Returning to civilization (open to all and any who dare)

[Links Kha'Serith]

Timestamp: Midmorning, 40th of Ioannes, Summer, Era XIV

A lone, loosely cloaked dracon lounged in a tree next to a busy intersection. His hands methodically moved the small knife in his hands over the piece of wood he was carving. Wood chips flittered down from his vantage point to the ground. What was he carving? Well, he would just have to see when he got done because he had no idea. It was a just a relaxing exercise to do. A small grin spread across his shadowed features as he looked at the people moving through the street. Yes, something relaxing was good in all this hustle and bustle of city life.

Links let out a long drawn out sigh. He had forgotten what it was like to be here, back among people. At least the bed and warm food at the inn had been a plus, but now he wasn't so sure if it had been a good idea to come back. People could somehow find a way to crawl under one's scales in the most unpleasant way. Suddenly a large crash sounded from the street. Two humans, both in a hurry, had crashed into each other spilling everything the had all over the ground. Quickly the two started to accuse and yell at each other over who's fault it was. Links started laughing at the sight, causing the tree to shake slightly. Nevermind, it was worth it to come back.

[Aran Kha'Serith]

(OOC: Mind if I drop in? =P)

Aalhari opened his eyes slowly as he found himself staring up at a wall. He'd been sleeping in an alley, for he'd gotten lost again in this place, and found himself with no shelter or anyone to take him in. He still had all those crowns Kour had given him, but any inn he'd tried to go to, they wouldn't accept him. It was probably because of his blood; that always did him in. It was also why he hadn't a single friend in the world, nor anyone who truly loved him...or so he thought.

Sighing, he managed to pull himself up and walk out of the alley, finding himself on a busy street. People didn't really seem to pay attention to him, merely going about their business as if he was just another part of the scenery. Looking around, Aalhari found that he was unfamiliar with this part of town, and guessed he must've wandered into a district somewhere deeper in the city. As he joined the crowd of passers-by, it was then that he was really getting attention. All around, people gazed at him with horrified looks on their faces. A boy covered in dirt and mud from head to toe wasn't an unusual sight, but one with wings and a tail, well, that was.

The boy didn't really pay attention to their looks as he walked, trying to identify something familiar, if there was anything familiar at all. Suddenly, two men crashed into each other, causing the other to spill their goods all over the street. But that wasn't the only thing that fell, for Aalhari had been passing by them that very moment when one of the men bumped into him, causing him to fall to the ground as well. Though the men weren't really affected by it (except in the fact they were angry at each other), the boy had fallen sideways and scraped his arm. Pain shot through Aalhari's body, and he looked up with teary eyes at the two men. Yet the men didn't even notice him, much less try to help him up...

[Soldier]

The two men continued on, to be followed by a pair of running soldiers, shouting for the two to stop. As the two watched, one of the guards performed a spectacular tackle, taking one of the fleeing men to the ground. The other guard and the remaining man disappeared into the crowd. The guard left behind pulled his catch to his feet, tying his hands behind his back with twine. A frisk search revealed a cache of weapons. Daggers, a sword, a small hand bow, a pair of wrist bows, pouches of ammunition, a club made of a sturdy-looking wood, all were dropped on the ground as the guard pulled them out.

“They’re coming!” screamed the prisoner, loud enough for his voice to carry through the street. As he turned, the two Kha’Serriths saw him as an elderly man, his hair wild and his eyes crazed. “They’re on their way! Flee for your lives!”

“Quiet, you!” growled the guard, clipping him on the head with a fist. He scooped the weapons into a blanket, wrapped it, and started to lead his prisoner off. With a snap of cords, the old man’s bonds ripped, and the startled guard reached for his club as the old man’s fist caught him smack in the chin, sending him reeling into a wall with a loud “Crunch!” He collapsed into a limp pile as the old man grabbed the blanket and took off, running in the direction of his companion. Screaming for the populace to flee. The guard, meanwhile, lay in a groaning heap, blood starting to pool under his head.

[Links Kha'Serith]

Links saw as the two guards appeared from the crowd and tried to restore order. Yep, that's their job alright. Ruin everyone's fun. He sighed and was about to turn back to his carving when a small form caught his eye. Aalhari? His half blood cousin? Well, it made sense, the boy seemed to get into a lot of trouble for someone of his age. The purple dracon didn't see anyone else from his family there to help the boy, so the task would fall to him. He sighed again and stuck his carving into a crook in the branches. Sheathing his knife, Links started to climb down when the old man started yelling. "They're coming! They're on their way! Flee for your lives!"

