World Tree MUSH

    Supplies are needed, as always, and this time it's Cecil who has brought a few people off the trail to the nearby village. They don't need too much, but it's still going to take haggling... whiiiich should probably not be done by Cecil, because he's as distinctive as always, what with the spiky dark armor and brooding helm. Brood. Though he's actually in a decent mood right now.

    This is a town that has had a fair amount of contact with outsiders, too. A semi-stable Vine keeps popping up, though it isn't enough for the group to have used that for their trip. Too unpredictable. It's also a town that is far, far too close to Cecil's last known location. With a stone-lined dirt road down the middle of the village, several buildings, and even an inn to stay in, it's a fairly decent size... which is probably why the chocobo with Cecil has bags to carry any purchased supplies.

    Cecil's chocobo won't be alone in the duty of being beast of burden. Rydia's chocobo, Chocobo, is decked out with several saddlebags of his own. The green-haired girl is in the saddle, lazily guiding her avian steed along after the Dark Knight, using her knees to steer the bird as she goes over the shopping list.
    "We can probably ditch some of the winter gear now that we're off the mountain. I know we'll need something more palatable to eat than wolfos meat, too. I'm getting kind of sick of stew." She muses.

Some people may recognize the giant bird roosting on one of the town's roofs. Those who don't may be slightly alarmed by the clearly predatory bird, although the bird has enough bags and other things attached to it that make it clear the bird is not just a bird of prey. The location of the bird has little to do with the location of its owner, as Temulin has set up her yurt at the outskirts of town, and is currently in the middle of sharpening her blade. Some dead beast is attached to a spitroast next to her, and she occassionally turns it in between working that wetstone.

    Diplomacy is important! That's the main reason why Yumi is here. She's generally kind, but surprisingly good at standing her ground in a negotiation. The haggling will take a deft touch, and with Rydia there to play 'bad cop', it will be all the easier. "I can always bring some instant meals, but you don't want to eat those for every dinner." They still need something substantial, and Rydia's right - stew has gotten old.

    As they make their way into town, Yumi /does/ spot the bird on the rooftop, and her eyes go wide. "...hey, I think I recognize that bird up there. If I'm right, Temulin's here."

    Chocobos are so cute and fluffy. It's easy to forget that they have raptor-sharp beaks as well as talons that could take a man's eye out. But maybe it's not so difficult with this one, since instead of the dulcet squeak of most chocobo, this is a loud, squawking "WARK!" That's heard in the not-to-far distance. It's easy to see in the dying light -- it's a... WHITE chocobo?! Maybe not. This thing doesn't have the cute, fluffy look of a white chocobo. This thing's eyes are squinted almost closed, and the color showing through those slitted eyelids is scarlet red. And there's a chip taken out of one side of its beak.

    The beast is not alone either. It has a rider. A muscular man garbed in dark and fearsome-looking armor. Possibly even... familiar armor? The great avian beast, with its large rider, barrels for the town, though the rider turns to offer a nod of greeting to the other darkly-armored one on the outskirts of town. The rider pulls the pale bird chocobo to slow to a walk as the two enter the town proper. That helmeted head then turns in the direction of the main group, and then he makes a beeline for them, drawing himself up proudly, as if full of purpose.

    Cecil's first thing to notice is... Temulin, actually. "Definitely some exposure to offworlders, that one doesn't look native," he notes offhandedly to the others. Especially when Yumi... answers a question he was about to ask. "Temulin? Who is that?" Interest is in his voice, as she's... well, his student, after a fashion.

    But something else is also happening. An albino chocobo? And armor like that? Cecil doesn't seem alarmed by this, but there's some definite uncertain curiosity in his voice. A hand rises, "Sir Ritter! Is that you?" Though he also asides to Rydia and the others, "That looks like a knight of Baron I have passingly met. What is he doing out here, I wonder?"

    He's not exactly making himself hard to find, is he?

    Not even the remotely paranoid sort, Terra's just quiet. Her presence just kind of small as she lingers near the back of the group. Quiet and instinctively observant. Her eyes are drawn to the bird of course though she certainly doesn't know the owner. Still, birds and wildlife are neat and she steers her own bird a bit to one side to get a better look.

    Then someone else's approach is noted. First the unusual white chocobo, then the dark armor that resembles Cecil. She sees no need to be fearful or wary; afterall that kind of thing doesn't set her on edge. She just guides her mount ever so slightly closer to Rydia. It's an improvement over how timid she normally seems, perhaps, but she still doesn't say anything. Her expression doesn't reveal much beyond a note of curiosity. 

    Everything's good, right? Right?

    "She's a swordswoman," Yumi replies. "Ran into her offworld once, then she ended up visiting /my/ worl-" Yumi stops, because there's an albino chocobo approaching, and it's... someone Cecil knows? That's interesting. The redhead watches his approach carefully, curious about any knightly acquaintance of Cecil's - and can't help but notice he's coing towards them like he's got a purpose. The way he's holding himself... official mission? Some sort of proclamation for Cecil? Hard to say. But that posture screams 'I am doing an Official Thing'. So for now, she's quiet. Cecil will know more about the official protocol here than her.

    "I know that bird." Rydia asides. "You're likely right, Yumi." The Summoner asides on the topic of Temulin and her avian mount.
    "She's a Dark Knight from another world. And she's hard to read. I mean I think she's an okay person, if kind of volatile.
    It's the white chocobo that makes her pause to stare at the rider and the pale bird he rode in on.
    "You know him?" Rydia asks when Cecil seems to show some recognition as Duncan begins his approach, she guides her bird to a halt and shoots Terra a look.
    It is very much a 'everything should totally be fine, don't you start fussing at me' look.
    Not that it matters. Terra is likely to fuss anyway.

 
Now Temulin sees people approaching and stops what she's doing. She turns her meat over one more time, getting nice and roasty, and she dries off her blade. Then she walks into her yurt. It takes her a bit, but When she comes out, she's put on her armor. Visor raised but clearly prepared for trouble, and wearing her sword on her back. She doesn't act, she just takes her meat from the fire and hangs it a bit further away. Close enough to be kept warm, far enough it doesn't get burnt.

