Outlawed (Cedric, Archea, & maybe Nikko)

(Alrighty, so, since everyone here is new to combat, I'll make it super east until you guys get the hang of it. I'm not too sure if Nikko wants to join, but if they make a character sheet, then there can be three of you. If not, two is fine.)



Cedric, being the king of the north, happened to hear rumors of a group, known as the "Order of the Eagle" illegally selling arms throughout the seven continents. However, he also happened to hear that this group was planning on doing a deal near the dockyards in the north. 

Just like any good king, the people of the north would expect Cedric to put a stop to this deal, and not allow criminals to do such things within his kingdom. So, after hearing more precise details about this illegal trade, and discovering the exact date and time of night, all that was left to be determined was the exact place, and he had an idea of that. Therefore, after preparing himself, he was advised to not go alone, and take at least one, if not two other's with him to stop the criminal act. (I'm assuming that these will be Archea and possibly Nikko if they both want to be a part, but, I can't control your character's actions.)



(Like I said, I'll make this easy, and also interesting. I'll send you all a message about this topic, but Nikko, if you want in, you need to make a character sheet first, which I can help you with if you want.)

As king,Cedric realized he had many responsibilities. He was ready for these, of course, but he was hoping that the myth of a deadly assassin as king of the North would get rid of most of them. It did, but there were still things like this that came up.

"Order of the Eagle?" He asked his advisor. "Why is there always someone doing something illegal. I'd rather they were just dead." He rubbed his hand against his face, ruffling his hair a bit (Now back to and even lighter shade than before the Zanthro fiasco, due to the fact he forgot he had bleach in his hair to get rid of the brown.)

"I advise you to not go alone, sire." Cedric looked over at his advisor. That was true, he shouldn't.

 He put on a flirty smile, "Now now, you're not trying to get a weekend alone with me... Are you? Under different circumstances you know I'd say yes, but I fear it far too dangerous for my darling Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome." The Seer looked at him like he usually did, and that was that.

"I guess you're right, I'll take Archea with me." Cedric thought back to Archea, and his new resident Nikko. Nikko seemed like a promising girl, he'd ask her if she would want to join as well. Knowing how hard it is to come to a new land, he wanted to give her a warm welcome, but not too warm. Cedric almost laughed, he really needs to stop flirting with everything that moves.

With the Zanthro incident, and its outcomes, in the past (something Archea didn’t like to think about in general), things returned to normal - whatever that happened to mean.
 
Archea spent his days going through the vast collection of ancient texts available in the Castle Library. He also returned to contentedly wandering the Castle halls in what became a hobby to memorize the entire layout of the fortress.
 
As Archea was going about this one day, he passed the Throne Room to hear a familiar voice speaking with Cedric. He didn’t want to eavesdrop, really, but he couldn’t help peeking in.
 
Yup. There he was – the Seer, in all his dark, hooded glory. Despite trying to not eavesdrop, the bare, stone walls created a slight echo, and Archea heard parts of their conversation anyway. Something about illegal arms sellers and a deal going on right here in the North. The Seer wanted Cedric to doing something about it – he was the ruler of the North, after all. He also recommended for Cedric not to go alone.
 
That was Archea’s cue. He knew Cedric wouldn’t take Rowena for this type of job, and he and Psyre were still on iffy terms after everything that went down regarding the Zanthro thing. ((OOC: Obviously, that adventure hasn’t ended yet, so we don’t know how Psyre and Cedric will interact afterwards. I’m not trying to make this a true thing, or power play, or anything – just kind of inserting it for this purpose, but it really doesn’t need to leave this specific adventure.)) So Archea it was! And just as he stepped out from behind the door, Cedric even voiced this himself.
 
He bounded toward his friend with a skip in his step. “Your Highness,” Archea gave a small (somewhat teasing) bow to Cedric, and then, “Your Magical-ness,” he addressed the faceless Seer.
 
   
Archea clasped his hands behind his back and swayed, “I hate to seem like a snoop, but I heard you might need my assistance? With the name ‘Order of the Eagle,’ they can’t be too hard to take down, right?” He grinned for a moment, and then frowned, “But actually, who names a weapons dealership ‘Order of the Eagle?’”

