Realistic or Modern BEING HUMAN

[koala]

Loading world for MORGANA. . .

Morgana struggled to keep up with the male. Even though they were relatively the same height, it was clear he was stronger when it came to slugging through a flood. Although a tad annoying, the woman overlooked the feeling and focused her attention on not tripping and subsequently drowning. Finding Silver was more important than whatever rivalry she felt she had with Tannur as Silver was like her child and Tannur was a mere doll. Thankfully, her worry and and intuition was met with the sound of purring as a familiar head of silver snuggled against the half-elf, leading Morgana to frown for the briefest second.

Eyeing Silver as any parent-figure would, there were some minor details that showed Silver was possibly ill. She was slurring her words, her hands were shaking quite obviously, and the light in her eyes flickered in and out of consciousness. Morgana didn't say anything, however, as she following Silver to "Arryn" and "Daniel" and chose to position herself behind the teenager in the event she were to fall.

Before addressing the pair and their canine companion, Morgana removed the raincoat she wore and placed it over its rightful owner. The coat was wet to the bone, but it should at least provide protection from the wind. The former banshee, on the other hand, wrapped her hands around her arms having remembered her clothing was somewhat transparent.

"She helped you?" Morgana questioned as she eyed the younger girl. "Interesting." It wasn't like Silver to help others. She was a selfish child that didn't understand her limits. Perhaps, as her guardian, Morgana could've taught the girl more but she herself had a very odd grasp on human emotions and decent behaviors. In a sense, Morgana was probably the worst person to become a guardian to a sociopathic serial killer.

Then it hit her. The horrible, blood-curdling scream that sent a shiver down her spine. Morgana knew it wasn't due to her abilities as she was nothing but a weak human on Earth, but it was similar to what she heard quite often back on Aether. It was identical to a memory. "That almost sounded like Death himself," Morgana said to no one in specific.

Location: Streets of Covent Garden

Date: --

Time: Too crazy to tell

Mentions: --

Interacting: Tannur IG42 , Silver WillfulWren , Arryn MagicPenguin , Daniel

 

[LoneSniper87]

Anastasia Kochenkov
Outside burning building

"Christ..." She muttered, watching Roland jump into the building, foolish bastard as he was. Hero all the same she guessed. She strongly debated going after him as the storm worsened, pulling up her hood as someone shouted her name. She looked up at Elena. "Rose!" She said, making her was to her. "Rose, it isn't safe!" Rose then grabbed her, explaining everything. "I know! Y-yeah, I'll go get him out, go find shelter! Text me the address!" She then turned and ran into the building, hopping some chairs with her arms braced in front of her as she rushed to the second floor.

"Roland! Roland where are you!?"

 

[Shotgunpenguin]

Juniper Arc
Outside the burning building

"Right, got it." Juniper nodded as she made her way over to where Lucy was struggling to pull Hannah off of another woman. The woman seemed to be in shock from the fire, being non responsive to Hannah's attempts to convince her to move away from the building. "We need to get off of the streets, it's not safe here." She tried to drag the woman off of the street by her arm but it was like her feet were locked in place. Even when she was pulling with everything she had the woman only stumbled forward a step before stopping. A large crash and a blast of light had her turning towards the building only to gasp and turn her body back around to try and shield the woman. The lightning had caused the glass windows to shatter, spewing out glass down onto the street as those with any survival instinct screamed and moved out of the way. Juniper winced as the smaller shards bounced off of her back, thanking her luck when the larger shards fell away from them instead of towards them. She started to pull away from the woman, believing that the glass rain was over when searing white pain emanated from her back.

She fell to her knees, screaming bloody murder as she touched her back and pulled away to find it once more covered in blood. There was a large cut running from her right shoulder blade down to her side which was now spilling out blood into her already soaked clothing. It wasn't deep enough to cut into anything important, but with the blood she had already lost from her head wound and the strain she was putting her body through she couldn't find the strength to stand. Her vision was getting blurry, everything sounded muffled and distant as tears burned her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak but all that came out was a high pitched whine. She felt cold, her entire body was shaking as she fell forward onto her hands in the nearly elbow deep water. She managed to send Lucy and Hannah a pitiful, pain filled look before she emptied the contents of her stomach into the flooded street.

Avari

 

[Avari]

"Oh my God!" Hannah screamed as she saw Juniper collapse onto the flooded pathway, her knees sinking into the water. Ana had charged after the mad man from earlier. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest, a tight knot of fear slowly growing - threatening to overwhelm her. She felt sick. She felt dizzy. She heard another quiet groan in her ear, and a weight she forgot she had been holding slip through her arms. She realized too late that she had been supporting Martha, and in her shock - had let the old woman fall to the ground. She landed with a splash and unpleasant crack. She gave a cry of pain.

"O-oh fuck - I'm sorry! Oh god, what are we going to do?" She said as she span around to ask Lisa for help - only to see the raven haired woman some distance away, staring up at the sky.

"Lisa! I need your help! C'mon please, I'm super freaking out here!"

If Lisa heard her, she ignored her.

The Sorceress-turned-human was gazing upwards, seemingly unconcerned with her surroundings and the imminent danger that was growing all around them. Her clothes were drenched, her usually immaculately straight hair was slick and stuck to her scalp. Her teeth were bared in a grimace and her fists were constantly clenching and un-clenching.

And then a single solitary golden butterfly fluttered past her - seemingly untouched and unconcerned by the rain. It glimmered and glittered unnaturally, leaving a faint trail of gold-colored mist behind it. Lisa reached out to grab it, only for the strange insect to swerve out of her reach. She followed its flight as it flew higher and higher, until it finally vanished into the black clouds.



"Out of time..." She quietly muttered.

"Lisa will you stop fucking around and get over here??" Hannah screamed at her.

Lisa didn't move.

Another butterfly - identical to the first - suddenly slipped out of one of the flooded drains and followed its partner into the sky.

Then a dozen more scattered out of the surrounding buildings, each unencumbered by the pouring rain. They filled the darkness with swaying golden lights as the flew up towards the storm. Attracted to it like a moth to a flame.

It didn't take the screaming and panicked survivors long to notice that thousands of these golden butterflies were now flying up towards the clouds like a swarm of locusts.

And then; without warning, in a change so abrupt that it hit like a slap to the face - the rain stopped falling. The storm clouds were still swirling angrily - almost hungrily - and the flashes of thunder continued, each accompanied by a ominous rumble.

More butterflies were filling the sky, as numberless as the stars that the black clouds were obscuring. Thousands upon thousands of single, dancing golden lights that danced around in the sky before finally being swallowed up by the storm.

Well that decided it then.

Lisa span on her heel, and marched over to the others - the flooded road splashing up to her ankles. Hannah was standing with the two other women - Martha and Juniper - and was hugging herself tight - her entire form dripping. But the three of them were all staring at the sky, baffled by the magical light-show. Even the burning building nearby was temporarily forgotten.

Hannah looked over at her, looking helpless.

"What is hap-"

"If we don't get out of here in the next few minutes, you're all dead." She said simply. She didn't wait for Hannah's response but looked down at the other two women. Juniper was obviously badly injured, but Martha didn't seem to worse for ware. Too busy feeling sorry for herself more than anything.

"Hannah, help Juniper. Go take shelter somewhere. Millers will be fine. Martha you need to get over yourself and walk or we're leaving you behind. You can get a new Husband."

"Lisa what the fu-"

Another deafening crack of thunder - and everyone screamed as a streak of light struck another nearby building - in this case, a French themed Bakery. The entire building promptly erupted into flames.

"Go!" Lisa ordered, pointing Hannah and the others to the North - away from the Thames and the center of the storm.

She didn't look to see if the three were moving, she was already running towards the burning restaurant - the heat of which was quickly becoming unbearable. Without the rain pounding down, there was nothing to slow the spread of the fire. The two who had darted in a poorly thought out rescue attempt - Ana and whoever that moron was - were no doubt already dead. No point checking. But that wasn't what she was heading for.

The other woman - had someone called her Elena before? - Was standing stupidly close to the blazing building. She was the last one there in fact, and was practically pulling on her hair.

Lisa sighed. She could respect such obvious loyalty to her friends - but this was hardly the time.

"There is nothing you can do," She said simply. "It's time to move, do you understand? Follow those other women over there, you'll be safe."

The girl looked up to her. Her eyes were stained with tears.

"B-but...Ana...and R-Roland..."

Lisa felt a wave of cold wash over her that had nothing to do with her drenched clothes.

The man who had charged headfirst into the burning building with no concern for his own life in a misplaced sense of heroism. But it couldn't be - He couldn't be here. The Portal should have shut behind her, it should have been impossible - did she miscalculate? did something happen On Aether?

But if he was here...did that mean that the storm...?

She glanced back up at the clouds. They were swirling faster and faster and were now morphing from pitch black to an even more ominous (if that was possible) copper red.

"Oh no."




IMPORTANT NOTE
Please familiarize yourselves with the above map. Just so you're aware, the Purple spot is Millers Cafe, so the Burning building that Roland is currently in is Rules.
The Yellow ring is a magical barrier that has now been erected over the area. The barrier is invisible, and is only visible for a brief moment after being struck. It shimmers gold and is solid like glass. There are panicking members of the public who are unfortunately stuck inside with the characters.
The area outside seems to be frozen in time - the rain is still pouring but has also frozen. There is no way to break this barrier if your character runs into it.
If your character is not in the vicinity (i think its just Marcus?) They can no longer be involved in the next sequence.

The storm now looks like this one below, but obviously much larger.

 

[MagicPenguin]

Roland Fairchild
???

This room seemed familiar somehow.

