Knight of Seasons

[Lann Kirauc]

He stood without the gates, a gloved hand rested upon the gilded pommel of a bastard sword, blade descending down between the toes of his kneelength shod leather boots, a keenly-edged bladetip sunk a handsbreath deep into the dark volcanic sands upon which Lann stood. He peered upwards at the keep, eyeing the tower spires that reached up high into the heavens. His dark cloak swayed gently with each passing breeze and the crimson silk band he tied upon his brow tailed wildly in serpentine fashion over his wide shoulders.

His other hand thoughtfully caressed a machiaveillian-styled goatee, fingers running over the rough stubble of a second day's growth before dropping down over his other hand. Castle Bast. Lann saw no movement neither in shadow or light but by the Force he knew the Black Hand were present. He meant to confront them here whether in peace or in hostile force. Hopefully to explain the reason for his uninvited arrival on the very front gate of their secretive abode. The sun had just peaked at high noon and he bathed in it's warm rays. Brazenly closing his eyes even while focusing inwardly on the Force. They would at arrive any moment now. And he knew it and was fully prepared.

[Evil Hobgoblin]

The figure of a small, green alien appeared on the parapet balcony above the grand castle gates. It looked down upon the visitor from its perch with a cold and piercing gaze.

Far above, clouds began to obscure the sun, leaving only a chill wind blowing in the air.

[Lann Kirauc]

Lann's fingers curled tightly around the sword's handle as he felt the radiance of the sun fade away replaced by a biting wind that lovingly caressed his face and thrilled his heart with darkness. And the sole piercing stare of one bold onlooker, a powerful one, he might add. Lann opened his eyes while the clouds continued to roll by, adding a tenebrific atmosphere, like a day of an execution. Death was always so provocative when one is faced with such uncertainties, now that he or the Hand may be standing at it's thresh-old. He fought hard to keep laughter from erupting from his throat.

Without shifting his ice blue eyes upon the silent creature, Lann called out with gruff seriousness, "I am here to speak with the Hand, would you heed and grant me audience, preferably persons of authority? A lord or lordess?"

His eyes fell dead upon Hob.

[Evil Hobgoblin]

The small being clambered up to stand atop the parapet wall. Both of his hands rested upon a cane and the dwarf peered downward at the man below.

The wind died down. The clouds finished covering the sun and stopped where they were. Nature itself was showing deference to the small green being.

The silence continued.

[Lann Kirauc]

Lann looked back at the small malformed being perched upon the battlements of the gate. He recognized a presence of power directly identifyed to the dwarf even nature appeared to be subject to it. The creature just sat and stared without uttering a word. His beady eyes never straying from Lann. It's expression remained solemn yet cleverly calculating.

But Lann was never one to be daunted by any challenge, icey blue eyes stared back just as hard, fixated on the dwarf prepared for any thing. Fingers flex on the pommel of the bastard sword, black surcoat revealing an emblazoned sigil of a bronze sun. He snorted, taken aback, "Well, I guess my eyes are deceiving me, I am seeing grubkins walking on walls, perhaps this is the great worm of crapulence. But I am quite sober, so you must be deaf."

[Evil Hobgoblin]

The small creature yawned in an exaggerated fashion. "Better things to do, have I," Hob said sourly. "Get to your point."

[Lann Kirauc]

Lann laughed coldy at the creature's shrewdness, it was only a fitting response to the jape he had answered the overbearing silence for. But he had never seen anything like this dwarf. And did not even know what race this curiousity belonged to. Neither if it spoke basic or spoke at all. But half of these annoying quandries had been answered in two sentences.

"My point is, I am seeking apprenticeship to a Master of the Darkside," Lann pleaded. "With or without constraints to the Black Hand."

The black bladetip of his sword eased slowly up abit from it's sanctuary of sand, it's blade specially forged and constructed of metals that could withstand the deadly curvical energy emissions of a traditional lightsaber. Lann kept his guard despite a lax, confident manner of speech. And retained a deceivingly calm composure.

[Evil Hobgoblin]

Hob adopted a bored look. "So?"

[Lann Kirauc]

"So?" Lann repeated quietly to himself, a spark of anger rose up within, shaking his head. He laughed. Lann decided upon an entirely different tact and spoke, "Are you a lord of the Black Hand, dwarf? If so I am willing to pledge myself or even champion myself if necessary."

[Evil Hobgoblin]

"Fail to see, you do."

The dwarf pointed at Lann with his cane. "Speak with pride, you have. Of your skills, your worth, you are assured. Too confident. Hm? Too certain. As an equal you have approached. And you are not."

Hob cackled, mockingly. "Ignorant, self-important whelp. Who do you think you are?"

[Sorsha Kasajian]

:: Curiosity led Sorsha to step outside the gate. Usually, she left matters like this to the Goblin, but not today. She walked in a deliberate circle to flank the stranger, just beyond the length of his blade if he dared to swing it. Her eyes locked on him like a viper's, but her stance remained casual ::

[Lann Kirauc]

"I am Lann Kirauc. And I have bowed and honored others before, many times..." he continued, drawing silent when a strange woman passed through the gates dressed in full warrior regalia. The young man's brooding eyes darkened and his mouth tightened.

Lann cautiously raised the black blade of his sword at arms length as she began to approach him. She was scantily clad and yet by all appearances downright deadly. There was confidence and surliness marked in her soft gait. And her lips drew in a smile of self-amusement. He found it nearly impossible to keep focused both on the malformed imp perched above and this powerful woman now encircling him. His eyes darting between them.

