Lord of Azure Flame Chapter 24x: Fires of Liberation

[Mercakete]

The danger of the dragon was diminished. However, Tas continued ferrying the wounded to the castle entrence. It was a safer place and made a good refuge in case something else unexpected happened out in the open. However, he was slowing down somewhat, since the need for urgency was now not quite as high as the need for care. Some of these mercenaries were in bad shape, after all. Raechel likewise continued healing the wounded on the roof. Once the number of wounded on the roof decreased enough, she would head over to the palace entrence to treat yet more wounded. For now, she called for the attention of a few of the mercenary healers. "You three! Head over to the palace entrence to start treating your comrades. The rest of us will keep helping those waiting for help out here."

[Phoenix]

Final Stand

With the last of the Zaftran airborne units flanking him, Zolkov led the charge against the oncoming enemies, both traitors and rebels. They were all the same to him at that point. The riders were clearly nervous that their commander was being too aggressive though, at this point, if they lost him, they wouldn't have any morale left to continue, and reorganizing would be impossible without a leader. Knowing that, a handful of riders took it upon themselves to cover Zolkov's daring approach, and no matter what either side threw at the oncoming swarm, at least one of them had Zolkov covered. Meanwhile, the man focused on taking out two specific targets, Petrov, and Glinka.

With Stephanie still unconscious, Victor followed the wyvern riders and tried to find one that was close enough to kill. This territory belonged to him now, so all opposing forces had to submit to his might, or taken out. As the two sides closed in on each other, the first of Victor's victims was bitten right off his wyvern and nearly chomped in half. Whatever was left of the soldier was chucked away so Victor could get ready for the next one. A bolt of lightning stuck him on the head though which caused him to veer off course and collide with another enemy rider. The rider was thrown from his wyvern, and Victor quickly recovered, taking out his anger on the wyvern and killing it mid-flight. There was a mage up there somewhere and he aimed to kill them for that.

Orlov vs Denisov

As the forces rushed in, they were met by a slew of very heavily armored knights, and a smaller group of bodies on the floor. The true numbers of the dead and still living were hidden by the smoke, but so were the numbers of the breaching forces. Neither side knew just what to expect, so Ivanko's forces came in with an all out assault, and the Imperials put all their shields up front. That did nothing to stop the siege mages or the swift rogues. While the line behind the Royal Guard was struck by a torrent of magic, the rogues maneuvered by the shield wielders and began taking out any magic users they could find to make things easier for the heavy units that were only seconds behind them.

Denisov at last stood from his throne. His sword was fairly similar to Ivanko's, only more heavily decorated with gemstones and the like. He stood in full armor and a large cape, his visor already down, and four of Zaftra's strongest warriors flanking him. A marksman, an archsage, a trueblade, and a sentinel.

Denisov: <So it's come to this, has it? Leave Ivanko to me.>

Ivanko: Denisov is mine!

[Inactive Account]

Air battle

Seeing Zolkov cut away from his group and head for the mercenaries' officer, Glinka did the same, flanked by a pair of pegasus riders. Zolkov was stronger than he was, Glinka knew, but along with the mercenary and his backup they should be able to manage.

Throne room

Borodin's troops surged into the throne room along with the mercenaries, filling the air around the imperial guards with spells and steel. The room was hot and various hangings and bits of carpet still smoldered from her firebomb, but they pressed on. Seeing the emperor on the move, Borodin headed around the side, cutting through lesser guards to get there, looking to take out some of the elite guards that surrounded him as her troops dealt with the less powerful enemies. Coming from a little behind in order to avoid getting shot, she lunged at the marksman.

[Phoenix]

Shrewd Tactics

Zolkov: <Cover me! I'm going in!>

As the wyvern riders passed each other, both sides took hits, but Zolkov's side suffered a couple of casualties that had nothing to do with Victor. The bullwyvern was getting close though, and Zolkov saw a chance to get the upper hand on the mercenaries. With several riders covering him, he charged Victor head on. Zolkov quickly stood up in the saddle as he descended toward the bull and prepared to jump, his target in sight. The moment Victor opened up his massive jaws to bite Zolkov, he leaped straight up from the saddle with a little added boost from the wyvern. The wyvern quickly dove to avoid being killed himself, and Zolkov went sailing over Victor's head. The two made eye contact for a split second before Zolkov caught onto the saddle and grabbed Stephanie's unconscious form. With the priestess and the warp staff, he let himself fall from Victor's back, but was soon caught by the wyvern.

Victor turned around and roared at the thief. He couldn't give chase however, because the moment he turned to face them and roar, another bolt struck his head and dazed him. It was that mage again ...

Lev saw some of this and tried to give chase himself, but his options for dealing with Zolkov were a bit limited for the moment, and he only had a handful of riders helping him. Zolkov still had about twenty-something swarming around and launching vicious hit and runs. He even found himself getting triple teamed. Diving below the attacks, he tried to spot Zolkov again.

Lev: There! He's still got a bunch of those guys blanketing but I can still catch up! I'll figure out the rest when I get there ...

Meanwhile, Victor found the wyvern rider who had a mage passenger and began a dogged pursuit. The mage sent bolts back at Victor, but most of them missed or grazed. His slipping accuracy was a telltale sign of fear and Victor capitalized on it by roaring and killing any of the wyvern riders that got too close during the chase. The wyvern rider tried to circle around, but even that wasn't keeping the bull wyvern at a distance. He was so large that catching up was a matter of time, time measured in only a few seconds. Becoming extremely fearful, the mage leaped from the wyvern hoping to be caught by someone else and leave the wyvern rider to his fate. ... he was caught by Victor ... and gruesomely killed. The bull wyvern knew who his real target was, and didn't deviate for an instant. With that nuisance taken care of, he turned to try and find the one that had stolen Stephanie. He was the next target ...

