murderous gusto at Alastrom.  Surely, the mage couldn't stop every bullet no matter how powerful he was! And , he wasn't wrong!

"Shit! Run!" Alastrom got behind the women and shoved  them stumbling forward. And run they did , bullets zipping past them and missing by a generous range .  As they ran , Alastrom turned and thrust a hand out toward one of the buildings, causing the top to crumble and topple down into the leaders of his charging foes.  Half a dozen men screamed in unison and before they were crushed. 

"Well, if they weren't going to kill us before, they're DEFINETELY going to kill us now!"  Alanna panted as they ran. Though she feared for her life, she and Alastrom were used to running with soldiers (usually mordecai) snapping at their heels. They'd come close to death so many times, she considered, that it was like some big running joke that Ansgar just wouldn't stop telling. The bastard.

They were following the other fleeing civilians but Alastrom suddenly veered left and headed east. Alanna skidded to a stop and turned to move after him, "Where the hell are you going!? Everyone's going THAT way!"

Alastrom kept moving but he reduced his pace a bit to allow the slower women to catch up, "Exactly."

"What?! Are you insane!? "

She paused to consider that. Yeah. What was she thinking? Of COURSE her guardian was crazy!

"Those people are running towards a dead end. There's another force lying in wait for them on the other side. "

"WHAT!? " Alanna called after him incredulously. "You're saying they're going to run right into a trap?!"

"Yeah."

Alanna shook her head angrily, "We should help them, Al! We-"

Alastrom turned into a deserted alley and followed it, suddenly pausing at the end and holding a hand up to signal the women to be be still. He followed up with a gesture of silence and nodded ahead, watching half a dozen soldiers run by. He waited a few moments before turning to them slightly, "Clear. Move. "

They continued running until they reached a quieter section of the eastern side of town. Soldiers still prowled the streets but in far greater numbers here for it seemed that nearly everyone in this section of town had been massacred. Countless bodies littered the streets. Men, women, children and the occasional soldier but it was mostly unarmed people that lie dead. Many of the buildings and homes lining either side of the street were mostly untouched, however . Only a few burned and Alastrom, carefully stepping over the bodies made his way over to one house and tried the door. It was locked .

Alanna followed closely behind him, trying not to pay attention to the bodies and the faces of the dead that she walked over. But she couldn't help it. She looked and ...she'd almost made it to where her guardian stood when she doubled over and started retching uncontrollably, the sight and smell of the slain finally having taken their toll on her mind and senses, making her sick beyond imaging.

Alastrom growled and kicked the door in. He paused before the doorway and glanced back over his shoulders, searching for any sign of watching soldiers. So far, so good. This could serve as a temporary hiding place, "In here. Quickly." He instructed.

Kella wasn't one to doubt the offer of help. Her mind was racing too fast for her senses to catch up- so if Alastrom commanded it- she obeyed. Blindly running, she pulled up the rear and by the time they reached the houses, she was nearly out of breath. Her throat hurt so badly, it burned. Even her lungs were aching as she doubled over to catch her breath, just in time to notice all of the carnage splayed before them- painting the streets.

Dead men, women and children lay in bloodied clothing- some dismembered, others still groaning wiht the last few breaths of life- but the majority lay still and the air was chillingly quiet. Fires roared but the air still remained cold, and afew buildings began to crumble while soldiers stalked the outskirts of the chaos, their commander's echoes ringing throughout the streets.

And there, before her feet lay a hand, completely severed from the rest of it's body which lay in a crumpled heep just a few paces away. Slapping a hand over her lips, she felt herself swoon. Where Alanna might have vomitted, the noble woman passed out.

Though a moment later she came around the world spinning and her legs feeling useless. She blinked, barely catching Alastrom kicking a door in before closing her eyes again.

"What are you waiting for!? " Alastrom snapped, his fear and impatience getting the better of his usual calm. He whirled around to find both women giving into the shock and horror of witnessing genocide. Alastrom paused for a moment, taking in the sights now more clearly and felt his stomach wrenching, but he forced himself to focus on survival. He was frustrated , but he knew that yelling wasn't going to encourage either of them to move. He went over to Alanna first and placed a gentle hand on the small of her back, "Come on. We're almost there. " He bent down to retrieve her discarded sword and pressed it gently in her hands, "Be strong, girl and keep your blade ready." He pointed towards the open, waiting door. Alanna choked a sob and wiped the vomit from her lips, but she nodded and , took a few seconds to force composure to the best of her ability and move forward.

Seeing his charge was on the right path, Alastrom turned and moved over to Kella's side . "Come, miss. You too." He helped her to her feet and guided her to the door, following behind Alanna.

The interior of the home was ,for the most part, pitch black and silent as the grave. Alanna stumbled over her feet a couple times even as she proceeded forward with caution. "It's creepy in here, Al." She whimpered quietly. "I don't think-"

"Better here than the open, "Alastrom replied from behind Kella softly. " Be on your guard. The door was locked and the windows are boarded. Someone's in here." And having said that, he closed the door behind them. "Stay together."
Alanna moved further into the room and saw at the far end a doorway dimly illuminated. Beyond that was a kitchen , a square table in its center with a pair of candles lit but there was no sight of anyone. "Let's head for the light." Alastrom instructed and they made their way to the kitchen. He pointed to Kella, "You. Sit. You're wounded. " He turned to Alanna, "Alanna, " he reached for one of the candles on the table and handed it to her," Look for anything we can use to treat the lady's wound. Keep your sword ready. I'm going to bar the door in case someone tries to come in. It won't stop the soldiers but it will slow them down and give us time if they do come sweeping back through here to make sure everyone is dead.  Everyone keep your eyes peeled for danger. We don't know who is in here or whose side they're on. "

It only took a few minutes to scan the house and make sure that it was secure. His task complete , Alastrom made his way back to the kitchen and took a seat next to Kella, "Here, let's take a look at the damage." He reached for her arm and proceeded to pull back the bloodied sleeve.

By the time he was situated inside, Kella had come around and was a lot more cognitive, but Alastrom moving over her felt like a dream. The world was hazy and there was barely any light, and she had almost forgotten about the seering pain of her arm until he began to pull back her bloodied sleeve and she let out a cry of pain. A gloved hand shot over his, tearing it away from her.
"Please don't touch me!" she exclaimed, her lips quivering, and her body soon trembling as she hugged the injured arm closer to her chest. Her eyes met to his and filled with fearful tears.

Gods, he had almost touched her!

Alastrom's usual stony expression twisted with naked astonishment. He rocked back on his heels, blinking a few times and staring at her as though he'd just been slapped. And he came to the immediate conclusion , because he didn't know any better , that she was terrified of him. And he couldn't blame her . There wasn't a soul in Connlaoth who wasn't afraid of what the mage was capable of. But, surely she had enough sense in her to understand that if he was a threat to her, that he wouldn't have gone through such pains to drag her along with him and Alanna even if this woman had supposedly saved his ward's life.

