Fantasy Four Suits: Of Gods & Devils - IC Thread (Vol. 4)

[AI10100]

S A R M I E N T O , D E C L A N
Location: Valencia
Mentions: Coyote Hart Colorless Spectrum LazyDaze . D O V E TPBx The Prophet
​

Ah, now there's the arrogance and pretentiousness he always imagined a royal meeting between the four kingdoms was. The request for open exchange for magical and technological developments struck something within Declan. They had managed to make several large leaps in technological development through the help of the Hearts treasury, Joker knowledge, Argossian scraps and a certain Clubs advisor - and now they were just supposed to give it to another kingdom?

Yeah, what the fuck.

But he kept that to himself. He had plenty of time to grimace over it later. He tried to catch Myles's eye though, silently expressing a bit of displeasure.

Declan couldn't understand the sudden change in the political climate. One moment, the royals seemed one breath away from war and the next, it wasn't. If anything, it seemed like X was leading the meeting by the nose with his sudden shifts. However, this may be so, but watching as the king started worming on the floor took every bit of Declan's willpower not to at least crack a smile. He looked down at the basin of water he had in his hands as the king suddenly dozed off while standing up. He had half a mind to just dump it onto the king, but Guin's orders came to him before he could even move.

And so, he placed the basin of water and the washcloth beside Iris, giving her a sympathetic nod before heading back to his cart. Twig had exited the room as well. Meanwhile, he reached out to another messenger. "Assemble a group of trackers and follow the Ace of Hearts and the wyrm. Keep communication open at all times and report your locations constantly." With a telepathic reply, the messenger had set off to collect a team and to follow. He really did hope that Leolin was doing alright. Declan has never seen the Royal Flushe before - because he wasn't in Guin's service at the time of the first attack and kidnapping of one of the previous King of Hearts and because he was not at the battlefield of Valencia during the Argossian war - but he did know they were extremely dangerous. So much so that the collaborative effort of the Hearts royalty could only manage to take one of them down - said person is now hanging around in the Joker base.

Guin was explaining something. Another Will from another dimension froze time and told Guin and Arimand about gods and that they were at fault for the Will of this dimension to attack Valencia?

Yeah, what the fuck... again.

If it wasn't Guin talking, Declan would have thought that was all a big joke. And yes, Guin did sometimes joke around now - which was surprising but not unwelcome. But this was too serious to be brushed off as something false. The telepath snapped out of his daze from the news when Guin called for more tomato juice. He grabbed the pitcher once again and moved to her, carefully filling up her goblet. Declan honestly didn't think he should have heard any of these things. He thought this entire meeting would have nothing to do with his own faction, but it seems like something like this would-

At the last second, before anything spilled, Declan stopped pouring. It would have been glaringly obvious that Declan was a bit out of it. He bowed his head and turned to place it back onto the cart. One of the Clubs advisors spoke - this man, Siegfried - certainly was brave. He expressed his doubt on the whole matter, his disbelief and shock. They were all well placed. Declan could sympathize with him on that. However, Declan might not be well-verse in etiquette, he was rather sure that Siegfried was certainly speaking out of line. He quickly grabbed a goblet and filled it up with wine, walking to him and offering it with a tray. "Careful now sir." He looked at him blankly and his mouth remained unmoving as he presented the wine and placed it on the table beside him. "These are royals you are speaking to, and you are not one of them."

Declan moved away from the advisor and back to his cart, stepping aside immediately when Twig had entered the room again. He looked a little flustered. He spoke of meeting with the Sealer of Dragons and it being a magical recording.

What the fuck for the third time.

Declan stared at the cart of drinks and he only wished he could take a couple of swigs for himself. Maybe that would make everything a bit more believable. Oh life was so much simpler back then when all he needed to worry about was getting food and stealing money.

 

[AI10100]

M A L L A R D , C A L L U M
Location: Mallard Family Farm, Spades Kingdom
Interactions: Ambiloquous Pilgrim59
​

Callum gave Jana a small smile before excusing himself.

It's a little worrying that no one has been giving them updates. He was aware that the plan would not happen until nightfall, but he imagined that they would be collected way before that. Even so, no one had entered the property since the legion had left before. Callum greeted his oldest sister as she worked on one collecting some of the fruit. He joked around how he'd be able to get the fruit quicker than her with magic and she reprimanded him - you don't have to do everything with magic. He knew it was true. The Mallard family had managed to survive all this time without the usage of too much magic. He was the first out of all of them that had been born with a lot of potential for magic that he was able to embark on an adventure with little worry.

"Cal!" One of his nieces called out to him, grabbing at the end of his shirt. "Someone is here to talk to you!" She pointed to the entrance of the farm where a man was standing.

"Alright kiddo thanks. Now go help Aunt Alli over there, okay?"

"Okay!" She quickly skipped over to Allison who welcomed the help, even if the kid couldn't offer much.

Callum quickly made his way to the entrance. The man gave him a tight lipped smile. "Is... there something you need, sir?" He wasn't the tax collector and as far as he knew, the collector hadn't changed. He wasn't anyone from the legion either, Callum was familiar with most of them. And even if he wasn't familiar with a member, Helmur had made it clear that if he were to send his little raiding group to the farm, they would present identification. The symbol of the Spadebreaker. And yet, this man didn't take anything out.

"There have been certain... changes." The man reached into his vest and procured a sealed envelope. "This is a request for your service. I believe it will be in your interest to take." He extended the letter to Callum. He scanned the letter for a moment before taking it. It didn't exude any magical energy - no curses or traps within it. Once he had taken it, the man folded his arms behind his back once again.

He opened the letter with no problems and read through its contents. Ah... this was not how the mercenary guild operated. Quests were posted on bulletins. But he supposed there wasn't any real problem in getting a personal request. Too many mercenaries had fled towards Diamonds as there was an abundance of quests there. It was also likely that there were far too little mercenaries in the Hearts kingdom. Callum did hear about their recent beast problem. He folded the letter once again and pocketed it. "Very well. I shall accept it. With the letter's contents, we will be aided by the Hearts, yes?"

"Yes. Here is the location of your meeting and here is your token so that they will know who to look for." The man handed him another note and a token on top of it. "They will be waiting. We recommend you make haste." With that, the man bowed his head. "Until next time, Mr. Mallard. Thank you for your service." The man turned around and walked away.

Well, that was that then. He called out to some of the kids who were playing and asked them to find Sera and Jana and to send them to the living room. They had a lot to talk about.

 

[Colorless Spectrum]

Adelleid Frey

Frey wanted to roll his eyes while the King of Spades made his speech, immature of him, yes, but he won't do it anyway. Because this wasn't their nation, and he is behaving as his work ethic called for. He was a bit more leisurely in the borders of Club Kingdom but he wasn't there right now. He watched as Iris and X interacted from the corner of his eye, his smile was still there but it was by no means a smile that was conceived by pleasure. He merely followed his King's lead and somehow it went off rails.

He had been briefed on what was going to happen, he prepared himself on how he would act. Well. X's last statement brought a more genuine smile to his face. Frey liked the Queen of Spades better than the King, she may be soft-spoken but her reasonings weren't bad. She seemed a lot better to talk to that's for sure. Looking at the food in front of him, he hadn't really touched the pastry that he took from Myles, as much as he would love the taste of something sweet, his appetite wasn't there at all.

Scarlet-colored eyes looked up to the King of Diamonds as he spoke, finally. He didn't care for the treaty they had with the Spades, he had been informed by Victoria who their real enemy was, of course, this was also known by X and Twig, and all he had been waiting for was for King Dornwell to say the magic words. But it didn't come and the more Frey listened, the more confused he got. He would concede? Become a noble? Become King once again?

His reasoning was farfetched, too optimistic like it came from some sort of fairy tale. It wasn't his to decide if he becomes a noble, and he also doubts Arimand would stay alive as he has rumors going around of being an Argossian spy. He was sure that if he surrendered, he'd be killed. That's how it's done, right? Nevertheless, the reveal he awaited to be told never came which only left him with disappointment. He remained quiet for the remained of it all while X spoke in response to Arimand, brushing his hair as he quietly sighed as the King of Clubs drifted to sleep.

X was amazing in his own ways but his attention was soon taken by the Queen of Hearts. Guineverre Blanca, he hadn't interacted with her directly aside from greeting her earlier but aside from that he didn't give her much thought. He found his brother in one of her orphanages and he said before that she seemed to be a great person but that was all based on the things he had heard.

She spoke and every word that came out of her mouth was eerily familiar. "A William Code from a different timeline, who had seen several futures, appeared and warned us about beings far more powerful than any of us. The gods."

... Huh.

"A god who wants to exterminate us, mages, from the face of the world. Our greatest mage turned against us by one god, and we don't even know how many more share the same goal."

... Hold up.

A smile, different than the ones she had shown before, crossed the woman’s face. It felt warmer. “Hmm, I guess I can tell you my secret.”

He slowly shifted his gaze to Victoria, head tilted questioningly to the side. "Secret? Sounds interesting but only if you are sure to share it with a stranger like me."

Suddenly, Victoria turned around with both hands on her head, chin tilted up as though she was wearing a crown instead. “I’m actually the Queen of Hearts.” There was a lilt in her voice as she tried to imitate the Queen’s pitch, but she struggled at the latter part and sounded like a squeaky duck instead.

So the person that he liked all these years really was the Queen of Hearts. Queen Guineverre Victoria y Blanca. His mind reeled in the information, finding it bewildering. Well, he certainly felt dumb right now but it all made sense. This room right now also compromised of a lot of Jokers, the Jack of Hearts is a Joker, and so was the King, the personnel were Jokers too. He wanted to laugh but that would be weird.

“The Hearts have already been dealt with. It’s as good as ours."

That phrase finally made sense to him. He didn't let his thoughts show on his face, tapping his feet lightly on the floor. He didn't know how he felt about this, keeping her identity a secret was fine, he just doesn't know what to do with it. He had been playing with the thought of asking Victoria for dinner but knowing she was actually the Queen of a kingdom had made that task seemed quite daring.

