Fantasy The Great Mage Hunt of Delaran (Currently Open)

[Britt-21]

Silver Stone

Today was a day of chaos. Silver knew that just because she happened to see the soldiers more on guard than before. Not only that but there were crowds everywhere she went. It was just as if there was a festival being celebrated. Due to the crowds, Silver made a plan to sit inside and leave her window open to hear what people were gossiping about. Granted, she could be out doing her work, but with the crowds this bad? No thanks. The work could wait. A gentle breeze came through the window and the Mercenary decided to get out of her chair and stand by the window for a while. With her arms crossed, she looked out to the city -What she could see of it- and then glanced down, seeing people walk to and from. She leaned up against the frame and took her hand, running it through her silver locks while watching a scene unfold before her. There was a woman grasping onto a man, begging for help and mentioning someone trying to kill her. An eyebrow rose as Silver heard this and she moved quickly from the window to gather her things. By things, it was merely her weapon. Once finished, she rushed out, only to come out and see the woman gone and the man she stopped seeming to change direction. He disappeared into an alley and this prompted Silver to follow quietly.

However, when she got to the alley, she seen a body on ground and the Man himself walking down the narrow path. Quickly she shifted to hide behind the corner and listen. There was silence for a while, which placed her guard even higher than what it was. That body has to be the woman. There's no way. Why would this man change his direction after being begged to be saved by a woman? thoughts were going in her head as she slowly peeked around the corner and suddenly seen more individuals within the alley. Silver pulled her head back and merely just listened and soon enough came to a conclusion that the Man who walked in was ambushed by others. Slowly she began to reach for her sword on her back as she continued to listen. Just as she was about to rush in to attack, someone dashed out and surprised the young Mercenary. Dust followed the person who darted out and Silver was tempted to follow but didnt, she only got a glimpse of the same man who walked into the alley, scaling up a building. Granted, he was getting away, but that didnt distract her for too long because the thought of those other figures in the alley was still on her mind. Especially with that woman...

Releasing the sword on her back, she drew a deep breath and came around the corner, her eyes narrowed and her body ready for a fight. This was Silver. A mercenary, but not only that, she was also a fighter. A fighter to protect those who needed protecting.

Jackaboi BakaTheIdiot​

 

[ShadowHounder]

Jackaboi

"Brainwashed? I thought propaganda was your guys' specialty." Gremble remarked lightheartedly. "Though, if you're in here because of such a ridiculous lie... then who is in charge of the assault then?" The scout thought briefly about the others who died trying to get back to Magus. He had a job... he had to do it at all costs. "And how inclined do think they'll be to speaking with General Gildal in person before this battle breaks out?"

In Magus

A soldier walked into the room where Gildal stood, watching from his window. "Sir! We found the scouts that left earlier this morning. It appears they were spotted and killed near Colassi territory."

Gildal let out a long sigh of frustration. "The battle has even started yet... and they're already killing our people. Guess they're just scared now that the Princess told them about Lily. Tell me soldier... did you find Gremble yet?"

"Um... no sir. He may have been captured during the ambush. D-do you want us to prepare a squad to try and retrieve him?" The soldier asked his leader hesitantly.

Gildal looked back at his men, seeing the mistrust starting to form after the events from yesterday in their eyes. "That won't be necessary. I wouldn't want to risk any more lives on a task that may not be possible. Gremble knew what could happen if he was captured... and what to do if he managed to live long enough speak with a superior within the tower. If things go as planned... we might just be able to avoid bloodshed all together." Except the men who died to make sure Gremble got captured...

 

[Jackaboi]

The Black Mages - Giving Chase

Immediately after being kicked in the gut, the woman dropped the knife and fell back winded while Ashitaka tried to make his cunning escape, scaling a nearby building. "D-damnit! Get after him already!" However just before the hooded asailants could give chase another individual arrived, seemingly looking to see about the commotion. It looks like she wasn't going to just simply step aside. "Your mom ever teach you not to but in on other people's business?" The woman taunted slightly before turning her attention back to her incompetent allies. "What are you waiting for!? I'll handle the silver haired one. You two get after that mercenary!" Following their orders, the two asailiants sank into the ground until they were merely a shadow and moved up the building with ease before materialising once more into their human forms and giving chase.

"You ever fought against black magic sweetie? If not I'd be more than happy to give you a taste~" A devious smile stretched across the woman's face as her body was engulfed in an aura of black fire. A fireball formed in her hand and threw it right at Silver's direction. Meanwhile the other two mages managed to close in on Ashitaka's position. They too had their bodies engulfed in black fire as they both launched a volly of fireballs at their prey, not exactly with the intention to kill but rather to maim.

