Losylvania: The Volcanic Kingdom

While the king and queen sit upon their thrones, responding to the many forthcoming concerns of citizens, Pyra stands in the prison halls, analyzing the repeatedly captured and contained thief, Cane. The thief stares at her as she issues one of her regular lectures. He then glances to the town mage at Pyra's side. Sighing, he shakes his head. He then chuckles a bit to himself. "What, dare I ask, is so hilarious."

"Don't get me wrong, ladies, you're both hot and all and I appreciate you coming down here so much just to see little old me but come on. This has to be about my twentieth lecture this month. When are you going to give it up?"

At this, Pyra narrows her eyes. "Perhaps when you stop breaking out and getting put back in here," she mutters.

{Attn: Pyra, Cane}

Kameo does not know why she is dragged down to the prison halls. She stands next to Pyra as she lectures the prisoner once again. She rolls her eyes at Cane as he calls her hot. "You know we should let him rot down here, that will wipe the smile from his face. We could get some competent guards down here so he can't break out. " She looks over at Pyra. "Or is that why you have me down here? So I can use one of my spells?"

[Attn: Open]

"She brought you down here because mages are better security than the guards around here. Weird considering we live on a volcano. You'd think the brawn would be right at home here," Cane says, his arms behind his head.

Pyra then closes her eyes and puts her hands to her hips. "In short, yes, that is why I have you here."

"So you gonna answer my question now or not? Why do you keep coming down here to give me the same boring lecture over and over?"

"...I have a question, Thief."

"Oh, so you finally address me? Well, it's not my name but it'll do. Shoot."

"Why? Why do you do what you do? The stealing."

"...Really? Okay then. As for today, I hardly call that stealing. That bread was moldy as an old tree. I was doing him a favor. The jewelry on that one lady? Tacky. All of her friends would've laughed her into submission. She won't miss it."

{Attn: Pyra, Cane}

"Babysitting duty, well I can do that. He seems harmless enough anyway." Kameo sighs in a bored manner. "And judging by what is taken he sounds more bored than anything."

Kameo looks over at the prisoner. "If you really don't want to hear the lecture then stop stealing, that simple. Regardless, I will make sure he stays down here this time."

[Attn: Open]

Suddenly a guard marches into the room with the head knight, Lance. Lance glares at the prisoner for a moment then turns to the girls. "I beg your pardon, princess, but the entire royal family and all those of royal employ are to meet immediately within the palace's main chambers," he says. He then glances back at Cane.

"What, am I that cute? What do you keep looking at me for?"

"Criminals do not sit well with me."

{ Attn: Pyra}

Kameo watches a guard along with Lance come into the prison hall. She looks over at Pyra and raises her eyebrow. "Sounds important, we better not keep them waiting. Oh and watch out for chatty Cathy over there." She points over at the prisoner. "He will talk your ear off."

[Attn: Open]

"Only if you talk first," Cane says with a confident smile.

"Hold on, Lance. Why is this?"

"The Ice Soldiers. They approach. They've broken down the first three defensive walls and the several militia surrounding the kingdom."

"Oh, that's bad," Cane says, a hint of entertainment in his voice.

Lance glares at Cane. "You, thief, have overstayed your welcome. I am releasing you only because of the dire situation presented us." He then unlocks the cell.

"Aw, you're such a swell guy. C'mon, smile for me, you know you want to. No? How 'bout a hug?"

Lance ignores Cane then leaves. Pyra then narrows her eyes at the thief. "Kameo, let's go. You too, Thief. I want to keep an eye on you."

{Attn: Pyra}

Kameo rolls her eyes at the prisoner again. When Lance speaks of the Ice Soldiers a hint of concern appears on her otherwise stoic face.

As Lance unlocks the cage she walks over to Pyra. "You really shouldn't concern yourself with a petty thief. We have more important things to be concerned with than a mouthy thief. Let the guards do their job."

[Attn: Open]

"You are the guard," Pyra says.

"Can't argue with her there. Or do you want to get paid?" Cane remarks. "Come on, she's around me all the time. I just think it's uncomfortable for her not to be."

At this, Pyra widely opens her eyes. "Wha-you. Hold your tongue!" She says in a hurried tone. "The guards are obviously all being called to defend the barriers. That leaves you to us. Let's go."

