Everflame: The Shard

[Grace.E]

Aria hit several others, with the stick, she fought long and hard as she dodged sharp weapons and a couple of arrows, but unfortunately the loss of blood was beginning to effect her more and began to feel weaker but she continued fighting with all her strength. he better get his butt over here to save me before I die!

[Entaru]

Entaru walked in silence behind his master, letting him take in the raven's words.    He looked at their surroundings with aloof interest, the theatre barely registering in his mind.  He was deep in thought...wondering what was going to be said and done.  As they reached the room, he huffed a bit and waited for his master to sit, so that he may follow suit.

[KittKat chunky~]

Imshi landed with a rush of feathers, foregoing grace and instead slowing the descent with a swipe of her expansive wings that sent air and dust into swirling eddies. She stood with tears and anger in her eyes, ignoring Siyan and Meredith completely, instead walking to Yenchi's turned back with purpose in her stride.

"You do not make a decision for the both of us, regardless of who you think you are!" She shouted as he walked and, with surprising strength she grabbed him by the shoulder and twisted him round to face her, keeping a grip on the collar of his Teresa clan clothing. She pressed the knives he had dropped to Yenchi's chest and stared hard into his blue eyes. "Don't think for a second that I asked you out of some childish decision, or merely for fun. When I asked you to be my sworn servant I meant it Yenchi."


He stared back with the same calm look that he always had and, still silent, he gripped her hand at the wrist and tried to prise it off his collar. Struggling for a moment to break her grip Imshi watched with tears that still welled in her eyes. Finally he gave up and dropped his hands to his sides, meeting her eyes with a look of self-loathing she had not seen before. "Why would you want me as your sworn servant Imshi? You're obviously stronger than me, taller than me, better than me at everything any man from your clan is."

At this Imshi released him and instead drew him into an embrace, leaning close until she could feel his warmth, feel him return the embrace in confusion but thankfully. She said her last words in a hushed tone, her breath making Yenchi's feline ear twitch "I know all those things, but I chose you. Not for your strength Yenchi, but for who you are. That is why i break tradition so badly. That is why my parents wish me out of the clan."

She pulled away and held out the knives to him once more. Yenchi glanced over her shoulder to where Meredith watched on the sidelines, then took the knives with a humble nod his head and sigh of wavering relief.

[Asia Kali Yusufzai]

The guards swarmed around Aria, dodging, blocking and swiping at the nimble girl. Arrows flew and blades flashed while more guards reinforced.

The Jackal rolled her eyes at Talin. "We're not just here for your sake you know. If we let a dangerous person like you loose, and then you have another 'episode', that'll be blood on our hands." She handed the blade back to one of her guards and bundled it away in a cloth and headed away through the crowd of guards. "Now as for the proposal, I dont have the power to excuse her. The Queen or priestess will decide her fate, but if you come quietly I will guarantee my utmost support for her exile." She reached to one of the female officers, tapped her and gestured over to the fight in the distance where Aria was. "That's the best she can hope for, all things considered. Are we agreed?"




Little-Hands gestured around to the cave.
"Seeker tells us. She is everywhere and she is old. She knows this hyena. She says his name is Nero." The girl leaned forward on Saviour's head, imploring his understanding. "If that is his name then Seeker is right and you know his evil. We must stop him. Seeker can feel him, he's trying to come back to life."



Aman floated around the table and sat facing the door. Dim lane took a bulbous green fruit and gulped it down his throat. There was only one seat beside Aman, he decided to stay standing behind them. Soon afterwards the door opened, allowing two more guards along with the four already there. The room had no windows or chimneys and quickly began to heat. Behind the two guards and with two guards behind her who stayed outside, the Queen stepped in. Dim Lane bowed, while Aman didn't even stand. The Queen winced.
"Right, first thing's first," she said. "Names. I know you Aman, but who are these other two." She gestured to the room. Dim Lane remained remarkably quiet.

