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CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

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“Ah, Anthoni: you were always so oblivious, never ambitious.” The magician laughed as he swallowed the fireball in his hand and directed his full attention towards his foe. “The girl knows far more than she is letting on, and I think you would be wise to hand her over. I no longer serve beneath you, and, once I gain this power for myself, I shall not serve beneath the king, either. I will rule over this land once and for all; it all begins now, with one woman, one purpose, one mission. Now, hand her over, Anthoni!”

“Scark, I always had faith in you; you were one of the best, I must admit. Still, you lack the balance a true fighter must have to succeed; you do not trust in your own abilities, but, instead, only in the strengths of others that you can use to your advantage. You will not lay a hand on this girl, I say; she will not go.” Anthoni remained firm and never broke eye contact with his former subordinate.

Frowning, the man replied gently, “I believe we must do this then. I-”

In a burst of light, both men were blinded momentarily and there, in front of them, came forth three silhouettes that stood ever-present within the aurora. Contrasting with their backgrounds, Anthoni could easily identify them once the original effect wore off as men, not women, and each of them had a completely different appearance: one was tall and lean, the other short and fat, and the third held a large staff.

Scark dropped backwards and stood at the ready, preparing himself for battle as the staff touched on the ground two times and forced the barrier of light to dissipate. Once clear, the images of three men stood in the day’s view: a short, balding man, a younger man that looked to be twenty years of age, and then an elder dressed in long, black robes. Anthoni, like his other, readied himself and stood motionless.

11-Jan-2009 23:01:19 - Last edited on 11-Jan-2009 23:37:39 by CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

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The man dressed in robes struck out first, pivoting on his right foot and sending a bolt of energy into the chest of Scark, forcing him to fly onto his back; the other man, the youngest of the three, turned his attention to Anthoni and raised his blade menacingly. His dark hair absorbed the sunlight from above and beads of sweat had traveled down quite far, passing his nose and dripping the ground far below.

Anthoni defended himself, making sure that Maxwell and Korinth were behind him as he watched the man run towards him, sword high above his head. ‘He is not very skilled, it seems,’ Anthoni thought, adjusting his stance to fit the situation. He crouched down lower and the man continued to run forward, but then he switched his style in mid-attack and the blade leaped through the air, landing safely in the second hand as he struck down violently.

The general rolled out of the way, surprised at the change in form, but then twisted him arm back and allowed his elbow to connect with the open ribs of his attacker, causing him to stumble to the side. Anthoni then nodded to Maxwell, who stood on the opposite side of the strange man, and he smashed the hilt of his blade into the back of the younger warrior’s head, sending to the ground with a low thud.

“Jacob!" the oldest man cried out.

Korinth’s eyes widened. ‘Jacob…?’

Meanwhile, Scark jumped to his feet and recovered from the attack by shooting a volley of fire from his hands, each landing directly onto his assailant and sending a wave of black smoke into the air. The magician smiled as he lowered his guard, sure of his victory, but then felt a strange force take hold of him and send him flying to the side, crashing into a tree and sending him immediately into a state of unconsciousness.

11-Jan-2009 23:01:57 - Last edited on 11-Jan-2009 23:29:28 by CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

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The robed man turned and held out his staff towards Anthoni, who stood cautiously, ready to fight. However, Korinth ran directly between the two and spread her arms, ushering them to cease their fighting and muttering some incomprehensible phrases. Anthoni and his other dropped their weapons and stood in neutral positions.

“Lady Hidal?” Anthoni’s foe inquired, glancing down.

Korinth nodded ferociously and stated, “I am Korinth Hidal, and this is Anthoni of Atiolgo; we are not here as enemies, but as ones that wish to accompany Jacob and Landon on their mission. I was sent by the king, and there two have word from Tiulo Grendage, the sacred mage that lives within these woods.” She turned and looked at Jacob, who was beginning to stir, and Landon who was seated next to him, shaking his body.

“Glad to meet you, Korinth; it has been far too long.” He paused. “My name is Brexton, and I believe we have met before.”

“Brexton?” she exclaimed, running up to him and embracing him. “It’s been so long! My father used to speak of you so much, as did the king! You are well known in Revenske, you see.”

Brexton nodded and then turned around, eying the man who was still in a daze on the ground against the tree. “A friend of yours?” he asked, swiftly moving back Anthoni and sliding Korinth out of his way.

