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Blood's Jewels (High Casual Fantasy Revolution)

Xandar Markov

Location: Ashkevron residence, front yard in a tree

Xandar lie quietly on the branch, looking up at the afternoon skies as the clouds shifted in their patterns in random. It was almost, calming, and he smoked his cigarette and drew in the long breaths of smoke before releasing them into the air. This was one of the few things he did to have any sort of inner peace, normally he was so worried about doing something or having to be productive and involved. There were the few moments that he would just relax, not a care or thought in the world, and just take in the time he had for what it was.

As he heard the voices in the distance he closed his eyes and tried to block out the mess, but the words were getting louder and he knew exactly who was saying them. Cold, judging, venomous words of an uncaring man to his Queen, he took one of the thinner branches next to him in his hand and snapped it, crushing it and letting the leaves fall to the ground. It was alright, she was a big girl, she could handle herself. He was trying to behave himself and let the dust settle, but those words did not sit well with him. But, he was determined to keep his cool.

He heard quick footsteps approaching his direction, and he knew exactly who it was, but he rested calmly on the tree in the same position he was. He was about to say something snarky but he remembered what Faeril and his Queen said. Fighting with Mikhail would only bring worse, and if he truly wanted to do what was best for the people he cared about, he would be civil. So he looked tired, calm, and gave off a much weaker persona than normal as he slumped down from his branch and landed softly on the grass.

"Mikhail, I'm in no mood or shape to fight, if that was what you were looking for. I know there's been arguments, and we've had our differences. I don't expect you to like me, and I know you want me long gone, I understand. We both have our interests, and we may be at odds, but our goals are similar. We are indebted to one of them there, Faeril and Fatima, and they both have the same goal. To cure this land of the wicked rule of Queens that have done us wrong. Both of us. All of us. So we all need each other if we ever hope to get that done. I don't expect to be friends, but I'm willing to at least be civil. If you won't do it for me, for Fatima, at least do it for Faeril."

Xandar talked in a slow, almost sad and tired manner, like a man after a long day of work who just wanted to fall into bed. He reached into his jacket pocket, taking out the note he had found on the body. He pressed it into Mikhail's hand as he passed him, standing beside him for a moment while he spoke.

"There was a note on one of the guards with this location, as well as the presence of Faeril and I. This what a planned attack, of course, but they do have an informant that we don't know the identity of. I feel as though Faeril trusts everybody here enough that it wasn't any of us, but I don't think we'll be safe here for much longer. That's all I know. Feel free to bother those two with interrogation if you so wish. But, if you'll excuse me, I am going to try and comfort my Queen. I hope you think about what I said and we can come to some sort of compromise, for the better of the group."

With this last word Xandar clasped the man's shoulder, and then slowly made his way towards the rest of the group in the front yard. If he was on his own, left to his own thoughts, that might have ended more violently. But he knew that he would have to behave and control himself if he was to be any use to his Queen. He's been a rogue for a while, a violent, rude, warlord prince with no bounds and no restraints and he had been long removed from court life. It was easier to have a hard exterior to protect himself, to trust nobody. But, with people in his life he actually cared about, ones that he could trust that weren't those awful Queens... maybe he could open up a bit more.

"Hey, is everyone alright? I've put Faeril to bed and rounded up those two survivors. I think we're safe for now, but I don't know for how much longer. Somebody gave them the tip that we were here, and if we stay here, it's not going to end well. This is the exact reason I have moved place to place for many years, being hunted by Queens and courts. We can talk about who did what and work out those details later, but if we want to keep our heads, we're going to have to leave. To where I'm not sure, but we're going to have to go into hiding again before we make our next move."

Blood's Jewels (High Casual Fantasy Revolution)

[Redacted]

DEAD ISLAND 💀🌴

Cole Anderson

Cole had a wealth of information flood him all at once as the survivors figured out their escape plan. He listened carefully to the rest of the people and realized that the city was most likely a no go, like he had explained earlier, and he was glad that he got his point across. It's not like he wouldn't be open to the idea eventually, but right now he wanted to get to a safe and secure place to weigh their options, and find some supplies in case they were in it for the long haul. But the beach sounded like their best best, and thank god they had a map so they could plan their route.

