Misguidance

[Tismri]

"I can't just sit around waiting for news, Cortell," Marola told her eldest. She gripped the hilt of her sword tightly. "I'll go mad if I don't try to save her." Cortell sighed; he knew his mother's determination and could sense that she was not going to back down in the slightest. Still, he couldn't help but feel that her impulsive behavior was not a good idea.
They both turned sharply at Daeron's appearance and sudden declaration. Marola's expression instantly became stern.
"No," she told him. "You have to stay here in Celesti with your sisters and brother. I can't have any more of you in danger. Watch over the town." She turned back to Cortell, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Protect your siblings," she told him. He nodded, and she patted his shoulder. Marola turned back to her younger, troublemaker son. "Daeron, don't break in anywhere or steal anything, or you'll be in big trouble when Glory and I get back home." She turned to Lyta and held the little girl close to her.
"Is Glory okay, Mama?" Lyta asked with wide, fearful eyes. Marola hugged her more tightly.
"No, Lyta. I don't think she's okay. But she will be. I just need to bring her home. You be a good girl, okay?" Lyta nodded bravely and clung to her for another few moments after Marola tried to let go. Tally was likely out in the woods somewhere. She trusted Cortell to explain the situation to her, as Marola felt she had no time to lose. She went outside to join Rauthr.
You sure about this, Rola? Cortell spoke wisdom.
I know, my heart, but I have to try to find her. Rauthr spread his wings without another word and turned toward the desert, where Marola planned to begin her search for her lost daughter.
~~~~~
Tismri felt relaxed at Sidhion's assurances. She felt that if there was anyone who could find out about her wayward Rider, it would be him. Still, she felt anxious, desiring news of the girl already, whether good or bad.
"Elrun ono, hjarta iet," she told him. "I will await your report. Until then, may the stars watch over you, and may the wind be under Locien's wings."

[Max452]

Daeron's mood darkened when his mother said that he couldn't go. He grew more and more angry as his mother's warnings to him. Was that all she thought of him as? Someone who just stole and broke things? Was that all he was? A trouble-maker son? He thought she would understand him! He thought somebody would understand him! And now he couldn't go and help her find Glory! Protect his family! What family! Angry, Daeron stormed off to his room, slamming his door for good measure as he curled on his bed. No one understood him. No one would let him help. What was the point of it anyway? All he wanted was them to love him...to notice him. He sniffled. Feeling utterly alone.

After several moments of self-pity. Daeron decided to sneak out of the house to meet his friends. He didn't want to hang around here - it wasn't like anyone noticed he was gone anyway. Grabbing his cloak, a few things, and his weapon (he really didn't know why) he snuck out of his window and ran off to meet his friends at their local spot in between the Goods store and the Butcher's shop. When he found his friends, they had already snuck into the tavern for some mead and were already drunk.
"Hey! Daeron! You missed all the fun!" One of his friends wrapped an arm around Daeron's shoulders.
"Yeah! It was great! We got one of his finest brews this time!" Another laughed after he belched.
"Man, this is the life!"
"No it ain't." Daeron growled out, still angry with his Mother. "This place is stupid." He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
"Yeah! This place sucks!" One of his friends declared as he swung another drink into his mouth.
"Yeah...we should all just leave! There's nothing fun here. Hey! Hey! Guess what I heard!"
"What, Cort?" Daeron asked, a little annoyed that his friends were drunk; they were really stupid when they drank.
"There's some people in another town saying that they know a place where we can get fortune and fame! Everything we ever wanted! I...I say we should go with them! They're leading some people off in a few days. Let's go! I'm sick of this town!" Cort annouced, causing Daeron to consider this option.
"Yeah, let's go. No one likes us here anyways." A blonde haired boy replied.
"What you say, Daeron? Let's go."
A silent pause. "Yeah. No one likes us." Daeron replied.
"Then let's go!" Cort hiccuped and grabbed Daeron and another friend. They wandered out of Celesti and headed south, where another town presented them with a wild dream of wealth and power, and for Daeron, he hoped, of recognition.

***
"Rest easy, Tismri. I will bring you news soon enough." Sidhion gave her a heartfelt look and quite dejectedly ended the spell; time was precious and Sidhion needed to go off quickly to find Gloriann and Sundavar. Quickly, Sidhion packed his supplies. He wondered briefly if he should have given Reona away, but knew it was the best. He found his old ebony bow and arrows and packed those with a few daggers he also managed to collect. Saddling Locien, who was not surprised at this news, having become quite adept in sharing minds with his Rider, the two quickly went off into their journey.