It was dark and dank; the only light came from a single torch set high on the northern wall. It was a moderately sized room, the floors and walls made of well-cut stone. The walls were sturdy and well-built, if crumbling in places from long years of disrepair. Where they crumbled, one could barely see what lay behind them: a pile of skulls, as high as the walls themselves, their empty eye sockets sitting in stark judgement of whoever dared to step into their eternal resting place. The walls of the chamber were bare but for the torch and two banners on the east and west walls covering them almost completely, huge and long and white, each bearing the proud, red Fairchild dragon. In the center of the room, beneath the massive dragons' watchful gaze, sat a pedestal on a dais that was a step higher than the rest of the room. Stuck in the pedestal was a brilliant sword--curiously untouched by the years that ravaged the rest of the chamber--glowing golden with a powerful Light that was anathema to those who would give their allegiance to the Shadow. It was appropriately named by his ancestors who forged it in the Age of Legends three thousand years past: Shadowsbane, the Blade of Light. Except for the sword, everything in the room was covered in mold and dust; the white of the banners had long faded to gray and the brilliant crimson and gold of the dragons they bore was marred by years of dirt and grime. From his position at the southern end of the room, Roland looked down at the sword in its pedestal. Prince Roland Fairchild was tall and strong, a fit thirty, resplendent in his crimson plated, dragon engraved armor. For some reason, he thought he shouldn't look like this right now, but he couldn't imagine why. This was how he always looked.

He'd been in this room once, he thought. Six years ago. Or...was it a lifetime ago? Or perhaps it was just yesterday? This was a room deep beneath the deepest dungeons of Alcamoth Castle. It lay at the center of a massive labyrinth full of secret passages and hidden chambers by his forefathers who had built the castle three millenia ago. He came here on the night the city of Alcamoth was attacked and burned. His father had just died, murdered by the Shadow Queen's hand--or that of one of her minions; it was all the same to Roland. He had been desperate to save his people, save his sister, save himself. A voice had called to him, so softly he hadn't even been sure it was really there, and told him where to go. He followed it all the way through the labyrinth, around so many twists and turns he'd gotten dizzy by the time he got here. It was here that he'd found his sword, the sword that cut through the darkness. It was here that he found his destiny. When he searched for the room again in the days that followed, he had never been able to find it. The basement labrynth was huge, so he simply assumed he'd forgotten the path.

Roland tried to remember how he had gotten here this time, but everything in his mind was a murky haze. He could not seem to remember anything useful, try as he might. The only thing he could seem to recall was searing heat and excruciating pain followed by a silent, final darkness deeper than any he could ever have imagined existing. He looked behind him, thinking to see the door from which he'd entered the chamber, but there was none. Only another crumbling stone wall, stark white skulls staring at him from behind it. Uncertainly, he turned back to the sword and took a few slow, faltering steps toward the dais on which it stood. The sword's all-encompassing golden shine seemed to call to him, promise him renewed life if he took it where there could only be a fiery, meaningless death if he did not. Seeing no reason not to, he reached out to touch the sword, take it from its resting place. The second his fingers wrapped around the hilt, the floor of the room gave a sudden, trembling quake and the world seemed to lurch and shift before his eyes as though he were on board a ship shifting rhythmically with the waves. The sword's glow intensified, growing brighter and brighter until it obscured everything about the mysterious chamber around it. It was like looking into the sun in the palm of his hand, so bright it seemed to burn his eyes; instinctively, he closed them to avoid losing his sight. The ground beneath his feet continued to tremble for a few seconds and he held onto the sword stuck in its pedestal so he did not fall.

When the trembling stopped, he opened his eyes slowly; he was not standing in the sword's chamber anymore, but he still grasped it in his hands. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed in the dark, cloud covered skies above him.

Roland saw he was now standing up to his knees in the rushing waters of a flooded street. The thunder clouds were an angry red color, as if the heavens themselves were wounded and bleeding. He could not make out the buildings around him to say for sure, but he thought this must be London. Ah. London. That's right. That's where he'd been before the pedestal chamber, he suddenly recalled. But how had he gotten here from the chamber and what was he doing there instead of in Alcamoth, where he belonged? He was sure there must be a reason. He was on Earth to...to...what was he there to do? His body felt smaller and weaker then before. This was how he looked when he was on Earth, he recalled suddenly. Different from Aether, though he did not really understand why.

Roland's attention was grabbed by a low groan behind him. When he turned, he saw, some distance down the street, a tall, dark-haired fellow leaning up against a building. The way he was sitting, everything below his waist was covered by the water and his head was lowered so his chin was buried in his chest. Grasped by a sudden urgency, Roland forced his legs to move through the deep, resistant waters as fast as he could make them, Shadowsbane still in his clenched right fist. When he got a bit closer so he could make out the man in more detail, he stopped short with a surprised intake of breath, eyes wide and unbelieving; the dark-haired man was Daniel Payne.

"Payne!" Roland rushed to his side and knelt down to try and heal his friend and one-time mentor with his Fairchild magic, but it was too late. Daniel sat unmoving, blood running down his chin to pool on his chest. Everything below his waist was not just obscured by water, Roland could see now. Daniel Payne's legs were completely gone, as if he'd been cut cleanly in half. The prince didn't even need to check for a pulse; he knew the werewolf was done for. Roland's head lowered and his eyes closed, consumed with grief and disappointment at his inability to help a man who'd walked in the Light loyally his whole life--longer than Roland had been alive--when, by all rights, he should have turned to the Shadow the moment he was Marked in his infancy.

A large splash sounded somewhere behind him.

Roland glanced back where the sound came from, the spot in which he'd been standing when he arrived with Shadowsbane. There, slumped against a wall in a manner similar to Daniel's corpse, bleeding from a wound in the chest, was a tall red-headed man Roland had never seen before. The man's eyelids flickered and he groaned. Then he stopped moving as well. Dead. Two people, right in front of him, and he could do nothing.

"Roland..." A female voice called to him. Startled, he turned to see who it was and found a familiar looking blonde-haired woman slumped against a tree. She was covered in blood, the flood waters around her stained red with the last embers of her life. He left Daniel to rush over to her, though he didn't need to get any closer to see that he could do nothing; her head was slumped, her chest no longer rising. He was sure she hadn't been there a moment ago, the third body to suddenly just appear from no where; what in blazes was going on? None of this could possibly be real. Visions from the sword? Visions of what, though, and for what purpose? And if this was not real, did that mean he was still in the ancient, crumbling chamber? Or had that been an illusion too, a place he had simply imagined? But no, it could not be that; the sword still shined proudly in his hand, proof that that, at least, had been real.

Roland's musings were cut short when he noticed the surface of the dark street's water turn a bright, sickening red color. The houses and shops on all sides of him were illuminated the same hue, the whole street showered in a light coming from above. Roland looked up and saw a giant Aetherian runic circle covering the stormy London skies. The runes were things of magic, something that should never work on Earth. For that matter, something so big should never work on Aether, either; one that large with that many runes simply required too much power for even several mages working together to manage. More troubling was the runic circle's purpose.

It was a destruction spell. And it was floating directly over the city, bathing everything beneath it in an ominous, blood-red light.

Shadowsbane's glow intensified. Gold light battled red. Gradually, the world went white again, just like it did when he touched the sword in the chamber. "Wait! Daniel is still here! Elena! I can heal them! I have to do something! I have to--I SAID WAIT!"

He was somewhere else.

Now he was standing on the edge of a river. Totally confused, completely discombobulated, he looked around at his surroundings again. Still London he thought, but he didn't know precisely where except someplace on the edge of the Thames River. In front of him were two things. First was a massive tidal wave, larger than any of the buildings surrounding him. It was headed straight for the city. Straight for him. "What am I seeing?" he yelled into the heavens. "Damn it! Who is toying with me? What are you trying to tell me by showing me these things? Is this the future?" He got no answer, of course. The tidal wave barrelled towards him.

The second thing before him was the back of a dark-haired woman watching the tidal wave alongside him. He did not know who she was. Until she turned around.

Her eyes glowed with a piercing yellow light.

Her body was different, but there was no mistaking those eyes. Lucrezia, the so-called Shadow Queen.

Roland's blood boiled. Now he remembered what he came to London to do. He had to kill this woman. Kill her, before she killed him. Before she destroyed everything that was precious to him. He growled, raising Shadowsbane in both of his hands, ready to thrust forward. Now the rune over the city made sense; it was the same exact one she'd used to destroy Blackrock Castle. "Damn you, witch! First Daniel and Elena, now the entire city? How many? How many innocent lives before you're satisfied?" He knew she would not respond. This, and what came before it, had to be some sort of vision from the sword, or perhaps from someone or...something...else. They had to be visions; he refused to believe the horrible things he was seeing could possibly be reality. But were these visions of what was to come? If so, was all of this inevitable or could it be changed? And was this really what Lucrezia looked like on Earth? Perhaps, if this had not yet come to pass, he could kill the woman before she managed to complete the massive destruction circle or summon the tidal wave. He just had to find someone who looked like this woman. Somehow, he had to--

He blinked. Lucrezia had a hole in her chest. Massive, like someone had taken a big scoop out of her torso. He hadn't done that, had he? What in the Light's name was going on?

He had no time to ponder it any further. The tidal wave collided with the embankment on which the two stood. Both were swallowed by the water. He had no more time to think about Lucrezia.

Roland was tossed and turned by the rushing wave until he could no longer tell up from down. He felt like a sock in one of those washing machines in the laundromat. He tried to hold his breath, but every time he collided with something, it forced a little more air out of him. He slammed his eyes shut, desperate, hoping this confusing vision would be over soon.

Just when he thought he'd run out of air and drown, the world stopped spinning. He felt heat. Oppressive, searing, painful heat. All over his body.