The Othardian Dark Knight puts a little whistle to her lips and blows, the whistle's sound is mimicked by the cry of her bird, which takes off and lands besides her, kneeling down for her to get up. Then, ready for trouble, she observes.

    To be fair, Cecil wouldn't really have any reason to shy away from someone he knows, someone he was on reasonably good terms with when he left Baron. The rider keeps his head down as he approaches, letting the beaklike help hide the top of his face. Cecil is however, familiar enough with him to know from what of his face does show.

    "Cecil Harvey," he offers, in recognition. The tone is not a friendly one. But then, it's not an unfriendly one either. It sounds oddly... hollow. He tilts his head up then to look at the group properly. And it's here that, at least Cecil might be able to see something's seriously wrong.

    But if his voice wasn't particularly unfriendly, the next thing he does is. The armored man unsheathes his sword, and points it at Cecil. It's worth noting that his weapon is a zweihander, but he's holding it like it was nothing more than a typical longsword. He announces, "You have been found guilty of treason by the King of Baron. The sentence is death, to you and your accomplices. Surrender and I will make your deaths painless. But one way or the other, I will bring your head to the King."

    Cecil may notice that his tone is indeed slightly off. It's hollow, as if there's nothing behind it. He speaks the words as if they are rote, dictated and then memorized to speak later. Either way, though... it seems that he means it.

    Hm, motion at the edge of town again. Temulin's position is noted, but Cecil doesn't have the focus to actually deal with that right now. "Sir Ritter is another Dark Knight, a good man. Very reliable," he says. Though answering the others he's immediately proven wrong.

    The proclamation is stunning, and Cecil steps back, searching his memory. "Sir Ritter... Duncan?" Yes, that was it. He was never very close to this man, but Cecil prides himself on remembering his cohorts and their names, so that he can manage. "I'm afraid I cannot do that. The King sent me on a mission that caused the destruction of Mist. I will not surrender until I know what is happening."

    To the others, he mutters, "Something is wrong. He isn't himself... he's not the type to say that." Now he's quickly looking around. Hopefully he won't blame Temulin for this~

    Oh. Oh that's... that's not good. Even before the pronouncement of sentence, something about Sir Ritter's voice sends a chill down Yumi's spine. It's not right. It's unsettlingly free of emotion - not just in the sense of someone suppressing their feelings for the sake of duty, but rather someone who has no feelings left to suppress. Reflexively, she takes a step back, about the same time that zweihander is leveled, and reaches behind herself to slip something free of her pack. It's a slow, deliberate movement, specifically made /not/ to be sudden.

    Her choice in weapon turns out to be a solid oak baseball bat, which she lifts up into a guarded ready stance. Really, it's about the best she can do - a better weapon would be wasted on her. Her stance, at least, suggests she actually knows how to use it, but she's still staying back, close to Terra and Rydia. "Your odds are kind of looking bad here," she calls out to Duncan, hoping reason will at least /stall/ a fight. "Is this really a good idea?"

    There's a quick glance in the direction of Temulin's whistle. She tries to make eye contact with the auri woman, a silent 'we could use your help', but most of her focus is on the man who might lunge into an attack at any moment.

    Terra returns Rydia's look, betraying her sometimes unneeded concern for the small girl. She tries not to smother, at least! Really! Rydia gets away with just about whatever she wants!

    Then it's on to the approaching man. A good person? That's a relief, the half-esper muses to herself until- She stiffens and her heart skips with subconscious dread. That mechanical manner of speaking- Her knuckles pale as she grips the reigns of her chocobo, clearly fearful or at least extremely unsettled by something she just can't quite articulate.

    The threat of being killed by a large man with a large sword seems almost secondary to whatever irrational fear has her heart thundering in her chest but she grips her own weapon and tries to maneuver her mount at least slightly forward of Yumi and Rydia.

    In spite of her inexplicable terror, she feels the need to shield her friends from harm. Aw.

Temulin answers Yumi's gaze with a simple gesture, she takes a gil out of her money pouch and rubs it between her fingers before putting it back. Regardless though, whatever is going on with this Duncan fellow makes her displeased, and so she closes her visor and draws upon her power. The darkness she clads herself in palpable, and the blade that's longer than she is tall gets gripped with both blades. She doesn't act though, not unless provoked or payment is offered.

    Wait what?
    That is a huge sword. But more importantly the man wielding it is making some pretty bold claims in a tone of voice that makes Rydia of Mist's skin crawl in a very bad way. "Wha... What?"
    The girl sounds as incredulous as she looks. "Treason? For what? For not being a bad man?!" The girl demands to know. Even if Duncan may not be himself in the moment, the girl is taking no chances. Dark Knights are deadly in battle and she's drawing up tightly on the reins of her chocobo in case the group decides to choose flight over a fight. He may be just one man, but Rydia is already on her guard, one hand edging to the whip coiled at the belt of her tunic.
    Oh THERE'S Temulin.

    "Then you leave me no choice," Duncan replies. He just kinna... skips over the part where Cecil says the destruction of Mist was the King's fault. Doesn't even acknowledge that it was said. He turns himself on the bird's back, so he can slide down from its back. "Nemesis. Go." The bird squawks that harsh, rasping ~WARK!~ and leaves the area.

    Yumi's words aren't going to go ignored, though. "The odds matter not to me. I have my duty," Duncan notes in Yumi's direction. "You who have led Ser Harvey astray from his path, you will share in his punishment. I will see to that." Whatever it is that's got Terra on edge, Duncan seems to be leaving her be for the moment. He's also leaving Temulin alone, so there's that. For now, anyway. She doesn't seem to be one of Cecil's cohorts.

    It's when he looks at Rydia that Duncan's composure breaks for the first time. Now it's not a huge thing -- a slight widening of his eyes, a tic in his jaw. He has to kill Cecil and his accomplices. But one of his accomplices is... a child. He can't kill a child. But he has to kill Cecil and his accomplices! It's a moment of this, a notable pause, before he can answer Rydia's words. "He has run amok. And I will bring him to justice, by order of the King."

