Fantasy Spirits Walk Among Us - In Character

[Kumii]

MizukiLocation: Ironshire City Rooftops
Interactions: SharkBark DarknessSama17
Mentions: None

Mizuki looked as Iris arrived. She noticed Iris was in thought, "You okay, Lady Iris?" Mizuki referred to Iris much more formally then before, likely due to the presence of Anna, "Looks like something is bothering you." Anna looked up at Mizuki then over to Iris, "Lady... Iris..." Ana said in her soft tone, this caused Mizuki to look at Anna and smile.

???Location: ???
Interactions: None

There was a shadowed figure standing in a hallway, it was dark but the silhouettes of varies other bodies lay around them, "Tch, seriously, attacking a young girl like myself. How bothersome." The figure spun her gun on her finger before holster as a little flourish. She stepped in to the light and revealed herself as Cassie Nova. She rubbed the back of her head, "Damn, I should've kept one alive at least interrogate them." She sighed, "Oh we-" An aura began to form around her, "Eh?" that was the only word she let out before instantly vanishing...

 

[SharkBark]

Castro stopped and fell to his knees when he reached Iris and Mizuki.

"Hey.." Castro pants heavily. "Remember, I'm the super injured on here. I mean, I literally took a fall for you Iris. And let's not forget, I just fought Rajeel Reinhart."

Castro looks down to see the bunny eared fox girl and their main target. Castor Reinhart. Along with them was a little girl. She had to be at least two years younger than Castor. She has bunny ears too, though, they look to be fake.

"Hey, let's go down calmly. We don't want to scare them." Castro says. He sheathes his blade. "C'mon."

Castro slowly crawls down the building and lands in front of Castor. He puts his hands up.

"Hey, chill out. Let's talk about your older brother alright?" Castro looks to the Inari. "Hi, I'm sure you remember me. Thanks for that back there. Sorry for almost killing you."

 

[AlphaBlueWolf]

Castor looked towards Vivi as she woke up, "Oh.. sorry. That was my fault. " He apologized. His face immediately got beat red afterwards with Vivi's comment. He didn't know what to say, not after being teased like that from Inari. "Uh...." That was all he could manage with his incredibly red face. Inari told Vivi to shut up and went over to the other side. He thought maybe he should say something, but Vivi soon went over and everything seemed like it'd be fine. He let them have their moment, he was way too flustered to do anything else any ways. He just needed some time to process everything. Maybe he should take a nap too. But he wouldn't be able to get to sleep here. He just looked up and stared at the sky.

Meanwhile, Odin flitted to another building, leaving a black feather floating down upon the traveling group. He was trying to stay vigilant, but he didn't even realize about the traveling group. He scanned around, landing his eyes on some traveling soldiers of the Dragonfist Order. It wasn't anything new, considering the city was now littered with them. Oh well.

Castor looked towards the orange sky. The light seemed beautiful to him. The sunset sort of peaceful despite the smoke that hung in the air. He liked to imagine it was a strange mist. A happier thing. His hair was ruffled in an odd breeze, and he closed his eyes for a second. Then, he heard a thud and the breeze turned sour. Was it Inari and Vivi playfully fighting? He opened one eye and stared up at some random guy. His mouth gapped open and he fell backwards from his sitting position on the ground. Some random dude, with a sheathed weapon. He still had a weapon, and that was scary enough on its own. His eyes were fixed on him, terrified. He was too scared to even notice anyone else with him

The new man asked about Rajeel, said they should talk about him. That was an instant red flag, maybe even more instant than the weapon he had on him. This guy knew he was a Reincrat, plus the fact that he was here trying to grab some information. Odin had realized too late about the group, he had swooped down but Castro had already gotten to Castor. He extended his talons and flew in for an attack, scratching Castro on the back of his head and being a nuisance to him. It was enough to distract Castro, and gave Castor time to will a green vine to climb up and around Castro's leg, trapping him momentarily. He then started moving backwards rapidly, aiming in the direction of Inari and Vivi. "I-Inari!" He called out in a panic, hoping his new unbiased friend would help him out with the scary new guy.



Christopher gave a swift nod to the Order's leader while Daniel suppressed another laugh because of CASTS. He'd love to have a little robot friend like him. He was hilarious. At least Daniel thought so. Though, Christopher was able to keep his composure. Or maybe he just didn't find it funny. He was nice, but he seemed the serious sort. "You heard him." Christopher began with his commands, "You three." He pointed to the soldiers. "Stay with our leader for now, guard him and provide assistance." He turned towards the rest of his group. "Come with me." The started trotting away, with Daniel confused with what to do. "You too Tusken!" He affirmed and Daniel rode after them.

"Up front with me." He waved Daniel over and he sped up to get to him. He looked Daniel over, like he was an interesting specimen and it made him shudder. "You seem.. particularly aware of a certain red substance. You pointed out the wounded in the group before. Why is that?" Christopher asked.

"Oh, I just have a good nose is all." He lied. That was half of it. The other half being he was attuned to blood, his subconscious even working his body for the goal of getting it. He would never let that on though. There were rumors going around of his blood ability, but he didn't want to give those rumors any truth out of fear of getting kicked out.

"Well, then let's see it in action." Christopher said with a gleam in his eyes. He pointed to a group of people. "Any injured? Can you smell the blood?" He didn't seem like he was buying the hasty explanation.

Daniel concentrated hard. Blood scent shifted in the air all around him. It was hard to focus on one group with it being so intoxicating. There were panic and injuries. He closed his eyes. "No. But... Over there." He pointed to another group, a man clutching luggage.

Christopher nodded his head to someone in their group. "Go. The man with the leather suitcase." The cavalry soldier went over and, sure enough, they could all see from their vantage point that the man was in fact injured. The soldier took him on horseback and Christopher and the soldier exchanged on nod, a slight understanding of where the soldier was going. "You are an interesting one, Daniel Tusken." Christopher commented. Daniel looked pretty surprised, but Christopher quickly moved on. "Now, can you smell any other injuries?" Oh yeah. He could smell a ton.