He could breathe again, he realized. He opened his eyes. He was standing on the second floor of a burning building. His big black umbrella with the little plastic sword hilt for a handle was in his hand. His shirt was long gone and he was clothed only beneath the waist in long pants and sneakers. The red-gold dragons on his arms and hands shined proudly in the glow of the flames surrounding him. Before him, a huge inferno of living fire writhed and screeched, consuming everything around it in a merciless, still-growing conflagration. It seemed, he thought, that the sword had finally dumped him back to reality.

He was alive, he thought exultantly, gloriously alive. And for someone who had supposedly just died slowly by being burnt alive, Roland actually felt quite marvelous. His breathing came easily. His limbs flexed normally, without pain. Gone were the horrific burns which had covered him nearly from head to toe when he passed into oblivion. His umbrella glowed a familiar golden in his hand. It shone bright until it was encased in a cocoon of golden light through which Roland could not see. The feel of plastic on his palms was replaced with that of metal. When the light dissipated, the umbrella was gone and he looked at the thing that replaced it with wonder. He was no longer holding an umbrella. He was holding Shadowsbane, the Sword of Light.

Except, it looked a little different. Normally, it was a long, heavy double-edged blade. What he held now was a curved short sword. It was barely long enough not to be called a dagger. It would do, he supposed, but it was more than a bit perplexing. In any case, this explained why the monster had been so afraid of his umbrella earlier, Roland thought triumphantly. It had known what he was holding before even he did.

"Roland! Roland, where are you?!"

He shifted his attention away from the writhing flames for just a second to see who called him from the doorway. Standing there, drenched, was Ana. He returned his gaze to the beast and held up his free hand to halt the woman's approach.

"Ana! What are you doing here? I'm touched, but you shouldn't have come. It's dangerous." He gestured with his sword to the monster before him. "You know what that is, I trust? An Aetherian fire spirit or something like it. I have absolutely no idea how such a thing came to be on Earth, but it is dangerous and all but impervious to any normal attack. Your ice magic or my light magic might be quite effective against it normally, but as we are without magic here, that is not an option. Luckily, as you can see, I have regained my sacred sword. Shadowsbane will cleave him in two with no problem. Stand back and watch."

He assumed a ready stance with his sword and directed his next words at the flame spirit. "Let's try this again, monster," he said with a cocky grin. The thing screeched its human-like squeal and lunged at him again. Instead of dodging, Roland jumped screaming at the thing in return, sword bared before him in a stabbing motion. It went into the living flame up to the hilt; though the flame spirit was technically not physical, Roland felt resistance to his sword as if he'd sunk it into living flesh. For a second, neither of them moved. Then, abruptly, the thing screeched more loudly than ever he had heard it. For a moment, the heat it gave off intensified, hot as the sun. Then it exploded.

The whole second floor of the burning restaurant blew outward. The few people still lingering just outside shied back as they were showered with small bits of debris from the building and little bits of rapidly extinguishing fire from the dead flame spirit. Hurled outside with the force of the explosion, Roland went flying back down with a gigantic splash into the water-logged streets below, sword still in hand. Ana was not far behind him; she too was blown out of the building and into the flood waters below.

"Urrgh..." he groaned. That was a nasty fall. He didn't think anything was broken, but he'd be feeling that one in the morning all the same. "Ana," he called, "Ana, are you alright?" Using his sword for support, he levered himself slowly back to his feet. He saw her lying in a heap nearby, still breathing. With a sigh of relief, he moved to help her back to her feet, looking up at the sky curiously as he did. The rain had stopped, but the storm clouds above were still present. Worryingly, they were now the same blood red color they'd been in the vision his sword had shown him. He did not think he had much time to find Lucrezia before the other elements of the visions came to pass. The mass exodus of gold butterflies floating into the sky was different, though. What was that about, he wondered?

Roland swept his gaze over the few who were still here. He could make out a few figures sitting with a dog underneath a pavillion a small distance away, though he couldn't tell who they were. Elena was still here. Not bleeding out from a wound to the chest, thankfully. Not far from her was Hannah, the woman from before, who was struggling with a grievously injured red-headed woman. Martha was standing nearby with tears in her eyes, embracing her husband and daughter, who'd apparently managed to make it out of the building before the second floor exploded, thankfully. Finally, staring up at the sky with an unreadable expression was the dark haired woman he remembered from earlier wearing a similar apron to Hannah's--

Wait. That dark-haired woman. That was Lucrezia as he'd seen her in the vision. It couldn't be...so soon? The gods of this world as well as those of Aether must be on his side to place her before him like this so easily. He didn't even have to go looking for her.

"You!" he spat at her. "Lucrezia! I've finally found you! Make your peace, witch, if a monster like you is even capable of such. I'm going to kill you."

With a victorious battle cry, he rushed at the evil sorceress, sword upraised to deal a killing blow. She did not yet have the hole in her chest that she had in the vision.

Roland would fix that.

Visions: koala QizPizza Avari

Interactions: LoneSniper87 Avari

In the area: koala WillfulWren IG42 Shotgunpenguin

 

[LoneSniper87]

Anastasia Kochenkov

Not five seconds after she called out she got a response. Her head whipped around, hood falling as she looked at Roland only to laugh. "Dangerous? You jumped in first!" She shot back, looking at the raging fire around them. He explained what it was, or what he thought it was, and then struck at it. She watched as the flames danced around her feet and up his arms, and then everything went black.

"Ana?" Her ears were ringing like hell, and she struggled to look up. "Ana are you alright?" She could barely make out the words, blinking slowly as she was helped to her feet. There was a nice little trickle of blood going down her face, and a half-delirious smile accompanied it. The ringing faded and she snapped back to her senses. She got off of him, looking up at the dome that trapped them. Her eyes meet that of Lisa's for a moment, and they weren't her own. impossible. The woman she was talking with not minutes before was the Dark Queen herself...

She shook her head, trying to move forward, willing her body with each step. She was far from ok, a shard of a table lef currently an inch into her calf and overall scracthed to hell, but she didn't feel the pain. "Ro-" She coughed in pain. "Roland!" She stopped a foot in front of him and several feet to the side, slumped on the wall. "I don't think we are in much a condition to fight." But the shimmering gold sword almost swayed her thoughts. They would fight, till the end. It just wasn't going to be a good fight, as of current.

 

[Shotgunpenguin]

Juniper Arc
Street by the river

Muffled screaming, that's what brought Juniper out of her pain-induced stupor as she heaved for breath. Her limbs felt like iron as she lifted her head to stare in what was certainly a hallucination from her wounds. Yellow butterflies, just like the ones the dog threw up, were flying into the sky. At first there were only a few solitary ones that appeared from nowhere, but soon a torrential flow of them appeared from inside of the nearby buildings. Like a pathway to the heavens they flew, creating a golden bridge directly into the violent sky as she slowly rose to her knees and stared. And then, as if they had been offered to appease the storm, the rain stopped. Her mind drew a blank as the last of them flew into the storm, overwhelmed at the thought of what had happened was not an illusion but truly happening.

She didn't react when lightning struck again, too caught up in trying to rationalize anything that she had just seen. She only briefly noticed that she was somehow on her feet before realizing that someone was supporting her. It was Hannah, the girl practically supporting all of Junipers weight as she slowly started to move her away from the flooded street. Idly in her mind she wondered where Lisa was and slurred "W-whers Lisa?" Her eyes were starting to feel heavy as she leaned more of her weight onto Hannah. she could faintly hear someone yelling from behind her. It sounded distant, as if buried underneath some earth, yet one word drilled itself into her ear.

Lucrezia, her queen.

Using strength that she didn't even know that she had her head snapped back as she stared back towards the burning building. Her outline was hazy like a blackish blob but there was no mistaking the yellow lights of her eyes burning through the night. Juniper tried to scream out, to let her queen know that she was here, but all that came out was a garbled cry. Pushing as hard as she could against Hannah she croaked out "Forget me, save her!" She struggled as she lifted her arm and swung it towards the area they had just left, "Save Lucrezia!"

Avari

 

[IG42]

Tannur - The place where s**t is about to go down

Tannur was just about to protest Morgana giving up her coat and considering offering her his when Silver abruptly dragged them off to meet her new 'friends', likely just the first people she came across that didn't have the heart to leave an insane albino on the street, he wasn't sure what to make of all that hero stuff though. His opinion on the awning was much less ambiguous. "Thanks for the offer but the last cover I used that wasn't made of brick got smashed to pieces. We'd be better off finding a more solid building that isn't-" He broke off sharply as a piercing scream rang out from the burning building, grimacing he was about to propose that they go find a proper shelter and definitely not try and save whoever was getting incinerated but then things got properly weird.

Standing almost ankle deep in the water he looked up as the golden swarm ascended into the sky until it blotted out the evil looking clouds and the pounding rain. In the sudden eerie calm Tannur felt Silver slump against him semi-conscious at best. "Silver? Dammit, Silver! Mor-ah Margo can you give me a hand with her?" When the unnatural calm was broken by a bolt from on high he almost dropped Silver in shock not helped at all by the first burning building exploding again and spewing two people of similar age to him out into the street, at any other time he would have made a quip about their landing but his gaze was drawn to the shining blade in the man's hand. "That's...Morgana I need you to hold onto Silver right now." Not giving her a chance to object he handed the albino off and sprinted towards the man who had to be the hero of light who was taking a moment to pontificate at a young lady who was apparently Lucrezia, he was not going to let the self-righteous bastard kill her just after he'd found her again.

Thanking whatever strange magic was keeping the wind and rain out he drew one of the few throwing knives he had kept on him and launched it at Roland's sword arm smiling grimly at the resemblance to their last encounter and the hero's lack of armour to protect him this time. Not letting his worries about whether of not the projectile actually hit or not he skidded to a halt between Lucrezia and her nemesis. "Lovely weather we're having milady." He greeted the rather diminished Shadow Queen with a quick smirk and one of the rather tired greetings he had picked up on Earth before drawing another knife and facing down Roland. "You're looking a lot less shiny hero."