[Self-sain]

Siyan walked along the edge of the riverbed, Meredith holding his hand. He stopped after she abruptly kneeled down.
  "Siyan," she whispered, "do you ever feel as if something is missing?"
  "Well.. what do you mean by something?" It was always best not to assume with Meredith, she had a taste for inquiry that not even the oldest of men understood.
  "I mean.. inside you," she pulled at her dress near her chest, ".. when I look in the water.. I see me but.. I don't see everything. Its like there is some void in the reflection." Meredith's eyes began to tear up, she brushed her small hands in the river breaking her reflection. Siyan didn't know how to answer this, he raised his arms to grasp her, but stopped wondering if it would be the best thing to do.
  "Is it about your parents?" he finally drug out.

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Talin nodded, then sheepishly smiled as he looked the Jackal in the eyes. "Master Akela, can I at least have a wooden sword so I won't be out of practice the next time I leave the prison? I admit it made sense to separate me from Fang, but if I am not a great soldier, I have no real value as a man..."

[tangletail]

    After hearing the pronoun “we” spoken quite comfortably from the little girls mouth, Leo immediately threw up his hands as if screaming to her with utter disdain for her to stop right there. “No,” he exclaimed as he lowered his injured arm, and pointed to the girl with his good one. “NO NO NO! There is no we in this; I DID NOT ASK FOR THIS,” the serval snarled .

 
“I don't know how well this Seeker figure knows of my... history as an individual, but frankly the only reason I was even next to that monstrosity is because I was introduced to an ultimatum I could not refuse to complete!” With that said he would quickly turn to the side and comically start running in place, stiffly kicking his legs out in an alternating motion “IN FACT! I was practically running for my life the entire situation, because this thing just can't be killed! If a supernova didn't do the job, nothing will!”

[Entaru]

Entaru sat down beside his lord, popping his back against the chair as he did so.  Not having his lord's patience or composure, he set his head on the table and closed his eyes.  The heat began to get to him in his heavy robes, making him sweat profusely while panting to cool off.  A bit of moisture had built up around his armpit area beneath his robes before the Queen came in.  He was about to stand up at her entrance but kept his seat, seeing Aman staying put.  Hearing the Queen's question, he bowed slightly in his seat.  "My name is Entaru Korin...I am one of the Head Priests of the Order of the Shard and Lord Mongoste's personal assistant."

[Asia Kali Yusufzai]

The female ermine officer raced to Aria and the guards attacking her.
"Halt," she yelled. "Stay your blades." From her pocket, she pulled out a wooden whistle and blew a shrill tone. The guards leapt back, giving Aria space while still blocking avenues of escape. The officer slowed to a stop, her arms outstretched to calm the girl. "A deal has been made. We arrest you and we will do all we can to make sure you're only exhiled. No prison, nothing like that. Getting out of the city is what you wanted right?" she said with a glance over at the gate up ahead.

Akela narrowed her eyes at the cat.
"You're not a warrior anymore Talin. If you ever do leave the prison legally, you'll be hauling stuff around." She nodded to the guards to lifted him up and frogmarched him back toward the UnderCity where he would be held. The Jackal walked alongside them. "We can't trust that you wont ever go wild again. We can't trust you with a weapon." The entrance to the UnderCity sat further ahead through the city, like a square gaping maw of a giant worm.  Akela kept her eyes scanning around them.


She then stopped. Over to the right by the river, a young bat boy and a fox child stood talking. She focused on the child and gestured for the guards to continue down into the darkened subterranean corridors while she walked over to them, tapping Siyan on the shoulder.
"Evening," she said, with her eyes locked on the girl.





"You are stupid, yeah?" Little-Hands frowned and Saviour shook his head, making the girl shake with him. "He is dead. He's trying to come back to life. It's only normal people to deal with and if we don't stop them then he'll be back." She clambered forward, leaning to the edge of Saviour's face. "You know you'll die if he comes back, so better stop him living at all, yeah?"




The Queen assessed Entaru with her eyes. "Personal assistant, right. And you?" she nodded up to the Raven looking small in the corner among the guards. He gave another bow.
"Dim Lane, your majesty. Archeologist researching the possibility of other gods such as Nero." He pointed over to Aman's back. "I have no affiliation with these people." Aman looked back from the corner of his eye and Dim Lane stepped back, bumping into one of the guards. The Queen rolled her eyes and focused back at the shard people.
"Nero, who's that? Some spirit you pulled out of the shard?"

