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Phantom Rain

Started by Lion, November 10, 2016, 11:46:17 PM

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Lion

Tags to @Incognus

It was said that nothing worth attaining was found in the nadir of a gully.  Crossing the mountains between Connlaoth and Serendipity mean facing the malicious bite of wintry cold, one Corvus couldn't say he was accustomed to. It was a risk he was willing to take, however, to find a treasure worth fighting for, worth bleeding for. Nevermind the last part; yet it didn't dilute the determination he'd set within himself.

Nothing was eternal save the soul, and even then the love of Time had been cruel and demanding, giving little of what it promised. Corvus had seen ages gone by, watched his family wither away and turn to dust. Time was a fickle mistress, but Death, death was always wanting, waiting. Of the lives he had lived, this curse fallen upon him, he remembered them as if they were a flicker of light in the darkness, a candle the was ignited for a second before being doused by a droplet on a rainy night.

He hunted further north, to reach the mountains far north of Connlaoth in search of a legend. His companions told him he was a fool, chasing a legend. And entering into a war torn land no less. A ship of fools, and now it was sinking. 

The wagon lurched as he sat in the back of it and when it suddenly stopped, he threw the hood of his cloak off his head and crawled over the sacks and baggage to see what was the matter.  "Why did we stop?" he demanded.  He growled softly and looked out from the edge of the tarp that kept the good dry from the rain.

The wagon driver's hood was soaked with rain and the murky sky was reflected in the puddles that dipped here and there in the muddy road. He grunted and saw there was discoloration in the ground ahead of them.  "I'll go no further," he murmured and looked to Corvus.

"I gave you a hefty sum, you'll venture on if you have the mind for it," Corvus replied.

"I will not," he said.  "This is as far as I'm willin' t'go."  The driver pulled out the sack of gold Corvus had given him to take him up the road and his dirty fingers dug out a few coins, before wrapping tight the intertwined thread that closed the leather pouch. With a grunt he shoved the coin purse into his passenger's hand. "That land is death up there. And if'n y'wanna tread upon it, won't be no worry o' mine."  He nodded and watched as Corvus moved to the front seat.

He growled in frustration. It'd be easy to kill the man and take the wagon for himself. There was no one else to look, but for now, he would let this one go. He shifted his already muddy boots over the side and jumped down to the bottom, flipping his hood back over his damn hair.  Corvus glared at the driver and the wagon as he gave the horse a yip and directed it to turn around.

Corvus pulled the cloak tighter around him following the road up further, and seeing the discolorations that had given the driver pause. The ground here was muddled with dilutions of crimson red. There was  a smell wafting in the air that Corvus was familiar with: rot.  The rain only encouraged the odor to waft up further into the air.

He pressed onward and stepped over the broken musket and ignored the hand that lay in the grass, missing fingers. It was a long way to go, and despite him being frustrated, he forced himself to swallow it down. The road had to lead somewhere after all.




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Incognus

Evelyn huddled closer to her brother, Boreas, as the two sat in an abandoned building to avoid the rain. The dying flames before them flickered in a makeshift fire pit, casting shadows along the walls of the broken home they had chosen as camp. The fire was of Evelyn's doing, who took extra precaution to ensure no one was around when she cast the spell. Small things like that were dangerous in Connlaoth, especially these days. The civil war was reaching its peak, or so it seemed, but every confrontation between the opposing forces seemed to only catapult it higher, and Evelyn wondered if the conflict would ever begin to wane. The two sat there on the floor while Evelyn gazed out of the gaping hole in the brick wall, watching the sky's tears splash against the uneven cobble street.

The pair had found themselves in a town called Flughan, and it was currently on the front lines of the civil war, leaving the city around them bleeding and scarred. Although it was a medium sized town, Flughan might have well been a tiny rural village. The warfare had forced most residents from their homes causing the district to become near empty; this cast an eerie, somber mood over the surrounding area, a feeling the current weather only enhanced. Only the hardened and the stupid stayed behind in the town they called home. Some were attempting to hold the place together as it fell apart, other folk believed the war would move elsewhere soon and buckled down waiting for the storm to pass, and then there were those that simply had nowhere else to go. This was the case for Evelyn and Boreas, although Flughan may not have been their home before, it was for the time being as they trudged along on their journey.

