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Fantasy Legacies: World at War - In Character

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Other
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Mood: Hungry and Relieved
Rai Ikari
Thunderous Hunter
Luminosa
A small smile spread on Rai's face as Nia informed him that it was quite obvious that he was beating around the bush about something. Nia must have become more perceptive since she left. Or maybe Rai was just terrible at hiding things. He lightly laughed as he realized that it was most likely that second part. "Damn, I'm not as good as lying as I expected," he chuckled. Then Rai nodded his head in agreement as Nia agreed to talk alone later. Afterwards, he sat back up straight and awaited his food.

Kumii Kumii AlphaBlueWolf AlphaBlueWolf
Code by Serobliss


Mood: Ecstatic
Castro Smith
Blue-Eyed Bandit
Unknown, Ironshire

Aleph began to follow Castro's instructions and attempted to use the arm, starting by inserting his stub while the man held the limb in place. Things immediately started off a bit slowly. Nothing seemed to happen, and it was just Castro observing Aleph staring intently at the arm, but no progress was being made. Had they accidentally botched the arm? Did they mess up a step? It'd be an unfortunate result if something had occurred. The two were at a point where starting over now would be gruesome, especially considering the effort and time they put into it.

But instead of calling it off at that moment and telling Aleph that they had to start over, Castro decided to wait it out a bit, attempting to keep the possibility of restarting as far away as possible. After a bit, Aleph began to start closing his eyes, followed by deep breaths, to which Castro gave a piteous smile. The man himself was doubting the chances of this working, but Aleph was still trying his best.

Only a few moments later, to Castro's surprise, the sound of a mechanical whir ripped through the air. He immediately looked down at the limb to see that he had successfully moved a finger. The pinkie now had a slight bend to it, meaning that the arm did work! A large smile appeared on Castro's face, and he couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Aleph's gaping mouth. And as time went by, the boy began to move the fingers more frequently. It was a truly amazing sight to see. It seems like the kid had already gotten close to mastering it just moments after it finished construction. Aleph still had to make sure he could move the wrist, turn the arm, and bend it, but this was a start, a fantastic one.

Using his free arm, Castro grabbed the notepad, placed it on the floor, and then began to jot down his next message.

Hey, we did it! It feels great, doesn't it? This is absolutely fucking incredible! All you and I have to do now is just give it a unique design. Hopefully, a design that is true to you. I'll let you decide on it. We're almost done, buddy. Great job. Think about how you want the arm to look, and then let me know. I'd prefer it if you would draw some concept art for me to go off of. Then, we'll embed it onto the limb, add the color, and maybe some gadgets, just in case you need them. And then we're finished.

[Alpha, you can provide the concept art using either description or an actually image (art).]


Mood: Worried
Heath Mazaki
King of the Seiryoku Empire
Throne Room, The Seiryoku Empire

Mei's first sentence as she sat beside Domori on the bed was about how she was going to explain how to kill the Death Knight. He was already listening before, but Domori's ears perked up even more at the subject. Though it baffled him that she took so long to tell anyone this, it was still important information that was finally brought to light, and he wouldn't miss a single bit of it.

As expected, it wouldn't be easy. Mei started by stating that they'd need to give the Goddess of Death her power back, which apparently the Death Knight must have stolen because she said that it was because of that power that he was immortal. Mei continued, telling Domori something that she wasn't even sure if Kumii was aware of. Through her research, she found out the knight was the "One True King" who was also known as the "Immortal King" who had ruled over a place called Atheria over 50,000 years ago.

Domori began to attempt to process the information given to him, but as he was doing so, Mei began to hunker down in a dejected manner. He wanted to comfort her, just as he had before, but there was too much at hand to be dismissed at the moment.

Domori pondered the matter, still confused about how any of this could be achieved at the moment. "Well, if we have to give the goddess her power back, then how do we do that? Where is she? Can it be done in time before the war begins? If what you're saying is true, then we need to take advantage of this as soon as possible. From the way..." Domori paused. A long, awkward moment went by before he spoke again. "Mei, what do you mean by "this could have been avoided"?"

---------------------------​
Heath sighed gratefully as Kumii agreed to give him the information he wanted, glad that no mistrust had to be created between them. The demon began to speak, briefly mentioning the name 'Lutherd Eversteele' before their conversation was interrupted. It began with the sound of subtle whistling, followed by loud clanking armor that resonated from behind them. Heath turned around to see a man of large stature in dark armor standing in his empire, accompanied by a woman whose abundance of color hurt his eyes. The armored man spoke first, telling Kumii to continue telling Heath about him. And the pieces of the puzzle fit together quite quickly. Amid his empire, and now before him, was the Death Knight, Seiryoku's new foe.

Seemingly following the knight's order, Kumii continued to provide information, mentioning that the knight stole the power of the goddess Serana and became known as the Immortal King. And in response to that, the Death Knight removed his helmet to show his face and then spoke about how he was shut out and praised his own return. And finally, Kumii gave the king a disappointing bit of information. He stated that the Death Knight's magic types were Death and Darkness, and then revealed that the man had no weakness before ending his sentence with, "Is that enough for you?"

"Not at all," Heath responded. "I question why you decided to involve my empire in a war against a man with no known weaknesses, but that's a discussion for another time."

The Death Knight spoke up once more, this time to Kumii about some given motivation. But things took a turn when the man threw the unconscious body of a woman toward the ground and then claimed that he had no use for her. Heath had no idea who she was, but Kumii must have known because he immediately drew out his katana and assaulted the knight, but his attack was useless as it was parried by the woman standing alongside the man. And only mere seconds afterward, she disarmed Kumii and then managed to land a slash on his chest.

The woman then turned to Heath and introduced herself as Harlequin, another general of the Death Knight. Initially, he was confused at the fact that she calmly spoke to him as if they weren't adversaries, but as she walked back toward Kumii and regarded him, Heath remembered what had just happened. She had just effortlessly taken down Kumii, the so-called demon king.

The Death Knight began to speak to his comrade, trusting that she would "deal" with the current situation. And in simple terms, that "situation" was Kumii and Heath. Harlequin ecstatically agreed to do so and then returned her attention to the two, asking if they were ready to "play." Harlequin's playful demeanor was confusing to Heath, considering that she would most likely try to kill them. But there wouldn't be a second where he underestimated her due to it.

So, Heath spread his feet apart and developed a fighting stance, preparing to take her on with a decent effort. Kumii may have been injured by a mistake, but Heath was not the same as him. The demon had charged at the knight, blinded by apparent anger, and then faced the consequences. But Heath decided to focus solely on keeping his composure throughout the battle, confident that he could secure the win. Then, once he had steeled himself for the fight, the king began to walk forward toward his opponent. But before he got her into his range, Kumii stopped him. The man painfully told Heath they could not beat her, and then pointed upwards.

A large eye was glaring down at them, watching their every move. Kumii explained that because of it, they couldn't hurt her because it would see all of their attacks. The man who normally gave off a cold and powerful impression now seemed frightful, so much to the point where the word "retreat" was uttered by him but was quickly replaced with "fallback." Kumii took up the girl that the Death Knight had thrown and continued to say that Harlequin was the strongest general and that what he had said earlier was all he knew about the knight and his power. Now that their foe had given up this girl that Kumii seemed to be connected to, he could now provide assistance and join the war. But Kumii still believed that with just the two of them against Harlequin, victory was impossible.

"What the hell has gotten into you?" Heath whispered for only Kumii to hear, visibly irritated. "Do you feel no shame?" he continued, shaking his head. "Even if you do not think that we can defeat this cotton candy piece of shit, at least maintain the image that you've been presenting all this time. Don't show her your fear. Don't give her that mental power over you. Instead, diminish her fun in this battle and do what you have to do. I feel a tinge of worry as well, but I have not made that obvious."

Heath turned back to Harlequin and then balled up his fist. If he tried to attack the eye, then maybe he could destroy it, but not without her attempting to intervene, and vice versa. The king pondered his next decision for a brief moment, knowing that time was scarce. Then an idea sparked, and he quickly turned to Kumii.

"Prepare to run with that out of the corridor," Heath whispered to the demon again. "I know you are hurt, but attempt to leave as fast as possible. This entire corridor will go down. This will signal the others, all while proving our escape. Do you understand?" Without receiving the man's answer, Heath turned back to Harlequin and raised his clenched fist to his face. Gradually, an aura of wind began to form around it, preparing him to use Hostile Breeze. The winds around his fist began to increase in speed, tossing the man's hair around and causing small items to be picked up. Then, as the force of the gusts increased as well, Heath lowered his fist and took a low stance.

The winds started to become unstable, making the man shift slightly, but Heath still executed his final task. "Kumii! Move now!" he yelled, and a moment later, he threw his fist upwards into the air, sending a powerful blast of wind through the ceiling and causing a large hole to be torn through it. The winds expanded as they traveled through the air and began to break down parts of the building around them. Heath took a step back, letting the raging tornado it created tear apart the ground of the red-carpeted corridor and the renovated oak wood ceilings. A hole was left below, and debris crashed down, filling it up and creating a barrier in the entire corridor.

Heath had no doubt that the woman could destroy it with little effort, but even if she did, he could now get Kumii and his sister out of her line of sight. So, after the large mass of debris developed, Heath began running toward the throne room, hoping that Kumii did as well.

Kumii Kumii







Code by Serobliss



Mood: Focused
Kaius Adamson
The Conceited Genius
Outside of the Western Wall, Ironshire
Kaius was barely able to catch Rayya telling him that the preferred pronouns for the elf were they and them at the moment, which he didn't fully understand at first but decided on respecting their wishes. Just as they reached the dragon, Rayya turned into a lightning bolt and struck it, getting its attention and initiating battle.

The dragon retaliated to Rayya's attack on it by slamming its claw down where they were, which the both of them were able to dodge, with Rayya doing a spin dodge and Kaius sidestepping out of the way. Kaius quickly unsheathed Hysteria, his dagger, and prepared to fling it toward the dragon, but the sight of a young girl leaping off of it came into view. And as she did so, she wielded two blades that she was seemingly preparing to use on Rayya, who was still focused on the dragon. But with the feats the elf had just performed, he was certain she could deal with it.

Kaius redirected his attention to the dragon and threw his dagger at it, aiming for its underbelly, which had the fewest scales and thus was the most vulnerable. After that, he formed his hands into finger guns and began rapidly blasting small fireballs at the beast, aiming for all over its body.


Code by Serobliss
 
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  • MeiLocation: Domori's Room, Seiryoku Empire
    Interactions: SharkBark SharkBark
    Current Weather: Clear
    Current Time: August 29th, 1337.
    Mei looked at Domori and shook her head, "It's damn near impossible. The Serena was banished to the Realm Between when the Death Knight stole her power. It's impossible to return it without her presence there." There was an awkward pause then Domori spoke up, asking what she meant that it could've been avoided, "I just mean that Jin didn't have to die like that. Lord Kumii, he-- he knew the risks, we all did, of dragging you guys into this and yet he still did it!" She sounded as if she blamed Kumii for Jin's death but this was far from the truth, "It's not his fault. Lord Kumii hoped that he could strengthen your Empire before this all starts but--" As if on cue, Mei heard a commotion outside, the Army of the Dead burst into the Throne Room through the corridor, "Well, that's why. It's already happened. To arms, Domori!"

    Mei jumped up and sprouted her wings and claws, they suddenly ignited with flames as she rushed outside to see the armada of undead creatures howling and groaning and beginning their attack.
 
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  • Mateo couldn't believe it. The plan would start at the festival, right before the execution? It was suicide, but then again, trying to break Emmerly out now, with everything Nikolai said, would be suicide as well. He tried not to lose himself in the deep well of negative thoughts, but it was impossibly hard. Even so, he managed it. There were factors around him that proved to pull him out, like his friends Skyla and Cora being here, the lure of the mountain pacifying him, and even having the Goddess of Death float around him. That last one may have seemed intimidating to some, but Serena's presence just gave him a sense of ease. He wasn't sure why, but there was something so peaceful about her to him, something he wasn't sure others would understand.

    But it's not like he was the only one starting to have doubts, even though he'd just insisted upon going through with whatever crazy plan they thought up. Skyla needed a minute to process all the details Nikolai was handing them. And, to make it more digestible to all of them, Skyla decided to take it step by step instead of having Nikolai spill it out all at once. It seemed less hopeless that way, even though at the end of the day the odds were stacked up against them.

    But everyone would do their part, even Serena the Death Goddess wished to be of use and help in some way, even though the rescue of Emmerly had no bearing on their original deal. It's not like the girl was a cure to the Cabrera curse. She was just another family member he'd never met before, but Serena still sounded genuinely apologetic. 'That would be pretty cool.' He thought, then he caught himself on one particular notion from her speech. 'Wait, when you say fade... do you mean, die? And how far can you go before you fade?' There was a genuine note of worry and concern in his voice. The fear for a Goddess' health may have been irrational if not sweet, but she didn't come off as this all powerful being to him. She was becoming just another member of the group. Maybe a secret one like Cora, because if anyone knew about her they'd think he was even more crazy than just talking to his cat, but still a member nonetheless.

    "Well, all the Lucero's are going to be there. Plus, some other guards. I'm guessing you guys aren't from here? Well, not all of you." Nikolai sent a quick look to Mateo, who was still in his head with Serena, believing him to be a native of Luminosa because he was a Cabrera. A native that had managed to be kept out of sight for a while, but he was very wrong about that. "I'll explain then. The Lucero's always lead the main precessions, and are at the head of the big ceremonies, which this will be one of them. All of them will likely be on or around the podium as the execution takes place. We should look out for all of them, but there are some in particular that we really have to worry about. Like Sebastian. He's the leader of the Convocation of the Golden Hunt, and the one who spearheaded this whole thing. He'll be the Lucero to worry about the most, because he'll be the first one to interject when we break Emmerly out. He's got light magic, and a pretty big griffin. We'll have to worry about weather and sound attacks from Lerio, his griffin. Lerio's fast, with deadly attacks, and he's not the nicest either. They'll be even worse together. Then there's Ivan, another Lucero. I don't know much about him, other than that he's Sebastian's father and the Head Priest of the Church. He's kind of scary, and I haven't heard good things about his practices either. No one really knows much about him, but I've heard he uses alchemy instead of magic. I guess we should also worry about Lilliana. She's a really good fighter, and she also carries one of the three brother's weapons. She's also the leader of Luminosa, so I don't think she'll take kindly to us breaking out what's basically a criminal to Luminosa, even if she didn't do anything, and even if Lilliana didn't even want this in the first place. Let's see, there's her little sister, Augustine. She's the one who carries the Sword of Light, so we should be wary about her. She's really nice though, she's one of the nicest Lucero's, and she actually talks to me, but I don't think we should rule her out as a potential threat. And then there's Hunter. He's Sebastian's little brother, and one of the Lucestor. Ah, the Lucestor are Luminosa's guard. We have a special name for them."

