Fantasy Project Anima

[From Darkness]

Arty shook her head slightly when Crimson mentioned about her arm. She wasn't hurt at all, being that she knew Crimson didn't mean to really hurt her in the first place. When he suddenly brought up Roman, though, she jumped up a bit. It was the petite girl who answered her.


"The assassin guy. Ran away," Riz walked toward them slowly. She had dressed up in a flash, although wearing the simple-looking dress instead of her battle outfit from before. Make sense, as they were still in public space. "You, still want, bath?" She glanced at Arty. The princess finally remembered that she was still in towel only. She ran off to get her clothes too.


"I. Don't trust. You," Riz glared at Crimson, now that Arty had gone for a while. "Riz will. Keep watch. Don't even twink to, huwt my wiege. Guh," She bit her tongue...her cheek suddenly flushed red from embarrassment.

 

[Srion Receno]

Watching Arty run off she laughed lightly....it seamed she was doing that a lot lately. Hearing Riz speak she looked over as she crossed her arms. "I don't blame you I wouldn't trust me ether....but" she gave the girl a mischievous grin "I don't want to hurt him but I don't mind ..bothering him some more". She paid no mind to her little speech slip up she may be blood thirsty and fight crazy but she wasn't cruel.


Her mischievous grin turned a bit crazed and blood thirsty as she looked at her. "I wouldn't mind going up against you though...just for fun anyway" she giggled then turned away from her and looked over at Arty.

 

[From Darkness]

Riz glared at her even harsher when she spoke of her master that way. Yet she didn't attack Crimson just yet. There was no point in attacking if the target didn't want to. She...wasn't like her previous self anymore. The bloodlust this woman was emitting, she could understand, but she herself didn't have that feeling. More like she couldn't have that feeling. Not now, not before, not ever.


"I'm back. Sorry for waiting..." Arty hopped over to the two, finally dressed up in her usual clothes. "Then, shall we go?"


Upon exiting the bath, Gills and Cruz had been waiting for them outside, the former with confused face while the latter demanding to know what had happened.


"Assassin," he glared at Crimson while speaking in whisper, "are you aiming for this guy, Argillys? Know that he is an important person for me. You had lost to us before, so I would appreciate it if you admit defeat without resistance and just stop going for this guy."

 

[Srion Receno]

She looked at him and raised her brow at him, then smiled as she lightly patted his cheek. "I'm sorry he pisses me off," she crossed her arms and looked at Gills. "ask him I threaten his life a lot" she looked back at him with a board yet with a hint of blood lust expression.


"I'll kill him if I please if you want to stop me go ahead but do it after I'm done with my job" she started to walk then turned back to him. "oh and your body felt nice by the way" she winked at him then started to walk to Arty.

 

[From Darkness]

Riz was fuming mad when she mentioned about Cruz's body. Arty just looked at them with a worried expression. "...alright, there's nothing that we can achieve standing here," Cruz finally gave up. "Come to my place. It should be safe. Riz and I had checked and there should be no surveillance there. Then you can tell me your story. Oh, it's not a request. You have to come. Especially you."


He glared at Gills, who just looked around meekly. Arty didn't seem to reject the idea, so he played along. "Miss Crimson, will you come with us?" she asked the assassin. Riz had been playing with her gauntlets since earlier, likely to force Crimson to come along even if she didn't want to.

 

[Srion Receno]

"why should I? " she asked with a slight smirk and her arms crossed. She was going to fallow, but only because Arty was going to be there and she needed to be able to protect her employer. She liked to play these games, flirting and such along with fighting and killing so she was not going just because she was told to fallow a prince.

 

[From Darkness]

Cruz sighed again before trailing off outside. He didn't really care whether Crimson followed him or not, as long as she stayed harmless. Riz followed right behind him, occasionally glancing back to make sure that Crimson didn't attempt another attack. That left Gills, Arty, and Crimson at the bath house.


"Are we going, brother?"


"Yeah...I don't think we can avoid him if we want to finish our job here. And I am curious on what he's doing here in Lapant. Come," he motioned for them to follow. Arty turned to Crimson and gave her a begging look. "Please come with us, miss Crimson. I feel safer with you. Please, for me?"

 

[Srion Receno]

she frowned a bit as she watched them go then sighed "ya ill go" she said a bit disappointed that nothing happened. "but i wont stay for vary long" which was a flat out lie, she was still a bit out of it and just wanted to relax some were even fall asleep would be nice. she put her arms down to her sides as she fallowed Gills still with a slight frown.

