... It took William just a few moments to regain his bearings after having barely survived the past five or so crazy minutes. He was still breathing heavily from all of the wounds he had been forced to endure at the hands of the guards' weapons, and from all of the lost energy that had been placed into trying to evade them. Still ... *huff, huff* ... a long ways to go on the road to becoming a swordsman strong enough to bear such a tremendous burden as the one I am trying to take onto my own shoulders .... the young elf thought. In fact, I may still be closer to the ordinary timid student of magic I had always been before today than I am a hero swordsman. ... But - (and here William smiled to himself) - perhaps there's hope for me yet, at least considering I managed to survive all of this.

His head was still quite muzzy from the blow he had taken against the stone pillar just seconds ago, but William just closed his eyes and angrily shook it away. After quickly making a glance around to make sure that none of the others were badly hurt, William nodded once in great finality, attempted to set his face into the most serious expression he was capable of wearing, then looked upward at the king, who seemed to be waiting patiently just at the top of the steps leading up to the throne, wondering what sort of trouble he would be getting himself into next.

Wargolth laughs, it was good battle for him. But nothing compared to his last battle.

After the kings little speech Leon just stares expressionless at him. He had a feeling the guards were not giving it there all but had no way to tell. "I wonder why he wanted to test us first?" Leon thinks to himself as he notices the guards getting up acting as if nothing happened to them. Then he remembers what the king said.... "You guys can quit faking it now". Leon slowly moves his hand closer to his weapon just incase another battle breaks out.

Jerod, (Kajak, you called him Lerod but he's Jerod) unlike the others, wasn't worn out completely. In fact, he actually kind of liked the intensity of his first fight. He felt he was ready for anything this crazy place could throw at him. But, then again...

I busted my ass and they didn't even break a sweat... my powers have truelly dwendled down to nothing. Or maybe these guys were just in an entirely different league, all together. Alas, 'tis impossible to know which it is. I will just have to get stronger and keep an eye out for that elf. While he was useful, I'm not letting my guard down. They are backstabbing tricksters.

Illya quietly steps back into the shadows after the king's little congratulations. When the guards have awakened, she contacts Odin with telepathy and send information regarding about all the events, "King Odin, i have a slight information about something... It should be very interesting...". Illya wasn't all that concerned about the guards being brought back to life again.

Upon the flashy entrance of the guards, it was all Kayn could do to not grimace at the sight of their sneering. It was with great effort that Kayn was even here in the first place. He would have much rather stayed in the forest than to set out on some fools errund to be jeered at by some... humans.

The king was toying with him... and he didn't like it, test or not.

As of right now, Kayn could do nothing but look away as to keep himself from becoming angrier.

As the last guard fell, Bael's mind snapped back to reality. The heat if the battle gone, Bael suddenly noticed how tiring this whole fight had been; he did not remember feeling so wore down... ever. Bael fought the new and terrible feeling, struggling not to show any weakness. More enemies could appear at any moment now.

And they did; the guards rose, apparently unharmed. Bael's mind snapped; he quickly grabbed his halberd and entered his trusted battle stance. The battle would go on.
Damn... they're still alive, the bastards!

"Magician cowards," he mutters angrily at the king.

Sigurd looks almost casually bored at some of the reactions. "Now now now, don't fret. These men will not be fighting you anymore today. In fact, I believe they wish you give you a gift. Boys?"

The Guards put their hands outward, palms towards the heroes and a cool light pulses out from them, filling everyone with energy.

---------------

Everyone is fully healed! Everyone gains two bonus stat points!

---------------


Sigurd grins, "My apologies for testing you so rigorously, but you indeed passed with flying colors. But for now I must be hasty." He points at a few heroes. "You come with me. The rest of you may take this time to explore the castle. I'll expect you to return here in three hours so I can give you your mission."

"Oh, and while your exploring stop in and visit my blacksmith, Vidal. Your equipment could use some improvement and if you tell her I sent you she'll probably be willing to fix at least one thing up for you."

