Thanks. I can always make more, if you have any request, just throw a name, and i will ask Liquid for description or just search through chapters. I have one more prepared, but well, i will show it later perhaps, when and if character will appear in the story. :-)
For a moment, Samantha just stared deeply into Jaylon's sullen, brown eyes. Her hatred stood against his infuriating indifference. She wanted nothing more than to bury her hatchet deep in his skull. She knew, he would deserve it, after what he did. Lunett's corpse came to mind and it was nearly enough to cause her to attack him, despite better judgement. But it was also the memory of Lunett's corpse that finally convinced her to lower her weapons. Lucas Flowers was still out there. What would prevent him from suffering the same fate as long as he was in this city?
“We have a deal”, she hissed and Jaylon had enough courtesy not to grin at her. She wasn't too sure if she would have been able to keep calm if he would have done that. Instead, the man simply dropped his sword in the floor and took a step forward, moving a hand to his belt. He stopped as Samantha raised his hatchet again, before he slowly moved his hands away from his belt, revealing iron handcuffs. “You can handcuff me if you want”, he offered and she shook her head. “Do it yourself. I'm not getting near you as long as you can move your hands”
Jaylon gave her a short nod, before starting to handcuff himself with experienced movement. “I have the key in my pocket”, he said. “I'll get it later”, Samantha answered, before making room for him to walk past her. “You go ahead, I follow shortly after you. Start to run and I will break both of your feet. Try to attack me and I will break both of your hands, do you understand?”
“Yes”, Jaylon confirmed and started to slowly walk past her. “We're going back to where I ambushed you. Hopefully it won't take long until we find Sasha again”, Samantha explained. “I can't wait”, Jaylon muttered. “I'm sure she's going to be overjoyed to see me again”
“Jaylon, not even your mother could be overjoyed to see your ugly face again”, Samantha mocked him and for a moment, Jaylon looked over his shoulder, anger in his eyes. “I will follow your rules, Samantha Ducard, but I have one rule myself. Do not talk about bad my mother. Never”
Samantha slightly chuckled at his anger, at the feeling of finally feeling in control of a situation for once. “Who would have guessed that the bad man loves his mother?”, she grinned and Jaylon let out an angered sigh. “Do you think I wanted such a life?”, he asked. “Working for Butterfly, killing every man he orders me to do? Do you think I seriously dreamt of this when I was younger?”
“Yeah, I'm sure it was so hard for you to take his money”, Samantha spat. “But you can be relieved now. Butterfly is dead and you don't have to work for a monster anymore” Jaylon's angry glare changed to his usual confident look. “You know nothing”, he said. “Absolutely nothing. As soon as we are in a safe place, I will explain everything to you”
Samantha narrowed her eyes as he said this. “What do you mean?”, she asked. She half expected Jaylon to smirk, but the man just looked at her sullenly. “Do you honestly think it would be that easy to kill Butterfly?”, he asked. Samantha stopped immediately, just staring at him, while he slowly continued to walk down the alleyway. “What...?”, she managed to stutter. “You will get your explanation, Samantha. Just not here”, Jaylon answered with a low voice. “It is not safe to talk about these things here”
And so they continued their way through Oldtown, Jaylon walking two good feet in front of her. Slowly, Samantha started to recognize some of the streets and alleyways they were passing through, even though she would have still been lost without Jaylon guiding her back to the place where she ambushed him. Getting help from Jaylon Gordus... the though was absurd, almost insane.
To Samantha's surprise, Sasha waited for them were she left her, even though Leonard wasn't with her. She was leaning against a wall, slightly holding her side, where Jaylon kicked her. As soon as she saw him and Samantha, a frown appeared on her face. Samantha noticed that she still had her arakh drawn, casually resting it on her shoulder as she approached them.
“I see, you haven't killed the dog yet”, she greeted her and Samantha gave her a slight smile. “It's good to see you too, Sasha”, she said. For a moment, Sasha's frown turned into a smirk, but her facial expression darkened again, as Jaylon cleared his throat. The man took a mocking bow in front of her. “Sasha, it's good to see you. How do you feel?”, he asked with a grin. Sasha narrowed her eyes and without any kind of warning, her closed fist moved forwards, hitting him in the face and sending him to his knees, forcing him to howl out of surprising pain. “Better”, the woman growled.
Samantha looked down at Jaylon, who knelt on the ground, holding his mouth and sending glares to Sasha. “He asked a good question though”, she said. “How are you feeling?” Sasha seemed to forced herself to smile at Samantha as she moved her hand away from her ribs. “Not too bad. Nothing is broken, although I took some nasty bruises out of this. It will hurt for a few days, but I should be fine. I've been through worse” She looked down at Jaylon, who started to get back to his feet, eyeing the deep gash on his face where her arakh cut him. “He on the other hand...” The hint of a smirk appeared on her face.
“Fuck you”, Jaylon mumbled without looking either of them in the eye. “It was an ugly face to begin with”, Sasha snarled. “You should thank me for cutting part of it off. It's honestly an improvement” Jaylon lowered his head and stayed silent, prompting Samantha to grin at Sasha. “Well done, now you managed to shut him up”, she complimented her, before raising an eyebrow. “Where's Leonard, by the way?”
“Brought him to someone I trust. It's not far from here”, Sasha answered and gave her a sign to follow. “A healer?”, Samantha asked and Sasha shook her head. “Not exactly. He should suffice though”, she answered “Most importantly, he is someone I can trust. He does not work for Butterfly or Mullendore or the Burned Man. On top of that, he has experience with treating a wound. He's by no means a Maester, but hopefully good enough to safe Leonard's life”
She stopped in front of a small entrance at the end of the alleyway, looking over her shoulder for a moment. “We're there”, she said and knocked on the door. Samantha took a glance at Jaylon, who had his lips pressed together, looking truly upset. She would have felt pity for him under other circumstances. But now? He should be happy that she spared his life.
The door was opened, revealing a tall man, with a lean and athletic build. He had chocolate brown hair and icy blue eyes, with high cheekbones, a prominent chin and a slight stubble growing on his jaw. “Sasha”, the man greeted her and gave Samantha and Jaylon a nod. “I see you brought more guests” He stepped aside, allowing Sasha, Samantha and Jaylon to enter the house. Samantha walked into a small, dark and dirty floor, following the man through it and through a second door, entering a small, but surprisingly tidy living room.
“One guest, one prisoner”, Sasha clarified. “Davith, this is Samantha Ducard. She hired me, in some way. Samantha, this is Davith Lanser, one of the few honest people left in this city” The man extended her hand and gave Samantha a strong handshake. She slightly smirked at him. “So, you're suicidal?”, she asked and half expected him to frown at her. Instead, he gave her a short nod. “And you're a loudmouth?”, he asked in return. Both of them grinned at each other, before Sasha slightly clapped her hands, causing them to shift her attention back to her. “Glad you two get along. Davith, you won't like that other guy over here, but don't do anything stupid now. This man is Jaylon Gordus”
Davith narrowed his eyes and immediately, Samantha noticed something in them she knew just too well. She saw the same expression every time she looked into a mirror. And because of this, she managed to react in time, holding Davith back as he attempted to jump at Jaylon. “Easy now!”, she growled, grabbing his shoulders and pushing him away from Jaylon.
“Are you out of your mind, Sasha?”, Davith yelled at the woman. “Bringing one of Butterfly's men here?” Sasha raised her hands in defence, looking at Samantha for help. “Hey, it's not like I don't want to see him dead”, she answered. “Gods know, this guy would deserve it”
“Do I?”, Jaylon growled, still slowly backing away from Davith. “Well, then enlighten me, Sasha. What have I done that you and your new mercenary friend haven't done in the past too?” Samantha slightly rolled with her eyes and before Sasha could answer, she put a hand on her shoulder. “Yeah, Jaylon... as much as I want to discuss this with you know, preferably by, you know, breaking all of your fingers, I don't have the time for it now”, she said and looked at Davith. “Listen, Davith, I don't know what kind of problem you have with Jaylon, although I can fully understand you. But for now, I'm going to need him, alive and unharmed”
She looked around, from Davith, to Sasha, to Jaylon. “Okay, I want to make one thing clear. No one gets killed today, alright?”, she explained and Davith gave her a reluctant nod. She answered with a cheerful smile. “Great! Glad we talked about this. Now... where's Leonard?”, she asked.
Davith let out a sigh and pointed at a small door, leading deeper into his part of the house. “I did what I could. Cleaned his wounds, stopped the bleeding, sewed his leg back together and bandaged it. Now he is resting and all we can hope for is that his wounds won't get infected”, he explained and paused for a moment. “He told me he needs to talk to you. Even refused to drink the milk of the poppy to stay awake”
Samantha gave him an alarmed stare. “And is he still awake?”, she asked, quickly walking towards the door. “He was last time I looked after him”, Davith answered and walked after her, through the door that lead to his bedroom. The room itself was small and a fire was burning in a fireplace in its corner, leading to a comfortably warm atmosphere. The only furniture next to the fireplace was a cupboard and a small bed. Inside of this bed, Leonard way lying, slightly raising his head as he recognized Samantha. His leg was heavily bandaged, the bandages reddened with blood. Davith had removed the knights armour and the heavy parts of his clothing and from the amount of blood that stained the sheets, it was clear that his help had saved Leonard's life.
“Hey”, Leonard mumbled weakly and Samantha gave him a nod. “Hey”, she greeted him back, walking next to him. “First, let me get one thing straight” She knelt next to him, so that she was able to look at him at eye level. “I am not your friend. Whatever special bond you had with that asshole Flowers, we two don't have it”, she hissed and he gave her the hint of a nod. “I haven't chased after you through half of this kingdom because I was concerned for you, I did it for Lunett” The mention of the girl caused a pained facial expression to flash over his face. Samantha knew, Leonard had seen the same sight, back at the inn. She pressed her lips together and blinked a tear away. “Lunett is dead and nothing can bring her back. I haven't rescued you from Jaylon out of the kindness of my heart, I have done it because you are going to give me some answers”, she continued. Again, Leonard gave her a weak nod. “Understood”, he mumbled.
Both looked up as Jaylon stumbled into the room, followed by Sasha, who was slightly pushing him. “Get in there, I want to hear this”, she growled and Jaylon quickly stepped into the room, trying his best to stand as far away from Davith as possible.
“You left him alive”, Leonard remarked and Samantha gave him a proud nod. Despite the pain he was in, a glad smile appeared on Leonard's face. “Then you did more than I would have done”, he answered and glared at Jaylon. “You can be lucky that I am not feeling too well right now”
Jaylon shook his head, looking from Davith to Sasha. “Yeah, lucky...”, he mumbled. Leonard moved his hand closer to Samantha, grabbing her forearm. “Listen...”, he mumbled and was interrupted by slight shivering as he barely moved his wounded leg. “The man who killed Lunett is Maron Mullendore”
For a moment, no one said a word. Davith and Sasha just stared at Leonard, in case of Sasha her mouth was wide open in shock. Jaylon looked to the ground, perhaps out of fear, perhaps out of shame. And Samantha raised an eyebrow in disbelief as she realized what he just said. “Maron Mullendore?”, she asked. “Mullendore, the commander of the city guard? Jaylon's new boss? That pudgy ginger I saw back at the tavern?”
Jaylon slightly chuckled at that last remark, but a cold glare from Davith quickly shut him up. “Mullendore killed a random girl?”, the man asked. Leonard shook his head and let out a sigh, half out of frustration, half out of pain. “Not a random girl. He killed our friend because he wanted to break us, me and Lucas. He wanted answers, wanted to know where Dairon is hiding” He paused for a moment, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “Maron Mullendore is Butterfly”
Samantha narrowed her eyes and caught Sasha's surprised gasp. But the one who reacted by far the worst to these news was Davith. For a moment, the man just looked at Leonard in silence, before turning around and facing Jaylon. “You knew about this?”, he growled. Jaylon gave him a weak nod. “A fifth of the guard knows about this”, he answered. Davith said nothing. Instead, he turned around to Samantha and she saw how deeply shocked he was by this revelation. “Excuse me”, he muttered, before slowly walking out of the room. Sasha gulped, before giving Samantha a short nod. “I'll handle this”, she said and walked after Davith, leaving Samantha, Leonard and Jaylon alone in the room.
