A Diary of War

[Iriah Caitrak]

Day Two

The war has only just begun and yet I wish for it to stop. Already there are dead in the street and wounded in makeshift hospitals. The expressions on people’s faces are grim, yet hopefully, I wonder if that is because they cannot look over the great walls and see what is beyond them. They believe those walls are keeping them safe and for now they are, but the army that lies beyond is greater in numbers than any of us could have ever imagined. What we once thought as a safe haven has now turned into a cage and I know of no way to escape.

- The Memoirs of Captain Alikam from the Irrakam Guard

Fear and anxiety.

They were strong emotions, ones she could only hope she was not the only one feeling. The faces of those guards still left within The Keep were grim and determined, they knew what they were here for, to defend and to fight but also in a way, they were paid to die. It seemed like such a sad way to look at it, but it was true, joining the Irrakam Guard, one knew that there was a small chance a war like this could break out and in that inevitability one may lose there life. Therefore it came down to the fact that joining the guard one was being paid well to fight, kill and perhaps eventually be killed. Her naïve ways making her hope that somehow the faces she stared at now would still be here at the end of all of this, that she would still be here at the end of all of this. It was unlikely; perhaps nothing would remain when the war was finally over. But a human could hope it was after all, one of their strongest traits.

Ira hurried through the walls of The Keep, her flat-soled boots making barely a sound on the polished stone floor, which reflected her own image back at her. She looked away from it. Tapestries of other great battles and great moments in this lands history flew passed her, gently flapping in the warm air coming in through open windows. When this was all over with would their great battle soon hang on an embroidered piece of fabric soon to be forgotten as the generations grew old and only remembered a vague moment in time when hope seemed to be lost? Or perhaps they would not win at all and their defeat would become a great day celebrated by all of those in The Cult of Mitra and the Harpies who would happily dance upon the body of any Fallien citizen, including and especially The Jya. Ira could only hope that would not happen and she would fight to her last breath to see that the people of Fallien came out the victor and not those that wished to destroy them. And through all of this, as Mitra waged his war on Fallien soil, where was Suravani to protect her people? Where was the Goddess they worshipped so much? She was nowhere to be seen with no surprise to Ira. Gods served no point, when they were needed, when their people prayed the hardest there was never any kind of answer. In the end it always came down to the fact that you had to fight and win your own battles.

She came to a dead stop as she met up with Brynn, the Valkyrie warrior in some hallway in some part of The Keep. Right now her mind was in shambles and she wasn’t exactly sure what area they were standing in.

“The Harpies are heading towards The Keep.”

Ira nodded her head; she knew, she’d already been informed by one of the many Keep guards, another face to remember and hope for.

“I’ve sent as many guards as I can to the walls with arrows to shoot them from the sky but I don’t know if the efforts will even matter.”

Harpies were all over the city at this point in time; it was hard not to hear their shrill cries of hatred as they gorged themselves on the blood of the innocent. It was even harder to stay within The Keep walls as all of this was going on around her. Even from here the smell of smoke and burnt flesh was prominent, she could only imagine what the citizens were going through. She needed to be out there with them, not hiding in some well-protected fortress as if scared to fight for the region she loved and lived in.

“Where’s The Jya?”

“She’s still within her chambers with your daughter, they are both safe.” for now. Ira left out the last part though, she knew Brynn was probably thinking the same thing, worrying over the same people. There was no need to add to the woman’s anxiety.

Nodding her head to the woman, Ira turned and began hurrying down the hall again. She needed to find Izvilvin and then together they could help with the defences around here. He knew The Keep inside and out and he would know the best places to set up defences, while she knew barely a thing about the massive structure. Her fingers wound themselves around one of the two Irenian crystals hanging around her neck, it was warm from the heat of her skin and as she opened her palm and looked down she stared into an endless crystal blue. Her abilities as a Calerian were great and horrible at the same time. Out there, in the city, she could sense, she could feel the souls of those who had died and yet to move on. To her, this war would not end when they had pushed back the Cultists and the Harpies that was only the beginning. She had many more silent wars to fight that the citizens of this city would never know took place as she freed those trapped by their own turmoil and guilt over various things she could never begin to understand.

[Izvilvin]

The battle for Fallien had begun a day earlier, and since then there had been no respite.

Sometimes it paid to be a Drow. Izvilvin had only now felt this way, after he'd spotted the harpies in the distance, headed toward the Keep. If he hadn't been around, it was likely the harpies would not have been noticed for some time. After informing several guards of the impending arrival of the winged beasts, as best as he could without speaking, he left the Keep to run briskly along the roofs of the city.

He had a lust for harpy blood. An insatiable, neverending one that was good for Irrakam, but a nightmare for those who attacked his home.

And indeed, Fallien was his home. It was no longer a stop-off point in his life. More than Alerar ever was, these sandy lands were where his heart lay. When the blood of the innocent folk who had taken him in was spilled, he could no longer contain his rage.

Oh good, a harpy fluttering nearby.

With incredible agility the Drow leapt from the top of the building he'd been running on, guessing the harpy's location simply by the fluttering of wings that he'd heard. He drew a kukri while in midair, and landed on the creature's back, the curved knife slipping down its neck and into the cavity of its chest. Gurgling, the harpy fell, trying to keep itself aloft but finding it impossible.

Izvilvin landed hard but was up in an instant, not bothering to wipe the thick blood of the dead harpy from the weapon. The citizens, despite the efforts of every trained guard the Keep had, were dying. The Drow let out a primal roar, catching the attention of many nearby creatures.

Some swept away to fly toward him, and some, in turn, recieved a sword in their back as they foolishly ignored the men they'd been fighting. Izvilvin drew Icicle in his free hand to meet the vile ones, knowing that even if they chose to overwhelm him, the guards would strike at their backs while he defended himself.

A unified screech halted them, however, and the people of the city--guards, citizens and harpy alike--looked to the Keep. A large group of harpies were flying overhead, out of the range of arrows, and they were carrying something Izvilvin couldn't quite make out, even with his eyesight.

Then, the harpies dropped them.