The siblings were making their way across Connlaoth, looking for the magical resistance, but it seemed they were always one step behind the fleeting forces. Whether or not they would eventually catch up was one of the questions currently running through Evelyn's mind, jumbled together in a tangled mess of a thousand others she couldn't answer. Right now, the rebels were their only hope. Evelyn needed to find somewhere safe that she and, more importantly, Boreas could reside. If they could just find them. No more running from the soldiers and the Mordecai that seemed to always be hot on their trail, no more hiding from the posters of their faces nailed up in seemingly every town, no more freezing and starving during the cold nights when they couldn't find shelter or food. That was the goal. The hope that held them steady.

"You need to get some rest," Evelyn whispered to her Brother, who turned to look at her.

"What? No you took last watch," Boreas replied.

Evelyn hugged her legs, resting her chin on her knees. "That was barely an hour before we had to take off, you know you didn't get any sleep," Evelyn's eyes flicked to her brother, "And I can tell from looking at you that you're exhausted," Boreas opened his mouth in protest. "No discussion. Go lay down," Evelyn stared at him sternly until his shoulders sagged and he got up, walking over to the bed in the corner. Evelyn's gaze returned to the fire. She was exhausted too, but her brother's well being was more important to Evelyn than her own. She listened to the soft pattering of the rain on the rooftop and let out a weary sigh. It's going to be a long night, she thought.

Lion

"You sure you saw them in the area?" Captain Izaak murmured to the private that saluted him and pulled down the hood further over his head.  The rain forced him to look up at the taller dark haired man, and he nodded again.

"Y'sir.  Folks past Flughan Farm saw they saw them in the area just a few days ago," the soldier said. Water was getting in the man's eyes, and he blinked away the droplets.

"Well, it's not much, but at least we're on the right track," Izaak replied. He'd been on the trail of that goddamn mage for a while now, and despite the war, his platoon was charged with scraping through the wilds for rebel stragglers.  He didn't care if she actually had anything to do with the rebellion. He had a duty to uphold. "Thanks, Briggs. Take an extra ration from my stores. You did well."

Izaak moved out his men after their brief respite was over, taking their time in approaching the small broken town. He'd remembered it well months before, when he first passed through here. Now it was a sickly image of its former self, many buildings abandoned or dilapidated, some burned. The rain only made it sag further into depression. An unfortunate side effect, but necessary collateral damage.

They separated into pairs,  five groups of two, and each taking note of one another. No man would be left alone. They weren't necessarily out of place in a small town like this, for their clothing was rather plain and dirty. Their faces scarred and hair unkempt. However, they were alert and kept their guard up. The posters were noticeably torn down, one ripped and crumbled at his feet, sloshed over with mud and filth.

They were getting closer, and Izaak took watch nearer a small batch of dilapidated buildings, one with a roof caved in.  He waited, seemingly holding his breath when he thought he saw movement in one of them.  The flicker of a light. He blinked and he whistled sharply.

It was time to close in.

[Hope this is okay. Let me know if I need to change/add anything.]




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Incognus

The faint sound of a whistle made Evelyn snap upright. To anyone else, the noise would have been lost in the rain or mistaken for wind blowing through the cracking foundation. But she knew that sound, she had heard it before. FUCK. They couldn't have been here more than a few hours, looks like Boreas wasn't getting much sleep after all.

Evelyn quickly blew out the remaining flames and bolted over to the bedside, shaking her Brother violently. He jolted awake. The young man grabbed her arm, prepared to fight the silhouette until he recognized his sister's voice. "They're coming!" she squeaked. That was all he needed to hear. Boreas jumped out of the bed and grabbed his staff from the corner, hustling to a nearby window.