“Mullendore is Butterfly...”, Samantha repeated. “He's the commander of the city guard and a crimelord as well... I have to say it is a brilliant disguise” She clenched her fists and looked to the ground. “Shit...”, she mumbled. “This is bad. This is very, very bad” Her mind wandered off to the man in the warehouse, his desperate screams of agony. And she had already thought that she was free of Butterfly...
She looked up again, as Leonard's hand tightly squeezed her forearm. “Sam... listen”, he mumbled with a weak voice and Samantha saw that he was struggling to stay conscious. Considering how much blood he had lost, it was a testimony to his determination that he even managed to stay awake for so long. She moved closer, so that she was able to understand him better. “I know you only wanted answers. You must hate me and Lucas for bringing Lunett here. And we fucked up, there is no other way to describe it”, he whispered into her ear. “But Lucas, he is not a bad guy. In fact, he is one of the best I know. He does not deserve what Mullendore will do to him. And Dairon is in danger as well. The boy is innocent...” He paused for a moment and took a deep breath. “Please”, he said a bit louder than before. “Don't leave them here. I have nothing to offer you, but I know you can't leave them behind”
Samantha looked deeply into his brown eyes and shook her head. “No, I can't”, she agreed. “I will save both of them and then I will bring all three of you back to Raylansfair. I won't even judge you, Leonard. Her father will do this” The mention of Aylard caused another pained expression to appear on Leonard's face, but he gave her a nod. “That sounds fair. I won't run away from him. I failed to safe his daughters life and I will face his judgement for it”, he answered, before his head fell back onto the pillow. “Dairon... he is at the Citadel. He is with the Archmaester of Magic” Samantha got up from the ground and gave Jaylon a sign to leave the room. “I understand and I will try my best”, she promised. “We will leave you now. You need to rest. In the meantime, we will go to the Citadel”
She walked towards the door, but was interrupted by Leonard answering her. “Thank you”, he mumbled. “I know, you haven't saved my life because we're friends, but still... thank you for everything” Samantha forced herself to smile at him, even though she never felt so empty in all of her life before. “Don't mention it”, she answered and walked out of the door, with Jaylon following her closely.
In the living room, she found Davith and Sasha sitting on chairs, with the woman sternly talking to the man, whose facial expression was a mixture of anger and sadness. Both looked up as Samantha walked closer. Without asking, she grabbed a chair and sat next to them. “So...”, she began, looking at Davith. “Do you want to tell me what your problem with Butterfly is?”
Davith let out a sigh and gave her a nod. “I think it's only fair if you know. Iwas a member of the city guard. My father was a guardsman as well and the best man I ever knew”, he explained and Samantha could already guess what would follow. “Butterfly killed him, just as he killed plenty of others. For a while, I continued to serve Mullendore, not knowing that I was serving...” He interrupted himself and clenched his teeth. “I left the city guard when it became apparent that Mullendore was focussing on the Burned Man instead. The Burned Man is not the one murdering our guards... to think that I served this monster...”
He slammed his fists down on the table and stared at Jaylon. “Why is he killing his own guards?”, he asked and Jaylon almost looked apologetic. “To avoid suspicion. As I said, a fifth of the guard knows about his secret, most of them high-ranking officers. If someone finds out his secret, he gives them a choice. To serve Butterfly, or to die”, the mercenary explained. “If it helps, your father died without betraying his moral principles”
“This does not help at all, you stinking son of a bitch”, Davith growled and looked back at Samantha. “I want to help you. I want to help you in freeing the other knight and this boy Leonard talked about. I am one of the best fighters you can find in Oldtown”
“Which I can confirm”, Sasha added. “We can definitely need him if things get rough” Samantha looked over her shoulder, towards the bedroom door. “And what's with Leonard?”, she asked. “As I said, I did all I could for him. If his situation gets worse, I can't help him either way. If you allow me to accompany you, I will ask my neighbour to look after him. She is an experienced midwife, certainly better suited to help Leonard if his condition deteriorates”, Davith answered
Samantha closed her eyes. She knew what Davith was feeling. She felt the same helpless rage inside of her ever since Butterfly's hound murdered her whole family. Yes, she could understand him and she could understand his reasoning. But there was another factor she needed to deal with. She opened her eyes again and looked at Jaylon.
“And what are we doing with him?”, she asked. Jaylon looked up, slightly shaking his head. “I'm not going with you”, he said and raised his hands. “Not because I want to refuse your orders, but because it is too dangerous. I am a captain of the city guard. Imagine what happens if people see me being dragged in chains towards the citadel”
“What if we remove your chains?”, Samantha asked, causing Sasha and Jaylon to look at her in surprise. “The hell we're going to do”, Sasha exclaimed. “Just leave him here, chained to the wall or something like that”
“That could be even more risky. If you take him with you, you need to remove his chains, but just leaving him here... what if he frees himself?”, Davith mumbled and looked at her. “Besides, what's with me? Can I accompany you at least?”
[Take Davith with you][Take Jaylon with you][Take both with you][Take neither with you]
We can leave Sasha with Jaylon and Leonard and take Davith. He as well know some medicine, so perhaps he can help Leonard too in this way. Great part :-)
Samantha
For a moment, Samantha just stared deeply into Jaylon's sullen, brown eyes. Her hatred stood against his infuriating indifferenc… moree. She wanted nothing more than to bury her hatchet deep in his skull. She knew, he would deserve it, after what he did. Lunett's corpse came to mind and it was nearly enough to cause her to attack him, despite better judgement. But it was also the memory of Lunett's corpse that finally convinced her to lower her weapons. Lucas Flowers was still out there. What would prevent him from suffering the same fate as long as he was in this city?
“We have a deal”, she hissed and Jaylon had enough courtesy not to grin at her. She wasn't too sure if she would have been able to keep calm if he would have done that. Instead, the man simply dropped his sword in the floor and took a step forward, moving a hand to his belt. He stopped as Samantha raised his hatchet again, before he slowly moved his hands away from hi… [view original content]
Samantha
For a moment, Samantha just stared deeply into Jaylon's sullen, brown eyes. Her hatred stood against his infuriating indifferenc… moree. She wanted nothing more than to bury her hatchet deep in his skull. She knew, he would deserve it, after what he did. Lunett's corpse came to mind and it was nearly enough to cause her to attack him, despite better judgement. But it was also the memory of Lunett's corpse that finally convinced her to lower her weapons. Lucas Flowers was still out there. What would prevent him from suffering the same fate as long as he was in this city?
“We have a deal”, she hissed and Jaylon had enough courtesy not to grin at her. She wasn't too sure if she would have been able to keep calm if he would have done that. Instead, the man simply dropped his sword in the floor and took a step forward, moving a hand to his belt. He stopped as Samantha raised his hatchet again, before he slowly moved his hands away from hi… [view original content]
This was a hard decision but [Take both with you] I don't think it's a good idea leaving Jaylon with Leonard even if he is cuffed and Davith said he can't heal him anymore so it's best if we have another sword at our side besides Leonard would have Davith's neighbour looking after him.
Samantha
For a moment, Samantha just stared deeply into Jaylon's sullen, brown eyes. Her hatred stood against his infuriating indifferenc… moree. She wanted nothing more than to bury her hatchet deep in his skull. She knew, he would deserve it, after what he did. Lunett's corpse came to mind and it was nearly enough to cause her to attack him, despite better judgement. But it was also the memory of Lunett's corpse that finally convinced her to lower her weapons. Lucas Flowers was still out there. What would prevent him from suffering the same fate as long as he was in this city?
“We have a deal”, she hissed and Jaylon had enough courtesy not to grin at her. She wasn't too sure if she would have been able to keep calm if he would have done that. Instead, the man simply dropped his sword in the floor and took a step forward, moving a hand to his belt. He stopped as Samantha raised his hatchet again, before he slowly moved his hands away from hi… [view original content]
[Take Jaylon with you] Jaylon could be a powerful ally let's try to earn his loyalty and I don't want anyone other then Davith looking after Leonard we need someone we can trust to look after him.
Samantha
For a moment, Samantha just stared deeply into Jaylon's sullen, brown eyes. Her hatred stood against his infuriating indifferenc… moree. She wanted nothing more than to bury her hatchet deep in his skull. She knew, he would deserve it, after what he did. Lunett's corpse came to mind and it was nearly enough to cause her to attack him, despite better judgement. But it was also the memory of Lunett's corpse that finally convinced her to lower her weapons. Lucas Flowers was still out there. What would prevent him from suffering the same fate as long as he was in this city?
“We have a deal”, she hissed and Jaylon had enough courtesy not to grin at her. She wasn't too sure if she would have been able to keep calm if he would have done that. Instead, the man simply dropped his sword in the floor and took a step forward, moving a hand to his belt. He stopped as Samantha raised his hatchet again, before he slowly moved his hands away from hi… [view original content]
Samantha
For a moment, Samantha just stared deeply into Jaylon's sullen, brown eyes. Her hatred stood against his infuriating indifferenc… moree. She wanted nothing more than to bury her hatchet deep in his skull. She knew, he would deserve it, after what he did. Lunett's corpse came to mind and it was nearly enough to cause her to attack him, despite better judgement. But it was also the memory of Lunett's corpse that finally convinced her to lower her weapons. Lucas Flowers was still out there. What would prevent him from suffering the same fate as long as he was in this city?
“We have a deal”, she hissed and Jaylon had enough courtesy not to grin at her. She wasn't too sure if she would have been able to keep calm if he would have done that. Instead, the man simply dropped his sword in the floor and took a step forward, moving a hand to his belt. He stopped as Samantha raised his hatchet again, before he slowly moved his hands away from hi… [view original content]
Samantha
For a moment, Samantha just stared deeply into Jaylon's sullen, brown eyes. Her hatred stood against his infuriating indifferenc… moree. She wanted nothing more than to bury her hatchet deep in his skull. She knew, he would deserve it, after what he did. Lunett's corpse came to mind and it was nearly enough to cause her to attack him, despite better judgement. But it was also the memory of Lunett's corpse that finally convinced her to lower her weapons. Lucas Flowers was still out there. What would prevent him from suffering the same fate as long as he was in this city?
“We have a deal”, she hissed and Jaylon had enough courtesy not to grin at her. She wasn't too sure if she would have been able to keep calm if he would have done that. Instead, the man simply dropped his sword in the floor and took a step forward, moving a hand to his belt. He stopped as Samantha raised his hatchet again, before he slowly moved his hands away from hi… [view original content]
Samantha
For a moment, Samantha just stared deeply into Jaylon's sullen, brown eyes. Her hatred stood against his infuriating indifferenc… moree. She wanted nothing more than to bury her hatchet deep in his skull. She knew, he would deserve it, after what he did. Lunett's corpse came to mind and it was nearly enough to cause her to attack him, despite better judgement. But it was also the memory of Lunett's corpse that finally convinced her to lower her weapons. Lucas Flowers was still out there. What would prevent him from suffering the same fate as long as he was in this city?
“We have a deal”, she hissed and Jaylon had enough courtesy not to grin at her. She wasn't too sure if she would have been able to keep calm if he would have done that. Instead, the man simply dropped his sword in the floor and took a step forward, moving a hand to his belt. He stopped as Samantha raised his hatchet again, before he slowly moved his hands away from hi… [view original content]
Heey! Now that we just got a great part that is heavily connected to Butterfly it's a good time to look at couple illustrations of characters heavily connected to Butterfly. In other words the characters I draw this time are all either directly or indirectly working for the false knight that is Ser Maron Mullendore.