Like the imp, there was great power radiating off her. Lann swallowed and quickly drew-in the Darkside, by which he remained sharply attuned to both entities, apprehensively permiting the woman pass beyond his peripheral vision and beyond the reach of his keenly-edged weapon. Speaking no further, he instinctively allowed the others to answer first.

[Sorsha Kasajian]

:: she studied him a moment before answering, her lips curled in an arrogant sneer ::

"Why is it you do not bow to me then, Slave?"

[Lann Kirauc]

Lann heard the sneer inflected in her tone, lowering the weapon, his ears also fell on the word 'slave'. A rather arrogant word to use in a circumstance like this but even more strange was it did not offend him and he remained largely unaffected. Except for a mild spell of confusion.

The young man peered over his left shoulder at her, an expression of befuddlement written all over his face, eyes darkened with a knit brow, "Slave? What makes you think I am your slave. Are you a Lordess of the Hand, woman?"

[Sorsha Kasajian]

:: Sorsha moves in a blur of motion, drawing her own sword. She swings in a deadly arc at his neck, and as he moves to parry, she spins low, sweeping the Knight on his rear for Hob's amusement. She was quick, and once again stood just beyond his reach as was on the ground ::

"I am a woman, Slave, but do not take me for granted. On your feet on or on your back, I can kill you in an instant."


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[Lann Kirauc]

"Goood ... good," Lann said as he picked himself up off the dark sands, eyeing Sorsha, sword grasped tightly in his right hand. Lann's bright blue eyes glimpsed her over with a mixture of emotions. "I see I have a more than capable adversary on these sands today. You are obviously a lordess or I suppose it would be quite mad to challenge your words again. Only if I must. Understand, I traveled far to prove my worth to you and the Hand."

He suddenly spit an excess of gritty saliva from his mouth and sniffled once, "I came here seeking a master, someone who could teach me."

Lann paused thoughtfully and continued, "But I will forewarn you, I have never been bested by any female in combat before." His eyes locked upon hers and a sardonic grin pealed across his lips. But something appealed to him now, and he added, "However battle wasn't most desired on my part until now. Unless you accept me as your apprentice."

[Evil Hobgoblin]

Lann's thoughtful look was interrupted by one of surprise. His feet kicked instinctively, then stopped as he realized it would do him no good. Hob's telekinetic power held him in the air like an invisible noose around his neck, even to the point of causing him to choke for breath. His head was forcibly lifted upwards until his eyes met those of the alien dwarf still standing on the parapet above the entryway. Hob's eyes bored a path directly into the mind of the struggling human.

~Listen, and listen well, worm. I am the Hobgoblin of Little Minds, Keeper of the Secrets of Bast Castle. Your presumptions here today leave you unfit and unworthy of the grand trust of shaping the universe that the Hand holds. I tell you now, begone! You will find no entry here this day.~

With that, Hob turned and leapt off the parapet wall, his short stature quickly disappearing from view, leaving Lann still hovering in the air, gasping for breath in front of an angry Sorsha.

[Lann Kirauc]

"No," Lann shouted out when the darkside loosed his neck enough. "You can't do this to me."

Breathing hard with fury, he watched the imp fall from sight, leaving him all alone to ponder the events of this meeting. But Lann's anger soon simmered away and suddenly he remembered her. His eyes narrowed and glanced over at Sorsha. She did not look pleased and he failed to read any obvious intentions upon her face. Swallowing, Lann pleaded, "Let me go."

[Sorsha Kasajian]

:: Her attention shifted quickly from Lann, and she crouched by the the Knight's fallen sword ::

[Lann Kirauc]

His eyes widened, "Aye, what're are you doing with my sword woman?"

Lann began to struggle and fight against the invisible bonds that held him.

[Sorsha Kasajian]

:: her fingers curled around the grip, and she turned again to face him as she tested the weapon's balance. Without a word, she plunged it into his side. The blade scraped against his hip bone as it passed through his body, but missed piercing anything vital ::

[Lann Kirauc]

Lann was still kicking and screaming as the sword's point pierced his hip. Yet the blade noncompliantly plunged deeper still, highly-honed razor sharp steel slid through sinew and muscle, and passed deeply into bone. The blade sunk deeper and the excruciating pain multipled with greater intensity as more nerves were severed and damaged. This forward surge of the blade made soft sucking noises as flesh gave way to keen edge. And more blood fell from his wrists as he attempted to draw the sword out with both hands, nearly severing his fingers. Howls of agony echoed long through the gates of Bast.

Soon enough Lann's body fell into a state of shock from the bodily trauma. His whole hip and lower torso grew unnaturally numb and stiff. Ice cold. And he could not feel his legs anymore. It was only when he moved while suspended above the earth did the white-hot flashes of agony return vengefully, as steel bit deeper into bone. Each time, he panted feverishly until the pain retreated to a more tolerable level.

Despite growing delirium and dangerous bloodloss, Lann could still feel the foreign steel inside his body, as if someone had crushed his hip to pieces and attempted to knit it back together with a single piece of plywood instead of intricate bone and sinew. Great amounts of Lann's blood spilt onto the sands, drawing a sticky puddle below his body. Mercifully, he passed into a state of unconsciousness from both pain and shock alike.