RP:A Knight's Test, A Wizard's Distraction

Frostmaw Tavern

Hildegarde had been sitting in the tavern, eyeing the pauldron and the sketch she had made from it intently. She was desperate to figure it out, figure out who it belonged to: a faction of some kind, a private army of some kind perhaps? Hilde sighed in near exasperation, before shaking her head with determination. She owed it to her kin, if not to justice, to try and discover the owners of this emblem. The knight sat with a frown upon her face, hunched over the table as she tried to think of any possible connections to it.

Svilfon appears within the tavern amidst a cloud of smoke that soon lazily wanders high in room before fading from sight. For just a moment he looks around, his face a mixture of exhaustion and anger; rare it is for an angry wizard to be idle, but circumstance forced it upon Svil. It didn't sell with well the vampire, but he had other duties to distract him. And one of them was sitting right here. He knew of the knight; there is little within Frostmaw or the Coterie the wizard doesn't know about, and it was his intention to see whether or not she was truly worthy of her position as Kirien's sworn sword. Never one for social graces, the wizard wanders up to Hildegarde, spends a moment looking at what she's doing, before he speaks in a voice that echoes his exhaustion. "You are Kirien's knight." He smiles a brief smile, "I am Svilfon, wizard-knight of Frostmaw, Magister Templi of the Mage's Guild. I would like to have a word with you."

Hildegarde was not very fond of people appearing and disappearing in an instant, it unsettled her even though it impressed her to some degree. The knight immediately rose from her seat, fingers flexing around the shaft of the halberd as she did. This odd man seemed to know exactly who she was! "Yes, m'lord, I am his sworn-sword," she eyed the wizard over, before offering a polite dip of her head and bend at the waist. "It is an honour to meet you, m'lord. What can I do for you, sir?"

Svilfon snorts as he waves his hand in front of his body. "I told you who I was. I am neither a lord nor a sir. You may call me Svilfon, or wizard if if suits you. But never m'lord, and rarely sir." He flashes another of his fleeting smiles, this time showing his gaps and fangs in equal measure. If he is at all bothered by her hand on the sword he doesn't show it, instead he carries on speaking. "What can you do for me? You can walk with me a while." His gaze just briefly flashes to the sketch, before flicking back to the knight. "That.. can wait. First come with me. I need some fresh air." He begins to wander out of the room, then, assuming the woman who was so polite would follow him readily enough.

Hildegarde held onto her weapon merely out of habit, rather than to threaten or intimidate. But it would appear that this man was much like Kirien, one who was not terribly keen on the formalities which Hilde was so keen on. "Everyone is a sir, lord or lady to me, good wizard. It is merely how I operate." The knight, however, did follow him, leaving the sketch upon the table. This wizard was most peculiar: he knew of her and her position, asked of her as if he knew her.

Frostmaw Village

Svilfon pushes the door out open into another of the endless frozen days of Frostmaw. Though no snow falls from the sky, the wind picks up enough for it to appear like it was snowing anyway. But the wizard isn't bothered by the cold, and though often the wind howls as it sweeps through the City of War, it never seems quite so strong around the vampire. "You will find that I operate rather differently, knight." He begins to head west of the city, setting a rather brisk pace. "As I am sure you know, someone very dear to the queen went missing of late... I loved the couatl more than almost anyone else, you see?" The wizard doesn't wait for answers as he speaks. He carries on, almost as if he were speaking to himself. "But I couldn't help him... so I must ensure those who guard my family are strong. As I am sure you understand... So first you will answer a question or two, then we will see how strong you are..." He grins again, then, though this time it is an altogether ambiguous smile that isn't menacing, though is far from friendly. "Why Kirien? Why swear your sword to him of all people?"

Hildegarde enjoyed the cold, given her heritage as a Silver. She sighed softly as the cold air hit her, enjoying the cold embrace that it had to offer her. "Indeed, the couatl. We rescued his brood," she said softly, glad that they had managed to find something so precious and protect the clutch. But the knight listened to him, nodding in some agreement, "I can understand, wizard, yes." The knight heard the mention of a test of strength, wondering how she'd manage to prove her strength to a wizard of all people! "Why Kirien?" she said with a smile, "He is... I see honour in him. I know he is worthy to serve, I know he shall do me no dishonour and I none to him." The knight paused, trying to explain why she swore herself to Kirien; finding it so difficult to explain it. "When I saw him crash into the snow, as if it were nothing, I knew then - in my heart - that this man is worth my service. He is capable of protecting himself - and even me, I think! - but there is a part of him... Part of him, I feel that I can protect. I am sorry, sir, that this is not the best of explanations."

