Seeds of Disillusion

Corvinus met Alta's gaze, locking his blue eyes on his hazel. It was only when he offered him the scroll that he broke contact, eyeing the broken seal. After a brief moment, he reached out and took the scroll in hand, sliding it inside his jerkin out of sight. "You delude yourself Alta if you think this plan of yours is foolproof." Corvinus said in a matter-of-fact tone, making eye contact once more "No matter what you do, you will cause an international incident. The Cathedral will not just stand by when they hear the high priest has been killed."

"All you are doing, is depriving the King a hostage to bargain with." The mage added, unfolding his cloak and placing it around his shoulders before fastening it in place with his brooch "I will wait nearby the princess to ensure that she is safe and that William comes out of this tournament, and fight, unharmed."

"Yet unlike you, I will not hide from what is to come. I will face the King's Justice and if I am allowed, I will remain to help the populace through the war to come." He continued, gathering up his staff and pulling his hood up over his head. Before he took his lead, he stopped next to Alta and leant in a little closer to whisper in his ear. "We must be better." With that he took his leave, leaving the small bar and heading out onto the street. Resting against the side of the tavern for William to leave so that he could have a word, Corvinus rested his back against the brick and looked up at the sky. Night had truly crept in now, the stars shining from above almost reflecting the various bonfires lit across the city. As he watched the smoke rise into the night sky, throwing up fading embers, Corvinus mind imagined the carnage that would follow. Wether the high priest would survive or not, war with the Cathedral would still be costly. With their armies and their funds, they could start a near unending war.

'Is this the right thing to do?' Corvinus thought to himself, doubt starting to creep into his mind before he cast it aside. Without him and William, even the assassination of the priest wouldn't stop his knights reaching the royal family. It was the right thing to do, even if they would be embroiled in the plot. Yet he refused to die here, his work was incomplete. Raising a hand up, he reached from the brooch around his neck, running his finger over the engraving.

William listened to both Corvinus and Alta talk. The noble Corvinus was quite the humanitarian, William could respect that despite the circumstances. William felt quite inspired by his little speech, the world needed more good people and Corvinus was one those good people should aspire too. It really should be something William should try and be like a but honestly where's the fun in that.

Then Willam listens to Alta, "Like I said, while I wouldn't mind rocking a few skulls of those pretty boys playing knights, they'd throw me out faster than I could give an explanation to my face." Half of being a knight wasn't the chivalry, it wasn't the skills, no these bastards cared more for looks than actual usefulness which made it a problem for william. "I'll gladly secure an exit and people's safety when things go tits up. It wouldn't be the first time anyways." Willam said with a smile. That followed with his invigorating speech for defending the city and it's people filled him with a little hope.

With that Corvinus and Alta tool their individual leaves. William got up to take his own leave when he looked back at the table. Who would have thought the decision to save Telarin was made at an inn that most people wouldn't describe as professional. William headed outside and was ready to go forth to the games when he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Corvinus giving him a nod to follow him, he must have wanted to say something. William replied, "Alright but I'll be honest with ya. The last time I followed a strange man down an alleyway with a stick I couldn't sit right for a couple of days."

William noted to Corvinus's response to not want to hear the story. Noble's, wouldn't know humor if it bit them. Corvinus then went off to point out the amount of knights in the city as it, if William didn't know any better he'd say it would have been a small invasion as is, and Alta wants them to fight the cathedral knights? Yeah really good plan. It was then that time He and Corvinus were to separate. He would go to the noble's and try and get near the princess and Willam would go sit with the other trash. "Worry not Corvinus, when the time comes I'll come get you with or without help from the guards." William said as he nodded him farewell. As William walked away he spoke under his breath, "Yeah that's fine, why would I want to be a guest and eat an actually decent meal for once in my life, I wouldn't want to eat at some… stupid… banquet, by god I'm hungry" He quickly ran to a vendor. "My dear lady, how much for some dried venison?" All that time celebrating, dancing, drinking, really made an appetite.