Frey was too absorbed in his thoughts that he failed to notice that Twig had left and react to the fact that Siegfried had decided to speak his mind on everything that has been said and happened.

"For a matter so important, one would expect notification post-Valencia when such transpired, not half a decade later." His young adviser finished. The Jack of Clubs couldn't blame his own employee, Queen Blanca's speech of uniting, and the gods would put anyone in a tizzy, his reaction was understandable but he was still only just an adviser. X was asleep, Wren doesn't seem to be that reliable, and if he doesn't act accordingly Sieg will get punished by a Royalty that was not of their own.

Before he could say anything, Helena had spoken first and delayed his intention of addressing Sieg but the moment she finished, Frey took in a breath and prepared himself in a matter of seconds. He turned his attention to the young man, his blood-colored eyes were cold and in his voice was a wave of anger he rarely showed.

"Siegfried Maria Rothschild," He started with his hands clasped together and his back straighter, although he called the young man out in the way angry parental figure does to children. "You are to be silent throughout this meeting and you will be severely punished for speaking out of line once the Royal Meeting is over. Apologize." He found it hard to say that Sieg will be severely punished at the young age of eighteen but he needed to say it.

He let out a silent sigh as the smile from before was gone from his face, he looked at Helena then to the Queen of Hearts before speaking once again. "This conversation is no joke. Queen Blanca isn't the type to pull someone's leg like this, especially not in a Royal Meeting. I believe her."

He looked to Twig and to the cube, a pause before he continued talking. "I think... we should check whatever this cube holds. Ace Zelltear sensed little power within it, and Queen Beaumont can place a barrier in between. It may hold information, perhaps a warning. Needless to say, if it's content isn't helpful then we only lose time that was wasted."

mention: LazyDaze TPBx Athanas SweetRose AI10100 Mechking || interaction: . D O V E The Prophet Coyote Hart

 

[SweetRose]

Masked King of Spades​

Masked King remained sprawled in her chair as her royal “equals” spoke. She couldn’t help but briefly close her eyes as several powerful and ostensibly intelligent royals completely missed her blatant point. Note to self, subtlety is worthless, hammer your point in with a literal hammer. The mask on her face flashed a brief grimace. She had apparently entirely overestimated the ability of her fellow royals to look beyond the obvious. Hopefully their combat abilities were not so woeful as their conversational ability.

She hadn’t expected to miss the soldiers she trained and worked with while she was in this meeting, but while they may have been straightforward and politically untrained, that was at least expected. She could think of hundreds of different soldiers she had worked with over the past few years who had had no real education before they joined and no reason to learn who still would have been smart enough to catch more of what was between the lines than some of her fellow royals.

Losing interest in engaging with the details of the current business she sat back and let it flow. The clown king of spades spoke as if reality was fundamentally unreliable and none of the obvious truths of their political situation applied to him. She would have to be sure in any future dealings with him to be blunt and never assume he understood anything without surety. Frankly she suspected she would be avoiding him.

It was only upon listening to her fellow spade royal that a headache began to grow. She too seemed to miss that which lay between the blunt lines. Although since she made a similar argument perhaps she simply didn’t address it, assuming a united front. The bigger issue was how she concluded her piece, by functionally casting the alliance into doubt. She was likely flexing her newfound position, but it caused a number of issues. At best some further concessions might be made relying on the desperation of their current ally. However without the bond of the old King and Queen the alliance was already less secure, and this exposed them to an unacceptable risk should they engage in war.

The King of Diamonds began by pointing out the obvious, apparently more familiar with the comprehension level of the room, or perhaps just making the observation real time. He made his own point, although he made it a touch unclearly, and with a few flaws. His argument both did and didn’t presume a certain level of power on behalf of the Diamonds. The argument inherently held that the Diamonds were both so weak as to not contest an invasion, and strong enough to force the other suits to induct their royalty as nobles. It was still possible though, if one simply ignored any question of nobility and challenged as a commoner. Nonetheless his real point was similar to her own, suggesting that they needed to find peace or prepare for incredible destruction.

The clown king was the next to speak, and she half tuned him out to save her mood. Starting out with threatening the life of a fellow king, natch. At least this was a reasonable followup and conclusion. Following that up by declaring the Clubs as protectors of the Diamonds caught her interest at the least. In the end he too wanted peace, although as suited a clown king he followed up his declaration by doing some strange routine and falling asleep. A part of her was quietly amused, all these people seeming to fundamentally desire a continuation of peace, and here she sat, listening to them dance around it while her armies sat on the border of the country she was in. All this push towards peace, and it could fall in one simple announcement.

Her attention snapped to the Queen of Hearts when she began to speaking, in a way entirely beyond her own control. Throughout this meeting the Queen had drawn her attention in a way she couldn’t entirely control, and didn’t remotely understand. This trip and this meeting had both been uncomfortable, and she was now rather certain that the past she could not recall had something to do with the Hearts. This place, it’s people, and especially their Queen made her hurt in a way she couldn’t comprehend, and it put her on an edge she very carefully controlled. She would have her time to unleash her rage at the way this affected her, but first the proper routes must be taken.

For now she simply sat with no outward sign she was even necessarily awake herself. Her mask wore a neutral smirk, and she had no intention of showing what lay beneath any time soon. She seemed to address something the King of Diamonds had not said, although given that the King was a telepath, certain things could be assumed. She spoke with the bearing of a Queen, and her charisma was undeniable. A part of her was genuinely affected by her sheer presence. The rest of her was pissed off by that. For some reason this foreign Queen made her feel more than almost anything ever did with a simple speech.

The Queen of Hearts had a dramatic tale to tell, of gods coming for them all, purporting to reveal the reasons behind a great betrayal. She knew of the event from what she had studied of the relevant past events she had missed. If this was true it would certainly be a grand tale, and an incredible reason to maintain the treaty. From what she knew of the Hearts it didn’t really benefit them enough to push for peace for this to make sense as raw deceit. Frankly the wild tale was believable, but whether it was enough for the Spades war to be called off was rather more in question. Especially with it’s truth still in question.

In short order the conversation opened back up to the rest. The Jack of Hearts was the next to speak, having left the room quite recently. He made some excuse about needing to use the bathroom, and she pitied anyone who bought that without question considering a servant had just approached them. Frankly she was unsurprised when he returned to the room with shocking information of his own, although unless he was a truly skilled actor she suspected he was telling the truth as he knew it. She let her own sight rest upon the object in question, making more use of her other sight than she had since she came into the room. This room, filled as it was with royals, was already a riot of magic, and the cube did not unduly stand out. As far as she could tell it was perfectly normal for it’s purpose, as limited as that observation may be if they were truly dealing with gods.

She prepared herself to speak before she was shocked into silence by a literal nobody having an outburst in the middle of the most powerful people on the continent. She took the time to doublecheck with her Sight as he talked far out of his place, and indeed he was less than nothing compared to the figures surrounding him. Anyone in this room could kill him with little effort, and if his Royals did not protect him quite soon that would likely be tested. More than that he was apparently just as much a clown as his King, with no real understanding of the real politics that hung over all of them. More than that she questioned why he was here at all, if he had no power and wasn’t smart enough to even have a hint of older things and ancient histories. Unsureness was understandable, but if one was an ant, one should not call eagles foolish liars. He called into question the choices of the Hearts, and his place aside the rest of his foolish speech pointed out why it might not have been brought up before. The child appeared to be both suicidally foolish and posses little knowledge or observational ability. Well, the hangers-on certainly seemed to match the hung on to.

The Queen of Spades spoke up next, seeming to utterly ignore the insect, according it as much attention as it demanded. She made the obvious observation, and Liz allowed herself to be content that at least her fellow royal wasn’t an embarrassment on this grand stage. She largely supported the Queen of Hearts and suggested that they should open the message, although her inexperience perhaps showed through in her suggestion of shielding the box. It was a noble thought, but ultimately if the object was truly divine, it wouldn’t matter, and if it wasn’t it likely would have been detected already. Nonetheless it was a decent point well, and concisely made.

Again Masked King prepared to speak, although she hesitated briefly. If the currently awake Clubs royals did not speak up she would deal with the problem herself, as the conduct was on the face of it utterly unacceptable. She could call the Clubs into question for even the slight delay, but the time had been occupied, and she did not currently stand to gain from doing so. The Jack of Clubs was the one to do his job, and he did so well enough to save face. He as well took the obvious conclusion and made a fair suggestion.

Only then did Masked King finally raise her voice, although she remained sprawled in her chair, “I too see nothing out of order within the cube. If it’s true dangerous nature was somehow concealed even through that I suspect we would be doomed anyway. If a god truly wanted to destroy us it is unlikely the box would be primed to only do so when we opened it, and if anything less was responsible I would expect it would be detectable. I am not prepared to call the Hearts liars as of yet, and we lose nothing in seeing this out for now.” She seemed finished for a moment inasmuch as her mask allowed her to be read, but then she turned to the Jack of Clubs and spoke with a very light edge, “I will leave the discipline of the unruly children you choose to bring to this meeting as internal business, but for him to speak so utterly out of turn calls you all into question. I suggest you make his punishment public and firm unless you wish to suggest that your pets see themselves as above your fellow Royal. That is of course unless this is a viewpoint you encourage.”

Spoiler: Details/@ the meeting folk

Addressed: . D O V E Colorless Spectrum Present: AI10100 Coyote Hart TPBx Athanas Mechking +other assorted meeting members

 

[SweetRose]

Lilac Green
Lilac tread in the shadows of Vier as she almost always did. At this point she had mastered her servant’s presence both magically and otherwise so deeply that she barely noticed the subtle draw of it’s toggle. She stayed in the background where she was comfortable as her boss moved on her business, following behind her as she bored the ship and simply following in her wake. Her time aboard the ship was unremarkable. She observed what she could through her heat vision, but little of interest passed by. Until that is they began to hit pass warmer patches that she knew to be fires and she heard the chaos erupt aboard the ship around them. She saw the ship in the fog well before the rest, lit up with the warmth of a very active ship.