Where Are You?

As Ixion made his way down the halls with Howard in tow, he kept an eye out for Isotov while simultaneously tracking all of his chimeras. Iso was nowhere in sight, and Ixion was wondering how he could have covered so much ground so quickly just staggering around. Taking the most direct route to the fire sage he could find still had him lagging behind for some reason.

Where Am I?

By this point, Iso was riding on Kiev. As confused as he was, he knew he would find his sister faster if he was on a wyvern. After all, she brought hers in as well. Wait ... they were both hers. Beside the point. The point was that in order to catch up to her, he needed a wyvern too, and thankfully Kiev was around. Kiev was just happy to be helpful, even though he quickly learned after nearly ramming his head against some things that Iso was in no condition to be steering him around. It was going against his second nature to ignore the rein movements and just use his eyes, but Iso kept steering him toward the armored suits or other things lining the walls. A wyvern could only take so much of that, you know.

Catching Up

They couldn't stay airborne, not with Nikita's wingspan ... so they galloped, and they galloped quickly. Eventually the forces near the front of the throne room came into view. She couldn't tell from there, but they were trying to breach the throne room from the front.

The breaching forces were making some progress, but someone hadn't thought to bring a pummel, so it would take them some more time to force the doors open it seemed.

Relentless Assault

Outside the throne room things were going well enough, inside however it was sheer chaos with both sides fighting furiously with no clear goal in sight. When the marksman found himself being ambushed at close range, he took a few steps back to buy him a critical second to draw his arrow. There was no way to get a shot off though and all that saved him was the trueblade stepping in the way to block Borodin's lunge. The marksman still had to duck under an arrow that came flying at him across the throne room. The arrow came from Karina's bow, and she slipped away into the smoke before he could return a shot.

Meanwhile, Ivanko and Denisov readied themselves. They couldn't afford to be distracted by all the other people.

Denisov: This is your last chance, Ivanko. Call off this attack.

Ivanko: That would be a waste, a waste of potential for this country, and a waste of lives. If you're going to make demands of me, at least try to make sense.

Denisov: You are the one that doesnt' make any sense. Look at what you've done to Kalten. What do you expect us to do when the demons return?

Ivanko: Fight them. That's what we all have to do.

Denisov: That's your grand strategy for beating back those monsters and their creator ...?

Ivanko: We don't need to talk about this anymore. I made up my mind about this twenty-five years ago.

Denisov: ... and we could have been allies ...

Ivanko: Allies? Never. I'd honestly prefer the demons. At least they have the courtesy to kill our people outright. You on the other hand would watch us decay and become buried in the snow from your little palace, hiding away until the demons are finally gone. How many generations of Denisovs would have gone by before the demon king was finally defeated? What would have been left of our country then? That's something the people of Zaftra don't ever have to learn now. Ever since those citadels went up, Zaftra has been under the rule of the Denisovs and losing its strength bit by bit. I'm putting a stop to it, today. Get ready, because when your guard comes down, YOU ARE A DEAD MAN.

Denisov gave his sword one quick twirl and then swung violently at Ivanko. He was out of range but that only revealed that his sword was imbued with magic. Ivanko rolled out of the way as a magical blade flew by and off into the crowd. Who was hit? Who knew?

Denisov: You're quicker in that armor than you look.

As if on cue Ivanko lunged forward closing the distance instantly! Denisov had to lean back to avoid his sword thrust, and then tried to knock the blade away with his own sword. Ivanko span around with the attack and Denisov turned to in the opposite direction leading to a violent sword clash. A few more exchanges and they were locked yet again.

Denisov: It's not your place!

Denisov forced Ivanko back and tried swinging at him from a distance again, aiming to take him out with a horizontal ranged slice. Ivanko actually managed to leap over it and came down swinging as hard as he could. Denisov had just enough time to raise his sword ad block, but the attack forced him down to one knee.

Ivanko: It is if I'm strong enough to take it from you!

Denisov: No! You'll bring this whole country to ruin!

Ivanko quickly raised up his sword and brought it crashing down against Denisov again!

Ivanko: Enough-

He repeated this again ...

Ivanko: -of your-

... and again ...

Ivanko: -pointless-

... and one last time ...

Ivanko: -talking!

That left Denisov a bit overpowered, but he managed to block all of the attacks, even from that low on the ground. His guard hadn't come down yet.

Ivanko: (When is he going to get tired?)

Denisov: (When is he going to get tired?)

[Inactive Account]

Throne room

The marksman's trueblade ally forced Borodin to break her lunge and quickly parry, but as the marksman's attention was also stolen by another attack, she shifted her footing and went on the offensive again, throwing the weight of her sword into forcing back the lighter blade. Lightning crackled behind her as she wore down the trueblade's defenses, as Kouriatov darted in to attack the distracted marksman.

Airborne

Zolkov's darting around made him a difficult target, but Glinka drew closer, reading his axe to attack. As they came within range, the pegasus riders each attacked as well, one hurling a javelin at Zolkov's wyvern and the other throwing fire toward its wings. It was unfortunate that Zolkov had a hostage, but they could not afford to let him go. Operating without their commander, Glinka's troops continued to fight with Zolkov's, wearing them down slightly.

[Phoenix]

Violence In The Throne Room

Karina: This smoke won't be here for much longer, so I'd better get as much use out of it as I can.

Having decided on that, she pulled back another arrow and fired. The arrow went screaming through the air and struck the trueblade dueling with Borodin. The blow didn't kill him, but with an arrow in his right shoulder, he was forced to switch all to his left, and his defense was finished. He had one move to get rid of Borodin, and failure meant an embarrassing death at her hands. Rolling out of the way of her strike, he lunged forward hoping to impale her this time.

