Lay down your king

[Amber Eyes]

Kyla

Her first moment of consciousness was full of warmth and beautiful ignorance.

The girl's eyes were matted shut from dried tears and her hair stuck to her reddened cheeks. Kyla stretched her heavy arms and rubbed the sleep from her eyelids.

It was like any other morning. Except her mouth was incredibly dry and tasted strangely metallic.

Soon the memories began fade in. The yelling, the crying, the vomiting. The strange arms that carried her in from the cold. Sei's eyes full of sadness.

She wished for sleep once more. Did it really matter where she was? Was there any point at all in pushing onward?

She opened her eyes and took in the small room. It was less than a fourth the size of her chambers at home. Cozy. The large feather comforter shielded her from any stubborn drafts that might force their way through the single window. Outside the girl could see frost covered trees and a fresh layer of powder stretching to the skyline. Kyla knew that she had made it to her destination.

Which meant Lye was close. She had made it. Ixian Castle was far away, a distant memory.

The small bedside table contain the remnants of what appeared to be a potion, probably made to give her energy. Kyla had no doubt she hadn't appeared well when she made it to Salvar. If she were honest she hadn't been herself for days. She needed to push on, if this were ever going to end, the Crimson Assassin would be the one to help.

All of her friends and family had ignored her pleas. The sisters, the Dragon, the Immortal. She would have to turn to a near stranger to reach her goals.

His words had started this war within her. Surely he could lead her in the right direction. The cult was near, and with no recent sighting of their leader, Cassandra, they were vulnerable.

Sei and the rest of the Ixian Knights may not understand her vendetta against the Cult of Blessed torture, but something in Lye's eyes said that he too had once had his loved ones attacked. He would lead her in the right direction. Perhaps her father didn't trust the strange man, but Kyla had little choice.

The Mystic stood. Someone had lain out a simple blue cotton dress. It was far from her typical flashy style, but it seemed to fit the new direction her life was taking.

She wasn't in this for herself anymore.

[Amber Eyes]

Anita

Anita Orlouge stirred. It had been a long night. Ella was curled up close to her and much of the last few hours had been filled with painful kicks from the smallest Orlouge.

Emma had fallen asleep in the large leather chair just steps from the bedside. Anita opened her eyes and realize that Sei stood in the doorway quietly, watching what was left of his family try to hold itself together. His reddened cheeks were proof that he too felt the emptiness within the castle walls. It had been quite some time since the Ixians had been so quiet.

"It's okay Papa. Kyla will return. No one and nothing can keep her from us.

The mute smiled. "Thank you Anita. I'm afraid she's got me on pins and needles this time. You're right of course. Your sister is stubborn, but she knows she's loved. I doubt it will be long before she is at the gates ready to right another drastic wrong at the expense of our men."

Without warning Anita let out a chuckle. Ella stirred slowly.

Sei's 'voice' filled The second eldist's mind once more. "I'll take my leave. Thank you for caring for them Anita. Your sisters are lucky to have you."

"I wouldn't know the first thing of love if not for you Papa. I only do for them what you've done for me. That's how I know Kyla's coming back. You have been too good to us for her to stay away."

"I don't want to get up!" Ella's tiny voice filled the room as she sat. Her blond curls wildly stood in strange directions around her tiny features, much like the matted mane of a lion.

"Then don't." Emma announced her own consciousness mid-yawn.

"But I can't sleep.." came the obvious reply as the child found her energy. "We have to find Kyla. It's going to be a long day. The world is pretty big ya know."

Emma stood. "We aren't searching the world for Kyla. If she wants to come home she will." Her voice was a stern and uncaring facade, Anita had seen her shed a tear or two the previous evening.

The now-eldest broke in. "Kyla will be back. I'm sure she's sleeping comfortably in an inn somewhere, just waiting for the shops to open. We have an army to run. Now everyone get up and bathed. The world doesn't just stop spinning in the absence of Kyla Orlouge."

This brought about grins. The younger sisters headed toward the washroom in better spirits.

And yet the heavy feeling in Anita's stomach wouldn't budge.

[Amber Eyes]

Kyla

The Mystic did her best to keep her bare feet quiet as they hit the cold cement floors. The dimly lit hallway seemed to stretch on forever and each candelabra only seemed to direct her a few inches further. It was an eerie sort of place, far different than the crisp white hallways that filled Ixian Castle.

A booming voice filled the air and Kyla's heat stopped. "So you finally woke."

He was a large man with tired eyes. Kyla wondered if they'd always seen so weary or if like so many others the terror of Eiskalt had tainted him. No one had gone untouched by the war, even at the far reaches there were ripples of pain. "I..I did. Thank you." Her voice sounded strange, and her throat seemed far too small to push the words out. Perhaps she had taken ill from the cold. "Can I have something to drink, please?"

He gave a half-smile and led her quietly down the hall. The lighting seemed brighter as they entered a large room with several overstuffed chair and a fireplace. "Please, sit down. I believe there is someone who is eager to know that you are awake. I'll make sure a drink is sent in. Whiskey? Wine?"

The thought of liquor sent her stomach into near-spasms. "Just water please." She managed.

He was gone. Kyla walked around the space for a moment, enjoying the soft fur of an animal she didn't recognize that covered part of the floor. The warmth from the fireplace brought some of the life back to her. The knowledge that soon she would see the man who could help her brought even more.

The girl sat down in front of the fire, but kept her eyes set on the doorway the stranger had taken his leave through. She was eager, not only for a drink, but for information.

He did not keep her waiting long. Within minutes her new friend appeared at the threshold. The girl smiled.

[Lye]

"Good to see the color back in your cheeks, Kylana."

