First Five Part One “It’s lost”

Chance’s heart sinks, his body goes numb and his head swiveled around to meet Xaviers. “She is what? Dead?” He blurts out much to loud and that made Xavier jump a little.

A few people stop and look at the tall man somewhat in shock. The Duke shakes his head and grabs his elbow.grab his arm and lead him into the throne room.

The double doors close and it is eerily quiet in the somewhat dim room. The only person is Bozutto sitting in his throne head down and looking dejected. Glancing up his eyes pop, jumps out of his throne and he rushes for the Champion, “Chance!”

Turning the Champion and King’s eyes meet, and the only thing Chance does is nod his head. Both understanding the seriousness of the situation.

He beckons you on and you follow. Both of them race for the royal doors, rips through them, up the stairs into the royal area and finds a door that has monks, clerics, priests hovering around, all looking exhausted. A few towels laying about, bowls of water and what looks like some religious and medical components on make shift side tables and bags.

It smells of incense and sweat, and does not look like a hallway that any Royals would ever be in, but Chance knew that didn’t matter.

Everyone’s attention turns to the King and they bow, only to get interrupted by a large man racing after him in dark Black Ward armor and even the Dahlia sleeve on his arm. Most Animax’s Monks and Clerics, frown and snarl a bit seeing what they still think is their enemy in Chance Axion.

As he passes they can see a man who’s eyes are in a semi glowing state (without him even realizing it) and watching him open the door and go into the room the Queen is in.

It seems to be a spare bedroom of sorts, with a few tables around the bed with ointments, potions and the like strewn about. It’s dimly lit, with only a few candles lighting the room. Saundra sitting forward on a chair, head in her hands.

Chances entrance spooked the High Priestess and she almost falls out of her chair. Glancing up her eyes bulge and races for Chance engulfing him in a hug.

Returning the hug, Chance then looks down, “what the hell is going on?”

Shaking her head Saundra starts in, “she was… poisoned. She was complaining about feeling sick when the King noticed the spidering in her hand and wrist.” The blonde headed woman walks to the Princess and shows him the marks.

The King pats the Champion on the back, and heads out the room, closing the door behind him.

Giving the Champion a side wards glance, Saundra starts to explain, “there is a Finsters curse tied into this, that is why I have not been able to cure it. Plus, other things mixed in I can’t decipher. This is a very elaborate poison.”

Nodding his head, he takes the Priestesses head and kisses her forehead. “Thank you, you can leave now.”

“No Chance I want to…” is all she got out when a low growl and a burst of energy emerges from the large man.

He bows his head, “this… this is just between me and the Queen. Thank you my Priestess,” finishing it out to try and save face from his irritability.

Quite offended, but not wanting to anger him, she turns and walks out the door closing it tight.

Chance turns and see’s the Queen, his first love of his life. Walking to her, he tries to keep his emotions in check but it is not working. It has been a long journey and he was over whelmed seeing Affinity so pale and lifeless. He leans over and kisses her on the cheek.

“Still breathing, good,” he says, seeing the chest go up and down, feeling the warmth of her breath.

But he double takes and it hits him like a ton of bricks. Once where there was a baby bump, there is no more. It is flat. The baby is gone. His stomach turns and he feels sick.

“Did they take it out to save it? Why is it gone… did this poison kill the baby?!?” thoughts rummaged in the Champions head as he growls a little.

He looks to her again knowing he should hurry this along in case she is closer to death than he thinks.

Hovering over the Princess, he then puts his hands on her, extracting the poison, Chance can feel the warmth of his Lord tied into the poison but he is hit with an unexpected ingredient; Split jaw poison.

Eyes bulging, tears forming seeing her slowly cough and gain color back. He rips his Valor bracelet off, and puts his hands on it, allowing the Split Jaw poison to seep into it. It didn’t entirely destroy the jewelry because there was not a lot of it to put into the magic item.

As he turns back he sees Affinities striking green eyes staring back at him.