Britt-21 BakaTheIdiot​

 

[BakaTheIdiot]

Ashitaka - Rooftops

Well, that worked. He wasn't out of the fray yet, but at least now he wasn't cornered. Time for some fancy tricks. He gripped his bow after removing it from his shoulder and drew an arrow. He didn't stop running, but at least now he was armed, and his accuracy was, as of that incident nearly 15 years ago, unmatched. He listened attentively for footsteps, all the while ignoring and watching his own. He couldn't see the pursuers (yet), but he could hear them... in theory.

He hopped across the rooftops, occasionally looking behind his shoulder... to find that they had caught up to him. He ducked at the first sign of fireballs, and in doing so, raised his arrow, lighting the tip aflame. He drew the drawstring, took a deep breath, and mid jump to another roof, spun around and fired an arrow in their general direction.

It missed by a mile.

Rather than striking and/or killing its intended target, it instead hit some brick wall, and landed in a pot of water.

"That worked out better in my head..." He muttered to himself.

Unfortunately, his trouble was not yet over. In his movement, he had landed in a very awkward position, and felt a sharp pain in his right ankle. It wasn't good, but the adrenaline in his blood told him to keep going. He bit his lip, sucked up his pain, stroked his ego, and drew another arrow, turned around, fired, and kept running.

This time, the arrow was far more accurate, hurtling itself towards one of the two mages. In this moment, Ashitaka changed plans, and rather than jumping to the next rooftop, simply dropped to the ground. This pained his already poorly foot, but that wasn't important now. It was time to stop running.

Once again, he slung his bow over his shoulder, and drew his blade. His swordsmanship was matched by few, but a lot of good that would do him against a mage with fireballs. He also took a moment to extinguish the fire he had found on his sleeve, after feeling a burning sensation on his arm.

Jackaboi

 

[Britt-21]

Silver Stone

"Actually, she didnt teach me much." Silver quipped back, watching the enemy order her minions to go after the male who ran off. They definitely wanted something from him. What was it...a Blonde girl or something to that nature? Clearly she was important if they were willing to cause commotion in the City just to capture the man with the answers. Brown eyes narrowed in the direction of the Dark magic user while she became engulfed in a dark aura before a fireball formed within her hand. Silver reached for her sword upon her back and quickly pulled it from its wrap just in time to block the fireball with her sword which began to glow bright within the Runic symbol on the blade. "I dont think you've fought a Mercenary of my kind." People were different, and Silver was definitely in that catagory. She is the reason why the Unit from the King was created... Using the magic for Evil rather than Good. She is an enemy I have to take out before someone gets hurt. Not to mention before someone finds both of them fighting with Magic. Granted, Silver wasnt using magic but her blade said it all when fighting against this mage.

"I'd ask what your plans are, but we all know how that turns out." with the knowledge she's gain so far, she knows that this Woman could probably merge into the shadows just as her comrades did. On top of that she could shoot out fire balls. This was little information however... What else did she have up her sleeve? The only way to see what else the Mage had was to make her feel intimidated. So Silver began to walk towards her, confidence radiating off the Mercenary as the gap between the two became smaller and smaller.

Jackaboi​

 

[Jackaboi]

"Who's in charge of the assault? I'll be honest I never thought about that..." Elisa had a puzzled expression on her face as she tried running through the possibilities. The M.E.U had a couple commanding officers... Suddenly the door burst open with a familiarly thunderous bang. Such a method of entering a room could only belong to one person... "ELISA! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!!!??" "Uh oh..." The tension was practically oozing off Issac as he stomped through the halls with a furious rage. Stopping in between the two cells accompanied by Elisa and Gremble. Issac gave a cold stare to Gremble as gripped the hilt of his sword. "What did you do to the princess!? You'd better tell me how to cure her now before I chop off you head and mount it on a pike for all of Magus to see!!" "Wait! I'm not under any influence!" Issac turned to the princess with a look of disbelief. "That's exactly what someone who was brainwashed would say..." "I'm not! I know I lied about going to Magus but it was purely for information gathering! I even have information to share. You can't trust Lily Bravfar, she's a spy!" "I know..." A surprised look suddenly washed over Elisa's face before Issac continued. "Lily just commited mass murder in Bravfar Manor, Ivan Bravfar included. There were no survivors and now we're hunting her down like the vermin she is." "T-that's... Unbelievable..." "Believe it. And your little friends in Magus must answer for it." Issac shoved his sword between the bars of the cell, pointing the humoungus blade at Gremble's throat. "Starting with this one..." Elisa didn't intervene this time, looking conflicted but soon turning her attention to the captured scout. "Did you know this was going to happen? Is that why your leader told me about her? So she could get away?"

