Succession: Heir to the Empire

C.C.

"No, but keep doing that. Well, I was thinking we could have a little...fun with them. After all, we don't have all that much else to do right now, and it would be amusing." C.C. suggested. She did often enjoy messing or pranking people, as Nebi could atest to, and this would pass the time.

Rein

Rein nodded in agreement. After finishing another fruit, a question popped up to her mind. "Hey Kegan? Where to next? If that Amazon girl is still at the river, or worse, if Caesar or Tsuba show up there, where are we gonna go from there?"

Tsuba

Tsuba regarded Carlisle's statement with a raised eyebrow. "I highly doubt that. Besides, it's not like I could easily be forgiven for my crimes by any of the other Heirs, or anyone else, for that matter."

Nebi grinned at her, enjoying this side of the Mage. He nodded happily and surveyed the two lovebirds, "Yes. It would be rather amusing. Any suggestions or should I just get started?"

Carlisle

"That may be so, but in the end, isn't it more about forgiving yourself? You have diplomatic immunity from almost any crimes you've committed, or may commit. While that isn't exactly a wonderful thing, it's almost like the deck is stacked for you to get a fresh start. The law can't hurt you, and your Father isn't here to control you either." Carlisle pointed out to Tsuba as he walked up to her. "So I guess what I'm trying to say is... you're redemption and salvation is an entirely attainable thing, but only if you work for it."
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Kegan

"We'll have to chart a different way to the grand observatory. Luckily it's not cloudy right now, so we could use the sun and stars to help us travel towards the mountain without the aid of the river. It would take a bit longer, and we would have to pay close attention. But it is doable."

C.C.

"What do you have in mind?" C.C. asked with a curious look.

Rein

"Sounds good to me." Rein agreed. A frown came to her face as another thought came to her mind. "What are we gonna do for shelter for the night? As far as I can tell, there aren't any structures in this forest. And we don't have tents."

Tsuba

"You really think so?" Tsuba asked in a surprised and cautious voice. She considered what Carlisle said, and it did make some sense. Still...she felt it was too late for herself. But if he was right, then perhaps...

"Simple. We both make illusions of their respective guardians and accuse them of doing something improper with one another," Nebi said with a laugh.

Carlisle

"I am sorry if I came across too strong, but yes, yes I think so." Carlisle replied, his old demure demeanor returning quickly as he begin to shift his weight awkwardly. "Look, I'm sorry if I sound like I'm giving you a lecture or anything. It's not my place to tell you what to do."
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Kegan

"Ah, with that issue I'm thinking a bit of magic shouldn't hurt. I can use my affinity with the forest to shape the trees into homes, It's an old Elven spell. Perfect for this sort of competition." Kegan explained to Rein with a smile on his face.

C.C.

"I might be able to pull of Brighe, but I don't think you could do Syrien well. I have a better idea, if you're willing to listen." C.C. said.

Tsuba

"It's no problem," Tsuba said. After that, she remained silent for a lengthy period of time, reflecting on things. Finally they passed a clearing and came upon the river. From where they were, no one seemed to be in sight.

Rein

"Sounds great! I wish I could help, though. I only know a few basic spells. Syrien's teaching me what he can, but it's not all that much." Rein mentioned.

Kegan

"Well I'm sure anything that you can contribute will be very helpful, Rein. Syrien is a great teacher, and an amazing magician, after all." Kegan pointed out to Rein after he had taken the last bite out of his piece of fruit.
"So, shall we continue our journey now?"
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Carlisle

Carlisle followed Tsuba silently, feeling guilty and nervous that he might of upset the girl. As he followed Tsuba through the clearing and towards the river, he was relieved to see that none of the other Heirs were present.

"So...should we try and catch some fish first, or should we just continue walking?"
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Brighe

"Isn't she giving Heir Nebi an unfair advantage by helping him get past the other Heirs?" Brighe asked Baruti after she had seen the Mage turn Nebi invisible. To be honest Brighe really didn't have a problem with it, except for the fact that it could hinder her Nephew's progress of winning the throne if Nebi won another challenge.

Rein

"Sure." Rein said. After finishing her last fruit, she stood up.

Tsuba

"We may as well try and catch fish. Though truth be told, I have no idea whatsoever how to do that." Tsuba said.