(I'll post in this tomorrow, regardless of if Nikko does or not.)

"T-thank you sir..." Nikko said with worried eyebrows and a small smile as she handed him a few coins in exchange for the new books. It had only been a week since she left her grandmother's cottage and she was doing pretty well for herself. She lived in a girls home, in the northeast part of the kingdom, and she had found herself a job as the assistant of the castle's librarian. It didn't pay much, but she enjoyed it, and it helped that she liked to read. 

"Oh, I better hurry I don't want to be late and get scolded again," she thought to herself as she hurried out of the bookkeepers shop. As she was making her way to the castle's library she saw Sir Archea peeking into the throne room and quickly hid before he noticed someone else was there. 

"Oh goodness I wonder what's happening," she thought. "Maybe it's an important quest or something.... oh, it'd be a great opportunity for me to hone my skills ... but I doubt the king would allow me." She noticed Sir Archea went in, and overhead them say something about a weapons dealership named, "Order of the Eagle.”

“With a name as silly as that they can’t be very tough, maybe I CAN go along … OH GOODNESS! The books! I completely forgot, oh no!!” As Nikko started to run towards the library, she lost her footing and fell face first, right in front of King Cedric and Sir Archea.

(yaaaaay, everyone posted. We also want to somehow move this down to the fisher's homes, since that's technically where the topic takes place, but that doesn't have to happen right away, only eventually closer towards the end.)

The Seer listened, and was glad that the king had decided to take another along, his friend Archea, however, he knew also that a third would join them. Not himself, but another, a younger girl, more inclined towards the arts and magic than the other two were. It would be good for the three of them. A balance of powers, rather than too strongly concentrated. Young as the girl was, and with as little experience as they had, the Seer was convinced none would be at any serious danger on this mission, and perhaps create a stronger connection between the three.

The Seer only nodded in response to his king. His was not the place to object or intervene, only to watch and to know. He did, however, inform Cedric of a time frame, so that they would not miss their target.
"I suggest leaving for the fisher's homes shortly, then, lord," he said, bowing before retreating. "They will be done and gone within the hour if no one stops them."

And so the bandits would. They were already preparing, selling large amounts of weapons to another criminal group for a relatively cheap price. Such was not a large crime, but the king was young and early was the dawn of his rule, and one must always start small. Yet, just in starting small, the king would damaging a much bigger plan of the bandits than he would expect, for each criminal group was not small, but decades old, and with members living unknown in all parts of the world.

In the time being, the bandits had just arrived at the docks, and shortly, they would unload the weapons, and move to an alley in the fisher's homes where the deal would take place. The three had perhaps twenty minutes to arrive at the location before it is too late.

Achea walked in right on time, and Cedric smiled. He must have overheard them.

"I'm glad you agree on their rather... odd name, my Knight in Shining Armor." Cedric did a small mock bow back at Archea, laughing a little with a wink. He just had to go find Nikko then, and ask if she wanted to join. It shouldn't be too hard, since her shift at the library should already be in progress. She hadn't gotten back to him about the offer of staying in the Great Hall's resident section with him, Archea, his lovely daughter, and his new s-. No. He messed that up recently. He covered a small sigh at the thought of Psyre, and turned toward the Seer's voice.

"I suggest leaving for the fisher's homes shortly, then, lord," THe seer walked slowly out of the room. "They will be done and gone within the hour if no one stops them."

"I'm always so sorry to see that stunning creature leave my sight, but alas, he is correct," Cedric turned toward Archea. "I want to make a stop at the library and visit that new girl, Nikko. I want to invite her to go with us," Cedric smiled at Archea, his closest friend, and linked his arm through his. "Let's go fetch the young lady, shall we?" as they exited the room, walking down the hall something, someone, crashed in front of them.

Cedric stared a bit wide-eyed as he saw it was Nikko who had fallen. That was convenient, he unhooked his arm from Archea to help her.

"Nikko, my darling!" Cedric gracefully bent down and helped Nikko up by the hand, and bent down to help retrieve the books she dropped. "My dear, please be more careful with yourself, I'd rather the books be hurt and not yourself." Cedric smiled brightly at the young girl, then at his friend.

"We have something to request of you, if you're up for it, but we'll have to move quickly."