ShadowHounder ​

 

[ShadowHounder]

Jackaboi

Gremble placed his arms in the air once the Grandmaster brought his sword to the young scouts neck. "This is not what we had planned... but I think I can make this work..." He muttered before the question was present to him of whether Gildal planned the escape. "She killed the Bravfars, did she? I can't say I'm surprised... but we did not plan for there to be any bloodshed. General Gildal gave you that information hoping it would remove her from Delaran without something over the top or unnecessarily violent. If we knew that was how she was going to respond to someone catching on to her schemes, we would've acted sooner." As the scout spoke, he briefly shifted his gaze towards the chest that sat next to his cell. "If my memory serves me well... my supplies and gear are in that chest. In there is a satchel containing every piece of documentation Lily has stolen within the time she 'worked' for us. General Gildal has no use for the papers anymore and thought it would be to much of a pain to keep them well conditioned until the MEU was dismantled. Oh, and for the record... the General does not tolerate Black Magic. If anyone had even tried to brainwash your princess he would've killed them on the spot. We only had her for so long because a rogue MEU soldier assassinated a group of civilians just after she showed up." The scouted glanced over at Elisa. "Didn't you say her name was Serah? The same one that framed us for this supposed brainwashing?"

 

[Kiyoko Tomoe]

Slowly, Serah Westwind stumbled into the dungeon where Issac, Gremble and Elisa resided. Her steps were slow, loud, and careless, like that of a zombie, and her posture contributed to the idea that Serah was not herself. An aura of black magic exuded from her body, a dead look on her face. "Greetings, Grandmaster," a warped voice spoke out from the body of Serah, clearly not the girl's own. "I'm not much of one for pleasantries, so I'll get right to the point. I'm here to kill you. Or, more precisely, this girl is going to kill you. Have fun fighting for your life, as well as hers. If you win, maybe I'll be nice and release her."

As the voice faded from her, Serah slowly begun drawing her blade, emotionless eyes looking up at Issac. The girl's body tried to, albeit unsuccessfully, resist pulling the blade out. Taking stance, the girl mindlessly, albeit with all her skill, swung her blade at Issac's throat. It was quite apparent that the girl had talent, but it would also be made apparent the girl was less well-trained than the Grandmaster. However, regardless of what Issac did in response, he would feel the negative energy radiating from Serah's body and her blade as she got close for her attack, clearly the killing intent of another flowing through her.

Jackaboi ShadowHounder

 

[Jackaboi]

Issac listened intently to the mage's words, looking for a far more rational explanation for all this nonsense. Even despite his hatred for the man, he couldn't count out the fact he spoke some sense. After all Elisa didn't seem to be under any influence. But that kind of stuff was more Dr Valentine's field of expertise. Speaking of which where is she? Shaking the thought from his head he moved towards the prisoner possesions storage and took out the satchel the mage spoke of. It seemed he was speaking the truth. "So you say you had no intention to bring harm to our civilians? But yet a rogue soldier in your ranks decided to go on a murder spree..." "The same could be said for Serah too. It just seems a little too convenient that both of these incidents happened at the same time." Issac had a troubled expression on his face, trying to piece everything together but to no avail. Then in a sudden burst of anger he grabbed a chair and smashed it against the wall, spraying wooden fragments all over the halls. "I refuse to let anyone play me like a damn fool! You might be telling the truth about those documents mage but I can't exactly give any credibility to any of your other claims! If you know what's going on here you'd better tell me before I sucker punch your head all the way back to Magus!"

"W-wait Grandmaster! I believe he is speaking the truth... While I was in Magus, I did manage to get a personal audience with their leader Gildal. It's no lie that he despises Black Magic with a burning passion." Issac shot a deathly glare towards Elisa, still suspicios as to her condition. But given the passion and concern behind her words, Issac managed to calm himself once more. "Alright Prisoner, you get to live another day. But if everything you said was a lie..." Issac was cut off by the sudden appearance of an all to familiar warrior with pink hair. Once Elisa laid her eyes on the girl she gritted her teeth in anger. "You have some nerve to show yourself here!" However once Serah's features become more clear as she approached. Elisa's anger soon turned to a look of shock. Those dead eyes, that deathly aura... "It's her... Serah's the real brainwash victim..." Then Serah talked... Or did she? It's like she spoke but her lips didn't even move? And that voice... Elisa heard it from somewhere but it was too warped to tell exactly who it was.

Issac himself was also staggered by the sudden reveal but was quick to regain his composure and ready his sword. Judging by the way his adversary spoke, he knew right away what was wrong with her "This isn't brainwashing princess... This is some kind of posession." Issac was still confused but at least some things were starting to make sense "I see... You had the princess imprisoned so you could lure me outside the city walls? That's very clever... But not clever enough if you think you can kill me all by yourself." Serah lunged at the grandmaster's throat, her speed was impressive but he was still able to easily deflect the blow with his oversized sword. He then proceeded to perform an overhead slash, aimed directly at the poor girl. However seeing her deadpan face made him hesitate and he ended up embedding the sword into the stone ground. "Grr... That's a real dirty tactic mage... I suppose you're one of those Black Mages, the same type that murdered our fair Queen Evelyn..."

