Miletus Roleplay

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Chazz recovered quickly from the fairly light hit and was able to balance himself easily. His reaction was to swiftly drive his elbow into Makari's chest.

Makari's grin only grew wider at Chazz's grumpy response. "Suuure." He was as confused as Chazz by Casimir's retort, though.

"If you say so." Azrael nodded to humour his brother and focused on his work. It was apparent even to him that the three of them were all very fond of each other, though.

"I doubt you do," Casimir replied to Chazz. There was no way an ex-rogue like Chazz, or Makari for that matter, was more concerned about bathing than he was. "But I'm not talking about bathing. I'm talking about the way you puke out of windows."

Makari had to make a conscious effort to not burst out laughing; Casimir was the only one in the room who didn't realize how much Chazz wouldn't want Azrael to hear about something like that. He made eye contact with Gabriel, an amused grin on his face.

Even Azrael had to glance in their direction after hearing that, looking slightly puzzled as he did so.

Valtteri simply raised an eyebrow at Bard's punchline. "Ha," he said dryly. The elf laughed enough for the both of them, though. He heard what Tarian said about him and shot a vicious glare at the elf. Darast then started going on his usual nonsense, but Valtteri was slightly amused when the paladin compared Tarian with him. He knew that would get under the son of a bitch's skin like nothing else. "He's right, you know. We're in the same fucking boat," he said to Tarian. "Except I didn't try to kill the people we have to travel with."

Elyse snapped back to reality when she heard Airon and Raphael questioning what she was looking at. "Oh... sorry." She shook her head and turned away from the bathroom. "I... I guess we should go join the others and get out of here..."

Chazz folded his arms and was about to assure Casimir that he bathed enough, but that argument was soon forgotten when he heard the next thing the kid said. His eye caught Azrael before he spoke, which made him even more flustered. "H-hey! What does that even have to do with anything? So maybe I did that once when I couldn't find a bucket. You completely lost it just over me opening the window, so I wouldn't even want to see how you would react to vomit on the floor."

Gabriel smiled at his brother and continued to watch the argument. Unlike Makari, he wasn't able to stop himself from laughing at what Casimir said and flashed a grin back at Makari. He was looking forward to seeing where this went.

Tarian glared at Darast and bristled when Valtteri felt the need to open his filthy mouth. "I am in no way similar to that pathetic waste of flesh." He spoke to the paladin as if the words themselves were disgusting. The look he then gave Valtteri was nothing but pure contempt. "If I must endure any more of the unending garbage that spews from that mouth of yours, I will personally ensure that nothing comes from it again." Tarian didn't completely lose his composure often, but this whole situation had pushed him to his limit.

"It... is no p-p-problem at all," Raphael replied. He was just happy that he could somehow help the elf in this situation. Elyse then seemed to be acting a bit strange, but Raphael himself had felt a bit preoccupied ever since what had happened the night before. "Yes, I... I think we should g-g-g-get going."

The group was able to round themselves up for the uncomfortable trip to their destination. Raphael was silent, both because of recent events and also from the anxiety of seeing his parents. They had expected him away longer and he didn't know how they would react. However, Raphael wanted to find out if they were involved at all in the recent attacks on the humans.

The trip felt like an eternity for Tarian. He didn't know how much longer he could stand being tied to that creature; it was completely unacceptable treatment. His family would be outraged if they saw it and he demanded to be untied the moment they reached the city. When they arrived, however, there was a completely different reason to free him. The chaos could be heard before they even reached the entrance.

Tarian rushed to the gates, where things seemed quieter than the city interior. Clashes of weapons rung through the air, as well as the cries of countless people. A family of elves came fleeing toward the exit and Tarian stepped in their way. "What has happened to the city? Tell me!"

"It's... it's the humans," the woman said, fear in her voice. "The city's forces were diverted somewhere else and the humans just forced their way in... there are too many of them."

Tarian's eyes grew wide and before he could say anything, the man spoke up, eying both Tarian and Airon. "Aren't you two... sons of the Rithil family?" Tarian nodded. The man looked solemn. "I'm so sorry... I heard that they were victims of the humans..."

"What... that is not... that cannot..." Tarian looked at the man in disbelief. As it sunk in, he started to feel sick. "No, it must be a lie... that... that cannot be true!!" Before the other elf could speak again, Tarian took off into the city.

The whole situation was a complete shock to Raphael and he barely heard anything past the word 'humans'. They wanted vengeance and they no doubt wanted to do to the elves exactly what had been done to them. He wasn't prepared to see the bloodshed. Raphael was only brought back to reality when he noticed that the daughter of the elven family had an injured leg and difficulty walking. He quickly tended to her, knowing that she would be the first of many.

