forum At War // OxO // Closed

Started September 19, 2021 by @ElderGod-Icefire

tune

Kay couldn’t help but laugh more at Nik’s reaction. “Wow, you didn’t know that.” He shook his head. “Well, I’ll at least help them out as they age. After all, the responsibilities only pile up from here.”

Nik cleared his throat faintly. "No, I did not. When Kevra conducted reconnaissance we were less concerned about lifespan and more about, ah…weaknesses." anything they could exploit and use to their advantage, really.

“Well of course, but still…” Kaylum snickered. “Pretty basic information, I would think.”
He began absentmindedly playing with his dreads again, twisting them around his finger.

He ran a hand through his hair, shrugging his shoulders. "Maybe to you. How long do you think humans live?" he wondered if Kaylum was as in the dark about human lifespans as he had been about shifter lifespans, but he somehow doubted that that was the case.

“I know you have shorter lifespans than us. Less than a century, right?” It wasn’t like he could recall an exact number or anything, but he remembered being educated on most intelligent species that existed in the world, from their common attributes to their relationship, or lack thereof, with Tesh.

"Yeah. Most of us, unless we get a disease or are killed, live to be between 70 and 90 years old. If we're lucky, 100 is about the oldest we get, and we're usually really frail by that point. I'm in my prime right now, and will be for another ten or fifteen years. After that, it's all downhill, physically speaking." he said.

Kay raised an eyebrow. “Well, I wasn’t aware of that. But I supposed shifters are the same way. We just have longer… ‘primes,’ as you call it. Ours don’t end till around… 100 to 150? And then it goes downhill.”

He shrugged slightly. "YEah, makes sense." he replied, clearing his throat faintly.

Kay couldn’t help but chuckle again. Humans were so puny. Shaking his head, he twisted his dreadlocks one last time, then flipped them over his shoulder.
“Is there anything else you would like to talk about, prince?” He asked.

He cleared his throat. "I…do not know." he replied slowly. "I only wanted to get to know you a bit better, and I suppose I have accomlished that?" he shrugged his shoulders, studying Kaylum still.

“Indeed.” Kay nodded. “And I have gotten to know you better as well. I… actually don’t mind these talks, so if would like to speak to me again, don’t hesitate to ask.” He flashed a grin at Nik.

Nik returned the smile with a quick one of his own. "Good." he replied, tugging on a lock of hair faintly. "I don't mind these talks either, so, ah, same to you." he shifted very faintly.

(aaah sorry for the wait!)

It was only a few days later that everything went to shit. Negotiations had been paused for lunch when the attack came. No one quite knew where the attackers had come from, and they seemed to be attacking everyone. It didn't matter which country the person was from, they were attacked, and often killed. The attackers messed with the fires, too, kicking embers and pouring something onto them to make them even smokier, and even lighting some tents on fire. A haze settled over the camp, the scent of smoke thick in the air and making it difficult, if not impossible, to see.

Nikolas quickly became separated from his guards, fighting alone for the most part. He wielded his sword and cane at the same time, smashing both into anyone who attacked. His leg was beginning to hurt, but he couldn't use the cane without making it more difficult to fight.

Even though the dragons could easily overpower the attackers in a fair fight, they were smart, and had taken them by surprise. Even with the telepathic communication system the soldiers used, the Tesh were in chaos and it was near impossible to think rationally, let alone coordinate a response to the attack. Shifters left and right were either being held down with chains, shot in the wing, or speared right in the weak spots of their scaly armor.
As for Kaylum, he and Xiomara had stayed close together for the most part. His father and mother had told him to hide before they disappeared into the fray, and so they did, but after a while Kay thought it was stupid to be sitting in one place while destruction reigned around them. Xiomara argued that it was stupid to jump into danger when they had no idea what was going on, but by then it was too late. Kay had made up his mind. He wished he could look at what was going on through the spiritual realm, but astral projecting now would be too dangerous. Or was it? Perhaps if the attackers came across his body they would think he was actually dead.
Well, there’s no time anyway. They ventured out, Xiomara’s wings shielding the prince just in case. Their main goal was to find the king and queen, and then hopefully together they come up with a plan.

Nikolas was looking for his father as he fought, moving through the smoke and occasionally calling out. He never used his father's title, not wanting to draw attention to himself or his father. He only called out "father", rather than for a king. His father was a good fighter, but Nik still worried for him and his safety. He didn't know who was behind this attack and right now, his priority was finding his father and getting out. He wanted to save his guards, too, but knew they could take care of themselves if they had to.

It was difficult to avoid conflict while they looked. Either they spotted a shifter who was being attacked, or they were being attacked themselves. At first, they were able to hold the attackers off without too much trouble, but after a while they still couldn’t find the king or queen, and their assailants kept on coming. They ran, they flew, they fought… and then they were cornered.
I’m sorry, Xiomara, this is my fault.
She heard him this time. I cannot blame you for wanting to help, prince.
He stood behind her, covered by her wings as the enemy drew closer, surrounded on all sides. Then she whispered aloud.
“Teleport. On three, two, one…”
They couldn’t. Nothing happened. They were still there, attackers poised to strike. Kay could feel her ribs shaking beside him. What was going on?

