Her Mysterious Savior

Her Mysterious Savior
Date of Scene:	12 December 2012
Location:	Hollow Bastion - Library
Synopsis:	Katyna awakens after Seith had pulled her unconscious body out during the battle in Manhattan.
Cast of Characters:	Katyna, Seith

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Katyna has posed:
Ember had fallen into unconsciousness after using up all her energy to summon a final powerful attack against the heroes of Manhattan. In end however, she had failed. Failed to defeat that traitor Skoll, failed to protect the portal. Dammit, was she not strong enough? Had Lord Fessner's training been all for naught?

The ember knight feared death certainly, but she also disliked a coward's retreat. Now suddenly she found herself back in Hollow Bastion. What had happened? Had some silly Shadow Lord, doubting her ability once again pulled her to 'safety'?

She groans as she slowly opens her eyes, one of them a bit swollen from a close brush with one of that dammable wolf's claws. Her armour is scratched and dented and damaged in places, where blood still trickles a bit from some of her wounds. underneath the armour.

"Ooh, I feel like a ton of bricks! LEXUS, didja have to come 'rescue' me again?" She grumbles, rubbing her eyes as she adjusts to the darkness of the library that seems alit only by the soft flame of candles here and there..No light shines from the evening sky outside, but for this she is thankful. Nothing more annoying than the glare of bright sunlight to wake up to in this condition.

She has yet to focus upon her mysterious rescuer, alas.

Seith has posed:
In tryuth, the girl is 'laying' on two lazy benches turned towards one-another to allow her to lay as if it were a bed. Standing amidst the library, rather close to her 'resting place', stands a man with beautiful ornate armor and jewelry, and even a set of horns. The girl may know this man's name - one whose name is spoken with hatred at times by the Shadow Lord, as he joined them through means of causing the demise of another.

"I am afraid that I am not Lexus." The man answers her, closing a book and placing it slowly onto a table and clicking its light off, before turning towards her. "My name is Seith, and you're within the library of the Hollow Bastion." It's where the man spent most of his time. "And I didn't 'rescue' at all. I took you out of there, as you had fallen before the werewolf's claws, and Leida was about to fall herself. I figured, more damage is done by removing you from that situation, and letting /that child/ do what she does best."

Katyna has posed:
Katyna blinks, sitting up suddenly at the sound of that voice. No, she's never met Seith before, but she's certainly heard of him. Ahh yes, the jerk who abandonned Leida once before! The voice is at least unfamiliar, and definitely not LEXUS. Darn, LESXUS was probably the only 'nice' shadow lord here, aside from Kat's mentor, Lord Fessner.

She scratches her head, still a bit out of sorts as she listens to his explanation, removing her dented helmet to the floor where it falls with a soft 'clang'. Doesnt seem like most of the rest of her armour has been too badly damaged, although she's gonna need to clean all the blood and mud and rust and grunge off. Darn 'heroes'.

Finally Katyna peers back at Seith with a slight smirk on her face. "Hmm, nah, I guess you don't 'rescue' people, huh.." She chuckles, "But, I still could have fought. I could have beaten him..That pup's strong, but I coulda taken him!" she pauses a moment, registering something.

"Wait, what about that girl, Leida? It's not the first time you've left her behind. SHE coulda used your help more. Where is she?" Not like Kat cares or anything, but..She's curious. That girl certainly had issues. The way she cried, begged not to be left alone. Definitely not your typical Shadow Lord..And somewhere deep down, it reminded her of herself and her weakness. How everyone had died and she was left alone.

"Grr.." she grits her teeth at the loathsome memories and feelings that creep up, willing them to go away. How dare she allow herself to feel so weak? Kat fumbles around a bit, slipping her hand underneath her chest armour, searching for that Glabadosan pendant around her neck..Only to realize it was still missing. ugh! So annoying!

Seith has posed:
"Don't be rediculous, Katyna." He knows her name, "You were completely outclassed. Perhaps if the others had not been there, you might have had a chance. But when I found you, you were unconscious. If that fleabag had decided to deliver the killing blow, you would not be here right now. Besides, it took me /quite/ some time and effort to heal your body entirely." The man scowls at that little smirk of hers, while raising one hand and using the other to ensure his glove is on properly.

"As for Leida. I believe the heroes tried to 'take her in', from what I recall. You know just as well as I do that she is far more dangerous to them when throwing a temper-tantrum than she is doing a task like 'protecting a portal'. Besides, the world fell."