 

[SharkBark]

Castro swatted violently at the crow.

"Dumb ass crow! What's your problem with me?" He yelled out. It scratched at his head and drew blood. The same spot where he had slammed his head jumping off of the building. Great. His head was not having a good day. If this kept up, he could die from brain damage. Suddenly, to make matters even worse, vines wrap around his left leg, preventing him from moving.

"Damn, kid. How many tricks do you have up your sleeve?" Castro takes his sword back out and begins to slice through the vines. He looks up and sees Castor running towards Vivi and Inari. "Hey, c'mon man, I'm not here to hurt you!" With one final swing, Castro successfully slices through the vines. He looks up at the crow. It didn't seem to be coming back at him.

"Listen Castor, don't do this, alright? I'm not with---" Castro looks as Inari and Vivi slowly wake up. "Shit. I came on too strong. I should've left my blade with Iris." Castro looks up to Iris and Mizuki watching this all unfold. It was up to him now. Castro takes a running start towards Castor, his blade in one hand and his other hand in his pocket. Suddenly, he leaps of Castor and takes his hand out of his pocket. In his hand is a white cloth. He lands in front of Inari on his knees and holds it out in front of her.

"Please, I really don't want to fight a spirit. I'm pretty sure I'd die." He says, putting his sword on the ground. "I just need to talk to Castor, please don't hurt me. Consider this as a white flag, I surrender."

 

[Kumii]

MizukiLocation: Ironshire City Rooftops
Interactions: DarknessSama17
Mentions: AlphaBlueWolf SharkBark

Mizuki watched as Castro approached the trio, "Uh, nevermind. That'll have to wait." She followed behind and saw Castor in a panic. Mizuki had a blank stare at Castro, "Maybe you were a tad aggressive." Anna, on the other hand, found it quite funny and she smiled lightly while still hiding behind Mizuki who she said taken a liking too at this point. Mizuki decided to hang behind and watch over Anna for the time being.

Inari and ViviCurrent State: Partial Kitsune State
Location: Ironshire City Rooftops
Interactions: AlphaBlueWolf SharkBark
Mentions: DarknessSama17

Inari's human form switched immediately to her partial form upon hearing Castro's voice. She got up and turned around and saw four people, two were humans, one was a machine Spirit and the last was a human child, like Vivi. Vivi turned around as well and hid behind Inari. Suddenly, Castor panicked and came running towards her, "Uh, hang on-" Too late, Castor had already arrived. Then Castro came rushing at them, Inari was still processing what Castor had done when Castro presented a white cloth as a form of a truce. At this point, Inari had broke. Her face was beet red, her mind was spinning, she was unable to process the quick series of events that had just happened. Inari barely caught what he had said, white flags and something about surrendering.

Inari snapped herself out of it but was still blushing, she avoided eye contact with Castro, "Uh, d-don't wo-worry about it!" She waved her hand dismissively. She still couldn't properly talk to humans, she played her hands and fidgeted a bit, "I-I do-don't r-really l-like fighting hu-humans that mu-much anyways.." she shyly said to Castro. To Castor, she seemed an entirely different person as she didn't seem to stutter that much but only when embarrassed. Inari quickly offered her hand to Castro to help him from his knees, completely ignoring his offering. She was still blushing but gave him a warm smile. Her ears were standing up straight and pointed directly at Castro and her two tails were gently waving back and forth and her red beast-like eyes had returned.

Vivi peeked out at Castro, he was on his knees in front of Inari offering some kind of white cloth to her, she tilted her head but didn't say anything.

 

[AlphaBlueWolf]

Castor had run over to Inari, wanting the protection. He hid nervously behind her, finding Vivi doing the same. He didn't believe Castro for one second when he said he didn't want to hurt him. Castor was a Reincrat and this guy knew. He'd come here looking for information about his brother. His father had briefed him shortly on situations like these. People would want to take advantage of him and gain the family's secrets. If there's one thing he feared more than this guy or even his brother, was his father. Josiah Reincrat. He'd never physically hurt him, but it was clear he could very well and would if Castor slipped up once. Even with this new guy pulling up a blade to slash at his vines, he still feared his family more. He briefly felt bad for the vines, then was snapped out of his thoughts as the guy came rushing over.

He had rushed over when the vines had snapped and was coming after him. He had gotten to Inari first and hid behind her, but the other guy was incredibly close. He was scared he'd try to tackle him, so he got focused on the vines again, ready to grow them should he need to. To his suprise, he didn't. The new guy landed on his knees and presented a white cloth. He knew about those. A sign of surrender. His father had books about that kind of stuff in his study. He'd never read it intently, but he had taken curious peaks while his father had stepped out of the room. Enough to know what the flag meant at least, but his whole appearance said otherwise. He had a huge knife. Of course he wasn't here for peace. Besides, he still wanted to talk to him for information. Plus, he knew his name! That was another red flag, despite the white one hanging limply in his hand.

Odin flew down towards him and perched on his shoulder. He looked ready to fight again, fast enough to dash away before a blade hit him. He'd stopped when he saw things were calming down, it was good the raven was able to read the room. "I'm not a dumbass." The raven cawed lowly. "And I'm not a crow either. Get your animals right, dumbass." If a raven could smirk, Odin definitely was. Castor was too stunned to even reprimand the raven for cursing twice. He didn't like cursing and all that other adult stuff, much like he didn't like fighting. The raven flitted angrily to his other shoulder as he gazed upon Castro with a malice. Odin hated him both for endangering Castor and for the whole dumbass crow comment. Castor knew he'd love to get in a good blood drawing scratch with his talons. He simply pet the top of the raven's head, both for his own comfort and to calm Odin down.

Meanwhile, Inari was acting super weird with her stuttering. He knew she could get flustered and stutter from Vivi's comments, but this was a whole other thing. She'd gone into it like that, which wasn't what he had seen from her. He wondered if she would be able to protect him, or if he would have to bolt and hopefully find one of his brother's people. He didn't want to go home, but it was better than this. Well, he'd rather not get potentially killed and hurt for information. At least he was sort of safe back at the estate. Well, save for his brother when he was alone with him. If he was angered, he was not afraid to use his powers on him.

