Fantasy The Divine Conquerors Ⅱ - Main / Ravenscourt

[SirDerpingtonIV]

Eleven Days Prior...
​

It was quiet at the frozen shore. The air was biting and the water filled with chunks of ice, snow falling gently upon the land. This accursed northern land of demons had hardly seen visitors in the past few hundred years, for this was realm of the horde. At least, it was.

From the frozen waters arose iron, the shape of accursed armor rising from the waves. Water poured down from the Dark Lord's armor, cascading overhis chestplate and pauldrons, down through the armor and onto the snow below as Malagar took the first steps into this blasted land. His boots, heavy and iron, crushed the snow beneath them as Malagar moved effortlessly out of the surf. The Dark Lord rested his mace, Eon, upon his shoulder, and looked out over the dark of the night, baleful energy coursing through his armor, blazing inside his helmet. He could see them out there, demons that skulked in the dark, hissing and snarling at the sight of him. They did not matter.

The Dark Lord turned to his right, gazing upon the distant outline of an abandoned town, and to his left, seeing the coastline stretch on endlessly into the west, frozen and desolate. This land offered nothing to the living, to the mortal, yet it offered everything to him. No place was there more ideal for the beginning of his dark reign. Malagar trudged forward, crushing his way through the three feet of snow upon the ground with little effort, as more shapes rose from the water behind him, silent in the night. Four of them, his soldiers of iron, crafted from accursed metal similar to his own, and guided by the enslaved souls of those foolish enough to try and stop the inevitable march of destiny. They were silent, the wraiths wielding swords of cold metal as they eyed the demons beyond. There was no doubt that the creatures would attempt to waylay him as Malagar sought out a suitable location to begin his set up. He did not fear this inevitability; in fact, he relished it. The might of these demons would be trialed against the strength of Iron, and from their ravaged bodies, he would experiment, and see what servants he could raise from their flesh and bone.

Malagar strode forth, leaving the ocean behind, marching forward into the land that would be his.

LORD MALAGAR
​

The eleven 'days' had been dark beneath an ever-present moon, for this arctic land was hidden from the sun for much of the year. All of the soul-possessed warriors that he had brought with him had perished to demons, yet he had not. Malagar had marched for three days straight, forcing through snow and demon alike as he strived for a place to call his own. The demons attacked constantly, coming in hordes, clawing and biting and hurling fel magics that washed over his hulking form to little effect. They were testing him, as he tested them. The Dark Lord met them with the swing of his mace, the brutal weapon crushing through their bodies, shattering bone and sundering souls from flesh. The souls of these lesser demons were of little value, but he collected them all the same. He lacked the time and resources to drag their broken bodies behind him, but the Dark Lord worried not for the waste. The demonic horde would throw many more at him once he had settled down, and their bodies would fuel their demise.

Eventually, as Malagar made his way through the blackened foothills of the Titan's End mountains, he found it. A valley in the mountain range, barren and icy. The way in was rugged and narrow, and the Dark Lord found himself a shelter in the eastern side, a small cave, around fifty feet deep. Therein, Malagar would begin the forging of destiny.

The days after the march were filled with labor and warfare, as Malagar spent hours at a time at the back of the cave, casting spells and carving out a hollow in the earth. Malagar remembered perfectly the way in which this was done, as he had done it centuries ago. The creation of a Molding Pit, where the Dark-Born would be made. It was but a simple thing, a pit carved into the earth and lined with magical inscriptions and runes, and from within this pit, materials of the earth and body could be combined, and a living being drawn forth. It was a forbidden magic, known solely by the Dark Lord, and it was highly effective. However, to work the pit, Malagar would need to dedicate himself to it for hours on end. To provide protection during those times, Malagar set himself to raising the demonic dead that assaulted his dwelling, forcing the demons to attack their undead brethren. Occasionally, a particularly strong attack would come, and Malagar owuld be forced to abandon the pit to fight alongside the dead, but after such encounters, all those who had fallen were risen again, and those too broken to rise were harvested for their materials, dragged into the bowels of the cave and used to form greater undead monstrosities, or thrown into the Pit to create the first generation of the Dark-Born. They would be ready to serve upon creation, but they lacked weapons, armor, the machinations of war. The Molding Pit was too small to draw forth beasts of war, but that would come later. Malagar needed what he could get as soon as he could get it, after all.

The dead would serve as soldiers for now, and the Dark-Born as laborers, mining into the earth to draw from it the metals they would need for war, and the stones needed to build an Empire.

-----------------------

Battle raged at the entrance of the cave, where demons, living and dead, clashed. Malagar could hear demonic speech, enough to recognize that the demons this time, had come with a leader, a mind to guide their slavering jaws. The Dark Lord knew they would break through his undead lines, and already he prepared himself for such an encounter, as he assembled the form of his first Dark-Born within the pit. Clay, flesh, mud and bone combined and assembled, forming the first automaton soldier of the Dark lord. Mind and matter fused into one under the Dark Lord's hand, granting the thing limited intelligence, enough to follow orders, but not enough to know anything of fear, doubt, or want. Before this one and its kin would be soldiers, they would be slaves.

The body and mind were finished, the automaton needed only the spark, the fire to light up its eyes, the will to drive its limbs. As Malagar began to cast such an incantation, footfalls were heard behind. Malagar turned, lowering the Dark-Born back into the Molding Pit, facing the demonic interloper. The warriors of the grave had all fallen, and the Dark Lord stood alone against the intruder, facing the wind that howled and screamed as it flowed into the hollow in the earth where the Dark Lord had made his steadfast. It was only one, a man of blazing blue hair and pale skin, with eyes of sapphire. The demonic slave clad himself in bizzare, impractical armor, and wielded a jagged blade, wreathed in helfire.

"So I finally meet the fool who steps upon the lands of demons! Your undead were nothing before my power, the power of the demon, the only power!" The demon smiled, jagged teeth sitting behind crimson lips.

Malagar did not response, as he extended a hand, and Eon rose off the ground, caught in the iron grip of the Dark Lord. There was only the clang of metal on metal as Malagar gripped the weapon in both hands, metal gauntlets tight about the weapon as he stared down the demon.

"Oh? Think you're too good to talk to me? Think you're too powerful and strong for me, the strongest lieutenant of the Demon King, the one and only Okina Yami?" the demon hissed, impotent rage burning in his slitted eyes. The demon stepped forward, blade in hand as it sized up Malagar, boots falling on dark stone as he advanced. Then, with startling speed, the demon flash-stepped behind Malagar, blade raised. "Sapphire Demon Dragon Slash!" Okina cried out, his weapon ablaze with demonic light as he cut down towards Malagar's back, the roar of a dragon echoing through the cave, shaking dust from the walls. Okina heard the scream of metal on metal and saw a shower of sparks before he flash-stepped again, to stand once again before the juggernaut of iron. "Inner Evil Shadow Blast!" As the words left his lips, the demon raised his hands, and a beam of demonic fire leapt forth, striking Malagar's helm, and bathing Malagar in light. "Ignition!" The beam of light exploded then, a shockwave shoving Okina back from his opponent, smoke and shadow spilling out to fill the cave.

Okina stood, panting, as he looked into the inky clouds of smoke that filled the cave before him. He began to cackle, hands upon his knees as he rocked back and forth, giggling with glee as globs of spit sprung from the excited demon's lips. "You couldn't even react to me, didn't even have a chance! Didn't you know? You were nothing before my strength, nothing to the power of Okina Yami! You weren't even worth my time! And to think, I-"

There came the sounds of metal thudding on stone, as Malagar stepped forth and out of the smoke, wispy trails of gray clinging to his armor. The Dark lord fixed Okina with a disdainful glare, and Okina squeaked, any color he had left in him disappearing as he went sheet pale. "H-how? How!? You're supposed to be dead! That can't be, no one could have survived that!" the demon stammered, stepping back from the iron goliath as it moved towards him, as unstoppable as the very march of time. The demon began flinging balls of fire at the Dark Lord, the flames spilling across his armor and dissipating the instant they struck him. There was nothing flashy to it, nothing exaggerated. Malagar simply strode forward, towering over the trembling demon as he did. The Dark Lord's glowing eyes grew only brighter for a moment, and the demon was stopped in his tracks, a powerful spell seeming to hold him where he stood, an icy grip held on every part of his body.

Malagar's hand reached out, slow and methodical, as the Dark Lord set the points of each iron finger against the demon's skull, and lifted him sharply off the ground. Okina gasped and struggled against the spell, yet his limbs disobeyed him, enthralled by the Dark Lord's will. "L-let me go," Okina gasped, the pressure building on his skull, trapped in the vice grip of the thing before him. With a trembling voice and wet eyes the demon begged and gasped, looking into Malagar's eyes, searching for something that would pity him, something that would take mercy on him. The demon lords always had mercy, always enslaved the weak. "I'll s-serve you! I'll never question your orders, I promise!" Okina squeezed out, nodding his head furiously as the pain mounted in his skull. "I'll l-lead you to them, I'll tell you their secrets! I'll - I'll-!" the worm struggled and pleaded and promised as Malagar's grip only tightened.

"SILENCE," commanded the voice of Iron, before the hand closed into a fist like the jaws of a great beast, eviscerating the demon's skull within those fingers of metal. Blood and grey matter splattered out from between the gaps of the Dark Lord's fingers as the demon's kicking feet went limp. The demon's corpse hung from the grip of Malagar for but a moment before the invader cast him upon the floor disdainfully, tossed aside as if he were garbage.

The demon's soul attempted to flee, to slither away as if it were a snake, to slip into the cracks of the earth, yet Malagar would not allow it. With one hand, Eon was extended, and the demon's last notion was one of terror, as its soul was sucked into Eon, another insignificant thing to give the Dark Lord power and knowledge. Okina had made one fatal mistake, and that was to presume Malagar needed him alive to extract knowledge from him.

Malagar turned, disregarding the corpse entirely as his baleful gaze turned once more to the Molding Pit. Malagar opened his bloodied hand, crimson ichor dripping into the mixture below, sprinkled atop the Dark-Born's limp body as if it were the final bit of seasoning for a meal. Malagar rose his open palm, and the Dark-Born rose alongside it, eyes flickering open as it jolted to life, dropped beside the Molding Pit, naked and seizing upon the ground like some pathetic grovelling rodent.

"RISE."

The thing ceased its convulsions and forced itself to its feet, beholding with newborn eyes the shape of its master. "What do you wish of me, Lord of Darkness?" the thing asked, standing straight in the darkness and taking in what it could of its surroundings.

The first Dark-Born, the first of many, the first step on the road to come, the first soldier of a great host who would trample the very sun beneath them, and subjugate all the world.

 

[YsFanatic]

(( Juju , a few hours after the siege ends, before any evacuation.))

Consciousness slowly returned to Yunica, her ears bombarded by the sounds of people crying in pain, grieving, urgent orders being issued, and someone being yelled at a short distance away. Giving a sleepy groan, the young woman blinked a few times before fully opening her eyes to discover that she was laying on a blanket in a small tent. Before she really had a chance to take stock of the situation someone was putting a cup of water by her lips, urging her to drink and asking her if she was ok. The clone took a few sips of water as her eyes adjusted to the light outside of the tent, quickly realizing that there were many other such tents and most were providing shelter to the wounded and dying from the battle. But what ultimately seized her attention was a familiar figure a short distance away yelling at someone else she didn't know.

Her thirst, and the healer attending to her forgotten, Yunica dropped the cup and launched to her feat, stumbling past the startled healer towards the armored knight. As she drew closer, her leg almost giving out in the process of dodging around several other people, she gave a pleased shout of "Greymourne!" before wrapping her arms around the other woman in a fierce hug.

 

[Gohan510]

=During the Timeskip=
Rojy & Hakai
Solirus Gohan510
Where: Providence facility in Mollug
(Rojy, Cojy, Lojy)
​

The two decided to take turns teaching one another in aspects they lacked at. For Rojy he wasn’t very knowledgeable in magic so it was simple for Hakai. Hakai lacked knowledge in general. The first day of the new week for two started with them in the library. Hakai was sound asleep in his chair rocking himself growing bored of Rojy’s long lesson. Although he was asleep he was highly aware of everything around him. His senses don’t stop even though he’s resting. A snot bubble formed from his nose as Rojy continued. Hakai was starting to have that nightmare(dream) again of killing Hitori and finally freeing him from this chain of fate that brought the two together. Even now he could feel the boy’s presence from miles away. So far Hakai was shown to be an advanced learner as he picked up on reading and basic math nearly instantly.

The shadow continued to control Hakai’s mind during his resting periods, but his hard headed mentality made it harder than the entity thought. This mortal showed no sign of falter or fear. He was the shadow’s best host, yet made the dark figure question what pushed Hakai to lose all emotions and become so cold as he is. Hakai was the true entity of evil, a merciless killer who enjoyed seeing bloodshed and buildings burn. Recently though it seems losing his power upon being brought to Valucia slightly humbled his barbaric rampage.

“Why do you seek such power? Ion Aul the Black Terror. Death Bringer. Dark Knight. Slayer of the gods!”

“I seek something much greater than power and destruction.”

“You want more than who you are?! Such a greedy man! What is it you seek then?”

“Silence.”

“You dare tell a god beyond gods to silence?!”

“That is what I seek.”

“...”

“With weaklings crawling around there is always a chance of a ruckus. Eliminate them all and true peace and quiet is gifted to the victor.”

“You seek silence…?”

“You should understand since the gods on our world pushed you to the deepest corner of the world.”

“Why do you constantly fight if you seek silence then?”

“The thrill of fighting allows me to continue pushing for that day I will reach that silence.”

“I see… I can help you then. Whenever you seek more power, reach me. We are one. We seek the same goal with separate means.”

“A black world.”