The marksman followed the arrow's path back to its source and quickly fired a shot off into the smoke, having forgotten that someone else was after him. Karina moved the moment she fired however, and was quite pleased to hear the marksman's arrow miss her and strike the spot where she had been standing. Her training had really paid off it seemed.

Meanwhile the faction leaders pounded away with their swords making almost as much noise as everyone else around them. Each clash was vicious and sent out a distinct sound. A few more exchanges had them deadlocked again.

Denisov: I thought you'd be stronger than this. Haven't you been preparing for this for over two decades?

Ivanko: What makes you think I'm even close to breaking ...?

The two broke off and both took wide steps as they span around. Both performed a very recognizable move, each coming around with his sword aiming to hit the other at full speed, and full force. Both aimed to bring the other down with one hit with the break swing, a technique meant to break the limbs, weapons, and shields of opponents. With them both performing the move, the outcome was uncertain. When the swords collided, Ivanko's was broken in half, and the blade flew off into a crowd prompting a wilhelm scream.

Ivanko: Ah hell ...

Denisov thought to take advantage of the opportunity, but Ivanko was one step ahead of him. Before he knew it, the mercenary leader had closed in on him and grabbed his visor. He quickly put a lot of his weight forward and forced it open and back along with the rest of the helmet. The force from that pulled Denisov's head back painfully and forced the two men to the ground. Keeping his momentum, Ivanko rolled right over the man and got back on his feet in an instant.

Ivanko: Swords!

He called out with both arms out, palms open. A couple of mercenaries tossed over their weapons and then switched to secondaries. With that, Ivanko was now flourishing two swords. Denisov came to his feet, both impressed, and severely aggravated.

Violence In The Sky

As Levski and Victor drew near, Glinka's men attacked Zolkov. He was able to fly above the javelin, but his wyvern's wing was set ablaze. Now in too much pain to fly straight, the wyvern began flapping around frantically, and Zolkov could barely keep his balance. Victor came up from behind at very high speed.

Zolkov: <That bull again ...>

He quickly chucked Stephanie overboard hoping the bull would end up eating his own passenger and then looked around for his wingmen, who were closing in fast. Stephanie fell into Victor's jaw and hung on it like a ragdoll but Victor didn't bite her in half like even Levski was expecting.

Lev: Whew ... he does have a brain. He can't exactly fight like that though, can he? Damn.

Victor didn't let up though and even with Stephanie in his mouth, he kept charging toward Zolkov, and the two Zaftran riders that got in the way were smacked aside. With no options left, Zolkov leaped from his own flaming wyvern onto a wingman's and they dove beneath their attackers. Having been at a lower altitude himself, Lev was closing in. Both their eyes met while he instructed his rider.

Zolkov: <Fly wild, don't let them hit us with those flames again.> (Come at me, you fools, I dare you ...)

Lev: (I need to get in an attack that will finish this. So far he's survived everything we've thrown at us and come back even harder ... if only Victor didn't have Stephanie in those teeth of his ...)

[Phoenix]

The Final Face Off

With Zolkov's carrier flying wildly, ranged attacks were proving unreliable, but as wyvern riders closed in to try and attack at melee range, Zolkov fought them off easily. His role as a passenger allowed him to focus entirely on those approaching from behind and the Zaftran general gave them no openings to speak of. Still Levski and Victor were in dogged pursuit.

Levski thought to do the only thing he could and tried to get ahead to cut them off. Another of his wingmen accompanied him. Their plan was to have one of them obstruct Zolkov's flight path while the other dove in from an entirely different direction to catch him off guard and deliver the finishing blow. Things played out differently however when the wyvern rider made his move. As he tried to cut off Zolkov, the wyvern rider pulled up hard to evade only to collide with the opposing rider. As Levski swooped in to take down Zolkov, the clever general leaped from the wyvern he was riding straight onto the one that was just hit. He grabbed the rider by his helmet and chucked him over the saddle before wrestling with the wyvern's reins for control.

Levski's attack was close to hitting but the timing was ruined by Zolkov's stunt, and he ended up delivering a debilitating axe strike the to wyvern's back and cutting through part of the saddle in the process. During Levski's pass, all plans were swiftly overruled when Victor came flying toward them at tremendous speed. With Stephanie still in his mouth, anchored by the high wind speed and Victor's teeth, he roared loudly alerting them to the impending disaster, and then he slammed into both wyverns. Both wyverns were incapacitated in the attack and Levski could only watch as the three of them went tumbling down toward the palace.

Their Zolkov's captured wyvern managed to recover in time to not die in a crash landing, but Zolkov was sent tumbling across the icy could stone roof before he came to a sliding stop. The other wyvern and rider crashed so hard that either of them surviving was just inconceivable. Victor managed to beat his wings down hard enough to have a soft touchdown, but with his weight bearing down, it sent him into a short clumsy looking slide. His backward steps only slowed him a little, but soon he stopped, and gently put Stephanie down.

When Zolkov saw that, he knew he still had a chance left. As Levski approached, Zolkov made a mad dash toward Victor. Stephanie awoke right in the middle of their face off, and as Victor tilted his head forty-five degrees in order to bite Zolkov off the ground, the Zaftran general let himself fall and relied on his momentum to carry him the rest of the way as he slid beneath the slamming jaws. As soon as he slowed down, he got to his feet and rushed to Stephanie with his last available weapon in hand, a simple combat knife. Grabbing the priestess when he did stopped Victor from biting him in half this time, and from merely ten feet away, they glared at each other. Victor's red eyes met Zolkov's blue eyes and the two slowly scanned each other. Stephanie could only struggle to get free while Victor looked for an opening.

