EVENT #3: AN EXECUTION OF SORTS

[abraxasmods]

THE EXECUTION

As if performing a vicious mockery for what should be a somber day, the sun shines brightly in the sky. The rays of sun catch the iron brackets that hold up the gallows that have been erected overnight for the occasion, the gentle breeze causing the noose to swing ominously. Public executions do not happen frequently in Thorne, so a crowd gathers in strained anticipation of the grim sentence.

The welcome guests, who have up until this point been free to come and go within the confines of the castle, have been mandated to view the execution. It is meant to serve both as an example of Thorne’s power as well as a lesson to those who might think to try the same. The courtyard, which was buzzing with quiet murmurs, turns silent as Ambrose strides up the wooden steps of the gallows, flanked by two guards and a haggard-looking Jonathan Sims, arms bound behind him. As the guards march their charge to the trapdoor that will serve as executioner and position the noose around his neck, Ambrose turns to address the crowd that has gathered- willfully or not.

“Citizens of Thorne, our esteemed welcomed guests, it is with disappointment and a heavy heart that we’ve gathered to see to the execution of one of the very guests we sought aid from in our time of need. In a selfish and distrustful act, I was attacked, an action I cannot abide.”

He turns halfway toward his charge. “Jonathan Sims, you are charged with assault and intention of lethal harm. The punishment is to be hanged by the neck until you are dead. May the gods have mercy on your soul.”

Ambrose raises his arm to signal the executioner to pull the lever to release the trapdoor beneath Jon’s feet, steely expression locked on the prisoner’s face one last time.

MEANWHILE

Several miles away, atop a hill in the forest, two figures meet between portals. Oliver, tall and lithe, steps out to stand next to a petite waif of a woman who looks at him with a familiar smile. Her voice is lilting like a songbird’s when she speaks up, turning her gaze back over the city.

“Find out anything good?”

He hums softly, his hands clasped behind his back. “Two dozen prisoners, give or take. The one I met was very grateful for our assistance.”

“That’s good. Perhaps her gratitude will endear our cause to them.”

With a nod, he takes a deep breath and then sighs. “It’s time, Elizabeth,” he says, lifting one hand to open a new portal.

She nods and raises her arms above her head, eyes closing in concentration. Her arms begin to glow green while the grass around her begins to ripple in rings. The very ground seems to surge with power that radiates outward from her, and it isn’t long before the castle and the town are engulfed in a heavy air of intense magic. It courses from her in shockwaves.

Satisfied, Oliver steps through the portal.



In the wake of the magic flood, the walls of the dungeons seem to shudder for a long moment, and the doors suddenly clink open. No guards come rushing in to shut them, and in fact, all ambient noise in the dungeons seems to stop as the whole of the people of Thorne freeze in place. The hall becomes lit by daylight as a portal opens at the end of it, showing them the crowd of welcomed guests and Jon alone on the platform.

In the portal, alone stands Oliver, hand offered to the prisoners in welcome. His smile doesn’t reach his eyes, though this seems to be by nature rather than intention.

“Please come with me.”

CHOICES

Everything is happening quickly.

Once through the portal to the execution yard there's a moment of chaos and confusion at the sudden arrivals and then it stops. Everything and everyone has stopped, save for the guests, the prisoners, and the two mages who have come to their aid. Guards freeze in place. The attended mages are still as statues. Banners lifted by the wind remain where they are and even the noose hanging from the gallows stills.

"Time for them is halted." Oliver addresses the assembled, his voice projected to be heard but his tone calm. "It will remain so for one hour, no more. An hour is all you have to make your choices. Remain here in Thorne, or take a portal to either Solvunn or the Free Cities. The portals cannot be traced by the Thorean authorities, so no need to fear them giving chase.”

Elizabeth emerges from a portal behind him, which closes as she enters the yard. They both raise an arm and two white circles spread through the air, showing new towns in the distance on the other side. There is an ethereal glow around them.

“The Free Cities are martially powerful and seek to destroy the Singularity,” Oliver narrates, gesturing at one of the portals. “Solvunn is reclusive and claims neutrality, both in politics and in regard to the Singularity. I advise that you think hard about your choice. Travel between cities is not exactly easy."

He turns back to the crowd with an almost apologetic smile. “I'm sorry you don't have more time to make this decision. We’ll meet again.”

