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Fable : Fall of the Guild	By : Samson Category: +A through F > Fable Views: 8222 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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Chapter List
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Heroes Don't Always Get Along.
Fable : Fall of the Guild

Part IV - "Unrest Among The People"

By: Jesse Racine AKA Samson

Original Date Written: July 1, 2011

After a few seconds of circling each other, Darrah suddenly sprinted for Bianca. Bianca raised a hand to cast a spell, but Darrah had already reached her. She swung her sword for Bianca's wrist, but Bianca shot her hand back in time to dodge the blow. Darrah rapidly shot her fist into Bianca's stomach, catching her off-guard, causing her to let out a loud gasp of pain, doubling over and stumbling back a few steps. "Darrah! Cut it out!" Timoteo said, about to barge into her to get her away from Bianca. Darrah raised her longsword over Bianca's head, and that's when Timoteo sprang into action. He only took a few running steps towards Darrah before she and him were both violently thrown through the air. Bianca had stood back up and let off a shockwave of Force Push energy, resulting in a large ring of rippling air to spread out from around her. Darrah had been caught in the radius, and because Timoteo had stepped closer, he too had been hit.
Both he and Darrah flew through the air for several meters. When Timoteo hit the ground, he grunted and rapidly did several rolls at alarming speed before crashing against the roots of a tree, which crawled out of the ground in a big bulge. Bianca watched Timoteo roll away, feeling like calling his name to see if he was okay, but her attention was quickly drawn back to Darrah. To her surprise once again, Darrah was hardly stunned by her Force Push, even when it was blasted out in a nova. Darrah had been launched back less than Timoteo had, more or less solely because she was wearing more armour than he was, and was heavier because of it. She collapsed down to her tush, rolling backwards over her right shoulder, using the momentum of her roll to jump back on to her feet. As Darrah charged for Bianca again, Bianca's hands shot into her cloak. When Darrah swung her sword horizontally at Bianca's chest, Bianca's hand shot out of her cloak, the girl brandishing her dagger.
A loud "clang" sounded out when Bianca's blade clashed against Darrah's. Bianca's dagger, although much smaller than Darrah's sword, was actually made of a stronger metal, though Darrah was much more strong than Bianca, physically speaking. Darrah had been surprised by the dagger for a single second, relenting in the force behind her sword for just long enough for Bianca's other hand to shoot out from under her cloak. She threw some sort of dust in Darrah's eyes, causing Darrah to shout in surprise, stumbling back several steps as she felt at her eyes with her one free hand, trying to clear them up as much as possible. Instead of charging for Darrah and attempting to stab her with her dagger, which likely would've been fairly easy given how Darrah was distracted, Bianca took the opportunity to slip her dagger back into a pocket inside her cloak before beginning to casting a spell. She held her hands over her stomach, electricity beginning to arc between her fingers.
She stared at Darrah with a solemn face as the electricity began to shoot between her digits and palms at an increasingly feverish pace. Timoteo groaned, finally beginning to pull himself to his feet. He just got on his feet as Darrah cleared her eyes, gritting and baring her teeth, her eyes filled with hateful wrath. She charged at Bianca, but when Bianca blasted out her beam of electricity, Darrah surprised Bianca by ducking. She dove for Bianca's legs, crashing into them along with her cloak, knocking Bianca down. Bianca quickly scrambled to her feet, trying to run a few steps away. Darrah swung out with her sword, slashing underneath the bottom of Bianca's cloak. Bianca gasped and collapsed once more. Darrah's sword had blood along the top reaches of the front edge. Darrah got up to her feet just as Timoteo reached her. "Stop fighting!!" He shouted. Darrah's mad eyes barely came towards him as she raised a hand, planted it against his chest, and shoved.
She didn't realize it, but he went through open air for a meter before slamming down to his back. Furious at Bianca, she had used more strength than she realized, and had winded Timoteo. "Stay back, Tim!" She barked. She ran over to Bianca and raised her sword up. "Die, mage!!" She shouted. She stabbed her sword downwards, but the point found nothing but dirt. Bianca had completely disappeared. Darrah was surprised for hardly a moment before a gasp came from between her lips. She spun around, striking out with an elbow. Protruding from Darrah's back was Bianca's dagger. It had stabbed through her chainmail, and had shot through her clothes. Darrah's elbow found Bianca's face, Bianca twisting as she fell to the ground. Darrah quickly yanked Bianca's dagger from her back, tossing it to the ground. Darrah raised her sword, shouting as she slammed it down. She stabbed clear through the left side of Bianca's stomach, Bianca letting out a scream in pain.
Blood was trickling down her right nostril from Darrah's powerful elbow. Darrah suddenly released her sword, doing two frontflips through the air, slamming down to her back near Bianca. Bianca was gritting her teeth with tears in her eyes as she reached behind herself, blindly grabbing the sword impaled through her hip. Slowly, she pulled it out an inch, stopping to let out a light scream. Darrah tried getting back up to her feet, but an unseen force struck her once more, slamming her against a nearby tree. As Bianca pulled the longsword from her body, Timoteo was getting back up to his feet. He knew he had to act, otherwise one of the two young women was going to end up killing the other. Darrah had gotten on her feet just long enough for Bianca to do the very same. She had discarded her cloak, standing without it, the wound in her left side very prominently visible. Pouring blood down her front and back sides, it was an extremely gruesome wound.