    Mateo snapped back into the conversation at the mention of Hunter. "Does he have blonde hair? And a scar that looks like lightning over one eye?"

    "Uh, yeah. How did you know?"

    "Uh, we've met before." Mateo said quickly, pink edging his cheeks, "He was with the little guard procession that came to greet us at the front gate. He seemed important. He was dressed differently than the other guards, and he was with a bigger guy too."

    "That's Valero Marquez. He's not a Lucero, but still someone to worry about. He's the head of the Lucestor, and also Hunter's mentor. You'll want to stay away from his sword, its magic and extremely deadly. Him and Hunter will be one of the guards stationed at the festival. Despite being a Lucero, it's also Hunter's job to guard the processions, and Valero is extremely loyal to the Lucero's. They won't just let us take Emmerly."

    "Hunter seemed friendly when we talked briefly. Doesn't he find the whole thing wrong?"

    "I don't know. I'm not too close with him. I think it's more so out of obligation with him, rather than morals."

    Mateo shook his head, the pink fading from his cheeks. He muttered, "It's still wrong. Even if it's your job, you still need to agree with it morally."

    "I think that's it with everyone notable from the Lucero's. But just be wary of everyone with that surname. It doesn't hurt to be extra cautious. But not everyone super strong are gonna be from the Lucero's. They have help that are just as strong as they are. Like, Ivan's... spirit friend. No, he's a slave. There's no better way of putting it. I've heard of some of the practices of the Church, and I've even seen some of them. Luminosa really doesn't like spirits, and Ivan has gone so far as to make one of them his slave. He's a werewolf. I don't know his name; I've only seen him before. He's only a little older than me. I'm not sure how old, but he looks maybe eleven when he looks more human, and he might be older. I've heard some spirits age differently, but he does look young for a spirit. Anyways, Ivan and the Church are super into alchemy, and Ivan controls him through alchemical means. He forces him to fight, and he's super strong. I've seen him use magic before, ice magic, but he's a brutal fighter, almost as savage as how Valero gets. He acts like a rabid animal, and fights like one too, thanks to Ivan's tinkering." Nikolai looked off as he was explaining the werewolf kid. Sad about the circumstances, but he was just a kid himself who couldn't change the practices of an entire city. At least not on his own.

    Upon the mention of spirits, Cora's fur bristled up into a tight ball. Mateo felt bad for his friend, hearing news like that. He didn't know what was going through Cora's mind. Maybe he thought it was a despicable action, or maybe he was scared that that could end up being him if they got caught, probably both.

    "Finally, there's Albert Crawford. He's a mercenary who was hired by Sebastian specifically for the purpose of guarding Emmerly until the execution. He's one of the reasons why trying to break her out now would be impossible, and why it'll be hard during the festival. They call him the Hunter of Darkness, because it's said he can completely nullify the effects of dark magic by absorbing it. So, try to keep people that can use dark magic away from him, and never use dark magic around him. It's a fast way to death. His light magic is on par with the Lucero's too. I think he'll be one of the bigger threats because he's directly involved in guarding over Emmerly, unlike the others. He's pretty scary too. I've never seen him smile, not even once."

    "Please tell me that's all the people we need to worry about." Mateo said, his shoulders slouching in half defeat, his tone sounding extremely tired. Turns out there was a whole bunch of people they had to worry about.

    "Yup." Nikolai said, more upbeat than everyone else seemed. In all honesty, the kid was just happy he had people who could help him out with this. It put him at ease to have people to depend on, leaving the worrying to the dependees. "That should be it. We'll have to worry about a lot of people, but if we get a good plan that minimizes the risk, then we shouldn't have to worry about them for the most part."
 
  • Skyla & SerenaLocation: Luminosa
    Interactions: AlphaBlueWolf AlphaBlueWolf
    Current Weather: Clear
    Current Time: August 28th, 1337. 11:12am
    Serena paused a moment as Mateo had asked what she meant by fade, "To you? Yes, I'd die. To me, another eternity in the forgotten void." Serena sighed and immediately perked up upon feeling a quite unnatural surge of spiritual power and turned her head towards Ironshire, "It can't be... can it?" She muttered to herself. The occurrence she was talking about had occurred over Norheim. Dark, swirling clouds with a single bolt of lightning that shot from the middle. An isolated storm.

    Meanwhile, Skyla had her questions answered in quite the detailed manner with Mateo chiming in as well. Skyla's heart dropped a bit at the mention of Albert and his darkness nullifying capabilities. He seemed like the perfect counter to Skyla, who had Darkness in her kit, "Well... I can't fight Albert, Darkness is a huge part of my kit. I'd like to get him on our side if possible. I know it sounds... weird but it would let me fight better if we didn't have to deal with him. That is if we ended up fighting at all."

    Skyla put a hand on her chin in thought, "He does sound formidable to have on our side... and it's possible we can use his duty to guard Emmerly to our advantage."
 
Mood: Hungry
Rai Ikari
Thunderous Hunter
Luminosa
Rai is having a meal with Mana, Nia, Kishi, and Ryunni. This interaction will be resumed later.

Kumii Kumii
Code by Serobliss


Mood: Focused
Castro Smith
Blue-Eyed Bandit
Unknown, Ironshire
As Castro showed his message to Aleph, a delighted expression appeared on the boy's face, which sent a warm feeling through his chest. Castro meeting Aleph was good for him and great for Aleph too. After everything that happened, with the death of those children, the attacks and all, some positivity was deeply needed. And Aleph was, in simple terms, an immense source of that.

Then, the boy gave Castro a nod, picked up his drawing journal, and began going at it. He couldn't see what he was drawing, but he seemed determined, so, Castro took this as a sign to take a break from working finally. But first, he'd have to clean up a bit.

Castro walked over to a small table in his room, and on it was an ewer filled with water, a wooden bucket, and a little block of soap. (yes, we're delving into hygiene) Castro looked down at his hands. Unsurprisingly, they were covered in soot, sweat, and dirt, most likely from the furnace and rummaging through parts. He picked up the ewer, scrubbed soap on his grimy hands, and poured water over them. The residue began wash off cleanly, and Aleph had come up to Castro with a message asking if he could take the arm, to which he nodded.

And once he had finished washing his hands, Castro decided to nap, harsh squeaks resonating through the hideout as he hit the bed. But, before he dozed off, Castro looked toward Aleph one last time. The boy's eyes were locked to his sketchbook and the arm. The sight of his rapid eye darting and an intense look of focus made Castro chuckle a bit. He didn't know why, but Aleph reminded him of himself when he was younger. A little lost, but passionate and willing to learn. Except with Aleph, this time there was someone, no, there were people to guide and protect him properly. Something Castro, Rori, Kuragiri, hell, many people lacked growing up.

Some change felt good to see. But getting some sleep right now felt even better, and in a matter of moments, it was lights out for Castro.

*****​
Hours later, Castro was awakened by Aleph, who had come to him with the finished product of a design and a message.

He groggily sat up on his bed, yawning as he grabbed the message notebook first and placed it on his lap. In the message, Aleph stated that he wanted the limb to look like armor and also specified the design he wanted for the arm and its gadgets. A leather hand, a coat of metal plates, symbols, a crossbow, shock knuckles, and even a rotating wrist? Maybe it's because he had recently woken up, but reading just reading this made his head spin.

I still have electrodes...Castro began to think. He looked over to where Aleph was previously sitting and gazed upon the crossbow. I guess that's what he wants to compact into it, and there should be some metal scraps in one of my boxes. The colors? I'll have to improvise with what I have for that. So...making this design isn't strictly impossible.

At first, Castro was having trouble visualizing how the arm would look until he moved on to the sketch, which was the perfect representation. It showed where everything was supposed to go, how the colors would blend in, and even had little notes and arrows for more detail. It made visualization so much easier that Castro was thanking God that Aleph could draw.

Hey, this is really good! Castro began to write. I didn't expect it to be this refined, but I'm not complaining. Now to get to the point, yeah, I can make this. The design isn't too complicated, and I have the materials for most of this. The only issue that'll surface would be adding the colors you want. With my designs, I don't exactly make them too flashy, so I don't have experience with artistic designs like this. But regardless, we can make this work. He slowly stood up and then retrieved the arm from Aleph. Then he continued to write; I think we'll start with the rotating wrist. Wish we had done that before it finished drying, but we'll be alright, though.

Castro got up with the message book and stretched a bit before writing the final part of his message.

Maybe this time I'll do the work here. This'll be a lot more complicated than putting some motors on the fingers and consumes a lot more materials than before. I don't want it to seem as if I doubt you, but for now, I want to make sure no mistakes are made during this process. Is that cool? You can still watch me make it, or better yet, get yourself some sleep. You've been at it for a while.

AlphaBlueWolf AlphaBlueWolf



Mood: Alert
Kaminari Takahashi
Shugosha
The Seiryoku Empire

As she continued to speak, Mei appeared to become more anxious. Domori was unfamiliar with anything in "The Realm Between," where Serena had been exiled. The Realm Between? Exactly what was that? The arrival of these demons brought with it a slew of unknowns. Their "demon" species first, a knight who stole a goddess' power, and now a realm outside their ownโ€”or, as the name suggests, "between"?

When the woman eventually clarified to Domori what she meant by "it could have been averted," Mei brought up Jin's passing. She said that Kumii knew about the dangers that the man had now brought the Seiryoku Empire into. Mei began to say it wasn't Kumii's fault but was interrupted by a loud noise coming from somewhere in the empire. The sound came from the throne room, according to what Domori could hear.

He and Mei quickly got to their feet, or at least Domori did. Mei leaped into the air and promptly developed wings and claws that burst into flames.

The archer started to stutter, "Wha-?" Domori grabbed his quiver of arrows and bow before bolting through the hallways, deciding to address this later. With weapons drawn and ready to strike, Domori started moving immediately toward the area. The sound of the undead assaulting the empire surprised Kizawa, the Shugoshas, and numerous other Seiryoku soldiers, causing them to head to the scene as well.

---------------------------​
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Kaminari was the first to arrive, and as he was heading in, he ran into Heath and Kumii. Upon seeing them, he urgently questioned, "[What's happening]?

"[They're invading us!]" Heath sternly answered. "[Alert the entire empire at once. We are about to engage in combat!]" The king's head shook. "[I'm not sure how many troops we'll need, but rest assured, we'll need as many as possible.]" Kaminari firmly nodded his head and began to run toward the throne room but was stopped by Heath one more time. "[Kaminari! Be careful of the eye above the empire. Get someone to take action about it because your strikes seem to be pointless with it there.]"

"Yes, sir!" the Shugosha responded. He then charged into the throne room, prepared for battle against a small group, but stopped when he saw the enormous number of odd creatures coming his way. The entire area was flooded with them as they pushed past debris. Kaminari took a few steps back, forgetting to breathe at the sight. It had been a while since the man had been in large-scale combat, and his mind was overwhelmed with trying to make a decision, causing him to freeze. As they continued to rush forward, the undead's gap with the Shugosha was rapidly closing. Shit! he thought. What the hell is this?

But just before damage could be done, Akuhei burst through the doorway, wielding his sickles and slashing violently everywhere at the horde ahead of him. He managed to get hits on the monsters, though he wasn't sure that he landed all of them, but it would at least halt them for a brief time.

"[Kaminari!]" Amid his frenzy, Akuhei shouted. "[Water Chute!]" The eldest Shugosha's mind could return to its proper state after hearing that call out to him. Akuhei flipped back into the air to allow Kaminari to aim at the undead, to which the brother quickly cupped a hand around his mouth and reeled back. Then he leaned forward and sprayed the creatures with a forceful stream of water to force them back out of the throne room.

1679281261066.png


Kumii Kumii







Code by Serobliss



Mood: Focused
Kaius Adamson
The Conceited Genius
Outside of the Western Wall, Ironshire

As Kaius predicted, Rayya was able to successfully deal with the girl who was attempting to pierce them. They got Emar to pin her down, then returned to battle with the dragon afterward. Kaius' flame bullets seemed to disturb the beast visibly, but no real damage was done.

Abruptly, Rayya yelled out instructions to Kaius about the dragon and its next attack, which seemed to be to send a large stream of flames toward the city, which would result in casualties and damage to the inner wall. Maybe defeating this dragon was a noble duty to him, because upon hearing that civilians could be involved, Kaius instantly got ready to stop the dragon.

He had to think quickly, which wouldn't be a problem, as that was his thing. Concluding about what to do immediately, Kaius grabbed an acorn from a pouch he had on him. Then he slung it toward the underneath of the dragon's head to use one of his magical abilities, Afforestation. The moment the acorn was in position, green nature energy swelled around it as the seed instantly sprouted into a fully grown oak tree. By being underneath the dragon's head, the tree would smack the bottom of its jaw, causing its head to go upward and aiming it away from the wall.

Then, Kaius looked back to Rayya and watched as they leaped into the air at its level, preparing a devastating attack. But at the same moment, the girl Emar was pinning down had managed to get her scimitar back and threw it toward the elf. Kaius reached to grab his blade but found nothing. After completely missing the dragon's underbelly, Hysteria was still in the ground, and he had forgotten to bring her back.

Desperately looked backing to Rayya, Kaius's stomach churned in dread. Yelling out to them wouldn't work, and firing finger bullets can't possibly stop the force of the speeding weapon, so all he could do was hope that the scimitar would miss.


Code by Serobliss
 
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  • MeiLocation: Corridor, Seiryoku Empire
    Interactions: SharkBark SharkBark
    Current Weather: Localized Solar Eclipse
    Current Time: August 29th, 1337.
    Mei landed and began running alongside Domori, her wings folding behind her. Mei stopped for a moment, seeing Kumii fighting Harlequin. As a reaction, she bolted up and hung on the the ceiling, quickly looking around the Army, looking for what was stopping Kaminari's Water Chute. She noticed a weakness in the formation, "Jin--" It took her a moment to realize, "D-Domori," she pointed to an Undead sorcerer, "there! Can you hit that sorcerer?" She asked.

