Despite the queasy feeling in his stomach, Daliane kept his eyes on the arena. The man, Malcolm, had returned and he did not want to miss anything. The boy still did not like fights or even death, but this man was something special. The fight that same man was previously in shocked him and made the already curious young man even more curious. "He's...that man is not human." The words slipped out, causing Daliane to cover his mouth and glance at the woman who had been shouting his name before. He hoped she did not hear him. She's too far away to hear me.
The man did not return to the arena on his own, shackled to another man almost too familiar looking. He had seen him before, but where? Daliane just could not figure it out. He was sitting at first but the moment was so intense, he just had to stand up. He leaned forward a bit and shielding his eyes from the sun, he watched the battle begin. The men did not hesitate to attack one another and before you knew it, someone was dead. Daliane flinched every time someone got hit. It was almost as if he felt how hard and painful the blow really was. The two men who were chained to each other seemed to be fighting in perfect harmony. The shackles did not seem to bother their fighting style at all, which Daliane found to be odd. They must've been knights or possibly guards. Hell, he didn't know.
Daliane did not notice the cloaked figures, too busy focusing on the fight he did not really care for in the first place. But Rah'lyn did notice them and became a bit uneasy. The Baroness got on her feet and reached for her son's hand."My sweet boy, we must leave. I'm afraid you father just might need us." The Sev'ryn was calm when she spoke. She did not want to alarm anyone or even make them aware of what is going on.
Confused, the boy looked at his mother. She gripped his hand and made a few glances to the cloaked figures. It took some time but Daliane caught on. He looked in the direction his mother was hinting to and noticed the person in the dark colored cloak. "Burhan." He said underneath his breath. "That is there color." Daliane knew that for a fact. Gavin did not spend too much time with his second son but when he did, the men made sure he knew about all the Great Houses, their color and their cultural background.
"Daliane, ïdäkẹjẹ jasi tä ohunkohun. èrè ies takip mäncïn." Rah'lyn hissed.
"But the Burhan, they would not--" The dark-skinned woman clamped a hand over her son's mother and glared at him. She knew something he did not know but did not want to say anything. Daliane could see it in her face that she knew something. "Okay, okay, I'll be quiet." He told his mother as she guided him up the steps. The two were just about to leave the arena when they heard a shriek. A high-pitched one that stopped them in their tracks and made them look around for it.
"The queen has been shot!" Daliane screamed in horror. He started to run, pulling his mother along with him. Daliane ran as fast as he could but could not beat the crowd. The tunnels were flooded with people and you could hear some of those people being trampled on. The teenager was going to enter the tunnels with everyone else but his mother tugged his arm, pulling him back.
"We mustn't. We'll die in there." The Baroness was telling the truth. The tunnels were too dangerous right now."We need to find your grandfather, I'm sure he'll have guards."
The Qe'Dreki lingered as long as they could, helping people to their feet in the tunnels and abandoned their cloaks in order to blend in as the city guard started pouring into the arena, met by a panicked wave of people they found impossible to get by.
"Stop that man!" A guard had ordered and swiftly found himself dead on the steps of the arena, a thick, well fletched arrow protruding from his neck.
One of the Qe'Dreki grabbed at Henry and ushered him and those with him into the tunnel where more like him were waiting, seeing to it that the people got out as quickly and as safely as they could, after all, the panicked crowd were their best chance of getting out of here too. Shifting thousands of people, however, was a difficult task. The men in blue cloaks seemed to disappear as quickly as they had shown up, and soon members of the public found themselves looking around for what might as well have been ghosts.
"He went that way," a woman tried to explain to one of the guards who had managed to get inside. "He was tall with dark hair and brown eyes. He had a tattoo on one of his hands of a snake, but other than the blue cloak, I didn't see anything that may have linked this man to any other."
"And you saw him shoot the queen, the man with the snake tattoo?"
