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Fantasy The Heroes' Party Are Mallrats [Modern Fantasy]

OOC
Here
Characters
Here

TanteRegenbogen

Cuddly enby auntcle
Plot:

The new demon lord threatens the lands of the world with the land of Strapha being one of the land near the lands held by the demons. Strapha is important because most of the heroes tasked with taking out the demon lord are from there. There is just one problem: The hero party is rather lazy and would rather hang around the mall in the capital than fulfilling their duties. Nonetheless, it seems that some of the problems in the world still come to them. A suspicious mall goer looks remarkably similar to a demon general. Being of powerful demon aura can be felt nearby. And one of the executive mall employees seems to be the overthrown former demon lord.

Is the war against the demons going to start at the heroes' beloved mall or could a solution happen before an active war actually breaks out?

Mall:

The De Monquine Hypermall, formerly Arcadia Mills Arcane Megacenter, is the largest mall in Arcadia, Strapha, possibly even the largest mall in Strapha. It features over 200 stores with anything from clothing to entertainment to even mage supplies. There are two large food courts in the mall, a roof terrace with greenery, a waterpark, a medical annex, a few hotels, a training court, an adventurer's guild branch and much more. The mall is situated in the downtown area of Arcadia and is only a three minute walk over a large pedestrian bridge from the Arcadia main train station.

It's open basically 24/7 with exception of the holiest holidays.

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Arcadia:

Arcadia is a massive city and the capital in Strapha. It takes about an hour by train from the suburbs to the city center due to the sheer size of the city. An estimated 11 million people live in Arcadia while Strapha itself has around 105 million. The city center is full of skyscrapers that are illuminated at night in lights of blue, purple, pink and red due to the various light crystals used. The government quarter is just east of the city center. The king's palace is a ten minute drive north from the center and the port lies fifteen minutes to the east of downtown. About an hour to the east and south lies the great forest where adventurers have been questing for generations, especially since the golden era of adventuring 1000 years ago.

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Old Town:
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About a three day train right to the northeast is the border to the demon lands.

Tech:
Mostly modern but an arcane twist. TVs, PCs, smartphones and so on all exist, but run on mana. For mobile devices, mana from the user can be used to recharge the device. Alternatively, a mana crystal can be used. For home appliances and public infrastructure, the devices can be powered by mana delivered from the world core, a massive mana crystal with virtually unlimited mana situated underground beneath Strapha. Despite it's name, it is not the actual world core but a smaller crystal connected to the actual world core. Most countries have one and it is next to impossible to manipulate the world core and its annex crystals themselves. Another decentralized source of energy are house crystals, with are mana crystals the size of wyvern eggs (image ostrich egg size) that power houses and have to be replenished one a month with a new crystal or be recharged by a powerful mana user.

Trains and motor vehicles exist. Aside from walking and riding, trains are the most common mode of transportation. Motor vehicles are usually only used for transporting goods, public transport or by rural populations that have good mana sources available. In terms of private vehicles, motor bikes or scooters are most common since they don't need terribly much mana to power. A private car often is a sign that someone is either a powerful mana user or has the money to pay someone to charge their car. Charging a car with the world core's mana is a challenge as there are different types of mana. Most notably, mana possessed by humans, elves, demons, dwarves, ogres and orcs is different than mana from inanimate sources. Due to the way the mana from the world core works, a complicated mechanism would be required to efficiently use the mana to move a large vehicle, whereas mana from a living source allows simpler mechanical complexity. Trains use world core mana, because they are constantly connected to the network.

Weapons: Modern weaponry doesn't really exist. People still use blades, hammers, bows, magic and occasionally arcane rifles. Arcane rifles are only single shot and not automatic, meaning if you want to shoot many targets quickly, you need a quick trigger finger. Plus using arcane rifles is an inefficient way of using mana compared to using a focus item such as a ring or staff.

Clothing: Can be largely a mix of modern and fantasy. Keep in mind that combat gear can't just be jeans and a t-shirt. Armor is still useful. Loose clothing could be a physical hinderance to knights and close combat fighters. So freetime clothing could be anything really as long as they are still wearing clothes. Combat clothing should be fitting to your class.

Playable species: Human, demon, elf (high elf, dark elf), ogre/oni, dwarf, demi-humans (like wolf/dog people, fox people and cat people, but human face with animal ears and tail) and orc. Note: Demons look very human like but tend to often be more tan and have horns coming out of their foreheads. The main differences between demons and ogres are that ogres are taller, don't have pointed ears and their horns come from the sides of their head and are more likely to be curled than straight. Also demons can have tails.

Magic types: Elemental (fire, water, earth, air), healing, combat (enhancement), enchanting, summoning, illusion, abyssal, necromancy, "contract magic", druidism [transforming into an animal, speaking with animals]

Rules:
1. Please post regularly (at least once a week) and let the others know when you cant post so you can be skipped.
2. If you go missing for three days when someone is waiting for you to post and don't respond, you will be skipped. If it becomes a common occurrence, you can be kicked from the roleplay. That means, only join if you have enough time.
3. At least one paragraph per post. Give something people can work with. Only one or two sentences is not enough.
4. No taboo topics or topics that are guaranteed to make people uncomfortable. It probably is in the site rules already.
5. Roleplay is LGBTQIA+ friendly.
6. Reasonable roleplaying rules apply: No Marysues, no powerplaying (such as controlling other people's characters without their consent), no godmoding.
7. Have fun.

I will likely make the roleplay. Out of Character could be done here or on Discord.


For questions: Please ask in this thread.
 
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Prologue

In a large hall full of tapestries and attendants was a throne with an ogre woman wearing black shorts, black thigh highs, boots and a black blouse sitting on it. She was receiving guests, ordinary citizens with personal requests. She did this once per week. However just as she was receiving the third person today, there was audible commotion outside the hall. A demon followed by a large entourage stormed through the doors into the hall.