“Yes!”

“... I see.”

As Hakai still seemingly rested, Rojy stopped his lesson on simple addition which was now moving to subtraction and walked across the room to grab one of the rifles previously owned by the guards of the station. Rojy then picked it up and fired a shot into the ceiling causing a loud and rebounding noise.

Hakai’s red shining right eye peered towards Rojy, as he heard the echo from the loud bang. Hakai released a sigh and sat back up, continuing to listen to Rojy’s boring lesson.

—

For the mana lessons it was best they were outside so that Rojy could get a better grasp of gathering or at least feel mana. Although he was unfamiliar with the source of power he didn’t know it flowed all around him.

“When you gather mana, I assume for those who aren’t blessed with it naturally bestowed in them it's harder. Considering how blooming of mana this world has it should be way easier. Close your mind and senses and try to find it. Similar to wind Mana is an invisible nature that flows through people and objects. It’s a constant.”

“Alright...” Rojy said, stretching out his hands like a beggar, “I feel the wind but nothing else...”

“Shut the hell up! Your mind must be blank, and your body at peace. Similar to meditating but much deeper form.”

“That’s quite demanding considering there’s three of us here...” Rojy paused staring blankly forward, “alright let’s try it again… blank head, peaceful head… almost like meditating… ” Nothing seemed to happen yet.

Hakai stomped his foot in the grass repeatedly before knocking Rojy in the side of the head. “The other two dingbats in there best get their act together! If you seek greater power and a better grasp of this you all must not falter. Like I said mana flows with the wind. When your mind is blank you’ll start to feel raindrops in your head. Once you feel and hear that try to find it within your conscience. Once that is achieved you’ll find what you seek.” Hakai sat in front of Rojy with his legs and arms crossed as he as well entered meditation. “Meditation is the best way for a mage to keep their mana flow in check as well. If your mind falters while trying to use mana. Bad outcomes will be your result. In many cases. Eminent death.”

“That’s reassuring… ” Rojy paused again and remained quiet for an extended period of time. “I think I feel something different… my hands feel cold, it feels familiar...”

“Focus! Speak later. I will know when you achieved it.”

Rojy looked frustrated but remained quiet… the sun shined and it was a rather warm morning, however around them both could feel as the temperature was slowly dropping. Rojy tried to ignore it and focus… Eventually a burst of mana escaped Rojy’s body covering a large area.

Hakai’s lips grew a smirk under his scarf. “Now take a deep breath and control your shaking. If you cannot do this you will die. Mana has accepted you and passed through your body. Now that it’s released if not contained you can detonate. I’m not sure if your ghost ability will save you from a self explosion.” The village not far off could feel the immense surge of mana coming from an ominous direction wondering what was going on.

Rojy still remained focused, the mana thrashed in the air, freezing and killing the grass they were sitting on, however soon the mana stopped expanding and began to get pulled towards a simple point, bit by bit the previously large mana was shrinking into an increasingly small ball, until eventually it got dragged into Rojy’s center almost being swallowed up, no trace of mana being left.

“You already suppressed it. You're as smart as you seem. Relax now. Your body is tense, open your eyes. Before it corrupts your mind. Mana isn’t entirely good or evil. It’s a neutral force that can do many things to a person if not taught to control it correctly.” Hakai got up looking off into the distance.

Rojy didn’t respond for a bit, simply remaining seated, before finally getting up and opening his eyes, he looked confused and dizzy, “Did I miss something… I think I fell unconscious when it started getting cold… wasn’t I sitting down… did you lift me up?”

“I’ve done nothing. Be careful and meditate everyday. You’re fooling with a dangerous force of nature now. One slip up and you’ll lose yourself. I’m sure you feel something different now.”

“... I think I felt something different… but I feel as normal as ever… what were we doing again?” However even from the events that had plainly just occurred, the mana that was meant to be inside Rojy would be nowhere to be seen, even with the clearest eye, not a single bit of essence was left.

“It seems what you gained has been lost. Maybe because you are not born with it, it cannot stay within you for an extended period of time. Your lesson is over, I'm going to train.”

“fair… enough...” Rojy stumbled a bit when trying to walk, he looked down to see frozen and dead grass near him covering a big area, “when did this happen...” he asked himself reaching down and breaking off a frozen piece of grass from the ground. Without saying anything, he went on his way back to the station.

_____

Some time had passed, Rojy was in the surgery room of the station, he wore surgery clothing with a mask and glove. In his hands he held a scalpel with all the other necessary tools next to him. On the table was the dead body of a man, his face unrecognizable. “Alright… LET’S get to it THEN...” Rojy almost exclaimed, preparing to dissect the corpse.

Hakai continued his daily training in the gravity room having rojy set the pull higher each day. Due to his body receiving the damage from the crushing weight he grew stronger by the minute. Rojy had figured out to activate the battle simulator, having holograms that had different attack patterns come at Hakai. Although it wasn’t the real thing it still was enough to keep Hakai’s training in check.

Besides the combat training he also worked on his magic somehow learning two new spells that he will use on his next target. Hakai was proud, his growth was rapid. Turning the gravity off after he was done he slid down the control panel to get a breather. He looked at the palm of his hand before balling it into a fist.

“I will continue to grow higher than I was before death.”

Hakai looked up at the ceiling light before sliding back up walking out the room. He directed his attention to the washroom stuffing the clothes he was wearing in them and pressed the button sequence Rojy taught him to work the gizmo. Now naked Hakai walked through the halls till he reached the showers and got his regular bathing in to make sure his smell didn’t get too bad as he was first arriving here. After a nice shower his clothes were clean so he headed towards them and placed him back over his body. Wrapping the scarf around his neck again.

Something stretched to the back of Hakai’s mind though. It was about the Jaded Tome, and what Rojy said. Was it really a book or some figure of speech to describe a person? Why was it the ruler over this country?

Rojy walked through the halls of the facility, his surgeon attire all bloodied up, including his face. He appeared very frustrated with something. He grumbled to himself before taking a deep breath and heading deeper into the station. He walked past the testing room, before walking back to it, he knew Hakai was somewhere in there, “HAKAI, DID YOU BREAK ANY OF THE EQUIPMENT AGAIN YOU SACK OF SHIT?!” Rojy shouted knowing Hakai would be able to hear it regardless of where he was.

Hakai broke his focus from hearing Rojy’s shout. Walking out of the washroom he strolled to the echo of the voice. Reaching the training room Hakai looked at the madman before him. It was clear chaotic was in control. “What simpleton.”

“I KNOW YOU FUCKING HEARD ME, DID YOU BREAK THE FUCKING EQUIPMENT?!” Rojy shouted again

Hakai started walking down the halls knowing Rojy would follow him. “Considering the mass blood on you, have you learned anything at all? You’re the most useless out of the lot when it comes to information gathering.”

“I was busy exploring the body of some random guy, then his fucking apendix explodes on me, and next thing I know the WATER in the surgery room isn’t working, so I’ll ask again… did you OR did you not, Break shit again?!”

“I see. So the other Rojy was right about them exploding…” Hakai led them into the overseer room and sat in the man's chair. “The messenger, where is he?”

“HELL IF I KNOW, fucking Shitface is the one who knows all of that, and I’M IN CONTROL AT THE MOMENT, so unless you tell me if you broke anything, I’m not letting Shitface take control.”

“Then let me speak to him.” Hakai said with a colder tone than usual.

“YOU realize that shit doesn’t work on me, it only works on SAD SHIT and occasionally Shitface even if he doesn’t admit it, so tell me… did you or did you not break equipment, I’m getting sick of the stench”

“No.”

Rojy looked extremely annoyed, staring at Hakai for a solid second, before his mouth moved on it’s own, “Go back to the guild, he’ll find you… OH YOU BITCH DON’T FUCKING TAKE CONTROL YOU SHITFACE” Rojy grabbed himself by the shirt and began slamming himself into the wall.

Hakai watched the mad man inflict harm on himself, without even stopping him. He got back up. From the chair and walked to the door. “I will return in a few days then. Don’t kill yourself while I’m gone.” Hakai said leaving the room of the three minded man. Hakai went to his sleeping quarters and changed his stealth outfit into his armor and grabbed his shield and sword that was sheathed in the shield. With this he set off towards the exit of the facility climbing the rope to the top and jumped on his horse. Now striding off through the grassy plains. Heading towards the guild hall.

 

[Juju]

Greymourne and Enzio
YsFanatic ​

The sounds of an angry commander and a laughing knight could be heard from outside the tent.

"What was the LAST thing I told you before you ran off to play hero? Hell, what's the first thing you learned as a squire!? Were you TRYING to get yourself killed? If your mother was here..."

"Hey, I survived! It all worked out, right! No need to bring the lady dragon into this..."

Greymourne responded by immediately punching the young noble in his shoulder, sending him to the ground and turning a lot of disbelieving eyes. Enzio fell into a fit of laughter, holding up his hands. "Ok, ok, I'll be more careful next time."

"And you will wear a helmet or I will fuse it to your shoulderplate" Greymourne glared down at the strawberry knight, her eyes like steel. It was at that moment that someone leapt at her from behind and hugged her. The knight commander blinked in surprise, then felt a rare smile.

"Heh, look who's back among the living." She said, turning around to look over Yunica. The knight was slightly taller now that a thick layering of armour was wrapped around her broken legs. There was a hint of fondness in her gaze. "Glad to know the healers are more competent than the knights."

"First of all, I am a great knight. Secondly, who's this?" Enzio chimed in, dusting off the dirt from his armour. "I cannot believe it, the heartless Greymourne has made a new friend?"

"More like another lost child to care for." Greymourne shook her head at Enzio's comment then returned her attention to Yunica, narrowing her eyes at the clone. "How do you feel? Can't say I know exactly what happened back there, but at least it didn't kill you."

 

[Solirus]

Golem

​

Threat Nearby?

…

False

…

Threat Nearby?

…

False

…

Threat Nearby?


The Metallic giant had walked across the continent with one simple goal, the goal that had been imprinted in it’s very being, to seek and destroy Threats.

However it didn’t know where to begin, it didn’t have any sort of way to know where to travel, as such it did the best it could and walked straight into a random location, hoping to either bump into a Threat it could destroy or encounter what Golem knew as a Commander. Someone or something that had the capabilities of assisting Golem in seeking the Threats or even someone Capable of Controlling these very Threats and turning them against each other.

However while that was its goal, for two weeks it simply traveled forwards. Leaving an easy path to follow. It encountered many individuals that did not fall under the Category of Threats. Usually they would look at him with fear or disgust, even running away when Golem would turn it’s gaze to face them. Some appeared not to care, but Golem was uncaring, they were not Commanders and they were not Threats. That is all that mattered.


Threat Nearby?

…

…

Picking up potential Activity

…

Engaging, Pursuit Mode


Golem in that moment stopped abruptly and turned to face the activity it had picked up. Without wasting time, it entered the stance of a sprinter and began running, causing the ground to shake and breaking through any trees in it’s way as if they weren’t there.

Might want to read: SirDerpingtonIV

 

[YsFanatic]

Yunica relaxed her grip for a moment when Greymourne turned around before re-establishing her grip, the clone's head against the knight's armor. "Kana thinks I just overdid it, and combine that with the shock of everything that happened it was too much for me. So really, all I needed was some rest, and sleeping gave Kana and I a chance to talk anyway." Pausing for a moment, the clone then pulled her head back long enough to look Greymourne in the eyes. "She also wants to know if you got your wounds treated."

Juju

 

[Gohan510]

=Meetings within the Past=
Where: ???

​

Gajeel walked through Gaia’s jungle after killing a alpharex. He turned to notice a girl sitting on one of the tree branches. She was giggling and disappeared in the wind, yet her laughter could be heard all throughout the jungle. Gajeel made a frown and continued to walk onward. He stopped in his tracks as the girl from before was sitting on a log in front of him.

“What the hell do you want?”

“Hehe~! Just to say hello to you! I’ve heard lots about you. Do you perhaps remember a giant red dragon that passed through this world once in a lifetime?”

“Great Red? What about him? The bastard started the dragon uprising. I hate the son of a bitch.”

“I do too.”

“What? What’s your reasoning for the hate towards the dragon? He ruined your home too?”

“Yes. With him alive I cannot live in my home in peace and silence.”

“Is that so? Where exactly are you from?”

“Dimensional gap.”

“The what gap?”

“Dimensional gap! I didn’t stutter did I?”

“You’ve must’ve lost your mind or maybe hit your head on one of these branches.”

“Maybe. I can show you my home. Though you must return instantly before I get erased by SIN. He has law over this world, but not my home.”

Soon after Gajeel was able to experience the dimensional gap along with the strange woman. The woman revealed herself to be called Orphis, she was the queen of the dimensional gap, some sort of divine being. Her goals matched Gajeels in ridding the Great Red and in hopes to one day kill him they made an alliance. Orphis also explained of another being who would summon to conflict with SIN’s chess pieces. Gajeel took all this information in, time in the dimensional gap ran faster then Valucia’s he returned in a 1 minute time span within Valucia. Though it felt like hours had gone by as the two discussed.

“Orphis huh?”

=Unknown Motives=

​

Couple of Years before the fifth summoning. Zoro walked through the vast jungle Gaia had to offer. The plant life and even the animals around him withered away. Zoro walked up a hill with a temple on the top. The temple was guarded by golems that he easily took out with dark magic. Entering the tomb he realized what he had searched for was not there. He wanted answers to the ancient magic artifact that granted one unbelievable power. “DMP”

Disappointed with the Magiglifics that were all over the small temple. He released a sigh. A pebble fell on the ground and he instantly turned to see who was there. Nobody.

Soft laughter and the sound of feet kicking in the air he slowly turned to see a small girl sit on one of the broken pillars. “What brings you to me. Orphis.”