Izvilvin didn't wait a half-second before breaking into another run, this time toward the Keep. He slashed behind himself, leaving blue mist in the wake of his blade, before sheathing his weapons and focusing on putting speed behind his sprint. Something was wrong.

He burst through the front gate and into the great structure, spotting Ira at the base of the main staircase. The look on his face betrayed his worry, and it was an expression beyond anything he'd shown during the seige. He pointed up the stairs, but could not think of any other way to convey his message. He could faintly smell something, but wasn't quite sure what it was.

[Iriah Caitrak]

Confusion. It overcame fear and anxiety easily and excited the inexperience within the warrior.

Ira turned left down another corridor, her legs propelling her further and further down the hall at a jogging pace that sent blood pumping through her veins and her heart hammering in her ears. It wasn’t just the pace though, she was scared and confused and so many other things she couldn’t describe. But she wouldn’t betray that, not upon the features of her face. She had to steel her expression to make it as calm and collected as possible, she was helping to lead these people and seeing a leader afraid of what was to come only caused turmoil to those around them. She had to give off the look of a confident leader, someone who knew what she was doing even while warring with herself on the inside.

Coming to a stop, the Calerian took a moment to catch her breath as she calmly exited along a set of balcony doors. There were already a few guards posted outside, their nervous glances sliding her way as their fingers wrapped around the wood of their bows. Arrows were held between fingertips, waiting to be notched and sent into the sky. Already some were sailing through the air and attempting to pierce the hearts of the Harpies getting close to The Keep, but they remained out of range, the arrows arcing and then falling harmlessly to the ground below.

Clenching her fists into a tight ball, Ira watched helplessly as the Harpies began to drop large jars on the ground of The Keep, a purplish mist bursting forth from the exploding clay and slowly spreading through the air.

What the…

One of the jars landed on the balcony Ira and a few of the guards were standing on, the shattering jar pelting them with shards of pottery and the warrior was forced to shield her face with her hands. As she lowered them her lungs began to choke as if all oxygen had been removed from the air and the purple mist from before was surrounding her and the others with her. A horrible taste and smell made the bile rise in her throat and even as her eyes watered she watched one of the soldiers hunch over and retch.

“G-get back into The Keep!” Somehow she managed to get the words out between gasping breaths and choking attempts to drive air into her lungs.

Listening to her own orders the Calerian stumbled into the Keep and took a few deep breaths of the untainted air, closing the balcony doors behind her once all the guards had managed to come inside as well.

“Evacuate The Keep…”

Shaking her head as she ran her fingers through her hair, Ira stood straight as she gave the order. The four guards looked at her confused, as if they couldn’t believe she was saying that. She may not be well versed in the ways of the rest of the world, but Fallien she knew and she also knew exactly what that was; poison.

“The jars contain poison, likely we’ve all just been exposed to enough of it to kill us…eventually. Depending on what kind of poison it is. They’re planning on flooding the entire Keep with it; we need to get everyone out. Give the signal…”

She needed to tell Brynn; by the souls of those already lost she needed to get to Izvilvin and The Jya as well. Watching the guards leave her, Ira hurried down the hall and turned, her fleet feet carrying her down the steps of the main staircase just as Izvilvin burst through the front doors, his face a mask of worry. He pointed back up the stairs and Ira nodded her head hurrying after the Drow as he raced through the many corridors. Her sense of direction skewed early on, she trusted him to know where he was going, and instinct alone telling her it was to The Jya. This proved correct as Ira and Izvilvin met up with her and her personal guard as they too attempted to escort her from The Keep, with Brynn's daughter, Astrid in The Jya's arms. By now the Harpies had already dropped a large sum of the poisonous gas on the grounds and it was beginning to seep in through windows with no glass.

Suddenly, Ira had a distinctive hatred towards windows with no glass.

“We need to get out of here.”

There was no time to be polite and respectful.

Jya nodded her head but a possible means of escape eluded her at the moment. The outside air was filled with poison, not to mention enraged Harpies that wanted every single one of them dead. Going out there was atmahanana. There had to be a better way…a time of only a few months before popped into Ira’s mind and she remembered when Letho, herself and a few other warriors had braved the secret tunnels under The Keep in order to save The Jya from a force that had overrun the palace.

“Surugga!”

The Jya nodded her head, “Asthana.”

She didn’t know the way, she was too lost within the myriad of twists and turns Izvilvin had taken her on to find Jya and even then she was unsure if she could find The Great Hall. The Jya seemed to realize this and was quickly leading the group to the right, down one flight of stairs and through multiple corridors. The poison was beginning to take root in The Keep, the heavy mist sinking to the floor yet their hurried steps kicked the substance into the air. Ira only hoped it was not enough to harm Izvilvin and Jya, she was more than sure she’d breathed in plenty to do whatever damage the Harpies had intended but as of yet she felt no ill effects.

Once in The Great Hall, Ira went ahead of Jya. She walked passed the figures of past heroic deeds and instead moved behind one of the many tapestries lining the wall. She remembered the door from when Letho and her had snuck through it and luckily she remembered which stone needed to be pressed in order for the door to open. Pushing on what appeared to be a wall, Ira watched as it gave way under her simple strength and she quickly moved aside to allow the others access. The Calerian was left hoping Jya knew her way around the tunnels for there would be no guiding soul of a long lost Priestess to help them through this time.

[Izvilvin]

Izvilvin caught the Jya's eyes when they met in the upstairs hallway, the leader flanked by four powerful female guards. He was nervous, but despite all that was happening, the Jya still managed to set him at ease with nothing but a gentle smile.

He followed her and the others downstairs, tasting the vile taste of whatever poison was seeping in. Since he and Ira had gone to Astaka, and Izvilvin was poisoned by the blade of an Arta, he'd developed a sort of tolerance for poison, or rather the ability to overcome it over time. He wasn't quite aware of it, but the Drow knew something was different in his body.

Despite being a prominant warrior in the Keep for the past year or so, Izvilvin never knew about the tunnels nor the secret door which gave access to them. As Ira opened the false wall, cool, rank air washed over the group. The Drow winced in slight protest of the smell, a mossy, yet dirty scent, but was the first to step through.

