Fantasy Spirits Walk Among Us - In Character

[Kumii]

Inari Natsuki and ViviCurrent State: Partial Kitsune State
Location: Ironshire City Rooftops
Interactions: AlphaBlueWolf

Inari shook her head, "I can't, not now. I'm fine I promise." Inari stood up and Vivi ran to hug her, Inari winced a bit but was fine otherwise. Inari's ears were folded back, "I'm strong." Vivi dug her face into Inari's abdomen. Inari didn't want to show weakness, she felt an obligation to be strong for them despite wanting to just fall over. Inari smacked her face a couple times to snap herself out of it. Who knew that actually maturing into a teen would be so exhausting? She was happy though that Castor cared about her so much and Vivi too. Vivi didn't show it but from the way Vivi was currently buried in her stomach, she knew. Inari weakly smiled and patted the back of her head.

She seemed fine now, though still a bit weak but strong enough to stand up and possibly fight if needed. She knelt down to look Vivi in the eyes, her eyes were still wet, "Big sis is fine, Vivi." Actually, Inari didn't noticed until now but her vision had changed from a standard human vision to a more vibrant color vision, it made the world look prettier in her eyes. Vivi simply nodded in understanding.

She turned to Castor, "I'm sure you're wondering, I never really told you what I am. Vivi knows, I'm a Kitsune." As she said this, the barrier shattered above them.

Rex and KishiLocation: Ironshire City Tower
Interactions: AlphaBlueWolf starstucker DarknessSama17 SharkBark

The shield was holding, for now. "Urgent Report: There is partial corruption within the barrier's structural integrity as well as complete corruption within most of the city's defenses." Rex snarled, "So you're saying, our time is limited and we're unable to properly fight back?" CASTS went back into Rex's bauble and it lit up as it spoke, "Reply: Precisely."

The barrier continued to be bombarded until a crack appeared on it. Taking noticed of this, Kishi took his dragon form and fly to the crack, "Checkmate." He said before pelting the crack with his Blue-flame Breath. Eventually, the barrier fully cracked and broke completely, "GO! Charge the city! Take no prisoners!" Kishi shouted.

Back at the tower, CASTS emerged once more from the bauble, "Emergency: Barrier has suffered a full structural collapse. The being known as 'Kishi' and his army are currently storming the city." Rex rushed to the window upon the news, "Suggestion: Evacuate immediately." Rex nodded, "Sound the Evacuation alarm." With that, an alarm began sounding.

 

[starstucker]

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  am i your girl? you told me that `all the pretty stars shine for you, my love.` and so i'll wait for you, babe.
  
  
  
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  location | the marketplace.

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  mentions + other

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  fun fact! vinyl is currently interacting with nobody. they're running back to their home and making sure their little sister is safe.
  
  tag!
  
  n/a

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  

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vinyl was about to say something to castro and iris when they heard the barrier crack. taking immediate action, they fled the scene without wasting time on a farewell. using a bundle of cloud to practically catapult themself across the town, they made their way back to their home, slipping seamlessly into their open bedroom window.

wait, open?

without thinking about it too much, they slammed their window shut and barricaded it, rushing into aurelie's bedroom. the little girl was already sitting up, having been startled awake by the loud sound, but she didn't make a noise as vinyl scooped her up and practically flew downstairs.

once they were safely underground and away from the scene, they turned to aurelie. "aurie, i need you to wait here for me and scream if you get captured. no matter how scared you are, just yell for me and i will be there, okay? stay hidden and don't come out until i come back," they instructed firmly, and when aurelie saw the rare twinges of fear in their eyes, she nodded quickly, her own eyes wide and bright as new moons.

with one last kiss to aurelie's forehead, they rushed out of the apocalypse cellar and back into the marketplace, searching for the two they'd been conversing with prior. they had promised their help, and if that meant refuge, then they'd allow that, although they'd be damned if they left anyone alone with aurelie.

/* ------ credit -- do not remove ------ */

© weldherwings.

 

[AlphaBlueWolf]

"You should really lie down." Castor insisted again. He could just tell when others were hurt and that had seemed to take a lot out of her. She even winced when Vivi rushed her for a tight squeeze of a hug. It confirmed his suspicions. It had really taken a toll on her, but it was hard to argue. Especially since he didn't like confrontation.

Inari took a few moments to comfort Vivi, and he stayed silent. He didn't want to get in the way. Then, she turned back to him and announced herself as a kitsune. It did make sense and he'd been guessing that. The fox ears and tail, and the way her tail split into two. It made perfect sense. He nodded and gave a little smile, trying to let her know that he was alright with it. It was stupid, but he knew it was a hard thing for him to tell others about his heritage. Might be the same for her, but he doubted it.

He was about to tell her his own species when the barrier shattered overhead. Her telling him made Castor want to confide in her about his mixed heritage. They didn't seem like the type of people to mind it, even though there were plenty of spirits who didn't like a halfbreed like him. Though, that thought was cut short when the barrier broke. He looked up towards the sky, to where it once as and stared up in horror. Their defense was gone. Was there really going to be an attack?

He stood up to go to the others, a worried look on his face, when the alarm sounded. It was loud and pierced his ears. A sound that made him feel sick and like he'd throw up any second. Maybe that was just his fear too. Whatever it was, he didn't like the feeling. But he knew what it meant. There was an attack, and everyone was to evacuate. "Maybe we should all really move to a new, much safer spot. Seems like the noises want us to. And I'm not sure being up on the roof as open targets is a good idea when those people come. We're getting attacked!" He panicked with that last bit, his voice rising a shrill octave.


"What is that?" Elias asked while sounding worried. He'd never seen the barrier up in action before. It was alarming to him. His mentor, the lady from the counter, went up to him and patted him on the head.

"Hey. It's alright. It's just a barrier meant to keep us all safe. With that rude Dragonkin general storming in here announcing his stupid war, I'm sure they just want to take some precautions. Nothing to worry about, Elias." She gave him a soft look that conveyed everything would be alright. Still, Elias was on edge, his fur fluffing up a little. "Let's just go back inside. Sir." She switched her attention over to Rajeel who had a scowl on his face. There was nothing stupid about this war. These spirits seemed to be brainwashed ones. "I can mix your prescription inside with what we have. I'm not sure it will be the exact thing, but it'll be close."