Darast folded his arms and shook his head at Valtteri and Tarian. The two of them were quite the pair; tying them together was one of the best punishments anyone could have come up with, though it was punishing for anyone who had to be near them as well. He could only wonder what else Bahamut had in store for them.

Airon watched with curiosity as Elyse snapped out of her stare. He wanted to ask her what was on her mind but she and Raphael wanted to get going so he just followed them out.

The group finally got back on the road for the city. Nadina still kept her distance from the elves, but stayed somewhat near Darast and Elyse. They were the only two she could trust, after all. They were the only people she had. Darast had himself positioned so he could still keep an eye on the pair who were tied together, as awful as they were.

Bard played his lute as they travelled, trying to help the mood of the group. As miserable as Airon was, he kind of enjoyed the elf's playing, so he tried to focus on that instead of what was waiting for him at home. But as they approached the city, the lute stopped and Airon's eyes grew wide. He chased his brother to the city gates.

He couldn't believe what the man and woman were saying. The humans were retaliating, and his and Tarian's family were victims of it. He watched his brother start to break down, but Airon wasn't even sure what he felt. His parents were horrible, but they were still his parents... He stood anchored to the spot while Tarian ran into the city.

At first, Darast couldn't believe what was happening. He could hear the cries and the fighting, it was almost overwhelming. "This is wrong!" he yelled. "Vengeance ain't the answer!" He then ran into the city after Tarian.

As the elves explained the situation, Nadina felt a sense of relief. Her people were revenge for what had happened to her father. The elves were paying for what they had done. Before she knew it, she found that she was laughing. It was the best she had felt in a long time.

Bard had never heard such awful noises in all his life. Then, on top of it all, he heard the laughing. He gave Nadina a quizzical look and asked, "Why do you laugh? There is killing happening, a very bad situation."

"Why? I think you should know, you filthy elf!" she yelled in his face. "You slaughtered my father and many other humans, this is what you deserve! It is only fair!"

Bard gave her an appalled look. "I have done no killing! What do you speak of?"

"Stupid elf!" Nadina cried. She couldn't stand it anymore; she pulled out her shortspear and took a swing at Bard, who was able to step nimbly out of the way. He stared at her with huge eyes, too stunned to say anything.

Makari was amused by how flustered Chazz was getting over Casimir's remark. The guy just couldn't handle the thought of seeming anything but tough in front of Azrael. Makari remembered him being like that from a young age. Seeing little Chazz trying to act like Azrael had been adorable and it was still entertaining even now. Gabriel's laughter told him he wasn't the only one finding this funny.

"You did it at least twice," Casimir argued. His face turned a little red when Chazz brought up his reaction to the events. "I didn't completely lose it!" he insisted. "I just... I just thought you had no good reason to do it. Especially since you were hungover, so you knew you'd need a bucket."

Azrael simply raised an eyebrow as the two continued to bicker. Chazz had admitted that he and Makari had been drinking when they were traveling together, but from what he understood, Casimir hadn't been with them then.

Valtteri's only response to Tarian was an eyeroll. He would have preferred it to have been an eye gouging, but that was impossible with him being tied up. At this point, even returning to that hellish city seemed like a good alternative to spending another day with this group.

Elyse was silent for much of the trip, as her mind was elsewhere. Ezra was somewhere in that city, living as a prisoner in his own home. As the day wore on, her stomach was flooded with anxious butterflies. There was nothing she wanted more than to see him again, but she didn't know if it would even be possible.

Her attention was diverted from those thoughts as the neared the city. The sounds were all too familiar; they'd heard them recently in human territory, in the city that had been razed. It was what she'd been dreading; the humans retaliating could only mean that total war was imminent. "Dammit...!" She hurried to the gates, the sounds of violence only growing louder as she got closer to the city. The family the group spoke to confirmed her worst fears; the humans were behind the attack and on top of that, the Rithil family had been victims. Her heart sank and she swallowed hard, fighting back tears. "N-no--"

The trip had been as awful as Valtteri had been expecting it to be, but as they reached the city, he saw that things were only going to get worse. Apparently, the humans had decided to fight back. Valtteri didn't waste any time darting into the city after Tarian, though their paths soon diverged. The fighting in the streets was brutal and Valtteri was struck by the fact that these two groups senselessly killing each other because of a superficial hatred called him a monster.

He was almost dreading reaching his house; he had no idea what would have become of his family. They weren't particularly wealthy or prominent, so with any luck they would have been able to retreat largely unnoticed. However, the carnage littering the city streets suggested that few were spared.

