Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » ~Paying The Price~

"Taff, that sorcerer, is the dragonlord," Audemar began, "and he lifted the curse from my magic. He gave me light. I'm no longer bearing the burden of a killer." He didn't know how to feel but he did want to test out his magic. "Hold still Lwyncelyne," Audemar ran his hand over Lwyncelyne's face and arms. The cuts and brusies faded and Audemar felt happy but he felt a stinging in his hand he looked at it and saw it darken as if he received a bruise.

"I heard him with my own ears," Audemar spoke softly, "he lifted my curse, which is why I was able to heal you." he looked to Lwyncelyne, "He's a humble man and you are right. We should stay together."

Audemar nodded and looked to Taff, "I doubted you. Before Lwyncelyne and I journied here, I didn't even believe in you. I didn't believe there was anyone who was willing to save an old soul."

"I was a man drowned in dispare," Audemar spoke softly, "I sensed other magical beings in need of help and I assisted. Then I came upon the lot in the mines; they were hiding. I met Lwyncelyne and told her of my past and she informed me of you." He looked at his hands, "I thought that if I found you, my fear and misery would leave me." his gaze met Lwyncelyne, "Most importantly, we journied here to set free others like us."

Merry would not enter the house, and in fact was not headed back for the village at all. She was headed through the forest toward the waterfall, where the waters were clear and fresh. She would dismiss Robin though, telling him to take time to rest and think before the hearing, and she would invoke the summons come morning. Seeing him head back to the village and do just that, Merry would take advantage of having only her most familiar party around to remove her lone garment, her gown, and step over to the waterfall to sit and bath, humming to herself as the others set about their usual tasks as well.

Even with the body of Lady Poppy resting close by, Merry would take time to bath and offer a prayer as she always loved to do, while things were calm. Glitter would let Gaia off of his back and went about his business to graze and keep watch for Merry, his senses sharp while hers were distracted by her cleanliness and prayers. Pixel would go scouting for berries as was her usual task, and Organna would make a small nest in the rocks and set up a small fire pit as usual, a pair of flint being found and struck together to easily start a small fire that once again she alone would sit at, opting to meditate since she had nothing to cook or eat. Probably for the best that she didn't go down to the village and was left unaware of the banquet the village was having, though she did wonder where everyone else was.

Moonlight would join Glitter on lookout duty, taking turns with him between grazing and keeping their senses sharp in case of trouble. A routine quickly served before the small party would return to a small circle, share what rations they had gathered, have their fill of the fresh water, and start to lie down and rest for what was left of the evening, nestling together in a patch of grass.

Honestly Merry didn't mind that everyone else was nowhere to be found, an she believed they were somewhere close by, but Merry preferred it outdoors. It was peaceful outside, and gave Merry a lot of comfort being able to enjoy the secret beauty of her true Goddess, Mother Gaia until the glow faded from her earrings and she was able to at last fall asleep. Organna would make sure that her small campfire was snuffed before joining the others for comfort. The Orc Warrioress couldn't help but feel though, that something just wasn't right. There was a foreboding sense of battle that she could just smell, like sometime very soon, something would be about to happen.

Elesa would look up to Will and smile as he asks if she was hungry or thirsty, "Yes please to both!" she says excitedly but politely. She was still a growing child after all, and needed to eat if she wanted to grow. She'd wiggle a little and get Will to let her down for a bit though, holding his hand so they could walk together. Once they made it to the house, Elesa would let Will seat her and scoot her up to the table, wondering what kinds of food were gonna be served. When she was presented a drink, she'd smile and warmly thank whoever served it to her and acted to use her Water and Ice charms to do a little trick that Lilim had taught her, essentially making a straw by focusing a thin cylinder out of the drink and freezing it with her ice charm. From there she'd put her charms back on her belt and cup her hands around the glass, using the straw to slowly drink from what she was served and listen to the group as they talked.

Lilim would look to Raven as she offers some of her energy for Lilim, "Well, actually Raven, I'd like to have a little something to drink... But I don't think it'd be very possible around here. Could you see if there's any way I could get a glass of Steak Blood? It would be just he thing to take the edge off for me." she says with a smile, looking to Haldor as he makes his proposal, "Haldor... Listen, Hun... It's too soon for us to do anything like that again. You haven't fully recovered your strength yet. Tomorrow night for sure though, ok? Just be sure to get some rest and I'll for sure take you up on that offer when you're back to full strength again. If we do what we did recently again tonight, there's a pretty good chance you wont have the strength to make the trip to Mercia. You're only human, Hun." she says calmly, trying to let him down gently for tonight and postpone his plans for another time.