Avari WillfulWren MagicPenguin koala

 

[QizPizza]

After minutes of pushing through the rain, Rai looked up to see thousands upon thousands of golden butterflies fluttering through the rain. That...was not normal...In all his time on Earth, he had never seen or heard of anything like this. This had of Aetherian origin or because of magic. That did not bode well. No one could possibly create such a large display of magic on Earth. What if this was his ticket back home? He couldn't pass this up. The red head powered towards the origin, and as he did, the rain let up abruptly. That was not normal, but Rai didn't care. It just made his life that much easier.

As he approached, he found that the storm was behaving strangely. Only clouds, thunder, and lightning, but no rain. An anomaly for any world, unless there was someone or something behind it. With the rain letting up, he could finally see the blaze licking the sky and the smoke filling the air. Something big was burning, no doubt due to the lightning. Suddenly, Rai came to the realization that this was where Millers' cafe was. Lisa was most likely working there when the storm started. At this point, Silver would take secondary priority. Lisa's life was far more important than Silver's

It took just a bit longer to reach the scene of the carnage, just in time to see the second floor of the building to explode outwards, sending a man and a woman straight out into the flooded streets. Rai began to approach them to see if one of them was Lisa, but the man got back up with a curved sword in hand. Rai paused for a moment as he spoke to another woman near by...Lucrezia.

"You! Lucrezia! I've finally found you! Make your peace, witch, if a monster like you is even capable of such. I'm going to kill you."

No one knew who Lisa actually was except Rai. This could only be the Church of Light...and that sword...it wasn't any regular sword. It was...Shadowbane. That man was Roland, the Hero of Light. Rai wasn't about to let him kill Lucrezia, and began to charge towards the man, not caring if he got hurt in the process. Luckily, before he had a chance to get himself stabbed, Tannur stepped in and threw a knife at the Hero. A simple knife wouldn't stop such a determined man. Rai made the decision to dash between Lucrezia and Roland in an effort to protect his friend. "You aren't getting to Lisa until you get through me!"

Rai Kaminari​

Physical Status: Soaked
Emotional/Mental Status: Worried
Location: London Streets - Unknown
Interacting With: MagicPenguin (Roland)
Mentioned: Avari (Lisa) IG42 (Tannur) ​

 

[Avari]

"Lucrezia! I've finally found you! Make your peace, witch, if a monster like you is even capable of such. I'm going to kill you."

You feel a wave of dread wash over you. The hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. The overwhelming sense of foreboding threatening to drown you in its bottomless waters.

You recognize the voice of course. The man you've obsessed over for the last six years. The boy whose ego and strength you've fed with the blood of the downtrodden.

The impossible boy who at this precise moment was advancing on you, his eyes burning with a lust for revenge.

He has the sword in his hand. Another impossibility. It couldn't be here - It just couldn't.

How could this be happening?

It's all wrong. It's all terribly terribly wrong.

You become vaguely aware of other voices. Some of them familiar.

Juniper. Tannur. Raijin.

Dependable and loyal shields.

You risk another glance up at the ominous clouds - the blood red swirling mass that is stirring faster and faster, as if preparing to swallow the entire city in one gulp.

It's powerful Dark Magic. You've seen it before. You've used it before. A storm with no thought but hunger, no strategy but destruction. The sort of spell one would use to wipe a particularly troublesome settlement off the map.

It's no coincidence that everyone has been gathered here - and if the brat is here to...it's all too late.

Only one thing to do then.

You don't have long.

----

"Stand down, all of you! Your Queen commands it!" Lisa cried over the din, before Roland and Tannur came to blows.

A pause. A brief hesitation. A few seconds to attempt a parley at least - if worst came to worst, they were all dead anyway.

"Roland, listen to me. I-"



Lucrezia never finished her sentence. There was a blinding flash among the clouds, and with a bloody, loud crack a golden staff stabbed straight through her back and burst out of her chest. The sharp blade, now drenched in Lisa's blood and taking a sizable amount of her internal organs with it, smashed into the ground, cracking the concrete and embedding itself within.

The force of the attack had pinned Lisa's body in midair - and for a few, terrible seconds she weakly pawed at the staff; blood pouring from her wound in a doomed attempt to somehow prise herself off, before with a final, shuddering breath her head slumped forward. The staff vanished in another flash of light, and Lisa's punctured body fell to the ground, face first into the water, staining the muddy water crimson.

There was no time to react, as a voice boomed from the heavens and pillows of golden light broke through the dark clouds. The butterflies began to swirl around, attracted to the light like moths to a flame.

A single solitary figure floated down amidst the light, in an angelic descent. He was wearing a white golden robe, and held a - now bloody - staff in his hands. His face was hidden behind a ornate, featureless mask. He floated above the gathered humans, and spread his arms wide. There was the sound of screams and wailing, panicked footsteps pounding on water in all directions. But his booming voice echoed throughout the area, his tone that of a priest speaking to his flock.

"Fear not my children! For this is simply the province of fate! Indeed, you must all rejoice - for the time of Light is approaching and the world shall be cleansed of the impure! Rejoice, for the Mad-queen has met her end! Rejoice, for the wrath of the Church shall serve as the instrument that shall burn this world clean of her taint!"

Sentinel Staxos brought his hands together as if in prayer.

"Rejoice and be Free!"


​

 

[koala]

Loading world for ELENA. . .

Elena's knees buckled, her legs loosing any sense of strength, as she came tumbling to the ground. Water splashed upwards as it passed her hips, washing off the feeling of warmth from her face. Only a few minutes had passed, yet the the sequence of events flew by her almost instantaneously. The beginning, the middle, and what presumably appeared to be the end as the black-haired woman- no - Lucrezia fell onto the ground, her warm blood splattered across Elena as if she were some kind of blank canvas.

The taste of acid filled her mouth and nose as vomit threatened to erupt. She held a shaky hand to her mouth in an attempt to control the feeling, unable to tear her once loving doe eyes away from Lucrezia's limp and bloodied body. When Elena removed her hand in an attempt to crawl away from the center of the scene, she'd noticed her hands were stained. Quickly, the flustered woman tried to rinse her hand in the water but they returned crimson each time. Tears soon began to taint her beauty as she decided crawling on all fours was her best option.

"O-oh god..." Elena choked beneath her breath as she heard the inhuman begin chanting behind her. As weakly as she could, she moved her self towards a building as bits of glass punctured her hands. "A-arryn..." The woman stuttered as she began to sob uncontrollably, head bowing down into her hands for the second time. She could feel the shards of glass dig even further to her hands, but the fear that enveloped her numbed any physical pain.

Location: Streets of Covent Garden

Date: --

Time: Too crazy to tell

Mentions: Lisa, Arynn

Interacting: -

 

[koala]

*edited the ending so Morgana's only holding Lisa's hand

Loading world for MORGANA. . .

Allowing Tannur to go alone was arguably the worst mistake she'd ever made. Her eyes widened with indescribable horror as she watched her queen, her leader, her master fly upwards as a staff mutilated Lucrezia's very core. As much as the sight of death sent sickening pleasure throughout her body, no one... no one would be able to stand witness her reason for living flop to the ground like nothing. The very scene of watch the Dark Queen's life fade before her was enough to make her scream, even without being a banshee.

Mother-figure or not, Morgana laid the unconscious Silver on a nearby bench. The woman's amber eyes, still filled with the utmost shock, soon began showing signs of absolute rage. The other feeling in her was much more discreet. It was something she'd only felt every once in a while and that was uselessness. Morgana's job was to lay her life before Lucrezia and yet she'd allowed her very purpose to die.

Curse this ludicrous body and attire! Morgana thought bitterly as she marched quickly towards Tannur, grabbing one of his knives and cutting a slit down the either side of her skirt to allow better movement. She then bent down to Lucrezia and held the raven-haired woman's limp hand, ignoring the potential allies and foes around her. Her expression was stoic, but the way she glared at both Staxos and Roland could've been enough to shatter the confidence of a whole city.

Location: Streets of Covent Garden

Date: --

Time: Too crazy to tell

Mentions: --

Interacting: Silver, Tannur IG42 , Lucrezia, basically everyone within the vicinity

 

[MagicPenguin]

Arryn Bennett
Near the Restaurant

Arryn had heard in whispered mutters from the fleeing people who'd come out of the restaurant before he got there that a man had run back inside the burning building to save someone who was still stuck on the second floor. Concerned as he was with his own problems, he had not thought much of it at the time except that that person must be either very brave or very foolish to do such a tremendously dangerous thing. He was shocked, then, when the building's top floor exploded in a rain of wood, metal, and fire, and not one, but two bodies were launched back down to ground level. He was even more shocked to realize that he knew whom both of those bodies belonged to. A bare-chested Roland stood with a miniature Shadowsbane in his hand and an injured Ana collapsed not far from him. Different as the blade looked—more like a one-handed, curved short sword than the two handed longsword he remembered--Arryn would not have believed it to actually be Roland's legendary weapon if not for the unmistakable golden glow it gave off. If not for that light to illuminate the darkness of the night, Arryn might not even have been able to make out who the pair were from where he was. Arryn did not have time to ponder all the questions that the sword's presence raised—how did it get here when Roland left it on Aether? Did something happen to the queen, who was supposed to hold onto it until he returned? Why did it look so different?--he had no time to ponder any of this before Roland pointed his stunted blade aggressively at a seemingly random woman from within the small gathering still present—she looked like a waitress, based on her clothes--and proclaimed her to be the Shadow Queen. Arryn's jaw dropped with the accusation. It couldn't be. How could he possibly know that? The poor man must've lost his senses from the explosion or the fall and now he was about to behead an innocent Earth woman.