[Tismri]

OOC: Hehe, poor, stupid Daeron...

Cortell watched as his little brother angrily stormed off to his room. He sighed; what was he going to do with that kid? He was well aware that Daeron was jealous of him as the eldest child, and perhaps become of his connection with their mother, but to some degree, Cortell felt the same way toward him. There were times, when he was alone at night with his thoughts, that he would begin to feel jealous of his siblings. They were all Marcus' natural children, and Cortell sometimes felt that he loved them more than him. He sometimes found himself wondering how much his mother actually cared for him. There were times, he knew, when she looked at him and he felt a flicker of fear, anger, and sorrow through their mental connection. Whoever his father had been, the hateful man Uncle had told him about, he knew there were times when Mother saw that man in him. And he hated it. He hated to think he caused his mother pain in any way.
Hours passed, and Cortell let Daeron fume. He would get over it, he was sure. He just needed some time. Mother just didn't want him getting in danger, which was exactly where she was headed. So Cortell went out to watch the land surrounding the town, keeping a watchful mind for anything out of place and unusual.
He returned home late that night, coming in quietly to keep from waking anyone. He checked on his sisters, who seemed to be asleep by now. Then he went in to check on Daeron.
He wasn't in his room. Cortell growled to himself. He better not be out getting drunk with his friends again. I swear I'm going to throttle him one of these days for being so stupid. Cortell grabbed his cloak again and went outside to explore the town in search of his brother.
"Daeron!" he called out, peeking through alleys and inside windows. He stopped by Rigley's tavern. "Hey, have you seen my brother around?" he asked the old man.
"No," Rigley said, scowling, "but it looks like he and his friends stole more ale from me. Some of my finest brew, too!" Cortell shook his head. He never could understand why Daeron did such things.
He left the tavern and continued his search, a bit more urgently, calling out his brother's name. He asked several townsfolk about him.
"Yeah, I think I saw him," someone finally told him. The man pointed down the road south. "He and those no-good friends of his were headed out of town. Good riddance, I say." Cortell felt his face pale. He took off down the south road at a run.
"DAERON!!!" He yelled out for him. His brother had left town? With those friends of his? He continued running, casting out his mind in that direction, but felt nothing familiar. They must have left a long time ago. About three miles from town, Cortell finally stopped, panting hard. He couldn't keep running after his brother, he knew. He had to watch over his sisters, and the rest of Celesti. They needed his protection. Still, he felt torn. He couldn't just forget about his brother. He stood there for nearly an hour.
You better come back, bro, he thought, mentally punching himself for not keeping a closer eye on him. Mother is going to kill me if I lost you.
~~~~~
Sachiko sat on top of a barrel in a small town, banging her heels against the wood rhythemically as she waited. She really didn't like this sort of mission that Katriana would send her on sometimes. She was looking for more people to bring back to the desert with her, to help with carving their bloody path through the Empire toward peace. Sachi really didn't care much for peace, but it was what everyone else wanted. But from what Kat told her, in order to keep peace for all eternity, Sachi would be allowed to continue her play, though generally just on whoever the Shade Rider chose. It was fine enough by her, though.
She gazed over the various people walking through town. They all seemed exceptionally common folk. Common...weak...so easily mislead, so easily hurt. None of them were what Kat needed.
Her eyes turned toward a group of boys entering the town. Her eyes narrowed. They were all so stupid looking, it was sickening. She could probably fool them all with just a wink and a smile, and they would all become putty in her hands. Literally.
That one, Pluto told her, indicating one of the boys in the group. Probably the closest one to her own age. At first glance, he seemed just as stupid as the rest of them, but on closer inspection, Sachi saw that he looked more angry than stupid. And he was armed. That was a good sign.
Are you sure? she asked the one-eyed werecat. Pluto just flicked his tail and said nothing. Sachiko got off her perch from upon the barrel and brushed off her crimson dress, attempting to look presentable.
Do you think Kat would mind if I played with the rest of them? she asked the black cat. Again, no response, but Sachiko felt a devious smile form inside herself. Still, her expression was nothing but pleasant, even flirty, as the boys walked by.
"Well, well. What brings a bunch of strong, handsome guys to a little town like this?" she asked, flipping her hair off her shoulder as she flashed a smile that could melt the strongest man's heart.