Castor went closer to Inari and clutched tight at her clothes, acting as a scared child in need of his mother. "H-He knows." He said in a whispered voice, directing it at Inari and hoping she'd understand what he meant by that. He knew about his secret, being a Reincrat. "He wants to use me... to get stuff on them." He sounded scared and worried. "I don't want to t-talk to him..."

 

[SharkBark]

Castro grunted as Inari let him up. He really shouldn't have landed on his knees like that.

"Thank you for understanding. I don't mean any harm, I just wanted to talk to Castor." He said. "As you heard, there's gonna be another war. We can't have that. If he's willing, his information can help."

Castro looked over at Castor, who still looked half scared to death of him.

"Fuck. Why'd I come down here with a sword?" Castro thought. He picks his blade back up and gestures it towards Inari.

"For proof that I'm not going to hurt you, take this." He said as he gave it to her. "Oh, also these." He also handed her his entire backpack and his satchel.

"See? Completely unarmed. Wait, one more thing." Castro removes his coat. Underneath he had only a white short sleeved that was tight around his arms. "You can check that for weapons too." Castro removes his glasses and runs his hand through his hair, making it messy. "I have to change the way I look for now. People are coming for me."

Castro looks to the roof behind him.

"So..you girls gonna come out or sit there and watch?" He said to Mizuki and Iris. "I thought you'd have my back. Now some kid thinks I'm a maniac. Great." Castro looks at Vivi. "Bring Anna too, I think she has some new friends."

Kumii AlphaBlueWolf DarknessSama17

 

[Kumii]

MizukiLocation: Ironshire City Rooftops
Interactions: DarknessSama17
Mentions: AlphaBlueWolf SharkBark

Mikzuki was playing with Anna as Castro mentioned her. She got up and turned to face him and gave him a deadpan thumbs up, "You're doing great!" Anna copied her, nodding a couple times with the same deadpan expression. Mizuki turned to Iris, "I'm gonna hang back actually. You can feel free to join him, milady." Mizuki bowed her head and continued to play with Anna, letting her even touch her gun. Mizuki smiled.

Inari and ViviCurrent State: Partial Kitsune State
Location: Ironshire City Rooftops
Interactions: AlphaBlueWolf SharkBark
Mentions: DarknessSama17

Inari pulled Castro up, her blush fading as she saw Castor hide behind her and whisper softly. A look of concern washed over her face, 'Scared of him?' It wasn't long before she was bombarded with items given to her by Castro, "Hey, wai-" And another item, a sword, "N-Now, ho-hold-" One more, a backpack. Inari puffed out her cheeks and folded her ears back as she was handed a satchel too, "Hey! Hold on now!" She raised her voice and promptly dropped all the stuff on ground but immediately blushed again upon seeing Castro, "Um, s-sorry b-but it isn't m-me you have t-to gain the tr-trust of.." She looked at Castor then back to Castro but then immediately looked away, "A-And I-I don't th-think you're g-gonna earn it th-that easily.."

She briefly glanced to Castor and Vivi, "I-I understand y-you wa-want to prevent a w-war b-but can't you s-see that's he's just a ch-child?" Inari glanced at Castro then away again, "Y-you can't g-go around d-doing this.." Inari smacked her face a couple times, 'Pull yourself together, Inari! You stuttering fool!' She cleared her throat, "Maybe tr-try earning his trust in a w-way that isn't threatening?" She suggested, she looked to Castor and pat his head. Vivi poked out, "Y-Yeah." She went back behind Inari after that.

 

[SharkBark]

Castro sighed in annoyance. How dumb could he get? He ran down here with a sword.

"I guess I could've come off less strong." He looks to Castor and gives him a warm smile. "Hey, I'm Castro Smith. Nice to meet you Castor. I'm sorry for giving you a scare."

Castro's smile slowly fades.

"I fought your brother earlier alongside your friend here. He's not dead, I promise. We just..had a little disagreement." Castro yawns. "He kinda wants me dead now." Castro runs his hand through his hair again. "They're looking for you too. Be honest with me. Do you want to go back to them?"

Kumii DarknessSama17 AlphaBlueWolf

 

[AlphaBlueWolf]

Castor was kind of conflicted with what Castro said. His information could help stop the upcoming war? That would be the best thing ever. He hated the unnecessary violence. If he could avoid that, it would be better. If he could help people not get hurt. But, he reminded himself that this guy just wished to use him. Just like everyone else did. He couldn't deal with that. He hated that. He just wanted to go home and have all of this be a bad dream. Go back to his real home. His little cottage with his mother. That was the good place, that was his home. No one tried to use him, and his mother really did care.

His hands got tighter around Inari's clothes, knowing he was at least aiding a little bit in the war that was slowly beginning to rear its ugly head. Castro kept his attention more pointed towards Inari, maybe because she was the clear leader as the oldest. He gave her some items, his sword, bag, jacket and satchel. Inari promptly dropped all of it. He would've taken it, maybe chucked it off the side of the roof to have it out of his hands. He'd feel at least a little bit safer with a huge blade out of Castro's hands.

She responded by telling Castro he should be earning Castor's trust rather than her's. He liked that, but he didn't want to be talking to him regardless. The head pat from Inari helped and he took in a breath of air and exhaled slowly, thinking up a plant fact in an attempt to calm himself down. Castro kind of agreed, thinking he came off strong, and shifted to look towards him with a warm smile. The guy introduced himself as Castro Smith, and he noted their names sounding pretty similar. It wasn't the most important thought though. He was getting side tracked. He said it was nice to meet him; Castor didn't think the same. Then he apologized for scaring him. He didn't really know how to take Castro, just that nothing good was going to come from him.

The older guy, Castro, told him he'd fought his brother earlier, with Inari. He stared up towards her. So, she'd met Rajeel. He wondered if she'd already put two and two together and formed the notion that they were related. He wondered if she had even found out the guy she fought was a Reincrat. The alcohol addicted one at that. Would she think poorly of him, knowing who his older brother was? She seemed unaffected by him and his lineage, not judging him, but he still found himself afraid. Now he was being outed again, by an equally scary guy.