"Enough with this nonsense! Your time has come!" The leading demon said. The ogre on the throne then replied with slight annoyance: "Not this again. Can't you want until after the audience, dear brother."

The demon looked even more irritated. "Don't call me your brother! Just because father adopted you and chose you to be his successor, doesn't mean you are my sister! You aren't even blood related! How can a filthy ogre have the audacity to steal the throne away from the rightful heir of royal blood!" The demon shouted. He raised his blade and pointed it at the demon queen. "Ogre queen Fira Onihime! I challenge you to a duel! Whoever wins takes the throne!"

Queen Fira smiled and replied: "How cute. I hope you have been training to not lose to me again like last time. But like I know you, you avoided combat training with me and father and you probably didn't prepare adequately for a duel. But if you need me to put you in your place again, you are welcome." She got up out of the throne and signalled to the others in the hall to make room for the duel.

"Draw your weapon. I am ready when you are." The brother said. Fira smiled again, massively agitating her step-brother, and said: "Why would I need a weapon? It is not like you pose any actual danger." This pissed off the brother enough for him to initiate the fight: "Screw you, bitch!"

As the brother swung his blade at a high rate of speed, Fira skillfully dodged his attacks, occasionally playfully flicking his forehead when there was an opening.

"Stop playing around and take this seriously! Show me what you have got!" The demon said. Fira then said: "Okay, but I wont use enhancement magic. I don't want to kill my little brother." "F--- you, f--- you, f--- you!" The brother yelled as he intensified his attacks. However once he left an opening, Fira slapped him into the ground, cracking the floor. The demon was out cold for a short bit. When he came to, Fira stated: "I warned you, but you didn't listen. You even have retainers who are stronger than you."

"I am not done yet, bitch. Give me what is rightfully mine or you will have a full scale rebellion on your hands. Look behind me. Most of the nobility support me and don't acknowledge you as their ruler." The demon said. Fira frowned a little: "You have no shame, do you? You lack even the honor to honor the terms of the duel. I want the nobility to tell me to abdicate. So speak up!"

Some of the nobles gulped, fearing she'd execute them on the spot if they spoke up, while others spoke out. "A filthy ogre shouldn't be demon lord. It is in the name!" One said. Another spoke up: "You are far too soft on the lesser demons and the humans for a true demon lord!" More and more began to speak up, before Fira raised her hand. "Point taken. Take your throne, but you will be the downfall of this empire. And when that time comes, I will only take back the throne once your head is served to me on a silver platter." Fira said.

"Arrest her!" Fira's brother shouted. Fira pissed off turned to the guards and said: "If you even dare to touch me, I will send you to the goddess of the abyss myself." The guards froze in fear. With a menacing voice and a terrifying smile, Fira turned to her step-brother and picked him up by his neck, choking him: "You will let me gather my things and let me leave this land. You better not send assassins for me or I will returned to raze this place to the ground including you and all your followers. Are we clear? You are lucky I am not going to snap your neck right here. Your punishment is to get what you want and then fail slowly but surely, bringing you endless shame and bringing you the hate of your people. Then people will beg me to come kill you."

She threw her brother to the floor. "I am taking my leave. I have warned you. Hopefully for you, we wont have to cross paths again."

With that, Fira left the hall to her quarters to pack her things. In the distance, she could hear the demon nobility cheering. While she was a little angry, she was also relieved that she no longer had the burden of ruling over demonkind. She threw all of her necessities and clothes into spatial storage and then made herself over to the treasury. The treasurer greeted her: "What brings you here my queen?" "I have come to make a withdrawal before I leave. Tomorrow, I will no longer be your queen. If problems arise, blame my brother and his following of incompetent and corrupt buffoons." Fira said before entering the treasury and stashing a significant amount of gold, jewels and illudium. Thereafter, she left the palace and then the country, but not before handing out some money in the slums, reminding the lesser demons that her brother will no be as kind to them as she was.


Two weeks later, Arcadia, Strapha

In a disguise, wearing a hooded black cloak and covering her face with black cloth she could still see through, she inspected Arcadia Mills Megacenter with an entourage of two men in suits and two women in office attire. The mall was in the process of being renovated and refurbished for a reopening. Fira however didn't want to be seen as the owner or be revealed as the owner and therefore had to conceal her identity.

"Lord De Monquine, things are mostly going as planned. We have been experiencing some sabotages lately. We suspect it is the hoodlums who used the abandon mall as their base of operations. But we expect to open the mall on time." One of the men in suits said. In an obscured voice, Fira replied: "Hopefully so. However I'd be interested to see what these so called hoodlums are seeking. Maybe they just need a stable income or something to get away from crime." The man chuckled: "There is no point in talking to them. They will abuse your goodwill and then continue to be up to no good." Fira frowned.


Day of the opening of De Monquine Hypermall


Fira dressed in a colorful mascot dress consisting of a pastel purple uniform like top with a dark purple ribbon tie, a pastel purple and white pleated miniskirt, matching thigh highs and a black choker, stood ready at the entrance of the mall. She adjusted her beret and was about to present the new mall in the most cutesy voice ever: "Welcome! Welcome! Dear future customers! My name is Fira De Monquine. No relation to the mall owner. I welcome you to the De Monquine Hypermall, the biggest mall in the country. We offer you great prices from great sources and our tenants will too. In turn we also offer great employment opportunities with a positive work climate! Today, we offer you 20% rebate for the entire mall!"

Fira then grabbed a pair of scissors and cut the band at the main entrance to officially open up the mall. People stormed inside and the mall quickly filled. However not all went great as once the mall had a good fill, various screens around the mall began to flicker and a shrouded figure appeared on them. The shrouded figure identified themself as Janus of the Anti-Consumption Coalition and denounced the mall, speaking ill of it and stating that it is to leech money and excess labor off of the impoverished citizens. The figure promised to make business difficult and reminded the owners that they were there. Then the screens went back to normal.