"Yes!" She nodded, "he was standing right there in front of us, I didn't even notice him until he turned around holding his bow!"
Outside of the arena things weren't much better and some of the city doctors and nurses had turned up to treat a lot of the injured, they were always good at running towards the problems everyone else fled. Some stood dazed and confused while others shouted, outraged that something like this could take it pace in a location that was usually well organised and safe, unless one was unfortunate enough to find him or herself on the arena sands. There were a few who started arguing about their gambling tickets and when and where they would be able to collect their winnings, the few at least that had thought to bid on anyone but the crowd's favourite, Victoro. Bookies informed them that they could collect during the next featured fight some time from now, leaving residents disgruntled and put out.
That evening the gossip in the local tavern and bars would be rife, each story bigger and better than the last. Some anticipated what the headlines on the papers would read and others joked about the men in the blue cloaks, where they had come from and what they were planning.
"My cousin is from Burhan, scared they are going to burn his house down just because he once lived there. Saw him packing up his wagon before I came into the Arms, didn't want to risk it I suppose.
"Did you see how the queen looked at the commander?"
"I thought she had screamed because his guts went everywhere!"
"Serves him right, what was he thinking, bedding that witch!"
"You know what they say about the people from Endor?"
"Nothing!" This followed by roaring laughter and terrible jokes poking fun at the people of that region.
Last edited by Malcolm on Tue Oct 08, 2019 12:18 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 561
Gray had made it three quarters of the way to where Sabine had been seated when everything went crazy. The men in blue cloaks he had noticed before had brandished bows, and before anyone knew what was happening, had lets arrows fly into the nobles area. With the sudden attack and the quick reaction of the royal guards the crowd went wild. Everyone pushing to be the first out of the arena. As Gray fought against the surge in the crowd his eyes met Sabine's and she shouted out to him.
Good he thought , hopefully she'll be smart and either make her way to me, or wait until I can get to her. Of course the woman did neither. With a curt nod at the exit, she began pushing in that direction, forcing Gray to adjust his course. At the same time he noticed that she had one of the blue cloaked men grasped by the arm. "What are you thinking!" Gray growled under his breath as he pushed passed another spectator on his way to rendezvous with the two. If she's trying to get more information for a story, I swear on the Seven... Gray's thought was cut off by a nearby guard shouting and pointing at the man Sabine was pulling along, but before he could make a move to stop him the guard was silenced by an arrow to the throat.
Poor soul Gray thought, as he watched the man fall. Though that was all he had time for before the crowd and his own need to catch up with Sabine made him continue on. He had taken only a few steps, when a force hit him solidly in the shoulder, the impact nearly taking him off his feet. It took him a second to realize what had happened and as the realization hit, so did the pain. Someone had shot him with an arrow. Looking over his right shoulder confirmed it. There sticking out of his back was the long shaft of an arrow. With a silent curse, Gray reached back and snapped off the majority of the arrow before renewing his efforts to drive through the crowd. As he neared the exit tunnel another arrow shattered against the wall, only inches from his head. Why am I being targeted. Gray thought as the pain in his shoulder started to grow. Then it hit him. They were targeting his cloak, even though he wore gray instead of the blue of those who had started this, he was still a cloak in the crowd.
With a final surge of effort, and little care for whom he pushed out his way he made it through the tunnel and out into the streets. The pain in his shoulder was starting to become unbearable, but he couldn't stop yet. He had seen Sabine leave the tunnel with one of the Blue Cloaks. As he looked around for her, he began undoing the clasp that held the gray cloak on his shoulders. The guards where looking for cloaks right now, and though the color was wrong, wear it had done him no favors so far. Slowly he let the cloak slide of his right shoulder and the arrow stuck within and drop to the ground. As it landed he finally saw her, rounding the corner up the street a ways, the Blue Cloak still in tow. "Damn it woman" Gray muttered as he started after her, the fell of warm blood slowly running down his back and arm, coupled with the searing pain in his shoulder were both a constant reminder of the arrow in his shoulder.
