Divine Inheritance: Chaos

Thinking about an answer for a moment, Gerik spoke up again. "That's a good question. I suppose there are multiple reasons. I'm not sure how much of this answer is an excuse, but we were to go our separate ways it would be lonely. And while I would manage just fine like that, I feel that Claire needs more people to interact with than just myself. Aside from Claire, I suppose part of it is a desire to help. If me being near Jaxx will prevent an event similar to Claire's village then I am happy to help. Another reason would be to learn. I would hope that I can learn much from this land by staying near Jaxx. Additionally this whole situation with Lilith is something I have a desire to understand; even if Jaxx is unwilling to reveal all the secrets involving her. Ultimately though, I have this nagging feeling that perhaps there was an ulterior motive in me being sent here. Something related to the conflict between Jaxx and Lilith. Sadly I have no real proof to justify my suspicions though."

"Do you ever get the feeling that perhaps Jaxx is wrong to pursue Lilith?" Gerik spoke out again in his language.

-----

"Well you know I've got eyes on all of you. Or maybe I don't have any eyes and I'm simply sitting back and watching how things unfold while pretending that I've got an eye on things." Voltair replied to Lilith. "Oh, speaking of leaving in the morning, I meant to tell you earlier about this brilliant idea of mine. Absolutely genius to be honest. I feel that it will really help... Advance your cause, in a sense." Giving a moment to let some sort of anticipation build up within Lilith, Voltair continued. "Instead of continuing our advance towards Atticus we shall head east. I know you've been letting people know who you are as we traveled, but with Jaxx on our tails I can only assume she's attempting some damage control to make it seem as though you're an impostor. So I feel it is important to get people to know that you are, in fact, alive. I forget if you're aware about it, though I did allude to it when we met, but this land is currently at war with some rather hardened invaders. As I recall they're attacking Barisor or some other city east of here. Anyways, we head eastwards towards this war. And then you win it. With you winning it you let people know that you still live. Draw them on your side, gather their support. Even if people don't openly admit it, there are those who feel Atticus is to blame for the recent hardships they are facing. So if you can present yourself as a sort of 'guiding light' to them, you can raise the support your people have for you."

Voltair stopped walking for a moment and stood up a bit more to appear triumphant. "How about that plan, huh?"

 

The crisp morning desert air was weighed down by the stench of early decay and alcohol. The bloodlines of the Azureth were quite diverse. Ranging mostly from murky metallic orange to straight up red, it all didn't seem to matter caked heavily on the face and in the hair of Loch. The Savage blood-drinker had scarcely even wiped his lip from his night of carnage. It brought a hearty chuckle to Haldor and the archers that flanked him on either side. Each of them armed with flammable arrows.
Haldor watched the leader of his armies from his place high atop Barisor's South-Western wall. They had chosen well, where to place their fondest welcome that Loch's men had spent the past few hours putting together. It was his finest work, in Haldor's eyes. Three long rows of pikes, fourty, were lined up across the wall in varying heights. Upon the top of each pike was perched a single head of the imperial soldiers Loch had spent the night hunting. Each one had their eyes plucked out and the sockets, ears, and mouths filled with gun powder and other explosive materials. The hairs on their heads drenched in alcohol.
The rigor mortis had frozen their blood stained faces in various disturbing shapes making them barely recognizable as the men they once were. And tied around each pike just below where their necks should be were nailed the royal crest of Azureth from their armor. It was truly a frighting and awful sight to behold. More alcohol soaked the ground and each pike. The time was fast approaching, as were the Imperials. Haldor and the archers could see Lucius marching with his men in toe and knew they would arrive any moment. He turned to the archers "Signal Loch and his men to get out of the way. Our foes shall arrive anon."

The archer drew and fired a single arrow that pierced the ground at Finnan's feet, the signal that had previously been discussed for Loch to know when it was time to get his men quietly and hide themselves to flank the Imperials after they had seen the carnage.