There was no light in the hallway, but Izvilvin was somewhat attuned to the darkness. He could make out faint shapes, but little else. If a pitfall surprised him, he would be helpless. Still, better him than one of the others.

He walked for a little while until finally some light appeared. Torches, somehow still burning despite how little the tunnels were used, began to appear in the distance. When they reached that point, the group saw that the tunnels split off into three different directions. Izvilvin halted, as did the company behind him. He turned to face the others, notably the Jya.

"Can you go on without me? Irrakam needs blades to defend against the cultists and the harpies."

He looked to Ira expectantly, almost waiting for her to pipe up and agree even though she couldn't understand him.

The Jya came close and looked through him, it seemed. "Of course, Izvilvin," she said in common, though through some magical means, he could understand her. "Fallien is your home as much as ours. We will be safe in the tunnels."

He looked from the Jya to Ira and wondered. He wasn't completely comfortable with it. Weren't there some hired hands in the city who could come along?

[Iriah Caitrak]

Though this was not Ira’s first time in the tunnels she felt little to no ease at all walking the paths once again. She remembered the death of Captain Eagis deep within the bowels of this place and she had no wish to ever return here, yet here she found herself. The smell was familiar to her yet she was none the less as uncomfortable and appalled by it as everyone else was. It choked her lungs and made her wish for fresh, clean air. Unlike the first time they came through here, Ira found herself taking different paths and the water that had slowed her previous trip through this secret maze was nowhere in sight now. The darkness was present though, like a thick blanket of fog and Ira could barely see her hand in front of her face, yet soon enough, as her feet carefully led her forward the light of torches emerged and left her wondering how they continued to burn even down here.

This was a question never to be answered as the group suddenly stopped and Izvilvin started speaking to Jya, who seemingly understood his words even though they were in a foreign language. This did not surprise her very much, what did was the fact that the Drow could understand Jya and Ira wondered what magic she used on him for that as half the time he barely understood anything she said to him. Though the words of Izvilvin confused her, Ira had no problem understanding what The Jya said but half the conversation did little to help and the Drow kept looking at her expectantly as if waiting for her to do or say something.

Finally the Jya turned to her and set the small child Astrid down on the floor of the tunnel, “We need to continue to move through the tunnels, but Izvilvin wishes to stay and fight.”

Ira nodded her head, “I’m staying behind as well…but…”

She didn’t feel comfortable with the Jya traveling through these tunnels with only four guards to protect her, even if they were four powerful females. She would feel a lot more comfortable if there were more of them, perhaps hired warriors that could help with the journey.

“Izvilvin is thinking the same…” Jya said to her, reading her thoughts. An act that was not very surprising to Ira as she had a certain Shaman do it to her all the time.

“We’ll go to the surface then and gather a few more people to help you on your journey. Do you know where you’ll be going…?”

She sighed as her eyes became distant, “Nirrakal would be a safe place to go to.”

“Then Nirrakal you shall. We should make for the closest exit to the surface.”

“There’s one up ahead, continue following this tunnel, turn right and there will be a small set of stairs leading up.”

Ira nodded her head and moved to the front of the group carefully leading them under the directions Jya had given her. Whether it was the different tunnels they had taken or their own blind luck, none of them had yet step on a trap and words of thanks for that were filtering through her mind. She didn’t need to see more people die needlessly under these tunnels. A few minutes later and Ira found herself searching along a wall for the stone needed to release the door. Unlike before she did not have a helping hand telling her where to find it, instead she had to blindly search the area until her fingers pressed against one that gave and finally released the door. Sunlight bathed the tunnel and Ira found herself staring into an empty stone structure of what she didn’t know.

“It’s an abandoned shop in The Merchant’s Walkway.” Jya said to her as Ira stepped out onto the dusty floor.

From the looks of it, the place hadn’t been abandoned for too long. The walls were covered in shelves, now empty of wares that had once adorned them. Along the back wall was a counter; the wood once gleaming a beautiful chestnut colour was now dull and beginning to turn grey. Everything had a light coating of dust and everywhere Ira walked she could see the path her feet had taken her. But she did not have time to admire the scenery, not that it was that spectacular to look at anyway.

Quickly moving to the front door, Ira opened it just enough to peer outside into the empty streets. She’d never seen the walkways of Irrakam look as deserted as they did now, not even in the darkest hours of night. There was always someone out aimlessly roaming. However the sounds of battle were close and Ira could hear the cries of Harpies as they killed the soldiers of Fallien and were in turn killed themselves.

Closing the door, Ira turned back to the others, “Jya, you’ll stay here with your personal guard while Izvilvin and I search for warriors to accompany you. Should anything go awry use the tunnels to escape.”

Jya nodded at her and the Calerian turned towards the Drow, motioning for him to follow her as Ira slipped out the front door and into the street.

[DakkonRyck]

The center of Dakkons existence had been a war- a war had decided the fate of his entire people in nothing more then a few strokes of a sword. And now despite himself he seemed to be entangled in war ever direction he turned. In fact he found at this point he was looking for it.

Dakkon was looking for a fight looking for a battle to call his own. Why? He wasn’t entirely sure but Aleria had said it was probably because Dakkon was an insane idiot but he already knew that much.

It was mostly his missing memories that drove him towards war because in every war he took part in he found himself remembering things that made no sense to him. There where to many blank spaces and not enough pieces to fill them yet.

He volunteered to help having made his way up the river when he heard about what was going on. Cultists and harpies and now he was inside the city. They hadn’t asked many questions when he told them he was a mercenary who was here to help if they needed him. They found the ‘If they needed him’ part funny.

And to think he was worried.

He stood just outside a narrow carter alleyway with a few Fallien troops he’d been paired up with- originally there had been about four of them but they’d lost one on the last Harpy raid they where trying to deal with. Despite more or less being a mercenary in this war- the troops he was with where happy to receive his company.

Dakkons main focus when it came to combat had always been long range so they didn’t have to wait so long to attack before the harpies got to close and possible take one of them with them.

That said no one was perfect.

How you feeling- this has been going on for hours.