The woman smiled tilting her head to Zoro. “What brings you to the search of DMP?” She asked with a cute tone in her voice. “Perhaps you’re scared of the upcoming summoning, or do you not know of that yet?”

“What!?”

“The fifth summoning is upon us. A lot sooner than you think actually. I believe this batch will be a lot stronger than the last, assuming from the last ones.”

“Is that so? You must’ve spoken to SIN. How is he?”

“Good. Still wondering on how to kill you. He truly hates that you constantly fondle with his loving planet. I did speak to him. I had to reassure him on my goal and reasoning for even passing through here.”

“I see. Tell him I’m sorry that it isn’t easy. I too wish he could get rid of me.”

“With a snap of the finger he can. But that isn’t very entertaining to him.”

“So what is this goal you speak of? What do you want with me. I told you, you’d die being near me.”

“Sadly I can be around you as much as I want. That curse doesn’t seem to affect me quite much. My goal? You forgot? To kill Big Red.”

“He’s only passed through this world once. Have you forgotten the last time he came? What happened? Got those damn dragons out of hiding causing the great Magi War.”

“The Dragon Era, the Magi War era, and theeeeen the Hunt Era. Those were some fun times.”

“Things were lively around then yes. Yet caused many casualties.”

“Not like they mattered to you. You’re a wanted fugitive. An outcast who wanders these lands. Have you dealt with Gajeel yet? Or still trying to come up with that plan.” She smirked.

“Tch! Mind your own business. Now go before you piss me off and I kill you myself!”

“Sheesh! Relax honey. It’s been a millennial since I saw you. No need to be so hostile.”

“Quite the joking Orphis. Why don’t you help me find the DMP. It’ll speed the process up.”

“Hmmm. If only you agree to join forces with me and come to my aid with Great Red.”

“Fine. The chance of Dimension Dragon starting another Dragon era will just piss me off anyway. I guess it’s best we get rid of that damn beast. How can I contact you?”

“I’ll show up when it is right for us to talk again. For now I must take care of other issues. Till then!” She jumped off the pillar walking over to Zoro. Giving him a kiss on the cheek and running her hand through his chest before walking off to the entrance of the temple. Zoro didn’t flinch or move till she walked past him. Turning his head to see her walk out of the temple.

=Before the Chaos=

​

A few months before SIN started summoning again times were mostly quiet. It was easier when the pesky god didn’t get involved and started adding his play toys. During these times Gajeel still caused havoc in hopes to find a warrior worthy enough of taking his prideful title of Dragon King. Its been so long since the dragon era had ended which made him grow bored, since no combatants carried the same fighting spirit and prowess as a dragon.

In an unknown forest Gajeel rested on a rock that was conveniently under a giant tree. He was tearing through meat that he had gotten from killing a nearby creature. He was on a small grassy island that lay in the middle of a lake that had a waterfall a few feet south of the small island. The birds chirped and flew in their usual flocks. The peaceful animals can be seen coming to the lake to drink its fresh pure water. Gajeel took another chomp out of his giant meat. He looked up towards the many leaves that covered the entire area from the sun. Noticing a crack of sunlight in between some leaves he took a trip to the past. The era of the Hunt.

After some time of remenancing Gajeel continued finishing his meal. Dropping the massive bone ok the grass near him adding it to the pile he had. Wiping his mouth with his arm Gajeel let out a soft burp. The wind was calm as well until they started to shift and go out of control. Gajeel smelt the wind catching onto a very familiar scent. Gajeel smirked sitting casually as he noticed as a gust hit the land in front of him the infamous Dark Mage stood.

“Zoro. You’ve finally come to challenge me? It took you some time to finally come to that conclusion. I can finally end your suffering and get rid of the world’s virus.”

“Good seeing you as well. Gajeel. Sadly I didn’t come to you to fight. You don’t possess what it takes to fulfill my dream.”

“Then why are you here? Let me guess you’re still searching for other ways to die?”

“Yes sadly I am. I came to inform you, the time is almost here. Something tells me these quiet times will soon be disrupted. Many who are devoted to SIN informed me another summoning might come across us.”

“What does that have to do with me? The last batch disappointed me.”

“I promise you’ll find a worthy challenge in this next group.” This made Gajeel smile big. “Something tells me this time around it will be a lot different than before. I also wanted to inform you that I have new goals that I hope to reach and do not need you to ruin them. Keep your curiosity and blood lust away from my tasks and we do not ever have to come across as enemies.”

“Oh? AHAHAHAHA!!!! You’re afraid I’m going to ruin your little project. Pitiful of you to try and plead for neutrality. Especially to me of all people. These goals of yours must be something interesting. Though if you don’t plan on fighting against me to the death then I won’t have much interest in stopping you. I will hold you to the information you gave me on the upcoming summoned and will keep my eye out.”

“Good. Then that is all I needed to discuss with you.” Zoro turned his back to Gajeel looking over his shoulder with his usual poker face. “I hope we never have to cross paths again.”

“AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! You fool fate has a funny trick of bringing together those who are bound to each other. Time will come when I see you again. I’ll allow that threat to slide, but when we do meet again. I will kill you.”

Zoro looked forward after hearing Gajeel and had a smirk grow on his face. “Very well.” Another gust of wind rushed the area and the dark mage was gone.

“The Hunt will soon start again. Summoned. I’m coming.” He finished with a grin.

=A bond built from warfare=
Where: Castellan
When: During the timeskip 1st couple days
Involved: Hitori, Korin, & Ara
​

During the week Hitori helped soldiers rebuild houses, using his strength to carry large amounts of material using it as exercising. Periodically checking on Erza who was still getting rest at the medical tent. Hearing the King and Princess died made Hitori wonder, why this war even started. It always traced back to memories of his old world. Hitori picked up some lumber, setting it up with nails and a hammer. The sun was beautiful now that the clouded sky was no longer. While helping rebuild some of the homes and shops Hitori kept his eye out for Wakinyan’s brother in hopes that they’d catch it sooner or later.

“Thanks for saving me and my siblings. Hitori wasn’t it?” Korin mentioned hammering something down. “If it wasn’t for you not once but twice of us challenging her almost ended in our demise. You even took three on one.”

Hitori grabbed meat out of his pocket stuffing it in his mouth chowing down on it. He had left his shirt wherever his group of friends stayed at for the meantime. “Ya… Ion… mi…” Hitori force swallowed the meat down his throat before wiping his mouth. “I don’t mind at all. Honestly I was just itching to fight her because she had the highest magic power in the area.”

“Is that so? Why is it you and your friends decided us over Mollug? Even now you’re extending your hands on helping us?”

“I only plan on being here for a week. Then I’m headed to Czariki! Or however long it takes the girls to sight see, but for the most part we've been given word to meet someone if we seek more info.”

“Czarnikei?” Korin chuckled. "I see you have someone to meet? Who exactly?"

“Hrmmm. Yeah! The name was Ryu Haminari I think.” Hitori jumped down from the rooftop landing beside Korin.

“You lot are different than the others said in history. For the guy, he's a legend that took part of the Magi-Chain apart of a group that started the game itself. He was known as the Dark King.”

"Whaaaaaaaaaat!?!?"

"Yeah, why you plan on partaking in that game? It's dangerous ya'know?"

"Yeah."

Korin watched Hitori stare off into the distance looking at the beautiful white clouds float through the air.

“Hey…”

“Yeah?”

“What group are we then? There’s been summoned before no?”

“The fifth I believe. The first was revolutionary, the second filled with “titans”, the rest were typical mass destruction but didn’t hold historic change.” Korin wiped the sweat off his face. The wind blew calmly giving the hard workers a nice breeze. Beautiful birds flocked through the sky chirping as they passed the capital.

“I see. So that means the older summoned are still somewhere out there.”

“Maybe? If not in hiding for sure dead with their own mark on Valucia still in effect. Many summoned have changed the way us people of Valucia do things. It’s crazy to say I’m living during a summoning. Said to be hundreds of years apart.” Korin gave Hitori a quick glance before continuing hammering the wood. “If you wanna take a break go ahead. I got it from here. I know you mentioned earlier looking for your friend’s wolf.”

“It’s all good I’ll keep working. I just was thinking about something.” The two got back to chitchat and working together to build the home. Some hours passed using their unique abilities to speed the prosdes, and the two men continued. Ara came down the street with a sack of food. She stood next to her brother, resting her hand on his head.

“Hey.” Korin noticed his sister wore her Nortestran knight armor rather than her kimono. Korin grabbed her hand softly, starting to stand up. Ara took a peek at Hitori on the top floor of the building. “Hitori!” She said excitedly.

“Yo! Ara!” Hitori jumped down next to the two. He shook Ara’s hand and gave a nod.

“I brought you guys something to eat. I’m about to head out.”

“To help Buu? I’ll come.”

“No, it’s okay brother. Sulric has to be somewhere nearby.”

“The knights can handle the rest. Me and Hitori both have matters to attend to.”

Hitori crossed his arms listening to the two siblings talk. “He went missing during the last battle? The commander right?” The two nodded towards Hitori.

“Yes we are his three magical knights, yet order to help push the front for defense measures. So we hardly were able to watch over him. Plus.. he’s our master too. He trained us to the state we are now. To think.”

“I see. I hope you guys find him.”

“Thank you, and I’d like to thank you and your friends again-“

Hitori smiled. “Yeah they’ll appreciate that. They met your old man, and he sounds strong. He’s fine.”

“How can you be so sure?”

"I just know! Hehehe!" Hitori smiled at the girl.

=Who are you afraid of on Valucia!?=

​

Hitori walked through the streets of Castellan for some time admiring it while it wasn't in flames. He came across a strange woman that sat on a floating orb, she casually floated passed him. Hitori looked to her confused and noticed it was an older lady. "How're ya doing?" No response from the women yet she continued to float away. Hitori turned to look at her float off and decided to follow her around from a distance. She brought Hitori into a strange alleyway and went through a wall. Hitori looked at the wall confused on what she did and accidently fell through it. Ending on the other side he dodged a magical blast coming his way.

"Woah!"

More continued to come towards him and he continued dodging. After the barrage he heard an older lady's voice breathing heavily. It was the woman from before was trying to attack him.

"Why did you follow me you damn summoned!?"

"I just wanted to say hello to you, but then you ignored me! I swear!"

"Hmph! I do not trust summoned, even if the nation see's they helped us you lot still have no trustworthy aspects! Wait..." She rubbed the top of her orb and it turned from blue to green. She looked at Hitori and calmed down. "I trust you." Hitori fell on the floor from hearing her change of heart so fast.

"WHAT THE HELL!?"

"What!?"

"You just all of a sudden trust me?!"

"My orb tells me so."

"Eh?"

"I am Fortune Teller Baba!"

"Fortune teller?" Hitori's head tilted to the side looking at Baba. She laughed in response and jumped down from her orb walking to Hitori grabbing his hand and leading him closer to the orb.

"What do you want to know boy?"

"Wait so you can tell the future type of stuff?"

“I can read your future, yes.”

“Okay well hit me with something then.”

“Sure. How about the one's you will fear on this new world you call home! This one’s on the house since you saved us. Hababububababubibabubo!!!!” She swirled her hands around the orb, in response it started to glow bright. Once the glow faded the orb showed an unfamiliar face to the woman, yet familiar to Hitori. Hitori took a gulp and the woman noticed snickering. The orb started shaking which made her confused. Hitori's eyes opened wide when he noticed the two familiar ones and he took a fat gulp.

Spoiler: Hitori's Fortune

(ty Juju )

"YOU MUST STAY AWAY FROM THESE TWO MEN! ONE IS SAID TO BE DEAD, BUT IF IT'S SHOWING UP THAT MEANS HE IS NOT ENTIRELY DEAD! MORIN THE GREAT MAGE THAT'S LIVED FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS FEEDING OFF OF ISLANDS AND COUNTRIES LIFE ENERGY! WHY does fate want you to meet all these dangerous people!? Even Flamingo!"

"Huh?"

"AND GALAXTA! YOU MUSTN'T GET INVOLVED WITH HIM WHATEVER YOU DO! OR YOU'LL HATE THE DAY YOU EVER COME ACROSS HIM! HE WILL KILL EVERYTHING YOU LOVE AND DESTROY YOU! HE IS KNOWN FOR HIS BARBARIC WAYS!"

"Okay okay! Stop yelling at me I get it already."

=Dragon vs Hitori=
Where: Castellan
When: During the reform of the Capital
Involved: Hitori & Gajeel

​

Gajeel walked through the ruined streets of Castellan. It seemed the war against Mollug had ended with Castellan suffering heavy damage. His hood was over his head covering his face from being seen. It seemed the army was slowly trying to rebuild the damages.

Hitori turned his head looking towards the direction he felt the massive mana presence. Leaving the soldiers to continue building he ran off towards the sudden disappearance of the source. He ended up in an alleyway between some massive buildings that were damaged. Looking around in hopes to find any sign of who it was giving off that sensation, no one was in sight.

Hitori scratched the back of his head trying to figure out what exactly was going on. A sudden shift in the wind made Hitori tense up, realizing someone was standing behind him jumping away from the hooded figure. The man never moved yet stood there silently.

“The hell are you?!”

Gajeel slowly lifted his hood off from his head with a grin on his face. He watched Hitori analyzing his movements and mana. “You must be a summoned. One that can sense mana. As I assumed you’re weak. Must be the same for the others. I’m quite upset at the fact that Zoro had my hopes up for nothing. Though word is you lot helped Nortestra barely survive.”

“Zoro? Wait what the hell are you even talking about?! Again who the hell are you!? You have a minute to tell me who you are before I blast you off to the stars.” Although Hitori spoke bravely, his body was shaking from the built up fear. This man was on a completely different level. His power was far beyond even Synthia’s and the man's mana gave off a cold and dark feeling. Hitori cracked his knuckles ready to attack him if he didn’t do as Hitori said.