Focusing on the Mark hidden beneath the brawling glove on his right hand, Gray tapped into the Enduring Aura he had been blessed with. With the help of the Taithir, Gray continued to follow after, the pain pushed to the back of his mind for now.
Sabine turned towards the shouting guard just in time to see him fall. Before she could react, another blue cloak began shepherding both herself and Henry into the exit tunnel. She twisted around, trying to spot Gray in the crowd, but there were too many people and not enough time.
Damn. She’d have to find him outside the Arena.
Within moments, Sabine found herself surrounded by several more blue cloaks who seemed intent on getting the spectators out of the tunnel safely. They murmured assurances of her safety, righted her when she stumbled, and kept her moving forward. It wasn’t long before both she and Henry reached the end of the tunnel and escaped onto the grounds.
The cacophony of people shouting, crying, and running was overwhelming, so Sabine didn’t protest when the blue cloaks continued to pull Henry away from the Arena and towards a side street. She followed close behind. Part of her wanted to wait for Gray, but she knew the group she was with was her only chance for answers.
He would understand.
And if he didn’t, well… such was life.
Henry immediately unclasped his cloak once they rounded the corner and let it drop to the ground. The two people with him mirrored his actions, revealing a blonde woman and a heavily-freckled man. All three exchanged meaningful glances and turned to leave.
“Wait!” Sabine stepped forward and reached for Henry’s arm. “Who are you? Why the blue cloaks? What were you doing at the Arena?” Each question flew out faster than the last in her desperation to obtain answers.
The blonde shook her head and tugged on her companions' hands. “We can’t stay,” she said. “It’s not safe.”
“Please.” Sabine met Henry’s eyes. “You owe me an explanation.”
“We can’t stay-”
“It’s fine, Claire. Give me a moment to talk to her.”
“Quickly, Henry. We have to leave. They’ll be looking for us.”
Henry pulled Sabine aside and lowered his voice. “You said you’re a journalist, right?”
Sabine nodded. “Yes, for the Gazette.”
“Okay. None of this can be published.”
“What?”
“Not our names, not what we look like, nothing. It’s dangerous not only for ourselves, but for our families. Do you understand?”
She hesitated and flicked her eyes towards his two companions.
“Do you understand?” Henry squeezed her arm with more strength than she had expected.
Sabine shook him off. “Yes, okay. But I need you to give me something I can write about. The name of whatever faction this is. Your purpose. Something.”
“Henry,” the blonde urged. “Someone’s coming.”
Henry cursed. “Thomas Endor," he said swiftly. “We came for the Lord Commander.”
Footsteps approached the side street, and Henry broke away from Sabine to rejoin his companions. “Thanks for your help, girl,” he called as the trio broke into a quick walk. “And remember: no names.”
Sabine watched them go, only to realize that she had been left standing alone in the side street with three incriminating blue cloaks crumpled nearby.
Not her finest moment.
It was too late to run without being immediately pegged as suspicious, so she racked her mind for her best excuses and readied herself for the guards who would no doubt turn the corner.
And then Gray appeared, instead - accompanied by a bleeding arrow wound.
I'm Anomaly, and I come bearing gifts in the form of a thread review. The thread has been thoroughly combed and all participants have been alloted their rewards, listed below. If you can't find your name, please see the closing comments at the end of the post. Thank you!
Arena Bookmaking: Starve the strong to throw the odds
Tactics: Save yourself for the fight
Deception: Fool the enemy by faking weakness
Burning Touch: Using the gift to poison someone else
Tactics: Exploiting the position of the sun
Tactics: Using sand to blind the enemy
Queen Freya: Asked Thomas Endor to kill the King
Other
Would've noted your wound in here, but it seems that got covered in a later thread!