 

Gerik had awoken fairly early this morning. While not earlier than Raven or Merrick or maybe Tess, he was awake before either Jaxx or Claire. He had intended to take care of keeping watch this previous night but decided to let Tess and Merrick take care of it with how much Tess insisted they handle it and not him. It was odd to him that they would be so forcible about it even with how much better off he was than they were, but he let it slide and didn't put up much resistance.

Making his way to an open clearing Gerik unsheathed his sword and held the blade upwards, his forehead gently touching the flat part of the blade. His eyes were closed as he took a few breaths. When they opened, Gerik moved into an offensive stance before he began swinging his blade in various ways. He moved forward and back and sideways as he swung. At first each swing was slower and more methodical, each moving at the same tempo as the last. As he continued his movements became faster. Some swings came immediately after each other, others had a slight pause between them.

While going through these motions, he thought back to his conversation with Raven last night. There were some things he was finally able to talk about that had been on his mind. That being said, there was still at least one thing he intended to mention to Raven but never got around to doing so. He thought about an observation he had made about her after the first encounter with Lilith. He was unsure whether or not he should divulge this information to Raven while somebody else such as Jaxx was around. In all honesty Gerik was unsure if Raven was even aware of what he observed, let alone if she was aware of his meaning to tell her.

-----

Voltair nodded as Lilith spoke of her decision. He was glad she accepted the idea. Perhaps even more glad he didn't need to work to convince her on it either. Whether or not the rest of the group would agree as easily was a whole other story.

As he stood there an unfamiliar feeling crept over Voltair. Somewhere, off to his side, he was being watched. The odd thing was that it wasn't simply the feeling of being watched. No, that sort of feeling was nothing new to Voltair. Instead it was more of a warm, kind feeling. Voltair was unsure exactly what it was, but it wasn't something necessarily bad. As he turned his head to look where this feeling was coming from an almost childlike curiosity focused on what could possibly be the cause of this feeling he felt.

There was nothing where Voltair looked. Nothing aside from whatever trees and other things were there long before the group had made it here. Even as he stared out at nothing, a genuinely honest smile formed on his face. Without thinking, he reached out towards whatever he was focused on.

As he reached out, the feeling he felt quickly faded. Coming back to his senses and realizing what he was doing Voltair twisted his wrist around, pretending as though he had been stretching out his arm the entire time.

 

Merrick had watched Raven at different times through the night. She had done a great job keeping the strays away from camp, those that she could she redirected, and those that approached to close she dispatched them efficiently. “She’d make a wonderful assassin” he thought to himself, “If only she was more willing to kill” Tess had retired a few hours before. Merrick had always found it strange that she was willing to sleep so soon after an attack. He was almost jealous that she could. An attack seemed to have different effects on the two of them. Tess would become angry and often exercised or killed to relieve that anger and shortly after she would fall asleep, Merrick on the other hand would be on high alert and found sleep impossible.

He had allowed Raven to keep watch undisturbed, he was never keen on others interfering with his watch, and felt it only fair that she be offered the same courtesy. Gerik had made the mistake of offering to stand watch while Tess was still working out some of her anger and she had been rather vocal in her refusal. He had meant well, but he wasn’t to know how the two assassins acted. Merrick had noticed Raven wander off to the river where the fight had occurred earlier. His curiosity was again piqued when he saw Gerik leaving the camp with his weapon in hand. Whether it was the tiredness setting in or just Merrick’s lack of interest he was happy to stay in the tree he perched in and leave the two to their own matters. That was until he saw a light coming from the river. The light had an unnatural hue to it, and thinking another attack was on its way he quickly made his was to its source. Raven was surrounded by water and light, it would be quite an impressive view had Merrick not thought Raven to be in danger. He ran towards her expecting to be submerged in the water but to his surprise he himself seemed to walk on the water. Even more shocking he was suddenly surrounded by a group of unfamiliar people. Merrick’s immediate reaction was to swing for the person closest to him instead of the hit landing the punch seemed to go straight through him causing Merrick to momentarily loose his balance and step where the man had been standing. He saw Raven in front of him, she had a worried look on her face and she stepped back. Suddenly the people were gone and Merrick caught his breath in his throat as he landed in the cold water.

