Ms. Sparrow
"Morning," he greeted politely. Since the woman curtsied, he decided to reply in his own way with the proper bow of a knight. "My name is Mithras. Mithras Veddartha. Ex-member of the Paladins of the Blue Heart, or as they are known today; Paladins of the Black Light. Currently unemployed."
She had perhaps heard the name of Mithras. He was famous back in the day when Alreos still ruled. And by 'famous,' of course, I mean that there were wanted posters in practically every single city and village with a huge reward for his capture - dead or alive. Since then, he has become a less popular topic, but some people might still make a recall
"Actually, I don't. I was wondering if Mr. Waesmor would want to hire me. Be it as a guard, or a butler - I have skills for both positions," he added with confident sincerity, lightly waving his arm. "If not, I'll just be on my way. If there's any chance of being hired, just tell me when to drop by."
Behind the 'paladin' was a horse. A black steed, with a saddle, and numerous bags and packages. This was a clear indicator that the man before the maid was quite a traveler, with plenty of years of experience on the saddle. The weapons at his person were a good hint that he was a mercenary, sword for hire, adventurer, or something of similar nature since a normal traveler wearing mithril armor is ludicrous.
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FireMaiden
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"Five minutes, you say?" Mithras mused. Her words made a mental image of him fighting Ari Waesmor in his mind. Mithras winced. "Well then, I'll make sure to do my best."
The promise of being a bodyguard sounded better than being a butler. Picking up undergarments and cleaning the dishes is a thing that made Mithras return mentally to his days of childhood, and that's a train of thought he'd prefer to avoid.
"Actually, I was a Paladin. After the Order joined the Inquisition, I left. I consider myself excommunicated, and they do too, particularly after I blew up their castle... good times." Mithras would have laughed had it not been his ex-comrades that died in the explosion.
Nala flew to them and told Mithras to follow. Without ado, the knight ran after the chimera at a steady pace. He left Dullahan where he was, knowing the horse is smart enough not to get into trouble and it'd come to him with a single whistle.
***
Mithras entered the house, looking around until the chimera led him to Ari. "Good morning. The name's Mithras Veddartha. I was told I'd be allowed to work as a guard if I last five minutes against you."
Having previous experiences with people who like to get straight to business, Mithras prepared to draw his sword. He wouldn't be surprised if Ari attacked him without warning as a part of the test. A guard who's always watching out for anything is a good guard. And just to be completely, absolutely safe, he not only prepared to draw his sword, but also started channeling mana so he could call for a shield of light magic at any moment, since his mithril shield, lance, and bow were still with Dullahan outside.
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Ms. Sparrow
Mithras listened to the explanation. He was surprised at first, his eyebrows jumping high. Even though he wore a helmet, it was easy to read from just his body language. "Really?" he looked at the children, trying to size up the situation. It wasn't every day that you got to meet a demigod, but a pair of twin, demigod children that belong to the very opposite gods, who are also brothers was something else entirely.
In a few seconds, Mithras calmed down. In the end, they were just a family. To act around them like they are higher beings would be weird. He followed Ari, trying not to mind Willow to the best of his ability, and he did it smoothly.
He stood opposite of Ari, on the other end of the white circle.
Mithras was hesitating to use black magic because even though Ari said no rules apply, black magic was generally frowned upon and its users are persecuted in some areas. Even if he used it with subtlety, Ari can detect mana being channeled, so Mithras has no way to use it without being detected. There is no perfect counter for that ability, as even a spell that impairs the detection of mana can be detected beforehand while being channeled and therefore stopped. He'd keep usage of black magic as the last resort.
"So, I can fight at full strength? That's good," Mithras drew his sword and held onto it. He flicked his wrist forward, summoning a shield of bright, yellow-white light into his hand. It was a spell he cast often, even though he definitely preferred his normal, mithril shield. Mithras knew that whatever the circle under Ari was, it was something to worry about. But, still. He didn't need to make a move or attempt to make full-contact. He did not have to kill Ari, either. All he needed was to stay the ground for five minutes, and as people would know, remaining alive and safe happens to be the specialty of a paladin. Be it a damage sponge, a healer, or a shield against darkness; the role of a paladin is to serve and protect.