Bianca seemed to be growing even more pale, which was merely an effect of her blood beginning to run. Her hands glowed green for a moment as she held them out, rips in the earth suddenly opening up directly in front of her. Three skeletons, armed and dressed with ancient gear, let out cackling laughs at Darrah. "Kill her!" Bianca firmly ordered. The skeletons began to sprint for Darrah, holding up hand axes. Darrah, without a weapon, was faced with three undead and armed opponents.
As one came for her and swung it's axe down, she took a step to the side. Grabbing the skeleton's skull with one hand, she rammed her other fist into it so hard that the ancient bone was reduced to dust in between her fingers. To her shock, the skeleton didn't appear to be dead, as it elbowed her in the stomach and attempted to cut at her with it's axe. Darrah jumped out of the way of another's axe slash, and sprinted past the skeletons, making her way towards Bianca and her sword. Bianca launched a dark green whizzing sphere of magic at Darrah, the energy striking her in the chest and sending her zooming back to the skeletons. Timoteo ran over to the skeletons, armed with his mace. Swinging like mad, he bashed the skeletons over and over again, rather rapidly reducing them all to dust. As Darrah began to rise again, Timoteo, who was panting by then, ran up to her. "Stay on the ground! Cool off!" He said. Darrah almost growled, rising to her feet, anyway.
Before she could do anything, Timoteo kicked her feet out from under her, slamming her down to her back once more. He was about to get over her and force her to stay down when he suddenly heard Bianca collapse to the ground nearby. Looking over, he saw that she had fallen to her knees, a hand to the ground. Her head hung low, she spat up blood, a hand over the wound in her left side. Her hand was already coated red. Timoteo's eyes widened for a moment before he ran for his pack by the fire pit. As he ran for his pack, Darrah got back up to her feet. So enraged that her eyes were becoming bloodshot, she sprinted for Bianca again, raising her sword. Timoteo turned and looked to the two just as Darrah reached Bianca. When she did, Bianca surprised Darrah. She had grabbed her dagger, and as Darrah ran to her, she readied it. When Darrah had reached her, she shot up and stabbed through Darrah's chainmail again, this time punching her dagger right into Darrah's stomach.
Darrah gasped, and the pain seemed to make her pause for a second. Timoteo grabbed his pack, running towards the two. Blood running down Bianca's bottom lip and chin, she let out a weak cry as she hit Darrah with a jolt of electricity so powerful, it threw Darrah back multiple meters before she slammed down to the ground again, ending up doing a backflip, lying on her frontside. Bianca's dagger was still in her hand, but as soon as Darrah had been knocked back, Bianca had dropped it so she could fall back down on one hand, again. Timoteo dropped to a knee beside Bianca, his face frantic as he tore into his pack, dropping his mace beside it. "I couldn't do it...I couldn't do it..." Bianca gasped out. As Timoteo pulled out a health potion, she said "I...I couldn't kill her...She's...Your friend..." Bianca coughed up a mouthful of blood, barely holding herself up. "Drink, drink!" Timoteo urgently said. He uncorked his health potion, feeling his hand through her hair to her chin.
Pulling her head back, her face was barely revealed, twisted up in pain. Timoteo brought the bottle to her lips and tilted it upwards, spilling the contents into Bianca's mouth. Bianca quickly gulped the contents down, drinking the entire potion rapidly. After that, she fell back down on her side. She barely had her eyes open, but her breathing was calming down, the health potion was working. Timoteo ran over to Darrah, falling to a knee beside her, grabbing her arm and pulling her over. Panting and wounded, Darrah spit up some blood as she said "When I...Get my hands on...That bitch...I'll..." Timoteo was barely keeping calm as he muttered "Avo, you're messed up, too..." Darrah suddenly smiled then, grinning a little, even. "You should see her..." She groaned out. Timoteo took out another health potion, popping out the cork, tipping the bottle back into Darrah's mouth. Darrah kept her eyes closed as she drank the potion down.
When it was finished, Darrah mumbled out "Damn spells...Annoying as all...Hell..." Darrah rolled away from Timoteo, but only for a second before she came to a stop. Timoteo got up to his feet, Darrah slowly doing the same a minute later. He looked over to Bianca, seeing her to still be lying on the ground. He rushed over to her, falling to a knee beside her. Bianca was just then drinking what little fluid there was in a vial of her own, reaching over and resting the vial on top of her nearby cloak. As he came down on a knee beside her, she looked up to his eyes, blood still fresh on her chin and bottom lip, also still in a trickle coming down from her right nostril. She spat out a small wad of thickening blood before slowly beginning to climb to her feet. Darrah, as if she were ignoring Timoteo and Bianca, shambled on over to the fire pit. Collapsing beside it, she brought her head to her pack, using it like a pillow. "Ugh, start the fire...Tim?..." Darrah groaned out.