I enjoyed drawing all of these of course, but I must say that drawing Alysanne was especially fun!
Heey! Now that we just got a great part that is heavily connected to Butterfly it's a good time to look at couple illustrations of character… mores heavily connected to Butterfly. In other words the characters I draw this time are all either directly or indirectly working for the false knight that is Ser Maron Mullendore.
I enjoyed drawing all of these of course, but I must say that drawing Alysanne was especially fun!
Heey! Now that we just got a great part that is heavily connected to Butterfly it's a good time to look at couple illustrations of character… mores heavily connected to Butterfly. In other words the characters I draw this time are all either directly or indirectly working for the false knight that is Ser Maron Mullendore.
I enjoyed drawing all of these of course, but I must say that drawing Alysanne was especially fun!
Samantha
For a moment, Samantha just stared deeply into Jaylon's sullen, brown eyes. Her hatred stood against his infuriating indifferenc… moree. She wanted nothing more than to bury her hatchet deep in his skull. She knew, he would deserve it, after what he did. Lunett's corpse came to mind and it was nearly enough to cause her to attack him, despite better judgement. But it was also the memory of Lunett's corpse that finally convinced her to lower her weapons. Lucas Flowers was still out there. What would prevent him from suffering the same fate as long as he was in this city?
“We have a deal”, she hissed and Jaylon had enough courtesy not to grin at her. She wasn't too sure if she would have been able to keep calm if he would have done that. Instead, the man simply dropped his sword in the floor and took a step forward, moving a hand to his belt. He stopped as Samantha raised his hatchet again, before he slowly moved his hands away from hi… [view original content]
[Take Jaylon with you] Finally got access to a computer. Glad to see Leonard is still kicking. My guess is that Leonard is going to get sick and Davith will need to be there to cure him. Plus I don't trust Jaylon alone or with Leonard.
Samantha
For a moment, Samantha just stared deeply into Jaylon's sullen, brown eyes. Her hatred stood against his infuriating indifferenc… moree. She wanted nothing more than to bury her hatchet deep in his skull. She knew, he would deserve it, after what he did. Lunett's corpse came to mind and it was nearly enough to cause her to attack him, despite better judgement. But it was also the memory of Lunett's corpse that finally convinced her to lower her weapons. Lucas Flowers was still out there. What would prevent him from suffering the same fate as long as he was in this city?
“We have a deal”, she hissed and Jaylon had enough courtesy not to grin at her. She wasn't too sure if she would have been able to keep calm if he would have done that. Instead, the man simply dropped his sword in the floor and took a step forward, moving a hand to his belt. He stopped as Samantha raised his hatchet again, before he slowly moved his hands away from hi… [view original content]
Samantha
For a moment, Samantha just stared deeply into Jaylon's sullen, brown eyes. Her hatred stood against his infuriating indifferenc… moree. She wanted nothing more than to bury her hatchet deep in his skull. She knew, he would deserve it, after what he did. Lunett's corpse came to mind and it was nearly enough to cause her to attack him, despite better judgement. But it was also the memory of Lunett's corpse that finally convinced her to lower her weapons. Lucas Flowers was still out there. What would prevent him from suffering the same fate as long as he was in this city?
“We have a deal”, she hissed and Jaylon had enough courtesy not to grin at her. She wasn't too sure if she would have been able to keep calm if he would have done that. Instead, the man simply dropped his sword in the floor and took a step forward, moving a hand to his belt. He stopped as Samantha raised his hatchet again, before he slowly moved his hands away from hi… [view original content]
As always, this is amazing work! My clear favourite here, as the others have said, is Alysanne. This is exactly how I imagined her, looking all creepy and stuff. That psychotic smirk of hers just made me shiver. Kersea on the other hand looks nice, so nice that I actually feel a bit bad for all the stuff I have put her through. Well, at least she got a visibly psychopathic killer-bff, which is at least something. Jaylon looks simply gross, as imagined. As Sasha put it in her introductory part, he indeed looks like some breed of dog. Finally, Samuel and Clayton. I can imagine that they might have been the hardest to draw, as they don't have any truly outstanding physical traits (aside from Clayton's missing eye) and instead surround themselves with an aura of dangerousness. But you captured both of them very well, I certainly wouldn't want to get on their bad side. Or on Alysanne's. Or on Jaylon's. Or, as decent as she can be, I also definitely don't want to get on Kersea's bad side either.
Heey! Now that we just got a great part that is heavily connected to Butterfly it's a good time to look at couple illustrations of character… mores heavily connected to Butterfly. In other words the characters I draw this time are all either directly or indirectly working for the false knight that is Ser Maron Mullendore.
I enjoyed drawing all of these of course, but I must say that drawing Alysanne was especially fun!
Silver? Lucky you, I wasn't even good enough to play ranked matches at all. The few times I tried it, years ago, people insulted my mother and called me a noob, among other things, but only if I got lucky, so I quickly gave up. It really hurt my feelings ;_;
Samantha
For a moment, Samantha just stared deeply into Jaylon's sullen, brown eyes. Her hatred stood against his infuriating indifferenc… moree. She wanted nothing more than to bury her hatchet deep in his skull. She knew, he would deserve it, after what he did. Lunett's corpse came to mind and it was nearly enough to cause her to attack him, despite better judgement. But it was also the memory of Lunett's corpse that finally convinced her to lower her weapons. Lucas Flowers was still out there. What would prevent him from suffering the same fate as long as he was in this city?
“We have a deal”, she hissed and Jaylon had enough courtesy not to grin at her. She wasn't too sure if she would have been able to keep calm if he would have done that. Instead, the man simply dropped his sword in the floor and took a step forward, moving a hand to his belt. He stopped as Samantha raised his hatchet again, before he slowly moved his hands away from hi… [view original content]
These choices are extremely similar to the Ellena choice where we had to choose to warn Jaron or Terroma. Taking both will likely leave us fucked with Leonard, and I don't trust either of them. So I'll go with [Take both with you] just because fuck Samantha.
Samantha
For a moment, Samantha just stared deeply into Jaylon's sullen, brown eyes. Her hatred stood against his infuriating indifferenc… moree. She wanted nothing more than to bury her hatchet deep in his skull. She knew, he would deserve it, after what he did. Lunett's corpse came to mind and it was nearly enough to cause her to attack him, despite better judgement. But it was also the memory of Lunett's corpse that finally convinced her to lower her weapons. Lucas Flowers was still out there. What would prevent him from suffering the same fate as long as he was in this city?
“We have a deal”, she hissed and Jaylon had enough courtesy not to grin at her. She wasn't too sure if she would have been able to keep calm if he would have done that. Instead, the man simply dropped his sword in the floor and took a step forward, moving a hand to his belt. He stopped as Samantha raised his hatchet again, before he slowly moved his hands away from hi… [view original content]
Man Alysanne looks like a psychotic serial killer. Great work with all of these, I'm especially fond of Samuel, since I created him. You even managed to get the pendent right along with the dagger. I just thought Samuel would wear a cloak because... reasons.
Heey! Now that we just got a great part that is heavily connected to Butterfly it's a good time to look at couple illustrations of character… mores heavily connected to Butterfly. In other words the characters I draw this time are all either directly or indirectly working for the false knight that is Ser Maron Mullendore.
I enjoyed drawing all of these of course, but I must say that drawing Alysanne was especially fun!
Samantha
For a moment, Samantha just stared deeply into Jaylon's sullen, brown eyes. Her hatred stood against his infuriating indifferenc… moree. She wanted nothing more than to bury her hatchet deep in his skull. She knew, he would deserve it, after what he did. Lunett's corpse came to mind and it was nearly enough to cause her to attack him, despite better judgement. But it was also the memory of Lunett's corpse that finally convinced her to lower her weapons. Lucas Flowers was still out there. What would prevent him from suffering the same fate as long as he was in this city?
“We have a deal”, she hissed and Jaylon had enough courtesy not to grin at her. She wasn't too sure if she would have been able to keep calm if he would have done that. Instead, the man simply dropped his sword in the floor and took a step forward, moving a hand to his belt. He stopped as Samantha raised his hatchet again, before he slowly moved his hands away from hi… [view original content]
Silver? Lucky you, I wasn't even good enough to play ranked matches at all. The few times I tried it, years ago, people insulted my mother a… morend called me a noob, among other things, but only if I got lucky, so I quickly gave up. It really hurt my feelings ;_;
Heey! Now that we just got a great part that is heavily connected to Butterfly it's a good time to look at couple illustrations of character… mores heavily connected to Butterfly. In other words the characters I draw this time are all either directly or indirectly working for the false knight that is Ser Maron Mullendore.
I enjoyed drawing all of these of course, but I must say that drawing Alysanne was especially fun!
Samantha
For a moment, Samantha just stared deeply into Jaylon's sullen, brown eyes. Her hatred stood against his infuriating indifferenc… moree. She wanted nothing more than to bury her hatchet deep in his skull. She knew, he would deserve it, after what he did. Lunett's corpse came to mind and it was nearly enough to cause her to attack him, despite better judgement. But it was also the memory of Lunett's corpse that finally convinced her to lower her weapons. Lucas Flowers was still out there. What would prevent him from suffering the same fate as long as he was in this city?
“We have a deal”, she hissed and Jaylon had enough courtesy not to grin at her. She wasn't too sure if she would have been able to keep calm if he would have done that. Instead, the man simply dropped his sword in the floor and took a step forward, moving a hand to his belt. He stopped as Samantha raised his hatchet again, before he slowly moved his hands away from hi… [view original content]
Thanks And yeah no doubt Samuel uses cloak at times, but I was made to understand that when he fights he prefers nothing to slow him down or limit his moves with the sword so I decided to leave the cloak out. I also didn't want to give him too much of a serial killer vibe since he is more like someone who looks normal but is surprisingly dangerous Anyway the description to his facial features weren't very detailed so I can only hope he looks at least somewhat how you thought him to look
Man Alysanne looks like a psychotic serial killer. Great work with all of these, I'm especially fond of Samuel, since I created him. You eve… moren managed to get the pendent right along with the dagger. I just thought Samuel would wear a cloak because... reasons.
Samantha
For a moment, Samantha just stared deeply into Jaylon's sullen, brown eyes. Her hatred stood against his infuriating indifferenc… moree. She wanted nothing more than to bury her hatchet deep in his skull. She knew, he would deserve it, after what he did. Lunett's corpse came to mind and it was nearly enough to cause her to attack him, despite better judgement. But it was also the memory of Lunett's corpse that finally convinced her to lower her weapons. Lucas Flowers was still out there. What would prevent him from suffering the same fate as long as he was in this city?
“We have a deal”, she hissed and Jaylon had enough courtesy not to grin at her. She wasn't too sure if she would have been able to keep calm if he would have done that. Instead, the man simply dropped his sword in the floor and took a step forward, moving a hand to his belt. He stopped as Samantha raised his hatchet again, before he slowly moved his hands away from hi… [view original content]
The next part will be an Ellena part. I'm leaving the voting open until tomorrow in case someone still wants to vote and I hope that I will finish the part somewhere later tomorrow
Heey! Now that we just got a great part that is heavily connected to Butterfly it's a good time to look at couple illustrations of character… mores heavily connected to Butterfly. In other words the characters I draw this time are all either directly or indirectly working for the false knight that is Ser Maron Mullendore.
I enjoyed drawing all of these of course, but I must say that drawing Alysanne was especially fun!
Samantha
For a moment, Samantha just stared deeply into Jaylon's sullen, brown eyes. Her hatred stood against his infuriating indifferenc… moree. She wanted nothing more than to bury her hatchet deep in his skull. She knew, he would deserve it, after what he did. Lunett's corpse came to mind and it was nearly enough to cause her to attack him, despite better judgement. But it was also the memory of Lunett's corpse that finally convinced her to lower her weapons. Lucas Flowers was still out there. What would prevent him from suffering the same fate as long as he was in this city?