"Maybe I should really get in contact with those hoodlums as Mr. Silverspire had called them." Fira muttered. "If they are some of the impoverished citizens they spoke of, I could make them an offer so they can live their lives in dignity. Who knows what this city has done to them." It was however inopportune to try to contact them, especially since Fira didn't know where she should start.

Main story

Another month later:

Fira awoke from her slumber in her bed at her little penthouse. The place was astonishingly empty for a penthouse as the bedroom only had a bed and a closet, the living room had a sofa with a table and a TV and the kitchen was pristine but didn't have more than two chairs. The large windows overlooked the city as the penthouse was situated on the 79th floor of the De Monquine Mall Tower.

Fira in her long white button down nightgown with a high collar, pulled herself out of bed and put a kettle with water on the stove. She selected her clothes for the day and laid them in the bathroom ready for when she was done with showering. After making herself some breakfast consisting of toast, tea and a lizard sausage, she went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and then shower. After showering, she polished her horns, adorned them with multicolored horn rings and got dressed. Her attire was black blouse with a button up high collar, a long black skirt, black leggings, flat sole shoes and a beige cardigan. After doing her hair and light makeup, she put on a light brown hooded knitted coat and made her way down to the mall.

After about a ten minute walk, she made it to her café. It was called The World's End Café. It was open from around 8:30 in the morning to 1 in the afternoon, then usually from 6 to 10 in the evening hours. Occasionally, she would offer all day opening hours if she had more people to assist her there. But usually it was just her and someone in the kitchen in the morning hours and then her alone in the evening.

Once the café was open and the pastries were set in view, she patiently waited for customers. While waiting, she turned on the TV which was set to a TV channel from the ogre lands. The ogress presenter who was dressed in a modest fashion, similar to how Fira was currently dressed, bowed towards the camera and greeted her viewers speaking the local ogre language. "Good morning viewers both locally and abroad. On this sunny morning, we welcome you to a special presentation."

Fira looked outside. It was raining and looked cold. She wished she could be in the ogre lands right now with it's sunny weather.

"Recently, there has been a change of power in the demon lands. A few months ago, Queen Fira Onihime Akumanojou has abdicated under pressure of demon nobility. Her step-brother Maou Sosura ascended the throne just days after her abdication. While many in the other realms aren't in the know, we have mostly kept track of her whereabouts." The presenter said. Fira let out an: "Uh oh."

"Last place where we tracked her was just over the border in Strapha, where we managed to interview her." The scene switches to Fira wearing a dress and a brown hooded travel cloak being followed by an ogre camera team. "Queen Fira! What made you abdicate so readily? Why did you let that idiot take over? Do you have a boyfriend? Or girlfriend? Do you give autographs? Can I buy your used socks?" The presenter asked in rapid sequence. A clearly disgusted Fira cracks her knuckles and says: "How many times do I have to tell you to leave me alone you perverted creep!" before lunging at the camera team to which the camera shakes and shuts off.

Fira sunk her head into her palms. "Why does she still have a job?" Fira moaned.

The scene switches back to the presenter in the studio. "Luckily, she only destroyed the camera and we got out without injury. While we lost her there. We have gotten numerous tips on where the former queen may be. One of our hottest tips was in a promo for a mall in Arcadia, Strapha. But we were unsure if it was just an ogress who looked similar to her. Many viewers noted that it was unlike her to present herself in such a demeaning way unbecoming of her." The presenter added before a video of Fira in a bear onesie costume dancing and saying "pyon" while bouncing appeared behind her.

"If that had been the former queen, I would have been fine with it. She's like an idol." The presenter said with a lusty face immediately making Fira gag. Fira quickly switched the channel to the Arcadia morning talk show. "That is why I don't go to the ogre lands too often. Too many creeps that call themselves fans." Fira muttered.
 
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ˏˋ°•*⁀➷⤑☽。⋆
- Aether Dupraz-Conard -

Aether shuffled past the people that occasionally bumped into him, lost in the whirlwind of strangers. See, he had accidentally went down the wrong escalator and now was stranded, rooted to the spot with no where to go. The so-called heroes group probably didn't even notice his absence, which meant they were a good way away. Now, wandering aimlessly, Aether finds himself getting shoved into a café named "The World's End Café." A bit cheesy if you asked him.

The whole place was mildly empty, due to people only just filing in, yet the whole interior of the café was stunning. It always amazed him, but it wasn't his first time being here. The Heroes often lazed around, but Aether rather explore the newest additions to the mall then sit and stuff himself with treats. The smell of freshly made coffee spiked his nose, and he figured he should grab one too. A pastry or dessert really wasn't matching with his taste buds, so he supposed his bitter order would do.

The counter area wasn't really packed, just three other customers waiting or placing requests that will satisfy their needs. And anyway, Aether was in no hurry. The tables around here were set in mere perfectness - enough space to walk around. He spotted a black with-few-white-strands haired girl sitting in the corner seating area, munching on what looked like...a croissant?! Who would eat something like that plain, the treachery! The girl was also intently typing on her device (laptops exist...I hope) and Aether looked away, not wanting to seem like a creep.

Soon enough, the line moved forward, and he got a better glance to see a TV on. It displayed the normal - a reporter ranting off the good bits in Arcadia. A familiar girl was even sitting up front behind the counter, this time one with brown locks. She was god tall, even while sitting. And of course the realization just had to prick him at the wrong moment.

The girl that cut the mall's ribbon when it first open. What was her name? Name...Fira! Right.

But she wasn't necessarily the mall owner either, at least from what she said on the opening. Aether seen her several times, but everyone in the heroes group either acknowledged but didn't care about her, or didn't notice her entirely.