    Sure enough there was an Undead Sorcerer channeling some sort of spell amid the chaos of Kaminari's Water Chute, which was effectively holding the stream of water back.
 

  • Well, the prospect of Serena dying certainly worried Mateo. The way she made it sound, it seemed like she wouldn't completely die, just that Mateo would no longer be able to see her, even if he used his Soul Sight ability. Their pact would be gone, and that's something he wanted to avoid. 'Don't do anything risky then, on my behalf.' He thought to her, before he jumped back into the conversation. He didn't want her disappearing forever because Mateo had used her. That would create endless guilt on his part, and he already felt guilty enough for dragging his friends into familial drama.

    But immediately after Nikolai had explained the various risks to their safety, Skyla argued that they should try to bring one of them to their side. Immediately, Mateo shook his head no, too nervous for that scenario, but Nikolai was much more keen on entertaining the idea. "I-I don't know about that. It would be insanely risky to tell our plan to someone who directly works for Sebastian for the sole purpose of preventing schemes like ours. He could go right back to Sebastian and tell him about this whole thing. I don't know enough about him to even remotely guarantee that he would help us. I think it would be more beneficial to create a contingency plan against him."

    But Mateo knew his friend better than that to just write off her entire idea. "What a second there, kid. Skyla, you said we can use his duty to our advantage. How? Do you have a plan to get him on our side?"
 
  • Skyla & SerenaLocation: Luminosa
    Interactions: AlphaBlueWolf AlphaBlueWolf
    Current Weather: Clear
    Current Time: August 28th, 1337. 11:12am
    Skyla looked at Mateo, "Well, the plan needs a bit more thought and whatnot but," she pointed at Nikolai, "you said he was hired to guard Emmerly specifically, right?" Skyla pounded her fist against her other hand, "Mercenaries live by a creed, at least the one I know do. 'Honor First. Money Second.'. If Albert is anything like this, he won't want to, or much less be able to, do anything to us so long as Emmerly remains in danger or in our hands."

    Skyla realized just how ludicrous that sounded, "Like I said though, the idea needs a bit more thought and ironing out but that's the basic idea. It also works as a contingency plan. Of course it hinges on the fact that this Albert has morals." She looked at Nikolai, "Also, I didn't say we divulge our plan to him, just to use his duty against him if possible." She gave him a smile.

    Serena shook her head after the surge of power she detected had vanished and looked at Skyla as she explained her plan, "The risks are there but... overall the plan sounds solid. The foundation is certainly there. We can build off that." She said, saying that as if anyone else other then Mateo could hear her but she knew her input was only audible by Mateo.
 
Mood: Hungry
Rai Ikari
Thunderous Hunter
Luminosa
Rai is having a meal with Mana, Nia, Kishi, and Ryunni. This interaction will be resumed later.

Kumii Kumii
Code by Serobliss


Mood: Focused
Castro Smith
Blue-Eyed Bandit
Unknown, Ironshire
After reading Castro's message, Aleph replied with his own, agreeing to enjoy some rest and let Castro work on the designs for now. And once they got to that part, he'd help him add colors to the arm. Castro gave him a nod of understanding, and then Aleph drifted off to sleep, deciding to sleep in the corner he was drawn to. Castro wanted to tell him to get on the bed, but the sound of the boy's light snoring reassured him that Aleph was getting proper rest. Castro decided it was best to let him stay where he was and pulled a blanket over him, making sure the boy was warm and comfortable. He then quietly went back to his desk, ready to continue working on the designs.

At this point, Castro was feeling much more awake and revitalized, so the idea for adding rotation to the hand came to him much faster. Maybe I could do a wheel design. He thought. Like putting a small wheel between the inner wrist and forearm, and then there could be a motor and electrode that allows Aleph to spin it. Castro searched through his cabinets for a block of wood and began using a small knife to carve it. He carved it into the shape of a wheel, but since he was more used to working with metal, the edges didn't seem right, and it was rigid. So, he used a small stone with a bit of abrasiveness to smooth them out. It took quite a while to finish sanding it, but the end result was acceptable.

The next step was more difficult, as well as noisy. But I guess that wouldn't be a problem with Aleph's condition, so Castro didn't hold back. Castro used a heated blade to carefully separate the wrist from the rest of the arm. He then used a small metal rod as an axis for the wheel and inserted one end of the rod into the bottom of the hand and the other into the top of the arm, with the wheel connected to the hand by small wires. He then opened up the hand and inserted a small motor into the cavity. After connecting the motor to the wheel, Castro tested it to make sure it worked properly. It spun well. Now it just needed to be automatic. So finally, he connected the motor to an electrode, turning Aleph's hand into a 360-degree rotating wrist. He connected the electrode to a battery, allowing the hand to rotate continuously. He also added a control switch to the circuit, allowing Aleph to control its movement. As a result, Castro declared the procedure a success.

The blue-eyed man stared up at the moonlight squeezing its way through the cracks in the broken grate. He was mesmerized by the way the light cast its bright reflected rays down, illuminating the dusty room and highlighting the dust particles that were dancing in the air. He watched in awe as the light engulfed the room, feeling a sense of comfort in its presence. It appeared to be nighttime on the surface, which meant that just adding mobility to the wrist was time-consuming. Imagine how long it would take to compact the other parts. Castro sighed, accepting that this process would be much longer than anticipated. He was determined to make it work, though, no matter how long it took. He had come too far to turn back now. Taking a deep breath, he adjusted his glasses and got back to work.

Castro reattached the rotating wrist to the arm and then moved on to adding metal plating and a leather layer to the limb. He didn't expect to have leather on him, but somehow he found some leather armor he had stolen from some poor knight lying around. He used the leather to make a more comfortable fit around the arm and to protect it from any further damage. Then, Castro reinforced and coated the armor with metal plating to make it stronger and sturdier. There were many items that Castro took for fun, so because of their lack of importance to him, he ended up forgetting about them a lot. But once he saw them again, they became useful pieces of a project.

Once again, Castro took another break to reminisce about his progress. This time, not as much time seemed to pass, as it was still night. Which was a blessing because that meant he had worked much faster this time. Now the next step was to create shock knuckles, and Castro was very confident about this one. Why? Because he had done this before with the creation of his shock glove. Speaking of that, didn't Rori steal that from him at some point? Castro chuckled at the memory, thinking about what his facial expression must've been when she handed it back to him. He shook his head and smiled, then got back to work. It's time to get the shock knuckles done. He was sure he could finish them in no time.

And as expected, he got it done on time. All he had to do was embed a few electrodes and use metal as a conductor. However, this time he had to ensure that the electricity was conducted from the scales. This process was a bit more confusing than the others, but after some tweaking, Castro managed to make it work. He ran several tests to make sure that the electricity was flowing correctly and that everything was functioning as expected. Finally, his hard work paid off, and the project was a success. He had successfully created a working electricity-conducting scale.

At this point, the next day had already arrived, and Aleph would be up soon. It was going to be a long day; Castro needed to get as much done as possible. So, Castro left a note beside the boy, detailing his current progress. Castro knew that Aleph would be up soon and wanted to make sure that he was able to catch up and help out with the work.

Good morning, Aleph. I don't know when you're going to wake up and reading this, but I just wanted to let you know where I'm at. The rotating wrist is finished, I've coated the arm with armor and added leather to the arm, as well as created the shocking mechanic to the knuckles. By this point, I should be finishing compacting the crossbow, so please get the colors ready for us to work.

AlphaBlueWolf AlphaBlueWolf



Mood: Alert
Kaminari Takahashi
Shugosha
The Seiryoku Empire
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As Mei and Domori entered the throne room, they witnessed Kumii fighting an ecstatic-looking woman. They also saw the Shugosha brothers holding back a horde of unknown monsters, but Kaminari's water stream had become still. He didn't know why, but Mei told him when he thought about it. She pointed him to a sorcerer in the horde that was using magic to hold the chute back. So, instinctively, Domori used Quick-Draw to fire five arrows at the undead monster. 4 in its arms, and the last in its head.

The arrows pierced through the sorcerer's body, making it lose control over the water stream. The chute then rushed forward, pushing back the undead horde. It pushed the beasts a reasonable distance away from the brothers, and then Akuhei resumed his slashing. His sickles cut through the undead like butter, very slowly reducing their numbers. But it seemed that for each one he struck down, another would appear. This felt like running on a treadmill: no matter how far Akuhei ran, he was still stuck in the same spot, with no real progress being made.

Kaminari watched as his brother killed off the front of the horde. His brother was a fierce warrior, wielding two sickles with skill and strength. He fought off the horde with remarkable speed and agility, using his weapons with precision and ferocity. Kaminari was in awe of his brother's prowess and courage. Then he looked to the end, and he saw how many undead were charging into their empire. Which meant that no matter how many Akuhei killed, he was barely doing any real damage to their horde. He began to rush forward to assist Akuhei but stopped at the sound of Kumii's voice.

"Strike now! While you can."

Kaminari diverted his attention to the demon who was fighting the invader, but watched his attack get countered immediately. Kaminari instinctively changed his direction toward Harlequin and ran to Kumii's aid. However, he halted again as Heath whizzed past him and told him, "Help your brother. Kumii and I will face her." Kaminari could barely see his king as the man sprinted past him and toward Harlequin. Heath quickly closed the gap between him and Harlequin, then stopped at Kumii's side.

Kaminari hesitated, still unsure of what to do. But Heath's command was clear, so Kaminari finally made his decision. He sprinted to his brother's side and stood in front of him. Taking a deep breath, Kaminari readied himself for the fight.

He suddenly stormed into the horses, aiming straight for the middle of them to ruin their coordination, and then unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks at the undead around him. Blood and flesh from the monsters flew everywhere as his hits landed, a booming sound erupting through the corridor with each one. Kaminari's martial arts were a sight to behold as he mowed through the undead, his movements effective and precise as he leapt from one enemy to the next. He was like a thunderbolt, leaving a trail of destruction wherever he struck.

But then everything fell dark. And even worse, something fell from the sky. Kaminari barely felt the frequency of the bolt about to land on his head and dodged to the left. But they didn't stop falling. In no time, there were more attacks assaulting the entire battle field, and only your good sense could help you evade them. Kaminari, Akuhei, and Heath barely moved out of the way of the bolts as they rained on them.

At that time, Kizawa and Miyahira stepped into the unusually dark throne room.

"What the hell?" Miyahira said. "Kizawa, do something about this!" Kizawa nodded at his senior's command, even though he knew she couldn't see it. Then he put his middle finger and thumb together and snapped, causing a bright flash for a moment. In that brief moment, he saw the entire area. There were many foes in the corridor, along with Heath and Kumii preparing to face another one. He couldn't keep the scene visible for long with his snaps. Kizawa put two hands together and created a ball of light that lit up a lot of the throne room, though not all because of its size.


Heath looked at Kumii in the dim lighting. "You know more about this woman than I do. I'll fight based on what you tell me to do. My higher-ups are dealing with the horde, and even more are on their way. Are you ready?"
Kumii Kumii







Code by Serobliss



Mood: Focused
Kaius Adamson
The Conceited Genius
Outside of the Western Wall, Ironshire
Fortunately, Rayya was barely struck by the scimitar, thanks to their keen reflexes. And Kaius's oak tree grew instantaneously and knocked the dragon's head upward, directing its flames away from the city. Rayya was lucky to escape unscathed, while Kaius's quick thinking saved the day by providing a much-needed defense against the dragon's fiery attack.Not noticing the rain stoppage, Kaius celebrated in silence for a moment before being distracted by the mysterious woman that had just spun over their heads. And suddenly, she began attacking the dragon.

Maneuvering amidst icy mist and causing several lacerations on the beast, this unknown woman seemed to overwhelm the dragon all by herself. She advised them to get to safety before assaulting their foe again. Kaius didn't listen, as he was too focused on her. The woman's graceful fighting style and nimble movements were mesmerizing. And swift, too. The dragon swung its claws at her and fought back, but she was completely unscathed by it. Kaius was in awe of the woman as he watched her battle the dragon. He was taken aback by how powerful and skilled she was, and how quickly she was able to evade its attacks. Kaius knew that he wasn't capable of fighting the same way, and he was filled with admiration for the unknown woman.

It came to the point where she had done so much damage to the dragon that it fled, leaving the little girl it was with behind, and confirming their victory. Kaius looked over at the girl, who was angrily trying to break free of Emar's grasp to no avail. She yelled in an unknown language as she struggled. Kaius was still confused about who she was, or better yet, what exactly she was doing with an entire dragon. But he decided to focus on the woman who had assisted them just now.

Rayya spoke to her first, and in a bit of a brash manner, but Kaius avoided checking them about it. The woman, who didn't answer Rayya's question about her identity, responded by advising them to leave, as authorities had to be on their way.

"Rayya, she's right." Kaius agreed. "Majority of Ironshire's guard is most likely on their way right now, and we don't want to be caught in the mess of it. They'll definitely arrest us, especially because you're the reason it crashed through the wall. Not exactly all bad, since you were able to pinpoint it's location, but also horrible because that leaves the defenses down. It's alright, though. We defeated it."

Kaius turned back to the mysterious woman. "Thanks. That could've gone a lot worse. Can't lie, I also want to know who you are, but I also wanna avoid getting detained, so...til the next time we meet."

The man began to run off, heading toward his house, but then recalled the pinned girl. He looked back at her, and she was still wriggling around. "Hey, Rayya! What are you gonna do about her?"



Code by Serobliss
 
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  • MeiLocation: Corridor, Seiryoku Empire
    Interactions: SharkBark SharkBark
    Current Weather: Localized Solar Eclipse
    Current Time: August 29th, 1337.
    Mei smiled when Domori hit his mark and killed the sorcerer, "Nice!" She exclaimed. She instinctively ran up and gave Domori a big hug but put him almost immediately, "S-Sorry... Jin and I did that a lot whenever we beat a tough enemy." Mei's attention was immediately taken by Kumii's sudden roar, "The Demon King is here." Mei's claws turned an orange-ish color as she turned to jab the ground with her claw as she began surging flames into the ground as was evident when her wings began pulsing orange fire, changing her wings into the fire version of them.

    Mei focused all her energy forward and making sure to only hit enemies as pillars of flame erupted from the ground, moving forward. Sending Undead creatures into the air aflame while also avoiding anyone from the Seiryoku Empire entirely.
 

  • The both of them nodded in thought over Skyla's plan. Nikolai looked like a mini Mateo while contemplating the whole thing, still not totally sold on it. Even if it was more or less a contingency plan, it hinged on a lot of information they didn't have about Albert. Of course, he could try to learn more about him in the few days they still had before the festival, acting as a scout for the mission, but it could still fall flat if they couldn't guarantee all that. And he didn't totally understand the whole mercenary creed anyways.