“Come.”

Hitori gritted as he powered up into his golden flame form and blasted off towards the strange man. Cocking his fist back golden flames engulfed it growing in massive size. Going for the punch directly for the man's face, it connected. As massive golden flames erupted from the end of the attack. Once the dust cleared Hitori’s eyes opened wide in shock. His fist was caught casually by the man.

“As I thought. Pitiful trash.” Gajeel pulled Hitori in and punched him in the gut sending him flying through buildings. Hitori coughed up blood as he was sent flying. Laying in some rubble Hitori struggled to get back up, he was knocked into his base form and was already in serious pain.

Gajeel came and stomped on Hitori’s chest making the boy scream in utter pain. Hitori tried to move the man's foot with all his strength, but nothing changed other than the force Gajeel used on his foot. “Something about you tells me you’ll become a lot stronger. I hope my gut feeling is true. I will let you live in hope you become strong enough to inflict pain on me.” Gajeel removed his foot off Hitori’s chest and took a step back. Hitori started coughing as his chest was no longer being crushed. He struggled back up to his feet holding his chest. Knights could be heard arriving soon though there was still a window for the two to have dialogue.

“Zoro is a well known Dark Mage. He’s an immortal man, unable to die to normal means. You will hear of his name if you’re truly interested on the path to find him. I am Gajeel D. Dragon, the man who killed a dragon alone.” Hitori looked in shock after hearing Gajeel speak. Hitori knew dragons were always extremely hard to kill, they’re on an entire nother statute of power. “What do you seek in this world you call your new home?”

“I..I w..want to b..b..become the strongest. Fight strong opponents.. all over…” His legs were shaking as he was using all his strength to stand straight.

“AHAHAHAHAHA!!! Then I will be in your best interest, to surpass. Good. I can see in your eyes you tell no lies. Geheh. Burn my name into your very soul, I can feel our paths will cross again.”

“Yeah.. you’ll be on my list… of assholes to beat..!”

Gajeel jumped on a broken building’s roof looking down at Hitori. Thinking to himself maybe Zoro spoke of some truth. Does the other summoned carry the same drive as this one? He’ll soon find out. “Geheh. When you’re ready come and find me then.” Gajeel states placing his hood over his face and disappearing with the wind. “The Hunt begins!”

“G..G..Gajeel….” Hitori fell over unconscious.

 

[SirDerpingtonIV]

Hamriah Aanta ad Nurasii
​

Some things were more confusing than other things, Hamriah found. The old saying went that anything beneath the sun could be understood, but she stood now beneath a foreign sun on a new world entirely, and found she understood nothing at all. A strange divine, a strange world, and strange companions. It was all so strange to her, and the Sunblade found herself wanting for at least something familiar. So, simply to avoid the biting cold of this new land, she headed south, judging from the direction of the sun's rise and set. At least that seemed the same. One familiar thing that she could take comfort in, that being the sun. Even here, in this strange, frozen land, it warmed her, its light guiding her as she made her way south.

It did not take her long to note something of interest as she spotted a towering figure in the distance. A man in armor of strange origin, moving in the same direction as her. He was ahead, as he didn't ever seem to slow or stop, so she was unable to catch up. Yet, she always saw him, whether in person or in passing, following his tracks or seeing him in the distance, tall and unmistakable, light glimmering off his sheening helmet. Lacking anything else of knowledge here, she simply followed the figure with aims of catching up, yet she never could. It almost seemed as if he needn't sleep at all, and she wondered if he was some sort of spirit in metal, or some magically enchanted warrior.

For two weeks, Hamriah followed the path of the stranger down south, and she never did catch him. Yet, she took something of note, two weeks after arrival as she made her way through the countryside. She avoided people where she could, for she knew nothing of them. They appeared to be familiar and strange all at once, living in much the same means as her people did, although they clearly were of a different culture. Wary of confrontation, she kept to the path of the stranger, who walked directly south, bothering not with roads at all. Perhaps the stranger thought the same as she.

-------------------------------------

Mercifully, it had grown warmer. Enough to almost be comfortable, as Hamriah knelt, sticking the tips of two fingers into the footprint left by the stranger. In her time tracking him, she had grown used to the signs of his travel. Whatever he... or it was, it was heavy. Enough to leave clear footprints, and it did not rest. Yet, it did not move exceedingly fast, allowing her still, for the most part, to keep up with it. Least... until now.

Hamriah looked up, golden eyes scanning the woodland that the stranger had moved through. And... through. Literally. The stranger had smashed down trees in its way, broken branches, simply charged in a straight line through the terrain, as if it wasn't there at all. Something had driven the stranger to pick up its pace, and she was determined to figure out what.

With a huff, she stood, tightening her grip around the hilt of her blade. "Adii raksaam ab iyud," she murmured to herself, before she moved into a jog, already preparing herself mentally for any sort of possible confrontation as she followed the stranger's path, moving faster now. Whatever had urged the stranger to move so quickly was likely near after all, and so too would be her answers.

Solirus

 

[Pai Chan]

The sequence of events after Aurora returned home were a blur. So much happened in such a small span of time. The Order was quick to secure the former princess, Athena, and get her to a safe place. All while keeping her identity a secret and waiting on further orders from the Emperor.

Nathan received a grand promotion among the Xactian military ranks despite not bringing in a mass amount of Summoned to Xact’s aid. But with Aurora helping and Bai they still considered that a mission accomplished. Not to forget there was a Summoned that was now the shop owner of a Dark Emporium.

Sowilo was allowed to set up her shop as long as her magics didn’t cause chaos or violence towards others unless specifically requested by The Order themselves. The witch seemed more than happy to settle with the terms.

Bai Ling had stumbled across the group on their return to Xact. She recognized the Xactian colors of the military as they marched back south. She approached them in tattered clothing and told them of the Countess’ plans of putting a hit on the girl as well as Aurora.

Upon, reaching the city the leader of Ilaria, Cassandra, was quickly fetched and was questioned. She openly admitted about her plans to get rid of the Summoned due to their usual chaotic nature. Unfortunately, since Cassandra was in a very high position of power with the backing of many others, the countess merely got away with a slap on the wrist. The woman assured her acts were merely out of ignorance. She felt threatened by the Summoned and during her trial she gained the sympathy of the court since her feelings were mutually felt by many. Cassandra was to give extra protection to the Summoned that were currently considered allies by Xact.

Bai was obviously unhappy on the assassination attempts basically going unpunished but it didn’t take long for Aurora to console her. Bai considered the goddess as a mother figure while Heather, an older sister.

After the trial Aurora was presented with a staff from the Imperial Armory. The staff was considered very exceptional compared to similar objects. She was told the object was forged over a span of centuries and from fetched components from all over Valucia. Her power would be greatly controlled and manipulated through the rare item. It was hard to think of anyone else being more worthy of such an item. Even the witch, Sowilo, confirmed it’s quality. With this, Aurora truly felt like she was a part of Xact. Even the countess offered her a high position on The Order as a way of apologizing. So now Aurora represented both a high position within the Xactian military as well as The Order.

Meanwhile, Bai Ling was offered a position as a Martyr. Reluctant at first, Bai finally accepted after a long conversation with Aurora. The two wouldn’t have much free time due to their increased responsibilities. So it wasn’t a surprise that Heather had a hard time finding either when she finally made her way back to Xact. She was filled in on the case of the assassination attempt on Bai Ling and its conclusion. Heather was upset upon hearing the verdict but she was also too tired to express her anger. She was given a spot to rest without cost as long as she promised to see the countess as soon as she was better.

And that was where Heather was now. She stood in front of the large polished doors that lead into Cassandra’s office at the top floor of the Church. The doors opened just as Heather was about to knock a man dressed in multiple layers of clothing with a hood gestured for her to step inside. At another corner a woman in similar attire also stood. Judging by their observing glares they were either bodyguards or more people awestruck by her shared Aves traits.

Cassandra sat at a large desk, absorbed in paperwork. She barely acknowledged as Heather sat down in a well cushioned chair on the opposite end of the desk.

“You wanted to see me?” Heather asked. Cassandra barely stopped in her reading. Even with the bored look on her face, a Summoned was still of less importance. A moment or two passed before Cassandra finally laid the paper down and looked Heather over.

“Ah, it’s you. The one with angelic wings.”

“Yeah, the one that fought off your hitmen.” Cassandra briefly broke eye contact.

“I’ve already apologized. It is also why I wanted to speak with you. As you may know, Xact is in the early periods of war. And any help would be greatly accepted. Especially from Summoned such as yourself.” Heather scoffed.

“So, you want me as a soldier? Another military number thrust on the front lines?”

“To put it bluntly, yes. Of course it’s not like this is a one sided bargain. You would be granted the same as the others. Aurora and Bai Ling have been granted Xactian citizenship as well as protection from The Order, while in our borders.”

“And outside of your borders? You gonna sick some more dogs on us?” Cassandra’s jaw clenched. Her patience wearing thin. The phoenix had a mouth on her. The countess only put up with it because the Emperor greatly stressed how great Summoned as allies were.

“I already stood trial and apologized for those events. They won’t be a threat to you anymore. I already ceased that bounty. They were the only ones after you, seeing that you already dispatched the other group I sent after your friend.” This time it was Heather’s turn to break eye contact.

“It was another thing that I had to apologize for and another Summoned situation I had to contain. How do you explain any normal human completely obliterating several men in a fire. Nothing left but bone. And even those crumbled to ash at a mere touch. I had to play the angelic route for your defense. ‘Bad men that were smitten.’ That’s what I had to tell them to even hope to calm them down. To allow you back here at all. At least, now, no one would dare oppose you. The power of an archangel. That is formidable. And it’s why it would please the Emperor for you to join us. If you are in the same situation as other summoned then you are a wanderer without proper home and food, yes?” Cassandra took the paper she was reading before and slid it across the desk, facing Heather. The countess then took a pen and placed it on top.

“All you have to do is say yes and you instantly have a home. You can even see Bai Ling on occasion. Right now she is training to be one of our fierce warriors. And don’t worry. She won’t see the front line unless absolutely necessary. Her position is more to protect her homeland. But if the war starts going badly we will have to start pulling forces from more corners…”

Heather narrowed her eyes. Spoken like a true politician. Manipulation by dangling things people cared about like a carrot on a string.

“And if I say yes?” Cassandra flashed a rare smirk as Heather asked the question.

“The emperor will see to it that you are taken care of as well as what the future will have in store for you, just like he did with the other Summoned within our borders. But best of all you’ll have a home with allies. Everyone has fought for that right, one way or another.”

 

[Juju]

Greymourne and Enzio
YsFanatic ​

Greymourne frowned in confusion. "Are you sure you're ok, kid? Kana is dead. I buried her in the royal gardens."

"Wait, hold on. Did you fuse souls with someone? Or are you possessed? hopefully not a demon...Can you talk to them now?" Enzio said with a little too much excitement, moving closer to look at Yunica in muted awe. There was no mistake that the young man was fascinated by the summoned, and Greymourne couldn't blame him after all the stories his father would tell him about the Raven Knight. It ruined him, in her opinion.

Greymourne placed a hand on the knight's shoulder and pulled him back a pace. "Give her some space, would you? You're acting like some stableboy whose just seen a knight." she looked at Kana seriously, almost with disbelief, "Are you saying Kana is... somehow alive inside you?

"Oh, and since our dear captain dodged the question with such expert finesse," Enzio said with a smug grin, "She refused every single healer that tried to help her. Made a big fuss over it too, she did. Kept saying things like, 'Don't be wasting healers on me when we've a got good soldiers dying of sickness'. " For effect, he lowered his voice into a strict tone to mock the captain.

She did not take the joke well, scowling, "Enzio, shut it."

 

[YsFanatic]

In response to Enzio's questions about souls a faint tremor ran through Yunica's body. When she spoke, it was hesitant, as if she was afraid, and during the entire time she didn't let go of Greymourne. "I... I wasn't born. I was created, a copy of another and didn't have a soul of my own. Kana sense that, and sought to protect me from those who could take advantage of that." There is a brief pause as the clone reaches a more uncomfortable aspect of the situation, her voice becoming quieter. "We are able to talk, but she says as her soul adapts to my body and becomes truly mine that she expects to gradually fade away." There is another pause, Yunica's voice becomes a bit more light hearted and amused with her next comment. "She's scolding you for refusing healing by the way."

Spoiler: Interaction

Juju

 

[Juju]

• Timeskip
• Present

• 
  In the darkness, Kotori spun strange dreams. At first they were simple things; smells, emotions, sounds she could not quite recognize. They all slipped past her consciousness, all until the dreams of night.
  
  Strange stars gazed down at her and the wind sounded off-key, yet all she could think about was the hunger gnawing at the pit of her, and the deep, terrible pain in her chest. It throbbed with each step, but she had to keep going. Beyond the moonlight shadows something lay sweet and unmoving. She followed the scent of it blindly, mouth open and empty, until she found herself in the light of the moon.
  
  All around her was a field of broken shapes, some huddled into the dirt, some poised up at the sky, trailing thin, streaking slices of cloth. They whipped and snapped. Something in the distance creaked. Her claws sunk deep into the stinking mud, tearing up maggots and roots as she passed. The sound was driving her mad, making her head fill with black noise. Her body felt shrivelled, biting at itself. She had to satiate it with something.
  
  The solution presented itself, face down in a patch of red grass. Metal encased it, as if to hide her prize, only to split easily beneath her teeth like butterfly wings. Bones broke beneath it, spilling a rich sweetness she never knew. It made her shiver with joy until it was gone. Then she found another shape, then another, and another until her thoughts became small and dull once more.
  