Sane or not, though, apparently Silver's friend believed what Roland said; one of the women promptly shoved an insensate Silver into the arms of the other and sprinted over to get between a now-charging Roland and the waitress. Arryn's earlier suspicions that the two were, like Silver, among the Shadow Queen's minions, were evidently confirmed for that one, at least. As if he needed any more confirmation, she hurled a concealed knife at Roland before the hero could reach his target. Whether by great skill, blind luck, or pure instinct, Roland stopped his charge short just before the knife reached him and the blade missed by a hair. That gave the woman who threw the knife more than enough time to place herself squarely in Roland's path to the waitress. He said something to Roland that Arryn couldn't hear. Roland didn't respond. He instead changed his stance and readied himself to engage her in combat. Before he could get within striking distance, yet another newcomer suddenly appeared as if from no where, this one a tall red-headed fellow. Both the red-head and the woman blocked Roland's way now, but if the hero was fazed by his apparently dwindling odds of success, he didn't show it. Some small distance away, the red-headed earth girl who helped Arryn save Daniel was struggling with another waitress, screaming madly at her to leave her and “save Lucrezia.”

Arryn cursed under his breath. Was the red-headed woman with the Shadow Queen too? How had he been so easily deceived, to think she was just another simple Earth woman? More importantly right now, that made three enemies who all believed that seemingly ordinary waitress was the despotic tyrant who'd almost single-handedly started a century long war to subjugate Aether under her own rule. Arryn couldn't believe it, but...maybe she really was Lucrezia. Lucrezia the Shadow Waitress, he thought wryly. Maybe there WAS someone that infernal portal had screwed over as much as it had him. In any case, Roland now stood facing at least four hostile enemies by himself with no one but an injured Ana to help him. Legendary sword or not, the odds were against him. It was old Hogan staring down ten bloodthirsty orcs so he could escape all over again. He had to do something to help. He swore to himself after the day his father was killed that he would not let anything like that happen again. He would not run to save himself while someone else sacrificed his life to secure his escape. He might die right alongside Roland—two to four wasn't much better than one to four, especially when Arryn was so weak on Earth--but he would rather die fighting than live another day a craven coward. So he had promised himself in the wake of tragedy six years ago. He had to do something.

And yet...he couldn't. He ground his teeth at the unfairness of it, but he had to stay where he was. Daniel lay motionless against his shoulder. Silver's other friend, the second woman, she was still there. She was almost certainly another of Lucrezia's minions. If he left Daniel to help Roland, she could easily dispose of him. At the very least, it seemed the other woman was in a similar dilemma for now. She could not help Lucrezia without leaving Silver undefended.

“Go, Arryn.” A raspy, weak voice came from Daniel's lips. It was pitched low enough that only Arryn should have been able to hear what he said. The man's eyes were still closed, his body still motionless, but he was awake all the same and apparently paying as much attention to what was going on as Arryn himself was. “Help Roland defeat Lucrezia. It is what we came here to do. Our duty. I cannot help as I am, but no matter what happens to me, I will not have that duty unfulfilled--or worse, my prince killed--because you had to waste time helping me instead of doing what needed to be done. You will go. Now.”

“Daniel, I can't just leave you here. If Silver or that other woman were to attack you, then--”

“They would not find me as easy a kill as they might expect,” the werewolf cut him off. He drew Arryn's attention to his right hand in his pocket. Just barely visible, Daniel let Arryn see the sharp shard of glass Daniel had hidden away. “But...the windows didn't break until after we sat down here, so when did you...”

“Never mind that, boy. I have been alive many years and I yet have a few more tricks up my sleeve to see that I stay that way for many more. Do not worry about me. Go help Prince Roland as you are sworn to do.”

Wracked with indecision, Arryn turned back to the unfolding battle. The waitress—or Lucrezia, he supposed--was shouting something to the two who joined her now. Battle orders, perhaps, but Arryn couldn't hear her. The fight would start soon, whatever the case. If he was going to do something he had to go now.

“Very well,” he said slowly, bitterly, as if he had to rip the acid words forcefully out of himself one at a time. “I will go. I'm sorry, Daniel. I'm sorry.” He stood and rushed down the stairs.

“Don't be, my boy,” he heard the old man in a youngster's body say from behind him. “We must all keep moving forward, no matter what happens. Always forward, Arryn. Remember that, if you remember nothing else. Go, and don't look back.” Hogan punctuated the statement with a happy bark.

Unable to find words to reply, Arryn left his two dear friends to the mercy of whatever fate had in store for them. He started closing the distance between the pavilion and the brewing battle, gears turning in his mind to devise a plan that could help Roland. All three of the people staring Roland down were focusing all their attention on him, waiting to see which way he would strike first. Perhaps, if they stayed like that, Arryn could sneak up behind Lucrezia and take her down before any of them knew what was happening. If someone saw him, they'd shout a warning, but even that might be enough of a distraction to give Roland the chance he needed to deal a grievous wound to one of his enemies. It seemed best to try and utilize the element of surprise while he still had it; worst case scenario, this plan would fail and he'd just jump into the brawl right alongside the prince. Slowly, he began circling around the dark trio, moving slowly and quietly up to the tyrant in the waitress outfit from behind. Roland's fiery, mismatched gaze passed over him as he studied his opponents, but the man gave no indication that he saw Arryn closing in on Lucrezia's unprotected rear.

Seconds passed that seemed like eons while the former blacksmith took one slow step after another. He was close enough to the action now that he could hear what was being said. Lucrezia was trying to speak to Roland. Keep her talking, Arryn thought. Keep her distracted so she won't see me coming. Just a few more steps and I can--

Before he could launch himself at her, Arryn was taken aback by a huge crashing sound and the sudden appearance of a golden, double-bladed staff through the Shadow Waitress's torso. The impact of it into the ground caused such a shockwave that it knocked him right off his feet and down into the water. For a moment, he could do nothing but stare at the bloody instrument with eyes as wide as dinner plates. If he'd been a few seconds faster, grabbed her just a little earlier, doubtless that weapon would have speared him through the gut as well. As it was, Arryn was speechless at what had just occurred and completely unsure what to do next beyond getting himself back on his feet.

As calmly as though he were giving a sermon to his followers back on Aether, and with flowery language as though that's exactly where he thought he was, High Sentinel Staxos, current head of Alcamoth's Church of Light, descended from the storm clouds to stand before them. He had slain Lucrezia. Easily, in fact. It was almost a little anti-climactic after everything that had happened. Still, the enemy was dead and apparently Staxos had a way to get home from here, so this was all good...right? The fight was over and they were going home; he should be elated! Then why couldn't Arryn shake the eerie feeling that something wasn't right about this?

Just when the stunned silence that followed Staxos's descent seemed it would last forever, Roland spoke up. “High Sentinel,” he said, expression unreadable. He ceased his sword-fighting stance, but Arryn could not help but notice the prince's white knuckled grip on his weapon's hilt did not appear to loosen. “Well met,” Roland went on. “And well done, too. With that, our mission is complete and Aether should be safe. Don't think me ungrateful for your aid, High Sentinel, but I must ask...how is it that you are here? And with all your power in tact, nonetheless, when all of us lost ours the moment we arrived. I thought the portal was supposed to be closed after I leaped through it. Can the same method be used to return home? We should all like to return where we belong as soon as possible.”

Arryn didn't know what was going on, but there was a sinking feeling in his stomach, a pit that refused to go away. Something definitely wasn't right. The Shadow Waitress was dead, but the storm was as ominous as ever. And the dome that seemed to separate them somehow from everything outside of it...any dark magic the witch initiated should dissipate with her death. So what was going on? He didn't like this one bit...

“A-Arryn...” The drenched former blacksmith's worries were interrupted by a weak voice calling his name from somewhere close. He looked left and right for the source of the voice, but saw no one. Who...?

Then he saw her, crumpled on the floor and covered in blood next to Lucrezia's impaled corpse. Elena. All other worries fleeing from his mind, Arryn rushed to her side and knelt down. “Rose! I'm here, right here, Rose. What are you doing here!? You should be safe and warm at home, not in the middle of a sword fight! What was Ana thinking, bringing you here?! Ugh, never mind that.” Arryn gently grabbed the girl's hands and took them from her sobbing face. He looked her in the eyes and spoke gently, but firmly. “I know what you just saw was horrible, Rose. I wish you hadn't been here to see it, I truly do. But you have to be strong now, okay? I'm not sure what's going on, but I don't think it's over yet. We need to get away from here before something terrible happens.”

Rose was wide-eyed with fear from what Arryn could tell, shaking like a leaf and almost delirious at the sight of the blood still covering her. This was not good. He struggled to think of some way to get her on her feet again, moving, not thinking of the horrific sight she'd just seen or of the crimson blood all over her. Old Hogan had always said in his youth, the best cure for sadness was work. He didn't think this qualified as sadness, but...maybe it would do for this situation too.

“You aren't too injured Rose,” he said to her reassuringly. “I can't tell you how grateful I am for that. But Ana is in bad shape. Those women over there--” He pointed to the red-head still leaning on the other waitress. “--they aren't looking good either. Daniel is over there resting—we came together. He's got broken ribs and I had to leave him with someone I'm not sure I can trust. You and I, we're not hurt as bad as some of these others, so it's up to us to get everyone to safety while we still can. Please, will you help me? Between the two of us and that other waitress, maybe we can carry everyone injured inside one of the buildings around here as a hiding place.” That is, if the other waitress isn't just another Shadowspawn minion waiting to put a knife in their backs from behind, he thought bitterly. He kept a smile on his face for Rose and tried not to let any of his doubts show.