Perhaps it was the shock of the situation or maybe now that there was a moment of reprieve the realization that he was a sinner had sunk in.
Some Connlaothians could be so damned narrow and heartless and it pained him. He turned away slightly to mask his slightly aggrieved feelings in shadow,  "Sorry." He replied, his deep voice so soft that she could barely hear him. "Don't be frightened. I won't hurt you. I just want to help, but in order to do that I need for you to trust me. " He turned back to look at her, his eyes pleading with her to cooperate.

Kella remained pale and cowering away from him, the bleeding arm still hugged close.
"N-no!" she stated, shaking her head. "You don't understand I... the wound I-" And she fumbled over the right words.
"I can do it myself!"

But probably not. She had no real skills in wound treatment, but the very real fear of harming someone else in all of this chaos, which she now blamed herself for- among so many other things her presence seemed to damn, left her on edge and trembling before him as tears sparkled and trickled down from her eyes.

"No, I don't understand." Alastrom quirked a brow at her curiously, " Assuming that you possess medical knowledge and skill, you're still hindered by the fact that you only have one good arm to work with. I know how to treat a sword wound and I have two capable hands with which to help you. Let me help you, please. I won't use any magic if that's what you're afraid of. "

"No, no," she said, still flinching back from him. "It's not that. You can't touch me. I.." and here, she hesitated over the words. How could she tell anyone? It was always a secret. Only a handful ever knew about the truth. She shook her head. "I'm a mage, too"s he spoke softly. "I don't want to hurt you."
And he had no idea how much damage just a simple touch could do.

"Uh..." Alastrom knew how dangerous some magics could be so the comment did not surprise him quite so much as it might have others. However, he would have never guessed in a million years what her power might have been. He assumed that what she meant was she was one of the untrained mages. Those with powers they couldn't control due to inexperience. Alanna was like that when Mordecai were not present. Thankfully, of late, there were plenty around to keep her powers in check until he could take her to Serendipity and find mages to help her tame her power so she didn't hurt others or herself.

"Okay..." He said slowly, still looking very confused. He took a seat next to her , " Miss, you don't need to protect me. I will be fine ,but you won't if you do not let me clean that wound. "

Kella flinched back.
"No... no I can do it. Really I..." and she cringed, lowering her face shamefully.
"You have no idea what I'm capable of."
After all... one touch could kill.

"Stop being so god damned cryptic!" Alatrom snapped, his patience worn thin from the stress, from the incessant, almost unbearable pounding in his head. "I didn't risk my life and Alanna's to save yours for you to be a stubborn fool!"

Alanna slipped quietly into the room then and hesitantly approached the table with a worried and uncertain expression on her face, "I heard shouting. " She offered timidly as she deposited a cloth bag on the table. "So um...I thought ...." She glanced at Kella and then at Alastrom whose angry expression caused her to shrink back nervously. She knew the man would never hurt any soul that didn't deserve it, but his anger was rare and scary.

"I-I found some herbs and sewing kit. " She added softly, her tone nervous and her slight frame quaking. "U-um... Mam taught me how to make a salve once. I made some..." She rummaged through the bag she'd set on the table and set the bowl of slave down and the sewing kit beside that. She then handed him a damp rag.

"Alright, Miss, you have the tools that you need. Get to work. "  However , the moment Kella turned her gaze from him, distracted , Alastrom grabbed her arm before she could protest. A swift movement, it was though not too hard it might have still hurt her. And little did he know that it was about to hurt him even more.

With his grip on her wrist and a wet rag in hand, he proceeded to lightly wash the blood away. And it was hardly unnoticeable at first. Just a slight, uncomfortable burning sensation that burned in an uncomfortable but tolerable way. No stranger to pain , Alastrom easily ignored it and in spite of Kella's protests , he would not let go until he'd finished. He worked quickly, efficiently and had he known the truth of the situation , he would have worked a hell of a lot faster but it wasn't until he began applying the salve that he realized something wasn't quite right. Still, he continued on even as the pain intensified until it spread throughout the entire body. It felt almost like a fire had been lit inside of him. Everything burned , everything hurt but he'd felt worse. He finished apply the salve and began stitching the wound closed.  At this point, Alastrom was faltering in his movements, his skin paled and he sweating profusely, his expression twisting with anguish. His hand started to shake, his mind was losing focus. He growled softly, determined to finish before he surrendered to whatever force it was that was trying its damndest to hinder him.

Three quarters of the way through the stitching, he was overwhelmed. Accompanied by the burning it felt like something was reaching inside of him, tearing at his mind and ripping it apart. Alastrom hastily bit the thread from the needle, tied it off and let go of her and when he did turned his back on her, doubled over ,clutching his head fiercely and fighting hard not to scream. He covered his mouth and released a howl of pain until he was red of face and robbed of breath.
 

"Al? Alanna rushed over to him, "What's wrong ? "

Alastrom slapped her hand away and snapped, "Shut up and get away from me!"

The girl drew back sharply, looking as though she'd be slapped.

"God...I feel ...like ...my head..." Alastrom stood up , wobbled on his feet and collapsed. Shortly after, his world was dark.

Kella let out a cry, and fought fiercely the moment his skin met to hers.
"No! You don't understand!" she cried, but when the man didn't seemed phased by her powers- her face twisted and words got tangle dinside her throat-
Was.. was.. he rpowers gone? Or he... was this man immune to them?
Blinking, she continued to stare at him; but as it was every time when her powers worked- she knew it had to be affecting him- becuase she began to see images from his mind.. from his past pull into her- and the warmt ha nd tingling sensation that entailed.

She could see a time long ago... there was laughter from Alanna- she had been so young, s care free...
then she could also see the horrors of a fight, and even slight moments when he was laughing as he killed.

That moment tore her from her shock as she began to fight his attempts to heal her again.
"No, no! YOu don't understand- when you touch me, you'll-"

But it seemed too late- and the man, acting strangely made her realize with a gasp.
"Oh Gods.. did I kill him?" and she shot to her feet, staring down at Alastorm's form in horror.