After a while William sat amongst the crowd watching some knight get some practice sparring in before the matches were to begin. He had a minute to think for himself, no Alta nor Corvinus. 'is it really a good idea William? The cathedral, as cruel as they are, are still one of your biggest employers. They pay on time and sometimes extra. You can't let any of the cathedral knights see your face. Even better you could just leave right now and they would never find you, hell you'd be a hero to the cathedral if you stopped this and you wanted to be a proper.cathedral knight since you were a lad and yet… Alta did say the rewards were vast, especially for helping a whole kingdom, that's a lot of change. And the notoriety, you could ride savior of Telarin for years, it would be nothing but gold and banquets… and proper noble women not drunk desperate wenches from an inn… I got it when this is said and done Alta either pays up or you drag him right to the cathedral by his ears… I hope Mildred, Bosco, and Arrow are out of this damn city. They wouldn't normally spend this much time here especially Mildred.' he kept thinking to himself completely stuck in his own world of thoughts.

"Come. Let me introduce you before the tournament begins." Tyrwell said, patting him on the back before bringing Corvinus towards a group of nobles hovering around a long table. The table was laden with fine red silk, weaves of gold threaded into an ornate design around the outside. On top was all the finest food one could imagine, slow roasted whole hog surrounded by vegetables, whole plates of exotic fruit as well as a selection of cakes and desserts. Servants made their way through the crowd, offering only the finest wine to the nobility, none of the pints of ale that the common folk would drink. "Lords, ladies. Allow me to introduce Corvinus. This is the man who healed my injured knee."

"An extraordinary healer indeed, at least now we won't have to hear you dragging yourself around court." One of the other nobles jested, his voice high and haughty. Corvinus bowed his head again, making sure to stand in such a way that he never lost sight of the priest and his men. "Still, shouldn't a commoner be with their own kind? Bad enough that we have to deal with the Cathedral's men, let alone lesser priests."

Lord Tyrwell explained his noble birth and how he had managed to avoid taking his holy vows, earning him many questions from the nobles on why he turned his back on his House as well as his training as a priest. Corvinus gave them vague answers and playfully suggested that the modest life of a priest just wasn't for him, before the conversation turned towards politics. Standing off to the side, his attention switched between making sure the royal family was safe, and answering questions from the nobles. Under a small marquee emblazoned with the sigil of Telarin, sat the King on his throne, flanked at either side by two royal guardsmen. Another two defended the steps leading up to the throne, but four guards could hardly hold off the Cathedral knights. The only saving grace they had is that the Princess had not taken her place at her fathers side, on a smaller throne than his Majesty's, which meant the High Priest would not be making his move anytime soon.

Soon a portly man approached the front of the platform, the chatter of the nobles dying down as he did. Dressed in theatrical garments, the buttons on the front of his jacket looked fit to burst. Clearing his throat, the whole arena erupted with excitement, the sound droning together like thousands of bees. As the common folk rose to their feet, Corvinus lost sight of William in the crowd, and while the rest of the nobility moved forward to get a better view and look down into the fighting pit, Corvinus noticed that the Cathedral's men seem mostly uninterested in the fight, as so he stood back out of the way, not far from the dais should he need to intervene. With one raised hand, the man quieted the crowd who slowly died down. "People of Telarin, distinguished guests, it is my honour to welcome you, to this great tournament!"

His voice was booming, carrying across the sands and he held the people's excitement with his words. As he finished his opening statement, the crowd erupted again, and to the side Corvinus noticed as the princess made her way in through the back of the marquee, taking her place next to her father and sharing a soft word with him. Dressed in a gown of white, with shimmering pearls laced along her dress, the princess' features were soft and angelic, bearing the beauty of her youth. Her hair was that of a silver waterfall, long and flowing with braids and with soft grey eyes to match."Before we welcome the brave souls who seek to do battle for glory, we must give our thanks to our great King Elric, who without we would not be gathered here today." The announcer continued, pausing for the people to give their adorations to their king. Rising to his feet, Elric raised his hand to wave to the people. "We must also show our love to the Princess Isabelle, the beautiful Daughter of Telarin!" The crowds roars continued, some stamping their feet to add to the din. The princess rose to her feet in front of the adoring crowds, her hands clasped at her waist as he gave a short bow, before being seated once again. The announcer held his hand up once again to quiet the crowd.