"Where?" He whispered hoarsely, his sagging eyes scanned the street through broken glass. His sister approached him cautiously, keeping her eyes alert for any movement outside.

"Not sure, I heard a whistle," she stated. "We need to move. They'll find us if we just sit here." she saw his head nod in response. Reaching down, Evelyn pulled a bronze dagger from one of her tall rain boots, gripping the cold handle tightly in her left hand. "Follow me," she stated moving to the back entrance.

Evelyn wrapped her fingers around the brass knob and slowly cracked open the door, cringing as its rusty hinges squeaked in protest. She quickly but carefully scanned the surrounding area for anyone in sight. Nothing. Pushing the creaky door open further, the two siblings slipped out into night hugging the wall and keeping low. The muddy ground splashed up with each step they took, peppering their legs with mud droplets while the rain fell steadily from the clouds. Soft squishing was the only sound to be heard by the two as they made their way around the house's crumbling corner.

Suddenly a hand grabbed Evelyn forcing her against the wall. She suppressed a scream when she realized it was her brothers. He peaked back around the corner they had just rounded, eyeing two soldiers with muskets that had narrowly missed the pair of fugitives. They trudged forward and peered into the window of the building he and Evelyn had just left.  "That was damn close" Boreas whispered, but he spoke too soon. Two more soldiers jogged down the street into their view. They were carrying muskets as well and donned similar uniforms, coated with dirt and grime. Evelyn and Boreas were in caught out in plain sight, and the hunters were quick to notice the suspicious pair against the wall.

"Halt!" One of the men yelled, aiming his rifle at them. Evelyn reacted and tackled her brother to the ground, mud splattering on their bodies' impact. The gunshot reported and the musket ball whizzed over their heads, hitting the brick where they had previously stood. Scrambling to their feet, the two took off down the road as a second gunshot rang out, the bullet splashing into a puddle before them. Evelyn concentrated, calling magical energy to coalesce at her finger tips. Only, there was nothing. She couldn't feel the familiar buzz that should have been radiating from her hands and forearms. She instantly knew what this meant. Mordecai. They're close.

Brown droplets were thrown into the air behind them as the duo raced down the cobble street putting some distance between the groups. Evelyn turned her head to find four pursuers chasing after them. At a closer inspection she recognized the iconic white, or in this case muddy brown, garments of the Mordecai. She had found one of them, the question now was if there were any more. Evelyn called upon her magic once again, surprised to find it functioning. She ignited a thick fireball in her palm and spun around, hurling it at the group of pursuers. The ball of flame sizzling in the rain as it flew towards the Mordecai He has a short range, she thought, I'll just have to keep out of it.

Lion

He honestly thought it would be days before he found any real sign of life. The walk up the road had been a long one, tenuous and exhausting to the bones that bore him. He wondered if other vampiric creatures had similar sensations, if they would ever know or remember the feeling of physical exhaustion of being alive. The heart inside his chest still beat, pushing blood through his body, a fluid that sometimes burned when the hunger ached inside of him.

Corvus pushed that thought from his mind, it wouldn't do to dwell on it lest it come at an inopportune moment such as this. He continued onward until he began to see traces of a town, some bricks here, te raised posts that closed off some parts of the muddy road. Some of them were plucked and broken from the rest of the chain, strew across the road in makeshift sections of dugout. Their ends were sharpened as spikes in the bulwarks. Corvus carefully navigated around them.

His path brought him to the outskirts of dilapidated houses, the skeletal remains of some dwellings torn apart by the war.  He kept going until he heard it.  The crack.  A crack followed by a few more cracks that sounded as if they were stones smashing against each other in random succession.

His alarm raised considerably and he saw a pair running across his path.  Ducking behind the wall of a small house, he spied their pursuers and he saw the muskets drawn. One of them fired and the ball cracked against the wood, splintering out beside his head. And spears of it flew into his face. He hissed, the three in splinters poking and sticking out of his cheek. He pulled them out with some protest threw them down on the ground.