Archea made a face at the “Knight in Shining Armor” nickname, but in truth he didn’t mind it at all. It exemplified their relationship as friends, which Archea couldn’t be more appreciative of. Cedric was a true pal.
 
The Seer’s final words, as he began to walk away, brought Archea’s attention back to the present: “They will be done and gone within the hour if no one stops them.”
 
As Archea retreated back into his thoughts, in order to strategize, his friend’s own words faded out (though Archea had a pretty good idea of what they were like, because it was Cedric, after all).


It was only with a tug at his arm that Archea was again pulled out of his reverie – literally. At first, slightly dazed, Archea stumbled in his step to catch up with Cedric. But soon enough, they were walking in unison.
 
“Let’s go fetch the young lady, shall we?” What young lady? Oh, mayb – A body crashed to the floor in front of them, making the two halt suddenly in their step. It was a young girl, with strawberry blonde hair twisted into two braids. She seemed very familiar … she was the librarian’s assistant, Nikko! Archea had seen her countless times in his trips to the library, but he had never gotten a chance to speak to her before.
 
Now, Archea supposed, was the opportunity, for she was the young lady Cedric seemed to be looking for. As Cedric basically cooed at Nikko, Archea stooped to help pick up some of the books that had slid a little further out of reach.
 
   
“We have something to request of you, if you’re up for it, but we’ll have to move quickly.” Ah, so Cedric was inviting her on the mission. Archea wondered how the girl would respond.

"Nikko, my darling!" Cedric spoke with a smile. She couldn't bear to look at him. "Oh how embarrassing!" Nikko thought. 

"I-I-I'm so sorry your majesty!" Nikko apologized, taking the king's hand. 

"My dear, please be more careful with yourself, I'd rather the books be hurt and not yourself." Cedric said with a bright smile as he helped Nikko collect the dropped books. 

"O-of course your majesty, t-thank you so much, both of you." She stuttered red faced and avoiding eye contact as she rubbed her forehead.

“We have something to request of you, if you’re up for it, but we’ll have to move quickly,” Cedric declared. 

"Um w-what could it be?" As if she didn’t know already – she had heard her name being mentioned earlier. Either way, she waited for King Cedric to further explain.

(You guys can skip my turn this round, seeing as there is nothing for me to do, or any npcs for me to control.)

"We'll be going to the docks, and stopping an arms dealing." Cedric clarified. "You'll get paid a little bit more for this weeks paycheck as a bonus." Cedric beamed brightly at his offer.

He turned to Archea, "We should be on our way then." He glanced at the books both he and Archea were holding. "I haven't read these yet I don't think, we can just leave them here." He took the books from Archea and put them next to the throne room.

He noticed a helper down the hall (he hated the word servant) and called out to them.

"Excuse me, can you bring these books to my room? Just drop them on the floor." He winked at the figure, and then grabbed both of his friend's hands.

"Off to the docks we go."

Soon they were out of the castle and on their way to stop the criminals from their.... crimes.

He sounded like a lame dad, granted he was one. But still. He'd work on it.

((OOC: I was told to dwell more into Archea's mind. So you get a shortened version of an incident from the past, which is why he hates fighting so much. Enjoy?))


Cedric explained the mission to Nikko, requested something be done about the books, and then the three were off.
 
They traveled by foot, because it was a lot more inconspicuous than riding horses into the situation. And because they all wore pretty modest clothing, they didn’t have too much trouble blending in with the townspeople.
 
Reaching the docks and the fishers’ homes in good time, Archea slowed his pace and figured the others would as well. Now would be the time to be very aware of their surroundings and look out for anything suspicious.
 
Or, for Archea, to slip into his thoughts at not the best moments.
 
But he couldn’t help but think about how much he’d changed in such a short time, from just being with Cedric. Cedric wasn’t a bad guy, not at all, not even due to his true “job” – he just had a way of … Archea couldn’t put a term on it.
 
In short, Archea hated fighting, hated conflict. He had said it a million times before, but there was a reason he was an explorer and not a fighter. Even from a young age, just seeing the schoolboys get into fist fights after class made him feel uneasy.
 
