Elias Katai!Ren/VL7f/Q 5 Nov 2015 2:26:36 PM No.41137655>>41137674
>>41137651 >He grabs the journal back and narrows his eyes. It wasn't some method of protection. He was no triumphant white knight on a quest to protect ye fair maidene from the nasty horrible truths of the world. Frankly that she thought so little of him was insulting as well and his face morphs into a distinctly unimpressed expression.
It's simply that I think some things are best read with your own two eyes and not through some man who has no idea of the significance of these names compared to someone who does. I was hoping to go back to the guild hall later and maybe help you to read it for yourself, but if you truly want me to read it out to you, I'll oblige.
>Rather him than Tai. And Logan would probably have a heart attack if he knew the grand scope of what he'd done.
Elias Katai!Ren/VL7f/Q 5 Nov 2015 4:31:34 PM No.41137711>>41139133
>>41137674 >Well. That was that decided. His annoyed expression levels out into a more passive look. He didn't like it, but the difference between him and who else she could ask was monumental. The journal finds it's way into a pocket underneath his cloak as he scrutinises the beastkin for a few seconds. This was her home of many years, after all, perhaps it'd be best to give her some privacy.
>Elias makes his way out of the room.
I'll be by the entrance, I'll leave you to your thoughts.
Leopon-dji (at work) 6 Nov 2015 5:33:55 PM No.41139133>>41139381
>>41137711 <~tiny time skip noises~
>Roughly half an hour had passed by the time Leo exited the little hideout through the front door. Since it was, in all likelihood, the last time she'd ever see it again, she had to make sure her last memory was accurate. She had slowly walked the halls, checking every room, just in case somebody made it back. They hadn't.
>Slung over her shoulder was a canvas sack full of her personal items. The stuffed leopard, a change of clothes, a leather jerkin, a thick book from Gaius' collection, and what little jewelry she owned.
>The beastkin gently shut the door behind her, and looked over to Elias. Any hint of animosity or irritation was gone from her gaze.
Elias Katai!Ren/VL7f/Q 6 Nov 2015 9:12:47 PM No.41139381>>41139401
>>41139133 >He looked back at her, his eyes shifting over to the bag of what she'd managed to salvage before moving back to her.
I'm game if you are. Let's move out.
>Clearly she'd made her piece with the place...And if she hadn't, well...She could always come back. If Elias had his way, she'd be coming back with her friends in tow.
>He sets off at a relaxed pace. They'd done their bit, now back to wait for Logan and Tai to finish their own...Or maybe they'd come back to them, who knows.
Leopon-dji 6 Nov 2015 9:23:37 PM No.41139401>>41140061>>41140274
>>41139381 >Leo shifted her weight and kept an eye on the man eyeing her sack. What little there was in there meant a good deal to her, and she wasn't about to be judged for it.
Right.
>One, two steps from the door and into the weed garden. She slipped easily over the old gate. The beastkin managed to keep her gaze ahead of herself for a few more steps.
>She cast a last, thoughtful look over her shoulder at the dilapidated house.
...
Elias.
>She was looking past the house, past everything, lost in thought. The curl of her lip and scrunch of her nose indicated this was a rare occurrence.
You are... a willing wanderer, yes?
>She tore her gaze from the house and dashed to catch up with the half-elf.
Elias Katai!Ren/VL7f/Q 7 Nov 2015 6:27:36 PM No.41140061>>41140274>>41140331
>>41139401
>Elias stops walking rather suddenly. Where was his family? Wasn't the answer to that back in Kingsmeet? And yet he knew that wasn't what Leo was asking him.
>His birth family. It'd been a while since he'd had that question. Most people didn't care for his past in the Wolves and those that did, learned not to ask. If he'd been younger, he might have been inclined to glare angrily at Leo and remain sour for the rest of the task, but he was older now. Older and wiser.
>The young mage lets out a sigh, his hand coming to wrap the cloak around him tighter
My family is back in Alaestus. I left at the age of seventeen after an argument with my father. I have not seen them since.
>He didn't really know what more to say. Or more accurately, he didn't really know what more he WANTED to say.
??!pR.BaFF/uk 7 Nov 2015 8:43:15 PM No.41140274>>41140331>>41140779
>>41140061 >>41139401
Woulda thought you mighta been a little smarter than this after havin' gotten broken outta jail like ya did, but here you are, jus' like he said you'd be.
>A cold, deep voice called out from somewhere not too far from the pair. Close to the old building were various others in a state of uninhabitable disrepair, and leaning against one of the walls was a man that could be considered a mountain of meat, thick as a house yet tall enough to make it look genuinely intimidating rather than ridiculous. Leo would immediately recognise those sinister tones, for even if he hadn't said all that much back then, his was a voice she wouldn't forget.