"Sure." Rajeel responded. "I just need something for this damn headache. Anything will do really." With that, they headed back inside The Vinland Apothecary. Rajeel wasn't too happy about this new development. It would be harder now to leave the city. The humans sure liked putting up a fight. Even so, even with all the chaos, he was determined to get his headache medication.

He sat down on a chair and waited while he tapped his finger on a coffee table. This was taking way too long. The private medics he had would be done by now. He was becoming increasingly agitated while hearing the noises in the background. The rolling of a grinder smashing herbs, the sound of crashing and mumbled voices, and the scents of herbs.

The lady came back out a couple minutes later, followed by the boy who was now messing. "Alright, I've got two things for you. Both might be able to help." She set them on the counter. One looked like cough syrup, the other a watery, clear liquid. She touched the cough syrup. "This is roughly your prescription made from nectars from different herbs and plants. The liquid version of your pills, if you will." She went to touch the second bottle. "This is a compress. You soak it into a towel and press it to your forehead for roughly twenty minutes. If there's still a lingering ache, soak it again for an additional couple minutes as needed. It'll do the same job as this, just takes a longer time." She explained each flawlessly, clearing knowing what she was talking about.

"Alright." He said, willing to take both just to get out of here. "How much-" The interruptions never ceased. He could hear a cracking sound and watched from the window as the barrier dissolved. The alarms went off and now he really wanted to get out of here. He dug into his wallet and took out a bill and some coins, not really looking but still being generous with the amount. They were spirits after all. Even if they had been slow, it was his duty to help them earn a substantial living. Not everyone could be as smart and graceful as him. He acted as if he was doing them such a big favor. He took the two vials and was out while hearing about of the two's conversation.

"Its the alarm. We should pack up the store, get everything valuable to the cellar then you need to leave." The lady told her young apprentice.

"Wait, but I'm not just going to leave you!" Elias argued back.

"You don't have a choice. I won't leave my store. But you need to evacuate. There's a reason the sirens are going off. It's far too dangerous."

He went too far away to know how the conversation ended, but its not like he cared. He only cared about one person and that was himself. He needed to get him, the halfbreed and his valuables across the border. It was the only way to ensure his survival.


Josiah Reincrat scrambled when he caught wind of the attack. He ordered all his servants different tasks. "Prepare a car for me. Put that away. And would somebody get me on a line with Kishi Dragonfist! I need to speak with him, now!" Had Kishi even known about his sons being in Ironshire as scouts. Had he planned the attack with no mind to them? That was a new low for the dragonkin. Josiah was one of his advisors, a close member of the Dragonfist Order. How could he plan this without his consent?

He couldn't lose them. His sons. They were useful pawns after all. Rajeel was too emotionally broken and searched for his approval by any means and Castor was simply too afraid to disobey his orders. They were the perfect little pawns, doing whatever he asked of them. He got in his car and drove towards Ironshire where the attack was happening. He frantically tried to call Kishi to tell him off. He was probably leading the attack, possibly too busy, but he tried everything in an attempt to not lose his pawns. I mean, his sons. Yeah. Those two.

 

[Kumii]

Inari Natsuki and ViviCurrent State: Partial Kitsune State
Location: Ironshire City Rooftops
Interactions: AlphaBlueWolf

Inari smiled at Castor and acknowledged the suggestion, "Yeah, you're right, we should-" Inari was cut short as she bolted by Castor to a couple of Kishi's men who had stormed the roof. She covered her right foot with fire and struck the first guy with it. The second clipped Inari with a blade of pure blue ice, causing Inari to fall back a bit and hold her left arm, she glanced back at Castor and Vivi before returning her attention to the swordsman, her fangs fully bared at the man, "Come at me then!" She snarled at him.

"Happily." He said just before rushing Inari, dodging a horizontal swing and using that momentum to kick the man into the air. She momentarily looked back at Vivi and Castor, making sure they were safe right now before launching herself into the air and slicing at the man with a flame covered claw.

She wasn't done however, she fell back to the roof and formed a ball of fire each hand, "Die." she said before she threw both on the ground below the man and a flame tornado emerged, completely engulfing the man in flames, no-one could've survived that. After all that, she sighed and looked back at Castor and Vivi, "Sorry, come on. We should leave." She let Vivi ride piggyback on Inari's back, "Think you can keep up, Castor?"

KishiLocation: Kishi's Tent
Interactions: AlphaBlueWolf

Kishi fell back and let his men storm the city as he watched. He was approached by one of his men, "Sir! Josiah Reincrat wants to speak with you. He seems... angry." Kishi sighed with annoyance, "Fine. I'll see what that brat wants. I'll be there soon, go wait for me."

"Yes, sir!" The man departed back to Kishi's tent he setup not too far from the city. Kishi took one more glance at his handiwork before walking to his tent to see what Josiah wanted to speak with him about. "What is it?" Kishi said in an annoyed tone.

 

[AlphaBlueWolf]

The sirens blared in Castor's ears. The sound was absolutely horrible. He was glad Inari agreed to leave. It wasn't just about him getting caught by the guards anymore. It was about all of them getting to safety. Things were getting dangerous. The alarms were sounding, and forces were entering the kingdom. He could hear jolts of angry shouts and the panicked cries of residents fleeing. The citizens were suffering, and Castor was at least a little bit to blame. His intel might've helped in this. He hated thinking like that.

Inari's sentence fell short. He looked back towards the kitsune and then realized why she'd stopped speaking. Men. Two of them, both spirits. They were probably the invading forces. Either that, or his brother's people. But they weren't anyone he recognized, so it wasn't unlikely. They seemed mean spirited, with scornful grins and glinting eyes. His tail fluffed up and he stared wide eyed at them. This is exactly why they needed to leave. Like, right now.

