Sourin Kingdom!

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After the bodies in the field were cleared away and buried many people were at the inn celebrating, others though were outside staring at the stars of the clear night. Hiuko and Adel were sitting next to each other on a bench in the town square. Talking about different rumors and swapping stories, Bangs though was no where to be found.
(You guys can start typing whenever you want)

Takato strolled up to the duo and collapsed in a relaxed position next to them. "Howdy hellen keller, long time no see."

"Hey metal head, I thought I saw Arkania in the battle field." Hiuko said to Takato. "Me and Adel were just talking about where the next place you guys should go. It seems bit complitcated." Adel was listening to something Bang's was thinking to him in the mean time and when he noticed Takato he waved before Bangs yelled. No one likes when Bangs yells their mind.

"Seems i cant get through many fights now a days without asking a god for help...makes me feel a bit degraded really." Takato waved back adel until he seeme to catch brainfreeze...wich was odd since there was n ice cream around. "So where we headed?"

"Heh, I feel the same way, although I don't have a god. I need some new tricks these days. These new fighters are making me feel old. Well, old for a half-elf." Hiuko said before getting to where they would go. "It seems we have reached a decision which not many will like. Bangs and I must continue to the southern dragon council, the majority of the party must proceed to the captial city to stop the king, diplomacy or force, whichever will make him stop his tyranny., then there is an uprising in a small nearby providence which needs some help. I have some friends down there but they need one more." Hiuko ended by looking at Adel. Adel finished with Bangs and said, "It seems I am need for this, you guys must go to the capital alone." He said with a smile waiting for Takato's response.

"Sounds ok to me. We dont need a guy with a white tipped cane feeling his way around to slow us down anyway." Takato joked. He thrust his hands in his pocket and tried to look smug.

"I can see better than you Takato." Hiuko said standing up. "Anyway, I've got to go now, and Adel will be leaving shortly too but there are still people in Sourin who are willing to fight, I'm sure you will run into someone." Hiuko bowed and walked out of the town and three dragons took off led by Hiuko riding Bangs in her demon form. Adel looked at Takato and said, "I wonder where the others are."

"I was enjoying the silence untill the chatter became ocerwhelming." Gale leapt from the branch she had been meditating on for rehabilitation.

"So I guess you heard us then?" Adel asked. "I haven't seen Jabriol since we split up in the war but I know he's not dead, this strange women with puppets said he was okay. If he's not here soon I'll just have to leave without saying goodbye."

"Oh well," Adel turned to the others, "I want you two to go on to the capital, its to the south, a large city, hard to miss." Adel got up and turned to the gate to the west. "I hope to see you again." He walked off letting Takato and Gale to go on to the Capital City of Sourin Kingdom, Tyne.

Takato lept up. "To the capitol then!"

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Halfway down the road
It was around noon and nothing eventful had happened all day since leaving the small village. Finally though a person could be seen at a crossroads. He was arguing with something but it couldn't be seen until everyone got closer. He was arguing with a goat and the goat seemed to be just as angry at the man, at least telling by the way it snorted. It wasn't at the point of shouting but the voices were raised. The man and goat stopped when they saw the other(s) and the man smiled and turned. "Hi, umm, I'm a bit lost... could you help, I'm looking for the capital of Sourin Kingdom?"

Takato was the first to pipe in. "Well what a coincidence thats where we are heading ourselfs!" He bent down to inspect the goat giving it a poke in the rib to test how plump it was.

"Neat, I'll just go with you then. "My name is Kyte." When Takato poked goat it snorted at him. "Oh, and that is my friend, goat." Kyte put the map away and asked, "What is your name, if I may know?"

Takato hoped up, his massive sword banging the ground leaving a trough. "Im justin nice to meet you." He heldout his hand for a shake.


Kyte shook his hand and held his own hand because of the strong grip. "So where is the capital?"

Takato grinned smuggly then wound up like he was getting ready to point somewhere then shrugged. "I have no idea."

