Mystic War-Chapter 1: Team 1

[Amber Eyes]

The moment Kyla stood she saw them, at least sixty men marching toward Ixian Castle. Each one wore a long coat, nearly to their knees. They were maybe three minutes distance and fast approaching. The young mystic froze for a moment before realizing that a group that large could not want anything good. She dropped the book she was reading and ran as fast as she could down the large flight of steps that led towards the meeting rooms. She tripped as she ran down the stairwell and though she was sure she felt pain she did not know it. She did notice the hard stone inside her belly and the fear for each and every person inside the castle.
Kyla finally reached the large bell and grabbed the rope. As the bell clanged she heard people below start to yell at each other to wake up. She could feel the tension start to mount. The men had practiced this a hundred times, but they knew that this was the one that counted. The young mother rang the bell for what seemed like an eternity before Sei’s voice entered her mind. ”Let me see” Kyla ran through the images in her head, hoping Sei would be able to get a clear picture through all the fear that was surely overcoming him. That was the problem with telepathy. If the person you were trying to see through was scared to death you had to feel that too. Good job Kyla, now find your men.
She took off again, running down the stairs and then back up another set. As she ran she passed at least a dozen men, who were pulling their armor on as they ran. She reached the doorway to the Investigations training room to see her team standing there ready to go. The general knew this was the moment she should say something inspiring, but all she could muster was, “And here we go.”

[Silence Sei]

If he had been paying attention to the castle grounds, he would have seen them from a mile or so off. If he had not been looking up at the stars, reflecting on all that had happened, he would have been the one to sound the alarm. If he could stop his dreaming, he would have been able to route the threat before it was at his front gate.

But dreamers would always dream. They would always have their heads in the clouds and their ambitions even higher.

So when the silence of the night was broken by the sounding of an alarm, Sei Orlouge snapped back into attention. Was it finally time? Had their enemies finally shown themselves and attempted to lay siege to Ixian Castle? If that were the case, there would be more urgent sounds. Fires burning, battering rams making thundering pounds against the gates, panic among men and women alike. Instead, all that echoed through the night was the rustling of clothes as warriors armed themselves, and the constant ringing of the alarm. Sei didn't know what was going on, but he knew it could not have been the prophesized attack on Radasanth.

The mute stretched his arms towards the skies, his two enormous butterfly wings sprouting from his back. He cringed a bit as the cold night air swept across the newly formed appendages. The wings were one of the Mystic most sensitive areas, so any normal feeling on say, an arm or hand, was intensified on the wings.

Flapping his orange and blue appendages, the mute glided his way down to the courtyard. Whatever was going on, the threat would have to come through there in order to get into the castle. Taking the battle fan 'Kade' from his pocket, Sei opened the weapon and covered his face with it. He landed on the freshly cut grass of the courtyard, looking on as everyone returned their gaze to the leader as if they expected something. Quickly, a small round fellow by the name of Pell approached the Mystic warrior.

"Lord Orlouge, a small battalion of people have arrived," the night watchman commented. Sei retracted his wings back into his back as he continued, "Knights of the Dawn, is who they claim to be. Shame, not a looker in the bunch." Sei ignored the last comment, looking around to his people. They needed to know what to do. All that training and they still sought Sei out. Had they been the actual enemy, the whole lot of them would be dead.

Sei sighed as he thought about drilling procedure into the group. Out of all of them, Pell seemed to be the only one who did what he was supposed to do. "Well? What are we waiting for? Let's see what they want..."

[Amber Eyes]

Her men were dressed and ready to fight to the death to protect their home. They followed her through the maze of hallways and into the tomb below. They would enter through the side of the courtyard in an attempt to surround the intruders on three sides. As the group of fifteen walked, other soldiers joined in, and by the time they reached the part of the tomb they would climb out of, there were about fourty men behind her. Kyla tried to remember each ones name and if they had a family as they walked.

