Knights of the Realm ch. 4: Lies, Deceit, and Hidden Secrets

[Raiden]

Thomas felt weak. Very, very weak. He slumped down on his platform, the chains no longer needed to keep him down.

"You were at the Great Battle. You were one of the Englasian soldiers..."

'King Roland' snorted a bit.

"I was no mere soldier. I was unquestioned Lord of the Northern Ices! I lead the Englasian forces on their conquest."

The imposter stood up from his throne, and walked slowly towards Thomas. As he walked, he spoke with a spiteful voice.

"I was Lord Grant, the Englasian King, and long-lost brother of your precious King Roland."

Thomas tried to sit up, but it was all so much to take in. He was feeling weak, and was barely able to keep his focus. The dozens of injuries he had just recently acquired might have had some effect on this, also.

"You're crazy. I'll admit, you sure look like Roland, but there's no way you're his brother. King Roland had no siblings."

Grant, the imposter, stopped in front of Thomas's platform.

"He had a brother, alright. A twin brother. Of course, the royal parents didn't care much for that. Normally, the oldest sibling would get the throne, and the younger ones would get court-appointed ranks. With twins, however, there is no clear answer of who becomes the next King. There was always the chance that one of the twins would become angry with the decision, and there would be a bloody coup. Boy, were they right."

Grant reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small rattle. It was made of gold and emeralds, and had the symbol of the City of Incrad imbedded on it.

"So, they chose one of us. Roland. They kept Roland, and sent me somewhere that I could never be found, and as such, Roland's rule would never be questioned."

Thomas looked up.

"They sent you to Englasia."

Grant smiled, almost friendly. Obviously, he had been waiting a long time for this moment. To have one of the Knights at his mercy, and be able to tell his story.

"That's right. Englasia. A vast province filled with nothing but drunken brutes that lived in small shacks. Even as a young child, I felt that it was all beneath me. But thanks to my loving parents, I had no idea of my true heritage. It was only when I went searching through some of my old things that I found this rattle. Then, after some extreme questioning of my adoptive parents, I found out my true family. My true past. I had lost my birthright through a simple pick-and-choose. So, I began to plan. Through strenous operations, I removed what was considered the government in that backwash place, and instated myself as the leader. Then, I began to build an army. Though they were nothing but hunters, the citizens were a strong lot. They were made as large behemoths, and their wanton lust for destruction and death made them perfect for the revolution I was about to create."

Then, Grant lost his friendly look. His eyes narrowed in fury, and he clenched his hand around the rattle.

"Until you and your damn group of Knights fucked it up. All those years of work and frustration, and your damn group brings it down around my ears. I was forced to leave without my victory. However, I did take a souvenir. This damn scar. This physical proof of my failure! And YOU inflicted it upon me! None stood against me in my raids, but YOU STOOD IN MY WAY! You even almost killed me. That was an insult I could not stand."

[IHateMakingNames]

After the Thief of Life escaped from his cell, the guards had thrown all of the circus performers into one large room with a small amount of guards. Since the knight was no longer with them, and they were merely carnies, it was decided that cells and guards were a waste on them. But they were still being held for punishment, since they aided the knights.

Once they were all gathered together, it was quickly decided that they were going to escape. First Gai, the circus' magician, would open the door, then Callos would take out the guards and they would all leave.

Gai sat in front of the door, waving his hands around slowly. A faint light was glowing around him. "Oh gods of above, mysterious mystical forces from below, grant me your power to-"

"Will you shut up and open the door already! This isn't a show, so quit the act and open it." One of the other performers interrupted him.

"Oh, right, sorry." Gai apologized. The glowing stopped as he stood up. With a simple tab, the door itself sprung to life. It unlocked itself and sprung open.

One of the guards quickly turned his head and looked inside of the room. Callos quickly took him out with a punch to the face. Before the second door guard could react, Callos got to him. The other two guards were quickly dispatched by others.

After everyone was out, Callos lead them out. Most of the guards would be near the knights, so the escape route would be an easy one for the circus.

However, while the rest of the circus left, Gai stayed. When they were all captured, some of Roland's men took his book of spells. While Gai did not need it for magic, it was given to him by his father, and he wanted it back. So he randomly wandered the halls, looking for the room which held his book.

[Fuzzydoom]

In Devon's haste he had accidently brushed against Damion, who, in his weakened state, promptly fell over. His face contorted with agony and he coughed up more blood. A small smile then lights his face. "That last one wasn't as bad as it was before, guess the shadow avatar patched me up more than I thought it did."

[Lycanthrope]

"Fucking Bastard! Slow Down!" Devon shouted. The guard would surely hear them, but he didn't care at this point. They get in his enemies way before they got in his. Unless of course this strange cloaked figure.

"Keep up, Wolf-thing." the figure ahead of him taunted, pausing for a moment. "You seem to be a bit on the slow side today, Injur your leg by any chance?"

