Young Writers Society

Grace:

She gave a nod of understanding. She turned back to the hall. "Do you remember where this leads? We used to go down it so many times when we were younger."

"The garden?" He asked. She shock her head.

"No. The practice ring. We'd play with the wooden swards left out from the knights practicing." He nodded but didn't answer. "Care to have a duel?" SHe turned with a smile on her face.

*So short!*>.<*

Isaon Satha:

He grinned, "A duel? You know me too well, Grace." He tightened the straps on his leather duelling gloves as they made their way to the practice ring, one hand dropping to the pommel of his rapier.

The practice ring extended ten paces from the centre in every direction, enough room to manoeuvre, but not enough that an apprentice could stay too far away from his or her opponent. A few wooden swords, one broken by some overzealous trainee, lay propped against the low wooden fence that ringed the space. A few children were waiting at the fence, hoping to see a demonstration by some of the knights.

Isaon looked over at Grace, "Must be a training session here soon."

She smirked, "Don't worry, I'll have beaten you by the time they show up."

He laughed, "Oh, sure. Because the knight's apprentice could beat a professional duellist." He allowed himself an inward smile, seeing how she bristled at that. It was a fairly basic tactic, mocking an opponent to throw them off a little, and no doubt she'd see through it quickly, but if she fell for it once, he'd be able to use it properly during the duel. A moment was all one needed to win in a contest like this.

He drew his rapier with a flourish, half extending his arm with the point of his sword aimed at her midsection. Then he turned so he was facing her side-on so as to present her with less of a target. He smiled, "I don't think there's any need to name seconds or the like, considering that this isn't a formal duel. For the same reason, I say we just fight until one of us is disarmed, rather than first blood or anything. Unless, of course, you want to fight to first blood?"

Grace:

"Disarmed is enough for me," SHe gave a smile and pulled her sward from its sheath. It was quite bulky how it had been there when she only had the simple clothes on. "You know... I have a feeling I'm going o get yelled at later..."

"WHy?"

"... Never mind." She concluded her thoughts and held her sward in defense ready for a fight.

*you do the fight Billy*

Isaon Satha:

He leaned forward a little, testing her guard with a few feints. Then he started to circle her, rapier still held in front of him, capable of a fast parry or a stab. She has the upper hand here, he thought to himself, though he maintained his confident half-smile, Though she doesn't realise it. A heavier weapon like her one will be harder to disarm.

She seemed to pick the thought up, with a sudden cut at the blade of his sword. The rapier dipped down almost before Isaon knew what he was doing, the instincts he'd honed in so many combats taking over. He stepped right as she swung for him again, then he countered, swinging the flat of his blade at her arm.

She dodged backwards with a smirk, seeing that it was the only way he was going to disarm her. Another swing at him, and he brought his sword up in a clumsy parry, feeling his entire right arm jar with the impact. He staggered backwards, "Gods, you're strong for a girl!"

Grace laughed, "Surprised, are you? Turns out the apprentice can take care of herself!" She lowered her sword a little, apparently allowing him a respite to get control of his arm again. The she swept it up quickly, a blow that would have surely knocked his sword out of his hand if he hadn't relaxed his arm a moment earlier. His sword seemed to bounce a little, rising naturally from the attack, then he allowed it to drop again, resting against her sword.

She grinned, "Need some rest, do we?"

He stepped in, sliding his rapier up quickly, twisting his wrist to trap the point of his sword in the quillons of his crossguard. She frowned at it, "What the-"

"Clearly, Lady Grace," a low voice murmured from the side of the practice ring, "You have not yet learnt exactly how a rapier functions. He could disarm you with a flick of his wrist, now." The Dux turned to Isaon, "Disengage, nephew."

With a sour look at his uncle, Isaon twisted his wrist back, releasing her weapon. He stepped back and returned his rapier to its scabbard, then leaned over to Grace, "I seem to recall he used to break up our practice duels when we were young, as well." Then to the Dux, "So you know I'm here now. How much are you offering as bounty for the Death Corps?"