“It’s so warm in here. wait, are we in the Summer Isle’s?” she has with a raspy voice, glancing about and back to the Champion.

“No my Princess, you are in the Castle and gaining color in your cheeks once again,” he finishes off, trying to hold back the tears. Memories flood into him again from the time they met, to the Shimmer Bay, to that amazing good bye kiss and the fateful day in a 3rd floor Inn.

Seeing this, and almost feeling this, she starts to tear up as well, and coughs once, “I guess I will always be your Princess huh?” She finishes with a tear rolling down her cheek.

Bowing his head down to hide a few tears, “yes, and I your Champion.”

She squints and smiles, “Or… my Cabana Boy?” saying this giving him a curious look.

He smiles and chuckles wondering if in some way she heard him before. Then he leans over farther, kisses her cheek again and whispers, “I love you.”

Stands up, turns and walks for the door. Memories just assaulting him, the knowledge of what is to come next and that he couldn’t take what her reaction is going to be. He was thankful again for his warding tattoo.

Walking out the door, Saundra looks up to this large man, tears falling down his cheek, and it makes her eyes bulge from her head, “Chance! What, what happened? I mean is she…”

He walks to the High Priestess, kisses her hand and says, “Affinity is fine, the baby on the other hand…” finishing softly for no one else to hear.

The Priestess gives him a saddened wide eyed look, and glances down.

That told Chance it was lost. Probably taken out to help save her or something medical.

As Chance starts to walk away, a blood curdling scream can be heard from the room the Queen was in, and that made everyone stop and look that way in shock. Everyone rushes to the room after hearing that.

But not the Champion, he continued to walk knowing exactly why she screamed and he could not bare to see his Princess, his Queen, suffer. It has been a long week and he just wanted to get back to his wife and kids.

Chance eventually found himself in the 2nd level of the new Dahlia area of the compound, finishing undressing and getting ready to leave.

Walking up to the main area, he sees Captain Harlow, Bastian, Killian and Emeric looking him over, like they were waiting for him. In the corner of his eye he could also see Valentine leaning up against the wall, but her skills are incredible even if she doesn’t mean to use them: she was barely visible to the normal eye.

His shoulders sag and he lets out a large sigh.

“Sorry Chance we have to get caught up on whats going down at the Castle,” Harlow says giving him a stern eye.

Throwing his small bag on the table he walks towards them, “well, what do you know?”

Bastian steps forward a little, “we know the Queen was poisoned, but we do not know much more than that.”

Giving everyone an odd look, raises his eyebrows, “well, there you go. You already know,” he finishes grabbing for his bag.

Harlow steps forward, “Chance there is more to it than that, It is just the leaders here, let us know what is going on, alright?”

Gripping the bag tighter, glances to everyone, chance starts, “I arrived to the castle, Xavier rushed me to a room in the royal wing. I met up with Saundra and she let me know what was going on. Queen was poisoned, spidered veins from the entry point. I excused everyone and I healed her.”

A pause for a moment and everyone looks around, “why did you have to heal her Champ? Saundra is more than capable of healing almost every wound and types of poison,” Valentine says quietly, picking at her nails.

Dipping his head down, Chance responds, “there was a Finsters curse tied into the poison so no Animax healing could touch it,” he finishes looking around to see a few surprised and confused looks.

Bastian is shaking his head, “Chance, who would poison the Queen and do it with a Finsters Curse… I know Saundra is good, but to stave off poison for almost 2 days fighting a curse is almost…”

“Impossible,” Harlow says distorting her mouth and scratching her head.

Chance struggled with his response, he did not want to tell them about the Split Jaw poison until he knew more. “It is not exclusive to just the people I know, it could be anyone with a tie to Finster,” he says, stopping for a moment to think, “no one I know anyways.”

“Really?” Valentine says coldly, glancing over, “no one you know huh?”

Bastian, shaking his head, “it wouldn’t be Velencia…”

Valentine stops leaning and looks at the master Witch interrupting him, “really? You would know this?”

