Slaying the Orochi.

[Silence Sei]

((Closed to the guys who know who they are.))

"What?!" William Arcus' voice echoed down the halls of Ixian Castle. His rather demonic appearance seemed to be getting the better of him. Two charred claws began to burn into the wood that was the meeting room of the Ixian Generals. Through gritted, obviously agitated teeth, William spoke once more. "Tell me again why I'm not going..."

"The Orochi is a terrible beast William," Sei said plain as day, "One that all of the Akashima people know of. It is the stuff legends are made of." All this did was caused William top slam his claws upon the table once more.

"And I lead the Monster Hunting Unit! You should be sending me instead of your Pretty Boy Team leader!"

"William. First of all, you are acting like a child. While I understand that the Orochi presents a challenge unlike anything your team has faced thus far, I fear it is out of your league." The mute's words caused a hissing sound to emanate from his friend. Whether it was the burning skin that came with William's demon transformation, or the actual anger reaching the former woodsman's lips, Sei did not know.

"And so Zerith won't stand a chance!"

"Mr...Arcus was it?" the heavy Akashima accent of the man standing beside Sei's 'throne' made its presence known. "With all due respect, I am sure you are of the strongest of stock. However, Lord Orlouge has offered his own services in slaying this beast. Using him as such a status symbol would reflect well on the Akashima people, but your Ixian Knights as well. Furthermore, from what I understand, you carry with you a taint, much like Benjiro Taka of your group. As a Spirit Warder and one of the most loyal to the royal family, I could not allow such a taint to slay the beast. The people of Akashima would lose faith in us."

"Besides, William," Octane smirked from behind William, leaning against the door frame, "We're afraid that if you go, you'll accidentally kill another good God." The last words from the room seemed to drive William into a frenzy, the demon spinning out of his chair and leaping at Octane, who merely ducked behind the door. The demon, no longer having a target, tumbled onto the ground and rolled into the wall of the hallway with a loud 'thud'. Octane peered back inside the door with a smile to Sei. "Okay, that's one situation diffused for now."

"Is Zerith prepared?" Sei asked, not too pleased that Octane had knocked out one of his generals with such ease.

"Actually, he's finishing his packing as we speak..."

[Zerith]

Why did it feel like everything was sitting on his shoulders?

That was the one question the halberdier found himself asking over and over again. With the mistake William Arcus made and the crushing defeat Taka received, the Ixian Knights were nowhere close to appearing to be the protectors of Radasanth that considered themselves to be. Although Akashima was fond of them, some heard of what the revenant did and didn't seem too impressed with Knights. Most the public were probably beginning to look at them like they were just a joke. So overall, the Knights didn’t seem to be in good standings with many people.

To make things even more complicated, Sei’s method of dealing with Jensen left a sour taste with many of the knights. There were some who sided with the telepath, believing that the harsh actions were necessary in order to teach the immortal a lesson. Yet there were others who disagreed with how things were carried out, and Zerith himself was one of these people. While Sei’s motivations were perfectly valid, the warder thought that the execution was just too harsh. Now the morale of the army was suffering because of it.

These were the things the prince believed he had to deal with. Transforming the public opinion of the Ixian Knights, and somehow salvage the morale of the troops.

Drastic times called for drastic measures. So perhaps that was why the halberdier dared to accept this assignment that Sei had personally given to him. The warder needed to perform a miracle in order to achieve this personal goal of his, and the mute was practically dangling the means on a invisible string in front of his general. Yes, the mission was dangerous. Probably a greater threat to Zerith’s life that anything the noble had done earlier in his life. However, the rewards made the risk well worth the effort. It was like that saying the prince had always told himself.

The tougher the fight, the sweeter the prize.

The young man was repeating the saying while he was finishing his packing. Expecting the trip to be a short one, he decided it was best to only pack a single bag full of clothes and necessities. He opted to leave wearing his armor, figuring it would be easier to carry if he was wearing it. As he was just nearly finished with the final task before he would leave with Sei, Jasmine appeared in the doorway of the room they shared, wearing her usual blue dress and with her hair tied back in a large, single braid. In her arms she carried their daughter, Siela. The little princess was probably just on her way to be put down for a nap.

“Are you sure you have to go along with this, love?” the princess of Moriah asked as she bounced the infant in her arms. “I just don’t want to risk losing you. You’re not going to the Citadel this time.”