Alanna rushed over to him and knelt down beside him. She reached for his throat and pressed her fingers hard against the primary vein. She felt the slow throb of his heartbeat and , shortly following, the soft but shallow breath on her arm. She sighed with relief and shook her head, "No. He's...he's okay, I - I think. " She trembled, not quite sure what was going on. "Sometimes ...he ...gets weird and mean and he passes out. I...don't know why. He doesn't talk about it. Ever. He thinks he can hide it from me, but I've known something was wrong. I've known for some time. " She shrugged and shook her head, " I just don't ask him because it's pointless. Al is so stubborn and tight-lipped." Alanna glanced back over her shoulder at Kella, " I'm sorry if he was kind of mean to you. Al is...he's not very good at talking to people and he is kinda...intimidating , but he really does mean well.  "

She stood up and turned to face Kella and gestured to her arm , " I can help finish stitching that arm up for you. "

Kella stared in disbelief and whispered, "No..."
And when Alanna stepped forward, she suddenly jerked her arm back protectively.
"NO!" she cried eyes wavering with tears. "You can't touch me! I could hurt you too like I hurt him! My skin.. if you touch it.. you don't realize.. I.. I'm cursed!"

Alanna took a step back , staring at the woman as if she were crazy, but then she nodded, "Well, okay . Suit yourself , lady ,but if I don't do it then you should probably finish the job or the wound's just going to reopen , making Al's work a waste of time. And he'd probably be pretty cross about that... "

She wrinkled her nose, "So you're a mage too?" Oh. Shit. She forgot she wasn't supposed to go around telling people she was. Well, Al was unconscious so he couldn't get mad and this strange lady was nice and had saved her life so she was alright in Alanna's book. "What do you mean though? You hurt people because they touch you? That's..." She didn't know what to say to something like that because she couldn't imagine . "...So sad. I'm sorry." She felt so sorry for Kella that she wanted to cry.

"Why didn't you just tell him that?" Surely, Alastrom wouldn't have been hurt if she'd been honest. Strangely, Alanna did not feel as angry as she knew that she probably should have. Part of her imagined that Kella must have been afraid to share such a horrible knowledge of what she was capable of with others. Especially in Connlaoth. Alanna couldn't blame her for she had not even shared her identity as a mage with the Free Folk.

Alanna went quiet for awhile, "You know, we never did catch your name. I'm Alanna , did I already say that earlier? I don't recall. Sorry. I'm ...so- nerves. " She laughed nervously and her eyes shifted over to Alastrom's still form.  "Um...and that fool on the ground is my guardian, Alastrom. "

At Alanna's suggestion to tend to the wound, she peered down at the stitch work then back at the girl, but did nothing about it. Instead, she listened to what the girl was saying and only began to realize- the only name she thought for this girl was a boy's name- but perhaps she heard wrong? Though at first, she just presumed the girl was a boy.

Smiling towards Alanna, she nodded and acknowledged the names.

"I'm Kella," she said, pressing her lips together. "Kella Harmond." And glancing down at her hands she smiled a bit nervously, but the smile was force as she showed some teeth. "And it's not so bad I... I just can't touch people and if I do, I have to be sure I wear long sleeves and gloves."
And she fussed over the gloves she wore now, and frowned a bit at her torn clothing, an the half patched up wound.

"So you're bth mages?" she said, finally looking over at Alanna, then to Alastrom. "What..>" she began to say, before swallowing back a lump in her throat. "What's his power?"

Alanna did not miss the look of subtle bewilderment twisting Kella's delicate features as she spoke her name. Her smile widened and her amusement grew. She could only imagine that the woman must have been thinking it was so odd for a boy to have been given a girl's name. Maybe she'd put Kella's suspicion to rest a little later, but for now it tickled her that the lady was left to guess. Alanna could be a little mean tease  like that at times.

She nodded and frowned a bit as Kella tried to downplay her own suffering. Was the woman being genuine, Alanna wondered, or was she humbly lying to repel sympathy and guilt in the process? Alanna knew someone like that...

"Kella Harmond. " Alanna repeated the name and the surname meant nothing to her. She was from Allar, not Turgall and even in Allar she couldn't even know (let alone care) to name even a quarter of all the important people from her home.

She nodded, and walked closer to the woman then pulled her into a brief but gentle embrace and there was no hesitation in Alanna's movements because the girl was clad from head to toe. Even her hands were covered to mask their delicacy, " Nice to meet you, Kella. " She released the nervous woman and stepped back, her smiling expression as bright and warm as a sunny day which clouded a bit at the inquires about magehood and of Alastrom.

Alanna wrinkled her nose and chewed nervously on her bottom lip a bit, " Well, I'm kinda not supposed to talk about it but I trust you so, yes. We are mages." She turned her head to regard Alastrom, " Al is what some people call an earth mage. He can move and shape rocks, earth and metal even. He bends it to his will, I think. I've seen him punch through a man's armor and break his bones. I've seen him melt a sword to liquid . He can stop stone from falling and crushing people , as you might have seen tonight. One time he was able to make his skin so hard that a soldier with a mace couldn't put a dent on him. That was when I was little...it was so cool..." and then she giggled, "And you should have seen the look on their dumb faces. It was priceless!" 

She composed her mirth and shook her head, " Mordecai are afraid of him because most of them can't stop him. That's why the church wants him dead . Ever since he found me and took me in, we've always been running because everyone is afraid of us and we don't belong anywhere. " Her frame drooped for a moment and her heart weighed heavily with sadness, but she forced herself to perk up and force a laugh, a grin and a careless shrug, " Ah well, me and Al are leaving this shit hole for good. We're going to Serendipity! At least the people there will treat us like we're human beings. "

Well, that was the plan anyway and even though things looked grim now, she was sure that Al would figure something else out because he always did.

((Lucky you! You got post number 2,000))

OOC: Woo! Lucky 2000 XD
------

Kella digested all of this information in silence. An earth mage? She wondered if that was the peculiar sensation she had felt when she felt his memories suck into her. There were memories, and something else. Glancing down at her gloved hands, she then looked to Alastorm's form and bit into her lip, and it was only then she began to realize he looked a bit familiar- and then she recalled a certain man she had met from earlier.

Aryn Ohlund; the man with the iron hand. Though the two obviously had their differences, she found it ironic she was thinking about Aryn now. She internally shook off the thought and glanced over towards Alanna.
"It must be exciting to have such powers,"s he spoke, a soft smile gracing her lips. "But what about you?" She tilted her head subtly, and curiously at Alanna. "You're a mage, too. What sort of power do you possess?"

Their conversation was definitely helping, at least alittle, in making the woman forget her woes. After all, a battle was raging all around them-a nd they had a moment, quietly tucked away from it all. Though she was still afraid, her body stll lightly trembling- but this moment's distraction was a nice moment of peace- even if it might be short lived.

"Yeah. It's SO cool! I wish my magic could work like his does cause then I'd kick ass!" She grinned, imagining raining fire and lightening and tornadoes and a tidal wave down on stupid Krah and his stupid army. Of course, it didn't occur to her in that moment that innocent people would likely get caught up in the crossfire of her magic but...