Sigurd walks through a back door with the heroes he requested and the guards usher everyone else out of the great hall.

-----------------

OK...here's the deal. Some people are busy or simply haven't replied yet. Others are raring to go. To keep it so that everyone has the chance to get back into the game when it's best for them I've split the group into 2 parties. The heroes that went with Sigurd just now are the inactive party members. They'll be doing something secret until they can rejoin us. The remaining people are who can actively play now. If you can actively play go ahead and post what your doing in the castle right now and that will let me know you're ready. If you don't post then I'll assume you're in the inactive party. If you know you're not going to be able to play right now go ahead and post so in the OOC please .

And back to the game. Each character now has a bonus 2 stat points that they can spend in any stat. Each character can now improve one piece of gear by visiting Vilad. This must be an already existing piece of gear. Only one stat on the gear can be improved. So basically pick where you want the two new stat points and pick what gear you want improved and which stat on it you want improved and pm me the results.

Jerod walked back into the room he saw upon entering. "Wow..." he whispered to himself, looking at the fancy paintings on the wall. The red, fluffy chairs. They impressed him fully. Time to see the courtyard. he thought. He couldn't imagine how beautiful the flowers would be.

Phew .... William had been tryng to stand as confidently as he could before the mock enemies he had just been fighting in a childish display of bravado, but upon the last words Sigurd spoke William finally let go of the tension that was gripping his entire body and mind, and he hastily bowed to the king, turning away to exit from the throne room. He studied the expressions of his seven friends (or would-be friends, perhaps), all of whose names he still wasn't aware of, for a moment, then finally left the room to set out about exploring the town on his own.

... I wonder if that pretty human girl who was selling flowers just outside the city is still there, he thought with a bemused smile as he ventured down the long corridor that led from the throne room, glancing this way and that with some interest at the aesthetic paintings lined about the walls as he walked past them. But I had best be careful this time in lingering for too long in the pleasant company of such female creatures. It was because of that in the first place that I was late in coming here at such a critical time. Hah hah ....

William felt a small stab of pain in his side, a relapse of the blow he had taken there just minutes ago from one of the guard's spears. He looked down to find that the cape he was wearing had been torn in that spot. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to see if there is seamstress in town who could mend this for me, either," the elf spoke to himself. "... But healing magic cannot accomplish everything, I suppose ...."

We seem to be given a while to rest. Perhaps, I will take a look around the castle. This is the first time I have walked amoungst mortals. I'm not entirely sure how to act around them, for I've only watched them from afar. Humans tend to be a rather violent bunch, from what I've seen. I should keep my distance. Though, I'm much more worried about these elves. From my understanding, there shouldn't be any here... then again, neither should I. I don't really belong anywhere.

Wargolth sleeps.

Kayn turned on his heel and left soon after the king finished speaking. The city is very well packed... much more than what Kayn is use to. So he went for the most quiet place he could think of... the library.

As he was walking down the business side of the city to get to said library, he came noticed William sitting outside. He was propped up aginst the wall of the Tailor's shop with his arms crossed and eyes closed.

As Kayn got closer, he noticed a slit in William's eye widen a bit. Kayn slowed his pace and stopped just a few feet away.

Kayn, ran his hand between his hair and hood and pulled it back a bit to get a better view. He made eye contact for a moment and then let his eyes wander elsewhere.

"Thanks..."

Sometimes people think that Dark Elves would better get along with humans than Elves. And for the most part, it's true. But as of late, Kayn would try to relinquish a bit of pride. The 'test' in the castle throne room might have not gone over as well without William's help.

Kayn removed his hand and let his hood fall back into place, revealing no more than just his nose and mouth.

After spending a good deal in the secluded library, Kayn heard the the large tower in the center of town ring.