“I should say not," the soldier replied, replacing his sword in its sheathe. “We were attacked, which is probably why you showed up: he caused that explosion and killed Korinth’s brother. I-” Suddenly, he stopped and his mind fell back to Korinth, who had a solemn look on her face and was looking at the river that ran beside them. Smoke still rose from the trees that had since become bare from the flames, but it had died down quite a bit, resulting in only a small puffs of the foul waste.

11-Jan-2009 23:02:24 - Last edited on 11-Jan-2009 23:29:40 by CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

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Anthoni did not continue to speak with Brexton, but walked over to Korinth and stood in front of her, speaking loudly and with a comforting tone: “I am sorry for your loss; I know that it must hurt, and that it obviously was not a good way to die. I would not wish that on even my greatest enemy.”

“That’s the problem,” she muttered, continuing to gaze at the running waters. “I… I don’t feel sorrow for what happened. He was my brother, and I loved him as much as a sister could, but I cannot feel his pain; I cannot feel for his death; the emotion is not there.” She looked up into Anthoni’s eyes and quietly questioned herself. “Am I wrong to feel this way? He was family, the last of it, but…” she trailed off.

“His job was just that: a job. I’m sure he would not want you to feel for him, but he loved you. You know this, so do not try to remove the affection from your memories of him. Sadness can only dilute the greatness of his life, and, although I was not there to witness it, I’m sure he was a different person than he appeared to be.” Anthoni touched her shoulder gently, but she pulled away and walked off to the river’s edge, thinking silently and isolating herself from the others.

Anthoni felt a hand come to his shoulder. “She will come, in time.”

“Yes, but now we must speak. Landon is helping Jacob to recover, and your apprentice, Maxwell, is also assisting them. However, I must know more of what is going on. Landon has told me of the king’s word, but I have yet to discover any further knowledge on this… power. What is it? Has Lady Korinth spoken to you yet?”

Anthoni shook his head and replied, “No, not yet. We had just met her when Scark attacked us. I do know, though, that Tiulo Grendage, the wizard she spoke of, knows more than he revealed to Maxwell and I. Although, our only hope now is to search for the blasted thing and, hopefully, fulfill this “prophecy” that Tiulo spoke of.”

“Prophecy?”

11-Jan-2009 23:02:43

CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

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“More shall be revealed in time, Brexton,” Anthoni murmured, walking over towards Maxwell and the others. “For now, though, we should concentrate on one thing: information. Knowing what we are up against will be key in finishing this mission, this deadly task; and I, for one, would like to live to see the day after.”

Before he could reply, Scark’s voice broke out through the air and cursed them. Standing at the forest’s edge, Scark held his arm and limped slightly, blood trailing from his open mouth as he tried to leave the dreaded place. In the trunk of the tree, an impression had been left, showing the damage that had been done to his body from one strike, and Anthoni knew he wouldn’t be much trouble to deal with.

Spitting on the ground, the magician lifted his good arm, the right one, and muttered an incoherent spell, aiming for the three men, two young and one old, with obvious reasoning. Surging with adrenaline, Anthoni ran forward, but could only watch as a strand of fire erupted from the weakened mage’s hand and came in contact with the small group, blinding them from sight with its unholy heat.

Scark laughed as he stopped the blaze, but the fire remained and continued to swirl around the place it had come in contact with its victims. Though, instead of leaving their charred remains, it twirled upwards into the sky like a funnel and released the tension off of those below; they were safe, unharmed. Around them was a white portal of light, ready to defend them at a moment’s notice, and it had done its job.

11-Jan-2009 23:03:09

CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

Posts: 35,595 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Anthoni turned to see Brexton holding out his staff and controlling the flames high above; he then turned to Scark and watched him, still stunned by the event, stand still; it was all going to end. The tip of the staff cut through the air and pointed at Scark, causing the raging ring of fire high above to plummet from its suspended home and rush towards the magician with incredible speed. Scark had no time to react and, by the time he turned to flee, the fire swallowed him and left nothing but selected remnants of his clothing, but all was burned in the attack.

Brexton chuckled softly and regained his composure, walking past Anthoni and patting him on the shoulder lightly. This demonstration of pure power was enough to prove to them all that, together, they could stand up to anything and everything that came there way; nothing could stop them. A magician, two swordsman, an advisor, and a scholar: each of them with their purposes, and each ready to fulfill them no matter what the cost.

-- End of Chapter Thirteen --

11-Jan-2009 23:03:32

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