Earlier, the two had gotten into a large fight over the details of the mission. Apparently a being known as the Yamata-no-Orochi had reappeared and threatened not just a single city, but the entirety of Akashima. Old stories described it as a eight-headed serpent that blanketed the entire land in darkness and commanded an army of its own. The malevolent god was eventually defeated by a brave swordsman, who managed to slay the Orochi and seal it away where it was no longer a thread. Yet now it reappeared, and once again it put fear into the hearts of many. Seeking help, Akashima called out for aid. Pleading for someone to come and dare to try and kill a god.

As exciting as the thought spilling a god’s blood was, the whole idea seemed like a deathwish to the princess. So she pleaded with Zerith to tell Sei not to go, but the halberdier snapped back at her and explained that he felt the need to go in order to prove that Ixian Knights were people the public could rely on. After Jensen left the way he did, people needed something big to be proud of. Besides, maybe if Zerith and Sei could achieve the impossible task before them, Jensen would hear about it and decide to come back.

Being a family man himself, the thought of reuniting the immortal with his family was a reward by itself.

“I will be fine,” Zerith answered as he finally closed the bag, picked it up with one arm and grabbed his halberd with the other. He headed for the door, stopping in front of Jasmine and his little girl before he gave his wife a reassuring smile. “Think of it this way. The next time you see your husband, you can call him ‘Godslayer’. I will be back as soon as I can, and I promise to pick something up for you in Akashima, okay?” He didn’t bother to wait for an answer, instead choosing to give his baby a small kiss on the forehead and a much more deep and passionate one to his wife. “I will miss you, but not even this Orochi will keep you away from me. I promise.”

He didn’t even wait to hear Jasmine’s words. Before she realized it, Zerith had already gone past her and disappeared. Yet even worse was that dark, scary feeling that she just experienced the final kiss she would receive from the man she married. The horror of what that would mean if it turned out to be true brought tears to her eyes.

“I love you,” she whispered as she turned around and stared in the direction her husband disappeared into, hoping she would be rewarded with a final glimpse of the halberdier. As if she was tuned into her mother’s feeling, Siela cried. It was only after the baby was settled and fast asleep that Jasmine cried her own tears as well.

Never one to believe in the Thaynes before, Jasmine would pray to Draconus later than night. As she believe it would take the intervention of one god to prevent Zerith from getting killed by another.

[Paragon]

A hooded man in a dark blue cloak approached the gates of The Ixian Castle. He walked along the road, the light drizzle from above gently falling around him. The sun was obscured by the clouds, the dark clouds casting a shadow over the trees and the big structure that The Ixian Knights called home. He came up to the gates and was stopped by guards at the entrance.

"Halt!" one of them commanded. "What is the nature of your visit?" Dorian Sesthal pulled down his hood and raised an eyebrow. "Oh! General, you've returned! Pardon me, we've been a bit on edge lately."

"That's fine," said Dorian. "And you can call me Dorian."

A voice slipped into his mind, "I don't know, I think 'General' has a certain ring to it."

Floating above was Fallow, the invisible black dragonling and Dorian's partner in crime. He walked inside the courtyard and started taking off his cloak, wrapping it up into a ball and tossing it over his shoulder. Instead of falling to the ground, it disappeared in mid-air, as if whisked to a far-away land. The guard that he was talking to passed a message to a boy, who ran at breakneck speed to inform the rest of the castle.

Within minutes, while Dorian was perusing the halls, he was surrounded by people greeting him. He was the one General that was rarely seen in the castle proper, instead preferring to travel the world. Some of the people who came up to him claimed to be in his squad, requiring directions or orders or somesuch. Dorian wasn't the type to be in charge, so he merely agreed with what they wanted to do and sent them off.

One of the solicitors was a manager-type that he talked to last time he was here.

"Good to see you again, General! I have prepared the room for you that was requested. Please allow me to escort you to it."

Dorian complied, walking over to the storage area of the castle and walking into a large, 4-walled marbled room that almost blinded him with its shine. It was completely empty, as Dorian requested, but something bothered him about it.

"Sorry," he said, scratching his head and smiling with some embarrassment. "It's not what I'm looking for."

"Really? This matches what you told me..."

"My workplace is one of the few things I'm really picky about it. If it doesn't feel right to me, I'm just not inspired."

The manager sighed and ripped a page out of his clipboard, crumbled it up, and put it into his pocket.

"I'll find something else, then..."

"I'm really sorry," Dorian repeated with a couple nervous chuckles.

