Divine Inheritance: Chaos

Atticus nodded "perfect. I will count on your victory as always. Take whatever men, supplies, and weapons you need." He clasped the Lucius's arm like a brother would. "Lastly, I will be sending my daughter, JaXx on her own mission in that direction tomorrow as well. As you will be so close, I ask you to supervise her in any way you can. She will report her progress to you."

 

Atticus shrugged, "JaXx is powerful. All she lacks is focus, drive, experience. All of these things she can only learn by being exposed to battle without her mentour holding her hand. I don't expect you to Cottle her. If she fails her mission, or can't hold her own, you are not to pick up her slack. Your own purpose there is too important."

 

JaXx heard the mumbled sound of voices as she closed the distance to the door. It opened as she was just outside of it, she came face to face with the leader of her father's army: Lucius. She said nothing to him though she did nod to at least subtley greet him as they crossed paths. At this point, the afternoon was coming to a close. "Good evening, father." She greeted him somewhat formally though she did step forward and the two embraced. "How is your day going?"

"Rather uneventful mostly. Spent mostly meeting with council members and military leaders regarding the siege to the north. Are you well, JaXx?"

She nodded "Yes very. I trained with Raven this morning. She was very strict and by the book this morning. She asked me to contemplate the importance of knowing how to defend myself without my powers, sometimes even without weapons. Something about always being prepared and balance or whatever."

"Yes I discussed that with her myself.... she makes a valid argument so for now I will stay out of that. But on the subject of her, I have some news for you."

Usually when conversations went this way regarding mentours, JaXx could tell where it was going. Usually she would be happy about it but not this time "no don't tell me she's leaving! I know we banter sometimes but I like her..."

---------- Dungeons: Sax ----------


For a while, the guards Raven was following had stopped in front of the large door. They released the previous occupants from guarding thar position and moved to take their place. They stood there outside the door for a while, sometimes in silence though they did speak every once in a while.

Kind of large door... meaning who ever or whatever is in there isn't human. at least not entirely.

"So if she doesn't wake up in there, do we really have to feed her? It's just going to go to waste anyway." One of the guards was saying.

"It would be a waste either way. She should have been killed years ago."

Still cloaked, but close by enough to hear, Raven grimaced So are all of their prisoners treated like animals? Or just this one?

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

"Oh.... so she's going away for a while. But she'll be back?" JaXx had just been told the situation with Raven and appeared relieved. She would hate having to try to replace her mentour again.

"Correct. Now that we have that out of the way, there is something else I would like to discuss. During the month of Raven's absence, I will be sending you away too. You may take a few men from my army if you wish. But you will not be accompanied by any of your tutors. It is time you went solo, proved yourself a capable soldier." At this news, JaXx light up with enthusiasm "you're serious? You're going to send me out solo?"

Atticus was proud about his daughters reaction. No fear in her. "Yes. I have sent a few teams of my men to take this task but so far, none have succeeded. There is a man somewhere in this country who goes by the title Titan of the Arena. A gladiator who, rumor has it, has never been injured in the arena. Now, normally this wouldn't interest me. Rumors are rarely completely based on truth. But this story holds my attention for many reasons. He has appeared in at least two of the eastern cities before my men were no longer able to track him. In both of those cities he gained popularity very quickly. It could be that he is somehow cheating. If so, he has broken the law and should face the consequences of such actions."

"Yes, I agree. Many people lose their lives in the arenas. It would be a terrible crime if they died by hand of a dishonorable cheater. But what if he's innocent?"

"If he is innocent then it can be proven in fair trial. Besides if he had nothing to hide, why would he have slain my soldiers or run?"

JaXx's eyes narrowed "You make a good point. I will leave tomorrow."

"Good. In the meantime, there is one more thing I'd like to discuss with you. Your target is assumed to be unpredictable and very dangerous. You should be as prepared as possible. That's why the time has come. You must kill Lilith Newgate and take her power tonight."

