Fantasy Four Suits Volume 1.5

[SentinelSevn]

Abilities

Location:
- Ariandel, Diamond Capital

Interactions:
-All Royals

Quillon Downs
38 || Ace || Spades
♠

Quillon watched the faces of his chosen members contort, in fear, or in indecisiveness. From what he was reading in Lazarus's mind, there was reluctance and even a fear in using his abilities. One that made Quillon question whether or not he was even fit to be a part of the team..

"Yes, you will be killing. You'll be killing many, if not hundreds of Argossian soldiers." Quillon answered, approaching the Club's table and resting his palms on the table in which they sat. "You will be killing the people who have attacked your own, before they have the chance to kill any more. Saviors and heroes alike, are villains in the eyes of those that oppose them." As he spoke, he had made eye contact with Lazarus, and was glaring through the Jack as if he was reading every small thought and emotion that ran through his head.

"But believe me when I say.. that you two are going to be absolutely vital in the reignition of hope for our victory." At this point, he looked across the hall and gave a glance towards Twig, acknowledging both of them and their acceptance of his offer. It was his pure dumb luck that what he saw as the most capable of fighters were also the more reluctant to fight of the kingdoms. However he hoped to change that mindset of theirs once they were on the battlefield, and show them both that war was not something that one was given a chance to have second doubts..

Quillon turned towards Leolin, the Ace of Hearts, as he made his offer to join them in their task. And while he did bring valid points that he would be able to bring the literal firepower, it currently was not in the Ace's interest to do so. "As admirable as that is, I believe we will be more than capable of dispatching what we come across ourselves. But more importantly, and perhaps anyone else here should consider before throwing their hat in the ring.. is that if I pulled more than one royal from each kingdom, that would effectively be pulling half your collective strength away from what we should be defending in the first place. Your kingdoms."

"Not just in magical strength, but in political duties. By pulling one of the royals from each kingdom, their respective duties are no longer filled, and must be maintained and regulated by another source of power. If I take you both, yourself and Twig, your kingdom misses their Ace and their primary master of economics. As well as, taking the Ace away from the defense of the kingdom's borders. Given that the Jokers have already assaulted the Clubs, I refuse to let another kingdom fall prey. If that's all, I think I've done my part in this conference." Quillon finished his response to Leolin, and hastily made his retreat back to the Spades's table. As much as he enjoyed being able to take control of the conference, the board has already been set in his favor and the pieces of his team have already been assembled. In his mind, he wanted no further changes..

"Take me with you, I know the city's layout better than anyone currently on the team and can act as the shield of the team and the civilians we encounter."

Quillon stopped, moments before reaching his table. The Spades would see Quillon's face slightly sour, and he looked over his shoulder to turn around towards the voice who had spoken up. It was the Queen of Diamonds, who he thought no longer wanted any part in the conference after what he had said to her earlier. Now, she was assertive, and looked rather confident in what she had to say. He made a glance towards William, momentarily unsure whether or not he had advised her to make the decision or not, but quickly deduced that that wasn't the outcome through a quick peer in her thoughts. His previous argument to Leolin was invalid here, considering he had not chosen any particular royal from the Diamonds to accompany him.

"I refuse. We don't need a shield, I'll make sure of it." Was the only response he gave her. It was obvious, and rather unlike Quillon, to not have an explanation to his decision. But he had no reason to refuse her, other than the fact that he didn't see a use for her power. But would the trade-off of increasing their party size for a more reliable shield, be worth it? He needed more convincing, and for her to show more willingness..

 

[Balfnaught1]

While fighting another King was not really his goal today, Travis couldn’t back down at this point, and he definitely couldn’t entrust his army to anyone other than himself, not least because he didn’t know if Ethan could do what needed to be done.
“This invasion affects all of us, not just Diamonds, especially because the force we lead will be a coalition. What happens when the war spreads to the whole nation? Will we decide a new leader then? No. The leader of our combined military will be decided here and now, the same way everyone else is decided. It seems I’ll have to take you up on your offer”.

With that, Travis released his magic to counter Ethan’s provocation. Nothing about him changed physically, but for the briefest of instants a phantom image of an enormous raging Minotaur appeared behind him before flickering away, almost as if it was never there at all. Its effect was obvious however. A feeling of immense raw power emanated from his body, enough to tear and charge through anything in his path without obstruction, like a monster that had cast off its shackles. He stroked the handle of his blade at his side, seemingly relaxed but ready to attack at a moment’s notice. Twig’s presence meant that they could afford to pit two of their strongest against each other, otherwise even Travis wouldn’t risk it. He glanced at Quillon, hoping that he would stay out of the conflict. At this point Quillon’s public support might actually hurt his chances rather than help.
TPBx , Kloudy , SentinelSevn @ everyone

 

[SentinelSevn]

Abilities

Location:
- Ariandel, Diamond capital

Interactions:
- All Royals

Quillon Downs
38 || Ace || Spades
♠

So it seemed, although Quillon was more than occupied juggling his own contribution to the conference, that others were still more than happy to have him contribute to theirs. He had thought nothing about the King's bickering about which of the two of them were more suited towards leading the coalition, considering that the decision for his infiltration team was pretty much set in stone at this point. However the moment the King of Diamonds unsheathed the book, Quillon knew, it was Dyssidia.

Quillon gave a sideward glance towards Travis, who had unleashed the strength of the minotaur and was ready to attack at a moment's notice. He grit his teeth, not prepared for a full on offensive from royals to occur at this meeting, considering the severity of time that the kingdom's were under now. "And I thought I was the attention-hog of this conference.." he thought to himself, before returning down the steps towards and standing in the middle of the hall yet again. As he made his way down he spoke to Travis, and Travis only, "Don't make me regret my decision, Travis.."

He stood between the two, given that the kingdom's were already on opposite sides of the hall, and turned to face Ethan, the King of Diamonds. "If you two are going to fight, at least take the consideration of not involving the rest of us. What wonderful news it would be, if the public were made aware that the King of Diamonds couldn't control himself and laid waste to his own conference hall." The mockery in Quillon's voice was apparent, as is seemed now that he had concluded with his own discussion, that he had returned to his previous attitude of providing his criticism in sarcasm and verbal chastising.

"But if my personal thoughts could be shared. I think I would prefer not having the King that already showed his incompetence, by losing an entire city under his nose.." Quillon shrugged his shoulders, and rose his brow to look for the approval of the other royals. "Simply food for thought.. I suppose. Ah, and since I'm already up here.. Your book.." He stated, pointing towards the heavy-bound grimoire held within Ethan's hands. "Perhaps it would be best if someone were able to review the contents prior to your fight, someone sworn to secrecy. Because I, and perhaps all of the continent, have no interest in allowing you to win if its through that magic, whether it makes you superior in strength or not."

Quillon was rather intrigued with the concept of Dysidia, and while he was able to get a minimal grasp of Ethan's abilities previously, he was not able to grasp the full extent of his abilities. Whether Ethan specialized in one of the forbidden magics, Quillon was eager to find out.

 

[SidTheSkid]

.

Warning: Jack of Club's morality is based around the events that affect him, Lazare's personality and sympathy will mainly be dictated by
tragedies, relationships, conflict, and so forth. Depending on the circumstances, he may preserve his kindhearted ways and often times show compassion.
(Even to those that might no deserve it.) However, if he's pushed over the edge, Jack of Club's morality will significantly change and may illustrate itself through malice.

​

Lazarus M. Viticus (Dress Disguise)
(Location: Kingdom of Diamonds - Royal Conference.)
(Mood: Puzzled. )
(Moral Alignment: Lawful Good. )
(Interactions: Twig, Quill, and Idun. )

(Prepare yourselves for my worst post yet!)

Coerced by his own regular musing, Jack of Clubs had already backtracked to Quillon's presentation of Zephyr's doppelganger. It almost felt impossible not to experience a slight inkling of jealousy after noticing such a large difference in their magical abilities, instead of endorsing the unreasonably cruel methods that were shown previously, Terwilliger's power acted not as a tool of unspeakable barbarity alike Lazare's but rather as a tool of benevolence that would alleviate one's misery as opposed to bolstering it. "How I envy you, Jack of hearts..." Masking a dispirited whisper, he couldn't help but feel that life had 'cheated' him by 'cursing' him with these corrupted powers! Why? Why is that this loathsome world has an insistent need to taunt him so? Wasn't it enough that these distant memories of death would occasionally come back to haunt him? Even when glancing back down at his hands, it's as if he was able to perceive the familiar sensation of someone's warm blood seeping in between the crooks of his rigid knuckles every time he'd curl his fingers into his palms, yet this ghostly feeling was only the horrors of yesteryear continuing to torment him. By no means did he begrudge Zephyr for his given talent, in fact, he deeply admired him for it. If these 'manifestations' were anything true to their original counterpart, it would reveal only his selflessness and unwavering dedication when it came to placing others before himself. It wasn't all too surprising watching his face slightly convulse in a disgusted acknowledgment to the murderous intent that surrounded Lazare's sorcery, its complete disregard for human life was absolutely sickening and more often than not his unnatural techniques would always be used for ending someone's existence rather than preserving it.

Expected as it was to see him react this way, it felt kind of like an invisible punch straight to the chest that knocked the wind out of the Jack of Clubs, moreover, it sent his immediate attention away from everyone else as he had now brought his head down in utter disgrace. "Somehow, I manage to revolt even the purest of souls." He tried his best not to be affected, nonetheless, an opened wound still proved to be an opened wound. Thankfully it could've gotten a lot worse, but luckily the participation of eager volunteers wishing to provide their services to help reclaim Parma was all but reassuring! Lifting his head at Leolin's intervention, Lazare was absolutely baffled to see that another Ace was wanting to join in on the assignment. "Another Ace?" Before long, it was beginning to seem like 'overkill' with all the people beginning to flood in. Among those that were there, a captivating 'goddess' of pure magnificence had revealed itself from the crowd of faces. It had been the savior herself, Idun, a marvelous being entirely made up of Diamonds which was pretty fitting since she happened to be the Queen of Diamonds! Upon introducing herself, many of the Royals had been almost hypnotized by the overwhelming dazzle of her skin. Believe it or not, she too was adamant about joining and judging from her audacious entrance it was obviously clear that Idun could single-handedly overtake Parma herself and be that as it may she was more than willing to let the likes of these simple mortals assist her in her ultimate conquest of smiting down these Argossian scumbags once and for all.