Interacting: koala

Mentioned: Shotgunpenguin LoneSniper87 Avari QizPizza IG42

In the area: WillfulWren koala

 

[Avari]

​

The High Sentinel floated some thirty feet above the gathered group, the crimson clouds forming a foreboding and ominous backdrop to his shimmering golden form. The hems of his white robes flapped serenely in a non-existent breeze. His golden mask - that hid any hint of a face - glittered grimly in the smoldering fire of the buildings below and it turned slowly to look down at Roland - who had addressed him.

"My Lord Fairchild..." He began, his tone formal and taciturn. "My Lord Blacksmith. My Lady Kochenkov. There will be a time for talk, but alas - it is not now. Rejoice! For you have been gathered here by the will of the Light! We are joined in our slavery to grim duty and joyous devotion! Rejoice! For you shall be the instrument that renders the darkness into nothingness!"

He gestured to the others - the ones who had dived to Lucrezia's final defense - with the dramatic flourish of a stage actor. Hannah had sunk to her knees by Lucrezia's body. Her jeans beginning to stain red from the blood of her friend.

"Exterminate these.. remnants of shadow."

--


Interacting: MagicPenguin

Mentioned: Shotgunpenguin LoneSniper87 QizPizza IG42

 

[MagicPenguin]

Roland Fairchild
Flooded street

"Exterminate these.. remnants of shadow."

Internally, Roland bristled at the command. He had never liked this man; as usual, the High Sentinel presumed too much, first muscling in on his kill and now trying to order him about like one of his acolytes. On top of that, he found it odd that the man had chosen to appear here and now of all times, and with all his power to boot, when it was this very same man who had assured him that the portal should be closed. He would not make a scene about it here, though. It was true they had unfinished business with the other Shadowspawn and his personal distaste for Staxos could be ignored for now.

He swept his gaze over the remaining combatants. Ordinarily, he'd have no problem killing any of them on the spot, but he remembered Marcus pleading for his sister's life the night before and Elena's advice in the coffee shop earlier. These were no where near as dangerous as Lucrezia was, their crimes not even as close to as grievous. Without her to protect them or powers of their own, they were as close to harmless as they reasonably could be. He doubted anything would come of it, but...perhaps they at least deserved a chance to surrender peacefully. His decision had nothing to do with his dislike for Staxos giving him orders. Of course not. That would be petty.

Ana was badly injured and Arryn was trying to coax a blood soaked and seemingly traumatized Elena to her feet. Two dark haired women sat near Lucrezia's corpse, one dressed as a servant as Lucrezia had been--that one was Hannah if he remembered correctly. An injured red haired woman sat close by, hysterically crying. Whether these three were more of Lucrezia's companions or just earthlings the witch had duped, he did not know, but he would treat them as if they were enemies for the moment until he could sort the Aetherians from the rest. There were still a few civilians, including Martha and her family, standing off in the distance. He could see another man further back slumped beneath an awning and a woman prone on a bench. "Ana...you are in no fit state to fight. Leave the rest of this to me. Work with Arryn and see to the injured and the defenseless, including yourself. The two of you try and get everyone as far from here as you can. This could get messy."

He turned next to the remaining forces of Shadow.

"Your leader is dead," he declared. "Your war is over. You are outmatched. You have no hope of victory and only two choices. Drop your weapons, surrender peacefully, and face trial for your crimes in Alcamoth before the queen. She is a just woman who will treat you fairly. Or, you can face my blade here and perish now."

He placed his feet in a ready stance and held his sword in a threatening two handed grip before him in case anyone decided to choose the latter option, as he honestly expected them to. He could not blame them if they did. It was what he would do in the face of defeat. He kept an especially wary eye on the feminine looking man with a knife.

"Well? What will you choose?"

Interacting: LoneSniper87 IG42 QizPizza Shotgunpenguin Avari koala

Mentioned: koala Avari

In the area: WillfulWren

 

[Shotgunpenguin]

Juniper Arc
??????

Despite her best at dislodging herself from Hannah, Juniper still struggled against the girl as she screamed herself hoarse. Why wouldn't she realize that the queens life came before her own? However, as if by some divine miracle, a black haired savior leapt up from a nearby building. He threw something that caused the man charging Lucrezia to stop and it was only through the glowing weapon in his hand that she realized that the man was none other than the hero of the church of light. The black haired man brandished a knife at the hero and once he spoke Juniper realized who he was. Tannur, the beautiful bastard lacked some of his features back on Aether but there was no mistaking him. She renewed her efforts against Hannah, the poor girl probably confused out of her mind as to why she was trying to shake her off. With Tannur here the hero would be outnumbered, especially if she was able to sneak up behind him. Another man stepped between the hero and her queen, the tall man from the cafe who identified himself as her queens roommate. With him standing guard in front of the queen he struck quite the image of a bodyguard, just like an Oni with a similar name back on Aether did.

Juniper felt relief flow through her as she lessened her struggle against Hannah. The hero may have had his sword but there was only so much one could do against multiple opponents. Hope welled up inside of her faster than she could have ever thought possible. Not only had she found her queen, but Rai and Tannur too, maybe even Silver if that really was her. It was- a flash of light blinded her for a second only to reveal a scene that made her blood freeze. H-her queen was pierced right through her chest by a golden staff that speared itself into the ground. She weakly tried to remove herself from the staff before slumping forward. The staff disappeared into pure light as she fell face forward into the flooded street, non responsive. "M-my queen..." She felt Hannah's arms leave her as the woman rushed over to her still queen. All of the strength that was in Juniper's body evacuated at once as she fell to her knees. This had to be fake, an illusion or even a damn personal hell for her. Lucrezia couldn't be dead, she couldn't. But as much as her mind desperately clung to the tiniest string of hope the sight of Hannah clinging to her body was all it took.

Juniper screamed. Not a scream of pain, or loss or any other emotion. It was the scream of one whose mind had been shattered. To her it felt like hours, the dark red clouds overhead closing in closer and closer as tears poured down her face. In truth her scream had only lasted five seconds yet when her head snapped back down it was clear to see that the damage done was seveer. Any semblance of light in her eyes was gone, replaced with a glassy stare that went on for miles. Her hand brushed against something underneath the water as she instinctively grabbed hold of it. Bringing it above the water the object was revealed to be a large jagged piece of glass that was slicing into her palm and fingers. Blood flowed freely around it as she stared at it before slowly rising to her feet. Her movements were unnatural, as if her body was on auto-pilot with no regard for those around her. She slowly shuffled her way to in front of the hero. She stared into his eyes as her hand gripped the glass shard tighter, as if preparing to lunge at him. But she didn't, and slowly turned away. He was not the one who had killed her queen.

She then stared up at the man in brilliantly glowing robes. Once again her hand tightened around the glass, spilling even more blood as it cut deeper and deeper. Yet just like she did before she turned away. He had not killed her queen. Finally, Juniper shuffled her way over to her queens lifeless body, the water dyed red with her blood. She stared down at the body, and the woman weeping over it, before bringing the glass shard in front of her face. Her reflection stared right back at her with unblinking eyes, before she lowered the shard. She had killed her queen. By being too weak to protect her. By not being by her side to save her. There was only one way to rectify her weakness. Slowly, with a calmness of preforming a simple task, she raised the shard towards her neck.

Interaction: MagicPenguin , Avari
Mentioned: IG42 , WillfulWren , QizPizza

 

[IG42]

Tannur - The place where s**t is going down
The order stopped Tannur short of loosing another projectile at the hero, while the voice was different the commanding tone was unmistakable. "Something you want to say to them first?" Expecting a speech of some kind he glanced back at her just in time to see the first person that had been anything more than a potential mark to him in nearly thirty years brutally speared through the chest by a shining bladed staff. "I...it can't be." As the blade vanished and her body dropped limply into the water the rest of the world faded away leaving just him frozen in place watching her lifeblood mingle with the filthy water.

He would have stayed there for hours if Morgana hadn't snatched the knife out of his hand and gone to Lucrezia's side. Snapping out of his stupor he looked around at his remaining companions, his friends. He could see the defeat in their bearing and the way they looked at each other as the hero called for their surrender. "No." He said to himself, he wasn't going to give those sanctimonious bastards the satisfaction. The hero was playing up his wonderful chivalry and honour and Tannur was going to do what he had done his whole life, exploit it as much as possible. "If you see a chance to run take it." He said in a low voice to the people nearest to him.

Turning to face the hero he walked forward. "Roland Fairchild, Hero of Light!" He called out loudly enough for all to hear. "I am Tannur, hidden blade of the Shadow Queen! I challenge you to single combat!" Letting the words hang in the air for a moment he drew the only dagger he had on him, it was still not much bigger than a pocket knife but he was certain it was more of a weapon than anyone else had. "My terms are these, should I be the victor me and my companions shall accept exile in this world. If you should defeat me we shall surrender to your judgement peacefully." He looked around at the others gathered there while slipping off his heavy coat and dropping it carelessly on the street. "Are there any objections?" With Staxos hovering over them this was the only way he could affect what was about to happen, if nothing else he hoped to send the forces of light back to Aether in mourning rather than triumph.

MagicPenguin koala Shotgunpenguin QizPizza

 

[MagicPenguin]

Roland Fairchild
Flooded Street

"Ha! No matter what you look like, Tannur, 'hidden blade of the Shadow Queen,' you have an awful lot of balls to try and negotiate your way out of this one. What kind of fool do you take me for? The advantage here is all mine; there's no reason for me to risk it in single combat, no matter how sure I am that I would win. You can fight if you want--alone or with your friends, it makes no difference to me--but make no mistake. Your only options are death or surrender. Even if you managed to beat me, then--" Roland pointed up at the shining masked man holding a bloody staff, "--he'd kill you. There's no easy exile here for you lot, not anymore. Surrender or death. Throw down your weapon peacefully or come at me now, but don't get your hopes up for anything more than one of those."

He swept his gaze over Tannur, the red-headed fellow, and the three women huddled near Lucrezia's corpse, one so lost to despair she stood with a shard of glass to her neck as if to slit her own throat.