    Here he acknowledges Temulin. "You there. Dark Lady." He turns his head in Temulin's direction, just enough to indicate he's talking to her, but so he can keep his gaze on Cecil and the others. "My orders come from the King of Baron itself. No higher orders can be given in Baron. If you assist me, there may be a reward in your future."

    Well, Cecil isn't going to just stand by and let a giant sword cleave him in two... and even if he did, stating his companions were going to die is enough to get him to resist. "Duncan, snap out of it! This isn't you!" Too bad he knows very little about actual mind control, but he does know how to draw a sword and prepare to parry. Unfortunately...

    "Be careful, he's a competent Knight... and probably on par with me in strength. He never sought a promotion, so he's more skilled than his rank might indicate. That's likely why he was sent," Cecil states quickly. "Rydia, Yumi... you might want to step back. I don't suppose you know anything about how to knock someone back to their senses, Terra?" What are the odds Terra would know something about mind control though?

    And so Temulin's presence becomes very important. An offer of reward? Now there are two, and two Dark Knights no less. "Yumi, Rydia... is this a bad thing?" But he turns to Temulin long enough to say, "The King of Baron is a good man... but ordered others to slaughter a village. Someone is giving false orders or manipulating him!" He still doesn't believe it's the King himself.

    The response from Duncan leaves Yumi briefly baffled. "'Led him astray'? What are you-" She's having a hard time even wrapping her head around it, but it's obvious some kind of unnatural suggestion... and one that seems to falter, even if only for a split second, when he looks at Rydia. Yumi presses the opening in the only way she's able. "Cecil Harvey is a good man! I don't know what you've been told, but this man has saved me and Rydia more than once! I've watched him take a bullet for a complete stranger!" Her bat shifts a little. "You're being deceived. I think something is influencing your mind!"

    Oh right, Temulin. Cecil asks a question, and the redhead only replies, "I'm... not sure." Her eyes dart to the side, meeting with Temulin's again - this time, more directly. "I'll pay. And I'll give you food besides."

    Knock someone to their senses? Terra looks dumbfounded that anyone might seek her out for knowing anything at all. she turns her chocobo, prepared to either maneuver it into a flanking position or at least send it off in a direction where it's not likely to be harmed. Her weapon comes out but she looks uncertain, still fearful.

    "I don't- If-" She knows that certain devices can be used to accomplish what her fears are suggesting to her but the man pronouncing death sentences is also wearing a helmet so it's anyone's guess. "I- I don't know." She recollects an impression of her final moments in that hellish grip, the feelings and something instinctive but she can only shake her head helplessly.

    "Please don't do this. Not here, we're so close to a village, innocent people..."

 
Temulin looks at Duncan, looks back at Yumi, then glares straight at Duncan. "You're offering me no payment, just the vague notion that I might get rewarded if I help you. I'm an adventurer not a fool. I work for payment not empty promises." She answers him and clads her blade in darkness, glancing to Yumi. "We have a contract then. I will protect the child and her companions from this poor soul." Her bird takes off, with Temulin on the beast's back, and she yells. "This is your one and only warning. Get any closer to my charges and I will use whatever means I need to use to get you to back off."

    That's not a promising reply. And when the Dark Knight sends his chocobo away, Rydia understands, everyone is about to be in for a fight.
    She sees it though. She sees when Duncan loses composure, and the girl is quick to pounce. "Your king is the reason my home burned to the ground! Cecil is a good man, of course he's not going to follow bad orders!" She snipes. But then... Then he offers reward to Temulin.
    Crap.
    Rydia's hand goes from the whip at her belt to the pouch tied there and yanks it free.
    "I've got twenty rupees, it's all I have." She says, opening the bag to reveal the glint and glitter of multi-colored gems and jewels. "I'll throw it in on top of what Yumi offers." She adds once the Au'Ra Dark Knight makes her stance known.

    Duncan doesn't even register Cecil's words this time. He raises his sword into what would be a high katana stance in any other world. And as he does a shiver runs through him, and he emits a 'hup!'. Cecil will likely recognize the activation of Dark Sword powers. Others may sense the sudden dark aura, or notice how his shadow seems to 'cling' to him a little more closely somehow.

    "You offworlders," Duncan replies to Yumi's words. "Your presence disrupts our kingdom, and now you align yourself with an enemy of Baron. Retribution was inevitable." Could he possibly sound any more empty and hollow? Maybe. There's a bit of venom there. Fear of outsiders might have been one of the 'hooks' that was used to make him this way.

    Terra's words bring yet another small crack in the Dark Knight's composure. It's a quiet, "--Ngh..." and another tic of his jaw. He's fighting inside, Terra might be able to see, grasping at any glimpse of light. But right now it's just too strong for him to break on his own. Duncan uses Rydia's words to repeat yet again, "He has been led astray. Cecil Harvey has been led astray." It's spoken like a mantra...

    He frowns sharply as Temulin throws her lot in with Cecil and the others. "Very well then, Dark Lady." He pauses a moment, to whistle sharply. And in a few moments, two others come in, mounted on chocobos. "Assist me. There are more outsiders than I had anticipated." In short order, three people -- who Cecil and Rydia may recognize as a Black Mage, a Knight, and a White Mage fall into formation, with Duncan at the front. "Eliminate them," Duncan instructs.

    However, though the three dismount, and Knight advances and the Mages begin casting of spells, Duncan remains where he is, surrounded still by his dark aura. He isn't attacking with the others for some reason...

    Yumi had some quick thinking there. Cecil isn't sure how they'll pay, but... "I owe you for that one," he murmurs to Yumi. This is getting messy. A fight in the middle of town with magic and everything is going to be bad, and probably take casualties.