"Yet we have all waited long enough I think! The night is young, and we have many jousts and tilts for you to enjoy. But first, the highlight of the evening, the Grand Melee! Help me welcome, our skilled warriors!" He shouted, his hand moving with with flourish towards the portcullis where the warriors awaited. It raised slowly, allowing the first knights to walk out onto the sands of the pit. Each were armed with a variety of weapons, and clad in their finest armour. There was easily over fifty men, who marched out in pairs before each line separated to slowly form a full circle. Corvinus could not see fully where Alta might be, but he was sure to be amoungst the group. What did catch his eye was one of the Cathedral knights. Standing a full head taller than any other, he was a brute of a man. His face was hidden behind a great helm with wings coming from the side and folding back, while the rest of him was covered in full plate armour. His pauldrons born a motif of flame, and a tabard of gold with a burning red sun in the middle. Lord Tyrwell spotted Corvinus eyeing the man, leaning in close. "His name is Acresius, greatest champion of the Cathedral. Has never lost a tournament, nor a duel. Some of the faithful know him as the Divine Blade." If the man was worried about the upcoming fight, he didn't look it. Standing tall and proud, the tip of his greatsword was buried into the ground, Acresius resting his arm along the crossguard.

"Without further ado, begin! Show the adoring crowds your martial prowess!"

The atmosphere in the arena was electrifying, the crowds cheers and boos dictated by the preformance of the fighters. Each seemed to have their own style, some using a more practical stance while others added more flair into their movements, drawing the admiration of the crowd with every spin and whirl. Even the nobles joined with the mob, cheering on their champions while in the stands below the bookmakers took in the final bets before bringing it all to a halt. Alta had managed to despatch of his opponent quite readily, but Acresius had stolen victory, hitting the mam with such force that he was sure to have, at the very least, smashed every rib the man had in his body. Out of the corner of his eye, Corvinus could see the high priest watching on with his lip curled up slightly into a sneering grin. Reaching out with an empty goblet, he had a servant refill his wine as he continued to watch the fight.

With Lord Tyrwell cheering on his two sons, both tall and lean with their backs to one another, watching the others's flak as they duelled with their own opponents, Corvinus moved back slightly out of the crowd of nobles and next to the dais. His movement mirrored High Priest Sirel, who after a brief word with his knights, made his way to the foot of the dais to converse with the king. "Your Grace. I must thank you for the invitation to this marvellous event." Sirel said politely, his voice haughty and filled with pride, although he did not bow before the monarch "And to you princess Isabelle. May I wish you many happy namedays to come."

"The honour is mine, Lord Sirel. I hope the capital is to your liking." Elric said in kind, but while his words were warm, his expression wasn't. Still, Sirel smiled up as him, rotating his hand ever so softly so that the wine curled up around the edges of the goblet and sat painfully close to the rim, but still it did not spill. "I was wondering if you had given thought to the letter I sent you." The priest replied. Isabelle turned to look at her father, who never broke eye contact with the man in front of him. By now the rest of the priest's guards had dispersed and we placed strategically around the platform. Several waited near the entrance to cut off reinforcements, two accompanied the priest to the dais and the others stood just out of eyesight of the two guards placed at the base of the dais. "I have indeed." Elric said, drumming his fingers on the edge of his throne "However this is neither the time, nor the place. I'd be more than happy to speak with you in private after the feast tonight." The King was tactfully attempting to delay, but even Corvinus was hanging off his words to gauge how Elric thought. The high priest however, wasn't satisfied with the answer, "Come now your Grace. The Pontiff has been waiting several months for a response. Surely you wouldn't keep his Holiness waiting any longer?".

The King smirked, rising to his feet. Dressed in fine silk with a heavy leather jerkin sporting the royal coat of arms. At his waist sat a fine longsword, its crossguard golden with fine red leather bindings along its grip. "Surely his Holiness will not mind waiting just one more night." The King replied "Enjoy the tournament, I'm sure the Cathedral's knights will put on a good show and you are all welcome to join us tonight at-"

"His Holiness may not mind, but I do. You'll have to forgive me Elric but the stench of some of those you have allowed in your city somewhat lessen its appeal." Sirel said through his false smile, wiping away the King's polite overtures. While Elric's smile faded, the princess seemed extremely worried, her gaze moving back between her father and the priest. Unlike Corvinus, she clearly had not identified just how much hostility was being exchanged through these brief lines of dialogue. "I have been sent by the Pontiff to secure your allegiance and have no intention to stay any longer than I have to. So I'm afraid I must insist."