Hmp, well, who cares about that. She's just a simple staff member of the De Monique Hypermall...right?


ˏˋ°•*⁀➷⤑☽。⋆
- Aether Dupraz-Conard -
 
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Ardad would find herself reclining over the back of a booth within the Worlds End Cafe, a straw idly dancing in her lips to the rhythm of her headphones as she looked up to the fluorescent lighting. Despite the chilly damp weather, her large coat was left open, though given her normal fashions and size there might have been some debate about if she could ever close it if she wanted to.

Tilting her head across to the side she idly watched the latest presentation on the TV, being reminded once more why she was glad there were several people ahead of her in the line of succession. From the impression she got, Demon politics was just as troublesome as Strapha's, only maybe with daggers going for the front rather than the back, plus one to demons for that. She scoffs a little as the report goes on with a small laugh and smile as she muses "Oh sure, Guess all Ogres look exactly alike to them, hell could stick a crown on an Orc and they might get the same sighting report"

Pulling the straw free, she takes a large bite out of one of the assortments of pastries scattered across the booth table before raising an empty glass toward the counter "Hey Aether, Could i get another Venti Lemon Mint Shake when you're up?"
 
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- Aether Dupraz-Conard -

Aether jumped, startled by the sudden sound of someone called his name. He turned to see Ardad, part of the heroes' party, who was asking for another drink. He sighed, shaking his head as he relaxed.

"Sure, I can pay for it too."

(S-Shakes as in a shake- but do they come in glasses?!)
He muttered, turning his attention back to the line. It was his turn to order, so he added a light coffee and a Venti Lemon Mint Shake under his name and left the counter. Aether didn't bother sitting besides Ardad and instead stood near a window with arms crossed. The glass pane showed the sight of people riding escalators and carrying shopping bags. Right across the café was a clothing store named Angel's Hide. It surely lived up to it's name, because most of the designs were all poofy and even the windows had angel wings LED stickers on. It wasn't much of to Aether's taste, but something sure did irk him of the place, not so sure why exactly though...

The sound of someone calling his name brought his attention back to reality, and Aether quickly snatched his order off the counter - thanking the person who handed it to him. He slid the drink over to Ardad on the table, pulling up the chair right in front of her to sit down. Aether took a sip of his coffee, though it didn't really help much. He had possibly stayed up to somewhere 1 AM the previous night doing night jogs. He looked up at Ardad who had her headphones on and I pointed at my own ears to indicate I was going to speak.

"Fancy seeing you here. I could've sworn I lost the group. Where even are the others?"

. . .
 
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The smell of cooking food filled the air as a group composed of various folk of the different races busied themselves with their daily preparations for their various tasks. Woken up not by the light of the sun but by the beeping of several electronic alarms, they set about with various domestic tasks, primarily cooking from several hot plates and compact toasters, though a few concerned themselves with other duties such as monitoring the Hypermall's surveillance systems and packing up everything not currently in use like clothing, electronics, tents, and sleeping bags in case they needed to shift location. If not for the fact that this scene was taking place in a row of currently unoccupied shoplots, it almost seemed like a morning from a group camping trip.

One of the members of the group, an ogre girl, helped a slight elf pull her skirt on before lifting her up easily and gently setting her down in her wheelchair. "Morning Captain! How about breakfast? That soy bacon we liberated from the dumpsters is looking pretty good!"

The elf's lips twitched slightly in the faintest anticipation of a smile. "Oh, it can wait, Okki. I've got today's presentation to take care of, first."



In a certain wing of the Hypermall sat an upscale lot, housing products that would be considered neat but not exceptional in another world, perhaps one that generated energy using combustion and the movement of electrons instead of mana. But here in this world, Lincoln Manamotors occupied a space that allowed it to market itself to the wealthy and those who wanted to present the appearance of being...upwardly mobile. Owning one of their sleek sedans was certainly a status symbol in most parts of society, allowing one to appear well-off but not stuffy.

And today, the Lincoln dealership in the Hypermall operated as it usually did, their staff (notably commissioned a little under the industry average) doing their best to make their pitches and show off the interior and exterior of Lincoln's various models.

However, the normality of the business day was disrupted as the screens around the dealership flickered, then went white. Not just the mounted screens spewing promotional copy, but even the navigational and media-playing consoles within the display vehicles themselves.

The patrons and staff were only allowed a moment's confusion before a cartoon mouse wearing a grimacing mask on both sides of its head sauntered onto the white backdrop, immediately beginning its spiel in a modulated, high-pitched voice.
"Hello again, ladies and germs! It's me, Janus the Helpful Rodent here to give you a wonderful introduction to just where your lovely Lincoln Manamotors come from!"

"Is this part of your presentation?" One of the prospective customers blinked.

"U-uh yeah! Totally!" Uncertain as to what was coming next, the staff fielding their queries had to play along.

"Lincoln Manamotors is a truly diverse international enterprise! Why, what puts us a cut above the rest is the precision and compactness of the electronic components that play your music, guide you to your destination, and fill the cabin with cool, clean air! After all, why breathe the same air as the plebeians, right? And none of that would be possible without Lincoln holding the rights to 20% of the produce from Svingalia's rare earth refineries! Don't worry about the risks of rare earth mining and processing towards the workers, any rumors of increasing rates of respiratory failure and nerve damage are gross overstatements- I mean, complete fabrications!" As "Janus" made those statements, several graphs and citations popped up, emphasizing that they were not, in fact, fabrications.

"Alright, that's not ours." The manager of the dealership, a grim-faced elf, made no further remarks as they flipped a switch, forcing the screens to reboot. "Benny, call security. Have them sweep this wing for those bums and review the security footage of the past 24 hours."

However, the "presentation" continued on the larger screen outside the dealership, overlooking one of the many plazas of the Hypermall.