Well what do you expect? You don’t win a siege- you try to withstand it. You weren’t expecting it to be over in five minutes where you?

Well… I can hope can’t I?

Dakkon twisted his wrist and worked to adjust the mithril bracers that now covered the outer section of his gauntlets- spoils of war before peaking out to watch the near empty street. Near because there were a few corpses laying around in general disarray.

The battle was going on a few streets over so the groups leader- which certainly wasn’t Dakkon moved out into the street and motioned for the others to follow.

He did and could only hope this would help him find what he was looking for

You’re still fucking crazy.

Oh shut up.

[Nein]

One would’ve been fair.


Afterthoughts rank with futile comments, where it was no longer a lone harpy but three giving chase, hoping to tear into his pathetically weak flesh. Not too enthusiastic about such a fate, Drenn had taken to escape and found himself hitting the ground hard.

Shoulder, hit, roll tight.


A single terrible screech echoed behind him through the tight alleyways, forcing the Fallien native to quicken his pace. Open streets became blurred, as another set of individual alleyways offered him refuge from winged menace.

A flutter of feathers, far too late.


One foot placed squarely on a shop front forced the foreword momentum into vertical, while another foot above it offered greater height and a final flip off the wall and over the harpy. Into the adjacent alleyway, and a sharp turn forced the shadowed man to accept another vertical position, double jumping from this empty space to the opposing window sill, and off again to the building rooftop he had first been confronted with.

Perhaps they enjoyed the hunt, Drenn mused, as the unhindered two easily took flight behind him, screeching those terrible chords of hatred against his kind.


One great leap from this rooftop and it seemed that the dark sky consumed this man, if it were not for his arctic eyes in the dim street light. Onto the next, he easily absorbed the impact by crouching in his landing, and continued across the building lines.


Jump…


Barely catching the raised ledge of the next shop in line, he leapt once more against an opposing wall, clinging onto the edge before carefully dropping to the ground. No focus, no thought, only the empty shops to keep him company with the hope that he would run across help before it was too -

Jumping towards the opening of a closed market cart, he slipped through and and touched the ground lightly before bursting forward again, using his shoulder to take the force of flying through closed window slats. Wood splinters burst as he forced himself into the empty shop, a stinging sensation in his shoulder numbed by the rush of adrenaline.

Crack


Unrelenting, the terrible winged mistresses attempted to bring down the door.

Looking desperately for an exit, a glimpse of pale light turned his focus on a closed exhaust vent in the ceiling. As the door flew off its hinges, Drenn had already escaped upon the rooftops once again, those now familiar screeches muffled in the empty shop.


Building, building, building.


All adjacent, all level leaps until the street appeared once more in a gap that could not be covered, despite his level of ability. He met with the eyes of a number of men, all seemingly armed and prepared to move. Drenn could only stare, looking behind him for an instant before meeting their eyes once more. Must’ve been a sight…

[Special Forces]

Leo was walking down the street while saying to himself Where is everyone.. "Ohhh thats were they are?" He said when he saw the dead bodies on the ground.

He then spotted a group of men standing there and yelled "What happened here mates?" He then heard a screech of a harpy and said under his breath Harpies. He then said "So can i join in your little battle?" While he unsheathed his rapier.

[DakkonRyck]

It has finally happened.

Eh?

The beings around you have finally risen to a level of stupidity higher then you- one asks for permission to fight- even though he should do so anyway as to not die. And the other stands on the roof as HARPIES attack.

Everything is not always so cut and dry- maybe he’s on the roof for a reason?

And the other?

Umm… I dunno anything to say about that.

Unfortunately for the man on the roof the rest of the men where briefly distracted by his comments and yelling and turned to look his way. The screeching of harpies though quickly had there attention once more and Dakkon motioned them towards the figure on the roof. The commanding officer spoke quickly but with an obvious degree of experience.

“Dakkon and Yinala take the left and watch the roof behind the stranger for whatever is pursuing him. Me and Falin will stay over here and try to coax a way down for the stranger.” There wasn’t any debate either- not even from Dakkon or Aleria. They’d been in this group for awhile and had already learned quite a bit about how to take down something in the air. The Commanding Officer knew what he was talking about and Dakkon wasn’t about to debate with him.

He and Yinala quickly moved across the street to provide cover. Yinala was talented with a bow and Dakkon had seen her hold the draw string back for almost half an hour in preparation to fire. They reached the other side and Yinala took up position in the back bow drawn but not trained on anything. After all the man on the roof wouldn’t want us to look like we where shooting at him. Dakkon took a knee and sat balanced with a chakram in hand. He took a spare moment to motion towards the man who’d ask if he could fight.

The Captain and Falin where standing right under the man on the roof and motioning for him to jump down quickly.

A harpy’s screech tore through the air as it appeared behind the man. Then two more.

The bow lifted to train on the first that came into view and let it fly. Dakkon did the same with a chakram.

Dakkon heard Aleria laugh.

I like this Captain he’s not only trying to save this man but he’s using him as bait to set a trap for the harpies chasing him. So amusing.

[Special Forces]

Leo nodded and ran towards him when harpies appeared. Smiled and said "It is time old boy." He slashed at the wing of the second harpy trying to cut it off. When he saw a harpy going for the guy on roof. He yelled "Watch out behind you." He then felt a sting on his upper right arm. He then looked over and saw it was bleeding. He looked up and said "Ouch that hurt. This will hurt worse." He jumped up and slashed at it's throat.

[Nein]

One glance.


One instantaneous moment where each and every individual thread of time stalled, flickering finely for a mere split second before tearing the binds and limitations of perception placed upon them by an influx of adrenaline, and throwing the fair skinned man into the obscure dimensions of reality.

It was the screech that caught his attention, over his shoulder. Wings fluttered while two more terrible calls tore into the very air around them. Drenn wasted little time, using what little space left he had for speed before planting a foot firmly on the edge of the building and leaping from it.

One breath.


Not enough time for another, before the cobblestone below rose quickly and the nimble man took to it with a tight roll, absorbing the force of the drop using both momentum and practiced ability. A slight nod was all the necessary gratitude he would show, before slipping between the armed soldiers (he presumed) and into the darkness behind them.