But the hate really escalated when his best friend (and maybe even his first love) was killed because of a fight. And maybe that’s a lame reason to hate fighting, but for Archea there were so many other ways to have solved the problem. And it wasn’t like he was just making this assumption – he was involved in the conflict just as much as his friend was. So he knew what could’ve been done to avoid fighting. But his friend didn’t listen. They pushed him away, got angry at him, called him a coward, a traitor for not having a friend’s back. And then went off by themselves to “take care of the problem.”
 
Yeah, well, the problem was taken care of, alright. With seven stab wounds to the stomach, and then, because apparently that wasn’t enough, one right in the heart. The killers left his friend bleeding out on the ground, while they ran off to some other continent and didn’t come back. When Archea found his friend, they were already long dead.
 
So maybe now it’s understandable why Archea hated fighting so much. Because it didn’t get a person anywhere other than dead.
 
He supposed some would argue that he was just bitter about his friend’s death, and that he needed to get over himself. Archea didn’t care. He would stand by his belief. Fighting wasn’t the answer. Ever.
 
Yet... 
 
Here he was. About to follow Cedric into what would most likely end in some sort of fighting. And there he was, during the Zanthro escapade, fighting off bandits. And in the future … who really knew.
 
Actually. Archea knew. He knew that whatever happened, he would follow Cedric into battle. Despite his hating fighting, hating even the idea of it, Archea would do it for Cedric.
 
   
And again, it wasn’t like any of this was Cedric’s fault. It was just the type of person he was: a good person – a person who let others know what had to be done, had to be done, and didn’t force it on them, but let them choose if they would carry it out. Archea chose to carry it out.

(Okay, I was told by Archea to skip Nikko this turn. I hope that doesn't meant they're done with the site.)

As the three (hopefully three) arrived at the docks, it only took them a moment to find the location where they been informed that the deal would take place. Yet, the alley was empty, and abandoned. The darkness of night had fallen overhead, but a few torches light the way. It was from these torches that no shadows danced, no movement flickered, and not a sight was to be seen. 

However, there was a noise, that of a crate scraping against the ground. 

If the three were to go twenty feet down the alley, and turn to the left, there would be the site they were looking for; the deal about to begin. For now, it was a single bandit, pushing the crate of weapons along the ground, waiting for the other to come and pay. He would not leave until the other had arrived, and the other would not be there for fifteen minutes to come, giving the three just the time they needed; if they acted quickly. 

(sorry if that's short, again.)

The walk to the meeting was uneventful, Archea and Nikko stayed quiet for most of the trip, seeming to be lost in thoughts and memories. Cedric knew the feeling, so he just let the silence and peace take over his mind as he thought of the Order. Who were they? What were they after? Cedric never was too quick to judge, after this activity he'd have to send someone to get information or retrieve it himself.

Reaching the alley was sort of a buzz kill, as there was nothing there. It was too quiet, really, and that's what set Cedric off.

There was something being dragged or pushed on the ground, like a crate.

Cedric looked at the other two, and put his fingers to his lips, showing that they should be silent.
He creeped over, reaching the back of the alley and looking right. There was nothing, still hugging the wall he looked left, and saw what he was looking for.

Cedric thought about using the staff on his back or the dagger in his sleeve, opting the dagger at the moment. As the bandit pushed the crate, Cedric ran while still attempting to stay quiet (hard thing to do, believe it or not).

Cedric shifted to the back of the bandit, raised the dagger slightly, and plunged it into the Bandit's side. (107 if hit.)

"Illegal activity in the North is strictly a no-no," Cedric said coolly. "I apologize for not introducing myself beforehand."

He really did hate not talking to the guy, but he was breaking the law. It's better to deal with an issue before it gets bigger, he guessed.

Honestly he's pretty sure he wouldn't have a conscious if it weren't for his children and Archea, but that wasn't something to dwell on.

Though he was lost in his thoughts and memories for a moment there, Archea came back to the mission at hand when they reached the alley and… nothing was there.
 
The noise of the town faded into the background, and it was quiet. Quiet enough to pick up on a small, scraping noise. If the deal wasn’t happening in this alleyway, it very well may be taking place in another one. It would be wise to check it out.
 
Cedric must’ve heard it too, because he motioned to them, and then moved on ahead. Archea followed quickly behind, and since Cedric was already checking, waited for his friend’s movements to signal what to do next.
 