Timoteo, feeling a little surprised, simply launched a fire ball over, starting the fire once more. Darrah said nothing in thanks, simply lying on her right side in silence. "You okay?..." Timoteo asked, seeing that his one health potion obviously hadn't been enough to totally heal Bianca. Bianca nodded, softly saying "Yes...I just drank some of my own medicine...I should be okay..." Looking down past her immense bosom to her stomach, she said "Though, I wish I could say the same for my shirt...Or my cloak, for that matter..." Timoteo glanced downwards, seeing the large vertical slash over Bianca's left hip, showing bloody red skin and a rapidly-healing wound. Bianca wobbled for a moment before closing her eyes, raising a hand near her face. "Oh, I'm a little tired, too..." She mumbled. Timoteo took her by the hand, leading her over to the fire. He quickly stepped back to her cloak once she was by the fire, and laid it down for her. She got down on it like it was a blanket, lying on her side, like Darrah. Both were facing the fire, yet were on opposite sides of it, so they didn't have to see one another if they opened their eyes. Timoteo glanced at them both a few times, letting out a sigh, raising an eyebrow. "Well...That was screwed up...But it seems to have ended alright." He thought. "I wonder what they'll do when they have more energy, though..."
Timoteo sat by the fire pit and helped himself to the last of his pie, finally eating it. Still a little hungry, though because the group more or less completely lacked food, Timoteo knew he was out of luck. He decided to take the opportunity to do as Bianca had, not that long ago. Heading through the trees, he eventually happened upon a small creek, and promptly discarded his armour and clothing. Jumping in, he relaxed and bathed for well over twenty minutes, soaking and thinking on what had happened with Darrah and Bianca. "Maybe the fight will be good for them...Maybe Darrah will show Bianca more respect. It's not Bianca's fault...She just doesn't feel like opening up to Darrah, and I don't really blame her, considering how Darrah's acted with her all this time. But it's a vicious cycle. Bianca won't open up, so Darrah thinks she has something to hide. Because of that, she doesn't trust Bianca, but Darrah's just the pigheaded kind of girl that makes a lack of trust obvious. Bianca might feel a little offended, or not feel comfortable around Darrah, and that just makes her want to open up even less."
He sighed through his nose, closing his eyes, running his fingers through his wet hair for a moment. "I hope I'm not missing their wake-up. For all I know, they could be fighting again right now." He opened his eyes and went still for a few seconds. "Shit. I might be missing their fight." He thought. "I've gotta stop it!" He said aloud, twisting around in the creek, swimming back towards his clothes on the small dirt shore nearby. "Shit, I can't just throw them all on, they'll get wet and cling to me, it'll be uncomfortable." Timoteo muttered, eyeing his clothes, walking on to the small slant of the shore. Just then, he heard a girlish giggle behind him. Timoteo's face went bright red. He thought someone was spying on him. Twisting around, he shot a hand down to his groin, trying in vain to cover himself entirely with only one hand. "Who's there?" He called out. He heard the girlish giggling again, this time in the trees, across the creek.
He narrowed his eyes for a moment, trying to spot someone on the other side of the water. When the culprit made itself known, Timoteo's eyes widened slightly, his mouth hanging open a touch. It fluttered out from between a few trees, letting off another girlish giggle. It appeared to be a small blue ball of light, floating along. It appeared to be around the same size as his head, hovering along over the water towards him. As it flew through the air, bubbles drifted away from it, spreading out in the air behind it. The bubbles quickly popped, however, leaving nothing behind. When the ball of light had reached the middle of the creek, it stopped. Hovering several feet up in the air, the light faded, and in it's wake, a small body appeared. It didn't look very big, perhaps as tall as a ten year old child. It had feminine curves to it's body, however, as if it were a fully grown woman. It had blue skin, light and like aqua, yet it's body appeared to almost be translucent.
It's body revealed nothing within the creature, showing only a glimpse at what lay behind it. Behind it, it had short wings that reached out just enough to be believable that they could sustain the creature in flight. The wings were pale white, the same as the hair on the creature's head. Though the mass on the creature's head looked like hair, it was a shade of white akin to a bright gray, and didn't move at all, not flowing like normal hair. Instead, it almost seemed to sit transfixed on the creature's head, unmoving. It's eyes were a very dark shade of gray, almost totally black. A small black dot was visible on each eye, being the creature's pupils. Around the creature's eyes, there were unnaturally dark circles, filling up the depressions around it's eyes and almost making them seem twice as large. Strangely, it's nipples were clearly defined on it's small bosom, yet below it's navel and between the creature's thighs, there was nothing but a dark patch of skin, no real genitals visible.
The creature's icy-blue lips were formed in a wide smile. Timoteo recognized the creature from studies at the Guild. He had taken a keen interest in magical creatures as a child, and knew that the creature before him was a Nymph, specifically, a Water Nymph. He raised an eyebrow at it, closing his mouth. The Nymph giggled, raising a hand towards him, beckoning with a curl of one of it's fingers. Timoteo knew that Nymphs were powerful in the ways of magic, and wasn't looking to fight one by himself. While Water Nymphs weren't the strongest known type of Nymph in Albion, they certainly weren't the weakest, and weren't to be trifled with. "What do you want?" Timoteo called out. The Nymph giggled again, and in a rather sharp and raspy voice, called out "I want to play, mage! Won't you play a game with me? Your Will against my magic? Should be fun!" Timoteo smiled with amusement, and yet his eyes showed annoyance.