"Ooh, and let's not forget about the Ogre Lands! Those honest suckers work SO hard, making all sorts of nice things for us and our kids! But for all their hard work, their lives aren't getting any better. So here comes Lincoln Manamotors to offer the working-class ogres the opportunities of their lifetimes!" Here "Janus" waved their finger dramatically before throwing their arms open. "18 hour shifts in the illustrious Lincoln factories with no breaks? Sign me the heck up! I know they have me covered if I receive a disfiguring, life-altering injury or get my head lopped off while working at one of their assembly lines!"

"Janus'" head popped off comically, as big bold text appeared, proclaiming TOTAL NUMBER OF FACTORY STAFF INJURY AND DEATH CLAIMS PAID OUT BY LINCOLN MANAMOTORS IN THE LAST YEAR: <1%

Several patrons quietly made to leave, more due to annoyance than anything resembling guilt. The manager furrowed their brow, but took no further action for the moment. That, apparently, was the price of operating a big franchise store in the Hypermall, mild annoyance and the narrowing of margins every week or so when Janus' baleful eye turned upon them. It certainly didn't please them to see their employees slacking off on those days thanks to the sharply curtailed traffic either...

"And don't even get me started on the car owners who want to suck up my abundant mana reserves by employing me as a driver...more like a fuel battery, am I right?" A graphic popped up showing "Janus" muzzled and lashed to the front of a Lincoln Instrumental, like in that one post-apocalyptic road rage movie.

This continued for several more minutes.


Satisfied with the effect of her little "presentation", Linteia whirred quietly through the perpetually bustling corridors of the Hypermall, chewing on what Okki called a BLT as she shoved it into her hand. Her appearance was a known quantity to the security of the mall, but with most of the ACC's actions taking place electronically, there wasn't a lot they could pin on her. And they'd have to catch her first. As such, she felt generally safe venturing out of the service corridors and vacant lots to survey the state of affairs throughout the Hypermall.

Today, she decided to pull into the World's End cafe, a more modest, independent establishment that was spared the ACC's ire. Though choosing to associate with the Hypermall in particular...she still thought it wasn't the best idea. One day she'd figure out where they got their coffee beans from. That'd be an angle to work.

She carefully eased into the space between two chairs, next to the table the blonde elf and muscular human woman were at. Taking her hand off the controls of her chair, she got to work on her oversized sandwich, leaning a little over to Ardad. "Mornin', Miss Ardad. How's the hero-ing going?" She kept up her habit of needling the hero party, as part of her goal of getting them out of the Hypermall and actually defeating the Demon Lord.

TanteRegenbogen TanteRegenbogen PlusUltra PlusUltra
 
With time it slowly began to fill up in the café. Even two of the heroes came in. One of the heroes, named Aether, ordered a light coffee and a venti lemon mint shake and paid for it. "It will be ready in a moment." Fira said. She prepared the drinks, set them on the counter and called up Aether. She checked the display refrigerator for vacancies so she could add another cake to it. There were various cakes, pies and pastries there.

The contents of the display refrigerator were as follows: A lemon cheese cake with already two slices missing, a pombleberry pie, two matcha donuts, a cloudberry eclair, an espresso eclair, a coffee-chocolate pie with a slice already missing and two blood tarts.

The blood tarts had a sign that said: "Ogre delicacy. Ingredients: Mountain buffalo milk, palm sugar, terrorbird eggs, backing powder, nut flour, matcha powder, donated elf blood."

Aside from the stuff on display, Fira kept honey glazed bacon donuts and some jerky in stock in case an orc came in, as they were obligate carnivores.

Else than Aether, Fira recognized Ardad who was a hero and a princess, then an elf who sat in a wheelchair who occasionally came in and then there was Lev, Fira's assistant who followed her from the demon lands and otherwise disguised herself as a music store clerk, who sat in a corner.

Meanwhile the news came on TV. Most of the news was uninteresting, except for the part about the happenings in the demon lands. While Strapha was mostly in the dark about what happened in the demon lands and could only go off of TV from there and official government statements, Strapha could still hear some of what happened there. On the TV, there was a report about the demon land government being in a little of a pickle after their previous queen had plundered the royal treasury, taking about have of the money and valuables there. Then a short speech of the demon lord was played: "My dear fellow demons, due to the theft of part of the royal treasury by the former queen, we will be raising taxes to support our war effort." Lots of boos erupted. "Silence! If you dare to stand against me! I will have you thrown into the prisons or in severe cases have you executed!" But that wasn't all: "And to the former queen Fira Onihime! If you are watching this, this is your fault! You stole from this nation and you won't get away with this you filthy curl scum."

Fira erupted as she was offended by an anti-ogre slur the demon lord had just used. That word was "curl", denoting the curled horms many ogres had. "Screw that demon lord using slurs like that! I hope he gets what's coming for him." She then turned to the two heroes. "Isn't that right, heroes? I hope you have been training."
 
Sasha Belyaev
Casino -> World's End Cafe | "gg no re."

"All in."

Sasha eyes over to the table, then back to her opponent, whose pokerface was beginning to crack with mild hints of annoyance. With one last glance at the five cards layed out in a line, Sasha looks up and gives her opponent the same arrogant smirk she's been giving him all night. "I call."

"I have a straight."

"Too bad, I have a flush."

A moment of silence before her opponent's face turns bright red. If this were a cartoon, them steam would be pouring out both his ears and nostrils with a whistling sound. A literal mountain of chips come Sasha's way, which she was all too happy to gather up and count. How long had she been sitting at this poker table? She'd honestly long forgotten, and on top of that, it's been so long since she's had a proper stretch that she couldn't feel her legs anymore. All that was irrelevant, though. What mattered was that she was walking out with more money than she had walked in with, and in that regard, she'd more than profited. It was time to leave.

