Main Story [Kingslayer Arc]

Angel Litwick



Though all the other mages seemed content to give up and head home while the king and some advisors deliberated the fate of the kingdom, Angel remained firmly and solidly ingrained within the capital city. She didn’t really have anywhere else to go in the first place and the one and only thing she cared about at this point was finding Sora the Windrunner, the Kingslayer, whatever anyone insisted on naming her, and giving the girl a fairly large piece of her mind.


Only two possibilities existed. One: Sora had intentionally attacked and harmed mages without any reason at all. Two: Sora had known about the Red Tide all along and neglected to tell anyone for her own selfish reasons. Either way, Angel was pissed and she was not about to let it go unnoticed. With the way the news had been spinning lately, Angel knew the second was more likely. That was the worst of the two options.


‘The little bitch decided to break my leg rather than simply tell me the truth. All she had to do was explain but nooooo… she had to go and become the Kingslayer and send the whole kingdom spiraling into chaos. And for what? To run and hide like the prissy little princess that she is?’


Angel chuckled as another thought occurred to her. ‘Her silly little name doesn’t even fit. She never slayed a king. I doubt she could, either.’


Meandering through the crowds wearing simply what she usually wore, Angel made no attempt to hide who she was. Neither did she make any attempt to act inconspicuous. It was clear as day on her face that she was looking for someone and that when she found them, she wasn’t going to be very pleasant with them. A few random passerbys steered well clear of her path and she laughed softly at their fear. Turning around before they rounded the corner, she called back to them, “Did you know that those same mages you fear so much are now having a meeting with the king? They got an audience before you did… isn’t that unfair?” Her voice drawled on, sneering at them as though they were no less than rodents.


Angel wasn’t one to pick sides. The mages were so worried about this new ‘Red Tide’ that they had so quickly forgiven the actions of someone who’d blown up one of their own precious guild halls. As far as she was concerned, they didn’t deserve her sympathy any more than the common people did. As for what she thought of the common people themselves… well, as long as they didn’t get in her way she didn’t hate them, but they were still fun to mess with.
 
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Ezekiel Vatés~


Ezekiel held his silence for a fair length of the meeting with the King, his head tilted slightly, lips held close together and posture unmoving as he listened very closely to what the monarch and each individual gathered had to say. Dressed in his usual garb, it would not surprise him if he stood out amongst the few mages gathered, perhaps by unassuming impression alone. This meeting was in fact a very peculiar experience for the sensory mage, who did not understand entirely why he'd been chosen representative of the guild he'd only joined recently. He was not very well-known (which caused him to wonder how he'd been rooted out for this request in the first place) nor was he expressly powerful enough to gain recognition, so to be granted this kind of responsibility was a grand matter. As baffled as he was regarding this however, Ezekiel was never one to take any decision nor duty lightly, and so from the moment he'd stepped into the meeting room he was more than a little on guard and was extremely solicitous about all that was said, requested and decided.


However, despite the fact that Ezekiel was new to many things, the matter brought to attention was, luckily or unluckily, one he was more than a little familiar with. Although it had been on a smaller scale, Ezekiel's earlier life had been similarly determined by a toxic rivalry between mage and non-mage, and he had witnessed firsthand how the quest for power can warp a person... how roiling dissatisfaction and dearth of trust can tear a people apart and condemn the innocent. That which was said at the ball... the king's plea to them... it reminded him greatly and sorely of his troubled past. Even so, Ezekiel embraced their reality with calm disposition. He knew from experience that, if he was his own person, he would not choose a side in this matter; to do so would declare an enemy and this was never something he yearned for without explicit reason. This scenario was different, however. Factoring in the opinions of the other guilds, the likely standpoint of his guildmates, the very limited options available to him... Ezekiel was not thinking as based on his moral perspective, but for what was smoothest for all those relying upon him in this moment.


It was in line with this understanding that Ezekiel made his decision, waiting patiently and listening closely to those representatives who had presented their ideas before them. Each of them had chosen to exact an alliance, although Ezekiel could very well sense their lingering bitterness towards the government; a fair few of them declared it even as they heeded the king's pleas, their support outlined by an unremitting desire to leave the citizens unharmed. Ezekiel was sympathetic to this notion and to the plights of certain representatives; he felt especially sorry for the representative of the Blue Pegasus guild, who's circumstance had driven him to cry before them. Ezekiel bowed his head in respect of the painful strife the man was obviously enduring, and sincerely hoped Destiny would be kinder towards him in future. Hopefully, Destiny would be kinder towards them all...


Several of the others had spoken with similar intent, until eventually it seemed it was his time to speak. The Silver Phoenix mage was silent at first, lifting his head and gathering his thoughts. Surprisingly, he had no nerves, although this was a calling Ezekiel was familiar with and more than a little passionate about. Therefore, there was nothing to fear...


Ezekiel stood, the thin, copper chains clinging to his gauntlets and belt chiming softly in response to his movement. Upon gathering attention, the man spoke quietly but with clarity.


“I have faith in the principles that draw the Silver Phoenix guild together… and as their representative, I speak solely with those principles in mind.”


In declaring his sentiments, Ezekiel released a small breath before raising his voice a tad, demonstrating sudden resolve.


“United by our quest for justice, Silver Phoenix ultimately seeks the betterment of all. As it stands, and from what I perceive, rebellion hinders those ideals our guild so greatly values… and the rebellious Red Tide are fuelled primarily by spite. While I feel some sympathy for their struggle, their attempts at usurpation are grandiose and prove only to wreak havoc…"


Splaying his arms before him, Ezekiel faced the King and continued with remarkable objectivity.


“It is for this reason that those in favour of Silver Phoenix’s cause will assist the government on the basis of restoring peace, as choosing otherwise is bound to lead to further anarchy and defamation. We offer support, be it in the form of advice, by magic or in numbers, and we will not withdraw our assistance without good reason…”


Having declared his guild's intentions, Zeke’s voice softened again, his speech shifting towards a plea for diplomacy.


“However, we too wish no harm upon the civilians, despite their delusion. Reinstating peace by means of oppression is not an option,” Ezekiel shook his head at this notion. “We seek only to mitigate and protect. And although it may be obnoxious to look towards a resolution so early on, I propose we attempt some sort of compromise with the Red Tide rather than aiming directly at snuffing them out… They fight for their own cause after all... If we choose not to acknowledge those injustices core to this event, regardless of whether the government are the victors of this unfortunate conflict, history will more than likely repeat itself. We, Silver Phoenix, intend to do all that is possible to prevent that.”


In stating this promise, Ezekiel fell silent, and after a moment's consideration he simply ducked his head in thanks and seated himself again. He intended not to get ahead of himself, but he could not help but bring to light those shades of grey that perhaps would bring satisfaction to them all. Regardless, a subtle urge to do good by the country and its people, not by custom or selfish cause, would not ail the government nor his guild...


Taking a deep breath to settle himself, Ezekiel turned towards those representatives last to speak and waited patiently upon their individual responses, his porcelain mask glinting sharply and attentively from beneath the folds of his hood.


@BLUR @shadowdude505 @Refaulted @Peaceswore @utdfan22 @Stormborn Targaryen @BlackknifeVane
 
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JAMKE DAIN (Lamia Scale)



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Jamke remained perfectly still in his seat, arms crossed over his chest as his eyes followed the other Guild Mages present during the meeting. Many seemed so nervous to be there that he was actually starting to relax despite his preference for avoiding attention. There was no big crowd to watch and the King was addressing enough people that he didn't feel as if he was under a spotlight. Besides, the battle that was brewing under the surface of the country was dominating the native opinion... the native opinion of a country that Jamke didn't consider his own. Jamke, despite living in Fiore for three years, did not consider himself a native and took great pride in his heritage. His guild was his primary concern in this conflict above all else, his family. More importantly, he wanted to end the conflict before his mother could be endangered by it. The King had gathered them here to try and get the conflict resolved before things could deteriorate even further. He had asked those guildmates near him to be allowed to represent the Guild when they gathered so that he could facilitate that with the only side willing to work with the mage guilds. He wanted to be here despite the tension surrounding it.


The other guilds had quickly made their intentions clear. They would side with the Government but would retain their autonomy. They didn't want to hurt any of the civilians when the fights broke out. They wanted to focus all of their attention on the leaders of the uprising, to cut off the head while leaving the body intact. Gurren, someone Jamke usually found quite agreeable, had made it clear that Fairy Tail would stick to their own moral compass. Lynn didn't want to involve Mermaid Heel in open fighting but was courageous enough to want to stick to the front lines herself. Jacob had a more complex opinion, bitter over being forced to make a final decision by the King. The pain in his voice had Jamke's sympathy but it was clear that Blue Pegasus would stand alone in the coming days. They would not be fighting and that was very understandable. Jamke hadn't agreed with everything he said but he had no intention of kicking the man while he down, especially with Dusty gone off on his own. Bailey's nerves hadn't stopped him from wanting to stand up for what he believed in either and Jamke had offered a reassuring smile when the boy sat back down. That had taken a lot of courage to say, its lack of preparation reflecting a kind sincerity. The Silver Phoenix Mage had clearly put a lot of thought into his decision, seeming to have to repress his own desires to push a path of peace. The overwhelming desire of the room was to avoid conflict and not bring harm to the innocent civilians. Jamke believed such was a nice sentiment but he couldn't quite agree with it.


Jamke's arms stayed crossed as he stood, his clenching fingers hidden by the pose. He represented the entire guild and that weight was certainly pushing down on him but he wouldn't allow it to show. There was something that Jamke felt needed to be said, "Like the others, Lamia Scale will side with the government and would prefer to avoid bloodshed where possible. However, I'm not optimistic enough to believe that's possible." Jamke glanced at the others there, "The Red Tide want to represent the people. Those who support them aren't children and they aren't all fools. It would be insulting to treat them as victims, they deserve more respect than that," Jamke glanced down at the ground. "I don't know what to make of the Red Tide's goals or their complaints. Democracy might be a worthy goal. Mages may have a superior position but magic is an inherent advantage and a fair system would reward it," a hand ran through his silver hair, the realisation of what he said making him feel very alone. "I can do things others simply cannot. I don't think I deserve special treatment but I refuse to be ashamed of what I can do because I worked hard to learn my skills. I will use those skills to defend myself it I have to." "This is the hard part..." "Throwing fruit, complaining by the sidelines or protesting peacefully all compose perfectly acceptable ways of bringing attention to their complaints. I won't tolerate anyone threatening the people I care about though."


"I've never killed anyone and I don't intend to change that fact. Lamia Scale is not a guild of murderers. None of us plan to take any lives, Red Tide and Kingslayer included," Jamke's hand moved in front of his face before he clenched it into a fist, "but if someone wants to use violence, then sometimes it is necessary for someone to stop them by force." Jamke sat back down, posture very tense. "They deserve to be treated as equals... and I will treat them as I have any other opponent that I've encountered before." He sighed lowly after his statement as he dropped back into his seat. "It might not be nice to say... but we can't pretend that we aren't the enemy to those people. We should try to change that opinion but we can't ignore it. I can't forgive it that easily either. I won't side with the aggressor just because they feel like victims." Jamke glanced at the others in the room, hoping someone would see it his way, "They started this fight and declared us the problem. We should respect the common man's decision as much as we do the Red Tide's." Jamke let what he said settle in the room. He didn't like having to use violence but he was going to defend what he cared about. Jamke couldn't help but hate himself in that moment... there was nothing he could do to end things peacefully. He had never felt so powerless and that thought caused him to deflate ever so slightly in his seat.


@shadowdude505 @GoldenBlight @BLUR @Refaulted @Peaceswore @Stormborn Targaryen @BlackknifeVane
 
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Malakai Grave

Malakai sighed as his gaze flickered between all the representatives of the guilds as each member seemed to stand up and give their little spiel. He remained sitting, allowing each and every word that all of them spoke to soak into the very fabric of his bones. Cautiously, his posture remained indifferent as he vaguely nodded at each and every mage, acknowledging that he heard what they said.


“Well, since everyone seems to be saying their piece, I’ll offer a little bit of what I see.” Malakai began speaking almost as soon as Ezekiel had wrapped up his statement. Though some of the others had taken to standing as they spoke, Malakai remained seated throughout the whole thing and even as he started talking, he remained. His gaze drifted to the king for a moment as he gestured to him, “If you don’t mind, I have a bit of input that might be helpful.”


First, his gaze turned to Gurren, the Fairy Tail mage. “You seem like someone I could come to respect and if they did in fact kidnap your guildmate, I will do everything in my power to help get her back. However, you seem to assume that fighting the Red Tide and harming civilians are two separate things.” Here is where Malakai had to pause for a moment, his eyes scanning everyone who was present at the meeting. “If I recall correctly, never once did we intend on hurting civilians on any of our missions. And when I say we, I’m referring to us collectively as mages. Intent does not negate actuality, though. And in actuality, our actions have harmed civilians so avoiding it at this point is difficult at best.” All the evidence pointed that way, at least. Pinnacle, Scava… though he was present at neither encounter, Malakai read the papers well enough.


Eyes drifting to Lynn, the Quatro Cerberus mage continued, “I’m more inclined to agree with Lynn over here. Peace seems like a better alternative to fighting if at all possible though how we could go about doing that remains unseen.”


Glancing then towards Jacob, Malakai seemed to try to show some small amount of sympathy towards the Blue Pegasus mage. “I too have lost a guildmate to the recent events,” he acknowledged. “No one has seen Lowell since the ball and I don’t imagine we’ll find him unless he wants to be found.”


