Not the Best Impression

MKRetunz-Last Sunday at 8:26 AM

Tarsien sat on a small hill, his variety of swords planted into the ground besides him. During the battle he had no real time to think on what had happened right then and there, now as he watched the lake he had come to a realization, a realization that made him increasingly angry by the moment. The fact that the cartoonishly evil man that had slain Theron was the emperor of Ethysia. That monster was the emperor. A man he had heard was just, honorable and everything in between back in his youth turned out to be this monster that only desired conquest. While the jaded mercenary was normally calm, this pissed him off to no end, his personal quest of finding out what caused the Ethysian empire to become a threat was resolved, a sick man was now ruler of upwards of 1/3rd of the world. There was no valor in the Ethysian army, only bloodlust and here, atop a small hill, sat a former soldier who had idolized a madman before he knew he was mad. As the mercenary sat there, boiling inside he made a promise to himself, the world and the gods if that was what it took. He'd take the Ethysian emperor down, he'd tear Ethysia down if that was what it took to defeat that madman. But now was not yet the time. He needed to be stronger...

January 17, 2017

Kwak | Gaiden Hype-Last Tuesday at 3:32 PM

Meanwhile, Persephone rode by the hill at a breakneck pace, swinging her oversized sword furiously to behead her imagined foes. Her hands were already numb from throwing its weight around for so long, but the girl didn't let up, even as she struggled to keep upright at this pace, with no hands to the reins During her time here in Arcias, the girl had been cowardly, weak, gluttonous...all signs that her training hadn't been enough. Persephone prayed silently to the gods of beauty and blood, to give her the discipline to carry on. The next thing she knew, Persephone was sprawled on the hill, sword lying next to her, while her brother's horse rode off into the distance. She'd been thrown off, too weak to stay mounted, too weak to shield anyone. She needed to be stronger.....

MKRetunz-Last Tuesday at 3:36 PM

The Ethysian heard a loud thud next to him, in reaction he immediately grabbed the closest blade he had stuck in the ground. In this case his latest purchase a wind sword. The grass moved as if a breeze passed through when he readied the blade. What he didn't expect was Persephone laying in the ground a short ways away and a horse running off. "What." He muttered to himself as he moved over. He shook his head briefly before be spoke up, casting a shadow over the woman "Are you okay?" he asked, trying to disguise his anger. But he was no actor, the subtle tones of general anger still hinted through the old mercenary's face and tone.

Kwak | Gaiden Hype-Last Tuesday at 3:39 PM

"I'm so sorry!" She scoots back, startled. "I didn't mean to disturb your regimen, sir Tarsien, never mind me." The girl pushes her hair back with weak hands, then places them to the hilt of her sword. "I'm unharmed. I'm perfectly fine."(edited)

MKRetunz-Last Tuesday at 3:44 PM

Tarsien lets out a hmph as he sticks the wind sword back in the grass "If you say so." he sighs, "Right, she thanked Rhesus after that short training. Why would anyone want to be associated with Ethysia anymore. Especially after that." the man thought to himself, Persephone would see a pained glance before the man turned his face away from her and over to the horse, which seemed to have stopped a short ways away. "How did you even fall from your horse?"

Kwak | Gaiden Hype-Last Tuesday at 4:03 PM

"I simply lost my balance, nothing more." She stood in a hurry, dragging the thin steel blade into the air after her. Seeing his disapproving glance, she held a hand to her heart, just below the opal pendant around her neck. "By the Vengeful Spirit, it shan't happen again. I swear it!"

MKRetunz-Last Tuesday at 4:05 PM

Tarsien gritted his teeth at the mention of the Vengeful Spirit. "You've got no clue do you." He softly said, his anger getting the better of him. "You say that name, but you have no idea what it means now."

Kwak | Gaiden Hype-Last Tuesday at 4:09 PM

Persephone nods, confidently misunderstanding his response. "N-no...You're right, I must have lost sight of it. I've dishonored you...and let your guidance go to waste."

MKRetunz-Last Tuesday at 4:17 PM

The gritting of the teeth got worse and Tarsien yelled now "THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEANT, YOU CALL UPON RHESUS BUT HAVE YOU EVER TRULY CONSIDERED WHAT HE MEANS NOW, BECAUSE I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW THAT THE WRATHFUL SPIRIT YOU SO HAPPILY CALL UPON NOW IS THE SYMBOL OF A NATION ROTTING AT THE INSIDE." He was boiling at this moment, stepping ever closer to the woman. "You think calling upon Rhesus will help you? Think again, I've called upon his name for fourty years, day in day out during my youth as I learned to fight from mercenaries, as I joined the Ethysian military and as I was nearly killed by my squadmates my last conscious thought was of Rhesus." His finger and pointing at her chest, where her heart was "I nearly got that cut out of me because I decided to join their damn military, something I thought was just, valorous and kind. I still thought that Ethysia was all of that until the madman I once called my emperor was cackling in the throne room." He said as a loud whisper. "You didn't dishonor me, I dishonor your damn army by even daring to set foot among you." Tarsien grumbled, walking back to his swords. "To think I once idolized that man..."