Links stopped halfway down the tree. Something in that old man's voice told him that it wasn't an idle threat or some hallucination of insanity. He watched as the guard started to lead the old man away. Suddenly the cords broke and the man slammed the guard around like a doll. He picked up the blanket and ran, calling out to the people to flee. Links dropped to the ground and looked at the limp form under the wall. The older Kha'Serith couldn't help him now. "May Diana bless you soul," he whispered before going to the fallen boy.

"Aalhari, are you alright?" The dracon wrapped an arm around his cousin's slender body and helped him to stand. "Is there anyone here with you? No, nevermind. We better get out of here and to a safer place. I don't like what that softskin said. There's some truth to it, a scary truth." Links scanned around searching of trouble, but none showed itself... yet. "Let's go to my room at the inn. We'll patch you up and perhaps clean you off." He chuckled and started to help the boy down the street. This is going to be an exciting day. he thought to himself. Exactly the reason I left. Why did I come back? But like most questions, nothing answered him.

[Aran Kha'Serith]

Like most children in a situation such as his, Aalhari began to cry. He did that enough though already, though this was more because of his scraped arm then feeling sorry for himself. It wasn't a moment afterwards that two guards appeared, with each going after the two arguing men. This caused the boy's tears to stop to a halt, and he watched with eyes wide as one guard tackled one of the men to the ground, while the other had gone off with the other man, probably taking him to prison or the like. A search of the present prisoner showed he was carrying an array of weaponry.

What possible reason could a man have for carrying all that? Aalhari had no time to dwell on it as the prison began to speak very randomly, and after a warning and hit from the guard, the prisoner, an elderly man as far as Aalhari could tell, broke the twine that bound him and knocked the guard into the stone wall; the guard was either knocked out or was dead, the boy couldn't tell. Aalhari couldn't scream, for it was caught in his throat, and all he could do was stare with a frightened expression on his face, which, while usually pale anyway, was now paste-white.

He didn't even notice Links come to his aid, helping him up quickly and asking him if he was alright. "Y...Yes, I'm alright, but the guard! We have to help him!" he stammered as they hurried down the street. "H...He's still alive, isn't he?" Aalhari asked, looking at Links with a concerned look on his face. What was the prisoner up to, and not only that, but how could an old man be so strong? He couldn't be human, there was no way...or at least, that's what the boy thought...

[Soldier]

There was a soft moan from the guard, as a hand rose shakily to rub at a bruised and battered face. There was a sharp yelp as the arm flopped back down. The odd angle of his elbow showed that the arm was broken. The crowd parted again, revealing a squad of no less than ten burly men. Each was dressed in plate armor and carried a mace, and they looked like they were ready to go off on the least bit of an excuse. The wounded guard was picked up and carried away, screaming as his injuries sent pain through his nerves.

From an alley came a slight “Hhsssssssssssssssssst! Over here!” From the alley poked the wild head of the old man, beckoning to the two Dracons to approach. It would seem no one else was paying attention to him, and the look on his face was frantic. He beckoned wildly again, hissing for the pair to approach.

[Links Kha'Serith]

Links moved through the crowd, watching everything. The guard moaned behind them and a squad quickly appeared. Maybe he wasn't dead after all. Well, I couldn't do much to help him anyway. The cloaked dracon shook his head. He hoped that the man would be alright, even though he was only a softskin. Still, he did his job and that was a plus in the dracon's eyes.

They finally broke from the back of the crowd that had gathered when a hiss reached the leathery ears of the dracon from an alley. Letting go of Aalhari, his hands slid under his cloak, ready to pull out his axe if needed. Turning his head, Links saw that the old man who had caused the trouble was beckoning them over. He was just as wild as before and even more frantic if it were possible. Leaning down, the older Kha'Serith whispered in his cousin's ear, "Stay behind me and run if trouble turns up." He took a step and a thought came to him. "Go to the squad, they can protect you." Then, with senses alert, the dracon walked over and entered the alley. "What is this all about human?" He watched over the man's shoulder in case this was some ambush.

[Aran Kha'Serith]

Apparently the guard was still alive, which brought great comfort to Aalhari. He smiled only for a brief moment before he realized the man's arm was broken. "Oh, how terrible!" the boy thought to himself, a frown of concern crossing his face. He felt compelled to just run over to the guard and help him up, but it was too late, considering a hoard of large soldiers came and took him away. Who could those have possibly been? Other guards, perhaps? Whatever the case, Aalhari said a quick prayer to whatever god or goddess was listening, praying for the guard's health and safety.

He then heard a strange voice, one which beckoned the boy and his older cousin to go somewhere. Aalhari noticed Links let go of his tiny hand and began reaching under his cloak, most likely for a concealed weapon. It turned out the one who'd called out their attention was the old man from before. Aalhari did just what Links told him to do and clung to his cloak like a scared child would its mother or father. Running wasn't exactly his best option, since his poor health caused him to tire quickly. All the boy could do was hope the old man wanted to talk and nothing more...