He rubbed his stubble on his face, taking a glance over the map while Mike explained the possible areas to him. There were a few bungalows they could scout out, the marina that might give us a way out, and the lighthouse that seemed like there was some other people there. While that was tempting, he didn't necessarily trust people in the middle of an outbreak like this. What happened if they mistook them for one of the zombies and shot them on sight? What if they just killed them anyways and took their stuff? Some people have a one for all mentality, and he didn't want to have to depend on strangers for his survival.

"I like the beach, the lighthouse seems like a good idea, but I was thinking of something else..." Cole mentioned, and he pointed down to an island just off the coast of the main land. "I say we go there. I went there the other night for a party, and that seems like a safe enough place with enough supplies for now. It's just a short swim, and we could be out of eyesight and ear shot from these things. Once we set up camp we can worry about exploring some other places and seeing if help is gonna come. Lord only knows when all this is going to blow over, and I'm not gonna stay here with no food or water while this place gets even harder to get out of. Sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands."

Cole nodded softly at Mike, wanting to argue that h could come with them but sensing that there was something deeper that was keeping the security guard to this place. He respected it, and he clasped the man's shoulder firmly. "I appreciate your help, and I'll take your advice. If you're ever in trouble, you'll know where to find us. In the mean time, I will try my best to get everybody out of here alive."

He turned to the rest of the group when a bunch of questions started coming up about weapons, who was driving, and other small details. He turned to the rest of the group, addressing the questions as he rubbed his brass knuckles with his thumb. "As far as weapons go we just have to deal with whatever we have in this room. The main objective is to just get out of here, we only want to fight those things to defend ourselves if we have to. The main idea is to avoid them at all costs. Once we get to safety we can worry about arming ourselves to scavenge for supplies. As far as seating goes I'm going to take some kind of car to the island. If you are coming with me speak now, and if somebody else wants to take a car to another location that's fine as well. Once we get that settled we're leaving, sooner the better."

Blood's Jewels (High Casual Fantasy Revolution)

Xandar Markov

Location: Ashkevron residence, front yard -> Faeril's bedroom -> Front yard in a tree

Xandar Markov gracefully landed back down to the Earth as he yawned into his hand, stretching out his muscles as he vanished his armor and shirt, stripping himself down only to his trousers before summoning a cigarette into his hand. He lit it with his finger, taking a long drag of it before slowly exhaling, trying to calm himself down from his adrenaline high. It seemed the fighting was all but over, at least from external forces. The fighting within themselves, however, had only just begun. He looked to his side and put a hand over where it stitches were, making sure none had been popped yet. And well, it seemed like it was almost a miracle they weren't, because he would not be hearing the end of it if they were popped. He did have the others cuts on his leg and shoulder, but that was more of an annoyance than a real concern.

The Warlord Prince slowly made his way to where all the bodies of soldiers were lying down, and he realized that there were two less bodies than he had originally counted. After a quick glance around he realized that they must have been some that he had knocked unconscious and they had most likely fled. Which he was down the cliff at the time, the people at the Eyrie were not capable of holding prisoners of war apparently. Oh well, at least someone would be able to explain the atrocities that happened here and it could stand as an example and a warning. But still, if others could report it, that meant that staying there any longer was probably not going to be an option.