ShadowHounder Kiyoko Tomoe ​

 

[ShadowHounder]

Jackaboi Kiyoko Tomoe

Gremble let out a irritated sigh. "The General isn't going to like this one bit." He muttered as the Grandmaster made his threats known. Once Serah announced her presence, Gremble was quick with his remarks. "If you plan on assassinating your leader, then you should be more subt-" He was cut short once he noticed that something wasn't right. His shock swiftly swapped to rage as he gritted his teeth. "I should've know Black Magic was involved..."

While Issac engaged the possessed girl in combat, Gremble used his magic to create a key that was set up just to get him out of the cell. He rushed after the princess, only to fall to his knees in agony. "Curses... I didn't think my wounds were that bad." Even with his injuries slowing him down, Gremble finished he movement towards Elisa. He swiftly created another single use key and got to work on her lock. "Listen, I need you to inform the soldiers upstairs of this immediately. Even if they think you're brainwashed... they'll no doubt come down here to check the commotion. I'll stay behind and help out your Grandmaster the best I can." He explained as he unlocked and slowly opened the cell door. "Can I trust you to do that?"

 

[Kiyoko Tomoe]

"You give me too much credit," The voice spoke as Serah took another slash, this time at Issac's leg in an attempt to take advantage of his hesitance. "This girl was solely responsible for the imprisonment of the princess. She misunderstood the circumstances of your dear Princess's visit to Magus. Initially the plan was to use this girl to kill the Princess, but you are far more interesting to me right now."

After the strike at the leg, Serah took another swing at Issac's neck once more, though in another attempt of resistance, released the blade from her hand, though once more gripped the blade and slammed it into the ground. A single tear slid down the girl's right cheek. "Such a shame, really. This girl refuses to let me control her, even though she knows full well that resisting just increases the chance of her dying. I suggest you win or lose this fight quick, dear Grandmaster, otherwise her resisting body won't hold up to my magic, and she'll die."

Serah remained still after the words were spoken, seemingly struggling with that which was controlling her body, the hand on her blade shaking. Slowly, she pulled the blade back up and prepared for another attack, her movements sluggish and lacking any intent to protect herself, only the intentions of harming and resistance to her own actions present in her movement. Losing grip once more on her control, the girl lunged forward, aiming to stab through Issac's heart.

Jackaboi ShadowHounder

 

[Jackaboi]

The Black Mages
Ashitaka's Side ( BakaTheIdiot )​

The chase continued across the many high up buildings that adorned the somewhat wealthier district of Delaran. In response to the Black Mages attacks, ashitaka returned fire with a flaming arrow that hit a nearby wall and safely into a pot of water rather than an unsuspecting civilian down below. "Ha! You really think you'll beat us with accuracy like that!?" However the mage spoke too soon as another flaming arrow came shooting right towards his face, forcing him to hurriedly sink back into the ground in an attempt to dodge it. While he managed to narrowly avoid the arrow, his partner behind him wasn't so lucky, taking the arrow right to the face as the momentum knocked him back. His body vanishing into a black mist upon contact with the ground. A failsafe enchantment granted to him to make sure no evidence of their existance is left behind. The other mage emerged from the ground, looking back at the scene of his fallen comrade's death with a distasteful look. "Tsk, useless..." Then continued the pursuit. The mage didn't notice before but Ashitaka seemed to be limping slightly. It looks like he injured himself while he ran, this looked to be the perfect opportunity to finally catch up. The grizzled mercenary returned to ground level with the black mage doing the same. They landed in a seemingly quiet street with no witnesses in sight. "No more running! Your coming with me. We don't want you dead but that doesn't mean I can't burn off a few limbs if it means you'll comply!" The mage didn't bother hiding his annoyance with Ashitaka, mainly because he was more focused in hiding his ever dwindling magic reserves. With the way black magic works, he needed a blood sacrifice to keep going and he needed it soon. The mage aimed a black fireball right at Ashitaka, hoping the threat would be enough for him to give up. But, fortune soon found him as the sound of a branch snapped drew mage's attention to a little girl no older than ten, no doubt curious of the commotion. The mage smirked with an evil and confident grin. "Perfect..." The mage quickly switched targets to the little girl and fired away at the girl whom was still processing the situation for her to react in time. If the attack landed, he'd have enough energy to fight for a good while longer.