"I know better than to "play" with your kind, Nymph." The Nymph giggled again, it's giggle sounding so much more stable and relaxed when compared to it's raspy speaking voice. He turned and bundled up his clothes, laying his chainmail shirt over the bundle. "A mage, wearing armour? Are you daft?" The Nymph said, suddenly sounding uncomfortable and rather frighteningly close, as if it's mouth was mere inches from the back of his neck. He spun around again, seeing the Nymph to be a good meter away. When he turned around, however, the Nymph giggled, using it's wings to fly back another meter for safety. "Are you ignorant of your Will?" It asked. Slowly and almost mockingly, it said "Do you think you're a warrior? Mages don't wear armour, boy. They wear robes and walk around with staves and pointy hats, and usually have long beards. Even the women!" The Nymph giggled again, doing a sort of jib in the air for a moment before calming down.
Timoteo stared at the Nymph for a few seconds with an unimpressed face. "I know I'm not a warrior, but there's no harm in wearing armour. And mages all wearing robes and pointy hats is a stereotype, it's not true." The Nymph, who seemed to utterly lack eyebrows, tried to mimic the same expression, as if with surprise. It's little feminine face shone with the smile it wore, it's words coming out with amusement. "A mage, who goes against stereotypes? Surely you're a king amongst men! All seem to unknowingly play into stereotypes, but you...You have a mind of your own!" Timoteo's face grew annoyed as he turned from the Nymph once again, beginning to walk towards the nearby trees with his bundle of clothes. "Why am I even speaking with you, Nymph? Quit your tricks, leave me be." The Nymph giggled, and rapidly flew around him for a second, causing him to pause his walking. "Tricks? I play no tricks." It said. "If you wish to see tricks, then play my game! The least you could do for stumbling into my creek is play my game!"
Timoteo began to walk again, his face becoming quite annoyed, then. "Look, I've no time for games. I'm heading to Lychfield, okay? I have a long journey to go, still." The Nymph giggled again, saying "Mm, a few day's worth, truly. 'Tis a shame! Lychfield is still as plagued with wisps and Hollow Men as the day it was founded. Or is it..."Hallow" Men? After all, aren't they formed out of the angry spirits of your dead, human? You all put so much value on your souls..." Timoteo's brow furrowed, and his face became serious. The Nymph flew in front of him as he stopped walking. He was curious on her words, yet she mistook his curiosity for temptation, which it easily could have been; curiosity easily led the way to acceptance. "I know of rituals...Ancient rituals from before even the Old Kingdom...Rituals kept secret by the earth and her creatures. Great power! Unstoppable power! All for something within you..."
The Nymph shrugged, giggling girlishly. "Whether it be your soul, I remember not. Maybe it is, maybe it's something else. Something...In exchange for immediate access to the totality of your potential. Not the game I had in mind, but perhaps you'd be interested in a deal?" Timoteo smirked. "I'll reach the depths of my potential, in time. If you can't offer me anything beyond my reach, then I'm not interested." The Nymph flew around him to his backside, zipping away about a meter. "That's a shame...Though, as you humans say...There's plenty of fish in the sea, heh heh. If you won't accept my offer or play my game, in due time, I'm certain another Will user will stumble across my home. And, maybe, they'll be more open to the idea of immediate power...And thus, enjoy my gift." Timoteo continued towards the trees, saying "Perhaps. But I won't be the one, Nymph." As he walked into the trees, he didn't hear another giggle, nor did he hear the Nymph follow after him. Perhaps tired of him, it must've decided to leave him alone.
Timoteo walked towards the camp for a bit before stopping, thinking he was at an acceptable level of dryness. Pulling on his clothes bit by bit, he was eventually fully garbed once more. He continued to the camp, and found Darrah and Bianca to still be asleep. Worried, he stepped over to the each of them in turn, checking the sides of their necks for their pulses. Bianca's heart beat slower than Darrah's did, though she seemed okay, so it was likely a natural thing of her body. He let out a little sigh, sitting down by the fire with a deep and weary grunt. By then, the logs in the fire pit were just about completely reduced to cinders, not much left of the logs to burn. Timoteo had sat and waited for hardly a few minutes before he heard something approaching his camp. Standing up, a wolf with dark brown fur came into view. Timoteo watched it stare at Darrah for a moment before looking over to Bianca. Then, it's attention fell on Timoteo.
It licked it's chops for a minute, obviously hungry. It bared it's teeth and pointed it's ears back, letting off a menacing growl. Timoteo narrowed his eyes, though smirked. "One wolf? What trouble will that pose me?" He thought. Too soon, as it turned out. A moment later, a full pack of wolves emerged, numbering a dozen hungry male and female hounds. All bared their teeth and growled, pointing their ears back with hostility, slowly approaching the camp. Timoteo raised an eyebrow, glancing along the wolves. Some of the wolves, on the edges of the pack, were slowly beginning to circle the three of them. Timoteo had an idea, but he knew he couldn't put it forward while still standing by Darrah and Bianca. He also knew he couldn't just bolt from either of them, since some of the wolves might go for them as they slept. He needed the attention of all of them; he needed them to get angry at him, and view him as a threat.