Kwak | Gaiden Hype-Last Tuesday at 4:36 PM

Persephone squealed with fright at Tarsien's yelling approach, losing ahold of her sword yet again. But she stood firm, desperate not to fail her hero once more. But this shouting gave her no inspiration, no hope, like those of her childhood sword teachers. It only made her tremble more. "It... That can't be..." His story silences her, and the confirmation that he really was an imperial veteran forced an anxious smile to her lips, even as she endured his lecture. But the mention of that rumor once more, that slander of Junith's sovereign, fills her face with shock. It couldn't really have been him...But then why would Tarsien lie to her? Then she watched the swordsman slander himself, and turn away. And she could not keep silent. "you...Y-you needn't lie to me, Tarsien!" She took a few steps forward, swallowing her fear. "I'm not like them....I don't hate Ethysia!"

MKRetunz-Last Tuesday at 4:43 PM

Tarsien glanced back "I'll be honest. At this point in time I don't care if you hate them, adore them or whatever in between. I simply want the Ethysian emperor dead." He laid a clear emphasis on that last word. "And I am not lying, I am willing to bet if someone like Sir Erik knew about my nationality from the start, or even now. I wouldn't be on the battlefield. I would be in chains." He sighed. "Let me get this straight right now. Not hating Ethysia from now forward will only do you ill. They are rotten at the core and that must be dealt with to even have a chance at saving the country." the mercenary said. "Unlike these soldiers they are ruthless killers, they would slay their own squadmates if they were ordered to. Because they have done so and will do so again." He continued. "And the longer this war lasts, the worse it will get. So, before you even think about idolizing that country. What you are glorifying is a mere husk of a country."

Kwak | Gaiden Hype-Last Tuesday at 5:37 PM

"No...no, that's..." She'd heard this speech dozens of times. From passing preachers, sanctimonious noble peers, but most of all her beloved brother Orfé. Scorning the emperor, condemning the ruthlessness of its soldiers, calling the Empire "corrupt", or "rotten" or "broken"...even as it so blatantly dwarfed the puny domain that fancied itself a kingdom. "...that's wrong..." But this time, coming from one of Ethysia's own, a veritable saint of the sword, as strong as her father was spineless...it stung all the harder, like he was playing some kind of sick joke on her. Persephone's faced flushed with shame as she felt tears escape from her scorn-stung eyes...like a little child quarreling with her big brother again. It was pathetic. By the final strain of Tarsien's speech, calling his own homeland a "mere husk", Persephone could bear no more of this nonsense. "NO!" Her shrill scream filled the hill, and left her panting. "...the only husk, here...is the husk of a man standing before my eyes!" The girl, on the verge of bawling, sent her hands flying furiously to her hips. "You speak ill of your sovereign, turn against your fatherland! And you, you hide your heritage from people you call your comrades!" She stepped towards him once more, her voice cracking with grief. "M-maybe it would've been best...if your squadmates had cut out your heart, and spared you this disgrace!"(edited)

January 18, 2017

MKRetunz-Last Wednesday at 12:39 AM

The sudden outburst shook him a bit, however as this Ethysia adoring girl kept continuing her speech Tarsien simply stood there, now looking back a her. "Do you have any idea what you're saying. You stand up for a cackling madman, I know you heard what that monster said, because I certainly did. You protect a country you're fighting and you threaten me with the death." Tarsien said in a cold tone. "What do you have to back it up?" He paused for a moment to allow her a response. "I'll tell you one thing I have to back my claims up. The madman that assaulted Theron in castle Arcias, the fact that 20 years ago a soldier could be killed by his allies on a whim and the fact that I'm from Ethysia, not exactly the best trait to have now is it."

Kwak | Gaiden Hype-Last Wednesday at 12:59 AM

Catching her breath as Tarsien spoke, Persephone took the chance given to respond. "...There's no shame in victory...or the death of an idiot." Each of his facts seemed to visibly strike her, as her face tilted further and further from his piercing gaze. But she struck back, with a classic Ethysian quote she had memorized a decade before. "Facts are the enemy of truth." Her teary, violet eyes met his head-on, sending her hair whipping in front of her. "They can't justify weakness...they can't defend cowardice!"