    "Well, Temulin was it? I wish we could have met in better circumstances, but Yumi says you are a sort of Dark Knight. I suppose that means you know what to expect..." He looks at the others. "This isn't like Duncan, I'll try to talk sense into him. Can the rest of you handle the others?" At least long enough for him to speak to Duncan...

    Too little time, and talking obviously isn't helping. Sigh. Readying his blade, Cecil moves at last. He isn't going for a kill strike or even to wound, but he rushes toward Duncan, shield up, so he can get closer.

    "Sir Ritter! It's orders like these that have orphaned that girl and put me into her debt! Something is wrong with Baron, and it is our DUTY to do what is right for Baron!"

    He's not listening. It didn't work. Moreover, others are being called in, making this much less of an uneven fight... and putting Yumi herself squarely out of the realm of relevance. She can't compete against a knight and a pair of spellcasters. Cecil and Rydia definitely can, Terra can, Temulin can... but at best, this fight is now four on four. Warily, Yumi steps back, consigning herself to 'get out of the way or you're a liability' once again.

    The grit of her teeth makes it clear how little she cares for this state of things.

    But that rising frustration does latch on to something else. At this point, it's no longer even an attempt to 'awaken' Duncan; something inside her is utterly outraged at the situation itself. "So that's it, then? You're just going to pronounce sentence on Cecil? On us?! What kind of justice is that?! You knew each other! You were fellow knights! And now you're just going to cut him down in the street, without so much as giving him a chance to speak in his own defense? How can you call yourself a knight with that kind of justice?!"

 
Temulin assesses the situation. Two front-liner, two casters. One of the casters is clad in white, probably a conjurer or equivalent based upon this world's similarities to her own. She thus leaps down and does what is most likely to be the healer, her blade clad in darkness as she drops down from her bird upon the white mage, trying to cleave him in twain.

>> SUMMARY[Temulin Dotharl] >> PvP 101: Focus heals

    Oh no. There's more of them, a knight and magic users besides. They're already casting and she can't bring herself to just hurl fire into the field. She doesn't /really/ want to hurt anyone and the risk of collateral damage is substantial. Additionally it scares poor Rydia. Her hands are tied.

    Or so it would seem. It's a desperate moment and so she falls back to her training, ingrained in her from- She doesn't remember. She shakes her head, offering a nod to Cecil before glancing about. The path is mostly clear; charge! She urges her chocobo forward and stands in the stirrups as she raises her weapon.

    Seeking to disrupt the group with the threat of being trampled as well as offering a bit of support for Temulin's attack. She grimaces and swings as she rides past, attempting to draw the knight away from a potentially punishing counterattack while she aims to force the other magic user to possibly abandon their spell to clear the way.

    That's her best case scenario, at least.

    There is something clearly not right about the Dark Knight when he begins repeating himself in a mantra like that. But what's worse is when he calls for backup.
    The familiar white robes and black robes and tall hat, alongside the armored form of a soldier even the odds up well enough and Rydia hops off her mount. "-Chocobo, go. Come back when I call you." She orders the bird, sending it off with a 'Kweh!' of displeasure at leaving his little rider behind.
    But now there's the issue of Duncan and his soldiers to contend with. Rydia does not advance. She makes sure to stay right where she belongs, behind the cover of more frontline oriented combatants.
    Rydia joins Yumi in the back row.
    But she's already beginning to whisper harshly under her breath. Chanting words of power as she focuses her efforts on keeping herself and her friends alive. Before she releases her spell.
    "Blizzard!"
    And a small torrent of freezing air and wind at the black mage in hope of throwing off his casting concentration with the cold.

    "Our duty is to the Kingdom," Duncan states firmly in response to Cecil's words. "Your gallivanting across these new worlds with these outsiders has poisoned you, and threatened the Kingdom." Even with the emotion of the fight though, his voice remains flat and unemotional.

    It's notable too that despite handling a zweihander like a longsword, he still seems to eschew the protection of a shield. Maybe he's faster? Or maybe he can just tank like a boss?! Either way, while Cecil may not be going for a wounding or killing stroke, Duncan is. As Cecil charges at him, shield up, Duncan makes to just GRAB at Cecil's shield, trying to force it out of the way. Duncan's physically pretty dang strong in the first place, but his physical abilities now are heightened by his Dark Sword power.

    Fortunately Yumi's words then... they give Duncan pause. He looks to her briefly... and hesitates. The hesitation is long enough to give Cecil plenty of time to get away from the strike that's aimed at whatever reasonably exposed areas he can find. Though he's counting on having been able to shove Cecil's shield out of the way to give him more of an opening. Even if he does though, that hesitation is more than long enough for Cecil to disengage directly.

    Temulin's attack has the White Mage on the run, in a way. He definitely sees her, and hurriedly changes the chant coming from his lips. He BARELY manages a Protect spell before she gets to him. But that doesn't mean he gets off scott-free, no. He just... doesn't die. He still takes a deep wound across his chest, and falls back. But he's not out of the fight yet. He chants again, and then his form blurs and becomes indistinct. It'll be hard to hit him like that...

    The Knight has no choice but to move out of the way of Terra's charge, separating him from the Black Mage he'd been near. He dives into a roll, though he does take a retaliatory swipe at the legs of Terra's chocobo as he does.

    While the Black Mage relocated after Terra's charge, delaying him, Rydia's Blizzard casting does indeed interrupt the Black Mage's concentration, and he grunts as he staggers back. Once he's righted himself, he looks over to their White Mage companion. "Philippe! Casters in the back row! I need some assistance here!"

    Looks like they're committed. But Duncan obviously... isn't. The hesitation is noted and also a good thing, because Cecil wasn't committed as much as he should have been. It does work to tell him that he can't do this halfway though... Duncan is stronger than him, and the grab at his shield reminds him of that. Cecil has to rely on his skill, not brute strength.

    Fortunately, that brief moment is enough to let Cecil back off, before the opening can be exploited. A close shave for him, and one that makes him more wary still. Yet it also clues him in that there are doubts. 