He smirked, launching a fireball at one wolf. It hit it square in the face, and caused it to yelp in pain, rolling back a few times before coming to a stop. Some of the wolves glanced at their ally, who slowly got back up on it's feet, it's face charred black and missing all fur. Part of it's nose was burnt rather badly, and as it got up, it looked at Timoteo with enraged eyes. It barked at him furiously for several seconds, and the rest began to bark, too. That's when Darrah and Bianca were roused. Bianca got up on a knee, a wolf not too far from her, growling warningly. Darrah had two wolves by her, barking as she reached for her sword. Timoteo bolted into action before either of them had to. Casting Battle Charge, he suddenly began to sprint forwards at an unimaginable speed, a bright orange trail of light appearing behind him as he moved. Within hardly the span of a single second, he had reached the wolf he had hit in the face with his fireball.
Punting it in the nose with all his might, he caused it to do two backflips before crashing back down to the ground. Timoteo instantly noticed that the wolf simply lay twitching on the ground, it's head snapped back slightly, blood beginning to run from a rupture over the front of it's throat. Without pausing more than second or two at most, he began to sprint over to a nearby clearing, on the other side of the nearby path. "Tim!" Darrah shouted. Timoteo ignored her, he couldn't afford to turn around. He knew he had the attentions of the wolves. They barked furiously and chased after him as a pack, ignoring the two roused women. "Don't follow me!!" Timoteo shouted. Timoteo sprinted into the middle of the clearing, spinning around just as a wolf viciously jumped at his torso. It slammed him down to the ground, snapping at his face, biting his chin. "Tim!!" Bianca screamed. Timoteo wildly fought at the wolf over him, punching at it and trying to keep it's maiming jaws from his face, feeling others begin to bite at his legs. Realizing that his life was now in serious danger, his mind was devoid of thoughts for several seconds as he panicked, but before long, he had remembered what he needed to do. For a second, he forced everything else from his mind, and focused on his spell. He cast Enflame.
A large nova of fire suddenly exploded from Timoteo, and a sphere encircled him, the ravenous flames roaring around in a circle for a couple of seconds before fading entirely. When the flames had died, Timoteo felt the charred corpse of the wolf over him fill his nostrils with the stench of burnt flesh and fur. Throwing the corpse from himself, he sat up. Darrah and Bianca both ran over to him. Darrah reached down and pulled him up to his feet, and he winced quite heavily. Though none of the wolves had had enough time to bite through his pantlegs, their teeth had still left marks on his skin, and they would certainly bruise. "Shit, your chin..." Darrah said worriedly. Timoteo raised a hand to his chin, dabbing at it with two fingers, pulling it back and looking to it. His fingers were coated in dark red blood. "How does it look?" He asked. Bianca softly said "It'll heal...Come, let's get you back to the camp, sit you down. Darrah can get a fire going. I'll need to treat you before we go anywhere else."
Darrah raised an eyebrow at Bianca, coolly saying "Treat him? I don't think so. We'll use a standard potion on him." Bianca, without looking at Darrah, said "Your potions are limited...Save them for serious wounds. This isn't too serious. I can take care of it." To Timoteo's mild surprise, Darrah didn't argue any further. She simply nodded slightly, saying "Okay, if you think it'll work. But if he doesn't heal fast enough, or he might get scars, I'm just giving him a potion. End of story." To Timoteo's further surprise, Bianca actually smiled, looking over to Darrah. "Fair enough." She said quietly. The both of them put a hand on one of Timoteo's shoulders, Bianca to Timoteo's right, Darrah to Timoteo's left. "That was pretty brave of you, Tim." Darrah said. Timoteo smirked, saying "I'm no coward, Darrah. I thought I had proved that over the years by training with you so often." Darrah opened her mouth to speak, yet paused for a moment before saying "...I was just saying. It was brave of you."
Timoteo smiled lightly at her, saying "Well, thank you." As they got back to the fire pit, they all noticed that the fire was totally dead, by then. Timoteo sat down by it anyway, sitting by Bianca's cloak. She pulled up her cloak and slipped it on, sitting down on her knees beside Timoteo a second later. "Now..." She softly said, reaching into a pocket inside her cloak. "Just stay still...This will sting the first second or two, but after that, your cuts will numb and begin to heal." "How do I even look, anyway?" He asked. He glanced at Darrah, who grimaced for a moment. "Put it this way. It's dripping down your throat." She said. Timoteo raised a hand to his Adam's apple, feeling his skin to be wet with red. He lowered his hand, sighing, saying "Great. I just took my bath, too." Bianca smiled lightly for a moment before pulling out a small vial of yellow powder. "Bianca..." Darrah said a little gently. Bianca turned her head towards Darrah just slightly, looking in her corners, not really even looking at Darrah. "Yes?" She softly asked.
Darrah was quiet for several seconds, her face a little conflicted. When she spoke, it was fairly gently. "I...Suppose that I've been treating you a little unfairly. I don't trust you...But I guess that's no reason to be as hostile as I was. And...You're not as useless in a fight as I might've imagined." Bianca's face was calm as she said "Is this your way of apologizing?" Darrah was quiet for a moment, her face going annoyed for a moment before she relaxed. "Take it for what you will." She eventually said. Bianca smiled a little, saying "Okay. I accept your apology." Looking back to Timoteo, she added "Though, you were trying to kill me...I wasn't really going at you all that much. I don't trust you either, Darrah. You've made it clear that you're not worthy of that." Darrah crossed her arms over her chest, saying "Fine. I guess we've got that out of the way, we know where we stand." Bianca raised an eyebrow, looking down to her vial, beginning to feel at the cork to pop it out.
