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E1Alpha
08-04-2012, 10:29 PM
Paladin Grove
Aeregos >>> Archeos

Post Limit: None - - - - - - Time Limit: Saturday 18/08/2012
Maximum time in between posts: 36 hours

http://i49.tinypic.com/5viwj.png
http://i47.tinypic.com/301jxu0.jpg


Assault Force (5):
Aeregos
NPCs (4):
Niuro Kadai (Archer)
The oldest of the Kadai brothers, Niuro is a master at performing high accuracy, long range shots.
Aldoro Kadai (Archer)
The youngest of the Kadai brothers, Aldoro can use his shortbow to rapidly fire arrows at a medium distance.
Samara Tirno (Rogue)
The only female companion of the squad, Samara is swift on her feet and an expert hand to hand combatant, carrying only two small shivs as weapons.
Verin Ai’Tasah (Swordsman)
Verin is a skillful duelist swordsmen, wielding a regular katana. He can easily take down opponents one on one, but is very susceptible to being outnumbered.
Players (1):
Kaizan Kurotsubasa (Jacogos) (http://role-player.net/forum/showthread.php?t=32533&p=1021252&viewfull=1#post1021252)

Defending Force (12):
Archeos
NPCs (12):
Tomb Guard Paladin (x11)
These paladins have been trained by Orion himself and are one of the most fearless and merciless warriors Archeos has to offer. They have mastered control of light and as such, possess a number of holy powers. Their armor is coated in solid gold and their helmets bear angelic crests. Their weapons of choice are a light-infused longsword, in combination with an unbreakable shield.
Tarvonius, The Eternal Disciple
http://withfriendship.com/images/d/17006/Paladin-pic.jpgA legendary warrior, Tarvonius was Orion’s most successful student. His ruthlessness in battle is feared amongst most, and as such, he does not bear the proper altitude to fight in the armies of Archeos. Because of this fact, he has been ordered to guard the tomb of his former master with his life, a task he gladly accepted. Tarvonius is a dreaded opponent, and spends most of his time praying inside the temple. He wields a light infused, two-handed claymore with one hand with no trouble at all, and combines that with an unbreakable shield, but fairly small shield, making his a very offensive enemy. He also carries an enchanted dagger and spear with him. He does not wear a helmet, however.

GM:
E1Alpha

Posting Order
Jacogos
|
E1Alpha (GM)



Introduction

Paladin Grove is the most sacred of territories under control of Archeos. As such, it houses many shrines and small temples in honor of Alu’Terasa. Among these is the most revered shrine to one of Archeos’ greatest champions: The tomb of Orion, the Eternal Crusader.

It is said that this tomb holds the artifact that had been used to bring the Eternal Crusader back from the dead. This artifact is one of a kind in the world, and could be disastrous in the wrong hands. Whomever were to claim this artifact, could not only strike a lethal blow to Archeos AND weaken one of their greatest champions, but the artifact itself could be used to safeguard one of the enemy’s champions as well, proving a grand edge in battle.

However, the tomb is not left unprotected, as an elite garrison of paladins trained by Orion himself guard the shrine. These tomb guards are armed to the teeth with sacred armor and some of the best weapons available to Archeos.

They have been chosen for this task, for they would gladly give their lives to protect their former tutor. Any who would dare defile this shrine with their presence, would face a challenge that may as well make the battle not worth the effort.


Battle Start

The tomb guards were well spread out. A total of seven were visible outside. Two were guarding the entrance to the tomb. One more was keeping watch on each side of the tomb. And the final two were patrolling around the tomb. Where the others were was unknown.

A squad of four of Aeregos’ best soldiers has been selected to accompany the one who had the initiative to assault the shrine; Kaizan Kurotsubasa. They have made their way through the plains and forests of Paladin Grove, and have now reached the edge of the clearing where the tomb is located.

It is now up to Kaizan himself to command his outnumbered squad, and retrieve the artifact inside the tomb for Aeregos, or to destroy it.

Jacogos
08-04-2012, 11:01 PM
"We've come all this way... and yet they outnumber us. Not by much, if you take it at face value, but I don't doubt they have an ace and possibly more guards within the tomb."

Kaizan crouched within a tree that stood near the edge of the clearing that housed the tomb, well covered by foliage and not directly in any of the guard's lines of sight. Beneath him, covered by scrub themselves so as to avoid detection, was his small group of companions, an assortment of which he had grown fond of over the years. In retrospect, they probably were not the best to pick for the men they would have to face, but he wouldn't have any other group with him as it stood.

"So what can we possibly do? A frontal assault would get us all killed. I doubt the light-freaks are stupid enough to be drawn off one-by-one, either. They'd bring backup," Verin commented, not bothering to keep his voice down. It was okay, though, for as they spoke, Kaizan was weaving a small current of wind that carried their voices in the opposite direction of the paladins. It took only a little concentration, not enough to distract him from the matter at hand.

"We need to play on our toes... Figure out those patrols and how we can exploit them..." Kaizan muttered, almost to himself. He looked down, quickly finding his scout among the bushes. "Samara. Circle the clearing. Watch the patrols carefully as you go, report if there's any repetition. If we can exploit their pattern, I need to know about it." She gave a silent nod, and was instantly gone into the woods.

"The rest of you, we're going to see if the back is a little less... watched," Kaizan said with a smirk, moving to the side of the tree facing away from the tomb before dropping down. He kept his wings tight against him so that they did not attract attention, moving just as easily on the ground as the others did, though he knew he was more at home in the sky.