He was expected to make masterwork-quality gear, and he wasn't quite as confident as he'd like to be. Often times, he waits until he is inspired and gets to work, but now he has requests coming in and doesn't quite know what to do. He promised Celesta, his enchantress associate, high-quality items to enchant, but that was easier said than done. If he could at least get into a workplace that gives him that feeling of inspiration, maybe...

At that moment, the only other being besides Fallow to ever talk into his mind spoke to him, "Dorian, this is Sei. Would you mind coming into the Generals' Meeting Room? I have just been informed of your arrival, and I would appreciate your presence."

"It never ends, does it? I haven't even gotten a chance to sit down..."

The manager perked up, "What was that?"

"It seems I've been summoned."

The manager's nostrils flared up and he bowed deeply, saying his goodbyes and being on his way. Dorian figured that these people were used to Sei's creepy mind-talk. It occurred to him that this was a good excuse to use in the future. As he traversed the castle, with its many busy-bodies and friendly people chatting about, he entered the hallway that contained the door to the Meeting Room. In it, he saw the figure of William Arcus, who was heading away from the room with his fists clenched and his teeth biting his lower lip. He blinked when he saw Dorian.

"Don't tell me... you..." he started, having to stop himself mid-sentence. He slammed his fist into the wall. "Is he taking the damn newbie over me too?!" Dorian took a step back. "Can you even fight, blacksmith? Let me see it!"

William started walking forward, brandishing his claws as if they were daggers.

Dorian put his hands up. "Slow down! I just got here, I have no idea why I've been called here, alright?"

"Bullshit!"

Fallow, who was flying close behind, alerted Dorian, "What is with this guy?! Dorian, watch out!"

William Arcus broke into a run, and Dorian reached for the small dragon head figurine around his belt, his expression a mixture of confusion and shock. He put his left hand on it, wrapping his palm around it and bending his knees in preparation.

Suddenly, Sei's voice boomed into both of their heads, "Stand down, William!" For William however, the voice had the added effect of causing him a massive headache. He grabbed his head and stumbled. "I will not have violent outbursts like this! Stand down immediately!"

With his hands still on his head, William grumbled some obscenities but otherwise calmed down, spitting at the floor. He dropped his arms and slowly walked by Dorian, who kept his guard up with his hand around the figurine. When he got side by side to the young man, they both looked in each others' eyes for a moment, and then he kept walking. Taking a deep breath, Dorian let go of the figurine, and continued on to the Meeting Room, a little more than concerned.

As he walked in, he didn't say anything, but gave Sei a serious look.

The mute told him, "I'm sorry about that, Dorian. Please forgive him; He's been under some stress lately. He isn't usually like this, I assure you."

Dorian sighed, and his expression turned into a grin, "Don't worry about it chief, I'm not threatened by some hot-head. So..." He looked around. It was just him, Sei, Zerith, and someone he didn't know. He had met all of the Generals last time he was here, but it was little more than a formal introduction. He didn't really have time to get to know them. "What can I do for you?"

[Silence Sei]

It only took Sei a few minutes to explain everything to Dorian. The blacksmith typically found himself out of the loop towards Ixian Knight events. Though normally Sei would not suggest his labor team leader for this adventure, he knew that he had to get better acquainted with the smithy. After all, one should be able to trust the man crafting their weapons and armor.

Sei also mentioned the promise of several items of value. It was said that the Orochi had a horde of treasure from various warriors. It was stuff Dorian dreamed of getting his hands on; Valuable items that would allow him to make the finest equipment for the Ixian Knights. The mute could tell that the craftsmen vigor was restored despite just returning home. As soon as he was dismissed, Dorian went off, presumably to gather his things.

Zerith had already packed his things, loaded them on his horse. Dorian was now doing the same. By now, William's ranting had managed to hit the ears of every other soldier within Ixian Castle. As such, it came as no surprise to the telepath when his youngest daughter, the four year old Ella, walked into the room holding her teddy bear.

"Daddy, are you going to be leaving again?" She asked, sniffling a little bit. Behind the young girl was her older sister, Emma. She stood in the doorway with her arms crossed, looking at her father.

"Father has to go off and beat up some bad guys, Ella," Emma spoke for the mute before he could reply to the little one. "You know how you're afraid of the boogeyman? Well Father has to go off to make sure the bogeymen don't come here. It's what he does." Ella looked up to her father with tears still in her eyes, asking if the story was true without saying a word.