[Trinn]

Taking the rock that Glory offered her, Nethia stared at the rough gray edges of the object. Nethia understood the short lecture Glory had given. It all made perfect sense to her. The hardest part, she thought, was going to be locating that part of her brain that held magic. Her mouth set into a determined line as she tried to search her own mind, trying to locate the spot Glory had spoken of. After ten minutes of searching, Nethia thought she felt something different. "Stenr Risa!" She said, stumbling a little over the foreign words. The rock actually wobbled in her hand, but it did not lift into the air as Nethia had hoped. Scowling at the chunk of stone, Nethia commanded again, "Stenr, risa!" This time, the words sounded more crisp and well pronounced. The stone lifted an inch off of her palm. Elated, Nethia looked over at Glory for approval.

[Max452]

Daeron walked with his friends into the town, feeling annoyed at their stupid antics. He sometimes wondered why they hung around one another, but the thought of an escape from his family seemed like a good reason to. He sighed. A part of him missed his family already, but the other, more angry part thought good riddance. He could do to make his own path. To live the way he wanted and make himself acknowledged through his own skills and not the renown of his parents or his ever so special brother. He huffed as he walked along, his friends singing to an unknown tune of their own.

Daeron was walking along when he spotted a girl, not much younger than him, come and flash them all a smile. He raised an eyebrow, curious, and perhaps flattered that such a beauty would want to speak with them, but he wasn't in the mood.
"Hellloooooooo there!" Cort slurred with lustful, wide eyes as he edged closer to the girl in the red dress.
"Don't be stupid, Cort." Daerson muttered as the rest of his friends went to go flirt with the girl. Daeron rolled his eyes and decided to leave them be. "I'm going to find that recruit you were talking about." Daeron told Cort, who waved him away. Daeron groaned, glanced at the girl one more time, before heading off into the main part of town. Maybe the person was at the tavern?

"Hey pretty girl, what's your name?" Cort made a drunk smile, his eyes hazed over as his buddies came to surround the girl. "You wanna have some fun?"

OOC: Jeriah, do whatever you want the drunk fools. I could care less. Daeron is gonna get better friends! Yeah! lol

[Tismri]

OOC: Haha, evil people planning to take over the world by killing everyone are better than a bunch of drunken louts? I couldn't agree more!