Next was the raven. “That brings up another question. Many here have stated that they side with the king. What exactly does that mean? Does that mean we defend the king? Does that mean we oppose anyone who stands against the king? There’s a fairly large crowd of commoners who that would put pinned against us right now.”


Finally, Malakai reached a point where he couldn’t really address any further comments without repeating himself. It was at that point that the Quatro Cerberus mage finally stood up. “It seems everyone here, so far at least, wants to offer aid to the king. I am undecided until I know what this entails. I also think there is more to be done than simply picking a side. There are more than two sides in play here. Yes, the Red Tide is an anarchist organization and they are uprooting peace. They are part of the problem that needs to be addressed. However, there is more. Civilians are upset with mages and the government and rightfully so. Look at the past few months and all the havoc that’s been caused. I think its our job to reach out to them. Simply say ‘hey, what can we do to fix this?’ because clearly anything we have done has not been enough.”


Pausing, the mage thought carefully over what would come to be his final words. “And we must also remember that there’s another force in play. The Kingslayer remains. Though she may have been taking out the Red Tide in her actions - something that to my knowledge we’ve yet to confirm though rumors suggest it is true - the fact still remains that had we known about this organization sooner, had she told us, we might not be in the situation that we are now. I think that warrants further investigation.”


Taking his seat with a sigh, Malakai gestured to the king. “I only say what I see. As you’ve yet to give options, I’ll allow you to propose.”


Casually resting his elbow on the table with his head leaning on a folded fist, Malakai realized that he hadn’t exactly taken into account what his guild thought of the situation. That being said, he also hadn’t made any definitive decisions yet so he couldn’t really feel bad for that just yet.


@BLUR @shadowdude505 @Refaulted @Peaceswore @utdfan22 @BlackknifeVane @GoldenBlight
 
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Russel Lefton



As soon as everyone started heading for home, wherever that happened to be, the sadness settled in. His guild hall having been blown up by someone who they still had neither found nor defeated, Russel was forced to realize that he had no home. His entire guild was homeless; however, he seemed to be the only one who seemed to notice.



Jacob had to stay behind for a meeting. Olive was still missing. Russel didn’t know where Dusty had gone. The boy didn’t have any guildmates left to rely on. Not only was home gone, but family was slipping away.


Despite all that, his new friend had invited him to accompany her to her home in Margaret Town and to Russel’s knowledge, that same invitation had been extended to all of his guildmates wherever they might find themselves. Though it was nice to have a place to go, Russel still wasn’t home though.


Sitting down on an empty barstool within the guild hall that was entirely unfamiliar to him, Russel wasn’t quite sure where Libby had run off too in all the goings on. He hadn’t put a whole lot of effort into keeping track of her because he had too much else on his own mind. Hands holding his head up despite it’s constant sinking, Russel watched as the guild hall seemed to at least try to leap to life, though he imagined that were the world all fine and dandy, it would be a lot more homely than it actually was.


“Uhm…” He wasn’t quite sure who to talk to and he also realized he didn’t know anyone’s names. It put him in a rather awkward situation. “I was invited to stay here… anyone know where there would be room for me?” It seemed to be a reasonable question to ask. He didn’t know how long he would be staying and he imagined when (and if) reconstruction of the guild hall he called home ever started, it would take more than its fair share of time.


Tags: anyone at Lamia Scale... not quite sure who's there...
 
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2vmvsit.jpg


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The Cerberus Slugger's Dilemma: Location, Los Ichyasco Hospital
"Just chill out."




"Easy for you to say, you're lying on a comfy ass bed!"

For the past thirty minutes, such was the conversation between the injured Cujo Camber and his student, Rex Ourano.

"Yeah, but Malakai's got it handled, and you know he does, so just chill out," Cujo reiterated.

"Look man, the entire country is fallin' apart, how the hell can I chill out," Rex responded.

Cujo paused for a moment. It was rare for him to see Rex in such a vulnerable state. Normally, the young man was too block-headed and stubborn to even consider his situation. Certainly, for the guild master of Quatro Cerberus, Rex's actions showed the seriousness of the current predicament.

"Well you've been babysitting my ass for the last couple of days. Not that I don't enjoy your company...I don't actually...but why don't you go out there and actually do something."

The sand wizard ignored his guild master's teasing, replying simply, "I don't know what to do if I leave this place. Things have gotten so bad that even Lowell left us. I don't wanna do anything to lose Malakai too," Rex explained.

"Why would you lose your friend," Cujo asked, his eyebrow beginning to raise, "What are you planning Ourano?"

Rex stared his guild master dead in the eyes, an almost blank expression upon his face.

"Ain't it obvious Cujo? The hell do I have all this power for if I can't even defend others that can't defend themselves. I can't fight for the strong against the weak, but I'd rather die then go against my best friends. You see what I'm dealing with man?"

Cujo couldn't resist the urge to crack a slight grin, turning his head away from his student as he looked up to the ceiling. He still remembered the day when the bull-headed young man rushed into the guild hall, a street rat with a knack for getting into trouble. To any other guild, he must've looked like nothing but a world of problems, despite his polished talent in sand magic.

It must have been fate then that the sandy-haired kid ended up at Quatro Cerberus. A guild with no care for appearances, no regard for background. There was only one thing needed to stamp the golden four on one's body.

That day, Rex's "initiation," he showed that quality in full force. Punch after punch, but the kid wouldn't stay down. He showed his heart, and what a display he put on. To think, at that time, the boy was simply picking street fights for money.

"Quite the road you've traveled to get to this point, Rex."

"Do you remember what I told you when you became an S-Class," Cujo asked, still looking up.

His words caught Rex's attention, and the young man cupped his chin in his hands as he entered into thought.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, remembering something, "You mean about what it means to be a wild dog?"

"What did I say Rex," Cujo demanded.

"Um...you said that what sets us apart from the other guilds is the wild spirit we all carry in our hearts," the sandy blonde answered.

"What did those words mean to you?"

"That's just our thing isn't it? Being wild and what not?"

Cujo scoffed.

"What does the word wild mean to you idiot? Don't tell me I made you an S-Class by mistake!"

Rex once again entered thought. He thought back to his exam and the trials he endured on it. He remembered being told Malakai's results from a couple years earlier, and he remembered striving to achieve a similar feat. He remembered coming up short, and yet receiving encouragement from all his peers for his own accomplishments.

And then he remembered everything else. All the good times, and all the bad times that came with being a member of Quatro Cerberus. He remembered the times before, how he had felt as if he was trapped when he still lived with his adoptive father Telemachus. How, despite learning the beauty of magic, he despised even seeing a grain of sand.

He remembered those several months living on the streets of Crocus, no family nor home to call his own. He remembered the looks on the faces of the people in the city, their eyes following him as he walked the streets in tattered rags, simply trying to make enough money so that he could eat enough each day.

He remembered how the guild life changed everything about that. He remembered how the family he found at Quatro Cerberus changed his life forever. Finally, he remembered what the wild spirit was.

"Free. Wild means free. It's why a guy like me was a perfect fit for a guild like ours" Rex stated quietly.

"That's right. To be wild, like a wild dog, is to be free. It's your life Rex, so stick to the ideals that define it. Go out there and live it for yourself, and make a decision you can be proud of. Whatever you do, you've already made me proud," Cujo assured him.

"Thank you master," Rex said, beginning to choke up. He stood up from the chair on which he was sitting, leaving the room.

"I'll be back when the fighting is over," he declared, taking his leave of his guild master. He finally had the will to fight.

"I don't really care about politics, and I don't really care about what the people of Fiore think of me. But these people, they're just struggling to survive like I was all that time ago, and I'm not gonna let anyone take that away from them."
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Alicia Spearheart
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The disgraced ex-guildmaster of Blue Pegasus leaned over the war-table, considering the map of Crocus that was laid out before her. After a moment's thought, she circled three points on the map, annotating them A, B, and C. She looked up from the map to the gaunt man who watched expectantly, hands clasped being his back in a military stance.


"These three." Alicia stated, straightening and taking a sip from a thermos. "I want you to direct rioters there, and burn these places to the ground. The more government infrastructure we can destroy the less capable they'll be of retaliating against us when the time comes."


The gaunt man nodded. Alicia continued.


"If Rune Knights show up feel free to hassle them. Guild mages though, you fall back, get on the communication-lacrima, and I'll direct a response team to handle it."





"Doesn't it bother you, Miss Spearheart?"


Alicia raised an eyebrow. "What?"


"Fighting guild-mages. You were undercover for some time, afterall."


She grunted and shook her head. "I lied to them for three years, tried to assassinate the guildmasters by blowing up my own guildhall, and then cleared out the funds earmarked for rebuilding to finance the Tide. It's too late for second thoughts. Those mages have killed too many and have been blind to the consequences. If I have to send this unit against them or fight myself, I will make sure that they do not continue in their ways. For a better Fiore I will make it so."


The operative nodded.


"Glad to hear it." He pointed at the wartable. "I'll hit those targets this evening."


"Good luck."


The man left. Alicia took another swig from the thermos and went to stand by the window, looking down on the city sprawled below. After King's speech at the Ball the Red Tide had been extremely active, it's leaders fanning the flames of revolution across the country. Alicia had brought a unit of Tide operatives to Crocus, and their numbers had only grown as more of the populace took up arms against the government. Now she was directing a campaign against the government, and waiting to see whether her old comrades in the guilds would side with the just cause or the tyrants. She sighed.


Now it's just a waiting game, to see how they react.





She turned away from the window, passing the war-table which dominated the center of the room to the desk at it's far end.


I've go to say, Kuruso Scarlet makes a good ally, and her tower an even better base of operations. The Skyhold affair was worth our while.





She reached the desk and opened the top drawer, brushing past the dossiers to produce a communications lacrima. She stowed it in her coat.


Time to make a visit. Long overdue...





"Dark Ecriture: Teleport".


-------------------------------------------------------------------


In a shimmer of purple runes Alicia appeared in the safehouse. She turned to consider the figure on the floor. She dropped to a knee beside her.


"Olive. Apologies, I meant to come and see you sooner. I imagine things haven't been especially pleasant for you. I'm sorry about that, truly. But it was necessary."


Alicia stood.


"You may not have heard, but Fiore is now in a state of civil war. The Red Tide are fighting to overthrow the King and install a democracy where those with magic and those without are genuinely equal." Alicia paused for a moment, considering her words. "Olive, I know that your instincts are telling you that the Tide are your enemy. But for just a moment forget about those instincts and listen. We fight for a democracy. Equality for all. To mitigate the numbers of innocent people killed every day by blind crusaders; mages with the best of intentions but like giants crush underfoot innocent citizens without even recognizing that they were there. Power corrupts, and I fear that our guilds have become blind to those without power and without a voice. Scava and Pinnacle may only be the beginning. Our friends have killed innocent people, and they should be brought to account."





Alicia paused, considering Olive's prone form.





"As we speak the guilds are gathering to decide whether they stand with the people, or with the king. I hope that they decide upon the former. I also hope that you might also decide to throw in your lot with us revolutionaries. With your magic and sense for what's right, you would be a valuable friend to have alongside us."





Alicia reached down and removed the sack from Olive's head.





"I've dodged your psychometry and your mind reading for the last three years. The time wasn't right for honesty. Now however, you can see for yourself. You can tell the history and purpose of whatever you touch, yes?"





Alicia reached out her hand to her old guildmate.





"Take my hand, and you'll see what I've done. Not all of it is pleasant viewing, some of it still bothers me. But afterwards you won't doubt my purpose or the legitimacy of my cause. I hope it'll make you understand."


@DaughterofAthena @AllHailDago @Mad Prince of Sanity
 
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Olive Kittana and Alicia Spearheart

Collaboration with @Hellkite




Olive sensed Alicia before she saw her. She wasn’t sure whether to be surprised by that or not considering she hadn’t sensed a living mind in over two days; that ability had been stolen from her and she still didn’t know how it had been done. There was one thing she could deduce though. Whoever it was who was standing guard right now - Olive had long since lost track of names and had decided she didn’t care anymore - knew Alicia well enough to let her in and that thought right away sent a fury into Olive’s being.


Scarlet eyes glared at Alicia as Olive’s head was uncovered. She’d barely heard any of the words Alicia was saying, her ears completely cutting her off from sound because she didn’t want to listen to anything Alicia’s lips chose to say. Lips could lie. A mind, on the other hand, could tell no lies. It showed only intentions and desires and projections of the reality sought after by whoever was thinking at the time. That is where Olive was actually listening.


Gaze drifting down to the offered hand, Olive made to reach for it before she stopped to speak first. “No matter what I see, I will never trust you again, you know. Some things I can forgive, but lying is not one of them. Lies have destroyed too much of my life…” In that, Olive seemed to sink down just a little bit, seeming defeated before she’d even had a chance to do anything about the situation which it seemed she was being offered a place within if she wanted it.


A quick sigh dispersed through the air as Olive brought up her hands awkwardly - they were tied together but still moveable to an extent - and she reached out, brushing one of her palms against Alicia's hand.


The memory was old. A far younger Alicia sat in a cramped kitchen, facing her parents across the kitchen table.


"I don't want to learn magic." Alicia's voice was petulant, clearly a child's.


"You will." Her father, a slim, faintly haggard man pushed a bulging bag across the table towards her. "You need to. A woman who can't use magic has no future in this world. I want you to give this money to the teacher at the harbour, and learn."


"But what about you? Magic's expensive."


Her mother leaned forwards, her eyes pleading.


"We'll be just fine darling. If you study hard then your future will be certain. Magic'll make sure that your place in society is certain. That you'll be safe and secure."