Goat snorted and Kyte said, "No he came from that way, he's not coming from the capital. Although since you came from that way, and I came from that way," He pointed behind himself then moved his body so he would point towards the left fork, "That's probably where we need to go." Kyte smiled and looked down at goat, "Yet again I must say, you suck at navigating." Goat snorted something but Kyte ignored it for now and turned to Takato, "So, lets get going to the capital of..." He looked at his map and said, "Tyne."

Takato was still untying his arms from trying to follow the directions that was just summerized. "Lead the way to...Tyne was it?" He happily marcked along like a small child playing army.

"...wrong way." He said as Takato marched along the wrong path. Kyte pointed again, "Tyne is this way." Kyte walked along with goat and Takato.

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Halfway there nightfell
Kyte looked to the west as the sun slowly fell. He knew exactly when he was going to make camp but he kept going as if he would never stop. When the sun finally touched the horizon Kyte stopped and turned to Takato. "Well we should set up camp." He looked around, tey were in a large plain with many hills and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. "We could camp in one of valleys the hills make." He though it a good idea, it would be off the road and they could have a fire without bandits seeing it. Since there weren't clouds there would be no rain to flood them as they slept. "Unless there is something you prefer, I know some people need to sleep in certain places. Then there are some people that don't sleep at all." He finished rubbing his chin looking up remembering some people he has traveled with.

Takato marched up to a cove in the hillside protected from wind and not visible by the road. "Just one thing." He clapped his hands together, they began to resignate a silver color, once focused he plunged his hands into the ground pulling up to mineral based iron columns to about shoulder height. From which he hung his trusty hammock.

Kyte investigated the hammock nodding, "Nice hammock." Kyte looked around the ground for a bit and walked over to a good spot to start a fire. Goat snorted and ran off to look for stick for the fire. "So, you want to help find some food, or stay and start up the fire?" Kyte asked Takato, while goat was already coming back to the site with sticks and twigs.

Takato twitched. He wasnt really fond of fire. "Ill go find us something..." He formed a spear and dissapeared over the hillside quickly finding a small stream. Several minutes later he marched back with a full spear load of fish skewered up to his hand.

When Takato came back the fire was already going good and there were two small carcasses slowly cooking on sticks. There was also a pile of plants near the fire, all edible. Goat was eating some of the plants and gazing into the fire while Kyte lay back and looked up at the stars. "Hey, your back. I could only get some rabbits and some plants to eat. You catch anything good?" Kyte asked without getting up.

"Some muscly looking trout." Takato planted the spear in the ground to where the fish balanced delecatly over the fire. "Your goat seems to be pretty smart."

Goat snorted to the comment and Kyte said, "Well most goats are smart, they have big brains. He's just a tad more sentient than the normal goat." Goat snorted againbefore chowing down on plants again. "Oy goat, leave some for us." Kyte checked his rabbits, "Still got a minute or two before the rabbits are done."

Takato found a soft spot in the grass next to the fire. Heyawned that stretched back taking in the full view of the stars. "So what are you heading to the capitol for?" He asked genuinly interested.

"They are going to have a festival there soon and I thought I'd partake." Kyte said taking the rabbits from the fire and handing a rabbit on a stick to Takato. The pile of plants was in between so if Takato wanted he could help himself. "What about you?" Kyte took a bite and listened tenetively.

"Honestly?" He graciously accepted the rabbit taking a hunk out of the leg. Takato chewed thoughtfully then swallowed. "Im on a mission. Rumors of a growing tension was brought to my attention so i thought i would go and halp if things flared up." He did his best to keep things blunt and undetailed just in case.

Kyte took a long pause and replied, "Right, but when we get to the gate use the festival excuse like me. Guards are edgy around Sourin and I'll bet its no different at the capital. I got pulled into a guard post for two hours just because a made a small joke to no ones expense." Kyte smiled to add a lightened mood to his previous predicament. The took a quick bite of rabbit to have reason to stop the smile. If he kept it longer it might give reason to read into his words more. "So where are you from?"