In his customary black attire contrasting his pale features, the assassin, Lichensith Ulroke, stood in the doorway. In his hands, he carried a silvered tray. Atop it rest a crystalline pitcher of water and a glass with delicate silver filigree. Compared to the dark and dim interior, these objects seemed sorely out of place, but Lye had a princess in his presence. He didn't want to serve her in the same grungy kitchenware the grunts used. That would be disrespectful.

"Corvanik told me you were parched." He stepped into his quarters, and felt the warmth of the fireplace chase the chill away. Another luxury not commonly afforded in these walls. "The Scavian Wilds are almost as arid as the Fallien sands. Here."

He placed the tray down on a stand between the plush chairs, poured her a glass, and held it to her.

"T-thanks" Kyla took it from him, and with only the slightest hesitation, brought it to her lips.

As she drank, her silver haired companion joined her in the adjacent chair. The heat from the fire licked at his skin. The shadows danced a slow waltz behind them, and the soft crackle of scorched wood calmed the stagnant air. He waited for her to finish, and she drained the glass dry save for a mouthful or two.

"There's plenty more, help yourself."

The weary Mystic looked to the glass, just a little remaining water cast a muddled reflection of herself back. Lye couldn't quite discern the thoughts going through her mind, but he noticed a touch of sadness mixed with many insatiable questions. Compared to their last meeting, she seemed comfortable this time. As was he.

She quietly set the glass down on the tray and met her azure eyes to his. Lye only returned a warm smile.

"So," he began before she could part her lips, "What may I ask were you doing wandering alone in the cold? Had it not been for my Ai'Brone colleague, you may have taken your last breath out there."

[Amber Eyes]

Anita

The castle was quiet. The men went about their business and clashes could be heard from the training grounds, but the laughter and general conversations in the palace halls were missing. The head table was silent in the mess hall. Akiv and Sei were both absent. Akiv hadn't been seen all day, Sei had ensured his daughters that the boy was fine, he just needed his space. Sei had only left his room in the wee hours of the morning to attend to his duties before closing himself in his room where he was undoubtedly searching the minds of any and every one for the location of Kyla Orlouge.

His silence told Anita he had come up lacking so far. While Sei searched the minds of the living, Anita felt the spirits of the dead. As much as she hoped her father would find Kyla, she was just as concerned that she might. The cult were not to be taken lightly, nor should they be faced alone.

Ella was perfectly well kempt, to the average person she would seem unaffected. Her half-gone nails were proof that she hadn't stopped worrying though.

Emma seemed distracted. Her usual non-stop talking was sorely missed. And now Kyla wasn't there to fill in the empty spaces.

Anita kept forcing herself to turn the pages of a book, though she hadn't read a single word.

The Daughters of the Dragon were falling apart.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------


Kyla

"It's funny, isn't it? You have these people who you think will always be there. Thayne's knows I've put them through enough. Then, suddenly you realize just how alone you really are." The Mystic sat the glass on the table to her right, careful to keep the sound as light as possible. "Perhaps we're all meant to do the biggest things on our own."

The assassin leaned forward. "I tend to believe that you can only trust that things are done right when you do them yourself."

The girl smiled. "Which is why I'm here. I need information. I have to go after those who attacked my home. I need the location of Cassandra Remi and her disgusting troupe."

Lysander smiled teasingly. "You're going to go after the cult alone?"

Kyla furrowed her brow. "I'm not ignorant. I know that I may never make it back to Ixian Castle alive. I took my men into battle in Eiskalt for the sake of a friend. How can I not go into battle for the sake of my men?" Why was it so hard to catch her breath? Had the cold not left her? "The truth is, I'm not welcome in Ixian Castle anymore anyway."

"The Pride of the Dragon isn't welcome in Ixian Castle? That doesn't sound much like Sei Orlouge. I'm sure you're mistaken." His eyes were lit up with...curiosity? Or was it something more malicious?

"Even the good guys have their moments. Sei thinks he's protecting my sisters from my influence. He doesn't understand he's putting them all in danger." Her voice trailed off and tears threatened to fall. The Mystic took a deep breath and gave herself a moment. "So I have to prove it to him. I need him to know I'm not just a kid with a vendetta. I need you to tell me where to go, and I will take the cult apart one by one. Please, I took my chances on finding you, please tell me you'll help me."

"Are you sure you want to risk everything for this, Kylana?" The assassin's voice became soft. "Is it worth it?"

The girl stood and walked toward the fire. She could feel the heat against her cold skin. The shadows inside her seemed to retreat from its flame. Her body relaxed as the chill left her. It had been weeks since she’d felt this comfortable. The strange thought that she could feel safer in a strangers drawing room than in the company of her sisters did not escape the Mystic. She ran her fingers along the deep wood of the mantle as she tried to put the fury inside her into words. Sei’s bright blue eyes, with the sadness she’d seen there over the last few months, were all she could see.

“I need to do this. No one understands. Is it worth it in the end to lose those you love in order to keep them safe?”

The Assassin said nothing. He didn’t need to speak. The girl didn’t need a conversation; she needed to say the words out loud. The room around them seemed to fade away. Just two bodies in the nothingness.

“I’m not a child anymore. I’ve stood toe to toe with the strongest there are. I’ve placed in tournaments. I’ve survived the Cell, two wars, the decimation of my people. I’ve survive heartbreak and torture. I’ve heard my name chanted by thousands. All of it wasn’t enough.”

A single tear crept down her cheek. She couldn’t see Lye’s face, but somehow she knew he would understand.

The mystic rubbed her forearm with her left hand, trying to calm the goosebumps that covered her pale skin. Her arms felt almost numb as she allowed her weary body to lean against the mantle for support.

“If I lose everything. If I am no one when this is all over. It will be worth it to know that I accomplished this one thing. The cult will be gone.”