  
  ≓⋅≑⋅≒
  
  
  Kotori, Wakinyan, Susan​
  
  It wasn't until a few days had passed before Kotori stirred. She opened her eyes, raising an arm to block against the seemingly harsh sunlight. Slowly, her vision returned, and a familiar voice rose up.
  
  "Hey, you, you're finally awake." Susan said, a self-amused smirk on her face. She was lounging on a neat stack of hay, head resting on what looked to be a silken pillow. A pair of obnoxiously large sunglasses rested on her face, bouncing ever so slightly with the uneven motion of the wagon. All around them were supplies jumbled together, mostly animal feed and barrels of strongly smelling liquid. "Pretty nice ride, eh? Only the absolute best for the saviours of Castellan."
  
  Kotori sat up slowly, her head spinning and her arms weak. A make-shift bed had been made out of more bundle of hay, though instead of a pillow her head had been resting on a sack of flour. Her pale hair hung loosely around her face, covering a ruby eye. "Susan? y-... where...Wakinyan?-"
  
  "Is not too far. Sheesh, just give him a second. It's not like he's been fretting for like a week or anything. Nice to see you too, y'know it's good..."
  
  Kotori had to smile, "Susan, forgive me. Ah, I am glad you are well... I feared the worst when we lost you in that battle... the battle... this is not Castellan?"
  
  "Yeah, about that. Nortestra won but the city was pretty much decimated and tons of people died of sickness so we had to evacuate" She shrugged, "Anyway, on the bright side you're not a wanted criminal anymore... you're a noble."
  
  "A noble...?"
  
  "Yeah, means you can boss around people and get fancy stuff. Don't worry, it probably means little here or they just have really low standards. I mean, they made you and Hitori one and he busted up half the city!" The girl snorted, adjusting her glasses with a finger, "And then there's this samurai man who's running for king. Eh, don't look at me like that, it's just politics. Oh, that reminds me. I sto- I mean, we received some gifts from the people of Nortestra as a reward. Yours kinda sucks, but you're just a starving orphan-monk so you're probably not picky."
  
  Kotori was still trying to wrap her head around the noble concept when Susan shoved a hastily wrapped bundle into her hands. She stared down at it curiously, frowning. It would have to wait, first she would have to ask about Hitori and Csilla... of Sulric and Charon. Before she could utter another word the ground began to shake, and whatever horses were towing the wagon began to rear and panic.
  
  "Ah, look, there he goes scaring the damn horses again. This is the fourth time today. He just had to make it dramatic"
  
  Susan's words were drowned out by a rumble of thunder and a deep growl. Wakinyan leapt over horses and marching men alike, his hooves graceful despite the weight beneath them. His restored wings were missing, something Kotori noticed with much sadness. The wind rushed up as he neared, stirring Kotori's hair and almost causing Susan's shades to fly off her head. Wakinyan towered above the wagon and its frightened horses, staring down at Kotori with an expression impossible to read.
  
  Of course, there wasn't much time to guess before the clouds thickened and he let out a harsh growl.
  
  "Welp, the sunshine was fun while it lasted, I guess."
  
  ≓⋅≑⋅≒​
  
  Kotori felt ashamed at her failure, even without Wakinyan's disapproval. It was an error of restraint, but it wasn't until she learned about the consequences did she truly feel the weight of her actions. Nergal walked this earth, yet corruption still swelled in his heart. Kotori could not understand how she had done it...this went against everything she had ever known. No Chosen could ever call upon the powers of more than one god. If Wakinyan knew the answer, he kept it to himself, instead urging her to focus on the task at hand. The truth of the matter was that this miracle came as a curse; if they could not find the Earth Beast, the corruption would spread into this world until there was nothing left. The dread of failing yet another world gnawed at her, following her with each time she caught her reflection. Her eyes, once soft like rainy skies had been stained with red. An ill omen indeed.
  
  By the end of the week, Kotori felt her strength return. Every dawn she and Wakinyan would arise before the camp awoke and ventured into the surrounding woodlands and hills, looking for any signs of Nergal. Sometimes Csilla or Hitori would join, and when the hunt yielded no signs, as it always did, they would return to assist in the evacuation. Kotori found herself naturally drawn to the healers, though she found the experience quite painful. Each day of marching revealed field after field of corpses and raided villages filled with decay and bones. This was true war, nothing like the small disputes of her lands.
  
  It made her wonder if those who lived in worlds brimming with life began to forget how precious it was.
  
  At dusk, no matter how exhausted she was from the day, she would do one last search for signs of Nergal. Time and time again she was met with not only frustration and disappointment, but also an ever growing dread. Corruption was never known to be this quiet. It always consumed whatever it could, be it man, beast, or god. Yet, the nights were calm and silent and filled with skies of strange stars.
  
• 
  
  
  Kotori, Wakinyan, Susan
  Solirus SirDerpingtonIV Gohan510​
  The morning marked two weeks since the Battle of Castellan, but the skies were so clear and the sun so bright one could almost be forgiven for forgetting there was a war going on. Kotori had just returned from another unsuccessful hunt, but she made up for it by the bundle of sweet-smelling herbs tucked away in her bag. The healers had been running low on a medicinal herb typically grown in cathedral gardens. It reminded Kotori of a similar plant in her homeland, and with a little searching, she was pleased to discover it also grew in the same sorts of places. Bride's Veil, they called it, but to her it looked very much like Whisperbloom.
  
  Regardless of its name, the healers would be relieved to have more. Her only worry was that Hitori had not eaten breakfast due to her not being here to make it for him. He seemed to enjoy her cooking to an unusual amount, even if she considered it bland, but then again he seemed to enjoy all food equally. Since it brought such joy to him, she had developed a habit of making extra, but it was never enough. The amount he could eat in one sitting was terrifying, consuming what might have been a week's rations with ease. She shuddered for a moment and quickened her pace towards the line of horses and carts. Wakinyan strode beside her, snorting in disgust at the simple-minded animals.
  
  Susan was sitting in her usual spot, lounging in her usual manner. Kotori caught up to the pace of the cart, "Susan, have you seen Hitori?"
  
  The girl slowly turned her head, tilting her sunglasses down to give Kotori a look over their brim. "Have you seen Nergal?" The look on Kotori's face must have been pitiful, because the young girl decided to fill the silence on her own. "Nah, l was napping until someone interrupted me."
  
  "Ah, forgive me."
  
  "Ugh, stop apologizing, I was joking. Don't worry about him, I'm sure he'll show up. If not, just try to get into battle or something and he'll swoop in like all the big hero bois. That or cook some of that magical food of yours." she waved her hand dismissively. "Oh and I see you've finally got over your fear of ghosts. I told you, it's not gonna hurt anyone. They're d e a d. If anything, you're letting a little bit of them live on. Their clothes, to be exact. Not like they can care anymore."
  
  Kotori looked down at the cloak around her shoulders, frowning slightly. The morning had been cold before the sun had risen, and the 'gift' cloak had held onto the fire's warmth. It felt wrong to wear it at first, like someone was watching her, but as the dawn progressed it felt more like being watched over. "It is not right to take the belongings from the dead... but if you say it is a gift then I will wear it in their memory."
  
  "Kotori, it's just a dumb cloak. Yeah, yeah, then you're gonna say something like 'everything has meaning to someone'. Seriously, you sound like a fortune cookie. Wait... hold on..." Susan sat up, squinting past Kotori's fluffy head. Wakinyan was already staring at the tree line, as still as a statue. In the distance, trees were falling down in a straight line. "That's not your lost dog, is it?"
  
  Kotori sprung into action, leaping up onto Wakinyan's back. It was clear they were leaving without Susan, which was exactly why she wanted to come. "Wait, I want to see the dog too!" Susan blurted out, jumping to her feet.
  
  Wakinyan reared up in impatience at the moment's delay, lightning crackling over his hide. Kotori shook her head, "Susan, it is too dangerous. If this truly is Nergal you risk suffering his fate or worse. Please, understand."
  
  "Everything we do is too dangerous!" Susan objected, only for a puff of dirt and rocks to crash into her as Wakinyan took off. Funny, she never realized how fast he was until she wasn't the one hitching a ride. She dusted herself off with a sigh and put her shades into her bag. Normally she could just step into a void portal, but she was in retirement . In the end there was only one solution to this. Susan adjusted her sneakers and then took off at a jog.
  
  
  Spoiler: cloak

  

 

[Solirus]

Golem

​

…

Approaching Threat: True

…

Threat Status?

Current Threat Status: Approaching “Golem”

…

Threat Level: Inconclusive, more information required

…

Engage mode disabled

Speed, decreasing

…


Upon detecting that the Threat was approaching it’s location, Golem slowed down bit by bit attempting to prevent a collision between itself and the Threat. Golem finally halted it’s movements leaving a clear and long mark on the ground to attempt and slow down, small damage to the environment compared to the path of destruction it left when charging at the Threat. Finally after waiting for a bit, Golem saw the Threat which had also slowed down.


Scanning

…

Threat counter 2

…

Analysis: Symbiotic Threats?

…

Connection spotted

…

Threat Level: Inconclusive, more data required

…

Activating: Over watch mode

…

Threat 1 emotional status: disgust, disappointment…

Threat 2 emotional status: confusion

…


Golem simply kept staring at them; it didn’t have the right information to make a correct assessment. Although Golem seemed immobile, should the two Threats decide to leave Golem would follow and watch, for it seeked to complete its mission and its mission required sufficient data.

Interactions: Juju
Around: SirDerpingtonIV

 

[YsFanatic]

During Timeskip
​

When Charon was presented with an offer of nobility, the android simply cackled for a moment and then promptly ignored it and the letter for the gold was given to Kotori while she was still unconscious. The barber thing however caused him to emit noises of such glee that it threatened to break people's eardrums. One of the first things he did after that appointment was borrow an enchanted knife or sword from someone so he could shallowly carve the words 'Barber Supreme' on his chest armor. He'd have to redo it the next time he took damage to the area and had to repair it, but for now everyone would know who Charon was and that their hair was subject to his whims. As such in addition to the usual hairstyles that the Nortestra people were used to, there was a rise of mohawks and mullets among their people as well as a vast array of other 'exotic' styles.

Present
Juju Solirus
​

During the trip to Ravenscourt Charon mostly ran outrider, ranging far ahead or lagging behind to watch for potential threats. More than once the caravan would find the ruins of monsters smashed to bits simply because they had the misfortune of being in the path of travel when the android found them. And sometimes someone would wake up in their morning to find that their hair had been styled or otherwise taken care of, or a random barber would find themselves being stopped and being given lessons on what they were doing wrong. In fact Charon was on his way back for one of those impromptu lessons when he detected Kotori, Horny Horse, and another girl running off. Curious, the soul eater decided to follow and see what was going on.

 

[Juju]

• Castellan
• Week 1
• Week 2

• 
  
  
  Sir Nemu & Gloop​
  
  Nemu did not, in fact, end up finding the princess. The castle was nothing but a pile of rubble by the time she got to it, and any evidence that could lead her to the princess was gone. To make matters worse, she couldn't find either Hiba or Clementine. She waited an entire day at the ruins of the castle, sitting in the parts of the garden that wasn't on fire or filled with dead demons. To keep herself busy, she picked some herbs and berries she found around the grounds, testing what properties they had by tossing them at Gloop. Whatever she discovered was recorded in her mini field journal, along with some normal flowers to be pressed in the pages.
  
  She camped out in part of the castle that still stood, just in case Hiba and Clem caught up later than expected. With Gloop as a fire slime, it wasn't too bad... though at several times during the night she heard shuffling from beyond the broken pillars she huddled beneath. Hoping they were her 'friends' or better, castle ghosts, she went out to investigate but found nothing.
  
  The day after, Nemu decided that her friends were not coming to the castle. She was also deep in enemy territory, so she had to slip out of the city when the Castellan baddies were not looking. Thankfully, they all seemed busy and Nemu was able to leave the city without much trouble. It also had nothing to do with the fact that nobody knew who she was.
  