Takato mulled the preivious staement over in his head before thinking of an answer. "The mountians, theres no real name for it." He responded. It sounded a bit better than the village reknowned for producing the worlds most valuable assasins. "So you have been to the capitol before? Why are the guards so touchy?" He asked nudging about for information.

"I've never been to this capital before. Not sure why the guards are so, touchy." He chose the word Takato used, he thought it fit well. "I tried to ask some people in taverns but they are all tight lipped." He shrugged and decided not to say what he thought was happening. "I did find out about the festival though so I thought I'd go up and see it. Apparently it is the Indepences festival, it celebrates when Sourin kingdom broke off from a large empire and survived." Kyte put one of the plants in his mouth and took another bite of the rabbit. When the plant broke it sprayed a juice on the meat and pumped flavor into it and it splashed on his taste buds.

"Well lets get some rest then, the festival sounds fun. A good cover up for some recon anyways." Takato stretched back and staired up at the sky. The stars twinkled, keepiong their own secrets from the world. His mind began to wander into the great beyond. "So whats your story?"

"Woke up one morning and thought, Hey, I'll be a traveler. When I left I became a traveler and never turned back. Not too long after I met my little friend here," Goat snorted at the comment, "and I crossed the ocean, ended up at a small port village not too far from here." He left off at that. He didn't think to go into detail about the certain things he's done. Not with a stranger anyway. "So what's your story then?" He asked taking the fish off the fire. He gutted the fish and only took out the stomach and heart. The rest he ate, he knew that most of the parts people threw away were nutritious.

Takato flinched because of the odd eating preference. "Im a black sheep of the family. Just decided to go against the grain and stop fights instead of start them." He tried to imagine his new aquantance traveling around with his pet goat.

"Start them." Kyte rubbed his chin for a minute and asked, "You come from a warfaring race?" Kyte asked. He chomped into the eye and a little fresh water squirted out. He whiped it off his lips while listening. Goat was finished eating so it just stared into the fire, entraced by the dance of the flames.

"Clan," Takato pointed out. "And yes, the nakini." He sighed. He hated his family's past. He took a pebble from beside the hammock and took aim. He chucked it letting the stone ricochette off his massive blade and back to his general area which he gracefully caught. "And your family?"

"Mom is an archeologist, Dad is a hunter." Kyte finished up his fish and laid back to see the stars. "Not much to say about it." Goat walked off to the top of a hill, "Looks like goat wants the first watch, you want second or last watch?"

"Ill take last, i like to see the sun rise." Takato stretched out and started to wander off in a snooze. Hi mind sauntered off every which way, exploring the realms of his imagination.

Nothing eventful happened that night. After Takato's watch Kyte and goat awoke and all three left for the capital.

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At the entrance
"Finally here." Kyte said as they approached the gates. The whole inner city was surrounded by a large stone wall while farms and such were on the outside. At the gate though five armed guards moved to block their path into the city.
"Stop citizens, the city has been closed off to outsiders today." The guard in charge said.
"We're just here to see the festival." Kyte plead.
The guard shook his head and pointed down the road, "The festival has been delayed until tomarrow. There is a nice inn down the road that way, you probably passed it on the way here."
Kyte was about to leave but instead waited to see what Takato would do.

"It would be wise to let us through, If i am not mistaken your city just recieved a new sargent commanding officer." Takato asked weighing his cards.

"As a matter of fact we did two days ago. He's the one who told us to not let anyone in." One of the guards stated while sizing up Takato. "If you would like to take up the matter with him you can tomarrow but for now the city is closed."

Takato smirked. "Well ill be off then, but im not sure he would be happy to hear you made his dear nephew wait to see him after sending a request for my presence. After all i am his favorite." Takato seemed to be nonchalant and started to turn to walk away.

The guards didn't make a motion to stop him. They returned to their post when Takato and Kyte were far enough away. When out of earshot Kyte said, "Looks like your sweet talking didn't work. Time for plan B?" He asked in a way that suggested he had a plan in mind.