It was more than that though. If she were honest, this was her chance to prove that she wasn’t just the privileged daughter of Sei Orlouge. She didn’t need a thousand men at her back to make a difference in the world. This would prove that even if she’d been just a poor kid in the heart of Radasanth, she might have made an impact on the world around her. Perhaps even one less muddied than the legacy she would leave now. How many people had she hurt in her lifetime? What kinds of scars were left upon each person she’d touched? Would sparing her men another attack like the one weeks ago make up for the past? All Kyla could do was try.

“I have to do this or everything I’ve accomplished so far is nothing.”

A sudden heat crept up the girl’s neck. Breath. A weight touched her shoulder. His hand.

It was the touch of a father, a show of support. It was everything she needed. The lump that had been growing in her throat seemed to fill it completely.

Then, everything when black.

-----------------------------------------------------

Anita

The halls of Ixian Castle weren't so quiet anymore. The screams of Anita Orlouge could be heard in every corridor.

It seems the soul of Kyla Olrouge had been found after all.

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

Earlier...

It was late. Most of my assistants in the laboratory had already cleaned up and left for the night. It was me and four or five others left. I was poring over the contents of some recently-acquired tome on Aleraran alchemy, the rest were tweaking bits of a pair of redesigned crossbows. Even with the minimal amount of noise, I still did not hear the exiled Ai'Brone monk enter the chamber and approach.

Corvanik cleared his throat, snapping me out of my reading trance and causing me to jump in my cushioned chair a bit. “I'm terribly sorry to bother you, Madison,” he offered as a way of apologizing.

“No, no, that's quite alright,” I replied as I placed a ribbon on the page I was on and shut the decrepit old book. Pushing the book aside, I clasped my briar-knit hands together and placed them on the table. “I wasn't in the middle of anything important; just a bit of late night reading, is all. What can I do for you?”

I smiled at the monk, and meant every ounce of its warmth. Corvanik and I had built up a mutual respect for one another over the months we spent in service to the Crimson Hand. He's one of the few that I could possibly consider family within these cold, stone walls. The healer and the plague monster. What an odd pairing, yes?

The Ai'Brone took a deep breath, one with hints of apprehension. “"The master has a guest in his chambers, one found near-death in the Salvar wilds. I suspect that she might be hypothermic, but I wasn't allowed much time with her to know for sure.”

I raised a questioning, curious eyebrow. Most of Lichensith's guests were kept in the dungeon, on the racks or in cages; not in his rooms, on his bed. Corvanik continued, “He would like for you to brew up a restorative potion to aid her in her recovery.”

My mood instantly soured, and I'm pretty sure the exiled monk could see it on my face. “Of course he would. Why didn't he ask you to cure her? I mean, you were right there, with your magic and all...”

The elderly man dismissed me with a shake of his head. “His... tournament is coming shortly, and expressed his wishes that I save up my energy to heal those wounded for the fulfillment of his ego.”

“Very well then,” I sighed as I picked myself up off my comfortable chair. It was a fair point; there was much bloodshed to come within the next few weeks, and Corvanik would need every ounce of strength he had in order to patch up the victims of those who went too far in order to please their uncaring master. “I suppose I could whip something up quickly. But only as a favor to you, because you're old and you tire easily when you cast spells, apparently.” The monk cracked a small grin. “You said you think she might be hypothermic. What else?”

I began walking towards a giant steel cabinet towards the back of the workshop to grab a few alchemy tools. The exiled monk followed me. “What else do you need to know?”

I glanced over my shoulder as I set a stone mortar and pestle set down on a nearby workbench. Producing a matchbook, I tore one loose and drag it across the rough strip, igniting the head and moving to light one of the oil burners on the table. “Any other symptoms she might be showing, her physiology, race... The potions I brew aren't a sort of generic cure-all, like your healing magic is. Some ingredients might help some symptoms but aggravate others, or if I brew a potion for a human but she turns out to be a halfling it might be less effective...”

Corvanik hesitated briefly before responding. “It is the mystic, Kyla Orlouge.”

My hand froze, the match slowly burning out between my vine-woven fingers. A sudden lump formed in my throat, and I felt dizzy. My heart skipped a beat upon hearing the name being uttered—perhaps two beats, three, maybe ten.

I suddenly found my mind filled with questions. So, so many questions. “And you left him alone with her?”

The old man's eyes betrayed his doubt about the situation. “Lichensith gave me his word that no harm would come to her...”

I dropped the match before it could catch me on fire and turned to face the Ai'Brone. My voice was low, as so the artificers tinkering across the laboratory were unable to hear me over the clinking of their tools. “His word isn't worth the shit that the Blades scrape off their boots, Corvanik.” Whether or not he agreed with me, he did not say. Very diplomatic of him.

A bead of sweat formed on my forehead as I turned back towards the table, my eyes frantically searching for something--for what I do not know; but something, anything. The monk interrupted my scrambled thoughts. “Are you able to brew a potion for her, yes or no?”

“I'm fully capable of doing so, yes. If I remember my studies correctly, mystic physiology is incredibly similar to humans. I should have everything I need in my lab here.”

“Excellent,” he replied. “How long do you think it will take?”

“I don't know. Fifteen minutes? Twenty?” My answer was something between a stammer and a mutter.

If Corvanik could see that I had become agitated since his little reveal, he said nothing of it. “Very well then, I will be back in twenty to retrieve the potion.” He turned on his heels, and promptly left me to my business. When the door at the top of the staircase slammed shut, the crash sounded much like the crumbling of my little world.

Kyla. An Orlouge. An Ixian Knight. The Ixian Knight who had led the charge for her troops and allies into Eiskalt, during the course of the war. The resident of the castle who suffered an attack at the hands of Aurelianus Drak'shal and myself several weeks ago, the blame of which was placed elsewhere.

And she was here.

In this very castle.

Alone with Lichensith Ulroke.