At least twelve of the men had small children and Kyla promised herself that no one would be orphaned if she could help it. Akiv was visiting Niche in Chateau Drantrak and Kyla thanked the thaynes that he was safe. Kyla climbed the ladder and peaked out of the trap door above them.

She could see the men standing there, their leader speaking with Sei and several of the Generals. She was unable to make out what they were saying. “Let me in!” She screamed in her mind, hoping Sei would be able to hear her.

Sei let her enter his mind as the man said, “We aren’t here to fight, but we will if you don’t give us what we want. We have more troops on the way, waiting for the command to join us.”

Sei’s voice filled her mind and Kyla almost forgot they were his thoughts and not her own, “And what may I ask are you here for?”

“The mystics. We have not interest in anyone else in the Ixian Knights. First order of business though, we want Kyla Orlouge and her little bastard.”

Kyla choked at the words, and jumped down from the ladder, her men immediately surrounding her. “Sei, what should I do?” She said out loud.

[Kylin Rouge]

"Evacuate. All mystics, mothers, and children evacuate now."

Kylin's sleepy eyes opened. The message burst into his mind clear as day, although he saw nobody in the small bedroom he was resting in. He sat up, the sheets rolling off of him, wiping the sand out of his eyes. He had forgotten how rowdy the Orlouges were, and there were some new ones there as well. Eye contact was avoided for the most part, and he was too deep in thought and still rather exhausted to participate in the festivities last night. However, they did not discriminate. Even though he slept well, he felt as though no time at all had passed. He could still smell the fresh air of the arena, the smile of Edward Lorisiac. To think that years had passed since then...

He stepped out of bed and the clamour of voices and sounds outside his door made him realize the message he heard. It wasn't something in a dream, it was what woke him up! He recognized it now: It was Sei! That message was probably sent to the entire castle! He got dressed in his usual attire, pulling the shawl over his head to complete the ensemble. On a table in the corner of his small, stone room was a pouch. Inside was the shard of Miasma. Sei had returned it to him, and it was just as poisonous to the touch to a Light user as it was to a Shadow user. He opened the door, his small hallway empty now save for a few stragglers rushing past him. In a typical castle, these were the servants' quarters, and although Sei offered him glamorous accommodations, Kylin insisted that something small and simple fit him better.

As much as he trusted his childhood friend, he wasn't about to leave him. That message meant only one thing: The Knights of The Dawn had finally come. Ever since that day, Kylin had known about them after Sei told him what happened in that old colloseum. The young Mystic could hardly believe that he had dispatched an entire platoon of knights without killing them. Whatever happened, they were not giving up. Was this why Chateau and Orlouge Drantrak had strict policies about going outside the towns? Is this the effect of the Mystic town of Orlouge's free-travel policies of recent years? There was no way to tell, and the Mystics now could only deal with the present situation.

Kylin ran down the white stone corridors, seeing more and more armored men along the way. He actually got caught up in the back of Kyla's escort and followed them to the courtyard. They all stopped suddenly, allowing the Shadow user to catch up. He walked through the soldiers and finally spotted Sei, Kyla, and those Knights of The Dawn people. He had a bad feeling about all this.

[Silence Sei]

The ultimatum had been given. Either give up Kyla and Akiv, or prepare to fight the Knights of the Dawn. Sei shifted his eyes all around the castle walls. Already, Tracer the Sniper and his long range specialists were readying bows, pistols, and whatever else they happened to have on them. The small group of knights was outnumbered, and were probably relying on Sei's legendary kindness to give them a chance to leave and rally their men.

Then again, they should have never threatened Sei's people, or his family.

Sei took out his Gemini Blades, sending a message throughout the castle as he did so. He slammed the two swords together and pointed them at the small group of soldiers. Instantly, arrows rained down on the group, Sei covering himself with Jomil's Touch to avoid being pierced himself. It wasn't until Kyla was already attacking that the Mystic had noticed the rain of arrows stopping.