    Mateo nodded, hearing the input from Serena. He knew it wasn't a full plan, but like Serena said they could build off of it. It was important to build up contingency plans anyways and minimize the risks surrounding them. "I think it should be Morals First for that creed," Mateo started, "But it does sound like an opportunity we can build off of. Though I think we should get back to Rai and Mana. They need to know what's going on, and if we're building up any more plans, they should be a part of it."

    Mateo turned his gaze to Nikolai, "Is that alright with you? They're with us and they're friendly."

    "That's alright. As long as we can find a safe place to talk. I don't want to be out in the open while we're talking about all of this." There was another part to that, a part that remained unsaid, though Mateo could tell there was something else to Nikolai's nervousness. It was bad for the kid to be seen with outsiders, as his status as the Convocation's Seer would bring attention to the interaction and pressure on all sides that they didn't need.

    Mateo nodded, "Well, then, let's get going."

    They squeezed their way through the hole once more, Mateo making a mental note of its existence. They moved around the small population of rundown houses to avoid detection, Mateo getting one last view of the gate. Talking to the guards on duty was a special Lucestor. He had blonde hair with a lightning shaped scar down one eye. It seemed they really did need to be careful about the eyes on them in the city.

    Mateo led them back to the spot they last saw Rai and Mana. "Huh, yeah maybe we should've come up with a plan on when we were meeting back up. No problem, Cora can help with that."

    He brought Cora down from his shoulder and crouched to let him leap off his arm to the ground. "Can you lead us to them?"

    Cora gave him a look as his ears flattened to his head. If the others knew about him being a spirit, he would no doubt be getting a sassy remark from the cat right now. Luckily, their situation shielded him from his sharp tongue. Cora simply wandered around, the group following him, until he could pick up the familiar scents of Rai and Mana among the thicker scents of the usual folks who wandered the streets. He started picking up speed until they came to an establishment. The sign above read Luminous Bar and Grill, and Mateo gave a chuckle at the wordplay. Mateo ushered the group inside the building.

    Inside, Mateo searched around until he spotted his two white haired friends, eating a meal with a group of three. His eyes narrowed as he spotted them, his brow craning up in a questioning look. What were Rai and Mana doing with them? And why did one of them look so familiar? He couldn't place the girl because it had been so long since he'd seen her. Nevertheless, he sent Cora over to grab their attention. The cat skipped across the dining area, then jumped up into Rai's lap. He blinked up at him, then turned his head towards Mateo, Skyla, and Nikolai to signal their arrival.
 
Mood: Neutral
Rai Ikari
Thunderous Hunter
Luminous Bar and Grill

Rai continued eating his meal with Mana and the others, and enjoyed every moment of it. The food he ate was amazing, and the people he was with were even better. It was like a delicious feast, both for the body and the soul. Rai had to admit, it was a pleasure to see Nia again, and her companions were likable as well. He could see why she had befriended them.

Rai was taking another bite of his food when suddenly, a cat propped itself onto his legs. He glanced down at the feline with a baffled expression, and then realized it was Mateo's cat, Cora. Cora gestured with his gaze over to another area of the bar, and when Rai followed it, he saw Mateo and Skyla looking over at him. Ah, they're back. He thought, then he stood up from his seat, wiping his hands with a napkin.

He bowed and spoke to the people around him. "Thanks for the meal, I enjoyed it." Rai tapped Mana's shoulder and pointed toward Mateo. "But it's time for Mana and I to get going now. We gotta take care of some business. It was a pleasure meeting you, Kishi and Ryunni. Oh, I hope you don't mind if I take Nia off your hands for a second."

Rai slid past Mana and gestured for her and Nia to follow, then waved to the other two one last time before heading over to his friends. Once he got close, Rai finally noticed the other person with them. It was another kid.

"You guys sure took your sweet time," he quipped. "And, uh, I see you brought someone along. Hi." Rai awkwardly smiled at Nikolai, uncertain of the boy's identity. "So did I. I'm sure you know her."
Kumii Kumii
Code by Serobliss


Mood: Relaxed
Castro Smith
Blue-Eyed Bandit
Unknown, Ironshire
Fortunately, compacting the crossbow into the limb was the easiest part of the entire process. After that, he added the gears that allowed it to fold in, along with the leather straps for Aleph, and Castro was finished. The man picked up Aleph's drawing and darted his eyes back and forth between it and the actual arm. He could see the accuracy in it, and was proud of his accomplishment. All it needed now was the colors, and with almost comedic timing, Aleph left some bowls of paint at his side.

The boy left a message for him about the colors being ready, and Castro nodded in gratitude. Thanks. Now, as I said before, I'm not the best with colors. So...

A moment later, Castro rose from his chair and patted the seat, motioning to Aleph that he should take his place. Rather than doing it himself, he let the boy paint the arm, since his own attempt would be sloppy and unattractive. Castro knew that Aleph had an eye for detail and an artistic touch that he lacked, so he wanted to give him the opportunity to show off his talent. He felt that Aleph could do a much better job at utilizing the colors than he could. With a proud smile on his face, Castro stepped back and allowed Aleph to take the lead with the painting of the arm.

AlphaBlueWolf AlphaBlueWolf



Mood: Alert
Kaminari Takahashi
Shugosha
The Seiryoku Empire
View attachment 1078770
View attachment 1078772
As Domori shot down the undead sorcerer, he lowered his bow and gazed upon Kaminari and Akuhei taking down parts of the horde with ease. He raised his bow once more and aimed at the enemies that they missed, but almost fell to the ground when Mei gave him a big hug. Domori blushed a bit, caught off guard by the gesture.

"M-Mei?" he stuttered as he regained balance. Mei pulled away quickly and then apologized for it, explaining that she used to do that with Jin whenever they beat a tough enemy in the past. Domori smiled, wanting to joke about how that sorcerer wasn't a tough enemy at all, but got interrupted by a sudden loud roar. He looked over in the direction it came from, and there he was, Kumii. But it wasn't the Kumii that Domori remembered. Now, he had claws, horns, and wings, and seemed like a wild beast, rather than the composed man he usually was. Mei spoke up, saying that the demon king was now here, and a slight chill ran down Domori's spine.

The archer looked back to Mei, and now, she had done some sort of power up move, then began to fiercely fight the undead. Domori took this as a sign to not worry, and began firing arrows alongside her, taking down the creatures one by one.
----​
Heath nodded to show that he understood Kumii's plans. They weren't planning to kill Harlequin, and it wasn't that he didn't want to, it's just that they couldn't kill her, even if they tried. Heath shook his head slightly, doubting his words. There's no way we, two kings and their empires, can't kill one foe. Perhaps the Demon Nation underestimates their own power. Kumii continued explained that instead, their plan was to overwhelm her with all their power, which Heath assumed was to stall time.

After that, Kumii began to undergo some kind of transformation. He grew claws, wings, and horns, but still retained his humanoid appearance. The demon got to the floor on all fours like a savage beast and then propelled himself forward at Harlequin. To the others watching, Kumii seemed to turn into a blur and appeared in front of the woman in a flash. But Heath saw his ferocious pounce at break-neck speed, closing the gap in mere milliseconds.

Kumii began to bounce off of the walls, slashing at Harlequin each time he passed her. But she managed to evade them all, but barely. After that, Kumii let out a thunderous roar. Despite not knowing what it was for, Heath could not waste any time in trying to figure it out as Kumii called out to him. The demon told him to take his chance to attack, and that he would coordinate his actions with whatever he did. Heath firmly nodded and then locked eyes onto the woman who was invading his kingdom.

Wasting no time, Heath stampeded toward Harlequin, his glare hardening. Once he got close enough, he began to throw a roundhouse kick. But before he did, Heath muttered Kuzureru, the king's unique fighting style. Upon saying this, the veins in Heath's body popped out, and he felt a surge of energy rush through him. Kuzureru was a special art of combat where he tapped into his inner reserves of strength and agility, as well as physical ability, maximizing his capabilities. This allowed Heath to focus the majority of his energy on attacking, increasing his strength and speed, allowing him to throw a more powerful kick than before. With this, he could feel the speed of his leg increasing, and the gap between it and his target was almost completely diminished. Then, Heath muttered the name of the Kuzureru technique he was utilizing. Shatter.

Heath aimed for the side of Harlequin's arm, with the full intention to shatter it, just as the name of his move suggested. At the same time, Heath leapt off his right leg and prepared a follow-up shatter kick.

Kumii Kumii







Code by Serobliss



Mood: Curious
Kaius Adamson
The Conceited Genius
Outside of the Western Wall, Ironshire

At the same time as Rayya, Kaius looked over at the trapped girl, who was still muttering in her unknown language. The unknown woman referred to her as a spirit, which surprised Kaius a bit, but Rayya was even more shocked by it. Apparently, it was supposed to be obvious, but Kaius himself couldn't even tell. He wasn't willing to let them know that though, so he kept quiet.

The woman replied to Kaius, and unexpectedly quoted him about something he had said earlier. She told him that he wasn't the only person who had a noble duty or felt it was their purpose to protect the city. And she was going about hers. How did she...? Wait...she was there for that, huh? He thought. Just how long has she been watching us?

Kaius left these thoughts on pause for a moment as he watched Rayya put the unknown girl to sleep under her gaze, just as she had done with the dragon before. He was already starting to hate that ability. It was the reason the dragon slammed through the wall in the first place, and Rayya could use it on him at any time if they wanted to. Kaius didn't know her, and he definitely didn't trust her, so who knows what her intentions might be? Geez...I'll have to remember not to look at that.

Rayya snapped their attention back to Kaius, and he closed his eyes for a moment to avoid her gaze. He didn't know she wasn't using the ability anymore, and didn't want to get slumbered like the girl just was. Kaius hesitantly opened his eyes once more to see them with a normal expression. Out of relief, he sighed. Rayya had told him that she was going to figure out why the girl was near when the dragon got brought down, and why she had attacked them. Those weren't bad questions at all. Kaius had his own. He was perplexed by why she had tried to stop them from killing the dragon. What connection did she have with such a beast to travel to that length to protect it?

"Oh, yeah? And, uh, where or how exactly are we going to find that out?" Kaius questioned. "You wanna interrogate her or something? Remember, she can't speak our language. And we can't speak hers either."
Code by Serobliss
 
  • Skyla & SerenaLocation: Luminosa
    Interactions: AlphaBlueWolf AlphaBlueWolf
    Current Weather: Clear
    Current Time: August 28th, 1337. 12:30 pm
    Skyla has to squeeze through the tight hole again. She sighed and groaned as the hole squeezed her chest, "Ow ow ow..." she muttered, "Sometimes I hate my chest." She got up and patted off her shoulders, chests and legs and followed Cora and Mateo. Serena just simply vanished for the time being as Mateo left.

    (Interaction continued in Mana/Nia's portion)
 

  • Cora leapt off of Rai's lap as the samurai got up with a huff, shaking out his fur before deciding to jump up onto Mana's shoulders, despite the child calling him by the nickname he hated. His tail twitching in slight agitation at both the demon and samurai, he made himself cozy on his new perch, wrapping himself on Mana's shoulders as she bounced out of her seat to embrace Mateo.

    Mateo smiled warmly at the display, embracing Mana tightly and running a hand to smooth over her hair before she let go and approached Nikolai. He was about to save the kid from being swarmed by questions, but Rai had made his way over to them. He gave a nervous smile at his sweet time comment, though knew it was only a joke. But Rai too noticed Nikolai, smiling at him and unsure of his identity, and Mateo realized just how much he'd have to explain to Rai and Mana. Just how much they'd missed. The meeting with Halazzi turned into something much bigger.

    Rai gestured to the girl next to him, and Mateo once again narrowed his eyes at her, then realization hit him right as it did Skyla. Mateo never forgot a face on his travels, especially not those who had been allies and friends. But it had been a while, and with the way things had ended at the festival, he would've rather blocked out the whole thing from his memory, including another white-haired friend of theirs. But they had Skyla back, and he really shouldn't block it out, because there were a lot of fun memories. Fun memories with one of his old friends, Nia, and it was the day he met Skyla, and Rai, his two travel companions. And... it was the day he spent with Mika.

    Oh, no. Mika. He wondered if Rai had told her about him, but with the chipper mood, probably not. She must be wondering why he wasn't with them. But there was no reason to think negatively, and he pushed those thoughts out of his mind, partly because he didn't want to think that way, and partly because the sludge would start rising once more if he didn't stop soon enough. The mood between Nia and Skyla was still as the realization came, but Mateo broke it by coming in to give Nia a hug. "Nia! I can't believe it's you. We haven't seen you since the festival." He broke the hug to specify, "Oh, uh, it's me. Mateo." Just in case she didn't recognize him. His hair had grown out a bit longer, and he might've grown a few inches too since then. Besides, there was a different air about him that didn't resemble the same nervous teen she'd met at the festival.

    His shoulders bobbed as another realization hit him, "Oh, and this is Cora." He said, gesturing to the cat now on Mana's shoulders instead of Mateo's. "He was actually with me at the festival, but he was hiding in my bag. He's particular about meeting friends for the first time."

    He shifted his gaze to Rai, a sudden serious shift to the lightheartedness. "Um, we need a safe place to talk." He murmured to the samurai. "There's a lot we need to tell you about. Privately." He said, darting his eyes to Nia. Not that he didn't like her, but they didn't know her all too well. It took one of his friends dying to get up the courage to tell Rai and Skyla about his curse, who he'd known for longer. Besides, he wouldn't feel right dragging Nia into all of this. Especially if she had found a place within Luminosa. The less people they had to involve in this scheme, the better.
 
  • Mana/Nia/Kishi/Ryuuni and SkylaLocation: Luminosa
    Interactions: SharkBark SharkBark AlphaBlueWolf AlphaBlueWolf
    Current Weather: Clear
    Current Time: August 28th, 1337. 12:30 pm
    Mana's nose twitched as Cora hopped himself onto her shoulder, a chill went down Mana's spine, which caused her horns to briefly appear but quickly disappear, returning her appearance to that of a human.

    Nia hugged Mateo back but broke it to reintroduce himself, "I know who you are, silly. I never forget my friends." Ryuuni put a hand on Kishi's shoulder, "I'm heading home. You can stay here if you like." Kishi nodded and Ryuuni departed for home, giving everyone a wave before he did do. Nia noticed, "Oh, see ya, master!" She waved to him, Kishi approached her, "I'm heading home, Nia. See you later." With that, Kishi left but didn't bother waving at everyone in typical Kishi fashion.