Opening a third portal with the wave of her arm, Elizabeth, who has not spoken a word, gives the group a wink and leaves with Oliver. Their portal closes behind them, leaving everyone to begin making moves.

Now is the time to make serious choices. Two portals stand in the courtyard, one courtesy of Oliver and one of Elizabeth. The Free Cities and Thorne are enemies, Solvunn watching both to see where the cards end up falling. None trust one another, none work with one another beyond trade through middle-men in Solvunn. The clock is ticking.

Someone should probably get Jon out of that noose.

Comments

II, leading into CELL 1 REUNION

[stealsthetruth]

Estinien will barely get the chance to even just look around once he steps through the portal to the execution yard, because he and his companions are immediately getting accosted by one VERY fired up Great Thief. The moment she spots the elf's freakishly(affectionate) tall frame through the crowd, she hastily breaks off a conversation with Phoenix to sprints over there without hesitation, relieved and excited beyond words to see her friends safely arrived here.

It's only when she gets a bit closer that she clocks that he's carrying a certain familiar someone.... Someone who she has been searching stubbornly for, for what feels like ages now, in spite of advice from numerous others insisting that her efforts were likely pointless.

She comes screeching to a halt still several paces away, frozen in shock, eyes huge with disbelief. Her voice catches in her throat for a moment, stammering, until she finally manages to yelp the name: "R... RELENA??"

Damn. And she hasn't even had time to process the fact that Estinien is apparently half a dragon now.

[coerthantorment]

It feels like a lot to take in all at once, with how chaos has broken out. As Estinien enters the portal to the execution grounds, he can't help but search for the noose first - the place where Jon was set to die. He sees no hanging body, and finally, some part of him can relax.

His eyes are also quick to wander to those at the noose's sides, and it doesn't take long to notice Ambrose is present too, frozen like the others. The notion of it consumes his thoughts for a moment, but then...

"Ah," he says, a bit of a relieved smile coming to his face, even as his tail whips anxiously behind him. He shifts Relena in his arms slightly, as if trying to make it easier for her to engage with - or for her to get down, if she's feeling up to it, at least long enough to greet Kay.

"Your return has been highly anticipated," he says to her.

[iobject]

Phoenix is not interested in the least in losing Kay in this chaos, so he's following her before he even processes what she's moving towards. He starts in surprise when he notices Estinien's change, but his attention is drawn quickly to Relena.

"Oh thank goodness," he breathes, peering over Kay to get a closer look at Relena. "Are you hurt?"

His head spins. He has some healing magic that could help if no one else does, but not much. And who knows what will be on the other side of the portals? It'll be better than what's here for sure, but if she needs medical attention, that's something that needs to be sorted now.

[sanc]

Relena feels her heart swell when her 'partner in crime' appears and shouts out her name. This is why she had to come back. This is why she needed to make sure they were all okay and able to leave this place, too, if that was their wish.

When Estinien shifts her in his arms, she braces on his arm and carefully shimmies out of his hold so he can stand beside him. She keeps against his side so she can hold her balance. She wants to speak to Kay and Phoenix properly.

"Kay, it's so good to see you," she replies before smiling at Phoenix. "I'm not hurt. I'm just... very tired, but I'll be okay when we're finally out of here."

[aquaveiled]

Himeka trials behind Estinien and Relena, gaze falling to all the frozen figures around them. It's...eerie, really, but she can't find it in herself to feel too guilty about it. It's the opportunity they had been waiting for and Relena became the messenger for it. Somehow it's all fitting.

Hearing a familiar voice, though, she immediately turns her attention to their former cellmate. Tired and dirty though she is, she smiles and waves at Kay and the man she doesn't recognize.

"I can sense a well-deserved rest is on the horizon," she says with a nod to Relena. They will make sure of it.

"Is everyone else alright? I want to do a sweep of the area for anyone who needs assistance before we depart."

[stealsthetruth]

It's a good thing Estinien and Relena have the foresight to reposition, because if they didn't, Kay would be demanding Relena be set down for what she's about to do next. The moment the shock wears off she zooms over there and pulls the other girl into a brief but fierce hug. It's way more direct contact than Kay is typically used to demanding, but she's so overwhelmed with relief that the moment simply requires it.

When she lets go she keeps her hands on Relena's shoulders, partially to make sure she doesn't drop after the sudden tackle she was just subjected to, and partially so Kay can stare her in the face easier, while she rattles off restlessly: "I'm so glad you're not dead! I've been looking and asking all over for you! People kept telling me to GIVE UP, but I kept telling them NO WAY, 'cuz I knew you had to be out there still, somewhere! And I was right!"