Merrick made his way out of the river peeling off his wet shirt. He flung it over a tree branch hoping it would dry some. Sitting against a tree stump he watched Raven make her own way out the river. “Well, that was something” He commented as Raven made her way to where he was sat down. Still a bit stunned by the sudden appearance of Merrick, Raven wasn't entirely sure what to say in response. She wrung the water out of her hair as she stepped up onto the shore, it's naturally wavy texture sprang up around her face in spite of the weight the water put on it. "Yeah, you're telling me." she said, genuinely just as confused as he was about what had just happened. She had thought better of simply ignoring what he had seen, "Although, to which part were you referring? My spell or your interruption of it?" she smiled slightly, making light of the awkward situation.

Merrick let out a weak smile in return. He wasn’t used to making small talk let alone joking. “I didn’t know it was a spell, I wouldn’t have interrupted otherwise. My apologies” Merrick shivered, the morning air was cool, his lack of a shirt and being soaked through didn’t help either. “We should get back to the camp”

 

Paige yawned, standing between Kable and Voltair. She stretched out her arms to either side, not particularly caring about invading the personal space of Voltair or Kable in the process. Lilith seemed to be quite firm on her decision to storm Barisor. It was unexpected, Paige could admit. And she saw a few flaws in the idea, for starters the chances of five individuals- barely acquaintances- being able to overtake two armies were low. Even with the ranks of the five being quite impressive, the odds didn't look good. Still, simply taking on the emperor himself had a similar outlook. At least winning Barisor would gain Lilith support and help spread positive word of her return. If they managed to hold the city, it would also serve as a nice refuge from the Emperor's reach. Though it would also paint a bright and shiny target on their backs as well. Taking a major city would definitely stoke the temper of the emperor even more against Lilith. Strategically, it seemed to be foolhardy. Yet, a mischievous smile parted her lips "I'm impressed, Lilith. Only a month or so out of prison and already ready to take on the world, are you? I can't decide if this plan is foolish, brave, or simply naive." she shook her head with a soft chuckle, pushing her thick bangs away from her eye with her hand as she looked up at Lilith's face "Oh hell, why not? I'm in. Let us see how scary the Imperial Army AND an army of barbarians can really be." Paige was in good humor this morning. Then again, she usually was.

Just as she finished speaking, she noticed Voltair suddenly stretch out his arm, looking off in a completely different direction from anyone else. She glanced over, yet saw nothing. It was only a second before Voltair seemed to return to his senses and feign that he had simply been stretching all along. She made a mental note to tease him about that later. For the moment, she decided not to draw attention to it until the others had a chance to respond to Lilith's crazy suggestion.