Glory watched Nethia as she attempted to work magic. She could tell the woman was going to be about average with spells, although she caught onto the concept rather quickly. Glory could only hope that she would have the patience required to teach her. She smiled when Nethia managed to make the rock float for a while.
"That's great!" she encouraged. "I've seen some people who took days to find their ability. You're going to be an excellent magician in no time." She gazed at the rock for a moment or two. "You should keep practicing with that until you feel more comfortable with it and more in control. Once you've gotten comfortable with it, I'll teach you some more spells." She frowned for a moment. She was going to have to teach Nethia how to speak the ancient language, and fluently. It wasn't a problem for her, because she had learned it while growing up, but it was hard to learn a new language when you were older. Glory hadn't the faintest idea how to go about teaching someone a new language.
~~~~~
Sachiko eyed her target as he appeared to be the only one not paying any attention to her. On some level, she was furious. If she didn't have the self-control and a specific plan, she would have attacked him right then, but she had matured and learned discipline over the years, with much help and guidance--and occasionally punishment--from Katriana. The rational part of her mind actually saw this as advantageous. She would be better able to speak with the boy and get him to come with her if he was alone.
She smiled as the rest of the drunken idiots surrounded her. She giggled lightly, knowing that playing with inebriated people was an entirely different kind of fun than those who were sober. They never really understood what was going on until they were already in the process of bleeding to death. However, it was obvious the boys though her giggle was in response to their advances.
"I'm Sachi," she told them, still grinning. "Well...of course I would love to have some fun." She traced a finger down Cort's face, across his jaw, and to his chin, her eyes expressing sensuality. "I know a good, quiet place where we can all get together."
***
Sachiko left the cellar of the unoccupaied house, the dying moans of the last boy still echoing delightfully in her ears. She'd drawn out the torture for hours, taking each one at a time. The wonderful thing about drunks was that they were open to the power of suggestion. She'd managed to convince them to tie up and blindfold each other, doing the last one herself. Once that had been done, her fun had begun. Their screams, their curses, their groans of pain had sent shivers of ecstacy down her body. But the last one had finally expelled his final breath and her fun was now done.
It was dark again, the entire day having passed by while she played. She walked quietly to the town's well and rinsed the blood off her hands and face, and tucked her serrated knife under her thin belt. Once she felt she was again presentable to human society, she went and searched again for the boy who had not joined in on his friends' fun.

[Max452]

OOC: Sachiko scares me...lol

Daeron let out a frustrated breath as he exited the tavern. No one in there seemed to know what he was talking about. All he needed was to find a ticket out of this place and he only found a dead end. He was going to punch Cort for making him walk all the way here. Speaking of Cort, where was he? And the others? Daeron squinted out into the dark, ignoring the laughter and warmth that the tavern emitted. Were they really "playing" with that girl? Did they just leave him here? Typical. His friends always seemed to do that. Well fine. He didn't need them. He would do things alone then. His anger was still evident in his heart and mind and thus, still determined to run away from home. He gripped the sword by his side. He could hunt his way until the Capital. Maybe he could find a home there. Wrapping his cloak around him, Daeron began walking out of the town, hoping to ignore the small homesickness that was settling in the back of his mind.

[Tismri]

OOC: She's supposed to...lol, that's the whole point of her.

Sachiko spotted the boy exiting the tavern. She felt like laughing when she noticed the angry expression that was still on his face. Oh, Katriana would be more than pleased by him, she was sure! And if not...well, he seemed like he would be quite fun to play with. She never tired of torturing people.
"Wait!" she called out, running up to him. She breathed heavily and looked anxiously over her shoulder, a rather frightened expression on her face. "You were with those boys earlier, weren't you? Help me get away from them! They were doing...just horrible things." Her hands were shaking and there was a hitched sob in her voice.

[Max452]

Daeron turned around quickly when he heard someone call out. His hand immediately went toward his sword, an instinct and habit he had developed over the years; his mother had always taught them to be alert and attentive. He blinked, pushing away the memories of his Mother. It hurt too much. He furrowed his brow, recognizing the girl in the red dress from earlier. He removed his hand from his sword. "What?" He glanced behind her, trying to see if Cort or the others were behind her. He didn't think Cort or the others would get too rowdy. Sure they did stupid things, but they never did anything to harm anyone. But...Cort was really drunk tonight. "What happened?" Daeron asked, groaning to himself. If he had to get those stupid friends of his back into soberness... Not to mention the fact that he'll have to make them apologize to this girl and to anyone else they humilated themselves to. Then, he would have to drag them back home...a prospect he did not want to do. That would force him to be caged in that village for endless days of trying to gather up his courage to try and leave. "What have they done now?" He asked the girl, feeling very annoyed and unenthusiastic.

[Tismri]

Sachi put her face in her hands, visibly shaking. "I...I didn't mean for anything to happen. I just thought...They took me to this abandoned cellar and then everyone started crowding in around me. They were all pulling on me and trying to get my attention...I thought they were going to tear me apa-art," her voice caught on the last word and she took a moment to try to calm herself enough to explain. "Then one of them pulled a kife and the next thing I knew, they were all fighting each other. I...I got out of there as fast as I could." She glanced over her shoulder again.
