Divine Inheritance: Chaos

At Kable's first comment, Raven shrugged as she turned following Kable back toward the church she responded "What can I say. I don't mind a person with a dark side." As he stopped in front of the church and looked it over she passed him, casually leaning against the worn down brick wall.

As Kable commented on the status of the town she smiled slightly "Yes, I can see that. Truly, it's the star of Azureth." She scanned the area, once again getting a somewhat ominous vibe from it. She also noticed the change in Kables attitude when he mentioned it, gaining some insight on him and possibly the town. Clearly he had some knowledge of it. And the strange sense she got from the area made her curious. However she decided not to ask about it. Considering the fact they might cross again in the future it seemed better that way.

"Certainly perfect for this type of meet up anyway." She changed the subject.

 

Raven hadn't expected Kables questions, and wasn't sure how to answer. She paused for a moment, watching him draw the broken sword hilt.
For the time being she wasn't to concerned but this behavior was somewhat suspicious. Finally she answered "I have no interest in the childish rivalry between the two girls. And you can rest assured, I do not stand behind the Emperor's decision in this case."
Obviously given years of reasons to distrust Atticus, not to mention the more recent issues, she could confidently say she wouldn't stand with Atticus on any other issue either. But she decided to keep her overall view on him to herself.
"Lilith has no reason to fear me, nor do any of her companions. I don't kill unless I have no other choice. However I will not allow Jaxx to be killed by the other side either." She shrugged. "So to answer your question, I don't choose sides. I will only do what I believe is right. For now, that's all you need to know."

She straightened herself from the wall "Which has me curious now that you mention it. What will you do now? In your profession, you have no reason to stay now that your month is over. Yet, what you just said sounds like you have decided to stay anyway."

 

Jaxx had already anticipated Geriks curiosity about Lilith. She had considered what to say if he decided to ask about it. However she wasn't entirely sure about the truth herself. Her father had always been so vague about why keeping Lilith quiet was so important. However, JaXx had a theory she was pretty sure was to the reason, she had no confirmation
Given that Gerik was not from Azureth it wasn't like Liliths succession really affected him. Even if he was an important political figure from his own country, which she suspected, it only made good relations with him more important. With that in mind, she decided to just go with her own thoughts on why Lilith was imprisoned as it made the most sense.
"There is a day in Azureth's history that many of my people know well. On the day my father took the throne, there was also a terrible event that they say shook the earth. The epicenter of the quake was so violent it tore the city, Sax, in two. Many people lost their lives." She paused for a moment, considering Claire but assuming she was from the Empire chances were she had already heard the story or at least felt the quake.
"The truth of it is that Lilith lost her temper on that day. The quake was her doing. She was put under arrest, my father says, for the good of the people. He decided to keep this from the public to avoid dispute among an already shaken society. Since then, she has been in custody under my supervision. Her recent escape has my father concerned for our people. And, as she is my responsibility, I was the one sent after her." She decided to leave the kill order to herself for the moment. "Lilith is, I believe, good at heart. But she's dangerous. With so much unchecked power and has a serious vendetta against my father, she could do something drastic. I have to stop her."

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When Kable spoke on his reasoning to stay with Lilith she smiled slightly.
"The professional side of me tells me not to continue on with Lilith. But there is a strength and kindness to her that needs protecting. So I will accomplish that to the best of my ability."

"On that we can relate, though for different reasons I'm sure." Though not many would see Jaxx as being kind or compassionate in any way, thanks to her father's influence, Raven knew there was more to Jaxx. She knew Jaxx had more to offer than the world gave her credit for. In her own way, Raven did her best to keep that side of Jaxx alive. Which proved to be difficult at times given her upbringing.

Kables other comment about them facing each other again in the future was more humorous to Raven. She responded in kind with a jab of her own "You shouldn't have to worry about that. I rarely go for the face." turning his backhanded compliment against him she laughed a little.