If Castor had been in that situation, he would've definitely run like a coward. He would've jumped to the next roof, taking the others with him, and he would've fled the scene. Inari, on the other hand, stayed and fought to protect both of them. She rushed past him and kicked flame right at the first guy. It must've hurt, because he doubled over from the pain. Fire licked at his body which he tried relentlessly to get off. Even when he did, he didn't get up. There was so much force behind the kick that he didn't seem able to. Castor felt a pang of sympathy, even if these guys were horrible. He didn't like to see people fighting and getting hurt. No matter who it was, it was still horrible when he had to watch it. He knew Inari was trying to protect them, but he wished they didn't have to fight. He just wished everyone could get along. Ironshire City was a place where both spirits and humans lived together in relative peace. It was nice, and now that was all going to waste.

He watched Inari have some difficulty with the second guy. She was hit with something, looked blue and sharp. Cold. Maybe ice. He didn't know and that didn't matter because Inari clung to her shoulder. "Inari!" He called out to her, "Be careful!" It was stupid, might've distracted her even, but he just wanted her to be alright. He'd have to remember to take a good look at that shoulder when they were somewhere safe.

They both swung up into the air and she brought out fire again and sliced him with the fiery claw. It dealt a lot of damage, and he was winded when he got back to the ground, barely able to stand on his knees as he extinguished the fire sticking hungrily to his clothes. Castor watched as the guy readied a sharp blue icicle as a projectile with an angered expression. He was going to throw it before Inari could make her move! He stared, knowing all too well what was going to happen. His heart pounded and he could hear the blood rushing in his ears. He shook his head. To hell with being a scared coward! Inari needed help! He needed to do something rather than being so useless. He thought fast, remembering the vines he'd used to get up here. He closed his eyes, and everything seemed to slow for him. He concentrated hard, hearing new flames burst and the guard readying his arm. He tried to shut it out in that split second. He willed the vines to grow, and they snaked up the building. They covered the guard's feet, and he grew distracted as he looked down at them. Inari had her clean opening, but the guard was fast and was ready to release the pure ice. He realized it wouldn't be enough to just hold him in place for Inari's attack. He willed the vines to move once more. They shot up from the ground and encased the man's arm in vines that dawned spiky barbs of thorn. He let out a growl as blood dripped down from his arm. The ice shattered to the ground and soon was nothing but evaporated water as Inari went in for her strike. The man's body erupted into a vortex of flame, and he averted his eyes and clutched his stomach, feeling like he was about to throw up. Icicle man was down now, dead for sure. The fire had scorched the vines and it looked like they hadn't even been there at all. Smoke blew with some fire still sticking to the ground around the body.

Castor's whole body shivered. He'd just aided in a murder. It was all self-defense, but still. He felt horrible and sick. He nodded as Inari rushed them to leave. While she was picking up Vivi for a piggyback ride, he was trying to get himself together. He felt lightheaded, both from extensively using his powers and from watching the man die. He pushed the feeling deep down as Inari turned back to him. "Yeah, I can keep up." Well, he could hopefully keep up with them. He wasn't too athletic, so this might go horribly wrong especially since he felt like puking his guts out. Still, he'd try to stay with them.

He let the other two go first and stayed behind for a second. He brought out some plants and went over to the first guy. He shuddered when he looked over to the second, smoldering body. Inari and Castor had really killed him. There was no sign of life. He was kind of scared by that. He noted that she could definitely kill anyone if she wanted to. He didn't want to get on her bad side. Could be like Rajeel's. Then again, his brother didn't really have a good side to begin with. Key difference between him and Inari.

The guy was young, probably an older teen. He couldn't believe people like him were being brought into this. It made him sick inside. Well, sicker than he already felt. He didn't have time to treat the wounds properly with his knowledge on plants. He would if he could, but he had to keep up with Inari and Vivi. "Hey." He said in a whispered voice. "This'll help sooth your burns. You should get it treated soon but stay off your legs for the time being. See if you can call out to one of your buddies and get out of the danger zone. You shouldn't be here." He broke one of the steam-like leaves to demonstrate. A gel came out and he gently spread some on the scorches. The teen looked relieved. It clearly worked.

Castor handed off the rest to him. "T-thanks." He simply said, though it was clear that he really was thankful, even with his dazed expression. He gave a polite nod back and got up to follow Inari and Vivi. He turned and waved to the teen before catching up to the two.


Josiah was glad when he'd managed to get someone on the line who rushed off to notify Kishi. A few minutes later and the guy came back to tell him Kishi would be on shortly. "Faster." He spoke the order to his driver who sped up the car. He wanted to get there as soon as possible. He needed to see it for himself.

Kishi came on the line with an annoyed tone, and he sighed. It was hard because Kishi was the leader of the order, yet Josiah was older. He knew about biding his time in an effort to make sure the results were the best they could be. He thought the dragonkin was being far too rash in his decision making. "Is it true you started the invasion? One of my servants had to be the one to notify me about the change in plans. Why was I not notified about this prior? We should have had a meeting to discuss this, all of the generals included. We're here to advise and serve, y'know." His tone was tart and he sounded like he was scolding a child. Still, he didn't let Kishi get a word in and continued. "But what's done is done. No reversing the damage I suppose. It's hardly what I'm concerned about right now. My sons. You know of them. I don't know if you've been informed, but the intel coming from me has been a result of their infiltration into the city. They've been quite useful in gathering information for the Order. I recently sent them out on another excursion into the city for intel. I'm guessing someone like you would be smart enough to guess why I'm calling. Because I was not notified of recent events, I wasn't able to pull them out before the invasion. I'm afraid they'll be caught in the crossfire now. I want them out safe. Both of them."

 

[Kumii]

Inari Natsuki and ViviCurrent State: Partial Kitsune State
Location: Ironshire City Rooftops
Interactions: AlphaBlueWolf

Inari glanced back at Castor helping the man, noticing his expression before looking back ahead. Inari hopped from rooftop to rooftop until they finally reached a safe place, for now at least. Inari set down Vivi, who wasn't crying anymore and seemed to calm down. Inari put a hand to her cheek and smiled at her before putting her head to Vivi's, "Be strong, Vivi." She said quietly, "I'll try." Vivi responded in a somewhat shaky voice.

Inari pulled her hand away and waited for Castor to catch up, holding onto Vivi's hand.

