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[Cal Hurst]

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*****
The pieces on the chessboard are becoming more daring. The black knight still sits midfield, with pawns behind it. However, white has made a bold move. They have exposed their queen, and brought her into the field of play with one line of defense: a pawn. Threatening that queen are a bishop and a pawn. Sacrificing a black pawn for a white queen would surely be a worthwhile move, would it not?

No. This white queen has much to do. She will be saved.

That being said, a black pawn has been moved up next to the Queen. It is guarded by the black knight, and in the distance, the second black bishop. The queen has no choice, but to return home and live another day.
*****


"She's in the northern part of the palace," said Spawn. "Umbrans! We march on! To free Ditto!"

The gathered group of roughly 6 Umbrans and 2 Dark Order soldiers marched into Nujel'm Palace, in search of Ditto. They rode their way up into the hall, where they were faced with Isk, and some of the gathered Protectorate troops.

Vaen paid little mind to the conversation, and was peering ahead into the crowd of people to the north. He could see Tai, Mallory, and many unfamiliar faces.

Behind him, the sound of clanging metal rang through the air. Sanctus had arrived with their cavalry to defend the Protectorate's capital city; Nujel'm.

Umbra was prepared for this, and threw conflagration potions to the floor, engulfing the hall in flames. As soon as the cavalry was engulfed, they sprayed the hall with withers; not only extinguishing the flames, but also extinguishing the initial threat from Sanctus' army.

With the flame subsided, it turned to hand-to-hand combat. Chaos extreme. People rushing all over the palace, using the kitchen as a place to lose enemies hot in their tail. The candles of love that rest ever so peacefully on Nujel'm's Palace floor, have been trampled by swamp dragons and horses stampeding their way to victory. Blood splattered on the wall from the massive hits that both side had delivered to one another.

As the battle moved further north, the Protectorate's numbers were dwindling fast. The Umbrans and the Order had the element of surprise, and they were capitalizing on it without prejudice.

Once the last Protectorate combatant fell, Vaen and Spawgorrath entered a back room where they were supposedly keeping Ditto. As they entered, Molly stood there, visibly shaken by the intrusion.

"You're too late!" she said quickly, and began casting a recall spell.

Quickly glancing around the room for Ditto, and then looking at Molly, he had little time to react. As soon as the spell finished, Molly was gone.

"Damnit!"
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[Ditto Armunn]

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The trial was soon. Only a day away.
Oh, how she detested things of that nature. Meetings, trials, and other law stuff. The only thing that kept her sane in the law stuff of the past had been Tarothin by her side. She stuck to him like a feather on a chicken. And when Taro became boring with all the law stuff, she, at least could tone him out to admire his handsome cuteness. But law stuff without Tarothin present? She began to think she would indeed prefer death rather than have to endure the boredom.
Out of near panic, Ditto reached inside the topmost drawer of the bedside table beside her. She had noted earlier that the guards checked people's person and scaned areas that could be used to hide objects, but they never thought of looking for the obvious, so she hid her secrets in near plain sight to be overlooked. The top drawer where she also kept her cheese niblets. It was that drawer that she constantly pulled her cheese out, sometimes leaving it open while the guards were present. Galnor's tonic vials sitting by the cheese, unhidden.
After faking a few coughs, and going into a semi trance state to dim her eye color, Ditto was able to pull off being "sick". But talk of a Protectorate healer worried her for two reasons. One, another healer may find out that she was indeed faking. Two, most healers had no clue that Melnibone physiology was very different both physically and mystically and could accidentally kill her while trying to heal her. Elven healing was exceptionally dangerous as it affected the very lifeforce in some cases.
She downed the first vial's contents. Galnor had warned her to be careful with it and that it would make her feel in a way in which she'd wish she was dead. Perhaps taking all of it was unwise. Clasping her hands into a fist, her nails bit deep into her palms. Being the middle of the night, no guards should come other than to check on her "sick" state. She wiped at her skirts, her legs, her thighs and her sheets to spread the blood into an effect that there was more than was first glanced.
With any luck, they'd think she'd miscarried and was dying. The other tonic was the first of a two part poison that would bring on a death trance state. Untested, and highly dangerous, Ditto would take the chance and rely on hope that Galnor would be able to acquire her "body" after death in time to administer the antedote. And antedote that had to be given to her very shortly after her death state began or she would in fact, die for real.