Stephanie: Urgh! W-why doesn't he just get it over with?!

Zolkov: As I thought. That wyvern thinks you are valuable ... too valuable to kill me while you are within my grasp even. How fortuitous.

Stephanie's face reacted with a mixed expression of confusion and gratefulness. Apparently Victor valued a human who could in essence make him so powerful. Unfortunately that was what Zolkov was using to his advantage ...

Suddenly Zolkov's gaze shot toward Levski, who was coming down way too fast to be attempting anything short of a killing blow, at least that was what it seemed like. Levski instead had Krinkov swoop down surprisingly early and the two hit the ground sliding at high speed. Getting hit by them at those speeds would break bones, and those kinds of injuries would finish Zolkov with that bull wyvern so close by. Unable to risk being struck, he dragged Stephanie out of the way with him and nearly fell over in the process. Levski then leaped from Krinkov as they passed and ripped Stephanie away from Zolkov violently. Zolkov had only a split second to realize what had happened before Victor bit him off of the ground!

As Levski slid to a stop with Stephanie in his arms, Victor hoisted the flailing Zaftran high into the air! After flaunting his catch for a few seconds, Victor slammed his jaws shut and Zolkov was torn in half. As his remains fell from Victor's reddened jaws, Levski sighed in relief.

Stephanie: W-what on earth just happened, Levski?

Lev: I can't even tell you how lucky you are, woman. That's all you need to know, trust me.

Siblings

Iso continued making his way through the halls searching for Irina. When he finally caught sight of another wyvern, he didn't think twice before trying to get Kiev to pick up speed and follow after the rushing wyvern. Iso's certainty proved correct because they wyvern in the hall was being ridden by Irina, and she was quickly moving toward the throne room doors that the mercenaries were breaching. He wasn't sure if he would be able to catch up with her rushing so quickly as well but he tried anyway, holding on as Kiev galloped through the halls ... kind of like a hero horse. Irina meanwhile came close enough to the throne room doors for the mercenaries to notice her and one of them got an idea

Mercenary: Irina! Perfect timing! Don't slow down! Hit this damn door with everything you've got! Everyone else get the hell out of the way!

Irina: Alright! Come on, Nikita!

The mercenaries got out of the way just in time, outright diving if they had to, and Irina came at the door at high speed atop her wyvern!

The Last Enemy To Be Defeated

Two swords were enough to protect himself, but not much in the way of offensive capability, not against Denisov's sword which had broken his own when put to the test. A couple of violent exchanges later and Ivanko realized that he wasn't capable of getting back on offense. The swords he held would neither breach Denisov's armor, nor serve to disarm him.

Denisov: Ivanko, just stand down before even more of your men die pointlessly.

Ivanko: If you want me to surrender, then kill me. Your words are akin to background noise, so save them.

Denisov: Urrrrrrr-you damn stubborn fool! Very well then! You could have fought at my side but this is what you chose! So be it! I'll finish you now!

The emperor wildly swung his sword aiming to strike Ivanko and break both of his swords at once which forced the mercenary leader to dodge and weave instead of trying to block. It was getting terribly risky and Ivanko knew it when Denisov's sword had enough reach to strike him anyway. His chestplate broke away when it was struck. His undershirt wasn't injured, but his shoulder armor began to hang loosely without the extra support. Another strike knocked his right one off rather painfully and had Ivanko staggering back a bit. He needed a plan or he was going to get seriously injured and then likely killed. He still had a slight speed advantage, something he would be relying on in but a moment. Denisov's next swing was aimed to take off his left shoulder plates, and that it did, but using his right hand sword, Ivanko quickly lunged forward the instant he was hit and thrust his blade through a spot that wasn't armored. Denisov pulled back as covered the stabbed wound with his hand before giving Ivanko a furious glare through his helmet.

Denisov: Ivankooooo!

Suddenly the doors came flying open after a loud booming noise and Irina came flying into the throne room! Ivanko and Denisov looked at the oncoming wyvern lord and as Denisov raised his sword to attack the incoming rider, Ivanko thrust his sword into Denisov's unarmored spot again, the exact same spot. The pain canceled any plans the Emperor had and he cried out in pain through his helmet. Unable to slow herself down, Irina readied her lance and aimed it at the Emperor's head. She hoped she could at least stun him if nothing else. What happened instead put nearly all combat in the throne room to an utter standstill. While Ivanko's sword was thrust into Denisov's lower torso, Irina's lance struck his helm, and with the added momentum, it pierced right through spraining Irina's wrist in the process. She couldn't knock the man down with her weight and so she wound up pole vaulting over him. The damage to his head was unclear, but her vault over him coupled with her grip on the lance violently snapped his neck and twisted his entire body around. When she landed, Denisov fell dead on the floor. Her lance was thoroughly jammed up inside the helmet.

The room steadily bean to fall silent, and some of the loudest noises remaining were the idle clanking of weapons gently bouncing against greaves, and the panting of the fatigued warriors. Irina didn't let go of her lance despite how vulnerable she was. It was the only weapon she had aside from her jostled wyvern. Looking at Ivanko with confused eyes she spoke up.

Irina: Uncle, w-what's going on?

Ivanko just stood there beginning to grin a bit. It wasn't how he expected things to turn out, but it was welcome all the same.

Ivanko: That's Emperor Denisov you just killed, Irina.

The wyvern lord was speechless.