"It's true, Ella. I'm going to take care of a really really bad boogeyman. He has lots of people who want to be bogeymen themselves. I have to make sure none of them come this way. You be a big girl and keep your sisters out of trouble, okay?" Ella giggled.

"That'll be easier to do with Anita than Kyla," she said, winking at her parent. Sei ruffled the girl’s hair and motioned for the other men to follow him.

"Zerith, I'm going to take the girls off to their room before we go. I'll meet you and the warder at the stables."

[Zerith]

“Just don’t take too long, Sei,” Zerith muttered as the feeling of guilt over leaving his family on less than ideal terms was slowly beginning to sink in. Maybe it wouldn’t have been a bad idea to quickly run back to his quarters and apologize, but then again there was the possibility he would screw up with his execution and only get into another fight. It wasn’t a hard decision to make, as the concept of just complete the assignment as quickly as possible so he could come back home quickly won the mental dispute. Besides, he could still talk to Jasmine through the bond the shared during the first few miles of travel providing Sei would stay out of his head long enough.

The stables of Ixian Castle were busy at the moment. With the news that Sei and two of his Generals were personally undertaking a mission sent a bit of a buzz throughout the place. Stablehands were running from one spot to another in a frantic race to ensure everything was ready in terms of equipment and necessities while Grooms were taking their time giving the horses that would be used a proper brushing and a quick meal before they hit the road. As the halberdier lead Dorian into the stables, the prince was immediately pleased to see his personal horse was being saddled for him.

Exarion was a fine example what a purebred Fallien stallion, renowned for their speed. The prince had come to possess the horse through blind luck, claiming the beast as his own after he fought and killed its previous owner on a prior assignment in his past. Yet the two bonded quickly, and it didn’t take long for the stallion to accept its new owner. Since then the two had ridden out on countless occasions and Exarion proved time and time again that the legends of the Fallien breed were true. Indeed, the warder definitely considered his horse a blessing from Y’edda.

“Is he ready to go? Has he been taken care of?” the noble asked the stableboy that stood by Exarion’s side as he made his approach. Offering a hand out to his horse, Zerith’s gesture was quickly accepted by his old friend and he began rubbing his palm along the top of the beast’s large head.

“It’s taken time for him to allow some of us to get close to him, but he’s recently begun to cooperate.” The teenager admitted. “Since then we haven’t had any trouble with him, so he’s ready for you.”

The honesty from the boy made Zerith laugh, as what he said wasn’t surprising. Exarion didn’t really trust anyone, at least not at first. In fact, it even took Jasmine a few days and quite the amount of patience before Exarion would even let her sit on his saddle by herself. Still, Exarion was Zerith’s horse, and the halberdier loved him despite his personality. “What about Dorian’s horse?” the warder asked, changing the subject.

“Ah, I believe Kais and Nathan are just finishing with him. I also believe Lord Orlouge’s horse is saddled and ready to do as well.”

“Looks like we’ll have a nice, comfortable trip to Akashima then, don’t you think?” the General said as he turned to look at Dorian. Zerith then quickly nodded in the direction of his companion’s horse. “Is that your horse? Or did we get that one when Sei when to Fallien?”

Now that he thought of it, this was first time the halberdier would actually work alongside the last of the Nine to join Sei’s cause. “I guess we’ll have plenty to talk about on the way there,” he thought to himself, hoping this talk of horses would get the two acquainted and put Zerith’s guilt over leaving his wife in such a rush at ease.

[Paragon]

Fallow's voice echoed throughout Dorian's mind, "I still don't think this is a good idea..."

Standing behind his horse, Dorian whispered, "Don't worry, as far as I know we're only there for appreciation of the treasures."

It was an odd thing for him to say, since he could probably get behind ending a scourge across the Akashiman lands, but even Fallow knew that he was out of his league. The young man had heard of Sei's exploits throughout his travels in Corone, so there was no reason to believe he was not in good hands.

As for the horse itself, Zerith's question was met with Dorian's answer, "I don't have a horse of my own, so I suppose I'm borrowing this one." He had already talked to several of the attendants to make sure it was really okay for him to use this horse, since he knew of Fallien's legendary breeds. All the people he talked to were confused as to why a General needed permission from them, or even their approval for the situation, and some were even amused by his politeness.

For that matter, he never actually rode a horse before. He preferred to take things slow, taking in the sights at his own pace, instead of having it all pass him by while on horseback. He didn't know how to express this important little detail to the others, especially with the feeling that the people around him held him up to a certain standard he never claimed to be. Were all of the other Generals so fantastic, so heroic? Although William Arcus was a General, and that enigmatic Jensen, so who knows what anyone thought around here?