To catch his breath, of course.

[DakkonRyck]

The harpy in the street let out another screech of intense surprise. The one which had been near the ground was caught off guard by a suddenly if not unexpected slash of a sword. But not enough to be go down so easily but such a simple attack. A sudden flap of its heavy wings brought the harpy to a dead stall for less then a moment before quickly sending it into the air. The slash formally directed at its neck and body met with nothing but the clear air under it as it rose into the sky.

The two which had been behind the man on the roof where not so lucky. A sharp hiss and a heavy thud were all that the other two had time for. One took not a single arrow- but two to the chest. The first having clipped a shoulder the second- let off so fast the harpy barley had time to react and took an arrow to the chest. A heart shot from the look of it. A violet flap followed as it fell from the air its feet clipping off the edge of the roof and tumbling down into the street. The other and the second to fall took a fast whirling bladed chakram to the face. The screech cut off mid squeal before it too fell dead against the edge of the roof top- and hanging by balance only for a few moments then tumbled into the street below.

Dakkon was already on the move to retrieve his fallen weapon- his flank covered with another notched air aimed at the climbing harpy.

She let it fly- but it arched too soon and went just under the creature passing between its ankles. It took off in a definite rush as it wasn’t stupid enough to fight when quite out numbered at this moment in time.

Dakkons chakram retrieved he took only a moment to peer at the retreating Harpy before looking at the new… arrivals.

Where the hell had these people come from? The fighting was going on a few streets over- where they civilians?

I would assume… stranded travelers of some kind.

Either way we cannot remain in the street with such… unprepared guests.

Certainly not. Why not say so?

The Commanding officer suddenly motioned towards the nearest building in the street an old bakery shop with a large glass window now broken to pieces. Jagged shards now rimmed the sides of the frame, it would be insane to try and fly through and arrows could easily be fired outward.

“Move indoors so we can find out what these two are doing in the middle of a Battle Zone- neither of them appear to be regular combatants.”

See? Since when have I EVER had to say anything thus far? This guys a mind reader I swear.

Either way. Move!

Dakkon and the others went inside- assuming the two would follow. They weren’t forced to follow but… well it wasn’t a good idea to remain in the street by ones self.

[Special Forces]

Leo nodded and wiped the blood off his rapier and sheathed it. He then walked up to the building and walked in. He then said "What happened here." He then started searching the bakery for food and drinks.

[Nein]

Drenn had already wandered further along the narrow alleyway, comfortable in the shadowed familiarity of tight passages. Running a hand absently through his thick onyx hair, the young man breathed a final sigh of fatigue before looking back to the soldiers. It was beyond him, how easily they dispatched such demon women in so short time. There remained a foreign longing within his arctic eyes, void of emotion save a hint of jealousy and hurt pride.

“Move indoors…”

As the words echoed lightly past, his ears picked up and Drenn figured he would welcome the safety in numbers, whether he enjoyed it or not. Death by harpies was not terribly admirable, and there was a fairly good chance that the soldiers knew something of their increasing numbers. Taking to the rear service entrance, the lithe man noticed an opening above the door for air, and kicked off the opposing face wall before slipping into the building.

Sensations of warmth and …


Baked goods?


… baked goods filled his nostrils, even as Drenn touched carefully to the floor. Looking beyond several large ovens and working tables, he could see the soldiers entering through the front, as moonlight poured through a broken window. Snatching up a small loaf for himself as he realized his hunger, Drenn took a seat on one of the tables, placing his foot on an empty chair for support before taking a bite from the slightly stale bread.

If they were to have his attention, now was the best time.

[Iriah Caitrak]

While they’d been travelling underground the setting sun had passed from the sky and the moon had taken up residence. It’s bright facet chased away as much of the deep Fallien night as it could but the empty streets of Irrakam were mostly left in shadow and darkness. She’d never seen it this barren. Even in the midst of night there were always a few people wandering the winding roads, but not tonight. Tonight there was the wind, the stars and the moon and they were the only friendly creatures out. Harpies still flew overhead, their eyes accustomed to the darkness, and far off Ira could still hear the sounds of battle. Silently she prayed that they were winning those battles. The Merchant’s Quarter held very little housing and as such the Calerian could hope most of the occupants had already fled from the area. But with the entire city under siege it left her wondering where they could go that would be safe. Was there ever truly a safe place to go in the midst of a war?

The silence of the night provided no answer to her internal question and her own mind could help her little. Never had she been in such a situation. Never did she wish to be again.

Pressing her back against the cold, rough surface of a wall, Ira inched towards the corner. She poked her head out enough to see that the street beyond was deserted but brightly lit by the moon. It cast the stone and the sand into shades of blue that on any other night she would have found beautiful. Tonight she could not admire it. Looking to the clear sky, Ira scanned the stars and waited but saw no movement of harpies ahead. Turning her head to Izvilvin, she nodded and headed out into the street. She kept as close as she could to the buildings in case any harpies flew overhead. As much as she would love to rip those disfigured kulaksuta into pieces she knew that with just Izvilvin and herself they could get into a very dangerous situation very quickly. It was best to keep out of sight for the moment.

Taking a deep breath, Ira reached out with her limited abilities to feel around for anyone nearby. Stopping for a moment, the Calerian concentrated harder to try and pick through the mass of souls she could feel in the city. Souls released from their mortal bodies. Even as she stood there she felt a few of them move on to their proper resting place and urge within her to go help the rest was strong, extremely strong. It was her job more so than what she was doing right now. But she could do nothing to help them until the fighting had stopped for until that ceased the dead would keep piling up. Those souls were not what she had stopped for and as she concentrated harder she was able to pick it up again. There was a grouping of people, four, no…probably five just a few streets away from them in The Merchant’s Quarter.

“Izvilvin, there’s a group ahead of us and down the next street…”

The language barrier between the two of them had never really bothered her much before but now she was wishing he could understand exactly what she said the way he understood Jya. She could only hope he understood some of the message just as she could only hope the group were not harpies. They were most likely merchants who had yet to leave or perhaps even a family trying to keep safe. There was the slight chance they were what Izvilvin and her were looking for though, warriors who could escort Jya to Nirrakal. Perhaps even a small force of Fallien soldiers that had been separated from the main forces. Whatever the case, Ira needed to head in that direction. Once the pain in her chest stopped.