These movements came in the form of Cedric running into the alley, with his dagger drawn. For a nanosecond Archea stood frozen, but then he followed in Cedric’s footsteps.
 
Drawing his quarterstaff from behind his back, Archea rounded the corner of the alley to see Cedric aiming his dagger toward the bandit’s side. Good. Only one bandit. They could deal with this.
 
Once Cedric had given his blow and moved away slightly, it was Archea’s turn. He thought briefly about how unfair this probably was for the bandit, but then he pushed it out of his head, reminding himself this was for the safety of a kingdom.
 

His staff held with two hands, Archea swung it in an arc headed straight for the bandit’s neck ((67 damage if hit)). He at least hoped it would hit the spot where any pressure caused a person to choke.

(Everything looks good to me, Nikko, just don't forget to add your character sheet as your profile signature.)

The bandit had not noticed the group of three coming up on him, however, it was not long before there was a dagger in his side, (193 hp left.), and a sly comment that he could not hear due to the pain.

Whirling on the attacker, the bandit drew forth his short sword just in time to find himself hit by two quarterstaves, one after the other (79 hp left.), and nearly dropped his sword. His eyes blinded by pain, all that the bandit could see was three figures, two men and one younger girl. They must have known about the sale somehow, as the man who had talked mentioned something about.

He had to fight back, though the next hit would likely kill him. And so, swinging out wildly with the blade, he aimed towards Cedric (97 damage - 5 from scholar's robes = 92). He knew he could not live, with each of these three seeming to know what they were doing, but he had to try something.

(Hope that isn't too short for you guys)

Cedric relished the feeling of the dagger digging into the mans flesh, feeling the blood ooze out as he jumped back. It had been too long since his last killing, he knew. Cedric paused internally, wondering why he had such an affinity for killing. Why did he enjoy it so much? When did he decide the human race wasn't what it should be, that they were not who he was meant to be with?

When these thoughts came up, he always pushed them aside. He didn't care that he was off, that he wasn't an average guy. Lately, though, these thoughts have been more frequent.

As he watched the man turn around and pull our his sword, only to be hit first by Archea then Nikko, Cedric decided he'd look deeper into finding his parents. He had too, honestly. All the emotional turmoil was making him less able to act normal, like he usually did.

He saw the look of panic in the bandit's eyes, and he saw the resolve.

This is going to hurt a little bit. Then again, no danger no fun.

Cedric steeled himself for the hit that was going to take place, side stepping the blade just in time to be grazed on his side instead of being sliced open. Cedric felt the blood come out of the wound, and he smiled. His prey was fighting back, but he didn't relish the feeling for long, instead he wanted to put an end to the Bandit's misery (-92 health. 408 health remaining in this topic.)

As soon as the blade hit his side, Cedric leaped forward, using his left arm to jab the dagger into the bandit's neck (107 if hit).

Cedric could feel the blood falling from his wound, and realized it probably looked worse than it was. Hopefully it wouldn't upset Archea or Nikko, because he was sure there was at least one other bandit coming.

"I'm fine, no freaking out. Better me than either of you, just be on guard." Cedric smiled at his two companions, pulling his dagger back to the side as he jumped away from the bandit.

After Archea had swung his staff, Nikko stepped forward to take her own turn at the bandit. He was pretty impressed with how well she was handling everything. Despite her quiet, and somewhat timid nature, illustrating that she wasn’t exactly adept in the art of fighting, she managed to get in a pretty decent blow.
 
Archea thought it was all going pretty well. The bandit was fading fast, and it wouldn’t be too long before the three of them could get the crate and hightail it out of there before more arrived. But then the bandit came back in a wild swing of his sword. And he was aiming for Cedric.
 
Time slowed down, but also sped up. Even though Archea wasn’t the one being aimed at, his body still stiffened as if expecting the blow. He positioned himself in order to rush to Cedric’s side if need be.
 
Cedric seemed to have it under control, though. He even seemed to know the bandit would retaliate. His friend actually seemed ready to take the sword wound. Not all of it of course, though, because his side was grazed as it swung past. And then Cedric was lunging with his own dagger, straight for the bandit’s neck. It went in, smooth as butter, and came out even smoother.
 