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

The rising sun cast a brilliant glow across the Emperor's chambers, peeking through the crimson curtains that surrounded the bed. Atticus lie on his back, resting his head on one hand as he listened to the gentle breathing of a sleeping woman next to him. He had much on his mind. News from the wars had recently been mostly disappointments, from the fall of Barisor to the news of the new enemy general escaping Lucius and carrying on toward Carmella Sar. He could at least be assured that Marcus Maximus had made it to the next target city. Though his success or failure to defend it had not yet been confirmed.
The most recent news he had received about his daughter's mission was also rather bland. She had last been seen heading southeast toward the mountain range. He had no other news of Lilith Newgate or her companions, so he could only assume they were also somewhere in that area. The rumor still had it she was accompanied by a small group of men. The news of the young woman's return was stirring a rather annoying wave of contention among the people. This wave was mostly carried by those still loyal to the Newgate line. It put a rather sharp wrench in the unity he had been working to achieve with the 'chosen' masses. He had been pleased to learn the extermination of the Titan Worshiper refuge city had been successful, though none of the recovered bodies matched the foreign prince. Still, they had managed to find a body that fit his height and possible age that was burned beyond recognition. It was assumed the boy had died along with the citizens and the body was sent back to his home country, carried by some of Atticus's closest men. They had been instructed, very specifically, to try to visit the desert known to the foreign country and investigate it before returning. This mission, was thus far a success. Though he hadn't yet been notified of their safe return.
He had yet to hear any news of Raven. After this long, it was concerning. Atticus began to wonder if he had possibly overreacted by trying to have her confined to her room. He had always known the girl to have a stubborn hold on her morals. The sight of a child in the dungeon would surely have caused her to react in the way she did. He should have done better to keep the knowledge of Lilith from her. He sometimes underestimated how truly naive she was to the ways of the world. As cute, and amusing, as her ignorance was sometimes he knew she wasn't really prepared to deal with the harsh reality that was Azureth. But no matter. Once she was found, she would eventually come around. This wasn't the first time she had thrown one of these tantrums. Eventually she would have no choice but to return home. But until that time, the search for her safe return would continue.
Lastly there was the news of the filth that was becoming of the village Karsesh. More and more reports returned to Sax of the population being welcoming to all. Including runaway soldiers that had deserted the battle of Barisor, runaway Amazons, Orcus clan assassins, and Titan worshipers. Something would need to be done about the city, and an example made to those who would be willing to harbor such people.
The woman moaned softly and rolled over in her sleep, resting a hand against Atticus's bare chest. She returned to a peaceful sleep as Atticus studied her. She was quite beautiful, and was the daughter of a powerful ambassador of the clans. Her face was spotted with metallic freckles, and she had the most captivating green eyes and brown waves. Her bloodline was descent of Dionysis, and the girl was known for her love of drink and simple worldly pleasures. She had been a welcome distraction, at least for a while, from the never ending list of duties and regulations that came with the Emperor's rank. Still, as usual, he was growing bored and the distraction she provided was beginning to fail. Like most women the emperor came across, she was too easy to poses. And was ultimately a disappointment. He would likely not call for her again, he had decided, as he silently crawled out of the bed and dressed himself.

Before long, he had managed to leave the room without waking his guest. He was assured she would be properly removed and taken back to her home before his return. Until then, he had other matters to attend to. First, he would need to speak with his secret weapon, to get a good idea of what was really going on in his country. With his goal in mind, he instructed his guards he did not want to be disturbed and appointed a delegate to handle his affairs while he was busy. He then headed toward the hidden passages where 'it' lie in waiting.

 

Merrick grabbed Raven’s forearm and allowed her to pull him up. He noted that she was a lot stronger than her appearance let on. “I’ll take it to the grave” Merrick said in response to her question while moving his arm to grip Raven’s hand. The phrase he used wasn’t a common one. But among assassins it was one of the strongest promises you could make. After releasing her hand he put his freshly dried shirt on. “Come lets head back to the camp. We should get moving as soon as possible”

Tess woke with a start and it took her a moment to realise where she was. “Merrick?” She called. After hearing no response Tess made her way out of her own tent and opened the flap to Merrick’s. She wasn’t surprised to see that it hadn’t been slept in. Unsure of who else was awake she decided she’d take a look. Raven, Jaxx and Gerik were gone leaving only Claire and herself at the camp. Wanting to be on her way as soon as everyone was ready Tess made herself busy breaking down the camp. She made quick work of her own tent as well as Merrick’s. The two were used to leaving places in a hurry. Not wanting to intrude on the others she decided to leave their tents and gear alone. She set herself busy relighting the fire and decided to cook a meal.