    "Are you going to kill us here, then? A mercenary, a warrior you know nothing about, an orphan and a noncombatant?" Cecil knows that as talented as Yumi is, she can't really be counted against a Dark Knight. Speaking of that, the thrum of power that is charging that blade means he has to brace himself for a potentially painful attack. "I pledged my service to the Kingdom, but the Kingdom is ill!" He quickly takes a chance to glance at the other attackers. Are they equally as robotic or more willing?

    "Be careful, everyone! These are not rookies!"

    They've been noticed in the back row - much as Yumi would like to defend Rydia, there's not much she can do against magic bombardment. The best shot they have is to separate. She gives the young summoner a grimace, and then shifts away in a careful, sidelong movement. The less vulnerable they are to area blasts, the better.

    Unfortunately, there's still not much she can do - though maybe, if she can circle around behind the mages without their noticing... well, it's worth a shot, at least, but she'll have to be on guard. The bat-wielder can't quite manage to take her eyes off the confrontation between Cecil and Duncan, though. Especially not with the way he seems to keep faltering. Are they getting through?

    Terra does her best with what she has to work with! She attempts to bat the retaliatory stroke from the knight away from her mount but her sword, despite being reinforced by magic, is simply a lighter blade and can't stop the likely heavier blade fully. Her chocobo is dealt a blow that staggers it but at least the poor animal isn't crippled.

    More crippling is the half-esper's guilt for endangering the unprotected bird, so she leaps down from it. She'll have to apologize later.

    Up comes her weapon in a guard, then her left hand glows with a glittering cloud of yellow motes before she selects the knight; as much as it's tempting to try and press the healer, keeping the fighter busy and threatening the black mage makes sense in some part of her mind.

    Her attack is sudden. She makes a feint with her sword, then spreads the fingers of her left hand, willing magic to begin tugging at the knight's stamina while bolstering her own.

    At least it's not fire this time, though the black mage types might recognize a 'Drain' spell when they see it.

 
There's two reasons Temulin is worried about Yumi. The first and most important one is that Yumi is the one most likely to get seriously hurt. The second, and the only one she will admit to, is because Yumi is her client. Thus, she divides her attention, she is spinning around and sending darkness flying around her indiscriminately in an attempt to catch the white mage with it. On top of which, she is sending a gesture to Denhes to get to Yumi and pick up the vulnerable one, and follow that one's instructions.

Temulin assumes Yumi will use that to get to safety.

>> GAME >> Temulin Dotharl spends an Edge for: Get Yumi a flying mount

    This is not good. Rydia looks to Yumi. She sees the grimace.
    She hears the Black Mage take note of her presence, after her spell. That was to be expected, but when he calls to the White Mage for aid she curses under her breath. What's worse is she can't tell if these people are under whatever same compulsion Duncan seems to be, and for a moment the girl is racked with indecision.
    "Whyt!"
    Rydia makes her choice though, calling out a name. And the mist that lingers around the girl swirls around her before detaching; coalescing into the semi-solid form of a Mist Dragon hatchling.
    The girl immediately ducks for cover as the hatchling draws a breath-- and unleashes a chilling mist from its jaws to try and harry the mages, hold their attention, and further keep them from casting as long as she can.

>> SUMMARY[Rydia] >> Now I'm just being annoying with my Mist Dragon.

    Duncan doesn't move closer to Cecil when he backs off. Either he's waiting for Cecil to come to him or his heart's not in this. Combatants can tell it's most likely the latter. There's a half-heartedness to this on his part. However he does bring his sword up at Cecil's attack, meeting the sword with the edge of his own. Duncan winces at the force of the blades meeting; strengthened with his own darkness, Cecil is now more than a match for Duncan's strength, and that much is PAINFULLY clear!

    Duncan's jaw twitches again. "I will... fulfill my duty. My duty is to kill you. And your accomplices. I will bring your head back to the King," Duncan states dully. Rather than try to disengage his blade from Cecil's however, he shifts his weight to his back foot. That's about all the warning Cecil gets before Duncan tries to surge forward in a short bull-rush, trying to slam the crossed swords into Cecil and knock him off-balance. Duncan knows how to use his size to his advantage.

    Yumi's careful observation of the battle between the two Baronian Dark Knights -- and Cecil's being right up in the action -- reveal that Duncan could have turned the edge to Cecil at the bull-rush... but he didn't. He deliberately went for a less-lethal option against Cecil.

    As for the other three fighters? Seems to be a mix. The Knight seems relatively robotic; he stands up with a slack-expressioned face. The Black Mage? Yeah, he's enjoying this too much. How can one tell? Actually it's hard to tell, given his hat's obscuring his face. But the way he's bouncing in place a little might be a clue. The White Mage just has this look of 'oh God I don't want to be out here why am I out here aaaaaah'.

    But Yumi can see Duncan seeming to hesitate, almost seeming confused. He's also leaving himself wide open for counterattack, for the record.

    The Knight is thusly distracted by Terra's feint, and moves to give her some room. But when he sees she's hitting the Black Mage, he makes a swing at her. Like Duncan, the other Dark Knight, he seems remarkably unemotional about the whole thing. The Black Mage grunts as he feels his HP being drained. "Agh!" A growl. "Two can play at that game!" He chants briefly, and a blue aura surrounds his hands -- it's an application of Osmose, aimed at Terra.

    The White Mage isn't being directly harrassed now, and he seems to using that time to try and heal his wound. Though one of Temulin's blasts of darkness do strike him and knock him back. He gives a yelp of surprise and pain, and scrambles back to his feet with a look that's halfway between frightened and angry. "I d-d-don't want to do this, but you leave me no choice!" He starts to chant -- and there's a lot of magic he's calling. Why? Because there is soon a HOLY coming at Temulin!

    Suddenly there's a MIST DRAGON (hatchling, yes, but STILL A FREAKING DRAGON!) on the field! This pushes the Knight and the two Mages back. "Blasted Summoner! Should have BURNED with the rest!" Yeah he knows something he's not telling. And as soon as he's safe from the freezing mist, he raises a hand and chants. That hand...

    ...It's aimed at Rydia.