That manipulative, shadowy, scheming son of a bitch.

No.

Kyla Orlouge had wandered blindly into the Salvar wilderness, closer to the wolves and shadows than she should have ever dared. A journey that nearly killed her; a journey that will end with her death regardless of its outcome.

Lichensith did not have her killed the moment he was made aware of her arrival. That was the part that truly scared me. Someone who could be considered one of our greatest enemies? And she was allowed to stay in his personal chambers? The more I dwelt on it, the more frightened I became. What would become of this? How would he use her in his little games, like has used the Order? My friends? Me?

What does his endgame truly consist of, if it involves using Kyla Orlouge as one of his pawns? What good could possibly come from his shadowy plays? What would it cost us? What the fuck did we even have left to give up in order to further that monster's schemes?

I picked up the book of matches and lit another one. I held the flame near the wick of the burner, letting the damp threads catch fire as my heart began to race faster and faster, in pace with my own thoughts.

Something had to be done, and it had to be done fast.

A horrible feeling was growing bigger and bigger in my gut with each passing second, eating away at me like a savage beast.

I don't know what his plans are, but if they involved a living Orlouge... Well, they were plans that nobody should ever want to see come to fruition.

I made my way towards the ingredient cabinet while the burner's flame danced, letting the ceramic calcinator over it come to proper mixing temperature. I threw open the thin steel doors and grabbed everything I would need. Ingredients for a weak healing mixture, and a little something more...

My heart was pounding when I returned to the workbench. I began tossing various herbs and ingredients together in the mortar, pouring in small amounts of liquid additives as necessary in order to be able to work the mixture into a paste. The sounds of thepestle banging against the stone bowl cracked like gunfire in my brain. Once everything had worked itself into a greenish goop, I poured the contents of the mortar into the calcinator, which would slowly work to melt it into something a bit more drinkable.

I would add the bits required to keep it in a liquid state once cooled in a little bit. But first...

My throat tightened as I held the wide-mouthed glass vial in my hand. Was this something I really, truly wanted to do? I thought of Kyla, as she laid in a bed at another end of the castle, slowly dying from being exposed to the elements. I thought of her suffering in the cold, wet, harsh winter weather. I thought of her starving in the wild, packs of hungry, vicious animals watching her every move, circling her, biding their time until her life left her.

And then I thought of the hungry, vicious animal in that room at the other end of the castle, watching her every breath, circling her, biding his time until her life returned to her.

Which truly was the worse fate?

I snatched up a small dish that was filled with a clear gel and ripped the plastic top off of it. I scooped up a sizable dab with a briar-knit finger and jammed it into the mouth of the glass vial. I spun the vial around in my hand, making sure to get a thin layer of the gel all around the inside of the thin tube. Once I poured the potion inside the vial, it would absorb the layer of goo and become something else entirely.

I set down the vial, and let go of a breath that I hadn't realized I had been holding for the majority of the time I had been at the workbench.

May Kyla forgive me for taking her life in order to save it.

[Lye]

"I have to do this or everything I've accomplished so far is nothing," Kyla murmured with the flickering hearth dancing light across her conflicted expression.

The assassin stepped nearer to her. His lips drew close to her neck as his warm breath escaped upon her. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

It was the touch of a killer, a show of dark intentions. It was nothing she wanted nor needed. The lump in her throat gave way and filled completely.

With the blue blood of a Mystic.

It was silent, the simple poisoned knife (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?26857) that dragged across that fair, porcelain skin. Instead of crimson, blue vitae flowed freely in its trail much like the words which had poured out her emotions, desires, and pain. He expected a scream. He expected a struggle. He expected to feel that sweet moment of panic.

Instead, like a beautiful marionette set free of her strings, Kylana Marie Orlouge (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?27606) crumpled to the assassin's feet with no more than the sound of her weight upon the floor.

Silence possessed the room, cold overtook the warmth, and a downdraft washed the light from the flickering hearth.

Kyla was dead, and the white haired demon stood over her as a lone droplet of blue dashed against his boot from the blade. He didn't break the silence with his words. No, he just looked upon her motionless allure with sunken, emerald eyes and a tremble of jubilation. Were it so easy? Was this truly how a legend left the world?

It felt as though she had departed even before steel parted flesh. As though she had already accepted this fate.

Her cerulean pool stretched across the stone and crawled into the rug beneath the killer's feet. Embers crackled and smoke drifted in thick wisps across pale skin. He knelt beside her and ran a gloved hand through azure matted locks.

"I would have liked you to stand beside me," he muttered to her lightless stare. His tone held an unfamiliar note. Sorrow?

"You were beautiful, relentless, determined..." He cupped her chin with blood stained hands and made her to look at him. "But you cared about them too much." His words were now sharp with angst.

Her head slipped from his grip and tilted back to its directionless gaze. He wiped the life stealing blade into her growing pool of Orlouge and fetched a vial from the pouch at his hip (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?28323-To-Hold-My-Poisons). With a smear of blue, he lifted the cork and brought the knife's poisoned, bloodied edge to the lip.

"Those Ixians, your sisters... Sei..."

It was like molasses as it rolled in bowing waves from the steel into the glass container. The aroma seemed sweeter than normal, less like copper and more like spring blossoms. The scent of innocence?

"You wouldn't let them go. You wanted so desperately to be seen as a leader, a mother, a true friend, and beloved equal..."

The final drop brimmed on the edge of the vial, then ran down the edge as Lye firmly seated the cork. He twisted and slid the vial of poisoned, Mystic blood in an empty loop.

"They already did. Had you known that, you would have never come. You would have listened to them over me."

He turned his attention back to her. She did not reciprocate.

"I am grateful though. In the end, you gave your final breath to me. You paid for all the lives my men lost to yours. You paid for all their malcontent, their blood, their anger..."