Dux:

"That we shall see." He unsheathed his own sword "But first we duel."

Out of the blue the dux came at the girl. She defended herself whit a kind of glamour that only a woman could. The dux came backwards "Good." He exclamained "But not good enough, my dearest."

He came again and this time he did not stumble back, the two stood there and the swords swing from side to side untill the dux whit a amazing amount of power hit Grace's sword away. Grace was stunned because she did not expect her uncle to be so fast, not to say strong.

The Dux lowered his sword "I offer 5 gold pieces for one head." He said smiling

Grace looked at him open mouthed "What! Only five?"


*Rest is up to u*

Grace:

"You're willing to be so cheating to not give more for the death corps's head? I can't beleive it. Now the people will think the royal family scumb..." She turned away. Crap... Now I might just have to never return when I leave now. This is unbelievable. I'm sorry Master... She turned back to the dux. "I don't know what to call my family anymore..." She strod away, not bothering to look back.

"Let's go. The dux will be no help," She informed the party in the kitchen after returning to her room to get er armour and gold she had saved up. "I'll pay each of you 20 gold peices for the death corps's head," She hissed. They stared at her with disbeleif. "See..." She stuck the back under their noses and shock it. It clanged loudly and was heavy with weight. "Now let's go." She returned to walking out of the castle and into the night.

*My character's kinda mean. Maybe she's pmsing....* *

The figure continued on through the city, ocasionally hopping over fences and whatnot. It was his mis-fortune to have hopped over a fence where a small group of people, who all had swords drawn, were standing around.

"Damn my luck." The figure cursed.

Looking around behind him, the figure could see a small trail of blood dripping off of his sword. He also had fresh dust on his cloak from the destruction of the building. Hoping that they had not noticed him yet, the figure moved quietly along through a series of collums. The path led to another which lead out of the small 'yard' that he was in. In the silence of his mind, the figure quickly went over the different pathways in the city. This city had been his home for many years. He knew almost every nook and cranney of this place like the back of his hand. His job 'proprieter' was very close by now. He just hoped again that the small group had not noticed him. Just to be sure, he pulled his sword out of it's sheith and held it reverse bladed. in case of a fight.

Isaon Satha:

He watched Grace leading the others away from the castle, giving his uncle one last disapproving look, "I've gotta say, you can be a real idiot sometimes. Five gold pieces per head? Come on, do you expect to enlist people other than the nobles to your cause with that kind of sum?" He shook his head, "The Death Corps hate us, need I remind you of that? They're not here to terrorise peasants, they're here to target the local nobility. No prizes for guessing what that means, Dux."

He turned on his heel and set out after Grace and the others.

The Dux had proved to be tightfisted, perhaps he did not understand the nature of the Death Corps...or perhaps he had simply not seen what they were capable of.

A twinge of perception suddenly niggled at Jessi, a sense of dark magic that she had come to associate with dark wizards. She cast a subtle look around the surroundings of the group but saw no-one, merely shadows.

The archer Morgan had helped at the gate turned to her, "can you believe the Dux offered only 5 gold per-head? luckily this other noble..." she stopped as she saw that Jessi was distracted. "Is there something wrong?"

"Yes, there's always something wrong, but at the moment it's more...curious." Jessi trailed off, contemplatively.

After a moment the girl, Cara, gave her an odd look and moved over to talk to the others, which was fine with Jessi. She had no time for these others, where was Izlude? The entire reason they were here was because of him.

No, she corrected herself, the entire reason we are here is becuase that is where we are required to be.

There was a lull in the conversation as the Duellist caught p with the rest of the group.

"So where too now?"

She left them to make their decision, she would follow Morgan's lead. She turned her attention back to that sense of wrongness, of dark magic. After all, if she could sense this practitioner of dark magic, he could probably sense her.

After all, it takes one to know one.

