The S and S of Calamity; Expectations
Okenforde was a medium-sized town nesting right on the banks of a large river. Spires of ancient towers still rose up in the middle of modern structures and offered attractions for tourists, though lingered as a port for controversy among the societies within. Deep ruts from wagon wheels were the legacy of the ruins and many people visited the town to see some of the most unique catacombs in the area. To contrast this image of being a aged town with ruins as its livelihood, the hierarchy had invested in a very modern irrigation system which flowed through the center of the four main streets and offered a cool drink or a pleasant swimming place for the hot days of the ailing summer. With a vast selection of inns, restaurants and shops, the town offered a pleasant stay to any who came. Five more were about to join the masses within the town walls.
"I really only stayed there for a week, but soon they were trying to name kids after me and trying to pay me to protect the town. The gang had left their camp on the outskirts of town and moved along so I guess they thought having me there was enough to keep trouble away but I had to keep moving. From what I hear, they haven't had a day's trouble since." Pallas said as he walked alongside of Orphen. The story was keeping the sorcerer interested but the real effect was on the young girl. Cleo hadn't taken a straight step since they started and was looking at the swordsman with stars in her eyes. These stories made her heart flutter with admiration for Pallas. So many people were living better lives because of him and yet, he seemed to retain a modest mind and simple desires. He saw this fanfare after a moment and blinked, looking down to her curiously. "Are you okay?"
"Mmhm! I bet it's wonderful to go from town to town and help people! When just your name frees an entire city…" she lulled and sighed dreamily. Cleo had always been a nighttime romantic so this was playing on her deepest dreams. The thought of such a man made her weak in the knees, especially since he was walking right next to her. Upon her inspection of her partner, her expression became a bit more critical and she eyed him devilishly. "It's a lot better than blowing everything up and using people to get free room and board. I guess swordsmen and sorcerers lead very different lives, right, Orphen?" she teased and unknowingly walked closer to Pallas.
Orphen rolled his eyes at the comparison and didn't even feel like arguing with her. Sure, he would agree that his friend led a very noble life, but everyone had their own demons to deal with. With Okenforde just minutes away, he glanced to Pallas and made a curious observation. "Pallas, where did Chiron go? I haven't heard Cleo whining about him for a while so he must not be planning to go into the town with us."
Cleo stuck her tongue out at him defiantly and slipped her arm around Pallas's, trying to make him jealous. Pallas seemed a bit uneasy with the playing she did, but he idly shrugged off Orphen's question with a candid tone. "Chiron doesn't enjoy being around many people. Usually he goes off and finds a barn or something to sleep in during the day. When I decide to leave this town, Chiron won't be far behind."
There were still some questions that tugged at Orphen's mind but there would be no time for them. Just before entering the gate, a scream resounded off the walls and grabbed everyone's attention. Groups of townspeople were fleeing out the main gates, each of their faces wild with fear and their running panicked. Orphen came to a stop, as did everyone with him. "What's going on? Everyone's leaving." Cleo seemed very disturbed and searched widely for the cause of this. Majic seemed very apprehensive as well, but Pallas seemed distant. Despite the fact everyone was coming out of the town gates, he was looking up at the spires of the city, as if the answer was written on the ancient stones.
"Maybe there's some kind of drill?" Cleo asked and looked to Orphen. The sorcerer wasn't convinced and started into the gates as the last of the people seemed to be leaving. The rest followed.
Upon entering the town, the four were alone in the littered streets. There hadn't been any damage to buildings or property, but the human factor had been removed. It was at that time Leki began to stir and make a ruckus. As she tried to calm the beast, Cleo slowly felt a rising feeling in her stomach, "I don't like this. Something is making Leki very upset." Her safety was guaranteed, but that didn't keep the fear from welling in her. The next thing made a sound was a metal scraping against metal. There was a harmonious song to the blade as Pallas unsheathed it, though there was no music in his eyes. Cleo was startled by his expression, "What is it, Pallas?"
"We aren't alone. Stick close to Orphen." he responded. A personal smile came across Orphen's face shadows began to emerge from the shadows.