Whoever these men were, it was clear their intent was to kill, and perhaps they didn't care who got in their way. The smell of fire drew his attention and he saw the ball of flame hurtle through the air, slamming into the flesh of one of the attackers.  The man screamed in agony as he was knocked from his feet and the hungry fire took hold of him, the temperature intense even for a short time.

Corvus ran after the fleeing pair, just to get away from the chasing soldiers, and it seemed ahead of the pair, there was another set of soldiers coming their way, one with a sword drawn and intent on skewering them.  Corvus felt his magic coming forth and he felt the violet fire drawn out against his palms, warm and sizzling from the rain. He blew out and the fire distracted the soldier long enough...until it suddenly sputtered out, retracting back to him and refusing to obey

"Fuck!" he cried, unsure what happened.  Except perhaps he'd forgotten that here in Connlaoth, magic wasn't exactly that easy to use.




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Incognus

Evelyn heard the scream and knew she had hit a mark, although whether it was the Mordecai she was aiming for or not was unknown. Her attention had switched to a group of guards ahead of them, who were currently blocking their path and advancing. She called on her flames again while running forward to avoid the Mordecai's field behind her, just in case he was still with them.

Her right hand ignited in flame while her left squeezed the hilt of the large bronze knife she was holding. She reached the first soldier, ducking and rolling under his sword she quickly got up and punched the guard in the chest, dumping magical energy into her fist when she made contact. The result was a large explosion that knocked both parties into the air. Evelyn landed on her back, then sat up and looked around wide eyed. She didn't know she could do that. Boreas had managed to stay on his feet being farther back from the explosion, the concussion still knocked him back a few paces though. "You alright?" he called out to Evelyn. Parts of her clothing were on fire, but she responded encouragingly, using her magic to douse the flames.

The four guards in front of them were on the ground, all stirring except for the one she hit directly, who was still as a rock. She spun around and saw their pursuers closing in, and then she noticed someone new. A third party's joined the fight. she wondered why but didn't care, he looked to be facing off against those behind them, which meant he was on their side. For now at least. "Boreas-?" she started but her brother cut her off.

"Yeah I see him," he replied. Turning back around, Boreas realized the three guards in front of them were on their feet again. He swished his staff through the rain filled air in challenge, spinning it around him in an almost expert fashion. When Evelyn tried to use her magic again she realized it was cut off, and quickly noticed the Mordecai pursuer was still with them.

"Fuck!" she cursed, drawing her other knife. She was without magic until that Mordecai was taken care of. She looked back at her brother, who nodded at her in acknowledgement. She would go help the mysterious figure while Boreas would handle the other three guards. He can handle them, she thought, I hope.

Lion

It was hope worth leaning on. And now that Corvus had been caught in the middle of this conflict, he'd have to lean on it too. What little choice did he have at a time like this?  With his magic no longer under his control, and being surrounded on all sides, the real fear of death was starting to seep into him now, and it came like a cold crashing wave crushing him against sea rocks.  He gasped, inhaled deeply when his magic retracted and the guard in front of him rushed him with his blade.

He stepped back and grabbed the blade of it, forcing the direction away form him and pushed his whole body hard against his shoulder. The guard was turned around and tried to keep his footing, pushing back on Corvus. Corvus lost footing, tripping and stumbling with his back against the ground as the soldier regained control of the knife and tried to sink it into him.  With a primal cry, he felt his strength press forward and he shoved his hands away, and turned the blade, sinking it deep into his neck.

They had to move or whoever remained would be upon them and with or without magic, being outnumbered wasn't really Corvus' idea for a good time.  "Run!" he called out.  "Run you fools! They're closing in!"

Rolling the corpse off of him, Corvus got to his feet and saw one of them that seemed to stand out from the rest. He was taller and his musket had yet to be fired.  He raised it up, taking keen aim toward the girl, kneeling just so so that he was partitioned just behind a section of fallen wall.  And the musket fired, sending the ball hurtling between his men.  Corvus aimed to shove away the odd young woman, standing in her place, and feeling the bite of the ball take hold of his side.

