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[b]~Fort Daelantine~[/b]

Riding on a horse was not one of Amy's strongsuits. n fact, she had found out over the past few weeks that a lot of the standard skills required of knights were not things that she was particularly good at. Going from a life of quiet reflection and devout prayer to one that was full of glamour and action wasn't exactly as easy as she had anticipated. But she didn't let that break her down, and she's been slowly learning and getting used to all the knightly duties expected of her. All, but the act of killing. Amy wasn't sure she'd ever get over the all-encompassing feeling of [b][i][color=00aeef]enm[/color][color=00a99d]ity[/color][/i][/b] that seemed to ooze out of every pore in reality whenever the prospect of hurting or killing someone came up in her mind, like the world itself was so greatly opposed to the idea of murder that it would rather assault her mind than let her contribute any more to the madness of the already numerous murderers. Of course, her fellow knights weren't so shy of [b][i][color=f26522]vio[/color][color=f7941d]len[/color][color=fff200]ce[/color][/i][/b], and Amy had no illusions about the necessity of the force used when their opponents ended up being [b][i][color=ed1c24]blood[/color][color=ed145b]thir[/color][color=ec008c]sty[/color][/i][/b] killers who carried around an aura of hostility so powerful, she could feel it from rooms away.

She had hoped that this time would be different, and she'd be riding out on a mission that didn't require the tremendous amount of mental strain required to deal with such situations, and where her particular set of skills would be useful in providing an alternative to violence for her team. She had been recently transferred to a group of knights in need of magic wielders, and this was her first time going on a mission with them. As they rode together behind their captain, Amy fell back and her eyes darted between the many members of the team who all seemed acquainted with each other. She'd tighten her eyelids: she didn't know any of them. Such was the fate of someone choosing a new life and abandoning old friendships, but that didn't really help her anxiety as she trod behind the group, trying to figure out the personalities of all her fellow knights. She wanted to make a good impression, and she wanted to get to know them all, [i][b][color=c4df9b]ea[/color][color=8dc73f]ge[/color][color=598527]r[/color][/b][/i] to make new friends and show them that they could count on her during this upcoming mission. Amy wanted more than anything to get off to a good start with this new group of knights, more than eager to properly begin her life as an Iron Rose, a member of the same group who gave her a chance at life.

Instead, she'd find herself feeling more and more ill as the group began closing the distance to the castle. Poking through the treetops the towers of the castle could be seen growing in size as they approached, but so did the nauseating feeling that was slowly overwhelming Amy, and began to prohibit her thinking. Did she eat anything bad? She couldn't figure out what the feeling was, other than the fact that it felt [i][b][color=8882be]aw[/color][color=a187be]fu[/color][color=bc8dbf]l[/color][/b][/i], and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't find out where it was coming from. That was until they finally reached the castle gates and the troupe came to a halt in front of the eerily silent castle walls.

There wasn't a soul in sight. It felt as if the whole castle had fallen victim to such a malignant aura that not even the birds of the forest dared disturbed the violent silence that resided inside the once hallowed walls. Even before they could peek inside the doors and her fellow knight proclaimed that there would be bodies, Amy could [i][b]feel[/b][/i] that something was deeply wrong with this place, the lingering emotions now finally becoming more clear, and the anguished screams of pain and panic assaulted her mind like a [b][i][color=8dc73f]fo[/color][color=39b54a]ul[/color] [color=00a651]ste[/color][color=00a99d]nch[/color][/i][/b]. She had a difficult time even registering that they had arrived, and once she began to dismount from her horse, a strong sense of nausea took over her that saw the young girl lose her balance as she was stepping off the stirrup, and her slip off the saddle completely.

[b][color=f7976a]THUD[/color][/b]

[color=f49ac2]"Aughhhhh..."[/color] She moaned and winced, equally as upset as she felt disoriented after her face made rapid acquaintances with the battered ground in front of the gates. It took her a few moments to gather the strength to push herself up and clear her mind of the encroaching [i][b][color=ed1c24]dr[/color][color=f26522]ea[/color][color=f7941d]d[/color][/b][/i] that was seeping out from the castle gates. It was by far the worst feeling she had ever felt in her life, a mixture of the most vile of emotions that emanated from mental imprints that could've only been left by a large number of people experiencing extreme emotions within a very small timeframe, a snapshot from a moment in the not-so-distant past that made the hairs stand up on her back. Much like an unpleasant smell she was starting to tune it out, but the mild nausea remained as she finally got up on her feet and began to clear the dirt off her clothes, and she cautiously walked closer to the castle gates, staying behind the apparent protection that the group of unfamiliar knights she now called a team offered. [color=f49ac2]"I've got a really, [i]really[/i] bad feeling about this..."[/color] She muttered quietly, more to herself than anyone else close enough to her to make out the words, but after a quick glance at the people close to her, she figured she should at least try her best to make sure others could hear her. [color=f49ac2]"I don't know what happened here, but I can already tell we're not going to like what's inside. This whole castle has terrible juju... I've never felt anything like it before. Like death hath come to dwell on earth, and made it's home here... Mayon protect us."[/color] She couldn't help but usher a silent prayer for protection before she stepped forward... and then [i][b][color=f7976a]br[/color][color=f9ad81]av[/color][color=fdc68a]ely[/color][/b][/i] waited to see who would enter the foreboding castle first.