[Mercakete]

The gathering up of the mercenaries into the palace's roof entryway had been completed and Raechel, along with the mercenaries' staff-wielders were tending to the wounded there. Just outside the doors were Namid and his rider. The former was curled up, attempting to be as small as possible. The latter was standing with his gloved hand on his wyvern's side as he kept as close to Namid as possible. He'd been reluctant to leave the mountain wyvern alone and instead had chosen to stay near the entrence to the palace so he could try to herd the wyvern inside if things turned sour again. The fight was horrible. Gruesome destruction abounded but Tas was concerned about what might happen. If the mercenaries needed to retreat further into the palace, he wound inform them. That was thankfully not the case, however, as victory was accomplished by the efforts of the mercenaries. Tas didn't see Zolkov bitten in two, however. He'd looked away from that part since it was imminent anyway.

Well, the people and wyverns near and on the roof were safe now. Tas could hardly believe he was able to after seeing so much carnage, but he managed to take some food from Namid's saddlebag and downed it. His hunger was hardly sedated, but it was enough to get him to his next meal without passing out and there was something important he had to do. "I'll be back later, Namid," the courier told his wyvern before heading into the palace. Not knowing how Irina, Isotov, Kiev and Nikita were doing was agonizing Tas, so he, of course, wanted to continue his search for them. Before he got very far, though, the obvious questions began rising, directed right at him. Questions about what happened out there and who had won. As soon as he answered, "we did," the mercenaries let up a cheer. Tas simply continued on his way while Raechel tried to calm one of the more seriously injurred mercenaries down.

He wandered away from the sounds at the enterence, keeping his ears sharp in case he ran into Zaftran forces, which he didn't, thankfully. It got to the point, however, that he couldn't hear much of anything. That was concerning. How big was this palace anyway? He'd just have to listen for sounds of battle, he assumed. Though...this quiet was eerie...

[Inactive Account]

Throne Room

The fighting continued. In the hall, Ilyushin's forces eventually exhausted the imperial backup that had nearly trapped the mercenaries before they could reach the throne room; in the throne room itself, imperial guards fell. While the emperor and usurper fought with all the needless dramatics that were inevitable in such a duel, Borodin systematically cut through the guards surrounding them, then switched to preventing outside interference. While the intervention of an ally might aid Ivanko, it might also cause a fatal distraction or even a chance for betrayal. A stray guard making their way into the fight on the emperor's behalf could be similarly disastrous.

While Borodin herded mercenaries away and removed guards from the equation altogether, she could neither expect nor turn aside the wyvern rider who suddenly appeared. Neither could the emperor, and as everyone realized what had happened, the battle in the throne room came to a close.

Borodin examined the unexpected regicide: the girl was unexpectedly young, and apparently had not been a coordinated part of the attack. Commendable for her achievement, maybe, but likely undisciplined and impulsive-- Borodin was not yet convinced of her competence, or even her identity. Was this just another mercenary, or some connection of Ivanko's? She assumed the latter, as all of the other mercenaries she had seen had shown evidence of training more than this rider did.

There was not time to dwell on things, though; Borodin had to assess the damage. Kouriatov appeared beside her, and was promptly ordered to sit down; he was bleeding heavily from several wounds, though he acted like it barely hindered him. Borodin began to issue orders, taking count of what losses her troops had suffered, mobilizing healers, organizing impromptu medic stations on each level, and assigning those who were fit enough to do so to monitor the remnant of the Imperial Guard.

The remaining guards would be held as prisoners for the moment. The rest of the army was a more difficult matter, as there were simply too many soldiers to hold; the officers willing to swear fealty to the new regime were allowed to keep their posts, while those who refused were imprisoned for the moment. The messy reorganization of the chain of command would have to wait; for the moment the troops were given strict orders to lay down their arms, and kept under as close of a watch as was possible. With the royal family gone, and no noble with any particularly strong claim to the throne, there were no banners for the imperials to rally around.

--------------------------------------

Airborne

With the bull wyvern within range, Glinka had been unable to get close enough to attack Zolkov. As soon as he saw the general fall, he quickly moved to regroup his unit, shouting orders to his own troops and demanding the surrender of the remnant of Zolkov's. Eventually, the fighting in the air ceased.

[Phoenix]

The Throne Room

It took Ivanko's help for Irina to remove her lance from the fallen emperor, but once that was done, he had her stay put and surrounded her with mercenaries. A takeover of the Zaftran empire hadn't occurred in over two hundred years, so the process despite being ingrained in their culture, was still a bit foreign and new. While Ivanko left her to the mercenaries, she thought hard about what she had done only minutes ago. Iso arrived on Kiev's back and was finally feeling well enough to steer the wyvern properly. His first stop was Irina.

Iso: Hey!

Irina: ... h-hey ....

Iso: What's wrong?

He got down from Kiev and knelt by her only to see the fatigue and shock on her face.

Iso: What's wrong?

Irina: ... nothing's wrong really. I just ... can't believe what I did. We came here to put and end to emperor and his family, at least that's why they came. I just got dragged along, and in the end ... I finished it ...? That seems so unlikely, but it happened. I felt it ... all of it. I felt my lance go right into his head, I felt his neck break as I went flying over him. I could tell by how loose everything was when I came down that he was dead.

Iso: You ... killed the emperor ...? By yourself?! What the ... how the hell did you do that?!

Irina: It was mostly an accident. I tried to break down the doors but was going to fast. I couldn't slow down and even though he saw me coming, I still got him. Uncle stabbed him which gave me an easy opening. I guess he figured it was better to let me help him than watch me get cut down ...

Iso: ... yeah I bet, that bastard ....

Irina: He saved my life. The emperor would have killed me if he hadn't attacked him first. You could be a little nicer right now.

Iso: It's his fault that we're even out here in the first place.