"Are you going to ask me any more questions about my past? It's more personal than you realize." Darrah narrowed her eyes, saying "Personal or not, it's something I'm against. Obviously-" Bianca actually cut Darrah off, saying "Yes, you've made your position very clear, you're against evil. I doubt I'm as monstrous as you seem to think, however. I don't believe in true evil or good. There's only shades of gray, something you'd do well to realize." Darrah was silent as Bianca continued a second later. "One of the first things Grizelda taught me was that nobody does anything for nothing. There's always something, even if it's a hidden reason, such as atonement for a long-past deed. I've done things you might disapprove of...But depending on your point of view, it could be evil, or simply out of my control." Bianca felt a finger into her vial, touching the yellow powder within. "I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason for why you're so against evil. It's obviously the reason why you don't trust me. And I'm sure there's an equally good reason why I'm not as morally upstanding as you are. Neither of us can change our nature. But we can choose whether it gets in the way of our relationship or not. We can be friends, simple allies, or enemies. I'd rather not have the last option be the one we take."
Bianca took her finger from her vial, the print of her finger covered in the yellow powder. She brought her finger over to Timoteo's chin, and Timoteo winced, feeling a stinging sensation shoot through him for a few moments. Bianca smiled slightly with apparent amusement, but her smile died as Darrah spoke. "...You'd be willing to be my friend? After all that's transpired between us so far?" Darrah asked. Bianca's brow furrowed for a moment before she nodded, saying "Of course. I don't trust you, but that's your own fault. It'll take time for that to come back...Just like how it'll take time for me to get your own trust." She looked over to Darrah, saying "I know magic that could've destroyed you...But I didn't use it. I couldn't kill you, Darrah. You're Timoteo's friend. Whether you like it or not, I have to care about you. Any friend of his...Is a friend of mine." Timoteo felt a little surprised, and he was sure it showed on his face. Bianca looked back to him, meeting his eyes for a moment before looking back down to his chin.
"...We'll all have our day to die, Darrah. But I promise, your's won't be brought by me." Darrah was silent for several seconds before she sighed through her nose, her sigh being more of a simple exhale than a sign of annoyance. "I'll...Be right back." She said, turning and beginning to walk away. "Where're you going?" Timoteo asked. "I've got to pee!" Darrah indignantly called over her shoulder. Timoteo rolled his eyes for a moment before looking to Bianca's own. Bianca was smiling a little as Darrah walked off into the trees. "I don't think we're going to have as many problems as before." Bianca softly said. Timoteo smiled a little, Bianca continuing to rub more and more powder on his wounds. "I'm glad. Things were getting unbearable." He said. Bianca held back a chuckle, simply smiling. "I guess Darrah's the kind of person that needs to fight someone to find out whether she should respect them or not. Very primitive. Like competing with someone for "Alpha" status in a pack." Bianca mumbled, glancing down to her vial as she stuck her finger back inside, getting more on her print.
"You're going to need to wash up." She said. "But be careful, don't wash off the powder." She added. Timoteo nodded lightly for a second, saying "No problem." A moment later, he added "What kind of magic do you know, Bianca? You said you'd be willing to talk to me about it." Bianca nodded, saying "I very much am...I just fear it'll cause more problems with Darrah and I. Since our situation seems to be mellowing out, I'd rather not incite her to more hostility." Timoteo nodded slightly, his face unimpressed as he looked off to the side. "Yeah, you're right...Disappointing, though...I don't think I've ever had a real chat about magic with someone else." Bianca smiled happily, saying "One day, Tim. One day." She raised her eyebrows slightly, meeting his eyes, asking "Should I call you "Tim"? Or do you prefer Timoteo? Darrah calls you "Tim", at least." Timoteo half-smiled, saying "Either way's fine." Bianca smiled a little more, though said nothing.
After a few seconds, he spotted her eyes to run down his chin towards his throat. Her finger slowed over his cuts, and her face slowly began to go a little blank. Timoteo raised an eyebrow curiously. "You okay?" He asked. Her eyes shot back up to his, and her cheeks went pink. "I was...Wondering if I could do something for a second." She asked, sounding just a touch nervous. Timoteo raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips for a moment in curiosity. "...Um, sure." He eventually said. Bianca acted in a flash. She brought her face down to the right side of his throat, Timoteo being so surprised he almost fell backwards. To his great bewilderment, he felt something warm and moist touch his skin, running up along him for a moment before pulling back. He heard Bianca shudder for a moment before the moistness touched his skin again. He realized she was licking him, and butterflies shot up from his stomach, blush rising in his cheeks. His blush died, however, when he realized that his throat was covered in blood. Was Bianca licking his blood?
He felt Bianca lick him a third time, trembling for a moment before she pulled her head back. He saw her cheeks to be bright red, a little smile on her face. She warmly looked back to his chin, beginning to feel her powder along his wounds once more. "Thank you, very much...I...Enjoyed that. If Darrah notices and asks...Just say you wiped at your throat, or scratched at yourself, okay?..." Timoteo raised an eyebrow, saying "Okay...But...I liked it, too...I just...Were you licking my blood?" Bianca smiled a little more, her eyes warming up a bit. "Mmhmm." She mumbled in her throat. "It's...Something I picked up from Grizelda. She fancied blood, herself...I...Seeing it on your throat, I..." She raised her eyebrows, shaking her head for a moment, as if to clear her head. "I don't think it'd be something I'd talk to with many people. It's a fetish of mine. But I hope you're not disgusted by it...I know many people would be." Bianca shrugged slightly, saying "I bet simpler folk would call me a "vampire" for it."