The guards now were alert, sweeping their cloaks out of the way and resting their hands on their blades. In response the Cathedral knights did the same, resting the palm of their hand on their pommel. By now some of the nobles has taken note, including Lord Tyrwell, drawing their attention away from the fight and towards towards argument. Tyrwell made a step forward as if to interfere but Corvinus raised a hand to stop him. "Very well. You'll have to pass my condolences along to his Holiness, but I cannot in good conscious agree to what he seeks." Elric said defiantly, looking down towards the high priest. There was a moments pause, before he replied. "I see. That is a shame." Sirel said, his voice barely more than a whisper. Raising his goblet into the air, he gave a wide, knowing smile "Then allow me to toast to your good health, and take my leave."

Turning the goblet upside down, he let the wine pour out onto the carpet slowly and purposefully.

Almost immediately as the wine touched the floor, all hell broke loose. With one clean motion, the knights near the nobles drew their swords, cutting down the nearest man with a single blow. Shouts and screams filled the air, unarmed lords and ladies tripping over themselves while they fled, while others drew their short sword and daggers to fend off the assailants. Some nobles even turned on their comrades, helping the knights as they showed their true colours. Corvinus could spot Lord Tyrwell holding off a man nearly half his age, moving in between the knights and those fleeing. The King's guards drew weapons, their cloaks cast away in the motion and moved to strike Sirel, but from behind the two other Cathedral knights rammed their swords through their backs, killing them instantly.

As the two knights flanking the priest moved towards the royal family, Corvinus hoisted himself up onto the dais to place himself firmly between them. One knight swung his longsword, hoping to cut him in two, but Corvinus merely batted the blow away before striking him on the helmet with the blunt end of his staff, disorienting him and causing him to fall backwards, tripping down the stairs. The other was armed with a much longer greatsword, and with a grunt of effort, swung it horizontally at Corvinus's midriff. Rather than move away, the mage moved in towards the blow and launched off his feet, twisting his body over the blade in which the knight didn't have time to adjust his strike, and landing safely on the other side. When the knight turned to strike again, Corvinus jammed his staff into his arm to stop his momentum, before rapidly sweeping his feet away from under him, sending him back down to the base to join the priest and his friend. "Enough! He's just one man, deal with him!" The priest shouted impatiently.

Turning to King Elric and the princess, the former at the ready with his blade, Corvinus tossed her the scroll he had hidden in his cloak, "Go when the path opens" he called before turning back to face the knights. Alta would have to clear a path for them to escape while William came to his aid. All he had to do was survive the knights pushing in on him to buy him the time. The two knights on the fringes joined their comrades, eager to push through and get to the real prize, the royals. They moved at once, Corvinus struggling to dodge the blow before they began a swift and deadly dance. Corvinus dodged between the strikes, moving fluidly to try and keep as many of them in his sights as he could, parrying some blows in order to use their own blade to block another strike. No defence was ever to last however, and when Corvinus held his staff aloft to catch two overhead strikes at once, one of the other knights drove for his opened torso. Dodging out of the way too late, Corvinus felt the steel bite into his flesh, tearing through cloth and skin alike as he cut from his waist to across his chest. Falling back in pain, he knelt on the ground panting, using his free hand to touch his open wound, blood seeping through his cloak.

"Be done with this farce." Sirel ordered, and looking up slightly Corvinus could see the armoured boots of one of the knights approaching him. With no real options left, Corvinus channeled his magic, letting the power of the storm fill his body. Looking up at the knight, his pupils filled with an electric blue, the knight realised he was in trouble "Hes a mag-!"