------

Ixion's return was met with a lot of stares from the mercenaries. Some were surprised he was so late to the party, others just couldn't wait until he found out who ended the battle of Kalten. His first stop however was near the siblings. Coming up directly behind Iso, he tapped the fire sage on the shoulder. Iso quickly swung around, clearly still a little on edge.

Ixion: Calm down.

Iso: ... it's just you, and still I feel that my reaction was perfectly justified.

Ixion: Nothing you do is ever justified, Iso; running off after your sister like a maniac in the middle of a war zone, creating that scheme with Miranda that put you here in the first place, shirking your duties as a crimson weapon wielder, and let's not forget how easily you resort to running away from your problems.

Iso: If you're just going to lecture me, then let's just skip to the part where I leave. I don't need this.

Ixion: Yes, you do that. Can one of you fill me in on what happened here?

Mercenary: Not sure you'll believe us, but Irina killed Denisov herself! It was the most fantastic kill I've ever seen, hahah!

Karina: It was a little sloppy. A little too flashy as well. He was clearly done when the lance went into his skull. Breaking his neck was just overdoing it after that. Some people are into that kind of thing but I prefer the perfect kill. Just enough damage to do them in, no more, no less.

Ixion: Irina ...?

The wyvern lord nodded silently.

Ixion: ... well ... congratulations. You saved a lot of lives by doing that. Where is Ivanko? I have something he'll be needing.

Ixion pulled out the strange device he had taken from the Empress.

Irina: What's that?

Ixion: The ruling family uses this treasure to identify family members. It's quite useful for testing the legitimacy of those in line for the throne. Once Ivanko's blood is inside of it, only those related to him by blood can take his place as the emperor following his death.

Iso: Hmm ... well I guess that's one good thing about all of this. You won't ever be emperor if I just heard right.

Ixion shrugged.

Ixion: I didn't help Ivanko for eventual sovereignty. I was fulfilling an old promise.

Iso could only raise an eyebrow to that as Ivanko eventually made his way back over.

Ivanko: Ixion, so you've been briefed?

He nodded and then presented the device.

Ixion: I was fortunate enough to find it on the Empress' body. Searching for it may have taken days or even weeks otherwise.

Ivanko: Hmm ....

[-Cynthia-]

???

The fly had had enough of being in the fire sage's hair for one day. The action seemed to be dying down, the old emperor was dead and the battle outside was probably done as well. Still, she had some questions that needed answering, and since everyone seemed to be congregating here it was probably better to ask them now rather than later. She didn't really have the time to be chasing them down individually after all.

Flying out of the fire sage's hair, the fly decided to choose a form that may not be incredibly alarming to those who were around.

"Ixion's right you know, you do seem to have a habit for running from your problems. You have probably started to learn that your problems catch up to you eventually- just as I caught up with you,” Morgan said with a sly smile.

[Phoenix]

Scouts

Trying to gather the bodies of the dead on the palace rooftops was brutal and demoralizing despite the victory. Not every person who died was simply skewered and left to bleed out. Many had been reduced to burning mulch, most of which was now an ice cold mess, frozen up in small magma craters on the roof. It was a disgustingly well preserved sight.

With the men doing their best to remedy that problem, mostly with hard weapon strikes and fire magic, the wyvern riders still in the air kept an eye out for any new signs of aggression. What one of them saw instead was quite surprising. Off in the distance a small red spec was plummeting toward one of the mountains. It struck the distant mountain and disappeared behind a puff of white, and shortly after an avalanche too far away to hear clearly began to run down that mountain like a rushing wave.

Mercenary1: It's the dragon ... looks like he finally came down ...

Mercenary2: Is he dead?

Mercenary1: We aren't preoccupied anymore. If he starts trouble again, he will be ....

Mercenary2: Tough talk, but it's not like we'll be the ones fighting him.

Throne Room ... Stuff

By the time Lev and Stephanie arrived, things in the throne room were already getting strange. Iso freaked out the moment he saw Morgan standing there.

Iso: W-w-w-what the hell are you doing here, Morgan?!

Irina: She must ... really not have wanted you to leave, huh? Why did you come here on your own?

Ixion: ... wait a minute ... (I don't sense another Crimson Weapon. Something's been off for awhile now but I haven't been able to place it. It must be whoever this is. It isn't demonic, but best not to let my guard down just yet.)

Over where Levski and Stephanie were ...

Stephanie: It's that woman ... Morgan, was it?

Lev: Morgaaan? Whaaat?

Stephanie: She must not have taken to well to Iso sneaking away to come to Zaftra.

Lev: No way, no how. There's no way that's Morgan.

Stephanie: It's not?

Lev: First off, look at the hips, a whole millimeter off. Second, the woman doesn't smile, EVER.

Stephanie: You can spot a millimeter difference from thirty feet away? And how would you know she never smiles?

Lev: Look who you're talking to. Trust me, that's not Morgan. Ixion doesn't seem too alarmed so ... it might not be a demon trying to sever Iso but ... this is still strange. Make sure you're ready for combat just in case it comes to that.

Stephanie: I don't know what is more disturbing, your eye for people or another shape shifting menace.

[Inactive Account]

Borodin was preoccupied with calling off the Zaftran forces, but that didn't mean she didn't notice the strange woman who appeared seemingly from thin air, without even the characteristic effects of warp magic, and began to bother the pair who had been confirmed as Ivanko's nephew and niece. A gesture sent a pair of soldiers to flank her, not threatening but watching... for the moment. "Who is this, how did she get here, and is she supposed to be here?" she asked sharply. It was a bit early for assassination attempts on the new regime... but then, it was never really too early, and she wasn't sure the palace could handle two revolutions in one day.

