The Paths of Tragedy

Zeria smiled lightly at him. Maybe he wasn't so arrogant after all.

"I apologize for not introducing myself. I am Zeria Iiyasei, born in the village of Fridolf, SeeD Class S. I'm currently searching for my master, Julius Silverwing. He went missing long ago..."

She then heard her name be yelled out, and froze, her eyes going wide.
~That voice...it could only be...Raven!~

She looked over the ledge and saw Raven at the entrance to the airship.

"Raven?! Is it really you?!"
 
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As he put away his weapons, Arthvader started sprinting towards the airship. As he arrived, he took his time looking around, amazed by the detail of the ship. Afterwards, he boarded the ship, and stood in front of Cairn. "I'm here, Cairn. I say, This is a rather nice ship. How long until we depart? I can't wait for that tournament. I'll prove that I'm the best amongst the other competitors. And also, You already found out about Lucius, right?"
 
"Hmm, the captain said we were just about to leave, but I am worried about Hera and Jake not being able to find Celeste. As of Lucius, I only recognized him because of the ring he was wearing. It is one of the rings given to the rightful heirs of the Silverwing Household. Now concerning the others who haven't arrived, I know just what to do..." Cairn brought his right hand to his chin and remained in a thoughtful position. He then thought of sending Hera and Jake a message, so he brought his hand inside one of the pockets in his leather pants, and pulled a small scroll. He extended his hand and gave the scroll to a soldier with the order to deliver it to either Jake or Hera Ledro. The scroll was also accompanied with a letter that reads as follows:

Jake and Hera, if you are reading this it is because we already left Palacious. Since I know it will be difficult for you two to find the ruins of Celeste on your own, I sent this map with the exact location of the village we are heading to, which is near the ruins. Come as soon as possible.

Until we meet again
​
Cairn Rosencrant

The soldier saluted Cairn and then left to deliver the letter and the scroll to either Hera Ledro or Jake. As soon as the soldier left, Captain Van Greg arrived announcing that The Alexander was about to depart. Cairn agreed with the captain's decision, knowing that any more delay would bring unwanted setbacks. The giant gates of the hangar opened as The Alexander pushed itself with its engines from the ground, and then it flew at top speed towards the village of Narl.
​
 
Jonad opened his eyes, "ohhh.. My head.." He looked around, he was in an unfamiliar room.
He forced himself into a sitting position.

His right hand ended up on his forehead.
"I recall using Purigato, then black."
He was mumbling to himself.
He opened his pillbox, and took out a small pill.
He swallowed it with minimal effort.
"Now. any minute now" he muttered.

Suddenly, most of the head ache was gone. He was still drained, something like a powerful excersice in the terms of energy loss.
he got to his legs, but where sent to the floor.
"Pain...." he muttered to himself, as his head got acquainted with the floor.
"Good I just took a pill, or I would be in hell now" he muttered, as he got back on his feet.

He walked towards a window that was on his room, and saw the city slowly 'going away'
Jonad looked confused at the view.
"............ Oh, an airship"
He was unexpectedly slow right now. Though, he at least got what happened.

He thought for a second, as the city was slowly fading away.
"I should check upon Cairn" he told himself, as he turned towards the door.

The door opened with a creak, the metal hinges would need some oil.
First now, Jonad saw the stature of the airship, it was magnificent.
He wandered around for a few minutes, until he saw a sign *Bridge*
Guessing that Cairn would be there, he stumbled towards the door.

Jonad was not completly balanced yet, he should probably get some more rest later.
Jonad grabbed the handle and opened the door.
At the same time, the airship hit an air pocket, which forced a 'swing' in the whole ship. This sent Jonad face first on the floor on the bridge.

"Pain....." he muttered to himself, as he had not yet looked up
 
((FINALLY! You guys finally got to the point where I was going to :P Gawd, I've been waiting and waiting :P))

"Ah!" Jake said, and put on a burst of speed. "Hurry up gramps, the Airship is leaving!" Hera's eyes widened and he shot after Jake.