"That is...to bad he is my uncle." Takato chuckled. "But what is your idea?"

"Simple, sneak in." Kyte said looking over his shoulder. "First we need rope, and a good idea of their patrol." He looked around at the farm country side and turned to goat. Without saying a word goat understood and ran off to observe the patrol "He's bad a directions but he's good as a scout. No one ever suspects a goat to be watching them." He kept walking to the inn. "We can find the rope at the inn and be back in no time. We're going to go over that wall."

"Ill follow your lead." Takato watched the goat trot off and turned to accompany Kyte to the inn.

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One long walk and a length of rope later
Kyte stopped before he and Takato could be seen by the guards. Goat came up to them and Kyte signaled to follow it. They snuck through fields of crops and found their way to a wall with no guards nearby. Kyte tied a rope to a throwing knife and threw it up to the ramparts. It got stuck under the holster for a torch and Kyte was able to climb up it. Goat however stayed on the ground, it planned to get into town the next day. Kyte signalled Takato to climb up.

Takato stepped up. Here we go. He spit on both hands and let out a breath. Firmly he grasped the rope and gave it a tug to test the strength....to bad his heavy swordsmanship had a side effect. The tug ripped the torch out of the stonr by its bolts like it had been pulled by a team of horses.

Kyte rubbed his temples, Doesn't think much does he? He thought to himself. Kyte signalled to throw the rope back up to him. Goat's ears pricked up hearing guards, Kyte caught Goat's ears and knew what that meant. He motion Takato to hurry with the rope.

Takato swung it around and launched it back up to Kyte. That was embarrasing.

Kyte noticed something in the corner of his eyes and held his finger up to his lip to signal Takato to be silent and he pulled his cloak around himself to hide better. Two guards arrived to the broken torch and when they got close enough to Kyte he shot up, seemingly out of nowhere, and the only thing they guards said was "Woh" before a dagger found its way to their throuts. Kyte wrapped the rope around both guards and signalled Takato to hold on tight. He kicked the guards, who were wearing heavy chain mail, over the other side of the wall so Takato could just hold on to the rope and get pulled up the wall.

Takato shot up the wall and ended up landing gracefully(for a change) In a crouch. He stood and swept his hair over his ear in a methodic fashion. "What just happened up here?" He saw a drop of blood on the ramparts. His eyebrow cocked quizotically.

"The phrase kill or be killed comes to mind." Kyte says before taking the rope from Takato and tieing it around one of the butresses. He rappeled down before Takato could inquire further and he was now inside the city. While Takato started to rappel Kyte untied the two guard bodies and pushed them off into the shadows, being careful not to leave a blood trail or get blood on his clothes.

Takato's mercenary instincts caught more than his accomplice implied. He followed down and only took his eye off Kyte for a second. He hit the ground and swiftly jerked the rope off his waist. "The air is tainted with death." He sniffed.

"Maybe there's a dead hobo somewhere... anyway, you want to get into the castle." He said pointing to the large structure in the middle of the city. It was strange though because at the top there were three turrets and a large stone sphere was wedged in between the. Only the turrets kept it from falling on the castle.

"That is strange archecture." Takato scrachted his head and nodded to the question. He sauntered behind Kyte. "What about goat?"

"He's a goat, he'll just blend in with other farm animals until tomarrow then sneak in with the crowd." Kyte said making sure he had all his knives. Now sure he had his stuff he started off through back alleys towards the castle. After crossing a few main streets though he realized that there was no one else in the city, not even guards. "The guards must be at the castle, more protection for his majesty." He noted starting to take main streets. When the reached the castle there weren't any guards around the castle, in fact all of the lights in the castle were off except for one about four stories up. Kyte looked to Takato and asked, "You want to try to climb up a wall again," he walked up to the castle's double doors and pushed one open easily without a sound, "or take the steps."

"I would have made an elevator." Takato jested. The deathly silence of the fortified citidel made him vervous. His previous assassin skills were screaming that something just wasnt right. Not in the Least bit. "Why does this feel like a hit?" He asked Kyte. Next time he wouldnt chose a travel partner so easily.