Elyse felt like time had stopped. She was only pulled back into the immediacy of the situation when she heard Nadina yelling. She looked toward the girl just in time to see her attack Bard. "Nadina, what the hell are you doing!?" She rushed over to her, making a grab for her arm. "Stop!"

"You thought I had no reason to do it? Yeah, right!" Chazz wasn't exactly proud of getting hungover and puking out the window, but Casimir letting everyone know that it was a recurring issue was making him quite embarrassed. He then remembered that he was supposed to be making stuffing for the turkey, so stopping was probably holding up progress. "What about the bad people I was going to let in by opening the window, huh? I'm pretty sure that was your concern, whether we were on the ground floor or not." Chazz then continued preparing the dressing, knowing that he would be the mature one if he kept working while Casimir continued to whine.

Gabriel managed to quiet down his laughter and looked to his brother. "Just too cute, isn't it?" He knew Makari thought so; he had always thought Chazz was cute from day one. Gabriel couldn't really blame him after seeing the way Chazz had looked after him back then.

The group was able to pull together and continue to work away on the meal. The smell wafting from the cooking turkey gave them even more incentive, as neither Chazz nor Gabriel could remember the last time they had a big turkey dinner.

As things were wrapping up, Chazz brought some forks and napkins to Casimir. "All right, take these and get the table set up," he instructed. "You shouldn't be able to find a way to mess it up."

Gabriel got the plates out, unable to stop smiling. Just working together as a group to make the meal had been fun and he was so happy to finally be spending a peaceful day with everyone where nobody had to stay in bed to recover from their wounds. "Makari! Let's go put these glasses out! Oh, is there one here that used to be yours?"

Tarian didn't even hear Darast as he headed straight for the mansion. He was too focused on his destination to realize the danger he was putting himself in by charging into the heart of the chaos. The mansion came into view, but before he could get any closer, one of his family's guards stopped him. The other elf was immensely relieved to see Tarian alive and tried immediately to escort him to safety.

"What are you doing? I must go to the mansion! I demand to see my parents!" Tarian insisted.

The guard's face fell and he looked to the ground. "I... I am truly sorry... I failed. The humans forced their way in and by the time we reached your parents it was too late... they had passed away. Please, I must at least save you-"

Hearing the news from someone who had actually been in the mansion was much more convincing and Tarian felt like he had just been punched in the chest. He was speechless for a moment before his anger and grief came even more strongly than before. "How... how could you?! You are even worse than worthless!!" Tarian gave the man a hard shove. The guard tried to reach out to him, but Tarian slapped his hand away. "You filth!" With that, he took off running into the city again, this time with no goal in mind. He couldn't imagine never seeing his parents again and he suddenly felt lost and alone. His life could never be the same and for the first time, his future seemed uncertain.

Tarian ran until he needed to stop and catch his breath. He had reached a less rich part of the city and it appeared that the humans had already done their work there, so it was a fairly safe place to stop. Drawing in quivering breaths, he scanned his surroundings and saw that he had managed to find the last pathetic excuse for a person that he ever wanted to see. Tarian narrowed his eyes at Valtteri, who was fairly close by. "You-" There was nothing left of Tarian's usual composure. "Disgusting... disgusting! A monster like you is allowed to live on while these people are slaughtered ... it makes me sick!!"

The elven family who had met the group at the gates was quick to leave after Raphael was finished healing. They hadn't even noticed the humans that had come with them and one of them was getting violent.

Raphael was completely overwhelmed. Now there was even fighting taking place within the group, while some of the others had disappeared. Thankfully Bard seemed unharmed from Nadina's attack and Elyse could probably handle her, but Raphael was worried about what else Nadina would do. "Um... p-p-perhaps we.... perhaps we should... g-give her some space... goddammit!" He sighed; this was hardly the time to be swearing. Raphael then noticed Airon just sort of standing there. "Airon?" The other elf didn't seem to be doing too well, which was understandable after what he had just heard. "Airon, um... I... I... I am s-s-sorry to hear... to... sorry to hear... um... I'm sorry..."

Darast tried to chase after Tarian in the city, but soon lost him in the chaos. Obviously Tarian knew his way around the city and Darast didn't, so Darast ended up not knowing where he was and stuck in the middle of the fighting. An elf tried to attack him out of fear that he would attack first, and after he blocked it some humans showed up. The humans went after the elf and ganged up on him.

“Stop! Stop it!” Darast yelled. “This fightin' ain't helpin' anythin'!”