[Mercakete]

As he aimlessly wandered, Tas thought he heard footsteps down a nearby hall. He guessed he was somewhere in the middle of palace since he certainly wasn't near the entrence and he wasn't wherever everyone else was. So, following the sound of the footsteps would bring him to somewhere where there were more people, he figured.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Namid raised his head curiously, watching the red, distant thing fall from the sky and cause the far-off plume of snow on a mountain not near to where everyone was. Weird.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once the vast majority of the injurries were dealt with, Raechel had another issue to take care of. She left the remaining injurred to the mercenary healers and headed outside, walking up to the first mercenary with a wyvern she saw. "Excuse me," she began, "I left my horse down the mountain and he should probably be stabled before he freezes. Is there any way to get him up here?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A strange scent hung in the air. It was familliar, sort of, but Tas couldn't quite place where he'd smelled it before. At least, not until -- as a result of following the sound of the footsteps -- the courier found himself in a hall with a couple, grand doors smashed open at the end of it. Beyond the doors was a room with two wyverns sitting in it. All around were the signs of battle and the obvious source of the scents Tas now recognized that he remembered from feeding the wyverns at the wyvern ranch he grew up on. Whatever battle occurred here had involved a lot of carnage from various methods of killing. For the unhardened wyvern rider, it was overwhelming. He couldn't do much more than stare blankly at the scene before him. He couldn't think very well at the moment. Had he missed the other corpses on the way here? Probably. He'd seen battle before, too. He'd even injurred one of the ones that had attacked the crimson weapons group. Back then, though, they were fighting for their lives and he'd been able to focus on other things. This was all so concentrated -- so vivid... For the moment, he was paralyzed. Once he could think again, though, perhaps he could be more productive in his existance.

[-Cynthia-]

Morgan gave a somewhat hearty laugh at the responses of the people around her. "I am not Morgan. It would be more accurate to say that Morgan is me, if you would prefer to think of it that way."

She looked at the soldiers flanking her and laughed a little bit. "Are any of us where we are supposed to be? Perhaps the question you meant to ask is if I was invited to this party of slaughter- the answer is that I was not. Still, I thought it prudent to watch over Proxima and its wielder for a short time considering how important he will be soon. It really wouldn't do to have him incinerated in some revolution before his task is done after all," she said, sidestepping the other questions for the time being.

[Phoenix]

Horse?

Mercenary: Your horse? Why would you bring a horse way out here? Whatever, if you need someone to pick it up, I guess I can spare the time, but my wyvern can only carry so much weight and we're both fully armored, so we're going to need another wyvern for you to ride with so you can show me where this horse of yours is.

Identification

Ixion crossed his arms and thought for a moment. It was a very short pause, and he quickly spoke up with an answer.

Ixion: ... Flemeth.

Iso: Who?

Ixion: That's the most likely possibility. She came in the form of Morgan, so she obviously knows her very well. She's also not a demon despite her advanced abilities, and with an interest in the Crimson Weapons, one of which belonging to Morgan ... yes, I'm pretty certain, now.

Iso: I'm still not sure who that is ...

Ixion: Not important.

Making their way ever closer, Lev and Stephanie listened in as best they could.

Lev: (Did he say Flemeth? Ohhhhh shiiiit, here?)

[-Cynthia-]

"Oh, you are a smart lad," Flemeth said to Ixion with a smile. "Knows more of his history than the fire sage too I wager, assuming there are any tales of the Witch of the Wilds left. Men are quick to forget one who once held the world by the throat...rumors of death were greatly exaggerated it seems."

"Tell me, clever child, what do you plan to do now? Your...interesting creations have won the battle, though the changing of political power is hardly a noteworthy accomplishment in the great scheme of things. Do you plan to serve as Ivanko's court jester forever? Or do have...other aspirations?" she asked quizically, her gaze focused solely upon the dark druid.

[Inactive Account]

"Is this really the time to allow her to interfere?" Borodin interjected, looking to Ivanko. Her soldiers had not allowed the strange woman out of their reach, though Borodin was no longer sure that two ordinary soldiers would suffice if it came to it. For good measure, she discreetly signaled to Kouriatov, who had recently been healed. He nodded behind her back and circled around, melting into the shadows behind the woman.

She purported to merely have an interest in protecting the Crimson weapons, but Borodin could not rule out the possibility that this woman intended trouble. (Borodin noted the importance of one of Ivanko's heirs wielding such a weapon, despite his apparent incompetence.) She watched the woman closely, noting the distressed reaction of Ivanko's second-in-command. Clearly this was not someone to trifle with, but she really ought to leave.

Edited September 7, 2011 by Kiryn

[Phoenix]

Security Breach

Ivanko: If she's just here guarding Iso, then I'm not too fussed about it.

Ixion leaned into Ivanko and spoke quietly.

Ixion: Her power exceeds mine. I'm not entirely certain she's an ally but a confrontation should be avoided if possible. We've had enough casualties today.

Ivanko nodded and then looked over to the woman.

Ivanko: If you're not going to cause us any trouble, then do what you want, for now.

Dark Ambitions

Iso raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Ixion when the woman asked him about his plans. He couldn't wait to hear this.

Ixion: Since you're so curious ... I don't plan to stop here. I did as I promised to do and aided the IM in securing the throne. Once things settle down here, I plan to continue my training.

Ivanko: Still searching for that ultimate power?

Ixion nodded.

Ixion: If there is anything beyond the arts I've seen in the world thus far, I'll find them, and master them. Speaking of my plans, I'm sure I'm not the only one wondering this now. What are you planning to do now that Iso isn't in any imminent danger?

[-Cynthia-]

"You say allow me as if any of you had the power to stop me. It's quite cute really, how you all cling to the illusion of power when reality is entirely different," Flemeth said to Ivanko and Borodin, beginning to stroll leisurely around the throne room.