(I was writing more but then it felt too long scjnsdjh)

(kjnfjdhb)

Nik was beginning to limp, his left leg a liability now more than ever. This was why he couldn't fight on the front lines, and yet, he had no choice now but to fight, or die. Blood was streaked down his sword, running along the handle and slicking it in his grip. He himself was bleeding too, from a few gashes in his arms and his torso.

“Your Highness—“
She was cut off as a heavy rope chain was thrown, wrapping around her neck. It forced her down onto the ground, and she hissed in surprise.
“Xiomara!” Her wing shield fell away, and Kay was exposed. They continued throw chains and nets, attempting to trap them as if they weren’t trapped already. He tried to use telekinesis to keep them from landing, but it seemed none of their powers were working. They were reduced to using raw agility and maneuvering.
After a while of struggling, they eventually became too weak to hold them off. They were rendered immobile by one of the nets, and their assailants quickly moved to clip their wings. Kay couldn’t help but roar in pain when he felt his wings being clipped, so they put a muzzle on him to keep him quiet. They left them like that, tied up and flightless as about half of them moved on to the other areas of camp, and the rest stayed, muttering to themselves.

It wasn't long before Nik started to be overwhelmed by the amount of fighting he was having to do, and a short time later, his leg gave out on him and he crumpled to the ground. He did his best to defend himself still, but it was quite difficult to do so from the ground, when his attackers were all standing. Someone clubbed him hard enough to stun him, and while he didn't quite pass out, it was enough to render him unable to defend himself as they bound him and lifted him, carrying him to deposit him with Kay and Xiomara, dropping him roughly on the ground.

Kay thought the muzzle was kind of overkill. Yes, his wings hurt as if a bone dragon had snapped them off, but any noise of pain he was making was too quiet for anyone to hear. If only he could take it off, it was really uncomfortable.
His eyes searched above, hoping he could spot any sign of his father or mother. There was nothing, but his eyes stayed there, even as Xiomara began to mutter. To herself or to him, he wasn’t sure.
“They probably have some kind of suppressants or something around here…”
He couldn’t speak, but Kay looked to her. She caught his eye.
“You know, the kinds the soldiers have to take for physical exams. Or for criminals.”
It would explain why they couldn’t use their powers, but neither of them ingested anything. It didn’t make sense…
He heard a thud on his other side, and he turned to find the Kevran prince, also bound up and immobile. More questions stirred in Kay’s mind, though now it wasn’t just about his parents’ whereabouts, it was now the whereabouts of the monarchs in general. After another moment, the possibility of them being dead rose up. Kay didn’t want to think about that, so the question of why he and the others with him weren’t dead yet came up instead. He watched Nikolas as if he somehow had the answers, but of course, why would he?

Nik lay still for a long moment, stunned and winded, before he shifted to roll onto his back, where he would be able to see things better. He squinted up at Kaylum, blinking at him. His left leg was in a lot of pain; he wouldn't be surprised if he had over strained it and rendered it useless for the next few days. He didn't speak. There was nothing he could think to say, not now.

Kay was unable to say anything at the moment, so he didn’t, instead shifting his gaze to view around them, trying to see if there was anything unusual, anything that might be inhibiting his and Xiomara’s powers. Spotting nothing, he tried to fight the rising sense of panic in him.
Then he heard a cry, and looked to find his bodyguard being harassed by one of the assailants. He struggled toward her, but then he felt a chain tighten around around his neck. A voice, firm and threatening, came from somewhere below him.
”Shift.”
He felt a blade against his scales, but he kept his eyes on Xiomara. Seeing her shift to human form at knifepoint as well, his eyes widened with surprise. Perhaps it was the one power they were left with, the one thing that differentiated them from other races.
As he was also at knifepoint, he shifted to human form, forced to face the person with the knife at his throat. The pain from his wings didn’t completely disappear, only reduced to a phantom pain. The large muzzle fell off his face, but even so, he couldn’t make a sound.
He saw the other attacker tighten Xiomara’s chains and drag her away from the rest, and the moment the person with him let down the knife, he attempted to go after her. But that was all that it was, an attempt. He felt chains being tightened around his wrists, holding him back from getting to his bodyguard. As Xiomara was pulled away, she looked at him, eyes wide, communicating both her utter fear and utter refusal to die. Kay struggled, but it was futile. Her determination reassured him somewhat, but he couldn’t just be without her. She had always been there…
The person holding his chains pulled, jerking Kay back over beside Nikolas.

Nik looked up as Kay was dragged beside him. His eyes looked sorrowful for what they both knew would likely happen to Xiomara now. Nik didn't know the fate of his own guards, but knew it was likely they were dead or dying by now. Aron had bad battle-shock; there was too high a likelihood that the young man would freeze up in this chaos, and be killed. Errol was a healer, and while he was a capable fighter, he only had one hand. As for Lieze…she was vicious enough she would be fine, but she could eventually become overwhelmed. Ryker, loyal to his husband to a fault, wouldn't leave Errol's side, even if one or both of them were dead. If Errol died, so would Ryker. Either all four would manage to survive together, or they would all die fighting.