Carlisle

"Well then I guess it's time for me to repay you for the clothes." Carlisle replied as he walked up to the edge of the river. "Emanio fluctus seorsum pro mihi ut EGO may crux crucis." The Heir whispered after he had put his hands into the water. A blue glow emanated from the Doctor's hands, spreading about the water, and changing it's hue. As the glow stopped after covering a four yard radius, Carlisle slowly stood up and parted his hands, causing the water to spread apart as well. After a few more seconds, the riverbed became dry in an eight foot section, the water walled up on both sides temporarily.

"Well...I guess it wasn't a failure." Carlisle said with satisfaction as he looked down at the riverbed, three fish flopping around before him as they began to die.
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Kegan

"Great." Kegan replied as he stood up quickly. "Well lets go."

"Beautiful, I'm always willing to listen to you," Nebi told her with a grin, looking at her invisible face expectantly.

*

"The rules allow any one person to help an Heir in the challenge. Truth be told, C.C. has helped Heirs before. It's not unprecedented," Baruti said as he watched Tsuba and Carslisle with interest. Tsuba was softening. He couldn't have that. He smiled a little. He'd have to get rid of the good doctor.

Tsuba

"It could have been a better result, but I'm not all that picky. Round them up. I at least know ho to cook these things." Tsuba ordered.

C.C.

"Well, I do have an idea. But I think we should do it at a later date. You still haven't had breakfast." C.C. pointed out.

Rein

"Lead the way!" Rein said. She got the strangest feeling, then, that she was being watch. But upon turning back, she could spot nothing. Very weird. Oh well, it was probably nothing.

Nebi was about to object, but then he heard his stomach growl and he nodded, blushing slightly. He spoke, "I suppose I should eat."

Carlisle

"Yes, Mam." Carlisle replied before walking into the river bed and grabbing the few fish that were waiting there. After the Doctor was finished collecting the fish he quickly ran out of the river onto the shore towards Tsuba. "Liberatio." Carlisle said when he was far enough away from the river, causing the gap he had made to be swallowed by the water as it began to rush downstream. Carlisle grimaced as he watched the water speed past him, knowing that if anyone was downstream they were about to get a very unpleasant surprise.
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Brighe

"Very well then. But from what I've noticed it's not so much that she's been helping Heirs, as much as it's just that she's been helping one certain Heir. But I suppose it doesn't matter, after all, Nebi would make a wonderful Emperor with that great moral compass of his. I'm sure you wouldn't mind serving him, Baruti." Brighe pointed out before she turned around and walked away from the viewing pool.
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Kegan

"Well alright then, make sure to keep up." Kegan answered before he looked up and took note of the suns position. "About thirty degrees should be our direction then." He informed Rein before he began walking.

C.C.

"Good. There are some fruit in that tree for you to eat. And no, before you even ask, I will not help you reach up there. I do not want to be smothered to death by your body, should you fall on top of my head." C.C. teased.

Tsuba

"Thank you." Tsuba said, actually sounding somewhat grateful. Once the fish were presented to her, she conjured up a small fire and began to cook them. It took her some time, but she eventually finished cooking them. Using some sticks, she carefully handed the hot fish and divided what fish there were between the two of them.

Rein

"Don't worry! To be a servant, I do have to be fast. I need to be at one end of the castle to another at a moment's notice, after all." Rein said.

Carlisle

"Mm, thanks, it smells good." Carlisle said as he looked down at Tsuba's cooking. "So umm, after we're done here, what's next?" The Doctor asked as he looked up at Tsuba, a tad nervous that the Girl might start verbally abusing him again.
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Kegan

"Well that's true. But you have to admit, the secret passages help quite a bit as well in that line of work." Kegan pointed out to Rein, knowing from experinece in his old job the quickest ways around the castle.

"Oh, don't worry. There are other, more enjoyable ways that you can be smothered by my body," Nebi told her with a grin as he began to climb the fruit tree. He grinned a bit. Climbing was a must for his old life as a thief. He grabbed a couple pieces of fruit before jumping down, grimacing a little from the harsh impact his feet made on the ground. He tossed C.C. one.

"A heart-fruit. Good choice, C.C.," he told her with a smirk.

*

Baruti narrowed his eyes at Brighe before turning his eyes to the pool. He murmured darkly, "We shall see."

Rein

"Well...I suppose that helps." Rein admitted with a smile. "Though still, sometimes a secret passageway may not always be the fasted way to get to your destination. Especially if you end up taking a wrong tunnel into Baruti's changing room."