The humans gave him a quizzical look. “What's wrong with you?” one of them asked. “The elves attacked first. Aren't you mad about it?” Another one replied, “Forget about him and focus on the enemy!” They then started to attack the elf with their weapons.

Darast clenched his teeth with anger and ran into the fray. He positioned himself between the elf and the humans and started deflecting their attacks with his shield. The humans soon became disgruntled and decided it wasn't worth the trouble to get just one elf. Darast watched them go, then turned to face the elf.

“Th-thank you for saving me,” the elf said. He had blood running down the side of his face from a cut on his temple. “I thought I was going to die... You're a strange human.”

“No one kills anyone on my watch. Don't matter what race ya are,” Darast replied.

Nadina was about to take another swing at Bard when she felt someone grab her arm. She whirled around and saw that it was Elyse. “I cannot stand him playing ignorant about what he has done!” she yelled angrily. “He must pay as all the other filth in this city has!”

Bard shook his head. “I am serious! I know nothing about what you are speaking of! You are acting like a brat!”

Nadina struggled against Elyse furiously. “I will have your head on a spike for that!” Yuki approached Bard and growled at him, looking like he might attack. Bard backed off a bit and placed his hand on the hilt of his short sword just in case.

Airon could hear the commotion happening behind him, but he didn't care. He continued to stare into the city, trying to understand what was going on. He heard Raphael speak to him, but it took a moment to register. “Yeah... Thanks Raphie. I guess you won't be helping me talk to them, huh?” He tried to say more but it got caught in his throat as tears welled in his eyes. “Th-they were... horrible, but they were still... my parents...”

He looked away from Raphael so that the other elf couldn't see that he was crying. “But, what about your parents? Are you... worried about them?”

Casimir's face turned a deeper shade of red as Chazz kept talking, bringing up the initial reason Casimir had gotten upset about him opening the window. "J-just shut up." He looked away from Chazz and focused more intently on what he was doing than the task called for. "What you were doing was still disgusting."

Makari shook his head, snickering as he continued to chop the vegetables. As far as he was concerned, Chazz and Casimir were all the entertainment anyone needed. It was all the more amusing knowing just how much they actually cared about each other. Makari knew that if bad people had jumped in the window, Chazz would have been quick to protect Casimir from them and if Chazz had been puking from something more serious than a hangover, Casimir would have been concerned.

Azrael raised an eyebrow at Gabriel's assessment of the situation. "Just worry about what's in front of you," he admonished Chazz and Casimir.

The group worked away making dinner preparations. The smells that permeated the air assured them that it would be worth the effort. Casimir and Makari were practically drooling and even Azrael had to admit that he was looking forward to the meal. Everyone was in good spirits, even if Chazz and Casimir were reluctant to act like it toward each other.

Casimir accepted the items Chazz handed him, sighing at the last thing he said. "What have I messed up so far?" he asked, as Chazz was making it sound like he'd done something wrong. Casimir was certain he hadn't, though, so the question was more an expression of his exasperation than anything.

When Gabriel called to Makari, the sorcerer hurried over to where his friend was to help him with the glasses. Gabriel's question gave him pause and he examined the glasses in the cupboard. He was unable to stop a soft smile from spreading across his face at the sight of the glass he'd always used when living in the house years ago. His sister had actually held onto it all this time. "Yeah... this one. Heh, it's still here." He took it out of the cupboard. It was a clear glass with a green ring painted around the rim. He took out a similar one, except this one had a blue ring. "This was the one Cas used when he was learning to drink out of a regular cup." He grinned as he started to carry the glasses to the table with Gabriel. "He liked it because it was like mine."

While the others worked on setting the table, Azrael kept an eye on the food, making sure nothing ended up overcooked.

Valtteri felt like his surroundings were a blur as he rushed to his home. From the outside, the house looked fine, but he knew that didn't mean much in this situation. He threw the door open and hurried inside. It was only a small relief to see that, to all appearances, the house had remained untouched throughout the attack. It wasn't a large house at all and it was a bit off the main path, so Valtteri wasn't surprised that no one had targeted it. The fact that there was no one inside took more of his attention; an empty house was the most inconclusive thing he could have found. He had no way of knowing if his family had managed to escape the city unscathed or if they'd been struck down in the streets. The possibilities were endless. The situation seemed so hopeless.

Valtteri looked through the house one more time, cursing under his breath all the while. Everyone's belongings were still in place, so if they'd made it out, they'd obviously had to hurry. That was the closest thing to a clue he was able to find and it frustrated him beyond belief. He left the house, slamming the door so hard the foundation rattled. He had no idea what he was supposed to do now.