    Skyla tilted her head at Mateo's turn to seriousness as did Mana, as if she was mimicking Skyla. Skyla leaned down to Mana, "Matty got real serious all of a sudden didn't he?" She whispered, then she noticed Cora perched on Mana's shoulder, "Oh hey Cora." Mana nodded, "I've never seen Matty that serious before." Skyla smiled at Mana then got up and extended a hand to her, "Come on. Let's follow them." Mana smiled and nodded, "Yeah!" She grabbed Skyla's hand and followed her.
 
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Mood: Neutral
Rai Ikari
Thunderous Hunter
Luminous Bar and Grill
Mateo and Skyla's reactions to seeing Nia again were quite different. While Mateo seemed ecstatic to reunite with their white-haired friend again and hug her, Skyla looked shocked. It was like night and day between the two of themโ€”Mateo's reaction was one of joyous surprise, while Skyla's was akin to seeing a ghost. Rai couldn't blame Skyla for it. He was also, at first, appalled to see Nia again. But in only a matter of time, that confusion turned into excitement. Rai was eager to catch up with Nia and hear about what she had been up to. He was also keen to share his own stories and experiences with her. It was as if no time had passed between them.

After he finished chatting with Nia, Mateo turned his attention to Rai, and in quite an earnest fashion. He murmured to Rai about how they needed a safe place to talk, adding that they needed to inform him about something in private. A curious expression printed itself onto the samurai's face for a moment. No one was at the front of the building with them, and there was no chance that anyone was within earshot.

"Why can't we just...?" he began to question but trailed off. Rai's eyes widened in realization once he noticed Mateo gesturing toward Nia with his eyes. Right, there was one person inbound. Though at first Rai frowned upon the concept since he trusted Nia not to do anything against them, he had to acknowledge that he still didn't know what they needed to discuss. Most likely something Nia wouldn't understand their intentions with.

Although Rai had questions, he suppressed them and, with a sigh, nodded in agreement. There was probably no time for them anyway. There's no telling what took place down on the mountain. They brought back a kid, who had waved back at Rai, for starters.

"Nia," Rai started with an apologetic expression on his face. "Now that the others are back, as I told Kishi and Mr. Ryโ€”I mean, Ryunniโ€”there's some business we need to take care of." He held an awkward pause for a moment, then lowly said, "That thing we were going to talk about, can we discuss it...maybe later? I don't mean to just leave this abruptly, but I promise I'll make it up to you."
Kumii Kumii
Code by Serobliss


Mood: Relaxed
Castro Smith
Blue-Eyed Bandit
Unknown, Ironshire
Castro sat on his bed and watched as Aleph meticulously worked on the arm's design. The boy was quite articulate in his work, alright. Aleph had a clear vision of the arm's design and quickly set to work to make it come to life. Castro was impressed by the boy's aptitude and dedication to the task, and watched in admiration as Aleph worked. It was like watching a master artist creating a beautiful painting, every brushstroke deliberate and precise, every color carefully chosen to create the perfect image.

Castro's help was barely needed throughout the entire process. The only time he got up was to assist Aleph in setting up the metals. However, even in the face of the issue, the boy took the initiative and showed great initiative by developing his own remedy for the issue by himself. Castro was awestruck as Aleph created a device on the spot that served as a source of electricity before his eyes. "When did he learn to do that?" was all that ran through the bandit's mind.

All Castro had to do afterward was provide some salt-water for Aleph before sitting back down, still staring intently at him. And in a matter of time, Castro was handed the notebook with a message confirming the arm's completion. He stood up after reading it and walked to Aleph's side, looking down at the arm.

Castro had already expected Aleph's work to be great, but this exceeded those expectations. This was the final result. Together, Aleph and Castro had just created something extraordinary. Not only did it look exactly like a real arm, but its movements were precise, its weight was balanced, and it had been made from the most basic of materials. Castro was amazed by the level of skill and dedication Aleph had put into his part of the creation. The painting and overall design were remarkable. Castro put a hand on his shoulder and gave a nod of approval. "We did it," he obliviously said out loud, forgetting that Aleph couldn't hear him.

Castro looked back at the arm and softly smiled. Now that this is done, I ought to start taking him back home now. What did Rori say again? The bandit became lost in his thoughts for a moment.

AlphaBlueWolf AlphaBlueWolf



Mood: Alert
Kaminari Takahashi
Shugosha
The Seiryoku Empire
1680664478350.png
1680664539774-png.1078772

Heath's kick connected, and he grunted as his leg went straight through Harlequin's arm. However, she was not sent flying from the kick impact, to Heath's surprise. Instead, a powerful wind gust from the attack force blew past her, sending her hair wildly into the air. Harlequin clutched her arm, groaning in pain. Blood barely seeped from micro-tears in her skin, and her arm dangled uselessly at her side. Heath was shocked to see that the attack had only caused minimal damage, yet Harlequin's expression was one of intense pain.

Heath was impressed and shocked by the woman's durability. Normally, the attack would result in a pool of blood dripping from the limb and an opponent surrendering, but she somehow persevered. After his attack, the king leaped back into the air and put distance between himself and the invader, just in case she tried to follow up with her own attack.

At that very moment, the darkness veiling the throne room lifted, and they were no longer pelted by projectiles. It seemed that incapacitating her had caused the chaos to end, leaving an air of awe and surprise in the room. The fighting still resumed, but in an easier fashion for Seiryoku. It was as if a fog had been lifted, and suddenly they could see the path to victory that had been hidden before.

Though she had been temporarily overpowered, Harlequin made Kumii and Heath mark her words by stating that their battle wasn't over yet. There was a seriousness to her tone that informed the king that she wasn't bluffing in the slightest, and a grim feeling churned in his stomach. Heath concluded that Harlequin would attack again, and in an attempt to stop her from doing so, he stormed at her again and swung another kick. He barely heard her say, "I got what I wanted." By the time he reached her and threw the attack, Heath found his leg swinging through empty air. Harlequin had created a portal and escaped.

The king let out a "hmph", with a slight hint of disappointment in his demeanor. "That was much easier than I anticipated." He looked back over to Kumii, who panted heavily as the aura around him faded away. "We did it", was all that Kumii said, which Heath nodded slowly at. But before he could say anything back, the demon collapsed in front of him.

For a moment, Heath stood in silence and stared at his unconscious comrade. He...passed out? We didn't even do much. The king walked over and kneeled beside Kumii, feeling his pulse and then sighing in relief. His skin was hot to the touch, much like a fever. But it seemed more like the result of magic consumption. Right, he's alive. Just..exhausted. Maybe it was the transformation he underwent. Things like that can be quite taxing on your energy.

With both hands, Heath picked up Kumii. He then looked around and saw that there were still much undead pushing forward. Fighters holding them back, but the hordes never seemed to end. The king's face twisted up in annoyance at this. Not at the invaders, but at his Royal Guards. There's no way they were struggling to deal with such weak fighters fast enough. Were they not trying? Or was Heath just underestimating the creatures? Either way, the king refused to accept this.

"Seiryoku," he sternly said, his voice booming through the throne room. Startled, the guards listened while still facing their foes. "Have you not trained hard enough to deal with such minuscule foes? Are you truly having trouble doing so?" His gaze snapped toward his strongest warrior. "Kaminari. I expected much more than this from you. Have I put too much confidence in you?"

"Tsch." Kaminari leaped away from the horde and looked toward Heath. The glare he was getting made his stomach churn in guilt. But it also made him think. He wasn't performing at his best. He didn't know why, but it was as if his body refused to function. The reason isn't due to Heath's limiter, because it only reduces his power by half. He couldn't figure out what it was, but he now knew to refuse it.

Kaminari, along with the rest of the Seiryoku, began to increase their efforts. In specifics, Kaminari used his technique, Zeus's Sole, and began zipping around the battlefield with attacks. Akuhei moved in erratic patterns to create confusion. And Miyahira summoned her dark horse and attacked from a mounted position. Others began using their techniques more as well.

"That's more like it." Heath returned to his low tone and looked down at Kumii again. He hadn't woken up yet, not even to the sound of Heath's loud voice. The king looked around for Mei, and once he found her, he took a large leap into the air and landed next to her. Domori was accompanying her, and she was enhancing his arrows.

"Kumii's guard." Heath started, already having forgotten her name. "My apologies; your name has slipped from my memory. Ah, and do not fret. Your king is not injured, just exhausted. I'm certain you'll know what to do with him." Heath stuck Kumii out toward Mei.
Kumii Kumii







Code by Serobliss



Mood: Tired
Kaius Adamson
The Conceited Genius
Kaius Adamson's Residence

"No, I'm alright," Kaius replied to Rayya. "I wish you both the very best in your efforts at getting your answers, but I think that's enough for me today. Stay safe, and it was nice meeting you. Till we meet again, Rayya." Then, as the two departed on Emar out of Ironshire, Kaius jogged back to his home before the guards arrived. He sat down on his bed and peered out his window again, just as he had done earlier, bored. Kaius sighed as he observed the sunny day. He watched the birds soaring through the blue sky, and he heard the sound of children playing in the streets below. He felt a sense of peace and contentment wash over him as he watched the world pass by outside his window.

Father, are you proud of me? Kaius thought about his late father, and what his reaction would've been about today. He would have wanted Kaius to use his talents in this way. Protecting others and putting himself last, rather than treating others how he did before. Kaius smiled, feeling his father's presence with him in that moment. He knew his father would have been proud of him, and it made him determined to keep going. He was making a difference and that was all that mattered. Although Kaius had moments when he fell back into his old habits, he was getting better. And today was proof of that. Thousands of people were saved from the destruction of the dragon today, thanks to him and some others. Those children would be surrounded by flames right now if it weren't for me. I guess that means my work for today is done. With heavy eyelids, he lay on his bed, flat on his back. Just before he dozed off, Kaius sighed, You were right...it does feel good to help others. But it can be exhausting.
Code by Serobliss
 
  • HarlequinLocation: Unknown
    Current Weather: Clear
    Current Time: August 29th, 1337.
    Harlequin appeared next to Lutherd, "Did you get it?"

    Harlequin glanced at Lutherd for a moment, "I'm okay, thanks for asking... but yes, I managed to get the Demon King to appear." Lutherd looked over to Harlequin, "Very good. I knew it was a good idea to turn him over. We're just one step closer to the annihilation of every parasite on this planet." Harlequin looked at Lutherd, "Yeah, what about that human city?" Lutherd was silent.

    Harlequin nodded, "Right. It'll come." Lutherd nodded, "For now, we use the fighting to bolster our armies. For every soldier slain in this pointless fighting, my army grows stronger and stronger." Harlequin chimed in, "You mean our army, my love?" Lutherd grunted and walked away, leaving Harlequin to her thoughts.
 

  • Mateo smiled at Nia's statement. He was glad she didn't forget him. And he was glad he got to see her again. After they split ways, he wasn't sure if he would. At that point, he wasn't sure if he'd even see Skyla again. Mika had run off, and he'd split ways with Rai to search for clues on Skyla's whereabouts and pursue his own search for a cure while he was at it. But they'd all come together in the end. They'd found Skyla, reunited, and the others hadn't run away when he'd told them about the curse. But, as Nia walked out of the building, his heart accelerated, and time slowed for him. Was he doing the right thing? The last time he'd hesitated about telling someone he cared for about the curse, they died. What if he didn't get to tell Nia? Her last steps echoed outside, and his chance passed by him. But his chest still felt tight with anxiety. He didn't know if any of the moves he was making were right. Especially regarding Nia. She was a friend, right? Shouldn't he trust her with this? For the first time in a long time, he felt unsure of himself and the decisions he was making.

    Mateo turned towards Rai and gave him a nod as if he were thanking him for sending Nia away, because in truth it had been for his own comfort anyways. If he was more open about the curse, then Nia would've been able to stay with them. But his own fears prevented her from coming along on the journey. For a second or two, his face glimmered with past shadows. Unease, anxiety. The same jumpiness and skittishness that accompanied him upon their first meeting, as if he were scared of his own shadow. A lot weighed on his mind, more than Rai knew right now. They'd explain it all with time, but for they needed a place to lay low so they could tell him their story.

    "Nikolai, do you know of any place around here where we could talk privately?" Mateo said, turning towards Nikolai.

    "Hmmm. Well, we could go back over the wall. No one goes there, though there are guards posted around there, and it would be hard to go as unnoticed as before with a group of this size." He seemed lost in thought for a moment, going over places in his head. "Oh, I know where we could go! Follow me."

    Nikolai started walking out the door and, before Mateo followed, he shrugged to the rest of the group and gestured them forward. They had no reason not to trust Nikolai, because all he wanted to do was save his best friend. They followed him out of the restaurant, to which he immediately led them out of the public eye. They weren't three people and a cat anymore. They were a much larger group, so it was harder to stay out of sight especially with it being a group of obvious outsiders led by a native of Luminosa. As they walked, Mateo fell beyond from the front of the group and grabbed Rai's sleeve. Together, they dropped a few paces from the group in which Mateo started talking to him.

    "Rai? Do you think... well, is it right to not tell Nia? About the curse." It might've seemed weird for Mateo to go to Rai about this instead of Skyla, because he seemed to go to Skyla for assurance over Rai, but he trusted the samurai's judgment as much as Skyla. He knew Nia better than they did, and he'd know if she was trustworthy. Besides that, Rai could see people for who they really were. He didn't run from Mateo when he'd shown him the sludge that marked him as a monster. He'd seen that Mateo wasn't a threat, even if Mateo himself didn't believe that sentiment. Rai was good with people in that way, and he trusted him as much as Skyla. After all, he didn't run. And that meant the world to him. He cherished Rai as his friend right along with the others.
 
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Mood: Sympathetic
Rai Ikari
Thunderous Hunter
The Streets of Luminosa
As Rai began to realize that the situation wasn't as dire as he had initially anticipated, the feeling of dread he had been experiencing melted away and he was able to relax again. He chuckled at himself, embarrassed that he had let his nerves get the better of him. He shook his head and then turned to look at Mateo, who nodded, most likely to thank him for his help. Rai smiled to acknowledge the gesture.

Mateo began discussing where to proceed for privacy with the newest addition to their crew. Through listening to their conversation, Rai discovered the boy's name was Nikolai. Nikolai first suggested they head back over a wall, but that option had some flaws because of the guards in the vicinity. And of course, they'd be spotted immediately because of their group size.