They caught up to it just as it reached its highest altitude. Hera landed swiftly on the deck, but Jake skidded to a halt on his belly. He rolled onto his back, trying to catch his breath. Hera, who had five sets of lungs, had no reason to catch his breath, but he was still drained. He sat down hard on the deck and bent his head, trying to recuperate some of the energy he'd lost.

Jake leaned himself against the wall of a cabin. He let his head fall to the left, and looked at Hera with his tongue hanging out comically. "Never," he grumbled, breathing heavily, "Never, ever again. I've never flown that fast...we just barely caught the ship."

Hera nodded heavily. "Yeah, let's try and keep those situations to a minimum." He stood up and walked towards a few of the guards. Jake watched his grandfather approach them, and laughed ruefully when a few of them ran away. Jake could've sworn he'd heard one of them yell "Monster!"

Hera addressed one of the guards, who was holding some paper. Jake didn't make out much more from hearing, but he saw the man turn some of the paper, and talk to Hera, who gave him a nod and a slight bow in return.

Upon returning, Hera held out a hand, to which Jake grabbed gratefully. He hauled himself up as his grandfather spoke. "Well, I've checked it out, and they say we're in cabin eight."

Jake looked around, stopping and sighing heavily when he looked at the cabin he'd been leaning against. "Figures, this one's ours." He jerked his thumb up to a big golden eight inscribed above the door.

Hera laughed and entered the room, Jake following suit with a chuckle.
 
Raven could see Zeria lean over the edge, seeing him. The guards, who had no idea what was going on decided to allow Raven to enter, seeing as he knew Zeria. Raven walked past the guards that now had cleared the path to the bridge which led to the airship. Damian followed suit but then a loud bang, followed by a rumble could be heard. The airship was preparing to depart! Raven quickly transformed into his demon form and grabbed Damian,, holding him over his back he quickly dashed up the rising bridge and jumped at the top of it. As Raven and Damian started to fall they landed with a loud bang on the floor of the airship. As Raven rose to full height he released his grip on Damian's arm, which now had red marks along the wrist from the grip. Damian decided that he would leave Raven along for now and decided to explore the ship, he didn't want his presence known too quickly, even though it was unavoidable. While he did this Raven approached Zeria. "It's been a while, still searching for Julius?" By this time Raven had returned to his human form.
 
Zeria felt tears rising to her eyes again as Raven stood there by her.

"Yeah...I'm still looking for him. And I think I might have...I just, have to get there..."

She smiled weakly, gazing over her old friend.

"It's been far too long since we last saw each other, my friend. Far too long"
 
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The sun was setting on the horizon, leaving shiny pigments of orange, red, yellow, purple, beautifully arranged, a fiery orange ring around the fading sun. It was by nightfall that The Alexander, flew soaring through the skies, diving through the clouds as it reached the surface of the mountain leading to the ruins of Celeste. A nearby town, simple in life but rich in culture was also not too far from their landing spot.

Meanwhile, Cairn was resting in his cabin, lying on bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling. As he saw through one of the windows, the sun had already set, the stars began to shed tears of shining lights, feeling the sorrow of a world enveloped in a veil of darkness and greed. Suddenly, one of the knights aboard announced the arrival to the mountain town of Larai for anyone interested on visiting the town now. Cairn closed his eyes and thought about it for a moment, after all, the tournament was schedule to begin in two days, so there was no need for haste, and that it would not be so significant to stay one more night aboard the ship.

Little he knew about the others aboard, he was unaware of Jonad's condition, and he didn't knew what the others were doing.
 
For Hejaloki time had little meaning. He was hot on the run from The darkness.

Hes fast Hejaloki thought.

He was head to Vistoria. Ancient Isles to the west.

Him and the darkness will arrive at their destination fairly soon...
 