Oh! She blinked and shook her head, extracting herself from her daydreams in time to catch Kella's question, " Me? Well, Al says he thinks I'm an elementalist. You know what that means? I can make fire, water, air , earth do stuff but ...I'm not very good. " She laughed. "I don't know how to control what I do which is part of the reason Al wants to go to Serendipity. People can help me there.  I've...um... done some stuff on accident. I sent one boy's pants on fire once," she giggled, " but don't worry. The asshole deserved it!"

Alanna tilted her head slightly, her expression curious, "So, were you going to-"

A soft groan from Alastrom interrupted the conversation . The man opened his eyes slowly and stared up at the dark ceiling, "Ansgar,what ...happened?"He clasped a hand over his forehead and grimaced. The pain he'd felt earlier thundered in his skull, ever present and stronger than usual. "Alanna?"

"I'm here." Alanna moved away from Kella to kneel down beside her guardian and place a hand on his shoulder, "Are you okay?"

There was a long pause. Alastrom drew in a sharp breath and forced himself to sit upright, "Yes." The response sounded forced. It was obvious that he was lying but Alanna knew better than to point that out because no matter how much she bagered him, he wouldn't admit otherwise.

"So, Al, this is Kella..."

Alastrom looked over his shoulder at Kella , surprised to see that she was still there. He immediately turned his gaze away from her, embarrassed by his sudden blackout, "Sorry. I don't know what happened. I guess I'm tired." He leaned forward and covered his face with his hands, hiding the agony that twisted his usually calm face. "How's the arm? Did you finish patching her up, Alanna?"

"Er...well, uh..." Alanna chuckled nervously and glanced at Kella. "Actually Al, um...that's kind of not a good idea."

"What?" Alastrom uncovered his face and looked at them both. "What do you mean? "

Alanna shrugged and pointed at Kella, "I'll let her explain it to you. " 

Kella was startled, but relieved to see the man awaken. Though as the question was brought back to her, she faltered, smiling ashamedly before dropping her gaze.

"You see, you passing out was no accident on your part, but mine." She found herself twisting her tattered coat beneath her hands before raising those blue eyes to his, after a long, tense paused had been shared between them all. And her lips were trembling.

"You see, you .. you touched me and it was my magics that harmed you."

And she pressed her lips flatly together. "My magic works on touch... skin to skin... so when you were healing me.." and she bit back a cringe, her mouth opening slightly before she pressed her lips back together, nearly forgetting her words.

"Well.. when you were trying to help tend to my wound, my body was trying to kill yours."
She dropped her gaze, smiling sadly at the whole idea of it and wrung her gloved hands together.

"You could say it's more of a curse than magic though.." and she grit her teeth through a forced smile as her eyes welled up with tears. THen she turned to him.
"I'm ashamed for not warning you sooner. It was foolish of me, but I was afraid, but now I see I should have just told you.. but I was frightened. I... I'd rather no one know. I'd rather not have hurt anyone."

And her eyes remained glossy as she looked into his.
"I'm sorry."

(( F bomb dropped a few times. lol potty-mouthed Alanna strikes again!))

"WHAT!?" Alastrom snarled and started to stand up but then felt his head painfully spinning. Disoriented, he stumbled backwards and fell flat on his ass with a groan. He slapped his hands over his aching temples and growled with a face that was bright crimson with rage, " You could have killed me!? Why the hell didn't you- " She made excuses for her behavior but he was in so much pain and so angry. "You fool! " He continued to snarl at her, "No shit you should have told me sooner! You could have put the child in danger!"

"I'm not a child-" Alanna started in defensively , but Alastrom cut her off.

"You should be GOD DAMNED SOR- argh!" He doubled over, clutching his head.

"Don't you fucking yell at her!" Alanna snapped at him. "It's not her fault! She can't help it! You don't tell people everything either!"

"That's...different.."

"No it's not! She's got a scary kind of magic, Al. Think about it for a fucking moment! What do you think people would do to her if they knew? The same, if not WORSE than what they've done to us! You should understand her fear better than most people!  I DO! "

"Alanna listen-"

"NO! YOU listen!" She cut him off this time, he anger building with every word, " She saved my life and you're alive so stop being such a fucking dick! "

"..." Alastrom sighed , slumped forward and bowed his head and hid his face in his hands.

Kella cowered beneath Alastrom's wrath. Though he was not striking out at her, the way she flinched and stared at him in fear made it seem as if he had. But when Alanna stepped in to stand up for her, her eyes wavered. And she could only watch, too stunned to do anything else.

"Please.." she started, quietly. "Do not fight over me. Too much has happened because of me so far. I could not bear to think I'd tear a family apart. Please.. I.. I never meant any harm. To anyone. For anything I just.." and here, Kella began to break down and cry, sobbing as she buried her face into her hands.

Alanna walked over to the woman and embraced her tightly, " Don't say that, Kella. Me and Al fight enough on our own without your help. Don't give yourself so much credit. We're just tired and cranky and people say shit they don't mean, right Al?"

Alastrom didn't reply.

Alanna shook her head , "Come on, let's get the rest of your arm fixed up. I'll keep my gloves on!" She released Kella and held up her hands to show the other woman that she was fully covered and then gently took her hand and led her back to be seated at the table.

"So, " Alanna gathered some salve in one hand and rubbed it gently on the unhealed portion of the would, "where are you from , Kella? I'm from Uthlyn." Technically, she was originally from Allar but ever since she'd lived with the Free Folk, she had considered Home to be her home. "Have you ever been to Uthlyn? I think it's pretty there. " She picked up the needle and began stitching up the rest of the wound. Her hand was steady enough but she lacked the swiftness and skill of her guardian.

"If I wasn't a mage, I would have gone to school there - well, maybe not. Actually, I probably would have studied to be a shipwright like my mom...." Her expression dropped for a moment . Thinking about her parents always brought up painful memories. She shook her head, " I can't wait to get to Serendipity and learn how to use magic! I wonder what kinds of stuff I can do? I- oh...but, really I want to see Arca itself. I hear it's way bigger and prettier than Reajh. I hear some mages wear these BIG silly pointy hats and dresses. Even the boys."She giggled at the thought . It seemed pretty silly to her! 

She finished stitching the arm up, bit the thread and tied off the end. "There you go! All finished!" She beamed.

Kella tried not to wince or scream- but the pain was evident with delicate little 'ouches' here or there. But she smiled anyways, bit back screaming any louder than she ought, and stared down at the young girl's hands as she worked, but avoiding seeing the wound.

"I'm from Turgall," she told her softly, her eyes going distant at the memory, and emotions fluctuating there in. But once the topic went to Uthlyn, she was smiling again. "Yes, I have been to Uthlyn." And her eyes peeked over curiously to Alastrom. "Are you both from there? Uthlyn, I mean."
Ad she looked back to Alanna and added, "I've been to their library. It's a beautiful place and they have a lot of all sorts of books to read. But I can't say much about SErendipity, nor it's capital. I have never been. Though I'd like to."
She gave a sheepish smile.