Silver's Side ( Britt-21 )
​

The silver haired mercenary easily blocking the black mage's attack certainly took the woman by surprise. "Oooo fancy sword! I wonder if that thing's just as big as the grandmaster's..." The woman pondered as her grin only widened. "So what kind of enchantment is THAT!? Delemancy? No no... The stuff the M.E.U use aren't quite as flashy as that... Those runes are certainly rather unique. You might be more fun than I thought lady!" As the mercenary started moving closer, the woman readied her next attack. She would no doubt expect another magic attack. Considering her options she fired another fireball slightly off target this time. Or at least it would appear as such. The intention of the fireball was to distract her while the woman charged with her knife in hand, looking to drive the blade into Silver's stomach. However she stopped halfway towards her, sensing one less of her comrades energies as a worried look soon replaced her evil features. "Damnit! What are those idiots doing!" The plan has went completely off course, it wasn't a good idea to be fighting without a veritable source of blood sacrifice like you'd find on a battlefield rather than a dirty alleyway. A sweat trickled down the woman's head. Not only was everything a mess but it seemed both of their opponents were more trouble than they'd thought. "Alright... You really wanna see what I can do?" The woman said, finally getting serious. She crouched down and placed both her hands on the floor, her body completely engulfing in black fire. "THEN HOW ABOUT THIS!" The ground started to rumble as the stone that Silver stood on started to crack, if she didn't realise what was going on and move out the way, she'd get hit by a huge pillar of black fire that's mere seconds from erupting from the ground like a volcano.

 

[BakaTheIdiot]

Ashitaka - Somewhere in Deleran

The old swordsman knew from a first glance that these were no ordinary mages. This was only reinforced when he saw the dark figure make a shot at the kid. He knew that he would have to act fast, for both the kid's sake and his. He pulled out his chain whip, grabbed the sharper end as not to do any more damage to the child than necessary, and flung the grip towards the child, attempting to knock her away from the imminent fireball. To his luck, and to his surprise, the whip hit her, with a solid crack, and breathed a sigh of relief when she fell to her side. Quickly pulling the whip once again, resting it inside of his satchel, and charged at his foe with his katana. The enemy had made one fatal mistake in his strategy: turning his back.

Jackaboi

 

[Jackaboi]

Grandmaster Issac Baelsar and Elisa Moonfire

Upon recieving the slash to his leg, Issac winced a little but remained sturdy in his posture, at that moment however he was bound to pay dearly for his hesitance as Serah made another attempt at a killing blow. But surprisingly she herself resisted against the black magic controling her. Using this chance he released the sword from the stone floor and readied for battle once again. Taking one more look at her he remembered something important. He sighed before speaking up. "I see... I always thought it was suspicious that you were the only survivor of your squadron... How since then you barely showed your face anywhere. You really fell in battle didn't you?" Issac knew what he had to do now. This poor girl was suffering, a trapped soul in an empty body, looking to pass on but stripped of that ability by a malicious black mage. "I'm sorry Serah. I should've realised sooner. The least I can do now is end your suffering."

Elisa watched the captive mage form a key out of his magic as he unlocked the door barring his freedom and rather than either making a run for it or even attacking the grandmaster while he was distracted, he instead decided to help the princess too, unlocking her cell. She must admit couldn't be happier for the M.E.U forgetting to throw him into a magic suppression cell. However upon hearing his request she shook her head. "What? You think I can't fight just because I'm a princess?" She stated before running to grab her sword and returning to the scene. "Besides... Issac would have my head if he found out I let a mage order me around."

Serah began her next attack, opting for another finishing strike to the grandmaster's heart. Issac readied his own blade, preparing to land his own decisive blow, swinging his huge sword in a horizontal motion. This was going to be a case of whoever strikes who first would be the victor. Or at least it would've been as such had Gremble not released himself and the princess. Elisa charged in using her agility to parry Serah's attack and leaving that opening for Gremble to throw in an attack of his own. Considering he was a mage, it was safer to assume that ending Serah's life would be easier for him to do rather than those who are supposed to be on the same side as her.

ShadowHounder Kiyoko Tomoe​

 

[ShadowHounder]

Jackaboi Kiyoko Tomoe

Gremble let out a annoyed sigh as he watched the princess charge into the fray. "What does the General see in that woman?" He unfortunately didn't have time to think up a plan, as he was soon to realize that Elisa had no intentions of finishing the traitor. He quickly used his magic to forge a spear, making sure the tip was just sharp enough to get through the maiden's armor. Once he was certain that Issac and Elisa were out of the way, Gremble dashed between the two soldier's and drove the weapon into Serah's gut. The mage then deformed the spear, allowing her blood to gush out of her wound. "I assume you're going to spin some tale to make this all my fault..." Gremble remarked towards the Grandmaster, a small dagger forming in his hand. "As long as you are willing to meet General Gildal at the border of our homes... I could care less about this day." He quickly throw the dagger at the wounded Serah, with the intent to drive it between her dead eyes.

 

[Britt-21]

Silver Stone

Silver didnt flinch, there wasnt a need to. Even if she did get partially hit by the Fire, it was just another scar to add to her collection. Stopping where she was, her eyes narrowed and she prepared her footing. This Dark Mage did have some incredible power. But not enough to scare off the Mercenary, not yet anyway. As soon as the ground began to rumble, her first instinct was to look around, what was she summoning? An earthquake? Or was she going to create a crack in the ground to create a void and drop Silver into it? Looking down at her feet, the floor was definitely cracked, but how it was buckling... Silver quickly rolled herself to the side no longer thinking about what was happening, and getting back to her feet. Not bad... the black fire that her enemy possessed was before her, erupting from the ground like a Volcano. Any longer standing there, she probably would have died by those flames... If they're as painful as she thinks they are. While whipping her head back to her opponent, she tried to figure out the best course of action to pursue her...