Captain Izaak raised the musket for a reload, hands fumbling in an attempt to do it expertly, meanwhile calling out: "Capture them alive!"




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Incognus

Evelyn was shoved to the ground as she heard the shot fire. She noticed her savior lurch, and assumed he had gotten hit. This man may have very well saved her life, but there wasn't time for a proper thank you. The mage scrambled to her feet and heeded his warning, turning around to run. What was she thinking in the first place? There was no way three of them could take out the seven remaining guards in a standoff. Especially without her magic. But that was the thing, she hadn't been thinking. Evelyn had blindly rushed in to save this man because he was in danger. She scolded herself for it in her head. Think before you act!

Boreas spun his staff around to block an incoming blade, the edge of the sword making solid contact with the wood. It didn't pierce the surface, however, the enchanted staff caused the sword to bounce off as if it had struck metal. He countered and slammed the tip of the the pole into his attacker's neck, causing him to fall down and gasp for breath. The two other soldiers took this opportunity and swung their swords at Boreas. He was able to dodge the first, tripping the him to the ground, but was thrown off balance doing so; this left him completely open to the second attack.

Boreas staggered back and tried to block the blow, but he knew it wouldn't succeed. He heard a light whooshing sound and then suddenly a bronze knife impaled itself into the soldier's throat. Blood spurted from the would and splattered Boreas, but he was spared from the strike as the man fell over dead. The brother turned and scowled at his sister, who was running towards him with the new arrival close behind. He quickly returned his attention to the remaining two men, who had both gotten back on their feet. We need to be quick with these two if we have a chance at booking it he thought.

Lion

Corvus might not have been able to use his magic but he was still capable in a fight.  His strength and resilience remained, even with the pain surging up his side from the musket ball.  With a push, he forced himself up and grasped the woman when she came to help him.  He stood and felt the rush of adrenaline take hold, the blood coming out from his side and the avarice slowly coming to a simmer.

With the two soldiers blocking their way, Corvus bent to take the knife he'd jammed into a neck and threw it forward just as he rose to his feet.  The soldier closest to him maneuvered out of the way just in time, yet it was distraction enough for Corvus to close the distance between them and grab for his throat.  His fingers dug hard into his neck and he squeezed hard, dropping him to the ground, and crushing his throat.

"What's the matter!?" Corvus growled, both to Boreas and the soldier. "Don't just take it!"  The man beneath him felt the pressure rising in his head, pressing up against his shoulders, trying to throw Corvus off but everything seemed heavier when it felt like his head was expanding like a balloon, blood soon splurting up past his lips.




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Incognus

As their ally choked out the man on the ground, Evelyn and Boreas took on the last solider. The mage lunged forward at him with her remaining knife. Dropping his shoulder, the man hit Evelyn hard in the gut, knocking her to the ground. whoosh! The guard turned his head to the sound. Boreas's staff caught the soldier's lower chin and jerked it to the side sharply. The man collapsed, the blow knocking him out cold.

The way was clear for the group and Evelyn yelled to get moving. She retrieved her knife and stowed both of them away, one in her boot, the other behind her at the waistline. She took off, followed quickly by Boreas and then their mysterious friend. The three guards behind them chased after the trio while the Mordecai captain scrambled to finish reloading his musket.

Evelyn called on her power and once again and found that she was outside Captain Izaak's range. She stopped and let the other two comrades pass her, reaching a hand out towards the ground. Vines grew from the cracks in the cobblestone street and stretched between two houses. The soldiers tried running through the newly grown foliage only to find the vines grab at their feet and wrap around their legs. The plants snapped up and pulled the three men to the ground, entangling and pinning them in place. Evelyn smiled at her work. BANG! she flinched at the gunshot, hearing the swish as the bullet whistled by her ear. The girl jumped into action, spinning around to follow the others away from their pursuers while thanking the gods the shot had not been a little more to the right.