Mithras channeled more mana, for a more powerful shield, knowing Ari is likely to start out with some strong magic. Mithras did not charge, or attack, or even move. He stood his ground adamantly and waited for the inevitable attack.
P Paint The Wind
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Tyr brought his axe down on one more log, splitting it in two, before turning to his wife. He still felt terrible for what he had done, and was reminded of it every time he saw his wife. Avoiding eye contact, he set down his axe and cleared his throat. "I-I'm sleeping alright.. Why are Ari and Arabelle here?"She found him getting ready to chop some wood, and chuckled softly, "Goodmorning Tyr," She said in a gentle voice, "How long have you been up?" Bailey asked.
"They wanted to see how my trip was," she said, stepping closer to him. "How were the kids last night? Cause much trouble?" Tyr was the one in charge last night, and she expected to be home before they had gone go bed, but because she wasn't, she wanted to know how they were. But, she knew Tyr wasn't in the best mental state.
Bakuyoshi
Mithras Veddartha
Training Field
Mithras rose his shield, intercepting the arrow. He was perceptive enough to notice the magic circle had not disappeared after Ari jumped, so he knew there was still something about it, and he was right.
The three wolves charged in Mithras' direction. With no better idea in mind, Mithras threw his shield off of his arm and into the air. The shield of light floated there, blocking the trajectory of any arrows Ari could fire. Mithras poured all the mana he channeled so far into the shield, expanding its volume and size in all directions, also making it tougher, to ensure it can endure punishment for a good bit of time.
Now, the wolves were the largest immediate threat. They could attack instantly in a pinch. Mithras pointed his blade to the ground and stabbed his sword into the earth. His hands then glowed with a radiant light, that transferred to the pommel, and moved through the hilt, then the blade, and into the ground. This would make the ground progressively more heated with holy energy, which would burn the wolves very quickly and lead to death in a few seconds unless they moved away from the searing, hellish heat. The ground was hallowed and would repel the wolves, for they were an enemy.
Mithras was prepared to take his sword from the ground and swing at any of the wolves, should Ari command them to attack rather than flee.
Doing this, however, rid Mithras of a small amount of his magical energy. He was at eighty-five percent, maybe less, right now.
"No." Tyr said, before he began to chop wood once again. Placing a log on the chopping block, Tyr split it as if it wasn't any big deal. Honestly, he wanted to be alone
Bailey sighed, "Alright, that's good." She stood there for a few seconds in silence, but eventually went up to him and touched his arm. "Tyr, you know you can't avoid talking to me forever."
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'This will take more than that, it seems,' Mithras took his sword back in hand.
In order to regenerate his mana, Mithras uttered a short prayer, standing in place for six seconds. He also dispelled the shield, as it was useless, and consumed its mana back. Instead, Mithras decided to attack the wolves and show what he could really do. There was only one option. Mithras decided to use black magic.
"AoE attacks are too weak, you say?" Mithras took a good grip on his sword. "Well, holy magic is not the only thing I can do."
"Vyjud virclyww!" Mithras chanted in the infernal language. And as he did, the heavens screamed, and the earth shook.
As he chanted, the whole sword he held became enveloped in a black sheen. The sword was covered in evil energy. The edges of this energy were as red as fire, while the inside was as black as charcoal. Faint signs of purple between the two could be seen. The energy expanded beyond the sword, high into the sky, forming a solid beam of darkness. Mithras swung the sword toward the wolves, and the beam of dark energy followed. The attack's purpose was annihilation. Its damage was necrotic; anything touched by it would decay back into entropy. Hopefully, the attack would consume the summoned wolves and the magic circle that summoned them with them.
The curses in the attack were so strong that they radiated off of the attack. Anyone looking would receive a feeling of dread and chills, except for, perhaps Willow as she was already accustomed to this kind of energy.
"In the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit... how's that for an 'AoE attack?'"
Mithras prepared to deal with the phoenix, but for now, he had to stay his ground and prepare a defense for any further attacks.