Svilfon appears to hardly be listening as Hildegarde speaks, though nothing could be further from the truth. He pays close attention as she talks about the eggs; Svil is guarding them all. In his absence he knows the snow queen will watch them, as well as the spells he placed around the area. But for now further questions of that are left to wait, instead he focuses on what she says about the terramancer. He very nearly laughs at her speaking so sincerely about the honour within Kirien, as well as him protecting her, but he shows enough respect to not. He himself knew well of the honour Kirien had; it was one shared amongst the Coterie - an unspoken promise between them all. The wizard just finds the notion of someone seeing beneath the man's... flamboyance... to understand who Kirien was amusing. It was a rare thing. He liked it. "Your explanation I understood better than you can know, lady knight... but what happens if Kirien asks you to do something that goes against your code of honour... would you forsake those bonds you impose upon yourself if he needed it?" As they begin to pass through the village, Svilfon speaks a little quieter, though no giants would ever listen in on his words. "He is a vampire, he spends time with drow... I want to know if your sword would be his no matter what, knight... when dealing with us of the Coterie, rarely are our deeds black and white..."

Hildegarde shook her head, certain that the man would not break his vow to protect her honour and her oath. "My liege has vowed to protect my honour and code, good wizard. I believe in his word," she said quite seriously, but there was a vulnerability lurking behind her voice. She walked along with the wizard, not too bothered about where they were going or who they passed on their way there. "He is a vampire, yes. He is an odd soul, but a beautiful one. He is special," she smiled, "and he is caring, even if he will hide this through his manner and his words. I would give my life, if it meant he survived only moments or years more, sir wizard. He shall not throw me to my End needlessly and nor shall he go against my Oath. This he has promised to me, I believe his word."

Svilfon passes through the rest of the village almost in silence as he thinks about her words. As they begin to walk out into Frostmaw's outer reaches the wizard begins to angle a shade north - heading to, where in the distance it is just able to be seen, a large and somewhat flat area of snow. "He swore an oath to protect your honour even as your swore an oath to protect his life... he does have his own ways of doing things, does Kirien. I suppose that is why he and I get along." With a brief nod to himself he speaks again, "He cares a lot about far too much, does Kirien. He thinks he is good at hiding it, but he isn't. In him more than any of my brethren there is peace." He nods again, before offering a smile that is filled with his usual jovial nature. "I accept your words, knight. I believe them. But before you and I can discuss more important matters than the safety of a vampire who will probably outlive us all, I must first know I can trust you well enough." He motions to where the field of flat snow rests. "We have a rather unique way of doing that in Frostmaw, as I'm sure you understand..."

Outskirts of Frostmaw

Hildegarde had a good idea, based on what the wizard had said, that they'd end up in combat of some kind. She sighed softly, continuing to walk with him however. "My liege is kind. I enjoy serving him, even if he spends most of his time away from me, with his metal and goodness knows what else that occupies his time so much!" The knight often wondered where the vampire wandered to, really. But as he gestured to the flat land, she sighed gently, "Sir, I understand what you are saying, but you must understand my Oath. I... I do not like to fight without reason to," the knight even regretted slaying a criminal! "I shall fight if you command it."

Svilfon nods his head to her words, a small and altogether wry smile on his face. "Rare it is for us to be in one place for too long." He ignores her words about fighting, knowing they would come and deciding it best to let them pass over him. She didn't fight unless she had to - he would force the situation upon her. "Ready yourself," is all the warning he gives, before his words shift into quiet and convoluted tones. For a long moment this goes on, before the wizard reaches out and seems to grab hold of the hilt of a weapon that cannot be seen. With a slight smile he draws it towards himself, pulling from the air a slender sword that glows with a flicking blue light that dances up and down its undoubtedly razor-sharp edge. He adopts a somewhat clumsy pose that seems a little knightly, despite him being dresssed in robes and a fantabulous wizard hat, and motions with the weapon. "Begin."

Hildegarde truly did not wish to fight the man. She had no quarrel with him; he had done no wrong to her or a citizen, so she had no reason to fight him lest he outright commanded her to engage in combat. Her free hand fell to the shaft of the halberd reluctantly, looking at him with a saddened expression, "Yes, m'lord," she said so quietly, as if she were speaking to no-one. Her legs parted slightly, forming a knightly and combat ready stance as she watched him with such a sad expression. "Magister Templi," she intoned, "I hope I meet your standards," a nod of her head was given in his direction, before she took in a breath to prepare herself. As she inhaled, a soft 'click' went at the back of her throat and she seemed to hold her breath from that point, taking a wide step forward as she twisted the halberd around in a wide berth, aiming to wallop his side with the shaft of the weapon; avoiding using the more lethal parts of the weapon and intend to only beat him into submission. The knight was truly reluctant to harm those who were undeserving.