<"Dispatch, we got a situation! They're assaultin' the train, they've already killed two! Send someone, please!"
>Of course, back then the move had been so surprising that she hadn't been able to think, let alone react to his swift murder of two of the train's security, but right now she had a second chance. The man going by 'Boulder' was right in front of her, even having the balls to be this close to her sacred home and facing a two-on-one.
Hey, Mr. Mage over there. I'm sure I don't need t'explain to you what the charges are fer freein' a prisoner like ya did, right? If ya stand back and don't do anythin' stupid, I promise she'll get a quick death, an' no-one'll be any the wiser 'bout yer illegal activities in the prison that day.
Leopon-dji 7 Nov 2015 9:35:41 PM No.41140331>>41140779>>41141052
>>41140061 >So he left them out of his own free will, over nothing more than an argument. She noticeably held her tongue. Though to her, it was a dumb decision, she knew he did it for a legitimate reason, and there was no need to antagonize him for what he did.
... hm.
>She turned to leave.
>>41140274 >Moments before he spoke, her fur stood on end. Her ears twitched and her heart raced. He was here? How did he find her? Who was he talking about? >He was the key to her revenge, no, her justice, but she wanted absolutely nothing more than to tear him to ribbons with six pairs of claws.
>Leo took a half-step forward. One hand rested on the hilt of her blade. The other, after dropping the sack, threw down her hood and scarf. The beastkin's ears were folded back and her maw was open, displaying keen teeth as she hissed.
To the world, Leopon-dji died in that cell. No laws hold jurisdiction over the dead.
Now give us a good reason why we should allow you to leave, and perhaps you will.
>She had to stay calm. Things wouldn't go well if she got emotional.
Elias Katai!Ren/VL7f/Q 8 Nov 2015 11:29:18 AM No.41140779>>41141052>>41141213
>>41140331
>He didn't really expect much of an answer, it's not like he gave much info out. Compared to the life of a runaway, it must have seen quite silly to simply abandon your family because you could...But people place different values on different problems, it's what made people unique.
>What was sure to be an incredibly awkward walk back was interrupted by the timely appearance...
>>41140274
>...Of this fine gentleman. The mage's eyes narrow at the newcomer. He knew about the prison break and he knew about Leo's hideout. You didn't need to be a genius to put two and two together to get four. Elias shifts his stance, not quite as aggressive as Leo, but definitely ready to attack should the need arise. Elias was no bantering man, but it would be advantageous to try and get a little more out of the man before they would attempt to incapacitate him.
It seems a little suspicious to me that you seem to know about a supposedly dead prisoner's jailbreak. Let alone that she'd return to her hideout. So, I'd hazard a guess that you're involved with the people that have that python symbol...Am I wrong?
>His sword was easily accessible and he hadn't tapped into his mana for a good few days, he was as ready as he could be if a fight broke out.
Boulder!pR.BaFF/uk 8 Nov 2015 2:55:09 PM No.41141052>>41141068>>41141213>>41141535
>>41140331 >The man sighed, and seemed to think to himself for a moment as he did so, looking down at the floor with a huff of breath. Pushing himself away from the wall, Boulder began to shake the muscles in his shoulders awake, giving his arms a minor stretch. It seemed he might've been waiting there for a while, though how long was a question only he could answer.
This was never about the law, right or wrong, or any kind of ideal. You're a loose end, you know too much. Doesn't matter what your name is or who thinks you're what, at the end of the day you're out here and not in the mines, where ya should be.
>>41140779 >To Elias's response to his presence, Boulder simply raised a hand to his head and shook it slowly before returning that hand to the handle of a dagger.
I suppose you really ain't used to dealin' with somethin' like this in a professional environment. Only a fool wouldn't keep tabs on holes in the plan's pipeline, holes like you've just made yourself out to be.
>And then the man looked elsewhere, up in a direction that didn't make much sense at first. Surely he wouldn't so casually take his eyes off his opponents like that if he was as 'professional' as he made out to be-
Do it.
>There wasn't even a response, aside from the brief whistling in the wind, and before either of our protagonists knew what was going on...
Boulder!pR.BaFF/uk 8 Nov 2015 3:03:58 PM No.41141068>>41141213>>41141535
>>41141052 >Crash! >FWOOM!
>A few small explosions here and there, a few smashed bottles elsewhere, and suddenly fire erupted from the building behind them. From various different directions fireballs could be seen hurtled towards the building, blasting through windows and tearing down what little of the walls remained.