KishiLocation: Kishi's Tent
Interactions: AlphaBlueWolf

Kishi heard what the man had to say and let out a 'tch'. He composed himself, "Ahh I see, I see, will that be all, master? Or shall I get you some tea as well, Master?" Kishi said in a completely sarcastic tone before returning to his serious tone, "To be honest, your boys are all but useless to me as spies. Oh sure, I saw them earlier in Ironshire, one of them looked like he was drinking heavily and other one was hanging out with a human girl and a Kitsune." Kishi waved his hand dismissively as if Josiah could see it, "Now, if you wish to run things differently, you take over the Dragonfist Order. You know what you gotta do right? Earn the total respect and loyalty of my men AND defeat me in solo combat." Kishi smirked under the phone, "Of course, we both know how one-sided that would be, don't we, old man? Now if you'll excuse me, I have things to attend to." Kishi hang up the phone before he could say anything back.

Kishi sighed in annoyance, "What a drag."

 

[AlphaBlueWolf]

Castor jumped onto the first rooftop and almost fell. His tail was bristling and shifting uneasily. The two who had been looking for him had noticed the commotion and rushed over. Castor then attempted to clear another rooftop and would've fallen had it not been for him summoning vines to help. He then realized an idea and jumped to the next, the vines growing and helping whenever he needed. He started getting more confidence and going faster and faster. The two saw the vines grow and decided to follow while being stealthy enough.

He cleared the rooftops while following the scent of Inari and Vivi and then found them. He finished up the distance and skidded to a halt next to them while panting. Sweat beaded on his forehead. This was probably the most he'd used his powers consecutively and he was not strong at all. He found it hard and crouch a little with his hands on his thighs. "You think this is a good place to wait it out? Maybe we should just leave the city entirely." He added nervously as he looked around for anymore danger.


Josiah scowled when Kishi continued the conversation with a sarcastic tone. What insolence! Even if he was a higher rank, Josiah was still the eldest between the two. In his family, you respected your elders. The boys knew that. Why couldn't this brat figure that out? He was totally out of line when he had a serious matter he needed to discuss with his leader. He was pretty much acting like a child, not even listening to what Josiah was talking about. He was being selfish. He wanted peace for spirits, yet he was treating one of his generals like this. Especially when he was the one who had rational thinking and knew when to play his cards for a clean victory in war. This whole plot to take Ironshire surely wouldn't work with his kind of thinking. It would never work out for him.

He grew angry when Kishi spoke of his boys as useless. They had provided lots of intel that proved useful in trying to take the city. It was more of a direct insult to him. Though, he grew angry at his sons when he heard Rajeel was drinking and Castor was off with two strangers. He knew which was which considering Castor hadn't touched alcohol in his life and Rajeel was already a heavy drinker. He could dismiss Castor's misguided judgement as him trying to get the secrets of the city, but he couldn't excuse Rajeel's drinking when he had told him to get information. The boy was pretty useless at this point, that being why he always sent Castor along with his brother. He'd never admit it, but Kishi had a point about Rajeel. He wasn't too useful in the grand scheme of things. He was going to thoroughly make sure Rajeel didn't make that mistake again. It was an embarrassment for him, a nuisance. But Castor was a child, easy for him to manipulate and no one would suspect such a cowardly, fragile boy to be working for the Dragonfist Order. He was the perfect spy. Kishi was very wrong with that statement.

His eye twitched with Kishi's next comment. Acting like he couldn't do it. Couldn't take over. If he used that attitude with all of his people, then surely it'd be easy. There had to be some people who disliked him with his rash and dismissing attitude. How could a person who brushed off concern for others want peace for all of the spirits? He was a pure enigma, an annoying one at that. Calling him an old man was the last straw. He couldn't take his attitude. He needed a beating to get his head straight. Maybe then the little prick would be more careful and caring towards others and their lives. If either of his kids died, he would kill Kishi. He would so kill the annoying dragonkin. Even if he was leader, he deserved it for not taking some action when he'd come to him. His boys were also affiliated with the Order by default since they were his children. Rajeel had been old enough to pledge himself to the Order and Castor was basically a trainee. How dare he dismiss the members of his revolution! It was so irritating, especially because they were his sons.

"Kishi-" He was cut off as he heard the phone die. "Dammit!" He threw the phone and heard it bounce somewhere on the floor, but he didn't pay any mind. He was rich, able to afford a new one. But he couldn't afford a new son. His wife was not going to have another, obviously with how downhill their relationship was going, and he didn't want another scandal on his hands like with Castor. It would be better if both of them didn't die. "How dare he just carelessly risk my children's lives, his own followers! He should be assassinated or something. His decisions are just too rash, he'll never win this war he's cooking up!" His finger tapped on his thigh. "Can you go any slower?" He yelled at his driver who sped up even more. They'd soon be at Ironshire, hopefully it wouldn't be too late. "Hmm. That dragonkin has a brain at least. He's smart enough to know something. It would be best for someone else to take his place. Maybe not me, but someone with a more level head than he's got. At least if we can't put reason into that big head. Even if they weren't my children, he's still risking spirit lives. And he claims he wants to win peace for all spirits. Really, it's just what's convenient to him which is not the cause we're all working towards." He was mostly speaking to himself, cooking up an idea. "I'll send word to the other high-ranking generals." He muttered. "We'll have a council without Kishi, see what to do about him and look out for the rest. He's risking things way too much, and that'll never win wars." He knew that would be best, they just had to be discreet about it. It would prove better for the removal of Kishi if this plot failed. Well, fail after his kids were safe. Then he could go get stabbed for all he cared.

 

[Kumii]

Inari Natsuki and ViviCurrent State: Partial Kitsune State
Location: Ironshire City Rooftops
Interactions: AlphaBlueWolf

Inari tilted her head, "You look tired, Castor." Her voice was soft but a little more flat then usual, she knelt down in front of Castor, "It must hard, right? Killing someone." Her two tails swayed gently from side to side, "I saw you take care of that man, the enemy, and let him go." She looked at him, her eyes showed little concerned but they looked comforting somehow, "I get it though, not everyone has that ability, Castor, but you gotta understand, this is war..." Inari's tone sounded unempathetic but really, she was just jaded to the thought of murder, "I've been alive for 600 years, I've been through the First Great War and many other proxy wars. I fought against Kishi Dragonfist once and his father Ryuuni Dragonfist twice. I've killed hundreds of men and women in those wars." Inari sighed, "I promised myself I wouldn't join a side this time, if I could at all prevent myself from killing again." Inari's voice broke a bit and she clutched her chest, "My soul..." Inari shook her head and pulled Castor's head to hers, "Don't worry, you won't have to kill anymore, just leave all the killing to me, okay?"

