Creed of the Blades

[Chloriosus]

Farjon systematically glanced around, breathed in and nodded with confidence. "Yep." He nodded at the three men in greeting and then followed Cassius out the door. He noted the men's names: it might be important for him to know them in the near future. As the city loomed at them, its buildings beginning to glisten red in the rising sun. The men were almost at the door now. The moment of truth wether this would all end peacefully or result in a large scale skirmish was near.

[mainehorse]

"Good. This could easily get ugly, and fast. Sounds like they're already ramming the door. If they get they manage to get that open... well you get the idea." Cassius says, drawing the longsword from the scabbard at her back. Normally it would be a much more fluid motion, but with her shoulder in the state it was, it did impede her movement a bit. But she'd sooner push through it and fight then cower in a corner. If it came down to a fight then she was meeting the threat with as much brute force as she could muster.

[Chloriosus]

Farjon stared at the door unblinking as the hinges began moving in the frames. It was evident this door wouldn't hold much longer. He glanced over at Cassius, who seemed to be having slight trouble with her arm. "I suppose your arm is still troubling.", he asked quietly, also drawing his sword.

[mainehorse]

"It will be for some time. That sword dug in pretty deep. But I've had much worse in the past and no doubt will have worse in the future. I can still fight if I have to." Cassius says as she hears a loud crack as the wooden door splintered, partially revealing a soldier carrying a heft battle axe on the other side. "We're in. Cut down anyone who stands in your way" he mutters to the other soldiers.

[Chloriosus]

Farjon started slightly as the door burst open. "Yep, there in.", he said in a hushed tone. "And it certainly seems that they don't care for any normal way of communication before tearing up the place, unlike any strategic people." He shook his head slightly, waiting for a signal, as more armed men from the guild joined them and seemingly even more armed kings men flooded in through the demolished doors.

[mainehorse]

After taking a moment to size up the few of the men she could see bursting in front where they stood in the shadows. She knew the one with the battle axe - Malcolm. He had taken over her position when... when her whole life had been turned upside down. The mere sight of him made her blood boil. Not because he had taken her position, she didn't care about that. But because they had been close... and he had still made his choice, made his position clear. And now he was here... threatening people she cared about. "At arms everyone. Attack" she says, lifting her sword.

[Chloriosus]

At this signal, Farjon stood his ground, waiting for one of the guards to attack him first which unduly happened. Apparently their leaders blanched outcry had sparked a feeling of fury in these men, for they fought like crazy, not in an organized fashion, but just all around destroying things and people which stood in their way. It wasn't five seconds when one came and swung a saber in Farjon's direction. Farjon had seen him at the court before, and he knew the man had seen him too, which put Farjon at a slight disadvantage, for the other knew that he hadn't trained. He swung his blade at Farjon's head. Farjon stepped back, then met his blade. The man was large yet quick, and he quickly changed the swing of is blade towards Farjon's legs. Farjon attempted to parry the blow, but he wasn't yet as quick, and the blade made it though his boot. Through his boot, yes, but not any further, for after slicing through the soft leather, it was met with the knife Farjon had left in his boot, which, for a change prevented the slicing off of something rather than causing it. Farjon was almost as surprised as the guard was, but the guard's slight faltering gave him the time he needed, and he used it to go for a blow at the mans side. The man barely parried it, but retreated a step. Here Farjon knew what to do. Since he had watched this man practice before, he knew that he was skilled with the blade, but he also knew his weakness, which was a carefully aimed mock attack to his left side and then a blow to the back. Mustering up all his courage, Farjon changed the blades course and aimed it at the mans left side. The guard attempted dodging it, and right when he was slightly turned to the side, Farjo used this opportunity to lunge at the man, running him through from the back side. He stepped back and drew out his blade as he surveyed the man on the ground. He had done it, he had brought down a guard.

[mainehorse]