  
  ~~~
  ​
  Soon enough Nemu caught up with the nearest questgiver; the vampire lady. Nemu was ashamed to turn in her previous quest without having completed it, but when Ellanora saw the shadowfiend Nemu was surprised to see her smile. Everyone else around the lady did too, it would seem. Apparently the shadowfiend belonged to her, and she was so thankful about its return that she gave Nemu that promised knighthood. Actually, it was an honorary position, but the lady assured her the title remained. That was all that Nemu cared about, anyway. Now all she needed was a title.
  
  What's more, Nemu received another quest from the Lady Ellanora. She was to be sent on the Mollug mission to Tesirael in search of a dangerous person that had been sighted destroying the place. There was even a wanted poster and everything! They had to be stopped at all costs, before they destroyed more cities. Nemu wasn't really concerned with how strong the villain was, only that this world was in dire need of a hero. Someone had to take down all these baddies, and starting today there would be one. There was a new sheriff in town, and her name was Nemu... Sir Nemu.
  
  That morning she gathered her supplies, ate a breakfast of pancakes, and set off on her quest to Tesirael.
  
  
• 
  
  ​
  Mention: Solirus Gohan510
  "Well, this place is um... totally ruined. They really weren't lying. It's like a mana-bomb went off." Nemu's shoes stirred up clouds of ash as she walked through the remnants of a street. Gloop plodded beside her, his jiggly form a stark contrast to the grey and black. Up ahead was a Mollug encampment, easily recognized by the imperial flag at the entrance, and the grumpy guards standing beside it.
  
  One stepped forward as she approached, lowering a halberd. "Halt, identify yourself."
  
  "It is I, Sir Nemu Qwerty, Knight of the Mollug empire, Rising Hero, Savior of the Cookies and Guardian of Peace! And this is my trusty companion Gloop. We have ridden the length and breadth of the land in search of a villain most foul! Together we shal-"
  
  "Get lost, kid. We don't have time for senseless pranks."
  
  "Oh, I'm a knight! Don't worry, I'm kinda new so I get why you wouldn't recognize me," Nemu waved a hand and laughed lightly, as if brushing off a silly comment "I got a totally official quest from Baroness Ellanora Nightshade. See, I've even got the quest flyer." She dug into her hat and pulled out the wanted poster, showing it to the guards. "I've been sent here to find them and bring them to the emper- I mean Jade Book's justice! So let's get cracking at this investigation, I made just the potio- OOF"
  
  With a solid smack, Nemu was sent backwards by the staff-end of the halberd. She fell to the ground, her breath knocked from her. Gloop rushed over to her, licking her face with a slimy tongue that smelt very faintly of bubblegum. The guard gave a growl "I said, quit with your games. Be gone or you'll spend a night in a cell... or worse. We have official business in the area, so I suggest you make yourself scarce."
  
  Nemu picked herself up and dusted off the ash from her jacket. It hurt, a lot, but she didn't want to give them the satisfaction of knowing it bothered her. "Ah, well it seems as if my tales of valour have not made it this far... well, not to fear my dear Gloop. This is how every major hero starts their journey. Time to show them what it means to be Chaotic Good! I know just what to do!"
  
  "Are you talking... to a slime?"
  
  "Er... yeah? KAY BYE! I AM LEAVING NOW! I AM NOW FOLLOWING YOUR ORDERS AND LEAVING!" Nemu said loudly so the guards could hear, picking up Gloop in her arms and backing up out of the halberd's range. She turned tail and quickly retreated out of sight. Once she was out of their detection range, as every video game has taught her, she plopped Gloop down and began rummaging through her hat. "Ok, so here's the plan. They are guarding something important, right? Right. There has to be evidence in there. If we can get to it, and make the Super Tracking Spell Potion, we can figure out where the BBGE is hiding. You got that Gloop?"
  
  The slime absentmindedly wobbled up and down like shaken jello. "Gloop, you're a genius! An invisibility potion is just the trick. But do we have enough stuff for it? I guess we could supplement the salamander eye with bluepepper, or maybe YES the Castellan-Bad-Taste-Berry! If we mix it with the moonwater we might be able to get a similar effect! Ok, let's get to it!"
  
  
  ~~~​
  
  After a secret potion creation, Nemu was ready. She poured the contents onto Gloop and immediately the slime swelled up like a balloon, changing in colour and size. Then he disappeared completely. "Gloop?" Nemu said, reaching out a hand. As it collided with the slime her arm also went invisible. "So cool... Ok, let's go." She said, hopping onto his back and laying low.
  
  Slowly, they walked past the guards and into the camp. There was an obvious glowing tent in the middle, with a mage-looking elf inside looking over something. As they got closer Nemu realized it was a severed hand encased in ice. "Yuck" she said, then caught herself by covering her invisible hands over her mouth. The elf mage looked over their shoulder, frowned, then went back to casting a spell on the hand.
  
  Nemu pat Gloop's back and pointed towards the table. He went towards a shelf instead, bumping into it with his clumsiness. Various trinkets, scrolls and magical reagents tumbled to the ground. The elf sat up, confused and annoyed. "What the? Ugh... I just cleaned those up! I keep telling them that shelf is absolute horse shite. But nooo, just shut up and do your job mage. Be a good little elf while the others go out drinking. Ridiculous! Do they have any idea how precise this spell needs to be? Ugh, if I don't get a promotion from this I swear i'm joining that damn rebellion..."
  
  They grumbled, walking past Nemu and Gloop to gather up the fallen items. Carefully, Nemu did what most movie heroes did and tip toed behind the elf and approached the desk. She was in plain sight now, but the elf's back was turned and they were focused on cursing the guards. She took out her wand and did a quick levitation spell on the frozen hand, lifting it off the desk. Success! She turned back to Gloop... only to see him eating some of the reagents. Not good!
  
  Gloop's form changed once more, becoming visible due to a harsh glow radiating from him. The elf stood up, preparing a spell, then noticed Nemu. "HEY! DROP THAT, THIEF!"
  
  "Sorry, we're just gonna borrow it for a spell! Ah!" Nemu ducked as an arcane bolt flew past her head. She tossed the hand at Gloop, who then promptly dissolved the whole thing. "OH...ummm... on second thought nevermind. SORRY! IT'S ALL FOR THE CAUSE! IM A KNIGHT!"
  
  Gloop shifted forms again, his sudden increase in size knocking the elf mage to the side of the tent. They tried to use another spell, only for the slime to absorb it and grow bigger. "GUARDS! GUARDS!"
  
  "Gloop, we need to leave! Now! Stealth mission failed!" Nemu cried, motioning for the beast to follow. She could hear the clatter of armour outside the tent. Grabbing some reagents from the floor, she threw them into Gloop and jumped onto his back. "Go GO GO!"
  
  Now the size of a bear, Gloop bolted out of the tent while arrows and magic shots fell around them. Gloop glowed for a moment, then release a large arcane blast from his tail, shooting across the ground like a speed boat. Clouds of sparkly smoke were left behind, purple and blue and smelling faintly of candy. Nemu could only hold onto her hat and laugh as they zoomed away, leaving behind very confused and angry guards... and probably a rebel mage.
  
  
• 
  
  
  Sir Nemu & Tracking Gloop​
  Week 2! Solirus
  By the end of the second week Nemu had made it to a small town in Southern Mollug. Already the effects of the tracking potion were wearing off and if they didn't find this BBEG soon then they would totally be lost. Even worse, Nemu had used up the last of their money buying a fancy statuette. The shopkeeper said it would glow a bright gold when near treasure.. but Nemu hadn't found anything yet. It dawned on her that perhaps this was a scam, but at least the statue was pretty!
  
  Nemu let out a sigh and looked up at the sky, using a hand to shield from the sun. It was late morning, which meant they had less than 12 hours of searching before the potion wore off. The odds didn't look too great, but at the very least they would have fun trying!
  
  "Alright, let's get to it, Gloop! That evil villain may think themselves clever, but they are no match for the wits of Sir Nemu the Clever and Gloop the Mighty! Funny how this town isn't destroyed though. Then again, it could be like a secret hide out. Or maybe they are waiting to strike at any momen!" she declared, earning the concerned glance from a passerby. Others looked at the brightly coloured slime creature in alarm, unsure of what it was. Nemu gave them a wave and a smile, "Hi! I'm Sir Nemu, and this is Gloop!"
  
  The only response she got were nervous glances as people quickly went about their business. Nemu placed her hands on her hips, "Huh... was it something I said? Eh, whatever, no more time to waste! We have a villain to catch! Go get em, boy!"
  
  Gloop waddled back up the trail and into the forest bushes. "Hey, wait up Gloop! These bushes are scratchy... owwie.. I think I cut my hand.."
  
  The blue mass of slime kept going, pushing deeper into the wilderness without regards to Nemu, who had to run to keep him in sight. "Gloop! Come back!"
  
  

 

[StaidFoal]

=FROSTFIRE, MIKHAIL, MEIRA=
REUNION WITH THE BROTHERHOOD
SirDerpingtonIV (Kezathal)

​

"Wow... he's done so much more than I have since we last met..." Felicia sat behind the cover, staring with intrigue at the base's machinations; the systems of people working together to iron out the cogs. It was much like the menial operatives on the Isle of Andilowa: working hard to ensure the comfortability of their superiors. She clasped her hands together, leaning forward for a closer look much like a child would. She had to admit, he was incredibly impressive to gain so much. Meanwhile, I ended up dead at the hands of a cowardly princess...

The bushes rustled to her left as someone encroached on their hiding spot. "I thought we scrapped this idea, considering Kezathal's psychological profile?" Meira knelt down, also sparing glances at the organized encampment. She then gleamed at Felicia with sparkling eyes. "I sounded really professional there, right?"

"Almost." The response came from Felicia's right, just as she opened her mouth to answer the bright girl. "Plans have changed now that we have someone with us he'll recognize." The source of the voice was a man named Mikhail. From what Meira told her, all she knew was that he carried an inexplicable amount of weight in Providence as the 'self-proclaimed leader of the Overseers.' "Besides, a stunt like this will grant my legitimacy once I'm able to run for next Constant," he remarked, affirming Meira's description for Frostfire.

Meira rolled her eyes. "Well, you're 40 years ahead of yourself as usual," she blankly spoke. Upon looking at the people of the encampment for a second time, Meira bit her lip. She peeked at the unwavered summoned, promptly controlling her breath and regain some of her composure. "You're sure of this, Felicia?"

Felicia scoffed as if the beast woman asked a stupid question. Meira's train of thought derailed at her unexpected scorn, serious or not. "Of course. He trusts me, after all. We asserted our goals upon our first day in Valucia." Both Providence operatives raised an eye at Felicia's shift of tone. Unlike before her revival, Felicia was brimming with confidence; arrogance, Mikhail would think. Frostfire was first to stand, stepping out of cover. The Overseer met Meira's confused eyes, nodding at her to follow suit.

It didn't take long for several people in the camp to notice the trio. It was an odd party, with each member in completely differing attire and composure. Felicia held herself firm, certain that things would go her way. Mikhail appeared to walk without a care in the world, but keeping his hands behind his back where an emergency signal switch was ready to be pressed. Meira, though, glanced around warily, for all she knew was the potentially dangerous territory they were setting foot in. If anyone paid close enough attention, they'd have noticed the silver eagle pin somewhere on their clothing. "We're here to meet with Kezathal," Felicia said to the first person to confront them. "Tell him it's FrostFire."

 

[Snackofthefuture]

-Bastion Fortress-​

Bastion Fortress had watched as the city of Castellan tore itself apart. He saw the destruction of the Coelacanth first hand, robots and strange mechanical creatures climbing and battling with the mech in a strangely beautiful duel. The numbers of the machine tide and the constant barrage of magic spells from both sides of the conflict eventually brought down the behemoth. It’s falling body crushed countless Mollug soldiers, burying them under thousands of tons of steel. Bastion had cackled in delight as the Nortestran army was pushed to it’s very breaking point, attacks from all sides and no hope in sight. The Brawler wondered why more summoned hadn't joined the attackers, you’d think a nation on the edge of defeat wouldn’t make such a good home faction. And yet, Bastion loved to take on the odds, perhaps the Summoned were more alike than he thought.

The Brawler had watched as the first of Aldreg’s demons appeared in the palace, he took notice of the Xactians entering the city, he had even seen the flash of a teleportation spell that could only belong to the strange wizard looking summoned, this considering the fact Bastion had watched many Summoned die on the Castellan battlefield. Speaking of dead Summoned, Bastion had even watched as a group of futuristic looking men with quite decent active camouflage, killed another Summoned. This summoned had seemed to have quite a decent connection, perhaps even control, over the gravitational field of the world. Bastion decided that it was good that this summoned was murdered, as it would be one less contender for control of the world. His death had even alerted Bastion to the presence of more advanced civilizations on the planet. So perhaps the gravity manipulator’s death was not in vain.

Once the plague began to drift from the sky, Bastion had decided to rejoin the fight, leaping from the wall he stood upon with gusto to the ravaged floor below. Fighting on the Northeastern flank of the Nortestran defence, Bastion racked up quite a number of kills. He crashed through the retreating Mollug soldiers like a truck through a warehouse of pinatas. Their armor exploded and warped with every contact with Bastion’s muscled physique. His fists sent men flying into the stratosphere, his kicks straight into the grave. The fighting only lasted for another 30 minutes after Bastion rejoined sadly. The Mollugs escaped, despite their immense losses, fleeing into the surrounding wilderness. After hollering insults at the Mollug’s backs for a couple minutes, the Nortestran troops in Bastion’s immediate area crowded around for a bit, thanking him for helping defeat the Mollugs. Bastion hadn’t really meant to help the Nortestrans, but he saw no point in turning down their praise, so instead he basked in it.

Shortly after congratulations however, the soldiers received new orders, their job unfinished. It was time to secure the remaining inhabitants. The Castellan defence army was split into multiple small forces, to clear a safe zone in the Eastern bloc of the city. While this was being done, the remaining inhabitants of Castellan, noble and commoner alike, set up camp outside the city, in the direction of Ravenscourt. The Nortestran army kept up their work at clearing safe zones for only half a day, as it turned out exposing yourself to plague-ridden streets for hours on end was not a good way to stay healthy. This and the many Blood beast ambushes brought the mission to a screeching halt. The Masked soldiers, infamous now among the Castellan guard, were luckily rare, but still provided some resistance when found. Brother Beast’s men immediately set about securing the populace as well as finding safe passage to Ravenscourt.

Before they left, the newly promoted Reverend of Nortestra, threw a ceremony on the outskirts of Castellan, an event designed to celebrate the survivors of the long siege and it’s many heroes as well as mourn the dead of the city. After the ceremony, Forsith, Ian and Greymourne began the process of promoting and rewarding the leftover military and Summoned. Once the ceremony was complete, the decision to leave was finalized and the Castellaners left the city. Bastion tagged along, knowing that violence was bound to follow after these people, hoping that perhaps he could obtain some influence or reward beyond a worthless check and some compliments. The men the brawler fought alongside remembered Bastion however, and during the journey, Bastion made acquaintance and even friends with several. Most of them died of plague shortly after, the disease spread by Ellanora having wrecked secret havoc on their insides.