Alas, it was apparent that Quillon knew of this woman's unspeakable prowess as there was a long pause of silence, a sensation of pure apprehension created by Idun herself had claimed the atmosphere and ultimately made it her bitch. Unfortunately, the Ace of Spades had to let Idun Remember that she was far too much for the Argossians to handle, if by any chance she was let loose upon Parma, there'd be nothing but a raging fireball consuming the landscape of the Island. As amped up as The Jack of Clubs was after seeing somebody so amazing, he became concerned once Quillon had acknowledged that all of the people involved in this mission at some point may have to resort to taking someone's life, additionally giving Lazarus a 'thousand-yard' stare before mentioning that he and the others will be avenging the lives of those lost to Argossia. His further endorsement of him and Twig was fairly heart-warming, as skeptic as he was about succumbing to the past and having to throw his beliefs aside, Quillon's admirable speech did fairly well when it came to helping Lazare push aside his feelings. "You're right..." He couldn't deny it, these were the same enemies that were terrorizing his land as they spoke! Thinking about them even touching one of their citizens was more than enough to boil a cauldron full of anger inside of him, as much as he wanted to let his emotions dictate him, he needed to stay focused on the mission. "Thank you for your kind words Quillon, I won't lie, it's going to be difficult for me but i'll do what must be done for my people." Looking back at the fellow Club members, Lazare gave way to his innocence as he gave off a soft smile.

"Do not worry about me, i'll make sure that this doesn't take too long."
.

 

[Kloudy]

Ace of Diamonds​

(The Conference - Ariandel)

This was supposed to be a meeting heralded by The Diamond Kingdom, but William could only watch in disappointment as it spiralled into a chaos of royal strike teams and kingly duels. He attributed most of the disruption to Quillion, feeling he’d have to step in once more not for the conference, but for the sake of national security. He placed a cold gloved hand on Idun’s shoulder, almost as if to reassure her and took several steps forward to stand so that both Quillion and Ethan were opposite him, arms crossed and a look of judgement adorning his face.

“I’ve had enough of your talk, Quillion. I can vouch as an Ace sworn to oversee its royalty that King Kaloronos’ magic is lawful. As for the decision of appointing a ‘supreme king’...”

A cyan portal opened up directly opposite William, past the two kings and ace that stood before him. Another portal opened up in front of the Diamond’s table and a third portal opened up by the Hearts’ table. William pointed to the portal by his table.

“This portal leads to the outskirts of Jann in Parma. I don’t know if there are Argossian forces at the perimeter so be vigilant.”

He gestured to the Hearts’ portal.

“This leads to a supply route in the Hearts Kingdom, our aces will remember my journey to Leolin’s trial by duel. I cannot provide transportation to the other kingdoms.”

William wasn’t just being nice to Leolin, the man was annoying enough with his sexual advances. Merely that was the only other kingdom he had visited, and that was just to witness Leolin’s Ace duel. While it was convenient, he doubted they’d appreciate the concern that an ace from another kingdom had such instant access to their territory. Although by the way Quillion has been directing things, no one seemed to mind leaving themselves at a strategical disadvantage in the slightest. He was least pleased to learn that Idun had inadvertently revealed some extent of her powers to Quillion. Perhaps everyone was just stupid, but William had trained Idun better. This was embarrassing to their leadership.

“This portal before us leads to The Crystal Marking. Our Kings may battle freely for supremacy there.”

TPBx SentinelSevn Balfnaught1 Diphylleia grayi

 

[. D O V E]

[class name=Guin] width:250px; height:250px; background:url('https://i-h2.pinimg.com/564x/37/90/e8/3790e8ce8adff67d2e981ec4eb4218ef.jpg'); border:1px solid #ffcc00; border-radius:999px; background-size:105%; background-position: 50% 0%; display:block; margin:auto; center; [/class] [class name=bg] background:#660000; border:1px solid #ffcc00 ; [/class] [class name=font] font-size:15px; line-height:20px; [/class] [class name=gname] font-size:30px; color: #ffcc00; font-weight: bold; [/class]

[div class=bg] [div class=Guin][/div] [div class=gname] Queen of Hearts [/div] Location: Diamond's Castle | Conference Hall
Interaction: Quinlan63 Kloudy TPBx
Mentions: SentinelSevn


[/div]

[div class=font] The thought of holding a contest of power to elect a so-called High King seemed rather foolish to the Queen of Hearts. Guineverre believed good judgement does not come hand in hand with power. One may hold tremendous power yet they may be just as incompetent in terms of leading a war. Unfortunately, it was the system the four nations has been fashioned with and she can't do anything about it. Yet.

The blonde queen flung her attention towards her male counterpart, leaning a little to his way to deliver a whisper, "How about you?" she asked just as the King of Diamonds stood up. Knowing Axton, she won't be surprised if he answered her with something along the lines of having too much work if he ended up leading the coalition forces. Then again he was a man full of surprises.

However, the familiar presence of Dysidia crept into the room and once again successfully stole her attention. She flung her gaze to the source of said mana which turned out to be the grimoire in the King of Diamond's hands. It was quite obvious that it contained the King's magical spells considering it was emitting a dark aura akin to what her own tome would release whenever she pulls it from its dimensional confines. Needless to say, she wanted her hands on that grimoire.

As if on cue, the Ace of Spades suggested having it reviewed and Guin had no intention in letting the opportunity slip past her. She was about to speak up when the Diamond's own Ace vouched for his king much to Guin's chagrin. "You have said it yourself, Ace of Diamonds. You see none of the kingdoms as your allies. Forgive us for our distrust but I think we would be better assured if someone outside your kingdom will review the King's grimoire and tell us if its lawful or not." she said as she stood up with elegance, "In connection to this, I, Guineverre Victoria y Blanca, Queen of Hearts and an adamant advocate of a just and fair battle between the kings, volunteer to review the grimoire. I swear to everyone present in these halls that I shall be forthright and honest while doing so. I swear to the King of Diamonds that its contents shall not be made known to anyone unless said contents are deemed illegal."

Guineverre faced the crowd with confidence, showing them the same face of dedication she would wear whenever she was in front of her kingdom's people who adore her so much. Without further ado, she faced Ethan and extended her hand to his direction, "King of Diamonds, the book, please." [/div]

[div class=font] [/div]

[div class=font][/div]

 

[Kloudy]

Ace of Diamonds
(The Conference - Ariandel)

William frowned as yet another royal came forth to question Ethan’s book. It seemed the disrespect would never end, he briefly wondered if this was the reason for the centuries of war. Suits royalty just never could see eye to eye. His demeanour changed to something more judgemental himself and he faced the Queen of Hearts with a cynical gaze.

“Ms Blanca, while I don’t appreciate your clear slander against the integrity of my position, I must point out that I have very clear reasons as to why I distrust you all. The use of dysidia in of itself is no cause for suspicion.”

He glanced at Quillion. If the ace tried, he’d sense no doubt or uncertainty from William, suggesting no lies were being told by him. He looked back at Guineverre and the Diamond’s Ace’s eyes seemed to gleam with reflected light, his expression dull. His eyebrows raised ever so slightly, perhaps suggesting amusement.

“You should know, as a practitioner of dysidia magic yourself.”

Of course, she had no idea how sensitive William’s eyes were, being capable of discerning between the two types of magic in even one’s dormant aura.

“If you question the legality of our king so impudently and so baselessly, perhaps you fully intend to prove your innocence in a similar fashion?”

His eyes went to Quillion next, seeing if he would be raise another point. He’d stand to gain if both king and queen did end up revealing what their abilities were, but William was confident the queen was smart enough to realise that exposing your own powers was more daunting than having others expose theirs. Of course, William had no idea of the Queen of Hearts’ less than legal practices. His arms folded, William once again gestured around at the portals.

“Unless you further intend to insult The Diamond Kingdom, I suggest we part ways for now. Those that wish to view the duel may do so.”

. D O V E SentinelSevn

 

[vielpotato]

Already there, as the officer or whatever he truly was busy taking care of matters while Jake arrived there via foot, Jake bowed to meet his guest again. “Nice of you to join us, however it seems your friends aren’t very good at talking as they are in shooting. Seeing the amount of action of these guns, especially these long ranged ones but also the shorter ranged, is something to be impressed with as well. However, I would like to join your little company until our future enemies show up for a little party.”. Jake was in the mood to try his new skills, as he also learned a little bit of scouting as to not alert their enemies would be nice. However, the guns would be away as his eyesight would prove to be enough and not give away their position in case one were to see it for whatever reason. “After you, sir..”
TPBx



Lillith was tired of waiting around, in all honesty. Sure, being trained as a soldier makes one learn a little patience however turning the wind around the room with her leaders makes her hear anything that is going on. Hearing the idea of helping out Parma, Lillith barged into the room with no cares in the world. “Hey sir, is it cool if I tag along? A birds eye in the sky could provide more help than that woman. It could also help provide with what exactly is going on in case you wanted to do other searching.”. Thinking all of this, after grabbing her ace’s attention with the loud entrance, while jumping mildly in excitement. Hopefully she could prove her worth, as she had slowly been forgotten with her lack of royalty status.
SentinelSevn and everyone in the room if you wanted to say something

 

[TPBx]

Ethan Kaloronos

The Ace of Spades again spoke up against the Diamonds, denouncing Ethan by calling out the magic he had worked hard to cultivate to this day and earn his position as the King of Diamonds. He was glad though that despite their differences, William still defended Ethan vehemently. He found his support rather endearing, and ultimately Ethan decided to double down on his resolve. "Well if you all do feel this way," Ethan stated as he placed the Grimoire on the table, looking up at the rest of the audience with a glare that would send shivers down even the bravest of warriors."Feel free to review my Grimoire of Dark Magic, besides I won't need its full power to settle this argument. There's no need to defend the integrity my position with well crafted speeches and colorful words. I'll prove it in the most efficient way possible. By winning it over in combat."

Ethan then straightened himself up and pulled the shadows around the room toward himself. The room dimmed considerably and the jewels that once were sparkling with the light that poured from outside became suddenly dull. A swirling whirlpool of darkness and light gathered around his feet. Then Ethan stated, "This meeting is adjourned... I'll see you on the other side, King of Spades." He then used the shadows around him to create a shadow portal beneath himself, streaks of dark lightning shot out form beneath him. Ethan sunk into the portal and disappeared from the Conference Hall. With his absence, the lighting in the room returned to normal, giving everyone present a solemn sense of how powerful Ethan truly had become.

Balfnaught1 ( as well as everyone else there)

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Ace of Clubs, Remi Rumialin
​

Conference: Conclusion?

Location: Conference room
Tags: SidTheSkid

Remi sighed at the chaotic atmosphere in the conference. Ethan said the conference had been 'adjourned', but for Remi it was over. She leaned forward to the Jack of Clubs.

"Lazare, I'm going to leave now to fortify our home. Hope you can handle things here. Also, take this," Remi pulled a hand-sized steel doll from her purse and handed it to Lazare. It's her portable golem, Gomorrah.

"I don't think I can help much, but if you need my help during your mission, press the button in the back three times. Stay safe and good luck." She waved a small goodbye to Lazare and nodded briefly at the queen's representative and her two aides.

Remi walked quietly to the conference room's door but as her hands touched the handle, she turned her head to her kingdom's jack, there's one other thing she wanted to say.