The answer to that soon became clear, though. Tarian's voice was the last thing he wanted to hear in his present state of mind, but the words the elf was spewing were even worse than usual and they angered Valtteri so badly he could hardly see straight. He couldn't handle this shit on top of everything else. The only verbal response Tarian got was an animalistic growl as Valtteri lunged at him. His scythe was out in a flash and he didn't hesitate to swing it at the elf.

Elyse only tightened her grip as Nadina continued to rage against Bard, grabbing the girl's other arm as well. "He hasn't done anything!!" she yelled, unable to keep herself together for another minute. "Stop and think for a minute; you're acting just like the people that destroyed your town!"

"Well, I guess you haven't done that badly... nothing's been ruined," Chazz replied. Casimir had actually been very helpful throughout the whole process, and Chazz appreciated what he had done. His wound was still causing him some pain and splitting the work had been good for him. "You surprised me."

Gabriel watched as Makari picked out his glass, along with a matching one that belonging to Casimir. He couldn't help but think of all the good memories that must have been associated with it. "Aww... he wanted to be just like his favourite uncle Makari!" Gabriel said with a grin before placing his glasses on the table. "It must be so weird to see him all grown up all of a sudden. You're going to have a meal here with him just like old times! Except he's a little bigger now... and he knows how to drink out of a cup."

Tarian hadn't really considered or cared about what Valtteri's reaction would be, but that quickly changed when the scythe came out. His eyes widened with shock, and it was only Tarian's instincts along with Valtteri's rage-induced recklessness that allowed him to narrowly avoid the potentially devastating attack. His heart raced as he tried to think of how to save himself from this monster, but he was suddenly stricken by an intense fear. There was nowhere he could go, nobody to have Valtteri locked up for what he was doing, and not even a single witness around to stop him. Tarian was truly alone. Despite his fear, he steeled himself and drew his short sword. It was kill or be killed and he wasn't about to fall to Valtteri, not then or ever. Tarian charged at the tiefling, prepared to stop him for once and for all.

WOOO!!:

It was clear that Tarian was losing steam. His sword grazed Valtteri's side. The wound was bleeding a little bit, but compared to what Valtteri had already endured, it didn't really register. Even the more severe injuries seemed inconsequential at the moment. Valtteri was too adrenalized to give in to pain or exhaustion. The look in his eyes was that of a wolf about to rip into its prey as he grabbed the fatigued elf by the neck, squeezing until Tarian was breathless and then slamming him against the ground like a ragdoll.

He stood over Tarian, taking a moment to catch his breath before lifting his scythe high. The elf was already bleeding from various wounds, but that didn't matter. Valtteri intended to give him a more painful death than any of the scum littering the city streets had endured.

In his mind's eye, he saw a child being pelted with rocks by his peers, being taunted with vicious slurs, being on the receiving end of so much unjustified hatred. His lips curled into a smile; that was over now. He was no longer helpless in the face of that abuse. For once, Tarian would know exactly how it felt to suffer. The scythe came down in a decisive motion, easily breaking Tarian's skin. Valtteri continued to hack away at him like a crazed butcher. He didn't plan on stopping until the bastard was in pieces.

Tarian looked up just in time for Valtteri's hand to close around his throat. Sheer panic filled him as it felt as if his neck would be crushed, and he initially flailed about in an attempt to get free. However, the lack of oxygen only weakened him and by the time Valtteri let go, he was lightheaded and limp. Tarian winced as his bloody, wounded body struck the ground, but he was grateful for the relief of both being able to breathe again and allowing his muscles to rest. He gasped desperately for air, in no condition to even try to stand.

As Valtteri prepared to attack, Tarian looked up at his smile with frightened, wide eyes. He was at Valtteri's mercy, and at this point he could only hope his throat would be slit or his heart stabbed as quickly as possible. As the scythe came down, Tarian squeezed his eyes shut, the rest of his body unable to move. There was nothing else he could do. He briefly imagined his parents, and wondered if he would get to see them.

Valtteri went into a frenzy. As the scythe tore into Tarian over and over, his screams became progressively more anguished and desperate. They were mostly unintelligible initially, but they soon changed to shrieking plights for death as the pain became far too much to bear. Tarian's eyes occasionally opened, but he couldn't take in anything around him. He didn't know what was left of his body, or if it was even there anymore; for all he knew, he could have already died. The only thing Tarian was aware of the was the intense, pulsing pain that permeated throughout his entire body and seemed like it would never end. Tears streamed down his face and mixed with splattered blood.

