DeadWood[Continued with Faust]

[Willow]

Aliara and Nephir

Aliara nodded and pulled up her hood. Nephir took Faust's suggestion into consideration, and muttered out of the side of his mouth to Aliara.

"Keep your hand on my shoulder," he mumbled, and once she had done so, began to shift. He got considerably bigger, huge, and his hair lightened a few more shades. It became very clear what he was turning to. A grizzly bear lumbered alongside the blind magii seer, black eyes flicking to everything that moved. The only thing Nephir didn't like about the grizzly shift was the eyesight. It wasn't great. Plus, being so big, bears weren't very quiet, and were clumsy. A rule when you weighed half a ton.

Aliara felt the shift and winced as something snapped under his paw, turning her. Still a blank spot. Disappointed, she kept walking, and for a moment, broke away for him. Nephir came to an abrupt stop and stared. Aliara instantly knew why. She'd stepped over a log without help. After a beat, she realized she could see it. Well.

Nephir snorted but didn't shift back, and after a beat kept walking. Aliara chewed her lip. It was making him nervous.

[Aeric Ecrai]

Faust gazed about their surroundings, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up as if to tell him he was being watched. His eyes shifted from tree to tree, taking in every patch of grass and every dark alcove in the Wood. As his eyes passed over a small vine, he was astonished to see it wither and blacken before his eyes. He had heard that the Woods of Agrebach were evil, but that was just rumor. Perhaps, he foolishly thought to himself, it was an omen of some kind, warning them of further trespasses.

Before he had time to finish the thought, a loud noise suddenly came to his ears: the violent crashing sound of underbrush being trampled. He whipped his head around just in time to see a blur of something barreling straight towards them. He had just enough time to yell, "Nephir, cover Aliara!" before the thing - a man, he now realized - was upon him. This person had apparently been fleeing something, because his head only snapped forward on Faust's sudden yell in time to see him up close, collide with him, and bring them both to the ground.

Grunting from the collision, Faust pushed the man off of him. His eyes grew wide in realization. He knew this man, his features. Close cropped auburn hair, and enough stubble to hint at what was once a full beard. Dark amber eyes that seemed to scutinize everything they looked at.

"Dorian!?" He hissed through clenched teeth, shoving the man - Dorian - completely off of him and staggering to his feet.
Dorian's eyes were equally wide, not only in realization, but in lingering terror of what he had been running from.
"Nicolaus? What are you doing here, in the middle of the Woods of Agrebach?" His hand flew down to the pommel of his blade as to suggest that whatever had been after him wasn't through.

"Nephir, Aliara, allow me to introduce Dorian Faust. My brother." Faust replied with a tight-lipped smile.

[Willow]

Nephir rose up on his hind legs, standing at an impressive eight feet, at the least. His jaws parted and a low roar emitted from the cavern of teeth, black eyes glittering. However, intimidations weren't necessary. The man collided with Faust, and snarling, Nephir dropped on all fours, shaking the earth. Aliara looked in the general direction of the two magii dots.

"Brother," she echoed, blinking semi-blind eyes. Nephir snorted through his muzzle, and his meaning was all too clear, but Aliara said what he was probably thinking out loud anyway.

"Dorian." Aliara tilted her head slightly to one side, contiuning to watch the newcomer. "What do you run from?"

Nephir made a sound of agreement, shaking snow and ice from his sturdy body. The bear continued to stare in the direction Dorian had hurtled from, not at all bothered with Dorian's prescence. It was his sudden, frightened appearance that bothered the druidok.

[Aeric Ecrai]

Dorian rapidly shook his head. "No time to explain. If they catch me-"

"Dorian. How nice to catch up with you." a voice quipped, as the air in front of Dorian shifted and took the form of a cloak. A man appeared, clad head to toe in the garb of an Inquisitor - except the colors were black and red. An onyx black sword was strapped to his equally dark belt, and his long red hair matched his cloak. A dark eyepatch covered one eye.