“I’m fine, no freaking out. Better me than either of you, just be on guard.” Of course Cedric was nonchalant throughout all of it. Archea half rolled his eyes, half glowered at his friend.
 
Since the bandit was pretty much taken care of now, Archea turned his attention back to their surroundings. Still quiet. But it probably wouldn’t be for long.
 

“We should get moving. More bandits are likely to come, and I think fighting one is enough. Cedric, you lead – Nikko and I will take the crate.”


((OOC: I'm assuming we're taking the crate with us to inspect.))

(Alright, skipping Nikko again.)

The bandit fell with a thud on the ground, the life flowing out of his body quickly, just like the red liquid. The many bashes and two gouges of the knife had done their work well, and he would never again rise in this life.

The man he was meant to trade with, however, was approaching quickly, knowing that he was late. If the three were to escape without encountering him, they would have to move very quickly. The crate they dragged weighing near fifty pounds, dragging it would not go fast enough, but they would have to pick it up and jog along if they were to leave the alleyway before the bandit's friend arrived.

He had his short sword drawn, and was walking quickly towards the alley, though from the other way that the group would be leaving. As mentioned, if they were fast enough, they could escape.

(Sorry if that's short, finally got my hands on a computer, and there is a lot that I need to respond to.)

Cedric watched Archea roll his eyes, and he smiled a little bit. He quickly ripped off part of his shirt, and made a makeshift bandage to apply pressure to his wound.

“We should get moving. More bandits are likely to come, and I think fighting one is enough. Cedric, you lead – Nikko and I will take the crate.” Archea said, getting ready to do as he said. Cedric thought about this for a second.

"I can help too, we should all carry it to make it go faster." Cedric looked around the area. "The other should be here soon, if there is one, so let's get moving."

Cedric and the others lifted the crate, and began jogging out of the alley.

As Archea went to go take one side of the crate, Cedric decided to pitch in too. Archea wanted to object, because of Cedric’s wound, which hadn’t even been bandaged properly, but he also knew his friend was right. The other person in the deal would probably be here any minute, and it would make the process go a lot faster if they all helped carry the crate.
 
With Cedric on one side, Archea got the other, and together they heaved it up. Archea then motioned for Nikko to support the middle. Once they all had a steady hold on the crate, they made their way out of the alley. This time though, their pace was quick, in order to get away. 


((hope the length is okay?))

(It's fine, Nikko, no worries. If you get bored of the site, or can't post for a while, I completely understand. No need to feel bad.)

The second bandit had just arrived in the alley way to see three figures leaving, however, he currently had no interest in them. His only interest was in the other bandit, who he did not know was dead. And so, he ignored the three figures at the far side of the alley, and quickly made his way to the alley where the deal was meant to take place, not noticing that the three figures had been carrying a crate with them. The same crate that he would be trading for.

It would only take him two minutes to reach the alley, and once there, he would find the dead body and the missing crate, and know that it must have been the three figures. However, for now, it would take him two minutes to arrive.

"I'm fine! I promise, this is nothing," Cedric assured Nikko. "We should not bandage it now, we should move. Now." Cedric, Archea, and Nikko carried the crate, exiting the alley. Cedric glanced behind him, feeling an odd sensation. A sensation that told him to get moving, but to also blend in.

As they moved the crates, Cedric's mind raced. If someone had seen them, surely they wouldn't know what they looked like, only that it was two men and a girl, if even that.

"We have to hurry, find a route where we'll look normal," Cedric thought aloud, glancing around them. There were plenty of ways to go, but something in Cedric told him it wouldn't be so bad to face the other bandit as well. He hated that small voice that came into his head, telling him he could gain whatever he wished, that he could hoard it. Cedric wondered if other people had that same voice, but he kept up his pace with the others.

"If they saw us they won't know who we are, so we should find a way to disappear." Cedric glanced around, and quickly shifted the group to another odd road in the North, a small one in between two buildings. "Let's turn the corner here, and then take the next right which will come soon after. We may be able to throw off anyone who might've been watching from the shadows. Let's hurry as fast as we can." 

Cedric kept going, hardly feeling the wound on his side. His only focus was getting to safety with the crate, and tofind out what exactly they were dealing with.