The first one to catch any light was gruesome, a decayed relic from ancient days. It was a skeleton of a man and the remains of forgotten armor still clung helplessly to their owner. In a lifeless hand, it dragged a rusted sword. "It's more of those skeletons!" Cleo shrieked. Majic put down the supplies in a hurry and grimaced, seeing more and more emerge from all around them. Soon, the streets were filled with lumbering echoes of those who once were.
"What's making them come alive? Is it magic?" Majic yelled, turning his back to the others in an attempt to provide defense.
Orphen still looked calm. His hand was resting on his hip and his head was tilted slightly. He had never seen this particular kind of magic and would be very curious to find out what was making this happen. "I don't think they're gonna answer us if we ask. I hope all of you are ready for a fight!" he called and raised his hand up. "My guide is the death-calling starling!" The blast of energy rippled the air towards the skeletons and ripped apart bone and armor, making short work of the first enemies they had found. The street was torn up by the blast and a great cloud of dust rose into the sky, like a signal to the heavens that war was being fought.
Majic located the nearest skeleton and raised his hand, his brow furrowing at the concentration required to channel his magical ability. "I release thee, light's unsheathed blade!" The diluted attack still threw the lifeless creature into a wall and broke it to pieces. Majic was proud of his feat.
Cleo and Leki were making work of a few skeletons. With the dragon at her call, Cleo was a force to be reckoned with. Moving with fearless grace, she smiled confidently this time. Pallas was faced with a few different skeletons. These did not resemble humans, but some other forgotten race which had died in the ages before. Their slow movements made them easy targets, but their sheer number was a factor. When Cleo took her eyes off her battle for a moment, she saw a great thing. With a single swing of the enchanted sword, four skeletons were reduced to dust in the wind. It seemed the blade did more than just sever, but also vanquish evil forces. With grace of movement and that same speed which had sent Orphen backpedaling, Pallas moved among the creatures and destroyed them one by one. There was something intoxicating about his movements and the young girl was distracted from her fight. It would be the reason she was hurt.
The beastly skeleton was slow, but it packed some power within the stale bones. A great, clawed hand was raked across her side and she screamed out, her figure being tossed into a nearby wall under the mercy of new pain. When she got the courage to open her eyes, she saw the cruel beast with claws poised to strike again. Leki was perched on her lap with a growl, daring it to attack once more. However, it was another who aided her. Suddenly the skeleton exploded into a shower of dust. Cleo shut her eyes to protect them, but soon opened them to her savior, relieved and thankful for his vigilant eye. Orphen slowly lowered his hand and smirked, somehow always finding himself saving this girl. Then there was a sudden cry that struck everyone as foreign and dire.
A small child was scooting back from a great winged skeleton, fear burning in his wide eyes and keeping him from running. The great beast held an axe unsteadily but effectively enough to attack. Cleo screamed out for the child and Orphen began an incantation, but the axe was brought down to the stone road with great force. The rusted metal splintered the rock, but found no death. With a slow shift in weight, the beast found Pallas standing close by with the child in his arm and a scowl on his face. "Nobody will die today." he said foully. Even with the child in his arm, he pulled the sword back and brought it across the skeleton, turning it into dust. Despite the fact he was safe, the child began to cry.
Cleo had been watching with wide, blue eyes. Everything thing else seemed to melt away as she watched Pallas glaring angrily to the blasphemous enemy. With sword clutched in his hand, there was something passionate about him; something that brought everything noble into a single form. Every line of his body was beautiful and mesmerizing and she could not help the blush that lightly touched her face. She hadn't even noticed the remaining skeletons were gone. There was nothing important about the fact the streets were empty again. All she could do was forget the pain in her side and run to Pallas, not even hiding her admiration. "That was fantastic! You saved him! Awwww, the poor guy. Come to Cleo." she jittered and took the crying boy from Pallas. The swordsman watched her solemnly, and then seemed to relax in his stance. Slinging the sword across his shoulder, he watched Cleo console the child with little memory of her wounds.
While she was entertaining the child, Orphen walked up with the same, tentative look on his face. "They all just disappeared. Why do you think they were here?"