Shortly after Merrick and Raven returned to the camp. Neither of them spoke as they made their way back. Raven went to her tent and Merrick made his way to Tess. “How was the sleep?” He asked her crouching beside the fire taking in its warmth. “Why are you wet?” “I fell in the river” “What were you doing?” “I thought someone was attacking Raven” Tess watched Merrick for a few silent seconds. “Ok, go tell everyone food is ready, we eat and then we leave”

 

Oryx's face lit up like a candle when Lilith told them they were going to Barisor. From what he had heard from the others here while they had been hiding out here in the forest, an invading force from across the sea had taken hold of the city and was growing in strength by the day. "A simpler task would be boring! Fighting wars is my specialty and I couldn't be more excited!" Oryx said with a large grin with a face that was still badly bruised and colored from his spar with Lilith. He knew little about the situation in Barisor, but fighting in war was the best feeling to him. The smell of blood and guts mixed with muddy boots, vultures and other scvangers hanging about, the screams of agony and pain... all of it made Oryx's manhood tingle to his soul!

Quickly picking himself up, Oryx rushed to grav his things and began running about frantically as he tried to figure out which way was Barisor. "Come on lassies! Let's go! We have people to fight/murder/rip their skulls out and beat them to death with them/that's just a more elaborate way of saying murder. I CRAVE WAR!!!" Oryx's reaction was no doubt the most positive compared to the others. It could only be compared to someone waving a bundle of bananas in front of a monkey.
-----------------------------------------------------
Ilda could see the explosion in the distance, A well played strategy by the weak Azurethians. However, it will not halt the Ragnarok for these pathetic people..." She said as she stood upon the hill watching the battle commence. The wind became colder and the snow began to fall a little bit faster.

The remaining boats began to maneuver around the wreckage. They were smaller and more nimbler than the opposing fleets ships and closed in fast. Her forces that marched on along the shoreline rushed at the enemies army. The Azureth were a smaller race of men compared to Ilda's barbaric and savage like people. The Azureth were well equipped in terms of weapons and armor, but it would only take a small opening for the Barbarians to tear their ranks apart like a lion among sheep.

"Should we press forward with the flanking maneuver Great Chieftain?" One of Ilda's clan leaders asked. She smirked as she watched the fighting continue.

"No...Let them think they have hope of succeeding, then while they are busy and occupied we shall take the city from under their noses..." The only way to crush someone truly was to crush their hope, then ultimate victory would be secured.

 

The only one in the group that didn't react as positively to the news of traveling to Barisor was Kable, who only grunted about it. He had heard rumors of the situation in Barisor through his contacts, and the news did not appease to him at all. The last thing Kable really wanted was to be thrusted into the middle of an invasion. As everyone around him voiced their opinions on it (Oryx was definitely vocal on the decision, proclaiming to them and the very gods themselves of his excitement), Kable shook Paige's arm off of him. "If we do this, Lilith, we cannot just go charging into Barisor without a plan. Whoever managed to capture Barisor will be no small enemy for us to fight against."

A movement passed along the corner of his eye and he turned to see Voltair reaching out to a space. A brief shimmer blinked in front of him before vanishing. Voltair began stretching his arm and acting like it was nothing. Kable pushed it to the back of his mind. The last thing Kable was worried about was how the immortal regenerating being was losing his mind and seeing stuff.

"I still have contacts in the royal army." Kable continued, turning back to Lilith. "I can get a hold of them and we can work out the best way to take Barisor."

_____________

Lucius made his way with a couple of his soldiers down the hill before Barisor. He knew what to expect as he cleared the treeline, but his men were not prepared for the site in front of the city. They stepped into the open and his men gasped aloud. Even Lucius himself was taken aback. His men, once proud soldiers of the Azureth royal army, were now mere wall decorations. Lucius' blood began to boil as he unsheathed his sword and stepped forward. He knew archers were aimed at him, but at this point, he could care less.

"Show yourself, barbarians! Show yourselves so I may repay this treachery with your own blood!"