Still, he was impressed they'd gone up against Rajeel and survived. To him, Rajeel was the strongest guy ever. Maybe because he was immensely afraid of Rajeel considering his abusive tendencies. It was impressive, and a little scary. He wasn't worried about Rajeel being dead, even with a hangover he could handle himself. And he wasn't surprised he wanted Castro dead. From what he could tell, Castro was human and he knew how his whole family felt about humans. If Castro had survived, he'd be on Rajeel's hit list of awful humans, ones who had wronged him. He was now scared of how his older brother's mood would be when he had to go back to him, especially with him evading his agents at every turn.

He also wasn't surprised that he was being looked for. They knew that already. All three of them. Castro soon hit a nerve, the fact of if he wanted to go back or not. He didn't really, but he had no choice in the matter. He clutched more tightly onto Inari. "M-maybe." He said. His answer was childish, not wanting to let Castro be right but also not wanting to talk to him. Still, it was obvious by his expression that he didn't like it at home. He didn't want to go back, but he was even more scared of what would happen if he decided not to.

 

[Kumii]

Inari and ViviCurrent State: Partial Kitsune State
Location: Ironshire City Rooftops
Interactions: AlphaBlueWolf SharkBark
Mentions: None

Inari's expression turned into one that of being content but at the same time said 'why me?' as she found herself being faced with a choice; if she should tell the truth to Castor about that time she disappeared or keep it a secret for now but if she did that it would make Castro out to be a liar further enforcing his idea that he wasn't to be trusted. Fake tears rolled down her face as she though this, 'Why meeee...' Inari also found herself being a big sis to not one but two children now. Was this her destiny? Was she TOO nice to Castor. None of this mattered when Castor quietly said, 'Maybe.' Inari looked almost surprised, he wants to go home? She couldn't blame him but he seemed afraid of his father and brother so why...?

Inari's expression changed again, this time to that of sorrow and realization, 'Oh, he doesn't mean it, I'm sure.' Then she realized she kind of knew about the Reincrat family, after all she was a pretty big nuisance for them and the Dragonfist Order. However, giving Castro this information would force her into working with the Phoenix Order and essentially break her neutrality pact but it was the only way to prevent Castor from being interrogated by Castro.

"I'll do it." She said, looking down, "I know a fair bit about the Reincrats... and the Dragonfist Order and..." She looked at Castro, it was as if all her shyness had disappeared, "Kishi." It was true... at least for the latter two. The most she knew about the Reincrats was that they majorly funded the Order when Ryuuni was still the leader. She wasn't sure about the situation now but at least this way it took some of the heat off Castor.

 

[SharkBark]

"Maybe, you say. I don't know but, that sounds like a no to me." Castro says. He turns to Inari when she starts speaking. She says something about knowing about the Reinhart family.

"You do? You'll be useful to me." Castro covers his mouth and blushes. Useful. He sounds like he's just using them for information. Well, he kinda is but, he wouldn't mind being around them for more than just that. "I apologize, it's just that I sound really selfish right now. You have info that could be useful to me but, you don't have to spill for the kid's sake. In fact, no one has to tell me anything at all. Just let me know, I don't want to cause any of you guilt or stress."

Castro looks down at his things. "Did you have to drop them? I have useful things in there." He crouches down and starts picking up his things. He reaches out to the blade but looks at Castor. No point in scaring him again with all this stuff. With an annoyed groan, Castro picks up all of his things and literally throws all of his things. Off the roof. He winces as he hears his items clang and a crack is followed. Shit. That was something important wasn't it?

Castro looks over to Vivi. He hadn't exactly interacted with her yet so he gives her a little wave. He looked nonchalant right now but, he was squealing inside. She was adorable and, he hadn't seen a little kid in a while.
Kumii DarknessSama17 AlphaBlueWolf

 

[AlphaBlueWolf]

Damn. Castro saw right through his act and was able to pinpoint his real answer to that question in a second. How easy was he to read? He was anxious all the time, so maybe that helped? Whatever it was, he berated himself in his head. He couldn't believe he had been so able to read. He really didn't want to go back, he just wanted to go to his real home and forget about all of this. Back to his mother who actually cared and forget about this war. It was the irresponsible and childish thing to do, but he couldn't help it. He was still a kid, a kid who had been dragged into this.

He looked up towards Inari as she spoke about taking his place. Giving Castro the information she needed. All the stuttering was gone. She was serious about this, all the shyness gone. He had the old Inari back. The one he felt safe and protected by. He knew it must've been an act, maybe not right now but at certain times she seemed just as afraid as the two kids hiding behind her. He felt bad. Insanely bad.

He was surprised by Castro's statements. His eyes narrowed; more distrust placed in them. How could he say such a thing? He soon backtracked and apologized, but that must've been his true intentions slipping out; his true colors showing. He even said no one had to spill anything. That was... a bit contradictory. He wanted the information, to Castor he seemed ready to kidnap him, so why this now? He wasn't at all convinced. Still terrified and still doubtful of his intentions. Some of it was because of his experiences with the Reincrats. Getting basically mentally and physically abused and manipulated wasn't good for him in the worrying department.

Castro bent down and he took the opportunity to yank at Inari's sleeve, grabbing her attention momentarily. He gave a firm shake of his head. He was basically trying to tell her that it was his mess, that she didn't have to go through the trouble for him. He had gotten more people in trouble because of his family. That was on him. She didn't have to take the fall. And he knew from what she said before that she hadn't wanted to get involved with this stuff. He couldn't let her do that for him.

He then looked back towards Castro. He had said something about Inari dropping his stuff, before reaching to pick it all up. He reached for the blade and Castor's tail fur bristled and fluffed up. Castro looked towards him. Castor thought it was more of a mocking glare like 'haha I've got the sword. I could chop you to bits until you give me what I want.' To his surprise, that's not how things went. Castro had let out a groan, he had seen his scared demeanor. Then, this might've been the most shocking thing today except that he was mostly dazed to that kind of stuff. He had thrown everything off the roof. His sword, his backpack. Everything that seemed scary. Castor seemed visibly eased, even if he was still apprehensive around Castro.