As the ship bore down on them she approached Miss Vier and quietly murmured, “Which buff pattern and combat approach would you prefer for this engagement?”

"The Captain wants at least one of them captured." Vier responded, still idly twisting her ring as she watched the ship get closer. "Do what is best for a quick capture." Her eyes flashed towards Nathaniel, who brushed his fingers against the arrows in his quiver and grabbed one, getting ready for the fight.

"As for the others, eliminate them. That shouldn't be a tall order." She hummed. "Do what you see fit, as long as it doesn't harm our own allies."

"As for your buffs… heightened physical ones will do. For myself and Nathaniel, if you are so able to do so." Vier twisted her ring one final time and a Lacretia appeared beside her, lightly scratching its claws against the floorboards. Not enough to ruin it or make any sort of indention on the expensive ship, but it seems like it was just rearing for battle. She placed a hand on its neck and turned her eyes to the incoming vessel.

At this point Lilac was intimately familiar with the flow of Vier’s qi. She had bound herself to it, and had time and time again immersed herself in its strength. By now it had become comfortingly familiar to her, and she welcomed the feeling of manipulating it to again fulfill Vier’s request. She dropped the magic that made her presence unnaturally subtle and approached her boss’s back with a slow care. With precise, efficient movements she began her work, first simply preparing the muscles of the woman before her. Once Vier was as ready as she could be, Lilac began to strengthen her body. As requested she would give a general buff with little backlash. It wouldn’t be as powerful as one that focused on a specific area or one that pushed the body far enough beyond it’s limits to cause backlash, but it was useful and strong.

Lilac was gentle and thorough as she drew strength out into Vier’s body. When she stepped away she knew the taller woman would feel stronger, faster and tougher, along with the warm readiness of a pleasant stretch and good rest. She murmured quietly before she stepped away, “You are ready as I can make you Miss. May your enemies be overrun, and your return easy.”

Her family’s traditional phrase said, she moved on, leaving Vier to her business. She approached Nathaniel next and set out to repeat the same manipulations. His qi too was familiar to her, but to nowhere near the same degree. She made the same preparations and strengthened him in the same way, but ultimately it was hardly comparable to what she could do for Vier. There was no binding here, and she was nowhere near as intimately familiar with his qi, nor would she ever be. Nonetheless in fairly short order she stepped away from him, knowing he would feel better than he did before.

Finally she readied herself, although she had relatively little she could do within that arena. For herself she properly stretched and readied her qi to be used as she turned towards the pirate ship she could still see the thermals of. For a moment her hand strayed to her blindfold, but ultimately she decided to leave it in its place. She did not need what it hid now, and she could remove it when she did. Instead she simply stood near to but separate from and behind Vier, ready as she was going to get. She made an odd picture standing there in a traditional maid’s dress with brown hair, plain features and a ready stance aboard this mighty ship.

 

[Desert Rose]

Kayos Amadil
Location: Mystical Jewels, Clubs Kingdom
Interacting with: AI10100 AI10100
​

"A shame indeed," Kayos said shaking his head in agreement as his eyes scanned the empty shelves of the shop. Since he made the decision to move his shop back to the Clubs rather than the diamonds, business had been slowly picking up. While he indulged in his own hobby he had to make sure to remember that what he did was cost affective, it would be a waste to indulge in something that wasn't profitable. Slow business meant he had time to not only go hunting, but also to create new items and a new masterpiece.

The elf raised an eyebrow and smirked seeing the mischievous grin he knew all too well and grabbed the coin pouch offered to him giving out a soft chuckle. "I can always count on you." He said with a nod, after all he didn't give his wares to be sold to just anyone, not to say they didn't share a contract of sorts between them on a business level, but Hyacinth was almost a friend to him.

"Ah well, you know I don't like to send out my new merchandise right away." He said and reached for the ring he was looking at earlier and pulled it from its case. "I have this, and perhaps a few other small items that you could take so it doesn't collect more dust here." This was the way he kept circulating his inventory and it always seemed like he had something new and everything else was sold. It gave a sense of urgency that the item a customer was looking at might not be in again, and since the jewelry was handmade, there was no guarantee it would look the same again.

Kayos set the ring down and looked at Hyacinth curiously "you don't say." he whispered just as his pet returned and served them jasmine tea before returning to her little nook. The elf sipped it and sighed delighted as the taste. "A new Queen of Spades..." He thought out loud curious to what that would even look like. "Dwarves have always been inclusive." The elf joked shaking his head not really finding it all too strange, but that didn't mean he entirely dismissed the observation.

"The taxes have been quite bothersome," He sighed "I try not to mix myself in politics though... It's bad for the skin.." he joked

 

[SentinelSevn]

A wave of angst befell the crew as the looming dread of the pirate ship advanced ever closer to their position. With the captain demanding that all hands be prepared for battle, the wheel and sails soon became tended to only by the minimum number of hands. Those that had spent their time working throughout the rest of the Red Pigeon found themselves manning different stations, finding positions along the mast to cling to for a height advantage, and the line of cannons below deck drawn and ready to fire their barrage of shots the moment that the pirates came into firing range.

Cheers and different haughty screams of excitement echoed louder atop the ocean’s waves, striking fear into the hearts of those that had yet to see but a day aboard the Pigeon. When finally the faces of the pirates could be seen from atop the ship’s deck, excitedly sinister grins danced across their rather plain features, as if they had the utmost confidence that things were going to go in their favor.

WIth a majority of the crew’s eyes turned towards the ship, the sound of splashing and clawing at the ship’s walls erupted from below them, like they had just scraped along the top of a coral bed. Curious eyes that managed to peel their eyes away from the pirates that would close the gap in a matter of minutes, looked down for a split second to see whatever it was that could have caused such a commotion. The attack happened suddenly, a panicked yell from a single person as they were ripped off of their feet and thrown into the murky depths below, followed by many more as the arms of about forty pirates flailed to pull themselves onto the Red Pigeon.

In the blink of an eye, the smooth, flowing ocean seemed to become a frozen maw that seemed to make a mighty attempt at rending the ship and crushing that innocent hope of adventure before even an infant manifestation. That horrid, yet intriguing sound was even enough to draw the captain’s attention. Even Wysteria looked toward the captain with a glance of confusion. Certainly, there were such things as ill timed events; however, perfect timing was usually just that, perfect timing. Neither Wysteria, or the Captain felt good about what was happening below the ship. Nevertheless, that distraction did allow for their enemies to gain the upperhand, as the clawing manifested as bloodthirsty pirates invading their ship.

“Do not fear these cowards! They are simply here to be a footnote in our legendary tale! Here’s your first chance at glory heroes! Looks like we’ll get more than just a test spin,” The Captain started before barking his orders. He knew that although the crew seemed pretty reliable, it was a mixed bag, and he could practically smell the fear emanating from them.

“Back away from the rails and form a solid perimeter lest you be dragged into the abyss! I want an eye on every edge of this ship! Men, prepare for the vortex on my signal! Long to mid ranged mages and fighters, prepare to pick off any enemies left behind afterward then shift to close combat! Prioritize joint combinations and efficiently take the enemy out 1 by 1. No Quarter, special forces will proceed with capturing the enemy! If they dare step foot on our beloved Pigeon we will make them regret it. We need our eyes in the sky to keep an watch of the ship! Marksmen maintain high ground and pick off who you can! Cannonteers, stay ready on the canons and fire on the second signal!”

As instructed, two of the crewmates kept a watchful eye from atop the Red Pigeon in spite of the chaos that was to ensue while a only a few skilled marksman awaited at the top to attack from above. Most of the crew awaited on deck, weapons drawn as the backpedaled toward the center of the ship so as not to be taken by surprise while also avoiding the incoming attack from the Red Pigeon. Once it seemed as if they were far enough, the Captain swung his hand down and the vortex enchantment was activated; the debut of the Red Pigeon was underway as a swirling vortex emanated from the ship and surrounded it in an attempt to push and pull at the pirates clawing from the sides of the Red Pigeon. With any luck, many of them would be thrown off the ship and into the abyss. Meanwhile Wysteria summoned a cloud and used it to fly high toward the top of the ship in order to assess the situation. She eyed the pirate ship, confident that The Captain could deal with the cowardly, yet cunning, pirates that were assaulting the ship. She wondered just how such lowly beings were even allowed to make it this far. Once they were in range, the Captain would give the second signal to fire.

With the wind vortex beginning its climb in power, the pirates that were scrambling over the edges of the Red Pigeon began their ascent with a newly reinvigorated vigor, driven by fear. Once the faces of the first few were made, the gills that sprouted from their neck and the fins that grew parallel to their forearm explained how they were capable of approaching the ship neary undetected. Fortunately, with a fresh burst of confidence from the captain’s commands, the crew began to defend their ship with an almost unrivaled dedication. The first few pirates able to climb over the railing were met with sabers to their throat, and the first few let out surprised yelps as they were dispatched and thrown back into the seas from which they appeared.

The second wave of pirates that scaled the Pigeon adapted quickly, not even bothering to climb fully aboard the ship when they pulled flintlock pistols from their holsters. The booming of gunpowder igniting and musketballs whizzing through the air were followed by a small number of the crew hitting the ground.

Meanwhile, the advancing ship hadn’t simply sat idly by as their crew attacked. With the gap between them and the Red Pigeon closing, the pirate ship began to rock in the slightest as the waves beneath them began their unnatural clawing at their hull. The pirates hardly seemed deterred by the attempt, but they steered towards the stern of the Red Pigeon in an attempt to gain advantage of what would appear to be their vulnerable side.

Ballistas fired off of the pirate ship from below deck, punching holes into the rearmost section of the hull. About a dozen hooks found themselves buried deep in the walls of the Pigeon, linking them to the pirates through steel wire. But with the crew occupied on the uppermost level, there was little that could be done as the pirates used the Pigeon as an anchor to encircle their prey.