"What wall?" Rai whispered under his breath, feeling a bit left out.

After dismissing their previous option, the idea of a secluded place to go finally crossed Nikolai's mind. Instead of sharing with the group, he just walked out the door. As if sharing Rai's thoughts, Mateo shrugged and followed along. And shortly, the group was walking through the civilization of Luminosa. Some eyes were drawn onto them, which was to be expected. It was quite clear that the group consisted of foreigners.

As they strolled through the bustling streets of Luminosa, Mateo lagged behind his companions and grasped onto Rai's sleeve with urgency. The gesture was a clear indication that Mateo required Rai's aid. Without hesitation, Rai acquiesced and allowed himself to be guided back to Mateo's side. With a sense of urgency in his voice, Rai questioned,

"What's wrong?"

Mateo's answer wasn't what he thought it'd be. Rai thought the teen was going to reveal to him something drastic again, like that his sludge was building up again, or he had a gut feeling that something was wrong. Mateo hadn't pulled Rai to a private discussion like this since the boy needed him to convince Mika to rest. So of course, the samurai really didn't know what to expect.

Mateo had asked Rai if it was the right decision to keep the truth from Nia. The truth about Mateo's legacy and curse.

"Well..." A long pause went by as Rai contemplated. "It's not...I can't exactly say that it was the right thing. But, it wasn't the wrong thing to do either. The way I see it, Mateo, there's not really any reason for you to tell Nia." Rai lowered his voice as they passed another crowd of people. "I mean, when you told Skyla and I about your curse, we had just fought for our lives, lost someone...and your 'sludge', or whatever it's called, was forming crazy fast. Even if you hadn't told us, we would've found out eventually. But that eventually would've been you turning into a goddamn monstrosity."

The thought of Mateo, the kind boy with great potential, turning into a killing machine with no control over himself, made Rai break out in goosebumps. Rai nearly shivered at the thought of that. Mateo, the kind boy with great potential, turned into a killing machine with no control over himself. It was sickening to the samurai. He didn't know what exactly had happened with the first Cabrera, but what he did know is that this is a result of a curse. Someone else's doing. And now, Mateo was unfortunate enough to be born from that bloodline. It wasn't fair. Not fair for Mateo, and not fair for anyone who was also a Cabrera. Taking a deep breath, Rai made a silent promise that if he ever came face to face with the one who cursed Mateo, even though his chances were slim to none, he would end their life. He knew it was a tall order, but it was one he'd be willing to attempt.

"My point is," Rai looked down to Mateo, who wasn't as much shorter than him as he used to be. "Try not to stress about it too much, Mateo. Nia didn't need to know. It's probably safest that she didn't know, actually. I'm not even sure how she'd react. She could either be cool about it or freak out and turn us in. Shit, I don't know. It's been a while since I last saw her. But what I can tell you is that Nia isn't some softy. I feel like she'd be composed and stick with you till the end, just like Skyla and I are gonna do."

Rai let out a deep breath and shrugged.

"Now, if word were to get out that Nia was hiding the fact that she knew a Cabrera, things would be terrible for her. She's a resident of Luminosa, after all. So, the consequences for her would be even more drastic. Honestly, I think we did her a favor by keeping her out of this So..." Rai patted Mateo on the back and offered him a warm smile. "You're not hurting Nia by leaving her out. It's okay, Mateo."





Kumii Kumii
Code by Serobliss


Mood: Relaxed
Castro Smith
Blue-Eyed Bandit
Unknown, Ironshire
Moments passed by as Castro continued thinking to himself, trying to recall where he was supposed to take Aleph. He wracked his brain, searching for any signs he may have missed, but he could not remember where he was supposed to go. He grew more and more frustrated as he struggled to remember, the seconds ticking by slowly.

Castro's train of thought was interrupted as Aleph pulled on his arm and handed him a notepad. The message on the notepad was a question from Aleph asking if the arm was complete and if he could wear it.

Castro exclaimed, "Oh shit, I forgot!" He quickly picked up the prosthetic arm from the workbench and knelt down in front of Aleph at his height. Castro positioned the prosthetic so that the opening faced the boy and lifted it up for Aleph to put his arm through, just as he had done before.

With a subtle nod, Castro gave him the green light to proceed.

AlphaBlueWolf AlphaBlueWolf



Mood: Alert
Kaminari Takahashi
Shugosha
The Seiryoku Empire
View attachment 1082570
1680664539774-png.1078772

Mei thanked Heath with a bow as he handed Kumii to her, with what felt like genuine gratitude. He gave her a small head nod in return, signifying that the gesture was received and appreciated. Mei sprouted wings and took Kumii to a safe spot. But then, she whistled, and Heath looked up at her in confusion.

"What is it?" the king inquired, thinking she was talking to him.

Heath discovered that Mei wasn't speaking to him as a small, winged individual appeared before her. Mei instructed the girl to take Kumii somewhere safe, which she agreed to. And then, a few more winged people swooped down and took Kumii, presumably to safety.

Meanwhile, Mei turned back to Domori and advised him to be careful when shooting his arrows. Because now, there were allies in the sky.

Domori gave her a firm nod. "Understood. I'll be cautious." The archer resumed firing, using precise aim to avoid the Harpys soaring through the air.

Heath gazed around him at the fighting taking place. Some Seiryoku soldiers finally reached the corridor to help in the fight to hold back the horde. Those troops seemed to be making a difference, but it was still far from over. Heath steeled himself and prepared for the next wave of attackers. He knew this was a fight he couldn't afford to lose.

The king looked at his long-time companion. "Aikawa. All I see are infantry. Where are our Special Senshi and Royal Guards?"

"I'm not certain," Aikawa replied while puffing a breeze of red dust at the approaching undead. Upon contact with the creatures, the dust ignited on their skin and seared their bodies rapidly. In mere moments, the undead became ashes in the corridor. "They should have been here by now. Perhaps they encountered something along the way?"

"No, that can't be." the king huffed. "They might just still be on their way. Their establishment is rather far from here, after all."

"You're probably right." Aikawa unsheathed his katana as more undead came his way. "What happened to the woman in the throne room?"

"I shattered her arm and she fled," Heath answered.

"Attaboy!" Aikawa laughed. "Sent her running with her tail tucked between her legs!"

"Yes, but...the way Kumii was so cautious about her. I feel that it could not have been that easy. Stay alert, Aikawa."

Aikawa's smile faded. As he fixed his eyes on his friend, he saw that Heath's expression was one of profound concern. As if something was genuinely upsetting him. His eyebrows were drawn together, his mouth was downturned, and he was looking away from Aikawa, which showed that he was feeling uneasy. But what truly disturbed Aikawa was that deep in Heath's eyes, he sensed a hint of worry. Something the king hadn't displayed in decades. It was slight, but there.

The look in Heath's eyes and the anxiousness on his face were clear signs of how serious the situation was, and it was enough to make Aikawa forget about his own safety and focus instead on Heath's. His usually comedic and careless demeanor faded in an instant. If Heath was worried, he knew he should be as well.

"Aikawa!" Heath called out to him. "On your left."

Aikawa's eyes widened as he looked to his side to see six undead dangerously close and lunging at him. In a flash, the old man swung his katana and beheaded them all in one slash. He sighed in relief as they hit the ground.

"It's not common for you to get caught off guard," Heath said. "Something bothers you. What is it?"

Aikawa shook his head, regaining focus. "What's bothering me is that something is bothering you, Heath. What happened with the pink lady?"

For a moment, the king held a pause. There was hesitation in answering the question. Then he took a deep breath and finally spoke. "When she was leaving...she said that she got what she wanted and that it was only a matter of time."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know. But it makes me feel that even though I got her to retreat....somehow, she still...."

"She still what, Heath? Spit it out already."

"She still won."

Kumii Kumii







Code by Serobliss



Mood: Tired
Kaius Adamson
The Conceited Genius
Kaius Adamson's Residence
Kaius is asleep.
Code by Serobliss


Mood: Curious/Alert
Lloyd Bolton
The Wannabe Knight
Unknown Alleyways, Ironshire

"Who the hell is making all that noise?" cried Eleanor. She got up from her seat and marched to the source of the sound, clearly agitated. Eleanor had been in her room reading when she was interrupted by loud creaking noises, followed by intense grunting. At first, she ignored it, but eventually, it became so bothersome that she grabbed the cover of her book with such force that it creased. "Bloody hell! I can't even hear myself thinking!"

Eleanor had a round face, deep-set eyes, and a small mouth. Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun, and she wore a navy blue dress. That round face was now twisted up in such a way that it would hurt someone's feelings without a single word being uttered. Her eyes flashed with anger and her lips were pressed together tightly. She didn't need to say anything; her expression said it all.

Eleanor flung the door of her brick cottage home open and briefly scanned her surroundings for the culprit. Her gaze quickly settled on a wheeled cart. It was stuffed with vegetables. Cabbage, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, and more. A heavy batch, for sure. She spotted her target, a young boy with short, cocoa-colored hair who was desperately pushing his cart. Eleanor furrowed her eyebrows.

"Oi, lad!" she called out, vexation in her voice. "Don't you understand that people are trying to live in peace here? Quit bein' a prick and cease all that gruntin', will ya?"

The boy, whose head was down as he pushed, looked up at the sound of Eleanor's complaining. Apologetically, he smiled.

"Sorry, Miss Eleanor!" The boy responded, his voice cracking as he spoke. "This thing's heavy! If you don't believe me, come try it out!"

"Goodness, gracious," Eleanor muttered under her breath. She suddenly felt guilty about her whining as she noticed that the boy was Lloyd Bolton, the neighborhood caretaker. He could always be seen around the neighborhood doing difficult tasks for those who couldn't do them themselves and always did it with a smile.

Lloyd wore his occasional cheap leather armor, leather gloves, and tan pants, with his addition of a wooden sword sheathed on his left hip. Beads of sweat formed and rolled down his face, and strands of his hair adhered to his forehead because of it. His armor had grown too hot, restricting his movement and causing him to become increasingly uncomfortable as the summer sun beamed down on him.

He was a kind young man who always went out of his way to help people, and Eleanor felt embarrassed by her outburst. She quickly put on a friendly smile and offered her apologies. "No, no, it's alright, Lloyd. I thought you were someone else, and the sounds were rather bothersome. Who's cart are you lugging around, anyways?"

"Miss Collette's," Lloyd answered. "I think it's from her husband's farm. She asked to me take it to the market"

"Well, isn't it rather brutal to have a lad like you taking it there by yourself?" inquired Eleanor, observing his exhausted state. "You need some help? I can get Benedict to-"

"No, it's alright. I got it."

"You sure?"

"Yep." Lloyd gave her a reassuring smile.

"I mean...alright then." Eleanor began to close her door back. "Get there safely. And for goodness' sake, lad, please don't get heatstroke again. Nearly gave Alice a heart attack when you fainted on her doorstep."

Lloyd chuckled and nodded. "I'll try." Eleanor stepped back inside and Lloyd continued pushing the cart. He sighed as he trudged onward. Looking up at the sky, seeing the sun still blazing down on him, Lloyd shook his head, determined to make it to the market before it got too late. He picked up his pace, pushing the cart faster and faster as he went.

***​

15 minutes later, Lloyd came to a stop near a series of alleyways. He put his hands on his head and panted heavily, then stepped into the shade a nearby alley provided. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, trying to slow his racing heart. Satisfied in the shade, Lloyd took a few moments to collect himself before walking back to his cart to continue.

As Lloyd pushed the vegetables again, his attention was drawn to some distant voices echoing from the alley. Upon closer inspection, he observed a man and a woman standing together, both of whom had their hair tied back in ponytails. The woman had a fierce expression on her face and held a sword pointed at something out of view. Meanwhile, the man appeared to be at ease and had a pleasant smile on his face. Lloyd found himself captivated by the pair, intrigued by their dynamic.

He didn't notice anyone on the ground until the woman drew her sword. A small body lay motionless as Lloyd's eyes followed the blade; upon closer inspection, he realized it was a young girl. Lloyd gazed up at the woman wielding the sword as his eyes widened. Was she going to murder this young girl?

Despite being unsure of the circumstances, Lloyd reacted promptly and decisively. Without hesitation, he reached into his cart and retrieved a potato, then swiftly took a step forward and raised his voice, shouting, "Hey!" with the intention of catching the attention of the woman with dark hair. In one fluid motion, Lloyd hurled the potato with a grunt toward her head.

AlphaBlueWolf AlphaBlueWolf
Code by Serobliss
 
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  • Mana & SkylaLocation: Luminosa
    Interactions: SharkBark SharkBark AlphaBlueWolf AlphaBlueWolf
    Current Weather: Clear
    Current Time: August 28th, 1337.
    Skyla walked alongside Mana, holding her hand as she did and heard what Rai said, "I agree with Rai. We can't risk bringing Nia into this and jeopardize her position within the city." Skyla looked at Rai and Mateo, "Besides, she's been gone for 6 months, we don't exactly know who she's been with or what she's been doing all this time. I hate to say, but it's not only a personal risk for her but a risk for us too. She can't be trusted. Not now anyways."

    Skyla gently smiled at Mateo, "Rai's right, you're not hurting her." Skyla put her free hand on Mateo's shoulder, "You protected us. That's very mature, I'm proud of you, Mateo."
 
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Mood: Alert
Kaminari Takahashi
Shugosha
The Seiryoku Empire
View attachment 1082570
1680664539774-png.1078772

"Sounds to me like you're overthinking," Aikawa said. "She's just trying to get into your head. Mind games. That's probably all she can do anyway. She can't hurt us physically."

Heath lingered on his friend's words for a few moments.

He had a look of contempt in his eyes, still pondering over the possible interpretations of the words he heard earlier and whether or not he should be concerned. However, upon hearing Aikawa's latest statement, he felt a sense of relief and calmness.

"No, no," the king began. "You're right. I'm overthinking, and it's taking my attention off our current objective. Forcing those intruders back."

"Exactly." Aikawa patted Heath on the back. "Aren't you glad to have me as a friend? Me, such a handsome, smart, cunning, majestic, loveable, amazing-"

"Now you're pushing it." the king laughed along with his comrade.

As the battle raged on, the Seiryoku Troops finally arrived and began fighting off the hordes. It wasn't as effective as they wanted, but it was still a useful addition to their forces. Heath's disappointment only grew as he realized how much his troops struggled when it was just them against these mere foes. Yes, they hadn't been in action for a while, but were they truly this weak? Even after all of the training that was put in to prepare them for this moment? Impossible. Were they not trying?