The man moves around her, glancing back at her when she growls, and then chuckles at her grasping around for something that isn't there. "So tell me girl, would you happen to know where your master is?"

Katyna has posed:
That's right. He DID save her. Katyna might be a stubborn, impatient kid at times, but Sir Kasrillen had instilled a certain sense of honor in her. "You healed me up and saved my life? I guess I should thank you then.." She replies reluctantly. But only because it would serve your own ends, she thinks quietly.

And then, he seems to put her down, and she glares angrily at the Shadow Lord for a moment when he says she was outclassed. "Heey, that's not true! I felled the monk girl, didn't I? And I put a pretty nasty dent in wolf boy and his other friend!" She clenches her fists, trying to rise to her feet but the pain in her ribs causes her to flinch, falling back to the bench again. "Ugh..Dammit!" Still, with a sigh, she realizes he is right.

She's not as strong as the shadow lords. Even if she has the potential, she lacks the patience or the judgement. Katyna afterall, is only a 16 year old teenager, who had not fought has hard as she could have. Was this the result of Fessner's relaxed training?

Could she have been so much more if he hadn't been so kind and gentle with her? Katyna cant help but feel a twinge of jealousy when she watched how Riku fought in battle. And he was as young as her, too! "Heh. I'll train harder, become stronger. Lord Fessner is my mentor, but..."

She hangs her head, seeming upset about something. "I dont..Really know where he went. He vanished one day, without warning. I think he was searching for something, with.." Kat hesitates, no, she shouldn't trust this Shadow Lord with her secrets. And she wont betray Hati's mentor either if they did indeed slip away, intending on 'saving' their beloved ones. Were they..Betraying the heartless? Kat wishes LEXUS was here instead..

"He's been gone an awful long time, I think he was headed for the world of the dead or something, but he cant be dead! I'll find him..Somehow. But in the meantime, who do I report to?"

And then he speaks of Leida, and she smirks again, "Heh, that girl..They really think they can be her friend? Hah, what a bunch of idiots! What should we do then, just leave her to their mercy?"

Seith has posed:
"You should... but you have yet to do so." Seith points out, before he halts again and looks behind him. "It's not like I don't know what you're thinking." He can't read her mind, but the way she speaks... he knows she must resent him. "And yes, you did fell the monk girl. And you 'dented' the werewolf and his friend. But there was also much darkness around for you to draw your power from. Even Maleficent energized the Shadow Lords there. Without that..." The man chuckles. "Still, no matter. I don't particularly care."

The man then leans against one of the benches and settles down on its armrest, looking down upon the girl from 'above'. "Training harder won't help you. You must /fight/ more. I believe you are at the end of where training against hapless targets can help you. Lord Fessner was far too lenient on you - if he were truly teaching you that power rules all."

The man then stands up again and turns his back upon her again. "Not that I think he'll be coming back. He disappeared right around the time Serrak did. So either they both did one-another in, or something else happened. It matters little to me, but they leave a gap. A gap in Hollow Bastion's defenses, and more importantly, a vacuum in the lives of two people who depended on them. /That/ is why I saved you. You'd be a vacuum in someone's life, would you not - if I let you be taken?"

The man moves to the beautiful window at the edge of the library and touches the glass. "As for that girl..." He grins deviously... and then starts laughing. "What do you mean leave /her/ to /their/ mercy. Are you sure you don't have it the wrong way around?"

Katyna has posed:
That's right. It's the darkness. She doesn't utilize its power enough. Katyna hasn't yet fully embraced the darkness as a proper Shadow Lord should. There was still a flame of light burning brightly within her heart. Is that the reason why they hesitated to make her a true Shadow Lord? Is that why they held back on giving her such dark powers?

She frowns. Dammit, but he does seem to read her well - not that Kat is all that hard to read, really. "Heey, I've fought plenty in the real world. I helped that crazy dog lady to try and capture that puppy..I tested the mettle of heroes against each other in the colliseum..And I fought against that irritant Vespar again when he tried to kill Leida. I still dont get it, why everyone seems so wary of her. I dont know her all that well..Is she really that..That dangerous, that even a Shadow Lord like yourself wouldn't go out of your way to save her?"

Yes, there is definitely something Katyna is missing here. She frowns when he looks down at her, turning around to defiantly meet his gaze. Grr. "I cant give up on Lord Fessner. I'm SURE he'll come back. Him and Serrak.." She pauses, "Wait a minute, how'd you know about that? It's not like he told a lot of people.." And it was mostly done in secret, for some reason.