Tarian was in too much agony to realize what had become of his right arm. Valtteri's scythe sliced down to the bone in several places, disfiguring it and destroying the nerves it needed to function. It ended up looking less like an arm and more like a twisted, bloody mass of butchered meat.

Raphael glanced behind him toward Nadina and confirmed that Elyse could indeed handle the situation. He moved closer to Airon and put a hand on his shoulder. "Airon..." Raphael knew how the other elf felt. He had mixed feelings about his own parents as well. It was difficult to know what to say to Airon, especially since it probably wouldn't come out right anyway. Airon then asked Raphael about his own parents, and Raphael couldn't help but be concerned about them. "I... I... y-yes... I am," Raphael replied. "But I... d-d-do not th-think it is... do not think it is safe to g-go check yet... all I c-c-can do now is... is... heal the injured. Do whatever I can... to h-help."

His biggest concern was his brother, and he almost felt sick when he considered the possibilities. At least healing people would take his mind off that until he could find out something for certain. That train of thought was cut short when Raphael suddenly heard some very disturbing, bloodcurdling screams. They weren't nearby at all, and it was more how different these cries sounded in comparison to the combat sounds that caught his attention. "Do you... d-d-d-do you hear that? I m-must help these people!"

After Darast saved the elf and made sure he got to safety, he heard terrible cries coming from somewhere in the city. There was no way he could ignore it, so he followed the sound through the chaos. It soon stopped and Darast feared the worst, so he hurried around a corner, but he stopped dead at what he saw. There he saw Valtteri, his scythe raised into the air and dripping with blood, and a bloodied form on the ground.

“Stop!” Darast yelled. “Valtteri, cut it out!” He was afraid he knew who the body on the ground was before he even got close enough to tell. He walked over to them, clutching his pendant with one hand and hoping to Bahamut that he wouldn't get attacked as well. Tarian was just a mass of torn clothes and skin that was covered in blood; Darast couldn't even tell if he was alive.

He took a deep breath and bent down next to Tarian. As much as he didn't like the guy, there was no way he could leave him like this. If Tarian was to be judged, it would be in a lawful and civilized manner, not like some animal. Darast placed his hands on Tarian's shoulder and began to heal him, hoping that there was still time.

Nadina stopped struggling after Elyse grabbed her other arm. The woman had proved to be a lot stronger than her so she was just wasting energy. “I am acting like those scum who destroyed my town because they have forced me to! I will repay them with what they used against myself! It is only fair!” she yelled. She watched Yuki approach Bard and smiled. “Attack!”

Yuki lunged at Bard, but the elf had been ready for this possibility and easily deflected the wolf with his sword while sidestepping. Bard felt that maybe he should show he wasn't a pushover, so he took a swipe at Yuki, however the wolf jumped backward out of the way.

Airon could see how torn Raphael was, it seemed they both had similar feelings. Airon looked back at the confusion in the city and nodded in agreement that they shouldn't go in there. Suddenly, a horrifying scream came from somewhere in there which made Airon's skin prickle. He froze to the spot, but Raphael wanted to go in and help.

“Uh, um, you can't go in there alone!” Airon said. “I know my spells suck but I'll come too and try to help!” He and Raphael then entered the city. He made sure to stick close to the other elf so they wouldn't get separated in the mess. As they followed the direction of the screaming, Airon realized they were approaching the part of the city where Valtteri lived.

When they finally got there, Airon once again felt paralysed. “Va-Valtteri, what have you...” he squeaked when he saw the bloody body on the ground. Darast was already there trying to do some healing. Airon stepped a bit closer and saw who it was that Valtteri had attacked, and it didn't come as any surprise that it was his brother.

Airon and his brother never got along, but he was still his brother, his only family that remained at this point. He started to shake and was unable to take his eyes off his friend's scythe. “Valtteri!! Why?!” he screamed.

Chazz admitting that Casimir hadn't made a mess of things made the boy ease up. He couldn't stop a small smile from crossing his face when Chazz said that he was surprised by how well Casimir had done. Casimir knew Chazz well enough by now to know that it meant he'd done a good job. "The omelette thing was a fluke," he insisted. "I'm really not that bad in the kitchen."

Makari couldn't help but smile at what Gabriel said. He recalled little Casimir always enjoying his company. He snickered at the next thing he said. "Yeah... last time I saw him he was about here--" Makari used his free hand to indicate how small Casimir had been as a child, "and now he's taller than me." He grinned when Gabriel mentioned Casimir knowing how to use a cup. "The first time I let him try to drink out of my cup, more water ended up on the floor than in his mouth. Of course, Chazzy would say he'd expect that to happen now, wouldn't he?" He glanced over at the two.