"Oh, and Lazare? Nice dress there. Suits you well." She leaves the room after giving the jack a little wink. The jack wearing a dress was a nice little surprise for her. If only Angelica was here, she would make sure to order her assistant to make a wonderful painting of his figure. Or maybe she should invite him to the art room someday in the future? The thought of it made her smile.

A few servants approached Remi in the corridor, trays of food and drink on their hand. She took a glass of wine from the servant and drank it in one single gulp. She's tired after moving her consciousnes three times in a short period of time, but at least she should be able to sleep while her six-leggers rushing towards the Kingdom of Clubs.

 

[Coyote Hart]

The meeting just had to escalate into a fight. The more Twig thought about it, the more that it made sense. Perhaps the perpetrator of Twig's denial was just the thought that he would have to heal the one that crawled out alive and the one that was unconscious on the floor afterward. Twig loved to give a helping hand, even if he wasn't being paid for any of his healing, but Twig could imagine that healing a royal would be incredibly draining.

"I would like to point out the irony of having a duel and then having the weakened winner go lead an army," Twig said, though under his breath as the tension in the air made him almost terrified to speak out loud. From Quillon's refusal for Leolin and the Queen of Diamonds to join the raid to the soldier outside bursting in and making a statement, the quick and simple plan that Quillon concocted was slowly getting more and more complicated. Twig's personal opinion was that a mission to take back a single city should include the most minimal of the royals.

After Twig motioned to one of the servants to fill the hip flask Twig had with some sort of liquid-- apple cider preferably, tea as a substitute -- he turned to the rest of the conference room and voiced this concern, "We really need to bring as little amount of people in this initial charge as possible. We can't afford to lose someone with strong combat potential this early in the war."

As the meeting was wrapping up, Twig rose to his feet and stood behind Guin's chair. He didn't know what to say. Under most circumstances, Twig disliked dysidia magic. But unlike most people, Twig wasn't outright opposed to the use of the magic, as it all depended on the context. Though despite this, Twig did feel a bit in fact betrayed by the Queen of Hearts. So in the end, Twig smiled to show that he didn't judge the Queen of Hearts too much and said, "I didn't know you practiced dysidia magic. You'll have to tell me about it when we get home; I'm curious about it."

Twig left it at that and returned to his seat, gathering the multitude of papers he had scattered around his spot and shoved them all carelessly into his messenger bag. He would have to deal with the growing number of papers later when he returned back at the castle. After accepting his hip flask of apple cider from a servant with a nod of thanks, Twig felt as if he was prepared to go. He circled the table until he arrived at the Jack of Club's spot at the conference table.

"I think it's our time to do what we must," Twig said, patting the Jack on the shoulder with a grin, "Though are you going to fight in that dress? It looks good on you, and it would be a shame if it got ruined in the battle."

Twig disagreed with Quillon and Lazarus's idea that killing the Argossians would help the Kingdoms. In the end, they were all human, right? And killing one's kind was just plain horrid. But Twig knew that if he was to voice his thought, his life was forfeit. In any case, he still decided that he would do his best to support Lazarus and Quillon during the battle, though whether he would help injured Argossian soldiers afterward was a totally different matter.

"Thanks, William for the portal," Twig said, backing towards the one to Parma, his fancy staff in hand and held in more of a combative stance rather than his usual regal stance. He gestured with his free hand to the portal and looked at Quillon and Lazarus, "After you." It didn't seem right for the weakest person combative-wise to walk into the portal first.

. D O V E SidTheSkid SentinelSevn Kloudy ((As well as everyone else in the meeting room))

 

[OrenjiGatsu]

Thierry Bonheur

What a meandering river of a meeting. At first, it seemed quite obvious why everyone was here: The kingdoms have been messed with by Argossian forces and everyone was meeting to find a solution from this problem. Yet, it soon turned into trash talking between aces and other royals. The entire crowd was then hit with the news of an attack on the Kingdom of Clubs and then a town in the Kingdom of Diamonds being attacked. Now with the existence of the kingdoms being threatened, the insults and trash talk has gotten worse as people decide how to respond to the attacks. Now two kings are going to duel. It's at this point Thierry questions if a surprise attack of secret agents on the conference would make it any more dangerous as it is.

Lambert is probably doing better. At the momet he's either sitting in front of the window at the inn room or walking down the streets. He's not in the same room with the regent queen, the ace, and the jack of his country along with the royalty of the other kingdoms. Is this the usual experience of a royal guard on diplomatic missions? At least by serving his royalty for the time being, he'd likely get their interest and be a name they remember when they're thinking of musicians.

But this annoyance of a meeting is minute compared to the problem of the Argossians. Two attacks in two different places by a large, powerful empire. They may not be able to handle this. In the worst case, Thierry has one solution to this: run into the wilderness, grow out facial hair, and live the rest of his life as a lumberjack in the countryside. Such a solution would be wrong to do now, as it would displease all of his royalty. If it seems like the forces of the kingdoms have fallen back and got stuck at a wall, he'll do that. As for now, however, he has to help out. But how? He can't lead an army, not even if it was the military band. Hopefully he can find somewhere to help out. He'll just have to stick to his regent Queen and Jack for now.

 

[Balfnaught1]

Travis exhaled at the King’s display of power. This wouldn’t be easy, and it was very possible he would lose. However, he wouldn’t entrust his army to a foreign King (not entirely foreign, but alien enough) without a fight, at least before he proved his worth. And anyway, he wasn’t out of the running yet. Ethan might be a user of Dysidia, but Travis often found that direct and overwhelming force worked wonders, generally defeating even the most complex magic. Travis kept his Minotaur spirit active, looked around the room, and addressed the Royals before they split apart, probably gathered together for the last time.
“I would like to inform you that I do not do this for pride. I have no pride, not since the previous Spade Royals tore me apart when I tried to assume the role of Ace. I do this because I think I am the best one to lead us through this war, and we need a leader for our united forces. However, if I lose, I will not equivocate or demand another duel. I will accept the result either way and serve as best I can. Farewell, honoured peers.”
Travis gave a bitter laugh and strode through the portal to the Crystal Marking, unsheathing his blade as he did so.
TPBx Kloudy @ Everyone

 

[TPBx]

Ethan Kaloronos

Ethan stepped out from the prep room into a shadow portal of his own and onto the Crystal Marking. The crystalline stage had seen countless battles between royals now, and it was only fair that such a momentous occasion had to be settled on the most opulent of arenas. The light of the sun bounced across the stage making it glisten ever so brightly while the pool of spring water that swirled around it could be heard ever so slightly as the waters emptied into a nearby stream into a much larger lake to the east where Idun was born. Then Travis stepped through the portal and emerged on the other side. His polished silver armor glistened in the light in contrast to Ethan's own much darker armor. Ethan could sense a great amount of power emanating from him as he reactivated his True Sight. Now that he could sense the mana flow around his opponent more clearly he could clearly gauge his plan of action. "I see that you're not the kind to back down from a challenge, glad to see that," the King of Diamonds stated, "I did my research on every royal in that room. You're the one with the power to mimic the mythical beasts of old. Well let's test that strength."

"No holding back..."

Ethan then stretched his hands out to his side and the shadows from around the room poured into the tips of his fingers. Once he felt he had absorbed enough of the shadows in the room, the Eclipse Holder showed his true form, as darkness surrounded his body from head to toe covering him in an extra layer of shadowy armor. He then arched his back as several crimson tendrils sprouted from his shoulder blades and moved around seemingly on their own. Ethan then put his right hand out in front of him, a dark purple ring formed along his wrist and floated out to his fingertips. A sword forged from the shadows formed in the blink of an eye, and Ethan took hold of it at first with his outstretched hand before also grasping it with his off hand, taking up an offensive stance with the blade pointed out in front of him.



Marillys Argossia

In the streets of Parma, guards began coming out from the barracks in the city. Several spells began to be slung everywhere as the Kingdom finally decided to put up a resistance against the Empire. One soldier fell next to Marillys after taking a lance to the chest, instantly killing him. Another set of lances were summoned by a mage nearby and flung at Marillys. The Homunculus effortlessly dodged the first two, and then grabbed one lance out of the air, turning around and slinging it back at the mage, who fell to the ground as the lance struck his leg. Marillys whipped out his pistol and ended the nameless mage's life before he could even have a second chance at another attack. Marillys then continued down the street and assisted the rest of Imperial Soldiers similarly, dropping many of the Kingdom's bravest soldiers left and right, as the Empire pushed further into the Island Town.

The Homunculus expected more resistance, but his superior training and reflexes proved to be better than whatever magic the Magical Soldiers could ever cast. Then a portal opened in a plaza near him. Marillys could sense something off about it as it seemed to be a spell cast by a by someone far more powerful than anyone else he had encountered so far, at least so he thought.

Balfnaught1 @ (anyone going to Parma)

 

[SentinelSevn]

Abilities

Location:
- Ariandel, Diamond Capital
- Jann, island city of Parma

Interactions:
- All Royals
- Lazarus SidTheSkid
- Twig Coyote Hart
- Idun Diphylleia grayi
- Marillys TPBx
- Lillith vielpotato

Quillon Downs
38 || Ace || Spades
♠

William's intervention of Quillon and the Queen of Hearts bombardment of the King of Diamonds, did not bring Quillon any surprise. Knowing William for hwo he was, he was well prepared for how William would position himself, come the chance that anyone would go against his royals. It was a trait, that for once Quillon, highly respected and yearned to have himself.

But what he did not expect of the Ace of Diamonds, was the fact that he was able to perceive Guineverre's powers without her even having cast a single spell, or given even a subtle hint of her abilities. It was a magical sight and identification that surpassed even his own.. however William had the great flaw in having his rely on his eyes. Even so, he turned to the Queen of Hearts, her knowledge of Dysidia now being revealed for the rest of the royals to hear. But what she would see on his face was far from disgust, or even a distaste. The sudden revelation had surprised him, considering he was so supportive of having someone oversee the knowledge within the grimoire. But he seemed very interested, and rather curious, as he gazed over the Queen who had done so well to hide her composure thus far.

Without breaking his lock on the Queen of Hearts, he uttered towards William's remarks, "I question it, and will continue to question it." He turned away to face the opposing Ace, but it seemed that his lack of opposition towards the Queen in question served as his statement that he was still in support of her, despite not wanting to make his support publicly known. "But if my King is confident in his abilities to pave the path of this Coalition, and in turn appeal to the King of Diamonds in this show of power, then so be it. I'll leave this matter in his capable hands.."

The three portals opened by William, as well as his explanation of where each would go, proved to be convenient for Quillon's sake. His travel to Parma would be rather instant, and he saw no reason to deny the option. But it gave them even less time to prepare than they already had, being forced to jump into the action right after the decision had been made. He would be leaving the kingdoms without their respective royals, their responsibilities left unattended, and more importantly his Spades would be without their Ace until he made his return. In his perspective, the Spades had taken the biggest loss in their firepower with the implementation of his team. He could only hope that Travis would be able to get the position as the leader of the Coalition, to supplement that loss that Quillon would be causing.