"He wasn't all THAT easy on me.." she murmurs, although she knows he is right again. Grr. So annoying! "What? What is so funny?" Seriously, so annoying! Kat's so tempted to slap that cocky face of his right off, except she knows she wouldn't stand a chance! Not dressed in that tough armour of his.

"Huh, just like that other elf.." She murmurs to herself, thinking of her encounter with Count Valos, another beautiful elf who also dressed in eloquent armour..Yeah, she'd need a pretty big can opener to cut through that..But Kat knew she wasn't strong enough to cut him down..Not yet, anyways..

Seith has posed:
The man reaches out to touch the cold glass. It's dark out right now. "I am not saying you have not 'fought'. But honestly? You 'helped a crazy dog lady' (...) 'capture a puppy'." The very wording sounds laughable. "You tested the heroes 'mettle' against /each other/, letting them grow stronger?" Still, when she mentions 'Vespar', he chuckles. "Well, I guess that last one at least sounds like a /little bit/ of an improvement upon the rest.

The man then looks back to her. "And don't think I don't listen to the vines of rumor. I know he left. And I know Serrak left. I am asked to do their jobs now and again, and I've already spoken to Hati." None of those are lies. "But unlike Hati, it's not like you'd be asked to do your master's work as an apprentice of any sort." He is trying to rile her up, that is clear. Or at least, that should be clear to her.

"And what other elf would be like me... no wait, don't answer that. I don't really care. I just want to know where Lord Fessner has gone... and I guess what you are going to do to make up for his absence?"

Katyna has posed:
Katyna frowns. Well, when he puts it like that, it doesn't sound very impressive. "Heh, I didnt really like that crazy dog lady anyways. How'd she ever become a shadow lord? Can't even remember her name. But...I DID learn a lot abot some of the heroes I fought in the arena. Annd, I've been spying on the folks in the Shard Seekers and the VALKYRI."

"That boy Reize is pretty interesting..He's a real clutz, but in battle..Well, that pendant of his is pretty strange. It seemed to give him some strange power that made him glow up and go all lighty..And Avira, she's got potential. I cant believe she managed to tame a bunch of wolves. They even got their own sorceress scientist. They could be problematic, or they could be useful pawns.."

Still, what's she gonna do about it, now? Kat's just been taking orders, keeping tabs on the two groups, although admittedly, she hasn't really been spending much time around the Shard Seekers. Wasn't that Skoll and Riku's domain? And then Seith speaks of Vespar, and Kat arches an eyebrow. "You know that guy? Oh wait.." She chuckles, "That's right, he's the protege of Garland, some sorta 'Legendary swordsman'...But wait! He's your rival too, isn't he?" Katyna smirks, "Hmm, if you can stand up to a guy like that.." Then he must be pretty fearsome in battle. She's already seen what Vespar is capable of, and while they seemed pretty evenly matched in battle, Kat had yet to defeat him in a fair fight.

Something always got in the way, either crazy dog lady running off and ordering her to retreat, or LEXUS stepping in between them and ordering her to retreat! "Ugh! That's right! They treat me like some silly errant girl or an inept apprentice! I KNOW I can do much more out there! It's so very...DUMB!"

Kat clenches her fists in anger, seeming quite frustrated. "In his absence?" She sighs, "If I could step up to the plate..Become a Shadow Lord in his place, but..I suppose you dont think I'm 'ready' for that either, huh? Does nobody take me seriously around here?!"

Seith has posed:
"You must talk of Cruella." The man muses, before looking into his reflection in the window again... clearly, it was more interesting than watching Katyna. But then she has to go and mention the Shard Seekers. He turns around, and then she goes and mentions Reize. "Stay away from the /boy/, Katyna." He hisses angrily. Seems she touched a nerve there! "The boy must not be touched by darkness - and his pendant /must/ be left alone." He knows of Avira only very faintly, having seen her during the mess with Faruja and the church.

The man stomps towards her, and halts above the seats again and places both hands on the armrest. "Garland is no rival of mine. He's just another man..." A far more powerful man, he feels. Something about him is... dangerous. Still, he won't show that kind of weakness to one such as Katyna, she he just stares at her in a grandstanding manner. "But his little 'protege' is little of importance. Strong, but... nothing important for you to worry about."