He let out a heavy sigh. Ok, maybe he wasn't so bad. But he still really wasn't fond of him like he was Inari and Vivi. Still, maybe he could try to make an effort. He didn't want to give anything up, but he also didn't want to drag Inari down with him. Maybe they could run if it was anything relating to his father and his plans. He would never let that slip of his own free will. His father was way too scary to do that. So, he just piped up to ask his own questions. His voice was squeaky, and it was the first time he was speaking a more than a one-word sentence to Castro. He nervously played with his hands as he talked. Odin fluffed up his feathers and moved closer to his face to provide some support. "W-What information do you need e-exactly? And are you... are you planning to hurt anyone with it?"



Daniel and Christopher had made some rounds with the group which was now mostly gone. As soon as Daniel pointed out the wounded from his blood attracted sense of smell, a cavalry soldier from their group went to grab them to head to base camp. They were rooting out the injured successfully and helping them get the help they needed. Christopher just stared at him with impression. He was surprised, but Christopher hadn't dismissed him yet. He hadn't ordered him to do some apprentice's task. He was like one of the group, and he quite enjoyed it. Even with the stench of the blood in the air, the miserable mood, and Christopher's straight forward and serious manner. He still much preferred this to being treated like garbage by his fellow soldiers. Soon enough, it'd just be him and Christopher in their group.

 

[Kumii]

Chapter 5: The Awakening

(Surprise! New Chapter! Time skip is still coming though don't worry!)​

KishiLocation: The Tower(???)
Interactions: None
Mnetions: AlphaBlueWolf SharkBark DarknessSama17

Kishi entered the Tower located in the center of the city, "Mmm, advanced." He looked around, "Now what can I find..." He looked around and suddenly found himself falling some distance down a tube of some kind until he landed in an open area that seemed technologically more advanced then the rest of the city, "Huh, what is this? Didn't hear about this is the reports..." Kishi saw a control panel. Kishi pushed a a few buttons on it and something roared to life, "Wh-WHat's going on?!" Oh right, he was alone here.

Then what seemed like a big ball of fire lit up the dark room. It spoke in a foreign language, but strangely Kishi understood it perfectly, "I am Rasputin. A wartime AI and weapon. Who are you?" as it spoke, the ball pulsed.

Kishi was shocked a bit, "Uh... I am Kishi Dragonfist, current Leader, probably, of the Dragonfist Order. What... exactly are you?" Kishi asked. It responded, "Data insufficient, providing clearer answer. I am an AI designed by early Humans as a wartime weapon. As you can see, I have since been deactivated, destined to sleep dormant until I was reawakened. I have full control over any and all satellites currently orbiting the Earth."

Kishi rubbed his chin, "A weapon... an orbital defense and attack weapon... if the humans used this on us during the First War then..."

It continued, "Authorized user not detected. Proceeding with Defense Protocol 8198b." Kishi looked up at the AI core, "Huh?" Soon as he said that and laser shot down at the Tower with Kishi still in it, however, Kishi defended himself with a shield. Kishi jumped up and flew away from the now crater where the Tower used to stand. "Defense Protocol complete. Re-entering sleep state." With that, the AI went dormant with Kishi flying away from the city.

Rex looked at the direction of the Tower, "Someone must've found Rasputin..." He looked at CASTS, "That isn't good..." CASTS replied, "Acknowledgment: Yes, it isn't good."

 

[AlphaBlueWolf]

Daniel and Christopher were almost finished even though there were a lot more injured than they could carry. Christopher soon enough specified for him to pick out the most injured and he tried his best. Blood stench hung in the air, that's all he could smell. Since he didn't like using the powers he had relating to blood, he hadn't taken the time to learn the different smells of blood. If you thought it was one stagnant smell, you'd be wrong. It was like scent in a way, each one smelling a twinge different. Blood types had a huge part of that, each blood type containing a different smell. It'd be useful in field work if he could ever overcome the intoxicating effect of it. Plus, he'd have to train his nose to differentiate between the smells. That would require him getting over the fear of his powers and actually practicing them, which was probably never going to happen.

They'd just sent off the last of their small group with an injured person. He hoped the band of soldiers would come back from their deposits soon, because there were more to be taken. Besides the injured, they had a whole massive city of panicked civilians on their hands. "So, do you want me to grab someone and bring them to the camp?" He asked Christopher, unsure of what to do now.

Christopher shook his head. "No. Stay by my side. I think you'd be most useful here." Daniel was shocked by the statement, but he couldn't say he didn't appreciate it. Though he doubted Christopher meant it in that way. It seemed more like a tactical strategy to the guy. He did as he was told and followed Christopher through the ranks of civilians, the both of them now acting as guides to the civilians.

Daniel heard the impact from the blast and the tower explode, his good hearing kicking in though he was pretty sure everyone heard that. The horses stomped around in a panic, as did the civilians. First, they had to coax their horses into a standstill position. Once that was done, Christopher projected his voice. "It's alright!" He called out. "Keep moving towards the camp we have set up!" He pointed in its direction and his commanding presence was enough to get at least some people moving. Or maybe it was the panic of the great tower's collapse. He couldn't tell. "Come on." He told Daniel and they shot off towards Rex Vermillion.

That beam was powerful, strong. He had heard of the Phoenix Order having weapons that could do serious damage. He was lower ranking, so he had heard whispers and rumors but could never imagine something like that. He shuddered. If that beam had really been from a Phoenix Order weapon, then that meant it was now in the hands of the Dragonfist Order. That was truly terrible.

Christopher dispatched the three soldiers hanging around Rex to go help with the civilians. He then turned towards their leader. He seemed to know exactly what that was, worry tracing his usually straightforward eyes. He seemed to burry everything deep down to get the job done, but even he was worried. "Sir, that beam. The tower. They've gotten ahold of Rasputin. I'm sure you've figured this out already but still... we can't just sit and let that weapon fall into their hands. Even if it does have protocols, they might be able to access it at some point or another." He didn't know what Christopher was saying but he knew if it was dangerous something had to be done about it.