She can feel herself getting kind of misty eyed so she lets go of Relena then, pointedly turning to skim the crowd with narrowed eyes. "Where's that Ronan guy at? I'm gonna find him and show him how wrong he was, rub you being here and alive in his stupid rude face--"

Luckily, she's distracted from her imminent plot to further antagonize Ronan Lynch by Himeka's greeting. She returns the gesture, grinning and waving back quite enthusiastically.

"We're both fine! Well, I'm fine. I think Mr. Wright might need a cup of herbal tea and one of those fancy fainting couches after all this excitement," she teases, nudging him playfully. As if her own anxiety wasn't just jumping off the charts a few minutes ago.

[coerthantorment]

Estinien flinches guiltily, having been among those that was increasingly convinced of Relena's death. There had been so little he could do, and no avenue to find answers... it was as if he was being greeted by a ghost when she arrived at their cell.

"Instead," he says, smiling slightly at the sight of the girls reuniting, "it seems as if she's had some part in returning to save us."

He allows Relena to take whatever support she needs, ready to catch her in the event that she grows faint.

"But the question remains of where to go next. Given the options, I am interested in this Solvunn. It reminds me of a place the Duchess of Hayle gave mention to. A place where the descendants of the old High Mage may yet live."

[iobject]

"Forget the couch, I'm going to need a whole fainting room once this is over," Phoenix says, clapping an affectionate hand on Kay's shoulder, mostly kidding. He looks around at all the frozen people, looking like wax figures with how still they are. They're not even breathing.

"I don't like the sound of 'martially powerful' and 'wants to destroy the Singularity,'" he says, turning his attention back to the group. He should probably be worried by the fact that he's not nearly as disturbed by all this as he should be, but decisions have to be made. "That sounds a lot like the Free Cities might get into war with Thorne, and we'd probably get pulled into it if we head there. I vote for Solvunn."

[sanc]

Relena is surprised by the embrace she's pulled into. Swift, firm, and full of relief, that hug is something she'd needed. The comfort that Himeka and Estinien provided through their care was helping a great deal but... that hug. She didn't know how necessary it was until Kay was letting go of her.

She smiles at Kay and lifts her hands to rest them on Kay's arms. "Thank you for looking for me, Kay. If Oliver hadn't found me, I might very well have been dead. I got lucky this time, so we must all be careful going forward."

She turns her attention to Estinien. "I will go wherever you and Himeka see fit. I have no preferences right now beyond 'getting out of here'. I don't think I'll be able to slither out of harm's way a second time."

[aquaveiled]

Himeka's travel has been dictated by much less dire wants and needs, so she needs little convincing. Truly, getting out of Thorne in any direction seems like an improvement, but the trusted opinions of her friends means even more than that.

She nods in agreement. "If we could find any of those descendants, it would definitely aid our cause in finding out just what Ambrose believes he can accomplish with this." A pause as she gives a sympathetic smile to Relena. "Not at the cost of those dear to us."

But with that in mind, this dark-haired man did mention fainting...so he gets a free cure spell. Just a little boost of vitality energy as she calls up a wave of bright greenish light that swirls around her and then flies over to Phoenix in the form of a cloud of sparkling blue and white.

"No naps just yet!"

[stealsthetruth]

"WOAH!" Kay is visibly impressed by Himeka's healing light-show, boggling in amazement. It's REALLY easy for her to forget that a bunch of these guys come from worlds where magic was already a thing?? Considering none of them had access to their abilities when they were all stuck in the Clink and all... It's also a really convenient distraction from having to respond to what Relena just said? About how she DID almost die? Because that's sure an extra level of distress Kay just doesn't want to have to confront right now, or ever.

"Okay, you're gonna have to teach me how to do that later, because I want to steal that technique," she says to Himeka. "But, anyway... I'm not sure I remember what either of you are talking about with all this descendant stuff, but it sure sounds like Solvunn's the logical place to start the next stage of our investigation." She raises an enthusiastic fist. "Now that Relena's back, you can count on the Yatagarasu to help chase down the truth! ...I just want to check and make sure a few other friends have made it safely out of the dungeons first. But after that, I say WE say 'good riddance' to Thorne!"