"Personally, I've never been one for mercy; I've a nasty temper and I'm too good at holding grudges, my sister tells me. The Church of Light teaches, however, that no one walks so long in the Shadow that they cannot return again to the Light. For whatever it's worth, I advise you to surrender. Death is the end of all possibility, but life, even one in a dungeon cell, brings with it hope and the chance to change for the better. One of my men, Marcus Felis, a Shapeshifter related by blood to the one who calls herself Silver, pleaded for his sister to have such an opportunity. It is for him as much as for you that I offer you this opportunity to face justice with your heads held high. So, denizens of the Shadow, I ask you again:

Will you fight here and die uselessly? Or will you surrender, that you might live and perhaps one day become a force for good in the world rather than one of death and destruction?"

Interacting: IG42 QizPizza koala Shotgunpenguin

In the area: koala Avari WillfulWren
LoneSniper87

 

[QizPizza]

Rai stood wide eyed in shock as his friend and queen died on his watch. She couldn't be dead, could she? The hole in her chest could be healed, couldn't it? But no, Rai knew in his heart that she was dead. He could feel it. That all the hope that she carried with her was gone. Gone with her life. Gone thanks the damned High Sentinal Staxos. That damned Staxos didn't even have the courage to face Lucrezia head on to execute her. He attacked from behind as he allowed his lackey, the Hero of Light to distract her and then send him off to play clean up. The corners of of his eyes began to tear up and flow down his cheeks. His teeth were clenched and his fingernails dug into his palms. Staxos killed her. His hopes for the Oni were as dead as Lucrezia.

He wanted to kill Staxos and Roland, and the entire Church of Light. To fight to the death rather that surrender to the oh so holy High Sentinel. It would be so easy just to pick up a piece of lumber and strike them down...or at least try. Go out in a blaze of glory and maybe eliminate the Hero of Light. The Oni...they fought to the death, and chose death before surrender. Rai immediately looked for something to use as a weapon, and his eyes locked onto a loose grate beneath the flooded streets. It would be able to catch a few blows from Roland's sword and bash the man's head in?

However, Rai's eyes then went to Tannur and Silver. If he chose to fight, then all of them would die...He can't let their hopes and dreams be forfeit...not after all that they have done. Rai had spent over a century by Lucrezia's side, and they can't waste it all. There still might be something to salvage from their defeat at the Aether. There must still be some of the Shadow forces remainin, and they had no leader...What would happen in the aftermath of Lucrezia's reign, the Aether would be more hostile to them than ever before. Slavery wouldn't even begin to describe it. The torment, the suffering, the abuse all the Shadow forces would endure couldn't even be imagined. Whatever the Oni have faced, they would experience a hundred times worse. If they surrendered, there would be the most miniscule chance that Rai would be able to negotiate some sort of reasonable treatment for them.

Rai looked on as Tannur challenged Roland to a duel. The fool. He cannot win. He couldn't win back in the Aether and he couldn't win now. Roland had the advantage. He still had some magic, which shouldn't be possible on Earth. Even if it was at it's partial strength, it was immeasurably more powerful than a man armed only with a cheap knife. Rai had to muster the courage to even say anything, much less surrender. "Tannur, put the knife away. Even if he takes the deal, it will all be worse for us. There is no way you are able will against a man with magic. Let m-"

Rai almost allowed his pride to take over him. Deep down, he wanted fight the Hero of Light, to die fighting rather than take the shame of defeat. But no... He can't. He had to swallow his pride and get the words out of his mouth. It's what Lucrezia would've done. She would've played the surrender to benefit her as much as possible, even when the Church thought they were willing. But Rai wasn't his friend. He was the muscle, not the brains. He destroyed all who stood in his way, while Lucrezia would rather take the least destructive route. Reducing the damage was a good place to start. It was so damned hard to do it, and Rai's human voice felt weak. The redhead looked at Tannur in the eyes as he spoke the shaky words from his prideful mouth. "Tannur, please. Set your knife down. We've lost enough haven't we. Defeated at Blackrock Castle and losing some of our mightiest warriors. Think about what would happen if we tried to fight..."

Rai looked at the ground in shame for even suggesting to not fight. He mentally assented that he had to surrender, but his heart wouldn't let him. Why couldn't he have his power right now. He would destroy the damned High Sentinel and the Church of Light right here and right now. They wouldn't stand a chance. But that was just the hypothetical. The reality of the situation was that they were beaten, bruised, and broken before the Church of Light which held all the power as of now. For just one second the Oni couldn't swallow his pride, could he? But this was for more than just himself. This was for the Shadow forces and for the Oni. He can't let them down.

The shame of letting them down after a century of fighting was far greater than that of surrender. The Oni would hate him, maybe even Fujin would hate him, but it was his form of sacrifice. He was willing to die for his cause when he was young, but he wasn't a child like when he started. Anyone can die for a cause and just end the pain. He saw it now in this brief epiphany. It wasn't brave to die...it was cowardly... That was against everything he knew, but this was his conclusion. To live for a cause was so much harder and challenging in this case. He had to endure shame, disgrace, torture, abuse, and more, but it was all for the cause. Maybe it wouldn't be him that saved the Oni, but with this surrender, he gave everyone a chance to rise up once more in the future.

Rai raised his eyes back to Tannur, Siver, and the redheaded woman clutching the piece of glass and holding it to her neck. She was no doubt one of them, but Rai did not recognize her. However, she was about to commit the crime that he himself had chosen to avoid. He had to lead them, otherwise...these broken people who looked to Lucrezia for hope, would be disappointed. He stared right at the girl. He had to stop her. The Oni racked his mind for a name. A name was so important. It held power and intimacy... A red haired girl devoted to the queen... Her devotion reminded him of...Juniper...the young general of Lucrezia...or at least he thought so. His voice was no longer shaky, but it still lacked confidence. Instead, it carried concern and care for the woman about to take her life. "Juniper...stop...please...I know how you feel, but you have to live. Lucrezia is no longer alive, but it only means that we must carry them out."

Rai then looked at Roland. The arrogant pawn of the Church that thought he was in control. The pawn that brought this pain and suffering to these people. These people who had all of their hopes placed with Lucrezia, who had no where else to turn to but the queen. The pawn destroyed their only chance of salvation. The Oni couldn't throw away all of his pride in one day and he didn't trust himself to restrai his anger towards Roland, so, he turned to Staxos. He was placing all his hope and resolve into this declaration, that the Church was an organization of its word, that they wouldn't kill him where he was standing. His voice wasn't weak or shaky, but instead, it was filled with whatever authority he had left and determination. "High Sentinel Staxos, you have slain our queen! In her death, I, Raijin, God of the Roaring Thunder, Tenno of the Oni, and Lucrezia's general, claim up her mantle! I now bear the title of Shadow Emperor, ruler of the armies of Shadow and as my first order, I command my forces to stand down. We surrender to the Church of Light, but on the condition that there will be negotiations. Any further actions by my subjects will be considered insubordination, and I will be no longer accountable for their actions."

Rai Kaminari​

Physical Status: Soaked
Emotional/Mental Status: Anguished/Concerned
Location: London Streets - Outside Millers' Cafe
Interacting With: MagicPenguin (Roland) Avari (Staxos) IG42 (Tannur) WillfulWren (Silver) koala (Morgana) Shotgunpenguin (Juniper)
Mentioned: ​

 

[WillfulWren]

Silver Ferae, Outside Miller's Cafe - QizPizza MagicPenguin Avari koala IG42 Shotgunpenguin
Consciousness came back slowly, starting with muffled voices. A blur of sound, loud and confusing (who was screaming? She wanted to rip their throat out, tear and destroy until they could never scream again). It hurt. Silver was dimly aware of blood in the puddles, and the body of an unfamiliar woman. An unfamiliar woman with Morgana clinging to her hand. Now, that was strange, but there were more important things right now, like getting off of this horrible cold bench, the wood damp and slippery, covered in rust and moss.

With a soft whine, she pushed herself into a sitting position, ruby eyes wide and glazed slightly with confusion. She just caught Raijin's words, and they only seemed to add to her confusion: for the most part blending into the blur of the blood roaring in her ears, but one sentence stuck out from the rest, making her breath catch in her throat. "High Sentinel Staxos, you have slain our queen" 'The words repeated in her head, over and over until she wanted to claw them out of her skull as she tried to make sense of them. Lucrezia, dead? It couldn't be! It was impossible! More than that, it was just plain stupid. Lucrezia couldn't just die, like some stupid peasant or rabbit. Dying was something she didn't quite understand, beyond the simplistic concept that had been explained to her: people go to sleep and don't ever wake up. But only stupid people were dumb enough to die, and Lucrezia certainly wasn't stupid. Lucrezia was... Her queen was... Lucrezia was everything.

The albino forced herself to her feet, limbs shaking and cheeks flushed with exertion as she stumbled forward, teeth bared. "No." She snarled. "That's wrong, that's gotta be - there's no way..." Her words dissolved into a quiet mumble, eyes wild and desperate. And then, if things weren't bad enough, her legs gave out beneath her, sending the small teen crashing to the ground. "I won't...She's gotta come back. She can't just-"

Was that just rain, or were there tears on her face? Even she couldn't quite tell.
"Stop lying! I hate you all!" She screamed.

 

[koala]

Loading world for ELENA. . .

For a brief moment, Elena had thought she was imagining things. A short wave of bliss washed over her when she looked up and met Arryn's green eyes, the shock subsiding for the shortest second. As much as she wanted to call out to him or even speak, it was like her mouth had been sewn shut. Speaking would've been painful anyways since she'd resorted to chewing the inner part of her cheek, the taste of iron dominating her taste buds.