"If you don't mind me speaking.." He said and Christopher nodded for him to continue, "We should go back in if its really that dangerous for them to have.. Rasputin. I will volunteer, sir! If you deem it a good idea, that is." Christopher looked at him with a little bit of surprise but didn't argue. Daniel didn't exactly know how good he was at stealth, nor would it be stealthy to have a horse in there. He could always just leave his horse here and continue into the city on foot, even if he felt safer on horseback.

 

[Kumii]

RexLocation: Ironshire Outskirts
Interactions: AlphaBlueWolf

Rex looked at the pair as they approached him. Rex nodded as they mentioned that they must've gotten ahold of Rasputin, "Not quite the case." He pointed at the city, "See? If they truly got a hold of Rasputin, those guns would be open firing on us right now, since Rasputin has access to every satellite orbiting the Earth right now." He looked at Daniel and shook his head, "Calm down, my boy." Rex put a finger to his chin as he thought, "Begs the question... how did they find Rasputin... the location of Rasputin is known only to me and the Council..." He began to pace, "Observation: It's possible that whoever found Rasputin's location merely stumbled upon it by accident."

Rex looked at CASTS as he said that, "That's true.. there's an issue though." Rex looked at Christopher and Daniel with a rather serious expression, "The reason Rasputin was deactivated, was because it was too unstable to operate properly. Every time they activated it they found it to start to develop a will of its own. It became too advanced for its own good." CASTS interjected, "Inquiry: It's suggested that Rasputin may attempt to betray humanity?" Rex nodded, "That's what they were scared of." He looked to the city, "I think it's pretending to be dormant in order to re-access its abilities. When they shut it down, they cut it off from everything but the defense grid. Seems that when it woke, it regained control of the Orbital Defense Laser. If it regains access to any more protocols, it becomes a threat to not only us Humans but the Sprits as well..."

Rex began pacing again, "What to do..."

 

[AlphaBlueWolf]

Daniel's cheeks turned a light pink color out of embarrassment as Rex told him to calm down. Maybe he'd come off too strong, or maybe his ideas were just wild from having no experience in the decision-making part of the job. He was younger and newer to the Order so of course his ideas wouldn't be good. Even if he had been dead serious.

He almost shuddered at the thought of how much power this Rasputin thing had. Able to use the artillery protecting the city to attack its civilians. He was glad they hadn't gotten ahold of the weapon. Not yet at least. Rex was mulling over how they found Rasputin with CASTS giving his own idea. Stumbling upon it? Whoever had was either incredibly lucky or incredibly dead. Take your pick and place your bets. It could've been either.

Christopher nodded along to it. He was never getting distracted like Daniel. He noticed Rex's expression, this time serious. Before, he had thought their leader was kind of goofy, but now he seemed like just that, a leader. He explained about Rasputin, how it was a powerful AI who started growing sentience everything it'd get activated. It was unstable, a loose cannon, and loose cannons weren't good for the Phoenix Order who was a mixed human/spirit army going up against a solely spirit one. It could lead to disaster if it were to betray orders in their time of need. He'd never been a machine person, so he was glad it'd been shut down. It would soon become a threat to humanity as well as the spirits, a double blow to him given his mixed human spirit physiology.

Christopher had a finger on his chin, trying to think of the best tactical strategy. Daniel shouldn't have opened up his mouth again given his last statement, but he couldn't help it as the words flew out. "We could just destroy it. Get a qualified team together, get access to its location, and destroy its wiring for good. Shut it down, explode it, whatever it takes. That way its no longer a threat to humans or spirits and we can just focus on the Dragonfist Order without any worries of other conflicts."

 

[Kumii]

RexLocation: Ironshire Outskirts
Interactions: AlphaBlueWolf

Rex turned around and began walking towards camp, "Make sure everyone gets out safely you three." He said to three soldiers who were standing nearby, "Christopher, Daniel, come with me." He walked at a brisk pace back to camp and arrived at his tent. He slapped down an orbital map of Ironshire, "This is an orbital satellite picture taken by Rasputin a long time ago." The map was old but still somewhat in good shape. Rex looked up at the pair, "Daniel's not entirely wrong here. We can shut down Rasputin for good. Exploding would only cause more unnecessary damage to the city so our safest and most effective way would be to shut it down." He began pointing to 4 different locations on the map, "There are 5 total control terminals located in underground passage ways that only the higher-ups have access to but for this case, I'm giving you permission." He pointed in the north end of the city, "One in the north."

He pointed to the eastern end, "One in the east." Then to the west, "One in the west." then pointed south, "And one in the south. There was one more located in the Tower but... that's obviously not the case anymore."

He looked back up at the two, "Once those terminals are activated, in Rasputin's main chamber sits a master control panel. It receives data from the other 5, or 4 in this case, terminals and the relays it to Rasputin's main AI core. In layman's terms, we hack terminal, make Rasputin go booooom." He said that last part kinda goofy-like.

Inari and ViviCurrent State: Partial Kitsune State
Location: Ironshire City Rooftops
Interactions: AlphaBlueWolf SharkBark
Mentions: None

Vivi gasped a little in surprise when Castro gave a little wave to her, she looked down and blushed a bit but gave a little wave back, 'Maybe he.. isn't so bad? But Castor sure seems afraid of him... to be honest.. so am I... a little bit at least.' She thought, she started to clutch Inari's clothes in her hand.

Inari's expression changed when Castro mentioned not wanting to bother or guilt trip anyone. She looked for a moment when Castor stuttered through his sentence, 'Is it really alright for you to be doing this, Castor?' she thought.