MKRetunz-Last Wednesday at 2:40 AM

"Facts are the enemy of truth huh." Tarsien repeated, not amused by the Ethysian quote. He stood there for a second before looking her directly in the eyes and saying "You believe I am a idiot, a coward and a weakling? While you prove unable to ride a horse and sought my guidance not too long ago." He said a cold stare looking straight at her. "I might be far past my prime but I am still a lot stronger then a child like you." He coldly said. "Answer me this Lady Persephone, if you adore Ethysia so much, if you borrow their god and their values so much. Why are you fighting on our side?" he said.

Kwak | Gaiden Hype-Last Wednesday at 3:10 AM

Persephone broke from his gaze, unable to bear his taunts - or their truth. Yet she answered his question, looking beyond the drapes of her Cawdor hair. "I'm a lady of Cawdor...a line of traitors, for four centuries. I would give anything to be with Ethysia...with my beloved...." She felt her hand hit the hilt of her Terror Blade, still sheathed at her side. "But not my honor...never my honor." Finally, she looks up once more., legs wide, standing at attention and snarling with passion. "And if I have to give my life for His Highness's hopeless war, then so be it! I'll die keeping my dignity."

MKRetunz-Last Wednesday at 3:41 AM

"Anything but your honor to be with Ethysia." He says, his hand grabbing the wind sword but not pulling it from the soil just yet. "You only care about those things don't you? Ethysia and your honor." Tarsien spit on the ground, his silver hair ebbing with the flow of air from the wind sword. After a second he pulled it out, the winds intensifying as he held the blade in his right hand. The mercenary shot a glance at the woman "Let me tell you something, this war is far from hopeless, while Ethysia might control a third of the continent now they will crumble from the inside sooner rather then later and while you say you have your dignity I know you're not sure about that either. The first thing you said was an apology for failing my training. So make up your damn mind Persephone, this is not some diplomatic mission where you have to pretend everything is okay. This is WAR if you keep pretending all of this and if you're unsure what you're worth in a fight, you will die." The magical blade roared as Tarsien said this, it was like a small storm had rolled in.(edited)

Kwak | Gaiden Hype-Last Wednesday at 4:41 AM

The furious force filling the air around them terrified her - like a legendary hero had climbed right out of the page of a storybook to punish Persephone - yet somehow this fear calmed her, centered her. She could hear the grass, even the sky, trembling with her. But loudest of all was her heart - beating like a parade drummer, drawing out a deep fury with each of the imperial imposter's insults. She hated how much power this man commended, how easily his cowardly eyes could see through her unsteady boasting. But this hate was comforting, because it drowned out her admiration for this despicable old man. The Barentian blood-forged blade flew out of its sheath, giving as clear an answer to his rebukes as she could provide. She held it high, in a formal salute to her foe. "...Then let us make our worth as warriors perfectly clear...Tarsien of Ethysia."

MKRetunz-Last Wednesday at 4:59 AM

"Very well. Persephone Cawdor." Tarsien spoke, the shield now pulled from his back as he took a step back, his shield ahead of him and his sword raised as the winds seemed to beck ot its call. When Persephone was no longer able to retaliate from his current position he released the power of the blade, sending the forces at her. While he had fought plenty of times before he hadn't actually fought an ally, sparring sure and the arena not to long ago. But not like this, it disgusted him but he wasn't going to back down against a foolish girl who mistook her enemy for her allies.

Crystal OwO-Last Wednesday at 5:23 AM

The vast blue sky was where Rieze had found herself once again, a place she retreated to on every oppurtunity she could. It was a simple cycle of "doing her tasks, then fly." It wasn't intended to avoid social contact, yet it was what she usually ended up happening. Soaring, escaping all the cares in the world. Caught up in the little things. Like the wind suddenly changing.

Neltharion roared as he suddenly met more resistance than usual. She looked down onto the field, seeing what was going on.

Kwak | Gaiden Hype-Last Wednesday at 11:15 AM

Below her, Persephone's sidestep became a scrambling fall as she dove out of the way of the rushing sword-gale. Even then, she felt the pain of a cut, unable to dodge completely. But she picked herself up and charged forward, opening with an underhanded slash.

MKRetunz-Last Wednesday at 11:19 AM

Tarsien used his shield to absorb the majority of the blow, but he still felt the strain on his arm as it was pushed up immediately he reacted with a slash of the magical weapon.