The memory changed. Alicia seemed a year older, and she was crying as her house was reduced to cinders by the men. They all wore guildmarks, though she didn't know whose. They had wanted her parents to repay the money that they had spent on their daughter. When no money was forthcoming, they settled for simple murder. The memory was only short. Alicia sobbed. The house burned. The guild-mages cast glances and spoke in low, regretful voices but Alicia didn't catch the words.


The memories passed in a disconnected Blur. Alicia as a teenager with Dr King, a young member of the Red Tide. Older now, watching two mages fighting, reducing the surrounding buildings to splinters. One triumphed, postured, and looked to the townsfolk for their approval for 'saving' them. But one petty criminal wasn't worth half a dozen ruined homes and two innocent corpses caught in the crossfire.


Now Alicia wore a guildmark on her arm, looking not much younger than she did now. She stood in back on the peripheries of a funeral. The occupant of the coffin being lowered into the ground had been killed at Pinnacle by an overly energetic mage. Aedon Strom, or someone like that. Alicia didn't know the victim, but her heart burned at the injustice and, moreover, the sheer impunity that Mages enjoyed.


The destruction of Blue Pegasus, planned and executed by Alicia. The order to have Olive abducted. Walking through a field hospital of rioters wounded in the fighting. The memories devolved into a blur, a cocktail of anger, regret, and each moral horizon that Alicia had crossed to try and change the world.


Olive's hand jerked away almost as quickly as she'd ignited to contact, the whole flash of memories taking a matter of seconds even though within the confines of her mind, they played out over decades. Though she took a moment to process, Olive did eventually look up and meet the gaze of her acquaintence. "I still don't trust you. That is not something that can be gotten back so easy. I do think I understand you, though."


Shifting uncomfortably, Olive tried to decide how to proceed. "You know I would never hurt another human being who didn't deserve it. You know I'm in a unique position to have a better knowledge of who does deserve it than anyone else ever could be." Of course, Olive would never claim to know enough to truly judge anyone perfectly, but it was closer for her than anyone else she had ever met. "And even knowing that, you destroyed my home. How does that make you any better than any of the mages who have made you this way?"


"I regret the guild's destruction, it was my home too. It was wrong, but necessary, and I chose to make that sacrifice in the hopes that it would lead to a better tomorrow, in full knowledge of the consequences of my actions. I acted for a greater cause. I can think of few other mages who can say the same; for the most part they seem to abide only to their own egos. That is what I seek to change.


"And what does this 'better tomorrow' you see look like?" Olive couldn't keep a slight snarl out of her voice as she said it. "Does it contain a home for us?"


"Of course it does." Alicia snapped. "It also contains a degree of hope for those who are born without access to magic. There is more to this world than simply the affairs and convenience of mages."


"And what becomes of those who defy that hope? Who has the power to act against them in your world without kings and guilds?" Pausing for a moment, Olive thought back to a few things.


"I don't know if you know this or not, but while you were in Scava, I went on a mission. There was a mage who brought back one of Zeraf's demons and we went into the mine. We saved people from mind control where they would've been used and labored to death otherwise. What happens in situations like that in your world? What happens when there is a situation that does require intervention and you also don't want to make mages seem more powerful than the common people?"


"A democratic council, to which mages are answerable. They would have the power, and would be freely elected to represent the entire Fioran people, not just the magical elite. I don't suggest for mages to be eradicated, simply that they are controlled and held to account. The time has passed where guilds can act autonomously and without repercussions. The world no longer works that way, and people are dying as a result."


"And why couldn't you just propose this idea? Why was it necessary to blow up the guild hall to get to the point of suggesting this change?" Olive's voice was slowly softening. "I agree with nearly everything you're saying, you know. But in starting a war, your organization has caused just as much damage as the mages you seek to regulate. You took homes from an entire guild's worth of mages and you expect them to not fight you after you've taken their home? I thought you were smarter than that."


Alicia gave a hollow laugh.


"Don't you think we tried to propose this peacefully? And when we did we were either ignored or attacked. People have been killed by Rune Knights in cold blood simply for asking the question, for questioning the King. We didn't start this war; the King did, by using force to put down a peaceful petition. The destruction of our guildhall was a statement to catch their attention. It was the only thing we thought might finally turn the balance in our favour, and note that even then Crime Sorciere butchered us in cold blood with no questions asked."


Olive only really heard the first thing Alicia said because that was all that got her attention. "You never told me. In fact, I can tell you that you never told anyone in the guild. There's no way I would be hearing about it for the first time now if you did. We're your family, Alicia. You never once came to us and that hurts. I would've helped you try to make this real."


Olive glanced down at her hands, still bound in front of her.


"In fact, if you'll still take it, I will help you. I believe in your cause. Not your methods, I won't touch them. If you need to convince people, though, to show them that it isn't as bad as what they believe, that I can do. I can see their fears and speak directly to those fears."


"I already had the Tide, Olive. There was no need to involve the guild in something this dangerous, I wouldn't want to put you in harms way for my own ideologies. That's not my place."


Alicia sighed.


"But the way things have turned out, I do need your help now. I see that. I know you'll never trust me again, Olive, but if you could help me, help the Tide to do what's right, then I'd be in your debt. You'd truely be family. Are you sure you want to be involved, knowing that you may stand against those of our comrades who support the crown?"


"I have no intentions of getting in a fight. I have no intentions of harming a single living being unless it is to prevent them from harming another who has not earned that harm. Many of your fellow Red Tide members have earned that harm from where I stand and from what I see. However, many guild mages have as well and I see that that is what drives you. I merely seek to ensure that the goal you are after is heard and seen by more than currently seem to understand it."


Glancing down at her hands once more, Olive sighed. "I don't yet know what others are thinking. I've been trapped here for two days, you know. I can't speak on many certainties when there's two days I know nothing of from any mind at all."


Alicia nodded, and gave a relieved smile.


"Thank you, Olive. Truely. I wouldn't ask you to fight, I wouldn't want to put a friend in harm's way. Your support now means more than I can say."


Alicia bent down and untied Olive's wrists.


"I trust you want infomation then? We could go for a walk, so that I can show you. After that then we can see about getting your voice heard by the people."


"As long as you intend to immerse me in the minds of the people you want me to speak to, there couldn't be any walk that wouldn't hurt at this point."
 
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King Eisenhower Fiore

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what-him.png



The head of the monarchy leading Fiore allowed all the guild representatives their turns in answering his plea for cooperation. Fairy Tail's Gurren Simon was up first. King Eisenhower, ever a supporter of guilds, had an extensive knowledge on the top of the hierarchy of all the big guilds in Fiore. King Eisenhower recognized the brunette very well, he was the heart and soul of Fairy Tail, the fire that kept on burning. He was aptly named the Fiery Fairy. The months following Echidna's invasion of Fiore were hardest on Fairy Tail, and the Kingslayer's acts in Los Ichyascos didn't help the guild anymore. Yet, here this young man stood, his eyes still burning with a passion sparked by his love for his friends, and his guild. Eisenhower could barely understand the strength and mental fortitude Gurren must have obtained to involve himself in such a battle despite everything his guild went through. For that reason, the king would be very satisfied despite Gurren's admittance that Fairy Tail would be fighting on their own terms.


Next to speak, Lynn Aquari of Mermaid Heel. Another wizard the king knew of, this one was much like the last in that she was an experienced guild wizard, and one of, if not the top wizard of her guild. A lovely young woman, she was cool-headed and had a strong sense of self. Her title was the Water Maiden, and no doubt, she was like a calming tide for her guild, both someone to rely on and someone to look up to. Her sentiments echoed Gurren's, and they both wished for as peaceful a solution as possible. Honorable opinions, the king thought, though he wasn't sure how realistic it was, all things considered.


After Lynn, Jacob Foles took his turn to speak. This young man was very familiar to the king. As an S-Class mage one of the upper tier guilds in Fiore, Jacob Foles had long had media exposure, his name ever more relevant with every high profile mission he took part in. The Warden of the Fog, so he was called, was a respectable young man in his own right, and truly fearsome as a mage. The brains behind the beauty, no doubt. The same could have once been said about Alicia Spearheart, a name Jacob made sure to mention in his speech. It was too bad the guild mages lost such a talented individual to the Red Tide. Jacob's words were similar to that of the two before him. However, his tone soon changed when he began to speak on his guild mate...former guild mate, Donald Houns.


King Fiore truly felt for Jacob, sympathizing with the young man as he released his sadness in the form of tears. Donald Houns would have made for a powerful ally, and it was a huge hit to the government to have him decide to go independent. Donald, being the guild ace of a top tier guild, was easily considered to be one of the top young mages in Fiore, along with a select few others, one of them present at the very meeting. It was unfortunate that it had to come down to what Jacob was saying, but alas, such was the decision that Donald made for himself.


Moving on, Drake Silver was the next to make his guild's intentions known. Another top quality mage. The king was absolutely impressed by the wizards that had been sent to the meeting. King Fiore had heard many rumors about this boy, and was incredibly familiar with him, possibly more so than any of the rest. Most of the rumors the king heard about Drake Silver were nothing to go home to your mother about, but he had also heard that boy harbored an incredible potential. Though he was known to be without care, there were still many who believed in the young man's abilities. He was considered the hidden gem within the dark shroud that covered the Raven Tail guild hall. Drake's response was much harsher than the ones that came before, but the general idea stuck to the theme of the meeting. The king made a mental note to be wary of the wizard, however, given the nature of his response.


After Drake, representing Sabertooth, was the mage Bailey O' Hara. Truthfully, the king wasn't very familiar with this young man. Instead, he had expected to see a reputable mage like Asher Novine, but as the temporary guild master of Sabertooth, it made perfect sense that the dragon slayer would have stayed behind at his guild. No matter, from what he had heard form his advisors, King Fiore was under the impression that Bailey was quite the powerful wizard, and was only a B rank mage due to his inexperience and short time at Sabertooth. After all, how could a wizard with the nickname, "The Powerhouse," not be one with a large supply of power. Though the king had convinced himself the young mage was a force to be reckoned with, he was immediately able to see for himself Bailey's inexperience. The Saber wizard's first comment was devoid of any professionalism. His subsequent speech wasn't exactly one that showed off confidence in his own abilities, yet it had a strange effect on the king. He quickly found himself a believer of Bailey, a feeling he couldn't properly explain. This boy...he had some magical quality about him.


Next, Ezekiel Vates spoke on behalf of Silver Phoenix. A relatively new guild mage from a relatively new guild, Ezekiel was likely the one the king knew the least about. Had it not been for his advisors, he may not have even been able to say the mage's name correctly. To add to that, the mage wore a strange mask, and had on an even stranger attire. Yet, despite all that, the king was immediately impressed by Ezekiel. Whereas Bailey had been nervous in his speech, Ezekiel spoke both eloquently and confidently. The mysterious wizard had about him a certain aura, it almost eased you into a sense of calm, as if everything was going to be alright. This wizard...he was a natural leader. If Silver Phoenix had this man within their halls, then surely they were off to a good start as a guild. Like the others, Ezekiel wished to find a peace between the people and their government.


It was a bit troublesome for the king that many of the representatives were claiming that they were only going to fight back against the Red Tide. Though ideally that would have been the plan, the Red Tide was now completely supported by an army of Fioran citizens.


Fortunately, Jamke Dain was next to speak. In a guild filled to the brim with talented wizards, Jamke still managed to stand out. He was a young man that embodied the very values on which his guild stood, and his active mind seemed to assess the situation very carefully. Lamia Scale was a guild known for their strategic thinking and capable minds. Their guild master was a war veteran herself. Truly, Lamia Scale would be a most important ally to the kingdom. Jamke lived up to the expectations the king had of him, letting the rest of the representatives know that Lamia Scale would be behind the government whole-heartedly, even though that meant fighting against the citizens of Fiore. Jamke was the first to let everyone know that the people of Fiore were the ones that chose this fight, meaning they could not be avoided. The king nodded his head as Jamke spoke, his respect for the young man's bright mind growing every second.


Jake wouldn't be the only one to bring this point up however, as the final representative at the table echoed a few of the Lamia Scale mage's sentiments. Malakai Grave, a top caliber wizard with immense ability and potential, was the guild ace of the Quatro Cerberus guild. Like the previously mentioned Dusty, Malakai was one of the highest quality young mages in Fiore, and his reputation preceded him as well. He was well known throughout the country, a young man that was looked up to by others, and a wizard the nation as a whole could take pride in. Perhaps for that reason, the king wasn't surprised when Malakai made it known that he would not give an answer to the king. Like Jamke, Malakai noted that fighting the Red Tide, but avoiding battle with Fioran citizens was impossible. The Red Tide and the rebellion were one in the same, and without more information on several items, including the Kingslayer, Malakai would not fight back against them.


The king nodded once more. He knew what had to be done.


"The Kingslayer is an ally to the government," King Eisenhower Fiore announced frankly. "In fact, Crime Sorciere, the independent guild she works under, is a government controlled guild, though many of their mages aren't aware of this fact. For a long time now, Crime Sorciere has been the government's secret weapon against enemies of Fiore. Due to this, they mostly conduct their work in the shadows. The only reason anyone knows what Sora, or the "Kingslayer," has been up to is because the Red Tide leaked this information out. You see, the truth of the matter is that I have known for a while that double agents have been infiltrating our government. I tasked Crime Sorciere in finding these men and women," the king paused for a moment, hesitating, "I honestly never thought it would have gone as far as it did in Los Ichyascos. I never thought they would resort to brutal murdering young mages, enemies to the government or not. For that," the king's voice began to crack a little, "I am truly sorry."


