[11:45 PM] ColdToiletSeat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsbOOPkmEGw
You can't just leave, Quira!
Her father's commanding, yet pleading words began reemerging in her thoughts once more, adding somewhat of a bitter insult to not only her physical injuries, but her subtle longing to one day return home. And as much as she wanted to dispute the claim, it was true, she couldn't just leave, her life was set back on that Arcian plantation and she didn't have to lift a finger to reap it's sweet rewards. However- just like her mother, Quira was always the defiant one, why risk nothing and lead a life of mediocrity? There was nothing to gain there besides an unfulfilled and dull existence.
No... I refuse.
There was always a burning passion within the Arcian lass, a mix of her desire to be remembered in the stories of heroes and her overall stubbornness had grabbed her decision-making by the reins and had lead the girl down the path of justice, that being Prince Phineas and his cause.
[11:45 PM] ColdToiletSeat: The sun's rays blazed down upon the Arcian castle and those unlucky enough to be caught fighting outside it. Quira had been one of those unlucky few.
Clutching the freshly gained axe-wound in her side from a previous aerial engagement, the pegasus' wings flapped slower as it's rider chose to draw close to the Dark Mage that had mended her wounds some time before. However, the rider wasted no time with formalities upon receiving the healing, there was a battle to be fought. With a quick nod and a sharp kick to either side of her steed, the winged creature ascended into the azure expanse once more.
[11:56 PM] Kwakado: Underneath the pegasus, Persephone of Cawdor swung her saccharine sword at the Wyvern Rider before returning to the gate, aside a yellow-armored knight. She felt the windy wake of a stray arrow swipe at her face as she turned, as a wave of cavalry closed in. With a nervous sigh, the girl raised her Barentian souvenier, preparing to make another pass.
So many of their companions had retreated, either too wounded or too weak-minded to carry on in their duties, but she - alongside Sir Sorine - would certainly prevail, even if all the others fell. Though she held little respect for Arcias and its royalty, the young noble would never submit to these spineless rebels. Never.(edited)
[11:57 PM] ColdToiletSeat: While the shadow cast had certainly been an inspiring sight to behold against the scorching light of the sun, the pegasus with it's wings outstretched had swiftly become just another easy target under the sharpened eyes of the attacking bow knights. With a white-knuckled grip on the reins, Quira and her steed- Sir Albert Edwards the 86th, steadied themselves in the air with reinvigorated spirit and blood set to boil.
[12:04 AM] MCVII - The Whale: Lorenzo would be holding his gate as well, shield held high to deflect lance and arrow alike -- and between each of the blows that would fall upon him and his retaliation, he would shout over the clatter of armor, shouting of orders, and whinnying of horses:
"Slaughterers! Dogs! Ye shall not take this gate! No man shall overtake me, no horseman! Ostus himself protects Arcian walls!"
[12:17 AM] ColdToiletSeat: "So long as Prince Phineas' forces stand, this gate shall not fall to you scum!" The pegasus knight exclaimed, staring down upon the Marksknight with disdain and an ignited pyre in her eyes, further accentuating her statement with the steady point of her javelin.
"You hear me!? Prepare for your downfall, cretins!" She cried out from the top of her lungs, raising her weapon above her head and failing to notice the cavalry coming from the right flank.
[12:22 AM] Kwakado: Hearing the confident cry of her comrade, Persephone charged once more, making hasty swipes into the cavalry. But all she could manage was to scrape their armor. These soldiers were...different, somehow, from the Arcian rebels they'd crushed on the way to Fositia. Hardier, more disciplined. And, as the truth began to dawn on her, she spied even more rounding the castle's corners as she returned to the gate once more, sheathing her blade and switching to a thinner throwing sword.
They were cornered now...only able to hold back the enemy's blows and return as best they could. She only hoped the battle was going better inside...or at least that the men guarding Phineas were as bold as Lorenzo.
"L-let us be an unstoppable wall on the gate, Sir Sorine...May Brother Sun fall before we do!"(edited)
[12:36 AM] ColdToiletSeat: https://youtu.be/Jkr6vOG72uI?t=20s
The young woman hadn't heard the arrows coming until it was too late. Her eyes widened upon the realization and in what precious moments the woman had, she attempted to steel herself. Upon catching one in her arm, the Arcian lass let out sharp grunt and tried her damned hardest to stay strong before taking another arrow to the previously healed wound in her side. This wound, however, evoked a shriek of pain from the young rider. Quira's pegasus followed suit by sounding out a distressed whinny, clearly audible amongst those protecting the gate.