Lion

At the sensation of life being drained from him, that was enough to pull it out of Corvus' momentary blood thirst. He resisted the urge to tear open that fragile throat and instead all that was left on the soldier beneath him was the imprint of a hand and a crushed trachea and the wide-eyed gaze staring up at the sky. Corvus quickly got to his feet as he saw they began to run now that the way was clear.

He felt the pain in his side begin to take hold. His hand shot back, bracing hard against his wound to stave off the bleeding. He turned momentarily, eyes watching the magic she now cast. The manner in which she cast in and the obedience given because of it was remarkable, one that even he had never seen quite like it in decades. The close call came when the snap of the musket ball narrowly missed her head.

He blinked and began running again once the fascination had left him. Temporarily that was.

"Fucking Mordecai," Corvus cursed as they continued down the path and turned when the first opportunity came to do so. "We need to do something to block the road.  You...woman, do you think you can manage to knock down some of these houses with your magic?" Corvus asked, momentarily turning to Evelyn.




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Incognus

She nodded to him and turned towards a nearby house. "It's Evelyn, and that's Boreas," she motioned to her brother. Approaching the home, she inspected it closely. The majority of the building was made of brick, wooden beams seeming to create the supports. The dead wood she couldn't do much about, but the bricks were made of earth, and that was an element she could work with. Hope nobody is in this thing, she thought while crouching down near the base. Slapping her hands on the ground and pushing downwards, she willed the foundation to sink. Concentrating hard, the building began to tilt over the street.

"Get back!" she yelled. After a moment, she swept her hands towards the road and the bricks at the house's base exploded outwards into the street. Evelyn jumped backwards as it's structure gave out. Wood cracked and splintered and the brick building split in half at an angle, the freed portion falling into the street with a crash. Pieces tumbled down the mound while dust and debris billowed up for a moment before the rain could wash it from the air. The path was effectively cut off, and along with the plant roadblock she had left earlier, following the group would be a challenge.

"We should get going," Boreas announced. "I don't think I caught your name by the way sir." he said to the man.

Lion

Corvus stripped an end of his cloak with a strong quick tear, producing a length of cloth he wrapped around his waist to put pressure on the wound.  He grunted with some discomfort, ignoring the pain that was radiating up his ribs and back. He'd be okay for now, but he had to get the ball out soon.

He stood back with Boreas, a fitting name now that he thought about it, watching Evelyn work her magic. Again the awe manifested, even if it was gradual as the building, however stout, had enough remaining to block the way from further pursuit for the time being. The wildnerness was still nearby to provide cover. As the building came crashing into the street, Corvus braced himself, kneeling against the mud.  He wanted to ask her how she did that, but perhaps that was a question best reserved for when they weren't being chased.

He cut his eyes to Boreas, looking him over then to the staff in hand.  "Corvus," he said with a nod. "A pleasure I'm sure."  He gave them both a conciliatory wink before getting up and running ahead of what road remained. 

"You steal some rations from those chaps back there or something?  They seem really fucking mad." 




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Incognus

"Not exactly," Evelyn responded eyeing his waist as they ran to the treeline. She had forgotten he was shot and made a mental note to look at it when they got to a stopping point. It would be the least she could do considering he possibly saved her life and kept the siblings from getting arrested. "It's kinda a long story," she continued glancing at Boreas, "But they're after us because we used magic."

Lion

Corvus managed to bark out a laugh at the pointing out of the obvious.  Sure she used magic, that was putting it lightly.  "I hope you at least hit them where it hurt," he said, sobering just a bit as he grinned at her.  He looked her over, then to her brother.

"I've seen her in action, but what about you? Are you a mage as well?" he asked.  Although he supposed it didn't really matter with the Mordecai pretty intent on killing all three of them if they were caught.




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Incognus

"Nah," he replied, "Are you?" The party slowed when they reached the trees, twisting an ankle now might prove detrimental. They moved forward in an attempt to disappear in the woody darkness, but other that that simple objective, neither Boreas or Evelyn had any idea where to go. They had planned to hide out in town until a troop of rebels passed through, but that obviously didn't work out.