"Now, on the subject of combat I have considered what to offer as payment for your month with Lilith. It isn't money, but it does have value in whichever way you decide to use it..." She spoke as she reached for the sword on her hip to an item tied around the hilt. She untied it and looked it over once before handing it to Kable. The item was two different things secured to a silver chain. The first was a unique looking stone. It was about the size of a small marble and oval shaped. Translucent black in color but there was a bright gold that could be seen from the center which glowed slightly.
The other item on the chain was made from wood. It was similar in size to the stone if not slightly bigger and the shape of a coin. It had the same symbol carved into both sides of it of two circles separated by a pair of parallel curved lines.
She explained the monetary value of the object first. "On the chance you decide to sell this, you should remove the wooden charm as it has no value. However the stone itself is native to the Labiski desert. It is known as a star garnet. Any trader would recognise it's value." She paused. This type of gem occurred naturally in one place of the desert. Labiski was known to be dangerous and most travellers avoided the area. Because of this garnet was known to be very rare and difficult to obtain.

"However, I chose this item for an other reason in mind. I have encased inside of this gem a great deal of light, similar to what I used against you earlier." She explained "The charm alongside it is of my own making to enhance the spell. However I won't bore you with the details. It won't keep the demon from taking control again. But it may weaken it enough to give you a fighting chance to control it the next time it does." She had considered the consequences of giving Kable this object. On one hand it wouln't work and he could simply sell it. On the other hand it could. In which case she had just handed a great deal of power to one of Jaxx's enemies. However something told her Kable being in control was still less dangerous than the darker being to face in battle. "The magic of this object will only affect you if you choose to draw from it. And the spell will fade with use. Beware of that."

(Ooc: image of the stone on the charm. also I know a star garnet is a real gem. this is different xD I got lazy when coming up with a name.
If you would rather I change this post let me know. I'm not sure what your plan for Kable is. But I thought this could be interesting.)

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

Jaxx shook her head, she stood and walked toward the window which overlooked the street. "I knew he was potentially dangerous. However the extent of his abilities has been a mystery until now. Around here, as I'm sure you've noticed, society values strength. Because of that, the gladiator arenas are quite popular. Especially in this city. Voltair, more publicly known as the 'Titan of the Arena' is possibly one of the most famous among them." She explained to the foreign man as she scanned the streets below for a moment before turning her attention back to Gerik. "This fame was earned by his success like most of them. However he is unique in that in his countless matches, he is famous for the fact that he has never been physically harmed in combat. Obviously he has faced Demigods, monsters, vicious animals, and multiple enemies at once. So news reached Sax as well as rumors of cheating. When my father sent guards to investigate they were not heard from again." telling the story now, she got a better perspective on just how foolish it had been to rush into the attack without considering the identities of Liliths companions. "His avoidance and violence against the guards aroused suspicion of guilt in my father. So, I was sent to investigate myself as well as to bring him back to Sax to meet the Emperor. I had hoped things with him would be simple. That I could prove his power was normal, that he came by his victories honestly, and he would find no more trouble from us. However, what we've learned about him today changes things. I don't know how the Emperor will react. Or if Voltair will go to Sax willingly to begin with. Any chance I had at dealing with him peacefully has diminished after today I'm sure."
She shrugged "I suppose all I can do now is travel north from here to report to General Lucius, the head of my father's military, so I can send word about what I've learned." Considering that she assumed Gerik was for sure someone important from his home country, JaXx decided on a diplomatic offer. As Gerik had mentioned he was in Azureth to learn more about it, she added "I don't know what your plan from here is. But if your objective in this country is to learn more about Azureth, you are welcome to join me. The battle has mostly shifted to the east so his camp would be safe for Claire. We can learn more about each other's countries along the way and you will get the chance to meet an important figure in our government."

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Raven watched the cat follow Kable somewhat suspiciously. Seemed odd for a stray to have taken a liking to a person, especially one with Kables presence, so easily. However she didn't think much else of it as she decided to give him a few minutes head start to avoid walking back together. The thought of just using teleportation to get back to the city. However she didn't mind walking and it gave her more time alone anyway. Until then she resumed her place on the beam in the church. Should Kable decide to look back, it would appear she was already gone.