"That's.. that's why I had come here. I heard some ships were taking travelers for free to the country and I thought.."
and here she averted her gaze and smiled sadly, exposing some of her teeth as she did. "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter what I thought. It doens't seem like an option now."

"I've never been to Turgall before, but Al probably has. He's been to lots of places. But , oh yes. The library in Uthlyn is so cool! It's really big like a castle! Oh, well, not really that big but almost! Actually, I can't tell because I've never actually been inside . Al tried to take me once but they chased us away because they thought we were beggars. Our clothes are so ..." She laughed and  looked down at her filthy clothing, tattered and frayed. "Well, see for yourself." 

"Ah, but I do love reading, don't you? Al taught me how.  My favorite books to read are from a mystery series by Eva Blair! But most of her books ended up being banned when the war started because they mention magic in them. See, the main character , Sister Clarity , is a mage but she doesn't use magic which is why I don't really understand why but I guess it's because the stupid nobility doesn't like the idea of mages being portayed as anything more than evil. I- oh.    I'm sorry. I'm rambling again. "Alanna laughed and blushed, waving a gloved hand and then shaking her head.

Alanna glanced back at Alastrom who seemed preoccupied with nursing his head, " Eh. I guess you could say that we're from Uthlyn. We stayed there for a few years and it's the only place that we could really call a home. " She turned her gaze back towards Kella and shrugged her shoulders , "I was born in Allar and lived there for a little while until my neighbors found out that I had magic. They told the church and the church sent mordecai to take me away..." She shook her head and forced a laugh, "those bastards took everything..."

She sighed , "Alastrom ....he found me and took me away from that horrible place. We found our way to Uthlyn and to people who were nice to us and took us in.They were good people, so good to us. I wish we could have stayed with them , but it was too dangerous. Not for us, but for our friends. So we here we are, running again."

"Vythe, "Alastrom spoke up, "I was from Vythe. " 

Alanna looked back over her shoulder at the man. This was news to her and she looked at him curiously.

"We were here for the same reason. Seems we'll just have to find another way out."

"You should come with us, Kella. "Alanna told the woman kindly, " We'd look out for you and we were all headed in the same direction anyways. Safety in numbers! What do you say?"

"I..." Kella began to speak, not sure of what to say. Alanna spoke a mouthful and as she mulled over a response,s he gave a sheepish stare Alastrom's way.
"I would hate to intrude. But traveling with others would be nice," she said, swiping some loose fringes of blonde hair from her face.

"We don't mind! Right , Al?"

No response came from the man at first. He shifted his position on the floor, slowly rising to stand on his feet. For a moment, he wobbled slightly and looked as though he might lose balance.

"Please?"

Still no answer. Alastrom crossed the room, moving to the pantry and proceeded to scour it for a meal.

"Come on! She said she was sorry, jerk!"

"I never said no." Alastrom replied evenly.

"And you never said yes, smart ass."

Arms loaded with sustenance, the man carried his spoils over to the table and set them down. Bread, some apples and a wedge of cheese. There had been a time when he would have looked upon his actions and been appalled, but now he didn't think twice and felt not an ounce of shame because survival was what mattered now.

"Miss..."

"Her name's Kella." Alanna interjected helpfully.

"Kella, I am Alastrom-"

"I already told her that."

Alastrom blinked slowly and replied with equal delay , "Oh. " He shook his head and grabbed a knife, using that to slice a small loaf of bread he'd set down on the table. "What else have you told her?"

"Uh...well , she knows we're both mages? You're not mad about that, are you? I think she can be trusted."

Alastrom frowned and finished slicing the bread, offering a couple pieces to Alanna before giving a couple to Kella. He studied Kella for a long, hard moment before replying, " No. It's fine." He removed the waterskin that hung from around his neck and set it down on the table, "Share it. It's all the water we have left until I find more. "

A few moments of silence passed before Alastrom spoke again, " Sorry. I didn't mean to yell at either of you like that. " He reached for an apple but held it in his hands. Though his body needed the nourishment, he didn't feel hungry. "Alanna was right. I ...should know better."



 

Though the man had gone out of his way to find them food, Kella could not even fathom eating at a time like this. Nerves curdled her insides and kept her stomach into a tightly knit not. So when the food was offered to her,s he shook her head but simply stared at what was given to her on her lap.

The silence was an awkward thing. She knew the man was mulling over something, lest he wouldn't have left so many pauses before his words. It took her some time, but after a long moment, she finally lifted her gaze to Alastrom.

"Do you think it's safe for us to leave yet? I... I'd hate to be stuck here if they come back in with the canons." Though she was not sure how much safer being out on the city streets would be. She turned away, staring towards the windows and wondering if the small piece of hope she clung onto wouldn't be dashed away by soldiers suddenly ransacking this place.

There was a long silence. Alastrom was a methodical, quiet man. One whom was not given swiftly to wagging his tongue. From the dull, listless expression that he so frequently wore on his rocky features, some assumed that the man was simple of mind. And that was hardly so.

"We probably have no choice, "Alastrom replied softly, " it's likely that they will return just to sweep through for survivors. They don't need to waste a canon on a simple little house. Fire is a cheaper weapon and much more effective. If the smoke doesn't drive us out to them, the flames will consume us if the smoke doesn't cause us to suffocate first. "

He shook his head and set the apple down on the table, " We have two options. We can try to hide here and pray they don't find us or , soon, we can try to escape. If they're coming back, it'll be before this night is through. Just like Havanlaar..." He frowned , " And it's easier to slip past them at night when their visibility is low."

He gestured to the food, "I'd suggest eating or at least drinking now while you have the opportunity. "

Alanna had already crammed the bread into her mouth and was helping herself to a slice of cheese. The poor kid was starving and her hunger won out over her nerves.

Kella looked down at her lap.
"I'm not sure I can eat.."
ANd a distant rumble of canon fire made her gasp and clutch onto her jacket. She stared at the windows, straining her ears as if to listen for more battle cries, but it seemed most of the fighting was distant for now. This side of the city was decimated anyways except for the building in which they hid.

She turned to Alastrom, fear evident in her eyes.
"Do.. do you think that would be wise? Imean.."s he tucked back more hair, but it still fell over her eyes anyhow. "I'm not sure what we should do. It's too dangerous anywhere we go." She lowered her gaze back to her lap. "Though I suppose biding our time could not hurt. It seems the battle has moved on to the North."

Alastrom shrugged slightly, his broad shoulder barely moving, "Your choice. I don't know how long or hard your road has been ,but we haven't eaten much in week. " His eyes wandered over to Alanna whom was making quite a pig of herself. "Or you can save it for later, but there's no telling when you'll have time to replenish your strength again. I suppose it's easier for us because we're used to it..." And that was a terrible thing to say, but it was the truth. He'd seen so much death, it almost made him feel numb at times. 