She'd look around before entering the house and after entering it, but wouldn't see Merry among the group, figuring she was out with Robin. She'd move then to find Raven again, "Hey Raven? Could I steal a moment of your time?" she asks innocently as she leans over beside her. If Raven looks up, Lilim would quickly lean in and kiss Raven on the lips, drawing a little of her energy out before breaking the kiss before too much was said about it, "Hehe, thanks, Hun." she says teasingly, waving her tail around playfully.

Will smiled at Elesa, rubbing her head a bit as she got her glass. He watch her use her charms and make a straw to drink her drink He chuckled and stared to drink once he got his glass. He was running on fumes, having not slept for two days, but he still managed to keep himself from falling asleep. He looked around everyone and listened to their conversation, Haldor edger to jump on the life-force feeding wagon with Lilim, but shook his head and looked down at Raven.

Lilim would look to Haldor again and giggle before placing her hands on her hips, "You're gonna safeguard me throughout the daylight hours just to wait for me to treat you to some fun?... Haldor, I'll sweeten that deal for you. Have someone like Raven or Merry unlock your Aura and study up on a little magic of your own and I'll consider a long term relationship with you. But you're only human as you are now, and no offense, Hun, but you run out of juice too quick for me. Now... Someone like Will, here... Big strong Half-Dragon fully adept at using magic?... He'd be able to fill my tummy to full and could recover from the fun with a 4 hour power nap and a couple of cups of coffee." she says teasingly as she moves to drape herself on Will's back for a moment and hug him as she hovers and kicks her feet behind her cutely, swaying her tail opposite to which foot she kicked close to her rump.

Elesa would giggle to this and had to stop sipping from her drink to laugh for several seconds. She'd go back to sipping on her drink though and let Lilim have her fun flirting with people.

Lilim would let Will go after a moment and hovers over to Haldor to sit in his lap for a moment, "Oh come on, Hun, don't be jealous and possessive. I'm a Succubus, remember? My intimate loyalty is never going to be to just one being. That'd be like you eating the same food over and over and over again with no variety. You'd burn out on it. So just let me have my fun with someone else this time, and I'll satisfy you as well as our last session when we have fun again. You remember what I did." she says teasingly, stroking his cheek before getting up and hovering back to Raven, draping herself on Raven's back now, crossing her arms over Raven's chest and resting her head on Raven's left shoulder so she was the one wearing Lilim like a cape.

Will wasn't expecting Lilim to walk over to him and wrap his arms around him. He definetly didn't expect her to start talking about how he could fill her up and recover with a power nap. He did decide to play along and smirked, reaching his hand behind her and laying it on her shoulder, rubbing it softly. After that he would start to laugh a bit and went back to his drink and food.

After she went back to Raven and draped around her, he decided to get a little fun going, keeping the good vibe going. "So, Lilim, I had no idea you'd be willing to take a half-dragon magic weilder as dinner." Will said before laughing.

Lilim giggled at Will's words and started to say something before Haldor spoke up, causing her to look at him and scowl a bit as he did exactly what she asked him not to do. She'd calm her gaze as he changed his tone, and couldn't help but giggle as he said he'd bite the bullet if she'd be more his than anyone else's. Removing herself from Raven, she'd hover over to stand before him, looking to the ring, "Haldor... Can you promise me something?" she asks with a serious but calm tone.

Swaying and flicking her tail slightly, "Can you promise me... That by your hand no other living being shall ever be slain again?" she asks with a look in her eyes that said she was not joking. "If you can promise me that, Haldor, then I'll unlock your Aura myself, here and now, and I'll show you what you can do just from having it unlocked. First off though, Haldor... I have to tell you that once your aura is unlocked, you will not get stronger in it unless you use it. And it is not your stamina nor strength that keeps me from wanting to feed on you. It's the strength of your life force, which is directly connected to your Aura. As a human that has never used Magic in your life, your life force is drastically weak, even as an Ex-Basilisk Battalion warrior." she says with a stern gaze, showing that she was speaking seriously.

Another sway and flick of her tail and she'd continue further, "Now... If you do unlock your aura... You will be able to use it as a force field that can deflect a certain amount of harm. Until your aura is depleted and broken, no spear nor arrow will be able to pierce your skin, no sword will be able to cut you, no fire able to burn you, no cold able to freeze you... But the more hits you take, the weaker your aura will be from deflecting the damage. But just like any other muscle in your body, the more you use your aura, the stronger it will become. Whether you study spells or not, just having that as a skill will make you an even more valuable fighter. All magic users know this, and that's why a lot of us are... Or rather were... So difficult to kill." she says with a sharp flick of her tail.