Slamming his staff onto the ground, there was a loading cracking sound as lightning filled the sky. Streaking across, it hit the staff like a lightning rod, the energy building up for a moment before blasting back the five men in from of him. The high priest let out a small sound of surprise as the energy threw them down from the viewing gallery and into the arena itself. They would still be alive and well, if only a little shook up. Looking around him the fight seemed to be going fairly well. Alot of agitators in the crowd had kick and stomped the Cathedral supporters, while the guards tried to open the path out, smashing against the Cathedral knights blocking the way who simply held their ground and hid behind their shields. The king and princess had used the chance to join the others nobles, the princess sheltered by those unarmed while Elric joined Lord Tyrwell against his opponent. Bleeding out on the carpet, Corvinus began to channel healing magic, running his hand down his open wound to try and stem the blood loss. He muttered the words through tightened jaw, repeating it over and over as he felt the magic working on himself.

Alta hadn't felt this much of a rush since he was a soldier. He felt so... alive. He and the two men had been joined by a few others, and fought against the Cathedral's lap dogs brutally. The ground around them was mixes of browns and reds. butchered body and limb lay strewn about. Some enemies with grave injuries screamed for their god to save them, others cried quietly as their life drained from them. The crowd around them was utter chaos. People tore each other apart, and it was too hard to discern friend from foe in the mass of civilians as it ebbed and flowed. It wasn't until the sky ripped open in majestic blues and whites, and injured men along with charred and broken corpses were thrown from the royal seating that Alta began to worry about his true purpose. He stared blankly at the garments of the High Priest, black streaks marking both his robes and his flesh, his breath was slow and staggered. With a tsk, he shook his head, there are greater worries than bloodlust, he thought to himself before he looked to his temporary comrades, "We must go to the king! The zealots aim to destroy the royal bloodline!" It only took a simple nod from each of them to understand that whatever happened now, they were all for it. The few Cathedral knights that stood to fight were easy to finish off as Alta led the ragtag band of resistors as they rushed toward the portcullis- the only exit available to them. The gate sat almost completely open, and upon navigating the bowels of the arena to go to the seating areas, the raider's eyes fell upon an old man, slain upon the gate's levers. A quick and quiet prayed to him as they sprinted up and up, each man's breath heavy from lack of stamina. When they broke through to the stands and began moving toward the royal seating, however, the adrenaline that forced itself through Alta's body reinvigorated him as he observed Corvinus, injured and on his knees. He spotted William as well, getting ready for the fight of his life. With a flourish and raise of his blade, a charge was led, "FOR THE KING! DOWN WITH THE ZEALOTS!"

The scene was unbalanced, but the arrival of reinforcements made the playing field even. The king stood away, his sword drawn, protecting his daughter. She watched on in horror, but even behind the confusion and fear in her eyes, she looked at the raider with recognition. As he fought to get to his friends, he stepped over body after body, a knight here, a noble there. He felt as if he were wading through waist-high waters, and the limited space made his footwork sloppy. A slight trip over the loose robes of a fallen noble was met with a slash, and Alta cried in pain as a deep wound opened on laterally on his forearm. Through gritted teeth and sheer force of will, he managed to reach his friends. He frowned at his wound before sheathing his sword and distancing himself from the fight a bit, ripping at the tattered cloth of his bloodied tunic and wrapping the gash haphazardly to at least limit the bleeding. His new comrades commanded the attention of the Cathedral knights, but their window of distraction was short.


A fearsome warcry erupted from the few men that followed him, and the clash that followed echoed loudly over the chaos of the battle. Alta moved through the crowd to his compatriots, instantly throwing a worried glance at Corvinus, "I did not seek for you to lose your life here. Retreat if you must, we will hold them for the time being." With a few pats to the shoulder, and a nod for a job well done, Alta stood, taking a stance next to William. "Gather Corvinus and get the royals out of here. The fact that they are even still alive in all of this is a miracle in and of itself. The knights and I will draw blood until our last breath if we must," he grimaced as he blocked a blow and his shield whined once more, a crack opening on one of the boards that formed the body of it, retaliating with thrust that pierced the assailant's coif, the sputter of his airway filling as he fell, and the cloth on his wound growing one shade of red deeper, "but the only lives that matter here is theirs. After the fighting is over, I will find you, but I would at least like to make sure you live to see the dawn. Your being here is my doing, after all!" He looked William directly in the eye, "Show the courage of a true knight- be what these cowards pretend to be!"