Looking up at that saddle, he put on his determined face and grabbed onto the top of the seat and pulled himself up, sticking one foot through the stirrup. That was when he noticed he put too much force into that move, displacing his weight and sending his body falling backwards toward the ground, crashing into it with his foot still attached to the stirrup.

Suddenly, he was the center of attention. He couldn't help the feeling of shame that washed over him.

"Y-you okay, sir?!" asked the stableboy with a look of genuine concern.

"I uh..." said Dorian, taking his foot out of the strap and getting back up. "I've never been on a horse before..."

The stableboy's expression changed immediately. His face tightened up, and he was sucking on his lips while the edges of his lips curved upward.

"Let m-me help y-you with that, s-sir," he stammered out, barely able to contain his laughter. After helping Dorian up, he walked away as gracefully as he could, but the young man, now seated firmly on the saddle of the horse, looked down with a nervous smile of his own.

"Don't worry about it," came a voice into his head from Sei, who had been walking into the stable during the debacle. "I can't even make a slingshot, much less the stuff you're capable of."

"I'm fine," stated Dorian, the simple smile returning to his face. "It's about time to learn anyhow."

[Silence Sei]

After saying his pleasantries to his family, Sei began for the stables. The mute was quickly stopped, however by Andrew Octane. There seemed to be a bit of concern in the young boy's eyes as he looked at his Lord. In one hand, Octane held a book that seemed to be shaking in the hands of the youth. Apparently, something had shaken the Letha Linguist of Lornius down to his core.

"Sei," Octane said, "there's been a situation..."

~~~~~~~~~~~

Sei went down to the stables in a hurry. Octane's information was something that he would have to inform his friends of immediately. The mute arrived just in time to see Dorian falling off his horse, and revealing that he never learned how to ride one. The revelation brought a smirk upon the lips of the Mystic, but he decided to say nothing. Once the enchanter was mounted upon his steed, Sei approached him calmly, the sounds of the horses being a tranquil reprieve from that mumbling soldiers.

"Dorian, there has been a change in plans," Sei said, to which the enchanter stared at him with a blank expression on his features, "Apparently, we have some men who require stronger weapons and armor than what we provided them in Valdta. It seems that enemy forces are still trying to take the town for their own. I need you to get down there post haste and craft some finer weaponry for the soldiers."

The exasperated look on Dorian's face told Sei that he was frustrated, but he nodded none the less. The mute did not even need to give directions to Valdta, for Dorian had already been there once. With a pat on the rear of his horse, Dorian rode off until the telepath could no longer see him. The orange haired youth smiled as he went to join Zerith and his horse.

By this point, Sei's own horse had been prepared for him. Whereas most of the nine generals rode upon fully grown Fallien steeds, their leader took a more humble approach, riding a pony bred between two of the best horses available to the knights. The beast was half the size of the larger Fallien breeds, with two large brown spots (showing his mother's natural color) splattered upon its calves on an otherwise crimson looking creature. It reared up in protest as the stable hands tried to subdue it for the Ixian leader, but all it took was the sight of its master before the young mare calmed down and stood. Sei had personally helped raise this horse from birth, so its rather rebellious tendencies subsided at the sheer look of its caretaker. The youngest Orlouge brother smiled and patted the head of the animal, before stepping upon the stirrups and mounting the creature.

"Easy, there Rayd," Sei spoke softly into the animal's mind, stroking its hair as he did so. The name 'Rayd' had come from an ancient language of Mystics meaning 'Heat', which is what everybody said the soon-to-be stallion gave off; a heated passion that seemed to only be quelled when his master was around. The horse huffed and shook its head, something Sei could have only surmised as a sneeze, before looking to Zerith. A smile crossed the Mystics face as he began to speak to his only partner in this journey.

"I had to send Dorian into another mission. It shall just be you and I slaying this beast, Zerith. I hope you are ready," Sei smirked as he patted the side of Rayd twice (The horse refused to ever have any actual reins, so Sei simply had a saddle put on him and learned how to communicate with the creature via 'neck pats'). It only took a moment before Rayd had galloped off into the forest with his master, a sort of challenge to Zerith and his own mount. If they were to protect Akashima, perhaps the generals could have fun racing there first.

((OOC: Paragon refuses to go with the flow of this thread, and due to a falling out, is no longer welcome in this thread. Please judge accordingly.))