“We have a deal”, she hissed and Jaylon had enough courtesy not to grin at her. She wasn't too sure if she would have been able to keep calm if he would have done that. Instead, the man simply dropped his sword in the floor and took a step forward, moving a hand to his belt. He stopped as Samantha raised his hatchet again, before he slowly moved his hands away from hi… [view original content]
These choices are extremely similar to the Ellena choice where we had to choose to warn Jaron or Terroma. Taking both will likely leave us f… moreucked with Leonard, and I don't trust either of them. So I'll go with [Take both with you] just because fuck Samantha.
Samantha will allow Davith and Jaylon to accompany her to the Citadel
While I can't tell you anything about wether or not this was a wise choice, I can reveal that it will be a good choice character-development wise, as it will give me the opportunity to show more of Davith and Jaylon. The next Samantha part will be interesting to write, although the one that comes after it is the one I am truly excited to write.
The next part will hopefully be finished later today. I have to correct my earlier statement, where I said that it would be an Ellena part. While it is still an Ellena part, I have reached the point where a choice is needed far earlier than expected. Because of this, I have decided to add a second PoV to this part, namely Arthur's PoV.
Ellena gave Jarek a short nod. “You are right”, she answered. “I want to find out what the Burned Man knows about Terroma. I'm going to read the letter. I mean, what's the worst thing that can happen?” Jarek started to chuckle. “You shouldn't have said that, little lady”, he grinned. “Now something bad is guaranteed to happen”
She frowned at these words and shook her head. “And it already started. You're going to stand over there, far away from this letter when I read it”, she said and Jarek's smile faded. “I called it”, he moaned, but followed her order and started to move away from her. Ellena waited for a moment, to make sure that he wasn't spying on her, before pulling the letter out of her pocket.
Even if she was incredibly curious, she knew at the same time that this wasn't right. The Burned Man trusted her with this, trusted her that she wouldn't look into it. For a moment, she hesitated, before slightly shrugging. Well, he was a crimelord after all. Surely, he almost expected such a thing. And if not, well, she did not feel too bad in betraying the trust of someone like him. With quick movement, she broke the seal on the document, looking at the letter. The Burned Man's handwriting was neat and tiny, written in perfect low valyrian. Her lips slightly moved in silence as she started to read.
First of all, I know who you are, Terroma, or by whatever name you like to go now. I haven't forgotten what you did last time you have been to my city and I certainly haven't forgiven. But many things have changed since we have parted and I do not wish to continue our quarrel. I have a new enemy now and if I am correct with my assumption about your identity, he is your enemy as well. You have killed three of his men, as I have heard, and I can promise you, he won't forget this. Unlike me, however, he will do anything to pursue his vengeance, I can promise you that
Without a doubt, you will recall the old proverb 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend'. I can almost hear you saying it and I am sorry to destroy your feeble illusions. We are no friends and we never will be. But I believe we should put our differences aside. I know why you are here, or at the very least I can imagine why you are here. I offer you my knowledge and in turn I expect that you won't meddle with my affairs again
The people you are looking for have crossed the Honeywine and entered Oldtown three months ago. The one that is of special interest to you has been with them, alive and unharmed. They have spent two months in Oldtown, doing some despicable wetwork, and left the city a month ago, taking the northern road to Highgarden. My eyes lost them at Honeyholt, but their trail shouldn't be cold yet
Do with this knowledge what you want. Go after them, if you have to, although you would need a fast horse to do that. I suggest leaving Oldtown soon, before their trail goes cold. If you plan to stay in my city, be warned that I will not tolerate you interfering with my plans again
Finally, be assured that I haven't told your little girl a thing about who you are and who you have been. I certainly haven't done it for your sake, but you should have seen the look in her eyes as she talked about you, refused to give up your location. I don't know what you have done to deserve such loyalty, but she loves you. Girls in her age need someone they can look up to, even if it means lying to them. I won't be the one to destroy her illusions about you. I am sure you will destroy it yourself, sooner or later, just as you always do, Old Man
Arkan Gorys
Ellena put down the letter, a confused look on her face. Jarek caught this look, noticing that she had finished reading and started to walk over to her, a friendly smile on his face. “Have you found what you were looking for?”, he asked and tried to get a glimpse of the letters content. Ellena quickly snapped out of her confusion, putting a hand onto the document. “Nice try”, she mumbled, barely paying attention.
“Do you want to tell me why you are so shocked?”, Jarek asked and Ellena shook her head. “I'm not shocked”, she answered. “I'm just... confused. What the Burned Man wrote makes no sense to me. He wrote that Terroma lied to me about something, that he came to this city to look for someone”
“So you learned no real answers and only gained more questions”, Jarek concluded and Ellena gave him a nod. “Looks like it...”, she answered. Jarek gave her a sympathetic smile as he put a hand on her shoulder. “Was it worth it, little lady?”, he asked and she shook her head. “I am not sure what I think about Terroma now... I thought I know him”
“Sometimes, the ones we think we know the best have the most to hide”, Jarek answered, trying to comfort her. To her own surprise, Ellena noticed that tears were forming in her eyes. Irritated at this, she started to blink them away. Whatever the Burned Man just hinted at, Terroma was still her friend, wasn't he?
Careful not to let Jarek catch a glimpse of it, Ellena unwrapped the letter once more, reading it again. This time, she noticed something else, something that was almost stranger than the implications this letter gave her. “Jarek, I think the Burned Man signed the letter with his real name”, she mumbled.
Jarek looked up, his facial expression a mixture of surprise and disbelief. “No way!”, he exclaimed. “Come on, let me look at that blasted thing. You can't just tease something like this and then refuse to show it” Ellena shook her head once more and put the letter back into her pocket, which caused Jarek to sigh in frustration. “Arkan Gorys”, she revealed and Jarek's frustrated sigh turned into a doubtful gasp.
“Arkan Gorys?”, he asked again. “That's his real name? Seven Hells, I always suspected that he had a real name, I mean, his parents haven't named him 'Burned Man', right?” His half-hearted attempt at a joke failed to hide his surprise. “But Arkan Gorys? I expected him to be a Maegyr, or a Tagaros or a zo Loraq, coming from an influential noble family. But Gorys? That is so... common”
A small chuckle managed to find its way out of his throat, before it was cut off again. “Which opens up the question why he uses it in a letter to your friend. The only person I know about who knows his real name for sure is Harpy, but she is as close to him as a daughter”, he mumbled.
Before Ellena could answer, the sound of steel being drawn caused her to look towards the city. The Burned Man's guards, aside from Jarek, approached the railing, slowly as if they were afraid of something. Jarek got up on his feet before Ellena could do it and she saw him narrowing his eyes. “Seven fucking Hells...”, he growled. “Ellena, stay down. We got this!”
He started to run towards his men and Ellena finally managed to get back to her feet, noticing what exactly this turmoil was about. Her eyes widened as she saw the man. His sword sheathed, but nonetheless threatening, Samuel Harrington slowly approached the ship in broad daylight.
“That is close enough!”, Jarek yelled at him and Samuel stopped, his eyes wandering across the men. “Four men?”, he asked. “The Burned Man dispatched four men? And you think this is enough to stop me?” He noticed Ellena slowly approaching the railing and raised an eyebrow. “Ah, it's you again. Be a good girl and bring me the captain. I have to talk to him”
“The captain is not here”, Ellena hissed. “I am. What do you want?” Samuel slightly chuckled as he put a hand on his sword. Four swords were unsheathed and pointed at him, which did not faze him in the slightest. “I came to reclaim something of mine”, he answered slowly and to Ellena's surprise, he did not draw his sword, instead he removed the leathery sheath from his belt. “And I haven't approached you to fight”
Ellena took a step forwards and felt Jarek's hand on her shoulder. “Ellena, don't”, he hissed, but she shook his hand off, taking another step towards Samuel. “I'm asking you again. What do you want?”, she snarled.
Harrington let out a sigh and for a moment, he seemed to be less threatening. “Last time I was here, I lost something of great importance to me. A simple, golden ring”, he explained. “And now I came to get it back, one way or the other. Listen, I don't want to turn this into a slaughter, but I am ready for it if you won't give me back what's mine”
“You came here for a simple ring?”, Ellena asked. “You would provoke a fight over it?” Samuel gave her a brief nod. “I would”, he answered. “Although I am willing to sort this out without violence. I am willing to give up my weapons, all of them. I am willing to allow your guards to escort me while I look for my ring”
Ellena narrowed her eyes, taking another step forwards. “What is so important with that damn ring?”, she asked. Samuel glared at her, before giving her an answer. “This is none of your concern”, he answered with a low voice and Ellena took a step back towards the ship again. “Then you won't set a foot on this ship”, she decided.
Samuel's angry frown vanished, replaced by a sad look as he glanced down at the sheathed sword in his hand. “Wait!”, he called her and let out a sigh. “This ring... it belonged to my little brother. It's all I have left of him. I would kill to get it back, but I would prefer if you would just agree to my terms. I give up my weapons and enter this ship guarded by your men. I will leave as soon as I found it and you won't see me again”
Ellena took a glance at Jarek, who slightly shook his head, his lips forming the word 'No'. She looked back at Samuel, who seemed to be determined to fight his way to the ship if necessary. Could these four men really keep him out? As much as she hated it to have him around her, she had to consider giving in to his terms.
[Allow Samuel to enter the ship][Don't allow Samuel to enter the ship]
Arthur
“Who goes there?”, a tired voice called him and Arthur stopped immediately. The imposing walls of the castle hulked up in front of him and he knew, it was better to follow the castle guards orders immediately. “Arthur Nathamer, from the city guard!”, he introduced himself, knowing fully well what the castle guard usually thought about the city guard. Begrudgingly, he had to admit that they weren't entirely wrong. Compared to the castle guard, hand-picked and trained by an experienced knight, the city guard gave a poor impression. Green boys, barely trained, mostly used to feign real power. In case of an Ironborn attack, they always needed the castle guard.
Today, the gate guardian was a young woman with an admirably athletic figure. She had light brown hair that fell upon her shoulders and looked at him out of tired, brown eyes. “Nathamer...”, she mumbled. “You're the commanders son?”
Arthur gave her a nod and she seemed to force herself to smile at him in a somewhat friendly way. “My name is Nora Recton, captain of the castle guard. What can I do for you, Arthur Nathamer?”, she asked. “I wish to speak with Lord Harris”, he answered and noticed a somewhat amused smirk on her face. “Looks like everyone wants to do this these days. Our poor acting lord is a busy man tonight”, she chuckled and gave him a signal to enter the castle. “I'm sure he will be happy to talk to you”
Arthur raised an eyebrow as he looked back at her. “Who else wanted to talk to him today?”, he asked. Nora thought about this for a moment. “There was this prick who claims to be the rightful lord, then came Jenna, the girl who got attacked by the killer a few days ago. Then we had two mercenaries just shortly afterwards and finally this young woman”
“Young woman?”, Arthur asked and Nora gave him a nod. “A bit older than me, perhaps in your age. Very pretty. Brown hair, blue eyes, ample chest. Never seen her before, but Lord Harris personally came down to the gates to greet her, so she must be quite important”
“Is she still with him?”, Arthur asked. “She is and she has been for the past two hours”, Nora answered. “And more visitors are likely to come. I have heard that a delegation from the Rock and from the Vale has arrived here. Won't be long until Lord Harris has even more to do” She let out a yawn and pointed at the courtyard. “You better talk to him as long as they haven't arrived yet”
Arthur gave her a nod and turned around towards the courtyard, walking deeper into the castle. It certainly looked as if the acting lord had a lot to do these days. Arthur felt a bit of pity for him. He knew how much work his father had with the city guard and an acting lord was guaranteed to have even more work.