*Are Simon and Izlude with everyone else, or are they and Azeala about to rock up? I put Cara along with the main group because it made sense*

Laviant Hallon:


He looked at Grace for a brief second. "I do not work for money, cousin dear... I work for god."
He smiled, Grace seemed annoyed.

"But that uncle of ours is such a cheapscake." She said

Laviant pondered on this "Could be. But he needs not to pay much. He has an army and the help of the nobility... except those who have given up that path." He gave a much telling look to grace

"You are a knight yourself couisin." She said in return to the gaze

"And Yet I do the job for free."

Grace gave up on him..

"Anyone else care to join me?" She asked the crowd


************************************************************************************

Dux:


Oh my. He was smiling.

I see that five gold was a bit under the line but..... still her expression was worth it.

Hey, uhhh... I know you said only _____ many characters but I thought I would ask anyways if it is okay if I joined since this since it is still in the begining stages. I wouldn't join till thursday as I am gone tomorrow, but I would still love to be a part of this. Just be warned, my posts are kind of long...

Come on in.

Timothy


Timothy watched and waited fo when his skills would be needed. In fact he should meet with a certain person soon.

He got up from watching the spectacle and walked away. He should've left earlier; he should've been smarter.


(HA! DSF! There you go, you haven't even posted your bio and I've already got a way to join you in. ^^)

Haha and here I come… and I was hopping I could play more of a… antagonist since there are none. And I will only have one for now though that may change! Now for the introduction of my character...

Name – Princess Nhara

Gender - Female

Age - 24

Class- Mage

Appearance - http://mydiva.deviantart.com/art/Prince ... I-18800331

Personality- A sweet innocent girl on the outside who is really cruel, sadistic, and manipulative on the inside. She will do anything to succeeded, but appearance is also a big thing for her… basically she wants everyone to think she is nice, but she’s not. She is also known as The Prince’s Viper

Weapon(s)- She is a Mage who uses Black Magic known as Purifiers Fire. You will all see what it is later I am sure enough. She also is an extremely gifted summoner, able to summon weapons or creatures to her aid at the blink of an eye. She also wears an amulet that completely cloaks her magic, making it impossible for people to tell she even has any use of magic.

Back Story- Princess Nhara is the beloved wife of Prince Goltana, who wants Princess Ovila on the throne. There is a large debate behind this however, because many believe that if Princess Ovila does become Queen, Prince Goltana will simply kill her and assume the throne.

Nhara serves her husband as loyal wife, protector, and, if needed, his eyes and ears in other places. She is quick witted, and extremely vicious and powerful. It is rumored that she was trained by the Black Mage Ywenz, one of the most powerful and feared mages of his time, though that is just a rumor. Most people however do not even know that she possess any skill in magic, as she is often seen as one of the many lovely faces in court. Her back story or history is also exteremly secret, and often those who go poking around for it are found hung by their entrails or killed in similar ways. She is however of higher nobility and demands the respect that comes with that.

It is also rumored that she is part of a cult known as The Children of Dwemor. Dwemor is a sadistic God, one who encourages war and suffering, a direct contrast to Lilus-Den, an order the Children of Dwemor are often in conflict with. Of course these are just rumours that are whispered by few, and spoken aloud by none. Currently with all the chaos going on in Ilian, she has been sent there by her husband to make sure the Dux restores order and that things do not get to far out of hand.

Princess Nhara – Wife to Prince Goltana

The small pristine carriage bounced and jolted its way along the cobble stone steps of the city known as Ilian. It was not uncommon for nobility to pass along these roads, and therefore the carriage went mostly ignored by all. Two flags flown from the top of the small vehicle, showing that it belonged to Prince Goltana, one of the higher nobles in the land. The carriage wasn’t large, a simple two horse team pulled it along, and it was driven by one man. It was obviously a luxurious vessel however as gold trim neatly lined the sides and spirals, and the carriage itself was crafted of the finest dark red wood.