[Soldier]

The old Human was obviously crazy. The array of knives, daggers and other weapons on his body did nothing to soothe the two Dracons’ minds. “You must flee, before they arrive! Go! Go!” The Human then did something quite bizarre. He smiled, literally from ear to ear, his mouth curving almost entirely around his head. “You do not want them to catch you! They can do stuff to you that would make you have nightmares when you stand there awake! Flee!”

The old man turned at the sound of snarling dogs, turning to look at the burly, armored guard in the alley mouth. The two war hounds pulling at their leashes snapped and snarled, straining the guard’s grip. The Human soldier gave a curt command of “Kill!”, then released the two leashes. The dogs bounded past Links and Aran, charging for the mad Human. They were only two steps away when he raised his hand, bringing them to a sharp halt. The two powerful dogs sat staring at the madman as though enraptured.

“Flee!” bellowed the Human, and the dogs bounded to their feet, turning and dashing out the alley to vanish down the street, trailing their leashes behind them. The sounds of their barking vanished into the distance. The Human guard stared in shock, watching his animals disappear. “The animals will save themselves! Will you do the same?” the mad prophet screamed, spittle flying from his mouth. The guard said nothing, drawing his sword and charging at the madman, paying no attention to the two witnesses as he brought his weapon down, cleaving the madman’s head clean off his shoulders.

Turning to the two, he pointed his sword at the pair. “Stay where you are! You are both under arrest and will accompany me to the station house! Any attempt to resist will be met with deadly force!”

[Links Kha'Serith]

The crazed man did not answer Links' questions. Instead he told the same thing as before. “You must flee, before they arrive! Go! Go!” The dracon shook his head. This wasn't going to help him. Then the man smiled, a very creepy smile even by dracon standards. Give me nightmares huh, I can deal with nightmares. Links was losing his patience with the softskin. "Who is they? Who are you running from? I want an explaination softskin and I expect to get one." But he never got it.

Just then the two dogs growled and bounded into the alley. Links almost stopped them because he needed information, but one look at their master and the idea quickly died. The hounds closed in ready for the kill when they stopped in midstride. Somehow the filthy softskin had stopped them. "Flee!" There was a certain power in that word that almost made Links turn and follow after the dogs. What spawn of Jorel is this? What gives this man his power? He pondered the question as the man yelled at the guard. The armored man ended the confrontation quickly.

A bloody sword pointed at the two Kha'Seriths. "“Stay where you are! You are both under arrest and will accompany me to the station house! Any attempt to resist will be met with deadly force!” Links looked the man up and down. In this small space he would win. Links wouldn't be able to free his axe or swing it in the alley. Arrest. Hhmmmm, don't think I've even been under arrest before. He smiled and let out a small chuckle. At least while they were under guard, whatever the old man was talking about would most likly attack them first and not him or his cousin. It was a good way to protect Aalhari until this was all sorted out. With a nod to the guard he replied, "Yes sir. Lead the way." Yes he was surrendering, but his hands still rested on his axe out of sight, ready if needed.

[Aran Kha'Serith]

Aalhari couldn't quite understand why the man kept telling them to flee. Flee from what? Those guards? What reason would guards have to go after them? The fact the man told the two Kha'Seriths that whoever "they" were could give them nightmares while awake made him feel very uneasy. He moved behind Links as much as he could, trying to hide himself from the old man's view. Soon afterwards, however, a guard appeared and sent two rabid dogs down the alley, right after the old man. However, they stopped right at his feet.

He ordered them to flee and they did. What kind of man was this? "Is he some sort of magician?" the boy thought, a confused look on his innocent face. Aalhari didn't really have any time to dwell on it as the guard drew his sword and lopped the old man's head clean off his shoulders. This made the boy scream to the top of his lungs, for never before had he seen such horror. Tears streamed down his face as he covered his mouth with his hand. The guard was a monster!

It made Aalhari even more mortified when the head rolled towards them, stopping almost near the boy's feet. He shrieked again and darted over to Links's side. This was certainly not something a little boy should have to go through. But it was about to get worse, for now the two were apparently under arrest. His cousin seemed to be calm about it, but Aalhari wasn't emotionally able to do so. He wept bitterly as they followed the guard to wherever their destination would be.

[Soldier]

OOC: My extreme apologies for the wait… I was unsubscribed, somehow…

IC: The soldier merely marched the pair through the streets of the city, telling them to turn left or right as he walked behind them. Finally, the two were led to the main building of the Crimson Lions. Inside, they were shown to an uncomfortable wooden bench and directed to sit while they were being processed. The pair were then directed into a holding cell until the shift Sergeant could question them.