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OOC: aww. I was hoping for Cairn's reaction when Jonad ended up face to the floor ^^
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Jonad looked up, and all he saw was a confused captain, and a few crew members.
"Is Cairn here?" Jonad asked. "No, he went to his quarters". The obvious captain answered.
"Is he fine, as in, is he healthy?" Jonad asked as he forced himself to his feet.
This time, holding on to the door frame.

"Yes, he seemed perfectly fine to me" He replied.
Jonad let out a sigh of relief, and his whole being showed his feeling. "That is good" Jonad smiled. "I'm going to return to the room I was placed in now" Jonad stated, just before turning around, and heading back.

Cairn was fine, that is good. It meant that his healing was successful.
That parasite, it would have been better if he could examine it closer, but there where not much time.
Nonetherless, Cairn was fine, and that was the most important.

Jonad opened the door to his quarters, and smiled with his eyes half open.
"Sleep" he smiled, as he closed the door, and lied back on the bed.
Within 4 seconds, he had fallen asleep.
 
The sun had not yet risen when Cairn had awaken from his slumber. Slowly, he opened his eyes and noticed that the moon was still present, and since he thought that sunrise would arrive soon, Cairn decided to get up from bed. The knight remained sitting on the bed, his face sunk in his hands, then he scratched his head with his right hand and sighed. His eyes then turned to his armor that was placed leaning against the wall in one of the corners, to the left of a large bookshelf. Cairn took a deep breath and exhaled, finally getting on his feet. He walked to the chest where all his clean clothes were, and pulled out a clean set of clothes, preparing himself to take a bath. The cabin in which he was staying had a personal bathroom, like the rest of the guest cabins of the airship, so he took a long bath of warm water before getting outside. Soon after, Cairn put on his clothes and his armor, picked up the rest of his gear (sword, first aid items, and a small leather bag of money) and went outside of the cabin, locking the door after exiting.

The hallways were still quiet, most of them were still asleep. Cairn smiled, seeing that everyone was still resting. He shifted his eyes from left to right, the opposites passages he could take from his cabin, and opted to take the left passage that lead him to the lower floors, one connected to the hatch leading outside the Alexander. The air was till damp outside, the lights of the stars slowly opaqued by the rising sun, with yellow and red lights piercing through silver clouds. A large field was between the airship, the village and the ruins, Cairn suddenly found himself standing on the middle. The village of Baid, simplistic and quiet, was a contrasting scenario to the crowded Colosseum located near the Celeste Ruins.

As he awaited for the rest of the group, Cairn left his pack on the soft, green grass and decided to train. He remained silent for a few seconds, his head bowed, eyes closed, and relaxed. Suddenly he opened his eyes and quickly reached the hilt of his sword with his right hand, subsequently grasping and holding the blade with both hands. Cairn gave a few battle cries before starting, then he swung his sword from left to right, practicing his skills. The wind blew in response to each move of his blade, the sun rose from its temporal slumber, biding farewell to the sleeping night. The moon and the stars began to fade, opaqued by the mighty light emanated from the sun. A gentle breeze caressed the blades of grass of the soft soil, for an instant it was the most peaceful moment of Cairn's life.

Cairn soon stopped after striking the soil with his sword, the tip of his blade stuck on the ground, the sword stood vertically before the swordsman. Cairn then placed his right elbow on the handle of his sword, staring at the sun which raised from the horizon.

"Such a beautiful scenario, if only time would stand still on this very instant, the world would probably be a better one to live in....but dreams are just that, dreams, a mere invention of our hearts seeking to be released from this nightmare." Cairn said, as he fixed his eyes on the Celeste Ruins.
 