 

(OOC: Colab post by myself and @Legendseeker. He wrote the Lucius parts.)

Haldor only allowed a small chuckle to answer the answer the rage of Lucius. "So I see you noticed, seems a few of your soldiers got lost poking around my walls last night." he gestured both hands to the heads on the pikes "So we have returned the men of their ranks to you. We'll give back the women too... when we're done with them." a few of Haldor's men snickered and jeered at Haldor's words but he put up his hands to silence them. In the process, the smile was wiped from Haldor's face and the cold fury that was there all along finally became known.
"Now, let's be clear, good General..." his thick accent didn't stop his words from resonating the malice behind them. He stepped forward, allowing himself to step right off the edge of the 50 foot wall. He landed on his feet, though his knees buckled with his landing he caught himself with a single fist thrust to the ground. The landing of the massive man shook the ground and kicked up dust. He stood, not yet bothering to draw his axe, and stalked forward to Lucius with his eyes narrowed. He still had to look down to make eye contact with Lucius.
"...Your threats from last night brought this fate to your men." he gestured again to the heads on the pikes. "So now, It's my turn. To show you how to properly make an offer in war. You or any of those maggots you've got scurrying behind you so much as TOUCH my city walls, and I will slaughter you all. Turn around, and go back to your emperor. I will still send men to hunt you down like dogs. But at least some of you might survive." There was dead silence as Haldor's men listened to the two men speak "What say you, Lucius?" he spat the enemies name mocking the accent common to Azureth's people.

Lucius didn't so much as flinch as Haldor insulted him. While his size intimidated many a foe, Lucius felt no fear looking up at the behemoth of a man. He felt a slight tremor move through the group of soldiers behind him, but he turned to them with a reassuring glance. "I say, my fair sir," turning back to Haldor. "That you and your people themselves actually started this dilemma when you invaded our country and took of our cities. What brought this onto us, I haven't the faintest idea. But my men and I shall fight you with every breath." Lucius then readied himself into his battle stance. He felt his muscle memory flair up as his body readied itself for a horrendous fight. His senses sharpened and the only face that mattered to Lucius was Haldor's. "And if we much take your breath from you to achieve that, then so shall it be."

Haldor almost respected the Azureth general for his resolve. Almost. His grin returned "Let their blood be on your head then." He suddenly drew his axe and raised it into the sky with a roar that all of his men could hear. It was the signal for Loch's men to attack from the sides and for the Archers to set the trap. The explosives ignited, and exploded the flame and scalding flesh shot out at all of those on the ground including Haldor and Lucius. Having known this was coming, Haldor managed to stay on his feet through the explosion though some of his clothes caught fire, he ignored it for the moment and he swung his ax, flaming arm and all, at Lucius.

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

Paige nodded along with Kable's words "He's right. As fun as it sounds for just the five of us to just barrel in against two armies, it would get..." she pretended to count up as she pointed at herself, Kable, Lilith, and then stopped counting as she flicked her finger between Voltair and Oryx. When looking at the two of them she made an 'unsure' face, and waved her hand in a teetering motion "...well, at least three of us, killed. The other two at least seriously maimed which is almost less fun than being killed if we're being honest."

She looked at Kable, though her good humor was still present, nothing brought Paige to task quite like tactical battle planning "How soon do you think you can contact your army friends?"

 

The explosion was the last thing Lucius had expected starting this battle. A war cry, yes. A stupid soldier losing his cool and charging ahead of everyone, possible with any other squad of men. Even a stray arrow attempting to become on with his face. That had nearly happened on numerous occasions. But an explosion?

Lucius immediately braced himself, but the force of the blasts flung him forward. He hit the ground and rolled to his knees. A flash of feet told Lucius to get himself up. Haldor began swinging his mighty axe towards Lucius as the fire on him burned his clothes. Lucius saw the dedication in Haldor's face that he would burn himself to the ground fighting.