"Niuro, keep an arrow knocked. We'll see if we can use your skills to our advantage... With any luck, we'll bring them out to us before any one of them can warn those on the inside... Come on, lets move!" With a quiet nod of acceptance from each of the soldiers, the Aeregos squad was on the move towards the rear end of the clearing, keeping to the woods almost thirty feet in.

E1Alpha
08-04-2012, 11:22 PM
The guards standing outside seemed almost motionless, having only the sounds of the forest and their breath disrupt the silence, aswell as the sound that the metal boots of the patrolling guards made whenever they hit the stone floor of the raised platform upon which the tomb was located.

This stone elevation would be the course along which the patrols were walking. Seemingly walking in a circle around the tomb, they made sure that if one patrol was on the southern end of the temple, the other was at the northern end. Their heads would continiously switch between gazing ahead of them, and gazing at the surrounding forests.

While the rear end of the tomb was not unprotected, it had, just like every side of the tomb except for the entrance, only one guard, stationed on the stone elevation. Each of those guards protecting the sides and rear of the temple was standing on the extended part of the elevation, gazing at their surrounding with only a turning move from their head, nothing else.

The rustling of leaves seemed to draw their attention, but it was easily disregarded as they went by the thought that it were mere woodland creatures.

Jacogos
08-04-2012, 11:53 PM
At the north end of the clearing (I will assume that is the rear of the tomb, based on typical map layout), the group reconverged with Samara, well enough back that even a discerning eye couldn't spot them in the brush.

"The patrols are always on opposite ends of the tomb. Their steps are deliberate, but they walk fast enough so that there's only a small window of opportunity in which there's only one guard present on a side, not including the front entrance. What they don't do, however, is look up. I think you're going to be our ace here, Kaizan.

"Whatever we do, though, we need to play this smart... Plan out everything... and work fast," Samara concluded, flashing a smirk towards their winged leader. Kaizan nodded, but a frown etched his face. It would be tricky getting high enough into the air that the paladins wouldn't see him. The only thing he could do is go far enough away to make it seem like it was a bird at a far distance, then move to where the sun would deter them from making sure it was only a bird. Very tricky indeed...

"So what's the plan, boss? I'm itchin' to fight!" Aldoro said, testing his bowstring to make sure it was ready for a prolonged fight.

"We need a quick and quiet kill on that rear guard.... Niuro, that's where you come in," Kaizan said, nodding to the elder brother. "I'm going to do my best to get into position above the tomb. With that vantage point, I'll be able to help out best. Once there, wait for my signal, then take the shot." Niuro nodded his confirmation, nocked his bow, and moved in.

"The rest of you, I need to stand ready in case this goes sour. Samara, I want you to keep your eyes locked on the patrolman that's approaching the rear of the tomb. When he gets close, do your best to signal me. Once you hear the rearguard go down, I need you to do your best to make a move towards the tomb. Keep to cover, but make sure none of the guards see you. There's only a few seconds for them to catch a glimpse of you, but if they do, it all goes to hell. Once you're at the rear, I want you to get the drop on that patrolman. Do your best to keep him quiet, and I'll try to help out as best I can."

"Aldoro, Verin, I'm sorry, but for the moment, there's nothing I can do with you guys. Wait, and when the moment presents itself, I'll motion you in."

Kaizan looked at his squad, then smirked and nodded. "For the Queen!" he said quietly, but firmly. The others echoed him, and Kaizan was immediately off into the woods. He had to do his best to get as far away as possible, make himself not an obvious target for question. Once he deemed himself far enough away, Kaizan spread his wings and soared upwards, making sure it appeared as though he was just a bird. The distance he had put between himself and the tomb should have made him seem only a dot to anyone at the tomb, but he could never be to careful.

He calculated where the sun was and which way he would need to fly in order to keep himself between it and the paladins' eyes, then rode the currents towards the Tomb. With luck, it would all be smooth sailing from here.

E1Alpha
08-06-2012, 12:23 AM
The guards maintained their continious pattern of patrols and steadily gazing around the area.

The guard in the back turned his attention to the distant dot he saw rising up from behind the treeline, peering at it until it disappeared in the conflicting light of the sun, forcing him to narrow his eyes, and eventually just turn his gaze away from it, blinking his eyes a few seconds to restore his focus.

The guard passing behind him glanced at his companion, but did not stop as he continued walking around the tomb.

Jacogos
08-06-2012, 04:57 AM
Kaizan finally began to descend when he was directly over the tomb, though positioned so that any shadow he might throw would be nowhere near a guard. He moved quickly and quietly, finally landing on the roof of the tomb with silent feet. And thus was the first part of his plan complete. That, he felt, was the easy part, though. Now... now was the time for speed, silence, and lethality.

Kaizan moved towards the rear edge of the roof, making his movements as quiet as he could. With the sun high in the sky, most shadows were not long enough for him to have to worry about them giving him away. The only time he'd have to give pause was on the edge. He lowered himself onto his belly when he was close, then slowly stuck his head over the edge.

All was at peace. The guards were acting just as they had been earlier. Kaizan looked out into the forest, his eyes much better than the guards, yet he could not pick out anything different from the rest. He truly did have the best men, he thought with a smirk. He knew where they were, though, and slowly turned his head to look below him. The patrolman was just passing the other guard. Good... here went nothing... Waiting, Kaizan watched as the patrolman slowly made his way across the stone platform. Slowly... Slowly... and... the guard turned the corner as was out of sight.

It was now or never....

Kaizan signaled Niuro. There was a pause, then Kaizan saw the arrow soar towards the paladin. Instantly, he saw a blur bolt from the forest. Samara. They were following the plan to the letter. However, Kaizan had to fill in his part; regardless if the arrow hit or not, Kaizan attempted to buffet the man with a blast of wind, which would press him against the wall silently and hopefully prevent him from crying out. With any luck, none of the other guards would see Samara, and she could get into position to take the other guard out as he came around the bend.