Longing eyes ran down her length and fell upon her anklet, a trinket she valued highly. When they last met (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?27674-To-Stay-Soothe-and-Still), her hands would not leave it.

"I mourn that I could not have you as my own..."

He worked the clasp and pulled it free from her ankle. The assassin was surprised at its weight. Surely it held more purpose than sentiment but now, it would serve a memory. A memory of a valiant warrior, a selfless queen, and compassionate parent of all within Ixian walls.

It would serve a trophy of the kill.

"But now, you'll be mine. Now, you cannot return to your Knights. You will sleep here for eternity."

He pocketed the memento and stood. With a cloth pulled from the silvered tray, he wiped her from his dagger.

"It won't be for nothing. You've succeeded in furthering a cause everyone will soon come to know. I will never forget what you gave here today."

The assassin stowed his blade, cleaned his hands, then ventured back to her. He knelt once more and caressed her cold cheek. He looked upon her with a moment of silence. Even the howl of the Skavian gale seemed to mourn the moment.

"Thank you, Kylana. I will miss you."

He drifted his hand to shut her once vibrant, blue eyes.

"A true King has fallen this day. (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?28146-TDW-CHE-ROUND-1-Ciato-vs-Lye)"

Lichensith Ulroke stood. He offered no more words to her eulogy, and with heavy steps, he made way to leave his quarters. Kyla deserved a proper burial. Even this killer of hundreds, this tyrant (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?27626) of thousands, and hallowed soul respected the Mystic.

He braced his hand upon the handle. So many plans had waited for this day. So many needed to be put into action.

But what greeted him on the other side would turn his symphony of darkness upside down...

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

With each word of his monologue, a feeling of dread and despair tightened my throat. I had barely breathed since I pressed my ear up to the hard oak door leading into Lichensith's chambers.

Was I too late? Did I misjudge the dosage of poison in that potion? Had her Mystic healing powers negated the venom I lined the vial with?

A stream of curse words sat sourly on the tip of my tongue. No... No, this can't be...

Kyla was, without a shadow of a doubt, dead in that room. And with her passing by the assassin's own hands, there also went the lives of so many other Crimson Hands. Condemned to death to further his maniacal schemes. With the death of an Orlouge to rally the troops around, there would be no stopping Lichenisith Ulroke.

My heartbeat quickened, damn near to the point where it felt like it was going to explode. A cold sweat formed on my forehead.

I had failed everyone.

I nearly found myself falling through the archway when that bastard pulled the door open. His sharp features stiffened, a deep scowl now etched on his face as I straightened myself up. I met his glare with one of my own. Between us, the air was electric with vitriol and hatred. It was no secret within the Order the ill feelings that the Crimson Assassin and the Scourge of Eiskalt held for each other. The odd smell of the mystic's spilled blood filled my nostrils.

He tilted his head up, his voice full of disdain. "You better have a good reason to be here, Freebird."

Oooh, I could've killed him. Right then and there. "Of course I have a good reason. Back inside." Wisps of purple plague smoke found their way out of my lungs and through the corners of my lips. "Now."

Lichensith regarded me for a few seconds, and wisely stepped back into his chambers, allowing me to enter and see the full damage of what he had done. He had won... Finally, ultimately, truly won; and he knew it. There was nothing left to hide. With Kyla's lithe, beautiful corpse sprawled on stone floor in a pool of her own cerulean blood, he had all he needed to secure his grip on everyone within the Order of the Crimson Hand. With his claim of being the one to take our hated enemy's life with his own blade, the Hands would follow him anywhere and execute his orders down to the very letter.

No.

No, no, NO.

"What... What have you done..." My breaths came quick and ragged, and I ran my briar-knit hands through my black hair, squeezing into fists and pulling at the strands. The assassin opened his mouth to vomit words that I had no intent of listening to. I whipped around to face him, my voice shrill with a sudden flash of desperation and anger. "No, you don't understand what I mean. What have you fucking done, Lichensith?! What devils have you sold our souls to now? What desperate goals of your are you going to drag all of us through hell to accomplish? Huh?! Answer me!"

His face darkened as he quickly grew tired with me, his eyebrows knit in anger over his piercing emerald eyes. "I do not have to answer your silly questions, Freebird. Know your place."

My lungs filled with plague, ready to be unleashed in a moment's notice despite knowing full-well that he was mostly immune to its effects. My vineweft hands were clenched tightly at my sides. I could be upon him before he could even unsheathe his steel. In this grand, glorious moment of his, the Crimson Assassin looked especially weak and frail. I could cut short his crazy schemes--and his life--right this very second.

I looked at Kyla's lifeless body on the floor once more. Poor Kyla Orlouge. Why you came here, I do not know. You should've stayed in Corone, you silly bitch. You should've stayed in safety behind the walls of your Ixian Castle. You would've still been alive.

I took a deep breath and found myself asking even more questions, to my surprise. "Tell me something. Do you honestly think all of this will be worth it? All of the lives you will sacrifice in the name of Kyla's death?"

"Stay your tongue," the killer replied.

I ignored him and pressed on. "Did you give her a reason? Did you tell her everything? Did she at least scream for you as you dragged your dagger across her throat? Did she struggle?" I held his gaze for several seconds while he was silent. Neither of us blinked. Neither of us moved. His eyes screamed out for my death.

And then his green orbs flashed over to the mystic's body and lingered for several seconds. For the briefest of moments, a look of sorrow, of regret, possibly of wanting flashed on his face.

That's when it dawned on me. "She... she didn't cry out. She didn't struggle... Didn't she..." My tones were soft, trailing.

Lichensith's attention snapped back to me. His nose twitched. "No, she did not."

My throat tightened again, but for different reasons. "No resistance to your blade? None at all?"