Kwak | Gaiden Hype-Last Wednesday at 11:26 AM

The young lady reacted faster than thoughts, staying just out of the blade's way. But the arcane wind that flowed from it was a direct hit, slicing into her skin and sending a pained cry into the sky. She raised her sword once more, but in defense - it was too late for a counterattack.

MKRetunz-Last Wednesday at 11:28 AM

The Ethysian took the moment to get his shield back into place and take a step back, his opponent couldn't retaliate to the magical side of his blade so he'd abuse that as best as he could by walking backwards and callng upon the winds once more.

Kwak | Gaiden Hype-Last Wednesday at 11:50 AM

Too wounded now to outrun his sorcery, the girl faced it head on. Fortunately for her, the swooping winds split to each side of her, parted by the saccharine steel of her sword. Her hair was sent sailing behind her, the opal pendant on her neck glinted serenely as it was tossed by the wind, and her knuckles started to bleed from the sheer force against her sword. Worst of all, Persephone could hear the cracks forming in her blade. "Craven..." But without even pausing to look at the damage, she kept forward to close the distance. Her eyes seemed to shine like a starry sky, as she sent her sword into a dizzying dance - a relentless onslaught of five slashes in one.

Crystal OwO-Last Wednesday at 12:05 PM

And Tarsien would have taken the hit, if not for the black winged behemoth flying down and taking the three slashes to the body, the last two parried by the rider's axe. The amphiptere roared at Persephone, before disengaging again. "For the love of..... What are you two doing!? You are allies!" The voice of the rider was clearly distraught over seeing her comrades fight, as it sounded commanding... but almost pleading as well. Her eyes within the helmet gave the two an angry gaze, a gesture mimiced by the wyvern.

MKRetunz-Last Wednesday at 12:10 PM

Seeing as the bout was interrupted Tarsien grunted as he stuck the sword back in the dirt among the others. "We were fighting." He stated matter of factly "Because I insulted her beloved Ethysia." He coldly said, once again looking at the woman he had crossed blades with moments ago. The man was clearly still angry at something, sure some of it was aimed at Persephone now but it was just, general anger that overwhelmed him.

Kwak | Gaiden Hype-Last Wednesday at 12:15 PM

Her sword wouldn't stop. Even as it cut into the thick flesh of the winged snake, her training took over while her mind recoiled... Following each of the steps she'd learned by heart. Her arms, fueled by shock, only struck harder against the rider's axe, outlasting even the sword itself. After the fifth blow, the Terror Blade sat lifelessly in her bloody hands, cracked and cleaved in two. "No...." Her tear-stained eyes met Neltharion's first. "No, I didn't..." Then Rieze. "I'm so sorry...."

Crystal OwO-Last Wednesday at 12:26 PM

A sizzling sound came from the wyvern's wounds as a fiery light emitted from beneath its scales. Its regenerative powers did come to some use, although its wounds were still clear, and the pain was still fresh. "No. Neltharion will be fine. Although.. disagreements get out of hand, but taking to arms?" She shook her head, crossing her arms. "Sir Tarsien, I assume you were the one using magic?"

MKRetunz-Last Wednesday at 12:29 PM

"I used my wind sword yes." He curly answered. The pain in his arm becoming apperant now he wasn't actually fighting anymore. He went back up the hill to collect the array of swords still placed there. "And I wouldn't call it a disagreement. Instead I'd call it a refusal of the truth and concealing it with fake ideals." He added as he grabbed the rebellion sword first.

Kwak | Gaiden Hype-Last Wednesday at 12:38 PM

The pain of her own injuries catches up to Persephone, who crumples to the ground. She picks up the rest of her decapitated blade, looking back up to Rieze. "He...he's an Ethysian..." With the storm subsiding, her brother's horse Yuridia finally braves the hill, approaching its rider but keeping a safe distance from Neltharion.

Crystal OwO-Last Wednesday at 12:41 PM

"Please, both of you. You must... understand each other's circumstances. Otherwise there won't be an end to this war." The commanding undertone was gone, replaced with a respectful tone, more suited to approaching Tarsien "Your conditions are starkly different. It's reasonable to expect disagreements."

MKRetunz-Last Wednesday at 12:48 PM

Tarsien flinched as he heard what Persephone said but continued nonetheless "I expect disagreement about my heritage." He says, cleaning the dirt of the Steel sword before looking at Reize "What I find unreasonable is how she defends the Ethysian emperor without a second thought. That man was all but mad." He himself was pained when he said this. After sheething the steel sword he turned to the Wyvern rider. "Everyone in the castle could clearly hear his mad cackling as they fled. Yet she defends him like he is a dear family member." he says glancing at the woman besides the wyvern and then back at the woman on the wyvern "Yet she calls me weak, idiotic and a coward."