Here is where everything fell into the hands of fate. Dropping down lightly, Kaizan prepared himself for the worst.

E1Alpha
08-06-2012, 03:21 PM
The paladin was instantly silenced, letting out nothing more than an oomph, which dispersed into the wind easily.
With full metal plate covering his body, though, his collision with the wall produced a metallic clank, which could easily be depicted as just a heavy footstep on the stone surface. His body went limp, as the arrow had hit its mark perfectly, having burrowed its way into the man's throat.

As the next guard came around the corner, his eyes widened as he was about to cry out, but the stealthy member of the group rapidly came up, her blade digging into the crevice in between the paladin's helmet and armor, piercing into his neck as she would to swiftly and silently pull him in cover, dragging him next to the other dead guard on the northern end of the tomb.

The movements were however just barely caught in the corner of the eye of the guard on the western side of the tomb. He peered at the corner curiously, before slowly stepping over towards it, his metallic boots thudding on the stone floor. "Brother?" He was approaching the corner of the tomb.

The remaining patrolling guard in the meantime passed the entrance to the tomb, nodding to his brethren.

Jacogos
08-07-2012, 01:11 AM
There wasn't much time to act. Kaizan was rather surprised how easy that was, but it wasn't all over yet. The eastern guard would notice when the patrolman didn't come by. Their time to move was short. Samara was busy bringing the body of the patrolman to his companion when Kaizan heard the footsteps of a metal-clad paladin. His eyes widened. It couldn't be the other patrolman... No, it must be the western guard... And Samara had not heard him. He caught sight of the guard's shadow, about to turn the corner.

Unwilling to risk calling out to his companions, Kaizan dove, whipping Carrion from its sheath and readying the blade. As the paladin turned the corner completely, Kaizan was there, thrusting the needle thin weapon towards his neck.

Meanwhile, the others were coming out of the woods, making their way quickly towards where Samara was. The plan was coming together... Kaizan just needed to make these next few moments count.

E1Alpha
08-07-2012, 01:38 PM
The paladin let out a gasp, shortly before being silenced as the blade pierced his throat, gurgling as he sought to inhale some of that precious oxygen, but was denied any attempt to do so, blood pouring out his throat.

However, the other patrol had turned around the corner on the south-western side, and noticed his companion gone, calling back to the two at the front. "Something's wrong here. Warn the captain." The two at the front nodded, as one ran inside the tomb.

The guard on the eastern side would turn around, curious as to why the patrol didn't arrive yet, drawing his weapon, he slowly made his way over to the northern end.

The plated steps now came from both ends, but sadly enough, the eastern end guard caught sight of the movement towards the tomb, as he was fairly close to the northern end. "Intruders! We have intruders!"

With that, he and the guard on the other side rushed to confront whoever just snuck up to the tomb, sword drawn and shield ready. The remaining guard at the front drew his weapons, before rushing around the tomb, from the eastern end, where he heard the call coming from, hurrying over to support his comrades.

Jacogos
08-07-2012, 08:58 PM
"Intruders! We have intruders!" There it was, the alarm. They had done as much surprise damage as they could. Now that they hopefully had leveled the playing field into their favor, they could play more offensively, rather than focus on the strengths of one or two of them. Now, the fight truly began.

"For the Empress!" Kaizan cried, signalling his team that weapons were lose; there was no more use for stealth now. The winged leader launched himself upwards, getting a bearing on where the other guards were. Once he was high enough, he could see two guards coming around either side of the tomb. Kaizan signaled Niuro to take the western paladin. The archer quickly dropped to a knee and drew his arrow, lining up the shot for a few brief seconds before loosing his arrow. Barring him missing, Kaizan was prepared to drop back down to earth to stop him from flanking the others.

On the other side, Verin was engaging the first paladin to come around the eastern side. While the swordsman was busy dealing with the first guard, Kaizan directed Samara and Aldoro to head around them to deal with the other approaching guard, keeping him off of Verin until he had dealt with the first one. While Aldoro began to launch suppressing fire on the front-door paladin, Samara began making her way towards him, careful to stay out of range of his sword until she found an opening.

Kaizan, after having made sure the western guard was dealt with, oversaw it all, also keeping watch on the front door in case any more paladins emerged. He assumed the other front door guard had gone within to give the alarm, which meant either the other guards would be waiting for them, or would come out to bring the fight to them. Either way, Kaizan needed to make sure his team was ready.

E1Alpha
08-08-2012, 03:01 PM
As Niuro dropped down to aim at the approaching west end guard, he was surprised as his arrow met a solid metal shield, the head of his arrow just barely piercing through it, as the paladin cried out while charging to the archer. "For Archeos!" He held his shield in front of him while raising his blade up to cleave down onto the archer once he got close enough.

Verin and the paladin's blade clashed and grinded over one another, but it would soon turn out that the paladin had far more physical strength than Verin. He however had the advantage in agility. Dodging and parrying, Verin tried to keep the paladin busy under his relentless cleaving assault, but he wasn't allow any opening for a counter attack, losing ground to the paladin.

The other guard blinked and rapidly brought up his shield to deflect the barrage of arrows, most of the projectiles bouncing off of it. However, he did not notice the woman sneaking around him, as she found an opening in his defenses, leaping up behind him to dig her blade into his neck and swiftly finish him off.

There seemed to be no trace at all from the other guards, as the entrance of the tomb was quiet as death.