The Captain smirked within the chaos. He too was watching the movements of the pirate ship as it attempted to get toward their vulnerable side. He watched carefully, unbothered by gun fire, death, or even the cursed waves screaming that this would be their end...as they often did. He wanted to them to think they had won, that the Red Pigeon was a sleeping sheep until he swung his hand down. “Change of plans! Cannon 1 shoot through their sails, canon 2 aim low and make em drink the sea!” He swung his hand down to signal for the lightning cannons, whose ability to rotate on their axis became a god sent.

Meanwhile, Wysteria swooped down at high speed, flying on the left side of the Red Pigeon while generating thick, grey clouds capable of blocking the gun fire of the enemy crew. She couldn’t help but snicker, remembering that she had faced far more advanced weaponry in Valnecia. Nevertheless, if the enemy believed her clouds to be harmless, they would be mistaken. With a snap of her fingers, those same clouds shot icicles, meant to skewer the enemy. She did not take aim, in order to save time; however, she merely acted as a cover for her crewmates who were being peppered.

With the Red Pigeon’s lightning cannons becoming poised to strike, there was a scurry of pirates aboard their ship as they tried to secure their own defensive footing. The sails could be seen being drawn tight to the masts, but their speed and efficiency were no match for the crew as they fired the first shot. Bolts of blue lightning erupted from the cannon’s maw, incinerating a hole through the center of the sails in an instant. It caught aflame, a brilliant orange that sparked at the point of impact and slowly began to eat away at the sailcloth. Surely enough as the sails continued to deteriorate, the wind mages that powered the sails found their magic to be far less effective.

With the second cannon primed to fire, the pirates aboard the opposing ship’s deck began to assemble. The exterior surface beneath the banners hanging around the ship’s hull began to shift, and plates of metal began to collect like a fluid until they were a single piece. It floated just between the two ships, slightly distanced away from the pirates. The shield was a disc and roughly thirty feet in diameter. Behind it, about half a dozen mages could be seen channeling control over the metal in unison. A flash of light signaled that firing of the second cannon, clashing brilliantly against the shield with a blinding light. When the explosion subsided, the shield was left with a sizzling ring in its center, but was ultimately unphased.

The fishmen pirates aboard the Red Pigeon had discarded their flintlocks, finding reloading them to be a tedious effort and instead began to charge towards the crew with their razor fins. Wysteria’s clouds could not have made a better appearance, blanketing the advancing pirates in a thick grey mist. The poor pirates heard only the snap of her fingers before sharp icicles began to manifest at all points around them, skewering them before the spears even had the opportunity to break free from their kloudy mass. The spears that did manage to shoot from the blanket whizzed through the air, stained red from the blood of the pirates they had dispatched only to find themselves buried into the next. Pirates that had just climbed over the railing were sent back into the seas, receiving only the briefest of steps upon the warhorse that was the Red Pigeon.

With the pirates’ sails destroyed rendering them immobile, the crew could be seen gathering into much smaller rafts to row across to the Red Pigeon. It couldn’t have been more than a few hundred meters between them now, the harpoons having done their duty in drawing them closer to the Pigeon. But the pirates were not treading onto the waters undefended. Two rows of cannons, one along the deck and the second jutting from the ships’ midsection, began pointing towards the Pigeon and its crew. There was a gutteral call to fire from the pirate ship and in an instant, a mixed barrage of magic and cannon fire began to shoot in the direction of the Pigeon. Lightning cannons much smaller than the one that was outfitted on the Red Pigeon shot through the air, aiming for the floating Wysteria in hopes to shoot the mage out of the air. Fireballs as broad as one’s shoulders aimed at the crew along the Pigeon’s deck in an attempt to incinerate the crew gathered along the center. And finally, lead cannon found itself splashing into the waters just barely missing the hull, as they tried to sink holes into the body of the Red Pigeon.

A handful of pirates, at this rate it couldn’t have been more than a dozen remaining of the fishman, that survived Wysteria’s ice barrage continued past the rain of cannon fire like it completely unphased them. They were the only things keeping the crew away from actually reaching the wall that the approaching pirates intended to climb. Four of them cornered Vier at the stern of the ship, the initial shot being a single lead ball from their flintlock pistols before charging in an attempt to slice at her with their fins. At the same time, more pirates had already begun to climb over the rails. With such a slow rate at which they could climb, the invading party were an easy matter to fend off with the crew while faced with a singular opponent. But Vier, her lacertia, Howard, and Lilac would soon find themselves separated. About a dozen pirates would be climbing in every which direction, and about half a dozen more with their attention towards the trio. If it weren’t for the fact that the crew were facing their own set of pirate invaders, the hope for assistance may have not seemed too impractical.

Of the fireballs that would make their way through the air and towards the Red Pigeon, one such attack would be fortunate to find itself crashing into the ship’s bow. The railing above the point of impact tore apart in a small explosion, sending a few crew members over the ledge and into the water where they would be easy pickings for the pirates along the waters. Elijah would be one such crew member, the explosion erupting from beneath her feet and sending her flying off the deck of the Red Pigeon. Immersed in the icy waters below, the shadows of the pirates aboard their rafts hovered above her as they waited for Elijah to poke her snow white hair out of the water. But there was something oddly peculiar about the raft directly above her. The two pirates aboard said raft appeared to be dancing. Rather, they were jumping. Looking towards the base of the raft in slight fear like something was trying to take a hefty snip from their legs.

The Quest for the Stormcaller

Current Character Participants:
- Vierdante - R10 ; AI10100
- Wysteria - R10 ; LazyDaze
- Elijah - R6 ; Colorless Spectrum
- Lilac - R6 ; SweetRose

Current NPCs in play:
- Captain Beacon - R9 ; Lazy
- Eadrick Night - R5 ; Spec
- Sebastian the Crab - R11 ; Spec
- Vier's Lacertia - R7 ; AI
- Howard - R8 ; AI

Spoiler

Current Characters Killed:
NA... for now

Collaboration with LazyDaze

 

[Coyote Hart]

Remembrance

SNAP! A small green projectile shot at Art, but this time, Amycus was prepared, and a fence parried the projectile to allow it to whizz by Art's face. The projectile crashed against the wall, but rather than breaking through it, it simply rebounded backward to land at Art's feet. Now that it wasn't moving around, it was recognizable as a coin, and it had a vibrant mint color. The light from the torch reflected off of it-- but not like metal. While with metals there were certain angles that it reflected at, making a clear path where the reflected light was brightest, this coin simply radiated a dim glow. It wasn't piercingly bright, but it shined with an almost holy glow.

"Treasure? This early into the lair?" Amycus asked with muted amusement, "This Thief King must have quite a lot of money if he can use that as weapons against us."

The glow of the torch made it impossible to see what had shot the green coin, however, there was an unmistakable taste of mana in the air. This trap wasn't a physical one, rather it had mana origins.

The person who had lit the torches stepped forward and allowed for the flame on Art's sword to expand outward, illuminating the room they were in. At the end of the tunnel was what looked to be a slingshot contraption, possibly what had sent the coin flying at Art. There were also two forking roads, the one on the right leading down, the one on the left dipping to the left. Both of them had the taste of mana, and there was definitely some magic involved. As for what nature this magic was, even someone with minimal amounts of magic like Art could tell there was the sinister taste of dysidia looming just beyond.

 

[Ambiloquous]

Jyotiranjana Baila

Walking behind Phoebe, Jana arrived at the living room shortly; she had been only a few rooms away, practicing her swings for future fly swatting, seemingly having forgotten the terror that was Cal’s mother dearest. Lucky for her, she hadn’t managed to crush another piece of furniture with her wild actions.

“Why’d you want to meet again so soon?” She had sheathed her sword in case Cal had something to say about it being “too dangerous out with the kiddos” or some other coddling nonsense. Her childhood was filled with sharp blades, and she had nothing to say about it other than a few scratches here and there. And maybe one split skull, but that was from a series of unlucky coincidences not much related to being around sharp objects, and she’d stand by that when asked.

“A new update on the job?” She snorted and dropped herself onto the pillowed confrontation that was a couch, tossing Relic onto the low table nearby.

Interactions: AI10100 Pilgrim59​

 

[Pilgrim59]

Sera
"The Roaming Wolf"
Mallard's Farm, Kingdom of Spades
AI10100 Ambiloquous​

Sera was mending her sunhat when she heard her name called out by the others. It did not take long, even across the large stretch of land, thanks to her keen ears. Dragging herself towards the living room at the behest of Cal, Sera was curious as to what he needed her for. She saw the kids off before closing the door behind her. Aunt Jana was there with Cal. By what she heard from the prior, as well as that particular thing upon the low table, they apparently had something to discourse. Sera was less on the thinking side, and more inclined to do what is told of her. It is wired into the wolf's own blood that she would take on orders without hesitation. A difficult habit to shake off, Sera thought.

"Aunt Jana. Paps. Ye summoned me?" Sera greeted the two, grasping firmly onto her sunhat.

Could this be her chance to venture with Cal and Jana? She pondered. Despite her nonchalant facade, the wolf's sharp eyes scrutinized Cal and Jana's body languages. The two clearly had something planned and would usher forth their words in due time. But even that did not stop Sera from conjuring thoughts on what she would bring to the table. After all, she had kept her gears away from the farm, as a precaution against unwanted guests. Munitions are short on hand, and with what innovation she could come up, it would effectively diminish her true potentials. A dilemma for some, but the wolf is confident in her abilities to persevere. Besides the point, it was best to not keep those around the house, where the young munchkins could get hurt. She owed the Mallard family that much. However, Sera would not hesitate for a second to make sure the farm and family was safe, even if she must expose her Imperial past. Alas, for now, it was briefing time.

 

[LazyDaze]

THE UNMASKED HEART

Chapter 2: No Tears

X Backstory continued.....

A 4 year old X was standing shackled with the other 14 children who were each around his age. An adult male, who was masked of course, was walking to each of them, observing, poking and prodding while making notes. X would periodically feel something strange emanate from the strange man; however, he wouldn’t know what mana actually was at this time. It turned out the masked figure was a former Owl, disgraced after giving a noble child a mediocre review. He turned to a life of crime. It was actually a childish rebellion since he was backed by the other Owls; however, his pride got the better of him. It often did come before a fall.