"As for why she didn't explain herself, I can only assume there was something else in play. I can't say that for certain, in fact, it may have just been that Sora didn't wish to involve any of you with the darkness attached to her life. Yet, I do believe there must have been something else."


If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask. Otherwise, I have heard the intent of seven of the Fiore Eight, and therefore, you are free to return to your guilds. We will be sending you messages when you have returned to your guilds as to when we shall be meeting again, and we will certainly be assigning you important tasks in the coming days. Of course, our main purpose is to take down the Red Tide, with as few casualties to the people as possible. They have already turned down all of our offers for negotiation, so peace isn't on the table here. Our main goal in the coming days will be locating the Red Tide's base of operations. Thank you for your cooperation, young ones," the king smiled.
 
Gurren Simon & Lynn Aquari

​



"That's because they are two different things," Gurren said to Malakai before the King started to speak. "I get that people don't like the destruction we as wizards cause, hell Fairy Tail is the biggest offender, but the Red Tide is just pointing the people's aggression toward us. Though not every civilian is going to side with the Red Tide, my parents being two of those individuals. If a civilian sides with the Red Tide, I'm not going to hesitate to fight them. All I'm saying is that I'm going to go all out against the ring leaders. They're enemies of Fairy Tail and I'm not going to let them break apart my family!"


After listening to the King, Gurren was stunned by the Kingslayer and Crime Sorciere revelation. Some of his friends died because of them. He tilted his head down, causing his hair to cast a shadow over his face. Judging by his frown he wasn't happy. Gurren tightly clenched his fist and caused sparks to fly around his hand. "Thanks for the apology. I'll make sure my guildmates didn't die in vain." He said before walking out of the room, beginning his trek to his guildhall.


Lynn rigidly watched Gurren as he looked like he was about to punch something after heating what the King had to say. Underneath that calm look on her face, her brain was racing for a water spell to subdue the Fiery Fairy and settled on Water Lock. Thankfully she didn't have to use it.


"No questions your highness," Lynn replied. He didn't have the answers to the Kingslayer conundrum. "While I await your message I will coordinate with my Mermaid Heel sisters and see how they'll be willing to help." She stood and gave the King a polite bow before she started to follow after Gurren. She stopped in the door way and turned to look at other guild mages and her eyes pointed at the King one final time.


"Peaceful negotiations may not be possible right now, but the actions we take carry a lot of weight. We must fight honorably with our fists and our words. Now's the time to show the world what it truly means to be a wizard, to be a light in the darkness." Lynn left the others with her thoughts and she began her trek to the Mermaid Heel guildhall.

@utdfan22 @Refaulted @Peaceswore @Stormborn Targaryen @GoldenBlight @BlackknifeVane @BLUR
Sarafina the Exceed

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Inside the Lamia Scale guildhall, Sarafina in her battle form was beating the crap out of her punching bag. She had returned to the guildhall after all the Kingslayer/ Red Tide action paused. She didn't really want to be here. With all of the wizard hate going around she felt like a caged animal. She'd much rather be out there fighting the Red Tide.


Sarafina paused her one siding boxing match to wipe the sweat from her brow. She thought about the meeting with the King and other guild mages that Jamke went to. Sarafina was happy that he was chosen as their representative, but she really hoped that he was willing to chose the option to fight, otherwise she'd go rogue. Sarafina was about to start punching her bag again to distract her train of thought, when she head a young male voice.


Sarafina transformed into her regular Exeed form and draped and Exceed sized towel around her neck as she walked out. "You must be Libby's friend," she said. "The name's Sarafina. I'm an Exceed, not a cat."


@DaughterofAthena
 
Russel Lefton



Russel was a bit taken by surprise when rather than being approached by a ‘normal person’, he was approached by a furry creature who looked oddly familiar - not this one specifically, but the type of being itself. It was another one of those things that hurt his head to try and remember. For a moment, he even grimaced as he looked at her.


“Exceed…? I… I think I’ve met one of you before…” he stuttered it out as he tried to sort through the aching shadow of a memory in his mind.


Quickly though, Russel snapped out of it. “Yes, I’m Libby’s friend. She… she didn’t want me to be alone so she told me I could come back with her and now… now she’s not here.” Almost as though he half expected her to come running up, Russel’s head did a quick scan of the room although he still did not see her anywhere so he presumed that would not be the case. “My name’s Russel.”


@shadowdude505



Libby Tuck



Upon returning to the guild hall, the youngest member of Lamia Scale had not stuck around for long. Instead she took to running through Margaret Town in a dead sprint, knowing exactly where her feet were taking her and having no hesitation in her knowledge of that direction. Libby knew her home like the back of her hand and nothing would drain her enthusiasm at being home despite it not being under the best of circumstances.


Within the town, there was a white house on the edge of the center park. Painted pure white, flowers grew on both sides of the front door and they were lined up like a rainbow. Though the door was closed, Libby did not slow down as she approached it. Rather, the child ran right through the door without a single second thought in regards to it.


Charging in, she was quickly met with an expression of shock from a woman inside though the woman did not have much chance to speak beyond that as Libby ran right into her, knocking the woman onto the couch behind her with her arms wrapped around her. “MOM!”


“Libby! I’m so glad to see you made it home ok!” Adjusting herself slightly, the woman sat herself up to hold Libby in her lap. “We heard about what happened at Blue Pegasus and we were so worried.”


“I’m ok, Mom,” Libby replied.


“Well look who finally decided to come home.”


Libby’s head turned quickly and she smiled brightly, jumping out of her mother’s lap and charging at her dad who stood in the entryway to the kitchen. Practically headbutting him, he stumbled but did not fall down like her mother had upon impact. “DAD!”


“It’s good to see you still remember home. Home is important, you know. And so is family.”


Libby paused for a moment, contemplating her father’s words and then she stepped back for a moment. “You know what? I… I made a friend who lost his home and I’m going to help him. I’m going to see if we can give him a new home because all mages are family, right?”


Chuckling softly, both her father and her mother nodded in agreement. “Yes, Libby. Despite everything else, I would hope that the world can remember that right now.” She wasn’t about to spoil her daughter’s positive mood although she had seen the news as of late. She knew about the riots and the hatred for mages spreading out of the capital. Maybe a little more of Libby’s thinking would help bring the country together again. If only it was that simple…


Libby just nodded. “Ok! I’m going to go help them, then!” Turning around, she started to run back to the guild hall, yelling out behind her, “I love you, Mom! I love you, Dad!”
 
Drake Silver

Drake stayed in his spot as he listened to the remainder of everything as he held his quiet spirit. His eyes were shut and he remained silent even as the others spoke, and when he was slightly addressed he said nothing. 'I said innocent and defenseless. If they attack me, the guild, or threaten my town. Civilians or not they will be my enemy. Though truly it matters the situation.' When the king started to speak Drake opened his eyes and looked at the man still remaining quiet, while his spirit started to play with Drake's sleeve.


Once the kind was done talking Drake placed his spirit on the ground before standing up. He looked at the King and opened his mouth to say something but letting out a sigh he closed his mouth. And with that he and his spirt walked out of the room. 'A few days till we have to do who knows how many jobs.... And how long this will be.' He thought as Ursa held onto his pants leg while following Drake around as he looked at everything with curiosity. 'Assuming we don't get straight up attacked by the Red Tide. Raven Tail isn't that strong, hell it might be one of the weaker guilds at this point. Not only do I have no clue where out Master is, we also are missing a few wizards, like the twins. Hell, do we have any S class at the guild ready for this attack? For the orders? For this damned war??' He thought as he started to feel uneasy.


Taking a deep breath he walked on till he finally left the castle. Looking around for a moment he was silent as he brushed his deep blue hair out of his eyes. 'I should talk to Stacy before everything turns to shit. I feel we have a lot of catching up to do.' he thought as he walked a bit more before he started to look around.


Soon his eyes landed where Millie was sitting and he headed over to her. Sitting next to her he leaned back a bit and smiled while Ursa clambered onto the bench right next to him. "Hey Millie. Ready to go? Or do you want to look around the capital some more? I heard there was a cool zoo that opened up recently around here." He said in his calm tone, a faint smile gracing his lips as he looked at her.


@DaughterofAthena
 
Cipher, Caleb Malachi and Wyatt Verlock

Collabed with @DaughterofAthena & @Mad Prince of Sanity


Two days prior, shortly after Cipher's return to the warehouse, the Red Tide member arrived to take Olive out of the city. He hadn't said what they were doing with her. What he had done was deliver Cipher a note from the higher ups in the Red Tide, along with a disposable phone. The note had stated Cipher was now officially the leader of their three man team. It told him to await a call within an hour of the notes delivery.


The call came exactly an hour later, like clockwork. They had detailed a job the three of them were to do in a couple of days. As well as asking for what sorts of equipment, magical or otherwise of any kind might help them. Cipher had at first abstained from asking for any enhancement for himself, but before long decided upon a simple idea he felt could severely compliment his fight style. He also had an idea of what the others could use.


The caller assured him it would be delivered in a few days time at most. Meanwhile he was to brief them on their job and assure they were ready. The morning of the Guild Representatives meeting he received another call to move into position and await a call later in the day. The third call came a scant minute or two after the Guild Representatives spoke their mind to the king.


The moment Cipher answered an put the phone to his ear a clipped, flat female voice came through the line. "Good afternoon. I'll be brief. Your specially requested items will be delivered tomorrow morning at the usual place. As for today's events, it is time to make a move. Following this you will have one more assignment and you will all be compensated and never contacted again."


Cipher didn't bother to speak until the voice on the other end of the phone finished their instruction. Only then did he state a curt "Understood." In the space between words, Cipher glanced over to his current teammates and paused to think for a moment, before turning away and averting his attention to this call.


"Excellent. Then you may commence the operation. Remember. Absolutely no civilian casualties." The woman on the other end of the line hung up without another word.


Cipher calmly hung up the phone and stared down at the disposable device for a moment, before glancing up at his associates "So then, we've been given orders to begin. No civilians are to be harmed too severely though."


Caleb had begin to try forcibly dulling his emotions and thoughts as he looked down at the crowd of rioters in front of the palace courtyard. What he was about to do was not something he looked forward to. But this was the second to last thing he was asked of before they would find his sister for him. Or tell him where she was presuming they'd already found her.


He turned his attention from the crowd to Cipher as he said it was time to begin. Caleb nodded, sliding his his goggles on and pulling his scarf up over his mouth. "Alright. I'll begin preparing the spell. As I've said before I'll need to remain where I am when I cast it, in order to hold it in place rather than allow it to act naturally. It will affect everyone as normal though. So be prepared for that."


He sat down in place on the rooftop, getting into position to cast the spell from back at the guild hall. Only this time quite a bit larger. "If the spell begins moving or acting differently that means something has forced me to stop controlling it." He ceased talking as he began concentrating and amassing the magical energy required for the spell. As he did his whole body began glowing purple and light brown.


The clinking of metal on metal quickly flooded the air around them, the sound well contained but evident to everyone immediately around the inventor, Wyatt Verlock. Washing up, seeming to spread and alter his body as it moved, technology replaced skin. Hands of flesh raised up from his sides to lower his goggles over his eyes and by the time they were in place, all the flesh was gone. Only machine remained.


"Well, let's get a move on then. We know the kid here won't be able to hold the spell forever. Might as well make use of it while we can." Though it was meant to be an insult to Caleb's ability, the words simply came off as bored and lackluster. It was getting to a point for him where he felt he was being used less for his innovation than for his brute strength - and the latter was not something he found entirely amusing.


Cipher pulled his robes up over his nose and mouth, while simultaneously pulling out the goggles Wyatt had given him quite a while ago actually, and put them over his eyes. Turning to Caleb, Cipher gave a subtle nod "You'll do just fine Caleb, whenever you're ready." Cipher turned back to the gathered ensemble of people and stepped a fair distance from his comrades, removing the Eye from his pocket as he readied himself to harass them.


Caleb let Wyatt's lazy attempt at am insult roll off of him as he concentrated on gathering his magic and preparing himself. When Cipher gave him the go ahead he began casting the spell. "Cataclysm Magic. Desert Lord's Wrath!" He bellowed the spell name as a sphere of sand manifested between his cupped hands.


For a moment nothing further happened. His magical energy seemed to actually disappear. But a couple moments after the sphere exploded with magical energy, expanding out at an exponential rate. In a few seconds alone the sandstorm expanded out over the whole building and began to stretch towards the rioters and courtyard.


The storm continued to grow exponentially. Magic teeming through the spell and everything it touched upon. The burst of casting it would be felt by anyone capable of detecting magic. Those better at detecting it would likely not recognize who cast it, but only that it would be an S class spell. In 30 seconds it surrounded the palace, and several blocks in every direction. The sandstorm limiting vision beyond a few feet and making it hard to hear over its din. The magic seemed to probe everyone it passed over.


Caleb grimaced from the effort of the spell, but held its general shape and area. He was going to be really drained after this. "Alright guys, you're good to go!" He had to almost yell over the roar of the sand storm. "If I have to drop the spell and runor fight I'll tell you over the comms!"


"Good luck, kid," Wyatt mumbled before he leaped down into the crowd, his form practically vanishing into the fog of the sandstorm.


From within the crowds of people, he unclipped two tools from his belt. Though they looked like miniature grenades, Wyatt was intending on letting things be fun for a little longer than that and when he threw them into the air, colliding them into each other, the air erupted with spontaneous flash-bangs. Loud, piercing, any conversation that anyone was having was abruptly interrupted as their presence was announced.