Quillon took a step towards the portal leading to Parma, hoping that the other two members of his team were already prepared for what's to come. He took a deep breath, and began to steady himself for this mission they were about to undertake. They had near zero plans and even less knowledge of what they were to expect, yet they were willing to follow his lead. What idiocy.. What insanity..

Moments before he stepped in the portal he felt a presence approaching the entrance to the hall, a rather familiar one with a heated presence, as if they were rushed. The door swung open, and he saw Lillith approaching the conference hall as if she had run the place. Without a care in the world, she barged in as if the meeting did not consist of Royals that could disintegrate her in seconds. His eyes locked in her direction, an angry glare as he read her thoughts to see whatever important news could have brought such insolence out of her. Within her thoughts, she spoke to him as if he were just some friend instead of her absolute highest superior, and showed utter disrespect in all regards. It infuriated him to the ends of his wits, that she would disrespect him, but also the remaining Spades with her disobedience.

"Absolutely not." He thought back to her, before a sharp tug immediately forced her back out the door. There was no warning, no hand movement from the Ace, as he used his telekinesis to will her out the door. Her entire body would be out of her control, as she would be sent flying out with enough force to have sent any normal human crashing through the wall on the other side of the door. "Not with that display of disobedience and arrogance. Hold tightly to your position as a King's Guard, lest I strip you from it upon my return."

But he considered Lillith's thoughts, especially considering now that the team had even less time to prepare it would be better to be safe than sorry. With all of the commotion happening in the room, and the figures making their way around to their portals, Quillon scanned the room for the one individual in particular. Finding her unmoving from the seat she had been previously, he began to speak with her..

Spoiler: Quillon & Idun Telepathic Discussion / Collab with Idun

"Remind me again, why we should bring you with us."

Between the sputters of morning frost falling in slender fingers over her shoulder and the relocation of the Kings of Spades and Diamond, Idun's response comes out as a squeak two pitches higher than it's supposed to be; first in a verbal stutter then in a row of hurried syllables in her mind.

"Bringing me with you would increase your defense and strength significantly, something that's invaluable in a situation where we can't afford to lose any manpower. I also possess extensive knowledge of the layout of the area as I've been there myself and would be able to guide you to avoid unnecessary skirmishes. Please let me come with you, I want to protect my kingdom in all ways that I can".

Rising from her seat, time seems to stand still as she waits for his response. With no heart present in her chest, its absence echoes in reminiscent throbs in her head instead; iridescent eyes pinning amber orbs to their hollows.

Quillon seemed to not put much effort in resisting her argument. She was correct in the fact that her abilities would bolster their strength and defenses, but it wasn't something Quillon deemed initially necessary. Even in his thoughts, she would be able to sense it. He was wary..

"Very well. Hurry, I am leaving now."

Half a thought has the time to pass her mind about perhaps discussing it over with William but seeing as they were in a hurry she deemed it inappropriate, thus only proffering her fellow royals a vague "I'll be back" before joining the side of the Ace of Spades.

Idun would hear a quiet chuckle, barely noticeable as she made her way over from her table to where the portal was. Quillon, who had already been in her head, was quite amused to observe that perhaps this puppet of the Ace of Diamonds had thoughts of her own, aside from just looking towards him to make decisions for her.

Granting her companions a last determined glance she straightened her back, hands folding in front of her as she took her formal departure from the conference.

"It was a pleasure to meet you all, alas time has no mercy and I have to take my leave. Before doing so, however I, the Queen of Diamonds declare martial law upon the Kingdom of Diamonds."

With the new addition to their team set in place, Quillon was slightly more confident in their strength than he had been prior. Again, after all intrusions were out of the way, he prepared himself to walk through the portal and make the Suits' first solidified retaliation towards the Argossians in centuries..

"I better not return to my home in flames, and the Spades in ruins.." He said in the minds of the remaining Spade royals, Sheila and Mortemiah. And to Travis, "Return victorious, King. The one thing I'm asking of you.."