Rein silenced herself as she let that secret unintentionally slip. "Er...I mean..."

C.C.

The Mage rolled her eyes and ate the fruit. Hm, it wasn't all that bad. Certainly had some good taste to it.

"So, high and mighty Nebi, where shall we head next? We could continue to tail Rein and Kegan, if you want. They seem to have a good idea of where to go."

Tsuba

"We follow the river up, I believe. By the end of the day, we should be close to the mountain. If we don't have that many distractions." Tsuba answered in between bites of her fish. So far, they hadn't encountered any other Heirs and there didn't seem to be any other distractions. But one never knew for certain, and there was no doubt in her mind Baruti still had some traps around here.

Kegan

Kegan's mouth dropped open in shock as he heard Rein's gaffe. "That sounds horrifying." He stated to Rein.
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Carlisle

"Ok, sounds good." Carlisle replied between bites of food.

Rein

Well, er..." Rein trailed off with an embarrassed look. The female Humage stepped through a partial clearing, and stopped in her tracks. Her eyes went wide and her face was overtaken by a bright blush. Her mouth was open in both astonishment, embarrassment, and horror.

In front of the young girl, Caesar and Susanna lay on the ground, doing certain...activities.

Tsuba

Tsuba nodded and went on to finish her food. After she was finished she tossed the remains away and looked at Carlisle. "Ready to go?"

Kegan/Susanna

Kegan froze in horror, finally understanding how Rein must of felt when she saw Baruti's changing room. Before Rein could say anything, Kegan quickly grabbed her arm and jumped back into the bushes.
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Carlisle

"Of course." Carlisle replied as he quickly stood up, wiping the dirt off of his backside as he tried to stay clean.

Tsuba

"Good. Follow me." Tsuba said.

Rein

Rein landed roughly beside Kegan in the bushes. She tried to speak a coherent sentence, but all she could do was blush and stutter.

"I-I-I....s-so...bi-bi....I..."

And, meanwhile, oblivious to there audience, Caesar and Susanna continued to do their...activity. Making all sorts of noise in the process, much to Rein's further embarrassment.

Kegan

"They haven't even been together that long and they're already-" Kegan cut himself off as he grunted in anger. The Heir was angry, disgusted, and surprisingly, slightly jealous of the pair as well.

"You ok, Rein? That was a bit...traumatic." Kegan asked in a whisper.
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Carlisle

Carlisle simply nodded his head and followed Tsuba, though the Doctor did stop for a second as he looked at the river, a silvery glint catching his eye. But as Carlisle stopped and studied the river more closely, all he saw was the clear blue water. "Well that's odd...." He whispered in confusion before he turned to see that Tsuba wasn't waiting for him.

Without waiting another second, Carlisle quickly jumped up and ran after Tsuba.
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Brighe

Brighe walked the halls of the Grand Observatory alone, feeling a bit small in the quiet and clean grand hallways. "Syrien!? Syrien are you here?" The Elf shouted as she tried to find the other Elf, wanting someone familiar to talk to.

Rein

"I-I-I-I-I'm f-f-fine." Rein replied, her face still as red as a tomatoe. "I-I-I just didn't e-e-expect to s-s-see th-that. And...that's the f-f-first time I've ever seen..."

If possible, the girl blushed even harder and tried to forget the events that had just happened. Well, this was just great....what had they ever done to deserve this?! Did the gods just hate them, or something!?

Tsuba

Tsuba continued to tred forward, when suddenly, a sea serpent burst from the water. It shook its head with great force, trying to dislodge the person on it. Who, from where Tsuba and Carlisle were looking, seemed to be Maul.

Kegan

"Well trust me, from what I've read, it doesn't look as scary as that." Kegan replied before standing up and reaching his down to help Rein. "Is it possible that this challenge is an entirely virtual construct where Baruti is just trying to drive us mad?" Kegan suggested with a smirk on his face as he tried to make light of the situation.
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Carlisle

Carlisle shrieked in fright as he jumped behind Tsuba. "We should help him!" The Doctor shouted after he had finished composing himself. "Water is the element I'm adept with, so that should give us an advantage, but whats yours?" Carlisle asked quickly as he tried to think up a decent plan, hoping that Maul could distract the Serpent while he was talking.