Elyse was relieved to feel Nadina stop resisting, but she didn't ease her grip at all. Vile words continued to spill out of the girl's mouth and Elyse had heard enough. She gave the girl a shake. "Nadina! Listen to me! Not every single elf was involved in what happened to your town! Bard definitely wasn't!" Her eyes went wide when Nadina commanded the wolf to attack, but luckily Bard was able to handle himself. Elyse wished there was more she could do here; she felt completely helpless.

Tearing into Tarian over and over was cathartic for Valtteri. The years of torment people like that son of a bitch had put him through had met a decisive end. For the most part, he couldn't even bring himself to feel saddened by what had happened to the city. There were a few people, like his family, that he was concerned about, but for the most part, he felt a huge sense of relief. It was like a weight had been lifted from him. Tarian was the last of those horrible people.

Darast's voice pulled Valtteri out of his almost reverie. When the paladin told him to stop what he was doing, he paused, taking a moment to examine his handiwork. What he saw brought a serene smile to his face. Tarian was a bloody mess on the ground. Valtteri doubted he'd survive his injuries, and even if he did, he'd never fully recover from an attack like that. Darast trying to heal Tarian didn't bother Valtteri, really; the damage he'd inflicted was too severe for a paladin's healing to be able to do much. He slung his bloody scythe over his shoulder and wordlessly stepped aside.

Airon's scream cut through him and it was the only thing that managed to penetrate his calm at all. Airon's reaction wasn't something he'd even considered; the only thing he'd been able to think about was finally striking Tarian down. Even after seeing how horrified Airon was, Valtteri didn't regret what he'd done; he just wished that Airon hadn't had to see it. "...he started it. I finished it." Valtteri's own wounds were evidence that there had been a fight between the two, but there was nothing to serve as an explanation for the rampage that followed.

"I wouldn't go that far." Casimir had been helpful, but Chazz hadn't let him cook for a reason. Just thinking about the omelette still caused his stomach to turn sometimes. "I could never forget how just how repulsive that omelette was... something like that isn't a fluke. You were either purposely trying to kill us, or you are that bad."

Gabriel couldn't help but smile widely when Makari was showing him how small Casimir was. "Aww... he must have been just adorable!" He had to giggle at the next thing his friend said. "Yup, he would... he treats Cas like a little kid! Or maybe more like a kid brother! Oh look, there they go again..." Gabriel could hear the two bickering before he even looked. "But not for much longer, since the food looks like it's done! Though if anyone could ignore such good food to argue, it would be them."

Raphael thanked Airon for offering to help as they moved into the city. They would probably have to stay out of the heart of the town to ensure their safety, but unfortunately that was probably where there were the most victims in need of help. Thankfully, the screaming they had heard seemed to be taking them to an area outside of the chaos.

When they arrived on the scene, Raphael stopped dead in his tracks. "N-no..." He was barely able to speak. Valtteri had completely mutilated someone; Raphael didn't know if he had ever seen so much blood. Equally disturbing was the expression of joy on Valtteri's face. Raphael was afraid to even get near him, but he didn't seem to be doing anything to Darast. Either way, he couldn't stand by while someone was dying and the paladin definitely needed help.

Raphael rushed to the body, identifying who it was fairly quickly. It wasn't exactly surprising that Tarian had gotten himself in that kind of trouble, and everyone had seen how violent Valtteri could get. He was regretting deciding to let Airon come along. Kneeling next to Darast, Raphael conjured his strongest healing spell. He was afraid he was already too late. "Darast... w-w-what happened?" he managed to ask.

Tarian was barely conscious. He was aware that there were sounds around him but he couldn't identify what they were. Every part of his body seemed to be in pain, and that was all he could feel as the world seemed to fade around him. Tarian was too weak to try to even move; it felt as if he had been paralyzed.

"But what is to stop him from attempting to kill me in my sleep, like what happened to Darast?! How can any of them be trusted?! They killed my father in cold blood and wanted to take my cousin too!" Nadina exclaimed. She glared at Bard, who was still watching Yuki. He then looked over at her and inexplicably grinned. He put away his sword and started to walk towards her and Elyse.

"Perhaps you would like this?" he asked as he reached behind his back and pulled out a blue flower. A bit of Prestidigitation always helped lighten the mood. He could feel Yuki snapping at his heels, but he continued toward Nadina and put the flower in her hair. "It suits you!" The stunned look on the girl's face made him grin even wider.