 

[From Darkness]

Cruz had led them to a nice-looking suburb area. The house that he was talking about was one of the biggest around there, fitting for his job as the Kingdom's auditor. However, the inside didn't look well-furbished. Dust collected around the corners, dirty clothes strewn everywhere.


"Well...both of us aren't the best one regarding housekeeping," Cruz gave them an embarrassed smile.


He told for them to be at ease, taking a seat on one of the chair and motioned them to take the others. Riz had went into the kitchen, likely to prepare tea.


"...Then, let me start by asking this: why are you traveling with this person, Argillys?" He pointed at Crimson. "Do you know that she had just tried to kill me four days ago?"


Gills stared at Crimson with a blank look. "...is that true?" He asked slowly.

 

[Srion Receno]

Crimson crossed her arms as she looked at them then shrugged as she looked away, she wasn't going to tell him she had no reason to. even if she was no longer taking the job she would not tell about it it was still a job at one point. she leaned on the wall closest to Arty and tried not to flinch as she touched one of the more sensitive burns. her head had stopped hurting...well as bad as it was anyway and she wasnt as dizzy as she was.

 

[From Darkness]

Cruz raised his eyebrows. "Not going to tell, huh? I understand. That's the code for an assassin, after all. But that only means I can't trust you." He now turned to Gills. "Now you, Argillys, I have some question for you..."


"Wait, wait, Cruzefort, before you continue, you still haven't told me why a Prince like you is here, working in rival Kingdom. And, my sister and that...woman still don't know who you are."


He glanced at Arty. "...very well, I shall tell you.. "


"Your tea," Riz had returned from the kitchen with a tray containing 4 cups of tea. She placed them neatly on the table. Cruz took one and sip with delight.


"Thank you. Now, where were we? My name. Oh, yes. My real name is Cruzefort Bermekid Serion, the ninth prince of Serion Kingdom. And this is my bodyguard, Rizeluke Brahne."


Riz gave them a curtsy. Arty nodded in return.


"I am working as intelligence agent under my brother's office. As such, my task here is to infiltrate the inner government of Lapant and find information which could benefit us in the coming war. I was being tasked by the Kingdom to go around the cities and audit their tax collection, but a certain incident four days ago forced me to return back and report to the capital." He gave Crimson a knowing smile. "Oh, you know what that incident was, don't you, assassin?"

 

[Srion Receno]

She shook her head at his comment, of coarse she knew and if he wanted to tell that's fine as long as she didn't have to. " sorry but no though if I get called that women again there will be a new incident" she growled as she glared at Gills before turning away from them. " I have two names and yet you disrespect me by calling me that women" she mumbled as she looked around the house not moving from her spot near Arty.

 

[From Darkness]

Gills turned away from her glare. Arty, as usual, gave him the scolding look. Honestly, that brother of her never learned.


"Well, that's my story. What about yours? Why. Would. You. Be. With. This. Assassin. Explain to me, Argillys. And make it coherent. Also," he nudged at Arty, "who is this lady? You look familiar."


Gills scooted closer to Arty and Crimson, whispering in a low voice. "It seems that he didn't know about our actions in the Serion capital yet. Being this deep in the enemy line would have prohibited him from getting too many information after all. I'll just tell him some facts and leave out the rest, what do you think?"


Arty nodded. That sounds good enough. And so Gills told him that she is his little sister, unknown to the other siblings because of some political reasons, and that he was taking her for a cross-continent journey by disguising their royal status. Crimson was hired as their bodyguard after she tried to assassinate them. Cruz raised his eyebrows on that point.


"She tried to WHAT?"


"Hey, it's cool, I'm paying her now so it's all good. It's the same thing with Rizeluke, isn't it? You can't criticize me alone."


"It's not. Same," Riz remarked coldly. "Riz, indebted, to my Liege. Not working. For money."


"Uh...yeah," Gills coughed a bit. Seems that he kept on hitting landmines whenever he speak.


"Alright, that's enough," Cruz pinched the area between his eyes. "I'll need some time to process this. Anyway, you are Argillys's little sister? What's your name?"


"A...Artesia..."


"Ah, okay. So that's why you looked familiar. Well, that means you're my siblings too, by proxy. You guys can stay here for now, it will be a lot safer than the inn. There has been a little shift in the Kingdom and it might be ugly if they found royalties like you scurrying around."


"...What happened?" Arty asked meekly, although the way she phrased it made it sound like she had predicted what Cruz would say next.


"The Lord and King of Lapant had passed away this morning. Moreover the other Princes had succumbed to unexplained illness, and so there has been only one heir left for the throne. Prince Erunt Srager. He will be King Lapant the Seventeenth. The coronation will be held this noon."