Her mind started to race with thoughts, mainly thoughts about Castor's sudden willingness, 'But this Castro guy... he's pretty-' Inari stopped herself there and let out an audible, "Ehhhh?!" Blushing as she realized she just essentially was surprised by her own thoughts, 'Where was I going with that thought?! WHY was I thinking that thought?!' Her thoughts were cut short as the Tower was basically obliterated by a laser from space. Inari shielded her eyes and Vivi's eyes from the resulting light. Once the beam settled and disappeared, she caught a momentary glimpse of something running away from the blast, 'Huh? Was that...?' Is what her mind thought, meanwhile her mouth blurted out, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Yeah, not exactly ladylike but she was caught so off guard by it that she kind of acted without thinking for a moment which, in turn, caused her to blush... a lot... Inari did a lot of blushing lately.

Vivi had just about the same reaction.

 

[AlphaBlueWolf]

Christopher and Daniel followed Rex without objection. Though, they were pretty surprised by it. At least Daniel was. Was what he had said offensive? Was it out of line? Or maybe... had he done good? Were they heading to discuss it? Hopefully. He knew he was being way too tense around their leader. He was just used to the biased most higher ups had about him. How they'd talk down to him whenever he opened his mouth and how a lot of people who knew about his dad treated him. Though Rex seemed just as impartial as Christopher. If he even knew that is. He liked it but seemed a little nervous to be talking to their leader like this.

Daniel and Christopher had an easy time keeping up with Rex's pace on horseback. He briefly wondered if he should offer the leader a ride on his horse but bit back the statement. He seemed fine, plus he didn't want to come off as rude. Besides, he didn't know where he was going. And Christopher didn't offer either. But soon enough that didn't even matter. The scenery got more familiar, the path they were taking beaten by shoes and hooves. They were heading to the base camp, he realized, and they soon arrived at the tent.

Christopher and Daniel tied up their horses in a haste before moving into the tent with Rex. He'd slapped down some sort of map onto a table. It seemed to be of the city. It was soon revealed to be an orbital map, one taken by the very thing Daniel had suggested destroying. And, to his surprise, Rex had actually considered the suggestion. More than that, he seemed like he wanted the operation to take place. He was on board for it. Daniel couldn't help the smile, but he quickly fixed that when Christopher gave him a glare as if to tell him calm down. This was a serious discussion after all. One involving the destruction of a weapon that could become fatal to the civilians.

Rex seemed to decide on shutting it down and he nodded along. Anything to put the civilians out of harm's way. Exploding did seem a little too much, but he thought it might need it given it was this all powerful, gaining sentience weapon that was pretending to sleep. If you plant a bomb, it wouldn't be gaining sentience anymore, nor would it be pretending to sleep. But Rex's reasoning made a lot more sense than his half-baked ramblings. He talked about the passageways, and even said he'd give them permission to access the locations. Wait, them? He said 'you' so maybe that just meant the high ranking soldier Christopher. Our maybe he was talking as in their group, just saying you. He was overanalyzing it. The point was he was probably going and that thought alone was enough to make him giddy. Finally, a chance to prove himself! He'd show everyone who doubted his loyalty that they were wrong. He could be trusted, and he could be a great soldier. Maybe, if things went well, he'd be able to get a fighting chance and be equal to the other soldiers. He hoped so desperately.

There were passageways in a corner of every direction which made enough sense. Then one in the tower that had already been blown up. Geez, the thing had enough power to kill its fifth terminal and destroy the tower. He shuddered to the thought of it finding out about this. It would be a danger mission. Maybe he should drop by his parents' place before this. Then again, this was an important mission. They couldn't stall on this, not when Rasputin was gaining control over more stuff every minute that passed.

Then there was the master control panel. Oh boy, that was going to be a tough one. If the thing really was awake, then how were they supposed to get into its chamber without it noticing? How were they going to pull this one off? He would've giggled at Rex being all goofy if he didn't feel the weight of the mission setting in. Meanwhile, Christopher was going over things. "Alright. So, we just get to each location, hack each terminal and then head for the main control panel. Seems do able, but we'll need some stuff." Christopher really did sound like a commander. He made his hand into a fist and put up a finger for every new thing. "We're going to need supplies... and a team. Qualified people, plus someone who knows how to work computers and specifically the terminals. Then back up sold-"

"Wait." Daniel put up his hand as if he were waiting for a teacher to call on him. "Before all that stuff, won't Rasputin figure out our plan when we start things at the first terminal? If it's this all powerful, gaining sentience robot than surely it'll figure out what we're up to before we get to the other three or even think about going to the main control panel. How're we supposed to pull this off without it knowing?" He asked their leader. He couldn't understand how Christopher could remain so calm. Maybe it was because this was his first real, big mission that Daniel was the one nervous about all the risks and such.


Castor heard the sound come from Inari which he mostly thought was her shock from him actually going along with things. It wasn't like he was actually going to answer whatever questions Castro came up with. He just wanted to know the background of it. Also, the decision had mostly been to protect Inari from having to get involved. He had jumped the gun so fast without even thinking. Still, he could just refuse to talk after hearing what Castro wanted to know. He did say he didn't want to guilt or pressure anyone into spilling, though that was already happening. And there was always the option of bolting, like the little coward he was. Why had he thought of that? Why did he have to be so pathetic? He was too scared, so he'd thought of just leaving his new friends to deal with Castro. Maybe he was just as coldhearted as the rest of his family. He didn't want to be like the Reincrats but he was acting in cowardice and self-preservation like them. Oh, great. Now he was being influenced by them

He didn't have time to deal with this problem any longer, as a new problem arose. This day had just been full of terrifying surprises. Inari and Vivi covered their eyes. He guessed the Castro guy probably did the same. Meanwhile, his eyes were fixed on the flashing light beam. It was weird, but light never seemed to bother him. He could look directly into the sun for hours with no side effects. Probably something relating to his powers and the little balls of light he could conjure. He wasn't sure. Still, that blast hadn't been a good thing. The tower had been completely vaporized. Steam smoked where it had once stood, and some fires had started near the base of the once great tower. "Light. A light.. beam I guess. Not the kind that would help a plant grow, that's for sure." He responded to Inari, calmer then he usually was and calmer than them. He was more in his element while talking about things he knew. And light was something he was familiar with. Still, he became scared now thinking up different possibilities. "W-was that the Dragonfist O-Order? W-Why are they still attacking? They already took the city." He stuttered out in questions to Inari, hoping the oldest of the people he trusted would have the answers.