"Fetish? Isn't that, like...A little totem? Made of bone, or something?" Timoteo asked. Bianca held back a chuckle, saying "No, no...Well, possibly, that might be another meaning for the word. But...The meaning I'm speaking of-" Just then, Darrah walked back into the camp. "Still not done? I took a pretty long pee." Darrah said, a slightly callous look on her face. Bianca's mouth hung open for a second due to her interrupted sentence before she simply said "I'm almost done, just another nick or two. Timoteo's got to wash off the blood, after." Darrah narrowed her eyes, looking to Timoteo as if she were examining him. "Why's your throat got three thick lines of blood missing? Did you try to wipe it all away, or something?" Timoteo pushed out his bottom lip for a moment before nodding, saying "Yeah, I did. But, too much for me to get rid of, I suppose." Darrah shrugged, and Bianca winked at Timoteo appreciatively. Darrah got dressed in the rest of her armour as Bianca finished up with Timoteo, and Timoteo went out to the creek to wash as much blood form himself as he could.
With his pain numbed, he took the opportunity to feel at his chin, to figure out where his wounds were and where else he should wash. He felt several deep gouges on his chin, all from the wolf's teeth, though all filled with Bianca's healing powder. He was careful with the washing of his chin, being careful not to get any water on his healing powder. When he was finished, he walked back towards the camp. Bianca and Darrah were all ready, then. Timoteo and Darrah lifted up their packs, shouldering them. As they headed down the nearby path once more, beginning to head down the remainder of Windmill Hill, Bianca said "...You know, Darrah, you put a hole in both sides of my shirt. And another in my leggings." Darrah raised her eyebrows, saying "So, what do you want, compensation? You put two holes in my chainmail, too. Armour is more important to a warrior than clothing is to anybody. A warrior without good armour will die. A person, mage or not, without good clothes is simply naked. By my reckoning, that makes us equal."
Timoteo glanced between the two, wondering if the peace between them was short-lived. Bianca was silent for a moment before nodding slightly, raising an eyebrow. "You're right. I had forgotten." Bianca said. "I guess we are even." She added. Darrah said "Good, glad we're in agreement. Now, let me ask you two something, get a conversation going for the road. How are we going to have our next meal? It's barely morning, I'm hungry, and since none of us have even had breakfast yet, I get the feeling today is going to be a very nasty day. We're going to go hungry, we have no more food." Bianca slowly reached over towards Timoteo's hand, lightly touching along his pinky and ring finger with her thumb and index finger. Timoteo smiled and grasped her hand, Bianca smiling a little herself, wrapping her fingers around his. "Maybe we'll come across a wandering trader. If not, I can hunt for food. I didn't find much last night...But I could try again later, once the sun sets." Bianca said. Timoteo nodded, saying "Guess that's all we can do, really." Darrah shrugged, saying "A plan is better than no plan, I guess." The trio continued down the path, heading towards Gibbet Woods...
Gibbons was walking by the famous Bowerstone South pub, very unofficially called the "Cow and Corset" due to a rather notorious rumour about the female founder of the pub. Something happened, however, that made Gibbons pause. He heard loud shouting, and when he looked over, he saw a crowd to be standing around a man, who himself stood on a crate, standing heads above the others. "Heroes are not needed!!" He shouted with an unbelievable anger and zeal. "They think they're above the law! They rob and steal! They murder and rape! Without people like Jack of Blades, we have no need for Heroes! A relic of an old age!" The man shouted. Several of those in the crowd cheered in support. One or two walked away, though they were merely drops of water in a full lake. Gibbons furrowed his brow. "In the age of black powder, in the age of the firearm, we can look after ourselves! Heroes are not welcome! They've turned their back on the people they're supposed to protect!" The man shouted.
Gibbons began to walk towards the crowd, and noticed as he glanced left and right, that two other people were doing the same. A woman, a few years older than him, and a man who looked to be in his mid thirties. The man was fairly nondescript, wearing a full suit of steel chainmail armour. The woman looked a bit like a rogue of some kind, wearing a full suit of thick leather armour that exposed her stomach and most of her limbs, her fiery red hair tied back in a ponytail. Both had their Guild Seals clipped to their chests. For once, Gibbons actually felt glad that he didn't wear his Seal on his clothing. It seemed like the crowd was ready to attack any Hero that came near. "What's the meaning of this?" The woman called out. The man on the crate suddenly shot his eyes open wide, pointing a hand out to her. "You! You're a Hero! And you, sir!" The man shouted, pointing his hand over to the other approaching man. The crowd fell silent, turning and shooting unsettlingly hostile faces towards the two approaching figures.