Bastion made a note of Baroness Ellanora, thinking to himself that he ought to kill her for murdering his new friends. Then he had thought to himself for several more moments and decided he wouldn’t purposefully go out of his way to do it as she hadn’t purposefully gone out of her way to kill them. This forced Bastion out of his comfort zone and he spent several nights wondering at his place in the universe over it. After this momentary lapse of concentration, Bastion then decided that getting to know the other summoned might be useful. He definitely made the attempt but for some odd reason, things would always end up in the way of him actually making their acquaintance. Either an enemy raid would occur, a wagon would pass right between them, or they would end up being summoned to fulfill some other desperately needed task. It annoyed him and two weeks passed like this, with the Brawler undergoing some serious isolationism during this period. He finally found time to meet with them on the last day of travel to Ravenscourt. Of course, the moment Bastion was about to walk over and introduce himself, the one known only as Kotori took off on the back of Wakinyan towards a loud crashing in the distance.

Bastion watched them fly over the horizon for a moment, wondering what had caused the commotion, and then with a shrug, took off after the Summoned. Bastion landed soon caught up, his massive strength and stamina allowing him to bound at nearly the same pace as Wakinyan. He looked to the left for a moment, looking Wakinyan in the eye as he matched the unicorn’s pace. He held a thumbs up and continued to run, shouting loudly, “I'm gonna help you guys!!!” before turning back to his sprint.

Juju Gohan510 Solirus SirDerpingtonIV YsFanatic

 

[Snackofthefuture]

-SAKUJO HONOMURA-​

Sakujo Honomura woke up gasping for air, clawing at the space before him. It was 3 Am. He had dreamt of the dead. He calmed down quickly as he realized that there was no danger. It was the first time Sakujo had slept in quite a while. The dream unnerved him. It had been filled with women who weren’t really alive anymore. Ithylaenn, Mune and Athena appeared each at their own points. He had stopped resting much, shortly after Ithylaenn, the other summoned he had traveled with, died in a deserter ambush. It had been two days before reaching Castellan, and Sakujo and Ithyl had been resting in a small clearing, the angelic summoned, having put a protective barrier of camouflage around the perimeter. Somehow this had done nothing however, and the pair were ambushed early in the morning of the third day before Castellan. Ithyl was killed in the opening of the fight, taking several blows, meant for the samurai. She had died, choking on her own blood, a single last word; “Run.” Sakujo, enraged, had then cut his way through the enemies, escaping into the forest using Illusionary Bushido magic. He had fled the scene, a snarl etched into his features; pain filled his heart, shame too.

Sakujo was no idiot however, and knew that despite his powers, taking on an army of former veteran soldiers, equipped with powerful magitech items, would most likely end badly. His chances of victory had not been inordinately slim, but Sakujo had no time for revenge, and he had wished to honor his comrade’s dying request. Despite his admiration for the other summoned’s sacrifice, he would not have done the same thing, he would not die surrounded by bandits in the middle of nowhere. No, he would make a true impact, and only perish if there was no other option. Survival was the true way of the samurai, as only through continued persistence, can victory be achieved. The samurai rolled out of bed directly onto the floor, beginning a workout routine to determine how up to par he was. He started with pushups and ended with a 10 minute long plank. During this time Sakujo went over the spells he could remember naturally from his mind, followed by what spells that were artificially stored inside of his brain.

After finishing the workout within a span of thirty minutes, Sakujo got up and prepared himself for the day, going about every normal task expected of the average person within an hour. Then Sakujo looked out of his tent, noting that both guards were still awake. Sakujo greeted them both and went back in his tent, grabbing his chosen armament for the day. The Samurai went about what business in the camp he could attend to in the early hours of the day and eventually found himself wandering down to the medical tents. Sakujo had decided that since most of the camp was still asleep or waking, a task he could attend to without fear was healing. The samurai had a basic grasp of healing spells and techniques that would most certainly be beneficial a good portion of the wounded. Healing proved to be an arduous task and within the span of several hours, Sakujo was worn out, having overdone his healing magic for the time being. The samurai exited the tent after having rested for a good period of time. He had healed well over fifty different soldiers to stable conditions and even several fully recovered. Most of them were asleep now after the operations, but several had thanked Sakujo themselves, teary-eyed and filled with thankfulness.

Sakujo had watched over Yunica for a short period of time, using his magic to help her body recover from exertion and the mental toll of combat. It was a simple and basic healing spell, but it was still augmented by the strength of Sakujo’s overall magic. His magic power and abundance of Bushido energy reserves made Sakujo’s simple spell incredibly helpful to both body and mind. Sakujo had finished the spell, hoping his addition would be helpful. Other Nortestran healers had looked at Yunica as well and hopefully, the abundance would be good for the cloned girl. Then the samurai turned to his next patient, going about the same process as before. Sakujo was sitting outside on the ground, chatting with several worn out medics when Yunica awoke. Greymourne and Enzio had also entered the area around the same time, Sakujo noting them from quite a distance away with his augmented eyes before finishing his conversation. Sakujo’s energy reserves were halfway replenished.

He watched as Yunica rushed to Greymourne, hugging the commander tightly. The three of them smiled at one another as they talked. Sakujo decided it was time he properly greeted all of them, having had little time to actually introduce himself. The battle had ended so recently, and everything had been so chaotic, they had only just recently set up their encampment outside the walls. Standing up with a stretch and a yawn, the samurai strolled over to the group and waved at them with a smile, before bowing rather deeply. He then raised his head and said, “Pleased to finally, properly meet each of you. I am Sakujo Honomura, Summoned and former Grand General of Shogun. I remember you Greymourne, how is your wound? This is Enzio I take it? And this is Yunica, yes? Good to meet each of you.” The samurai bowed slightly again and said “I look forward to working with each of you.”

YsFanatic Juju

 

[Juju]

Greymourne & Enzio
YsFanatic Snackofthefuture ​

For two knights in a country without bioengineering, the news of Yunica being 'created' versus born was lost on them. Greymourne frowned, while Enzio placed a finger over his chin and tried to work out this unusual riddle. To lack a soul was a terrible thing, considering the vast number of demonic and unholy threats that plagued these lands, but it was certainly a rare and quite unnatural thing. They may not be sure what it meant, but they did know the consequences.

Greymourne crossed her arms and stared down at the young clone, not unfriendly, but unsure of how to take this. She scoffed at Kana's message, "If I'm not dying it can wait. Our soldiers are dropping like flies thanks to that leech-woman and her beasts."

"And there she goes again..." Enzio laughed.

The arrival of Sakujo caused a noticeable shift in Greymourne's demeanour. Her gaze hardened and she moved away from Yunica's hug, standing at her full height as she gave the samurai an unwelcoming look. Thanks to the new heavy armouring around her legs, she was taller than before and her eyes had a dull bronze glow from the constant use of her magic.

"My wound is none of your concern." she said coolly.

Enzio took it upon himself to alleviate some of the tension and gave a grand, dramatic bow. "You are most correct, I am Enzio II of House Ravencrest, at your service. It seems like you've already met the lovely Lady Greymourne-"

"Captain."

"Captain Greymourne." Enzio corrected himself. "Ah, I was hoping she'd like you better because you look somewhat like a Czarneiki warrior, but I guess not. It's funny you mention healing. Yunica and I were just trying to convince her to get her injury looked at, but I think we'd have better luck asking the weather to change."

The strawberry knight laughed lightheartedly at his jest, but Greymourne's mood never changed. He gave her a sideways glance, noticing just how much anger was boiling up in her face. She had done well to tolerate the other summoned, better than she had been before the siege, yet any time Sakujo was mentioned she seemed to bristle.

"This is a game for you, isn't it. You think you can just assume control with some smiles, flowered speeches and a bit of otherworldly magic? You think some healing is going to convince the people that you are here to protect them?" She took a heavy step towards Sakujo, armour plates lightly clattering together. Her gauntlets floated up, one pointing a clawed, metal finger at the samurai. "You don't give a single damn about this country, its people, or its future... so long as you can snatch a slice of it. I don't care what Forsith thinks, or the support you have from those traitorous Mollug dogs. You're cut from the same cloth as any Mollug invader, just with a bit more flair and a lot less guile."

She turned around sharply and stormed off. "I'm going on patrol."

Enzio sighed, watching her stalk off with a sad look. He tried to mask it with an easy smile and a laugh, "My apologies, she can be a bit intense. Not a huge fan of summoned, either. Which is strange because she seems to like you, Yunica. You on the otherhand..." He quirked a brow at Sakujo and shrugged, "Not so much. If that, uh, wasn't obvious. I'd say she'll warm up eventually, but she is quite stubborn... it was a pleasure to meet you, anyhow!"

 

[YsFanatic]

As Sakujo and Greymourne spoke, Yunica suddenly remembered something very important that caused her to look up at the knight's face. "Where's my Armor-", unfortunately at this moment Greymourne broke away to go on her patrol, causing the clone to stumble as her bad leg started to give out on her. Stumbling, she reached out with her good arm and thankfully managed to grab a hold of Enzio's arm, her death grip on him allowing her to regain her balance for the moment. However she could still feel the weakness in her leg and knew she wouldn't be able to let go for right now. Barely sparing the young man an apologetic smile, Yunica yelled out after the knight. "Greymourne, where's my Armor? I need to get back to it!"

Juju Snackofthefuture

 

[Solirus]

Rojy

Rojy closed his notebook before looking ahead, he breathed a sigh of relief, it was only recently that Hakai had left, but it felt great that he no longer was causing any more dirty messes in both the cafeteria or the so called training room. He was seated at the chair of the former overseer in his room, he simply continued staring forward thinking to himself, before tossing the notebook in the air having it seemingly disappear.


Should I test out Project 1?

Why the fuck do YOU EVEN ASK, Are you stupid or something?

I… I was… thinking outloud?

You’re not speaking DUMBASS remember we can listen to your Thoughts

That’s not entirely true

SHUT IT

I think we should deal with other things for today… have you started work on Project 3

Nope, but I have been planning it out, so maybe today I can actually start working on it?

That would be good-

Project 3 sounded LAME you should make more GUNS, those feel great to shoot… also don’t forget about better surgery equipment

… I’ll get to doing the surgery equipment eventually…

Won’t you need Chaotic’s help for that?

…

…

Ignore what I said, just focus on starting work on Project 3, that would be best

…ok


Rojy stood up and left the overseer’s room heading to the workshop room he had been using to first construct Project 1 and all the other works… entering the room he quickly grabbed a blueprint and laid it out onto the table before channeling his energy to see what he would need to work on first…

Might want to Read: Juju

 

[StaidFoal]

=THE CONSTANT=
PROVIDENCE'S FORMER MOLLUG BASE
Solirus (Rojy)

​

"I hope His Grace knows what he's doing." The Weaver shifted his weapon for the umpteenth time, watching their boss walk towards the eerily quiet base.

"At ease," the squad leader reassured. "Mr Hiraoka is smarter than you think. I doubt he came here just to get killed."

As his guards sat back, He moseyed over to the cavern until he found the sliding doors. The barren entrance served a blast of frigid air from within as the doors slid. Dried blood stains replaced the steadfast guards that once blocked the entire surrounding area. Though the bodies had clearly all been moved, the eye-watering stench was enough to let anyone know the gist of the events. One summoned was enough to take on the entire facility. Yet, the Constant stepped through. "I suppose there's one of these types for every summoning..."

"W-Welcome, Your Grace." The automated message played in repetitions, interrupted by an electrical spark with every stutter. "T-T-The—" A whirring hum, followed by silence. The facility had breathed its dying words in what was supposed to be a tremendous occasion for the base: the Constant making a visit. By now, Rojy should have been alerted to an intruder—perhaps he was aware even earlier. Still, the Constant kept walking.

Soon, he reached one of the main halls in the facility. The summoned has smeared its pearly white walls with red. Dotting the place were signs of the gruesome explosions following each operatives' deaths. With every step he took, a squelch echoed throughout. The Constant twisted around several hallways, following the direct path to one room in particular: the late Dr. Fenrow's office. It didn't take long for him to reach the location, having to push aside the door himself to gain entry. He stepped over the still damp layers of blood that lined every meter, pulling out the doctor's swivel chair; thankfully unstained.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he began to the emptiness, taking a seat with crossed legs. "I've been wanting to talk to you for a while now, Rojy." The summoned wasn't anywhere in sight, nor could he tell where he was. He only knew that he could hear him. "You can meet me face-to-face whenever you want. I'm not here to hand out your repercussions like my superiors wanted me to." Laying his hands gently on his lap, the Constant put on his warm smile as he anticipated the man to waltz in through the door. "I'll go first. I'm part of the... 'company' that owns this facility you've taken for yourself. I think you'll find what I offer... interesting."

 

[Solirus]

Rojy

​

The constant was left without a response, the quietness and the awkwardness of the situation was deafening…

Eventually however through the door that had remained open Rojy's head popped out, his eyes were wide open and he simply stared at the constant for a bit, he examined the man before blinking multiple times. "ummm hi?" Rojy responded awkwardly before moving his head back out of sight for a minute. The next time he showed himself he simply walked into the door, his expression completely changed, he looked calm, yet his face did not exude confidence or malice but curiosity and inquisitiveness. Rojy quickly grabbed one of the chairs in the room, dragging it and placing it directly facing the constant, before taking a seat on it.

"You didn't interrupt anything, I'm hoping the blood didn't bother you one bit, it was impossible to clean off." Rojy responded not breaking eyesight but slowly growing a grin on his face, "This world hasn't been nice to me, every corner I check someone or something is trying to kill me, so your seeming lack of hostility is quite refreshing." Rojy explained quickly darting his eyes to the man's sword and back to his face, he couldn't tell what the man was feeling or thinking... "I find peculiar that a member of a company would be referred to as 'your grace' you must be important, as such I'll listen to what you have to say"

Interactions: StaidFoal

 

[Pai Chan]

Aurora del Rosario
Ilaria, Xact
​

Aurora looked over some papers in her office. She was nearly overwhelmed with the slew of new responsibilities that came with her titles and positions. She did get to see Nathan quite often since their high positions in the military and the war going on demanded many meetings to discuss strategy. As soon as that was finished then the goddess was off to the Church to resume her duties there, as well.