Then it clicked. This mage was using ranged and the only thing she had for close combat was a knife. If Silver could disarm her, close combat would be her best bet. Let's see how well she can use a blade. However, she still had her blade in her hand but this blade was the only way to break any magic that comes her way if she blocks with it. Though it depeneded on the strength of the ability. Silver then dashed as fast as she could, needing to close the gap between the two. If she did that, she was golden.​

 

[Kiyoko Tomoe]

As her attack was parried, the dark magic that was radiating from Serah thinned, with life returning to the girl's eyes the moment before Gremble's spear pierced her body. She didn't know exactly what was going on, but as soon as Gremble threw his dagger, she knew exactly what the situation was. What remained of the magic seemed to throw her to the ground, causing the dagger that Gremble had thrown to cut her ear and nothing more, though causing Serah to land on her wound and scream out in pain. The dark magic that surrounded her then vanished fully, leaving the girl to lay there in her pain. However, now echoing in the minds of everyone present was that same distorted voice.

"A shame, really. I was going to make this simple, the grandmaster dies, the girl dies, or the grandmaster wins the fight without killing her and she gets to live, but my fun's been ruined by your little interference. I suppose this game will have to continue later on. Next time I'll give you a real threat to face, seeing as this was so boorish to you that you didn't bother finishing the fight yourself."

"S-so... I-it... ends this way... I-it... was necessary though... wasn't it...?" Serah mumbled through the pain of her life-threatening wound. "F-forgive me... I-... I'm at... fault for this... I-I was... wro..ng... princess... They... lied... to me... The... man... in the..."

As Sarah was about to finish, Gremble would sense a faint trace of magical energy off in the shadows near the exit of the dungeon, although it would be far too late to prevent an indistinct dagger from flying out of the shadow, piercing Serah's neck and ending her life then and there. Blake had discarded the body of Serah from his possessions, leaving zero trace whatsoever as to what had truly happened with Serah other than that she was now, undoubtedly, dead. Blake himself had made such a hastily leave after "finishing" the girl that he had possessed, knowing perfectly well what every soldier in the MEU was up to and thus where to go to escape unseen. Before anyone could even so much as get word about an intruder, Blake was already gone.

Jackaboi ShadowHounder


Approaching a broken tree in the outskirts of Magus, Varus pulled out a waterskin, quenching his need for water as he on the stump of the once beautiful piece of nature. There, he waited for the arrival of his three-years prior partner in crime, wearing a light cloak to shade himself from the sun as well as somewhat obscure his visual details. The stump he sat on had room for at least two to sit, if not three or four, though had a rather rough texturing to a third of it, as though the tree had been torn, not simply chopped.

ShadowHounder

 

[Jackaboi]

The Black Mages
Ashitaka's Side BakaTheIdiot

Much to the black mage's surprise, his sacrifice was knocked away from his attack by the very man he was chasing. Annoyed he turned back to his opponent who was already charging at him with sword in hand. The mage couldn't even react fast enough to do anything before the blade carved it's way down his chest and fell against the wall. The mage coughed up blood as he tried in vain to cling on to his life. Looking up at Ashitaka his vision darkened. "You're a target now you know... You could've just done as we asked but now you gotta deal with more like me coming for your head." Once again his body lit up in flames. Only this time it wasn't to channel his power, rather the fire was actually burning him. Some could say he was actually 'burning the evidence'. "We have eyes everywhere! They could be waiter serving you your favorite meal at a restraunt... Maybe even that executioner that was about to chop that random guys head off? Or even a doctor patching your wounds? Who knows? What I do know is that Delaran has already fallen... They just don't know it yet..." Finally, the fire claimed the Black Mage's life, the moment it did his burnt corpse poofed away into a mist just like his comrade. His mission was a failure. Then suddenly a city guard came rushing round the corner, looking to see what the commotion was all about. "Sir are you alright? You look injured! What happened?" The guard clearly had no idea as to the events that had just transpired.