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

The guards had been chatting for some time now. Raven sat on the ground against the wall across from them, both knees propped up slightly to keep away from where others might walk. It wouldn't do any good to get caught because someone tripped over your invisible leg after call this waiting.
Just as she was about to give up on seeing what was inside that cell, one of the guards spoke up "in case JaXx does show up tonight we should have food in the room. The girl is unconscious anyway. If she asks about her state, we will say we tried to follow her order to keep her out of the restraints and she tried to escape. Recapturing her proved to be difficult which is why she's all banged up."

The others nodded in agreement and Raven quietly stood up, following a guard in to the room as he carried in the prisoners evening meal. As she entered, the smell of blood instantly hit her. But the sight was worse what the....

The guards exited just as quickly as they entered, locking the door behind them. For a brief moment, Raven ignored the fact that she was officially trapped on the cell with its inmate. She was too appalled by what she saw before her.

The person she saw, chained to the wall even though she was not conscious, was obviously a child. Probably not much older than JaXx. But she was quite large, almost Raven's same height although she was in a kneeling position. Her white hair was a mess that was matted with dirt and blood and she was clearly not in good shape.

"What could a child possibly have done to deserve this?" She spoke very quietly so as not to be heard as she leaned over slightly to examine the girl. She was sickened and part of her was angered. How could JaXx have something to do with this? She tore a part of cloth from her clothing. Finding a small cup of water next to the food brought in by the soldiers she poured a tiny amount on the cloth, dampening it before she got to work cleaning some of the wounds. It didn't take long before she heard the door open again. She whirled around to face the person...

----------- A few moments before --------


JaXx bit her lip as she walked through the halls of the dungeon. All seemed silent as she made her way, sword in hand, toward Lilith's door. Her heart was racing. Something about all of this seemed wrong. But at the same time, she believed in her father. He was a good man she knew it. She needed this power to become a better warrior. Through her, the Newgate line would finally be able to do some good for the world again. Besides Lilith was suffering there in the dungeon. She had for years JaXx watched the girl suffer, her soul was dying in there. JaXx would finally be able to put her out of her misery.

Yet everything inside her still screamed that this was wrong. That it was murder. Still, she had to do it. her people needed her. She couldn't disappoint her father...

As she neared the gates, she saw the night guard pair had already arrived. They stood ever vigilant on either side of the door. They appeared surprised to see her "good evening Jaxah. Have you come to see the prisoner?" the one on the left was speaking as he was already fumbling through his key ring to find the right key. Something about them seemed off like they were nervous.

"I have." she spoke with authority, more so than usual. Trying to keep a front of confidence though inside she was screaming. "But tonight will be different than usual. You are to give me the key to Lilith's room and walk away. Do not return tonight. Am I understood?"

"Yes Ma'am. Right away!" The key holder handed her the key and they both walked away in a hurry. JaXx waited until they were out of sight before taking a deep breath. She forced her trembling hands to steady and stepped forward, unlocking the door. One hand still grasping her sword, the other on the handle of the door, she stepped inside the room but was immediately greeted by an unexpected frontal attack, too fast for her to have seen it coming. She barely managed to raise her sword on time to stop a slash from a broad sword and found her face to face with the last person on earth that she would expect "Raven!?"

"We need to talk. Now." JaXx had never seen Raven this disgusted. The sight shocked her, she wasn't sure how to react. Raven put her sword down, although kept her guard up, she closed the door to the cell and returned her attention to JaXx. "What is this?" she gestured an arm toward the still unconscious Lilith near the wall. "What are you and your father up to? No more lies." She spoke calmly just like always. But something about her tone was off... very off.

She finally averted her gaze from her furious bodyguard to the bloody heap that was Lilith against the far wall. Her eyes widened as she realized what this must look like. What it WAS. Part of her wanted to drop her sword, tell Raven everything, and get Lilith out of there. Her hands shook with anger, tension, nerves. It all wanted to break out of her at once. But she held it in, taking a deep breath, she put up a brave front. "You shouldn't be here, Raven. Go back to the castle. This is not your business." she grasped her sword and stepped toward Lilith but was stopped instantly as Raven put a hand on her arm, holding her back.