"I plan study the same as you really, as I have for quite some time now," she said, turning to smile at Ixion. "There is much you do not know...but you have much potential as well. I may be able to teach you a thing or two...though we should perhaps hold such a discussion away from the ears of the ultimately insignificant. My business here is more or less concluded," she said airily.

[Phoenix]

Throne Room

Iso: (Oh great, someone even more condescending than Ixion. Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse.)

Before he knew it, Lev was kneeling down next to him. He was still kneeling by Irina who was just plain sitting on the floor with her legs crossed.

Lev: So, how are you two holding up at least?

Iso: I'm getting a terrible headache and Irina's a hero now or something.

Lev: Hm? What'd I miss?

Irina: I ... killed the emperor. It wasn't all me, but I finished him off ... and kind of by accident.

Lev: ... fuck, it's just one thing after another today. I'd congratulate you but right now I'm a little concerned about our 'guest'.

Iso: Just let Ixion talk to her. If we're lucky they'll both leave to train in the mountains or something.

Lev: ... and then he'll come back and rub his godlike powers in our faces.

Iso: Uuuuuuugh.

Ignoring the conversation going on close by, Ixion answered.

Ixion: Is that an offer? If so, I'm inclined to accept, but as you said, this isn't the place. If you'll give me a moment, there is something I should discuss with Ivanko. I'm not the one meant to carry this device around after all.

[Inactive Account]

Her attention needed to remain in this room for the moment, Borodin decided. Calling Kouriatov off of the strange woman, she instructed him on what to do to keep things running smoothly in the rest of the palace, and turned to watch the proceedings.

From what she had seen so far, she had very little confidence in Ivanko's heirs. It seemed that the elder, Isotov, was not even in his uncle's good graces, and so if a crisis occurred, power would likely end up with Irina, who worried Borodin very slightly less. She half hoped that the device that had been recovered from the empress would prove both to be false, that a better heir might be named, but it was unlikely, and to have a new ruler be without blood kin to succeed him would be perilous. If the worst happened and she had to, Borodin would seize power, but she would rather not cause quite that much of a mess.

[Mercakete]

The mind-numbness began to ebb and Tas was able to take a needed step towards not being a statue: doing his best to block out the majority of his surroundings. Then he was able to think more conciously and less instinctively. (Isotov and Irina... I wonder if they're alright.) Again Tas turned his gaze over to the wyverns. Near them were a couple groups: one involving Ivanko, Ixion and Morgan-- wait, did she come along? They were talking to people he didn't recognize but they all seemed more-or-less whole and hale. Very close to them were three or so others. He could identify Lev well enough and a moment later he saw Isotov. Lev was blocking the third person for the mostpart. Logic said it was Irina, but logic also said it could have been anyone else, too. This place was massive, after all. Able to think objectively again and keeping his eyes locked on those who were still alive so as to distract himself from the bodies of the dead and dying all around the conjoined rooms, the courier headed over to those he recognized the most. He'd felt a bit weak for a little while now and would have to eat soon, but for now he had friends to check up on. When he'd gotten close enough to tell that the third person was indeed Irina, all three of the humans he cared about the most in this war were accounted for and relitively safe. "Oh good," he sighed, relief plain in his voice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Not a problem! Thank you so much for the help!" Raechel happily thanked the mercenary.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Having nothing better to do, Namid continued to stare at the distant avilanche, even though it was over.

[Phoenix]

The New Emperor

Handing the device over to Ivanko, Ixion began a slightly lengthy explanation of how it worked.

Ixion: This device isn't man made, mind you. The last drop of blood placed into it is what's remembered. There should be a key to open it around here somewhere, I suspect on the emperor's body.

As he said this, three mercenaries who had been standing close by and listening quickly jogged over to the fallen emperor and began searching him. They weren't as respectful as they probably could have been, but they found what they were looking for and quickly came back over.

Mercenary: It matches the hole in that trinket. Is this what you were referring to?

Ixion nodded.

Ixion: Indeed it is.

He handed that over to Ivanko next and continued with his explanation.

Ixion: With your blood, that device will determine your heirs. It shines with lights ranging from white to yellow, to red. White means nothing. Yellow will always indicate close relations, nieces, nephews, first cousins, uncles, and aunts. Red indicates very close relatives. Brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters. To test someone, simply hold the device near their body. It's just that simple.

Ivanko: How did you learn about all of this? It's a secret they've been keeping for quite awhile now, isn't it?

Ixion: It is difficult to keep secrets from me, especially while dead.

While Ixion answered that question, Ivanko popped the device open and borrowed a knife from one of the mercenaries. Being a straight to the point kind of man, he didn't bother with ceremony. The place was still in shambles after all, and he wanted this part done with. A small cut on his palm and a quick squeeze let a small amount of blood spatter against the dark interior of the device. It's gem began glowing white the moment the blood hit.

Ivanko: Like that?

Ixion nodded.

Ixion: Like that.

Ivanko closed the trinket and pocketed the key.

Ivanko: So then, what's say we give this thing a test? See if I don't have any long lost cousins in the room?

Some of the mercenaries laughed. Ixion was sticking to serious thought and the odds of Ivanko having cousins in the mercenary company that he didn't know about were so low he found himself shaking his head in spite of the joke.

On The Way Down

The mercenary hurried over to his wyvern and led it back over and even brought another rider with him.

Mercenary: Alright, like we discussed. You'll have to guide us down there, and I'll pick up the horse. It's going to be a long ride back up though.

[Mercakete]

"Not a problem! I know exactly where my camp was! My horse should still be there," Raechel cheerfully replied.

OoC: BEHOLD MY ONE-LINER!