Only four of the men had not been led to their death, so that means that two were still alive among the group of bodies, and he quickly distinguished which ones were which. The Ebon-Grey separated the two men from the corpses and summoned some rope, binding them tightly together and stripping them of their weapons. He left them tied to one of the few trees in the front gardens, msking sure it would be quite difficult and very loud if they tried to escape. The rest of the bodies, however, he stripped them of our their belongings and tossed the now bare bodies off the side of the cliff. He was sure something or another would eat them, he would have burned them but the smell might not have be too kind to the others around him. They did not deserve a proper burial. While most of them had normal weapons and armor, there was one of the higher jeweled individuals that had something extra on him. A handful of gold marks, which he quickly pocketed, but also a rough note. It briefly described the location they were in and told of the presence of Faeril and himself. This was definitely planned, and with this sort of information there was bound to be a rat, either within their group or somewhere in town. Thsi ony added to the fact theat they wouldn't be safe here for very much longer.

Finally he came back to where the rest of the group was standing and waved his hand, vanishing the shield that encompassed the Queen and Faeri, noticing that Faeril was also passed out. Shaking his head, he finished the last of his cigarette and crushed the rest into his hand, blowing out a cloud of smoke into the crisp air. He bent down, carefully holding Faeril in his arms, careful not to wake her. Although at this rate there was almost nothing that could possibly wake her from such an exhausted sleep. Xandar didn't pay any attention to any person near him besides Fatima, who had been treating Faeril before she passed out. "I'm taking her to her bedroom so that she may rest, I won't be long." Xandar said this in a calm, effortless tone, directing the message at only her but it was loud enough for the rest to hear as well. Without waiting for a response he walked away into the house, burhsing past Mikhail as if the man didn't exist as he made his way to the bedroom, careful to avoid the chunks of flesh.

Xandar gave a soft sigh as he set down the Black Widow, pulling the covers up over her and tucking her in properly as he brushed some of the hair streaming into her face. She almost looked peaceful when she wasn't awake. "You may have saved my life but you have caused me quite the headache these last few days, Faeril. Whatever it is you have weaved better be worth my time. I don't know what's more stressful, the people trying to kill us or the people here that already want me dead." Xandar chuckled, knowing that she couldn't even hear him as he turned to walk away, opening the door before pausing in the door frame. "Although, to tell you the truth, this might be the most excitement I've had in months. Sweet dreams, Widow. I'll see you again when you have the strength to curse me out."

Now alone in the kitchen, he summoned the supplies he had been asked to keep a hold of on the side of the kitchen, stacking them properly so that someone else could go through them. He stifled another yawn, thinking of what to do next but realizing he was also quite tired from the events of today, considering his condition. Exiting the house, he made his way back to the tree where the two men were still tied up, and he lifted himself up into the air with his wings so that he could sit on one of the low hanging branches. He stretched his legs across it, his back against the tree as he rested his head, feeling some of his joints and bones crack in an unpleasant way. Summoning another cigarette, he lit it and held it in his mouth as he watched the storm clouds above him. He knew he would have to take some time to rest and relax before he had the patience to deal with what would inevitably come next.

DEAD ISLAND 💀🌴

Cole Anderson

Cole turned to Mike and nodded, breathing out slowly as he weighed the options in his head. If what he was saying was true, then they might have some chance to get out of the hotel. But where to then? He mentioned Moresby, but at this point that was merely speculation. "Well that would seem to be our best escape route then, but I'm not so settled on driving straight into the city. Yes they may be holding out there, but what if these things came from there? We could be walking into a death trap and we have no idea. And even if that isn't the case, I'm sure everybody in this resort had the same idea. Which means, those things out there are going to follow them to the city." Cole pointed at the zombies just outside the door, furthering his point.

"These things are attracted to people, they eat people, they don't seem the brightest but they damn sure are fast and scary. If we want to be safe, we should go somewhere where other people aren't. Which honestly, our best bet may be the beach. It's probably abandoned by now, maybe a few stragglers, but nowhere near the shit storm here. Plus, most of the people in the panic probably left a lot of supplies that we can survive off on until we get some help. My first priority is shelter and food, and once that gets established, maybe we can try to get some radio contact and signal for help, or find out the city is safe before we all go driving down there. I can't speak for the group, and frankly I don't care what you guys decide to do, but that's my plan and I'll gladly take the help of anybody who wants to come with. If some of you decide elsewhere, then good luck to you and hopefully we can all make it out of this alive."