He knew the way to Lord Harris' chambers, from an earlier visit together with his father. It wasn't hard to memorize, at least not for him and it wasn't a very long way. He walked across the silent courtyard, towards the tower, climbed the narrow stairs that lead up to the tower, opened it's heavy door and took a step into the silent darkness behind it.
As soon as he had closed the door behind him, he had to correct himself. It was dark, yes, but it wasn't silent. He heard muffled noises... something that sounded like a woman moaning lustfully... he slowly climbed the stairs that lead up to Harris' chambers, as he realized what exactly these sounds were. Seven Hells, so that was why the lord was so 'busy'!
As much as he just wanted to turn around, leaving Harris and the woman alone, Arthur knew he couldn't wait. His father had made his case clear. He needed the men from the castle guard to attack this warehouse, to bring those to justice who killed some of Raylansfair's people. Sternly, he knocked on the door that lead to Harris' chambers.
The lustful moaning stopped immediately, followed by a muffled curse. “There's someone at the door, Harris...”, a woman whispered, apparently unaware that Arthur was able to hear them through the door. “I know”, a deeper voice answered. “Please wait a moment!”
About a minute later, heavy footsteps were heard and someone approached the door, unlocking it from the inside. The door opened a tiny crack and Arthur saw the annoyed face of Harris Flowers looking at him, before it was opened completely. To Arthur's relief, Harris had used the time to put on some clothes, plain brown trousers and a white vest, even though it was clear that he had put them on hastily. Behind him, on the bed, sat a young woman, perhaps in Arthur's age. She was exactly as Nora had described her, very pretty with brown hair and blue eyes. Her dark robe hinted at a breathtaking body underneath it.
“Who are you?”, Harris demanded to know, clearly frustrated at the disturbance. Arthur moved his eyes away from the woman and back to Harris, finally realizing that he was talking to the acting lord of Raylansfair. He stood attention, saluting in front of him. “Guardsman Arthur Nathamer, mylord. I come with an important request from Hackor Nathamer, commander of Raylansfair's city guard”, he explained.
“Oh my god...”, the woman mumbled and a wide smile appeared on her face. “Arthur?” He gave her a surprised nod and raised an eyebrow. “Do we know each other, mylady?”, he asked. Harris let out a sigh and gave him a nod. “I assume the answer is yes. Arthur, this is Sherryl Flowers”
It took Arthur a moment to remember this name and the woman raised from the bed, walking towards him. “Don't say you have forgotten me. I used to play with your little sister when we were younger”, she said. This finally caused Arthur to open his eyes widely. “Sherryl!”, he exclaimed and gave her a short hug. “By the gods, it's been years!” By the gods, she was barely half as old as Harris! “Almost a decade”, Sherryl answered. “I'm glad you still remember”
“What are you doing here again?”, Arthur asked and Harris cleared his throat, his cheeks slightly blushing. “Sherryl is here because I invited her. She has spent the past decade in Oldtown and gained important knowledge, knowledge I am interested in” He pointed at the door. “Please, Arthur, let us continue this conversation outside”, he ordered and looked at Sherryl. “Sherryl, why don't you get ready to tell me this important... this thing we have talked about earlier?” The woman gave him a bright smile and a seductive wink. “Of course, mylord”, she chuckled, noticing how the faces of Harris and Arthur got red in unison. Both men stepped outside and Harris closed the door behind them. He gave Arthur a stern glare. “Can I count on your discretion?”, he asked.
Arthur gave him a hasty nod. “Of course, mylord!”, he was quick to say. “I mean, I'm not even judging you. She is certainly...” “Beautiful”, Harris completed the sentence. “I hope you don't get a bad opinion on me now, Arthur. I haven't planned this, but it has been a long day and I am just a man, not even particularly godly. Who am I to refuse a woman like her?”
His gaze hardened again as he noticed the slightly disapproving look in Arthur's eyes. “What?”, he asked. Arthur let out a sigh. “I can understand you, mylord, I really can. But isn't she... you know, a bit too young?” Harris shook his head. “And I can understand your criticism, Arthur. But it's not like I asked her to come here just because of her beauty. She has important information for me, directly from the Citadel in Oldtown. The rest... it just happened”
Before Arthur could answer, Sherryl's voice was heard from the room behind them. “You know I can hear you?”, she said loudly and Harris closed his eyes for a moment. “Change of topic”, the lord ordered and Arthur gave him a quick nod. “Change of topic”, he confirmed.
“How can I help the city guard today, Arthur?”, Harris asked, clearly relieved that Arthur wasn't continuing their previous topic any longer. “You have heard about the murders happening in the city, Lord Harris?”, Arthur asked. It was a rhetorical question, obviously, but Harris still gave him a nod and narrowed his eyes. “Have you found those responsible?”, he asked.
“Not we”, Arthur revealed. “Richard Harking has” A pleased smile appeared on Harris' face. “Harking! I knew he would be of great use for this city”, he exclaimed and gave Arthur a knowing smile. “Let me guess, Commander Hackor needs more men to attack them”
Arthur shook his head. “Not necessarily. My father has a dozen men with him and is ready to attack. However, he could need your support. The people he has with him are members of the city guard, young boys who joined us for a hot meal and a copper coin a day. What we need are soldiers”, he answered.
“Soldiers, I see”, Harris mumbled and seemed to think about this for a moment. “I will give you half a dozen of my own men, lead by Raylansfairs new master-at-arms, Ser Darren Tallwood” Arthur looked up in pleasant surprise. “Half a dozen?”, he asked. “This is wonderful, mylord! And a real knight to lead them... Father will be pleased” He took a respectful bow in front of Harris. “Thank you, mylord. Your support makes a difference”
“Your welcome, Arthur. Will you fight alongside your father?”, Harris asked and Arthur realized that he hadn't even decided about this yet. His father hadn't given him any order in this direction or against it. Fighting... he knew he wasn't a particularly good fighter. He hated the possibility of killing his opponent. And he knew his father would disapprove to see him among the fighters. Then again, his father disapproved of many things. Perhaps this was the chance to win his respect. Or perhaps he would get himself killed. It had been a long day and his sister was alone at home. Perhaps it would be better to skip this fight and hope for another opportunity to win his fathers respect.
[Accompany the troops and fight alongside them][Don't accompany the troops and go home]
Ellena
Ellena gave Jarek a short nod. “You are right”, she answered. “I want to find out what the Burned Man knows about Terroma. I'm goi… moreng to read the letter. I mean, what's the worst thing that can happen?” Jarek started to chuckle. “You shouldn't have said that, little lady”, he grinned. “Now something bad is guaranteed to happen”
She frowned at these words and shook her head. “And it already started. You're going to stand over there, far away from this letter when I read it”, she said and Jarek's smile faded. “I called it”, he moaned, but followed her order and started to move away from her. Ellena waited for a moment, to make sure that he wasn't spying on her, before pulling the letter out of her pocket.
Even if she was incredibly curious, she knew at the same time that this wasn't right. The Burned Man trusted her with this, trusted her that she wouldn't look into it. For a moment, she hesitated, before slightly shrugging. Well… [view original content]
Ellena
Ellena gave Jarek a short nod. “You are right”, she answered. “I want to find out what the Burned Man knows about Terroma. I'm goi… moreng to read the letter. I mean, what's the worst thing that can happen?” Jarek started to chuckle. “You shouldn't have said that, little lady”, he grinned. “Now something bad is guaranteed to happen”
She frowned at these words and shook her head. “And it already started. You're going to stand over there, far away from this letter when I read it”, she said and Jarek's smile faded. “I called it”, he moaned, but followed her order and started to move away from her. Ellena waited for a moment, to make sure that he wasn't spying on her, before pulling the letter out of her pocket.
Even if she was incredibly curious, she knew at the same time that this wasn't right. The Burned Man trusted her with this, trusted her that she wouldn't look into it. For a moment, she hesitated, before slightly shrugging. Well… [view original content]
Comments
Thanks. I can always make more, if you have any request, just throw a name, and i will ask Liquid for description or just search through chapters. I have one more prepared, but well, i will show it later perhaps, when and if character will appear in the story. :-)
Samantha
For a moment, Samantha just stared deeply into Jaylon's sullen, brown eyes. Her hatred stood against his infuriating indifference. She wanted nothing more than to bury her hatchet deep in his skull. She knew, he would deserve it, after what he did. Lunett's corpse came to mind and it was nearly enough to cause her to attack him, despite better judgement. But it was also the memory of Lunett's corpse that finally convinced her to lower her weapons. Lucas Flowers was still out there. What would prevent him from suffering the same fate as long as he was in this city?
“We have a deal”, she hissed and Jaylon had enough courtesy not to grin at her. She wasn't too sure if she would have been able to keep calm if he would have done that. Instead, the man simply dropped his sword in the floor and took a step forward, moving a hand to his belt. He stopped as Samantha raised his hatchet again, before he slowly moved his hands away from his belt, revealing iron handcuffs. “You can handcuff me if you want”, he offered and she shook her head. “Do it yourself. I'm not getting near you as long as you can move your hands”
Jaylon gave her a short nod, before starting to handcuff himself with experienced movement. “I have the key in my pocket”, he said. “I'll get it later”, Samantha answered, before making room for him to walk past her. “You go ahead, I follow shortly after you. Start to run and I will break both of your feet. Try to attack me and I will break both of your hands, do you understand?”
“Yes”, Jaylon confirmed and started to slowly walk past her. “We're going back to where I ambushed you. Hopefully it won't take long until we find Sasha again”, Samantha explained. “I can't wait”, Jaylon muttered. “I'm sure she's going to be overjoyed to see me again”
“Jaylon, not even your mother could be overjoyed to see your ugly face again”, Samantha mocked him and for a moment, Jaylon looked over his shoulder, anger in his eyes. “I will follow your rules, Samantha Ducard, but I have one rule myself. Do not talk about bad my mother. Never”
Samantha slightly chuckled at his anger, at the feeling of finally feeling in control of a situation for once. “Who would have guessed that the bad man loves his mother?”, she grinned and Jaylon let out an angered sigh. “Do you think I wanted such a life?”, he asked. “Working for Butterfly, killing every man he orders me to do? Do you think I seriously dreamt of this when I was younger?”
“Yeah, I'm sure it was so hard for you to take his money”, Samantha spat. “But you can be relieved now. Butterfly is dead and you don't have to work for a monster anymore” Jaylon's angry glare changed to his usual confident look. “You know nothing”, he said. “Absolutely nothing. As soon as we are in a safe place, I will explain everything to you”
Samantha narrowed her eyes as he said this. “What do you mean?”, she asked. She half expected Jaylon to smirk, but the man just looked at her sullenly. “Do you honestly think it would be that easy to kill Butterfly?”, he asked. Samantha stopped immediately, just staring at him, while he slowly continued to walk down the alleyway. “What...?”, she managed to stutter. “You will get your explanation, Samantha. Just not here”, Jaylon answered with a low voice. “It is not safe to talk about these things here”
And so they continued their way through Oldtown, Jaylon walking two good feet in front of her. Slowly, Samantha started to recognize some of the streets and alleyways they were passing through, even though she would have still been lost without Jaylon guiding her back to the place where she ambushed him. Getting help from Jaylon Gordus... the though was absurd, almost insane.
To Samantha's surprise, Sasha waited for them were she left her, even though Leonard wasn't with her. She was leaning against a wall, slightly holding her side, where Jaylon kicked her. As soon as she saw him and Samantha, a frown appeared on her face. Samantha noticed that she still had her arakh drawn, casually resting it on her shoulder as she approached them.