Wincing slightly, Ira pressed a hand to her chest as the pain started again. It had been happening in bursts since they left the tunnels and it was slowly growing more painful and more frequent. Turning from her friend for a moment, Ira covered her mouth with her hand as a fit of coughing overcame her. When she pulled her hand away it was speckled with blood that looked black in the darkness. Quickly wiping it on her robes, the Calerian began moving towards the group ahead of them, while her mind worried over what was wrong with her. It had to be the jars the harpies had dropped on The Keep. She knew they were filled with poison the moment she’d began breathing in that stuff but now she was beginning to feel the effects of it. She knew she needed to find some kind of antidote, but the problem was she didn’t know what kind of poison it was. There was also the fact that Jya; Astrid and The Jya’s personal guards had breathed it in as well. Though she had the feeling Jya could possibly cure them, the rest of The Keep’s guards must be suffering the same effects she was beginning to feel. If they weren’t already dead.

Pushing the thoughts aside, Ira kept her eyes on the road ahead of her and on the sky as her and Izvilvin moved forward. She’d start to worry about herself once Jya and Astrid were safe and en route to Nirrakal.

[DakkonRyck]

Surely such a thing was bound to happen. Even the group of warriors which had been moving through the city together took the time to gather up whatever food was lieing around- weather it be a few hunks of bread of even less. Some food was better then none. At that point only two people seemed uninterested in the food. Dakkon was one who instead stayed by the window to watch the street and the air. And the other was the Captain of this little group who in turn made his way towards the misplaced pair.

He dropped into a low crouch when he found common ground between the two- eyes roaming over each one of them in turn. It had been difficult to tell before and was still no easy task as he was wearing a helmet- the captain wasn’t just in charge but one of the oldest ones (Seemingly) out of the group. So he of course got right to the point.

“What are you both doing here? Are you lost- citizens where supposed to take shelter or evacuate if possible.” This was more then a polite interrogation- but also a test.

”Speak quickly. We have a battle to get to and we’ll waste as little time here as need be.”

Some screeching from above silenced most of the room- at least those who had been rummaging for bits of food. A group of harpies flew over head but passed over on there way towards the main conflict no less.

Dakkon simply raised his hand and everyone went back to what they where doing though perhaps a little quieter then before.


So far this is going well?

You think?

Oh yes- no giant monsters. Strange men who talk to themselves and mutter evil things about disemboweling babies…

You have a weird sense of humor.

No pink fluffy giant killer rabbits or princesses in trouble to protect…

I GET the point.

No giant rocks falling on condors…

Ah--- where did that come from?

I’ll tell you the story some other time- I heard a few drunkard elves talking about it in a bar before we arrived here.

Well don’t worry- things like that don’t actually happen. Probably just some old wives tale.

Dakkon took a moment to catch a small hunk of bread that was tossed his way and to munch on it without much complaint. It was stale, hard… but like a lot of things in this city it was still good.

[Izvilvin]

Under the dark sky the two friends skulked, Ira in front of Izvilvin, who kept an eye on their surroundings and an ear focused. Bodies of harpy and human alike lay scattered in the open parts of the city, already beginning to smell, and birds of night had taken to feast. It was all Izvilvin could do to hold back the lurches of his stomach. At least the death had stopped for now.

Ira spoke to him, but he only caught a pair of words. Five and four. She seemed to be looking beyond the corner of a specific building, though, so he put a hand to rest on her shoulder and moved beyond her, looking for himself. The Drow’s lavender eyes pierced the darkness easily, and he could see the people. All that mattered was that they weren’t harpies.

Izvilvin tried to convey this to Ira, but found it impossible. He didn’t know the word for harpies, nor humans, which he realized was odd. In his excitement he hadn’t heard her coughing until after she’d wiped the blood on her clothing. As if realizing she wasn’t well, he placed a hand on her back and rubbed it fondly. It was all he could do.

The humans were within a small building at the end of the next sidestreet, eating something as he witnessed them through the window. Fortunately for them, he thought, harpies didn’t quite have his caliber of vision. Izvilvin tugged on Ira’s hand and pulled her forward confidently, his weapons bouncing with each eager step he took. The sooner they gained some support, the better.

It took some careful navigation to avoid walking in the open, but they eventually made it. Harpy corpses were about, fresh ones, which only furthered Izvilvin’s confidence. He strode to the door and could hear voices within. Anxiously, he entered.

The smell of bread assaulted him; not fresh, warm bread, but bread over a day old. The ovens were not lit, but the bakery was serving a new purpose anyhow. Soldiers had crowded inside, including a few wayfarers not dressed in Fallien garb at all. Izvilvin and Ira were met with looks of surprise, hope, and concern all at once.

“The bakery’s serving as a stronghold for now,” briefed a nearby female guard, her gaze hard with experience. “We have citizens upstairs, but none of them, or us, can bake any bread. We’re running off of what’s already made.”

Izvilvin moved past the guard to let her deal with Ira. His gaze settled on those who he knew weren’t from Fallien, his mind considering.

[Special Forces]

Ichigo said "We are being watched." He then drew his rapier and finished his piece of stale bread. He leaned against the sturdy wooden door. He then said "I am here to collect rare and uncommon things." He then slid a tin capsule on the tip of his rapier for the fight that might happen.

[Nein]

Coughing arduously towards the prospective idea of pathetic vulnerability, and on the hardened loaf of bread, Drenn J’hald was quick to speak his mind.

“Oh, surely I must be lost if I haven’t yet hid from the scary harpies!”


Sarcasm itself was a foreign term, but the concept had been utilized so suitably in following that sharp unbelieving laugh, that few would doubt its presence. Smugly, the young man smiled, his bright features contorted in disbelief. Though in heavy consideration his brow furrowed and an uncertain ire proved prominent.

“Listen,” a tone considerably more serious, “I will not stand idly by while this land, our land, is defiled by these betrayers and their harpy beasts. I was in the militia as any other, and I intend to fight.”