And with that, he stepped through the portal, and made his first steps on the island of Parma.

~~~~ Location Shift : Jann, Central city located on the island of Parma, Diamond Kingdom coast ~~~

Taking his first steps out of the portal, Quillon got his first taste of powerful temporal magic. In the blink of an eye, as he passed through the rip in space-time, he was transported from the glamorous halls of the Diamond hall, to the ruined wasteland that was once a city.

Quillon's eyes immediately darted between all the figures spanned in front of him, quickly reaching into the depths of their minds to identify whether they were friend or foe. It took less than a second, and even less so for him to send the information to the three royals who would be following close behind him. In their eyes, they would now easily be able to identify which of the soldiers in front of them were the Argossians.

But even so, they were outnumbered, and by painful numbers. But the placement of the portal gave them absolutely horrendous chances of not being identified. They were in the middle of the courtyard, and easily be identifiable by anyone who even looked in their direction.

"I'm maximizing your pain tolerance, increasing your speed, and heightening your sense of hearing and sight. You'll be nothing but a blur to these magic-less invertebrates. Don't stray too far from me, or else you'll feel these benefits fade. But you know what to do.." Quillon thought to his companions. They would begin to feel the increased effects of him amplifying their senses and abilities, at the cost of him losing the benefit of amplifying his own. He was glad he had been the first to walk through, lest they saw the slight twinge in pain already on his face. Amplifying this number of royals, and to the extent that he has, took a toll.

They would hear him chuckle, amusingly so, before he continued, "Wreak havoc Lazarus. Idun, defend the Heart, protect the citizens with him. And don't get caught."

The three would see a small battalion, of roughly a hundred armed soldiers, form out of thin air in front of them. They would appear as ghastly apparitions to them and any citizens and soldiers of the Diamond kingdom, however any Jokers and Argossians would see real-to-flesh armored soldiers charging in their direction. The apparitions would not be able to deal any physical harm, however psychological harm, or causing them to believe they would be sustaining injuries, was not out of the question. The hesitation from the opposing forces would give Lazarus and Quillon just enough time to deal any finishing blows.

 

[Kloudy]

The Old Great One

A strange rumour has recently begun permeating the Spade Kingdom, a rumour of restlessness in the great Yisstra's Grove emanating from the immense forest at the heart of the kingdom. Travellers and merchants alike have reported sights of trees shaking and swaying unnaturally further into the forest, but none have dared get any closer lest they suffer what legends lurk within the mystical territory of foliage. Indeed the deep rumbling in the ground has become monotonously rhythmic as if great footsteps were shaking the very soul of the earth beneath its inhabitant's feet.

Such a phenomenon did not go unfounded for long; eventually, a team of adventurers were dispatched to the forest to investigate the cause of this disturbance. Before reaching the forest's edge in the afterglow of daybreak, they were greeted with a sight none would have been able to fathom for the last five hundred years - the gargantuan form of a Great Dryad towered before them. A giant tree-like construct of ancient wood as tall as 50ft lumbered towards them, a vague mouth and eyes gouged into its bark like an angered face in agony. Such a powerful mythical creature had not been seen in centuries, not since the mythical crusade that occurred years ago by their predecessors. Merely rank 6's and 7's amongst them, the band of adventurers retreated immediately to the nearest settlement: Nalore.

It was perhaps the fault of the adventurers or just bad luck that the Great Dryad made its way to Nalore, oaken legs reaching easily over wide rivers and fords like impaling stakes rooting into the ground and lifting again. As it drew near to civilisation, several attempts by the city guard were made to drive it off. Unfortunately for the Spades militia, fire arrows, magical explosions and the like proved ineffectual to the regenerating bark armour of the Great Dryad. Tearing through Nalore's stone walls with mighty blows from tree-trunk arms, searching tendrils of tree roots streaked off from the nature giant with incredible speed and begun spearing the guardsmen with accurate fury from the wall. Slugging its way through the western gate entrance of the city, the Great Dryad continued onwards as it ploughed through residential districts and crushing all that opposed it.

Luckily for the people of Nalore, the Great Dryad apparently did not intend to destroy the entire city. Eventually, as slow as the large creature was, it finally reached the southern gate of the city and left by tearing its wall down in a similar fashion. While a decently-sized Spades army had arrived upon receiving reports from the city's official telepath, they had decided not to approach the creature as they discerned the direction it was heading. By consulting a map of the Spades territory, that army's commander deduced that the Great Dryad had journeyed in a straight line of destruction directly from Yisstra's Grove and just happened to pass through Nalore. It seemed as though it was now heading towards the Club's territory and within a matter of hours it had reached the border already. Two days had passed since the Great Dryad had left its mystical grove, but of course, the Spades royalty had all left to attend the Diamond Kingdom's 'All Hands On Deck' Conference.

With the Club's royalty also absent, how will these two mighty Kingdoms solve this unprecedented issue? YungJazz & spades+clubs

------

The Royal Flushe

In the Hearts Kingdom, something more ominous had spawned itself in the midst of the city of Atria. Amongst the hustle and bustle of city life there stood five cloaked figures upon the city's north gate together, the rising sun casting long shadows off their forms onto the cobbled street below. No one had apparently noticed them yet as they were concealing their presences, but there likely wasn't anyone present capable of defeating them. Their black cloaks billowed in the high wind that swirled about them and a gleam of reflected light flashed out from the central figure's hood, his eyes hued with excited anticipation and mouth stretched into a grimacing grin.

"Can we start now? I'm bored..."

The hooded figure to the central one's right asked, grasping a fist forward to show his determination. His voice sounded like he was in his early twenties. The central figure responded, his voice slightly older and more gravelly.

"Dawn has risen: it is time to impart the justice we have so feverishly wished for. Three, if you would."

"Certainly, One."

The hooded figure to One's left, Three, brought forth his right palm facing upwards and four small black centipedes with purple heads crawled out from his sleeve. They made their way up his hand and came to a rest on each finger aside from his thumb. He drew the hand near each cloaked figure and one by one, each centipede traversed into the dark robes via the hood and disappeared. Two, the impatient one from before, winced slightly and rubbed the back of his head once his centipede had disappeared into the hood.

"I'll never get used to that."

"You will, if you do it as many times as I."

No words needed to be spoken thereafter, everyone knew their role and moved off accordingly. Moving fast enough that they blurred, four of the cloaked figures disappeared from atop the gate while the last remained standing where they were. Undetected, the cloaked figures dashed from rooftop to rooftop and spread out, heading off into different directions in the city. Within minutes, each mysterious figure had positioned themselves at each of the four gates leading into the Atria, with One standing atop the roof of the main administrative building in the centre of the city. The guards were tired of their long night shifts and a change of personnel was soon to be underway, while citizens were sleepily exiting their homes for the day's work cycle. Things seemed peaceful for the Hearts, but this pacifism was not to last.

Simultaneously, in too perfect of an act in unison, four explosions shook the settlement's foundations with a massive blast. The guards, dumbfounded to think they were already under attack when the Argossian war had only just started and they were so far inland, began to run around in panic while trying to discern what had caused the explosion. It was only to their shock and horror to find out that each gate of the city had been entirely demolished, mere rubble piling up between the walls were the portcullises had once stood firm. The usual stream of traders, travellers and supply caravans were cut off from entering the city now and soon the city would perish if the rubble could not be cleared. Standing on each pile of gate-rubble, a cloaked figure gazed down at each group of gathered guards at each of their respective locations. Admiring the view from his high vantage point, One couldn't help but smile sickly from the shadows of his cloak at the carnage that had ensued.

"Finally, revenge will be had for my clan. Revenge will be had for The Royal Flushe."

Goonfire and the other hearts

------

The Argossian Siege of Parma, Jann

As the sounds of gunfire filled the street once more after the initial invasion, various Suits militia began to fight back once more in another counterattack against the invading Argossian forces. Magical blasts and beams of the elements and otherwise flew across the streets of Jann as various fires continued to rage on the rooftops of its buildings. The organised Argossian infantry worked effectively with deadly efficiency, their large Argossian-steel kite shields tanking the spells from the various rank 6-8's well for the most part.

Soon various skirmishes broke out and the Argossian formation devolved into loose groups of infantry covering each other's blindspots with their own bodies and gunning down anything remotely magical with precise semi-automatic fire. Their superior technology allowed for such powerful weaponry, easily outdoing the pitiful muskets those Suits less gifted with magic wielded. While it wasn't entirely one-sided - after all several higher-ranked individuals were present given that Parma was such a risky city on the edge of the Diamond Kingdom's territory and closest to The Argossian Empire, but various snipers soon picked off the heavy hitters. Eventually, it became a trench battle between alleys, hiding in cover and fire spells or sprays of bullets while avoiding getting hit yourself.

Of course, the Argossians had the advantage with their heavy armour and shields. Just when it looked like it would be a stalemate, a couple of Argossian Siege Tanks rolled down through the streets, their heavy 30mm HE shells blowing explosive holes in buildings and walls effortlessly as their quick mobility chased down any and all fleeing Suits militia attempting to escape with their lives. Outflanked, out-armoured and outgunned, the Suits' defences crumpled under the Argossian's oppressive force. As Marillys arrived with the contingent of Jokers via a portal, they were met with the stench of flames, gunfire and blood. It seemed like a victory for the empire, and it was to be expected. No help would be arriving as they had already assassinated the city's resident telepath. It was lucky that telepathy magic was so rare that you could usually only have one in each city. However, the Argossians would not be prepared for what came next.

"Take cover! Enemy forces inbound!"

Of course, the Argossian infantry had no idea that the sudden large influx of enemy infantry were actually apparitions generated from none other than the Ace of Spades himself, Quillion. They hadn't expected an Ace to show up so, for the most part, the armoured infantry unit near the courtyard fired in panic at the large approaching force as their bullets hit nothing but cobblestone and brick. Of course, some would target the royals that had appeared out of the mysterious portal before resuming fire on the perceived enemy infantry. Snipers too far from the conflict to be affected by Quillion's powers would look on in confusion, wondering what had possessed their infantry to fire at nothing. Still, their professionalism took over and they aimed up their sights at the only targets that could be seen as enemies: the newly arrived royals. all locked on, they loosed their armour piercing rounds with projectiles that travelled faster than any conventional weapon the Suits' would likely have ever seen.

The Siege Tanks were hooked up with thermal imaging monitors, meaning their crew could not see the apparitions either. Just as confused as the snipers, they keyed in their desired targets into the armoured vehicles targetting program. Almost in unison, each tank's cannon barrel swivelled towards the royals and after a brief pause began unloading explosive 30mm HE shells at them in quick succession, five-second intervals per shot. It seemed as though the sheer amount of firepower would see these Suits to their graves.

SentinelSevn Diphylleia grayi TPBx SidTheSkid Coyote Hart vielpotato

 

[. D O V E]

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[div class=bg] [div class=Guin][/div]

[div class=gname] Queen of Hearts [/div] Location: Diamond's Castle | Conference Hall
Interaction: Kloudy Coyote Hart Goonfire Quinlan63
Mentions: TPBx
Spell: Psychic Projection - Barrier


​

[/div]

[div class=font]

THE CONFERENCE & GRIMOIRE​

Amusement crossed Guineverres features as the Ace of Diamonds revealed a key information about herself. The fact that he could tell she uses the corrupted form of mana with just a look was an absolute surprise. Furthermore, the last time she cast a spell was a few days ago before she and her fellow royals departed for the meeting. In spite of the shock, the Queen of Hearts kept her regal composure and refused to avert her gaze from William. Why was he so adamant in protecting the book? The corners of her lips curled into a smirk on cue with the conference's door being busted open by an eccentric winged-girl.

With their attention set on the intruder, the queen used the moment to ponder free of mind-espionage. Drain functions on dysidia. It being her primary magic must have been the reason how the ace was able to detect remnants of the dark mana in her aura.

Another surprising turn of event greeted Guineverre when the King of Diamonds himself allowed his grimoire to be studied. He slapped it down the table and left the hall along with the King of Spades. With it settled, the blonde faced her remaining audiences, "Correct, Ace of Diamonds." she began, "So who better to consult the grimoire than a person exposed to dysidia herself? Furthermore, your king has already given us the consent." she added before reaching out for the book the dark king abandoned on the table.