Cipher grimaced as the sandstorm formed around them, not due to the slight discomfort that standing in the midst of such a thing would obviously inflict, but due to the dull shimmer the Eye seemed to exert with each and every fleck and speck of sand that touched it. The grains of sand vanishing as soon as they contacted the Eye's smooth, odd surface.


Watching Wyatt descend to the streets below, Cipher only contemplated the Eye a moment longer before he became aware of a rather bright flash and bang, and without another wasted moment, he expanded his field to only encompass his person. With some interest he also noticed the sand no longer reached his form.


He sincerely hoped this didn't put an added strain on Caleb. On the chance it did though, he had kept his field very small and localized, and began forming a few marble-sized pieces of crystal before lifting them into the air above the street below. He then sent the crystalline marbles down towards the street below, making sure not to hit Wyatt with them as he did so.


The rioting crowd and the civilians of the city alike were not prepared for this chaos. Windows began busting out from the sandstorms constant pressure. People began to scream as they were pelted by Cipher's magic orbs, blinded and deafened by Wyatt's grenades, or just out of fear from the inability to orient themselves in the storm. In a matter of a minute or two chaos had taken hold of the heart of Crocus.


Alright everyone. If you are in Crocus and are in any manner magically sensitive you felt the spell get cast and can likely feel it's ongoing magical flow. Even if not you can likely see the large storm completely blinding the world to what's happening in, and several blocks around the palace in every direction. If you are inside it the magic seems to cling to you, and the sand is a possible threat. Visibility is down to about five feet in front of you. There is the presence of at least one seemingly S class worthy wizard. What shall you do?
 
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Piper Alyss and Kyla Hivan

The pair of mages hadn’t really known where to go after the riots began and after the ball had been crashed. It had been recommended that mages leave the city to get away from the rioting but neither Kyla nor Piper really had any specific place they could go. Piper had no intentions of taking a guild’s hospitality and staying in the city against advice was also out of the question considering how unstable Kyla could be.


That meant they had to go somewhere and where they wound up was… well… nowhere. It was the ruins of their old hometown. The mansion Kyla had exploded still remained and Piper’s family home still remained as well although she didn’t know how long it had been since anyone had actively lived there.


“Do you remember this place at all, Kyla?” Piper asked curiously. She was never quite sure how much Kyla understood, how much she knew, and what she was capable of remembering.


“Cat!” Kyla abruptly pointed towards a fence and then looked expectantly towards Piper as though waiting for the lady to say something.


At first, Piper’s eyebrows raised in confusion. If Kyla was trying to remember something, then it was something Piper had entirely forgotten. There hadn’t been any prominent cats within their hometown. However, she followed Kyla’s point regardless and her eyes fell on a cat brushing up against a white picket fence. Piper had to smile at that one.


“Sure, Kyla. You can go pet the cat.”


“Cat!” Kyla proclaimed it again as she charged at the cat and started petting its whiskers, much to the cat’s delight. It was an interesting contrast for Piper to see. The child could be so violent but with animals and anything small, Kyla really was just a little child who didn’t deserve any of the harm her own magic had done to her.


Watching, Piper had to consider what this ‘Red Tide’ had suggested and stood for. She recalled it being said that they didn’t like all the destruction mages had caused. Kyla caused destruction wherever she went; Piper had to keep that in mind. Piper also couldn’t eliminate the thought though that if no one had ever attacked Kyla’s home and family, Kyla’s magic would have never been awakened in the first place.


Collab with @DaughterofAthena




Aubrey Lorrisk

The Fairy Tail mage was more than a little disappointed when she never got to dance in the dress she had selected specifically for the ball and she was even more saddened by the fact that she had to give it back at the end of the night. The Smoke Queen would’ve loved to purchase the lovely ivory gown, but she also found herself in a situation where she was flat out broke after her shopping spree earlier in the day.


That disappointment was nothing though, when compared to her rage at the mere suggestion that she return to Magnolia while things settle down in Crocus. “No way in hell am I leavin’ now! Someone tried to start a fight with us! We’ll fight right back!” Whoever was the poor soul to suggest such a thing found themselves to be the target of her wrath and there really was no one to tell her otherwise. Felix was in the hospital still and the guildmaster Felix had appointed in his place - someone who wasn’t even a Fairy - was nowhere to be seen. Basically, Aubrey had free reign.


Sure, if one of her guildmates had tried to stop her, she would’ve listened to a small degree. However, Gurren was at a meeting and everyone else was just like Alyssa - missing. Poof!


There was no one to see her, though. Despite wanting to be near where the fighting would be, she knew that her standing out in the middle of riots would only get her into trouble. For that reason, Aubrey remained within the hospital sitting at the bedside of her guildmaster, the real one. Though he hadn’t woken up to her knowledge, she wanted to be there when he did to let him know that his Fairies were standing up for their beliefs as they always did. Nothing would stop that.
 
Angel Litwick and Nathan “Skin” Wade



Feeling the wind pick up around her, Angel’s attention flurried in various directions as she momentarily stopped pushing her way through the crowd. She didn’t see anyone but the crowd was dreadfully thick with people so she really couldn’t be surprised by that. Then she heard screaming. “What the fuck are these mages thinking? I didn’t honestly think they were that stupid!” She started pushing her way through again, now moving against the wind, hoping that it would get her to whatever idiot thought it would be a great idea to make a storm right now.


After a moment, Angel sighed and drew upon her own magic. The speed of her steps increased exponentially as she sailed through the crowd of people at her speed. Her arms out in front of her parted a sea between the people in front of her and they all seemed relatively easy to push out of the way though some of them screamed at the shock of feeling something that was moving too fast for them to actually see.


Shirt tucked and hood raised, Nathan Wade navigated the crowd slowly, his hands holding the edges of the hood close to guard against the blowing wind and grainy sand that accompanied this spontaneous, but magical based, storm. He could feel it in the air and in his gut, a sense of wrongness. Things had been going on in the city lately that lacked any real explanation to him, and he’d tried to mostly write them off and ignore it. But this time it was too big, too central, and far too suspicious to be anything but shady intent. And so when the storm had kicked up Nathan had found himself wading through the screaming and panicking crowd with grim determination on his face, his body braced against the panic, nigh unmovable until he found himself wandering into the path of something his eyes failed to catch.


Impact.


She hadn’t had enough time to even consider slowing down by the time she realized that someone was directly in her way and no turn, no angle, no redirection would remove that obstacle from her way. Thus, Angel crashed into the stranger at speeds which rendered her invisible. Such a collision sent her flying backwards as her magic completely ceased. Within less than a second, she had basically bowled over a small group of people and landed on her backside.


“IDIOT! Can’t you watch where you’re going!” The crux of the matter was that he really couldn’t have. There was no reasonable way to see within the sandstorm in the slightest.


A bright flash had registered over Nathan’s vision as he’d been slammed into from out of nowhere, the impact sending him sideways to the ground. A second flash erupted as his face bounced off the ground in a highly unpleasant matter that thoroughly angered the man. With a grunt of anger he picked himself up, rubbing his thumb across his lip to rub away some blood. Only a busted lip, but he could taste iron in his mouth from what blood managed to get inside. Nathan spit to the side before responding to the maniac who’d slammed into him an nigh breakneck speeds.


”Idiot? Says the fucking loon who’s flying through crowded streets at mac 5 without any sense of caution! Stupid bitch.” Nathan growled in response, looking over the woman who’d put him on his ass.


Swiftly pushing herself to her feet, Angel was quick to draw her gaze to the man who had dared to get in her way and worse, who had dared to insult her on top of that. “I was getting through just fine until you got in my way! Everyone else had enough brains to move!” Angel snapped without restraint, her eyes glaring at him in full on fury.


Slowly, though, she realized that the sand was getting thicker and her ability to actually see the man she was arguing with was slowly fading away. “Though I’d love to stay and show you exactly how much caution I can really lack, I have someone else who deserves it more. You’re lucky day, I suppose.” Without further comment, Angel’s speed kicked in again and she ran right past Nathan, ensuring that he could feel the breeze of her speed before she vanished completely. In the movement, her hand reached out and just barely scraped across his cheek. ‘Come find me later and maybe then we can play. You seem fun.’


Nathan whipped around the way she’d went with a snarl on his face as his hand raised to his cheek, feeling where she’d touched him. The speed and whatever she’d done just then made it quite obvious she was some sort of mage, and she also seemed to have some possible idea of what was going on here. Nathan narrowed his eyes in the direction she’d went before flipping his hood back up and walking that way. Unlike her he didn’t need any speed, as he was sure there’d be chaos to follow a woman like that and all he’d need to do was follow in order to find it. And when he did...she’d made him bleed, he had a favor to return.



Collab with @DaughterofAthena
 
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Ryannan “Ryan” Costice



Waiting was worse than anything else she could possibly imagine. She needed to be able to fix things but her skin was still red from the burns she’d received and it was still painful to so much as brush against the corner of a doorway let alone do anything else. Thus, trying to weave through the crowds and try to piece together what was going on was a terrible idea.


Even though the Red Tide had stepped forward and revealed themselves, there were still more mysteries than Ryannan knew how to handle. They seemed to truly dislike mages but they never had actually called for their elimination. They seemed to truly dislike the king yet at the end of their revelation, he had still been standing. All the mysteries, all the questions, they just left too many things open for that to be the only revelation they intended to make. And that had to mean that there was more to come.


They said they had the reactor from Scava. Ryannan hadn’t seen it, she hadn’t been there, but she read about it. She knew what it was. And they had blatantly used it as a threat. She hoped Zeke knew enough to mention that at the meeting with the king.


There was little she could do from where she was. Though she hadn’t returned to Pinnacle, she was not out in the open either. Ryannan simply sat at the bedside of her guildmaster unsure of what else to do. She wasn’t even looking at him, though. Her hand clasped around his and she closed her eyes, grimacing tightly for a moment.


“I’m not sure what to do A’den,” she spoke, unsure of whether he could even hear her or not. “Our guild fights for justice… to each person their due. Who’s to determine who’s due what, though? If you kill someone, does that mean you too are due death?” There were too many questions that didn’t make sense.
 
Russel Lefton and Sarafina

Sarafina was glad that Russel knew that Exceeds were; less explaining necessary that way. "Libby was here a few moments ago, I think she'll back soon," she replied. "Um....," she started to say as she thought. Whatever arrangements were made between Lamia Scale and Russel, the Exceed hadn't been in the loop. She wasn't sure if there was a specific room set up for Russel or not.


"I'm sure I can find a room for ya. Follow me." Sarafina turned and started to walk toward the living quarters. "So...how long have you known Libby?" she asked as she walked.


"Thank you," Russel spoke softly as he glanced around. The more he realized he didn't know anyone, the more uncomfortable he became. The boy wanted to go home. He wanted to be with his own guild again and he wanted to know that he wasn't going to lose it again.


"Libby... uhm... I met her at the meeting a few days ago. She was very... friendly when..." Very quickly the conversation seemed to wind up back at his own home again, his home that no longer existed as he realized he was about to say that Libby had been friendly when his home had been destroyed.


As Russel's voice trailed off it started to click for Sarafina that the young man was from Blue Pegasus. "That's Libby for ya," she said. "Though she's always friendly, even if...that... never happened." Sarafina racked her brain for something else to say, not wanting Russel to linger on the destruction of his guild.


"Oh, here's a room you could use," she said to Russel after spotting a wizard's room without a name on the door. She flew up to the door knob and used her body to twist it. It would have been much simpler to use her battle form, but she got the door open. Inside was a room that wasn't decorated, but it had the bare necessities as far as a living space was concerned.


Russel walked into the room as she opened the door, nodding subtly. His eyes surveyed it briefly and for a moment, he wished he had some of his own things to add into the room to make it something of his own for the brief time that he would be there. All his stuff had been at the guild hall, though, so there wasn't much he actually had.


Glancing towards Sarafina, he forced a smile. "Thank you," he said again, simply because there was nothing better to say. "If you see Libby, will you let her know where I am?"


Sarafina smiled back. "Sure," she replied. "I'll start looking for her." The Exceed started to dart out of the room. She skidded to a hault once she reached the doorway. "Oh ya, you must of had a long trip," she said before quickly backtracking. "Hungry?" she asked, offering Russel a cooked fish from her backpack.


Collab with: @DaughterofAthena
 
Olive Kittana and Alicia Spearheart

Alicia stepped out into the narrow alley, closing the wooden safehouse door behind her and nodding Olive towards the main street at the alley's far end. She walked briskly, her coat flapping at her heels, wrapping a scarf about her neck as she did so, ready to be pulled up over her face to obscure her identity.


"We'll take a wander along the main street." Alicia told Olive. "Not too far in case we run into loyalists, but hopefully far enough for you to get a feel for things with your magic."


Alicia paused at the mouth of the alley, considering the street that it led into. Crocus' usual crowds were absent, and instead only a handful of wide-eyed civilians could be seen, moving fast and keeping thier heads down. She glanced over her shoulder to Olive.


"You ready?"


Olive considered the street in front of her, reaching out with her mind and immediately finding people. She hadn't quite realized how close they had been to everything. Then again, she hadn't really given it much of a try while she had been locked up either. Something about it just seemed like it would've been more trouble than it was worth.


"The reach of my magic should not be an issue," she replied swiftly. "And I'll know if anyone spots us and thinks anything of it, too." Though her magic wasn't secret from any of her guildmates, Olive did have a tendency to keep its limits to herself more often than not simply because it was far more extensive than people typically cared to realize. "And yes."