Lilim would sigh and move to lay back a bit, crossing her legs and acting like she was relaxing in a hemic, "But you know... On top of all this... If the Basilisk Battalion ever did get back together, metaphorically speaking... Haldor, you would rise through the ranks quickly just because of your aura shielding you from harm. And with that it may not be long until you rise to be respected as the second in command of the whole Battalion. Second only to Will, most likely. Gotta think he's been a magical being a lot longer than you, so he has a lot more experience." she says justifyingly, looking to Will for acknowledgement to her words and correction if she was wrong.

Raven would look to Lilim as she mentioned that she was thirsty, and wanted a glass of steak blood. She would have offered her own blood for Lilim to drink, but she had already made her request. She would simply nod and close her eyes, holding her hand out in front of her, and a swirling vortex would appear in the air. She would walk over to it and stick her hand in it in search of something. This wasn't the queen's pocket, but it was something similar. When everybody else slept, she would open the pocket and grab the book her mother left behind for her. Though right now she was looking for something else. She would dig her hand around until she finally found it, pulling out a raw steak just as the portal closed. She would hold the steak over a glass and wring it out, the blood from the raw meat leaving the steak and dripping down into a glass. When the glass was full she would put the steak over the fire to cook, and hand the glass to Lilim. She would smile and movie to stand away from the fire, hearing Lilim she would turn around, only to be surprised with a kiss. She felt her energy being drained, but only a handful as Lilim broke the kiss before she could react. Her face turned fifty shades of red and she couldn't help but giggle.


"Your welcome!!!"

She says smiling at Lilim, before watching the exchange between Haldor and Lilim. The succubus truly had this man wrapped around her finger and she wouldn't be able to help but laugh as Lilim continued on about how she would be in a relationship with will or at least how he would be able to fill her tummy. Though she would gasp, surprised as Lilim draped herself over her shoulders. She would laugh and run around, giving Lilim a little joy ride.

"Having fun up there?"

She says before stopping and turning to Haldor, her eyes widening to the fact he would be willing to open up his aura. She watched as Lilim slid off her back and sat down in a chair, and Raven would move to sit on Lilim's lap, stroking her hair lovingly. She would look between the two of them and sigh heavily.

"Lilim, I can unlock his aura. You can rest and drink your steaks blood...although..."

She says turning to Haldor, the most serious expression across her face. She stands up, sliding off of Lilim's lap and walking up to Haldor. She would take a moment and pull a knife off her belt. This knife had so many intricate designs and words written in a language only witches can read. It was a ritual knife. She would stare into his eyes seriously, before offering him the knife.

"You have to make Lilim that promise. You have to promise her that you will never harm another living being, unless your life is at stake. If you can make us this promise, then you will become our brethren. We will protect you with our lives, and we expect you to do the same for us. Though I will not even consider unleashing your aura if you are going to use it to back stab us and betray us. So, once you make the verbal oath, I want you to write it in blood. Once you do that, you will be bound by that oath, and we will welcome you into our community with open arms."

Raven's eyes would narrow on Haldor, as she folded her arms at him and lowered her head, letting out a heavy sigh but remaining silent. She would turn to face Lilim, giving her a curious look before leaning on Lilim, twirling the knife in her hand before gazing back at Haldor. She would remain silent for a moment before speaking up and saying her piece.

"I wouldn't unleash his aura then....If he were to be called back and ordered to kill us, then we would have a much harder time defending ourselves, not to mention the many other people who wouldn't be able to face him because of his magic..."

She says, glaring at Haldor. She would rub the ends of her hair, thinking for a moment, before an idea strikes her. She looks to Lilim and smiles, hugging her tightly and draping herself over Lilim's shoulders, as Lilim had done to her previously. She chuckles and looks between her and Haldor, wrapping her arms around Lilim's shoulders before speaking up.

"Perhaps it can be overwritten. I don't know for sure if it is possible, but maybe my mother's book has a way to undo his magic binding.....If that is what he wants. I can at least look into it."

She says, looking to Haldor and expecting an answer from him.

"Well?"