To make matters worse, all three of his trusted guards, known as Shugoshas, also participated in the battle. One would think that with their presence, the undead would be easily defeated. However, this was not the case as they, along with everyone else, struggled to fend off the incoming horde.

Heath's attention diverted to Mei when she called out, saying she could see the light in the darkness. An analogy that fits this moment. With the help of the flying beings and their new ally nation, the fight was now in their favor. Little by little, victory seemed closer.

"Heath, sir. I have a plan." Mei approached him. She pointed back to the undead horde and brought the portals behind them to Heath's attention. Then, Mei explained that if they closed those portals, the supply of undead would be cut off. Afterward, all they'd have to do was kill the remaining ones. Mei suggested that the Harpies get in close and clear a path for her, Heath, and maybe someone else. This is so they can destroy the portals.

Heath nodded. "Sounds effective." He looked back at the horde. "But we can do this with a minimal amount of people. You fly as well, don't you? You and I will still go in together, but Domori will do the clearing. I see you've gotten quite acquainted with him lately, so you should have no problem working together." Heath turned to the archer. "Domori!"

Domori finished off an incoming enemy with a well-placed arrow to the neck before acknowledging his king. "Yes, your highness?"

Heath repeated Mei's plan to Domori. To confirm he understood, he nodded. "So what do you suggest I do?"

"Remember that ability you demonstrated back when you stopped that brawl?"

Domori pondered for a moment. "You mean Tremble? Where I made them float?"

"Precisely. Use Tremble to suspend the undead close to the portal into the air. It stops them from attacking and clears the way for Mei and me to move in. Two uses, one arrow. Am I clear?"

"Crystal, sir."

Heath turned back to Mei. "How does that sound to you? Domori will cancel gravity and lift the undead crowding the portal into the air. Then, you and I will go past them."



USER=14994] Kumii Kumii [/USER]
Code by Serobliss
 

  • To Mateo's surprise, Rai didn't have a straight answer for him. He was used to the adults having all the answers, to the grownups of the group shielding and guiding him through danger. So, the fact that Rai didn't really have a right answer for him was a little disconcerting. It started to shatter the illusion of the adults. Sure, they were older, but they were as clueless as him to the right thing to do in this situation. The whole curse and Luminosa situation was uncharted territory. For all of them. And even if Mateo had the curse his entire life, he knew as much about it as the others. They were really in it together, and it showed. Of course, they could reassure each other, but there was no clear right and wrong in their current predicament. Only what they thought was the right thing. The fact was, Mateo wasn't sure if the Nia decision was him trying to do the right thing, or him being selfish.

    Rai talked about necessity. It was a necessity for him to tell Rai and Skyla because his sludge had been building at the time, and there had clearly been no way for it to subside. After seeing the Death Knight, he'd taken a walk to cool off, meeting the demon child Mana. And sure, that walk had been good for him. He'd taken himself away from the situation to cool off, then met someone who didn't mind that he was cursed, which was something that meant the world to him. But upon coming back, he found one of his friends dead, and the one thing about him that was useful to the group, his healing prowess, couldn't do a damn thing to help. Of course, after that, it was a matter of time before a transformation occurred and he ripped his other friends apart. No amount of walking away to cool off would help that fact. The only thing that helped was the acceptance by his two friends and setting off towards another task to take his mind off it. Honestly, he thought that was good for the whole group. Distancing themselves from the truth of Mika's death until they were ready to confront it. He'd gotten some sense of closure by seeing the last remnants of Mika's soul, but there was still the lasting grief for him to confront. And that was the monster hiding under his clothes, ready to take his place the first chance it got to spew the negativity that nurtured it. The goddamn monstrosity part of Rai's speech hurt, Mateo lowering his gaze off to the side as he said it, but it's not like he didn't agree with Rai on that part. He couldn't deny the fact of his own nature. But it still stung his ears to hear the truth from one of his closest friends.

    But Rai argued there was not a necessity to tell Nia. In fact, it was quite the opposite. The necessity was to not tell her, for it could ruin her life in Luminosa. She didn't seem like a native here, at least she hadn't said anything about it, so it was hard enough for her as an outsider. He wouldn't want to make things even worse for her.

    Rai gave him a pat on the back, to which he looked up to the samurai, his eyes shining in response to his words. He wasn't hurting anyone with his decisions. Skyla responded too. It seemed she'd been listening into their conversation, and she couldn't listen to him and his doubts without getting in her own words to reassure him. She agreed with Rai, putting a hand on his shoulder and stating that he had protected the group through his actions. She called him mature and stated that she was proud of him.

    Mateo looked at each of them in turn, and the corners of his mouth turned up into a smile. His eyes were watery, but he stopped himself from crying. "Thanks, you guys. I needed to hear that."

    ***

    Mateo felt much better as they continued to walk. The tightness in his chest eased and subsided and he felt light and airy. Nikolai navigated the bustling streets and zigzagging alleyways like a champ, and he kept the bigger group of outsiders mostly out of sight from the judging eyes of the Luminosans. Eventually, the group made their way back to Old Luminosa, a sight familiar to Mateo, Skyla, and Cora, but new to Rai and Mana. Though, the sight of it might seem similar to Rai, since it looked like the slums of Ironshire, though significantly less cramped. Sure, the stucco buildings and houses here were historic and rich in Luminosa history, however it was far too close to the mountain for anyone to want to willingly live here. In the end, only those who were straddled for cash found a home in this place, and the officials of Luminosa didn't seem to care much for it, obvious by its horrid condition.

    Nikolai took them away from those streets too, where houses started ceasing to trees. Low trees gathered and moss snaked the cobblestone like an infection. At first, the trees weren't that numerous, but they clustered around their walkway until the branches arched over them and fronds brushed against their feet. It honestly seemed incredible. When they got close to Luminosa, there seemed to be very little vegetation and barely any trees. But here it was thick coverage. And the fog. It prickled against the group's skin, wet and sticky, and killed their sight. It seemed to bother all of them, not being able to see far ahead, but Nikolai didn't mind. Every root that the group tripped over, Nikolai avoided without having to look down. Every rock that was slick with fog, Niko didn't even wobble over, however the others slid down it and struggled to find their footing. There was a sense of ease Nikolai gave off, as if he had mastered all these challenges, knowing this area like the back of his hand.

    "These are the Monta Fuga Woods." Nikolai narrated as they walked, "Roughly translated to English that means Mountain Leak. That's because all of this comes from the mountain. The trees, the moss. The fog especially. It rolls down from the mountain. Not all parts have it, but these woods are connected to a part of the mountain that does get especially thick fog. You should be careful about it when you're getting back to town. I'm used to it, but any unexperienced travelers can get easily lost by it. Not that anyone is foolish enough to come around these parts."

    With enough walking, they came to a path. Holding down a few branches, Mateo let the others move ahead before letting them go and joining the group. Upon looking up, he could see a beautiful wooden cabin. The logs looked old and yet not disheveled. They carried with them age, yet it aided the structure as if it were fine wine, each year older yet better. It made Mateo hold his breath at the beauty of it. The fog settled, still there but less thick and more comforting. As a breeze blew in, he was instantly drawn to the sound of wind chimes on the front porch, rattling with a sweet sound like bird song. He noticed a woven circle hanging up near the porch, a dream catcher. In fact, he caught many such talismans hanging around them. Little things like crystals tied onto tree branches, and signs carved into the trees meant to keep evil away. There were small balls that hung from branches that carried a continuous glow to them, lighting the walkway up to the cabin and helping to guide weary souls through the fog. He was sure they had a greater meaning, like keeping Cabrera beasts away, since supposedly they hated light. Mateo himself thought they were pretty, and they must've been even more pretty during the nighttime. A strange thought for a Cabrera to have given their intended function, he was sure. Maybe he'd have a different reaction in his beast form, but he wasn't keen on finding out.

    "This is my family's cabin. We settled here years and years ago when Luminosa was a small town rather than a city. Apparently, my ancestors liked to live away from Luminosa while having some slight dealings with its people." He explained as he started leading them up the walkway. They were actually stairs carved into the dirt. They curved around a rock and up a few more steps stood the cabin. Mateo waved away some moss on the boulder to see a symbol painted on it with bright paint. It looked like a sun ring around a crossed sword and arrow, possibly in reference to Ignis and Lukia, an early design of Luminosa's symbol and a show of their alliance, or future alliance. He was sure it meant to protect the people living here from the things up on the mountain. The cabin was so close to the base that he was sure the inhabitants were worried about Cabrera beasts popping up. He looked up towards it. Even with the fog, the Solqueador Mountain looked closer than it had when they were outside of the walls talking to Halazzi and Serena. And more drawing than before. Nikolai's continued words snapped him out of his trance so that he didn't go marching forward towards the mountain. Instead, he shook his head and continued up the steps to the front porch. "But no one lives here anymore. When superstitions started arising over the mountain, my family moved out. The Lucero's also gave us a much better place to live. But the cabin has been here ever since. No one really likes to use it anymore because of its proximity to the mountain, but I don't mind it."

    They got to the front porch, which was surprisingly tidy for being years and years old. The wood creaked and moaned as they walked upon it and the railing was sleek with dew. The sloped roof that provided the porch with cover was made of red slats upon oak wood. Though the slats were colored over green in patches of springy moss. The porch itself held a bench and two chairs for leisurely sitting, a stack of firewood, a few potted plants, most of which had started drooping, and a circular pan that held still water halfway full, only disturbed when a new drop came down from the seemingly leaking ceiling. There must've been a hole up there the child couldn't fix himself, and he said no came around here, so that had probably been his best solution for the problem. All and all, it was a cozy little porch for such a creepy looking, foggy forest.

    Nikolai went over to the door and opened it up for the group. "Welcome, make yourselves at home." Mateo felt it mystifying how spacious it seemed inside for such a small shack in the woods. Upon entry they were immediately walking into the living room. On one wall was a cobblestone fireplace, gated off and unlit. Above the opening sat a mantle with more little plants. Mateo could spot aloe vera sitting in one of the pots, good for soothing burns and some rashes as well. Otherwise, the mantle held an expertly carved wooden clock, and other small wooden figurines, these more crude in design. Tightly packed around the fireplace was a spruce coffee table, a couch and two fabric chairs. Light filtered in through the windows on the adjacent wall to the fireplace. On the opposite wall of the widows, there was another door closed to them so they couldn't see what was inside. Along that same wall started stairs that led up to a small loft with a circular window looking out to the front of the cabin. A sort of bay window, with a bench attached to that wall. They could see three doors up there but again, they didn't know where they led.

    Nikolai started explaining the arrangements of the house. "This is the living room. There's firewood outside and flint by the pit if you want to light a fire. Or if any of you know fire magic you could use that too." He pointed to the room on the wall. "That's the kitchen. There's some stuff in there already, mostly fruits and vegetables, and stuff that's easy to keep. And there's a small garden out back, though I don't think anything's ready at the moment." He turned and pointed to the stairs next. "Upstairs are bedrooms. They've got basic stuff. Bed, desk, lantern. Oh, and there's a small outhouse around back if any of you need it. It's a little way out but there's markings so you'll know where to go. I figured since you guys aren't from here you wouldn't have a place to go, so you can stay here if you'd like."

    "Really?" Mateo asked.

    "Yeah, if you want it. You guys are helping me so it's only fair to return the favor. Besides, no one uses this place anyways besides my occasional visits and Emmerly's appearing here sometimes. It can be like our super-secret headquarters while we plan our move! And no one likes to come out here, so it'll be top secret too."
    1685214567177.jpeg
 
  • Mana & SkylaLocation: Luminosa
    Interactions: SharkBark SharkBark AlphaBlueWolf AlphaBlueWolf
    Current Weather: Clear
    Current Time: August 28th, 1337.
    Skyla followed behind as they weaved through the branches and what not of the woods to a cabin. Skyla looked around as they hiked, taking in the momentary peaceful trip that they lacked since they arrived here. A secret base as Nikolai called it, "This is.. a lot." Mana got overly excited, "A secret base!" Without thinking and purely on instinct, she sprouted bat-like wings and flew a short distance up the stairs, landing on the top of them, "It's so quaint!" She exclaimed as if nothing had just happened. She glided back down to Nikolai and everyone else, "You said a secret base?"

    Skyla put a hand on Mana's shoulder and pointed at her wings, "You're wings, Mana..." Mana looked at her wings and immediately put them away, "Oh.. sorry.." She sounded almost sad, disappointed in herself that she had done that. Skyla looked at Rai and Mateo then at Nikolai, "She's... well.. a demon. A Spirit but you can't tell anyone, please." Skyla begged Nikolai.

    Serena appeared walking next to Mateo as the little Mana spread her wings, literally. She commented on the secluded nature of the cabin, "Hmm, it's... rather quite homely for being such a secluded cabin in the woods." Serena noticed Mana with her Demon accessories, "I created the Demon a little too beautiful... didn't I?" Serena giggled, "She's a little excited though isn't she. Just hope that Nikolai doesn't mind that she's a Demon.."
 
Mood: Confused
Rai Ikari
Thunderous Hunter
Nikolai's Family Cabin
After Rai and Skyla reassured Mateo, the group continued their trek to their destination. About 15 minutes into it that Rai realized that he didn't actually know where that destination was. They had arrived at their first destination, Luminosa, but Rai never seemed to have received the memo about where they were headed next. Maybe it was discussed while he was out eating with the others. Or maybe it was discussed in front of him, but he wasn't paying attention. Either way, Rai was completely clueless here, but for some reason, he didn't bother to ask. He just continued walking alongside his companions, hoping the answer would surface by itself.

The group reached an area of Luminosa that had its differences from the streets they were on before. Its quality was relatively worse and had a slum-like appearance and feeling to it. Dinginess and somberness seemed to float around in the air and atmosphere, but it wasn't all that bad. Rai had seen worse. Ironshire slums were the topic here. Back there, living conditions were significantly worse in some areas. If you got too deep into the slums of Ironshire, you'd see the run-down brick homes that were almost in ruins and the inhabitants who somehow kept themselves alive there, despite their horrible living conditions. Rai had been sent down there too many times for a bounty and always found himself feeling sorry for the civilians. Often to the point where he'd hand out yen like it was oxygen.