"Well, gentlemen. It's getting late," Sasha begins mumbling out some poor excuse to leave. "I'd better scoop it up and go touch some grass." The rest of the table didn't seem to care much - the real whale was still there, after all. Speaking of which, the 'Whale' in question seemed only angrier at the sight of this smug woman do a hit-and-run on his sweet, sweet chips.

"Fuck you coward! Get back here and-"

"GG no re, get good, scrub."

At this point, anger and copious amounts of alcohol overcame any semblance of reason and the man just got up, picked up his chair and lunged at Sasha. Then, in a flash, he was struck square in the back of the head with a staff that sent him crashing headfirst into the floor. "I said no rematch, fuck sake."

Finally stepping out into the light for the first time in probably days, Sasha begins to mutter spells under her breath. Nothing particularly 'fancy' - just a modified 'blindness' ailment that adjusts the level of light she was seeing, to prevent herself from being flashbanged by the sunlight. Of course, nobody else would ever imagine using 'blindness' in this strange manner, and would just opt for a pair of sunglasses instead.

As she pondered where to next, half considering turning around and just walking back into the casino, Sasha felt a painful grumbling her her stomach, a mixture of hunger and way too much alcohol on an empty stomach. The kind of affliction that no amount of instant ramen and spam could cure.

World End Cafe would be greeted by what looked like a walking corpse walking through its doors. Sasha hadn't looked herself in the mirror for a while, but she had laughably huge dark bags under her eyes, and the lack of sunlight for days on end had made her look like a cadaver. As she eyes across the tables, she spots a few familiar faces. With nowhere better to sit, she invites herself to the table and making herself comfortable in the chair next to the muscle monster of a crown princess.

"Hi Beefcake, hi Pretty Face," she accidentally speaks her nicknames for her fellow heroes aloud. "Pass me a menu, thanks. Actually, just tell me what's the greasiest thing on there is, my head hurts so bad that its giving mee dyslexia."
 
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Chuckling slightly Ardad reached into her open jacket and pulled out a note, waving it a few times towards Aether before tapping it down onto the table. Sliding one of her ear cups off to the side she takes hold of her drink for a sip "I mean your paying anyway, but I might as well throw out some tax rebates for friends, As for the rest? Well likely around here somewhere"

Ears perking up at the sound of the rolling chair she grins across to the side at Okki's arrival "Oh it's going great, active deterrent and all that right? Wouldn't want any of the Demon land to sneak in while planning regicide. Best leave that to the next one who thinks they can get lucky....case in point" she gestures to the TV with her milkshake extending a finger. "Nothing like higher taxes to piss off the subjects."

Waving slightly at the third new arrival she passes over a menu "Not much on the grease, but anything with meat in it shamoo"
 
(Ima just change my size of fonts...)

- Aether Dupraz-Conard -

Aether didn't bother touching the thin paper Ardad slapped onto the table, only giving it a mere glance before looking up to see the new arrivals. Of course they'd follow back eventually, luck always brought the odd jumble-of-a-group back together at the most random times. It was like they were all tied together- if one fell down a cliff, the others would follow. How did our relationship come to this.

He swerved his hair onto his left shoulder so his 'deformed' ear with a pointy tip stuck out. Everyone talking about food- Sasha and Ardad about meat especially made his head turn away. Another window was just by this table, but even still did he wrinkle his nose at meat. Aether did enjoy certain delicacies with these contents, but having a healthy, non junky diet was a way better meal. At least, non junky as in eating animals you just saw that day. Salads aren't necessarily what he just ate either- people thought to lowly of those who preferred veggies over animal blood.


- Vyacheslav Novikova -

Vyache slid a small wine glass full of a red liquid to a lovely lady, a smile playing his lips. Loud music was booming everywhere in the dark, gigantic room, and raging people fled and flipped over games and tables on their way out. What a lovely day...so damn annoying. To top it off that, he had to wait for Cindel's cue to go any further with their plans because she just so happened to 'work' at a business just right in front of the vary café there heroes were at. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy playing games down here at the bar- he was just a bit restless having to be stuck in area with no way to see what progress his 'partner' was making.

As Slav turned, wiping off another glass as a customer sat on a bar seat just in front of the counter, a somewhat nostalgic- which he didn't understand - moment flashed back in his head when he saw the person having black hair with a wisp of clouded white. A girl to be exact. Odd how his body somewhat was begging him, as if to remember something. But he didn't, and didn't care.


"Order?":

He said with a forced, amused smirk. The girl had clasped her hands, seeming tired, and responded with a;

"I already had some food, but that just served to not be enough...just a shot of whiskey please..."

The girl murmured, and he nodded. Who was he to ignore such request?

. . .


B E F O R E :

- Lev Novikova -

With one last finger jabbing at her keyboard, she sighed in relief. She shut down her device and slid it into a laptop case, a clipboard in hand. She stood and slid the crumb-filled tray onto the counter, only slightly meeting Fira's gaze, before discreetly sliding a clipboard over too. She walked out of The World's End Café, eyeing the chattering heroes who were just as foolish to call each other nicknames. One was just as big enough to fill two seats in an airplane (sorry not sorry Ardad), one was in what looked like a motorized wheelchair, someone had eye bags, and the elf just seemed to be ignoring the rest all together.

As the doors flew past her, she let out a huff. Where would she go now other than the music disc shop she 'worked' at? Her shift was mainly just for evening protocols, and even then she wasn't needed. Lev licked her lips, canceling out any other noise by increasing the volume of the headphones she had on from her previous activities. The music indeed did remind her of something, something to do. In fact, she wasn't sure if she should go down to the club, because getting drunk right before her shift wasn't really ideal.

. . .
 