Silver's Side Britt-21

The woman was getting extremely annoyed now, not only was she partnered with two incompetent morons, she also had to deal with this nuisence of a witness. Seeing as how she managed to easily dodge her surprise attack the woman ran out of ideas. "DAMN IT! WHY CAN'T ANYONE JUST STAY STILL AND BURN LIKE THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO!? IT'S NOT LIKE THEY'RE GOING TO SURVIVE THE REVIVAL ANYWAY!" The black mage accidentally let out a little bit of classified information but she was too angry to care. Silver charged once again, looking to close the gap between them. It seems she was able to easily spot her weakness. Despite this however she readied her blade, even though she only had it for the purpose of threatening their target. Then... All of a sudden she could feel a burning sensation on her hands. The mage looked down as she saw the black fire burning away at her skin. She screamed in agony while the fire traveled up her arms and enveloped her whole body. In her desparation she grabbed a nearby water bucket and emptied it over her head but to no avail. The fire was not affected. "HOW COULD WE HAVE FAILED!? THOSE FUCKING IDIOTS DIED TO HIM!? A GOD DAMN SELLSWORD!?" The fire had done it's job and dissipated away, leaving the woman's burnt body to pass away on it's own. "That's it then? It doesn't matter... The revival is coming... And nobody... Not mage nor man will be able to stop it." The woman muttered her final words before she breathed her last and vanished into a mist, leaving no evidence behind.​

 

[Jackaboi]

A Sinister Snake - Outskirts of Magus

Slithering through the tall grass that dotted the plains around the outskirts of Magus was a fairly large dark snake. Very similar in appearance to that of a Black Mamba. However those who practiced in the arts of Black Magic would notice right away that this very snake was just oozing with the essence of the very stuff. It's fangs dripped with venom so potent it burnt the ground it touched like acid. The snake slithered all the way to the tree stump where Blake was seen waiting in one of his possessed forms, clearly looking to avoid suspicion clearly but this snake knew better. The snake slid up the stump and wrapped itself around his shoulders before speaking in a somewhat feminine voice. "You'd better be more careful than thisss Blake... If Isssac catches on to our activitiesss then you could compromise ussss." The snake slid off Blakes shoulders and returned to ground level. Blake was always keen on playing with his prey, which is usually fine but this time he was playing with fire. "But we should be fine. Sssso long as he doesn't spot ay kind of pattern, the revival will proceed ssssmoothly" The snake curled up, making itself comfortable as it waited alongside Blake for the guest to arrive. "By the way... Those idiots in Delaran failed to deal with the sellsword. So now he knows about us. He needs to be dealt with before he starts stirring up some trouble for us."

Kiyoko Tomoe ShadowHounder
Mentioned: BakaTheIdiot ​

 

[Britt-21]

Silver Stone

Silver slid to a stop, watching as her opponent began to be engulfed in flames. Though these flames seemed to be harming her rather than increasing her power. The Mercenary watched as she panicked, trying her best to put out the fire which wasnt even phased by the water. The woman soon collapsed and was now laying on the floor, her body severely burnt and weakened greatly. She left important information behind. Granted, it was little information but it was information that needed to be taken to those who were of higher power. "The Revival?" she asked herself, noticing the body was no longer in the place it had been before. It was clear that the woman died, but there was probably some magic to wipe away any trace of her... I'm going to have to talk to someone of higher ranking. I cant take care of something such as this "Revival" myself. If these mages were just the beginning, who knows how much worse this could become? Silver put the sword upon her back and jogged out of the Alley, looking around for a Guard that could give her information on their general, or even someone as important as the King. The plans she had for the day just now changed and now were on the back burner. As soon as she found a guard, she asked him some questions, trying to get some answers and seeing what she could do just to get this information delivered.​

 

[ShadowHounder]

Jackaboi Kiyoko Tomoe

Gremble watched in horror as the young soldier was slain by the magic shadow. That horror was only temporary, being replaced with rage as quickly as it came. "You're nothing but a coward... hiding behind others in order to avoid the guilt that fills you. People like you sicken me." The young mage breathed through his grinding teeth. Soon the magical energy vanished from the dungeon. It was too late... the bastard was already gone. Gremble walked up to the maiden and knelt before her. He did not care if Issac killed him at this point. He did not care if Gildal went to war because of his failure. All that mattered was making sure this girl could rest peacefully. He placed his fingers over her lifeless eyes, closing the lids that sat atop of them. He briefly recited a prayer, one that his father taught him many years ago. It was in a language that died long ago... Gremble wasn't even sure if there was someone else who still knew it. Once he finished paying his respects, emotions of hate, rage and guilt filled the mage. "DAMMIT!" Gremble thrusted his fist into the stone floor, the rough material leaving gashes on his knuckles. There was something he could've done to prevent this... there had to be. And yet he chose to try and kill her. Gremble was blinded by the moment... and was a fool for thinking that their was nothing he could've done.

--------------
"So, this is the fancy tree you were talking about." Lily remarked as she approached Varus. She was wearing a black cloak over her bright yellow dress... not having enough time to find a quieter outfit. "So, what brings you to Magus of all places? I thought you said you had to stay under the radar after that fire show you had three years ago. Not saying I'm not joyed to see ya..." Lily gave the man a slight, teasing smirk. "But I could've swore you were smarter then that, Master."