Jacogos
08-08-2012, 07:58 PM
"Niuro!!" Kaizan cried, diving down to meet the other paladin before- Too late. The paladin's sword met flesh as Niuro grunted in pain and fell. Landing behind the knight, Kaizan shoved Carrion towards the Paladin's exposed next, merciless rage in his eyes.

Aldoro had heard Kaizan's cry, and turned to see his brother falling. "Brother!" Aldoro matched Kaizan's cry, starting to rush off towards the fight, but Samara caught his shoulder. "No! We need to help Verin!" Tears stinging his eyes, Aldoro nodded without a word and began loosing arrows towards Verin's opponent, hoping to allow the duelist to gain the upper hand and strike the paladin down.

E1Alpha
08-09-2012, 01:42 PM
The paladin's blade cleaved down into Niuro's shoulder, severing his left side collar, with the mighty blade having drilled his way down into one of Niuro's longues, rapidly decreasing the chances of him surviving the encounter.

Down one man, the paladins felt they were on top of the infiltration party, but they were in an exposed position now. The one that just finished off Niuro soon gasped out as a blade jabbed out from his throat, spraying around blood as the soldier desperately gasped for air, but didn't get any, dying off rapidly.

The soldier on the other side cried out in pain, arrows mostly bouncing off of his armor, but one found its way in between the crevice on the back of his knee, causing the paladin to cripple, followed by Verin's blade swiftly decapitating the paladin. The plated helmet with the head inside it, thudded onto the stones, rolling a bit further, before coming to a stop.

With those two paladins dead, the silence returned from before the attack. Only the blowing wind and the rustling of leaves filling the air around the tomb. The other guards were most likely inside, but not a single sound was coming from the tomb.

Jacogos
08-09-2012, 07:33 PM
"Niuro!" two voices echoed each other as the last paladin fell to Verin's blade. Kaizan was already beside the fallen archer by the time Aldoro reached him, but it was the brother who had tears streaming down his face.

"No! Y.. you have to go, brother..." Niuro managed, losing blood quickly. "For the guh... glor... Empress..." The elder Kadai brother's eyes glazed, and he breathed no more. Kaizan restrained himself from showing emotion; he needed to be the rock the others relied on. Samara and Verin stood silently, heads hung to honor the fallen. Aldoro wasn't taking it well, though. Tears streamed down the younger brother's face as he held on to his brother's body, rocking back and forth slowly.

"Come on Aldoro... We still have a mission..." Kaizan said softly. The archer took another moment before slowly setting his brother's corpse down and getting to his feet. Fire blazed in his eyes, anger painting his face an unattractive color.

"Those bastards will pay..." Aldoro hissed to his companions. "They'll all pay!! We're going to take this damn artifact, whatever it is, and break it in front of them! Then we'll use the shards to slit their throats and-" Kaizan cut off the younger brother with a backhanded slap.

"Stop this, Aldoro!" Kaizan commanded, meeting the younger man's fiery gaze dagger for dagger. "I will not have you going off the deep end! Niuro would never forgive me, and he certainly wouldn't forgive you! We have a mission, and we're going to finish it in your brother's name!" Aldoro stood his ground for a moment, silent. After a moment's defiance, he nodded without a word and notched his bow, moving towards the front of the tomb.

The others all converged on the tomb's entrance as well, though they were pleasantly surprised to find no one there. Kaizan moved to the edge of the entrance and turned to look at his companions.

"We have no idea what's in there, guys. We need to stick together, though. They know we're coming, but they don't know when we're coming. However, we don't know if they have access to reinforcements. With that in mind, we need to move. Carefully. I'll take point. Verin behind me, then Aldoro, then Samara keeping Aldo safe from flanking. I'm trusting you guys to keep close, keep vigilant and don't let your guard down. Come on... Act slowly."

With that said, the group moved into the tomb, quietly. As a precaution, Kaizan began to wrap a ball of air around him. If there were any archers or arrow traps in here waiting for them, they wouldn't be able to hit him at least. The bolts would simply get caught in the current and spin around him.

E1Alpha
08-10-2012, 07:12 PM
When Kaizan entered the tomb, however, he was not met with arrows.
From behind two pillars on each side of the door inside the door, came a sword swaying towards him. Two paladins have been waiting there for the group to enter, and they sought to reduce their number by one less, as the sword from Kaizan's right was headed for his neck/torso area, and the left for his legs.
Inside the tomb itself, three paladins stood, with their shields raised and their swords at the ready. They stood spread out, next to bodies of water that seemed to form a pattern on the inside of the tomb.

Behind the central paladin stood the only soldier here without helmet, the apprentice of the Eternal Crusader himself. He glared down at the intruders with his glowing eyes, gripping his two handed claymore in his right hand.
"You should not have come, fools... This sanctuary shall become your grave."

(Map updated with interior)

Jacogos
08-11-2012, 04:37 AM
The ball of air wasn't only for arrows, though. As soon as the metal hit the shield of wind, the blades acted as if they were cleaving into rubber: for a moment, the blade would cut, then it would get caught and stop. When this happened, the ball of wind dispersed, pushing forward with enough force to knock over the two paladins next to the pillars, at the least.

With the surprise over, Kaizan drew his rapier, Carrion, and readied himself, eyeing the leader of the paladins with a level look that promised a switch and merciful death. Verin came up to Kaizan's right side, sword held at the ready as well. Samara stayed back, not yet far in enough to have been seen. She may yet still play a part, a silent killer while they were distracted... All she had to do now was wait. Aldoro, however, brought up the rear of the three inside, staying behind the other two.

"I find your overconfidence quite laughable," Kaizan said with a smirk, twirling his rapier in his hand deftly The blade spun round and round, becoming a blur as the winged man stared the head paladin down.