"Agh! Albert Edwards- stay strong!" She pleaded with her mount, a look of fear in it's eyes as the wings flapped wildly, providing quite the turbulent ride as it dipped and dodged throughout the air, desperately trying to avoid any other incoming arrows.
However, arrows were not the only concern here. As the sounds of flapping could be heard from behind her, Quira gulped down the urge to cry as she could only assume that the worst was going to be happening. That wyvern rider from their previous engagement was back for more and what better target was there than a pegasus rider with a panicking mount?(edited)
[10:02 AM] Kwakado: Disturbed by the wounded whines of the woman and her winged warhorse, Persephone's brother's horse let out a whinny of her own. The rider glanced back to watch their erratic flight, and shouted out suddenly:
"What are you doing?! You dishonor your princess."
Sending her sword whirling out at an attacking horseman, Persephone saw the wyvern flying overhead. It was strange how these rebels had managed to acquire so many of these Ethysian mounts...and Ethysian outfits..and tactics...
The returning sword startled her as it came hurtling back, and she skittishly snatched it from the air. A panic of her own was beginning to build, and the surrounding horsemen seemed to loom higher over her now.(edited)
[3:55 PM] MCVII - The Whale: Lorenzo grunts, continuing to hold the blows that came to him and lashing out with either his barrier blade or a throwing sword should his opponents be too far away. "Ggrragh! You will not take this gate... Hagh! We won't ever fall!"
[4:19 PM] ColdToiletSeat: Listening to the barks of the free knight below her had stung, almost as much as one of the arrows, but nevertheless it combined with the grunts and vocal lashings thrown out from those at the gate helped dull the pain. In fact, after a swift tug at the arrow caught in her arm, she had clutched her javelin and attempted to return the fire, only to have another arrow whiz past her head and tamper with the throw, leading the "tool of justice" astray.
Gritting her teeth, the pegasus rider tried once again, a pained grin spreading across her face as this shot had hit it's mark. However, this satisfaction would not last very long as the flapping sound from behind the girl grew in volume. Throwing a glance over her shoulder, Quira only saw the quick glint of an axe blade as it came down upon her and her steed.
[4:29 PM] ColdToiletSeat: With a reflexive maneuver, a panicked gasp escaped the Arcian lass as the wyvern rider cleaved through one of her steed's wings. Her heart sank, her face paled and her life flashed before her very eyes as Sir Albert Edwards let out a cry more powerful than any other on that battlefield. They began falling, spiralling out of the sky with a spray of blood raining down upon their soon to be landing site.
The wind from the sudden fall whipped around Quira's hair as she leaned forward, desperately trying to comfort her mount with sweet nothings as he continued to panic. She wanted to believe that they'd both make it out of there, she wanted to believe that the battle would be won, she wanted to believe that everything was alright. But as the ground had drew near, those beliefs would quickly be extinguished.(edited)
[4:48 PM] Kwakado: The girl's face shifted from a horrified gasp to an arrogant sneer, as her comrade fell. "...Useless knave."
Trying to put her fright aside, Persephone retaliated with added ferocity, and her throws picked up to the pace of a furious bird of prey. But she'd dealt little more than scratches, and every near-miss from their arrows and javelins struck her composure a little more.
"S-sir Sorine!! It's no use!"
Finally, she'd snapped, watching the meager wounds on her foe vanish from sight yet again. Her face seemed to be drained of color as she gazed desperately aside to him.
"They're Ethysian soldiers....We can't hold them any longer!"(edited)
[5:03 PM] MCVII - The Whale: "DAMN YOU!" Lorenzo roared, attempting to press against the soldiers, tossing throwing swords haphazardly and barely even holding up his shield anymore. He hurled any insult he could think of as his sword dove into man and rider, letting himself take whatever damage he suffered.
"You will not enter! I won't allow another of my comrades to die! I am Lorenzo, inexorable, a stone wall! I AM INVINCIBLE!"
[5:29 PM] Kwakado: And so she tried to follow suit, charging straight at the freshly-healed horseman. But as it repelled her tentative swipes, an arrow finally hit its mark, striking her shoulder. Lorenzo's bellowing was joined by an angry, anxious shriek, and Persephone whipped her sword blindly in front of her - only to be thrown from the shabby white mount by the impact of a javelin, sending her crumpling to the ground.