Further into their venture, the buildings began to disappear and were replaced by low-hanging trees and vast amounts of greenery. So much so that it was arduous to navigate through. Suddenly, all solid footholds seemed to cease to exist. Instead, they were superseded by slippery rocks, mud that adhered to the bottom of Rai's sandals, and roots that stuck out of the ground with the sole purpose of making the samurai nearly fall face-first into the ground. Those weren't even the most irritating parts of it all. A thick fog also filled the area, obscuring their vision and making it harder to avoid the protruding tree branches that slapped Rai in the face every chance they got.

The only person who didn't seem to be affected by all of this was Nikolai. He treaded easily past all of the vegetation and obstacles without a single mishap. It made more sense now why he was leading the group. Rai tried to mimic the boy's movements, watching where he placed his feet and how he turned but slipped anyway. He just barely caught himself by grabbing onto a tree branch, saving his haori from the mud. Not that touching the tree was clean anyway. When he let go, Rai looked down at his hands to see bits of moss and unknown sludge and fluids covering his palms. He tried to wipe it all off against the bark of another tree, but that only made things worse, as bits of the bark stuck to him.

Nikolai informed the group that they had entered the Monta Fuga Woods, which translated to "mountain leak" in the local language. He proceeded to explain that all elements in the area originated from the mountain - the fog, the moss, and the trees alike. Nikolai also cautioned the group about the fog, warning that it could lead new travelers astray and get them lost. It would be wise to exercise caution while returning.

After some more treading, the group arrived on a path, where they arrived at a wooden cabin. For a place this far out in the forest, it was surprisingly pleasing to look at. It appeared old but not run-down. Outside it, wind chimes clinked together into a peaceful tune as the wind blew. Other accessories decorated the exterior of the cabin as well, such as dream catchers and various talismans, but Rai paid no attention to them, being too focused on Nikolai's words.

This was Nikolai's family cabin, according to him, which they inhabited decades ago when Luminosa was first created. But no one resided here anymore, which Nikolai informed them was because of superstitions and its proximity to the mountain.

They walked up to the front porch, where a bench and two chairs comfortably sat, and Nikolai opened the cabin door for them. Before Rai entered, he glanced down at his muddy sandals and slid them off. Then he stepped inside. They were immediately greeted by a cozy-looking living room with a fireplace (which Rai felt joy upon seeing), plants decorating its walls, furniture, and more. Looking satisfied, Rai strolled over to the couch and plopped onto it, which he nearly regretted doing instantly when it creaked loudly. For a second, he thought it would crash down on the floor with him on it. It was comfy, though. Rai let his body sink into the couch with a relaxed sigh but then got up when Nikolai told them they could light the fire if they wanted.

Rai knelt in front of the pit and ignited the firewood with a few sparks of electricity from his hands. The flames caught on quickly, causing some bits of bark to fly around. Rai blew on the fire to help it grow, and then stood up, dusting off his pants.

After Nikolai had meticulously shared all the details about the cabin, including the living room, the kitchen stocked with fresh fruits and veggies, the bedrooms, and the garden, Rai couldn't help but ponder over something. He was yet to comprehend why they had made the journey all the way to this secluded cabin and what motivated them to assist Nikolai. And what were they helping him with anyway?

Rai sat back down on the couch. "Hold on, what, exactly, are we helping with?" he asked. "I might've missed that part."

Before Nikolai got the chance to answer, Skyla spoke up, looking to him. To Rai's surprise, she confessed to the boy that Mana was a demon, and asked that he doesn't tell anyone. Rai turned around in his seat and looked at Skyla, confusion in his expression. Why did she just tell him that? Since he was lighting the fire, Rai wasn't aware that Mana had just flown up the stairs.




Kumii Kumii
Code by Serobliss


Mood: Relieved and Joyful
Castro Smith
Blue-Eyed Bandit
Unknown, Ironshire

This was it. The final test to see if the prosthetic was functional. There's no way it doesn't work. It has to. Castro reassured himself. But clashing with these thoughts were feelings of doubt and uncertainty. Questions bounced back and forth through Castro's mind. What if I missed a step? Is it even comfortable to wear? Are there any hazards to his safety? Any failed mechanics? Should I have added a cooling agent for the motors? Will they overheat because of that? Can they even overheat?

At the last minute, Castro had second thoughts, but it was too late. Aleph had already inserted his arm into the prosthetic. He struggled to buckle the strap himself due to his missing limb, so Castro helped him. Initially, the strap wasn't tight enough, but Castro made some adjustments until it fit perfectly.

Then came the most important part: using the arm.
Aleph started with some basic movements, such as bending his fingers and manipulating them. Those motions were clean and fluid, fortunately. In fact, its movements didn't seem robotic or stiff at all. There wasn't a single whirring sound or crunch when the fingers bent. But, some whirring occurred when Aleph tested his rotating wrist. They again succeeded. The wrist could rotate smoothly, but also hang upside down.

Next, Aleph moved on to testing out the offensive features of the prosthetic limb. Now Castro started to fret again.

There was no telling how powerful the voltages the electrodes produce would be. After all, Castro hadn't added a meter, or anything that could help Aleph control the strength of the electricity. Castro was now realizing that he hadn't even put an insulator in there to protect Aleph from the lightning emitted. Everything was coming to mind now. All of his mistakes, his mishaps, the flaws in the design, and the possible side effects it could have on Aleph. It felt like everything would turn out wrong. But to Castro's surprise, that couldn't be further from the truth.

As Aleph activated the shock glove mechanic on the limb, a series of lightning bolts crackled and surged around the fist, filling the room with a distinct and electric hum. Castro felt a wave of relief wash over him as he closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. Thankfully, everything seemed to be working perfectly fine - there were no issues with the limb, and Aleph remained unscathed. Now that the potentially dangerous part was over, there was no chance that the crossbow would cause any harm to Aleph.

For this part, they just needed something for Aleph to shoot at. A target.

Castro roamed through his drawers again and eventually found the only thing he wouldn't use in the future. A small slab of wood. A very small slab of wood. Perhaps too small for Aleph to hit. He began to put the slab back and look for something else.
However, Aleph grabbed his shoulder, indicating he wanted him to stop. The boy then wrote on his notepad insisting it was good enough. Castro hesitated again, but Aleph seemed certain. So, he posted the slab up on the wall and stood back to avoid the crossbow's line of fire.

Aleph carefully loaded a bolt into his weapon and took aim at the wooden target. He focused intensely and with a swift movement of his wrist, the bolt was released and hit the slab with impressive accuracy, surprising Castro once again.

"Holy shit," Castro said to himself again. "We did it."

He quickly grabbed the notepad:

We did it. We ACTUALLY did it. This is next level. In a minimum amount of time, we made something this advanced. A prosthetic. Not just a prosthetic, but a fully functioning limb that could be used to replace lost ones. WITH other great mechanics and weaponry. Holy shit, I'm a genius. I created something this revolutionary in such a small amount of time. Imagine what I could've done with-

Castro paused. He realized he was rambling. He scribbled out what he had and started over.

We did it. We ACTUALLY did it. This is next level. In a minimum amount of time, we made something this advanced. A prosthetic. Not just a prosthetic, but a fully functioning limb that could be used to replace lost ones. WITH other great mechanics and weaponry Holy shit, I'm a genius. I created something this revolutionary in such a small amount of time. Imagine what I could've done with-

It's finally done. Your arm is finally finished after all of those countless hours of building. This is absolutely amazing. And it ACTUALLY works too. I don't even know what to say right now. This is just... revolutionary. But you can celebrate more later. Right now, I have to get you home. Rori told me to take you to Westshire or something. I'm not sure. I forgot. Where are you supposed to go, Aleph?

AlphaBlueWolf AlphaBlueWolf



Mood: Alert
Heath Mazaki
The Unbreakable King
The Seiryoku Empire
View attachment 1082570
1680664539774-png.1078772

Mei approved of the adjustments made to the plan and said that on Heath's go, she'd move in. Heath nodded. Then he looked at Domori, who also nodded, confirming his readiness. Domori then reached into his quiver and retrieved an arrow. He nocked the arrow, eyes locked on his target. The Tremble ability released soundwaves that started in the middle and then surged in all directions. So, the right place to land the arrow would be in the middle of the horde surrounding the portals.

With precision and caution, Domori raised the bow, his hand firmly yet lightly gripping the weapon. His eyes scanned the area before him, carefully assessing the surroundings to ensure that no allies were in harm's way. Once he confirmed that the coast was clear, he focused his gaze on his target and slowly drew back the bowstring. The initial shakiness of the bow was only temporary, as Domori's steady hand and unwavering focus allowed him to stabilize the weapon for a concise shot. And with a swift release of the string, the arrow soared through the air, expertly hitting its intended mark.

With a sickening squelch, the arrow flew pierced into the skull of one of the undead creatures that were in the middle of the horde. Immediately, its body crumpled to the floor. Suddenly, a deep and resonating noise permeated the atmosphere, causing the air to vibrate with invisible soundwaves. The undead creatures, although unable to see the source of the sound, were affected by its spiraling motion. Within merely a few seconds, the ground began to shake, and the undead's feet were lifted off the ground, causing them to float aimlessly in the air. Their flailing limbs were no longer grounded, and the path to the portals was cleared for Heath and Mei.

Without hesitation, Heath sprinted forward, his eyes fixed on the portals looming ahead. He maneuvered under the airborne enemies that had only just been obstructing their path, finally coming to a stop at the sources of the relentless horde. The portals glimmered with an otherworldly aura, their ethereal outlines pulsing with an eerie energy. Through the swirling mist at their center, Heath could make out the shadowy silhouette of an unknown location, one that exuded an unmistakable sense of foreboding. And there, on the other side, were the undead, poised to launch yet another attack. Heath cast a quick glance over his shoulder, anxiously awaiting Mei's arrival. They had to act fast and destroy those portals before the next wave of horrors emerged.


Kumii Kumii







Code by Serobliss



Mood: Tired
Kaius Adamson
The Conceited Genius
Kaius Adamson's Residence
Kaius is asleep.
Code by Serobliss


Mood: Protective
Lloyd Bolton
The Wannabe Knight
Unknown Alleyways, Ironshire

Lloyd was experiencing conflicting emotions - relief at having rescued the little girl from the murderous lady wielding a sword, and yet unnerved at the same time. The woman's attention was now drawn to him, the same person who had just now easily sliced through the potato he had thrown at her. She hadn't even taken a single glance at it in the process. The woman turned her steely gaze towards Lloyd, and instantly he felt an uncomfortable warmth at the back of his neck and his palms started to sweat. Lloyd swallowed hard, his throat feeling suddenly dry. He had never seen anyone move with such speed and accuracy before.

The other person, the guy with her, was the first one to speak up. He told Lloyd to "run along", something the boy himself was already considering. He didn't know why, but he felt himself rooted in the ground, too overwhelmed by fear to move. Who are we kidding? Lloyd knew exactly why he felt that way. Both slayers possessed razor-sharp blades, and the one he had just foolishly attacked was staring into his soul. An intense ringing and numb feeling harassed his head; it was as if his brain was screaming at him to retreat.

But in the next moment, those fears washed away.

The defenseless little girl, the target of their aggression, mustered the courage to rise to her feet, desperately yearning to escape her assailants' clutches. Yet, her bold attempt at freedom was abruptly useless. With swift, ruthless precision, the woman's hand seized the girl by her hoodie, wrenching her back down to the unyielding ground. The sickening sound of her impact provoked an involuntary wince from Lloyd, a testament to the sheer brutality of the act.

As the girl lay there, momentarily stunned and vulnerable, the woman's grip tightened. With an unsettling display of dominance, she effortlessly lifted the girl from the cold floor, suspending her in the air, a puppet at the mercy of her tormentor.

At that harrowing moment, as the little girl was ruthlessly manhandled, a transformative wave washed over Lloyd's trembling frame. The grip of anxiety that had paralyzed him moments before began to loosen its hold, vanishing as swiftly as it had appeared. In that instant, Lloyd remembered why he had made his decision to attack the woman. He was here to save the innocent person from danger. Just like how knights did in the tales he reads about.

And at this moment he was the valorous knight, and the ones before him the two-headed dragon he faced.

Lloyd clenched his fingers into tight fists and drew in a deep breath, inhaling fortitude and exhaling fear.

The assailant woman had finally spoken up. Calling him "Farmer Boy", she informed Lloyd that this was "official spirit slayer business". And as her partner did, she told him to move along. To this, Lloyd cocked his head. A spirit slayer? What was that? He had heard of knights, warriors, samurai, assassins, and dragon slayers, but a spirit slayer? Like the entities?

"Spirit slayers?" Lloyd echoed. "Like...slaying ghosts? Wait, you can slay a ghost? But they're..." He struggled to find the word. "...like, non...solid? I'm saying you can't touch a ghost. Your hand will go-"

Lloyd paused, ending his rambling. He had to remember his current objective. No time for questions.

Lloyd resumed his response, this time subtly forcing his voice to sound deeper. "Forget about it. It doesn't matter what you are. That doesn't excuse your actions." He gestured to Aiko. "You still can't beat up a kid like that. And if the slayer part in your title means that you're going to kill her..."

Lloyd placed his right hand on the hilt of his wooden sword. He didn't dare to draw it though; Lloyd wanted to keep the fact that it wasn't a real sword hidden. The hilt was all he needed to keep the illusion alive since it was beautifully crafted and appeared authentic.

"Then I'll have no choice but to stop you." he continued, his voice cracking on the "choice".

AlphaBlueWolf AlphaBlueWolf
Code by Serobliss
 
  • An Eagle with No NameLocation: Skies Above Ironshire
    Mentions: SharkBark SharkBark AlphaBlueWolf AlphaBlueWolf
    Current Weather: Clear
    Current Time: August 27th, 1337.
    High above the skies of Ironshire soared an eagle it had a blue body and a gold head. It had a wingspan of just over 6 feet long, it was a large bird. It didn't seem to be doing much but spotted a few interesting events going on. The first event was a trio of people being approached by a large orc of a man. It wasn't hard to determine who exactly that Orc was.

    The second event was a group of bounty hunters conversing near their hall and being approached by a mysterious man in all white. The figure held up a poster with a face on it, though the face was hard to see from where the eagle was, it was clear the figure in all white was looking for someone.

    The last event was far more interesting then the others. A group of Slayers slowly approaching a small Tanuki-like creature and a little boy coming to its rescue. The eagle dropped altitude some but still remained a fair distance above the lowest buildings near the alleyway, letting out that familiar eagle screech as the eagle circled overhead but didn't seem to make any moves to intercept the group, instead just watched events unfold.
 
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