After a few minutes he finally reached X and flipped through some papers. X then felt that surge of energy once again, followed by an unsatisfying “Hmmmm…”

“What is it Grave," another member asked.

“This child’s readings are all over the place. Last week, his potential was in the rank 3 range, two weeks ago it was an 8, and this week it is a 6. I was suspicious, so I tested him yesterday and it was reading rank 4.”

“What’s the big deal, mana potential at his age is prone to fluctuation.”

“True, but not by this much. Hey, weren’t you dividing the children today Scythe?”

“Yes, I intended to….,” this man seemed to be an older individual, probably in his 40s; however, like everyone else...he was wearing a mask. He grabbed the notes from Grave and spared a glance toward the children. “Allow Xixix 5, 9, 13, and 1 to step forward.”

Several masked figures appeared from the shadows and freed “Xixix” from their chains and instructed them to move forward. X instinctively looked at his hand, realizing that his number wasn’t called. He wasn’t sure if that fact was good or bad; moreover, he wasn’t entirely sure what to make of his situation. Since this was all he knew, he had nothing else to compare it to, but he didn’t like the pain. Learning to count turned out to be a very painful experience. The bright side, he know longer had to count to 26; now he only needed to count up to 15. Thinking of that only made his hand, in which his number was seared throb.

“You four have graduated based on your potential. It means you won’t have to go through tests to lose your shackles. We can begin your training now.” Xixix 5, 9, 13 and 1 were all taken to another room while the others were left behind, still unsure of what this older individual was prattling on about.

“What about Number 11,” Grave whispered. “His readings might be a bit random, but he has shown rank 8 potential...occasionally.”

“I have no use for an inconsistent power. A power like that makes #11 the most useless here.” Scythe did not try to hide the fact that he was talking about X. X then returned his shameful gaze to his feet...realizing that being “useless” wasn’t a good thing at all. He wasn’t quite sure what he did wrong; furthermore, he couldn’t do anything except remain shackled to the other useless children. Nevertheless, the cold truth was that he was the worst at being a prisoner apparently. He couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat realizing this. The previous children that were labeled as useless had disappeared...at least the ones he could remember. Would the others only count to 14? When he realized that he might be going to the same place as the forgotten children, tears started to roll down his face.

Those tears did not go unnoticed by Scythe. He was silent for only a moment, before sharing a glance with Grave as if to say I told you so. He then signaled for an underling to release X. Although they were hesitant, they did as they were told. Once released, X was confused, finally taking his eyes off of the ground and looking toward the adults with a mixture of hope and fear.

“Why are you crying Number 11,” Scythe said as he beckoned for X to walk toward him.

X bit his lip, and looked around as he took a few stumbling steps toward Scythe. “You...you make me go away?” X said as he continued to wipe his streaming tears.

“Oh...you’re worried about the other children. Come here number 11.”

X did as instructed and took a few more steps toward Scythe, feeling a bit more comfortable the longer he remained in his presence.

“Turn around and tell me what you see.”

X turned around, and took a long hard look at the other children who were there. “Kids,” Xixix asked between sniffles, unsure if this was the answer he was looking for.

“Yes, other kids the same age as you, all in the same position. However, notice what they’re not doing.”

X continued to look toward them, searching for an answer but finding none. His silence was enough to cause Scythe to act as he approached X, knife in hand before grabbing X by the face, sending a jolt of horror as he saw something glint out the corner of his eyes.

“They aren’t crying…,” Scythe said apathetically as he too, set his gaze on the shackled children. “Today marks a new day in your training," Scythe said speaking to X as well as the other children. "I’m sure many of you won’t understand...but we search for quality soldiers. This means there are currently too many of you. Most of you will soon “go away” if I believe you are useless. Whining, crying, and weaknesses is not something I will tolerate in my soldiers. Let this be an example for you. This is the reward for weakness.” With that said, Scythe positioned his knife and…

***​

5 children sat within what seemed to be a holding cell, serving as their room. 4 of the children laid to rest on one side while X was on the other, alone. He would occasionally whimper silently, doing his best not to cry, but failing often. Two fresh horizontal scars, one just below each eye, graciously caught his tears and burned tremendously on contact. His eyes were red and irritated from his constant rubbing in order to prevent tears from forming in the first place. His intuition had already told him that something was not right in this world he was living in, and this only confirmed it. These suffering long nights would continue for the next few months until the tears eventually stopped forming, his heart stopped aching, and he had lost the will to suffer. The grief, confusion, and apathy showed in his eyes, but the tears would never come...his eyes were dead. X scraped a rock on the stone wall he was facing, attempting to count to keep his mind distracted from...anything. It had only been a few months, but he was having a hard time remembering what number came after 14.

To be continued.

 

[Coyote Hart]

​

Things were getting interesting in the meeting room. Myles noted Twig leaving the room to use the restroom, a strange move for a man who frequently drank tea during sit-downs and meetings. And it was a shame that Siegfried opted to not get anything to eat.

"Your loss, sir," Myles said, adding on the formality to the end when he realized he was being a bit too lax. He couldn't resist the urge to pop a macaron into his mouth, so he did so. The sweet taste of strawberry along with the crispy shell-like exterior* exploded in his mouth. Ahh, sugar indeed was a poison. It poisoned the mind as it overwhelmed the taste buds with sweetness, creating that desire for more and more sweetness. Myles stopped himself before he grabbed another macaron. He composed himself and said to Siegfried, "Come to the kitchen after the meeting if you end up feeling a bit peckish, alright?"

As he was about to push the cart to the Diamond royals, two bombshells were dropped on the meeting. The first was Guin's speech, which Myles was made aware of from the impassioned tone of her voice. Gods? The Ace of Diamonds being controlled by one? Magekind being on the edge of extinction?

"Nantekotta i," Myles exclaimed under his breath. This... was interesting. Moving from Argossia to Ornare was quite a change of pace, especially with magic. To now hear about the gods being real was like reliving the mind fuckery of the past five years.

Myles had to give props to Guin though. If she pulled this off, the Four Suits would all be united as one. Which presented a perfect oppertunity to implement the Joker system. But if she was being serious... well then. Myles definitely didn't want magekind to be wiped out. He saw firsthand the good in magic, especially those of nonviolent nature. Cilantro was able to light a candle without any matches. Myles himself could take a shower anytime he wanted. Declan could diminish the effects of his muteness. Guin was able to teleport to wherever she was needed. Twig could heal injuries that could otherwise take a life. Magic was not something that should be killed off.

Siegfried was more vocal about his shock than Myles, which Myles didn't blame him for. If he wasn't in a room full of royals that would chop his head off once they realized he was an Argossian, he would've done the same thing. But evidently, Siegfried was getting quite a bit of backlash for his words, even so much as a demand of public flogging.

"Yo, mate, chill out," Myles hissed to Siegfried, "I agree with you, but not in front of all the royals! Sit quietly for a while and watch this show all fold out. I'm sure if there's anything wrong with the story, it'll be pointed out in due time. It isn't our place to call out absurdities. Are you sure you don't want a pastry to take your mind off of this mess?"

Then, at what seemed to be a coincidentally bad time, Twig returned, looking somewhat disturbed as he declared that the Sealer of Dragons-- which to Myles had a similar connotation as "the Sword Lord" or "Overlord Pancake Master"-- had given him a recording. Wasn't he going to the restroom?

" 私を殺して。" Myles said. What the hell has this meeting turned into. Myles didn't sign up for this.

The Prophet
((*Wtf are macarons even made out of?))

 

[Coyote Hart]

Obos
​

"I don't blame you, Siegfried, for your words," Twig said gently, "Anybody would be astonished if their world was turned upsidedown. You just expressed that astonishment. So I do not think that punishment is fitting. Of course, my word means nothing. It is up to Queen Blanca to either deliver punishment or grant reprise."

Although he had no say in it, Twig hoped that Siegfried wouldn't be punished. Despite their opposing viewpoints, he was the reason Frey was able to keep a steady hold on the Jack of Clubs position.

"If there are no objections, let us view what this cube has to offer," Twig said. He held onto it with two hands and activated the enchantment. Immediately, a hologram appeared on the table, depicting a strikingly beautiful woman with ornate clothing. Those with higher magic levels, like Guin, Arimand, and Darien, would see that a combination of light magic and sound magic was being used to display the hologram spell.

The woman looked around the room, and it was as if this wasn't a pre-recorded message. Her eyes rested on each of the royals, almost as if she was silently evaluating each of them. It shouldn't be possible for a decade-old recorded message to do such a thing, but as Guin, Arimand, and Darien would notice, the magic was simple light and sound magic. And yet it was almost as if the woman was watching them, giving the impression that this was a conversation, not a message.

"My name is Obos," the woman introduced herself after she saw each of the royals, "I have come to warn the people of Ornare-- great calamity lies ahead."

She paused, and on the table, she turned to face the Club royals. Her eyes specifically landed on X, as if she was giving the King of Clubs more attention than the unqualified Jack and Queen.

"The sea grows restless and toils," she stated flatly, "Beware beneath the depths, the darkness will rise to the surface and reign."

That was all that she said to the Clubs. She didn't elaborate on her cryptic warning, didn't wait for an answer. She then turned to face her attention to the Spades royalty, making eye contact with Helena, the Jack of Spades ((Tato why have you still not made any semblance of a CS yet??)), and the Masked King before speaking.

"The beasts of your land are angered," Obos cautioned, "The mother will soon reawaken in the vast forest and trample the sky. Turn to the dwarves for asylum."

With that frankly nonsensical message, since the dwarves had practically declared independence, she turned her attention to the Heart royalties, giving Twig, Guin, and Cass each a lookover before speaking.

Obos spoke, her words confirming what the Hearts had been suspecting, "Your old enemies will return, wielding the power of the dragon. Beware what lies inside, there is more than one within him."