Sei had made a calculated decision to take the soldiers out before their subordinates outside knew what was going on, and now Kyla was here putting a wrench in the telepath's works. He would have to reprimand her later, but for now, he had to make sure she was safe. The mute watched as one of the knights from the group attempted to impale Kyla from behind with her sword. Now Sei knew that either the Knights of Dawn were trying to kill his 'daughter', or that they had no idea what she -looked- liked.

The latter would have made more sense, considering that they asked for her, rather than steal her away in the middle of the night...

Sei's thoughts were broken by his instincts, his Gemini Blades intercepting the sword meant for Kyla's spine. The mute quickly kicked the female knight in the stomach, having no qualms hurting a lady going after his family. The mute looked around, finding that the sentries atop the walls had been turned around, apparently engaging with the enemy outside.

"Fall back! This is not your fight!" Sei commanded his knights. Yet, not one of the soldiers listened to the command.

Because it was Sei's fight, it was their fight...

[Kylin Rouge]

Kylin stared in shock as the group of knights was barraged by all manner of projectiles. Kyla's escort shoved passed him, bumping into his shoulders as they ran into the courtyard, nearly knocking him over.

'Is this how you're going to find peace, Sei?' he thought. 'Through more bloodshed?'

His friend had changed. With such great responsibility, the mute had likewise to make hard decisions. Were they unavoidable, though? Kylin, always the pacifist, believed in another way. He started to understand the Mystic that let down his guard and confided in him. The toll on Sei's heart from every loss of life must have been great. The shadow user had to believe that this was unavoidable, otherwise he could not accept that this was the same Sei from his past.

He ran in after The Ixians, dark whispers running down his right arm. The shadows grew around his arm, and finally extended several feet from his hand, forming a sharp blade of shadow. It was known as the blade to stumble the General of Alerar Thoracis, to pierce the great warrior Mist. Armor was nearly useless against it. His movements were quick, his form merely a mirage on the battlefield. A creeping dark fog appeared in spots where Kylin stood for mere moments, staying there and spreading long after he left them. Several of the knights fell, painful gashes across their bodies, meant to be non-fatal.

He could not account for the killing intent of the Ixian knights, nor that of Kyla or Sei. The Mystic Kyla... he had never heard of her before. Appearing before him with a similar name, he was told by Sei that she had somehow gained access to both Mystic Arts of Light and Shadow. Kylin could not believe it, as it was impossible for light and shadow to exist in harmony, but she was proving Sei right before his very eyes.

'Do not let her die.'

Kylin spun around while crouching low with his shadow-blade pointed outward, thinking that one of the enemies had snuck up on him, but the voice came from within his head. It was familiar. He tried replying in his mind, but his focus was turned to more pressing matters: Kyla was in danger of being stabbed from the side by a spear. The shadow user leaped into action, chopping the spear in two with his ethereal wraith-blade before it reached its target. Kyla continued her onslaught, seemingly unaware of the danger she was in.

'What's going on with her?'

The remaining soldiers, clearly overwhelmed, began to make a retreat, but The Ixians followed and kept attacking.

"Sei!" He yelled across some fallen soldiers. The mute had just finished dispatching a foe when he heard Kylin's call. He turned to the younger Mystic and saw something rare: A glare from Kylin Rouge. "How much more do you need before you're satisfied?!"

[Silence Sei]

"I did not give them any order to follow suit, Kylin," Sei stated plainly, "What they do right now, they do of their own free will." Sei was speaking the truth, though the mute would have told his people to do the same thing anyways. They threatened his family, dared to attack him within his own domain. Sei did not normally believe in killing, as presented by the several unconscious knights who were being rounded up by some of his guards, but he would not hesitate to take a life if it meant the security of the ones he loved.