The man then looks aside. "And you /are/ an errant girl. You don't fit to be an apprentice, for you have no magical might that is of any concern to anyone else." The man then steps away and shakes his head. "No, you aren't ready to be a 'true' Shadow Lord. But that doesn't mean you don't at least have the potential."

Katyna has posed:
"Cruella..Yes! That's her name!" Kat seems happy to remember that darned name of the darned woman! "Heh, how'd SHE become a shadow Lord and not me? It makes no sense.." She frowns, "I can too become strong..I might not have that much magical power..But with my fire sword, I can still control the magic within it to some extent."

Then she sits up straight when he warns her against Reize. "Oh..H-hey! I didnt harm him at all! Quite the opposite! I protected him from that heartless monster..." Well, that was one of a few times when she helped the heroes fight heartless bosses. "So, I guess I have my own reasons for not letting the darkness touch him. But anyways, what's so special about him and that pendant? Do you know him then?"

Ever curious, Kat peers up at him with those ever so inquisitive ruby orbs of hers. And she seems even more curious when he denies Garland being his rival. "Oh..? That's not what Vespa suggested.." She shrugs, "Still, Vespa uses dark magic. And he's pretty strong. Are you saying he's not a threat..?" A little shrug.

Still, Kat didnt want her pride to be hurt anymore by that jerk. She'd continue to try and defeat him and regain her honor and her pride! Even if he's of no worry to Seith, he's still someone she wanted to beat.

As for Seith..How'd he fit into this crazy equation! "Hmm, so, what are you saying? What do I have to do to be a Shadow Lord? Ugh, I cant STAND to be an errant girl for the rest of my life! I'm not just a kid! I can make a difference too. I just need the right training, but.." But with Fessner gone and the other Shadow Lords busy with other things, what does that mean for her? Who will take over from him?

Seith has posed:
"Good." The man pushes back up when she says she didn't harm Reize. "Just don't let any darkness touch him. That's all /you/ need to know." He tells her. "So don't interfere." It doesn't look like she's 'important enough' for him to tell her anything else. "As for Vespa. Forget about him. The more you fight him, the more you will repell him. Although I guess if you didn't - you'd just be more of a laughing stock."

The man paces away. He's challenging her. "So how about... maybe you try and meet up with Riku. I heard he... did rather well during the fall of Manhattan." The man grins wickedly - though she probably can't see this. "Yes, how about that? You go to Riku - he's living up to our expectations. See him, and learn the tools of the trade from that boy. He's younger than you - you know? But he's no errant boy."

Katyna has posed:
Katyna narrows her eyes, peering at him thoguhtfully. What's he up to? Who is this boy Reize? For Katyna, he was merely someone who greatly resembled a dear childhood friend of hers, but. "I...See.." She nods, letting it drop for now. She'd find out somehow, sooner or later.

As for Vespa, just the thought of becoming a laughing stock causes her fiery eyes to blaze in anger. "What the!! Are you saying he could defeat me so easily! As if! I'll totally kick his butt..Next time! I just..Need to learn how to shape the dark magic and draw it into my sword better.."

She grimaces when he mentions Riku however, shaking her head quickly, "Heey, you kidding me? He's just a kid..It'd...It'd be insulting! Is he really that powerful? I guess he handled that situation well, but.." Well, Kat hadn't seen all of what went on but she'd heard a bit about it.

"Even so..That'd just be embarrassing. I'll bet you know how to shape the dark magics though.." she considers this. This Seith...Would he really be such a bad teacher? Or would the benefits far outweigh the risks of working with such a mysterious, dangerous Shadow Lord?

Seith has posed:
"I don't think you do." Seith answers Katyna in an annoyed manner when she claims that 'she sees'. It's a rather annoying comment probably, but that's because she just upset the man. His twisting of the fates and everything surrounding Reize is immensely delicate work, and he can't let some foolish girl like Avira mess up his plans. He'd destroy her.

"As for Vespar. He could. I wonder - have you seen him when he transforms and unleashes all of his darkness?" He asks. "Have you seen him truly go /all out/?" The man walks slowly to one of the shelves and takes a book from it. "I have, and I wethered his assault. I doubt you could survive more than two... maybe three of those hits." He comments. "Still! I guess you could learn... but I am telling you - you may wish to see Riku first and 'ask him' about his 'experiences with the darkness' as of recent." The man grins...