He turned his back on her and moved away from the table, " What other choice is there for us? We're damned if we do and damned if we don't. It's quiet now and if it were just me, I'd take whatever provisions I could and be on my way. However , I am not alone. Alanna needs a reprieve."

And so do I. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. I've nearly taxed my limits from the last encounter with Geraint and his bloodhounds. He turned around to face her, and the guilt he felt after admitting as much weighed heavily in his tone and on his weary expression. "I don't think we shoul-" He suddenly felt a wave of pain and dizziness grip him ; he swayed on his feet for a few moments and lost his balance.

Poor Kella; the man fell towards her!

Kella clutched onto the bread, keeping it close and contemplating what he said. He was right, but she felt far too ill and anxious to eat. But as the conversation went on, she didn't have time to notice the tell tale signs he was growing woozy, s when he began to slump forward she dind't have time to catch him as he crashed onto her lap- crushing her bread beneath his face.

Stunned, Kella remained there, blinkingly as she somehow held the man in her lap, before gasping and wriggling her one exposed hand to ensure she wasn't touching any of his flesh. But even as he was not much taller than she, she was still weighed down from him and a second later, she let out a yelp as she collapsed and his form spilled over top of hers.

Alanna heard the crash and looked up from another generous helping of cheese and bread. Seeing Alastrom face-down of the floor again, the girl leaped out of her chair and ran over to him. "Al!? What are you-" and she noticed poor Kella crushed beneath him.

"He passed out again? Hang on, Kella. I'll get him off of ya. " Alanna got down on her knees beside them and , placing her hands on Al's broad shoulder, she pushed as hard as she could. "Damn! He's heavier than he looks." She tried again ,but the man hardly budged. "Come on, Al . Wake up!"He didn't and so, she slapped him.

Alastrom's eyes snapped open.

"Al! Get your fat ass off of Kella!"

What? It was only then that he noticed the woman pinned underneath him. He rolled off of her immediately and turned his back to the women, hiding the embarrassed flush on his face. " Sorry. I don't know what happened. I guess I'm more tired than I thought I was."

Alanna helped Kella to sit up, "Are you okay, Kella? He didn't break anything , did he?"

Kella was in a daze. She had been winded, surely, but any stinging in her head was already beginning to subside. Though she was suffering a slight dizzy spell, it soon passed as she placed a hand to her forehead.

"I.. I shall be alright," she said, once her breath returned. She blinked back a few tears and frowned  towards Alastrom. "I... please, there's no need to apologize. You've bee injured I.... I'm actually surprised you survived my touch at all." Naturally, Kella felt she was to blame as she looked up at him with those blue, doe like eyes of hers.

"Are you alright?" she then asked him, cautiously as she looked him over. "Perhaps you should lay down for a bit, let your body recuperate. We've all been through a lot, but surely you the most of all. Please," she insisted, placing a gloved hand upon his arm. "Please."

Alastrom frowned at the suggestion, but he knew better than to protest the fact. Whatever Kella had done to him, he felt pained, dizzy and weak. He wasn't in any condition right now to do much of anything and this frightened him. Who would protect Alanna if not him? Silently, he prayed for Ansgar to show mercy and not allow trouble to come their way. But how many prayers had he made to his God that had gone unanswered? Over the years his faith had been crumbling and in this moment of fear and uncertainty, he still desperately clung to the belief in a God that had done nothing but betray his loyalty.

"I..I have endured far worse pain than your touch, if you can believe it. " He touched his forehead, "Your magic is potent though. I think it amplified the side affects of my own abilities." He felt her hand rest on his arm and did not miss the concern in her tone. For her to show compassion in the face of his prior harshness , it humbled him.  "I may have taxed my limits." He bowed his head, ashamed that all of the effort he'd made had done so little to save lives. 

"Then rest," she told him softly, squeezing his arm just slightly. "I.. I could keep watch. The windows out front, though a bit dirty from the smoke, offer enough for me to be able to see out of. I could do this while you rest. For now, I think we're safe, but during these times of war, one can never be too certain what to expect."

He didn't want to, but Alastrom knew that arguing with her was futile when his body wasn't in agreement with him. Nodding , the stoic man's thin lips curled at the corners ever-so-slightly, displaying a ghost of a smile, "I...thanks." Having expressed his gratitude, he lay down on the floor and closed his eyes. "Just... don't linger near a window."He knew he didn't have to explain to her what sort of danger that presented.

"I can help. " Alanna spoke up now, eager to prove to the adults (and especially her guardian) that she could be useful in times of need. "Do you need me to make a bed? Gather supplies? Watch from another window so more vantage points are covered? " She was looking to Kella for orders since Alastrom hadn't given any yet.

Kella turned to Alanna with a warm smile.
"Helping to find things to make Alastorm more comfortable would be nice, yes." She gave the young girl a nod before peering over at Alastrom.
"And you're welcome."
Turning back to Alanna, she thought over their situation briefly before peering back to him.
"Is there anything you'd like? Your daughter or I could get them for you. I'm sure it's not a problem and certainly, we might be able to find something inside this home..."

"Daughter?" Alanna wrinkled her nose and then smirked, "We're not related. My parents are dead. " she shrugged, "Al just looks out for me. "

Her lack of hesitance to say as much cut into Alastrom's feelings profoundly, but the man shook his head and fought to keep a neutral expression. Though if one cared to study it close enough, they would have seen that those words had upset him. It could be seen in the corners of his lips and the furrowing of his bushy brows. It was the truth, but even so...after everything they'd been through together and for so long there had always been a small hope that she might have one day thought of him as such. But that was a selfish wish, he supposed. She would never love him that much.

"Water, would be nice if there is any to be found." Alastrom replied numbly.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do. " Alanna replied as she rose to her feet and left the room .

Kella went quiet after the girl left. There was an awkward silence for a time before she raised her blue eyes to look at Alastrom.
"I... I'm sorry I thought she was.... But it still seemed you two were as such. I'm sorry." She hoped she didn't bring up any ill feelings. The man looked upset.

"Are you... alright?" she inquired gently.

"No, it's ...fine. "Alastrom lied and it was pretty obvious that he was. "She's right. I'm not." He sighed, "She was only eight when I found her. We're just a couple of stays, the two of us. We've only ever had each other since the war took away everything and everyone else. She never called me her father, but I think of her as family. Nothing will ever change that."

"What about you? Do you have any family, Kella?"   

Kella was about to reply on his other questions, but then snapped her lips shut at the mention of family. Blinking, she averted his gaze and dropped it to the ground.