Wow, that was a lot more talking than he thought he was going to do. Something inside of him just propelled him to voice his opinion, speak to the others, work together to survive like it was an instinct. It was like he was almost making it his job to make sure that they all got out of there alive and that he wanted them all to work together. And while some of the cast seemed less than willing or unstable at the moment, Cole knew they had to put aside their differences. It was us versus them, and if they started fighting among themselves then they'd have no chance. Although, he had a bad feeling that elsewhere the remaining human survivors would be turning on each other out of greed and a will to survive. If we didn't keep humanity in a time like this, what made us better than them?

Cole rubbed Charlotte's shoulder, trying to ease her a bit as he could clearly see he was looking tense. Although it seemed their opinions differed slightly, he hoped he could convince her to at least hold off going to Moresby for the time being until they knew more about it.He turned to Mike, leaning a bit closer and looking at the other survivors while he talked. "So, we can get out of here using those cars, and we're working on where we're gonna go with those cars. But, there's also the problem of how the hell we're gonna get to the underground parking garage from here. Because, frankly, I don't think those kind gentleman on the other side of that door will let us by so easily."

DEAD ISLAND 💀🌴

Well personally, for my character, he would be more leaning towards the island. Maybe he even partied the other night at that island so he would have some kind of memory of it? Because honestly he knows nothing about anywhere about that place besides what he's heard and where he's been, which is around the beach and hotel. Having a safe and secure base would be pretty optimal, and he wouldn't mind putting in the work to make supply runs to places that might have more supplies. The only issue would be that they'd need a boat of some kind to transfer the supplies to the island. And, once supplies dry up, they might need to move anyways.

Now I would also be more than happy to possibly explore and find some less mainstream options, because in the back of his mind Cole would be like "Okay, let's go where everyone is not going to go. The zombies are probably going where the people are." A map would be quite helpful for all that, and who knows, maybe he'll be convinced otherwise.

There's also the problem of how are we going to get out of the control room with all the zombies waiting for all of us on the other side? I suggested maybe setting off an alarm, like a fire alarm, to distract them, or maybe there's a ventilation shaft. Because, as Cole noticed, these things for the most part can get distracted.

Blood's Jewels (High Casual Fantasy Revolution)

Xandar Markov

Location: Outside Faeril's Eyrie, cliff's edge

Xandar could only shake his head as he caught his breath, stretching his arms and shoulders as he talked with Faeril. "If you would take me as an enemy when I have saved your life not once, but twice, than so be it. We have a mutual need for one another Widow, but that does not extend out to your comrades. I will do my best to be civil and nothing more, but I would not idly stand by if they provoke me."

The Warlord Prince turned to the Queen, and while he did feel a tinge of guilt for pulling her away from her dead comrade and injuring her slightly, it would be far better than having her exposed and open on the battlefield. The last time he left a healer to her own devices she was nearly mutilated, and he would not let this happen to her. Once the dust settled he would be a little more lenient and less protective, but he deemed his own worth based on how well he could protect others. "I'm sorry for your loss, Queen Fatima, but your safety is of greater importance in this very moment. I hope you will understand, but the battlefield is not a place you should be. You'll have much greater purpose and taking care of Faeril."

"I will be the judge of their strength, but I have never needed more than my own. But, I at least know my boundaries when it comes to my power. I know you mean well but you're more worth to us when you're healthy. I will extinguish the souls of those who dare challenged me and we can continue this conversation after." Xandar took a few steps towards the edge of the cliff, looking up at the fleeing Eyrien shot by arrows before turning his head to Dareen. "I would gladly take your advice and do the same kindness to you, but a person who can't perform simple tasks is simply beneath me. But, if you choose to disrespect me again, I'll gladly end your life. I'm not as merciful as our host."