"Who is she?" she demanded. "You and both know she isn't a petty criminal. Certainly not one deserving of the death penalty or I would know about this."

JaXx sighed, "I am following my father's orders." she stated in a flat voice "Now get out of my way or I will be forced to hurt you too."

Raven paused for a moment before moving defiantly in front of her trainee "Go ahead. Try." There was a pause from there. JaXx grasped the handle of her sword but she couldn't make herself do it. Murdering an innocent girl was one thing. But turning on Raven too in the same night? She hadn't prepared for this. The two women stared each other down for a long moment before JaXx finally looked away, releasing her grip on her sword "My father sent me to kill her. She's the daughter of the late Emperor Newgate... but you already knew that didn't you?"

Raven scoffed, "Yeah, it doesn't take a genius mind to figure it out. You're actually planning on going through with this? Murdering a defenseless girl? Come on JaXx, you're better than that. After all I taught you, and all your talk of honor, this is not who you are."

 

Jaxx's hand recoiled from Lilith's touch. She said nothing, her eyes wide. Raven could tell she was conflicted, and Lilith was clearly not in her right mind at the time either. Someone had to be reasonable. It was her turn to take a deep breath, steadying herself mentally before she spoke up "Jaxx... the step you are about to take is one you don't come back from. Killing someone in battle to protect your countrymen and your family is one thing. This, it's murder."

Jaxx shook her head, finally allowing her true emotions to crack through "I believe in my father. But not in this." she dropped her sword "I know I have to defeat her some day. I have to take her power. But this isn't right." she shook her head, realizing the situation they were in "If she doesn't die tonight, my father will know something happened here. If he finds out you were here, chances are you will be arrested. Lilith will be killed anyway and I will never be able to prove myself and do any good for this country. Raven, what am I supposed to do?"

Raven's loyalty kicked in and she spoke before she really gave herself a chance to think it through. "You are going to leave here. Now. Take those keys and go to the gate." she picked up Jaxx's sword from the floor and handed it to her before securing her grip on her own "I am going to do what needs to be done. Do you understand?"

Jaxx looked like she was about to argue, but realization hit her on what was really happening. "Ok... Do what you have to do. I'm sorry Lilith." she walked out of the room, leaning against the wall just outside the door for a moment steadying her emotions before she ran down the hall, keys to the gates in hand.

Raven took no time to watch her go, she knelt down next to Lilith and focused her attention on the chains that secured her to the wall. At first, it seemed like nothing was happening. Then, all at once four small bursts of light flashed around the link closest to her limbs on the restraints. When the light died, the chains fell to the floor, each neatly melted in half and still glowing. She held out a hand to help Lilith up. "We don't have much time. Can you run?"

Jaxx at this point had already reached the gates to the front of the prison and had unlocked them. She waited there, sword in hand

 

Raven sighed "I was afraid you would say something like that. But ok, if you insist. Let's go, if anyone knows where it is, it would be Jaxx. She was your overseer right? She's waiting by the gate which is where we have to go anyway." the two of them ran that way. Raven was actually surprised how well Lilith seemed to keep up though she could tell she was still way out of it What are we supposed to do with her after this? drop her off injured and by herself in the streets and say good luck?

Jaxx already had the doors open by the time they got there. She had put away her sword now but had a small knife in hand just in case it came down to it and she had to kill one of the guards. She hated the idea of attacking one of her own men but this was the situation she was in. She could only do what she believed was right. She saw Raven approach first "Bisento, any ideas where it is? She says she isn't leaving without it."

Jaxx growled, "Really we're doing you a favor and you're going to make demands?" she fumed, "Ok, fine. Raven, get her out of here. There is an inn just north of the city. Take her there and check in under a false name. I'll come find you there once I've gotten the bisento." She ran off, a blur of black armor and silver hair that disappeared into the shadows of the prison.

