Featuring: Leodin, Artemis, Sula
[9:02 AM] Morderbanned: Near the end of the battle of Kranhai, Leodin saw who was leading Intetsu's army... Flying above the tank, he saw his father's retainer, Artemis, mounted on her kinshi, Apollo. She's attacked by Conri and Tori, and it seems like she's retreating. Leodin runs after the Kinshi knight, trying to get some answers.
"Artemis!"
The silvery-haired woman looks down from her mount to see the man dressed in black; she recognizes him as the rebel vigilante, a man who's been messing with Intetsu's plans for years.
Look what we have here... The vigilante getting help from Freyzenwald to accomplish that stupid rebellion? Maybe I can kill him and bring his mask back to Erik as a trophy.
The Kinshi knight flies down to the ground to talk to the masked man.
"The vigilante himself? To what do I owe the displeasure?"
[L] "Artemis, what are you doing here? Why aren't you back at Stormblade Manor with Erik?"
[A] "Well, you seem to know a lot about me. How?"
[L] "That's not important right now-"
[A] "Of course it's important, idiot! Who are you?!"
Leodin pauses... If I tell her who I am, will she take me back to father? But if I don't, then I'll never get any answers...
[A] "Well?"
Leodin removes his mask, showing Artemis the rest of his face. She instantly recognized the electric blue eyes, the defining trait of a Stormblade.
[A] "L-Leo...? You're the vigilante?"
[9:02 AM] Morderbanned: [L] "Yep..." a slight smile grows on his face, but it soon disappears.
[A] "You left us when you were only 14! You idiot! Your stupid father never let me out of the house to hunt..."
[L] "Artemis, I'm so sorry-"
[A] "If you were sorry, then you would have come back! I had to deal with that jerk Walter, and put up with that incompetent nutjob Sula."
[L] "Artemis, you-"
[A] "No, stop talking. I pledged my allegiance to Erik, and I need to get back to Stormblade Manor. Goodbye Leo."
Artemis stepped back as Leodin put his mask on. At that moment, the vigilante gets knocked on the head by the hilt of a sword. Before he knew it, he was being brought to a Khlinese prison as Artemis started walking back towards Apollo.(edited)
[8:39 PM] Kwakado: From over the sounds of the battle, Artemis hears the distinct sound of a Mokushu robin, not native to these parts at all. It was an old trick Sula would play on her, to try to imitate her favored prey and rile up her hunter's instincts.
She didn't always fall for it...But this time, it wouldn't matter whether she expected a bird or her fellow retainer.
All he had to do, flying towards the heart of the battle, was get her attention.(edited)
[8:44 PM] Morderbanned: Artemis stopped dead in her tracks.
"Sula..."
An expression of excitement, anger, and a slight bit of fear filled her face. She drew her bow from her back and turned around.
Where is that lunatic?
[8:48 PM] Kwakado: "Kweeemoooo! Artem-i!"
From over the top of a wrecked storehouse, Sula glides into sight of Artemis, seeing Leodin's body beneath her. He grins brightly. Despite his dead eyes and battle-torn robes, he doesn't look all that different from the last time she saw him.
"In the name of Lady Satomi...I must take that boy. Please understand..."(edited)
[8:52 PM] Morderbanned: Artemis plucks an arrow from her quiver and aims at Sula.
"What the hell are you doing?"
Her voice conveys a mixture of sadness, as well as anger... Sula had left Stormblade Manor to attend the election ceremony but never returned. They never got any word from the Dwabi, and now she finds out that he's been assisting the Queen this whole time, fighting against his liege.
[8:57 PM] Kwakado: "So you know...Ba-bi."
Giving up on deception, Sula raises a single arm. The paper talismans of his weapon, Takagami, whirl carefully around his arm, wrapping him in a magical aura.
"And how long, have you known about this?"
Sula motions to the metallic monster that continues to lay waste to the city, as his aura deepens.
"How can you, defend it? What the hell are you doing?!"(edited)
[8:59 PM] Morderbanned: She tightens the bowstring further.
"These are my orders, you traitor! You swore an oath to Lady Satomi!"
[9:04 PM] Kwakado: "I spoke nothing, of raising up dark gods....of tearing the country apart, and burning down Kranhai! Did you swear to butcher men like this?"