The assassin glanced back at the girl once more as she lay in a dark blue pool of her own blood once again. The same look was on his face.

"Did it almost feel like... as if she were already dead when you cut her open?"

Lichensith did not answer. He did not return my gaze. His eyes remained fixated on his deceased guest, who had come here with desperation and misplaced trust in her heart.

Slowly, a smile formed on my face. It was a small grin at first, but it grew and grew, stretching from ear to ear. I laughed softly at first. It slowly grew into an intense, hysterical fit that caused my body to ache and my eyes to tear up. The wretched, horrible laughter echoed within the cold chamber, chilling the assassin down to the bone as he realized what was happening in that moment.

My poisoned potion had worked. It took the life of Kyla Orlouge in the seconds prior to that bastard's dagger slicing open her porcelain skin. I have denied Lichensith Ulroke the one thing he needed to unite the Order of the Crimson Hand underneath his iron fist once and for all.

"I win," I whispered softly.

[Lye]

His eyes narrowed to hone his razor sharp glare.

"You bitch..!" Lye's words carried a heat of rage more than capable to ignite tinder. He let the realization sink in, and each second tempered his blood to a boil. The implications, the damage the truth could do... The great Kyla Orlouge fell to poison of all things. Even she deserved better than that!

A vein stretched across his temple and from clenched fists. Madison smiled with a venom far more potent than any plague she could ever produce.

"You poisonous, scheming, weed! I should have snuffed you out in Eiskalt!" Lye roared into echoing stone walls. He closed the gap on her and clutched her charcoal suit by the collar. He aimed to raise her from the ground and cocked an arm loaded with and success did not fade.

"I win..." she repeated without struggling to free herself. The assassin's fist quivered but didn't let it free. He'd kill her right here, right now, but what would that prove? One touch of Sin Harvest and the woman would be no more than a pulpy mess of pant and acid, but no. The Order's walls had already started to crumble. Kyla was to be the cement to keep it whole. Killing Madison would only tear down what little stood and condemn the killer to war with all those within the Seventh Sanctum.

"What are you going to do now... my lord..?" Madison seethed. She played his growing tension like a well tuned harp. Each little pluck only a note to her deadly sonata. The assassin couldn't find the words, only the red of rage. Still, even in his blindness, he wrapped his dark fingers around an iota of salvation. He staved off the breaking dam of obliteration and held it through a great testament of will.

But what he would not give to plunge his fist around that seed she called a heart and crush it between his fingers....

"Nothing," came his eventual reply. He lowered his fist and let her free from his clutches. The Briarheart tended to her disheveled attire with a few calm, casual brushes of her vine knit hands.

"Not yet at least," he clarified. She stopped.

"Your next opponent is Ciato Orlouge," Lye stated in as calm a tone he could manage. He turned away from her. It was foolish to do so but if he hadn't, his bloodlust would surely have devoured him. He should have been worried about Kyla's burial. He should have been concerned with giving the fallen legend the respect she deserved.

He should have been acting human.

His chest felt like knots and he strained his entire will to contain the clawing frustration that literally begged him to smear the Briarheart along the floor, walls, ceiling...

"There's no point anymore, Lichensith. You know as well as I do, this tournament is over. You're done."

The beast wanted out.

"You will face him," he hunched slightly as though trying to prevent some horrible transformation. "You will keep your cunt of a mouth closed, and you will obey me."

Madison crossed her arms and quirked a brow. Her lips pressed together as if to say, "Bark all you want, dog, I have you on my leash now."

"...Or I will pry the bones from Diggs and Hedge's screaming corpses before you take one more fucking step..." Something spattered to the floor - red - from two quaking, pale fists. His grip had tightened so tense that iron grade skin had broken. His psyche trembled on inhuman thoughts, and even Madison saw the monster he struggled to cage.

Her face fell flat and stern. She looked toward the door where Kyla laid lifeless behind and while she knew she had foiled the tyrant's scheme, she knew he could deliver on that promise. She could stop him, sure, but not now. Especially, if he let whatever he struggled to contain free. Madison was no fool. This was not the battle to win.

"Fine. I'll play. I'll even keep this quiet."

A pressure lifted from Lye's frothing anger.

"But..."

And it was back again. He clenched and more crimson dashed to the stone.

"My condition is you get Aurelianus this match." Her words didn't hint toward her ploy. Her delivery was sweet and acting flawless. Each word held the bitterness she knew he wanted to hear, and she kept a fouled expression to match. Inside, the clock began to tick.

He would have questioned it, he would have picked it apart and peeled away the reason, but Lye had lost his better judgment. He lost his logic. Thus, he gave her everything she wanted.

"The tiefling and I will watch you slay him and when you are finished, you will face us both. Your insubordination will not go without penalty, Freebird. Speak, and your mates die." Lye needed to be away from her. He needed to be away from that sweet aroma of Kyla's blood. He needed to contain what little he could.

He needed to repair their faith in him with Ixian blood.

Without much more of a word, the assassin lord carried himself back toward the arena. As he did, he crossed the shadow of his throne. It washed over him, flushed out the light, and consumed his shadow.

"Whatever you say... my lord..."

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

I could not stop smiling.

I could not stop laughing.

It was a vile, poisonous, horrible laugh. And it echoed throughout the night in the privacy of my chambers.

I won. I beat that cold-hearted son of a bitch at his own fucking game. He would have no victory today. No victory over the Ixian Knights, no victory over the Crimson Hands, no victory over me.

Kyla Orlouge was dead. It was... incredibly unfortunate that it had to be this way, and it brought me no joy whatsoever... But along with her died any hopes and dreams of Lichensith Ulroke keeping his power and furthering his infernal machinations against a world that had long ago cast him aside. That discarded husk of a man who silently raged against the world was too short-sighted. He was only concerned with who he would manipulate or murder next, without caring one bit about who he had to step on along the way.