He was half way through a manucript at this point. He rolled the parchment back up and scoffed a bit at the lack of time to not finish his reading. He couldn't help but feel that even though there were as few people around him at the time, that many eyes focused on him. Kayn instinctively threw his hood back over his head, once again covering himself from the outside world.

("I guess I'll go see Old Man Sigurd has in mind.")

Kayn trudges his way back to the castle.

Jerod heard a loud bang. "Wha..." he awoke slowly. He had fallen asleep gazing at the clouds. That fight tired him out more than he thought. He heard the King yelling to say that they only had one more hour. He got up slowly, and headed over to the castle. Please no more magic knights... he prayed silently. He noticed his shield had a dent in it. He wondered if there was a smithery nearby. He saw one on his way to the castle, and decided to drop in for some new equipment.

Wargolth wakes up and mumbles. He heads back to the castle.

....... "And, so, that's pretty much how it came to be that an ordinary student of healing magic such as myself has wandered all the way out from the elven forests and to such a huge city as this," William concluded, dropping his head with a bit of an exasperated sigh after speaking the last few words.

He had deliberately left out the part about his recent unexpected skirmish within the walls of the palace that stood just beyond the hills from where he now was, as the elf wasn't quite certain he still believed it had actually happened, himself. But there was something in the bemused expression that the flower girl wore all the while she had been listening to him, that indicated she could somehow vaguely guess as to what had recently happened to William, anyway, ... especially when she had appeared to gaze down with some curiosity in her eyes at the visible patch in William's cloak that the seamstress had repaired but a little while earlier.

"... Ah, I see, young sir," the flower girl, whose name William had discovered to be Elmina, said lightheartedly after a moment's passing.

A clock somewhere struck the second hour of the afternoon, causing William to glance back in the direction of the palace.

"I had forgotten. The king wished us back into his presence at this time. I had best be going, now, Miss Elmina. It was a pleasure to have met you," William said, turning his face back to her, but suddenly feeling a little bashful to look directly into her eyes.

"... Forgive me for keeping you, Master William, but ... would you consider purchasing a flower from me, first?" Elmina asked, hastily bowing in humility. "... I - In anything, perhaps it would make a nice gift to bring home to someone you love when you have reached the end of your journey ....?

William blushed a little. "... U - Umm, ... I ... don't exactly have a ... um ... girl - ... girlfriend or anyone like that ...." he admitted, hoping Elmina couldn't sense the embarrassment revealing itself through his reddening cheeks. ... Still, I will be very happy to oblige, if doing so pleases you."

"Ye - Yes! Of course!" Elmina suddenly seemed cheerful, looking down to search through the basket that hung on her left arm for a moment, as though she were trying to find the most beautiful flower that she had in her possession just for her new friend. After a minute, she gently removed one from the rest and held it out to William, who tried to be just as gentle in retrieving it from her without ruining a single petal. "Here you are, sir. Th - ... Thank you very much!"

William smiled, although somewhat out of pity for the girl. "... I - It was nothing at all, Miss Elmina," he said, studying it for a moment and then finally deciding to pin it securely on his cloak, just below his right shoulder. "I promise to keep it with me at all times throughout my journey. Since you seem to be so happy for such a small favor I have done as buying this flower from you, I feel it may do much to protect me from whatever evil I might ever be confronted with in the future. ... Farewell. I hope we can meet again some day."

The pretty flower girl bowed once more and turned away to walk down a nearby street, perhaps hoping with a renewed hope to find others like William who would actually consent to associate with and even befriend a mere flower girl dressed almost entirely in rags such as herself.

" ... I hope she can somehow make it in this life," William thought to himself, watching her for a moment before turning away. "I am glad that even just this much seemed to make her so happy, though." Suddenly feeling slightly awkward at having done something that he hadn't expected to be counted as such a gracious deed in someone else's eyes, William hurried back to the palace, full of thought but still a little worried that he would wind up arriving into eveyrone else's presence belated yet again.