[5:35 PM] Kwakado: After a few moments too many, her body let itself unfurl, and she stood. Before her was the unmistakable might of Ethysia, the same sort that had crushed Floribar before. She couldn't bear to kill any more of them - but losing her life to their weapons was just as horrific of a thought to her.
Persephone looked to Lorenzo, the sun-shrouded knight who pressed on. But his voice hardly even reached her ears now. The rumbling of horses' hooves, of her traitor's heart, drowned out even her own thoughts.
[5:41 PM] Kwakado: But then, the only sound she heard was that of her own shoes striking the palace floor.
[5:47 PM] Kwakado: Persephone had retreated, fled within the gate, to let the men fend for themselves. The young noble had no idea where she was going, or what she expected to find deeper into the battlefield. But she knew what she hoped for, at the end of this corpse-filled hallway. A chilling cackle echoed through the castle, and the girl responded with a heartfelt summons:
"Arty? S-sir Ralenov?!"
[5:54 PM] Kwakado: She saw her liege at the bottom of a great staircase. Prince Phineas himself, alive and well - it brought a twinkle of hope to her weary eyes. With him was Delphine, and Artemis and Tarsien and the others...fleeing for their lives, with one archer screaming the whole way. Behind them was a row of rebels and imperials, with a dozen more rounding the corners above...
They'd been defeated. They had all lost. And this time, she couldn't even make it in time to be dragged off with them.(edited)
[6:03 PM] Kwakado: Turning away, Persephone turned to a side passage, only to find a squad of soldiers advancing towards her.
She looked back towards the front gate, starting back the way she came to look for Lorenzo...but yet another tight formation of infantry blocked her path. The girl's head hung low, and her eyes looked down to the bloodstained carpet - there was no other direction left to run.
The aching of her legs, and the sound of her short breaths, confirmed what her eyes had just seen. Surrounded, the girl had no hope for escaping. The clack of her sword's hilt sliding into its scabbard was almost like a gavel, sealing her fate.
"I'm sorry," Persephone whimpered, wishing that there was anyone left to hear.
[8:41 PM] ColdToiletSeat: The darkness was somewhat comforting as the Arcian lass sat in it, quite the stark contrast from the death and destruction of the battlefield she had come from. While the seemingly eternal nothingness had provided solace for the pegasus rider, the thought of staying in a place like that for the rest of eternity had thoroughly scared her.
[8:41 PM] ColdToiletSeat: ...However, at the sound of a particular whinnie, Quira's eyelids snapped open as she regained consciousness. Her initially blurred vision began to focus as she stared into the ground and then to the skies above, the same harsh rays of the day meeting the gal's eyes. Her somewhat red-stained orbs darted back and forth in an attempt to get a proper grasp on the situation at hand, her hazy mind clearing up with every breath she took. For the most part, the land seemed empty, devoid of any fighters, only filled with the carcasses of those who had lost their lives.
[8:41 PM] ColdToiletSeat: However, Quira's vision was also greeted by the trembling body of her steed within arms reach. Her heart sank and her blood-stained face paled once more as she stared upon him, the poor pegasus... He did nothing to deserve the current situation he was in. The stump of his chopped wing twitching around as if wanting to fly once more, one of his legs broken and bent out of shape and his eyes darting around madly. She couldn't bear to see Sir Albert Edwards like this, nor did she have the heart to take his life.
With the first couple of attempts at moving, pain sparked throughout the girl's body, eliciting several noises of pain alongside the cries of her pegasus. While it had certainly hurt, the agony would only be temporary. There was a duty the girl had to serve and to the end she would serve it.
As she finally stood upon her wobbling knees, several thoughts filled the girl's mind. What of those in the castle? ...Surely, the battle must have migrated there. Did the rest of the group out here make it? I... I mustn't abandon them.
Clutching her fallen lance, Quira clenched her teeth as several other pangs of pain ran their course throughout the entirety of the Arcian. Nevertheless, she charged towards the gate, determination inspiring each of her steps...(edited)
[9:55 PM] Kwakado: A veil of pomegranate-hued hair was the girl's last line of defense. Innumerable footsteps sounded around her, slowly, orderly - their helmeted eyes watching for any sudden movements or ambushes.
An Arcian axefighter bellowed incredulously. "That's it? Just one more!?"