 

[Srion Receno]

He really didnt have to say anything about keeping what they are doing a secret she wouldnt tell anyway. Hearing him say that she tried to assassinate him she smiled to her self. she wouldn't mind doing it now but he was right they had payed her, though once this was over he was free game. hearing that they would be staying there she rolled her eyes "grate a house full of royals" she mumbled to her self as she listened to them talk about the kingdom here.

 

[From Darkness]

"Hmm, a change of royalty...yeah, that should make a lots of buzz. I can see how you don't want us to be here, and...hmm? What is it, sister?" Gills felt Arty's small hand tugging on his sleeves. When he turned to face her, the princess's face suddenly grew pale. Something was wrong. He could feel her fear and anxiety building in.


"What is it? Are you sick?" Cruz seemed to notice it as well.


"Err, I think she is. Can she take a break for now?"


"Yeah, sure. You can use the room upstairs, we have an extra. It's supposed to be the servant's room, but we ended up not using it. I need to go out and get back to my 'job' here. Just don't do anything suspicious, okay? You might compromise my identity here."


With that excuse, Gills pulled Arty...and Crimson, to some extend, up the staircase and toward the room on the back, which Cruz had told him. The room looked like it hadn't been touched for ages, but otherwise was still in pristine condition. The one closer to the staircase should be Cruz's room. Funny...he didn't see any other room in the house. Oh well. Arty is more important right now.


"It has begin," Arty whispered softly, now that there were only three of them. "The Dragon Princess has started her plot. If we leave it like it is, it will end with war. We have to stop her. Please come with me to see the coronation, it should be open to public. I will show you which one is the Dragon Princess."

 

[Srion Receno]

After Gills touching her she almost decided to cut his had off if it was not for Arty looking like she had seen fear its self. she looked down at her hands as Arty was talking and she nodded. " I will go...." she said softly she needed to see the fear of her targets again to make up for her bust of a job. she smiled to her self as she turned from them "when we see her....what will we do? when will we strike?" she remembered the fight they had with the priest...will it be like that? her smile became more blood thirsty as she remembered the blood and past fights she had in the last week. her head was feeling better and so was every part of her, now her fighting spirit was back and she was up for a good one.

 

[From Darkness]

Arty turned to Crimson, seeing the assassin more spirited than before. "I...don't really want to fight her. It's different than when you rescued me. There's no need to fight. As long as we can convince her that she shouldn't go with war, then it's good enough. At least until we can save the other Anima Holders."


Gills raised his eyebrows when he heard that. "And if we failed to convince her?"


"...Then big brother and miss Crimson will have to fight it. The Anima Dragon held by Lapant Kingdom. Skyfall, the Tormentor," she gave them a worried look. "At that time, I...Steel and I, might not be able to help you. That's why I don't want to fight her."


Gills sighed. So it comes to that, huh? "So basically, we're going to take a look for now, but we shouldn't act yet?"


Arty nodded. "Miss Crimson's Animus couldn't be used if it's not nighttime, so we should avoid fighting her outside that time. For now, we'll only have a look. We'll do the rest after the sun set. Would that be okay, miss Crimson?"

 

[Srion Receno]

Her blood lust was almost like a trance to her, setting her in her own little world. Hearing Arty say her name she was snapped back to reality causing her to gasp slightly as if it had a hold on her vary soul. She took a breath before turning to them, after turning she listened to the rest of what was said and nodded.


" A recon mission would be beat in this situation but I have one concern...if you can sense her can she not do the same with you?" she put her hand on her hip as she looked at Arty, it was something that had played on her mind for a bit every time she mentioned this feeling about the other dragon princess.

 

[From Darkness]

Arty shook her head gently. "It's okay. Although technically we could sense each other's presence, she shouldn't know which one is me from a long distance. Even if we got close to each other, if I keep Steel's power dormant, she won't be able to sense it. But it's different for me. I...know the others. I know how they look, how they think, and how they will act. As long as we don't change much of history, it would stay the same..."


She jumped off the bed, feeling better than before. "Let's go then. Has sir Cruz leave the house yet?"


"Ah. He and Rizeluke left a moment after we went up. They looked busy. I guess with the coronation coming, they got lots to do."


"Then let's go," Arty opened the door and ushered them to move. Their destination would be the city central, where a balcony was set for the King of Lapant to make announcement and perform ceremonies.

 

[Srion Receno]

She nodded not really understanding but she could grasp part of what she was saying. When she was ushered out she only glanced at them for a moment then walked ahead of them. She was trying to keep her self under control as they made there way though the crowed of people, her hand always hovering just above her blade.