Barking back almost instantly and with a bit of anger, “Yes, I would. She wants this religion to be accepted in this land, poisoning the Queen, I don’t know, would kind of defeat that purpose and alienate them?” He finishes with a flourish of his hand, making a twitch or two.

Chance is nodding his head, “a year ago, I would be whetting my blade just for her throat, but to do something like this would deep six any idea of the Finster religion being accepted.”

The small assassin elf scoffs and shrugs her shoulders.

It is quiet for a moment, and everyone looking about, “What else is there Chance?” The Captain says dipping her head down a bit, knowing there is more.

“The baby…” he says, gritting his teeth and his eyes welling up, “the baby, was lost.”

Everyone in the room grew ridged, staring at the large man. Mouths open, eyes wide in shock.

Chance tried to stop it, but a tear rolls down his cheek. “If that will be all…” he says dead pan delivery looking down.

After a few moments, the Champions eyes meets Bastian, and it was like he knew there was something else. The master witch grits his teeth, softly nods his head as to say, “I’m going to trust that you know what you are doing.”

“Come on we got all we can, let the kid get to his family,” Killian says with a gruff loud voice, waving his hand towards the stairs.

Harlow gives the Champion one last look, she looks like she is about to cry, nods and walks out down the steps with the rest of the group.

Except Bastian, who leans over the table, and softly says, “if you need help with whatever you are not telling us, let me know.”

Chance smiles softly and nods his head, wipes the tear off his cheek and heads for the door.

First Five Part Two “Khamyra’s Realization”

Khamyra jumps off her horse walks it to the Camerondale stables, mumbling about Chance always being busy and never getting to spend time with him.

She walks past the Castle to their home and see’s it is still on lock down. It is not totally unusual for this to happen, mostly for concern for safety when something goes down.

The Onyx elf walks in the house, hears a laugh and a giggle from the kitchen and an instant smile goes over her face knowing it is her best friend Novie, the Governess Sisse and her two precious children.

After Khamyra got changed and headed downstairs she went into the kitchen and was greeted with love. Hugs, giggles and little kisses. This was her heaven, it truly was.

The sound of the door opening and closing can be heard from the front and everyone glances over to the Kitchen entrance.

Khamyra leans a bit, “hun, we are in here!” She yells, smile on her face waiting to hear back.

There was none, just the sounds of someone walking up the stairs.

Novie and the Warlock exchange glances and a few shrugs.

Khamyra heads out, up the stairs and into their room where she finds Chance’s back to her, hands on the dresser with his head hung low.

“Hun?” she says wondering what the hell was going down at the Castle.

There was no response so she walks over to him. He is staring down at the dresser looking at a little “binky” that Craylen likes to use. Then she noticed a few tears hit the dresser and she looks closer to her husband.

“We…” he starts and then closes his eyes which make more tears fall, “are so blessed.”

Hugging the large man, she tries to see him a bit better with his hair falling around him, “yes we are… why do you say that?”

Chance turns and embraces Khamyra, “Affinity was poisoned…”

After a second the Warlock backs up, “what, oh my god, is she alright?” With wide eyes looking at her husband with reddish eyes and a look of forlorn.

“Yeah, I saved her. It’s a complicated story I can tell you later tonight,” he says taking a deep breath, brushing a few tears on his cheek, “but…”

Now worried and confused as to why he was upset, “but… what?”

All Chance had to do is look at Khamyra in the eyes, then to her stomach, then back to her eyes.

It hit her like a ton of bricks, she backs up, almost stumbles covering her mouth and her eyes grew as wide as saucers, “oh no… no.”

Still looking down the quarter elf takes a few long breath’s and grabs Khamyra and hugs her fiercely as she begins to softly cry. To think that a person she considers a friend, a close friend just lost their baby in the worst way possible it seems, was devastating.