Raven looked Lilith up and down "So, smuggling you through the city without anyone noticing like that sounds like a pain. Pardon me, but I'm going to have to cloak you." She gave no other warning than that before she waved a hand in Lilith's direction. To anyone else, Lilith would now appear to be a black haired woman about Raven's age and height in the official armor of the army. It wouldn't fool any of the leaders, but citizens and other soldiers wouldn't know the difference. "Just try to step lightly ok, I can change your looks but your weight is a different story. Anyone with a basic grasp on physics would know somethings up."

 

Raven walked with the disguised Lilith through the streets of Sax. All seemed to be going smoothly so far. As they walked, she couldn't help but notice how run down the capitol city had become since she first arrived four years ago. She never stopped hearing how great of a ruler Atticus was. But was this the proof? She reasoned that the city was probably in such poor conditions because of the war. But even that didn't seem right. Where were all of the city's resources going? Was the rest of the country like this? She hoped they could get through the rest of the evening smoothly so she could go and find out herself. On their way through the city, she noticed Lucius and his men not far away and grabbed Lilith, pulling her back into an ally. She knew he probably wouldn't notice Lilith, though she was clearly not a soldier he would recognize, but he would recognize her which would rise suspicion. She opted to avoid him seeing them altogether. She watched as Lucius and some other man had a confrontation before parting ways. Though she didn't pick up all the details, she did learn that Lucius had a son and that his son was a mercenary. The two women waited until the soldiers were well out of sight before they continued on.
She watched the sun slowly lowering, turning the horizon to a deep red color, knowing that once night fell, if they weren't back at the castle with some sort of evidence that Lilith was dead, there would be trouble. She found the inn that Jaxx had been referring to and motioned for Lilith to get inside.
Ok... we still have the problem of what to do with her once we have gotten her her weapon. It's not like she can do much to defend herself right now. And it would be too conspicuous if I tried to escort her myself. Especially with how close of a watch Atticus is keeping on me right now. It would be lucky if he hasn't already noticed my absence...
Deciding she would have to worry about it later, she walked into the inn behind Lilith. She introduced herself at the counter under the name "Angel Thomison" which is the name she checked in under. She instructed Lilith that she would be back and then walked back outside, hoping some idea would come to her about what to do with Lilith. Just then, she saw a familiar face. The same black haired man she saw talking with Lucius earlier. He's a feared mercenary but he did say something about a moral code. I guess beggars can't be choosers. She approached him, "Good evening."

 

Raven raised an eyebrow, resting a hand on her hip as Kable said nothing for a moment after she greeted him. Did I not speak loudly enough or...?
Just then he seemed to snap out of something and smile, greeting her back in a friendly way. She couldn't help but smile a little, after discovering that not only was this man a mercenary but one with a fairly dark reputation, it was slightly amusing that he behaved more like a farm-boy. It made her feel a little better about leaving her fugitive in his hands. "I hope this isn't too out of the blue, but I hear you are a mercenary. And if that's the case, I may need your help."

____


Mean while back in the castle, Jaxx ran as quickly and quietly as she could through the halls of her home. Lilith's weapon was kept in a particular room that her father prized. It was a room full of the weapons or armor of all notable enemies he had killed. She hadn't worked out the details about how she was going to cover it was missing. But she gave her word that the weapon would be returned to Lilith and she couldn't go back on that. Finally reaching the room she needed, she managed to unlock it using the key ring given to her by the guards earlier

 

Raven smiled "I'll tell you but follow me, if you don't mind, inside. This one should probably not be discussed with so many ears around..." she walked back into the inn. Seeing Lilith not far off she gave her a slight nod, reassuring her that she was still around and she wasn't abandoned. They chose their location to wait for Jaxx well. It was not very populated and not many people knew of it or stayed there because it was so close to the outskirts of the city, and also right next to the crack in the center of the city. Most people stayed away from it. Once she was sure no one could hear her, probably not even Lilith, she asked him "Ok, how much would it cost me to get help smuggling an injured, hunted, girl out of the city?"
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Jaxx found the weapon and was finally leaving the castle. Luckily, no one saw her carrying it out. The problem now was how to get it clear across the city without anyone recognizing it.