"This place is old. Who knows what ancient magics are buried here." Pallas replied. The two made one last search of the street with their eyes before looking back to Cleo, who was yelping as the boy pulled on her hair for fun.
"Ow! You little brat! It's not funny! Here I am trying to make you feel better and you start pulling my beautiful hair!"
Orphen and Pallas both found smiles again as they watched her. Pallas slowly sheathed his blade, confident the threat was over, "It never ceases to amaze me. Scare a kid to the point of death and a second later, they'll smile at you."
Orphen laughed lightly and tilted his head, finding a delicious comment coming up his throat. "Yah, but which kid are you talking about?" Cleo heard the remark and seethed at him, only until the child pulled her hair once more. They began to laugh at her once again, finding sanity after the stretch of terror.
Soon Majic walked up to Pallas with a slightly embarrassed look on his face. Something inside him brought this great anxiety when he was close to the swordsman, but he couldn't ignore what he had just seen. A plastic smile was forced onto his face, as if he was truly trying to ignore his instincts, and Pallas looked at him curiously. Majic felt very sheepish. "Pallas, I want to say I'm sorry for being so rude before. The way you saved that boy was really great." There was sincerity behind him, but there was also suspicion. Somehow, he knew getting over the blind mistrust he felt would take some effort on his part.
Pallas blinked a few times in surprise, but ended up dismissing it as just a misunderstanding. A polite shrug rolled over his shoulders and he winked to the boy, offering no grudges towards him. "Forget about it, kid. If I spit a curse at every person who has ever been rude to me, my tongue would have fallen off years ago." he replied. Just like that, the two were allies.
It didn't take long before the townsfolk began to appear from the gate. Hearing the commotion and seeing the explosions, a few brave souls came walking into the town with wooden tools as weapons. The group which had dispatched the skeletons watched as the rest of the town seemed to follow.
"How can we ever thank you? One moment I was working in my shop and the next some dusty skeleton knocks down my door! Can you believe it? That was some magic! Are you a sorcerer?"An old man, seemingly a proprietor of the town, was droning on at Orphen. He was thrilled at the prospect of a sorcerer and his friends helping them out of the bind and didn't give any room to reply. Orphen was almost ready to blast him.
Just a few feet away, however, there was pain of a different sort. "These aren't too deep, but you really should have them looked at." Pallas said as he knelt next to Cleo. Her face was bright with a furious blush as fingers touched a slightly intimate place on her, but something was keeping her from moving. Periodically, a wince would cross her face as he came too close to the cut and air would be sucked through her teeth. Now that her moment of admiration was past, the pain of the cuts set in and forced tears to well defiantly in the corner of her eyes. "Does it hurt much?" he asked and peered up at her. The blush didn't want to leave her cheeks and she looked down at him distantly, not able to shake her head or nod. There was something slightly erotic about it, the pain of the lesions coupled with the soft touch of his fingers on places of her skin which no one was allowed to see, much less touch. Had the monster simply been in front of her and aiming a bit higher, her wounds would have been much more embarrassing and painful. Pallas was a bit puzzled by her expression and her response, but soon began digging into a brown satchel hanging at his side. Being a swordsman, he had no magic to heal. All he had was a roll of white bandage which he was happy to offer her. "This should be good until you see someone. Once you're all patched up, Dr. Pallas can keep an eye on you." he noted with a light chuckle.
Majic, who had been discreetly helping, blinked a few times as he watched the swordsman begin to bandage the cuts. It struck him as slightly odd and he felt the sudden need to protest. "But Orphen can just use his magic to…"
With a mighty shove, Cleo sent Majic head over heels to the ground, silencing his suggestion with cruel, intent efficiency. Her eyes were hidden in her bangs, but they glowed with a fierce determination to have what she wanted. What she wanted was currently where she wanted it.
"This guy says he helps run this place and that there was nothing to warn them about this. There aren't any sorcerers in the entire town and no magic wards of any kind that he knows of." Orphen said as he came walking over with the old man.
Pallas was just standing up beside Cleo and replacing unused bandaged in his satchel. "Maybe it's something deep within one of these ruins you got here? Foul deeds never happen without a good reason." he replied.