"You'll not take me, Knight!" Dorian exclaimed, drawing his sword as the man did the same. Faust saw a flicker of resentment in the Inquisitor's eye. Then Faust realized something. He spun to his brother in confusion.

"But Dorian, why is the Inquisition after you? You yourself are an Inquisitor!" Even though he wasn't entirely sure what was going on, Faust put his hand on the pommel of his sword, and tested it in its scabbard to make sure it would draw when he needed it to.

"Was an Inquisitor." the man with the eyepatch said. "He betrayed us. The first Inquisitor to ever attempt to defect."

"Defect to who, Jaster?!" Dorain yelled, bringing the point of his sword around to point at the man's chest. Before he could charge, the blade was knocked from his hand by a rapier. Faust realized, too late, that two more Inquisitors had appeared nearby. They also wore full cloaks, which made him uneasy. It wasn't like the Inquisition to stray from their dress code.

"It doesn't matter to who. As an Inquisitor, you were charged with Master Ecrai's life. Now that you've forsaken that, you cannot be allowed to simply roam free and sell the secrets of our order to the highest bidder, or allow yourself to be captured by those who would torture them out of you. Your running, though futile, further proves your malicious intent." Jaster scoffed, finally pulling his own sword free of it's scabbard. The strange onyx blade made no sound as it was drawn out.

"I know you. You're Jaster Knightley, head of the Division of Steel. One of the three Artmasters of the Dawn Inquisition." Faust spat, now drawing his own sword and pointing it at the man. "Inquisition trash."

One of the other two Inquisitors moved to Nephir and Aliara, to either stop them from interfering or detain them for being with the two Fausts. The second moved to Dorian just as he pulled a second sword. Jaster moved to Nicolaus. Jaster's sword hand depressed something on the blade, and it split in two. Grabbing the second half with his other hand, he now effectively was wielding two swords.

"Don't think that I'll be an easy foe just because I have one eye, boy." Jaster spat.

With that, the three Inquisitors charged, each at their own target.

[Willow]

The pair was forced to absorb a lot of information in a very short amount of time. Aliara, unable to see much save a few blurs of Magii, moved instinctively towards Nephir, drawing a small knife. It wouldn't be much use, as she couldn't really see too well. Someone dove at Faust, and a cry rose in her throat, but died as one of the Inquistors rushed them.

An explosive roar ripped from Nepihr's throat, his black eyes burning. I'll kill them, he thought, blocking the warrior from reaching Aliara. He was able to retaliate to one of the attacks. A blade struck at his fur, and it was the grizzly's thick coat that saved him.

Aliara tried to stay out from under his paws and to strike out at the same time, aiming for the blur of Magii. Who were they? she thought, dazed. Nephir roared again, and she saw a faint, dark shape rise up and sweep one paw out at the shapes.

ooc- Permission to powerplay if you need to. It's been editted.

[Aeric Ecrai]

ooc - Wow, finally get to post. I swear, the site has not been wanting to display for me lately. I don't get what the deal is. Anyways, here you go. Sorry for the delay.

bic -

The sound of steel on steel rang throughout the forest as Nicolaus slowly lost ground to Jaster. An unskilled swordsman fighting against someone who was dual wielding was lethal, and even a skilled swordsman had a hard time countering two blades at once. It didn't help that Jaster was an Artmaster. Jaster was slamming his guard so forcefully that Nicolaus could feel the jarring blows up to his shoulders. He knew if he moved from his defensive stance now he could easily lose his sword, his hand, or his life, whichever Jaster decided to take first. He manage to steal a glimpse to his right where his older brother fought the strange, long-cloaked Inquisitor. Dorian seemed to be doing fine. An Inquisitor (albiet ex-Inquisitor), Nicolaus decided that Dorian wasn't having as hard a time as he was. He barely caught a glimpse of Nephir looming over the other Inquisitor in his peripheral vision. A bear was strong, but not particularly agile. His paws could only swing so fast, and Nicolaus figured that the Inquisitor would be getting some blows in. He only hoped Aliara was doing okay.