Airon knew his friend was violent, but he never dreamed he'd be capable of something like that. It was beyond comprehension. His legs shook so hard he fell to the ground. He stared at Valtteri, as if an answer that made sense would magically appear if he looked hard enough. Airon suddenly felt very alone.

Darast was relieved when Raphael appeared next to him. He knew he couldn't keep his healing power up much longer and it clearly wasn't going to be enough. Darast shook his head and replied, "I dunno, when I got here he was already like this." He then sat back and let Raphael take over. He took his bloody gloves off and left them on the ground, there was no saving them at this point. "Is there anythin' else I can do ta help?"

Azrael had determined that the food was done, so he started preparing it to be served.

Casimir scowled. His omelette had left too much of an impression on Chazz. "If I was always that bad, I wouldn't be alive," he pointed out. "I was mostly just distracted by the audience... and it wasn't like I chose to make it in the first place." It was strange to think about how much he'd disliked Makari when he first met the man; he would have never expected that Makari was his uncle. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything he could say about Chazz's omelette in response; it had been pretty much perfect.

Makari's grin only got wider as he heard Casimir and Chazz start bickering again. He heard the word 'omelette' and snickered; Chazz would never let that go. "You're right about that... if I didn't know any better, I'd swear that they actually were brothers." Gabriel then mentioned that the food was done and Makari looked over in that direction. Sure enough, everything looked ready. "Sweet, this is gonna be great." He looked over to Chazz and Cas. "I don't wanna interrupt your guys' little lovefest, but I think it's just about time to eat."

"'They' didn't do anything to Darast! Tarian did, and he did it alone!" She didn't even know why she was bothering to try to get through to Nadina at this point; the girl was almost on Tarian's level. At that point, Bard approached and offered Nadina a flower. He was apparently trying to lighten the mood, but Elyse kind of felt like it was a lost cause at this point. She looked into the city, wishing she knew what had happened to Ezra.

Valtteri could tell that Airon was horrified and devastated by what he'd done. He hadn't wanted to hurt his friend and for that, he was sorry. "I'm sorry you had to see that." He didn't know what else to say; he wasn't sorry for what he'd done to Tarian and he couldn't even pretend that he was. He'd given the guy exactly what he'd been begging for the whole time--a monster.

Chazz supposed Casimir had been forced into the situation, but it wasn't much of an excuse. He rolled his eyes and was about to point out that everyone had that disadvantage when Makari addressed them.

"All ri- wait, what?" He didn't need to ask, the mischievous look on his friend's face told him everything. "You're not interrupting anything! I was just about to set the table." In an attempt to prove that, Chazz took the napkins and forks he had entrusted to Casimir and went off to the table.

Gabriel had to bite his lip to keep himself from grinning too much. Makari really knew how to get Chazz riled up better than anyone else.

It wasn't long before everyone had filled their plates and were taking their places at the table. Chazz was grateful to sit down; the more time he spent on his feet, the more his wound ached. He glanced down at his plate, waiting somewhat impatiently for everyone to be ready. It had been hard enough to resist sneaking some turkey during the preparation. Chazz knew the meal would be good enough to make him forget about the pain in his stomach.

After loading his plate with turkey, Gabriel went to the table with a wide smile on his face. Once he had taken a seat, he picked up his fork. "C'mon everyone! Time to eat!" Without another moment of hesitation, he dug in.

"All right then..." Chazz didn't think he had ever seen Gabriel so enthusiastic about a meal. He looked at the other three. "Well, let's eat."

Raphael pushed himself and his magic as hard as he could, knowing that saving Tarian meant pulling him back from the brink of death at this point. He found he had to pause to take a short breath. Darast was asking him for ways to help.

"Um, w-well... we must, we must s-s-s-stop... s-stop the... the..." Raphael was trying to say they needed to stop the bleeding before anything else, but he didn't know where to tell Darast to begin. Blood seemed to be coming from everywhere on the elf's body. Raphael had never felt so helpless in a medical situation before. He had also never been fond of Tarian, but he still couldn't allow him to die, not like this. Having been granted the power to heal, it was up to Raphael to save him. "Uh... u-um... b-b-bandages! Can you... y-you should... goddamn asshole! Er..." He paused and took a calming breath before trying again. "Wrap up the... the... try to wrap up the worst ones." He went back to his magic. "We can... at least try..."

Meanwhile, near the city entrance, a rather proud looking group of humans emerged from a side street. They seemed to be sneaking around, and immediately turned in the opposite direction of the exit when they noticed people standing by it, murmuring amongst themselves. Near the back, one human was closely following the single elf of the group, a man with red hair. Between them the blade of a short sword gleamed, its tip dangerously close to the elf's back.