Orphen nodded once and glanced up at one of the spires, his senses twisting inside of him. There was truth in his friend's words, but he had yet to figure out what could have caused it all. "Maybe we should look around the ruins, Pallas. There could be something very powerful here."
This brought an anger within Cleo. Once again she was being tossed aside because of a figure from the past and she wouldn't stand for being left out of this, even if she was hurt. However, the name found a stitch with the old man and he perked at hearing it. "Pallas? You mean thee Pallas? The Rune Fighter from Balloria?" he asked with excitement brimming in his voice. There was obviously no boundary to legend and a name could travel fifty miles farther than any man. With the prosperity of other towns booming because of this man, Okenforde was eager to share in such wealth.
"That's right! The same man! Protector of entire cities and saviors of small boys! This is Pallas right here." Cleo cried and took Pallas's arm once more. She was enthralled to be a part of the magic that was reputation and planned to stick near to him to spite any other who wanted to get close. Orphen rubbed his head lightly as the old man began to badger on about Pallas's name. He was slightly startled to see the look in his friend's eye. The swordsman seemed tired; weary even as he smiled at the growing attention. A crowd was drowning him but he still kept a smile and a wave.
"They seem really happy to meet Pallas, master." Majic observed as he stepped next to Orphen. Thankful townsfolk were trying to work into the circle now to get a better glimpse of the Rune Fighter. Some mumbled about the silly girl who seemed to be his woman. Others asked about him saving the magistrate's nephew from the skeletons. Above all else, the spoke of his great name.
High in one of the ancient spires was a figure who was not pleased with this. It was a great shadow, looming in the decrepit window of a once great tower. It was not human, for a pair of great wings sprouted from its back and thick horns grew from its head. It was something else, something dark and powerful. Two yellow eyes glared down at the group, most directly on the swordsman and the sorcerer. Things had not gone as planned and the reasoning was behind them both. Soon enough, all things would fall into place. That great name would fall and that sorcerer would die. Unless something managed to derail the catalyst, it was only a matter of time.
Okenforde was a medium-sized town nesting right on the banks of a large river. Spires of ancient towers still rose up in the middle of modern structures and offered attractions for tourists, though lingered as a port for controversy among the societies within. Deep ruts from wagon wheels were the legacy of the ruins and many people visited the town to see some of the most unique catacombs in the area. To contrast this image of being a aged town with ruins as its livelihood, the hierarchy had invested in a very modern irrigation system which flowed through the center of the four main streets and offered a cool drink or a pleasant swimming place for the hot days of the ailing summer. With a vast selection of inns, restaurants and shops, the town offered a pleasant stay to any who came. Five more were about to join the masses within the town walls.
"I really only stayed there for a week, but soon they were trying to name kids after me and trying to pay me to protect the town. The gang had left their camp on the outskirts of town and moved along so I guess they thought having me there was enough to keep trouble away but I had to keep moving. From what I hear, they haven't had a day's trouble since." Pallas said as he walked alongside of Orphen. The story was keeping the sorcerer interested but the real effect was on the young girl. Cleo hadn't taken a straight step since they started and was looking at the swordsman with stars in her eyes. These stories made her heart flutter with admiration for Pallas. So many people were living better lives because of him and yet, he seemed to retain a modest mind and simple desires. He saw this fanfare after a moment and blinked, looking down to her curiously. "Are you okay?"
"Mmhm! I bet it's wonderful to go from town to town and help people! When just your name frees an entire city…" she lulled and sighed dreamily. Cleo had always been a nighttime romantic so this was playing on her deepest dreams. The thought of such a man made her weak in the knees, especially since he was walking right next to her. Upon her inspection of her partner, her expression became a bit more critical and she eyed him devilishly. "It's a lot better than blowing everything up and using people to get free room and board. I guess swordsmen and sorcerers lead very different lives, right, Orphen?" she teased and unknowingly walked closer to Pallas.