Vivi clutched Inari's hand a bit tighter, Inari let Castor go and nodded at Vivi, "We should rest her, let you catch your breath, Castor."

KishiLocation: Air above Ironshire
Interactions: AlphaBlueWolf

Kishi took his dragon form, he looked back at his attendant, "I'm going out to take care of some business in person." His man looked scared but understood, "Sir! I'll watch over the army in your stead." Kishi grunted and took to the air, "No-one commands me around. You may be my elder, but my power is far stronger then yours. I am the son of the Great Ryuuni Dragonfist. Josiah, you will pay for your insolence, I swear it." He looked around for Josiah's car, the one probably mach 12 because Josiah was always in a rush.

Kishi flew around and eventually spotted it, "Found you." Kishi dived down and crashed on the car's hood, causing it to come to halt abruptly and destroying the engine, "Josiah Reincrat! You might be my elder, but you have NO rule over me and what I do with MY army." Kishi lowered his head to peered inside the car at Josiah, "I will do what I must to secure the happiness of my men and my army. I will not tolerate those who will put themselves above others, especially if that someone treats his kids like trash."

Kishi roared, "So! HERE I AM, JOSIAH, WHAT WILL YOU DO?!" Kishi lowered his voice to a rumble, "I am not my father. He may have been hesitant to kill you because of what you provided. But I will not hesitate to end your life where you stand. You will follow MY instruction WITHOUT hesitation and question, I have had enough with your damn holier-than-thou attitude and it ends here." Kishi looked at Josiah for a few moments, "You think me incompetent. The invasion of Ironshire is going according to plan, their defenses are disabled and their infamous 'unbreakable' shield has been broken. Not only that, but they're being forced to evacuate the city, the humans are giving up their most defended city with ease. This is a tactical victory for me. Honestly..." Kishi growled a bit, "Why do I even need you, Josiah Reincrat? What more can you provide to the cause? There's a reason I'm the leader and you're not. I routed the great Rex Vermillion's city without you!" Kishi let out a boisterous laugh, "Maybe I should just kill you now." He said as he began to inhale.

 

[SharkBark]

Castro blushes intensely when Iris turns down his piggyback ride.

"O-Okay. Expected. Please keep up though."

Castro hops of of the building and beings speeding through the rooftops. He vaults over a chimney, slides underneath a water basin, and continues his way towards the predicted path of Castor.

As Castro hops through the rooftops, he spots a boy almost falling off of a rooftop.

"Oh, shit!" Castro says, changing his path to move towards the boy. Then, unexpectedly, plants swoop in from underneath the boy and save him. Once the boy makes it to the other rooftop, he sees two other people come up behind him. A little girl and, the fox girl.

Castro looks behind him to see Iris barely keeping up. He sighs in disappointment and continues his path towards the edge of the rooftop and leaps to the one across from him. With a grunt, he lands on one foot and rolls back to his feet. At this point, his three targets were gone.

"Shit. Did they sense me?"

(Sorry for the late response everyone)

Kumii AlphaBlueWolf DarknessSama17 starstucker

 

[AlphaBlueWolf]

Castor took some deep breaths and nodded at Inari's comment. He really was tired. This was all so horrible. He wished he could block out the screams and the fighting. How many people had already been killed? He couldn't bear the thought. Then, Inari commented on how hard it was to kill someone. He looked back up to her as she spoke about knowing what he'd done. His face went deathly pale. Was she mad? Though, her face as chill and sort of comforting. She didn't look mad. He'd learned quickly that you could tell when someone was mad. He'd seen that look on Rajeel's face a plethora of times to know it. That wasn't how Inari looked at all. Though, it was also unsettling. She seemed used to the idea of killing and it was kind of scary in a way. He certainly couldn't understand that.

It was surprising to hear how long she'd been alive for. She didn't look that old at all. But the thought left his head when he heard she'd killed many before in the first war. That was absolutely horrible. What had she been through to do all that? And she seemed so desensitized to it too. He couldn't understand it. Even if it was war, he hated murder and violence. It never led to anything good.

Castor looked a little scared when Inari pushed his head to her's and told him to leave the killing to her. She sounded like a different person, and it was scary. She sounded like his father who had no problem with killing. And his brother enjoyed it when it was humans. He didn't want Inari to be like his family. She just couldn't be like them. Though, fear shone in his eyes.

Vivi pretty much saved him by clutching Inari's hand tighter. It was enough for her to let go and he maneuvered to sit on the ground. He was shocked, though it looked like he was just exhausted and scared from what he saw of the city. He looked away from the two and tried to calm down. He gave a slow nod at Inari's statement of resting here. "No one should have to kill anyone." He said in a hushed and muttering voice. He didn't know what to do now. He almost wished he was at the estate even if it wasn't such a nice environment. At least he could be safe and huddled up in bed. At least he didn't have to hear and experience all of this. It was horrible.


Josiah sighed. They were still not at the invasion site yet and Kishi wouldn't lift a finger to ensure his boys' safety. Such a pain. He had some servants with him, guards who could get through whatever defenses the city had and rescue the two. Though, without the Dragonfist army, he feared it'd be hard. It might even be too late at this point. He swore Kishi would pay dearly if either one of them was killed. Then they stopped with the car jolting. "The hell is going on?" He asked in a curt tone to his driving.

"Sorry, sir. There seems to be something that smashed the engine. Wait, is that a dragon?" With that notion, Josiah had a sneaking suspicion about what it was. When the dragon started talking in Kishi's voice, it basically confirmed it. He sighed and put a palm to his head in a disapproving manner. What did this dragonkin think he was doing?

