Mokley

Wing and Storm

He had barely heard her; he was glaring up at the ship that emerged from the billowing mist and rain. His thoughts were filled with the screams of his own people -- memories of destruction unimaginable. But even now, as selfish as he was, it wasn't revenge for the dead that he wanted; it was the satisfaction of making the Mechanists hurt for what they had done to everything he had taken for granted.

A flash of yellow light flickered in the sky, then a booming explosion lit up the edge of the city. The screams began as the Mechanists displayed their brute power, to ensure the citizens all understood that the only choice was to bow down or to die.

Raln had no weapon, but he bolted down the street at a full run, splashing through the street toward the rumbling threat. He looked back at Solara, pausing only long enough to shout, "Fly!" He meant she should leave him, get out of the city before she could be spotted.

Wing and Storm

The rain hissed all around them. Tendrils of water trickled down his face as he peered at her severely, daring her to look away from his black eyes. She was an honest one -- beautiful, innocent, unaccustomed to war. She didn't realize what she was saying. It was one thing to want to help others. It was quite another to offer one's life for the sake of feeble hope. His jaw set, almost angry with her for risking her life as much as she had just by speaking to him.

"You'll get yourself killed by your own king," he growled. "Siding with me is treason."

Whr-r-r-r-r-r

A soft, distant rushing noise pulsed in the distance, masked by the rumble of thunder and rain.

Raln looked up between the buildings, toward the mountains that separated the City of the Valley from the broken kingdom he had fled.

The soft silhouette of an airship drifted between the mountains, partially hidden by fog. It was headed directly for the city.

"It's too late." He stiffened with anger, every breath a hiss of defiance. "They're here."

The walls around the city were being shut down. The doors locked, the bridges raised, the bars crossed. No one would leave.

Fire and Sails

Yay! I'm so glad you like it! :D

No problemo, definitely no rush on posting. Have fun visiting!

Fire and Sails

Baa-aa-aa. Baa-aa-aa-aa.

Yuri drew in a breath of morning air and cracked an eye open. A flock of sheep had wandered into the old church ruins while he had slept. They stood around him among the sunny rubble, huffing and chewing and destroying the peace with fluffy irresponsibility.

He sat against an upturned knee for awhile, his hair askew from sleep, and watched them pick their way among the weeds and broken pews. There was still water left in his canteen, and a bit of cheese and tack for breakfast. The leaves rustled softly overhead.

It was time to go. With a hand against the crumbled pulpit he climbed to his feet, then took up his pack and weaved his way down to the trail. The path had been growing thinner as he'd traveled, and settlements had been fewer and farther between these past few weeks. The last stories he'd heard were about beasts in the forest, dangerous roads and demonic sounds among the stones. But sheep meant shepherds, and shepherds meant there was at least a settlement nearby.

There was no shepherd in sight -- only the sheep, scattered and wandering. He left them behind in favor of the path ahead.

Not long after, the echo of cracking wood and screaming sheep reverberated deep in the woods behind him.

---

Within the hour, Yuri was clambering up a rocky slope toward the high walls of a settlement, breathing ragged from running, a sword clutched in his hand. He called up the guards and slipped in through a small door that promptly locked behind him.

---

The guards were paid, and Yuri was allowed to keep his sword. He wandered slowly through the bright streets, a bit rough for his brush with death, a bit gaunt from his weeks on the road, a bit too tall given the average height of these particular townsfolk. This, combined with his layers of desert-woven clothes and a pack that bulged in unusual shapes, caused no few people to stare.

He would find a proper meal in exchange for the trinkets in his sack, and a spare bed for work. Then he would think about the terrors of the forest, and the fact that he would need to be better prepared before he ventured out again.

He would have to leave sooner than was usual or risk catastrophe. These walls not only kept the beasts out -- they prevented the people from escaping.

Fire and Sails

Placeholder title, mostly. It can be changed at a whim! Woo!

Chroniker

Even more awesomeness has been posted. I am psyched for this group. You guys are the most amazing.

(don't tell my other RPs that)

I'm not positive when the next mod post will be, but definitely in the next few days.

Wing and Storm

I feel like I might be introducing way too much plot here, sorry. XD I swear this whole RP is not gonna be about fighting the evil empire.

Wing and Storm

Floating through the air was still disconcerting -- especially when the person holding him up seemed much too fragile to possess such strength -- but Raln held on stiffly, focusing on the majestic flap of her wings rather than on the ground below. Still, he was very much relieved when his feet were again on the damp street. He stepped back, and his voice was grave.

"You might have heard that the neighboring kingdom has been destroyed in war with the Mechanist Empire. Its people have been shackled and made to build weapons for a new war. My name is Raln -- I'm the survivor of the Ysai royal bloodline, maybe the only one that made it out alive. I came here for refuge, and to ask the help of the king of this city to fight against the Mechanists -- but I've just learned that he's already pledged his loyalty to the Empire. He's sold everyone in this city to the Mechanists in exchange for wealth and power."

Thunder rolled, and the rain fell. He glared at the sky, then at her. "I'll rally the city as much as I can before the war machines get here, but it won't do much good. I've seen them. If you can't fight, it's better to run."

Wing and Storm

His expression fell by degrees into something grave and troubled, and he looked down at her out of the corner of his eye.

In his search for an army, all he'd found was a single good samaritan. Somehow, with her words he knew there was no such thing as a resistance -- only masses of people ready to blindly walk into shackles and chains, and kings waiting with open arms for the riches that came with them.

His jaw clenched in anger. Rain trickled from the sky, and the guards began to thin and disperse as they took shelter.

"You shouldn't show strangers what you are and what you can do," he said darkly, after a few moments. "Your king has decided to sell his people into slavery, and you'll be first to be hunted down. If there really is no resistance, it's already too late for this city. Get as far from here as you can."

Chroniker

Wooooo! :D

Who else is around who plans to post this round?