A Second Beginning

[Allanon Creel]

He was tired from weeks of running, soar from over-exurtion and his stomach was cramped which signified the end of the effects of his poulice he brewed, yet still Siguard ran. He ran for he knew that stopping meant almost certain death, for although they lacked his superior skill, their numbers dwarfed that of his skill capacity. He had thought he lost them a week ago but while sticking to the shadows he found his sloppy escape was all too easy to track and in his haste had left the note to his family of his general direction. This only slightly altered his plans, well instead of the axonian nation he would simply cut directly north the capitol of the land. To start where his trail would not be restricted to one path but to many, where he could achieve his full potential as a lone blade! He was off to the castle of Kotepia.

[Caleb Ilano]

Caleb Ilano, standing atop the guard tower, lazily looking around the horizon, saw a large group of men. These men looked to be on horses, chasing after something. He leaned in closer to the telescope, falling off of his stool. He got up, and looked again, the men were chasing a man.
He knew not which side was best in this situation, but he always knew to restore peace before choosing. He looked in his coat, finding his light book, and sent out a large flare, bombarding the pursuers.

[Allanon Creel]

Siguard was bleary eyed yet he spotted the capitol, and from it emitted a brilliant while light, that even from this distance blinded him and he heard his pursuers's horses neighing in fright. He turned to see that most of the riders were missing, and then he realised what had taken place, yet he did not know who the caster was aiming for, no matter, he still needed to make it to the castle to survive the outright assult or the blades, for his speed and agility were failing fast and his muscles felt felt as if they were on fire. All he knew was before he collapsed he needed to get within sight of the guard and he would stand more of a chance.

[Caleb Ilano]

Caleb grasped a rope and rappelled down the side of the castle, it tore up his gloves but he needed to restore peace. He knew that his spell wasn't going to last long so he rushed up to a plane and shot up a few more flares for the man.
He looked past the prey, seeing that the hunters were slowly coming back, so he yelled and jumped waving his arms: "Hey you! Hurry up!"

[Allanon Creel]

Ah, so this is my savior Siguard thought, seeing the man on the plateau. Siguard strained his muscles, putting every ounce of his failing engergy in this one, last desperate sprint to the safety of this light mage's protection. He made it to the waving man, panting like a dog and feeling like an inferno, seeing how he had taken smidges of rest here and there for possibly 2 hours at a time. The Dark Blades were still enveloped in whatever light spell this kind stranger casted and for that he was glad. "Thank you... gracious stranger... I... would have been slaughterd were it...not for your... selflessness and skill..." He managed, between gasps for air. Though he tried not to, he could not retain conciousness for his weariness was finally taking hold of his body after long hours of abuse.

[Caleb Ilano]

Hours later Caleb had the strange man safe in a simple farmhouse, as brining a strange assassin to the castle would not be the best idea. He had the man on a pile of blankets, with food ready at his side and a new set of peasant clothes ready. He had carried the unconscious man to the building and secured the doors shut. The pair had escaped the man hunters for now, and at least they hadn't seen him, so he was safe from them.

I cannot just leave him here, they will surely continue their search, and this man is in no shape to continue his escape. He saw the man stirring in his sleep, and so he set down the book he was reading and waited for him to awake.

[Allanon Creel]

Siguard awoke to the smell of hay and food and to soarness he had never imagined. That is when he realised he was not alone in that room and turned in bed to see his savior, a mage in a blue cloak with a rapier and book at his side, with eyes that were lit with intellegence. "Thanks again for protecting me from my former bretheren, though I doubt they will allow me a quiet life now that we've, ahem, you've set them off. Seeing how you saved my life I suppose it is the least I can do to give my name first. I am Siguard Drumatir, former DarkBlade, assassin, though from my appearance that would be obvious, and a former citizen of Mortulia." Siguard introduced.

[Caleb Ilano]

Caleb extended his hand.
"Caleb Ilano, I'm a knight of Kotepia." He grabbed the clothes he set out and threw them at him, feeling the seriousness in the air. "Get dressed, day's breaking, they'll be resting for a day, but still vigilant." He gathered his peasant wear, and covered up his armour and weapons with a drab farm cloak.
"I know of the Dark Blades, did you have a plan of escape, or did you just run?"