After a few minutes, Khamyra started in with questions, “how, how did this happen? Do we know who did it? Why is this…”

Chance grabs her chin, lifts it and gives her a soft amazing loving kiss.

“After the stink bombs are to bed,” he says with a soft smile, his mood improving a little being able to hear them cackling downstairs.

She nods her head and turns to the large glassed door leading out to their patio, “I’ll be down in a few.”

Chance squeezes her shoulder softly and heads down to the Kitchen.

Her heart soars and breaks all at once when she hears the kids squeal seeing their dad. Visions of Bozutto cradling his child, Affinity feeding it and Cassie, oh my god, Cassie loving it every second of every day.

A gasp escapes and she covers her mouth again realizing that will never be, at least not in the near future and not with a child they have been anticipating coming in about months.

“I couldn’t even imagine what they are going through,” she says quietly to herself, “life without my babies…”

The thought made her well up again and a few make haste down her cheek.

“Babe, food is going to get… uh,” Novie says after walking the stairs, looking into the room, “oh no, whats wrong?”

Keeping things playful, she walks towards Khamyra, “what did Chance do now?”

The Warlock turns to meet her gaze but doesn’t say a word. Wipes a tear away and grabs the cute blonde elf’s hand, “let’s go eat shall we?”

As the two descended the stairs it dawned on Khamyra how many times her or Chance has to eat their emotions and put on a fake smile for everyone.

Walking in she sees Chance with Craylen high in the air and the kid is wide eyed, food flying and laughing away. Sisse moving away a bit trying not to get a wad of food on her that falls to the floor with her laughing.

Novalee looks to the Warlock, eyes welling up she can see her swallow something that is eating her up inside, but gives her a playful hip bump, “let’s get eating, this stew is not going to eat itself, and if it did…” she glances over to Chance who looks over, “we would have to get Chance to kill it.”

Everyone giggles and dinner is served. The thought of Affinity’s plight was pushed out of their mind for a few hours as the night continues.

Sipping on a port, Khamyra looks to see Craylen is leaning half in a chair, mouth open and wheezing a bit with a snore. Chance is face to face with Kristayand and they are talking and playing some hand game that was thought up on the moment. The little girl is very insightful, very smart for her age and what Novalee likes to say, she has an old soul.

After a few minutes, chance picks up the baby girls chin and looks into her eyes. “I love you so much my little girl…”

The room was dead silent, Khamyra looking down trying not to lose it.

Krishana reaches for Chance who instantly grabs and hugs her. The Warlock could see the baby gripping tight to her father and Chance having tears stream down his face.

When will all this craziness end? Khamyra thinks to herself and a ominous vision comes to her; It probably never will. We are in it for the long haul.

First Five Part Three “Cullun’s Insight”

Chance rolls over again and he hears Khamyra wake for a short moment, then seemed to fall right back to sleep.

“I can’t get comfortable, and there is too much on my mind,” he says with his inner monologue, “plus I keep waking Khamyra.”

The Champion slips out of bed, goes to his dresser and gets dressed in some modest attire. Glances out the glass doors to the balcony and see’s it is good weather and a click before high moon.

Shaking his head, “screw it, I need answers…” he says quietly and quickly starts to write a note with the inkwell and scrap he found on the dresser.

Down the stairs, out the front door, locking it and heading for the stables. Jumps on Toby after getting him ready and heads to Grayshale.

Memories flood back on the way to the old house, remembering all the times he either walked or rode this path.

Shaking his head he gets those out of his mind and jumps off Toby (his horse) once he is close to the pen.

---

Mondalay High Moon

---

Walking around the house the Quarter Elf heads straight for the shed when he could hear the slightest movement to his left.

Chance ducks down and crouches, eyes flair up, looking and then a smile washes over his face seeing Dash wide eyed looking back.

“M’Lord! I almost shot you! Damn you are fast,” the shorter ranger said, pulling his bow back to undrawn, smile forming.