And with that Xandar built up power in his Jewel before launching off the cliff's edge, exploding upwards with the force of a psychic blast as he spread his wings and very quickly approached the Blood Opal. So quickly, in fact, that he caught the fleeing Eyrien in surprise and he came soaring above him. The Ebon-Grey brought his fists together and slammed them into the center of his back, causing the shield to shatter with a sickening crack, the force sending the Blood Opal downward. Using that momentum, Xandar grabbed both of the Eyriens wings firmly in his hands, pulling with all his might as he tore off both wings like a band-aid. The man shrieked in pain, blood spewing as Xandar delivered a final kick with both his legs into the man's back, sending him hurtling towards the ground without wings. The Warlord Prince slowly made his way back to the Eyrie, not bothering to look down as he was sure his opponent would make a nice blood stain several hundred feet below. He looked at his trophy in his hands, a pair of blood stained wings before he vanished them.

"What the darkness gives you, The Reaper will take it away just as quickly."

DEAD ISLAND 💀🌴

Cole Anderson

Cole held Carter down long enough to allow everybody to safely get in before he released the man, shoving him away from the controls and into the center of the room as he leaned his back to the controls, crossing his arms and sighing. It wasn't much effort on his part to restrain him, he was a professional, but it was very concerning that he had to fight not only those things outside, but also the not sick people in the room he was in. He didn't know which was worse for their health, although he could only hope people kept what was left of their humanity and tried to work together, not for themselves. "Oh don't worry, I've done plenty of that buddy. It would just be more useful and break yours first."

He was surprisingly calm in the situation, at least comparatively, considering him and Charlotte hadn't gotten much of a scratch on them the whole way down considering they took the elevator shaft and were one of the first people in the room. He did, however, notice the tug on his arm as he turned to face Charlotte, feeling his sharp jaw line get pushed to the side as she inspected his jaw. Definitely some bruising, but nothing serious or he hadn't dealt with, and Carter wouldn't be terribly hurt besides maybe a mark on his head either. If he wanted to hurt him he would have. "Yes, it was, but you did a wonderful job with those doors dear. We're safe for now, but we can't stay here forever. Worst of all, getting out of that door again is going to be much worse." Cole pointed this out, seeing bodies pile up and bang on the door, faces plastered, teeth bared, and probably screaming their heads off outside there. The psychological warfare of just hearing them, seeing them, knowing they were only a few feet away sent chills up his back.

He put a comforting arm around Charlotte, pulling her in for a quick embrace as he whispered in her ear. Don't worry, we'll get out of this. Just be careful and stick next to me. I don't know how much we can trust these people. In all honesty he had no reason to trust her either, he only had spent the one night with her, and before that they were strangers, but these situations often drew people together very quickly, and frankly it was nice to at least put some kind of faith in someone. Hopefully this trust would not be broken, and as quickly as he had embraced the woman, he let go and went back to crossing his arms and scanning the rest of the room.

"Well, as much as I love some good banter, we have a bit of a problem going on outside. And, quite frankly, this is a hell of a lot worse than a fire drill. We're safe for now, but we're gonna have to find a way out of here and somewhere to go. We can't all stay in this place forever, and there's no telling what the rest of the island looks like. If it's anything like this place, and the phone lines are down, it's going to be a long time before we get any help." Cole addressed the room, looking around at all the people, making a mental note of all of them. He would try to spend more time getting to know them later, but for now he turned to Mike. "I'm assuming most of us are tourists here, so you're probably the only one with any knowledge of our surroundings. Do you have any idea how we could get all of us out of here? I have a bad feeling the longer we wait, the harder it's going to get to get out of here. Once everybody else flees, we're going to be the only thing on these things' minds."

Blood's Jewels (High Casual Fantasy Revolution)

Xandar Markov

Location: Outside Faeril's Eyrie, cliff staircase

"Oh you sure had it under control dear, that's why you're bleeding, your jewel is drained, and I had to come save you from being killed or kidnapped by those assholes. I don't even know how you're still alive considering how useless your so called body guards are." Xandar chuckled, shaking his head as he saw her attempt to punch him in the jaw and fail miserably.