The charms' rotation picks up.
"Tell me truly, that this is what Lord Erik wants."
[9:05 PM] Morderbanned: "These are my orders, and I can't disobey my master, Sula! Something that you seem to have forgotten about!"
[9:11 PM] Kwakado: "Ha, ha, ha ha ha hahahaha...." Laughing madly, the Dwabi's face twists and wrinkles. Shimi's flapping grows violent, kicking up dust in the ground below.
"Sula-u betrays everyone, you know. Breaks every oath...but no one can fight fate. I have seen it. If you do not stop this attack...it will claim your life, too."(edited)
[9:15 PM] Morderbanned: "I don't know what you're looking to accomplish here, Sula, but my patience is running out. Get to the point, or this arrow is going through your skull." She said this with a much darker tone, much more menacing than she is used to, but she won't let Sula stall any longer.
[9:27 PM] Kwakado: "My loyalty is to the people of Khlin. If you must hunt them down...."
Sula didn't bother to finish his last bit of stalling. From his arm, the aura spilled out, and took the form of a second Pegasus, which charged at her. Sula and Shimi, in turn, dive away to avoid the inevitable arrow attack.
[9:31 PM] Morderbanned: As predicted, the arrow flew up towards the ethereal pegasus as Artemis rolled to the side.
She decided to mount Apollo in order to get on the same elevation as Sula.
"Attacking me before I even shoot? Killing me won't stop this!"(edited)
[9:36 PM] Kwakado: "Then live! And stop it with me!" The ethereal pegasus continued to charge at her, with speed on par with the Wolfskin that had fought her off before.
[9:39 PM] Morderbanned: Another arrow was sent towards the spirit.
"I can't disobey my master Sula! But I wouldn't expect you to understand loyalty."
[8:23 PM] Kwakado: The arrow pierced Takagami's ghostly form, melting it into an amorphous mist
"I have known loyal-ti, longer than you have known life!"
Sula snaps his arm as if to hold an invisible whips, and the scroll's spirit reforms to continue its charge.
"But did the Dwayi-Pele raise you to be a monster?! Is this the way of the Water Tribe?"(edited)
[8:29 PM] Morderbanned: Three arrows were sent flying at the reformed spirit.
"What do you care of the Water Tribe?"
[8:34 PM] Kwakado: "Whatever the land!"
Continuing his flight around the side, Sula struggled to keep the spectre stable a second time, as the misty aura seemed to pulse like a terrified heart.
"I care about the whole world's people...You cannot just cut them down like weeds!"(edited)
[8:35 PM] Morderbanned: "I swore an oath Sula! I'm not allowed to disobey the Stormblades!"
[8:39 PM] Kwakado: "Then you are weaker than this worthless old man?! Dyo-na, liar!"
And Takagami's remains faded in an instant, as a verdant vortex of magical wind rushed at her from the opposite direction with blinding speed. There was fire in the flier's eyes, and an ornate green tome in his hand.
"I know, in your heart...the vow is already gone! Stop lying to yourself!"(edited)
[8:43 PM] Morderbanned: "You don't know anything about me! How could you possibly know that?"
Apollo dove out of the way of the vortex just in time.
[8:53 PM] Kwakado: "I know, what it means... To swear to be their dog." Sula panted a bit, discouraged at his sneak attack's failure. "We are not like them, Arte-mi."
[8:57 PM] Morderbanned: "Maybe you aren't, but you don't speak for me."
[8:58 PM] Kwakado: "No." Sula switched back to Takagami, readying another barrier. "And neither do you!"(edited)
[9:00 PM] Morderbanned: Artemis notched another arrow.
"What do you mean?"
[9:08 PM] Kwakado: "All you do is speak for Stormblade...Speak for yourself! Say it!" Sula brings Shimi into a hover in front of her. "You WANT to betray them!"(edited)
[9:10 PM] Morderbanned: "No! You're lying!"
[9:11 PM] Kwakado: "You WANT to run away!"(edited)
[9:13 PM] Morderbanned: She tightens the bowsting.
"I wouldn't betray them like that!"