After drinking the first tonic down, everything became hazy and painful, faking sick was no longer an issue. Fighting to breath and remain concious, was. Her mind was coherent and she struggled to concentrate only on the plan at hand. It seemed she had already spent an eternity in Hell, though it had been but hours. Garnier came and spoke with her. Her mind worked, but speaking was difficult. She managed gasped words with him and it was then that she realised his kindness was but a ruse. He was in fact cruel. His eager willingness to destroy an unborn baby opened her eyes to that fact, and so she asked questions. Garnier was not as he would appear. She would have to be careful in her dealings with him. Galnor came. She wanted much to tell him to be careful of the Regent, but guards and her own sick state prevented her warning to him. They had both been relying on the Governor-Regent's kindness to be able to pull off the rest of the escape. The clock ticking, she was too weak and in too much pain to manage to take the second vial. Galnor saw this and was able to help her. It woud bring on unconciousness but at least deliver her from the pain.
As Galnor brought the liquid to her mouth, Ditto, unable to speak anylonger, locked her eyes with his. This could be the last sight she was permitted, if the plan should go wrong in anyway. Her eyes telling him what her voice could not. She trusted him completely & thanked him, no matter how this should end.
Ditto held on to the gaze as long as she could very stubbornly. Eventually, her eyes closed into unconsciousness.

Everything was up to Lord Bloodmoon now. He'd have to endure the trial, and manage to somehow deliver the last step of the deathtrance....IF she survived the first step. And even then, take her body away to give her the untested antedote. Her fate literally relying on alot of luck and his quick mind.
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The Dark Lady, Ditto Armunn, D|O -(hawk# 232286048 )
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Quote: "Oh Great! First I get stabbed and now I'm bleeding!" - Ditto
[quote="Tarothin Armunn"]I know and I have mood swings like a pregnant woman at times. :/ I'm very random.[/quote]

[Ditto Armunn]

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...Voices. Molly's. Galnor's. Her great grandfather's. Xiomborg's? Tarothin's. So many voices in the dark haze pressing down. She couldn't feel Taro's presence near. She must be dreaming. Maybe she was still trapped with Tarothin in the cold place. She was so cold.... Why was Molly crying in her dream? Vaen shouting in the distance. A violent, Chaotic presence near... Molly, please don't cry.



A bright light seared into her sleeping mind. She scrunched up her face, thinking it was the morning sun coming into her bedchamber window and turned her head to the other side but it hit something hard.

"..move your horn.." she muttered

There was a voice that wasn't her husband's and Ditto's eyes fluttered open. Her head pounded, her body sore and weak as she became half aware. She thought perhaps Tarothin had just rolled over in the night and squashed her by accident, or maybe she'd fallen off the bed again. Again a voice, familiar, but not Tarothin's, and she opened her eyes a bit more. In her still half awakeness, she saw Galnor and Oggaroth in her bed. This confused her and she asked them why they were there. Before they could answer, Vaen was there on the other side of her, speaking and gave her a wink. Oh Chaos, what had she been doing now?!?
Ditto, becoming fully awake at the shock, tried to sit up but found herself weak and nauseus. But her mind slowly began to remember. The jail, the palace, tonics....most, if not all of it. Galnor and Oggaroth were across the room of Galnor's temple. She was not in her bedchamber at all. Vaen stood beside the big, comfy chair she'd been laying in. Seeing the three of them, and hearing Oggaroth's words that she was safe now.....for the first time in many days, she did feel truely safe. She was alive. Recovering from being sick, but alive. And three friends, the wise and patient Galnor Bloodmoon, the noble yet teasing Vaen Swiftar, and Oggaroth, the violent Chaos within him strangely comforting her.
She was free. And she was safe.
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The Dark Lady, Ditto Armunn, D|O -(hawk# 232286048 )
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Quote: "Oh Great! First I get stabbed and now I'm bleeding!" - Ditto
[quote="Tarothin Armunn"]I know and I have mood swings like a pregnant woman at times. :/ I'm very random.[/quote]