"Bastard!" He said as he caught up, and swept with his sword in a deadly arc, faster than the human eye could see.

"That I may be," the Figure said, as he easily sidestepped the blow. "But you're a Son-of-a-Bitch."

Devon's eyes bulged. as he swung again and again each time only striking air. He had never seen a man move so quickly. "What the f--!" but he didn't get a chance to finish, as a blur of silver streaked the air between them. Devon barely managed to intercede Fang between himself and the Figures shining blade. He leapt back five feet from the gray cloaked man, in a defensive stance, reguarding his assailant in a kind of awe.

"Don't you see. Down this corridor you have thought to be hunting me. It is I who have been hunting you, and you have walked into my trap."

The two blades met in a series of sparks, as Devon blocked blow after blow of this strange assailant. No one ought to be able to move that fast! Devon thought to himself as and his opponant blocked and traded blows. Who is this guy?

((OOC: Alright, I'm not sure if anyone's chasing after me, but if you do, don't catch or kill this guy, he's supposed to get away.))

[Astral Harmony]

Adellah was about to help Damion up again, until she heard the clatter of steel boots on moist cobblestones. Adellah let Damion rest and prepared to snap the knight's neck the moment he or she rounded the corner. When the sound got close enough, Adellah quickly reached out and pulled the youthful knight against her body, her arm wrapped tightly around his neck.
"Hey, let me go!" He yelled, his voice cracking.
"What the...ugh, you're that kid knight," Adellah sighed, releasing the youth.
He didn't even have a weapon on him, and when he whirled around and looked at Adellah, he gasped.
"Luh...Lady Adellah?"
Adellah couldn't help smiling at the boy. "I haven't been called that in some time...mostly because I'd rather nobody did. What're you doing here?"
The youth directed his gaze down the corridor. "His Majesty Roland's knights abducted my sister, thinking she was an assassin. I came to get her out."
Was he an idiot? Adellah decided not to hide it. "Uhhh...truth be told, I was that girl that looked like your sister. We were trying to figure this whole situation out with some assassination attempts, and, needless to say, it's grown into quite a mess. Now I'll let you go with a warning, kid. If we learn that you alerted the enemy to our presense, I will cook and devour you on the spot. You hear me?"
The youth slowly nodded at Adellah's dark smile. "Y...yes, I understand. And I'm not a kid. I'm a knight's apprentice. My name is Runegulf."
Adellah shrugged. "Okay, whatever. Runegulf, you better leave the castle. There's going to be a lot of violence, and possibly fire, really soon, and I don't want an innocent like you added to the body count."
Runegulf seemed to understand, and backed away. "Ah...ah, okay, I understand. I guess I should trust that you're doing the right thing. After all, the king just isn't the same as he was over a year ago when I wasn't even an apprentice. If you need a place to hide out in the city, you should stop by my house. I should have space for you and whoever else is with you."
Adellah nodded and returned to Damion as Runegulf quickly left. "What a nice chap," she said warmly as she helped Damion off of his knees.

[Toastburner B]

Nathaniel gratefully picked up his weapons from Damion's bundle, and was overjoyed to see that the necklace with Rachel's ring was still tied around the scythe. As he put the necklace on, he sighed. He had felt somewhat incomplete without the gold chain that had been around his neck for more than a year.

"We still need to make our way to the Armory." he said. "While Damion got our weapons, we won't make it very far without our armor. Not with the fights we are liable to face up ahead."

Blast it, Devon, why'd you run off like that after one guy? Nathaniel thought to himself, looking down the corridor which the man had ran.

"We should stick together...what's left of us, at least. After we get the rest of our stuff, we can go find everyone else. We don't do any good if a guard gets lucky kills us before we can get properly equipped."

[wilysword]

Adin passed the throne room on his way to the weapon store, but didn't stop, although he could hear someone inside; he didn't feel up to taking on twelve heavily armored guards with just one small dagger.

For the rest, he easily avoided the guards dashing around the corridors. Clearly he wasn't the only one to escape, and when he got to the weapon store, it had already been looted. He found a few more spare daggers and tucked them away, before leaving--and running right into someone. Startled, he had a dagger going for the man's throat before his heart resumed beating. Just before the knife slit a throat, Adin jerked back; it was only Gai, the circus magician.

"What are you doing here?" he began, but just then, four guards came around the corner...

OOC: Feel free to prove yourself, IHMN.

[Overcast]

He walked fairly slowly then stopped, he poured some of the blood into a singular skull and began to pull away about 10 of his own hairs a and a large chunk of his skin. He placed the main scull on the skin and the lesser skulls on each hair, "Sofarara Cor E." suddenlu the skulls on the hairs emptied and the skin's blood turned black he poured the liquid upon fortes bodyparts and the pulled together making disgusting noises all the way.Once she was together once more they began to see the dark one and the barbaric girl. Best guess is his club and potions were with them.