In the din of battle, it could be hard to tell one soldier another as the metallic scent of blood filled the air. The clash of metal against metal drowned out cries of pain. Cassius parries a blow from a much heavier battle axe with her long sword, using the momentum to knock Malcom back before driving her sword through forward, piercing through his leather armor. She could see the fear register in his eyes when he realized what had happened, just a moment before he falls limp. He had been like a brother to her once. But now... he was gone and by her hand no less. She pulls her sword out to retaliate against another soldier that had lunged forward to try and drive a dagger through her leather breastplate. Thankfully for her, though the dagger pierced her armor, it didn't go deep enough to cause a life threatening injury before she was able to pull it out and lunge back at the soldier in question. The battle waged on for how long she wasn't sure as she was locked in combat with the solider. By the end of it, her armor was soaked in blood. How much of it was her own, and how much belonged to the soldiers. Adrenalin was still running high after the battle after all. There would be time to access her own injuries later, after she had checked on those around her who were involved in the skirmish, and the children too of course. Finally the din of battle had quieted, allowing for a moment to breathe. Her mismatched gaze scans the guildhall, taking in the aftermath of the battle. Several felled soldiers lay on the ground, but thankfully none she could recognize as being members of the guild. Not this time anyway. Eventually, her gaze lands on Farjon. His blade was bloodied and a fallen soldier lay not far from his feet. Her was standing tall, and he appeared to be relatively unharmed from what she could tell. But she couldn't be sure from this distance. Striding over in his direction, she sheathes her blade. "You fought well" she says as she reaches him.

[Chloriosus]

Farjon eyed the chaos and carnage around them. Bodies of dead men, parts of shattered walls, and the strong stench of blood hung in the air. Cassiuses voice droned in his ear as she approached him from behind. "Thank you.", he said hollowly, eyeing the destruction the soldiers had left in their wake with a tinge of despair. He saw his kill as an accomplishment, but the victory paled to the loss, a mere drop in comparison to a river. Yes, they had won, but at what cost? Almost everything had either been completely destroyed or greatly disformed. He turned to face Cassius. How many men did we lose?", he asked.

[mainehorse]

"I don't know... hard to tell with all the rubble. Haven't seen the bodies of any guild members yet. But no doubt some will turn up. Battles never end without casualties on both sides. Hopefully we haven't lost too many. But it always takes time to discern the death toll. We'll know once repairs are under way." Cassius says. She knew the adrenaline would wear off soon now that the battle was over. But for now it was still coursing through her bloodstream, and likely others yet. "You hurt?" She asks, her mismatched gaze studying him pensively. She couldn't see anything, but she'd be surprised if he got out unscathed.

[Chloriosus]

"No, I'm alright.", he said looking down himself just in case. Except for his boot having recieved a cut, everything was still alright. "No, the knife saved me.", he said thoughtfully, half smirking dryly at the knife that still sat there in his boot, before eyeing Cassius studiously. "You alright?", he asked her.

[mainehorse]

"Good...it's rare to get out of a battle the likes of that one unscathed." Cassius says, running a hand across her forehead to wipe away a trickle of fresh blood. "I've definitely seen better days" she relents. There was no sense in denying that. He'd probably see through that if she tried, given the way he was eyeing her. "Still standing though, so can't be too badly off" she says. Of course, there was still adrenaline coursing through her veins. Though she could feel the effects of that starting to wear off, leaving her feeling a little out of sorts. She wasn't sure how much of the blood coating her armor was her own, and how much wasn't. Though since she was starting to feel a bit woozy, then she could surmise that a fair bit of it was her own. She could tend to that later though. There was a lot to be done, if the current state of the guildhall was anything to go off of. And others would likely need aid more urgently than she.

[Chloriosus]

Farjon nodded, his lips pressed together, still slightly shaken from all the tumultous events. It occured to him that they might look for survivors, but further down the halls the unmistakable sounds of more fighting could be heard. He eyed Cassius' wound rather gravely. "It doesn't look like a slight wound- you'd best give it some attention. My Uncle was stabbed in chest in a duel once. It wasn't very serious, but he bled to death before he agreed to have it looked after." He shook his head slightly at the memory. "What became of the kids?", he finally asked, his voice sounding rather hoarse as he walked towards Cassius.

[mainehorse]

"I've survived worse. Bleedin's already slowing down in any case. That one barely broke the skin 'fore I yanked it out. No doubt I've got others though. But such is the life I live." Cassius says, shaking her head slightly. She did grow weary of it, the constant fighting would wear away at anyone. It wasn't a stable lifestyle like when she had been a commanding officer. But knowing what she did, she couldn't be in the king's service any longer. "Still hiding as far as I'm aware. Best check on them though" she says, turning slightly to make her way over to where she had sent the children earlier.

[Chloriosus]

Farjon followed after Cassius, scanning the distraught surroundings warilly as they progressed down the torn up corridors. He desperately hoped the children were faring alright, hidden in a concealed area. He knew that in general even vicious warriors generally spared children because of their innocence and unimportance in matters like these, also because one had to be truly heartless to harm kids, but the King's men had seemed beyond reasoning, so one could never be too sure.