    "Let me fix that. BURN, MISBEGOTTEN WHELP! the Black Mage snarls, loosing his spell. And of course it's fire. LOTS of fire. Oh HEAVENS so much FIRE! This looks really bad, doesn't it...?

    But Duncan has... something of an odd reaction to this. He draws in a deep breath, his mouth visibly opening in shock. "Silvius, DON'T!" And he just... drops his sword. But he doesn't leave it at that. Cecil is between Duncan and Rydia... and having dropped his sword, Duncan can use BOTH hands... to try to violently SHOVE Cecil out of the way. Whether that's how he gets past Cecil or whether he just ducks around, he's heading for Rydia, unarmed. Though as he reaches her...

    He tries to either shove HER out of the way, or to cover Rydia's body with his own. Either way? Duncan is getting the brunt of that fire. He yelps in shock as the blaze engulfs him, but he tries to stand strong, to keep Rydia out of as much of the fire as possible. Yeah, this isn't gonna end well for him.

 
Temulin notices the summon, her attention swivels within an instant, and the white mage's pleading goes unheard, but not unanswered. The Dark Knight may be hired to defend Rydia and company, but she has a higher calling. And this is clearly a primal summoning, thus there can be no delay, no negotiation, no pity, the primal must die and those it tempered must go with it.

Thus, the dark knight rushes towards the Mist Dragon and darkness precedes her as she launches herself to the being, blade clad in darkness she seeks to severe the dragon's head. She acts on pure instinct, there's passion here, but it's not the passion of a dark knight. Because from behind the darkness of her power shines another power. Dimly, but those sensitive to such things can tell. What's guiding her here is the light.

>> SUMMARY[Temulin Dotharl] >> Primal-slaying mode: engaged. All tempered please stand by and wait patiently for the only mercy that remains.

    Cecil knows that Duncan outmasses him. That's the only edge he has, is that he knows he's at a disadvantage and how to counter it. Sadly there's only so much that can be done about that, so the best he can manage is, after the blades clash, to twist aside to negate Duncan's mass advantage. This keeps the other Knight from leveraging it, but it makes it hard for Cecil to counterattack.

    Which is all right, since he doesn't want to hurt Duncan.

    Unfortunately, mitigating isn't eliminating, and he's still at a disadvantage for an instant. Especially when he's distracted by the roar of flames. "RYDIA!" A panic in his voice, and this could be a good time for Duncan to take advantage. An easy opening... which is exploited in a way Cecil didn't expect.

    Cecil grunts, but it's from the larger knight slamming him aside and staggering him. His sword dips from the tremor of the impact, and by the time he rights it he's already staggering toward Rydia-

    But Duncan is already there to handle it. The crisis isn't over, though, and Cecil, running on adrenaline and terror, sees another threat. His shield comes up, and he dives toward Temulin. "NO!" Yeah he remembers the LAST Mist Dragon he killed.

    A bird. A bird for Yumi to ride. She recognizes it, in fact, and she's quite happy to hop up on its back. But if it's listening to her directions, she's not quite using it to get away - no, she's using it to take better stock of the fight, to figure out if she can get around behind anyone... and, if she's honest, to watch the fight between Duncan and Cecil from above. She can see a lot from up there. Like the way Duncan seems to be slowly, barely, starting to shake off the conditioning. Pulling his strike when he could press for something worse. Like the way Terra clashes with the knight. Like the way a black mage takes exception to Rydia's act of summoning and unleashes-

    Oh no.

    Fire.

    Fire, the worst possible thing to use against Rydia of Mist, and it's not stopping. And there's nothing she can do from up here.

    She can see the moment Duncan's conditioning snaps. She can do nothing but watch. Nothing but watch him hurl himself in front of Rydia, engulfed in a torrent of flames. A good man finally getting hold of himself, only to suffer for it. A traumatized young girl engulfed in the horrifying inferno of her nightmares. Every instinct is screaming at Yumi to help. To stop it. Before she can even stop herself she's turned and leapt right off the Yol, sending herself into a plummeting freefall, and her instincts are screaming at her so hard she doesn't even register the danger.

        I have to do something.

            But what?

        I have to do something!

            But what can I do?!

                             I have to transform.                             

    It's like a second sun igniting in the sky, for just a moment. A bright, shining gold-white light, and a wave of warmth, like the first rays of sunlight after a storm. Gleaming white, shining gold and cool blue descend. A soft 'clunk' heralds a landing entirely too soft for the weight of the one making it, and then a mass of white armor and flowing cream-orange hair surges forward with speed to rival a chocobo. And the steel-clad arm of Yumi Tachibana slams into the stomach of Silvius, a clothesline delivered with the force of a small car. "That's ENOUGH!"

    This is devolving so fast! Terra's no stranger to a fight, so this shouldn't even surprise her anymore. All at once she's having the magic sapped from her and the sensation is nauseating. She's barely able to fend off the knight until the black mage turns his fury and fire toward Rydia.

    A moment that lasts far longer than it has any right to stretches out before her and something claws at her, something far more fundamental to her being than her fury and fear.

    Then Yumi's there. Yumi?!

    Temulin's sudden turn takes her completely by surprise and Cecil has all the time in the world to intervene, snapping her back into the here and now. Only a brief uncertain look is spared for the white mage and the knight and she lunges for Whyt, attempting to scoop the dragon up and bear it away from whatever the white mage may be conjuring and from the other strange dark knight's fury. Holding the little creature stirs that Something in her once again but she simply puts her head down and runs. To Rydia?

    Really, she's not looking.