Josiah rolled down the window to speak to the dragon. "Oh, please. Just because I speak my mind doesn't mean you get the right to throw a tantrum." He started in a tired tone, like he was winded from chasing around a child. "I simply came to you with a reasonable matter. Because I was not informed of the recent plans to attack, I was not able to pull my boys out. I was afraid they'd be caught in the crossfire. I was simply trying to ask of you to look out for them. To possibly have your army not kill them or treat them like prisoners. I think it's reasonable enough, considering one of them is an innocent child in all this. Besides, they are both affiliated with the Dragonfist Order. Meaning they are your people, one of your responsibilities. Yet you dismissed them so easily. What's more, you come to attack me out of blind rage for mere words rather than overseeing the takeover. Now, my car is destroyed, and you've put the two in even more danger, considering we cannot make it to the city with the car in such a state. If you weren't prepared to help out your own subordinates, then me and my guards would've done the job for you." He didn't seem at all afraid to tell off Kishi with his tart words. He just felt annoyed by how dismissing Kishi was. Risking the lives of his own people when he claims to want peace for everyone. One of them being no more than a child who has committed no wrongdoings. It was a shame, and laughable.

"One more thing. You have no right to comment on how I present myself and manage my family. Do you have children? You cannot possibly understand the constant stress of parenthood or what sacrifices I make to give my boys a good life. You have no room to throw your weight around on that matter. I can wrack my brain and understand your other criticisms, but this is something you can simply not hope to understand unless you fill my shoes. You're only saying so to bolster your threats and seem oh so scary. I've seen battle. I've seen loss and tragedy. You in your dragon form, with your powers and big talk, can't scare me in the slightest with the things I've seen in my lifetime."

"You seem to be ok with killing me, without thinking of my worth to your great cause. Your father understood that well enough. Despite your thought of winning this victory without me, you are clearly mistaken. Who do you think is funding this? Who do you think gave you your equipment and technology? That was all me and my influence. My money and status have granted your movement more than you can comprehend. Many of the victories your father had won were because of our partnership and cooperation to our shared goal. Everything you have now, everything the Dragonfist Order has become, is at least partly because of my contributions. I have funded this whole operation. I was on board with taking over Ironshire since the day you unveiled your interest in taking the grand city. I immediately poured the funding into it, helping you get your soldiers ready and the gear you would need. To think you could kill me and not see your army suffer is a laughable suggestion. You need me more than I think you realize." He was making reasonable points and trying to keep his voice leveled and calm despite being angry with Kishi and his actions. "We are not enemies, Kishi. I am simply bold. I make points on what I believe is the best course of action. I only wish to advise. Honestly, I was a little angry that someone who contributes as much as I have would be left out of such an important action. Both declaring the war and taking the city. It is something I believe I should have been a part of if I would have been informed. I would have been right at your side. We have the same goals in mind, and I don't believe it crucial at the moment to be focusing on who said what in such and such manner. You should be at the site commanding your army. I should be too, and I was trying to arrive to both help and save my sons. Both of which are impossible now given your actions. Unless you expect me and my soldiers to walk there. We would surely never make it in time. It would be too late to save my sons from possible destruction. And that would be bad, both for me and you. You do not want to make an enemy out of me, I assure you. And if one of my sons dies, it will be their blood on your hands. You will be the one held accountable. Just because you are leader, you are not free from consequences. I came to you initially with my problems, I informed you ahead of time. You chose to do nothing at all except threaten me. Its cruel when you think about my youngest. A twelve-year-old boy caught in the crossfire because of decisions you made purely out of rage. If either of them is to die, I will simply cut my funding in half. Once again, I am not afraid of you or your threats to kill me. I am far too important to your goal for you to kill me. If anything happens to me or my boys, my funding will be gone. We are not enemies, but I will do what I must for the goal of this operation and for my family." He left it at that with his calm explanations. "Decide whatever, but first, weigh the outcome. Be smart and careful about your decisions. Your father earned my respect. I do not bow down simply because of status. Show me you will be a fine ruler. Show me you can usher in an era of peace for spirits. Win this victory and the many more to come, and I will be your loyal ally in this fight. Many believe in you. I am more critical of people. I do not trust easy. I base people purely upon their actions. Right now, your actions are telling me that you are incompetent. Simply because of your actions against me. You show great promise Kishi, but your temper might end up costing you if you can't reign it in. Just my words alone were enough for you to consider and almost attempt to kill me. Those actions would've cost you dearly. My funding would've been gone. The outcome would be bad for you. You being leader doesn't exempt you from flaws. You have rash and reckless behavior that has torn you from your goals. You have delayed one of your generals from aiding you and have now possibly cost you your victory if things go wrong in your absence. I suggest rather than focusing on me, you should focus on ensuring your victory. If I can leave you with one piece of advice, it would be that the battle isn't won until it's over. You need to stop worrying about my insolent and bold mannered behavior and focusing on seizing your win. I know that I can be an ass, believe me, I know. But now isn't the time to be focusing on that. The battle is more important. Go and lead your troops and stop worrying your head about me. I only say these things for the good of everyone. And please, while your there, would you take five seconds to look out for my sons. Your funding rather depends on it." He acted a little smug on that last sentence, but he had made well enough points that Kishi would hopefully consider. He had kept his voice calm and clear, not snarky. Hopefully Kishi would see that as a good sign. Even with his aristocratic way of speaking, he knew he was sweating bullets.


Rajeel ducked into another alleyway to take the medication. He opened up the one that looked like cough syrup and poured a good-sized serving into the little plastic cup that came with it. He put it away and then marched on with the knowledge that it might be healed sooner or later. He'd still prefer his pills though. Once he got out of this mess, he needed to refill them. By the trained doctors at the estate not the staff at The Vinland Apothecary.

He was stopped by Kishi's men a couple times and angrily yelled that he was a Reincrat and a member of the Order. Luckily at least one person in the group of guards knew of him and his appearance and vouched for him. It was enough for them to let him go, but a scowl danced on his face. So annoying.

Finally, he got back to the half destroyed house. The ice had melted considerably and the air in the city felt warm from the battles. That was much better. But, he didn't see any sign of Castor. "Well?" He demanded to his subordinates. "Where is the little halfbreed, hmm? Have they not returned with him?" He sounded severely annoyed. They hadn't got him yet. After all the time it took to get the medication and advance the take over.

"N-no sir!" One of the guards piped up.