[IHateMakingNames]

Before Gai responded to the question, he handled the gaurds. With a simple trick of Earth Bending and a wave of the hand, he caused the stone hallway behind him to collapse, seperating him from the gaurds.

"I'm trying to find my spell book. Do you know where they would have taken a book full of spells and magical advise?" Gai asked. He also continued to walk foward, since there was now a dead end behind him.

[Fuzzydoom]

"You're learning the ways of the Dark One well Adellah. His lessons are taught in harsh terms, but they are always lessons worth learning. And thank you for watching over me, but you must go help the others. I'll be alright, I'll just ambush a gaurd and drain his life energies." Damion, after finishing speaking, immediatly coughs up a glob of blood. He reaches out and gives Adellah's hand a squeeze before pushing her around the corner, gently but firmly. Without turning around he breaths, almost silently, "You bastard, your vendetta is with me and no one else. If you harm her or any of the others, I'll have your head on a pike and your heart in my hand." A man robed all in white steps out from the shadows.

"Hello Damion," he calls in an almost cheerful voice, "I would never dream of hurting any of your liitle friends. After all, they aren't demonic hellions sent to this world to destroy it. Just you, and that is why yours will be the only blood I spill today."

"You always were a coward," Damion jibes with an impish grin "attacking me when I can barely defend myself. Are you messengers of light so spineless?"

The man towers with rage "Do not dare speak upon the honor of the bringers you child eating bastard."

"We've been over this before, I don't eat children."

"Shut up, I'll not have you playing your Light forsaken mind-games. This dungeon shall be your final resting grounds."

"And who is it that's going to make it so? You, you coward? Come back when you've grown some balls you coward. You require weapons to slay me, and armor as well. I'll not tarnish my honor by battling one such as you."

Then the man smiles "You speak strong words for one so weak. You can barely stand, let alone engage in combat. What is honor? Might makes right, as they say."

"Honor is the most valuable thing a man can possess. I will not fall before an honorless bastard such as yourself." Damion is now the one enraged, his face contorted with anger and outrage. He lets out a howl of Anger, so loud and long that gaurds all over the citadel find themselves glancing about nervously.

"Now now, no need ot go acting like the beast you are." The man in the robes says mocklingly, obviously goading Damion on, hoping to start a fight.

"I have no intention of becoming a beast, for the Dark One has no need for a beast. A warrior however, is quite useful." His eyes burn like fire, if looks could kill the man in the white robe would be writhing in agony for years to come.

"Before I kill you, I shall have to read you your offenses, I suppose. Though why bother is beyond me. Everyone knows you're just a dirty barbarian. But I shall humor my masters, if only to keep them happy." He cleasr his voice then launches into a long list of occurrences involving sacrifice, torturing enemies, killing innocents and eating the flesh of the living. Not mention children.

Damion's eyes turn to ice, his face seems frozen in a mask of anger and unforgiveness. "I have never eaten the flesh of anyone, I've never killed an inoccent and most of all, I DON'T EAT CHILDREN!!! WHAT THE HELLS IS WRONG WITH YOU? Is this obsession with child-eating born from some inner desire Jordan?"

The man called Jordan's face turns a livid purple "I am a Messenger of Light, I have never had an un-pure thought in my life."

"Quite arrogent aren't we Jordan?" Damion asks in a low, menacing tone. "At the battle of Arcturus a few weeks ago I saw you impale a soldier from behind, then steal his horse to escape my wrath. You are the greatest of hypocrites my friend, a dishonest one. At least my people and I admit that our practices are not the same as some of those who live in these lands. And I am not so arrogant as to propose that I am perfect. For is it not known to all that only the gods are perfect? You are a fool Jordan, a fool who deserves whatever horrible fate awaits you in hell." This last comment was hurled with such maleficent force that Jordan physically recoiled from it.

Damion laughs, "See Jordan? You are the only dishonorable man here, a coward among cowards. Have you no spine, would thou not rather fight than flee?" As Damion proceeds to tongue lash Jordan, his manner of speach descends depper and deeper into the acient languages until Damion finds himself speaking spell-tongue fluently and with great malice. Damion smiles as Jordan takes a step back. Damion laughs "I haven't been this angry in a long while, you almost brought out my demon half. Wouldn't that have been interesting? Your time will come soon Jordan. You have plagued my land and my people for long enough, tarry not here, lest I lose control and the great Darkness within me rise up to swallow you, along with this accursed place."

Jordan flees down the hall. As soon as he is out of sight Damion collapses. The lost blood had finally taken it's toll. He had used the last of his strength Putting the bold front on in front of Jordan, and now he waited calmly for death. As he feels himself drift away, his last thought is Goodluck my friends, may you be sucessful in this venture. I'm afraid I won't be joining you for the victory feast this time.

OOC: Is this better Raiden? And yes, Damion is half-demon, it came about as part of his ritual when he became the Dark One's Champion.