[Allanon Creel]

"Indeed I ran here, but that is not my plan of escape. Though I did plan on loosing them much further, for I do not wish to be the cause of an assult simply for my where abouts. I know they will try to watch all exits in the city and converge towards the heart of the castle looking, I planned to take a sewer, or something along those lines to shake them, but if you have any other means of escape please do not hesitate to voice the thought." Siguard explained, while slipping into the peasent-wear uncomfortably.

[Caleb Ilano]

"Sewers, eh?" Caleb asked himself, going through in his head the plumbing system. "One problem with that, the only access we can get to it would be from the grand marketplace, up north a bit." He knew that the sewers would work if they went for it, but they'd have to get all the way to the market undetected. "And it empties into the Krug swamps, out to the north west." He grabbed his satchel and pack, and headed out into the dawn.

"Are you coming or not?"

[Allanon Creel]

"Heh I'm coming and I dont think that they would give chase under such a short time. I had one of the best eyes on the troop and mine are teary right now in this light, seeing how we aren't used to it, that being commun knoledge. If we get to the sewers then we will be safe." "Wow there is so much happiness in the air here, in these bazaars!" Siguard exclaimed, nearly at their destination. "It is as if they do not know fear or danger, yet judging by the defences they could! When you believe we are in a safe location, you may ask whatever questions reach your tongue." Siguard said, while observing his surroundings in awe.

[Caleb Ilano]

The pair continued to the sewer opening. Caleb was about to ask Siguard what they were going to do after the sewers, but was interrupted by a troop of guards.

"Hey, you there, aren't you a knight? What're you doing 'round these parts dressed as a pilgrim?" One asked. Caleb took a look around, thinking of what to do, when his eye was caught by a pair of poorly disguised assassins, pointing at them.

"Reconnaissance. I've been ordered to search for a guileful merchant whose been stealing people's wares. That's all." He said dismissively.

The second the guards left, the pair of assassins quickened their stride towards them.

[Allanon Creel]

"Ah, I am sorry my friend but my magi has been silenced, temporarily due to some injection they managed to get in me with a dart," he said, with a face turning to a grim smile. "But that does not affect my ability to cut them down with twin blades... I will take front while you may pick them off with magi or join me in combat with your rapier. We cannot continue with them knowing our exact where abouts, they must be dispached." Siguard said as he began his charge towards a man he once trained with several years before.

[Caleb Ilano]

"Combat it is then." Caleb concluded, rushing into the pair. He drew his rapier and swung at on man's neck. The man evaded, merely getting a gash on his arm.
The assassin took out two of his own blades and brought them down onto Caleb, but narrowly missing his chest they struck into the farmer's cloak, giving Caleb time to kick him away and take his knives. "I've got one disarmed, how are you doing?" He asked Siguard as he turned his back to the man on the ground.

Just at that moment though, the man got back up and grasped Caleb's neck, bringing him to the ground. "You're not part of this fight your lordliness"

[Allanon Creel]

Siguard was in mid-swing when Caleb asked his question, cutting a obvious begginer in knives throat and kicked the man down. That is when he heard the choking noise, immediately finding his companion in distress, grappled the hands off him, taking a knife to his back from the 3rd assailant. "Ahh!!" he grunted, as the hot pain shot through his spine. Using the adrenaline from the wound he spun and off-handed the man's chin while deflecting his second strike, these were poor adversaries. " Unfortunately these were the worst of the order, the rest dont exactly charge to battle like these men. Oh, and I shall allow you the choice of the last man's fate, the one who's leg you crippled."

[Caleb Ilano]

Caleb took this chance to grab the man he was assailed by, and ram him into the nearest vegetable stand.

"MY CABBAGES!!" The vendor yelled, seeing his wares desecrated by the man thrown. He began kicking him when a crowd surrounded to join him.