As she started walking, Olive considered the people she could sense ahead of them. "They're trying to get away from something," she explained. She wasn't quite sure if that was something obvious by the briskness of their pace and the sunken postures they held or not so she decided it was better to simply say it as she sensed it.


"Everyone's trying to get away from something in this city. For the wider populace the appeal of civil war is understandably limited. I have operatives working elsewhere. I suspect that the people are clearing out of their way."


"Clearing out of the way of what?" She didn't wait for an answer. She didn't have to. The minds of the people were more than flooding with the memory of being robbed of their side, grains of sand tearing through the crowd gathered in protest. Olive's pace quickened, her feet carrying her exactly where the civilians were trying to get away from.


"What's the point of this? Someone could get killed! I thought you wanted to stop people from becoming merely aftermath in magic!?" Olive's words were more than simply accusatory.


Alicia's step barely slowed.


"I'd rather give them a scare and send them running rather than allowing them to remain in the firing line when the Rune Knights come after us. It appears to be working."


Alicia felt the first flecks of sand from the storm whip her face. She pulled the scarf up over her nose to prevent her from breathing too much of the stuff.


Olive stopped as she reached the sand's edge, not quite stepping into its fury right away and not backing away from it either. "You never said anything about a firing line, Alicia," Olive commented. "And you know that I won't fight them. I'm not even armed. I couldn't even if I did want to."


Alicia paused as well.


"I don't expect you to fight. I don't expect innocent bystanders to have to fight, either. Hence why we need to make sure that this part of the city is clear before launching operations against the government."


"You never said anything about launching any actions either. I thought you were going to let me try to talk to them. I won't stand by and watch you hurt people who don't understand. And some of the mages don't understand; I can guarantee it."


"I do want you to talk to them. My operations are not directed against people; a deserted Knight barracks is a far more appropriate target than human beings. We in the Tide have certain standards, standards which our opponents have yet to reciprocate."


"And what of the people stuck in that sandstorm who can't get out?" Olive inquired. "It seems the riots left more than a few buildings unstable, not to mention screaming people running for their lives are bound to trample those smaller than them."


"If you have a less imperfect solution on how to quickly clear a district of potential casualties, I'd be happy to hear it, Olive. I'm afraid that I can only look at this as statistical gain versus loss. Tragic though that is, admittedly."


Olive slowly started shaking her head. "People are not and cannot be statistics. That's not how I do things. We are mages. We can do better. YOU can do better! You're a fricking mage, Alicia! Go in, get people, get them out! How hard is it to think that you could get some of them out? Use your head!" She did not once glance back at her guildmate and she did not look back before she marched into the sandstorm.


Alicia sighed, setting her feet to a steady rhythm on Olive's heels.


"I understand that people are not statistics, but unfortunately as a commander I no longer have the liberty to coddle every life I hold in my hands. The relative threat of a sandstorm is far less than that of a stray spell blasting a house full of people into splinters and cinders."


"And the relative threat of being trapped in a collapsing building while rescuers can no longer see the people they're trying to rescue in order to get them out?! What about that, Alicia?" Olive was, in fact, marching straight into such a situation.


"A threat which is quite pressing, although preferable to placing them in the middle of active combat."


Alicia paused outside a semi-crumpled house, watching flames lick at the timbers which held the remainder erect.


"Save the lives you can Olive, of course. I shall try to do the same thing, in my way."


"You think its any different in the middle of active combat than it is in the middle of a sandstorm? If we weren't here, and I'm willing to bet you wouldn't be if it wasnt' for me, then buildings collapse with people inside because rescuers cannot do their job when they cannot see. The result is the exact same either way, Alicia. It's not different."


"I think, Olive, that far fewer people die in sandstorms than they do in combat. In a state of war I can only moderate potential harm, not avert it entirely."


"A war you chose to start before considering all other options... you never consulted with the mages of the guilds, and you're never going to prevent me from making that accusation. This war and any lives lost are on your hands because there could've been a way to save them all."


Leaving that statement to simmer, Olive resumed walking, seeking out a much taller building lined on the side by a firetruck. A woman stood outside of it, wrapped in a fire blanket with her eyes looking up, trying to see into the building as she seemed to be looking for someone. Reaching her own mind into the building, Olive could sense that a younger boy was still trapped up top.


"It's naive to assume that you can save them all. Life rarely obliges to fantasies like that. And I wasn't under the impression that I required the consent of mages to fight for the right cause, especially when those same mages are the problem that I am opposing."


"Not consent, but with their help, you may not have had to start a war for it." Olive was fed up with that conversation, though. "Now, here's a life you can save and I know it. There's a boy up there. They won't go up because they can't see. You can teleport. Are you going to save the lives you can, Alicia? Or are they all just statistics to you?!" Fury of challenge flooded Olive's red eyes.


Alicia set her teeth.


"You happily portray me as the villain. I could leave him to die, if you truly want confirmation that I am an utterly irrational, inhuman monster now that I fight for a cause that is not your own."


Alicia turned to the building.


"But unfortunately for you, just because I fight on another side doesn't mean that I don't value life just as much as you do. Dark Ecriture, Teleport."


She dissolved into a blur of runes. A few moments passed. Then a few minutes. The building creaked as the flames climbed higher.


Alicia reappeared, a figure hauled over one shoulder. She deposited the boy a safe distance away, where the rescue party would find him even amidst the sand, before returning to Olive. She gave the other woman a level look.


"I can teleport. I can't detect people like you can. A little direction to his locatuon wouldn't have gone amiss. I'd thank you to remember that I am only human too."


"And the minute you put yourself in charge of people, the moment you take responsibility for their lives like you're trying to with this revolution of yours, you cease being human in their eyes. You have to be a hero to them or they'll never trust you. That's not something I need to remember. I see it in their minds. That mother will never forget what you look like now."


Olive nodded toward the mother now able to hug and hold her son before she called out to the rescuers and the family, "You guys should get out of this storm. It'll be safer. Head east. It clears up after a time."





@DaughterofAthena
 
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Lynn Aquari, Caitlyn Alissa Malachi, & Caleb Augustus Malachi

​



As Lynn walked out of the guild meeting with the king, she sensed a large magical presence. She quickened her pace as she made her way over to Rose, who had been waiting for her while she had been in the meeting. "I agreed that Mermaid Heel will help the king deal with the Red Tide. You can help me fight the ring leaders or help out in other ways." Lynn explained. "Though right now I'm sensing a lot of magic. The Red Tide may be making their move already. Do you want to help me investigate? Maybe we'll find Caleb."


Rose had been waiting for Lynn to get out if her meeting in the main hall. Toying with her bandaged hand nervously when the spell outside was activated. It almost immediately made her panick, seeing as she could feel the magic energy. Something she'd only experienced to this degree when S classes flexed their magical muscles. Whoever did this was strong.


She was looking concernedly out the window into the sandstorm when Lynn ran up to her. Apparently they were sided with the king. She put that thought off until later and focused on the matter at hand. "Um uh." She tried to choose what to do, but made her decision in what was a surprising moment of clarity for her.


"You go ahead after the one doing this Lynn. I'm going to try and help the people who were outside when it hit. I can't try helping myself before I help those in need!" She wrapped her scarf around her mouth and nose as she prepared to exit out into the sandstorm. "If you see Caleb, try to get him to come back with you, okay?" She gave a slight nod, and a smile only visible by her eyes. Then she made her way out into the storm.


Lynn smiled back and nodded. She felt proud of her Mermaid Heel sister. She treked out into the sandstorm and used her Water Body magic to protect herself. As she headed through the sandstorm, sand would enter her liquid-like body and was deposited as wet sand in the shape of her footsteps. After what felt like a lot of walking, Lynn reached the area that she felt the magic coming from. She saw a young man standing on a rooftop in the middle of the storm; he looked like the mage that was causing it, but due to the sand swirling around she couldn't get a good look at his face.


Lynn turned her body into water and climbed up a nearby drainage pipe. She reformed on a nearby rooftop and continued to keep her body in a liquid like state. "Hey you!" she yelled. "I thought the Red Tide didn't want to make things difficult on civilians. You wouldn't happen to be Caleb would you? One of my Mermaid Heel sisters says that she knows you somehow."


Caleb was straining to concentrate on maintaining the spells specific shape. Maintaining millions of pounds of sand against winds and gravity was hard. Who knew? Anyways, his concentration wasn't wholly on the spell as he had to keep an eye out for potential attackers. As such he did hear Lynn's attempts to yell towards him.


He turned her direction and noted the blurry shape of the person yelling at him. From the bits he could hear it seemed it was a she. She also happened to know his name. That wasn't a very good sign, as he was to understand that only the Red Tide knew his identity in this country. Unless..... was, was that Caitlyn? It couldn't be... but who else would know his name aside from Cipher and Caleb? They'd have used their comms anyway.


He grimaced and took a fighting stance just in case. Pressing his finger to his earpiece to talk to Cipher and Wyatt. "Seems someone has already found me. It's only one person so I should be able to take them fine. But if not I'll be dropping the spell and running. From the feel of the regular winds the storm will pass in thirty minutes without my control. Be ready for that."


He let go of the button on his earpiece and eyed the blurry for curiously. He cast a loud, resonant bellow across to the person, sure it would be carry. "I can't hear most of what you're saying from here, but you seem to know me. Seeing as you haven't attacked yet you must want to talk. Come over to this roof if so!" Caleb was holding his breath. After all this time. Could it truly be her?


Lynn jumped over to Caleb's roof top and walked right up to him, confident that what ever he tried to do to her would phase through her liquid-like state. "I'm only acting peaceful because that's what she would want. If you try any funny business I won't hesitate to fight back," Lynn said dryly. She'd fight back if she had too, though she intentionally left out the part about fighting back non-lethally. She held her palm out flat, facing the sky. Using her magic she formed what looked like a water statue bust of Rose's head and shoulders. "This is my guildmate who is looking for you. How do you know her?"


Caleb was taken off guard when she so quickly and easily reached his building. However as she approached he noticed she seemed to have a body made of water. 'That is soooooo cool.' Not to mention the water seemed to filtrate all the sand out without bothering her. Smart. He would have to change which maguc he was using in the case of a fight.


However when she cast her magic to form her guildmates head Caleb’s breath caught in her throat. It was Caitlyn's face. She looked rather thin and frail, but besides that and a bit of an older look which is to be expected it was definitely her. He began to tear up as he looked at the image. He almost reached out to touch the image, but caught his arm halfway up.


Suddenly a thought dawned on him. She was in a mage guild somehow, and that meant the Red Tide would have already known where she was. Which meant that at this point they were just using him. If he didn't do what they wanted they already had a perfect way to threaten him. His heart felt like it was gripped in ice.


Caleb prepared himself, letting go of his control over the sandstorm. The sandstorm would act as nature dictates from here on out so it was a good thing he'd prepared. He began prepping his Cataclysm Magic for a different type. His aura glowing around his body as a mix of yellow and purple.


"I'm sorry. I can't tell you who she is to me, for reasons I can't directly say. I'm not saying that she's very important. Or that she'd be in danger if I left the Red Tide. I have to fight you now. Do you understand?"


"Water Lock." Lynn started to form a bubble of water around Caleb and due to how close she was to him he might not be able to dodge in time. "I understand that your scared for her safety, but you have nothing to worry about because she's in my guild. Do you really think I can't protect my own guildmate?" she asked calmly.


"Right now she's out there helping people because of you. Now are you going to help me protect her or waste both of our time? The longer we stay here the more likely she'll run into one of your allies. I already protected her once from your white haired friend and I think we both know he won't go easy on her."


Caleb looked around himself fearfully as the water bubble began to form. He put his hand out in a panic and cast hid magic earlier than intended, causing it to be weaker than he planned. "Cataclysm Magic: Spread Shock!" Four thin, horizontal columns of lightning shot out from his hand and burst through the bubble.


He took his chance and ran forward, jumping through the hole. "I think that one person's safety is hard to guarantee in all this. I think that she's in a lot more danger if I turn on them. Then they'll target her directly, and protecting her will be that much harder."


However she had gotten to him, harsh tears burning his eyes behind his goggles and glasses. He got into a full fighting stance, lightning arcing off his body. "One way or another, they have to believe I'm still loyal to them. Don't hold back, cause I'm not going to!"


Lynn jumped back at the sight of the lightning. She didn't want to be near her Water Lock bubble and get zapped while it popped. "Very well," Lynn replied with a sigh. She slashed her arm and hand toward Caleb. "Water Slicer!" Lynn fired three scythe-like water projectiles at him.


Caleb hasn't expected such a quick acceptance of battle, but it was what he asked for. He threw put a hand and recast his Spread Shock spell. Four lines of lightning shot forth, three coming in contact with the Water Slicers and the fourth headed for Lynn. Crackles of electricity meeting water sounded across the rooftop as the spells met.


Unfortunately one if the Slicers was not beaten by his spell. He tried to roll out of the way, but it still caught his leg length wise, cutting through his pants and leaving a long slice into his leg. He let out a short yell of pain upon being wounded. He felt exhausted and realized the wound wasn't his only issue. He had begun to drop quite low in magical energy.


The sandstorm simply took too much out of him, and two more subsequent Cataclysm spells didn't help. He had to act quickly. He had maybe one large spell left in him, or a few small ones. Then he'd have to run or risk being unable to. He slowly stood, pooling as much magic as he could for one big, destructive, distracting spell. His body oozing electricity as he did.


As the lightning arced toward her, Lynn held out her hand out toward Caleb and unleashed a sideways cyclone of water. "Cyclone Shield!" The cyclone headed toward the young man and intercepted his electricity attacks. She growled as she felt the electricity zap through the cyclone, into her, and back into the cyclone. "You were foolish trusting the Red Tide's "protection" of my guildmate over mine," she said between growls without raising her voice.