Before she got the chance to read it, however, Twig approached her with a smile. Guin could understand his smile. He wanted to reassure her that earlier's revelation won't change anything about their relationship. The female returned a warm smile, "I...would love to tell you all about it. So you better come home in one piece, understand?" she watched the Jack and his newly formed team disappeared into the portal.

Nope.

The queen of hearts flung her attention back to the hardbound book on her hands. She carefully opened the dark resource, flipping pages per pages and taking her time to read when a topic would catch her interest. Albeit most of the information were something she already had a background of, there were also some which were entirely foreign to her. The book focused on Shadow magic (unsurprisingly) but different spells utilizing dysidia were also explored much to her luck. She internally wondered where the king got all these information.

Satisfied with what she has accumulated, the female royalty rose to her feet, returned the book to its original place and turned to what was left of the gathering, "I can say with confidence that the King of Diamond's grimoire corresponds with the law." she announced with a smile, "Ace of Diamonds, insulting your kingdom and integrity was definitely not my intention. I acknowledge how my actions could have been perceived as such. For that, I give you my deepest apology."

With the conference wrapped up, it was time to leave with her new-found knowledge about dysidia and the other royals. Guin walked over to one of summoned portals, "Being a part of this conference has been a pleasure. It is such a shame that we have to cut it short due to unforeseen circumstances. Nonetheless, I shall look forward to this alliance. Goodbye." she bid to the dissipating crowd before turning to face the Ace and King of Hearts as a silent message that she would be waiting for them on the other side of the portal.

AT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PORTAL​

Guineverre found herself amidst an empty route upon stepping out of the portal. Hues of dark and light blended to form the sky and the sun was almost peeking from the horizon. She could feel the early breeze's gentle caress against her skin and hear the tranquil chirps of birds from the scattered trees. It seemed to be a peaceful dawn in the land of Hearts, a huge contrast to their unfortunate neighbors.

Lady Luck gave her a big slap on the face when a violent explosion set off in a near distance at the city of Atria, sending strong shockwaves which made Guineverre immediately cast a psychic barrier to protect herself (and comrades if ever Axton and Leo followed her) from the heavy winds and flying debris. To think that a disaster would be the first thing to greet them upon returning...

Could it be the Argossians? Unlikely. It would be impossible for them to attack inland without the coastal areas being alerted. She put her two cents on the Jokers. Those rats can disguise themselves as a citizen. Furthermore, creating a strong blast such as it would be possible with the Empire and its technology on their back. To Guin, they were nothing but headaches which she must cure. She wasn't worried though, she has already planned and done measures to deal with them.

"Looks like some imbeciles threw a welcome back party for us." she turned to her companions with a smile, the ruined city of Atria with dark smoke engulfing it served as her background. Despite the smile, it was clear that she was highly annoyed by this sudden turn of event. Looks like they would be the lucky few to taste the Queen of Heart's new learning.

"We should secure the civilians safety. Axton, can you fly me to Atria?" [/div]

 

[YungJazz]

Sydren (9 of Clubs)

Location: Club Kingdom Border - Some random bar about to be crushed
​

"WHAT IN THE FOUR SUITS IS THAT!"

"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!"

"THAT ASSHOLE JUST TOOK MY BEER!"

Fear and panic abounded in the border of the Club kingdom as the Old Great One made its way towards the country of Clubs. It had carved a path through Nalore and had made a straight line towards the Club kingdom, its path influenced by a single-minded goal. It wreaked havoc and destruction on the town as it made its way through, spearing guards and mages alike and tearing down structures like they were paper with swings of its mighty fists. It was carving a path through the border town like a hot knife through butter, the defenses and soldiers nothing before its strength. It seemed nothing could stop its march as spells were hurled and weapons used. Every blow was futile, either breaking from the sheer density of its bark or it would do damage, but would quickly fade away from the Dryad's regeneration. It seemed nothing could stand in its path and whoever tried would be left defeated and despair in its wake

Of course while this was going on, another scene was unraveling at a local bar that had miraculously survived The Old Great One's onslaught. What was happening at this bar you ask? Well, it was simply:

"WHAT DO YE MEAN I NEED TO GET OUTTA HERE!? YA CUTTING ME OFF!"

"No, I said there's a giant tree thing wrecking the town and we need to get out of here!."

"....Oh....So you gonna get me another pint or what?"

"WE NEED TO RUN YOU IDIOT!"

While the rest of the town was running around in panic and fear, a certain bartender was currently trying to get this drunk as a skunk Dwarf out of his bar and away from the imminent danger that was currently making its way towards the center of the town, which the bar just so happened to be located. And to think that this Dwarf was actually saving his bar by paying him way too excessively for his drinks. Plus the Dwarf was rather charismatic and charming, never quite running out of stories and always enthralling the bar occupants with jokes galore. It was quite the party until the thundering steps and looming shadow of an ancient creature beyond imagination made its way into the town.

The bar hoppers and occupants had all scattered and fled with their tails between their legs, leaving only the bartender, who wanted to flee, but couldn't cause this dang Dwarf refused to acknowledge that they were under attack! He should've just left the guy, but the poor drunk was just so darn friendly and jovial, that he couldn't let someone like this die.

"Listen friend, we're about a few seconds away from being crushed! And I for one want to stay alive so I can at least try and rebuild this bar if it gets ruined by that thing. So just please come on!"

"....So are you gonna get me another pint or not?"

"LISTEN HERE-"

The bartender was interrupted by the sudden sounds of stomping and his body being quickly yanked over the counter to the other side of the bar. Before he could lash out at the Dwarf in anger, his eyes widened at the other half of his bar. What was once a wall displaying his alcohol and beverages, with his kitchen and storeroom located behind it, now stood a leg made of bark and wood, leading up to a leg, which then led to a body. The bartender stared in shock and fear at the form of The Old Great One as it stood towering over his puny form. Shakingly turning his head to stare at the Dwarf, he blinked in shock as his entire demeanor changed.

What was once a drunken fool, cracking jokes and telling tales, now stood a hardened warrior, his face twisted into a beastly smile, his fists clenched, and all signs of being drunk completely gone. Realizing that the Dwarf had saved his life from the monstrosity, the bartender could only stare as the Dwarf began cracking his fists and stretching out his arms, seemingly readying himself to fight.

"You're not thinking of fighting that thing are you!?"

The Dwarf turned back to face the bartender, his eyes almost staring into his soul, before they softened and a kind smile formed on his face. Giving the bartender a thumbs up, the Dwarf motion his head towards the moving figure of the Great Dryad, "Someone's gotta go make sure that thing doesn't make its way any further! And I fer one am not gonna let that big hunk of firewood wreck my country anymore than it is." Turning around, the Dwarf began walking over the remains of the bar, The Old Great One in his sights. He paused in his stride and glanced back over his shoulder towards the bartender, "Oh by the way, good booze man, send the rest of the tab to me later, name's Sydren by the way."

With that, Sydren began running away from the rubble and towards the monstrosity wrecking the town, leaving a shocked bartender behind, his jaw almost hitting the ground.

"....THAT WAS THE FREAKING 9 OF CLUBS!?"

End...Just Playing

Sydren's battle lust may have been raging, making him giddy towards a thrilling battle, but he couldn't focus on that over this overwhelming rage due to the fact that this thing was wrecking a town in his precious country! Clenching his fist as he ran faster, Sydren's loud roar echoed across the destroyed path The Old Great One was carving.

"Oi, you ain't just gonna tear through my country like it's nothing you sorry excuse for a weed! I'm ripping you from the roots up!"

Racing even faster, Sydren kicked the ground, launching himself onto a nearby roof as he circled around the Dryad. Sydren leapt from roof to roof, avoiding any lashing tendrils and flying debris, while simultaneously keeping his eyes focused on his target, "Gotta stop this thing before it gets any further or worse, hurts more of me people," Sydren formulated a plan and put it into action, kicking up few pieces of debris scattered throughout the current battlefield, Sydren kicked them towards the beast, making them into makeshift missiles.

The crashed against The Old Great One, instantly shattering on impact. Sydren's eyebrows furrowed in thought as he watched some soldiers shoot fire arrows into its hide, doing damage, but was quickly erased by the damn thing regenerating the lost bark. Sucking his teeth in irritation, Sydren braced himself in preparation for a tough battle, "So blunt force needs to have a little 'oomph' and fire needs to act fast enough to overcome that things healing capabilities, heh, this is gonna be fun."

Kicking off of the roof, shattering it in the process, Sydren made his way to a tower that was around the Dryad's height and slightly out of its path of destruction. Making his way to the top, Sydren flipped onto the tiles of the guard tower and stared into the hollow eyes of The Old Great One. Sydren could feel the magic pumping off of this thing, he was definitely in for an uphill battle but, "If I don't take this thing down, more people will get hurt and not to mention," Sydren turned his head towards the direction the Dryad was heading, knowing by instinct it was leading further into the Club Kingdom, "That bastard is going for my Kingdom, and you can bet I won't let you tear down my home while the royals are away."

Crouching down, Sydren inhaled a deep breath, before letting it out through his mouth, sparks of flames flowing from it. A fiery aura began to surround him as small flames began to flow off his skin at erratic places, almost like the flames were waiting to be released from within. Sydren's muscles bulged as the flames coalesced into a single point around his fists, dying his fists a blazing orange as the flames raged around his clenched hands. The temperature raised as the flames grew stronger, burning the air around his fists as his aura lashed wildly around his body. If those flame arrows and spells along with those physical attacks didn't do anything to this damn thing, then Sydren would just have to hit it with something stronger.

His fists roaring with barely contained flames, Sydren launched himself from the tower, shattering the top of it and sending himself flying towards The Old Great One. Rearing his fist back, Sydren let out a defiant roar as he zoomed towards the head of this monster, his righteous fury being heard throughout the town. For a moment, while the wind whipped past him, Sydren could have sworn the damn thing looked at him in shock, but it was a freaking, but he was too preoccupied with stopping it to notice.

Rocketing his fist forward, a shock wave exploded outwards as the flames of his right fist propelled him like a rocket, a wrathful heat expending from it.

"YOU AIN'T GONNA WRECK MY COUNTRY!"[/SPOILER]

 

[SidTheSkid]

Warning: Jack of Club's morality is based around the events that affect him, Lazare's personality and sympathy will mainly be dictated by
tragedies, relationships, conflict, and so forth. Depending on the circumstances, he may preserve his kindhearted ways and often times show compassion.
(Even to those that might not deserve it.) However, if he's pushed over the edge, Jack of Club's morality will significantly change and may illustrate itself through malice.

​

Lazarus M. Viticus
(Location: City of Jann, Parma Island. )
(Mood: Blank. )
(Moral Alignment: ??? )
(Interactions: Zephyr, Quillon, Idun, Remi. )
(Mentions: Sydren and Ethan. )

Without any delay, The Diamond's consultation had devolved itself into a frenzy of nonsensical bickering. Heated discussions of issuing trials of 'power' were beginning to sprout forth from far and wide, in the course of time there'd already been a competition set up between two divided nation's Kings. Lazarus sincerely believed that this would've put a swift end to this deeply passionate exchange of scathing words, be that as it may, he couldn't have been more mistaken in his own naive judgment. Against all of his expectations, there was still a squabble happening except this overly dramatic argument involved the topic of a Dysidia-imbued grimoire, held by Ethan, King of Diamonds himself. Dysidia was a variety of spell working that laid out the very foundation of the dark arts! Akin to his own magic, Dyisidia took advantage of other people's misery although this could be applied in several different ways, each one just as deplorable as the next.

(Talk of the Grimoire / Dysidia.)

Spoiler: Meeting

Transmuting regular magic into this controversial source of sorcery was perhaps one of the major reasons why it was so 'frowned' upon aside from its infliction of tremendous pain it could have onto the victims of a user's, there were a handful of ways someone could carry out the task of harnessing this mysterious energy but utilizing its full potential had required the expulsion of life, or in other words a sacrifice. Unbeknownst to the likes of Lazarus, he would've nearly served as a catalyst for this purpose if it weren't for having his life saved, sadly that couldn't be said the same for his mother who had perished at the hands of the Witches of Deadwood forest in an effort for them to revel in the destructive forces of Dysidia. Having a meager understanding of the concept, Lazare was curious as to how Ethan was able to get ahold of an artifact that contained such a sinister force inside of it. There'd been many ideas as to how he was able to obtain this grimoire, yet never did he once attempt to accuse the King of Diamonds of partaking in any nefarious rituals or anything of the sort. As a simple guess, Jack of Clubs only thought for him to have stumbled across it by chance or it had been some kind of former trinket discovered by someone he knows, only to be bestowed upon him by the supposed relative or so on.