    So much happens all at once. And none of it is good. Not for Rydia of Mist.
    Try as she might to harry the Black Mage, he gets his spell off.
    'Should have burned with the rest'...
    And then the fire is loosed. Everything Rydia had in mind to counter the situation immediately flees the child. All she can do is stand and stare in abject silent shock as the conflagration comes for her, the very reflection of Mist burning down in her eyes as she siddenly feels so small and powerless in the face of the onrushing blaze.
    Rydia does more than hesitate. She freezes utterly, not so much as a sound from the girl as her fiery death comes towards her--
    Only to be averted by a sudden wall of black armor interposing between herself and a fiery fate.
    "Ce-...cil...?" Is her first assumption. But the silhouette is wrong. The armor isn't the same, just the same color, and the physical build is off. "No, you're..."
    That is not Cecil. Cecil is over there-- Cecil is suddenly between Whyt and Temulin; the young Mist Dragon shying away quickly from the Au'Ra's sudden and unexpected aggression.
    And then the sky is ablaze. The bright golden-white light forces Rydia to shield her eyes. Is that...
    Is that Yumi?
    It is, perhaps, a saving grace that Terra is there to intervene; Rydia's terror bleeds through to Whyt and the dragon is capable of doing little more than backing away; resulting in a frightened hatchling in Terra's arms as soon as she takes him, Whyt compliantly curling against her and letting himself be ferried away.

    Silvius, the Black Mage, is far too busy enjoying the act of burning SOMETHING to a crisp. He doesn't care if it's Duncan instead of the little girl he'd initially targeted -- Duncan just aided a traitor anyway, and the King would reward him for bringing Duncan's body back anyway after he heard what happened.

    Suddenly the sky is ablaze...

    And then there's a hardimpact to his gut.

    "OOF!"

    The wind is abruptly knocked out of him, and he tumbles back. He tries to get up, but that's a solid solar plexus hit. So it's not going to be too much longer before he passes out.

    The Knight seems confused all of a sudden, watching Duncan literally throw himself on Silvius's fire to protect that girl -- and the realization that, yes, their Black Mage ally had been prepared to barbeque a little girl without blinking. "Wh-what...? What's happening?" He seems far less certain -- and far more animated -- than he had just a moment ago.

    As for Philippe? He is GONE. When Duncan broke free and ran to try to help Rydia, the White Mage took off, realizing both that the battle was lost AND that they'd probably lost an ally. Yeah, he's running the hell away now. He hadn't wanted to be there in the first place, and now everything was going pear-shaped. Of course he's gonna NOPE outta there!

    Duncan falls to a knee, the impact making the air rush from his lungs in a whoosh. He drops a hand to the ground to support himself, his head tilted down. Breathing heavily to replace the breath lost to the fire, he rasps, "...A-are you... all right...?" He doesn't know what else is going on on the battlefield right now, and is not aware that Rydia is still in danger.

    Is she alright?
    That's a hell of a question to ask Rydia. Even with him kneeling, she has to crane her head back to look up at the man, and her only response, at first, is a mute sound, little more than a croak that comes from somewhere between 'scared mindless' and 'running completely on autopilot'. The entirety of the fight is now lost on her
    And she practically does react on autopilot as her hands lift up, quaking and glowing with a faint light as she touches palms to Duncan's armor. Rydia's White Magic is novice level at best. Little more than first aid; applying a band-aid to a burn wound. But the touch is soothing and should mitigate some of the damage caused by the mystical fire.
    There are no words when her hands pull away. Just a traumatized stare that lasts for several long beats, before the girl loses her legs from under her and, if not caught, simply collapses in a heap to the ground. Rydia has had enough excitement.

    The black mage is down. Yumi shifts her weight back, standing up, and whips around to check on the others. Rydia is healing Duncan- and then passing out. She'll need cover if this fight continues, and possibly so will Duncan.

    And Temulin... is trying to attack Whyt. Who is injured. And being carried away by Terra. Something in the way the Au Ra is moving is urgent, moreso than her usual approach to combat. Shouted warnings won't head this off in time. It has to be done fast and drastic.

    For a second time, Yumi launches off with that impressive speed, hurling herself towards the Dotharl on an intercept course. At the last possible moment, she yells, "Temulin!" And then, in the instant of hesitation, she swings a knockout punch.

    She'll feel bad about a sideswipe like that later. But she doesn't have a lot of options.

    Cecil has no idea why Temulin turned on them. He's lucky to have gotten there in time to have tanked the blow, staggering back and losing his grip on his own sword. After fighting Duncan this entire time, he isn't prepared to take on YET ANOTHER Dark Knight. This is getting ridiculous.

    Also, Yumi just... did a thing. He doesn't know what's going on there, but it's impressive, and it gives him some security in knowing he can finally thud to one knee, panting. Because the girl is showing her true stuff.

    And finally... "Duncan... Sir Ritter... are YOU all right?" He's concerned for Rydia of course, and already looking her way, but he sort of wants to make sure that Duncan won't start swinging his fists around first. Terra is there, and he knows the two are close... and that she will make sure Rydia survives better than his lack of healing can.

    The other Knight gets a hard stare as well. "We are going. If you want to stop us, we can continue to fight, but consider the odds now."

    As it turns out, Terra ran true! She slides to a stop, realizing that she ran right to the initial aggressor as well though it looks like he took all of that fire instead of Rydia.

    Heedless of any potential danger to herself, she moves quickly to try and stop Rydia from flat out sprawling onto the ground. While supporting Rydia and a terrified little summon, her only offering is a surprisingly challenging look upward at the dark figure of Duncan. She really isn't sure what to say and while thusly burdened she can't really flee. However.

    She dips her head in acknowledgement of the good deed done as she wills a wave of sparkling healing magic in the immediate area.

    The expendiature eases her own discomfort and should suplement Rydia's healing contribution nicely, though it's certainly no miracle. All she can do is look to the ongoing violence as it wraps up. To Cecil, especially to Yumi. She had no idea. Her part in this seems to be done, though, so she'll stick to caring for the fallen summoner.

    Duncan suddenly feels the pain easing somewhat, and tilts his head up to see the cause of it. It's Rydia, he discovers, trying to heal him. "...Thank you... and I am sorry," he breathes. Which is probably the last thing she hears before she passes out. He tries to catch her, just so she won't hit the ground. But he's still in no shape to carry her. Getting to his feet is going to be a tall order, in fact.