Obos didn't elaborate more on what this 'him' was. The Heart royalties could make their own assumptions on what the message meant, but another strange discrepancy had popped up with Obos' statement. The Royal Flushe had appeared eight years ago. Meanwhile, this recording was ten years old.

Finally, Obos turned her eyes onto the Diamonds. Specifically, her eyes bored into Arimand, and she held a pregnant silence for a few moments before speaking.

"Your gift is more dangerous than you know," Obos cautioned, "Use it carefully, or you shall deliver apocalypse to the Mortal plane."

With her four warnings complete, Obos laced her hands together and lowered her head, as if collecting her thoughts, before she opened her eyes once more and walked off of the table so that she could face the entirety of the royals gathered in the room. Then she gave one final warning:

"The Gods and Goddess are stirring. After centuries of slumber, they awaken anxious with avarice. Ornare will soon become wrought with fire borne from devilish lies, paving the way for the first magician; her name is G--"

The image of Obos cracked and fizzed, her voice warped and disfigured until her words were unintelligible. Then, all of sudden, for Arimand, Guin, and Darien, they would notice that the enchantment broke. Instantly, Obos' image vanished.

With the sound of glass breaking, the manstone inside the cube shattered, causing Twig to drop the box with a surprise. The box bounced hollowly on the wood floor, and when the sound faded, all that remained was a deafening silence.

The Prophet (Siegried) . D O V E (Guin) Mechking (Arimand) TPBx (Darien & Athania) LazyDaze (X & Iris) Colorless Spectrum (Frey) Cyan Hide (Helena) SweetRose (The Masked King) vielpotato (Make a CS god damnit) Athanas (Cass) SentinelSevn (Cairo) Coyote Hart (Twig & Myles)

Wanna steal the tags?

[USER=14839]Siegfried[/USER] ✭ [USER=20112]Guin[/USER] ✭ [USER=74664]Arimand[/USER] ✭ [USER=40193]Athania, Darien, Belie[/USER] ✭ [USER=54610]X and Iris[/USER] ✭ [USER=11008]Frey[/USER] ✭ [USER=42871]Helena[/USER] ✭ [USER=50534]The Masked King[/USER] ✭ [USER=40574]@vielpotato[/USER] (Make a CS god damnit) ✭ [USER=55128]Cass[/USER] ✭ [USER=28082]Cairo[/USER] ✭ [USER=35494]Twig, Myles, Wren[/USER]

 

[SweetRose]

Masked King​

Masked King maintained her position as the people around her moved and spoke, eventually leading into the message being opened. Even as the woman spoke her reaction remained minimal. Externally the only thing that could be seen was a considering expression on her mask. She observed her surroundings with an utter thoroughness. The whispered conversations in the background interested her for the information they occasionally contained, but politically ignored them. It was not truly stated publicly, and therefore did not have to meet the same standard.

She observed and she evaluated, taking in her surroundings with the skill the combination of both political and espionage training gave her. To most the most striking thing might be the individual muttering Argossian phrases under his breath, but quite frankly she didn’t really care. The Argossian empire was a threat, Argossian remnants left behind didn’t matter. The average Argossian soldier was an insect to her, and most didn’t care about the supposed crusade. The more interesting part was the Jack of Hearts response. He clearly was not in favor of punishment, which meant he was either soft, personally involved, or both. It wasn’t like she was exactly in set on it herself, but rather more that there was a certain etiquette and a certain expectation. She was now rather interested in how the Queen of Hearts would actually approach this though. The safe, simple option would be to react as expected to such an affront. However, given the Queen’s reputation, she could likely also increase that reputation by being generous to the fool in question. The train of thought gave her a headache for reasons she wasn’t quite sure of and she moved on as soon as the message was opened.

The woman certainly had a certain presence, even through the medium she had chosen. Obos apparently. She gave each kingdom some manner of portentous warning. The Clubs the sea, the Spades the land, and the Diamonds themselves. The Hearts by comparison were almost boring. The same old enemies soon to be at their doorstep again, no doubt the Flushe with their stolen soul. She wondered why that was not a point here raised. The Flush were quite frankly far more concerning than the Jokers, not least of which because of simple power. She suspected that the import of this message implied some even greater threat. That combined with her own intentions would most certainly leave a Mark upon the Hearts.

She sat there and for the first time in her storm of preparations and training she considered the real outcomes. She had poured over the strategic and military implications for years now, but here she pondered what she would have to do personally. She looked across at the Queen of Hearts under her mask and reminded herself that she would have to go to war with this woman. She felt the tell-tale feeling of her mind revolting against her with agonizing pain, and for the first time in quite a while forced herself past it. She considered what it would mean to go to war against this woman and potentially fight her herself, and what it would mean for the world around them both.

As she thought she felt an agonizing pain creep in, and as she considered the real details she felt it hit harder. She felt as if a molten steel spike had just been shoved into her brain, and she felt rage pour into her soul in response. More than that she felt creeping changes and something trying to force itself awake. She was caught between suppressing both reactions and trapped by both their weights. She felt, but only barely noticed the changes that followed. She felt something foreign seep into her magic signature and something began to force itself into her mind. Her body shifted outside of her control for the first time, even if it was simple, as it turned into a long white mane.

Spoiler: Details

The Prophet The Prophet (Siegried) . D O V E . D O V E (Guin) Mechking Mechking (Arimand) TPBx TPBx (Darien and Athania) LazyDaze LazyDaze (X & Iris) Colorless Spectrum Colorless Spectrum (Frey) Cyan Hide Cyan Hide (Helena) SweetRose vielpotato vielpotato (Make a CS god damnit) Athanas Athanas (Cass) SentinelSevn SentinelSevn (Cairo)

[/SPOILER]

 

[EmeraldSplash]

No complications​

"You're gonna be okay," she said sitting next to the beaten up man that she saved a couple of days back.
Although the man did not react, Arabella felt a warm touch close to her heart. It was a long time she took care of somebody. Between all the killing and fighting there was no moment of peace in her mind and she hated that. Well... At first this life felt like a treat but later Zinnie noticed that this life is a cruel and unforgiving stereotype.

But how does one get rid of this life? The answer is not simple and not even definite. And the worst thing is that she didn't even know.

"Arabella! Arabella! You here?" a voice pierced through her imagination and so she came to a realization that her mission inside the joker base is going to get started.

The target is set and so Zinnie ventures out of the room where her fellow assassins are. Her mind and her goal is clear. The invisibility ring on her finger is doing it's work and she's moving through the corridors swiftly, however, carefully.

Coyote Hart

 

[. D O V E]

While Guin had anticipated outbursts of disbelief, she didn't expect any of such intensity from the non-royals in the room. To make the outcome more bizarre, it was the royalties who were rather accepting of the godly news instead. She frankly expected them to be more incredulous, but she supposed she should give her reputation more credit. Regardless, Siegfried's reaction made heads turn with shock and disbelief, especially after his implications against the Heart royalties after Twig returned with a mysterious cube in hand. The first one to try and defuse the situation was the Jack of Clubs who forced his advisor to stay silent for the rest of the meeting.

The Queen of Hearts, on the other hand, found the mishap to be too trivial compared to the matter at hand. So, she ignored dispensing either a punishment or a reprise for the advisor and chose to answer his questions instead. She raised her right index finger. "What do you think would have happened if we spread the information rashly after the war? Isn't your reaction a telltale? So instead of that, I opted to share the information slowly and carefully, starting with my own court then the Club's." She could still remember when Arimand asked her to secure an allegiance with the Clubs while he worked to get the Spade's. She assumed the Spades royalties already knew beforehand as Arimand was in a relationship with their former Queen, but Guin seemed to be sorely mistaken. She raised a second finger. "As for your suggestions, killing William Code isn't the answer to this prospective apocalypse. Think about it: he's Ornare's strongest mage yet he fell under the control of a god. Who's to say the second, the third, or the fourth won't suffer the same fate? Would it be wise to execute them as well then? If we go by that logic, we might as well eradicate the entire magekind ourselves." Then a third one. "Moreover, pulling hundreds of Williams from several dimensions is implausible. Before he vanished, the second William told me that he wouldn't be able to give more than a warning because his involvement would only attract the attention of more nefarious entities. I assume we can all agree we don't need more of them."

Once she was done addressing his inquiries, she faced the rest of the occupants. "As for the others, I am grateful for your trust and respect." She let her gaze stay on Queen Beaumont and Jack Frey longer than the rest. It must've been difficult to fully believe her story without any concrete proof. However, she had a feeling things were about to change as Twig returned their attention to the cube. Guin gave him a nod after he sought their approval and cautiously watched him activate the strange object.

Lo and behold, an image of a woman clad in grace and elegance appeared before them. A moment later and she realized it wasn't an image but a recording concocted from a mixture of light and sound magic. The woman was apparently called Obos, and she came with a warning. She prophesied a calamity for each of the four kingdoms. "The Flushe," she whispered after their prophecy was laid out. So they already managed to extract Darigaas' soul from Axton and implant it into Two. What was more alarming was the foreboding codicil. Guin couldn't help but wonder why Obos couldn't be more specific with her warning.

Afterwards, Obos confirmed everything Guin had shared earlier. The divines were real, and they were lusting for something. The world? Dominance? Amusement? What more could these powerful beings want? Whatever it was, their selfishness wasn't sitting well with Guin. She and her people were not pawns for their pleasure.

The warning abruptly ended before Obos could utter the first magician's name. "Magician?" She echoed under her breathe, brows about to meet together in confusion. "The enchantment broke." She announced as she drew closer to the fallen box. She picked it up and scrutinized it for anything suspicious yet ultimately found nothing of sort. "We should keep this and let Ace Hravart analyze it with his magic."

She then lowered it to the table and faced the crowd once more. "Well, if that didn't convince you then I suppose the remaining proofs are Obos' prophecies." A sigh followed the statement. "Mr. Rothschild asked what's the point of us uniting against the potentially invincible divines, and so I'd like to counter the question with another. Shall we instead twiddle our thumbs and wait for these calamities to devour us? Or shall we weaken one another and pave the way for our own extinction? No." She stood tall and regarded everyone with determination. "In light of this horrid revelation, the Hearts hereby agrees to the treaty's extension."