"Look, if I were going to assasinate you I could have plenty of times. Back to the matter at hand, I'm going though the castle." He proceeded to go through the castle before Takato could make an objection. He started quietly but he relaxed after a while because there were no guards, or anyone for that matter. When they got to the stairwell Kyte turned to Takato, "Okay I've got the same feeling too." He bit his bottom lip thinking of what could be up there, "You want to go first or am I leading the way?"

"Yeah....im technically a peace keeping force so ill just tag along." Takato shrugged. He pushed on behind Kyte. Ill just follow behind this guy in case there is any trouble in this weird castle. Where is everyone? He silently formed a dagger and stowed it in his pocket.

Kyte quietly went up the stairs of the tower and after a couple minutes they rached a door with light seeping through the cracks. Kyte kicked in the door and walked in to find no one inside. There was a still lit candle on a desk. "Looks like no one is home." He went over to the window and looked down at the street. He saw three people walking up to the castle. "Takato, looks like some people are still here." He said with a grin. "Lets go see who they are." Kyte took off without a word from Takato. Whether Takato followed him or not was up to him but Kyte was interested in seeing who was coming up to the door.

Takato was behind him like a shadow making sure nothing went wrong. He had the distinct feeling that Kyte was little more than meets the eye. He had now loaded up on daggers in his pocket.

Kyte and Takato found thier way to the foyer just as the three entered the castle. Kyte's hand was near his daggers in case something happened. "Who are you three?"
"We should ask you that? Why are you here while no one else is?" Said one obviously a dwarf. His voice boomed in that foyer and some dust fell from the cieling, dislodged from his voice.
"Pretty loud for one so small." Kyte said with a grin.
"You don't know who I am do you. Well metal head over there better remember me. I am Lebon the War Sage!" He stepped into better light with his head high in deserved honor. "and these two are two ladies from recently disband forest fighters. Lola and Lily." The two girls wearing heavy armor stepped forward, on their backs they both carried a tower shield and a borad sword, a mace on thier belts. Looking at thier face you could tell they were twins. "So, what are you doing with a loud mouthed brat... Steelheart was it?"
Kyte took the insult silently and looked up to see if Takato really knew who they were.

Takato was already in mid-glomp before the sentance was over. "You vert challenged old fart! I go by Takato now!"

"Right, whatever... you hug me you die." Lebon said watching Takato come closer. "Look, we're here to find the king. I suppose you two haven't found him yet." The girl to his left nudged him with her elbow and said. "There's someone coming. Multiple people." Then her sister added, "Strong people." Lebon smirked. "Well I'm not sure about the loud mouth over there but, I'm sure it will be no problem for us. Let's find out who they are."
"Hey, don't think I can't fight shorty." Kyte said wlaking off after them.
Everyone got to the street, wide enough for everyone to fit side by side and opposite of them were enemies, one for each, the king was no where to be found.

Takato skidded across the floor on his face because of the hug threat. He managed to flip over and onto his feet to follow the group out. "Well cliche cliche. Who has who?" He looked each of the opposing fighters down.

The man in the middle of the enemies said, "Dragoon, that guy is the one who took down your dragoon friend. He's yours. I'll get the dwarf, Sarah, Mary, you get the two that are dressed alike. And... we need someone for the other guy." Then a little floating blob floated up from behind the leader (It looked like a nice version of boo from Mario). "Oh right, Nel you can get him."
Kyte sighed, "I never get to have any fun."
"Wait, that's not fair, the blob will be too hard for him" Lebon said chuckling a bit.
The enemies though didn't laugh. Instead the were dead silent and just stared at their targets. Then everyone took off into a different directions to fight in another part of town. The dragoon stayed though to fight Takato. She was dressed in slightly different armor than the last dragoon Takato fought. It was also obvious she was stronger. She smiled, "You've never fought an enemy like me. Go on, attack, I won't even move."

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