He didn't think he had ever moved his blade so quickly. Jaster didn't seem to tire, or even break a sweat. Nicolaus was finally catching onto the rythm of the twin swords, recognizing a few of the forms Jaster was using. He only had to wait until he made a mistake, and -

click.

The attack threw Nicolaus completely off guard, nearly bringing him to his knees. The single, resolute blow on his guard was so forceful it felt like he had broken his arm. He quickly recovered from shock, swore a curse under his breath, and swung at Jaster.
Where had his two swords gone? He only had one now, and was moving completely differently. Nicolaus even dared wonder if he was moving more quickly than he had been with two blades. What little ground he had gained was lost twofold. The form shift had broken his concentration to the extent that he was forced into a singular, solid guard that was meant only to catch the strikes of his opponent's blade.

This was going to take a while...

[Willow]

ooc- And you thought you took forever.

bic-
Nephir roared deafeningly, and the Inquistitor actually winced. Satisfied, the Druidok took the opening, barreling into his opponent with the force of a battering ram. He knocked the man to the ground and grabbed his sword arm in his jaws, growling.

Aliara jerked, eyes fixing on Faust. Something was wrong. Her breath caught in her throat. Nephir heard the snap too but didn't budge, holding his opponent but no killing him, crushing his arm in his jaws. His other paw, larger than a dinner plate, held the other arm. Immobilized.

[Aeric Ecrai]

ooc- gonna godmode some to get things done.

Bic- Both Dorian and Nicolaus had the same thought at the same time. There was no way an Inquistor could be so careless as to have his arm broken by a lumbering bear, or to flinch at one's roar. Especially not these kind. So, what exactly was going on?

Taking his focus away from Jaster for mere seconds, Niclaus yelled at Aliara, "Look around! See if you can see anything that looks gray!"
Hoping she had heard and understood, he turned back to Jaster and parried yet another strike. Glancing at Dorian, he saw that his brother's blade had been rammed through the second Inquisitor. Jaster, at least, was very real, and apparently hadn't seen the other two men. Nicolaus had originally thought the two had come with Jaster, but the man seemed oblivious to them.

Aliara pointed into the forest and shouted, "There!" at about the exact same time a small, red object was hurled from that general direction. Glancing squarley off of Jaster's head, it fell to the ground. An apple, Nicloaus saw. An apple with a single bite mark in it.

Before he could even so much as think, a blur of white streaked from the forest and into the small clearing, and he was on his back with his breath gone. Looking up, he saw that man from before - the one with the long white coat - simply holding Jaster's blade at bay with his hands. Before Nicolaus passed out, he realized four things: the other two Inquisitors had been an illusion crafted by this man to keep Aliara, Nephir and Dorian busy; there was lightning cracking and sparking around the man's hands; Aliara, Nephir, and Dorian were already unconcious - how, he did not know; and finally, a name. That man was Nicodemus.

[Willow]

Nephir was looking slightly disoriented about something. Like, maybe the man didn't taste how he was supposed to? Aliara didn't know why he had the look he had, but then again, he was a freaking bear.

Maybe he just looked like that.

The bear's eyes flicked up. Faust was shouting. Aliara's breath caught in her throat as she did a complete spin on her heel. Nothing, nothing, nothing-

"There!" she said, pointing. There was a definite thump of something. Something that sounded like it had hurt. Growling, Nephir jerked back, and then he was shifting. Why was he shifting? Aliara had time to wonder.

Something shot out of woods and lunged at the only remaining Inquistor. Nephir choked on nothing, and everything went black. Aliara saw Nicolaus go down, and then everything faded away. Nephir's thoughts were of denial.

He could not have failed his charge. No.

[Aeric Ecrai]

Faust, groggy and disoriented, pushed himself with some effort off of the ground and rubbed his head. Aliara and a humanoid Nephir still lay on the ground unconscious, but Jaster and Dorian were nowhere to be found. And that third man...had it really been Nicodemus? He knew only a rough sketch of the infamous rogue from the wanted posters that were, well, everywhere.