 

Over the next 3 weeks

Jaxx recovered much more quickly than Lilith from their fight. She and her companions started their journey north toward the the military base camp to report to General Lucius on what she had learned about Lilith, her companions, and about Voltair.
On the road toward their destination they crossed paths with Tess and Merrik. It only took short conversation for the assassins to realize they were speaking with the daughter of the Emperor, the person they were ordered to assist on her mission. Merrik gave Jaxx the scroll containing the official order from the Emperor to prove the legitimacy of their claim. Jaxx, however, was still skeptical considering her father had no way of knowing Jaxx would need assistance much less from Black Guild Assassins. She allowed them to join her party for the moment. After learning that the royal army has moved east, Jaxx decided not to report to Lucius. The group returned to Mira where Jaxx hired a messenger to report directly to her father.
With that taken care of, Jaxx went on to resuming her mission. She spent more time in Mira asking around about Lilith's newest party member, Voltair, as he had an extensive fan base in that city as well as a few enemies. However, no one seemed to know any sort of weaknesses he might have. Which only strengthened Gerik's theory of him to Jaxx's annoyance. The group is now travelling south east, tracking Lilith. They are about a week behind Lilith.

Raven agreed to travel with Jaxx. However, she refuses to answer any of Jaxx's questions over where she has been over the month she was missing. She did inform Jaxx that she took the fall for Lilith's escape after the Emperor learned that someone helped her. Jaxx agreed to keep Raven's reappearance a secret from her father for now, feeling responsible or her friend's current fugitive status.

Lilith took quite some time to recover. Unlike Jaxx, she was forced to heal on her own without magical assistance. However the group did not stay in Mira long. As a majority of their group found it unsafe to stay in Mira. Because there was significant risk in every direction (Labiski to the West, War to the East, and the Imperial Army to the North) their only option to travel was South. They ended up in a small villiage north east of Mira on the base of the mountain range. Here, they group has settled. Lilith has mostly healed from her fight with Jaxx and has begun training with Voltair to prepare for when she faces her rival again.

 

The past three weeks could easily have felt like a year to Jaxx. She knew Lilith would have healed completely at this point and even if she hadn't, she had no way of knowing how to defeat her with Voltair around. Her best bet, as far as she knew, was Raven. Her mentor was the only person she knew who could at least match him somewhat. But she wasn't sure if that was because she had actually bested him when they had first faced each other, or if it was that she simply caught him off guard. There was also the matter of what he had done when she approached him in the first place. Both of them completely lost their heads. Even if it was only for a few seconds, Jaxx noticed. And the fact that Raven outright denied it and then refused to talk about it altogether irked Jaxx even more. Raven was known to keep her secrets but in the case of a common enemy it made no sense.
The group had been travelling for most of the day and through all of the night before. Jaxx could tell she was pushing her companions too hard. Although no one admitted it, Jaxx herself was beginning to feel a strain on her energy. Next to her walked Raven. Not far off, the two assassins Tess and Merrik. Jaxx really didn't get along with the two since their meeting. The idea that they just showed up, carrying with them an official order from her father that perfectly responded to an event that had just barely happened made both Jaxx and Raven suspicious. Though for very different reasons. Jaxx didn't trust the assassins themselves, part of her wondered about the validity of their claim. Jaxx was quite openly against the black guild. The idea that their orders were a forgery and the guild had sent them to kill the Emperors daughter had occurred to Jaxx. But her father's response, which was carried with magic, verified that they were in fact working for the imperial army for the time being. Jaxx still didn't like the idea but she obeyed her father's order to accept their help. With it wasn't like she was in a position to turn them away with how outnumbered she was compared to Lilith's fast growing support.