"Shall we be off-" Caleb started, noticing the stab wound in Siguard.
"Let's move, take this." He said more solemnly, reaching in his bag to find a golden coloured bean. He handed it to him, "Eat it, it'll stay the pain and help the healing process."

With that, they set off.

[Allanon Creel]

" Caleb to answer your interupted question back there, I do not know what I wish to do'round here, but I can feel something brewing, and I am drawn to something here in the heartland... I dont know how to explain it, it's like a siren calling, though I do not know if it's harmful or not, it's appealing to my Mortulian view upon life, I... I appologise but I do not know how else to explain, it's... it's complicated..." Siguard rambled as they walked, in the vast tunnels of the capitol sewers.

Siguard found the darkness comforting, no matter how much he tried to shun the ways of his people and did not bother asking for light, being able to pick out the little rodents and at one point even what he thought was an aligator, though he doubted it. And so they walked, and Siguard merely awaited Caleb's responce, should he have one .

[Caleb Ilano]

Caleb saw the sewers not as sewers, but more as a kind of catacomb as the pair led on. The rats were less prominent and the water began seeping from the brownish grey to a sick mauve. He began to feel sick in his stomach, not from the stench, he had gotten over that, but almost from the emanating sorrow and pain.
"I feel something, yes, definitely a siren, but not for me; and not for you either, just, for a people." He turned quickly, hearing something in his heart.
"And for a people, as a group, only some, and others, like me, I'm afraid of it."

He drew his rapier, walking into the hallway where he heard sound.

[Allanon Creel]

Siguard, feeling a tad self-indulgent thought Caleb was mistaken, yet with every turn Caleb and he both took he soon found himself mistaken as the continued on this tiresome yet relaxing trek. "I feel it near, yet not inside these tunnels, how far do you think till we reach our mystic sir--" Siguard began, when he checked himself before hitting a seemingly out of place door with glowing blood red runes he could not decipher. He tried to open it but when he did a small red spark flared from the door and it felt as if a knife had gouged his soul, and he went to one knee, breathing fast and grabbing his chest as the quick sensation of pain left his body.

[Caleb Ilano]

Caleb readied his sword, seeing that the door won't open. He heard a true roar behind him.
"You're kind is not welcome here!" A being in dark armour jumped Caleb, missing by a centimeter.
Meanwhile, a second one jumped onto Siguard, trying to keep him away from the fight and into the door.
Caleb blocked and parried the demon's swings, trying to see it's face, seeing nothing but darkness. It started to take him in, bringing him into a deep rest, suffocating in darkness.

He awoke in a tomb, deep underground, there was a sarcophagus, sitting across from him was Siguard.

[Allanon Creel]

Siguard felt the burn of his bruises aswell as the hot feeling if embarrasment for his foolishness, he should have seen the hooded figures coming, and as concequence he and his friend were now captives. "This is no ordinary darkness, for were it so I would be able to see aswell in it as you may in the day, nay magic is afoot, but of which origin I do not know..." Siguard observed. He felt around with his senses he'd developed and sensed a pair of presences in the storage asside from them, but upon looking he could not see them due to the spell. "We have unseen company, should you have not already known, Caleb."

[Caleb Ilano]

Caleb looked around also, seeing darkness, and the brightly lit sarcophagus. The two cloaked men entered and drew daggers. They each approached one of them. Caleb felt a searing pain across his chest, and a warm liquid dripping down his torso. The other man did the same to Siguard.

They went tot the center and offered the daggers to the sarcophagus.

[Allanon Creel]

"OH MY GOD, CALEB, do you know what they are doing!?" Siguard exclaimed after recovering from the blade. "I thought the scholars were the only ones under Sul's Ideas, but it appears he was not the only one, they are Sacrificing to The Dread! THE MONSTERS! They probably think that their offerings will bring rewards, yet if anything they are attempting to end life as we know it!!!" He said, rising despite the burn in his chest, trying to rush the sacreligious devils. Yet his clumsy rush from the cut was loud enough where all he managed was to recieve a punch to the gut, doubling him over.

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