Orphen rolled his eyes at the comparison and didn't even feel like arguing with her. Sure, he would agree that his friend led a very noble life, but everyone had their own demons to deal with. With Okenforde just minutes away, he glanced to Pallas and made a curious observation. "Pallas, where did Chiron go? I haven't heard Cleo whining about him for a while so he must not be planning to go into the town with us."
Cleo stuck her tongue out at him defiantly and slipped her arm around Pallas's, trying to make him jealous. Pallas seemed a bit uneasy with the playing she did, but he idly shrugged off Orphen's question with a candid tone. "Chiron doesn't enjoy being around many people. Usually he goes off and finds a barn or something to sleep in during the day. When I decide to leave this town, Chiron won't be far behind."
There were still some questions that tugged at Orphen's mind but there would be no time for them. Just before entering the gate, a scream resounded off the walls and grabbed everyone's attention. Groups of townspeople were fleeing out the main gates, each of their faces wild with fear and their running panicked. Orphen came to a stop, as did everyone with him. "What's going on? Everyone's leaving." Cleo seemed very disturbed and searched widely for the cause of this. Majic seemed very apprehensive as well, but Pallas seemed distant. Despite the fact everyone was coming out of the town gates, he was looking up at the spires of the city, as if the answer was written on the ancient stones.
"Maybe there's some kind of drill?" Cleo asked and looked to Orphen. The sorcerer wasn't convinced and started into the gates as the last of the people seemed to be leaving. The rest followed.
Upon entering the town, the four were alone in the littered streets. There hadn't been any damage to buildings or property, but the human factor had been removed. It was at that time Leki began to stir and make a ruckus. As she tried to calm the beast, Cleo slowly felt a rising feeling in her stomach, "I don't like this. Something is making Leki very upset." Her safety was guaranteed, but that didn't keep the fear from welling in her. The next thing made a sound was a metal scraping against metal. There was a harmonious song to the blade as Pallas unsheathed it, though there was no music in his eyes. Cleo was startled by his expression, "What is it, Pallas?"
"We aren't alone. Stick close to Orphen." he responded. A personal smile came across Orphen's face shadows began to emerge from the shadows.
The first one to catch any light was gruesome, a decayed relic from ancient days. It was a skeleton of a man and the remains of forgotten armor still clung helplessly to their owner. In a lifeless hand, it dragged a rusted sword. "It's more of those skeletons!" Cleo shrieked. Majic put down the supplies in a hurry and grimaced, seeing more and more emerge from all around them. Soon, the streets were filled with lumbering echoes of those who once were.
"What's making them come alive? Is it magic?" Majic yelled, turning his back to the others in an attempt to provide defense.
Orphen still looked calm. His hand was resting on his hip and his head was tilted slightly. He had never seen this particular kind of magic and would be very curious to find out what was making this happen. "I don't think they're gonna answer us if we ask. I hope all of you are ready for a fight!" he called and raised his hand up. "My guide is the death-calling starling!" The blast of energy rippled the air towards the skeletons and ripped apart bone and armor, making short work of the first enemies they had found. The street was torn up by the blast and a great cloud of dust rose into the sky, like a signal to the heavens that war was being fought.
Majic located the nearest skeleton and raised his hand, his brow furrowing at the concentration required to channel his magical ability. "I release thee, light's unsheathed blade!" The diluted attack still threw the lifeless creature into a wall and broke it to pieces. Majic was proud of his feat.
Cleo and Leki were making work of a few skeletons. With the dragon at her call, Cleo was a force to be reckoned with. Moving with fearless grace, she smiled confidently this time. Pallas was faced with a few different skeletons. These did not resemble humans, but some other forgotten race which had died in the ages before. Their slow movements made them easy targets, but their sheer number was a factor. When Cleo took her eyes off her battle for a moment, she saw a great thing. With a single swing of the enchanted sword, four skeletons were reduced to dust in the wind. It seemed the blade did more than just sever, but also vanquish evil forces. With grace of movement and that same speed which had sent Orphen backpedaling, Pallas moved among the creatures and destroyed them one by one. There was something intoxicating about his movements and the young girl was distracted from her fight. It would be the reason she was hurt.