The appearance of the assassins bothered Raven as well for much different reasons than Jaxx. She herself didn't much care for the Black Guild either. However, what really bothered her was how Atticus had responded, and how quickly. Less than a day after Jaxx faces Lilith and Voltair, somehow two assassins show up with a direct order that completely contradicts what he had originally told Jaxx to do: Accept help from two VERY powerful paid allies, and caputre BOTH of her targets rather than killing Lilith right off. It didn't make sense and how had he learned she would need the assistance so quickly? In order for the assassins to have received the order and started toward Mira, they would have had to received the order before Jaxx had even faced Lilith and Voltair. She knew Atticus liked to put forth the front of a loving father, but still. To have changed his mind so quickly and just happened to have been right when Jaxx needed help was suspicious. Her suspicion was easily mistaken by Jaxx to mirror her own, which Raven allowed. The two women had enough disagreements about Atticus without making an issue of this as well. However, Raven tried to find subtle ways to bring Jaxx to that conclusion on her own. The girl, as usual, sided with her father on that front. She made the excuses he had simply changed his mind and the timing of the assassins arrival was simply a coincidence.

Raven spoke to Jaxx, finally breaking the silence "We should make camp-" Jaxx seemed to have foreseen this suggestion coming because she responded quickly, cutting Raven off.
"-No. We have too much ground left to cover."

Raven nodded 'Yes, I understand. But You've pushed your companions quite hard already. None of them will be much use to you in a fight if you've taken all of their energy to catch up to your enemies."
Once again, Jaxx shook her head "We will all just have to push on and do our best. The longer it takes, the stronger Lilith will become."

"Do I need to remind you there is also a child among us? We will catch up to her and I promise I'll do what I can to help you. But even you have to rest. You're not going to be much good against Lilith if she's rested and you've been walking for days."

The mention of Claire worked. Jaxx stopped, sighing as she eyed her surroundings. Somehow the ending of their conversation perfectly lined up with their arrival at a perfect place to stop for a while. For most of their journey, which was off the main road, the surrounding area had been thick with trees and other plant life. The area they had found themselves in was a clearing, with enough tree cover to still remain somewhat safe in the case of attacking bandits. Jaxx could also hear moving water nearby. She didn't respond to Raven directly, choosing to address all of her allies at once. "We stop here until tomorrow."

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It didn't take long for everyone to get settled. Jaxx and and Raven both helped to set up small shelters for their allies.

Jaxx watched the surrounding area, having not visited this area very often in the past, she wasn't sure what to expect. She spoke to those in her immediate presence "We will need someone to search for fresh water, another to build a fire, and someone to scout the surrounding area. With the already questionable company we carry, I'd rather not add bandits to the mix."

Raven picked up on the snide comment about Merrik and Tess and subtly rolled her eyes. When tired, Jaxx was known to be confrontational. However, she remained silent about it, not wanting to escalate the situation on the hopeful chance Tess and Merrik hadn't picked up on it.

 

Just as she finished speaking, she felt something strike her fairly hard on the back of her head. "Ow!" she reached her hand back, turning to investigate the source of the annoyance to see Raven standing not far behind her. "What the heck was that for!?" she complained, rubbing the back of her head where Raven had hit her.
"For being a jerk." Raven spoke calmly. She wasn't angry with Jaxx, just scolding her. "Like them or not, they are being paid to help you. Deal with it."

Jaxx scowled "Stop talking to me like I'm a child. From the moment we left Sax, you are no longer my mentor."

Raven thought to tell her to stop acting like a child if she didn't want to be treated like one. But decided against it. She shrugged "You're right. But I'm not telling you what to do. I'm advising you. Merrik and Tess are much better allies than enemies. You should do better to connect with them. If anything it will help you work better with them in upcoming conflicts."she secured her sword to her hip "I'm going to scout the area. I'll be back later."

"Alone?" Jaxx called after her, she was going to protest that it was dangerous but by the time she had caught up to where Raven had disappeared between the trees, she was already gone. "Damn her."

She sighed, deciding Raven was right. Even if Jaxx didn't like the assassins, there was no reason to be rude. If anything it just increased the chance of them turning on her in the long run. She made a note to make an effort to get to know the both of them better. She worked on building the beginnings of a campfire.