"Oh, Ms. Belayeva." Linteia cooed, her brunch just finished as the other woman approached the table that was managing to host a gradually growing group. As a gesture of politeness, she tipped the control stick of her wheelchair, causing it to slowly reverse and allow room for anyone who wanted to actually sit at the table.

Now, out of all the so called heroes, Sasha Belayeva was one of the ones Linteia wasn't much of a fan of. Spending her days feeding gambling establishments that merely served to squeeze people out of what little capital they had...it was a shame to the supposed esteem of a hero. But it wouldn't do to be uncivil. "You know, the ACC's offer to join still stands. You won't have to worry about losing the clothes off your back thanks to a bad roll of the dice, one day. And you won't have to worry about having your dietary needs met, either."

She also happened to notice Aether's apparent discomfort at the discussion of meat. She angled her seat a little, turning to face him. The notion of solidarity solely along racial lines never much appealed to her, when issues of class always shaped their world more. Still, he was a decent enough guy, and she could certainly sympathize with his revulsion. She languidly waved her hand in his general direction, aiming to get his attention. "Aether, yoo hoo. Are you feeling unwell? When's the last time you left this building? If you'd like, we could go out for a walk. Maybe do some of that 'active deterrence'."

LostHaven LostHaven CHUUYAS_HAT CHUUYAS_HAT
 
- Aether Dupraz-Conard -

Aether glanced up, overhearing the white haired girl's- who was Linteia- comment. With a small blush appearing on his cheek out of embarrassment, he nodded. Linteia was acting as if he had stayed here for ages, but he couldn't blame her. Sasha practically lived in any game area, and the others? Oh, well, we don't talk about them. There was too much to say about them. To top it off, he had to remind himself how ADHD-ish he was, unable t stay in small places or just sit down and talk. Walking around for a breather sounded much more 'appetizing' if you asked him.

He nodded, hoping she'd stopped waving her hand before the two other heroes made some awkward, and even more flustering, boastful comment that will probably lead him to shredding himself and becoming one with the floor so someone could trample him. Aether quickly stood, nearly knocking over his chair- clumsiness wasn't a common trait for him, so what was wrong with him now? He wasn't that overwhelmed about some lousy meat-and-elf-incased-food-mentions, now was he?

He sheepishly stared at Linteia, finding his own actions more dumb then ever. He needed to call himself, so Aether took in a few focused and controlled breaths. Finally, he had recomposed himself, though he had clearly made a scene.

( Nellancholy Nellancholy ) - 'Interactions'/Reply
 
More and more faces began to show up, including the gambler and heroine named Sasha.

However when Ardad made mention to the demon king and how he was already pissing off his own subjects with higher taxes, Fira remarked: "Honestly, who knows how long he will last. Dude has always been a hothead. He was told before to not be crawling back, no matter what." That slipped out of her mouth and she tried to decrease suspicion by adding: "So I have heard. I think there was an interview with the former demon queen a while back telling about all the problems with the current king. It is a shame she abdicated. She sure seemed likeable."

Fira turned to Sasha and gave some recommendations on food: "If you want something sweet, I can recommend the pombleberry pie or the coffee-chocolate pie. If you want something more savory, I can offer an omelette or kapukapu (ogre breakfast which is a meat platter with skewers and some kukubaba eggs [about three times the size of a chicken egg] sunny side up and small side of cole slaw). And if you want something really exotic, you could try a blood tart. It is made with donated elf blood." She said in a chipper voice. "Or do you have an alternative diet? We have vegetarian and vegan options too."

She overheard Linteia offer Aether to go out on a walk to which Fira though this was the perfect opportunity to send the heroes on a quest. "Since someone here is talking about going out on a walk. The owner of the mall has tasked me to find strong adventurers to take care of some pests in the mall basement and sewers. Some tiger rats were spotted in some vacant spaces in the basement and the sewers are currently teeming with swamp dragons. Shouldn't be an issue for heroes. There is also a reward!" Fira interjected and began dangling gift cards worth 50 Stapha golds (denominations of the currency are orichalcum, obsidian, platins, golds, silvers and coppers. 50 golds = 5000 silvers or 500,000 coppers) in front of their noses. It was enough money to buy food for half a year, pay for two months of rent or buy a new scooter or sword. It was a decent sum and should be sufficient for the job.

"Initially, I was asked if I could take care of the tiger rats, but I have a café to run and I am not sure if I could take care of them alone." Fira said. Fira however could totally take care of them. She just had other things to do and it was simple to pay the heroes to do it while at the same time make sure they don't get rusty at fighting.
 
- Aether Dupraz-Conard -

Aether angled his ears to where Fira was behind the counter, speaking once more to Linteia and him. He was hesitant, but figured doing that could be plentiful exercise, though he knew that wasn't even worth it. He wasn't even greedy for the reward, but if the mall needed help, a hero might as well take care of the job. Aether gave a optimistic thumbs up to Fira, then glanced at Linteia if she was going to bother joining him. Fira made it sound simple, so it must be easy...right?

"I guess that could cover my walk anyway. I'd likely want to get my mind off of things in that way actually."

He snatched his coffee from the table, taking a few sips from it, before tossing it away to a nearby can. It was still laced in bitterness, so he licked his lips to at least bring some more flavor to it.

(I'll type a longer post next! = Interactions; TanteRegenbogen TanteRegenbogen and Nellancholy Nellancholy
 
"My goodness, isn't that generous?" Linteia produced a handkerchief from her pocket, making sure her face and hands were clean as Fira discussed the terms of the assignment to drive away or...neutralize the tiger rats that were apparently skulking around beneath the Hypermall. She wasn't much of a proactive fighter or slayer of animals, but she had no compunctions about pest control in a general sense. "And the management of this glorious, wondrous Hypermall chose you to make that offer?" Her sarcasm was tangible. "You would think that they'd have the budget to shell out for professional exterminators or contact emergency services if they thought it was that much of a problem. Tell them they can keep their gift cards. Well, unless Aether wants them?" She tilted her head slightly, at the elf boy. "But, of course, I am a visitor here as well. If something arises that could endanger people here, I have no obligation to assist, but I certainly don't mind lending a hand of my own volition." With that, she moved her hand over the controls of her chair, slowly whirring out of the cafe. "Come on if you will, Aether. There are no guarantees about us being able to eliminate the tiger rats, but rest assured that we will provide the most detailed scouting report possible upon our return."