In front of the carriage road two Knights, their visors up as they kept a steady lookout for any trouble. Behind the carriage there also road two knights, each one equally aware as they watched the townsfolk who passed by. Of course, none of this was nearly as interesting as the person who road inside.

Princess Nhara picked up the china cup by the slim handle and gently took a sip of her tea. A pleasant smile passed across her face as the warm soothing liquid coursed its way down her throat. “Your Highness?” a soft, tentative voice suddenly asked.

Looking up, and slightly annoyed at being disturbed, Nhara’s eyes locked with her maids as she snapped, “Yes? What is it Corinth?”

“We are approaching the Castle of the Dux, should we not send one of the men ahead to warn them of our arrival?”

Nhara paused as she pondered the idea, and then slowly shook her head, “No, let’s not warn them of our coming. I am interested to see how the Dux reacts when I show up unannounced!” she said with a small smirk. The very thought of the Dux stumbling over himself to set things in order for was quite amusing!

A few minutes later they pulled into the courtyard of the castle, and as her carriage door was opened Nhara gracefully stepped out, taking a moment to look at the castle around her. Ilian was a port city, and thus the air smelled of salt, water, and fish. The castle itself was older but had been kept in great shape, no doubt mostly due to the Dux. Stepping forward she picked up the front of her dress to make sure it didn’t get dirty as her knights dismounted and hurried to follow her.

“Ahh look who has arrived,” a rather cheery voice sounded from the side.

Turning, Nhara saw Timothy, her brother in laws jester, come spinning out of a side door towards her. He casually flipped up onto his hands and began to hobble over to where she stood, grinning all the way. Nhara rolled her eyes and replied, “Its nice to see you to dear jester, although I am more accustomed to people bowing when they meet me.”

“Why Mistress I did bow,” Timothy chortled with a grin, “I just bowed so far I fell over onto my hands!”

Nhara let out an exasperated sigh as she hissed, “Indeed, but that is a rather moot point now. Where is the Dux, I would have expected him to have come and greeted me by now.”

“He has been having some trouble with the Knights who came to deal with the Knights of Death, though I am sure he will be here once he hears of your… arrival,” Timothy answered with a sly grin.

As if to answer him the large door to the castle was suddenly thrown open as a large contingent of soldiers came marching out and quickly lined the side of the stairs, their spears held perfectly straight at attention. They were followed by a large group of maids who took their places and all bowed as a large man came stepping out of the door.

Bowing low the Dux hurried forward while saying, “Welcome Princess, I must say, he had not been expecting you.”

“Obviously,” Nhara answered with some disdain as she stretched out her hand and allowed the Dux to kiss it. “But I am here whether you were prepared or not, and I would like a room set up for me and my maiden at once, as well as for all my luggage to be taken in.”

“Of course,” the Dux replied with another boy as he snapped his fingers, summoning a group of woman who swarmed the carriage, collecting all the luggage and carrying it inside as they went to prepare a room for the princesses. “My I ask my lady why she is hear,” the Dux inquired as he rose and turned to usher Nhara and her companions inside.

“I heard you were having trouble with the Knights of Death,” Nhara answered, “And the Royal Court is quite nervous about your lack of ability to handle it so far.”

“But my lady they have only surface within the past couple of weeks,” the Dux blustered.

“I do not care about such facts,” Nhara replied with a wave of dismissal. “I am here to make sure these peasants are dealt with once and for all, besides, I recently heard you were having trouble with the Knights who came to take care of the problem.”

The Dux didn’t know what to say, looking slight flabbergasted, which was unusual for him, as he hurried inside with the Princesses. Timothy followed close behind, as Nhara had beckoned him to join them all as they entered the castle, things had just gotten a lot more interesting for everyone, or in the case of the Dux, a lot more stressful…

Dux:

The princess here?

Not now.

I need those riders now. He turned to the princess "I shall be leaving you for a short period of time... say two day at the most."


Princess looked at him "Why?"

Dux gave the princess a faint smile "I have my own secrets as well."