Lucius blocked the axe swing and swept Haldor's leg from underneath him and elbow the barbarian into the ground. The dirt and rocks surrounding cracked under the pressure, but not Haldor. The man cracked a grin at Lucius. This was going to be one hell of a fight, and they were both ready for it.

_____________

Kable looked to Paige, glad someone agreed with him. While her carefree attitude and recklessness bugged him, Kable knew that there were few people in the world that could plan an attack with little to no disasters. Paige was at the top of that list, which was what made her a great bounty hunter. And an annoying rival.

"If the Emperor is smart in any way, he will make sure to keep the fact that Lilith is alive a close guarded secret. Most of the higher up generals will know, but any smaller outposts won't be informed. Less chance of a drunk soldier rambling on about any Newgate's being alive. Which means that my involvement won't be as known, so I can enter into the outpost and get any intel I need."

 

"Tease me about it later. Cute." Voltair thought to himself as he began to think of ways to turn things back on Paige. The discussion continued for a bit. "Seriously maimed?" Voltair was tempted to pop off his arm right there to prove a point to Paige. Though there were other things he considered doing, things that may inadvertently terrify her. Fun stuff that he should probably save for later.

-----

As Gerik continued his practice routine occasionally a humanoid shaped rock creature would pop out of the ground. Each time one came up they moved as though they were attacking Gerik. They would crumble each time Gerik landed what looked to be a killing strike on each of them. Initially they would come out of the ground one at a time. After he felled a few of them, two came out of the ground at once. They were behind him and moved to attack. He stepped to the side as he turned, moving his blade to block. As he turned he saw Jaxx watching him, leaning against a tree. He froze instantly upon seeing her. The rock golems also immediately crumbled away. "Oh... Hey. Good morning." He spoke as he regained his composure and began to wipe the sweat off of his forehead.

-----

Claire woke up and slowly sat up. She yawned while slowly rubbing an eye, barely making an effort to get her hair out of her face. This past night was probably one of the better ones in terms of how she had slept. Crawling out of her tent Claire stood up and stretched, feeling the cool air around her. She looked around sleepily, as though she wasn't fully awake yet. She walked towards Tess as Merrick walked away from Tess.

Upon reaching Tess Claire grabbed part of her clothes and tugged a few times to get Tess' attention. "Is there... Is there any food?" She asked while yawning. The way she spoke almost seemed as though it wasn't the usual quiet reservedness she normally had. She seemed to be too tired to do so.

 

Paige nodded to indicate her agreement with Kable's words "In the long haul, it will come down to taking down the leaders of both armies. Perhaps we may even be able to recruit soldiers from either side to our aid. Citizens within the city might also be useful though we would have to choose carefully..." her words trailed off suddenly as she felt Lilith's insecurity. She put up a hand to Kable "...You don't mind if we finish this later, right? I'm excited! with the two of us working together, you may actually win a fight even with me involved!" she, of course, couldn't leave the conversation without teasing him a little. She winked before moving on.
Walking over to Lilith and taking her hand, she started leading her away from the group "Walk with me, will you? There's something we need to find before we leave." considering how much bigger and stronger Lilith was than Paige, she knew she wasn't actually going to drag Lilith anywhere she didn't want to go. So the result of Paige pulling on Lilith's hand looked like a small child tugging at an adult, they were at a standstill with Paige tugging at Lilith's hand. Still Paige kept her same confident demeanor, waiting for Lilith to follow.

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

Haldor was nearly surprised Lucius had the strength to knock his massive body over like that. It was surprising and amusing at once, perhaps this would be a worthy battle after all. At the very least it would save him the boredom of waiting for Ilda's triumphant return at least for a while.
From the ground, he could see the damage brought on by the exploding heads. The ground was already littered with dead or dying Imperials. Haldor grinned as he brought up one massive leg, and raised it to kick Lucius in the face. He then stood up, once again raising his ax high above his head and swinging it directly downward at Lucius with all of his strength.