Just as she thought the surprises were finally mellowing down, another one came over and hit her like a hundred-radius boulder. Sanguine eyes widened when an eerily familiar magical signature pervaded the hall. When she turned to its source, she saw the Masked King staring right back at her. Guin watched in horror as the King's hair turned into an ever-familiar white.

"...Chesh?"

The Prophet ✭ . D O V E ✭ Mechking ✭ TPBx ✭ LazyDaze ✭ Colorless Spectrum ✭ Cyan Hide ✭ SweetRose ✭ vielpotato ✭ Athanas ✭ SentinelSevn ✭ Coyote Hart ✭ AI10100

 

[Coyote Hart]

No complications​

"You're gonna be okay," she said sitting next to the beaten up man that she saved a couple of days back.
Although the man did not react, Arabella felt a warm touch close to her heart. It was a long time she took care of somebody. Between all the killing and fighting there was no moment of peace in her mind and she hated that. Well... At first this life felt like a treat but later Zinnie noticed that this life is a cruel and unforgiving stereotype.

But how does one get rid of this life? The answer is not simple and not even definite. And the worst thing is that she didn't even know.

"Arabella! Arabella! You here?" a voice pierced through her imagination and so she came to a realization that her mission inside the joker base is going to get started.

The target is set and so Zinnie ventures out of the room where her fellow assassins are. Her mind and her goal is clear. The invisibility ring on her finger is doing it's work and she's moving through the corridors swiftly, however, carefully.

Coyote Hart

The goal is clear? Seriously? No, literally this is the most shoddily planned assassination I've ever seen in my life. Why the hell is it happening in the middle of the day, where the target's movements will be imprecise and unpredictable? This is obviously the most scuffed plan ever, where the expectation was to just bust in, defy logic, and hop out.

It isn't your fault at all though.

As Arabella (Zinnia? Zinnie?) went deeper and deeper into the Joker base, the crowds of people began to thin. The sound of thumping began to get louder as she got closer to the area where weapons were manufactured, but this also began to die down as people took a break to go eat lunch. She passed a room where a mage was maintaining a mirror while another Joker stood around with a pole and a ball attached to the end of it. The ball seemed to make tiny little crystals gravitate out of the air and attach themselves onto it.

"Hey yup, ladies!" a voice said from down the hall. A black-haired man wearing a monocle jogged down the hallway to meet up with two feminine figures. Unlike the two feminine figures, this man didn't bother wearing a mask to cover his face.

"Oh no, it's pRoFEsSoR EdUmEnCh," one of the girls said, her voice dripping with disdain, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, it's just I heard that there's a new soup in stock today," Edumench said, chuckling at his own joke, "I want to see how it does with my noodles. Could you lovely ladies do me a solid and grab me a bowl?"

"Why can't you do it yourself?" the other girl asked. Arabella would recognize this girl as Rain, one of the mirror enchanters and one of the secondary targets.

"Well, it's kinda unfortunate," Edumench gave a fox-like smile, "I don't think I can get from the kitchen and back without tiring myself to the point that I drop the bowl of soup."

It was also unfortunate that Arabella was at the place she was at the time she was. The two girls and one dude were walking side by side, with the girls obviously trying to outpace the dude and failing. It unfortunately meant that there wasn't any room for Arabella to squeeze by them... and they were approaching-- fast.

EmeraldSplash (Arabella)

----------​

"That's weird," Ratchet said from in the mess hall, "Sammy's not here."

"How's that weird?" asked his best friend Kuro Everlast from the other side of the table, "He's only ten minutes late."

The two of them were hunched over one of the handcarven wood tables that occupied the mess hall, nursing their cups of stew. It was decently crowded, and most people were wearing masquerade-style masks to hide their identities while also enjoying their food. There were a few exceptions, like Ratchet, who just drank the soup out of a straw, and Kuro, who had his red cloak pulled over his head to hide his identity rather than a mask.

"Yeah, but it's your birthday!" Ratchet said, "He's gotta be here to sing you Happy Birthday!"

"Pssh," Kuro brushed it off, "What's so great about birthdays? Oh boy oh boy, today was the day you came out of your mother's womb! What's so special about that? Oh boy oh boy, this is a marker to say that you're closer to kicking the bucket!"

"Aww, come on, can't you lighten up for today?" Ratchet asked.

"No."

"Well, screw you, I'm going to get Sammy," Ratchet said, getting up to leave the cafeteria. "I'm gonna make this the best birthday ever for you!"

 

[AI10100]

Z U L R I C H , H Y A C I N T H
Location: Mystical Jewels, Clubs Kingdom
Interacting with: Desert Rose
​

Hyacinth looked pleased with himself at his partner's approval. There was nothing more pleasing than being able to provide what he promised to his clients. A peddler would be nothing without those that supply him. Sure, many of his weaponry was made by him personally. Anything that could be smithed was usually made by him - but those only go so far. He was a merchant who should be able to offer anything at any point in time - so the trades he makes with others are just as important for his business.

"That's fine. Anything to replenish the inventory." He reassured Kayos. He looked over at some of those that were on display. They were really beautiful - if not a bit morbid in terms of creation. But no one had to know that. They just needed to be assured of the quality. Hyacinth idly wondered if he could sell this to the Clubs Royalty. He knew a couple of people who could pull him an audience with them. However, knowing them from what he had heard and what he had seen, they weren't too big on jewelry... in fact, they weren't all too big on anything really.

He eyed the... servant Kayos had. It certainly took a bit of getting used to. It wasn't any of his business. He wasn't a knight in shining armor, or a man who would do anything he has to for the good of the world. He was just a mere merchant who's here to make money. Hyacinth took a sip of the tea that was served to them. And hey, if there was someone who would make an attempt to liberate the fae, then who was he to get in between that?

"That they have. Though, they d seem more intense lately." Once that was out, he took another sip. He wondered if he could get a few more commissions done there before something happens. He'd really rather not lose connections in the dwarven city.

He let out a light chuckle. "I swear, it does make me age faster than I should." He grimaced. "The Jack of Clubs is highly inexperienced, but his assistant has a good eye for economics. Hopefully that's enough to keep us from plunging into an economic crisis." Hyacinth had given his two cents to the Jack of Clubs before, all in good faith of course. He was curious on how he will grow and how Siegfried would be able to influence in that.

 

[AI10100]

T O L L A M B E R , V I E R
Location: Vistus, Club Kingdom | STORMCALLER QUEST
Interactions: LazyDaze SweetRose ​

Vier said nothing their special captain flew off and made quick work of the pirates that were trying to board. They had seemed to incapacitate the pirate ship and they were going to start boarding soon but was being bombarded by the rest of the crew. Vier had provided aid - aiming magically charged lightning down the pirates that attempted to climb the rails. Nathaniel at her side had his bow ready and shot an arrow every time one pirate poked their head up from the side.

The mercenary clicked her tongue as she was cornered - her eyes scanning them for a moment and was lucky enough to not get hit by the bullet as they charged. She snarled but pushed herself back to avoid their sharp fins. Her hand crackled with lightning and she shot it towards the leftmost pirate. Once it connected and did its damage, the bolt quickly jumped from one pirate to the other to incapacitate them. But it would seem that these were not all that had decided to focus on them as more pirates began to surround them and separate them from the rest of the crew. Vier had seen these odds before, and she was willing to play this game.

Vier turned her attention to those pirates who had just managed to climb up. A small thundercloud appeared above them and a lightning bolt struck against one of them - sending electrical shocks to those close to him and hopefully the impact of the strike would be able to throw them off - if not off the ship, then at least make them try to recover.

Her lacretia had its attention on the pirates that separated them from the crew. Using all of its power, it lunged into the pirates and began biting on one of them and then lifting it up before attempting to throw the body to one of the pirates. Nathaniel grabbed one of his arrows and began pelting the pirates that were trying to blindside the lacretia - enhancing his arrows with wind magic for extra piercing power.

 

[AI10100]

M A L L A R D , C A L L U M
Location: Mallard Family Farm, Spades Kingdom
Interactions: Ambiloquous Pilgrim59
​

Callum gave them a wave as they entered the living room. "Yes well, there's been a change of plans." He took out the envelope he was given, flashing it to the two before taking the letter out and placed it on the living room's table. It had detailed a quest of investigating the forest in the Hearts where a bulk of the beasts were coming from. "They gave us new directions and well, between you and me, the reward for it is pretty nice." He said with a light chuckle and just as he said, the determined reward was something no sane person would pay them. Callum wasn't going to complain about it, of course. He wouldn't be surprised if it was another mishap like the one at Yisstra.

"Investigate the forest. Find the reason why the beasts have been more aggressive as of late... and put a stop to it." Simple. Straightforward. And Callum was pretty sure it was going to be another magical anomaly. After all, the beasts would normally keep to their own territory. As far as he's aware, the Hearts hadn't made any plans to rehabilitate an area of the forest - so the fact that they're starting to migrate towards the towns is odd. Or maybe there's something that had taken root within the forest that the beasts feared so they had to evacuate. There are a lot of possibilities and they'd never know what it is until they get there.

"Thankfully, it seems like they're giving us some reinforcements." At least they weren't going to throw mercenaries into the thick of things without a little help. "I'll get in contact with two beastmasters from the guild." After the events of Yisstra, he learned that it would be safe to have them around than not. Especially since he and Jana didn't know a lot about the beasts themselves. "So... you guys in?" He asked with a small grin. It was going to be their first mission in a long while and as much as Callum did love his home, he was also itching to get out there.