{Attn: Pyra, Cane}

"Well I guess chatty Cathy is stuck with us then. Do me a favor and behave, I don't want to waste my magic on you." She walks quickly next to Pyra and speaks quietly. "If you want to be rid of him, we could just send him up to the front lines. A guy as mouthy as him will have his tongue frozen quickly."

[Attn: Open]

Pyra stares blankly at Kameo. She then rolls her eyes and proceeds up the stairs from the bunker. Cane follows and grins at Kameo before going up himself. Once up top, Pyra lead the two of them to the primary palace hall. Standing there are Lance and her parents. "Mother, Father, I heard that the Ice Soldiers are approaching."

"That they are, my daughter. We are preparing an offensive," says her father.

"An offensive? What good will that do? Their numbers are at leave five times our own."

{Attn All in Hall}

Kameo hides her irritation at Cane as they go to the Palace hall. She bows politely at the Queen and King as Pyra speaks to them. She is a bit concerned about the numbers with going on the offensive. She does not want to be stuck fighting in the cold. She waits to hear more of their plans, and hopes they get rid of the petty thief soon.

[Attn: Open]

Pyra then glances down as her parents present their lecture on the situation. "What about a defensive instead. Evacuate the people through the back of the city while a diversion distracts the oncoming army."

"What diversion is that great?"

"I...I don't know," Pyra says, holding her head down.

"My daughter, you must understand that it has to be this way," Pyra's father says, his hand on her shoulder.

{Attn: all in hall}

Kameo stood back as Pyra speaks to her father. She really should not care, this none of her concern. She takes a look at the royal family's faces. The desperation on their faces. What can she do after all she is not a fighter. And yes she is a town mage, but her magic is not enough to beat an army. She reaches out her hand reluctantly and places it on Pyra's other shoulder.

[Attn: Open]

Moments after leaving, Pyra stands in the foyer with Cane and Kameo. She looks down blankly for a moment. How could her parents even allow such a massacre? Nothing made sense. But as her grandmother would say, in a world of Logic, sometimes you need to be illogical. She places her hand on the blade she has at her waist. "Kameo, Thief, come. We're going to the foot of the mountain."

"I beg your pardon?" Cane asks. "You heard the big guy in there, right? I'm pretty sure if you don't do what he-"

"You, thief, are in no situation to be lecturing ME." Pyra snaps, turning around and getting in his face. Fire had ignited in her eyes. The mark of her grandmother for certain.

{Attn: Cane, Pyra}

Kameo watches the interaction between Pyra and Cane. She too was about to protest when Pyra got in his face. She knew then it would have been in vain. Once Pyra made up her mind nothing would change it. She puts her hand in Pyra's shoulder. "Don't let him get to you. Let's head out."

Kameo did not like going against the King's orders, but at the same time she couldn't let Pyra go off on her own. Looks like she is screwed no matter what, and Pyra is not a bad as her father.

[Attn: Open]

Pyra runs off ahead of the others when suddenly there is a crash. They've arrived. An icy cannonball type device impacts in the palace hall between Pyra and the others. "Wha-!" Pyra says before the wall behind her is torn down by an Ice Soldier. The soldier then looks down on her as she is paralyzed, looking up at it in awe. The cannonball then erupts and icy pillars begin to expand from its shell. Eventually these jagged pillars form a wall between Pyra and the other two and the ice begins to encompass the halls.

"Ah no. Hey, come on, we gotta go. She's tough, she'll be all right but we gotta move. That ice'll freeze us both solid," Cane says. He then starts to back up and then turns around making a break for outside. He wasn't, in fact, running away. He had a plan, the clever devil.

{Attn: Pyra, Cane}

Kameo keeps a steady pace as Pyra rushes ahead. Silly girl is always in a rush to go places. Then she hears a crash. "PYRA" She yells racing forward, but it's too late. There is an ice wall between her and Pyra. Kameo immediately starts to pound on the ice wall

She hears the prisoner speak to her. Kameo shakes her head emphatically. "No I am not leaving her behind. I cannot just abandon her. Pyra hold tight, I will get you out of there." She starts to chant and shadows begin to appear along the ice wall.