In a deep exhale, Drenn’s irritation subsided.

Crumbs now littered the floor beneath him as his unnerved disposition dissipated, having inadvertently crushed whatever meal could be found from the bread within his hands; the unremitting irritation he suffered would consume more than a meagre meal if he refused to take more caution.

“I didn’t need your help…”

[Iriah Caitrak]

When Izvilvin grabbed her hand and led her forward, Ira didn’t protest. She trusted the Drow with her life and though she couldn’t tell if the souls she sensed had been human or otherwise he was clearly confident in his perception not to lead them right into a group of the enemy. In fact, they walked right over the enemy. Fresh corpses with blood still glistening in the silver light of the moon. Their stench was prominent and it wasn’t the stench of death but harpies themselves. They smelled worse than any rotting corpse.

Stepping through the front door of what had once been a bakery, Ira found herself immediately talking with a female guard on watch. She quickly laid out the situation for the Calerian, who nodded her head and moved further into the room. There were three members of the militia here and three strangers, no, only two. One was a native of the land. He was not dressed as the militia though, perhaps just another citizen willing to take up arms against those who would harm his land. There was also a small heated conversation going on. The words were loud in the silence and made her cringe. Harpies had a good sense of hearing and the last thing they needed was for a group of them to hear them. Walking over to the man, the Calerian placed a hand upon his shoulder and her silver eyes met his blue eyes. It was so rare to see a native with such vibrant colour outside of her own tribe and for a brief second she thought he may actually be a Calerian. But there was no crystal upon his neck. He was not of her tribe.

“*Anusamadha, pratiya. The last thing we need is harpies hearing us. Now, who’s the Captain?”

“That would be me.”

Ira’s eyes searched the darkened shop of the bakery and eventually fell upon the face of a middle-aged man. There were wrinkles around the corners of his mouth and eyes, dark eyes hardened by years of fighting. He wore the common leather armour so many of the militia did and his hand rested upon the hilt of his sword, ever ready for battle. She had seen many of his kind in her time within The Keep.

“The siahd’s that travel with you?”

“Dakkon here is a mercenary, he’s been travelling with us all day. The other one, we picked up along the way, as well as the native. Forgive me, I know not their names.”

The Calerian nodded her head, “Ira Shinkara and Izvilvin. We’re searching for a small group to assist in an escort.”

The Captain’s face furrowed in thought, “Escort where? The entire city is a battleground.”

“To Nirrakal.”

“Who is it we’ll be escorting? Citizen’s?”

Ira did not wish to depart that information. Not yet. Militia he may be but the others in the room were not and she was unsure if she could trust them. Lying was not something she took pride in doing though.

“Yes, we’ve been escorting small groups of citizen’s away from the city for some time now. We’re starting to run out of able soldiers to take them to safety though.”

The Captain nodded his head, “Understood.”

She turned away from The Captain and looked to the man known as Dakkon, her eyes resting upon him for a moment. She received a strange sense from him, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. The other siahd with them struck her as just an average warrior. Should she trust them with the life of Jya and Astrid though?



(*“Calm, please.”)

[Special Forces]

Leo was listening to the conversation and said "I'll go with you." He then grabbed his bread from the table and started eating it.

[DakkonRyck]

Escorting Citizens?

That is what she said…

You don’t believe her.

No- but then again I don’t believe anyone when they say anything. How do we know we can trust them?

We don’t and it’s not our choice it’s the captains for a reason. Besides… you know how I love to play the meat tank to a bunch of random folk who need a hand.

I think my sarcastic nature is starting to rub off on you.

Despite the on goings in the room and the conversation not to mention the current event they were currently taking part of a slight amused smile touches at the edge of Dakkons lips. Not for long as it soon fades those keen spectral senses he held would have drove him batty in such a noisy place. And he wasn’t speaking about the bakery… no… it was all the freshly dead in this place- there spirits wandered and spoke screamed and cried. He heard every words and sound. He didn’t know if anyone else in the city could but the battles helped him drain out the sounds and focus on the task at hand. If it wasn’t for the money he would never have come with in a mile of this place.

Dakkons position at watch was all that mattered occasional peeking up over the ledge of the broken window to peer out into the surrounding world for any sign of life or movement letting his vibrant blue eyes train skyward for any hint of discovery or movement.

He found nothing- for now. A shrill wraiths screech brought his calm demeanor to an end with a visible wince which drew his attention back to the room. He had been paid to fight in the city- not escort a few citizens out of it. But more importantly he was to follow the Captains orders.

“If there are no objections and you can spare me I’ll assist in escorting the citizens out as need be.” Showing he was willing and offering of his assistance. Regardless he would let the captain decide for him.

Only a moment had he felt the eyes on him and by the time he looked back they where gone. He didn’t know who so he simply pretended he hadn’t noticed having never taken his eyes from the windows opening.

Guess you trust her then…

I trust her intents, not her words… something else that has rubbed off on me from you.

[Iriah Caitrak]

Ira nodded her head to them in thanks as they gave word of assistance. It was a relief in one aspect, yet still gnawing worry in another. They thought they were escorting citizens to Nirrakal, but once they returned to the shop she would not be able to conceal her lie. Not only would any Fallien native recognize The Jya but her personal guards were unmistakable and right now there were four of them back in that shop. She’d had no choice though; the Calerian could not have blurted out the truth in front of people she couldn’t trust.

“Where are the citizens right now?”

Ira focused her attention back on the Captain instead of her own thoughts; “We left them in an abandoned shop not far from here. Come, we should head out immediately.”

Nodding her head to Izvilvin, Ira moved towards the front of the building. Her eyes pierced the darkness as best they could and with the light of the moon it was rather easy. The street still looked empty and so did the skies but she could still hear the sound of battle carried through the wind if she strained her ears. The sound of the dead was much louder to her, but they were screams she would have to ignore.

“Keep to the buildings and the darkness as much as possible. We don’t need a battle slowing us down and we don’t want to lead the enemy to them.”