"No. Not really," she said with a frown. "At least not any more.."
She might as well consider it that way and it saddened her to think- her family really was no more. With her parents dead and Blaith having gone off the deep end... who knew where her remaining cousins were. Yes.. it seemed evident she might be the last Harmond. She supposed their line would end with her. Not that she could ever have a family- an impossible feet for a woman who could not touch, lest she kill.

A sensitive question , it seemed. Alastrom frowned at her answer, but wasn't surprised by it. She was a mage too. Why would her tale be any different? Any less tragic, but it seemed that hers must have been the most tragic of them all. Alastrom was not a very physical person, but he made exceptions for Alanna. He couldn't imagine how difficult it would have been for either of them if one or the other possessed a power like Kella's. It was...manageable, but it would have been such a different and more cautious sort of life. A life filled with fear and probably loneliness.

"Sorry. Just...trying to make small talk. Never been good at it."  He felt somewhat foolish and lapsed into awkward silence after that and wasn't sure what else to say. What could he say to something like that? He was sorry ? He had no idea. "I don't mind. " He finally spoke up, "I don't mind you coming with us, that is . " More awkward silence. He really wasn't much of one for words, Alastrom.

Kella nodded, remaining quiet- and when the air became so tense and awkward it might break, she turned from him.
"I.. I'm going to look out the window. Make sure it's still safe and no one is coming."
Though even as she situated herself near the window, she had a hard time concentrating on what may or may not be lurking outside. The ghostly echoes of the canons and gunfire were terrifying- and this whole situation- like one terrible dream.

Alastrom nodded slightly, saying nothing in response because he too felt the awkward tension and wasn't sure how to respond to it. It was something of a relief to him when Kella moved over to the window. Yet, at the same time he also felt worse because he blamed the awkwardness on himself.

Though it felt like an eternity to him, Alanna hadn't been gone for more than five minutes when she returned with a couple of blankets in one arm, and a couple pillows tucked under the other. She quietly knelt down beside Alastrom and propped his head up, sliding the pillows beneath it then taking the blankets and spreading them over his sturdy form.

She then moved over to where Kella was watching. Her face was as white as a sheet and she looked nervous, "So, how are things out there? " She asked quietly, her voice tremoring slightly.

"I... it's hard to see out, but everything looks all clear," Kella began, but the moment she turned around to look at ALanna, she gasped. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

((Warning. Violent themes which are not graphic, but disturbing in nature.))

Alanna's face scrunched up and tears threatened the corners of her eyes , "Y-you really don't want to know." She hid her face from Kella in her hands and choked a sob, shaking h

"What is it?" Alastrom sat up, grunting with effort.

"...god they're -they're all dead. The people- the people... in this house..." she couldn't finish as she gave away to uncontrollable sobs. In one of the bedrooms she'd come across one of the most harrowing scenes she'd ever encountered. A family , it seemed, huddled together in a corner, bloody and lifeless. A mother, her two young childeren and ....lying slightly away from the group was a man with a bloody hole in his head, right between his eyes. Alanna had seen the bloody pistol lying discard on the floor beside him and she had almost been too paralyzed with fright to enter the room and claim the blankets and pillows for Alastrom but she had averted her gaze from it all as much as she could...

And little good it did for her because the image of that scene would be forever burned into her mind. What had happened there ?It made her feel so ill to think of it...

Kella clutched a hand to her chest and went white. Her eyes were wide as she peered up at Alastrom, though she said nothing, her eyes spoke volumes.
Someone had to check this out; what if they were murdered? What if who killed them was nearby!?

His eyes met hers and he sighed. So much for resting. With a grunt , Alastrom dragged himself up to his feet, "I'll look." He told them quietly before he left the room quietly and crossed into the darkened hall,stepping as lightly as he was able to. Al paused at each door and held his breath , listening for the slightest of sounds , but the only thing her could hear was Alanna sobbing. 

One at a time, he pushed each door open to find a children's bedroom that was eerily orderly and empty. He moved to the next room and found it empty as well. At last he came to pause in doorway of one of the final rooms at the end. He pushed the door open gently and saw the bodies lying there and the blood.  "God..." He closed his eyes for a moment, struggling to maintain his composure.

Taking a deep breath and opening his eyes once more, he cautiously stepped into the room and looked around. Aside from the bodies, the room seemed nothing out of the ordinary except the pistol on the floor lying just inches from the dead man's hand. Alastrom moved towards it and as he bent to pick it up, he heard a sound and felt movement behind him and instinctively he ducked his head and not a moment too soon either as the whir of a blade swept overhead.

Instinctively, Alastrom spun around, kicking high and catching the assailant behind him square in the chest. The sword in the man's grasp clattered loudly to the floor as he stumbled backwards and knocked bodily into a dresser. The dresser rocked, picture frames falling and smashing loudly to the ground. Alastrom saw the man now in the dim candlelight. One of Krah's soldiers. A young man with murderous and haunted blue eyes. It was uncertain as to whether or not this soldier was the killer but Alastrom had no time to consider this as the man launched himself forward with a cry, tackling Alastrom bodily and the pair of them crashed to the floor, rolling over and over on another until they stopped at last with the lad pinning Alastrom under him and repeatedly striking him , bloodying his face and nose.

Alanna heard the commotion from the front room and  halted her tears, staring over at Kella with wide eyes. "Did you...hear that?"



 

Kella's eyes widened. After a moment of fighting over what she ought to do, she moved past Alanna.
"Wait here," she whispered, and she glanced around once to see if anyone was lurking in the dark before slipping off towards the source of the noise. Though as she crept her way towards the room, she heard some other noises, and her foot falls carried her quicker towards the source.

Approaching the door, she placed her hand on the knob before drawing in a breath, then holdin git- she pushed the door open and peered inside.

Typically , Alanna wouldn't have listened because fear and curiosity got the better of her but considering where she thought Alastrom might be and what was in that room, the girl couldn't bring herself to go back there. She knew she'd lose it if she had to see the bodies again let alone smell them.

The pummeling only lasted for a few seconds in the time that it took for Alastrom to recover from his daze. With only one arm pinned, Alastrom quickly raised the other, slamming his forearm into his assailant's throat and forcing the other man back and tumbling off his chest, releasing hold of Alastrom's other arm in the process.

As Al scrambled to get to his feet, the soldier retreated to fetch his weapon , but Alastrom charged and rammed the other man ,smashing bodily into the wall though not without taking a powerful right hook to the face and staggering back, tripping over one of the murdered corpses and landing heavily on his back.

The soldier pushed away from the wall and dove for forward to snatch the pistol that was near Al. The mage , however, thinking quickly kicked it and it went spinning away beyond his opponent's reach. The weapon settled at Kella's feet near the open door as the soldier hit the ground beside Alastrom with a snarl of frustration. 