"Will someone competent enough go find him! We cannot leave without him. Much to my displeasure, my father would be angry if we were to leave him. And no one likes Josiah Reincrat angry." It was enough to get some more going. The place was almost packed with just Castor's things in the attic. Wait, Castor's things. He got an idea with a smirk on his face. He went up and pushed open the hatch to the attic. His fur bristled from being up in the cold, musty place. The sooner he got out the better. Some items sat on a wooden crate. One of them being a cage fit for an annoying bird. He always demanded Castor put the thing in a cage when he stayed with him. He went back down and told some guards. "If we're going to be waiting you might as well pack up his stuff." They went up and he left it at that. He held the cage out in front of him like it was something disgusting. He went out the front door and lifted the cage up. "You are to find my halfbreed brother. Castor. I know you can freakishly communicate with him. Tell him I want him home, now! Tell him to not keep me waiting, lest he want to see me angry once more." He then carefully opened the cage door, and the raven flew out with a burst of wind that sent him stumbling backwards. "Damn raven." He muttered as he picked a jet black feather from the air.

 

[DarknessSama17]

Iris was barely keeping up with Castro as they ran atop the rooftops. She almost slipped a once or twice but managed to catch her balance. As she ran she was careful where she placed her feet. She avoided a puddle left by some ran the day before. Iris leapt over a gap and rolled to her feet in time to see Castro save a young boy that would've been serious hurt or worse.

Show off. She thought. As she bearly cleared another gap.

Finally she Castro stopped and Iris did too.

"What's up?" She asked feeling something was wrong.

SharkBark starstucker

 

[SharkBark]

"Shit..I lost them." Castro says. He had just had the boy, where could he have gone? He should've known Rajeel's brother would be talented.

Suddenly, out of no where, bullets begin to assault Castro. He tackles Iris to move her away from the bullets but she was standing close to the edge of the roof and they both start falling into an alley. He throws his backpack so that it's contents won't break. Then, in order to channel the pain into his own body, Castro turns his body towards the concrete while facing Iris upwards and with a heavy thud, he slams onto the cold alley floor. Castro groans in pain as he clutches the back of his head. That's definitely a concussion.

Castro looks back up to see two of Rajeel's men with guns pointed at them. One of them asks where Castor is.

"Who's Castor? We swear we don't know who that is." Castro points out.

The two guards look at each other and say something Castro couldn't make out. Then they turn back and point the guns at them again. The larger guard says something about Castro attacking Rajeel. Shit. He forgot he had just made himself a target. Castro reaches for his backpack just to grab air. He looks around and sees that it's near a trash can. He forgot he had thrown it.

"Okay, guys. Just tell you boss I apologized. He doesn't have to be a bitch about this. Alright?" Castro says.

That was a mistake. The men look through their scopes the pull the triggers.

DarknessSama17 AlphaBlueWolf Kumii

 

[Kumii]

Inari Natsuki and ViviCurrent State: Partial Kitsune State
Location: Ironshire City Rooftops
Interactions: AlphaBlueWolf

Inari lowered her head, when Castor said no-one should have to kill anyone, "Yeah, I know that." She said just as quietly, "The reason I said what I said is because I can tell you're scared. Fighting isn't fun, I don't want to put you through that if I can help it." Inari sighed, "I've closed my heart off to it, I mean what's the point anymore to care about the people you kill? But it's not like it doesn't still hurt me when I have to kill." She sat down and pulled her legs to her chest, "I have people I care about to protect though, I can't afford to be careful or else I'll lose them... and I can't go through that pain... Not again." Inari's two tails curled up around her and her ears folded back a bit as she remembered her parents way back then.

Vivi sat next Inari and leaned her head Inari's shoulder, Vivi still remained silent as did Inari.

KishiLocation: Talking with Josiah
Interactions: AlphaBlueWolf

Kishi stopped himself as Josiah started talking, to be frank, most of what Josiah said went in one ear and out the other. Kishi laughed boisterously, "I suppose I put on the tough guy act for long enough." Kishi took a step back in his dragon and looked at the city, "I'll tell you the reason I invaded without consulting you, Josiah. My goal is not the city itself but what it contains underneath. You see, as you sent your spies in, I sent a couple of my own and they reported back with something ever so interesting." Kishi reverted to his Dragonkin form, "Ironshire City is home to the most wealthy treasury in the world, enough to supply an army 10 times over, I'd wager Ironshire contains more wealth then you, Josiah." KIshi laughed, "I knew you'd object however, so I had go behind your back on this one. I mean, obtaining riches not via you? If we take this wealth, we wouldn't need you ever!" He laughed once more, he stopped then waved his hand dismissively, "I had no intention of ever killing you, as much as I'd like to. Though, you really do annoy me sometimes." Kishi looked at Josiah, "After this, if you want to take to over, you can. You'd just have to talk to my Father." He jumped into the air and took his dragon form, "Oh and don't worry, old man, I specifically ordered my men to secure your boys well beforehand, okay maybe not all of them. I do wonder, whatever will happen to the little one. I mean, hanging out with a Kitsune like Inari could only mean bad news for us." Kishi gave a single wave back to Josiah, "Ciao." He flew off.

 

[DarknessSama17]

Iris listen to Castro mutter something about about losing someone she heard the shots but as she got ready to dodge, Castro crashed into her. Both of them sailed off the rooftop. Castro twisted his body so that Iris was above him. He slammed hard onto to concrete.



"Are you okay?" Iris asked. She thought his actions were both foolish and brave.



Before he could answer, two men with guns appeared. Iris resisted the urge to giggle when Castro told the guards to tell Rajeel not to be a bitch.



The men fired their rifles and Iris rolled behind a dumpster. She pushed the big metal dumpster and the wheels rolled it towards them. The men focused on dodging and Iris took advantage. She pulled her pistol from the strap on her thigh and fired. She hit both the men in the head, killing them.



She turned to Castro. "Looks like you've made a lot of friends today."