The beastly skeleton was slow, but it packed some power within the stale bones. A great, clawed hand was raked across her side and she screamed out, her figure being tossed into a nearby wall under the mercy of new pain. When she got the courage to open her eyes, she saw the cruel beast with claws poised to strike again. Leki was perched on her lap with a growl, daring it to attack once more. However, it was another who aided her. Suddenly the skeleton exploded into a shower of dust. Cleo shut her eyes to protect them, but soon opened them to her savior, relieved and thankful for his vigilant eye. Orphen slowly lowered his hand and smirked, somehow always finding himself saving this girl. Then there was a sudden cry that struck everyone as foreign and dire.
A small child was scooting back from a great winged skeleton, fear burning in his wide eyes and keeping him from running. The great beast held an axe unsteadily but effectively enough to attack. Cleo screamed out for the child and Orphen began an incantation, but the axe was brought down to the stone road with great force. The rusted metal splintered the rock, but found no death. With a slow shift in weight, the beast found Pallas standing close by with the child in his arm and a scowl on his face. "Nobody will die today." he said foully. Even with the child in his arm, he pulled the sword back and brought it across the skeleton, turning it into dust. Despite the fact he was safe, the child began to cry.
Cleo had been watching with wide, blue eyes. Everything thing else seemed to melt away as she watched Pallas glaring angrily to the blasphemous enemy. With sword clutched in his hand, there was something passionate about him; something that brought everything noble into a single form. Every line of his body was beautiful and mesmerizing and she could not help the blush that lightly touched her face. She hadn't even noticed the remaining skeletons were gone. There was nothing important about the fact the streets were empty again. All she could do was forget the pain in her side and run to Pallas, not even hiding her admiration. "That was fantastic! You saved him! Awwww, the poor guy. Come to Cleo." she jittered and took the crying boy from Pallas. The swordsman watched her solemnly, and then seemed to relax in his stance. Slinging the sword across his shoulder, he watched Cleo console the child with little memory of her wounds.
While she was entertaining the child, Orphen walked up with the same, tentative look on his face. "They all just disappeared. Why do you think they were here?"
"This place is old. Who knows what ancient magics are buried here." Pallas replied. The two made one last search of the street with their eyes before looking back to Cleo, who was yelping as the boy pulled on her hair for fun.
"Ow! You little brat! It's not funny! Here I am trying to make you feel better and you start pulling my beautiful hair!"
Orphen and Pallas both found smiles again as they watched her. Pallas slowly sheathed his blade, confident the threat was over, "It never ceases to amaze me. Scare a kid to the point of death and a second later, they'll smile at you."
Orphen laughed lightly and tilted his head, finding a delicious comment coming up his throat. "Yah, but which kid are you talking about?" Cleo heard the remark and seethed at him, only until the child pulled her hair once more. They began to laugh at her once again, finding sanity after the stretch of terror.
Soon Majic walked up to Pallas with a slightly embarrassed look on his face. Something inside him brought this great anxiety when he was close to the swordsman, but he couldn't ignore what he had just seen. A plastic smile was forced onto his face, as if he was truly trying to ignore his instincts, and Pallas looked at him curiously. Majic felt very sheepish. "Pallas, I want to say I'm sorry for being so rude before. The way you saved that boy was really great." There was sincerity behind him, but there was also suspicion. Somehow, he knew getting over the blind mistrust he felt would take some effort on his part.
Pallas blinked a few times in surprise, but ended up dismissing it as just a misunderstanding. A polite shrug rolled over his shoulders and he winked to the boy, offering no grudges towards him. "Forget about it, kid. If I spit a curse at every person who has ever been rude to me, my tongue would have fallen off years ago." he replied. Just like that, the two were allies.
It didn't take long before the townsfolk began to appear from the gate. Hearing the commotion and seeing the explosions, a few brave souls came walking into the town with wooden tools as weapons. The group which had dispatched the skeletons watched as the rest of the town seemed to follow.
"How can we ever thank you? One moment I was working in my shop and the next some dusty skeleton knocks down my door! Can you believe it? That was some magic! Are you a sorcerer?"An old man, seemingly a proprietor of the town, was droning on at Orphen. He was thrilled at the prospect of a sorcerer and his friends helping them out of the bind and didn't give any room to reply. Orphen was almost ready to blast him.