((OOC: Julius, it's your call whether or not to have Cairn know of Skaol, I just think it isn't impossible, seeing as Skaol is a notable warrior for Aldabra. Feel free to answer as you wish, of course :neomon:))

"It's just as I told the red head, Zeria, I think it was. This world has problems, sure, but the only thing that'll make it better is optimism," Wylliam said with a sigh and a smile, walking to the center of the clearing where Cairn stood. He had slept for most of the trip, and had awoken about an hour ago, taken a bath, and changed back into his armor, deciding to take a small walk. "I hope you don't mind, but I couldn't help but spy a little bit on your technique when I saw you training out here. You really are quite the swordsman, but I'd have to say I know a guy better yet." Wylliam laughed and leaned against his spear, closing his eyes. "Then again, I don't know if the guy's even alive still, let alone still the swordsman I knew him to be." He reflected a little longer on his memories of Skaol, then reluctantly pulled himself back to the present. "Bit of a random question, but have you heard mention of a guy named Skaol? Or perhaps seen a guy with long black hair pulled back into a pony tail and a perpetually sleepy look on his face, carrying around a rapier with green cloth tied to the hilt?"
 
"That name lies somewhere within my memories. Yes, I heard rumors of one of the champions of the new Aldabran Empire, Skaol being one of the few achieving the rank of "champion". These were high ranking officers that would lead the army into the battle. Sadly, Skaol seemed to have disappeared, his whereabouts left unknown..." Cairn replied as he pulled his sword from the soil, swung it to have the wind take most of the dirt from the blade, and then sheathed his weapon. Cairn then turned around to meet William face to face. Cairn stared at the grass on which he was standing, he noticed how the wind made the grass wave elegantly. He soon closed his eyes, imagining a better world, though it was futile, for he couldn't remove from his soul the cruel images of reality. "So, I plan on participating on the tournament, though my goal is not to win. I have no desire for glory nor money these days. What are your thoughts? Are you going to sign up as well?" Cairn redirected his eyes to William, as he awaited for an answer. It was already early in the morning, the sun had already risen, warming the soft soil with its magnanimous passing. Suddenly, the ancient relic, the orb attached to Cairn's sword began to shine in reaction to an inexplicable amount of darkness nearby, though it did not shine bright enough to draw anyone's attention.
​
 
Zeria came out and sighed. She'd heard most of the conversation by accident.

"Everyone's been mentioning this tournament in Celeste. I don't think I've heard much of it. Is there any possibility that I could sign up?"

She really seemed curious about it. Like she wanted to fight for once, instead of shying away from fighting like she usually did. But something was changing in her. Being without her friends and Julius for so long was making her begin to grow cold...
 
After his conversation with William was interrupted so suddenly, Cairn momentarily shifted his attention to Zeria after hearing her question. "A desperate attempt to take out all the sorrow from your heart? Fair enough, but be forewarned that some of the contestants are no pushovers, and some of them might require everything you've got to be victorious. You remind me of one of my nieces, she was strong just like you are and I even trained her myself. Now I wonder..." Cairn smirked as he turned his sight away from Zeria. He smiled, then fearsomely drawing his sword, he aimed with the tip of his sword to Zeria's face. "...if you have what it takes. Let me test your skills...." Cairn addressed to Zeria as he treated the knights formerly under his commands, he was decided to teach Zeria a lesson or two on how not to depend on others and to rely more on her skills. Cairn slowly rose his sight, fixing his eyes on Zeria. "Do not worry young child, I intend on not letting this battle to be extended for too long. Let it be quick, consider it as a warm up." Cairn lowered his sword, holding it next to his right leg, as he awaited for her response.
 
Zeria seemed almost a bit frightened to fight an opponent she hadn't really had to time to study, but nevertheless reached back and drew both of her blades from their sheath, leaping away from Cairn.

"I'm no pushover, Cairn. It's been a while since I've fought all out, but I think this will be a good warmup. You say I'll have to face the unknown and maybe even that Julius is dead..."

Her gaze lowered, then rose back to meet Cairns, fiercely burning.

"Then I will treat all my fights as if I am defending my Julius' life and honor!"
 