He had heard a Mystic Protection go off, and judging by some of the glass embedded in friend and foe alive, still smoldering from the blue flame that had covered the shards, the Mystic strategist knew who was responsible. There was no doubt in Sei's mind that Steppenwolf had managed to secure Kyla and take her back down through the cellar. If need be, Sei's brother would carry the girl all the way to their destination if they had to.

His thoughts were interrupted by several screams of pain from outside the castle walls. A lone sentry turned around from his position, looking down at Sei. There was panic in the man's eyes, the kind of panic one has when they are worried for their own life.

"Sir, a few of em got back to their main force!" the guard shouted, "They're pushing us back into the castle!" Sei nodded, which was all the man needed before releasing more arrows from his bow into the outside. Sei looked to Kylin, his best friend, a look of sincerity in his blue orbs.

"This is not our way, but sometimes you have to make decisions you're not proud of. I'll make it up to these men who lost their lives, friend and foe alike, but right now I need your help. I must protect my daughter." With those words, Sei moved over to the cellar door. He stood his ground and closed his eyes, gripping both Gemini Blades tightly as he saw the force of over a hundred men coming through the front gate.

"I'm going to buy them some time, cover their exit. They have to come through this courtyard in order to reach nearly anywhere else in the castle. If you want out now Kylin, then go, and I'll stay until either enough time has passed, or I've drawn my last breath..." Sei shifted the S shaped Gemini Blade outwards, holding the long sword above his head and shifting his feet, right in front of left. He bent his knees in case he needed to take off from any attacks.

The Knights of Dawn busted through the gate that his men were attempting to close, sending splinters and a few soldiers through the air. They came charging, their weapons at the ready. Sei Orlouge never flinched, never showed them any sign of weakness.

This would be a test of endurance. Either his family got out of here alive, or he would die trying to make it so.

[Kylin Rouge]

Kylin stared at Sei, his black holographic-looking blade shifting between transparency and opacity. The Mute was always the more idealistic of the two, but it seems he's matured into the more pragmatic one. The real question was: Why are these Dawn people willing to throw away their lives to capture Mystics? Before Kylin was imprisoned in the Miasma, nobody even knew what a Mystic was. The shadow user was disgusted by the attackers' disregard for their own safety.

"A leader..." he trailed off while replying to Sei. "A leader finds a way to save his people. A hero finds a way to save everyone, including his enemies."

Planting his feet in the ground, Kylin clenched his fists and lowered his head, placing his fists in a line in front of him. After bursting through the gate, the Dawn Knights stampeded into the courtyard, chopping down the Ixian warriors in their way. Kylin concentrated, a thin dark fog surrounding him, and raised his fists up to his eyes, his arms fully extended forward.

Referring to himself and addressing Sei's last comment to him, "Above all, a hero never abandons his comrades!"

He wasn't going anywhere. From between the cracks of his fingers tiny black projectiles shot out in a loud blast that smashed into the enemies and burst into painful, black, burning smoke. Many of them collapsed into coughing fits. The more armored ones plowed through, taking a few dents and burns in their plating. Kylin's breaths were more heavy now, the battle taking a tall on his stamina. The Mystic Duo were powerful together, perhaps more than any other combo in the world, but even they could not last forever against an army. There was no telling how many were out there.

[Silence Sei]

Kylin's attack had been quite effective, picking off several of the invading knights with relative ease. Sei did not appreciate the lecture he got from his best friend that accompanied the technique, however. Did he do that when he scolded Kyla, William, or any of the other Ixian Knights? It took the mute a few moments to realize that Kylin had been referring to himself, and not the telepath. Sei shook his head as he opened the door to the cellar, looking at Kylin.

"We're not abandoning them!" Sei shouted, announcing his intent to the auburn haired Mystic, "They're only after the Mystics. They'll leave the castle alone if we retreat, Kylin!" The mute pointed towards several of the knights from the second wave, which seemed aggressive in their attacks on the Ixians, but seemed to move on to different targets once they incapacitated anything that bled crimson.