"Tearing each other apart isn't going to solve our Argossian issue by any means." Timidity underlined his soft tone as he voiced out his opinion, it was clear that he was fairly intimidated by those throughout the room including the other Kingdoms that encompassed his seating. Interjecting into this argument wasn't the first thing he had in mind, if anything, he was reluctant to throw out his point of view out of concern that he too would be inducted into a challenge. Hearing Zephyr's exclamation about the irony of the situation was perhaps the most logical thing he's heard so far, it'd also given him the courage to speak up about it. To their unfortunate surprise, both of their efforts had fallen on deaf ears once the decision had been established, a freakish swirling vortex had materialized before those attending the meeting, three in fact! William's unnatural abilities came off as atypical to the Jack, it'd been one of the few times that he'd witnessed such a technique right in front of him. All of them acted as gateways that would lead to different locations, one in particular was meant for the two dueling Kings, an entry to a place known as 'Crystal Marking' was determined to be the ideal location of their fight. Disheartening as it was for Ethan to be the prime target of people's ire, that King seemed almost undeterred, it came as a surprise to him when Ethan had deliberately offered his prized grimoire right to the Queen of Hearts herself without any hesitance shown in his actions. He wasn't sure if it was reassurance in his ways or upstanding bravery that allowed him to do this, whatever the case, Jack of Clubs had gained acquired some admiration for the King alike the Ace of Spades. "Regardless of its upbringing, bequeathing such a significant object requires heart."

Shifting away a single hand from the comfort of his lap, Lazarus wordlessly caught ahold of the crystal-shaped artifact resting against his chest, its metallic sheen twinkled upon rotating it around with his fingers. Giving away such an important possession had centered his attention onto an item that had been around with him since the day he'd been born, draped around him by the last remaining effort that his mother had before finally passing onto the 'next' world. He wouldn't of known its significance if it weren't for his father, perhaps a sudden lapse in resentment but he informed Lazarus about it, explaining how it was a prized possession of his mother. Knowing how much of a jerk his own father was, he did at least have some morals as he didn't try to take it for himself or pawn it off for some coins, Lazarus hated to admit it but he had to respect him for doing something so selfless. Thinking about relinquishing something as precious as this was beyond reason, just the idea of 'losing' it was hard to imagine. "Please be safe."

(Jack of Clubs' Past / Dress change / Sydren, Twigg, and Remi mention.)

Spoiler: Ending of Meeting

Once he'd released his grip, blissful memories of the days before had faded into outer reaches of his mind as the item slipped from his palm, mimicking a swinging pendulum prior to settling on his chest. "Huh? It's over?" His self-absorbed bubble immediately popped after the King's announcement, one by one the other Royals had either vanished or went off to do their own thing. As for Lazarus, he was just trying to get rid of the feeling of fatigue created by the monotonous task of being confined to a chair for around two hours straight, he was certainly joyful of his loss of nausea but his rump had felt like someone had run over it with a wheelbarrow, so much for the cushioning they had. Stretching out his arms into the shape of a Y, Jack of Clubs let out a relaxed yawn as he'd gotten up from his seat.

Tempting as it was to go back to his lovely abode and take a precious cat-nap, there was work to be done and Argossians to be taken care of! "Poor Sydren, I bet he'd be so excited to wail on some people.. Hrm, I wonder where he is right now? I do hope he's okay." He nearly had forgotten his old pal, Sydren the Dwarven instigator as some people would say, a man whose whole being was entirely based around being as masculine as humanly possible! Jack of Clubs didn't know why him and Sydren had become friends, both of them were completely different, but like magnets, it seemed that opposites had attracted and from the moment they met they'd become best of friends. Speaking of Acquaintances, Ace of Club's introduction to him came off as a slight surprise. "Yes, Remi?" Having known each other for around a year now, Lazarus felt relieved that he was finally able to disregard the overly strict preface that he had when first meeting her. If it were about a year ago Lazarus would've been anxiously shaking in his boots at observing the Ace of Clubs close by, almost always he would address her by the given ranking she attained or with a proper "Ma'am." This strict atmosphere gradually removed itself over time once they'd gotten to be more familiar with each other, granted it wasn't like with Sydren where they'd go out having a pint or something like that! Upholding a bit of professionalism was required but it didn't mean he wasn't allowed to settle down and have a long conversation with the woman about life or the problematic issues he was having, including his past. "Handling things will not be an issue. Insightful as you are, I believe you know I might handle things too 'well'." Having a firm understanding of his own powers, Jack of Clubs had a sneaking suspicion that this whole ordeal would involve many casualties that were created with the assistance of his Blood Magic.

"Collected as I may look, I'm deathly afraid of becoming a monster." From Remi's perspective, she would've seen the somber emotion lurking past the whites of his eyes. His mind was 'screaming at him not to go through with this, any attempts at ignoring it was beginning to form an irritating migraine that would continue to vex him with the past. Thankfully Remi's offering allowed him to brave through these whirlwinds that were unsettling his being, he wasn't sure what to think of it until she began explaining to him of its usage. "Really? It means a lot that you'd give me this. I'll make sure that Gomorrah gets his fair share of the action." Treasuring it in his grasp, Lazarus offered a soft bow of his head to show his appreciation before turning around only for his shoulders to shutter a bit at the dress comment she made. "Oh right, thanks." He'd still been wearing that dress of 'his', it was nearly forgotten about until she had pointed it out! Carefully shimmying his way out from behind the row of desks, Lazarus was just about to meet Quillon at the portal until a gentle pat on his bare shoulder had turned his attention to Twig who hilariously added onto Remi's comment. "Ha, I definitely intended to! If you don't mind, I think I'll go ahead and change right now." Lazarus couldn't help but let out a chuckle at his response, as amusing as it would be to fight someone in a dress it was pretty impractical, that and he didn't want to ruin all the hard work that was put into making this thing, it would be pretty disrespectful! Deciding that it would be better to stow away the outfit rather than tarnish it, Lazarus briefly removed himself from the meeting room, only to show up with a completely different outfit, a sickly looking one that was composed of an unmistakable substance. Hardened blood was formed around a large percent of his body, Lazare's entire appearance was changed, from his hair now turning into a crimson-red, all the way to his pupils that gave off a cardinal luster. "Sincerest apologies, I know that this power of mine doesn't allow me to have the most flattering of abilities. Zephyr, I-i've seen how you looked at this 'curse' of mine, I do hope you forgive me for having such dehumanizing magic. It's something that has been with me ever since i've been born into this world, I have no idea why I was given this but I must let you know that I do not wish to hurt anyone or cause misery onto them and if anything I just want these lands of ours to revel in peace." Addressing his feelings, Jack of Clubs wanted to let Twig and the rest of his companions know of his true intentions before having him be exposed to the atrocities caused by his curse.
Spoiled Bread , YungJazz

Argossians might've been the scum of the Earth but by no means did they deserve to suffer, he was aspiring to deliver to them a quick death if that meant anything. "So, its that time again." Unlatching the creepy mask from his hip, Lazarus huffed into the contents of the false face before reluctantly concealing his face, a sickening 'clamp' had secured the mask into place once the secreted blood had crystallized around it. "Quillon, Idun, Twig? Let's give them a lesson they'll never forget." Shutting his eyelids, Lazarus took a moment to hold his breath as he followed Quillon into the utter Hell-hole that remained of Parma's central city, Jann. Opening himself to the new scenery, Lazarus was appalled by the devastation that had completely surrounded him and his group. Disfigured corpses, destroyed buildings, and burning wreckage had revealed the aftermath of the tragedy that had happened here.

(EDGE MODE)

Spoiler: Invasion of Parma

"They're not even trying to take prisoners, they're just killing everyone." Gritting his teeth in mental anguish at watching the scorched remains of those laying motionless about the street, Lazarus didn't understand why they'd go as far as to senselessly murder those that were innocent! Families being ripped apart from their loved ones by the hands of these wicked souls, it didn't just invoke the Jack of Club's sickness but also his resentment for these flesh-wearing 'demons'. Hearing his heart-beat increase drastically, a part of his mind was bathing in the hatred created by the twisted actions of Argossians but the other side was trying to push back the approaching anger that was consuming him. "These people didn't do anything to them, why?" No matter how much he tried to wrap his head around it, there were no answers that remained. Periods of gun-fire had reverberated through the air as the invasion continued, flickers of ash and flame had soaked into the sky, painting it with a nauseating mix of grey and dark orange. Faint outlines of Argossian troops had soon come into the picture once Quillon's magic had initiated its effect over him and the rest of the group, one after another, soldiers started to pop up left and right.

Ace of Spades was sure full of surprises it seemed! Unfortunately, those Argossians were too and had discovered William's portal. 'Whizzing' of bullets shocked his eardrums as their metal projectiles had zipped past him, some almost grazing the exterior of his armor as they swiftly shot past. "How?" He didn't understand, didn't Quillon's apparitions divert the enemy's attention? Frantically scrambling for cover, he managed to hunch up behind a decently sized piece of rubble that acted sort of like a boulder which did a pretty flawless job when it came to ricocheting their fire away from him. "Wait, is that? They can use weapons from that far away?!" Peaking through a mini-hole that allowed a bit of light to shine through, he was just able to catch one of the Argossian's snipers throwing lead his way. It would be an understatement to say that their technology is impressive, Lazarus had a notion of what to expect but this? Ranged weapons that can fire miniature 'bolts' at the speed of sound was incomprehensible! "You don't need to tell me twice." Blurting out a sarcastic comment at Quillon's remark, Lazarus soon devised a scheme that would take out the few Argossians that were firing at them from a great distance, however, he would also focus on depleting the number of foot-soldiers that had remained in their trance-like state while fighting the ghostly illusions made by the Ace of Spades. "These bastards are going to experience the same terror they had brought upon these innocents." Deep in his heart, Lazarus was trying to prevent his mind from resorting to such violence but this vengeful will of his had successfully stripped his innocence into ribbons. Drifting his fingertips a foot above a slab of cracked limestone that had made up a building's debris, a steady trickle of blood amassed a small puddle of vigor onto the rock after a few seconds. Without warning the docile spill of liquid had vigorously contorted before a small set of reddened wings had grown out from the grotesque mess, a harrowing screech gurgled its way out from the creation as its sharpened mandibles poked out and revealed itself to those watching it.

At long last the murky mess of maroon had materialized into a gross interpretation of a Crow. "Kill." A cold utterance had left the Jack of Clubs lips as he followed his index finger to the location of the enemies beyond him, his feathery minion obediently clung its focus to its master's finger as it pointed in the Argossian's direction. Obtaining its new purpose, the bloodied bird catapulted itself skyward at an incredible speed, leaving only a tiny mark in the clouds as its image drifted over the battlefield. Eagerly picking out its prey, it didn't take all that long for the abominable creation to plunge its entire body downward in a way to gain a significant amount of momentum. A sniper's scope would reveal only a split-moment of a red dot rapidly declining its altitude before 'disappearing', from this person's view it would almost look as if this anomaly had vanished although this was not the case, in reality, the Crow had become almost like a blur as it darted its way toward them. Shockingly, all that he was able to hear was a mortifying 'squeel' once the bird had literally punched its way through one end of the scope and out the other, in addition to sending pieces of the glass into his face, Lazare's crow had punctured through the person's eye and out the back their head leaving but a canvas of the person's gore around their slouched corpse. A simple 'crow' might've been suffice for killing a few of these degenerates at a decent pace yet Lazare's goal was to not just remove one of these Argossians from the gene pool but every single one. Before they knew it the dead person's life-force had generated another of his 'creations', as time passed the constructs were beginning to multiply through each person that it killed, and in due course, there was a whole flock of these wicked creatures partaking in their merciless killings.

SentinelSevn , Coyote Hart , Diphylleia grayi , I think that's it?!

.

 

[Balfnaught1]

The battle seemed to begin without much preamble, which was good. A short sentence and off to the races. He didn’t bother to respond, it would waste time, air, and energy. Although he did disagree with his use of the word “mimic”. That would imply he was using a lesser version of their powers. He wasn’t.
He exploded forward towards the armour-clad Ethan at incredible speeds, faster than the (normal) eye could see, his heavy armour and sabre not even slowing him down until he was right on top of him. Ethan had done his research on his magic, but perhaps not his skills. Travis was one of the top four bladesmen in all the Kingdoms, an all-but-guaranteed semi-finalist in any competition. His opening move was simple and direct, much like the rest of his fighting style. A downwards swipe with incredible force, multiplied even further by the sabre’s magical properties enhancing its weight at the moment of impact. He had to keep this battle close-range, otherwise he would simply be picked off from a distance, although it would take a while. He was pretty confident in his defence.