Will sighed and finished his cup and sat it down. While a bit irritated by Haldor's comments, he listened to his and Lilim's conversation. Once they brought up the Basilisk Battalion reforming, Will sighed and shook his head, thinking for a while before speaking. "I don't think the battalion will be reformed. After eveything's that's happened, I don't even know if I'd take my spot of general back. This war with Mercia and the stuff with Conrad's drained the soldier out of me. But at this same time, it would be good to reform the battalion and become general again, but seeing as how all the former members are dead, missing, or bandits and slavers, I don't know how it would go if we did." Will admitted to everyone, mainly Haldor.

(I'm gonna go ahead and clarify this: I like to use different types of font when multiple characters are speaking. I find it easier to keep track of who is talking this way. And now that I'm playing 3 different people, these are indicators on who's talking: This font means that RAVEN is talking, This font means that CROW is talking, And this means that WILLIAM is talking. Hopefully this makes it easier to differentiate who is speaking! ^-^)

Raven would sigh and sheath her knife, seeing that he was unwilling to compromise. Though she had to admire his loyalty to the old oath that he had signed up for. And despite him being unable to tap into his magic, he did seem to be sincerely sorry for the things he had done. This would further be proven when he lowered himself to the ground. She would raise an eyebrow, curious as to what he was doing, only for her eyes to widen at him as he kept his forehead pressed to the ground while he kissed her feet. Her face would turn red from blushing, as she honestly didn't know what to do. Raven might be a queen, but she was raised as a villager, not royalty. She wasn't used to such prospects, but considering she was queen now she would have to grow accustomed to it. She didn't understand though, if he was doing this for Lilim, for Will, or if she was sincerely sorry. While he continued kissing her feet, one of her eyes would turn completely black and the other would turn completely white. Crow and William could both be heard speaking through Raven's body now that the three of them are fused inside Raven's body.

"You mean to tell me that you threatened to sell Raven as a slave!? What else has he done?!"

"My love, calm down...He's apologizing isn't he??"

"I can't calm down knowing he threatened to do such a thing to you and Raven..."

"Both of you, calm down....Haldor, you are forgiven. Though I will follow through on what you are proposing if you do break that promise..."

Raven turns to Will, and then both of her eyes glow white as William's voice takes over. Raven would smile sadly at Will, felling everything that William and would walk up to him, placing her hand gently on his shoulder.

"Will, my old friend...when you are done talking to Haldor, I would like to have a word with you..."

Elesa would frown as Haldor refused to give up on killing even for a chance to be boyfriend and girlfriend with Lilim. But she'd shrug it off until he asked to step outside with Will. Growling a bit, she'd set her drink on the table and crawl into Will's lap, not wanting him to leave.

Lilim would frown as Haldor drops his ring and immediately loses faith in himself. She'd sigh and move to stand with Haldor and Will, "You know... I have been curious about this since the first time I heard it, and now I just have to ask... The heck do you guys mean wanting to be in a soldier brigade named after a giant snake?... Or for that matter a Crocodile Tailed Turkey, depending on which Basilisk legend you believe. If you ask me, I think you should go for a name that's a bit less... Venomous... Like... Why not establish a new Battalion? Like... Maybe the Atlas Battalion? Huh? Named after a deity with strength enough to separate the land from the sky? Honestly sounds like a much more honorable name to me. How about you, Raven?" she asks quickly, looking for something she could use to appease these 'great warriors' and establish them with some new morals and a name that literally means 'great strength'.

Raven would slowly leave will's side, and her eyes would go back to glowing white and black, indicating that William and Crow were both tuned in to what was going on around them. She would slink back over to Lilim and lay across her back, wrapping her arms around her neck as Lilim had done earlier to her. She watch as Elesa crawled into William's lap, not wanting him to leave, understandably so. Though her attention would turn to Lilim, looking at her as she wrapped her arms more tightly around her. A new team name?? She ponders for a minute before speaking up, glancing between the two of them.

"How about...Hephaistos Battalion??"

"........"

".....Raven...."

"Geez, you don't have to be so rude about it...I thought it was a good idea...."

"Weeeellll..."

Ravens sighs annoyed at the two, before burying her head in the crook of Lilim's neck, hugging her more tightly than before as she addresses the two of them.

"Well, what do you suggest?!"

"Well what about Enyalius Batallion? Named after a god of war?"

"Minos Battalion??"

"You know....we may be three people, but it seems none of us are good at coming up with names...unless one of these ideas actually appeal to you..."

She says burying her head deeper into the crook of Lilim's neck, her face turning red slightly at the sheer embarrassment that they couldn't think up any decent names.