"Though I do appreciate you buying us some time. Perhaps even..." Sei closed his eyes and moved one of his hands forward, still gripping his Gemini Blades in the process. As a few more knights slipped through Adolph's guard at the front gate, the leader of that particular battalion was grabbed by tow long strands of seaweed that came from the ground.

The knight dropped his sword in an effort to fight the plant, but the harder he pulled, the tighter the green weeds wrapped around his wrists. A few seconds later, a rock slammed into the man's head, and he slumped his entire body. As the rest of his team came in, they were met by a similar fate, sans the seaweed. Medium sized rocks pelted their foes, either knocking them out or disarming them long enough for them to submit.

"I just bought roughly eight seconds," Sei said quickly, looking back to his friend, "Unless you have any other ideas for occupying their time, I suggest we start rounding up the rear of our people."

[Kylin Rouge]

I edited to clarify what Kylin was saying. He wasn't being derogatory to Sei.

Kylin smiled. Foregoing rage to secure everyone's safety fit Sei much better. However, his expression was quick to change at the sight of all the injured on both sides. Were his people this much of a threat? He felt somehow responsible just for being who he was. He agreed with Sei and was about to turn around, but then he saw the weeds being incinerated by flames being conjured by The Dawn's wizards. From beyond the walls several fireballs flew over and smashed into the castle, sending chunks of stone falling onto the ramparts and inner castle. The Dawn's knights were once again plowing into the courtyard, going along the fiery path carved out for them.

"Sei! Get away from here!"

He waited for Sei to back up, then made sure the Ixians cleared out as well. The shadow-blade around his right arm vanished, and he put his hands together with only his index fingers pointing upward. The small patches of dark fog he created all over the courtyard converged and created a layer of mist along the ground. He closed his eyes and concentrated, fighting back the nagging sensation in the back of his mind to look for Kyla for some reason. The ground began to shake, and suddenly the mist rose up and covered the courtyard in a black smoke, from which no light could enter or escape. He told Sei to leave because a Light user caught in this would be devastating to them, like being in a room filled with poison gas. Inside was pure darkness, the deadest of nights where his enemies couldn't even see their hands in front of their faces.

He wasn't done yet. He separated his hands and slammed them into the ground, causing shadowy copies of himself to emerge from below. His muscles strained in concentration, his own exhaustion catching up to him. The copies each had their own shadow-blades, and ran around attacking the helpless Dawn knights that tried to push through blindly. After hearing some screams of pain, the rest of the knights temporarily backed off. He succeeded in stopping their advance for as long as this dome of darkness was up. Keeping it up was sapping his life, however.

"Go, Sei! I'll keep them at bay for as long as I can!"

Sei protested, "Come with me, Kylin! You don't have to stay behind!"

The younger Mystic's brows lowered, "I've been gone for a long time, and I've been thinking of how to make it up to you since I returned. I keep thinking, maybe, maybe if I was around, I could have prevented all this. There's no time! Save your, no, our family!"

[Silence Sei]

Sei stood with the cellar doors open for a moment, stunned that Kylin would sacrifice himself so readily for their protection. There were so many others here willing to give their all for Sei, but the telepath never expected his best friend to be one of them. The mute opened his mouth, not thinking of how much of a failed effort actual talking would be. He wanted to scream, wanted to tell Kylin 'no' and drag him along. He wanted to make sure his friend got out alive as well.

As if an answer to his prayers, Artemis Eburi, a former assassin and a member of Sei's Labor Team, began to lay waste to the foes before them. He went at his opponents with a ferocity Sei had only seen from the man once before, defending a village from another enemy. The same man that had helped the town survive three days with little more than his own skill and a handful of competent warriors was making his presence known once more. On this day, the Ixian Reaper was born.