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Talin was shocked, he had spent years in the cell trying to control his episodes in hopes of regaining his place as a warrior. Now that was gone, and his hopes were now just dust in the wind. The conflicting emotions that came soon after, increased his frustration, which also weakened his control over his own emotions.Fifty years of training, fighting, and surviving every encounter that came my way... only to be a baggage carrier because of a mental affliction?! He then tried to contain the rage, but couldn't help but let out some twitching.

Please Seeker, don't let my madness be my epitaph!!

[Grace.E]

Aria was shaking with rage and fear, when they all back off, she was like a angry, caged animal ready to strike at any moment... she was only to be exiled, she stared at the woman for a long time before she nodded in agreement and slowly calmed down, her eyes still wild and afraid. she dropped her stick with a loud thud as she felt her knee's buckle. I need to take care of my arm.... she thought as she wrenched out the arrow in her arm without a wince of pain.

[tangletail]

    “Yeah he may be dead. But we are talking about an Omega Demon God who can eat stars and rip planets apart.” he groaned rolling his eyes. “I seriously doubt his minions will be just normal people. Maybe fifteen meter tall with the ability to tear holes in the dimensional rift like I just happened to do.”

 
The feline would turn around, his gaze falling into the pitch black darkness of the ever expanding cave as he spoke once more, “And with my luck, it just may be a fifteen meter tall colossus with the ability to tear holes in the dimensional rift like I just.. just SO HAPPENED happened to do!” his head would snap back to the side, a loud crick coming from the few vertebrae as they popped. His eyes would scan over Little-Foot once more before he turned to face her again. "Just tell me... how exactly does this... Seeker? Seeker was it? This Seeker of your's expect I, a mere mortal, to compete against a dead immortal's minions which just may be as bad as himself?"

[Entaru]

Entaru stood up in outrage, the thought of someone likening Nero to a mere spirit making his blood boil.  "Nero is no spirit!  He does not come from the Shard!  He IS the Shard!!"  Slamming his fists into the table, he gritted his teeth with a snarl.  How DARE she mention him in such a non-chalant tone.  He didn't care if she was the Queen of the Galaxy, no one was allowed to speak of Nero in any tone but reverence and fear.

[Asia Kali Yusufzai]

The guards looked at Talin weird, then held him tighter while they marched him back down through the corridors of the UnderCity. They guided him into a small cell with a stone door that closed behind him, leaving only a slit to peer through.
"You'll stay here for now," said one of the guards in the corridor. "The Queen will want to see you."




As Aria dropped the stick, the guards moved in.
"We're taking you to a cell for now, and you'll be judged by the Queen," said the officer. The guards picked the girl up to her feet and helped her to walk back through the city, following behind Talin. They moved down into the UnderCity and opened a cell next to Talin's, closing it behind her.




"They are just like you and me," Little Hands said. "And also, we have Saviour." She patted the feral lizard who snapped and bared his teeth. "But if you are a stupid and a coward then go," she said and pointed back through the cave toward the entrance. "We don't need you, we do it ourselves."




Aman smirked, while the Queen looked down at the enraged Entaru. The guards around them stood ready, hands clenched on weapons.
"So he's a God then," she looked up at Dim Lane who did well to stand in the corner, black within shadows.
"Yes," he nodded. "Supposedly, at least. Very much like Seeker but more violent." The Queen grumbled to herself.
"I guess it was only a matter of time until men clung to such a thing," she said. Aman's smile dropped, and a frown creased his face, though he stayed quiet. "So is it as the swan on stage said? Will he kill us all?" the Queen with a theatrical wave of her hands

[Grace.E]

Aria stood in the center of the cell before she sat down and stared at her hands, had her own blood on it, she then stared at the cell next to hers. her eyes filled with a emotional blankness. she felt nothing, she was numb. I bet they lied....