((If this makes no sense, I'm sorry. Sleepy action posts are sometimes incoherently written. xD))

Kella had been watching in a dazed fear. It froze her in place and she couldn't move- even as she heard the cracking of bones. It was the weapon landing iwth a hard rattle at her feet that had her jumping as she gasped, and she leaned away, pressing into the door frame as the fight went on.

Not a fighter by any means, she had no idea how to help, but seeing how the soldier was eyeing the weapon, the slim girl dashed forward to pick it up, but the bulky weapon felt awkward and dangerous in her hands- and also useless as she tried to regain her breath while peering over frightenedly at Alastrom and the man.

((Warning. Kinda mature language going on here and mildly disturbing themes.  ))

The soldier's eyes followed the fleeing pistol and settled on Kella, narrowing lethally at her as she picked it up. He froze for a moment, dreading that the woman might have known how to use it but seeing her awkwardly hold the thing immediately restored his confidence. However, as he started to shift to his feet, Alastrom grabbed his arm and held it. The soldier turned and bashed the man's face three times with an iron-clad fist and smirked with a cold and cruel sort of satisfaction as the smaller, older man's grip weakened and he lie there bleeding still on the floor. If the fool wasn't dead now, he'd be in a moment.

Grunting, the soldier pushed himself up ,rising to his feet. "Give me the gun, " he growled menacingly at her through clenched teeth and held out his hand, his gaze expecting prompt compliance. And he was arrogant in his assumptions that he would have no difficulty in obtaining whatever he wanted from her because she was a woman and it was her duty in life to be submissive to men, submissive to him. 

Of course, anyone with half of an intelligent thought in their minds might have realized that surrendering to the killer's orders would have been an extremely foolish thing to do. 

No compliance? So he would try a more tactful command, "Give me the gun, please?" Surely she would listen? His tone was cold yet smooth as silk. He had charm, good looks. How could she resist him? "Do the right thing and no one will get hurt, I promise."

Still she didn't submit to him. He found his sword lying on the ground. He preferred the swift, clean kill of a bullet to the brain over the sword. He wasn't skilled enough with the blade ; his kills were always messy and he preferred not to get blood on him . But now the blood from Alastrom's nose was all over his fist , his face and his throat, a little on his dirty iron breastplate and ...soon this woman's blood would stain him as well.

He raised the weapon and grinned at her, his eyes lighting up with a wild and fearful level of insanity that spoke of a man that was no longer, a man so gripped by paranoia and a lust for violence ...a monster. "Are you going to shoot me, bitch? "He spat at her . "Well hurry up and fucking do it!" He shrieked and then laughed, "You're not going to do it. You're a woman. Too stupid and weak. Just drop the weapon and lie on your back, bitch. That's all you're good for. If you're a good girl, maybe I'll make you a woman before I slit your pretty little throat." He sneered at her.

((I don't mind what you decide to do here. Kella can shoot him LOL or something else can happen. I'm prepared either way so no worries. xD))

Kella, though terrified, (and perhaps it was the fear that made her unresponsive) but with each question, she took a single step back, cowering away from him as her hands shook. The gun was wobbly in her hands, and she, too nervous to try to even figure out how to use it.

Blaith had shown her once how to do it- on one hot, summer day. THe hting was loud and scared her- and recalling that moment, she regripped the weapon more properly and kept it pointed at the man.

"N-no.." came her voice, defiant and soft. "Just drop your weapon and I won't shoot." Though even she wasn't sure if she could do it...
though the man had a sword- and her life, very possibly, in jeopardy.

Kella served as a fairly excellent distraction.With the soldier's back turned towards him, Alastrom slowly , quietly rose to his feet. Though he looked at Kella, she had not noticed him at all, her eyes fearfully glued on the soldier. He crept up behind the man, his approach very slow and methodical , his movements comparable to those of a large hunting feline on making ready to pounce on its prey.

Cold, dark rage twisted the soldier's expression at Kella's refusal and the finality of murder lit up his mad eyes. " A tough bitch, are you? " He spat at her and charged into her, knocking her to the floor, " So shoot me then! " And fell upon her, determined to humiliate her and put her in her place. He cast the sword aside , confident that he would not need to use it, confident in his strength of dominance over her. And no matter what noises she made, he wouldn't show her any mercy. He would take pleasure and he would hurt her but , fortunately for the both of them...he wouldn't get very far.

Al stood over them and paused to wipe the blood that streamed down his face from a cut just above his right eyebrow. "You should have listened to the lady."

Shit! He'd thought the scarred man was dead. Bastard was tougher than he looked.And now whe realization that he was about to be killed struck him then and all of the confidence fled his being, replaced by naked fear and a wild desperation to live," I just want to be away from this hell. I won't give you or your friend any more trouble. Release me!"

"Alright." And with those words, Alastrom gripped the man's head in both hands and twisted his neck. No hesitation, no remorse. Not in his expression or in his heart. As the body slumped over Kella, Alastrom kicked it rolling off of her. He bent down over the man and felt the pulse just to make sure that he was dead before turning his attention on poor Kella.

He knelt down beside Kella to inspect the damage. Though he was inwardly concerned , nothing ever translated well on his cold, stony exterior, "You okay, Kella?" He inquired quietly.

((Went with a less terrible approach. FOR NOW.))

Kella was over powered far too easily. She was a lover, not a fighter, and the man had her on the ground in seconds. Kella let out a cry, and at the man's words, hot tears streamed down her face.
"Please don't hurt me,"s he begged, but it seemed the man was out to torture. He had a crazed look in his eye, that something was broken- something lost,a nd the fear pained her but also made her fearful in return.

It was Alastrom's words that brought her heart into her throat and she turned to look at the man when the soldier tried to beg for his life. But in one sickening noise, the man went down nd Kella, flinchingly, looked away.

She was trembling now from where she lay on the floor, and didn't look his way until Alastrom spoke. And when she did, she grit her teeth as hot tears began to stream down her cheeks.
It was also then she realized she was still holding the gun,and let the metal thing drop hastily from her fingers as she turned to again, such remorse and thanks evident in her eyes as she nodded her head. But she couldn't even answer him. All she could do was nod.

Alastrom went over to her and crouched down on the floor in front of her. For a moment, his usually stony expression softened and he placed a bloodied hand lightly on her shoulder. Even through the blood that streamed down his rocky face, she may have caught a glimpse of the silent guilt and pain in his green eyes that he quietly endured , "If you're sure , then let's get you back in the other room." He held out his hand for her to take. She was wearing a glove and he had no reason to be afraid.

The tears seemed unyielding, and though she felt numb and scared in the moment, Alastrom's soft voice helped coax enough strength within her to stand. She took his hand and let him guide her to the other common room with Alanna, but her legs were shaky and as they walked, her legs eventually gave way as she gasped and collapsed against him, catching herself just barely on his arm and shirt.