"Five of your men lay dead where they fell, none able to even scratch my allies." No use in telling the truth here. The Aeregos men may know the lie, but there was no proof that these men could use against them. "What chance do you have against us? Knowing that we come only makes it easier for us, as we don't have to work within the boundaries of stealth."

Verin eyed the closest paladins, wary of them charging. He knew he was only good as a duelist, so he had to rely on Aldoro to give him cover if more than one paladin attempted to attack him. Aldoro knew that as well, and already had an arrow nocked, tension on the string as he prepared for the fight of his life.

E1Alpha
08-12-2012, 12:51 PM
The two paladins were knocked back, but soon forced themselves onto their feet again as they grunted, readying themselves once more, shield first and sword at the ready.

The leader of the paladins smirked, resting his blade on his shoulder as he chuckled softly, the sound echoing inside the tomb. "Ah... It appears that the warriors of Aeregos are still as naive as ever..." He scoffed, taking a moment to look at his paladins. They did lose half of their numbers, but the paladins' morale seemed not even scratched.
"Look around you... You killed half of the guards protecting this temple by taking them by surprise... Yet, we are fully aware of you, we are at the advantage here. We were trained by the Eternal Crusader himself, a warrior that has persisted through even death to fight for our cause. Do you honestly believe any of us fear our demise? Heh... Fools..."
He paused for a moment, before grinning. "Our only worry... is how many we take to the grave with us. ... End them."

At that command, the paladins charged forward, two from each side and one from across the crossing. They charged in shield first, with their swords raised behind them. It almost appeared as if they were going to merely crush the invades between their shields, but at the last moment, they slid their shields aside, to swiftly take in the space once more with an arching cleave of their blades, seeking to chop them down.

Their leader in the meantime walked forward, onto the bridge as he watching his men.

Jacogos
08-12-2012, 11:25 PM
Kaizan was slightly worried. They seemed completely unfazed by the deaths of their comrades, by the face that five of their own had been easily killed by a team of (to their knowledge) three. What were these men? Mindless lackeys who only did what they were told? Kaizan shook his head as the leader mentioned not fearing their demise. Kaizan had learned a long time ago that it was the fear of death that made a man stronger. Not fearing death made you reckless. Not fearing death made you believe that even if you died, you won.

And that was complete nonsense, Kaizan thought with a smirk.

The five paladins charged, then, and Kaizan was forced to improvise his strategy. This was alright, though, he loved working under pressure. Aldoro began raining down arrows on the two paladins on the right, just as Verin quickly moved to engage the rightmost guard, parrying the golden knight's blade with fluid ease.

As soon as that happened, Kaizan took the opportunity to use three very powerful jets of wind to help divide the forces of the paladin. One went directly to the left of the paladin that Verin was fighting, separating him from the rest and possibly stumbling that guard for Verin to take advantage of. Another split the leftmost paladin from the group similarly to how the previous had, as Kaizan knew in the back of his mind what Samara must be thinking. The last jet of wind was massive and collectively would stumble the remaining three, halting their advance at the least. Kaizan then took that chance to gracefully maneuver his rapier towards the exposed armpit of the paladin to the left of the rightmost paladin.

Meanwhile, Samara had been slinking along the left wall of the entranceway, using all of her ability not to be seen. Once Kaizan's jet had separated the left paladin, Samara waited for the guard to turn towards their leader again, then struck from behind. If that killed him and, barring no one noticed beyond possibly the leader, she would then move on to the next paladin on the left side, also striking him in the back

E1Alpha
08-13-2012, 02:21 PM
The paladins' charge was disrupted, as they were now spread out.

The paladin that clashed with Verin was about to bring a relentless barrage of slashes down upon the duelist, but he was interrupted by the jet of wind that sent him stumbling back, only just in time to bring his shield up to deflect Verin's blade. But the skilled duelist had no trouble to take this paladin down now, as he grasped the shield, tugged it aside and shoved his blade right up the paladin's skull, entering it from his chin.

On the other side, the leftmost paladin was taken by surprise as he cried out in pain when Samara's blade found a gap in between his armor, digging into his spine, ending his life swiftly. The cry gave away Samara's position though, as the other paladin on the left turned to her, snarling as he chanted something. "Binding Light!" At this call, the paladin would let the holy energy from inside the shrine gather to try and constrict Samara by her wrists and ankles to trap her, before charging to her to try and pierce his blade right through her chest.

The other paladin on the right was taking more steps back, just barely managing to shield himself from Kaizan's blade and Aldoro's arrows. But eventually, he was overpowered. An arrow dig itself in between his helmet and shoulder, letting the paladin stumble back helplessly for Kaizan to finish him off.

The last paladin snarled, being left untouched save for the jet of wind, before he'd charge forward, shield first, to try and smash the unbreakable plate of metal into Aldoro. If he hit him, he would follow the shield bash up with a horizontal swing from his blade.

The leader's face remained emotionless, watching upon his men fight to the death. Finally a worthy foe? Or just a group of lucky fools? He would find out soon enough.

Jacogos
08-13-2012, 05:06 PM
Carrion ripped through the paladin's throat, a horizontal slash with a needle-thin sword point that cut through his flesh like butter. Kaizan's blade then began its dirty work, rotting flesh as the paladin attempted to scream, coming out instead as a bubbling death cry. With that one down, Verin's paladin dead as well, and a cry that told him that Samara had struck as well, there was only...