Will went to go stand up, but seeing Elesa growling at Haldor and crawl into his lap made him chuckle a bit. He smiled at Elesa and rubbed her head. "Haldor, William, I'll gladly speak to both of you, but for right now, sit and eat. because honestly, the last food we had was Lilim's fish. Most of us are starving and who knows when we'll be able to sit down and have a feast like this. I mean, Tomorrow a flaming spear could impale my heart and kill me. So sit, eat, joke, because right now, everyone here is family. We all lost people we love, had to crawl through hell and high waters just to get here, so everyone needs to take the time to relax and enjoy a feast." Will told the two, kinda making a speech to everyone at the table as he petted Elesa.

When Lilim asked why the Batallion was called what is was, Will wasted no time telling her why. "You see, I went to Merthyr's father and asked if I could be made charge an elite Battalion for him. And the reason I was chose to name it the Basilisk Battalion was to make the enemy fear us before the battle even starts. See, if you scare you enemy before you even meet them on the battlefield, it makes your job of winning a lot easier. The only reason I even recruited Haldor into it was after watching him knock out an entire tavern, taking two chairs to the back as well. Minus I think I can say the resaon he kept going was the six mugs of ale he had." Will explained to Lilim

Lilim sighs and moves her hands to hold onto Raven's arms, floating a little higher and giving Raven a ride, slowly moving her hands one by one from Raven's arms to Raven's thighs, holding her close as she adjusts Raven to be carried in a piggy back ride, "You know guys... Any pawn can kill for a so called master or king... But it takes a real honorable fighter to defeat an enemy without taking their life. There is a big difference between sentient beings that need a beat down and to learn their place... And a true monster that cares nothing for anyone or anything other than itself and legitimately deserves to be killed. And I'm honestly surprised Haldor, that your sworn oath is to be part of a brigade of murderers. I could never call someone like that my significant other. Not after I left my home... My siblings... My own mother... Just to get away from all the death they caused." Lilim says in a saddened and serious tone.

Floating around for a few more seconds, Lilim would speak again, "You know, Will... Basilisks may strike fear in their enemies, but they also strike fear in everyone. Their name gives no hope to allies, only a warning to stay clear of them. That's why I suggested naming a new Brigade after the deity Atlas. Strength enough to strike fear in foes, but sentient enough that if encountered would be viewed with praise and respect by allies. Will... Let me ask you... Do you have any honest clue, how respectable you would look... Not only to myself, but to the little girl in your lap... If you were able to demonstrate superior strength by putting a foe on the ground without killing them? Mercy is not a weakness... It's strength of the heart." she says calmly as she shifts Raven on her back, flying around the room a bit more, being careful not to hit anyone with her legs.

Will sighed and nodded. "Yeah, That's the bad part I realized after I named it. Plus, I was young and Ignorant. Minus I'm still young, I'm a bit more wiser. And I'm trying to change my ways, believe me, but IT's just hat I've had a certain mentality for so long and it's a bit hard to get around it." Will told them.

In the forest, the Hit Squad could finally see the town from a nearby Hill. The man in hte plauge doctor's mask called upon his hawk to fly over the town and survey it.

Raven would raise an eyebrow as Lilim moved to hold onto her arms, before levitating off the ground and flying around the room. She would close her eyes and smile, both of her eyes going back to normal as Crow and William went back inside Raven's mind to talk amongst themselves and catch up. Her face turns a deeper shade of red as Lilim worked her hands down to her thighs, and would help Lilim adjust herself so she was being carried piggyback. She would look to Lilim and frown as she relived some of her old memories, and would hug Lilim tightly from behind.

Her attention would shift to Haldor as he explained the meaning of the Basilisk, and she would nod, seemingly understand at the historical sentiment of the name. She had never realized that its history ran much deeper than just a group of bandits. She would tighten her grip on Lilim, before her eyes narrowed and she stared out towards the door. She felt something bad was going to happen. And soon. She didn't know if this was true or not, but she knew that she didn't like the feeling she was getting in the air. She would cling to Lilim as they flew around the room, before leaning into Lilim's ear and whispering to her.

"Do you feel it...the feeling in the air...there's a sense of foreboding...I don't know what it is, but I don't like it...Just be on your guard...And if it comes down to it, I'll protect you."

She says smiling, knowing full well that Lilim was capable of handling herself, but still making it known that she would be there for Lilim, all she would need to do was call for her. She smiles and hugs Lilim before smiling at Elesa. She would talk to Elesa from above, smiling down at her.

"Are you comfortable down there, Elesa??"