"A-arryn..." The woman finally stuttered as tears welled in the corner of her eyes. She grabbed onto him in whatever way she could, the shaking of her body subsiding as she allowed herself to melt from his warmth. Without even realizing it, she had practically forced herself into his arms like a small child. It wasn't until the man finally snapped her out of it by giving her a job.

"R-right, Ana!" She gasped loudly as she frantically searched the scene, noticing an injured Ana not too many meters away. She carefully listened to Arryn as he gave her things to do and think about, the fear she felt nearly gone. Her terror was replaced by a sense of duty--the duty to protect her friends and get them out of the way. "Yeah, okay. I can do that."

Letting out a deep sigh, she used Arryn to stand up while ignoring the searing pain in her palms. Carefully, she maneuvered her way around the small crowd and towards her flatmate who really was in bad shape. "Ana. Ana!" Elena called as she knelt beside her friend, offering support with her arms. "Are you okay? Can you walk? We need to get to Daniel and get you both to safety as well as the other females over th-" Elena turned in an attempt to show Ana the women he was talking about, only to overhear the conversation going on between the two sides. Apparently, the women she planned on assisting were the 'bad guys'. They were surrendering though so maybe helping them was okay...?

Chewing on the inside of her lip, Elena turned back to Ana. "C'mon."

Location: Streets of Covent Garden

Date: --

Time: Too crazy to tell

Mentions: Everyone

Interacting: Arryn MagicPenguin , Ana LoneSniper87

 

[LoneSniper87]

Anastasia Kochenkov

Ana was watching everything from her post on the wall. She never liked High Sentinal Staxos, but he did have a knack for dramatic appearances... She shook her head, pushing off the wall, just to test her own weight. She felt she could walk, were legs looked fine save for a series of cuts. She glanced back, seeing Elena run to her. She was genuinely worried, and put a smile on her face, concern was a luxury to expendable spiders and theives. "Elena, seriously... I'm fine." She shrugs her off, taking a shaky step away. She walks like this to grab the blade that ended up on the ground, before walking back to Elena. "You get them out of here. Call me when you find a safe place. I'll see you soon." She turns away, pausing for a moment. "Stay safe." And in a moment she was one with the shadows, going to tip the scale in Roland's favor, maybe just one last time.

 

[koala]

Loading world for MORGANA. . .

There was nothing for Morgana to really do or say. Fighting could've been an option if High Sentinel Staxos hadn't made his less than welcomed appearance. She simply sat on the the murky ground, Lucrezia's cold hand still in her own. Every now and then she'd give it a small squeeze, as if to reassure the deceased leader that all was well, even if things clearly were not. In fact, Morgana had felt so lost in space that she even considered taking Tannur's advice and fleeing with who she could carry. Those thoughts quickly went away with the feeling of disgust and were replaced by nonchalance as whom she assumed to only be Raijin spoke up.

Raijin was the the only other person Morgana would ever take orders from. He'd found her at a young age, recruited her into their ranks, and trained her to become the fine warrior she was at present. If it weren't for him, she'd have roamed around aimlessly for decades while killing nonsensically. He, at least, showed her a path that at least offered some solidarity.

Listening to Raijin's words carefully, Morgana wanted to protest but she was smart enough not to. Instead, the woman turned to Jupiter who looked as if she'd gone completely mad. It was one of the reasons she disliked humans. They allowed their emotions to dominate their actions far too easily.

"Do not blame yourself, Jupiter. It was my duty to protect her, so I am the one that has failed." Morgana reached towards the red head and clasped her free hand around the one which bared the shard of glass. She tugged the glass away from her comrade's neck and wrapped her fingers firmly around it in case Jupiter thought about grabbing it again. As she did so, she felt a slight tug in her chest when she thought back on her own words. She had failed.

Ignoring the feeling, she spoke to Jupiter in a hushed tone. "The battle is lost, but the war still continues as long as we are alive."

Location: Streets of Covent Garden

Date: --

Time: Too crazy to tell

Mentions: Lucrezia, Tannur, Rai

Interacting: Jupiter Shotgunpenguin

 

[MagicPenguin]

Arryn Bennett
Flooded Street

"Damn it all, Ana!" said Arryn from Rose's side. "Roland told you to help us, not go vanishing in an enigmatic puff of smoke! Don't go blaming me if you collapse again before any of us can find you! Do you hear me?"

Arryn gave up. No matter what Roland had ordered, no matter how much he shouted into the shadows, the girl was gone to do...whatever it was injured spiders did. Spin some webs, perhaps. If she didn't want to be found, she wouldn't be. So it was just him and Rose to help the injured and the defenseless.

Roland spoke up. "You've made a wise choice, Raijin. I cannot promise anything about negotiations, but there may be some value to discussions of peace going forward; we will cross that bridge when we come to it. Tannur, listen to wisdom when you hear it and drop that knife, will you? It will do you no good here anyway. High Sentinel, we have no more need for bloodshed. Let's get these Aetherians home so we can get to work rebuilding our continent after a century of senseless warfare."

Arryn hoped it would be as simple as Roland seemed to believe, but Staxos had never been known for his mercy, nor for taking prisoners. That pit in his stomach from earlier still had not vanished. He needed to get Rose out of here before things went sideways. That was the most important thing now. The fastest way to do that without frightening her any further, he surmised, was to help her escort the injured away from here. But who to help?

Silver was conscious, but her gait was unsteady and her face flush with illness. The injured, distraught red-headed girl, though someone had gotten the glass shard away from her, did not seem like she could walk on her own, either because of her injuries or mental trauma. Daniel, in the distance, was in a similar predicament. So three injured, at least. And two dark haired women, the two who were cradling Lucrezia earlier, were still there. Were they earth women or Aetherians? He suspected the one soothing the red head right now at least was Aetherian, but had no clue about the other. He quickly formulated a plan in his mind.

"Rose, forget about Ana. She's long gone. Nothing we can do about that. Let's focus on these other four. You and I can carry the red head or the Silver haired girl together. Perhaps we can ask the other two to carry the other one. We can all head to where Daniel is and try to get everybody inside one of these buildings."

He approached the dark haired waitress and addressed both her and the one talking to the red head. "I don't know which side you two are on if any, but we have injured on both sides. We can do nothing for the dead," he gestured at the corpse the waitress was still cradling, "but we might be able to help some of the living stay that way. What do you say? You two carry the red head and I and Rose will take Silver. We can take them over to that building with the pavilion, or maybe further away. Get them inside and treat them as best we can. Will you help us?" He hoped they would agree and they could all get away before this confrontation got any worse.

Interacting: LoneSniper87 koala Avari Shotgunpenguin

In the area: QizPizza IG42 WillfulWren

 

[Avari]

A cold laugh echoed over the congregated group, it's tone full of dark humor and foreboding malice. The laughter reverberated around the area, as if the very buildings themselves were somehow sniggering in amusement. The voice was male - though it certainly wasn't Staxos who was making the noise. The Sentinel himself glanced around, his white gloves tightening around the handle of his staff.

The laughter continued for a few more moments, its source clearly unable to control its amusement. But the laughter finally died to a restrained chuckle, that would occasionally break out into another guffaw. ​

"Gods, I can't keep this up anymore! This is all just...so very pathetic."

The voice was youthful and boyish. It's tone condescending and cruel.

And to many of the group, it was horribly familiar.

There was a crack of thunder from the storm-clouds high above, and a fork of deep red lighting stabbed into the ground with the force of a small explosion - sending concrete and dust into the sky. The laughter continued all the while - clear over the deafening racket.

"A Shadow Emperor, Raijin? I've never heard anything so ridiculous in all my life. Good thing Lucrezia went down first or she'd probably die of embarrassment."

Chunks of stone began to rain down like hail, landing on the ground with heavy thuds and splashes. At the center of the dust cloud stood an odd silhouette - a human form, but two impossibly large arms held out wide.

"-and you think you're going back to Aether? Oh...that's just rich."

The dust finally began to clear. Details of the vague shadow within the cloud began to be drawn out of the sifting detritus.

A Man stood there - lean and muscular, wearing a black hoodie and white shirt. The giant arms that had been slowly waving back and forth were not arms at all - but wings. A pair of gigantic black wings - like those of a crow, that slowly beat back and forth - giving the boy a truly ominous appearance.

A predatory smile spread over his handsome face, as his violently emerald eyes looked over at the group - before narrowing slightly as they passed over Roland.

"Oh look, it's the little pubescent idealist. Did you miss me?"

Lucien.
The Dark Angel, and once General of Lucrezia.
Thought totally destroyed during the final battle of Blackrock.



He laughed again, cold and high as he glanced up to the High Sentinel - who was still floating high up in the air. Staxos was gazing down at him - and judging by the grip on his staff, he was absolutely furious.

"Lucien! You were to stay out of sight. You dare defy me?" ​

The Dark Angel shrugged and smirked, unconcerned with the Sentinel's angry tone.

"Oh don't be like that - I was getting bored listening to that dull ogre and Idiot Prince blabber on and on..I told you they'd up up talking rather than killing each other. Roland loves to play the hero; It's what makes him so painfully ignorant. I never understood Lucrezia's obsession with him. And making this bunch of morons her generals...who can tell what she was thinking."

Lucien chuckled again as his wings spread wide - and with one mighty flap that sent a powerful gust of wind blasting off in all directions he took into the air and came to a lazy halt few feet above the ground.

"but then again." He drawled, as he pointed his right hand at the group - the palm of his hand beginning to glow an eerie purple as a deadly spell was prepared.

"You can ask her for me in the afterlife."


--

[CHARACTER MOVEMENT WILL RESULT IN DEATH. KEEP THEM TALKING. WAIT FOR A DISTRACTION.]
Shotgunpenguin
WillfulWren
MagicPenguin
QizPizza
LoneSniper87
IG42
koala
​