"Binding Light" cried one of the remaining paladins, to Kaizan's left. Turning on his heel, Kaizan saw Light magic begin to constrict Samara, despite her efforts to escape. Swearing, flexed his wings and sent a burst of wind towards the magic-using paladin before quickly closing and attempting to turn the paladin aside with his rapier. Samara, in the mean time, saw the paladin coming and, with her hands and feet beginning to bind, fell to the floor in an attempt to trip the paladin up. Kaizan saw this and maneuvered to compensate.

Meanwhile, Aldoro took a face full of steel shield. Verin, however, was there to take the fight away from the helpless archer. Just after the paladin executed the shield bash and sent Aldoro stumbling, Verin parried the paladin's horizontal swipe, taking the guard's blade to Verin's left to leave the man wide open. The duelist then followed up with a swift kick to the man's chest, the went in for the killing swipe.

This gave Aldoro time to recover, at which time he began to rain down arrows on Verin's opponent, and then Kaizan's when Verin's opponent went down.

E1Alpha
08-13-2012, 06:09 PM
The paladin charging towards Samara grunted annoyed as the bursts of wind from Kaizan blasted him off-track, causing him to stumble along his course, before tripping over the girl, actually managing to land a hard kick in the side of her ribs as he went down, landing a loud metal thud on the stone floor.

The other paladin snarled as his blade was parried and flung aside. He still held on to it, but was open for a counter attack, as the kick sent him stumbling back, before his throat was sliced open cleanly by Verin's blade.

The paladin that had tripped down was left at the mercy of his aggressors. And as soon as he would be killed, his light bindings on Samara would fade.

The leader scoffed, before reaching his blade forward, aiming it ahead of him, chanting silently.
After a few split seconds, the paladin would vanish from sight in a flash, only to reappear behind Aldoro less than a second later, bringing his mighty claymore to bear to try and cleave the archer in half at waist height.
"It is futile... I possess power none of you can comprehend..."

Jacogos
08-13-2012, 06:50 PM
Kaizan crushed the fallen paladin's throat under his foot, turning to face the commander, now. Verin was also finishing his opponent, which left the three men alive and ready while Samara was clenching her ribs painfully. She wouldn't be able to help for a bit, but she was at least getting to her feet, Kaizan thought. Meanwhile, though, the leader disappeared. Kaizan swore, spinning wildly to try and figure out where he went.

Aldoro, however, had no chance. The archer was split in twine, his lower half falling forward while his upper half followed the claymore's trajectory. Kaizan's eyes flared as he caught sight of the leader, then blazed when he saw his friend fall.

"ALDORO!!" Kaizan roared, sheathing Carrion violently before ripping Purifier from its sheath. The oddly curved blade gleamed in the light of the sanctuary, its sapphire pommel shining with its own luminescence. Kaizan yelled something as he pushed his left hand forward, send three more jets of wind towards the commander. In actuality, though, only one jet went directly towards him while the other two curved to hit either side of him, pinning him in place while the first jet pushed him back.

Allowing that to happen, Kaizan rushed forward, his sword trailing behind him as he prepared his attack. Keeping wide of the claymore, Kaizan shot in once, attempting to wedge his sword into the leader's leg. Then he quickly backpedaled and used his wings to shoot right, toward's the leader's left, and aimed a horizontal slice at his back.

Verin, meanwhile, had moved to Samara and was helping her up. Having seen the leader's move, he knew he had to protect both of their blind spot's until Samara was up to battle again. Samara leaned on his, still gripping her chest, but began to whisper into Verin's ear, speaking quietly to him as he nodded, eyes on Kaizan and the Paladin leader.

E1Alpha
08-13-2012, 07:08 PM
Tarvonius scoffed, raising up his shield before him, taking the jet of wind like it was nothing but a soft summer breeze, just skidding back a few inches. His expression betrayed nothing. Responding with amazing speed, he brought the claymore down to collide with Kaizan's blade, the holy blade protecting his leg.
When Kaizan backed away too fast for him to counter and saw him rushing to the left, he turned to follow Kaizan at surprising speed, his armor not seeming to weigh him down as he brought his shield up to catch the blade.
This was directly followed by the leader trying to shove Kaizan's blade away and possibly out of his hand, while moving himself forward to land a powerful kick to send Kaizan flying backwards into the left side of the tomb.

The leader did not make any attempts to attack again yet, though, bringing his claymore up to rest on his shoulder as he gazed at the intruders before him, keeping them all in his line of sight.

"Why do you try to escape the inevitable...? Your journey here will have been for null. These paladins will be replaced, but will your friends be? Will they be replaced as just another footmen?"

The man's voice was so neutral, that it made his words sound like he was mocking the fallen.
His eyes focused on Samara and Verin for a moment.

"A promising swordsman... And a beautiful maiden..." He then looked at Kaizan again. "Is my death worth their sacrifice? Is your cause worth their sacrifice?" He gestured to the remains of Aldoro. "Was it worth his sacrifice?"

He just stood there, preaching, keeping all three of them in his sights.

Jacogos
08-14-2012, 01:07 AM
Kaizan, caught completely off guard by the man's supple movement in that heavy armor, was kicked like a child's toy ball across the sanctuary, using his wings to catch himself in midair and land lightly near the left wall. His gray-blue eyes studied the man, wary. He was much stronger than the others, but that should have been obvious. He was stronger than Kaizan had expected overall. He knew the leader would be a strong one, but this... No one should be able to move that quickly in that armor.

"My companions knew the gamble they made in coming here. For Aeregos, we gladly give our lives," Kaizan said, echoed by his two remaining allies. Kaizan smirked slightly when he heard their voices with his, then slowly began to approach the paladin lord again.