No more. I will not allow his tyranny to continue.

Lichensith Ulroke did not deserve the loyalty of those who died in his name. He does not deserve to regain the hearts of those who had survived their friends and allies.

No longer would he be a threat to any of us.

...But, as much as I would like to, I will not see him dead before me. No. Instead, we will break him. We will disable him, shackle him up in his dungeon, and rebuild the Order of the Crimson Hand without him. We will let him see what we could've achieved if only... We will let him taste just a drop of the power he so desperately craved. And then, we will break him again.

You see, this isn't about something so petty as revenge. This is about teaching him a lesson. This is about making a point.

But first, there is much planning to do. So, so very much planning... I have pieces in my own little chess game to move. I have not only Kyla Orlouge's lifeless corpse to return to the Ixians, but her damnable uncle Ciato to deal with. I have not spoken to the mystic yet. But I fear the moment when I do.

I have to be careful with this one.

Tomorrow will be a new day for the Crimson Hand. My allies. My friends. My family.

So much planning to do... And I cannot stop laughing...

[Amber Eyes]

Ixian Castle- Three weeks later.

The sun hung low on the horizon surrounded by bright oranges and yellows. The sunset was a beautiful backdrop to the makeshift ceremony. There was no body to bury. All the Ixians had were the memories of what used to be.

Ella wept openly. Her light green dress was splotched with tears. She held on to Sei's waist with all her might, like at any moment she might too leave this world.

On the other side of the Mystic father stood Emma. The back of her hand was stained black from her attempts to stay poised. The men needed to see strength today. They needed to know that Kyla's death was far from the end for the Ixian Knights. They needed a pillar to take the place the Kyla had once held. Emma was not Kyla, but she would do her best.

Anita stood away from the rest, her hand tightly locked with Akiv's. The boy was the picture of grace. His eyes never once gave away his anger or sadness, but the fingernail indentions on the back of his Aunt's hand were proof that they existed. His breathing sped up as music began to play.

It was a soft melody, something his mother would have found boring. In fact, the only thing about this ceremony that seemed like Kyla was the distant sky. She would have hated the dark colors most of the men were wearing; she would have hated the trumpets playing a ballad in her honor. She would have hated watching her sisters cry and her father looking as though his life were over.

Most of all she would have hated that they didn't even have her body to lay to rest among the gardens. Wherever the flesh of Kyla Orlouge lay, it wasn't at home.

It wasn't as though they hadn't searched. Teams had been sent out as far as Alerar at Sei's request. Not a trace had been discovered. It had been decided that the men needed closure with or without a body.

So the band played, and the sun sunk, and the Orlouge's wept.

The commotion from the front gates went unnoticed for several moments.

"It's her!" The cries could be heard for miles. Akiv turned toward the commotion just as the gates opened. A single man on a white stallion rode through with his load.

The mourners did not move. They stared in awed silence as the stranger came closer. A single white sheet covered the bundle that was carefully lain on a small wagon. Even as the man dismounted and removed his hat, no one budged.

They had searched for so long.

Finally Sei stepped forward and touched the sheet. He took a deep breath before he looked at the precious cargo. In a moment, he fell to his knees clutching her arm for dear life.

"Take the man to the dungeon!" The shout came from the back, a five year soldier. His face was twisted in fury, "Lock him up and throw away the key!"

The crowd erupted into chaos. The Daughters of the dragon stayed silent, frozen in place.

"I was just asked to deliver her!" The carrier backed away slowly. "I had nothing to do with it. I was just asked to bring her home!"

A couple guards stepped forward as they drew their swords.

"No." The 'voice' of Sei Orlouge filled the minds of everyone in the area at once. "Give him food and a bit of gold and send him on his way.

The mute slowly made his way to his feet. He reached down and removed the sheet from Kyla's frame. Then, he lifted her lifeless body in his arms and carried her toward the castle.

"But Lord Orlouge!" The same man demanded. "This man..."

"This man has brought my baby home.

[Philomel]

Lay Down Your King: Thread Link (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?28176-Lay-down-your-king/)
Judgment Type: Full Rubric
Participants: Amber Eyes, Lye and Black and Blue Eyes

Commentary is presented either as a general comment in each section, then followed by invididual comments for each participant, or either/or.


Plot: 21/30

Story- 8/10

General: Overall the story is well told, and it develops well from beginning to end. All your characters had clear reasons to be where they were, and there was nothing out of the ordinary, so everything flowed well from beginning to end.
Amber Eyes: As opening and, then, closing the thread, you have a good consistency through the thread. As the main writer in this thread, sometimes it is hard to keep the strengths as high as they are here in the thread when others are taking part, but you do not let your storytelling falter because of this.
Lye: Generally your writing here was strong and your sections fitted well into the general flow of the piece.
BlackandBlueEyes: Your sections were as effective as Lye’s, and are beautiful in they way they juxtapose his, as your characters are in conflict within this piece.


Setting- 6/10

Setting could have in general been used much more than all three writers, though they each had their own skills and relevance to it. It was never forgotten entirely, but it seemed to be left to the background and from the outset not described as much as it could have been.
An easy way to use setting more is to make a note of it maybe at the side of your computer whilst you are writing so you have the situation and the climate etc as a reminder, and also doing the classic trick of including different senses in your writing.
Amber Eyes: You do open well with setting, especially in regards as to comparing Kyla’s room with the Ixian Castle in post 1 and describe it well, however it seems to be lost a little in general as time goes on.
Lye: You were the only one who really mentioned the coldness of Salvar by use of “chill” in post 4, and this was a good reminder of the state of the country.
BlackandBlueEyes: Your strength was in the description of Maddy’s laboratory and use of the individual pieces and her interacting with them in post 6; so your use was particularly done well.

