[i]"That is for disrespecting your queen. Her arse is of no concern to you and you'll find it in you to trouble yourself not to make such disrespectful marks in future."[/i] --Muderok, Page 1. --- [center][b]West Watch Tower[/b][/center] --- Abida Qisaf would notice nothing particularly wrong with the militia save the shimmer in their eyes. It reflected back at her like water, and their cheerful expressions seemed utterly wrong for what the situation around was. Still, further examination proved critical, the breeze that came through had no impact on their clothing. They were unaffected, ultimately, by their environment. The ravens too each respectively seemed out of place, but for altogether different reasons. They seemed much heavier than their initial, small frame belied based on the way the grass had flattened beneath their feet. Strange, indeed. Aëyr's only significant action to wield a stone in her sling also yielded no reaction from the militia at the top of the tower. The closest raven to her, however, only a few feet away, cawed in anger, and the woman that stood beside it grabbed her arm in pain. If it wasn't already apparent, these ravens were not ordinary feathered fiends, by any stretch of the imagination. "[i]Naream does no significant action, and the ravens, in turn, hold no malice for him. Instinctively they even seemed more comfortable around him, though the look in their eyes betrayed less friendly thoughts. Esyllt Boudica also, in turn, committed to no significant acts within the area. Passively standing and acting as rear guard, she saw nothing of any remote interest whatsoever beyond what had already been noticed. Maevan Lucre had arrived and apparently found herself equally perplexed with what plan to execute in order to move forward.[/i]" A face hidden in shadows frowned in disappointment as she puts a quill and piece of parchment down. A big red button and not one had thought of simply pushing it... What a depressingly paranoid lot! Just as the one who orchestrated it all was about to give up and hit the trigger on the detonator out of boredom, a wondrous voice rang out, so lovely and small! So, from the top of the watch tower a young girl no older than twelve, with wild brown hair and a brown complexion to her skin appeared. Sitting on the edge of the watch tower facing the group, she dangled her legs and waved with a childish grin, full of mischief and yet somehow curled slightly in irritation. [b]"Hiyaaaaaa~ Hark hark hark!"[/b] She says before pulling out a chess board. [b]"I waaaannaaaa plaaay! The head of the carnival left me here and wouldn't say why, but told me if I play a game with you Queen's Blades peoples, then if you win, the little peoples go free!"[/b] She twirls a pawn between her index and middle fingers, rolling it underneath one and over the other in a figure eight pattern as her purple coloured eyes looked down on them all with a twisted sense of grandeur and self-importance, like a prideful actor in a play. [b]"Buuut... If you looose..."[/b] The pawn snaps between her fingers, displaying unusual strength, or clever illusion. [b]"... Got it?... Soooo..."[/b] She gets back onto her feet, remaining on the top floor. [b]"Who wants to play with me!"[/b] --- [center][b]East Watch Tower[/b][/center] --- As Kasim's bolt was loosed and Dread Fang attacked, Dirge stood still, not making a single reaction as his two comrades screamed in bloody anguish. Another moment passed and the orc took a single glance at Zayn, whose attempted attack was given away by attempting to buy time for his scarab companion, said companion who was busily lamenting the taste of dirt and wood. With a single backhand, he knocked Zayn several feet away, but the strike wasn't to injure or kill, it was merely to push away. A moment of hesitation follows with the orc's voice passing through Zayn's mind. [i]"Telepath..."[/i] The orc grunts. [i]"...Nice trick..."[/i] He was likely referring to Zayn's empathic connection. In tandem with Kasim's subliminal messaging, it must have at least a little influence upon the orc, even through his own telepathy and battle training. The ravens fly from his shoulder pads as he takes a couple steps away from the bomb and the ones who had been working upon it. After a few moments it became apparent that the ones who had been working upon the bomb were merely animated dolls made out of wood and dirt, fashioned with make-up and magic to look real despite being toys. The illusion shattered, they went limp. The ravens on the other hand each landed on the ground and shapeshifted into orcs themselves, smaller ones albeit, likely half-orcs, both wielding leather armour, a steel shield, and a war axe. One wore a silver helmet, the other did not, was about the only remarkable difference the two shared. Dirge bows, as do the two half-orcs. [b]"Lady Alicia."[/b] He then looks around at the group. [b]"Five versus three."[/b] His lip curls. [b]"You should have brought more of your atrocious militia to fight orcs."[/b] He quickly pulls the two handed warhammer off his back and yells loudly and proudly, the kind that only an orc warlord might have. [b]"DAREK! ORAN! TO WAR!"