But nobody came.
"The monarchists outside have been wiped out. The rest fled the castle." From across the encirclement, a middle-aged woman with an Ethysian priest's uniform snapped her rod to the side. "This one will have to do. Take her to the prison - alive, you hear?"
A pair of armored soldiers sheathed their blades, walking obediently towards the Floribian captive.
[12:50 PM] Kwakado: A veil of pomegranate-hued hair was the girl's last line of defense. Innumerable footsteps sounded around her, slowly, orderly - their helmeted eyes watching for any sudden movements or ambushes.
An Arcian axefighter bellowed incredulously. "That's it? Just one more!?"
But nobody came.
"The monarchists outside have been wiped out. The rest fled the castle." From across the encirclement, a middle-aged woman with an Ethysian priest's uniform snapped her rod to the side. "This one will have to do. Take her to the prison - alive, you hear?"
A pair of armored soldiers sheathed their blades, walking obediently towards the Floribian captive.
[1:19 PM] ColdToiletSeat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz4dENwCN3E
As the footsteps of the Ethysians around Persephone came to a halt, a single pair of heavy footsteps echoed throughout the halls. Confused rebels and Ethysians alike looked around to see who had broken formation only to realize that the footsteps hadn't been one of their numbers, but an outsider. An Ethysian lancefighter turned around only to be greeted by the sight of a bloodied Quira, holding her lance at the ready against the group.
Her breaths were deep and her knees wobbled somewhat but the fire in the girl's eyes had continued to stay true. As the pegasus rider examined the ranks of soldiers she noticed the familiar head of Persephone amongst them. No, they haven't gotten her yet... I can still save her... I can still be a hero! Quira thought as her grip grew white-knuckled around her lance.
"You! All of you!" She bellowed, hoping to grab the attention of group. "You gather here in these halls to fight for a cause you think is of justice."
"...You all don't know the first thing about Justice!"(edited)
[1:43 PM] Kwakado: "..the hell?!"
Her taunt had worked. The head of every soldier in the palace turned to face Quira, and the two coming after Persephone paused long enough for her to slip past, running up towards the entrance and peeking over the row of soldiers' backs.
The count's daughter was stunned to see the downed Pegasus Knight standing, as if back from the dead. Her boasts of justice jolted Persephone out of her daze. It reminded her of the Wyvern General's rebuke, from the start of this journey. It brimmed with life - only casting the woman's wounds in a worse light - and inspired a new sort of panic within Persephone:
"What are you saying, girl? What are you doing?!"
[1:53 PM] ColdToiletSeat: "I'm... being a hero."
Quira's words left her with a smile, being replaced by a fierce battlecry only seconds afterwards as she charged lance-first into the Ethysian priestess. Surely, by taking out the head of their numbers she would instill some sort of panic... and hopefully give her comrade enough of a chance to escape.
[2:20 PM] Kwakado: "Captain Brabant!!" From behind Persephone, a man in a mages' uniform rushed past with wild eyes. "Damn you!" He flung a fireball from his fingertips, only for it to slam into an axeman who'd moved in to attack the self-proclaimed hero. The rest of the soldiers rushed ahead to reinforce their commander, nearly trampling Persephone as she ducked aside. The girl's feet took her further and further back from the fight, as if she was stumbling back into safety, but her eyes remained chained to it.
"No, you...you've got to run....this is hopeless! Ethysia's won!" Despite her compassionate plea, Persephone's words were as much directed at herself as much as the dying Arcian. She knew it was too late to protect her savior..too late to preserve her honor.
So she ran, with a second wind of her own, all the way to the stairs. And just before she descended into safety, Persephone looked back, and saw the knight's final moments.(edited)
[12:52 AM] ColdToiletSeat: As Quira finally caught her breath and looked up, the next few moments in her life would become an absolute blur. Taking her lance out of the now dying priestess, the pegasus knight let out another scream as she ran into another one of their numbers. This was it! This, was the rush of heroism that she had been looking for!
The thrill of justice was suddenly cut short as Quira missed a thrust and felt the sudden push of a weapon run through her waist. A sharp gasp escaped the girl as she had been halted, her upper body convulsing and causing the Arcian to drop her lance with a clatter against the ground. Her breaths increased in volume as her eyesight began to go blurry as she looked down upon the spear that had impaled her. This was it. This would be her end.
[1:06 AM] ColdToiletSeat: =====End RP=====
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