Svilfon ignores all her words. He had been too idle for far too long; resting and protecting the eggs when all he wanted was to burn those responsible out of their hiding spots, even if it meant burning half this world to ash. But his own duty bound him to remain here... he needed an outlet. And that would be the lady knight so gallantly swinging her halberd at his midsection in an altogether unlethal attack. So he ignores it, taking the full brunt of the weapon against his body as he steps quickly forward and thrusts his weapon at her face. The attack is quick, for as soon as the weapon has struck him he falls sideways and backwards. Though he was strong, befitting a vampire, he wasn't really any stronger than a powerful human. And as such the attack had hurt. But pain could be ignored as he rights himself and again adopts the post; letting her know with one attack that this wouldn't be a friendly contest.

Hildegarde had always been taught it was wise to leave rage outside of a battle, for that was when we lost honour and composure; doing the things we end up regretting rather than showing the compassion we are supposed to show. As the weapon thrusted towards her face, her eyes went wide and her head reeled back, body shifting slightly to the side. The blade skimmed past her face, slicing her cheek. She pulled back quickly, halberd pulled back in close to her body. She whipped her head to cast the rivulets of blood off her face; her acidic blood to the vampire, that is. Hilde had no desire to engage the man in a serious fight, but it appeared that he did not intend for this to be a friendly battle. The Silver surged forward, halberd making as if to swing down directly at his head; only to suddenly shift and intend to strike harshly upon his arm, to allow the pain to briefly block his control over his sword-arm, before expelling that carefully held breath in the direction of his face. Hoping that the paralytic gas would reach the wizard and render him still.

Svilfon watches the woman spring forth her dangerous attack with a small smile playing upon his lips. This is what he wanted, what he needed... to dance again with death ever-so close. He knew she could only hold back for so long before she realized her life really did depend on her skills. As the weapon is swung towards him, the small feint is easily enough to fool the most unknightly of Frostmaw's knights. He makes a clumsy attempt to block that is soon broken further by the woman slamming the weapon against his arm, causing him to drop the magic sword. As soon as it leaves his fingers it vanishes, but before the vampire can become a victim of her paralytic breath he speaks quickly the words of his teleportation spell. He doesn't bother with his usual control over it, so when he appears a few steps back, he feels the rush of heat where once he stood erupts into a ball of fire that seeks to devour the sword sword's flesh like a hungry beast...

Hildegarde truly did not wish to engage this man in a real fight, but it seemed that it was the only route to take, given that he would not keep things on a friendly term. As the wizard simply vanished and her breath expelled harmlessly towards the flames that began to engulf her, she roared furiously in anger and pain. Flames and heat were not the friend of a Silver at all. But alas, she could not allow rage or sheer pain detract from her new quest: to take down the wizard in as harmless a way possible. So she stood there for a moment in the flames, eyes wide in her pain and fear of it. She inhaled deeply, before lunging forward from the flames. Her halberd twirled in her hands, bottom end now facing the wizard; the end specifically designed to wrest riders from their steeds. She rushed him, aiming to have this grabbing like end hit his gut and hoist him up and over, back down onto the flames he had created to, perhaps, give him a taste of his own medicine.

Svilfon spends a few moments quietly enjoying the scene he created; enjoying even more the scream of anger and pain that came from the lady knight. He wasn't so much sadistic as he was requiring action, and what better way to induce it than set someone on fire? He is just musing the benefits of his fine craft when Hildegarde charges forth, her weapon held before her. He raises his eyebrows in shock at her fortitude just as long as it takes for breath to woosh out of his lungs as the end strikes his stomach and the rest of his head to quickly catch those eyebrows up as he's hoisted up and over the woman and sent hurling back into his own fires. He rolls across and through them, coming out the other side with tendrils of smoke pouring from him. With a grunt he gets up and ponders summoning his Xalious wand, before dismissing the idea and instead chosing a different method of attack. Knowing he'd not have long, he speaks a quick spell that causes a small globe of scarlet light to burn into existence. This he sends flying at her head almost lazily, before he snaps both his hands out before bringing them together in a loud clap. His injured arm screams in pain at the gesture, but it is enough for the spell to complete: the small sphere suddenly explodes out, sending a caustic liquid flying every direction. Its intention is to coat Hildegarde from head to toe, before beginning to eat away at her armour and flesh alike.