Luckily, there was a new Head Priest just recently elected. He was handsome and well educated. When the two first met Eugene seemed to be cautious of Aurora. Maybe, for the same reason that Cassandra was weary of the goddess. But as time went on Eugene and Aurora became acquainted and his guard was no longer up. He seemed to be surprised that Aurora was only all too glad to let him step in and take over duties.

Aurora hadn’t joined the Church for a position of power. She did so to worship The Divine in peace and amongst like minded individuals. And now that she was part of The Order then having Eugene appear when he did was truly a miracle because it would be nigh impossible to assume the responsibility as Head Priestess, member of The Order, and a military official.

A knock at the door interrupted Aurora from her train of thoughts and she realized her mind had wandered instead of focusing on the documents before her. The woman blew out a small breath, being disappointed in her lack of concentration.

“Come in.” She sounded, her soft voice easily filling the large room as it bounced off polished wood flooring and high ceiling. Eugene stepped in with someone fooling behind him.

“It seems someone is here for you at the request of Cassandra. I may have let it slip of your...stress with all the work that has been thrust upon you as of late. As a result, I’d like you to meet,” Eugene stepped aside ushering the woman to step towards the center of the room. “Sarah Rayne. Well, educated and phenomenal at multitasking. She will be your assistant with anything you need.” Aurora was pleasantly surprised as the woman curtseyed.

“It is like The Divine has heard my prayers.” Aurora said, happily. “The workload really was starting to weigh down and meddle with my focus, lately. On one hand I’m happy I finally have a place I can call home, but on the other I have yet to have any time to enjoy it. I haven’t even been able to see my good friend that has joined The Martyrs.” A brief look of surprise showed on Sarah’s face at the mention of The Martyrs, that didn’t go unnoticed by the goddess. “Is there something you know about them? I haven’t been told much.” Sarah shook her head.

“Only that they are a form of defense for a good portion of Xact. Basically, as far as The Order reaches. But they are normally to deal with foreign invaders and terrorists. Seeing that the police in the cities do their job well enough it has been rare for The Martyrs to step in.”

“But,” Eugene spoke up. “With the spark of war, training for The Martyrs has been stepped up. If our borders are broken by Mollug troops or our neighbors, Belldan or Meredin seek to take advantage during the confusion The Martyrs and the Dark Lantern are expected to be prepped and ready to defend. A good portion of the military were sent to the Mollug border and we don’t want anywhere left unguarded. And in the event that our military starts to falter then we would have backup plans in store for the two groups as well with The Martyrs taking reigns as our front line.” Aurora’s brow furrowed. She definitely didn’t like the idea of Bai Ling being sent to the front line as a high risk soldier for a nation she’s barely been a part of.

“At the moment that likelihood seems far off.” Sarah said. “Mollug is still weak from the war with Nortestra. The kingdom may have a large army but they have been considerably weakened. It is the reason we initiated the attack on them in the first place, as I’m sure you already know.” Aurora nodded and stood from her desk chair.

“That’s correct. And I’m only reminded of our military position every day.” Aurora turned to Eugene. “Thank you very much for showing my new assistant in. I believe we will take a break from the perils of war and take a brief walk. There’s an errand I have to run.” Eugene made a brief bow and stepped out.

“An errand?” Sarah asked and Aurora gave a reassuring smile although it faltered a bit.



The two women stepped into a shop after making their way down the roads filled with energetic crowds of people. There were bones dangling on strings and all manner of objectives in liquid filled jars, lining the numerous shelves. The two walked up to the counter where a lone bell sat. The shopkeeper was nowhere in sight. Was she out for a moment? Or maybe in the back of the shop?

Aurora tapped the button on top of the bell and a single shrill sound resonated throughout the shop. There was only silence. It took Aurora a moment to realize how disturbing that fact was. Just outside were many people talking, shouting, and laughing. Even music and bells were often heard when walking among the busy streets of Ilaria.

But right now there was no sound at all. Aurora was about to say something when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“I wasn’t expecting guests so soon.” A woman’s low but smooth voice broke the silence. Aurora and Sarah jumped at Sowilo’s unexpected entrance. She seemed to come from nowhere. The door wasn’t heard opening and she didn’t emerge from the back room either. The witch walked past the two women and stood behind her counter. She didn’t have her headpiece like Aurora was used to seeing. Sowilo’s red dreadlocked hair still remained but the horns and eye cover were gone. The witch’s eyes were a piercing pale green while holding much wisdom.

“Do I surprise you, goddess?” Sowilo’s words brought Aurora back to the current situation.

“Yes. In two ways. Your shop seems to be in a separate dimension. Completely cut off from what is just outside. And then, of course, is your change of attire. Your horns are gone.” Sowilo gave out a small dry laughter.

“Did you think I truly possessed horns that were affixed to my skull?” Aurora blushed slightly. This warranted yet another amused laugh from the witch. “I have found other forms of clothing now that I have been accepted here. My gown and headpiece were from when I first arrived here. Memories of my former home. Besides, the horns seemed to scare away too many potential customers. As for the silence, it’s something I prefer. Think of my shop being enclosed in a sound bubble that keeps sound out. Hard to concentrate with that constant high traffic of people up and about, most of the day.”

“Sowilo--” Aurora started but the witch put up a hand.

“Sowilo is my Druid title just as your goddess title is Symphonia. But here you go by your maiden name. Mine is Marga Bien. I’d be very appreciative if you would use that from now on.” Aurora smiled and nodded her head.

“Marga,” The goddess started over. “My assistant and I would like to see progress on your work.” Marga looked over to Sarah and her eyes lingered a while. It was as if she were looking within the assistant.

“It’s already finished.” She said, her eyes finally leaving Sarah and she went towards the back of the shop, separated by a door covered by many large and flat hanging beads that reflected the many lit candles in the shop. Another moment and Marga reappeared with Aurora’s newly acquired staff gifted by the Xactian military. Upon placing it in Aurora’s hands the staff and the affixed orbs on both ends glowed, illuminating the dark shop as if the sun itself were shining directly from above with the roof removed. There were glyphs throughout the staff that glowed as well. After a moment more the glow faded to a dim light that remained in the larger orb at the top of the staff. Marga opened her arms in a display of satisfaction.

“And now you are the sole owner of the staff. It’s bound to you and only you. It is a part of you, now.” Aurora beamed a magnificent smile. She didn’t know much of anything about glyphs but she knew she wanted the staff of such power bound to a single owner. Luckily, the witch was already known to be a master of many things involving magicks. She was hesitant at first. The Druid Witch represented the opposite ideals that Aurora did. But Marga was willing to aid. After all, she was given the shop and land in Ilaria as long as she aided The Order and Church. The city itself was perfect in searching for the many rare and unique ingredients she needed.

After many more thanks Aurora and Sarah made their way out to leave the store.

“Head Priestess,” Marga called out, making Aurora and her assistant turn. “A brief and private word with Sarah, if may?” Aurora looked between the two before reluctantly agreeing and stepping out. After the door closed Marga assumed an amused look.

“I assume the Priestess doesn’t know her assistant is a Martyr?” Sarah narrowed her eyes at the witch.

“And I expect it to remain that way, witch.” The soft spoken assistant said, with edge in her voice but the amused smirk on Marga's face remained.

“What makes The Order think she needs protection?”

“Not directly. She wouldn’t approve.”

“Obviously. So The Order somehow made a way to mask your aura from her and then slip a Martyr, masked as an assistant, to…” Marga trailed off expecting Sarah to finish.

“To take care of anything that would oppose her. She needs to remain focused and being a Summoned she has to assume the persona of being for the people. Something that people look to for hope instead of fear.” Marga nods her head.

“So, you act as the dagger at her side that way she never has to raise a finger--not that she would. Meanwhile, they also get insider details on the goddess' every move. The Order being puppet masters; I guess it doesn’t come as a surprise. It is politics after all. That is all I have. And don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.” The witch gave a smirk as Sarah exited the store. Aurora stood by with a concerned look.

“What did Sowilo want?” Sarah put on a smile.

“She was making sure I was good enough to assist our Head Priestess.” And just like the look of worry was gone from Aurora’s features and was replaced with her usual bright smile.

“In that I have no doubt.” Aurora turned and started making her way back towards the church grounds, staff in hand. Sarah trailed behind with a very confused look on her face. She just couldn’t understand why she felt inclined to give over any of that information to the witch or answer those questions.

 

[Juju]

Sir Nemu & Gloop
Solirus StaidFoal​

Nemu wasn't worried about Gloop. She had seen enough movies to know that when the scout runs off, it meant they were hot on the trail. There was no use shouting at Gloop, as like every trope, he would not hear or stop to let her catch up. So instead of sprinting off at a mad dash, she kept at a light jog, stopping every now and then to take breaks. She applied a few multi-colored band-aids to her scraped up knees, not because she needed to -- as she still had one HP cookie in her hat -- but because it looked cool. She even applied one to her cheek so it would REALLY look like she had been on a super cool trek through the woods.

When she finally caught up to Gloop she could see him blobbing up and down beside the entrance to a mine. Nemu ran up to the entrance and peered in, a huge smile on her face. "Jackpot! This is totally a secret hide out!"

At that moment, Gloop began to fizzle and pop. The blue faded back to green and all the magical benefits he once had faded away as the potion effect expired. He shrunk back to the size of a cat and jiggled up and down mysteriously. "Excellent timing, Gloop. Now we can delve into the secret lair and uncover the secret mechanisms and traps. Maybe we'll even be lucky and the villain will trap us while they explain their evil plans! Let's go!"

She trotted into the mines, looking around overhead at the dull lanterns nestled within the stalagmites. They still glowed, which meant that at the very least this place was not abandoned. Gloop plodded along behind her, chubby paws making tiny slap sounds against the stone. Struck by an idea, Nemu crouched down and looked at the dust and gravel littering the place. Most of it was against the walls, and while that meant no footprints, it did mean there was foot traffic passing through here to shift it to the side.

"Elementary, my dear Gloop" Nemu said, taking out her Adventure Journal to write down some notes. It wasn't really anything big, but at least she would look cool. Just before her glitter pen touched the paper she heard voices echo further up the cave.

Grabbing Gloop in one arm, Nemu quickly ducked behind a large stalagmite and stood very still, listening to the conversation unfolding. It sounded like the baddy had a few henchmen with them. Perfect, Nemu thought, they are following the villain code to a T. Excellent choice of a hide out too. That's almost +6 style points all together.

A robotic voice filled the cavern, revealing a juicy piece of information Nemu had no idea what she would do with. Your grace meant king or queen, so this person was definitely a big wig. So far, she was placing her bet that they were a 'secret-twist villain' that had a well known mask to hide their evil face. The only real question was why the machine sounded so messed up. Usually it should be super well kept.

She peeked past the rocky pillar and quickly drew back. First of all, the door looked broken, and secondly the guy looked nothing like the wanted poster. Then again, she had lost it back in Tesirael and had to replace it with a poorly drawn version she made herself. Could this just be a goon of the real baddy? Or better... the Bigger Bad?

Before the door could close, Nemu quickly cast the Open/Close Door enchantment spell to keep it from fully shutting. She waited until the footsteps had faded from her hearing before making her move. Gloop dangled from her arms as she passed into the white halls. Then she realized it was not so white thanks to all the blood splatters. The hairs on the back of her arms stood on end, and she felt cold even despite her jacket. This was definitely a villain hide out.

There were not many places to hide, and since this was a trailing mission, her options were not looking good. As stated in the Hero's Manual, she had to overhear at least 2 goon dialogues and 1 major villain speech before she could even consider busting out of hiding and making her own heroic monologue. It was just the rules. Normally she could use an invisibility potion, but that didn't work out too well last time.

She thought for a moment, looking around her. That's when she found the most iconic, and obvious solution. The vents! This ALWAYS worked out in the films! With a few attempts, she successfully levitated down the vent cover. She then cast levitate on her slimy sidekick. "Ok, Gloop, I need you to pull me up after I lift you up there. Ok?" No response or any indication that he heard. "Awesome. Ok, hold on."

Gloop easily fit in the vents. Once he was secure, Nemu dug into her hat and pulled out a bright red potion with a tag that said "drink me". A beginner's potion for kids, but one that was still tasty and useful. She downed the potion and shrunk in size to about 10 inches. Mini Sir Nemu then waved up at the slime. "Ok! Beam me up!" Gloop looked down, then stuck out his tongue. Nemu tried again, raising her whisper-voice up a pitch, "Gloop! The plan! We're gonna miss the monologue!"

Finally, she took out a very tiny piece of candy and held it up, wiggling it around. "Come on, boy!" Gloop seemed to melt in his form, a large tendril of slime falling down to wrap around both the candy and Nemu's arm. It then retracted back up towards his main body, and safely in the vents. Nemu climbed over the squishy, and very confused creature. He crawled after her through the vents, pawing at her tiny hat.

Thanks to the talking, she eventually found the room the Bad-Guys were in and sat in the vents, writing in her adventure log. Since she had spare time, she also began to keep track of their Villain Style points. So far there seemed to be a deal going on. Excellent choice, yet how would this play out. Would it be a Deal With the Devil? We Can Rule the Universe Together? What she did know was that the new guy (also bad guy?) was a summoned and the fancy man was a "your grace".

Thankfully, New (bad?) guy decided to ask some useful questions. 'oooooh perfect transition into revealing his true place power... will be be confident, and say who he is... or does he continue being mysterious to gain his interest by saying something like "I am but a pawn to a much larger scheme"' Nemu thought while writing her notes.