"Your innocence lingers on those passionate eyes, no matter how hard you try to hide it, you are just lying to yourself. Such innocence does not fits nightmarish world..." Cairn sighed, closing his eyes as he listened to the wind whistling all around them. "If you doubt, I'll strike you down. You must learn, and I am going to make sure you memorize this lesson. Remember, no magic, I don't want to ruin this beautiful scenario if I am forced to. Now....." Cairn slowly opened his eyes "En Garde!" His eyes fearsomely opened, burning and raging deep within, it was the look of a God of War. He sprinted amazingly fast towards Zeria, holding his sword with both hands as he charged towards his opponent. Suddenly, he swung his blade from left to right unleashing a wave of fearsome winds, then passed it behind his back from his right hand to his left hand and repeated the same attack. Without awaiting for a response, Cairn dashed forward, rising his sword above his right shoulder and bringing it down diagonally from right to left, the sword cut through the wind leaving a trail of sound.
 
Zeria cleared her head of all else and crossed her blades in front of her, charging a quick spark of energy.

"Cross slash!"

The 'x' ripped off like a raging explosion and slammed into Cairn's own attack, not entirely getting rid of it, but dulling it's strength, which she braced herself for and was thrown back a few feet with.

"Now it's my turn!"

She darted to and fro, in almost a jagged line, spinning and rotating on her left heel, bringing down one sword to Cairn's right shoulder, and thrusting the other for his torso...
 
Mikhail

Sense he had been stationed near the pilot cabinet most of the time Mikhail was widely awake when he noticed the first crew members begining to leave The Alexander, he noticed Cairn leaving the ship, deciding that it was best to follow him, Mikhail abandoned his post and followed Cairn with a certain distance in order to avoid detection. Hiding himself behind a small house he heard the conversation between Cairn and the other man, whom he did not recognize, they talked about Skaol one of the empires best fighters.

"(Hmph...do they really think he is Aldabrans best figther? They are in for a surprise, unfortunately they will only learn that the true champion of Aldabran is in fact myself, after i take their souls and banish them from this world, but all in do time.)"

A woman aproached the two men, and after a brief chat she and Cairn began to fight, Mikhail could not be more happy now he would be able to see if Cairn was half as good as people claimed that he was. He watched both of their moves carefully, memorizing their attacks.

("Keep it up...this way you will never catch me off guard.")
 
OOC: I am going to help you train your skills Zeria. Who knows if you end up fighting in the tournament against Hera Ledro, William or even me.

IOC:
Cairn sighed, as he stepped away from Zeria to elude her first attack, subsequently swinging his sword upwardly to deflect her second attack. Having used his large and wide sword as a shield, Cairn was able to block her offense. He soon realized that most of her attacks began with her signature move, Cross Slash, which would make her offensive quite predictable during the rest of the fight. This, Cairn thought, would be most likely used against her during the tournament, so he decided to speak his mind freely and make her aware of it. Cairn stood before Zeria without taking any action against her rather than evading an parrying her attacks. He soon made a large leap that propelled him a few feet away from her sword range. Cairn nodded, clearly disappointed but with hopes to help her learn to master her skills.

"Wrong move Zeria. The usage of such attack, Cross Slash, which I believe is one of your signature moves of what I've seen on your previous battles, makes your offensive really predictable. You show little to no defense when executing such attacks, making yourself vulnerable to a counter attack. How did I knew that you would execute the Cross Slash? Let me answer it: because you start every battle with it. Sometimes a basic offense it is more than enough to allow yourself to now your opponent, just like I did. A skilled swordsman could mimic your attack easily after seeing it so many times, watch this...."

Cairn closed his eyes, then made a large leap, opening his eyes in mid air. He then rushed towards Zeria and when she was in range, spun in mid air twice, "Watch me perform your own move...Cross Slash!" making two consecutive diagonal sword slashes, one from left to right and the other from right to left, the attack patterned resemblanses and "X", all of this before landing. As soon as his feet landed on the soil, Cairn stepped back, placing the face of his sword on his left forearm, holding the blade horizontally and aiming the tip of his sword to Zeria. This was an usual defensive position that the user took to prepare to link it to another move, or to counter attack an opponent's offensive.
 
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