"Why do you speak this ill of Heroes?" The approaching man asked. Gibbons spoke up, saying "Indeed. I thought the Guild and it's Heroes protected us? What is this black powder you speak of?" Gibbons, playing the part of a simply confused townsperson, asked "Can it protect us better than Heroes can?" Someone near Gibbons passed him a sort of pamphlet, muttering "Skorm's teeth to all Heroes, I say. We don't need 'em, friend. Read up, and get yourself a firearm at your earliest convenience." Gibbons felt a little disturbed at this sudden hatred for Heroes. He kept up his act, however, nodding, saying "I will, thank you very much." He looked to the pamphlet as the male Hero who had approached asked "I say again, why do you speak ill of Heroes? We're sworn to protect you, we do nothing but put ourselves below you!" The man on the crate shouted out "And yet, you Heroes are free to choose evil or good. While your evil Heroes are terrifying enough, and can lay waste to entire towns, your "good" Heroes do the same! They rob, they steal, they kill others for their own amusement! Well, I say, no more!!"
A trader turned towards the man, pointing up to his own face, which had multiple slash scars across it, leaving the man partially disfigured. His nose was almost entirely removed, leaving nothing but a red maw in the middle of his face for his nostrils. "A Hero agreed to escort me across Darkwood to Barrow Fields. He practically ignored me for a minute as a balverine attacked me, and because of it, I look like this." A woman shouted out "I run a shop in Knothole Glade! A Hero robbed me of most of my merchandise! My shop's on the verge of bankruptcy directly because of it!" The female Hero pleadingly called out "Most Heroes are good, they serve others! We protect you! Why are you all so angry?" The man on the crate laughed for a moment before venomously shouting out "Only a minority of your number shows obvious evil. And yet, only that small number is needed to massacre entire towns! And even your "good" Heroes do the very things they slaughter other people for! They rob, cheat, steal, pillage, the list goes on and on!" Gibbons began to fear this resentment towards Heroes, opening the pamphlet in his hands.
"Citizen! Are you tired of fawning over Heroes not out of love, but fear? Tired of Heroes receiving special privileges? Tired of being a second-class citizen? This is a call to action: join the Bowerstone Anti-Hero League today!

Heroes once protected Albion. But in the absence of the great threats of old, threats like Jack of Blades, Heroes protect us from nothing. Instead they menace, extort, and bully the people they once served. It is time to turn our backs on these relics of another time and set our sights on the future! Ask yourself, whom shall we thank for the prosperity of our age? Heroes? No! Engineers. Doctors. Inventors and natural philosophers. These people give us larger and safer cities, healthier crops, cleaner water, longer and fuller lives.

The people can solve their own problems. The Heroes' Guild is no longer needed, nor wanted, in Albion. We will deliver this message, by force if necessary! In the age of the firearm, we do not need Heroes - nor shall we fear them!"
Gibbons' eyes widened a little as he read the pamphlet. "Begone, Heroes! Run and hide in your Guild! Leave the people be!" A man suddenly shouted. Gibbons looked up from the pamphlet, seeing men and women begin to pick up stones from the ground, hurling them towards the man and woman. The man easily dodged the rocks as he turned and fled, though the female Hero was pelted several times before she managed to get out of range. The man on the crate held up his fists in victory. "Yes! That is but a taste, fair people! With black powder, everyone has the means to be just as strong as a Hero! Nothing can stop a firearm!" The man suddenly pulled something from within a pocket on his pants. It was a strange thing, looking almost like a stick, though it had a handle and a long metal pipe of sorts. The man held it up in the air and pulled the trigger. A loud "bang" sounded out, and the man's arm shook from the weapon's recoil.
Everyone in the crowd went deathly silent, some gasping, seeming extremely surprised. The man on the crate had wild eyes as he grinned, shouting "This weapon can match a Hero, any day! No amount of armour can stop a lead slug from a firearm! If I wanted to, I could kill a Hero right this second!" "Why don't you, then?" Gibbons suddenly called out, his face growing a little annoyed. The disrespect this crowd was showing was beginning to wear down his act. The man looked to Gibbons, pointing a hand at him, saying "Good question! Why haven't I, yet? I think it's because Heroes don't bother me, mostly; good thing, too! Probably know how I could take any one of them on with my new weapon! If a Hero did bother me, I'd shoot them in the face and be done with it! Simple!" Gibbons, knowing people were looking at him with just a hint of suspicion, kept his act up. "Shoot 'em in the face, eh?" He called out. "Sounds like a good plan to me!" He grinned wolfishly, letting out a triumphant shout.
Like mindless sheep, the rest of the people in the crowd grinned, shouting out happily like Gibbons had. The man on the crate grinned, saying "Pass the pamphlets around, tell all your friends and family about the Anti-Hero League! There are chapters in Oakvale, Knothole Glade, Hook Coast, even as far north as Snowspire! We will prevail! We will force the Heroes to stand back and get away from our lives, our Albion, even if it means we have to kill them!" Gibbons' face grew pale at the man's words and the subsequent shouting of approval. Stuffing the pamphlet into a pocket on his pants, he subtly crept away from the crowd, solemnly thinking "I need to tell Weaver about this, show him the pamphlet...This...This can't be real. This is like a nightmare. Something needs to be done to calm these people down, before this "firearm" of their's spreads like wildfire."
Quickly departing from Bowerstone South, he made haste towards the Guild of Heroes, the pamphlet weighing so heavily on his mind with it's inciting and hateful words that it felt like it was made of stone in his pocket.
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Fable : Fall of the Guild