Hildegarde had quickly understood that this man liked to see things burn or become damaged in a gruesome way. What seemed to be little tricks or tactics were simply devices to do greater harm, meaning whatever he pulled out the bag next was likely to be equally vicious. And her thoughts were right: that little globe of light is instantly suspicious, causing the knight to rush towards the wizard - not away - as her skin rippled into a more scaled version. A very draconian look, as her head and face became scaled, mostly in order to protect her sight and respiratory function! But her armour bubbled and hissed; some patches of caught flesh doing likewise while her scales held out longer. It was her hopes that the exploding globe caught the wizard, as well as her now screaming leap at him. It was her intention to pounce upon the wizard and force her own acidic blood to pour upon him, "Enough, cruel wizard of Frostmaw!" she hissed, "you dishonourable man, who seeks to incite cruelty!" The knight was so enraged by this man and his actions against her, that inhaled quickly and sharply; throat 'clicking' in warning before she attempt to expel a concentrated cone of frost towards his face.

Svilfon snarls in response to her primal attack as she charges through the raining acidic liquid that curiously doesn't seem to coat any of the wizard's clothes. The small pile around his feet perhaps betrays that he was prepared enough to evade it, but he ignores it entirely. He meets her charge head on, fangs bared. He couldn't hold her for long, though, and soon enough she pins him down with her blood pouring down upon his face. It causes streams of smoke to pour out and a groan of pain to come from the man, but he doesn't move. Instead he simply screams back at the knight above him, "Dishonour?!" The words are enveloped by the cone of frost that erupts from her mouth, but he is far too used to the element to be bothered. It coats his face, and by more luck than desire stops her lethal blood from landing on his skin. "You treat me like an opponent who is not even worth stopping? Three times you attacked me. Three times you struck true; twice by my desire, the last by surprise... and what? A bruised arm? A scorched hem of my robe..." With another snarl the wizard snaps out of existence, though this time he leaves no fire in his wake. He appears a few paces back, still laying upon his back, until he sits and stares at the lady knight. "I showed you honour. I tried to defeat you. You dishonoured me because you didn't care to try."

Hildegarde was ready to get off the man at his scream of agony, but soon he was claiming she had dishonoured him. She fell onto her belly as he teleported away, rolling onto her back and then into an upright position. "I shall not fight those who do not need to face justice," she said as calmly as she could. She looked at him, skin rippling back to that humanoid like appearance. "Why did you have me fight you so? I did not wish it. I do not wish you harm! I do not wish anyone harm," she muttered quietly and so very close to sorrowfully. "I do not wish you harm, wizard. My actions are done to avoid causing you great harm, as you are the family of Kirien. I have sworn to protect him and his family," she said softly yet so seriously. "I would give my life for yours, simply because your existence will bring happiness to Kirien."

Svilfon waves away the words with an angry gesture that is more born of his situation than the woman. "I had to know whether or not I could trust you, knight. What you know of Emiur, what you do for the couatl... I had to trust..." He shakes his head. "It doesn't matter. Return to what you were doing." He pulls himself to his feet, then, before dusting off the snow from his robes and the ice from his face. He looks around for a moment, before speaking again. "Giving your life for someone is easy. Living is what is hard. I wanted to see how strong you were, not how nice you were. But it doesn't matter now... go, return to your work. I need time to think." Before the last word has died out, the wizard has begun walking off. He has used his magic too much too quickly to teleport to the library, so instead he must walk back again.

Hildegarde was aghast at his reaction. She truly was beginning to dislike this man! She rose to her feet with a groan, using her halberd to pull herself to her feet. "Answer me, before you leave," she said, "you wished to test if I am worthy of Kirien. Would you banish me from his service?" The couatl was a concern of hers, certainly, but one she was not as well-equipped as the others to deal with. She had made contact with the Titan of Winter to find the poachers who had taken him, but she was still attempting to decipher the emblem upon the pauldron. Her time in doing so would take even longer now, with the wizard fighting her as he did.

Svilfon pauses in his walking as she requests. For a moment he doesn't answer, before he shrugs. "If I felt you truly unworthy, lady knight, sword of Kirien, I would have left you buried in the snow where we fought. Take some solace in the fact I like your words and actions well enough to let you live." The words are not really spoken in an arrogant way; they are spoken as a certaintity, at least in the wizard's eyes. "Do not think me an enemy, knight. We will soon work together I do not doubt. But do not yet think of me as a friend, for you and I are certainly not that." He tips his hat to her before continuing on with his walking.

Hildegarde frowned at his response, waiting until he was a good distance away before she wandered back to the tavern in the hopes of finding her liege. He normally met with her there, anyway! She would be sure to tell him the details of the day and her quickly forming dislike of this wizard and the way he spoke. The pride of the Silver was a delicate thing, even one so dedicated to their Oath could have it hurt.