She looked over at Gills remembering him not using a name calling her that women. "why did you not use a name....am I not good enough for it? " she said as she looked foreword, her body calm yet her voice was sharp and dark. She wanted an answer before they hit the city's center. She needed it off her mind

 

[From Darkness]

Gills was trailing behind her when she asked him the question. He looked puzzled upon hearing that, but he didn't answer for a while. Then, out of nowhere, he replied. "...I thought you wouldn't like it if I used your real name in public...like, secret assassin thingy or something? I don't know about Arty, though..." That was actually his honest intention.


They were nearing the city central, and as evidenced by the number of people crowding around, it was apparent that something big was going on. The balcony above had an empty throne, with people looking with hopeful and expectant eyes. And then...the door behind the throne opened up, and came a young lad, not even reaching his twenties yet, slowly walking forth before finally took a seat on the throne.


The crowd burst in cheers. "Prince Erunt! Prince Erunt!"


The young Prince held his hand up, and the crowd fell silent instantly. He then stood up and spoke in a childish, yet firm, voice. "Greetings, my beloved citizen of Lapant. As you might have heard, my Father, the Lord and King, had succumbed to his illness last night. It was a tragedy for all of us. But rest assured. As the Son of King Lapant the Sixteenth, I, Erunt Srager, will take this responsibility and succeed my Father as the new Lord and King of Lapant! 'Tis a humble request of I. Please, give me your support!"


The crowd cheered again, this time with more energy than before.


Right after that, the door opened again to reveal another person walking to the side of the throne. This time it was a woman. Her pale skin shone like marble statue, and her long flowing red hair flared alongside the wind. The crowds were captivated by the beauty's appearance, and their eyes kept being entranced until the new King took her hand and have her sat beside him.


"This is the one," the new King, Erunt Srager proclaimed. "The one and only, the love of my life..."


Arty had been tugging on Crimson's and Gills's sleeve ever since that woman appeared.


"That's the one," she whispered. "She's..."


"...my new wife, and the new Queen of Lapant!"


"...the Dragon Princess of Lapant. The host of Skyfall, the Tormentor..."

 

[Srion Receno]

"you could of given my assassin name" she mumbled but went silent as the prince now king walked out. He was young someone who should of not been on the throne quite yet. She watched uninterested in what was being said or even the women that stepped out and took the kings hand.


She let out a light laugh "love what a funny thing" she whispered before looking at Arty as she pulled her sleeve. Hearing her say it was the dragon princess, she looked quickly at the woman on the stage. This.... Was not good. She watched them thinking of all the ways this could go but most of them ended badly. Crimson bit her lip as she started to smile...this will be fun.

 

[From Darkness]

The newly-appointed Queen bowed toward the audience, inciting more cheers. The age gap between her and the King seemed far, with her seemingly in the middle of her twenties, although that by itself was not a rare occurrence. The King held up his hand once more to silence the crowd.


"It is time," he proclaimed. "Lapant is a strong Kingdom. It is time for us to show that might to the other Kingdoms, to show them that we are capable of becoming the leader. My Father is a wise King. It was his dream to make us the one who united the continent. To create a blissful Kingdom, where peace is eternal. And now that I had succeeded the throne, I shall make that dream come true! Are you with me?!"


The crowds boomed, praising the new King. Arty had seen enough and started to walk away from the crowds, tugging on Gills and Crimson to follow.


"The new King...will declare war soon. No...it might even be tomorrow. And when he did that, there will be nothing we can do to stop the chain of destruction that will follow..." she said in a haste. After they had made a considerable distance, as there were nobody else around them in the already-empty street, she turned back and looked at Gills and Crimson. Tears were forming on her eyes.


"...Please help me to stop them. I beg you..."

 

[Srion Receno]

She was watching the king and new queen intensely until feeling Arty start to drag them away. She fallowed but would look back every one in a wile until they were out of sight. As they stopped and Arty turned to them she just looked down at her with no expression.


This had nothing to do with her, really she didn't even care the more they fought the most likely she will get more jobs. She looked at her for a moment, then sighed. "you have hired me to help you deal with the dragon princesses the war between the two is nun of my concern" she crossed her arms and looked away and back the way they came.

 

[From Darkness]

Gills nodded upon hearing his sister's request. "Well, no point in asking my consent. I've said it from the start that I will always have your back." He turned back toward the crowd in the distance. "No matter what we do, the first thing would be to meet up with those King and Queen. I guess we'll have to infiltrate the castle. So," he turned back to Crimson. "It's your turn now. Any good plan?"