[9:14 PM] Kwakado: "You WANT...more, than this life here!"(edited)
[9:16 PM] Morderbanned: Artemis holds back a tear as she yells at Sula.
"Of course I do! But that won't make me break an oath!"
[9:20 PM] Kwakado: Shimi prepares to charge as her master nearly runs out of breath.
"You can, Arte-mi! I know it! We are the same--"(edited)
[9:24 PM] Morderbanned: At that moment, Artemis lets go of the bowstring...
The arrow shoots through the air towards the Dwabi and his falicorn, too quick to have any time to react...
The projectile finds it's way to the rider and pierces his shoulder.
[9:27 PM] Kwakado: Shocked, the Dwabi falls off of his falcon, only able to send a half-formed Takagami her way as he descends. Shimi lets out a wild, heartrending whinny and breaks away from the standoff, hurrying to catch him. But the sound of Sula's impact on the saddle is audible even to Artemis.(edited)
[9:30 PM] Morderbanned: "What did I do..."
Artemis flies to the ground and dismounts Apollo.
[9:33 PM] Kwakado: Shimi drags a cocked hoof across the cracked paving, preparing to charge the archer. But as she starts to move, Sula lunges forward, howling in pain as he grips the reins desperately.
"Shimi-e...Na! Na! Fly away!!!"
The pair pull against each other, each desperate to defend the other.
"You can't do that!!....ngh!"(edited)
[9:37 PM] Morderbanned: Artemis drops her bow to indicate that she's not looking to fight any longer.
[9:41 PM] Kwakado: "No...leave me, you...cough"
Shimi stubbornly drags her Dwabi along the ground, filled with fell fury.
"Vivi-e....Find Vivi-e, for me...That's my last order, Shimi-e."
His arm limply raises toward the heart of the city.
"...ba."
But Shimi does not obey, staying between him and his foe.(edited)
[9:44 PM] Morderbanned: "Vivianna... your fiancé, right?"
[9:47 PM] Kwakado: "Don't you dare!"
The outburst sends Sula into a coughing fit, as the pain starts to catch up with him. He loses his footing and collapses on the ground.
"You can kill me. You can throw out all your honor, Stormbla-du Poar-i, but please...."
He attempts to lift himself up once more.
"Let her go. I beg you."(edited)
[9:48 PM] Morderbanned: "Sula... I don't want to hurt you or your family... But I was left with no choice. I have no intention of harming Vivianna."
She walked over to Sula and kneeled next to him.
[9:52 PM] Kwakado: "Then, if you speak truth...."
Gritting his teeth, the Dwabi grips the arrow in him scornfully, pushing it a little deeper into him.
"Find her. Take her...to the docks. Keep the army from...cough.."
Sula brings his other hand up to her arm, gripping it with desperation.
"...she has my son.."(edited)
[9:53 PM] Morderbanned: A tear runs down her cheek.
"I... I can't do that Sula..."
[9:58 PM] Kwakado: "You..c-can...."
His fingers dig tighter into her skin, and his eyes turn steely with spite.
"You won't let another child....die here..."
Scowling with rage, Sula pulls the arrow out, gasping in pain as blood rushes out. His taut, twitching arm points it up towards her face.
"...or I'll kill you..."(edited)
[10:01 PM] Morderbanned: Another child...
My son... What would he think of my actions...
Orion...
"I promise that your child will be safe Sula. I swear it on my life."
[10:10 PM] Kwakado: "Ha...Kwemo...."
The Dwabi's hand lets go of her, and falls to the ground.
"That just leaves...one more thing. Este-li, Shimi-e!"
With tear-stained eyes, Sula jabs the arrow into the belly of his beloved companion, sending Shimi galloping away from the Stormblades' retainers in a panic. She glides over the military's barricades and disappears from sight.
"Ha ha....we're all free, now...free, from...Stormblade..."
Sula lets his head fall back, and his eyes close, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction from his defeat. His last conscious thoughts, are of concentrated emptiness.
"...Omm...."(edited)
[10:12 PM] Morderbanned: "Not yet..." she mutters.
Artemis walks back to Apollo and grabs her bow. The pair fly up and Artemis heads south towards Stormblade Manor.
[10:19 PM] Morderbanned: ===END RP===
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