>Not only that, but the surrounding area started to catch light too, almost as though it had been prepared to do so beforehand. The flames spread down a line around them, catching nearby buildings and ultimately forming a wide circle with four key points nearby - Leo's old house to the south, the shed on the house's grounds to the east, a smaller house to the west and finally Boulder, having moved and now standing directly to their north.
No-one's gonna question a fire out in a backwater place like this, so don't get your hopes up! When somebody eventually arrives, all they'll see if a couple o'slum rats tryin' to get away from a burning building. Shame they never made it, but it ain't like the town'll be any worse for wear.
You an' all the evidence in that building'll be long forgotten. So, you can either die peacefully in each other's arms, or we can do this the hard way.
Leopon-dji!uvadBiRdiE 8 Nov 2015 4:33:42 PM No.41141213>>41141256>>41141535
>>41140779 >Elias was acting a little too calm for Leo's tastes. Apparently he couldn't put two and two together and realize exactly who this mountainous man was. She addressed the half-elf beside her without taking her eyes off their opponent.
That is the one that set us up, the one who murdered the guards and called for help.
>He was also the one that overpowered her and knocked her out... her grip tightened on her blade.
>>41141052 >His words made less and less sense to her. A loose end? A professional? What kind of businessman had the physique of a bear and the voice of an ogre? >He was too calm about being outnumbered. Even if he was that strong, he was still going against a mage and a beastkin. Something was wrong. She folded her ears back and hissed and spat at the man while taking a few steps back. They had to get out.
>>41141068 >She whirled around. The explosions and flames surrounded the very home she 'grew up' in. She had resigned herself to leaving it behind, but to watch it be destroyed before her, by the same group that destroyed her family and would soon do the same to her...
>Her heart hammered in her chest. She thought somebody was speaking but couldn't understand a word. Her vision was clouded by watery eyes. There was no way out. She was stuck, they were stuck, and they were going to die to the fire or the hands of their enemies.
>The beastkin froze. Her eyes widened. They still had a chance.
Elias, strike me down before the morning sun!
>She tore off her cloak and tossed her blade onto her sack as her expression shifted to utter rage. She hadn't done this in years, but she had to. She forced every single terrible thing from the past few years through her mind. The shame, the betrayal of a knife from her friend, walking into a trap, overcame by a stranger, the blood around her feet, the remorseless half-armored murderer that still walked free...!
Leopon-dji!uvadBiRdiE 8 Nov 2015 4:54:46 PM No.41141256>>41141535>>41142314
>>41141213 >A monstrous roar exploded from the thin beastkin and she threw out her arms, fists clenched, as the power washed over her. To outsiders, indescribable primal magic wound its way up her form and pulled tight til only a silhouette shrouded in wild horrors was visible.
>It happened in mere moments--the shroud bulged and swelled til it could contain the shape no more and it tore like fabric at the seams before it audibly snapped like a crack of lightning.
>What could only be described as a dire monster leaped out of the disintegrating remains of the perverted blood magic and onto the unpaved ground. Six massive paws sunk into the earth. A long body of pure muscle bulging against spotted blue fur extended nearly twelve feet from nose to hind leg, sixteen counting the tail lashing behind. Long fae ears extended from an otherwise-lioness's head with canine teeth the size of a man's forearm.
>Red eyes snapped open. The beast's ears folded back. She pushed her body off the ground with powerful fore and middle legs, balanced on the back pair. When she came back down, it was with a roar so powerful it could be felt in one's bones. Anyone with even a passing knowledge of Astrolian beasts would be able to immediately identify it as a Dire Leopon, and it was fucking pissed.
Elias Katai!Ren/VL7f/Q 8 Nov 2015 8:13:03 PM No.41141535>>41141537>>41142314>>41143038
>>41141052 >>41141068 >>41141213 >>41141256
>And with the setting on fire of Leo's old hideout, there was no more information to be had from this, only a fight. If that wasn't enough, Leo hulking out into a gigantic catbeast certainly did. Elias takes a step back from the hulking Native, too used to these beasts being on the end of his sword rather than fighting side by side with them...If push came to shove, it might end up still being that.
>He looks back to the burning hideout, and then back to this 'Boulder' person. Leo had confirmed it, the man made no attempt to deny it. This seemed like an open and shut case, so let's get shutting.
>Elias takes a deep breath, one hand going to the hilt of his sword and drawing it in one fluid motion. He holds the sword ready in front of him and pauses for a second, his stance shifting into one more action ready...Before his hand whips out, sending an arcing bolt of lightning hurtling towards this "Boulder"'s center of mass.