"We have a purpose. We seek to unify this land, to bring peace to this war-torn nation. Cleansing through fire... Is that not the way of the world, paladin?" Kaizan asked, his head tilting slightly in a questioning manner. "We must all sacrifice if we wish to see peace. And if that means I must slay you, then your sacrifice will be honored in the coming peace."

The winged man leveled his blade at Tarvonius, his eyes fixed on his opponent. Samara was on her feet again, blades at the ready. Verin was still beside her, keeping close to her back so as to keep the paladin leader off of them should he try another trick. However, it was Kaizan who made the first move. A burst of wind launched from the man, but it wasn't just wind this time. The oddly curved blade Purifier also launched towards Tarvonius, directly for his chest. Meanwhile, Kaizan moved forward at blinding speed, using the wind currents to give him the speed he needed to flank the man. He moved, feinting towards Tarvonius's right side, then used the wind to change direction faster than any normal human and shot to the other side, Carrion slipping from its sheath and toward's the man's left armpit.

Meanwhile, Verin was also moving, across the hall and toward's Tarvonius's right side, though much further away than Kaizan. Samara stood poised, watching Tarvonius, watching his movement, studying him, waiting for him to make a mistake.

E1Alpha
08-14-2012, 10:23 PM
Tarvonius scoffed, gazing at the men and woman. "Have it your way..."

With that, he brought up his shield, raising it before him. The wind hardly bothering him, and his unbreakable shield deflecting the blade easily, sending it flying off to the side, where it would jam itself in between a crack in between two stone tiles. His eyes then shifted to Kaizan, holding his blade at the ready to parry, before blinking surprised as the man shifted to the left.
Just in the nick of time, Tarvonious brought his shield up to collide with Kaizan's blade, snarling as he pushed metal against metal. This opponent was strong, that much was sure.

Not wanting to leave his flanks open, Tarvonius tried to shove Kaizan away with a swing of his shield, hoping to disarm the man aswell, before quickly bringing his blade over to cleave towards the man in a horizontal arch.
He seemed unaware of the duelist racing behind him now, focusing his attention on Kaizan seemingly.

Jacogos
08-14-2012, 11:23 PM
Kaizan disengaged as his rapier hit shield, flapping his wings to push him away from the paladin leader's retaliation. No human should be this quick while under the influence of so much armor. Pain surged through Kaizan as the man's horizontal strike cleaved off a few feathers of his left wing, his retreat too open with his wing beat. Drawing his wings close to him again, Kaizan noticed Verin closing in on the leader.

His ace was on the field... he just needed to keep the leader's attention.

Shoving the rapier back into its sheath, Kaizan rushed towards Purifier and quickly brought it around on a collision course with the man's shield. Once again returning to his hit-and-run tactic, Kaizan pulled away with a burst of wind, then as an added cover for Verin, sent a stream flying directly into the man's face, which would leave him hearing only the rush of wind. Kaizan charged once more, feinting towards the shield before turning his blade aside with nimble grace and striking for the man's sword arm.

Meanwhile, Verin was closing in from behind. Under the cover of Kaizan's wind, Verin approached with his blade at the ready. With a silent cry for the fallen Kadai brothers, the duelist's sword approached the man's armor, to pierce his heart from behind.

E1Alpha
08-15-2012, 10:40 AM
Tarvonius wouldn't give Kaizan pause. As he saw the man come in for yet another strike, he brought up his shield, but as soon as metal collided with metal, he shoved it aside to try and have Kaizan's weapon go ofcourse and leave him open for a counter, which would be rapid smash with the claymore's hilt, aiming for Kaizan's head.
Should this tactic have failed, Tarvonius would have just taken the jet of wind like it was nothing, before bringing his blade up to bear, to have it collide with Kaizan's sword once more.

The knight's eyes widened however, as the metal of Verin's blade dug into his back, piercing through him as the blade protuted from his chest. The paladin commander turned his gaze down to look at the blade that came out of his chest, coated in blood.
"Ah... A smart... strike..." The warrior betrayed a grin as he just stood there, breathing troubled. "Now then... I suppose... This is the end... of the line... Finish your task." He was still alive, even though a blade was sticking right through him.

Jacogos
08-15-2012, 04:46 PM
Kaizan didn't expect the man's reflexes to be that good, and was thrown wide by the paladin's shield. However, Kaizan had already plan to move back, the burst of wind keeping him away from Tarvonius's pommel smash. Verin was moving in, and Tarvonius was swinging again. This was it. Kaizan brought two hands to Purifier's handle and met the man's massive sword with a clang of steel, the strain obvious on the man's face.

And then, Verin struck home. Kaizan disengaged as the blade slid out from Tarvonius's armor, blood spewing pitifully. Kaizan breathed heavily as he stood straight, watching the man continue to stand there, a sword shoved through his heart. Verin pulled the blade free, then prepared to behead Tarvonius, but Kaizan held a hand to the duelist.

"I shall. I'd ask your name first, though," Kaizan said calmly, his breathing steady now.

The man didn't even seemed surprised at the question, and simply said, "I... am Tarvonius... The Eternal Disciple... Of Orion... The Eternal... Crusader..." Kaizan nodded and sheathed his sword.

"I am Kaizan Kurotsubasa. You have been a worthy opponent, Tarvonius. Know that your death forwards the possibility for peace to flourish in this land. Your sacrifice will be remembered. Go with peace."

With that said, Kaizan turned towards the center of the tomb, where the artifact sat upon its pedestal. Verin looked towards Tarvonius questioningly, then followed Kaizan. Samara did likewise, a hand still to her ribs.

The three approached the artifact, all curious to know what it was that kept Orion forever alive.

E1Alpha
08-15-2012, 05:09 PM
Tarvonius merely gazed at Kaizan, almost frozen in place, blood dripping from his lip, yet his facial expression showed nothing. No fear. No pain.