Caleb set his jaw in anger. She didn't GET IT. "You're not understanding me! They aren't protecting her. They promised to find her for me if I did what they said. Think about all they've done in relation to the mage guilds lately. They'd obviously know it's her, and if that's true they'll have measures in case I defect!"


His voice began to crack. It wavered with obvious emotion as he lowered his arms to his side. "I don't want to do this. All I wanted was to find her and make sure she was safe and happy. Cipher and this storm, neither are going to endanger her life. But they....," he trailed off. "They'll kill her to get to me. I won't let that happen!" He yelled the last bit, putting his arms back up in preparation.


"Foolish boy," Lynn snapped back. "Sounds to me like they found her for themselves. If they've known she's been in Mermaid Heel why haven't they told you by now? You're both pawns in their game. If you don't want her killed and hate what they're having you do, then man up and do something about it."


Caleb visibly shook, struck by her words as if they were a physical attack. It couldn't be that easy. Just switching sides like that. After all that he'd done, how long he'd fought to find her. It couldn't just be time to walk away and live happily with her again. Could it?


".....No, it can't he that easy. They're never that easy. The moment I switch sides they'll kill her. If they killed me I wouldn't care. But she has to be safe." He focused his magic and cast a hand to the sky above the woman. "I'm sorry about this. Cataclysm Magic: Storm Bringer's Indignation!"


The magic held within him flooded out and into the sky. Nothing happened for a second, but suddenly as if.... well, magic, a building sized pillar of lightning began to form in the sky above the woman. He made a motion as if to drop the spell atop her head. However, it didn't quite work that way.


A large detonation of sound went off, and the pillar fractured. As it dissipated a huge force seemed to slam directly into Caleb like a speeding car. He flew off the edge of the building and slammed into the ground below. As he did he felt a series of cracks in his stomach.


The tears came immediately as the pain set in. He understood the problem immediately. He had broken some of his ribs, and breathing was a bit tough. He struggled to get to his feet, coughing painfully as he did. "Dammit, why? Why does my magic always betray me?!"


He sealed off the minimal magic he had left and began redirecting it to his feet. He'd need a bit of magical speed if he wanted to have a chance of getting away. He pressed his headset on real quick. "I.... I have to retreat to the planned spot. I'm beaten pretty seriously. You guys are on your own." He began to stumble away as quickly as he could, casting glances over his shoulder. No point in hurting himself to run if she didn't follow. As if he'd be that lucky.


Lynn braced herself for the worse as the large pillar of lightning was being formed. Shockingly it looked like the spell backfired. She saw Caleb fall and heard a crunch. Broken bones. Lynn climbed down from the building and investigated where she had heard the sickening sound. Caleb was already gone and the sandstorm didn't help her see where he went. Her guess was that he was returning to base, where ever that was.


Lynn shook her head. "Foolish boy," she sighed to herself. "You should be more afraid of me than the Red Tide when it comes to my guild."


Collab with: @AllHailDago


@DaughterofAthena @Mad Prince of Sanity
 
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Wyatt Verlock and Bailey O'Hara

"Damn. This is insane! I should have just stayed at the guild hall...or at least in the Palace with all the super strong guys." Bailey muttered to himself as he stumbled through the sand storm currently raging outside of the Palace. He stepped outside for two minutes to get some fresh air, and that was when the storm hit. Bailey wasn't the smartest guy around, but he knew a storm this huge didn't just happen. This was some strong magic, and he needed to find the guy who cast the spell and knock him the hell out. There were people all over the city who needed his help, and as far as he knew, all the other guild mages in the Palace weren't around to help him.


"Now, if I were a super powerful sandstorm making mage, where would I hide? C'mon Bailey, use that brain of yours!"


Bailey stopped and closed his eyes. He needed to concentrate, but nothing came to him.


"Huh, I guess Gramps was right when he said I was more brawn than brains."


Bailey shrugged and trudged onward. If he could feel any abnormally strong magic power, that would at least be somewhere to start...


BANG!


Sound like thunder interrupted Bailey's concentration as screaming people started scattering around him in every direction. Soon after the sound, there was a bright flash of light and then another thunderous echo that elicited a reflexive jump from everyone before they started running again. "That's right!" a voice added in as it stormed through the crowd. "Run! Run away!"


Eyes fell upon Bailey's form. The odd thing was that the eyes weren't exactly eyes. They were the outline of goggles that covered where eyes would've been had the man been human. That was another problem; he wasn't human. Where there should've been skin, there was metal instead and mechanical electronics seemed to flurry through his existence making the man some kind of cyborg. The way his head angled down, though, left no doubt that he saw Bailey standing there.


"Why aren't you running? You know if I drop another one right next to you, you'll go deaf?"


"Thing is pal, I've read enough books to know a bad guy when I see one. If you're looking for someone to fight, try me on for size! I won't let you hurt any of these people any more, so get ready, because you're going down!"


Bailey prepared for a fight as the sky blue aura of his magic swirled around him. He punched his fists together, and a magic circle appeared. Bailey knew that if he lowered his density enough, he would get swept up into the storm, so his best bet was high density. When he was sure his density was high enough, he ducked down and burrowed under ground, as his density was higher than that of the ground.


Wyatt's eyes followed Bailey's burrowing trail. Though it may not and likely was not apparent, Wyatt could see him even as he made tunnels that may have parallelled he actuall surface of the earth itself and he followed each and every move the boy made. "Interesting one," he remarked to himself as he simply waited for the boy to resurface.


Then another thought occurred to him. Wyatt walked up to the hole that remained in the ground and he dropped one of his flash-bang grenades into it. Either the sound would collapse the tunnels onto the boy if he remained. Or it would force him back up again. One way or the other, it put him back in reach again.


One.


Two...


"Wait a minute what the fu--?!"


Bailey barely had a moment to react to the flash-bang before it went off. He had no choice but to dig himself off and go for an attack. He jumped out of the tunnel and by sheer luck he ended up behind the mechanical man. He had him right where he wanted him.


"Ha, gotcha!!"


Bailey returned his body to its normal density, but increased the density of his right arm immensely. This punch would do some serious damage.


His mistake was in his proclamation. All Wyatt needed was a moment's notice and Bailey's words were more than that moment he needed. The mechanical body did not turn around. There wasn't even a flinch. The punch connected with something, but it was not the cyborg's body that it connected with. Instead, it was a simple metal brick, hardened and shining. The punch drove through it, but by the time the steel block shattered, the momentum was gone and any impact that actually hit Wyatt's body was negligable at best.


Turning around, a metal arm reached out and grabbed Bailey's fist, gripping tighter than humanly possible although not more than that. "How much force does it take to shatter bone, you think?" Wyatt inquired.


"I don't know. How about I bust open this giant tin can of yours and we'll find out!"


Thinking on his feet, Bailey grabbed the mechanical arm with his other free hand, and increased his density as much as he could. The initial crushing and overwhelming pain subsided as the metallic arm failed to crush his hand. With all his strength Bailey pulled Wyatt down, trying to bring him down and make him vulnerable to an attack.


The gaze behind the goggles flared to Bailey's hand as it grabbed him and then a deep chuckled seemed to rumble throughout the suit. "You think it's that easy!?" He seemed bewildered.


Letting the weight of Bailey's strength pull him for a mere moment, Wyatt suddenly unleashed an electrical current that trickled over the entire metallic surface of his body. Coursing through wires that ran over seemingly every inch, the current quickly made its way to where Bailey's hand lay and then it discharged out, electrical burns threatening Bailey's palm.


'Well that didn't work at all. C'mon Bailey think of something think of something! I've only done this one other time...so I got a 10% chance at best this works.'


The pain made Bailey's vision blurry, and his entire body felt like it was on fire. Closing his eyes he concentrated on the part of his wrist captured by the large metallic appendage. Blue aura surged around him as he screamed at the top of his lungs. He shifted the density of his wrist to the point where it phased out of Wyatt's grasp. Now free, Bailey jumped back to put some space between himself and the mechanical mage. He was panting heavily, and was in a severe amount of pain, and it appeared that he had done no damage to his opponent.


"Alright...you win...that round. But I ain't...done yet. Here comes...round two...asshole."


"There isn't going to be a round two, kid," Wyatt snarled. Goggles locked on. Goggles targeted. "Hmm... Bailey O'Hara, huh? Records tell me you might not survive this. Shall we test them?"


His arm raised and a single weapon rose out of the top of it. The computer never screwed up its calculations and as fire emerged, flooding the air in front of Wyatt, it sought to completely engulf the mage who wouldn't run when told to.


Bailey saw the flames and instinctively lowered his density and jumped into the air to dodge the attack. However, this didn't work to Bailey's favor, as the strong winds of the sandstorm immediately swept him up and sent him flying forward, directly above Wyatt. He kept flying, until the wind slammed him through the window of a nearby building.


'Well, that hurt. A lot. He's got those goggle things on, so I guess he can see through the sandstorm. If I could just distract him for a second...'


Wyatt's eyes followed him the whole way. They saw him sail through the air, the saw him smash through the window and they saw him land on the ground of the four story building. Archive eyes immediately sought out weak points in the building itself. The foundation was very sketch. That was immediately obvious.


Before Wyatt had a further moment to contemplate the situation, though, movement caught his attention.


"Alright, you're going down asshole! Right now! Equilibrium!!!"


Bailey charged forward, surrounded by the blue aura of his magic. He was fast as a butterfly and strong as an ox. He dashed around Wyatt for 5 seconds, making after images of himself before charging in at top speed for a high powered punch. Fist upon metal, the impact moved forward when Wyatt's feet did not, denting the metal of his suit before his feet finally gave in, allowing backwards movement to absorb the rest of the force as the fist connetcted with his right side.


"I got him? Holy shit I got him!"


Bailey had no time to appreciate his victory as the pain set in. He was beat up badly, and he had almost no magic power left. He just hoped that robot guy stayed down.


Wyatt did not, in fact, stay down. In fact, his hands arched behind him, pushing off the ground at the same time that his feet kicked forward. His motions gave him more than enough momentum to spring back to his feet before he examined the dent in his side. He didn't even want to think of what that would look like when he returned to his human form. Instead he returned his attention to the stupid kid who'd used up way too much of his time.


"So...any chance we can kiss and make up?"


"No." Wyatt's answer was simple and to the point as he walked up to Bailey's weakened form. A simple wind up of his leg and a steel boot connected with Bailey with almost the exact same force Bailey had struck Wyatt with; the only difference was Bailey's punch impacted metal whereas Wyatt's kick impacted flesh.


The metal leg hit Bailey right in the chest, breaking a good number of his ribs, and sent him flying right back into the same building from before, although through a different window. Bailey tried to get up, he tried to move, to do something, but it was no use. He was completely out of magic power and about to pass out from the intense pain.


It was the same building. It had the same weakness.


Placing a hand upon the center of his chest, Wyatt built up energy and centered it on a small piece of metal, channeling the power from his battery into the object. It would only remain contained as long as he focused on it. The moment he threw it, the explosion would be wonderous and boring at the same time. Though he hated to end it this way, the kid was not the mission. The crowd was the mission. Bailey was distracting from that. A quick toss and the magic bomb was off, landing right at the building's front door.


BOOM!


Structure crashed down. Wyatt turned away and returned his attention to the crowd, determined to cause damage as he'd been instructed.


Buildings fall fast. This one was no exception. Ash erupted, mixing with the sand in the air as brick by brick, the building condensed and compacted upon Bailey's body, seeming as though it would crush him to absolute nonexistence. Something grabbed him, though. Someone. A hand clasped his ankle and suddenly, Bailey was being pulled faster away from the building than the building was actually collapsing. Within seconds, he was out of the storm completely.


"I know I said we'd get a drink sometime, but I can't be here anymore. I'd only make things worse." There was the briefest utterance of a spell and then the figure was gone leaving Bailey collapsed upon open ground just outside the city bounds.


Collaboration with @BlackknifeVane
 

Donald 'Dusty' Houns


Monster of the Earth



​



Dusty stood silently on the street corner, sand whipping around him. He had no idea where the storm that was occurring had come from, but he could tell it was not natural. Magic was fueling it, which meant someone was trying to put Guild mages into an even tougher position. No doubt it was the Red Tide behind it, but Dusty couldn't sniff out the source. The sand covered such a large area that it made it impossible to pinpoint his enemy.


But not everything was bad. Pulling the scarf down from around his mouth, Dusty began inhaling. The sand spinning around him changed it's spastic course, funneling into the Dragon Slayer. Dusty felt the power begin to grow inside of him, the warmth flowing through his body. The magic that was a part of the grains of sand fueled him even more, though the taste of it was bitter. He felt his stomach get full, and he pulled his scarf back over his mouth.


His ears picked up a tapping sound, and Dusty tilted his head lower, scrunching his shoulders up, trying to make his massive frame a tad smaller. He waited patiently for the group of men to walk closer, before he was able to pick up on their conversation.


"...stand them. But now, with citizens all riled up, and with our help, we can finally topple that 'king' and make things right!" The man was yelling over the storm raging around him and his posse, which consisted of three others. Each of them was carrying a different weapon; the lead one was carrying a sword and shield, two held staffs, and the one in the back carried a sort of gun that was attached to her shoulder and wore a gauntlet on one of her hands. They all wore goggles that covered their eyes, probably allowing them to see perfectly in the storm.