[/b] Darek, the one with the silver helmet, moved with Oran to face Kasim and Alicia, while Dirge moved towards Zayn and the scarab. He frowned as he looked upon them both, and spoke with telepathy to the entire group, to make his intentions clear. [i]"If you flee now, I will not have to kill you. Being human and..."[/i] His look turns to one of perplexity. [i]"...Bug... I would understand."[/i] As strange as his master was, the knight followed his duty to the letter... Whether he liked it or not. --- [center][b]Town Square[/b][/center] --- [b]"A B-Bomb?! A BOMB?!??!"[/b] One of the five men near the fountain started to weep. [b]"WE ARE ALL GOING TO D--"[/b] The man who had initially greeted them with fear hushed the man with a flick of his wrist. It was apparent this was the highest ranked of the militia here, or perhaps simply the most respected. A young man, white and a little on the short side, though with a pair of astonishingly silver eyes now that the vampire could get a good look at him. His brood was certainly not that of Diana, however, or the sun would have surely burned him by now in his panicked state. [b]"M-my name is W-Wayne, my l-lady, I ap-pologize, th-there is a haze in our eyes--"[/b] One of the militia stops Thailen just as she is about to reach the fountain, pulling out his short sword and threatening her with it. [b]"S-STOP!"[/b] He yells out in fright as Wayne turns and glares at him. [b]"C-c-calm."[/b] He tries to say, still shaking in fear at whatever was going on. The man did not listen. [b]"How do I know you are not one of them! YOUR SKIN! I see it beneath the skin your blood is red like demons!"[/b] He cries out in fear as one of his larger comrades shakes his head and then hits him hard on the back of the head, knocking him out cold. He bows politely to Thailen. [b]"Liverian born myself. Name's Eldrick... What he was trying to say is don't touch the fountain."[/b] It seemed the mere presence of the two Queen's blades was enough to start calming the rest of them down, when Wayne had started to calm at the presence of the Diana brood vampire. This was only furthered by Laenaia, whose magic soothed it further, and as a bonus spent little of her own energy to accomplish. Rayvon's challenge was the last straw as one of the militia clapped slowly. A man with utterly no remarkable features save the way his silver eyes looked upon them all, like Wayne's but with hunger and vicious intent. [b]"Not bad, children."[/b] He snaps his fingers and at the core of the fountain, the bomb was revealed to them. [b]"... However..."[/b] He looks at the drow, licking his lips. [b]"(Drow): You are not the only masters of spiders, priestess..."[/b] With that said in the Drow language, a pair of large spiders come bursting through the door of a house nearby. The militia cry out again, save for Wayne, as a few spirits 'appear', likely ghosts of ancestors across this town, though all the magically inclined there would feel this disgusting abuse of magic from the illusionist himself, the vampire. Wayne looks back in confusion. [b]"Jeremy?"[/b] The vampire shook his head. [b]"James has a... Unique way with words that I could not ignore, brother."[/b] Wayne growls in anger and immediately sides with the Queen's Blades, while the rest of the militia remained frozen in terror. The two spiders took positions guarding the fountain, while Jeremy vanished from sight, invisible to the eye, but whose general presence could still be felt. Wayne looked around in confusion, his fangs present for all to see. [b]"What is the plan?"[/b] He asks aloud as his heritage grew clearer the two vampires there: He was of Malaki's brood. --- [center][b]Raven's Inn[/b][/center] --- [b]"Mirror mirror on the wall..."[/b] James was reciting something that related to no particular story, and tapped his lip as he pondered Gryff's question. He might have even answered had it not been for Maher, lashing out with his icy staff. James however merely grinned as one of the militia suddenly bolted from his position to take the blow, being impaled on the icy spike at the end of the spear he looks up, his lips moved in tandem with James' lips. [b]"Why... I had a family..."[/b] James then chuckles as the man's life fades away entirely. The rest of the militia unsheathed their various weapons and looked at Maher. With a snap of James' fingers they spoke in unison. [b]"You killed, you killed, that's a crime you know."[/b] James then shakes his head and looks at the middle aged man who slowly got back up to his feet, disturbed by the sight of his men being so easily turned into pawns. [b]"The guardian is big and heavy. That is all you need to know!"[/b] He says as he motions to the door, causing it to open into complete blackness. With that said, he looks at the group and motions them in. [b]"It's a one of a time Carnival special! Don't keep me waiting, or the tickets will expire, and [i]nobody[/i] wants that!"[/b] He says with a mad grin, looking at Maher especially. [b]"After all, I have at least all these men more to give to your hands if you wish to stain them so badly!"[/b] As for the dwarf, James' eyes turned to a bit of a disturbed look at a single glance. [b]"Eugh! No, dreadful, do not compare our works you... Brute!"[/b]