The shadows lengthened and stretched, until they found the suns had set, and still the Sergeant hadn’t come for them. As the darkness closed around them, they heard the clinking of armor and the bobbing light of a torch as the night guard approached. As he got to the cell holding the two cousins, the lifted his helmet from his head. Hair stuck out wildly, capping the familiar madness of the prophet’s eyes. The madman the soldier had killed was now standing in front of them, wearing the armor of a Crimson Lion.

There was the jingle of keys as the ‘guard’ unlocked the cell door, pointing down the hall to the front of the building. “Flee!” he whispered, so quietly, the pair had to strain to hear him. “Flee, before it’s too late!” With that, the form started to disappate, becoming insubstantial, and vanishing as if he had been made of mist. “Go to the clearing outside the city gates! Run, if you value your lives!”

[Links Kha'Serith]

Links walked where the guard directed. He didn't want to start something right now, and maybe he could get some answers. He was quiet for the most part, thinking to himself about his predicament. He was under arrest, a crazy softskin had told him to flee for his life, and to top it all off, he had to look out for his younger cousin. A heavy sigh escaped his lungs, Yep, this is my lot in life.

When placed in their cell, Links almost laughed out loud, the guard didn't take his weapons and items. Maybe it was a ploy to get the prisoners to try to escape to give the guards some excitement. The purple dracon chuckled at the thought. So he wasn't about to try to break out, but he feel much more relaxed knowing that he was armed. He sat down on the floor, pulled out his carving knife, and played around with the knife as he waited. Every once in a while he would ask Aalhari a simple question about how the half-dracon was living. But he never carried the conversation too far. The time dragged on and on until the dracon nerves were frayed. When is that fething softskin going to get down here?

The suns had set and Links was pacing the cell, muttering to himself. Then a clinking and jingling reached his small ears. He looked up at the door as a light came into view. The dracon shielded his eyes from the bright light. When his eyes adjusted enough to see he gasped. There standing in front on him was the crazy old man who told him to "flee." He was frozen in place as the door was unlocked and that ever strange command was voiced again. "Flee!" Links snapped out of his trance and jumped forward to question the man, but he was already disappearing. "Flee from what? What's coming? Where do we go?" But no answers came except, "Go to the clearing outside the city gates! "

The dracon growled and flexed his muscles. This was starting to get annoying. He glanced at his cousin. "Come on Aalhari, lets get out of here. Stay close to me." Links readied his axe, but saw that he wouldn't have much room to swing it. With a shrug he stepped out into the hall. "Now to get that clearing. Maybe I'll get some answers there." He whispered under his breath.

[Aran Kha'Serith]

Aalhari feared for the fate that awaited he and his cousin. What was going to happen to them? Would they be put in prison with the keys thrown away? Or would they be executed? The boy continually sobbed all the way to the prison, where they were forced to sit on a hard bench until they were led to their cell and locked up. For him, this was one of the most terrifying experiences in his life. Aalhari had never experienced prison or anything of the like, and to be locked up like an animal was just unbearable.

He wandered to a corner of the cell where a pile of hay was and sat down, burying his head into his knees and continuing to cry until he could do so no more. Time seemed to stop for the small boy, and the morning dragged on to afternoon, then the evening, and then night. Just as it was turning black outside, a loud clang startled Aalhari from his stillness, causing him to look up. "Wh...what was that?" he said in a hoarse voice, his face and eyes red.

Light came from down the hall and finally, a figure stood in front of their cell. It took Aalhari a moment to focus on it, but it was the old man! The one who'd attacked the guard! This caused the boy to rise slowly to his feet, a fearful expression on his face. "What do you want?" he asked. He didn't get an answer from the man, only the same "Flee" from before. What was after them? He didn't have time to dwell on it as the prophet told them to run to the clearing outside the city gates.

Links told Aalhari to stay close to him as they would attempt to escape the prison. "A...Alright." he replied, running behind his cousin. He looked around for any sign of the man, but there was none to be found. "Bless you, Sir." the boy said softly as they hurried down the hall.

[Soldier]

The guardhouse was amazingly quiet, without a guard to be seen. The pair found it easy to walk outside the building and into the street. Not a soul could be seen in any direction, the city seemingly deserted. The pair found it easy to walk outside the unguarded gate to find their way to the area the strange Human had told them about. Not two seconds after they stepped into the clearing, the sound of a large dog howling filled the air. It was followed by a second, then a third, until they were surrounded by a ringing symphony of canine voices. Over all of this came the sound of a loud hunting horn, and through the trees came the sound of loud crashing. It would appear something large was approaching, and getting closer.