As she wheeled, her other hand tapped on her phone.

Okki, have someone pass me my lance at the basement cargo entrance. I believe I have a good lead on gathering...leverage over the Management.



"Captain! There you are! Here's your weapon, just like you asked!" A scruffy boy in a faded polyester jacket a bit too big for him and an ACC shirt gave a very slight bow as he handed Linteia her weapon before scurrying away around a corner.

"Why, thank you Dar. You are excused." She didn't seem to mind that he left before she was done speaking, instead opting to press the button to call for the cargo elevator. Her phone sitting in a dock on her chair flickered silently, noting the potential for wireless control of the elevator, even if not the other systems in the vicinity. "Are you coming, Aether?"

Linteia proceeded with her presumed follower, descending down below ground into the stuffy, dusty basements of the building. Even the ACC rarely came down here, and it was poorly mapped by them. After all, with the bounty on the surface parts of the building, the abandoned basement was scarce with resources, though it still saw some use as a hiding place or quicker passage.

As the doors of the elevator slid open, Linteia wheeled herself out cautiously, not hesitating to exit first but clearly quite willing to let Aether take point.

CHUUYAS_HAT CHUUYAS_HAT TanteRegenbogen TanteRegenbogen
 
- Aether Dupraz-Conard -

With a curt nod, Aether hastily followed the already wheeling girl who had entered the cargo elevator which had started to descend slowly as soon as he entered. His fingers were flexing in and out, wondering if these pests weren't all so innocent as they both presumably expected. Especially since this job needed such heroes.

When the doors separated, a musty odor clambered up his nose until he forced himself to adjust to the smell. He stepped out besides Linteia, glancing around to see if anything was down on this floor. It was most likely everything was down near the sewage part but...he doubted neither of them would enjoy a trip there. Then again, rewards were a the cost, and after Linteia's comment about it, he had the right to think that was what she mainly wanted besides accompanying him down here in the first place.

The basement was a huge but semi-lit place with rough steel gray colored walls bordering his sight. Aether could hear something trickling, but he hoped it was just something like a water spillage leaking through one of the ceilings. Of course Aether had to be the such gentleman and let himself go forward in order to keep some authority of the one in the wheel chair.

"Shall we split ways, or explore together?"

He offered up the option of splitting up, but even then he didn't want to be parted away from his own 'teammate'.

( Nellancholy Nellancholy )
 
Linteia seemed to mock mall management about the pest control problem as if corners were being cut and more expensive pest control wasn't being used. However Fira shook her head knowing that it would rather be a job for heroes as those pests were a bit too much for normal pest control to handle. The tiger rats were more like tigers than rats, even being more like tigers in size. The swamp dragons were up to ten meters in length and could do magic attacks. Fira was actually unsure if only two people could handle the beasts.

"Well the beasts are not petty. Pest control was asked already and they said to look for adventurers instead as the pest control company said it wasn't worth the risk. So the owner asked me to find people for the job as many faces frequent the café including skilled fighters. Those tiger rats and swamp dragons are pretty big though. I hope the others from the heroes' round would join in. Don't know if you could..." Fira said stopping as the two left already. She then let out a sigh and turned back to the customers.

The next moment, Fira jumped a little as the next customer was unexpected and pretty much another pest. "I found you Onihime Akumanojou-chan! I have been searching all this time!" The lusty high pitched female voice said. In front of Fira was a somewhat busty pink-haired ogress who was drooling all over the counter. Fira felt disgust, but did her best not to show it. It was that crazy, reporter lady from the ogre lands.

Fira put on a friendly face and said: "Who? Excuse me, ma'am. But my name is Fira De Monquine, proprietor of this café. No relation to the mall owner. The name is just a coincidence. Many people frequent the café though. If you describe the person you are looking for, maybe I can be of assistance." Fira then gave a smile that could light up the room.

The pink-haired ogress snapped out of her love crazed trance. She felt there was something seriously wrong. Her beloved would never be this nice to her. Maybe she did get the wrong ogress and that it was just a coincidence that the café lady was also named Fira and looked awfully similar to the former demon queen. The pink-haired ogress looked disappointed and even a little disgusted by the display of character opposite of her idol. She then spoke: "I seem to have been mistaken. I have been looking for my beloved for a while. Her name is Fira Onihime Akumanojou, the former demon queen and the rightful ruler of the demon realm. Leads told me that she is the owner of this mall and somewhere in this city. You looked pretty similar to her. Is she at least somewhat related to you such as being a cousin?"

Fira answered: "I only know that name from the telly. But I am not aware of a family member being demon queen. Also wouldn't a demon queen be a demon and not an ogre? I wonder how she got there. Also I am not too familiar with the owner's background. Whether she is the former demon queen or not is up to the stars. But I'd say chances are slim." Then switching to business as usual, Fira asked the ogress: "Would you like a coffee and some cake? Well, I didn't get your name, Miss..." "Sakura. Just call me Sakura. And sure, give me a café au lait with lots of sugar and a blood tart." The pink-haired ogress answered.

"Well then, Miss Sakura. Good choice." Fira said. As she prepared the stuff, she felt tempted to spit in the coffee. But that would probably make Sakura suspicious of her and eventually take perverted pleasure in drinking the coffee that was spit in by her beloved idol.
 

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