Notes
You fooled me good with that poison usage, heh. It took me a while to figure that one out. Additionally, I gave you a point in Polearms for use of the spear, but with no primary weapon specified since Malcolm doesn't have stated expertise in polearms or a preferred weapon. If you choose to specialize in the Spear or not is up to you, else just leave it as a general point towards Polearms until you pick a favoured weapon from that group. I also didn't award you a couple of the Basic Knowledges, since you either already possessed them or it was referring specifically to you.
You've acquired Malcolm's Pendant. Unless you've already returned it in subsequent threads, add it to your character sheet.
Notes
I feel for Elyna. Her singular focus throughout the thread made it a little more difficult to snap up other observations, but I hope you got what you wanted out of it!
Henry: Don't publish names or descriptions of Blue Cloaks
Other
N/A
Notes
Ever the inquisitive journalist, I see. I struggled with the wording of some of your knowledges, so if you feel they're wrong or have suggestions for other ways to word them, let me know and I'll adjust your review!
Vincent D'Ordyn
Skills
+3 Detection
+1 Endurance
+1 Intelligence
Knowledge
Basic Knowledges:
Location: The Fighting Arena
Thomas Endor: Ex-Knight Lord Commander
Victoro The Conqueror: The King's Champion
Queen Freya: Shot by one of The Blue Cloaks
Malcolm: Ex-Baron of Krome
Specialized Knowledges:
Malcolm: Some Kind of Monster
Guards: Targeted your Grey Cloak in the Confusion
Other
You lost a Grey Cloak, so remove it from youe character sheet.
Additionally, you've taken an arrow to the shoulder. Once the arrowhead has been removed, the wound itself will take 20 trials to heal completely and strenuous activities will cause pain. Full functionality will return to the arm, despite the pain, in 5 trials. Before then, the arm and shoulder will be at reduced functionality.
Notes
I wish there was more I could give you, but I hope what you've gained is still satisfactory!
King Cassander: Surprised by Malcolm's Second Fight
King Cassander: Advised by Thomas Andaris and Andrew Krome
The Qe'Dreki: Revolutionaries and Rebels
The Qe'Dreki: The Sigil, Dragon with Seven Diamonds
The Blue Cloaks: The Colour of the Burhan
Other
N/A
Notes
Nivasi is a very clever and brainy character. A lot of thoughts going through her head, making it easy to award knowledges. That is very appreciated! I hope she doesn't stay in the mercantile business with that head on her shoulders.
Daliane Andaris
Skills
+1 Detection
+1 Intelligence
Knowledge
Basic Knowledges:
Location: The Fighting Arena
Thomas Endor: Ex-Knight Lord Commander
Victoro The Conqueror: The King's Champion
Queen Freya: Shot by one of The Blue Cloaks
Malcolm: Ex-Baron of Krome
Specialized Knowledges:
Malcolm: Survived Against Unfavorable Odds
The Blue Cloaks: The Colour of the Burhan
Other
N/A
Notes
Daliane is such a softie. Sorry I couldn't award more, but I hope you still walk away satisfied!
Vakhanor
Skills
+1 Detection
Knowledge
Basic Knowledges:
Location: The Fighting Arena
Thomas Endor: Ex-Knight Lord Commander
Victoro The Conqueror: The King's Champion
Queen Freya: Shot by one of The Blue Cloaks
Malcolm: Ex-Baron of Krome
Specialized Knowledges:
The Qe'Dreki: The Sigil, Dragon with Seven Diamonds
Other
N/A
Notes
You came in fairly late, so it was hard to award you any more than this. I hope you nonetheless walk away satisfied!
Closing comments: I'm so sorry for the multiple delays in getting this all finished. Let's just say that everything seemed determined to distract me in the past week, but here is your review! Whew! Finally. This was a very heavy thread to grade, but I'm so happy to be finished. It was a very interesting read.
Lastly, if there are any questions or concerns about your review, send me a message as soon as you're able so we can sort it out if need be.