“I see, you haven't killed the dog yet”, she greeted her and Samantha gave her a slight smile. “It's good to see you too, Sasha”, she said. For a moment, Sasha's frown turned into a smirk, but her facial expression darkened again, as Jaylon cleared his throat. The man took a mocking bow in front of her. “Sasha, it's good to see you. How do you feel?”, he asked with a grin. Sasha narrowed her eyes and without any kind of warning, her closed fist moved forwards, hitting him in the face and sending him to his knees, forcing him to howl out of surprising pain. “Better”, the woman growled.
Samantha looked down at Jaylon, who knelt on the ground, holding his mouth and sending glares to Sasha. “He asked a good question though”, she said. “How are you feeling?” Sasha seemed to forced herself to smile at Samantha as she moved her hand away from her ribs. “Not too bad. Nothing is broken, although I took some nasty bruises out of this. It will hurt for a few days, but I should be fine. I've been through worse” She looked down at Jaylon, who started to get back to his feet, eyeing the deep gash on his face where her arakh cut him. “He on the other hand...” The hint of a smirk appeared on her face.
“Fuck you”, Jaylon mumbled without looking either of them in the eye. “It was an ugly face to begin with”, Sasha snarled. “You should thank me for cutting part of it off. It's honestly an improvement” Jaylon lowered his head and stayed silent, prompting Samantha to grin at Sasha. “Well done, now you managed to shut him up”, she complimented her, before raising an eyebrow. “Where's Leonard, by the way?”
“Brought him to someone I trust. It's not far from here”, Sasha answered and gave her a sign to follow. “A healer?”, Samantha asked and Sasha shook her head. “Not exactly. He should suffice though”, she answered “Most importantly, he is someone I can trust. He does not work for Butterfly or Mullendore or the Burned Man. On top of that, he has experience with treating a wound. He's by no means a Maester, but hopefully good enough to safe Leonard's life”
She stopped in front of a small entrance at the end of the alleyway, looking over her shoulder for a moment. “We're there”, she said and knocked on the door. Samantha took a glance at Jaylon, who had his lips pressed together, looking truly upset. She would have felt pity for him under other circumstances. But now? He should be happy that she spared his life.
The door was opened, revealing a tall man, with a lean and athletic build. He had chocolate brown hair and icy blue eyes, with high cheekbones, a prominent chin and a slight stubble growing on his jaw. “Sasha”, the man greeted her and gave Samantha and Jaylon a nod. “I see you brought more guests” He stepped aside, allowing Sasha, Samantha and Jaylon to enter the house. Samantha walked into a small, dark and dirty floor, following the man through it and through a second door, entering a small, but surprisingly tidy living room.
“One guest, one prisoner”, Sasha clarified. “Davith, this is Samantha Ducard. She hired me, in some way. Samantha, this is Davith Lanser, one of the few honest people left in this city” The man extended her hand and gave Samantha a strong handshake. She slightly smirked at him. “So, you're suicidal?”, she asked and half expected him to frown at her. Instead, he gave her a short nod. “And you're a loudmouth?”, he asked in return. Both of them grinned at each other, before Sasha slightly clapped her hands, causing them to shift her attention back to her. “Glad you two get along. Davith, you won't like that other guy over here, but don't do anything stupid now. This man is Jaylon Gordus”
Davith narrowed his eyes and immediately, Samantha noticed something in them she knew just too well. She saw the same expression every time she looked into a mirror. And because of this, she managed to react in time, holding Davith back as he attempted to jump at Jaylon. “Easy now!”, she growled, grabbing his shoulders and pushing him away from Jaylon.
“Are you out of your mind, Sasha?”, Davith yelled at the woman. “Bringing one of Butterfly's men here?” Sasha raised her hands in defence, looking at Samantha for help. “Hey, it's not like I don't want to see him dead”, she answered. “Gods know, this guy would deserve it”
“Do I?”, Jaylon growled, still slowly backing away from Davith. “Well, then enlighten me, Sasha. What have I done that you and your new mercenary friend haven't done in the past too?” Samantha slightly rolled with her eyes and before Sasha could answer, she put a hand on her shoulder. “Yeah, Jaylon... as much as I want to discuss this with you know, preferably by, you know, breaking all of your fingers, I don't have the time for it now”, she said and looked at Davith. “Listen, Davith, I don't know what kind of problem you have with Jaylon, although I can fully understand you. But for now, I'm going to need him, alive and unharmed”
She looked around, from Davith, to Sasha, to Jaylon. “Okay, I want to make one thing clear. No one gets killed today, alright?”, she explained and Davith gave her a reluctant nod. She answered with a cheerful smile. “Great! Glad we talked about this. Now... where's Leonard?”, she asked.
Davith let out a sigh and pointed at a small door, leading deeper into his part of the house. “I did what I could. Cleaned his wounds, stopped the bleeding, sewed his leg back together and bandaged it. Now he is resting and all we can hope for is that his wounds won't get infected”, he explained and paused for a moment. “He told me he needs to talk to you. Even refused to drink the milk of the poppy to stay awake”
Samantha gave him an alarmed stare. “And is he still awake?”, she asked, quickly walking towards the door. “He was last time I looked after him”, Davith answered and walked after her, through the door that lead to his bedroom. The room itself was small and a fire was burning in a fireplace in its corner, leading to a comfortably warm atmosphere. The only furniture next to the fireplace was a cupboard and a small bed. Inside of this bed, Leonard way lying, slightly raising his head as he recognized Samantha. His leg was heavily bandaged, the bandages reddened with blood. Davith had removed the knights armour and the heavy parts of his clothing and from the amount of blood that stained the sheets, it was clear that his help had saved Leonard's life.
“Hey”, Leonard mumbled weakly and Samantha gave him a nod. “Hey”, she greeted him back, walking next to him. “First, let me get one thing straight” She knelt next to him, so that she was able to look at him at eye level. “I am not your friend. Whatever special bond you had with that asshole Flowers, we two don't have it”, she hissed and he gave her the hint of a nod. “I haven't chased after you through half of this kingdom because I was concerned for you, I did it for Lunett” The mention of the girl caused a pained facial expression to flash over his face. Samantha knew, Leonard had seen the same sight, back at the inn. She pressed her lips together and blinked a tear away. “Lunett is dead and nothing can bring her back. I haven't rescued you from Jaylon out of the kindness of my heart, I have done it because you are going to give me some answers”, she continued. Again, Leonard gave her a weak nod. “Understood”, he mumbled.
Both looked up as Jaylon stumbled into the room, followed by Sasha, who was slightly pushing him. “Get in there, I want to hear this”, she growled and Jaylon quickly stepped into the room, trying his best to stand as far away from Davith as possible.
“You left him alive”, Leonard remarked and Samantha gave him a proud nod. Despite the pain he was in, a glad smile appeared on Leonard's face. “Then you did more than I would have done”, he answered and glared at Jaylon. “You can be lucky that I am not feeling too well right now”
Jaylon shook his head, looking from Davith to Sasha. “Yeah, lucky...”, he mumbled. Leonard moved his hand closer to Samantha, grabbing her forearm. “Listen...”, he mumbled and was interrupted by slight shivering as he barely moved his wounded leg. “The man who killed Lunett is Maron Mullendore”
For a moment, no one said a word. Davith and Sasha just stared at Leonard, in case of Sasha her mouth was wide open in shock. Jaylon looked to the ground, perhaps out of fear, perhaps out of shame. And Samantha raised an eyebrow in disbelief as she realized what he just said. “Maron Mullendore?”, she asked. “Mullendore, the commander of the city guard? Jaylon's new boss? That pudgy ginger I saw back at the tavern?”
Jaylon slightly chuckled at that last remark, but a cold glare from Davith quickly shut him up. “Mullendore killed a random girl?”, the man asked. Leonard shook his head and let out a sigh, half out of frustration, half out of pain. “Not a random girl. He killed our friend because he wanted to break us, me and Lucas. He wanted answers, wanted to know where Dairon is hiding” He paused for a moment, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “Maron Mullendore is Butterfly”
Samantha narrowed her eyes and caught Sasha's surprised gasp. But the one who reacted by far the worst to these news was Davith. For a moment, the man just looked at Leonard in silence, before turning around and facing Jaylon. “You knew about this?”, he growled. Jaylon gave him a weak nod. “A fifth of the guard knows about this”, he answered. Davith said nothing. Instead, he turned around to Samantha and she saw how deeply shocked he was by this revelation. “Excuse me”, he muttered, before slowly walking out of the room. Sasha gulped, before giving Samantha a short nod. “I'll handle this”, she said and walked after Davith, leaving Samantha, Leonard and Jaylon alone in the room.
“Mullendore is Butterfly...”, Samantha repeated. “He's the commander of the city guard and a crimelord as well... I have to say it is a brilliant disguise” She clenched her fists and looked to the ground. “Shit...”, she mumbled. “This is bad. This is very, very bad” Her mind wandered off to the man in the warehouse, his desperate screams of agony. And she had already thought that she was free of Butterfly...
She looked up again, as Leonard's hand tightly squeezed her forearm. “Sam... listen”, he mumbled with a weak voice and Samantha saw that he was struggling to stay conscious. Considering how much blood he had lost, it was a testimony to his determination that he even managed to stay awake for so long. She moved closer, so that she was able to understand him better. “I know you only wanted answers. You must hate me and Lucas for bringing Lunett here. And we fucked up, there is no other way to describe it”, he whispered into her ear. “But Lucas, he is not a bad guy. In fact, he is one of the best I know. He does not deserve what Mullendore will do to him. And Dairon is in danger as well. The boy is innocent...” He paused for a moment and took a deep breath. “Please”, he said a bit louder than before. “Don't leave them here. I have nothing to offer you, but I know you can't leave them behind”
Samantha looked deeply into his brown eyes and shook her head. “No, I can't”, she agreed. “I will save both of them and then I will bring all three of you back to Raylansfair. I won't even judge you, Leonard. Her father will do this” The mention of Aylard caused another pained expression to appear on Leonard's face, but he gave her a nod. “That sounds fair. I won't run away from him. I failed to safe his daughters life and I will face his judgement for it”, he answered, before his head fell back onto the pillow. “Dairon... he is at the Citadel. He is with the Archmaester of Magic” Samantha got up from the ground and gave Jaylon a sign to leave the room. “I understand and I will try my best”, she promised. “We will leave you now. You need to rest. In the meantime, we will go to the Citadel”
She walked towards the door, but was interrupted by Leonard answering her. “Thank you”, he mumbled. “I know, you haven't saved my life because we're friends, but still... thank you for everything” Samantha forced herself to smile at him, even though she never felt so empty in all of her life before. “Don't mention it”, she answered and walked out of the door, with Jaylon following her closely.
In the living room, she found Davith and Sasha sitting on chairs, with the woman sternly talking to the man, whose facial expression was a mixture of anger and sadness. Both looked up as Samantha walked closer. Without asking, she grabbed a chair and sat next to them. “So...”, she began, looking at Davith. “Do you want to tell me what your problem with Butterfly is?”
Davith let out a sigh and gave her a nod. “I think it's only fair if you know. Iwas a member of the city guard. My father was a guardsman as well and the best man I ever knew”, he explained and Samantha could already guess what would follow. “Butterfly killed him, just as he killed plenty of others. For a while, I continued to serve Mullendore, not knowing that I was serving...” He interrupted himself and clenched his teeth. “I left the city guard when it became apparent that Mullendore was focussing on the Burned Man instead. The Burned Man is not the one murdering our guards... to think that I served this monster...”