Pacing- 7/10

General: Pacing was essentially very well done, to the extent where the story was easy to follow and well laid out. At first glance the entire peace seems to be a sandwich with Amber Eyes simply opening and closing, but there is a reminder of Kyla’s sisters hidden under Lye’s first post, which can only be described as a hidden gem. One slight drawback, perhaps, was BlackandBlueEyes’ “in the past” post, which would have possibly been situated nearer the beginning of the thread entirely, but it does, in a way, fit where it is. Also, the main scene between Lye and Maddy was a little rushed, and could have either been improved by extending it, or refining it a little to make it clearer. However, the overall pacing was perfectly understandable, and flowed in a good sense of time, through the main scene of the conflict and then the funeral with the Orlouge’s at the end.



Character: 20/30

Communication- 7/10

Amber Eyes: With a variant of characters that you include and write in this piece, there is not much distinction between each voice - but indeed, that is a hard thing to determine. Kyla herself does differ from Lye in their short interaction, and you can hear her determination in several places, most defiantly in post 5 with, “I have to do this or everything I’ve accomplished so far is nothing.” Overall well done on matching emotion with the dialogue of your character.
Lye: The strength of Lye is overwhelming as usual, and you do not fail to continue to show the strength of your character with his dialogue. Most enjoyable was his touch of humanity when commenting on Kyla just after he has killed her, which is poignant as well as revealing to perhaps a side of Lye that few see.
BlackandBlueEyes: Communication for your character is well written, however compared to the other two writers there could have perhaps been a little more to balance out the amount of action. This aside, though, your dialogue was strong and relayed the personality of your character.

Action-6/10

Amber Eyes: Overwell, well done. Your actions could have done with a little more development, and in general, similar to your dialogue there is no real defining difference between Kyla and Anita, which would have been good to see, as they are two different characters. Try giving them a set habit or similar, or even writing them in separate posts all together. This will help to separate them out.
Lye: What you manage to write well is the elegance of your character through his actions, to the extent where the reader can picture him clearly in their mind. A slight weakness, perhaps, is the pacing of one action to the next, and one scene to the next, but overall they are written well.
BlackandBlueEyes: You write your actions well, and carefully, though as previously commented in dialogue they do dominate over much of everything else regarding your character. Try just balancing with action, dialogue and inner thoughts a little, even experimenting, and it will make your writing progress.

Persona- 7/10

Amber Eyes: There could been a slight more development of Kyla’s character leading up to her decisions to come to the CH, and in general her actions seem fast, seeing as she came from the Ixian Knights. Similar, she seems a little too trusting of Lye, for all his reputation. Her persona is constant, which is good, but not in terms of background. It could have done with a little bit of a description relating back to the previous thread(s) etc. However, mostly very well done.
Lye: You write Lye well, and keep his personality stately and careful, yet there seems to be a little missing here. He is definitely angry, and his varying emotions in this piece do flow well, but there is a heavy reliance on the plot rather than your character’s base morals. It would be good to see some sort of brief glimpse in Lye’s eyes, or a short scene of him, by himself, that could show him other than the overall plot.
BlackandBlueEyes: In general Maddy is the one who does not show as much of her inner thoughts as the others, though her personality perhaps shines through the clearest. What would be really interesting would be to see her inner thoughts, and perhaps dreams, as a general direction to develop your writing. However, similar to the others, good in basis.



Prose: 20/30

Mechanics- 8/10

General: Mechanics in general was very well done here, as you all adhere to the standard rules of English in terms of sentence structure and paragraphing and gammer. However, there are a couple of points where there is incorrect dialogue paragraphing (posts 5, 7 and 9). Whenever a new line of paragraph is introduced there should always be a new paragraph and then a further paragraph with action after. This is the only thing affecting your score here.

Clarity- 6/10

General: There was a clear story here, however in part the whole piece could have been extended, and been made longer to have a greater build up. As mentioned in pacing, the build up to Lye and Madison’s conflict/argument was the least clear point, and the scene itself.
Amber Eyes: In terms of clarity there could have been more definition between your characters, and as mentioned under Character it might be worth placing each one with a separate post, however, more or less very clear.
Lye: There is a slight question at first glance of when Lye kills Kyla, in post 7, however it does come clear after a short explanation. Also, there is a tendency for you to rush at times, to get from one important scene to another, which affects your clarity, but only to a small extent. In general well written.
BlackandBlueEyes: Apart from the general comment, you are very clear in your words, picking them to define your characters movements and actions, with each one being obvious.

Technique- 6/10

General: Technique, overall was well done, with all three writers keeping up a steady description and a well-determined thread. One thing that was overall lacking was a use of linguistic techniques, where none of you really explored the idea of imagery and so on, rather using the Plot to drive the story. This is why there are less points awarded here than would usually be. Adjectives were present, and weren’t entirely forgotten, but like setting in this thread technique seemed to be placed to the side and action and story made more of a focus of. A truly good story balances everything together well.



Wildcard: 7/10

Kudos here for all of you for writing such a good thread in light of the death of one of the most interesting characters. Writing it, from Anita’s emotions, to the funeral itself, was well written when considering the emotions and reactions involved, so well done here.



Final Score: 68/100

Amber Eyes (http://www.althanas.com/world/member.php?14169-Amber-Eyes) receives:

998 EXP!
68 GP!

Congratulations!

Lye (http://www.althanas.com/world/member.php?2900-Lye) receives:

436 EXP!
41 GP!

Congratulations!

And Lye levels …. YEYYY!

Spoils Requested: All spoils are given, as agreed by all parties involved

BlackandBlueEyes (http://www.althanas.com/world/member.php?3431-BlackAndBlueEyes) receives:


490 EXP!
41 GP!

Congratulations!

[Lye]

EXP & GP Added!