TPBx

 

[Kloudy]

The Old Great One

The Great Dryad had been trudging through Spades territory for a while now and it had finally reached the Clubs Kingdom. No one knew what it's goal was and all attempts at communication had failed, even for the telepaths. Upon reaching a fringe town over the border, the colossus of earth and forestry paid no heed to its structures just as it hadn't to the city of Nalore. Ploughing through the short stone walls and houses alike, people ran in terror at a sight they had never seen in all their years on Yune. More fire arrows and various blasts of magic impacted on its tough wooden hide, but otherwise left it undamaged. It seemed as if the goliath would simply bulldoze through this town too, but something nearby made the massive mythical creature stop with a rumble.

An energy signature of potent magic, an aura that blasted out with more force than the others it had encountered on its long international journey. Turning its head to the water tower with a loud eerie creaking sound, The Old Great One bored it's hollow eyes into the dwarf known as Sydren as he bellowed back at it. Unreactive to the insults hurled its way, the Great Dryad recognised the magical aura Sydren began exuding with further force and seemed to focus on it. A brief pause followed the nature giant's actions as it watched as Sydren launched himself from the water tower and drew back his fist afire for a powerful strike.

BOOOOOOOM

A fiery explosion resounded throughout the town with a small shockwave and the Great Dryad's oaken head was recoiled back slightly by the force of the blow. Perhaps even stunned, it was difficult to tell with literal bark, The Old Great One paused for a few moments more before it's trench-like mouth slowly opened up in response. Wider and wider with jagged tree roots forming what looked like teeth spreading further apart did it's mouth stretch, a luminescent green glow coming from the depths of its throat within. The Great Dryad paused for a second more before unleashing a deafening roar itself, deep and gravelly like the rumble of an earthquake being rocked by dynamite charges. A shockwave from just the roar sent a pulse of wind rolling throughout the town and the surrounding pockets of forestry, blowing the retreating town citizens off their feet.

A massive crack had formed over its forehead where Sydren had punched it, running all the way over its hollowed left eye and down its face. As onlookers watched, they could see the ghastly wound stitching itself back together with tree roots, nature's wooden tentacles drawing the wound close and completely regenerating it. Apparently enraged, or perhaps challenging, The Old Great One brought a large fist up into the air and brought it down to the ground where Sydren had landed after delivering his blow. The impact would cause another shockwave and a crater, obliterating the earth below Sydren and the hopefully the dwarf itself all the same.

YungJazz

 

[H3LLJUMPER_177]

Thruma and her blue guards
blue guards

The Blue Guards stood in the halls opposite of the meeting room, Thruma walked passed them in a maid outfit, she was in the meeting room, working undercover for the royals safety. Since she can summon weapons out of thin air, she was perfect for that... "Follow." she mumbles as she walked passed them. The 5 guards-3 men, 2 women- followed her as her clothes glowed and turned into blue guard clothing, hers is much different though. Less flashy, more combative. She put the hood over her head and covered her face, so did the women within her little troop. They were walking towards the administrative section of the castle. 'Martial law' was on her mind.. Her switch was flipped and she was down right scary and serious, servants and even royal guards moved out of their way. It was quite enjoyable being at such power. There was someone who stepped into the hall right as they walked passed and one of the female guards shoved the person back into the room while screaming 'MAKE WAY FOR THE BLUE GUARD!' at the same time, and continued to move. This would happen a few times as they walked, course there were the few cocky honor guards who acted like they were equals, they were deeply mistaken as they'd be shoved aside with by the biggest of them, or half sworded in the head.

The troop reached the administrative area and walk in unannounced, the supervisor on hand looked at them and sighed, "What is it now?" the man asks, Thruma approached, mask still on. "Martial law is to be enacted. Parma is in flames." she stated sternly, the man huffs, "If you think you can just waltz on in here with-" he didn't have time to finish as she quickly had a flintlock materialize, aimed directly at his head. "Martial law, is to be, enacted." she repeated herself, the man was about to protest but soon lost the ability to speak... she rolled her eyes and pistol whipped him in the temple, knocking him out. two of the men instinctively moved in and grabbed his body to drag away. Thruma turns her attention to another person in the room and aims her flintlock at them. "Write it down, get it done." she said sternly as she pulled her hammer back. The person yelps and quickly wrote down what was needed. "Good." she said as the weapon de-materialized and they walked out... the supervisor won't be seen for a long while.. if hes lucky, he will return on one piece.
​

 

[TPBx]

Ethan Kaloronos

The King of Spades, without hesitation, took flight into combat with a ferocious start. Ethan barely raised his blade defensively in time to parry the attack, but even with augmented physical attributes provided by his Shadow Armor buff, Travis's immense strength definitely exceeded his expectations. The recoil from blocking the attack knocked him back a good distance. He quickly put his hands to his chest and stretched them outwards to sides again, a quick burst of black lightning surrounded his body and turned the chest plate and helmet of his Shadow Armor into a set of dark butterfly wings sprouting from his back. They spread open creating enough air resistance to make an aerial recovery. After doing a quick flip in the air, Ethan floated around for half a second, allowing himself to refocus. Then he grasped his Shadow Sword with both hands, pulling it apart and splitting it into two short swords.

Now that he had some familiarity with Travis's strength in what appeared to be his Minotaur form, he knew that he could at least challenge it with superior mobility on his end. Hopefully it would force him to switch forms, so Ethan could see everything that the Beast King had to offer. He then dashed towards the King of Spades, moving erratically from side to side in order to make his movement hard to track. On top of that he started to disappear and reappear around the King of Spades by using his Shadow Portals as well to add on to the trickiness of his movement. That first strike reminded him why Travis was considered one of the strongest swordsmen in the land, and Ethan knew from then on he had to respect that fact for the remainder of the duel, and he had to wait for or make a proper opening in order to strike.

Balfnaught1

 

[YungJazz]

Sydren (Nine of Clubs)
Location: Border Town-Battling a Living Forest
Mentions: The Old Great One ( Kloudy ) & Lazarus ( SidTheSkid )
​

Landing on the ground after his furious strike, admiring the damage he had done on the seemingly infallible creature. Standing from his crouched position, Sydren cracked his neck and smugly grinned at the beast, "Ha! Bet you felt that one you firewood bastard! I'm about to wreck you-," Sydren's boasting was interrupted by the simple fact that the fatal blow he thought had done scarring damage, was already beginning to stitch back together, then finally fully reforming itself, his burning strike not even leaving a single blemish on the Great Dryad, "Huh....well that's discouraging and plain unfair."

Sydren's complaint's towards the advantage of the phantasmal tree was quickly interrupted by a deafening roar from the The Old Great One. Feeling the wind rush past him and the raw mana flowing off of it, Sydren scrunch his eyebrows in worry and brought his fists to his face to guard against the wind, "Shit. Probably not my best idea to piss the damn wanker off." Prepping himself for whatever the enraged Dryad would throw at him next, Sydren couldn't even look up before a looming shadow foretold the rapidly approaching fist of The Old Great One. Sydren had barely a second to blink and look up as the titanic fist descended on him like a meteor.

A plume of smoke and debris shot up from where the fist landed, completely engulfing the spot Sydren stood. What was once a pile of rubble, was now a smoking crater as the few civilians and soldiers who decided to stay and watch the ensuing battle stared in fright as their lauded Nine of Clubs was practically obliterated. A spine shivering quiet filled the surroundings as everything seemed to stop as the smoke and debris continued to flow from beneath The Old Great One's fist. Just when the worst case scenario seemed possible, a section of the smoke and debris spread outward, flowing around a figure before flowing off the figure to reveal Sydren, who was flipping backwards from the site of destruction. Relief flowed throughout the area as Sydren finished his spirals, landing on the nearby roof of a half destroyed building.

Sydren planted his feet firmly on the tiles, before letting out an exasperated breath of air full of relief and worry, "Holy shite, that was way too close for comfort, saw me master on the other side there. Don't remember him being that ugly though." Patting himself down, Sydren swept the dust and debris off himself, flinching every once in a while from the bruises now on his skin as it now became increasingly apparent that he had not escaped entirely unharmed. There was blood leaking from his forehead and numerous scratches littered his once unblemished skin. After finishing his self assessment, Sydren glared at his attacker, but hesitated on jumping back into the fray, "Waaaaiiit, just wait now Sydren. What did Jackie always tell ya, think before ye act. This bastard regenerates like crazy and hits like a storm. Assess the situation then act," Calming himself, Sydren quickly analyzed his surroundings and formulated his next plan of action, "Right. Gotta keep his focus on me and away from the people. So whether I like it or not, reckless attacks and full force seem to be the only way to go. Just gotta dodge those fists, attack faster than it can heal, and avoid getting speared by those tendrils."

Sydren took a deep breath and chuckled to himself, "Yeah, just keep telling yourself that doesn't sound completely impossible. Well," Sydren cracked his knuckles as his arms and fists were painted a deep black color, a red metallic sheen surrounding his limbs, as if his fists had become metal themselves as Sydren activated Iron-Forged to begin his attack, "Better get to it. If I don't do it, no one will. Knew I should've brought Surtr along with me."

Sighing one last time, Sydren jumped down from the roof and began speeding around The Old Great One's legs. Sydren became a blur as he circled around the creature's left leg, before launching his fists in a rapid assault on the Dryad's limb, his machine gun-like strikes all focus on a singular point, so as to do as much damage to one point and to see how fast he would have to attack to stall the healing, all the while avoiding fists like thunder and tendrils like lightning.

 

[Coyote Hart]

The feeling of walking through a portal was interesting, to say the least. It didn't feel like walking through space and time, rather, it felt like walking through a doorway into another room. Except this room had no walls, and the door was the only thing that signified that Twig had moved from one room to another. Yes, it was incredibly disorienting to find himself from the glittering room of the Diamonds to the war-torn city of Parma. But in a way, it was mundane too.

Twig had never seen the Argossian tech in real life. The only place he had ever heard of them was through stories and myths. The armor of metal and the artillery firing sticks were almost mystical in quality and incredibly terrifying. Twig was certain that a well-placed bullet would shred through almost any of the royal's defenses if they weren't careful.

Twig was glad for the presence of Idun, Quillon, and Lazarus. It made him feel so much less solitary in the battlefield. Quillon's gift of a higher pain tolerance was appreciated. The pain was Twig's primary annoyance during his fight with the former Jack of Hearts, and knowing that every injury wouldn't be as jarring was amazing.

In regards to Lazarus, Twig did his best to not judge the Jack for his appearances, despite the fact that it mostly consisted of blood. Twig knew as well as any to not judge a book by its cover. Lazarus's curse was probably akin to Twig's unstable wind magic. Every time Twig used his wind magic, he was concerned that he would overstep his boundaries and lose control. Twig was certain that the situation was similar for Lazarus. But it was hard not to stare when the masked Jack created such an efficient, methodical way of killing as many people as possible through the crimson crows. It wasn't until Twig felt himself get a prick in the shoulder did he look away.

"Great, I get myself shot when I should be saving others," Twig said a bit annoyed that a stray bullet had grazed his arm. It only took a faint trickle of magic to heal the wound on his shoulder, but it had already taken too much time away. He would have to leave the tanks

Twig stepped a little away from the group to get a better view of the action, though he made sure to try not to get in the way of the frenzied feeding of the crows. Knowing that he had many targets, Twig simply lifted his staff into a two-handed grip and began to channel his magic. For those who were injured, Twig's magic made it feel as if all the pain and injury was melting away. The royal doctor's magic individually reached every person he could see, doing his best to help out each and every injured mage on the battlefield despite the distance. And Twig could see the magic working. Mages closer to him shook off their attackers with renewed vigor, and those injured on the ground were able to pick themselves up, others were given the strength to get to a safer area.

But Twig knew that it wasn't enough. Those further from Twig weren't able to get the same amount of influence from him as those closer, and Twig knew he needed to get closer, or it just wouldn't be efficient enough to save them in their combat. Urgently, he turned to Quillon and announced, "I need to head around to make sure I can help those further away."

"Idun, Lazarus, please cover my back," Twig implored the other two royals.

Twig moved further away from Quillon, and immediately, he could feel the slight difference in his healing strength. But the amount of blood and violence was overwhelming, and Twig felt emotions start to rise up his chest at just how much people were dying, and how much people Twig wasn't able to save. But all Twig could do was continue to move around, never straying way too far from Quillon, healing those in need, and hoping that the other royals would take care of the enemies that were trying to shoot him down.

((Parma Jann team: SidTheSkid SentinelSevn Diphylleia grayi ))