Without glancing behind her, Ira led the way out of the ruined bakery. She moved through the streets as quietly as she could, keeping to the shadows where possible and where it wasn’t she pressed herself up against the buildings. Twice harpies flew overhead and twice she held her breath hoping that they didn’t notice them, hoping that they wouldn’t attack. Luck won out in the end, but Ira didn’t know how much more of it she’d be graced with. The pain in her chest was slowly becoming a constant burn that would go away and Ira knew once they had the Jya and Astrid away to safety she would have to find an antidote. But she didn’t know where to look or what poison flowed through her veins.

It didn’t take long for Ira to lead them back to the shop. The grimy windows looking out over the empty street and from her position Ira could see no one within. For a moment a wave of panic washed over her and the worst came into the forefront of her mind, then she calmed her beating heart. Nothing had happened to them, they were merely staying away from the windows.

Glancing behind her, Ira nodded her head to the Captain and raced across the street as quickly as she could. Slipping through the front door of the shop, the Calerian nodded her head to the guards on duty and moved towards Jya, who sat with Astrid in the back of the room.

“We’ve found a few militia and some civilians to help in the escort.”

Jya nodded her head.

When the Captain slipped into the shop he quickly followed Ira to the back, “You already have guard here, personal guard…what more could you—” His words were cut off as he saw whom Ira was speaking to. “J-Jya.” Forgetting himself for a moment, the Captain quickly bowed before The Jya. “It would be an honour to help in any way.”

[Special Forces]

Leo walked into the building and said "These are Jya." Leo the got on his knees and bowed his head.

[Nein]

Shushed in native tongue, Drenn was bitter but understanding.

Calming as his native tongue was - the young headstrong man could only sit idly by and chew casually upon stale bread. It was not his place to argue the politics of military positioning and precision placement. Any man who fought on the ground was in no such place, and only fought when and where told to.

Still…

… it was somewhat insulting to be escorting civilians when an entire city lay in siege, that such a rudimentary task would be handed down to the captain of an already battle proven unit, despite what other militia they maintained. In another bite, Drenn shrugged and remained unaware of the ongoing events that were clearly out of his immediate control.

“Where are the citizens right now?”

What? Silly captain.

Moments later, the captain and his men had left the shop, leaving several strange looking men to reflect on the hasty decision. One by one, they left, until the last of them sighed and threw his bread into the darkness of the bakery. It was this very darkness that filled the open sky, save the untouched stars, allowing the followers of this mysterious girl to trickle behind her unnoticed.

Several times they stopped, as the familiar beating of wings overhead left a sickening feeling within the put of every stomach near. On this final stop, Drenn raised his brow and eyed the lass, unaware that they had already arrived upon the destination…

Slipping around the small building and in the front door, Drenn quietly closed the door as the last man in. It was only as his eyes adjusted and he turned around that he noticed something unusual; a captain bowing to the form of a –

“Jya?”

It made sense.

It made the young man, too, bow slightly in her presence. Altogether it remained a subconscious reaction, as there no longer remained a Jya but the lasting image of his own mother. Uncaring in her strict demeanour, she wouldn’t hesitate to berate the boy for his wrongdoings, however minor they had been.

In her eyes, he was a failure.

Of course, this was not his mother.

This was the Jya.

[Izvilvin]

Izvilvin followed closely as Ira led the way through Irrakam’s city, his ability to see in the dark allowing him to pick out harpies in the sky, regardless of how high they were. Had he the vision of a human, he wouldn’t have thought there were so many soaring ahead.

He, like Ira, felt the burn of pain inside of him, but his immune system was already filtering it out and adjusting to mend the damage. His body reacted quickly to poison ever since the time an Arta’s weapon struck him. Izvilvin remembered fondly how Ira had nursed him back to health.

They made it to the abandoned shop without any pitfalls. In the Jya’s presence, Izvilvin didn’t bow low, but merely nodded his head. They had a relationship close enough that he didn’t feel the need to do it. Perhaps that was a prominent reason why he’d never be a typical leader.

”I would go with you if you asked, lady Jya,” he said softly, his native tongue dripping effortlessly from his mouth. ”If not, they will escort you and the others.”

The Jya smiled her sweet, relaxing smile and approached him, speaking in the Common tongue. “Izvilvin, you need to stay here and protect our people,” she said, no emphasis on our, speaking as if it was a typical thing to say. “Use your fallen friend’s blade to protect his homeland for him. I will go with these travelers. If you two have reason to trust them, I will not doubt your judgment.”

Though she spoke in Common, the words were clear as day to Izvilvin. The Jya’s magical way of communication put him at ease.

He looked to Ira, determined. “Fight with me?”

[DakkonRyck]

Dakkon could remember a time where a lack of stealth was his greatest flaw. Oh how things had changed… the small group drifting through the streets was strangely quiet. This pair who came to them to assist with this small escort had to have something important in mind. True most countries valued all of there citizens so there had to be something special with this situation. Perhaps it was a large group or a group of children. Stale bread had found it’s way into the small travel bag he’d kept with him enough to perhaps feed himself and two or three other people. He could only hope his responsibilities ended simply with an escort. If it was just citizens he didn’t have too much to worry about.

They entered the small building – Dakkon came last checking the rear to make sure no one was watching. Not a soul… well lots of souls but not a living soul that he could see. The door closed and he turned to a rather interesting sight. His captain in a bow as where the other soldiers of his group all accept him. He paused awkwardly for a moment as he heard his captain speak – only a few words but with such respect and reverence he slipped into a similar though awkward kneeling himself. Though honestly he was just utterly confused

Well now. Isn't this is an interesting turn of events.

Certainly not something I expected.

…

What?

Who’s Jya?

I don’t know.

Trust – trust was key and he Jya trusted them. This random group of strangers, selected by this women and man seemingly out of the blue. Dakkon would never have been so trusting and if he was Aleria would have rightly corrected him in due order. But now he was just loaded with questions hardly well educated about anything in Althanas he had only recently ventured out into other countries beyond the Outer Regions. Still – things where about to get interesting…

You mean dangerous.

Same thing isn’t it?

I hope you die.

…

Yes, I forgot that I die also.

Just shut up, I can't hear what they're talking about.