[Attn: Open]

The ice continues to overtake the halls, spreading faster than it shatters. Cane sees Kameo's determination and grabs a sword from a rack in the hall before the rack freezes over. "Step back," he says, moving her out of the way. He then bashes in a section of the wall between them. There is a hold only but big enough to see through. The ice soldier lay on the ground, cut in half. Pyra was gone. She must have escaped through the hole in the wall. "She got away. Come one, let's go find her."

The queen suddenly appears through the doors. "You! The two of you were with my daughter. She just passed me while I was on my way back from the weapons vault. She told me to come back to the palace and go to the hidden bunkers and to tell anyone else the same. Then a cannonball landed between us and she was gone. Please, you have to go and find her for me," the queen begs.

Cane looks to Kameo then approaches the door. "Let's go then," he says to her. "Your highness, we'll find your daughter. Count on it." Suddenly the alarm bell goes off. It's sound echoes all throughout the kingdom. "Think I found her already. Come one." He then rushes out through the door with the blade he'd taken in hand.

{Attn: Cane}

Kameo huffs when Cane pushed her out of the way, breaking her concentration. "Hey!" She barks as he strikes the wall. There is a hole just big enough to see. She pushes him to the side as he tell her that Pyra escaped. A look of relief appearing on her face briefly.

She was about to leave when the Queen shows up, and gives them further details and instruction. "Yes, I will find Pyra, Milady." She is walking toward the door when the bells ring out. She races after Cane, wondering what the thief had up his sleeves.

[Attn: Open]

At the moment the two of them reach the bottom of the mountain, they see that the final gates had been torn down by the ice soldiers. How were they not melting from the heat? Were they that cold? Pyra was caught between a hoard of them, fighting them off. "Kameo, what are you doing here, I told my mother to have you all hide in the hidden chambers of the palace!" She takes a swing with her blade and removes a leg from one of the soldiers. "And you brought the Thief?"

"Nice to see you too, now let's go," Cane says.

"No! I'm buying time. The bell I rang. I rang it in the sequence of evacuation. The people are already escaping through the back. I'm only holding the soldiers off!"

Cane then looks down and jumps up onto one of the Ice Soldiers' backs, leaping down into the group of them. They all stop and fall over, the heads removed from them. "Then we'll help. Isn't that right, Kam?"

{Attn Cane, Pyra}

"Sorry Pyra your mom told us to find you, and she outranks you." Kameo looks back at the thief. " You told me to stay with him, I was more than willing to let him go his own way. Princess come let's go!"

Only when Pyra insists on holding them off does Kameo draw her weapon. She knows how stubborn Pyra is and promised to bring her back. She glares at the thief "Don't call me Kam, my name is Kameo, thief" She starts to chant and shadows form in front of the ice soldiers eyes blocking their vision. Only then does she head into the fight.

She takes her weapon and stabs the ice soldier. Her weapon only piercing the tough ice partially. She twists the lance and removes it from the soldier. It tries swinging at her. She easily dodges it's arm and thrusts her weapon again.

[Attn: Open]

"You both keep saying things like that and it doesn't take away from the fact that I think you just want me around more," Cane says, decapitating another ice soldier.

"Quiet, you!" Pyra says, stabbing into an Ice Soldier behind Cane.

Cane looks down at the blade in Pyra's hand that nearly impaled him. "Gee, any closer and I think you'd have had your wish, princess." He glances up and pulls Pyra suddenly, saving her from being crushed by one of the ice spreading cannonballs. "You're welcome." Pyra looks up at him wide eyed then steps back and picks up her sword where it had fallen. She turns in time to see an ice soldier looming over her. It reaches out to grab her but she slices its arm off, being grazed along the arm by its sub-zero hand.

"Ah!" She yelps. "I'll be fine. You two, I'll catch up. Go and get my parents and sisters out of the hidden chambers. The Ice Soldiers will catch them otherwise."

{Attn: Cane, Pyra}

Kameo shakes her head and glares at Cane after his comment. "Yeah I would want you around as much as I would like to be trapped in a lightening storm." She takes out her anger on an ice solider. She blinds another one as it was about to attack her.

She hears Pyra, to late to prevent her arm from being grazed. "Do you know what your parents will do if I came back without you? And I cannot trust him..." She points over to Cane. "...with their safety. So come with us, I can help distract the ice soldiers that dare follow us."