 

[LazyDaze]

Iris flinched when she heard a voice cut through the room after Guin's shocking revelation, a non royal voice. Siegfried was already well into his ill advised monologue, and whatever gestures Iris wanted to make in order to tell him to politely shut up would have been in vain. Iris wasn't actually surprised to hear the news since X had non-chalantly dropped the news before she arrived at the hearts border. Even she was floored by the news, she would never pull what Siegfried did. She politely nudged the sleeping X to wake up; however, he simply waved her off and continued to doze off. Make no mistake this was a choice since he was an unnaturally light sleeper. So Iris did what anyone in her position would do. She pretended nothing was happening as she continued to write down everything that occurred in this sham of a meeting. She resigned herself to the fact that the Clubs would probably be destroyed by the end of the month. That was when something truly interesting eventually occurred.

Once Twig skillfully returned the focus of the meeting back to mythical beings and death Iris ironically let out a sigh of relief; until it was activated. She couldn't help but give an elbow to X's ribs; however, it only resulting in her own arm becoming sore as X rubbed the sand out of his eyes. Before he could even stretch he was locking eyes with a goddess halfway into her speech. His expression didn't change since his it was naturally a lax, and drowsy gaze anyway. While she spoke of the other "calamities", X snatched up the paper Iris was drafting in order to see what he had missed.

"......Okay nothing important." X said as he gave the papers back to Iris, ignoring the parts where everyone got mad at Siegfried for speaking out. Surely it would work itself out. They had pressing matters, his hands were still sticky with pastry filling. Second..."..Ditto," X replied after the Hearts announced their stance. "Can we go now?" X couldn't help but feel that the meeting would have been a waste of time if the Jill in a Box had not spoken up. It was by pure chance...or fate now that you think about it, that Guin and X's goals aligned for the time being. Because of the mutual interests, X was given the information regarding the interference of higher beings and it seemed they would be making their move soon, this meant they had to attempt to counter the relative unknown. An impossible undertaking that had to be accepted. However, despite the strange nature of a shiny box lady, the Masked King was currently leading in that department.

"Yeah, wake me up after someone dies..."

 

[vielpotato]

Fall Back, there's no reason to continue this. This is just a waste of time, at this rate. Lazara told the group of assassins through telepathy, as he ran towards Arabella and the other assassin with a sudden burst of speed. Reaching them just before the group of three touched them, Lazara slashed at all three of their heads in a swift, clean, and overpowering movement. We leave now... was the final words he said, before dropping poison to remove their bodies and have their blood become animals similar to Samael's body. Right before leaving, Lazara made a quick 'poison' which helped restore his stamina. Taking the quickest path with little to no traffic, which was easy with what Samael knew, the four of them kept running, with Lazara performing a similar action to the prior accidents. I hope this is over, I'm ready to relax and deal with less stressful missions..

EmeraldSplash Coyote Hart

 

[Coyote Hart]

Fall Back, there's no reason to continue this. This is just a waste of time, at this rate. Lazara told the group of assassins through telepathy, as he ran towards Arabella and the other assassin with a sudden burst of speed. Reaching them just before the group of three touched them, Lazara slashed at all three of their heads in a swift, clean, and overpowering movement. We leave now... was the final words he said, before dropping poison to remove their bodies and have their blood become animals similar to Samael's body. Right before leaving, Lazara made a quick 'poison' which helped restore his stamina. Taking the quickest path with little to no traffic, which was easy with what Samael knew, the four of them kept running, with Lazara performing a similar action to the prior accidents. I hope this is over, I'm ready to relax and deal with less stressful missions..

EmeraldSplash Coyote Hart

Snow Fox (1500/1500)

Avalanche (600/50) [Apocryphal Genesis: 600/600]
Theme of Avalanche


Lewis Edumench (700/70)​

Snip... slash... woosh?

While Rain and the other girl next to Edumench fell, Edumench himself didn't fall. Instead, the slice phased right through Edumench's body as if he wasn't even there. Edumench shrieked like a girl before getting a hold of himself.

"Damn, I should stop trying to talk with women," Edumench said, "It never works out."

As the next person down the hallway died, Edumench took a box out of his pocket and sternly said in it, "Rain and Amythest are dead. Some invisible thing took them out. I think they may be assassins of some kind. They used a very strong acid to destroy their bodies. They're heading down to the direction of the mess hall. Advise others to keep out of the way."

Now, I have a feeling you're thinking, 'Coyote! Where did this bullshit come out of?' Let me explain. Lewis Edumench is not an NPC that I made for this interaction. In fact, Snow Fox isn't either. They're all established NPCs that have appeared before, hence their unusual stats. For example, Edumench appeared in this post. He was created as a character halfway through v3 and then scrapped as I realized I couldn't actually use 4 different characters (since I got too lazy to write Myles Rein's death scene). Meanwhile, Snow Fox has appeared in past posts, just under a different name.

If Edumench had actually been there, he wouldn't have been able to keep up with Lazara, Arabella, and the other assassins due to his sickly state. Noodles all day every day was a horrible diet, and Edumench's crippling chronic mana sickness didn't help with that either. But since he was just a projection, he zapped from area to area, keeping up with the assassins as they slashed through any adversary they encountered

"Would you guys like to stop for some soup?" Edumench asked as he tailed them, "We have pureed spinich salad soup, water, rocks, and revenge. The last one is unfortunately cold, so if you're actually an old person, it wouldn't do you well. Actually, I don't know what soup we have. Knowing the big lady, we probably have something related to tomatoes."

Then as Lazara and co neared the mess hall, they were abruptly stopped. When Lazara's slash was aimed at one particular masked woman's throat, she swiftly grabbed Lazara's arm and used his momentum to slam him hard into the wall. At the same time, a sickly blue haired man peeked out from behind the woman and using what looked to be a paint brush, sprayed a blast of paint, covering the hallway, the dazed Lazara, and the two slower assassins. Fortunately, it didn't discolor them, as their invisibility rings made the paint go clear. Unfortunately, the paint was sticky and annoying.

"Hell yeah! They actually came!" the blue haired man said as stepped out from behind the woman, "Finally! I can test my strength and see what I really am capable of!"

"I apologize for the rough treatment," the masked woman said to Lazara with a polite tone, "But I have to stop your plight. I hope you understand."

Based off of Samael's memories, this was Snow Fox, who was essentially Harlequin's bodyguard. Not much was known about her, and even Twig didn't have much information regarding her that he had divulged to Samael. All that was known was that she was a fearsome fighter who wasn't truly a member of the Jokers. There were rumors that she was a martial artist, and that she had the power to stop people from casting magic, which she had lent to some of the Jokers. Indeed, the presence of chi indicated that Snow Fox was capable of using the hidden arts. Her presence in the Joker community was sparse-- she rarely left her room.

"Please relay to the Queen that I did not wish to cause any property damage," she asked of Edumench without taking her sight off of Lazara.

"Of course," Edumench said as he relayed Snow Fox's words through the handheld box. He also added, "We have engaged them outside of Snow Fox's room. Please send reinforcements."

"I ask that you give yourself up willingly so that this doesn't become unnecessarily violent," Snow Fox said, "If that is not at all possible, I will unfortunately have to use force."

Meanwhile, the blue haired man stepped forward to face Arabella, even despite her being invisible. In one hand, he twirled his paint brush, while with the other he drew an axe. He pointed it at Arabella and declared, "You may call me Avalanche! I am delighted to be able to fight you! To show that even the common people like me can stand up against powerful people like you!"

He took a foreign swordplay stance as he waited for Arabella to make the first move. She wouldn't know this, but it was actually the Will form of Yl Fenca, the swordsplay style of Argossia.

"Hey hey hey!" Edumench said as he pulled what looked to be a mana bomb from his pocket, "You better deal with me soon, or you're going to regret it!"

With such a narrow hallway, this was an unavoidable battle, and one which the assassins needed to stop quickly before reinforcements arrived. Already, two Jokers had arrived to fight the other two assassins, and it wouldn't be long until more showed up. This wasn't quite the "Century's Greatest Assassination" as the escape was a part of the deed. And right now, the escape was far from clean.

vielpotato EmeraldSplash

 

[EmeraldSplash]

Not a good dancer. ​

The three jokers were approaching faster than she had anticipated. She stopped many times in her mind to tell herself that it is going to be okay, that she'll be just fine. She slowly placed her hand on the old leather belt where she kept her poisons thinking that now it's the right time to do something. "They are not all your targets. Only one is." She told to herself as she was about to throw a vial of poison on this individual. However her actions were cut short.

She saw a quick slash, well... Attempted slash. Her fellow assassin, in a sad attempt to "assassinate" everyone, made a fool out of himself and now... They needed to RUN!

An adrenaline rush as strong as the hardest metal filled her veins once her feet started moving. She had no idea if they are going to get away from this place but she did not care for her mind was preoccupied with the thought of death.

Arabella didn't want to die, not one bit. She had a lot of things she did not achieve yet. She made a mistake once that kept her from achieving anything at all. Mistake... That isn't the right word for it wasn't a decision. She HAD to join the assassin's guild. Although she is happy for everything that the guild gave her, not one day passes that she doesn't have to think about how she hates it.

A sudden stop emerged as a masked woman pinned her fellow guild member to the wall in a martial art's way.

And after that... Fight was brewing. Bound to happen. With no way out.

While in invisibility, she placed her hand on the worn-out belt full of vials. She did not care if she makes sound or not for the enemy was pointing her weapon right at her.

She pulled out a sword from her holster and threw the vial on it, as it shattered, it became clear for Avalanche that the sword is poisoned.

Yet she did something that the enemy (possibly, up to you) didn't see. She touched the blade of the sword nonchalantly so that the enemy wouldn't notice that her fingers are now covered in it.

Then she took out a dagger and stood in a stance.

Sword pointing at the enemy and a dagger held behind her back.

Once behind her back she manipulated the poison on her fingers and secretly covered the tip of the dagger with it.

"I do not want this fight, I know I can't win." she looked him in his eyes.

"How do you feel knowing that you will defeat an opponent way weaker than you... "

She looked down at his boots noticeably disappointed.

Arabella then looked up once again into the eyes of the enemy, now with a strike of confidence but also with a tear coming out of her eye.

"I am Arabella Lorraine Turner... You shall have this dance."

Coyote Hart vielpotato