"Before you ask me to teach you, that is... after all, that's what you want, isn't it? To attain power? I won't give you any shortcuts though."

Katyna has posed:
Katyna arches a brow when he counters her. "Seems it's not open for discussion." she frowns, taking it seriously now, "But you have my word I wont corrupt him with darkness..Or try and steal his pendant. You have my word. Knight's honor." She clasps her hand solemnly over her chest, taking an oath that Seith might recognize as a serious knight's oath.

Her frown only deepends when he explains what Vespar is truly capable of and it gives her pause. "Really..? I..Dont think I've seen that, but..." But, could she ever possibly protect herself against such dark magics? With her flashy fire sword techniques, she could hardly call herself the dark knight she claimed to be.

"Huh, maybe I WILL visit Riku then..." She hesitates again when he asks what she wants. "I suppose, what I want, is to no longer fear death..Or anything else. To never have to depend on anyone's strength but my own.."

Seith has posed:
"Hmmpfff." Seith makes a sound when she clasps her hand over her chest. "Knight's honor... how laughable. Still, I guess that means I will have to trust your word now, doesn't it?" Seith comments. Yes, it' a serious knight's oath; "Did you know that things such as Honor and Oaths just stand in the way of power... it's something for those of the light - or those who like to excuse abhorent behavior." He points out.

"Still, as for not fearing death. That's foolish. To not fear death means to put no value to yourself. You may be an errant girl, but you are an errant girl for the Shadow Lords. Don't discount yourself like that..."

Katyna has posed:
"Heh.." She scoffs, shaking her head, determined. "Oaths and honor ensures a fair fight." It's something that Lord Fessner instilled at her from an early age. "But more than that, only a person with true skill and power believes in oaths and honor. Only a coward would cheat. That's why I dont mind a long gruelling training session over cuttin' corners, if it means I'll become a better warrior out of it! So bring it on!"

There's that challenging fire in her eyes again, although she seems a bit more in control of her emotions as she ponders her words. "Oh, really? So..Do you fear death then..? Even someone as poweful as you? Doesn't that get in the way of you doing your work? I mean, knowing that you might not come back alive..Isn't that a strong enough deterrant for some missions? I think it might be.."

Why, knowing that at any time a hero could cut her down, Kat had yet to be in such a hopeless situation, but sooner or later, she might..

Seith has posed:
"They ensure no such thing. Oaths and Honor are personal. And I've seen battles between two people - people of so called 'honor'. It ensures no such thing... only the illusion of a fair fight. In fact, there is no such /thing/ as a fair fight. One will always have something more than the other. More skill, more experience, more luck, whatever it may be. Things are never - ever - equal." The man tells her. "Some might think your ability to control fire is cheating. Some might not want to lift a hand to a girl... are you going to hold your weapon if one dares not raise their hand to you - when we demand you kill them?"

Seith stares at her, not moving away from that challenging 'fire' that is her gaze. "As for me fearing death. I fear that death may take me. I've lived a long life. But don't mitake one thing - power means NOTHING before time and fate. For all my power, I could not st~..." He turns his head away and shakes it a little. "No, never mind. Just trust me on this." He throws a hand up as if he were dismissing her.

Katyna has posed:
Kat bites her lip, staring back at him, seeming to hang onto every word he says. How very strange..Quite the total opposite of what Lord Fessner had ever preached to her in their training sessions. did this guy really know what he was talking about? But talk was cheap. She'd have to see how he applies these theories to practice.

"Hmm.." She frowns, "I...Never really thought of it that way, but...I wouldn't disobey orders.." Kat thinks back to when a whole bunch of 'em faced the guardian in the tunnel..The one with the strange blade shaped like a key. How very 'unfair' it seemed to Kat at the time. But if she were ordered to attack..Would she? Could she?

"Hmmm..." Her thoughts are further interrupted when he mentions death so casually. She arches a brow when he seems about to say something but pauses. What's with this guy and his mystery? sTill, she wanted to learn more, but she's already growing tired of her wounds. Now would be a good time to rest before the next big battle.

"Heh, I'm sure there's a lot I could learn from you. But I guess it'll have to wait..Til next time!"

Seith has posed:
"Until next time." Seith answers her, and then moves to her once more, and lays a hand to her forehead. He's a sorcerer, and much like Serrak, he knows how to manipulate dreams. "Now... sleep." He then adds, and flicks a finger to her forehead. "And rest... let your wounds heal."