Kwak | Gaiden Hype-Last Wednesday at 2:00 PM

Persephone sat there for a while, watching the imperial turncoats with a look of jealous bemusement. Finally, she managed to stand, holding an arm against her bloodstained dress. "You would abandon your liege, over mere laughter." Her downturn head shifted its vicious gaze from Tarsien to Rieze as she walked to her horse and her fallen training sword. "You were the Wyvern General!" Stowing the broken sword's halves, the heartbroken child lifts the Celanthian blade and her voice rises to a grieving wail. "The soldiers we've slain, they are your countrymen! How can you live with yourselves?!"

Crystal OwO-Last Wednesday at 2:57 PM

"You talk as if I don't already have nightmares about the people I kill. It's digusting... but it has to be done." She talked in a somber tone, expressing the truth of her words. Yet her steel-like resolve didn't falter, as she kept talking, intent on expressing herself "What I do to stop the Empire is disgusting. But it has to be done. I would much rather have it be me who has to live with this, rather than anyone else. It's simply the one thing I can do. My position there means nothing. Gaulter is an evil evil man, but he lines up innocent people as a shield. It simply, as stated must be done." As she finished her short speech, she sighed deeply, preparing for the inevitable reaction.

MKRetunz-Last Wednesday at 3:03 PM

Tarsien smiled as he heard these words, this was exactly how he felt. "I live with myself because I have to. If I do not do this who will." He continues. "While yes killing my countryman is horrible we are soldiers in a war, we are here to fight." He calmly says, hearing someone share his situation was comforting to the jaded mercenary "If there was a way to stop the empire without this price in blood I would gladly do everything in my power to do so. However there is not, the empire is a threat to the continent and has to be stopped before we all suffer becase of it." Tarsien picked up the Iron sword as he said this. "And I did not abandon my liege over mere laughter, I abandoned my leige because he is a madman with delusions that will turn the entire continent into nothing but war if it is not stopped." The mercenary concluded, sheathing the final sword. "That. Is why I betrayed my leige, my country and my countrymen. To save the continent."

Kwak | Gaiden Hype-Last Wednesday at 3:28 PM

The sheltered noble took in these words as best as she could in her state. Her head shook weakly from side to side, and her trembling lips could only mouth out a silent "no" as they spoke. How could these living legends speak so tenderly, so nobly, about their treason? As if standing in the way of truth and progress was some sort of divine duty? A slow blink took her aside for a moment. Something about the way they slandered the Emperor cut through to her...made her think for a moment about believing them. Considering, perhaps, that order was a lie, that strength was an abomination, and that a cadre of cowards was Junith's only hope. It was like a twisted tale, spun by a lunatic, and it held more terror to the girl than any weapon ever could. But the possibility - the uncertainty was so heavy on her heart that it began to push her backwards with meandering steps. It threatened to reduce her devotion to just one more question that could only be answered with questions - Where is Orfé? What happened to Father? Why did my mother die? -- And she could not bear that kind of truth. So she retreated once more, gasping for air and clinging to the reins of her brother's horse. Not words, not even a scream, announced her departure - there was nothing she could say.

Crystal OwO-Last Wednesday at 4:02 PM

"Persephone!" Rieze considered dashing after her for a moment, before reconsidering against her better judgement. All she did was standing still, petrified on the back of her wyvern, who eyed her until she dissapeared again. Did I do something wrong? I must have. But yet, she couldn't. Maybe because of how similar they were in different ways. How she had done just the same back home. How she still did that when things got too tough. Sigh With a final sigh, she turned to Tarsien again. "So. What will you do then? Return to your earlier buisness?"

MKRetunz-Last Wednesday at 4:15 PM

As Persephone ran off Tarsien shook his head a bit before replying to the wyvern rider "Honestly, I need some rest. Today has been a long day and it will only get worse from here I feel." He said, lastly picking up the wind sword, a gentle breeze brushing over the hill for a moment before the magical weapon was sheathed. "If you'll excuse me." He said as he went down the hill, towards the village.

January 21, 2017

Crystal OwO-Today at 2:17 PM

Failed. Again. Damn it. She uttered another deep sigh, before setting her sights back to the skies she adored so much. Suppose there's nothing to do with that. Im going to have to help them reconcile later....

=End rp, im not up for super long monologues now=