Eventually, the man submitted to his fate, dropping down to his knees with a loud clang, before falling facefirst onto the stone soil. His breathing had gone silent, as blood seeped out to form a puddle beneath the mighty paladin's body.

In the center of the tomb, stood a pedestal, with on top of it a tome. A tome that did not seem special in the slightest. it was an old, worn out, large book with prayers and of all kinds in them.

However, on the two middle pages of the tome, a symbol was drawn. Each page had a wing, resembling the pools of water in the tomb itself. In between these wings, there was a text.


"By His Light
We Live
By His Will
We Persist
By His Grace
We Return

And By Our Blood
..."

The text seemed to be lacking its conclusion. However, subtle traces of red liquid could be seen smearing along where the final line should have been.

Jacogos
08-15-2012, 06:35 PM
Kaizan peered at the tome, somehow finding it fitting that this was the artifact that brought the Eternal One back again and again. For a country based solely on faith, what better object of power was there than a hymnal?

"So..." Verin said. "All this death, all this sacrifice... For a book?"

"It's more than that... It's a symbol... It's a powerful artifact..." Kaizan answered quietly. "Its a sign that Archeos is undone." Placing his hand on the book's edge, he attempted to close and then remove the book from the pedestal.

E1Alpha
08-16-2012, 11:23 AM
The tome however didn't seem like it was going to go anywhere, as the cover of it seemed to be attached to the pedestal it was on.

Jacogos
08-16-2012, 05:20 PM
Kaizan blinked in surprise. The book wouldn't close, and he couldn't pull it free of the pedestal. He tried a little harder, in case he just missed his guess on its weight, but still the tome stayed still. Kaizan raised an eyebrow, unsure of what was going on here. However, he was never one to give up on something. Flipping back to the page with the wings, Kaizan read the text aloud, turning to the others.

"This book is bound here... Any thoughts as to how to remove it?" he asked them.

"We could just take the pedestal," Verin said simply.

"Somehow I don't think that would work, smart-ass," Samara returned, wincing at the effort of speaking loudly. Kaizan was worried one of her ribs might be putting pressure on her lungs, maybe even punctured one, though he felt she would be in more pain over the latter. In any case, they didn't need to be dawdling. Lost in his thoughts, Kaizan's eyes glazed over the body of Tarvonius, then realized something.

And By Our Blood...

Using his wings to get a few more feet to his jump, Kaizan leaped to the fallen paladin's body in a single fluid motion, leaning over to dip his first two fingers of his right hand into the man's blood. Returning to the book, Kaizan gently spread the man's blood along where the final line would be. Barring that, Kaizan had no more ideas.

E1Alpha
08-16-2012, 07:15 PM
As the blood was smeared out along where the last line would be, echoes came forth from the waters inside the tomb.

"By His Light... We Live..."

Spectral forms of the souls of soldiers could be seen in the water.

"By His Will... We Persist..."

Markings on the pedestal began glowing with a radiant light.

"By His Grace... We Return..."

The wings on the pages began glowing in the same light.

"And By Our Blood... The way to Eternity is Revealed."

As the voices spoke the final line in unison, it appeared in the tome aswell.

A split second later, the statue in the back of the tomb had its eyes begin glowing, before the pedestal upon which the statue stood opened up, revealing a golden chalice inside, adorned with amber and white gems. The golden artifact radiated a powerful aura.

Jacogos
08-16-2012, 07:23 PM
The three gazed in awe as the souls of the fallen began speaking to them, lights glowing throughout the tomb. It was quite the sight, to say the least. For Kaizan, it was rather obvious that the Archeosians put far too much time into safeguarding their relics... Best to seal them away and be done with the parlor tricks.

His thoughts were silenced when the statue at the rear of the tomb began to glow as well, or its eyes did, anyway. It opened up, revealing what Kaizan now guessed to be the true artifact, a golden chalice decorated with gems. Bypassing the tome and its resting place, Kaizan moved to the statue and gazed at the chalice, shadowed by Verin and Samara.

"Told you it wasn't the book..." Verin said slyly, then grunted as Samara elbowed him in the ribs. He rubbed the spot tenderly, going quiet as the two waited for Kaizan to take the chalice. Pausing for a moment, as he remembered what happened with the book, Kaizan gingerly reached out to take the chalice from its resting place.

E1Alpha
08-16-2012, 11:46 PM
As the chalice gets removed from its resting place, the souls in the waters of tomb subside, returning it to its calm and quiet state once more.

The battle is over, and the way lies free for the remainders of the strike team to retreat back to Aeregos.

(Make your final post, Jacogos)

Jacogos
08-17-2012, 12:04 AM
With the chalice in hand, Kaizan slowly nods to himself, shaking himself free from his stupor. They did it. They had defeated the Archeosians and won this day... Yet why did he not feel happier? Turning back to his companions, he realized what it was. There were supposed to be two others there... Taking in Samara and Verin in turn, Kaizan addressed them gravely.

"Gather our fallen. We return victorious, though our sacrifice was great. The Kadai brothers will be praised as fallen heroes this day." Walking slowly towards the entrance of the tomb, Kaizan knelt beside the fallen paladin, turning him onto his back and crossing his arms over his sword. Kaizan also closed the knight's eyes, giving the man a peaceful look. "Rest in peace," the winged man said quietly.

"Now with any luck, our forces were also victorious at Cayanas..." Kaizan said to his friends, the burden of loss heavy on his heart. With that said, he spoke no more, exiting the tomb with the artifact, bound for Aeregos.

E1Alpha
08-17-2012, 12:32 AM
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