 

[Kumii]

RexLocation: Ironshire Outskirts
Interactions: AlphaBlueWolf

Rex looked at Daniel as he asked his questions, nodding his head a bit, “Valid concerns.” Rex looked at Daniel, “But you gotta pay attention to words being spoken , Daniel. I never mentioned that they had to be done one by one, did I? Nor did I say any order they must be hacked.” Rex looked between Christopher and Daniel, “I think you can figure out the rest, yeah?”

Rex closed his eyes in thought for a moment, “Hmm, we may not have any choice but to fight it in the end. But if we pull this off it’ll be severely weakened.” Rex slammed his hand on the table, “Right! Here’s the plan! We’ll hit the all four terminals at once staying out of sight using the passageways. Once we’ve done that, we rendezvous right at Rasputin front door. Then we attack it and wait for a momentary opening at which point, I will access the main terminal and activate the shut down protocol. Sound good?”

Inari and ViviCurrent State: Partial Kitsune State
Location: Ironshire City Rooftops
Interactions: AlphaBlueWolf SharkBark
Mentions: None

Inari looked at Castor and shook her head, “I honestly don’t have clue what that was. It didn’t look like anything Kishi can use but.. it’s been 200 years since I last fought him.” Inari gently held Vivi who had buried her face into Inari’s waist. She looked at Castro then Castor again. “I mean I saw something jumping away but it was so bright that I couldn’t see it clearly.” She didn’t know how react, neither did Vivi. She attempted to gather her thoughts, “Um, maybe it was some kind of defense measure? Maybe someone found something they shouldn’t have?” Inari really didn’t know but she tried to think of stuff it could be to at least give Castor an answer.

 

[AlphaBlueWolf]

Daniel was pleasantly surprised that Rex didn't completely disregard his concerns. It was quite needed considering every official wrote him off before even getting to know him. It's not like his father was the same man he was before either. In the Dragonfist Order, he was a skilled killer. Now, twenty-one years later, he was a complete softie. He liked baking, and pottery. Caring for the horses and tending to the garden. Most of all, he was all lovey dovey with Daniel's mother. He couldn't imagine the way his father had been before, but everyone else could. In fact, that's all they saw. Rex's attitude was refreshing to say the least, even though Rex really had no clue of his origins or who he was. Some random orc looking- though not with the big frame or body- cavalry soldier rather than the half orc son of the former Dragonfist Order general Zhurghed Tusken. Honestly, he much preferred it that way.

Rex slightly scolded him on paying attention to words and reading between the lines. Well, he took it more as a scolding rather than anything. He gave a firm nod as in to say, 'I'll do better'. An eyebrow shifted upwards as Rex explained himself. Apparently, they didn't need to access the terminals one at a time. There wasn't even an order. So, what did that mean? As a newer soldier he wasn't quite catching on, but Christopher nodded as if he understood. It made sense, since Christopher had more experience than him with this stuff. Besides, Daniel wasn't really a strategist. Not much of a hands-on fighter either, but he was certainly good on horseback. He'd much rather stick to cavalry than tactics.

Daniel wasn't pleased to hear they would be probably end up fighting this all-sentient AI. Rex said it would be weakened, but by how much? Weakened to human or spirit standards? Or still above them in power level? He had about no clue. He wasn't experienced in Rasputin as he wasn't high enough in rank to have even touched it while it was still being worked on. He kind of made him nervous, but there was also a measure of excitement and ambition. His first chance to prove himself! As long as he lived, maybe he'd start getting more opportunities rather than always sitting on the sideline.

The half orc flinched as Rex slammed his hands down on the table. It was startling. He did a quick overview of the plan, everything they went over. So, attack all the terminals, however they did that. Maybe at once? He was slowly starting to catch on. Use the passageways to get there, ok simple enough. Go to the main control panel where Rex would input the shutdown protocol. Ok, they had their chance to shut it down. Attack the thing and get shot at with a laser beam from space?! Oh boy, he was probably dead. He really didn't think he was fitting a horse through those passageways. He had no clue how wide those tunnels were, or for that matter the main control area, but fighting while on horseback was probably out. Hopefully it wasn't, he'd just have to see.

They both gave a nod in understanding, Daniel's being more nervous while Christopher acted like he had done this a million times before. "Four terminals." Christopher said. "Three of us, assuming you will be going along as well, sir. We'll need a fourth." Yup, Christopher really had understood Rex. "Do you have any ideas, sir? Anyone you think would be qualified to come along." Daniel probably wasn't qualified as such a low-ranking member, but they were still including him in the plans. He was glad Christopher, who definitely knew of his heritage, had took a chance on him. Christopher just saw him as a younger recruit inching for action and the chance to prove himself, who was also a little clueless and nervous about what he was getting into. He wasn't a cold-blooded killer so why not?



Castor was slightly relieved from the answer Inari gave him. She was saying it'd been a while since she'd fought him, centuries in fact, but he trusted her. If he couldn't do anything like that way back when, they he'd like to believe he wouldn't be able to now. Still, it had come from something and that something was probably not good.

"It looked like a person." Castor responded. His eyes had been unaffected by the light so he could see clearly enough to define the shape as a person. As for who it was, they were too far away to know for sure. But he had seen some other stuff attached to the person. "I'm thinking a spirit. It didn't look human, that's for sure. Definitely a person, but not human."

"But.. if its a d-defense protocol. We should p-probably get somewhere... y'know.. safe." He scratched his head. He wasn't feeling all too safe and, if the others were coming, he wasn't sure he'd be feeling safe in any other place. But, it felt like they were sitting ducks on a rooftop. Especially with the people still looking for him. His eyes darted around with a sense of urgency. Rajeel was sure to be super angry with him. It made him not want to go back even more. He didn't want to feel the abusive wrath of his brother or learn just how heated his father could get.