Don't you think you're playing this out a bit too much? Pluto asked from the roof of a nearby house. If he discovers you're lying, he won't trust you. When he learns the truth, he will probably be afraid of you. Either way, he is unlikely to end up coming with you.
Well, he should be afraid and not trust me, Sachiko replied. I'm just trying to see how smart he is to try to figure it out on his own. And if the truth scares him off, he's wouldn't be worthwhile in Kat's army. But if he listens after I explain it all to him, he might be made of some stout stuff. The werecat twitched his tail in response. He really thought Sachi just liked playing pretend.

[Max452]

Daeron listened to the girl's words, his eyes wide with surprise at the end of her tale. In the back of his mind, he felt that something wasn't right about the story, as Cort and the others wouldn't have pulled a knife out at one another...it wasn't like them. However, them fighting for attention did sound like them. His face grew worried. He would have to intervene before they did something stupid. "Take me to this cellar, please. And hurry." Daeron asked the girl, whom he forgot to ask her name as he motioned to dart toward the location of his friends.

[Tismri]

Sachi nodded to him as she guided him back to the cellar where she'd left her victims. She opened the door to let him get a good look inside. She looked in, and the intoxicating smell of alcohol-laden blood drifted from the inside. As she gazed at her masterpiece, a wide grin of appreciation very briefly crossed her face. Some of the boys had been flayed, their organs laid bare. Others had been dismembered, their limbs arranged in neat piles upon their torsos, with their heads placed carefully on top. Some had had tendons cut and ripped out, others simply stabbed multiple times in various places.
A delighted giggle escaped her throat at the sight, and she couldn't hold her act together any longer. They had been such fun to play with, and the memory of their torment still gave her a lingering sense of pleasure.

[Max452]

The moment Sachiko opened the door, Daeron knew something wasn't right. Horror struck him as he gazed inside. His friends brutally cut up like meat by a butcher. He felt the contents of his stomach retched up into his mouth. He backed away from the door and out into the open, unable to ever forget what he saw. His friends were murdered. His eyes flashed over to Sachi, anger, disgust, and a twinge of fear. What was she? The anger that was already present escalated. "MURDERER!" Daeron yelled, flashing his sword out of its cradle. "You'll pay for what you did to my friends!" Daeron charged, forcing the horrifying images out of his head as he do what instinct told him: kill the animal that butchered his friends.

[Tismri]

Sachi's eyes flashed in merriment as Daeron yelled. Well, this was an unexpected pleasure. She'd never imagined the sight in the cellar would cause him such rage. He was exactly what Kat needed. She jumped to the side as he swung his sword at her. She wasn't much of one for combat, unless something had particularly put her into a rage.
"Really, now...Would you have considered them your friends? They were just drunken louts hardly even considered human. They would have been killed anyway, when Katriana comes to spread her peace through war. Such people are beneath you." She kicked the cellar door shut with a thud as she dogded and smiled at him. "You have infinately more potential than they ever had. You're strong. You're just the sort of person who can help us spread the peace everyone longs for. I can see that in you, and that is why you're still alive. I'm sure Katriana will agree with me, too." She gazed at him for a moment or two as she kept a wary eye on his blade. This position was unsettling to her. She knew she did not have the advantage of surprise anymore. If he decided against coming with her, getting the jump on him in the future would likely be impossible.

[Max452]

Daeron growled as Sachiko jumped away. He wanted her dead for what she did! His anger continued to boil and he was about to strike again when the girl spoke. Daeron was caught off guard by the girl's words. She...saw potential in him? Potential for what? He eyed her wearily, his blade steady before him, untrusting of the opponent before him. His anger wanted to kill her, for killing his friends. Sure, they were stupid and he partially disliked them, but that did not justify their deaths! He seethed at her. "Beneath me?" Daeron couldn't help but ask in his anger. "What are you talking about? What peace? This world is a hellhole! Because of people like you and those that treat me like I'm nothing!" Daeron yelled out his frustrations. "I am strong! I'm going show them that I'm worth something!" Blind rage erupted within him as he thought of his family - the perfect people who thought little of him. He was going to prove them wrong! He glared at Sachiko, his anger for his family and the death of his friends directed at her. He didn't care if he killed her, all he wanted was to break things! No one cared for him! No one! All he wanted was to be acknowledged! Feeling the anger grow, Daeron felt energy within him build. With a yell, Dearon unleashed his magical abilities, abilities that at the moment, he forgot that his Mother had helped him control. In his rage, he pooled his magic to him and unleashed it all in bursts of flames as he yelled out "Brisingr!" The fireballs began to fly in various directions, bursting on contact to various objects surrounding Sachiko and Daeron; some barely missing Sachi.

After a moment of unleashing his pent up anger, Daeron dropped to his knees, crying just a bit as he dropped his sword in defeat. "I just wanted them to acknowledge me...to love me..." He bowed his head, not caring if Sachiko killed him. It didn't matter anymore. His family hated him - he was an outcast and he had no one. He buried his head into his chest, his anger deflated for the time being.