Dusty kept quiet as they began to walk past him. They continued talking about the civil war that was raging in the capital, disregarding Dusty. As the woman in the back passed him, she paused, turning her gaze to him. Dusty locked eyes with her, and they stood in silence. She seemed to be trying to decipher something as she looked at him. Slowly, Dusty watched realization dawn on her face. She held her bare hand out to her friends, and shouted something to them.


But Dusty wasn't focusing on listening anymore. His hand snaked out and grabbed her by the neck. Her words were caught in her throat, and she flailed as Dusty threw her in the direction of the others. They had turned, but were knocked down as she collided with them. As they fell to the ground, Dusty pulled his scarf down. He was recognized, so the measly disguise wasn't useful anymore.


They all began to stand up, and the gauntlet woman lifted her weapon, holding an open hand out to him. Suddenly, a bolt of energy fired out of the palm of her hand. Dusty's instinct's took over, and he leaned to the side to dodge the attack. Several more bolts followed, all of which he maneuvered around. The attacks were too predictable, so he didn't even bother to try. She grimaced, aiming the cannon on her shoulder at him. An orange light began glow in the barrel, and before Dusty moved, a huge cone of fire shot out at him. Donald lifted his arm up to cover his face as the flames washed over him.


With a scoff, Dusty began feeding magical power to his arm. He was overfueled, and he would put that to his advantage. With a grunt, Dusty swung his arm out, fanning the flames away. The sand blasted away from him as well, making the area around him clear. The wind blew hard, and the Red Tide members had to steel themselves as they were buffeted. As the wind calmed down, there was a moment of complete silence, and the operatives looked at the mage in fear.


All Dusty gave them was an angry smirk as the storm resumed around them once again.


Crouching low to the ground, Dusty shot off, breaking the concrete under him. He launched himself to the gauntlet lady, and placed his hand over his face. With vicious force, he pushed her down into the ground, the crack resounding in his ears as she was knocked out cold. His eyes focused on the two with the staffs next, and they held them protectively in front of themselves. Dusty quickly jumped into the air, aiming a kick to one of their heads and a punch to the other's. The kick landed, but his fist connected with the staff. A burning sensation came over his flesh as the first staff man fell, and he grimaced in pain. Bracing the pain, he grabbed the staff and ripped it out of his hands. He then proceeded to break it in two, throwing the pieces to the side.


That was all it took for the man to turn tail and begin running. But he wouldn't escape that easily. Reaching down, Dusty grabbed a loose rock and gripped it tightly, it crumbling into pebbles in his hand. Bringing his arm back, he threw the pebbles like someone would throw a baseball. The stones hit their mark, and the man flew about a foot before hitting the ground and sliding a tad.


Finally, the last Red Tide member was left. He held his sword and shield in front of him. He looked in horror at Donald. He gulped, and then shouted over the storm at Dusty. "You see?! This is it! The reason we hate you all! Violence and pain is all that happens! We Red Tide don't need you...damn mages running around like you own the place! Its not fair, and you-!" He couldn't finish, because Dusty wrapped his hand around the mans mouth.


Lifting him up, Dusty held him squirming above the ground. He stood still for a moment. Then, pulling the man closer so he could talk to him without yelling, Dusty glared into his eyes with anger that could make mountains crumble


"What isn't fair is what all the innocent people are being put through. All the people who want peace. If the Red Tide wants peace, this is not how you get it. This..." He gestured to the storm raging around him. "...this is all violence and pain." Then, with a quick motion, Dusty slammed his forehead into the man's temple, and dropped the limp body down the ground. Dusty stood there for a couple seconds, looking at his four victims.


With a quick sigh, he lifted his scarf back up onto his face, and wandered through the storm. He still had a meeting to get to, and he wasn't going to be late for it.


 
Olive Kittana



Olive’s magic varied frequently and often. There were certain things she could never know and certain things she would never miss. Some people showed up at a greater range than others and the more she knew someone, the more attuned her mind was to anything and everything they did. It was one of the things about her magic that was impossible to explain and something as simple as a grain of sand could set it off in the best of ways or the worst of ways.


One grain scraped against her cheek as she stood within the sandstorm. Only it wasn’t sand. It was dirt. The moment it touched her cheek, memories flooded back and she could not stop her mind from reaching out, searching for her guildmate who she hadn’t seen in a few days - it seemed like much longer.


Finding the mind was easy. Dealing with what she saw in front of him through the eyes that he watched the scene around him was not. Four bodies collapsed on the ground. Olive knew none of them but that was not what concerned her. She had truly hoped that she would be able to solve this conflict without further violence and it seemed that just to spite her, fate was guiding her friends and allies to make that task nearly impossible for her to accomplish. Things were only made worse by the fact that she could feel no remorse within his mind. She only felt his rage.


Her knees buckled beneath her as her mind scanned the rest of the sandstorm covered turf, finding many who needed help and many who she knew she couldn’t just ignore. Her thoughts wandered to Alicia briefly, wondering what her companion would do if she knew Dusty was within the storm and that Olive could find him and go to him if she wished. For her, it could’ve been an escape. She didn’t know if that was what she wanted, though.


Turning her head slightly simply so that the wind wouldn’t carry her voice away too quickly, Olive commented. “It’s just overwhelming… all the minds in the storm.” It was not an uncommon thing for her to experience and it would not be something new to Alicia either. Olive’s powers were overwhelming even when they had been able to find the peace of home within the guild hall. That did not mean it was the truth by anyone's standard, though. Olive knew that and her mind dwelled with that of Alicia's, carefully gleaning for any sense of doubt.


@Hellkite @Refaulted
 
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25h1utf.png


​



Outskirts of Margaret Town; 3:00pm

​


"Haa!"


A boulder, embellished by several cracked areas, shattered into pieces that went flying onto the rocky terrain ahead. Behind the oversized rock stood Lamia Scale's S-Ranked dragon slayer, Ryos Delmora. His fist was extended forward, and he kept his arm in the air as he took in some deep breaths, exhaling heavily. He had been at this from the moment he woke up, meaning it had been around 8 hours since he started training. No moment was wasted, these were the preparations required for war.


His master had faced such a situation long ago, taking on an alliance of Dark Guilds that threatened her home country, his own home country, with only three allies. The legendary four wizards of Bosco worked hard and overcame the odds, they saved their home, and their people, all with an unrelenting will and a desire to do good. But what if the enemy was the people?


No matter. The poison dragon slayer didn't recognize them as his people, no, they couldn't be. They were traitors to the country of Fiore, and he would treat them as such. It's not as if he had any care in the world for them anyway. It was always about the mission, the task at hand, the job, the quest. He would protect his friends, his guild, and his country, above all else. Those were the things he cared about. Those were the people he cared about.


"Ahh!"


Another boulder smashed to bits, followed by more heavy breathing. His shirtless torso was covered in beads of sweat. Understandably, he had been enraged during the days following the Red Tide's debut. Rumors had come out about Sora's true intentions, how she was fighting against the Red Tide all that time. He couldn't, no, he wouldn't forgive her, regardless of those rumors. A person's life was not something that held such little weight that one could simply dispose of it on order. Those lives she took, they were friends of other people, sibling to other people. Some had risked their lives in an effort to save their country, Red Tide or not.


And then there was the huge feeling of betrayal weighing on his heart. How many mages had deceived their guild mates by working for the Red Tide? Ryos couldn't help but feel for those who had long associated with Red Tide double agents. His opinions on the other guilds had always been negative, they definitely weren't proven wrong.


Finally, the thought of Jamke being in Crocus was on his mind as well. Though he trusted Jamke with his life, he didn't quite trust the other wizards that were going to accompany him, especially since he didn't know which wizards those were going to be. Then there was the issue of the Red Tide supporters and their presence in Crocus. Ryos was still beating himself up about the decision to let Jamke go alone.


The young man swiped at the towel, quickly drying his face and then proceeding to rub his body down in an effort to take off the sweat. He decided that he would take a break from his training. His muscles ached for the rest. A cold shower seemed to be in order, and so he went off towards the guild hall, his plethora of thoughts still floating around in his mind, disturbing his peace.


30 minutes later

A long sigh escaped the dragon slayer's lips as he walked out of the men's restroom. Lamia Scale was always pretty well off when it came to funds, so they were able to have a pretty modern restroom with several clean showers and toilets within them. His own shack had no such thing as plumbing, so Ryos always came down when he needed to do his business.


Feeling fresh and clean, Ryos managed a small smirk as he walked the halls. He was also wearing a new jumpsuit he purchased, and liked the way the polyester felt on his skin, so overall he was able to have a positive vibe about himself, despite the problems of the immediate future. Though his mind wasn't at peace, at least he felt good.


"Hmm?"


The raven-haired young man was surprised to see Russel Lefton of Blue Pegasus ahead of him, standing in front of a room with the flying cat, and even more surprised when the cat led Russel inside the room. He had met Russel twice before, though the first time, Russel didn't manage to leave enough of an impression of Ryos for the dragon slayer to remember the flying boy. Perhaps Libby invited him for a playdate or something.


Ryos quickly realized that he was being forgetful again. Blue Pegasus lost their guild hall, the boy had nowhere to stay. Though Ryos wasn't a big fan of the other guilds, he definitely had a soft spot for Blue Pegasus, for various reasons.


First off, Ryos had been introduced to their guild master at a young age, and had always been a huge fan of his. The young man saw the wizard saint as a friend, despite their age difference. After all, it was hard not to like the man his own guild master had not-so-secret feelings for.


Then there was the fact that he was familiar and on friendly terms with a few of their mages, such as Russel himself, or even Jacob Foles. Of course, there was also Dusty, a guy he had come to very much see himself within.


Ryos walked in front of the open door to the room, paying no mind to the possibility that Russel might have wanted some privacy. The dragon slayer crossed his arms, his violet eyes showing a certain tenderness that was incredibly uncommon around those not named Libby.


"Welcome to Lamia Scale, Russel. How is everything? How are Jacob and Dusty?"
 
Alicia Spearheart

Alicia allowed Olive a moment to compose herself amidst the storm and exercise her magic, standing a short distance away so that the other girl was only a dark sillhouette through the blistering wall of sand.


We can't loiter for long. Alicia thought as explosions echoed in the distance. With all this the government will be here within the next few minutes, not that they'll be too effective while the storm's going.


Alicia glanced over to Olive, who had dropped to her knees.


Knowing them, the more zealous mages will be out in force too. If they find us, it'll mean a fight. It'd be best to avoid that until Olive's had the chance to make them see reason.


“It’s just overwhelming… all the minds in the storm.”


Alicia heard Olive's words. She trudged over to her, boots sliding for purchase in the sand that was submerging the street in minature dunes.


"Done what you need to do?" Alicia asked. "We can't stay for much longer, else we risk being discovered. I'd prefer not to encounter any mages until you've had the chance to broadcast your message to the guilds; until they know that the Tide is not truely their enemy, we're both likely to be attacked on sight."


There was a buzzing from the pocket of Alicia's coat. She reached inside and produced a communications lacrima, which she held to her ear for a moment. Alicia made an affirmative noise.


"Thanks, keep me posted on any developments."


She stowed the lacrima and glanced to Olive for a moment, now wary.


"One of my perimeter teams just failed to check in on the comms. Maybe it's interference from the storm, but it could also be that the enemy is already moving to counter us. Faster than I expected. Olive, we should go."


@DaughterofAthena
 
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Russel Lefton



Russel’s head had been down, everything about his expression sunk low and showed very little signs of the happiness one ought to have expected with his youth. He was sulking. That was really all there was to it.


His head lifted at the sound of his name but there was no smile. There was an attempt at a smile, but it only ever made it so far as a curl in his lips and the happiness that it was supposed to convey didn’t exist so there was not more that could actually result of it. It wasn’t a real smile and anyone would see that right away. Furthermore, the curl in his lips vanished completely once he heard mention of his guildmates. His head sunk down again. He couldn’t meet Ryos’s gaze.


“Well, they’re not here…” Russel sighed. “They didn’t seem to care where I went. Dusty…” Russel hesitated because he honestly didn’t know. He hadn’t seen the dragon slayer since the ball. “Jacob had to go to the meeting, I think. I don’t know where he’s going after that. We have no home…” And there it was. The root of all his sadness, the root of all his troubles, the source of what Russel blamed for everything that had went wrong after that. Home was important and Blue Pegasus didn’t have one anymore.


@BLUR



Libby Tuck



Running back into the guild hall, Libby was not at all slow with her steps because she was far too excited with her idea to be slow and patient. Her head turned swiftly, not only looking for Russel, but looking for her guildmates as well and she didn’t see them which confused her. It did not concern her though. Libby knew they had to be somewhere.


Still running like a wild woman on a hunt, Libby headed for the steps and she happened to see Sarafina. “Sarafina! I have an idea! I HAVE AN IDEA!” Libby could not contain her excitement as she continued running.


Unfortunately for Libby, her feet were just the slightest bit clumsy and she found herself tripping over a step rather than simply stepping up the step. Falling as was inevitable, Libby found her face slowly approaching the floor with just enough time for her to mumble, “Oops” before she impacted the floor in a way that looked as though it should have been very loud and very painful. However, that was not the actual result as Libby went through the staircase and fell into the basement of the guild hall instead of actually impacting.


Landing on the floor of the basement wasn’t any more pleasant than landing on the staircase would’ve been and a not to subtle “Umph” escaped her as the air was driven from her. Libby found herself laughing as she stood back up. Of all the things she’d planned on going wrong with her plan, she had not expected that the trouble would come in actually being able to tell her guildmates of that plan. She started running again, heading back upstairs and hoping Sarafina didn’t go too far.


@shadowdude505
 
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