"The last time I let you out of my sight for a minute you got yourself into deep shit, I'm keeping an eye on you. I already saved their ass once today, let them be useful for a change. You just worry about resting and not breaking your jewel, because you'll be no use to anybody without it. I can repay my debt to you if you're dead or worse."

Xandar has just got to the top of the Eyrie when he turned to see Mikhail start running down the stairs, trying to tell Xandar one thing or another. He didn't really acknowledge or respect the man in any sense, having half a mind to chuck him off the cliff so he would get down faster. "Oh I know what I'm doing, I'm not a daft cunt such as yourself. I would be more than happy to engage you in a battle of wits if I had the time, but you seem unarmed."

Xandar chuckled, quickly looking over to see Fatima sneaking down the stairs, attempting to go into the battlefield as he was quite sure Mikhail and Dareen was supposed to be taking care of her. "Oh look, you both had one job. Trying to give orders and you can't even follow a simple task. Don't worry, just let the man handle this one."

Xandar cast his free hand out, the other still holding Faeril in his arms as he morphed the shield around Fatima into a sphere, seemingly without the knowledge of the Queen as she falls forward in her clumsiness and face plants onto the front of the sphere. He could only shake his head as he levitated the sphere, bringing back the screaming and kicking Queen as he lowered the sphere next to him where he stood at the top of the Eyrie. His face was like a disappointed parent, and he now held Faeril with both hands as he faced the sphere.

"And you! What am I going to do with you? My job is to protect you and you start running towards the fight? And you go and trip and break your nose. Look, this is for your own good. Once people who aren't trying to murder and or kidnap both of you are either dead or gone, you will both be let out. In the mean time, I would love to have you two alive if that's alright with everyone."

DEAD ISLAND 💀🌴

Cole Anderson

Everything kind of happened in a bit of a whirl once Cole came banging on the door. He was rushed into the room as some security guard, he assumed, helped them in before he started putting bullets into the heads of three zombies that had been chasing him and Charlotte. The only thing he could really do was stand protectively over the woman while he watched the violence go on. It seemed justified, but it was horrifying as these were actual people with lives and families, trying to murder us out of the blue and getting shot like dogs. Something told him that this was worse than some serious case of bath salts.

Once the door had closed he breathed a sigh of relief, putting his back to the wall and tapping his fingers against his brass knuckles as he looked over at the control monitors. Grotesque images covered the screens, nothing but chaos, violence, and those things running amuck. This had slowly devolved from fire drill to emergency to fill out survival of the fittest in the last few minutes, and now they were stuck in this room with strangers while those things pounded on the door. Before he could turn his attention to Charlotte, the door opened again, and the security guard tried to help more people into the room. It seemed like it was going to get a bit crowded after all, but it was comforting seeing actual normal human beings. They could sure use the help.

As the people were coming through, the other man in the room who had argued with the security guard went to shut the door on the people coming it. His conscience wouldn’t allow it, he couldn’t just stand by and watch people die. After all, he was himself let in and could have been left to die. So he came up behind the man and grabbed his around the waist, yanking him away quickly from the controls before he had a chance to push them. ”Not so fast asshole, this isn’t all about you.”

This led to a bit of cursing and an elbow to Cole’s face, which in his profession as nothing unusual as he reared his head back and shook off the daze. He grabbed his arm, pinning it behind the man as the MMA fighter grabbed the back of the man’s head and slammed it into the desk, pressing it against it and keeping his arm very painfully pinned back.

”Charlotte! Make sure you close that thing once everybody gets in, and not a second sooner or later. I’ll keep this guy in check. And you, you piece of shit. If you so much as look at me funny I’ll break your arm in five places and throw you out there with them, you hear me? You’re lucky I don’t do it now after that stunt.”