The Champion scowls and walks towards the Ranger who now is a little taken back by his Champions actions. Reaching Dash, Chance stares at him for a second, “my name is Chance Dash, Chance. You have the right and privileged to call me that. So quit calling me M’Lord,” he finishes with a goofy smirk on his face.

Dash sighs in relief and nods his head, “so.. Chance. What the hell you doing here at high moon?”

The Champion glances to the shed, “Cullun awake you think?”

Nodding his head, he points to the shed, “he is up to all hours almost every night doing research, I think he is more busy now than he was before you came along.”

Chance heads down the steps to Culluns work place and he finds the man leafing through a book that is on top of a mound of other books, vials, papers and other various things strewn about. The place has an odd smell, once the Champion smelled before at the potion shop Cullun owns.

A little surprised, Cullun jumps a bit and looks to you, smile forming, “M’Lord!”

The Quarter elf stops a moment hearing Dash walk away giggling a bit.

“Chance, Cullun, you deserve to call me by my name, Chance please,” the tall man says with a smile and a nod.

The two exchange warrior handshakes and Cullun turns up a lantern more so the room grows brighter.

“Cullun, what do you know about Split Jaw poison?” Chance starts out, leaning up against a wall, looking to the Historian.

Raising his eyebrow a bit, “well as you know it’s the most dangerous poison known to us on Legon.”

Chance is looking down thinking, nods his head, “what else, why would someone use it other than to kill them.”

Cullun chuckles, sits down in his rickety old chair, “they couldn’t use it M’Lord, er I mean Chance, it’s shelf life is terrible.”

Completely confused, the Champion glances up with wide eyes, “what do you mean, how terrible.”

“The poison is directly related to the Split Jaw it came from, the two co-inside, once it leaves the body it instantly starts to lose it’s potency,” Cullun says, turning his head a bit like he remembered something, “depending on the Split Jaw it came from, you are looking at maybe half a day at most before it breaks down.”

Shaking his head, confused even more Chance continues, “what is the longest you ever known the poison to last?”

Cullun has gotten up and is looking through a stack of books, he snorts a little grabbing one of the books making a few of the others tumble around him.

Walking back to the table, opening the book, “I don’t know I never thought about it. I guess the older the Split Jaw, the longer it lasts. Kind of like, the longer you do something, the better you are at it.”

Nodding his head Chance looks to the books that fell and the mess the room is in and chuckles a bit, “could it last for 2 days?”

The Historian glances up to him and shakes his head, “no, that would be impossible, hell the oldest Split Jaw on Legon; his poison probably could last the day, maybe an hour or two later but the potency would be down… hell they might not even go into the transition either.”

After a few moments of Cullun looking through a book, Chance too curious, “who or what is the oldest Split Jaw on Legon, do you know?”

Without looking up Cullun scoffs and chuckles, “Rysen. Probably was created by Atticus himself.”

The Champion takes a deep breath, a soft black smoke wafts off him, Atticus stirring in him the Champion wonders what information he can get out of his little stowaway.

He notices Cullun looking at him with a bit of worry, “can I ask why you are asking me about this Chance, at high moon down in a shed dungeon?”

“The queen was poisoned, and it had Split Jaw poison in it,” Chance says looking at him, judging his reaction, slowly pulls out the bracelet, “proof is here, only Split Jaw poison can take out a magical item like that.”

The Historian gets up and walks to the tall man, grabs the bracelet and is looking at it, “good thing you were right there, she could of went into a transition coma, or worse…”

Chance scoffs and looks to the man, “I extracted and healed her about 2 days after she was poisoned…”

“No, Chance that is quite impossible,” Cullun says handing the bracelet back, “that poison would of done its damage or went inert after that time, and even if it was it would have to be extremely fresh, like a Split Jaw would of had to inject it himself,” finishing off, heading back to the table shaking his head.

“Well, what if a Finsters Curse was involved?” Chance says back.

Cullun stops walking and glances over his shoulder, “curse? or Blessing perhaps.”

Turn Based Starts Here