Just a few feet away, however, there was pain of a different sort. "These aren't too deep, but you really should have them looked at." Pallas said as he knelt next to Cleo. Her face was bright with a furious blush as fingers touched a slightly intimate place on her, but something was keeping her from moving. Periodically, a wince would cross her face as he came too close to the cut and air would be sucked through her teeth. Now that her moment of admiration was past, the pain of the cuts set in and forced tears to well defiantly in the corner of her eyes. "Does it hurt much?" he asked and peered up at her. The blush didn't want to leave her cheeks and she looked down at him distantly, not able to shake her head or nod. There was something slightly erotic about it, the pain of the lesions coupled with the soft touch of his fingers on places of her skin which no one was allowed to see, much less touch. Had the monster simply been in front of her and aiming a bit higher, her wounds would have been much more embarrassing and painful. Pallas was a bit puzzled by her expression and her response, but soon began digging into a brown satchel hanging at his side. Being a swordsman, he had no magic to heal. All he had was a roll of white bandage which he was happy to offer her. "This should be good until you see someone. Once you're all patched up, Dr. Pallas can keep an eye on you." he noted with a light chuckle.
Majic, who had been discreetly helping, blinked a few times as he watched the swordsman begin to bandage the cuts. It struck him as slightly odd and he felt the sudden need to protest. "But Orphen can just use his magic to…"
With a mighty shove, Cleo sent Majic head over heels to the ground, silencing his suggestion with cruel, intent efficiency. Her eyes were hidden in her bangs, but they glowed with a fierce determination to have what she wanted. What she wanted was currently where she wanted it.
"This guy says he helps run this place and that there was nothing to warn them about this. There aren't any sorcerers in the entire town and no magic wards of any kind that he knows of." Orphen said as he came walking over with the old man.
Pallas was just standing up beside Cleo and replacing unused bandaged in his satchel. "Maybe it's something deep within one of these ruins you got here? Foul deeds never happen without a good reason." he replied.
Orphen nodded once and glanced up at one of the spires, his senses twisting inside of him. There was truth in his friend's words, but he had yet to figure out what could have caused it all. "Maybe we should look around the ruins, Pallas. There could be something very powerful here."
This brought an anger within Cleo. Once again she was being tossed aside because of a figure from the past and she wouldn't stand for being left out of this, even if she was hurt. However, the name found a stitch with the old man and he perked at hearing it. "Pallas? You mean thee Pallas? The Rune Fighter from Balloria?" he asked with excitement brimming in his voice. There was obviously no boundary to legend and a name could travel fifty miles farther than any man. With the prosperity of other towns booming because of this man, Okenforde was eager to share in such wealth.
"That's right! The same man! Protector of entire cities and saviors of small boys! This is Pallas right here." Cleo cried and took Pallas's arm once more. She was enthralled to be a part of the magic that was reputation and planned to stick near to him to spite any other who wanted to get close. Orphen rubbed his head lightly as the old man began to badger on about Pallas's name. He was slightly startled to see the look in his friend's eye. The swordsman seemed tired; weary even as he smiled at the growing attention. A crowd was drowning him but he still kept a smile and a wave.
"They seem really happy to meet Pallas, master." Majic observed as he stepped next to Orphen. Thankful townsfolk were trying to work into the circle now to get a better glimpse of the Rune Fighter. Some mumbled about the silly girl who seemed to be his woman. Others asked about him saving the magistrate's nephew from the skeletons. Above all else, the spoke of his great name.
High in one of the ancient spires was a figure who was not pleased with this. It was a great shadow, looming in the decrepit window of a once great tower. It was not human, for a pair of great wings sprouted from its back and thick horns grew from its head. It was something else, something dark and powerful. Two yellow eyes glared down at the group, most directly on the swordsman and the sorcerer. Things had not gone as planned and the reasoning was behind them both. Soon enough, all things would fall into place. That great name would fall and that sorcerer would die. Unless something managed to derail the catalyst, it was only a matter of time.