    Cecil's speaking of his name gets a nod, and he reaches up with his free hand, to pull his helmet off. He wants Cecil to see his face now, to prove without a shadow of a doubt that he's all right now. If not bodily, mentally. His features are strong and stable-looking, and his amber-colored eyes are clear now. There is a definite strain in his features now, the slackness and glazed look are gone. He's himself now.

    As for the guard? He drops his weapon. "No sir!" he declares. "Th-this was... I-I don't even know how... why..."

    Duncan turns to look to the Knight. "Go. Run. Do not look behind you. You cannot go back. Find a place to hide." The Knight departs quickly after that, retrieving his sword and leaving just as the White Mage had.

    Though... everything seems to have just happened at once, and he looks to where Yumi and Temulin have tussled. That's a little confusing -- wasn't she on Cecil's side? Why would she need to be knocked out? But suddenly Terra is there to take Rydia off his hands, and Duncan helps Terra situate the girl against her. The defiant look gets a bow of his head in shame. Though the wave of healing magic from Terra as well draws his gaze back up. "...Thank you," he offers to her, and the healing here is enough for him to make it to his feet.

    He looks at the still-conscious members of the group -- Cecil, Terra, and Yumi -- seeming lost for a moment. Then he goes back to one knee, this time of his own volition, and offers, "...I am sorry. Please forgive me. I don't know what came over me. I was... not myself. Some compulsion I could not break free of directed me to hunt Ser Harvey down and attack you all. The King gave me the order, I remember that. But then... I could not but obey..."

    He sighs, and then bows his head again. "I offer my humblest apologies. Please allow me to make this right, to earn forgiveness." No, there's no way Cecil would have done the things that the King of Baron said he'd done. Besides, Silvius's words... they hint at something more sinister.

    Speaking of the Black Mage? He's gone. Poof. No trace left behind.

    Yumi shifts on her heels no sooner than Temulin has been put on the ground, turning a quick look over Cecil and Rydia and Terra - then back at Duncan, giving him a brief, grim nod. "You weren't in control of yourself. And when you were, the first thing you did was get yourself burned protecting a friend. I'm not going to hold it against you."

    A moment of peace, at last; she takes that moment to look down at her hand, flexing and uncurling her fingers. There's a distant, thoughtful expression in her eyes for a moment. But then, she turns her gaze over to her friends. Particularly, to Cecil. "Are you alright to get everyone back? I'm going to take Temulin back to her yurt, and then I..." She trails off for a second or two, unsure what to actually do. "...I've got a personal trip to make. I'll meet you all back at you-know-where. She needs to see this too." The caravan, where Zelda awaits, unaware of everything that's transpired.

    Cecil pulls himself together long enough to rise, adjusting his armor and retrieving his blade. He doesn't acknowlege what Duncan says at first... answering Yumi with a nod, "Of course. We will meet you there." Supplies will have to wait just a little longer, he thinks.

    Now he turns to Duncan and the others. "Thank you, Terra. Now, Sir Ritter..." A lecture? No, just a small sigh. "The King is like a father to me, and now I hear more of something wrong. I fear something rotten is afoot in Baron. Kain is missing, you were sent after me, the Summoners of Mist were attacked and would have all died..." His face pales, as he removes his helmet. True, some of Mist survived, but the damage was horrible.

    "We should speak later, when we get to safety. I can only be thankful that I was right about your morals."

    Terra, for her part, manages to soften her look rather quickly. She wasn't sure if it was a fight still, not a first. She hangs her own head, silently wishing she could have done more.

    Once the unconscious Rydia is positioned as well as she can be, Terra slips the dragon into the small girl's lap, where it's likely to return to it's normal state as mist. She looks up, bobbing a nod to Yumi, then moves on to Duncan and Cecil. What's she going to add? She can't help but think of how she made Duncan's head bow for actions that were beyond his control. "Sorry."

    Short and sweet! Cecil has more important things to say to the other man anyway even if they are rather grim. She tucks Rydia more firmly against herself and stands, cradling the child and looking about.

    At least the village is okay.

    Duncan nods to Yumi's observation of coming out of his trance. "...I could not bear to see a child hurt, no matter her capabilities." No, he's not underestimating her. But she literally like 8 years old, and it's just more than his honor will allow to let her be hurt. The mention of getting everyone back gets an offer from Duncan. "If you do need assistance, I have a chocobo," he offers. "Though I can understand if that would be... uncomfortable." Even if they trusted HIM, there was no guarantee that whatever had been done to him wouldn't come back, after all.

    The tone when Cecil turns his attention to Duncan gets the now un-brainwashed Dark Knight to bow his head again. He's ready for a lecture. But instead, Cecil tells him more about the situation. And as Cecil speaks, he tilts his head back up. "The King told me you had attacked Mist and burned it. I could not believe it of you. Perhaps the King knew that, and..." He trails off.

    Terra's apology gets a shake of his head. "No, it's... all right," he reassures. "I understand your caution. I am only... ashamed of myself, for not having been stronger, for not being able to retain my own mind."

    And after a moment, Duncan takes a deep breath. "...Ser Harvey. Please let me go with you, to find out why this is happening. My duty is also to Baron, and if something is wrong -- if something has happened to the King to change him so, I believe it to be a matter that concerns me as well." He bows his head -- yes, he is still on one knee -- and then adds, "...If you would have me with you on the journey."

    The pained look says that the attack on Mist may be closer to what Duncan says than he thinks, and Cecil explains briefly in another moment. "Rydia's mother died defending Mist... from us. We didn't know, but we should have. I owe her for that mistake." He shakes his head. "I delivered the package that destroyed the village. Others, like Vivian, also helped attack, but my other companions tried to save it..."

    Sigh. "Another time. For now it is as you say. We should find a place to stay, to camp, and discuss. Perhaps our current quest could use someone of your skill, as well, but there are many things to attend to out here in these other worlds. A lot has happened today, and I would welcome a familiar face." He offers a hand up. "I am no longer a Captain. We are both simply doing what we can."

    So much to follow up on...