He slammed his fists down on the table and stared at Jaylon. “Why is he killing his own guards?”, he asked and Jaylon almost looked apologetic. “To avoid suspicion. As I said, a fifth of the guard knows about his secret, most of them high-ranking officers. If someone finds out his secret, he gives them a choice. To serve Butterfly, or to die”, the mercenary explained. “If it helps, your father died without betraying his moral principles”
“This does not help at all, you stinking son of a bitch”, Davith growled and looked back at Samantha. “I want to help you. I want to help you in freeing the other knight and this boy Leonard talked about. I am one of the best fighters you can find in Oldtown”
“Which I can confirm”, Sasha added. “We can definitely need him if things get rough” Samantha looked over her shoulder, towards the bedroom door. “And what's with Leonard?”, she asked. “As I said, I did all I could for him. If his situation gets worse, I can't help him either way. If you allow me to accompany you, I will ask my neighbour to look after him. She is an experienced midwife, certainly better suited to help Leonard if his condition deteriorates”, Davith answered
Samantha closed her eyes. She knew what Davith was feeling. She felt the same helpless rage inside of her ever since Butterfly's hound murdered her whole family. Yes, she could understand him and she could understand his reasoning. But there was another factor she needed to deal with. She opened her eyes again and looked at Jaylon.
“And what are we doing with him?”, she asked. Jaylon looked up, slightly shaking his head. “I'm not going with you”, he said and raised his hands. “Not because I want to refuse your orders, but because it is too dangerous. I am a captain of the city guard. Imagine what happens if people see me being dragged in chains towards the citadel”
“What if we remove your chains?”, Samantha asked, causing Sasha and Jaylon to look at her in surprise. “The hell we're going to do”, Sasha exclaimed. “Just leave him here, chained to the wall or something like that”
“That could be even more risky. If you take him with you, you need to remove his chains, but just leaving him here... what if he frees himself?”, Davith mumbled and looked at her. “Besides, what's with me? Can I accompany you at least?”
[Take Davith with you] [Take Jaylon with you] [Take both with you] [Take neither with you]
[Take Davith with you]
We can leave Sasha with Jaylon and Leonard and take Davith. He as well know some medicine, so perhaps he can help Leonard too in this way. Great part :-)
( Take Neither with you)
This was a hard decision but [Take both with you] I don't think it's a good idea leaving Jaylon with Leonard even if he is cuffed and Davith said he can't heal him anymore so it's best if we have another sword at our side besides Leonard would have Davith's neighbour looking after him.
[Take Jaylon with you] Jaylon could be a powerful ally let's try to earn his loyalty and I don't want anyone other then Davith looking after Leonard we need someone we can trust to look after him.
Great part!
[Take both with you] Umm, hopefully this isn't the worst possible thing to do...
[Take both with you]
[Take both with you] We can't let Jaylon stay unguarded with Leonard.
Heey! Now that we just got a great part that is heavily connected to Butterfly it's a good time to look at couple illustrations of characters heavily connected to Butterfly. In other words the characters I draw this time are all either directly or indirectly working for the false knight that is Ser Maron Mullendore.
I enjoyed drawing all of these of course, but I must say that drawing Alysanne was especially fun!
I must say Alysanne looks creepy as fuck.
David should look after Leonard...i dont know to be honest, i dont trust Jaylon...I dont know.
[Take neither with you]
Indeed, Alysanne face expression - priceless. :-DD
Hard to choose, but I'll choose [Take both with you].
I hope it's not the worse option and everything ends happily in the end (with roses and rainbows would be preferable)
league of legends sucks ;/ will never leav silver T_T
[Take Jaylon with you] Finally got access to a computer. Glad to see Leonard is still kicking. My guess is that Leonard is going to get sick and Davith will need to be there to cure him. Plus I don't trust Jaylon alone or with Leonard.
[Take both with you]
As always, this is amazing work! My clear favourite here, as the others have said, is Alysanne. This is exactly how I imagined her, looking all creepy and stuff. That psychotic smirk of hers just made me shiver. Kersea on the other hand looks nice, so nice that I actually feel a bit bad for all the stuff I have put her through. Well, at least she got a visibly psychopathic killer-bff, which is at least something. Jaylon looks simply gross, as imagined. As Sasha put it in her introductory part, he indeed looks like some breed of dog. Finally, Samuel and Clayton. I can imagine that they might have been the hardest to draw, as they don't have any truly outstanding physical traits (aside from Clayton's missing eye) and instead surround themselves with an aura of dangerousness. But you captured both of them very well, I certainly wouldn't want to get on their bad side. Or on Alysanne's. Or on Jaylon's. Or, as decent as she can be, I also definitely don't want to get on Kersea's bad side either.
Silver? Lucky you, I wasn't even good enough to play ranked matches at all. The few times I tried it, years ago, people insulted my mother and called me a noob, among other things, but only if I got lucky, so I quickly gave up. It really hurt my feelings ;_;
[Take Davith with you.]
Great part!!
And, on your request, Alys :-)
These choices are extremely similar to the Ellena choice where we had to choose to warn Jaron or Terroma. Taking both will likely leave us fucked with Leonard, and I don't trust either of them. So I'll go with [Take both with you] just because fuck Samantha.
Man Alysanne looks like a psychotic serial killer. Great work with all of these, I'm especially fond of Samuel, since I created him. You even managed to get the pendent right along with the dagger. I just thought Samuel would wear a cloak because... reasons.
[Take both with you]
And that is why I'll never play LoL again.
Looks like Alysanne got some drugs XD
Nice work BTW
[Take both with you]
Thanks And yeah no doubt Samuel uses cloak at times, but I was made to understand that when he fights he prefers nothing to slow him down or limit his moves with the sword so I decided to leave the cloak out. I also didn't want to give him too much of a serial killer vibe since he is more like someone who looks normal but is surprisingly dangerous Anyway the description to his facial features weren't very detailed so I can only hope he looks at least somewhat how you thought him to look
[Take Jaylon with you] I think this is the best choice for Leonard and Davith but maybe the worst for Samantha.
[Take Davith with you]
it's so hard...about wich character is the next chapter?
The next part will be an Ellena part. I'm leaving the voting open until tomorrow in case someone still wants to vote and I hope that I will finish the part somewhere later tomorrow
More great drawings from Wildling! Keep up the good work man, I always look forward to seeing what the characters looks like
[Take both with you]
I just... uh... this decision was a lot harder than I thought it would be :S
[Take both with you]
Page 69 guys, You did it Liquid
Edit: And my comment is first comment of page 70...
The Voting is closed!
Samantha will allow Davith and Jaylon to accompany her to the Citadel
While I can't tell you anything about wether or not this was a wise choice, I can reveal that it will be a good choice character-development wise, as it will give me the opportunity to show more of Davith and Jaylon. The next Samantha part will be interesting to write, although the one that comes after it is the one I am truly excited to write.
The next part will hopefully be finished later today. I have to correct my earlier statement, where I said that it would be an Ellena part. While it is still an Ellena part, I have reached the point where a choice is needed far earlier than expected. Because of this, I have decided to add a second PoV to this part, namely Arthur's PoV.
Ellena
Ellena gave Jarek a short nod. “You are right”, she answered. “I want to find out what the Burned Man knows about Terroma. I'm going to read the letter. I mean, what's the worst thing that can happen?” Jarek started to chuckle. “You shouldn't have said that, little lady”, he grinned. “Now something bad is guaranteed to happen”
She frowned at these words and shook her head. “And it already started. You're going to stand over there, far away from this letter when I read it”, she said and Jarek's smile faded. “I called it”, he moaned, but followed her order and started to move away from her. Ellena waited for a moment, to make sure that he wasn't spying on her, before pulling the letter out of her pocket.
Even if she was incredibly curious, she knew at the same time that this wasn't right. The Burned Man trusted her with this, trusted her that she wouldn't look into it. For a moment, she hesitated, before slightly shrugging. Well, he was a crimelord after all. Surely, he almost expected such a thing. And if not, well, she did not feel too bad in betraying the trust of someone like him. With quick movement, she broke the seal on the document, looking at the letter. The Burned Man's handwriting was neat and tiny, written in perfect low valyrian. Her lips slightly moved in silence as she started to read.
First of all, I know who you are, Terroma, or by whatever name you like to go now. I haven't forgotten what you did last time you have been to my city and I certainly haven't forgiven. But many things have changed since we have parted and I do not wish to continue our quarrel. I have a new enemy now and if I am correct with my assumption about your identity, he is your enemy as well. You have killed three of his men, as I have heard, and I can promise you, he won't forget this. Unlike me, however, he will do anything to pursue his vengeance, I can promise you that
Without a doubt, you will recall the old proverb 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend'. I can almost hear you saying it and I am sorry to destroy your feeble illusions. We are no friends and we never will be. But I believe we should put our differences aside. I know why you are here, or at the very least I can imagine why you are here. I offer you my knowledge and in turn I expect that you won't meddle with my affairs again
The people you are looking for have crossed the Honeywine and entered Oldtown three months ago. The one that is of special interest to you has been with them, alive and unharmed. They have spent two months in Oldtown, doing some despicable wetwork, and left the city a month ago, taking the northern road to Highgarden. My eyes lost them at Honeyholt, but their trail shouldn't be cold yet
Do with this knowledge what you want. Go after them, if you have to, although you would need a fast horse to do that. I suggest leaving Oldtown soon, before their trail goes cold. If you plan to stay in my city, be warned that I will not tolerate you interfering with my plans again
Finally, be assured that I haven't told your little girl a thing about who you are and who you have been. I certainly haven't done it for your sake, but you should have seen the look in her eyes as she talked about you, refused to give up your location. I don't know what you have done to deserve such loyalty, but she loves you. Girls in her age need someone they can look up to, even if it means lying to them. I won't be the one to destroy her illusions about you. I am sure you will destroy it yourself, sooner or later, just as you always do, Old Man
Arkan Gorys
Ellena put down the letter, a confused look on her face. Jarek caught this look, noticing that she had finished reading and started to walk over to her, a friendly smile on his face. “Have you found what you were looking for?”, he asked and tried to get a glimpse of the letters content. Ellena quickly snapped out of her confusion, putting a hand onto the document. “Nice try”, she mumbled, barely paying attention.
“Do you want to tell me why you are so shocked?”, Jarek asked and Ellena shook her head. “I'm not shocked”, she answered. “I'm just... confused. What the Burned Man wrote makes no sense to me. He wrote that Terroma lied to me about something, that he came to this city to look for someone”
“So you learned no real answers and only gained more questions”, Jarek concluded and Ellena gave him a nod. “Looks like it...”, she answered. Jarek gave her a sympathetic smile as he put a hand on her shoulder. “Was it worth it, little lady?”, he asked and she shook her head. “I am not sure what I think about Terroma now... I thought I know him”
“Sometimes, the ones we think we know the best have the most to hide”, Jarek answered, trying to comfort her. To her own surprise, Ellena noticed that tears were forming in her eyes. Irritated at this, she started to blink them away. Whatever the Burned Man just hinted at, Terroma was still her friend, wasn't he?
Careful not to let Jarek catch a glimpse of it, Ellena unwrapped the letter once more, reading it again. This time, she noticed something else, something that was almost stranger than the implications this letter gave her. “Jarek, I think the Burned Man signed the letter with his real name”, she mumbled.
Jarek looked up, his facial expression a mixture of surprise and disbelief. “No way!”, he exclaimed. “Come on, let me look at that blasted thing. You can't just tease something like this and then refuse to show it” Ellena shook her head once more and put the letter back into her pocket, which caused Jarek to sigh in frustration. “Arkan Gorys”, she revealed and Jarek's frustrated sigh turned into a doubtful gasp.
“Arkan Gorys?”, he asked again. “That's his real name? Seven Hells, I always suspected that he had a real name, I mean, his parents haven't named him 'Burned Man', right?” His half-hearted attempt at a joke failed to hide his surprise. “But Arkan Gorys? I expected him to be a Maegyr, or a Tagaros or a zo Loraq, coming from an influential noble family. But Gorys? That is so... common”
A small chuckle managed to find its way out of his throat, before it was cut off again. “Which opens up the question why he uses it in a letter to your friend. The only person I know about who knows his real name for sure is Harpy, but she is as close to him as a daughter”, he mumbled.