 

[ShadowHounder]

Britt-21

Gideon let out a long yawn as he stood watch of the tower. Though the peace and quiet was nice, he couldn't help but miss the Grandmaster's company. And couldn't help but worry for his old friend. Gideon chose to stay behind, so that someone could defend the kingdom should Issac fall in the siege... or worse, someone attack the castle while their forces were diverted. His attention was taken away from the town by a guard. "Are you here to present a report?" The soldier remarked, surprised by the early company.

"No sir, there's someone who wishes to speak with you." The guard explained to him. "She says it's important that someone of command spoke to her."

Gideon let out a small groan of exhaustion. Really wish Issac was here. I know it's not good to use him as a scapegoat... but sometimes I don't want to deal with requests. The General marched his way towards the place where the woman waited. Her silver hair was unique... but Gideon couldn't help but notice the strange sword on her back. Keeping his suspicions at bay for the time being, Gideon cleared his throat to get the maiden's attention. "I've been informed that you wanted to speak with a commander... what is it you wish to speak to me about?"

 

[Britt-21]

Silver Stone

Silver was told to wait after she made it obvious it was urgent. Luckily, she hadn't waited long and was met with a man who possessed a large hat with a large feather on top. He looked like a musketeer rather than a commander if she was being honest. "Something that you should probably be worried about." she said, her tone serious and definitely business-like. The silver-haired warrior looked around "I cant talk about it out here. It'll cause a panic. And possibly put bounties on our heads if overheard by the wrong people." always cautious. Especially with valuable information such as the set she possessed. Her eyes laid upon an Alley but that was both a good idea and a bad one. It could look like she'd murder this man if she took him there. But it was also secluded and would provide a decent amount of privacy. After a moment, Silver decided against it and took a look at his hat again. That could give them the privacy they needed just by her lips being shielded by the large accessory... But they were still out in public. The Mercenary took one last quick look around them and spotted a storage shack nearby one of the shops down a path along the side. By no means was it a solid building. It was basically a shack with a double-door opening on the front and probably just held useless items inside.

There wasnt anyone around it, however, so that could prove useful. "Follow me." she stated, walking towards said-shack and began to talk to the man who accompanied her. "I recently ran into a Dark mage," she began "I had a fight with her down an alley way nearby, but something...Or someone killed her with no need of presence." once she arrived at the shack, she looked around to double check that no one was around and continued "She burned to death and left no trace of her being, behind. As if she was erased from existence." starting the story from there definitely would catch anyone's attention, especially at the words "Dark Mage". "The last thing that she said was that The Revival was coming, and no one could stop it." not to mention she also yelled beforehand about that Revival as well. "And that no one would survive it." Silver was really hoping he'd take her information seriously and not think she was pulling some sort of trick. "Before you can even accuse me of wasting your time, I'm not someone who would gladly waste my time to spread lies or rumors. I have Jobs to do that I could very well be doing instead of playing around like a child."

ShadowHounder ​

 

[BakaTheIdiot]

Ashitaka - Deleran Alley

His foes defeated, Ashitaka sheathed his blade. He heard footsteps approaching, but eased up as he realized it was simply a guard. He looked down at his right hand, blood dripping from the seams of his gauntlet. Perhaps he had cut his hand when rescuing the girl.

"I'm fine." He said in a low voice. "There were two dark mages in the city. I dispatched them, but this girl was caught in the crossfire. Get her home, I'm going to see a doctor for my hand." He turned to walk away, his step interrupted by his twisted ankle. "In the meantime, relax security on the gate: your problem is already in the city. Besides, I have somewhere to be."

Jackaboi

 

[ShadowHounder]

Britt-21 ( Jackaboi mentioned)

Gideon followed the young warrior, albeit hesitantly. She looked professional... more so then he was on a good day, but something about her seemed like she wasn't a soldier. She was likely a simple mercenary, and that fact alone left the General uneasy. I hope there isn't someone after my head... The old man thought as he internalized a groan. "I'm not sure I understand what it is you seek to tell me. What would be so sensitive that we talk inside of a old shack?" Gideon immediately regretted his skepticism. "You can't be serious? Black Mages? In Delaran?"

The young woman's response simply worsen the dread in Gideon's mind. After taking a few moments to make sure he didn't collapse from shock alone, Gideon called over a guard. Once the soldier was presented and ready to take his order, the General stated his command. "I need you to send word to the Grandmaster at Colossi. He has to know what's going on."

"What's going on General?" The guard asked, anxiety filling up his spine.

"There is a serious threat in Delaran. Issac needs to call off the attack on Magus... or I fear that our King is in grave danger." Gideon tried his best to not collapse into tears in front of his men. "We cannot afford to waste any more time." With his orders given, the guard hurried to the nearest scout to prepare a message. Though the soldiers wouldn't be able to rest easy until Issac returned... Gideon hoped that at least the citizen could rest easy for just a few more days.