Lion

"Something to that effect," Corvus said, although he really didn't think now was the time to elaborate. Or if there ever would be a time for that. But for now they were out of immediate danger and needed to find cover to allow them a place to rest and recover.  Stepping into the trees, Corvus crossed the lowered embankment and helped them cross as needed.  His side was beginning to throb harder now, and he gripped it, just underneath his cloak.

"Fuck," he cursed and looked at his hand, now coated in red.  "If we get far enough from the road, we should have a chance to hide out. Although I can't say I know these woods very well.  I'm not from around here.  Do you think you can navigate well enough through these trees?"




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Incognus

Corvus helped Evelyn down the slope while Boreas made due on his own. She looked around the woodland and sighed. "I can't really say I know the area, Boreas and I just got to this town before we were attacked," she stated and continued walking, "We'll have to make due with whatever we can find."

The group trudged on through the woods, pushing aside the shrubbery and stepping over roots while rain dripped through the tree leaves onto the sodden floor. Mud squished under their feet and Evelyn quickly realized the trio was leaving a trail of footprints for their pursuers. She called for the group to hold up as the mage erased the evidence with her magic. Her hand swept through the air as if she were smoothing the top of a clay piece, the mud below and behind them following its movements. Once the ground was flat they continued, taking a sharp turn, and Evelyn began to do this periodically as they walked. Eventually, the rain slowly began to lessen, and the group found a campsite.

"Hey, Evelyn," Boreas called out, "Will this do?" He pointed to what looked like a dip in the landscape. A fallen tree rested between the area and the direction of the road, offering shelter from prying eyes, while some dense shrubbery helped to conceal the place further from the other directions.

Evelyn nodded, "I think this will do fine." She took a nervous glance at Corvus, hoping he was doing ok with his injury. "I can take a look at that if you like," she offered quietly.

Lion

Watching her magic brought a look of wonder to his eyes and Corvus tried not to stare overlong. Surely there were plentiful mages in Serendipity and even a few in Adela, and while magic was more commonplace there, there was a certain degree of majesty they did not possess. Corvus had seen many different types of conjurations, few of which came as naturally as this Evelyn's did to hers. 

He didn't speak of it further, noting Boreas' direction and seeing the remains that were left in the circle. Though the rain was letting up, the dirt around them was still soft. Corvus hated the sound of his feet squishing in the mud, and he grimaced at pulling his feet from one soggy puddle to another.

He had momentarily forgotten his injury, although turning to Evelyn quickly reminded him. "Oh...yes, that would probably be best," he said, grunting with discomfort and moving to sit beneath a tree that still stood. Behind the shrubbery, he unwrapped the makeshift bandage and he winced as he saw the wound, no longer bleeding as much but he could feel the bulb.  He turned, lifting his shirt and he looked to her with a frown. "I've never taken a musket ball before....  Fucking hurts like hell!"




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Incognus

Evelyn knelt down and held his shirt up to get a better look at the wound. She smirked at his comment and glanced up at Corvus, making brief eye contact. "I've only been shot once before," she said inspecting the wound, "but yeah it hurt like hell. I can try to work the ball out through the hole but.. well I'm pretty awful at controlling metal with my magic," she admitted.

Boreas took a seat on the downed log and watched closely, keeping most of his attention on Corvus. There was something about him, his demeanor maybe, Boreas wasn't sure but it made him uncomfortable. "I'll keep watch," he stated, "Once you're finished, you two should try to get some sleep while you can. There's not much time left until sun up."

"No Boreas," Evelyn's head shot around, "I told you back there I had watch tonight, you barely had time to get rest-"

"But I did get some rest. You haven't had any. I'm taking watch this time and that's final," Boreas gave Evelyn a stern look.

"Fine," She scowled at him but then returned her attention to Corvus's wound. "You ready?" she asked him.

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