Before Ellena could answer, the sound of steel being drawn caused her to look towards the city. The Burned Man's guards, aside from Jarek, approached the railing, slowly as if they were afraid of something. Jarek got up on his feet before Ellena could do it and she saw him narrowing his eyes. “Seven fucking Hells...”, he growled. “Ellena, stay down. We got this!”
He started to run towards his men and Ellena finally managed to get back to her feet, noticing what exactly this turmoil was about. Her eyes widened as she saw the man. His sword sheathed, but nonetheless threatening, Samuel Harrington slowly approached the ship in broad daylight.
“That is close enough!”, Jarek yelled at him and Samuel stopped, his eyes wandering across the men. “Four men?”, he asked. “The Burned Man dispatched four men? And you think this is enough to stop me?” He noticed Ellena slowly approaching the railing and raised an eyebrow. “Ah, it's you again. Be a good girl and bring me the captain. I have to talk to him”
“The captain is not here”, Ellena hissed. “I am. What do you want?” Samuel slightly chuckled as he put a hand on his sword. Four swords were unsheathed and pointed at him, which did not faze him in the slightest. “I came to reclaim something of mine”, he answered slowly and to Ellena's surprise, he did not draw his sword, instead he removed the leathery sheath from his belt. “And I haven't approached you to fight”
Ellena took a step forwards and felt Jarek's hand on her shoulder. “Ellena, don't”, he hissed, but she shook his hand off, taking another step towards Samuel. “I'm asking you again. What do you want?”, she snarled.
Harrington let out a sigh and for a moment, he seemed to be less threatening. “Last time I was here, I lost something of great importance to me. A simple, golden ring”, he explained. “And now I came to get it back, one way or the other. Listen, I don't want to turn this into a slaughter, but I am ready for it if you won't give me back what's mine”
“You came here for a simple ring?”, Ellena asked. “You would provoke a fight over it?” Samuel gave her a brief nod. “I would”, he answered. “Although I am willing to sort this out without violence. I am willing to give up my weapons, all of them. I am willing to allow your guards to escort me while I look for my ring”
Ellena narrowed her eyes, taking another step forwards. “What is so important with that damn ring?”, she asked. Samuel glared at her, before giving her an answer. “This is none of your concern”, he answered with a low voice and Ellena took a step back towards the ship again. “Then you won't set a foot on this ship”, she decided.
Samuel's angry frown vanished, replaced by a sad look as he glanced down at the sheathed sword in his hand. “Wait!”, he called her and let out a sigh. “This ring... it belonged to my little brother. It's all I have left of him. I would kill to get it back, but I would prefer if you would just agree to my terms. I give up my weapons and enter this ship guarded by your men. I will leave as soon as I found it and you won't see me again”
Ellena took a glance at Jarek, who slightly shook his head, his lips forming the word 'No'. She looked back at Samuel, who seemed to be determined to fight his way to the ship if necessary. Could these four men really keep him out? As much as she hated it to have him around her, she had to consider giving in to his terms.
[Allow Samuel to enter the ship] [Don't allow Samuel to enter the ship]
Arthur
“Who goes there?”, a tired voice called him and Arthur stopped immediately. The imposing walls of the castle hulked up in front of him and he knew, it was better to follow the castle guards orders immediately. “Arthur Nathamer, from the city guard!”, he introduced himself, knowing fully well what the castle guard usually thought about the city guard. Begrudgingly, he had to admit that they weren't entirely wrong. Compared to the castle guard, hand-picked and trained by an experienced knight, the city guard gave a poor impression. Green boys, barely trained, mostly used to feign real power. In case of an Ironborn attack, they always needed the castle guard.
Today, the gate guardian was a young woman with an admirably athletic figure. She had light brown hair that fell upon her shoulders and looked at him out of tired, brown eyes. “Nathamer...”, she mumbled. “You're the commanders son?”
Arthur gave her a nod and she seemed to force herself to smile at him in a somewhat friendly way. “My name is Nora Recton, captain of the castle guard. What can I do for you, Arthur Nathamer?”, she asked. “I wish to speak with Lord Harris”, he answered and noticed a somewhat amused smirk on her face. “Looks like everyone wants to do this these days. Our poor acting lord is a busy man tonight”, she chuckled and gave him a signal to enter the castle. “I'm sure he will be happy to talk to you”
Arthur raised an eyebrow as he looked back at her. “Who else wanted to talk to him today?”, he asked. Nora thought about this for a moment. “There was this prick who claims to be the rightful lord, then came Jenna, the girl who got attacked by the killer a few days ago. Then we had two mercenaries just shortly afterwards and finally this young woman”
“Young woman?”, Arthur asked and Nora gave him a nod. “A bit older than me, perhaps in your age. Very pretty. Brown hair, blue eyes, ample chest. Never seen her before, but Lord Harris personally came down to the gates to greet her, so she must be quite important”
“Is she still with him?”, Arthur asked. “She is and she has been for the past two hours”, Nora answered. “And more visitors are likely to come. I have heard that a delegation from the Rock and from the Vale has arrived here. Won't be long until Lord Harris has even more to do” She let out a yawn and pointed at the courtyard. “You better talk to him as long as they haven't arrived yet”
Arthur gave her a nod and turned around towards the courtyard, walking deeper into the castle. It certainly looked as if the acting lord had a lot to do these days. Arthur felt a bit of pity for him. He knew how much work his father had with the city guard and an acting lord was guaranteed to have even more work.
He knew the way to Lord Harris' chambers, from an earlier visit together with his father. It wasn't hard to memorize, at least not for him and it wasn't a very long way. He walked across the silent courtyard, towards the tower, climbed the narrow stairs that lead up to the tower, opened it's heavy door and took a step into the silent darkness behind it.
As soon as he had closed the door behind him, he had to correct himself. It was dark, yes, but it wasn't silent. He heard muffled noises... something that sounded like a woman moaning lustfully... he slowly climbed the stairs that lead up to Harris' chambers, as he realized what exactly these sounds were. Seven Hells, so that was why the lord was so 'busy'!
As much as he just wanted to turn around, leaving Harris and the woman alone, Arthur knew he couldn't wait. His father had made his case clear. He needed the men from the castle guard to attack this warehouse, to bring those to justice who killed some of Raylansfair's people. Sternly, he knocked on the door that lead to Harris' chambers.
The lustful moaning stopped immediately, followed by a muffled curse. “There's someone at the door, Harris...”, a woman whispered, apparently unaware that Arthur was able to hear them through the door. “I know”, a deeper voice answered. “Please wait a moment!”
About a minute later, heavy footsteps were heard and someone approached the door, unlocking it from the inside. The door opened a tiny crack and Arthur saw the annoyed face of Harris Flowers looking at him, before it was opened completely. To Arthur's relief, Harris had used the time to put on some clothes, plain brown trousers and a white vest, even though it was clear that he had put them on hastily. Behind him, on the bed, sat a young woman, perhaps in Arthur's age. She was exactly as Nora had described her, very pretty with brown hair and blue eyes. Her dark robe hinted at a breathtaking body underneath it.
“Who are you?”, Harris demanded to know, clearly frustrated at the disturbance. Arthur moved his eyes away from the woman and back to Harris, finally realizing that he was talking to the acting lord of Raylansfair. He stood attention, saluting in front of him. “Guardsman Arthur Nathamer, mylord. I come with an important request from Hackor Nathamer, commander of Raylansfair's city guard”, he explained.
“Oh my god...”, the woman mumbled and a wide smile appeared on her face. “Arthur?” He gave her a surprised nod and raised an eyebrow. “Do we know each other, mylady?”, he asked. Harris let out a sigh and gave him a nod. “I assume the answer is yes. Arthur, this is Sherryl Flowers”
It took Arthur a moment to remember this name and the woman raised from the bed, walking towards him. “Don't say you have forgotten me. I used to play with your little sister when we were younger”, she said. This finally caused Arthur to open his eyes widely. “Sherryl!”, he exclaimed and gave her a short hug. “By the gods, it's been years!” By the gods, she was barely half as old as Harris! “Almost a decade”, Sherryl answered. “I'm glad you still remember”
“What are you doing here again?”, Arthur asked and Harris cleared his throat, his cheeks slightly blushing. “Sherryl is here because I invited her. She has spent the past decade in Oldtown and gained important knowledge, knowledge I am interested in” He pointed at the door. “Please, Arthur, let us continue this conversation outside”, he ordered and looked at Sherryl. “Sherryl, why don't you get ready to tell me this important... this thing we have talked about earlier?” The woman gave him a bright smile and a seductive wink. “Of course, mylord”, she chuckled, noticing how the faces of Harris and Arthur got red in unison. Both men stepped outside and Harris closed the door behind them. He gave Arthur a stern glare. “Can I count on your discretion?”, he asked.
Arthur gave him a hasty nod. “Of course, mylord!”, he was quick to say. “I mean, I'm not even judging you. She is certainly...” “Beautiful”, Harris completed the sentence. “I hope you don't get a bad opinion on me now, Arthur. I haven't planned this, but it has been a long day and I am just a man, not even particularly godly. Who am I to refuse a woman like her?”
His gaze hardened again as he noticed the slightly disapproving look in Arthur's eyes. “What?”, he asked. Arthur let out a sigh. “I can understand you, mylord, I really can. But isn't she... you know, a bit too young?” Harris shook his head. “And I can understand your criticism, Arthur. But it's not like I asked her to come here just because of her beauty. She has important information for me, directly from the Citadel in Oldtown. The rest... it just happened”
Before Arthur could answer, Sherryl's voice was heard from the room behind them. “You know I can hear you?”, she said loudly and Harris closed his eyes for a moment. “Change of topic”, the lord ordered and Arthur gave him a quick nod. “Change of topic”, he confirmed.
“How can I help the city guard today, Arthur?”, Harris asked, clearly relieved that Arthur wasn't continuing their previous topic any longer. “You have heard about the murders happening in the city, Lord Harris?”, Arthur asked. It was a rhetorical question, obviously, but Harris still gave him a nod and narrowed his eyes. “Have you found those responsible?”, he asked.
“Not we”, Arthur revealed. “Richard Harking has” A pleased smile appeared on Harris' face. “Harking! I knew he would be of great use for this city”, he exclaimed and gave Arthur a knowing smile. “Let me guess, Commander Hackor needs more men to attack them”
Arthur shook his head. “Not necessarily. My father has a dozen men with him and is ready to attack. However, he could need your support. The people he has with him are members of the city guard, young boys who joined us for a hot meal and a copper coin a day. What we need are soldiers”, he answered.
“Soldiers, I see”, Harris mumbled and seemed to think about this for a moment. “I will give you half a dozen of my own men, lead by Raylansfairs new master-at-arms, Ser Darren Tallwood” Arthur looked up in pleasant surprise. “Half a dozen?”, he asked. “This is wonderful, mylord! And a real knight to lead them... Father will be pleased” He took a respectful bow in front of Harris. “Thank you, mylord. Your support makes a difference”
“Your welcome, Arthur. Will you fight alongside your father?”, Harris asked and Arthur realized that he hadn't even decided about this yet. His father hadn't given him any order in this direction or against it. Fighting... he knew he wasn't a particularly good fighter. He hated the possibility of killing his opponent. And he knew his father would disapprove to see him among the fighters. Then again, his father disapproved of many things. Perhaps this was the chance to win his respect. Or perhaps he would get himself killed. It had been a long day and his sister was alone at home. Perhaps it would be better to skip this fight and hope for another opportunity to win his fathers respect.
[Accompany the troops and fight alongside them] [Don't accompany the troops and go home]
[Don't allow Samuel to enter the ship] [Accompany the troops and fight alongside them]
[Don't allow Samuel to enter the ship] Hell no.
[Accompany the troops and fight alongside them] Still hate Harris. Creep.
Of course. Everyone always takes Leonard's positions. Bastards.