Sei snapped out of the trance Artemis' fighting style had put him in and looked to Kylin. His friend also seemed to be stupefied by the short work Artemis was making of the Knights of Dawn. Deciding that actions spoke louder volumes than words, Sei grabbed the back of Kylin’s shirt and pulled the fellow Mystic downward. Artemis Eburi was buying them the time they both needed to escape. It was best not to waste the man's efforts.

Sei descended down the stairs and past the cells that lead into the dungeon. Within moments, the two warriors were within the intersecting and vast halls of Sei's Tomb. The orange haired telepath continued dragging his partner along, running with haste unlike any other he had seen. If the two of them escaped, then the Knights of Dawn would signal a retreat. After all, what leader would abandon his men before he made sure the first priority was not taken care of first.

Within a minute or so, Sei and Kylin had caught up to one of the Mystic groups. Steppenwolf Orlouge, Sei's brother, seemed to be carrying Kyla and conversing with Rehtul, Sei and Steppenwolf's nephew. Sei grinned as he saw Rehtul, moving Kylin forward and looking towards Steppenwolf, the younger Mystic's eyes telling his brother all he need to know. The afro inventor quickly began to take off once more, and Sei looked to Rehtul.

"This is it, Rehtul," Sei spoke to his relative, "this is the time where your training is going to pay off. I need you to look behind us and create an ice wall. While it seems quite the task to cover such a large area with a shield of ice, I believe you can do it." Sei had been training with the younger Mystic for weeks, focusing on Rehtul's ice manipulation powers. If he could use the moisture of the night air to seal off anybody who could follow with a fifteen foot ice wall, then there was no doubt that the Mystics would be able to make it to safety.

Of course, Sei had not realized that several of the Mystics had yet to make their exit...

[Kylin Rouge]

Kylin could feel his consciousness fading trying to keep the spell up. He thought of nothing but his own responsibility, how he could not let Sei down. Yet, the feeling of his own welfare crept up, causing spasms in his neck to try to turn around and get out of there. He fought the urge, instead preferring to root himself deeper in the ground. Dark circles formed around his eyes, and he could feel the exhaustion in his body.

It was then that the enemy forces were temporarily distracted with the threat of the former assassin. Before Kylin could react, he felt something grab onto his shawl from behind and drag him with such strength that the Shadow user was swept off his feet.

"Sei... what are you doing!"

"Damn it, Kylin, what were YOU doing?! Trying to get yourself killed?!" Kylin didn't respond, and Sei continued, "I don't know what's got into your head, but dying here won't change a goddamn thing! After this, we're still in danger! We still need your help! Don't be selfish and go dying on your own, alright?!"

"Sei... I'm sorry."

"I'm going to put you down now, so behave, alright?"

They were now together with Steppenwolf and some of the others in a large hallway surrounded by darkness. Many of the torches that usually lined the halls had been put out. Kylin was still trying to catch his breath as Sei instructed Rehtul, but something wasn't right. Were they really the last ones out? Why was this path so clear?

He heard the faint sound of several crossbows being primed.

To be continued...

[Yari Rafanas]

Mystic War-Chapter 1: Team 1

I am just going to make some overall comments. This was an extremely light read and I think that is mainly due to the episodic nature of your Mystic War setup. It's a great idea to split a big story into a lot of little threads, but I think that (even if one was following the whole story) there should still be effort made to catch up a reader. Some extra effort on the descriptions of the setting and the characters would have done wonders for this thread. For example, the only characters I could picture in my head while reading were Sei and Kylin. This is mainly because of outside knowledge of the characters and because you both used little details to remind me of your appearance and personality. Everybody else was just a name.

Story: 5/10

Continuity: 7/10

Setting: 3/10

Creativity: 5/10

Character: 6/10

Interaction: 5/10

Strategy: 5/10

Clarity: 8/10

Mechanics: 8/10 X

Wildcard: 8/10

Total: 60

EXP

Amber Eyes gains 200 EXP
Silence Sei gains 800 EXP
Kylin Rouge gains 400 EXP

[Silence Sei]

Exp-GP Added.