"You're lucky to be alive." said a voice from directly behind Nicolaus. Spinning around, he came face to face with a red-haired man sporting a green bandanna and white coat. Nicodemus.

"What in gods' name was that for?" Nicolaus sniped, too disoriented to be completely furious. Propping himself up on his sword, he rose to his feet somewhat shakily. Nicodemus lithely rose to his feet as well from the rock he had been sitting cross-legged on.

"I should be asking you the same, boy. That man - your brother and an Inquisitor on the run - had in his possession one of the most dangerous artifacts in the world. How he managed to get his hands on it and then escape with it troubles me to no end." Nicodemus shot him a glare. Not an angry one, but one of scorn. Nicolaus had been protecting a great evil, if unknowingly.

"Where are Dorian and Jaster?" Nicolaus demanded, his senses coming back to him. Strange that Nicodemus would appear in such a fashion and then two men disappear.

Nicodemus just sighed, running his fingers through his course hair. "Escaped. I intended to make it look as if I was on your brother's side and then turn on him alongside Jaster, but things did not go as I had planned. The artifact has given Dorian powers he should not have - that the world should not know. He attacked both myself and Master Knightley whilst we were occupied and made off with his prize. Jaster pursues him to Gortek now, and I pray that he is fast enough."

"What is this artifact of which you speak?" Nicolaus inquired, wondering what his brother had taken and how it had given him power.

Nicodemus just laughed. "The name and significance will have little meaning to you, I'm sure. He stole a shard of the Black Orb. You, your friend the Seer, her Druidok and I make for Raoro Castle tomorrow. I have an... acquaintance there who should be of some assistance in helping use retrieve what your brother has taken. But first, let us wait for your friends to waken."

[Willow]

It was Nephir who woke first, drawing into a sitting position and staring blankly at the other two. He blinked widely a few times, looking a little foggy, unsure, then shifted his liquid ebony eyes to his charge. Th druidok judged they were not in any immediate danger, as Faust didn't seem to worried, just annoyed about something. As for the other man, he certainly looked dangerous, but he didn't look like he was in the mood for that moment.

Carefully, he leaned over and tugged at Aliara's shoulder. "Ali. Wake up. Something's up," he whispered, voice no more than a breath. Aliara awoke almost instantly, sitting up a little too quickly. She pressed one hand to her head and winced. Nephir just frowned at her, unable to do anything about a headache.

Her gaze shifted to Nicodemus, and she winced again, looked quickly away. "He's bright," she murmured. Nephir just looked at Nicodemus. Aliara was sensing sparks, something like it, and he was bright? What did that mean?

Nepihr frowned. "What's going on, Faust?"

Aliara remainded silent, unsure, and with too much of a headache to risk looking back at the strange man. Nephir remained on his knees, waiting.

[Aeric Ecrai]

Something - Nicolaus couldn't tell what it was, perhaps surprise - flashed across Nicodemus's eyes when Aliara made the comment about him being bright. Passing it off as nothing but amusement from the man, Nicolaus recounted what Nicodemus had told him word for word. The mysterious rogue just sat on the same rock the whole time, stroking his well-trimmed (and it was just that, Nicolaus noted, even though Nicodemus was supposed to be a thief who was always on the run) goatee in thought.

[Willow]

Nephir seemed to be drinking in everything Faust was saying, looking more serious than ever. It was a rather odd expression on a bear's face. Aliara, barely awake, nodded, keeping her eyes away from the newcomer. Too much information to early in her waking hours. Nephir's black eyes flickered, and then he shifted, unworried. The dark-haired boy plopped on the ground beside Aliara, unsmiling.

"Do we leave now?" Aliara asked. The constant flickers of sparks were starting to give her a headache, like staring at a spotlight.

Her druidok, Nephir thought, amused. Like he was a pet she kept on a chain. He let her lean on him, watching the newcomer with interest.

ooc- Muse-death. D=