SharkBark

 

[AlphaBlueWolf]

Castor weakly lifted his head when Inari spoke once more. She seemed.. tired. She was used to killing, but it seemed to cost her. She sounded almost apathetic to the thought of killing. That's what her words said. But her actions told him she didn't really like doing it. I mean, she was trying to stay neutral because of it. She must still be a good person, even if she was used to the killing. She'd helped him, provided comfort and killed to protect the both of them which was something she didn't seem like she actually wanted to do. She wasn't like his brother or father, who both didn't mind killing and almost seemed to enjoy it in certain circumstances.

Then, Inari pulled herself into basically a fetal position and his heart pretty much ached for her. He hated pain. No matter if it was physical or mental. He just wanted everyone to be safe and happy. Why couldn't that be the reality? He scooted over to her when she was finished talking. Vivi was already offering her support, and he wanted to as well. He put a hand on her knee. A simple gesture but he hoped it would provide comfort. "Hey.. its alright." That was all he could say. He didn't know what to say. Usually he was the one having to be comfort. So, he was at a loss.

Then, something flew at high speed and grabbed his shoulder. "Ow." He looked to see a jet black raven perched upon his shoulder. "Odie?" The raven cawed in response. Present. That's what the raven said. For some reason, Castor had a connection with the bird to the point where he could understand him. He didn't know how, but no one objected to him having the raven. Not if his father said it was ok. Rajeel was clearly against the bird, making him but the raven in a cage when he was living with him, but he couldn't do any more about it since their father said it was alright. Maybe it was because Odin had this fierce desire to protect Castor. Josiah had made the comparison that he was like a nasty guard dog. But, Odin affectionately nuzzled his check and it made him grin widely. Would an aggressive guard dog behave like that? To Castor, the raven was a dear friend, not a weapon.

He looked over to the two and quickly devised a plan that he whispered to the raven. He made it quick and short, but told Odin these two were friends, which the raven seemed pleasantly surprised about. "Hey, Inari. Vivi. Watch this." He let the raven crawl down his arm to his wrist and then moved his arm to the sky. The raven jumped off with incredible speed and started doing loops in the air. Hopefully it would be distracting enough. "He knows lots of tricks." He explained with excitement. The raven circled the air and then shot back down to Castor's arm as a black blur of feathers. Once again, Odin was on his wrist and he extended it out to Inari and Vivi. "Don't worry. He's tame. And he loves getting pet. Almost as much as you Inari." He made the joke and giggled at it. He didn't care if Inari got mad at him. It would be best if she did, because then she could forget her worries. "You wanna pet him? Extend out your arm and he'll go to you." He nodded at the raven, telling him it was alright to jump to Inari if she'd want to. Vivi too. As long as the two were gentle with Odin, they'd have no problems and he hoped it'd help.


Josiah was glad when it seemed Kishi was calming down from his aggression. His servants looked relieved too. If Kishi had intended on killing him by breathing fire, the servants in the car would've also been dead. They looked thankful to have their lives spared. The car shook as Kishi stepped off it and they were all scared it'd be thrown on its side or explode or something. Nothing actually happened. Josiah gave a smirk that quickly dissolved. Kishi even started to explain himself, which is not something he expected. It was interesting information. He would've guessed it was to take a big and well-guarded city, not that there was something more valuable underneath it all. He also hadn't realize Kishi had sent spies. Maybe that's why he regarded the boys as useless. Because he had his own spies that reported directly to him. He could've at least to him his intel was of no use, so he didn't have to risk the boys' lives. He still needed them as pawns. He couldn't risk their demise, and it was already risky with Rajeel going in. He was the known son. Castor was just a mere rumor. Speculation to if Josiah Reincrat really did have an illegitimate child. No one would be wary of the boy.

A scowl danced on his face when he heard the news. More wealth than he had? Impossible. His family had generations of wealth. They'd been a well known and wealthy family for centuries upon centuries and Josiah was quite the cheapskate. Even if he used his money to make sure he had a luxurious life, he made sure they were constantly staying rich. There was no way the humans could've amassed that much money in a short amount of time. Not as much that rivaled Josiah's vault at least. It was irritating to know what Kishi was planning. He'd become obsolete to the cause if that were true. He might even be killed because of not having a use. A finger tapped on his leg. At least Kishi was now in his dragonkin form. He seemed to back off of his threat, but for how long? Would he end up deciding one day to kill him? If he really did have those riches, then he wouldn't be needed. This would be a problem. An annoying one at that.

Kishi practically invited him to take over his position, though he'd have to go through Ryunni. The guy was probably the only one that scared him. He tried to maintain a friendly relationship with the guy, inviting him to the estate and offering him a chance to go drinking, his treat of course. Though, he didn't know how the man would react to him thinking his son was too young to lead. Kishi was in his thirties, but still had a lot to learn about being cautious. He might even kill him for just the thought. He knew he could if he wanted to. Ryunni was more reasonable, he knew Josiah's worth to the movement, but he could end up being seriously injured. More so than before.

Josiah could honestly say he was impressed Kishi took the time to secure his boy's safety beforehand, even though he had acted so rudely when he had spoken with him on the phone. It had earned him a shred of respect with the rich man. Though, it wasn't much considering he'd just been threatened and almost killed by the massive dragon. He felt more angry towards Kishi right now that he just couldn't respect him all too much. He'd still think about getting him removed. Maybe he should invite Ryunni to the mansion for a drink. Maybe that would soften him up so he could discuss Kishi and see if going that route was really worth it.

Kishi left him with one last piece of information. Castor was hanging out with a kitsune named Inari. He didn't recognize the name, but he thought kitsunes were the worst. Deciding on neutrality. All of them. Instead of being smart and helping their fellow spirits win freedom and peace from the humans. They were spinless cowards, inferior spirits. They chose the wrong side in all of this. He imagined they might be punished when the Dragonfist Order wins and kills off all of humanity. Though, with a leader like Kishi, they may be spared from punishment. Kishi seemed ruthless enough, able to kill humans, but he wanted piece for spirits. He seemed to hate the one known as Inari, yet he might be lenient with the kistunes considering they were still spirits. He'd have to tell Castor to stay away from kitsunes from now on.

When Kishi left he muttered one word. "Damn." He couldn't tell if Kishi was against him or if he saw Josiah as an ally. He seemed to want to eliminate him by getting the money from Ironshire. But did he consider him useful. That matter would have to wait. He had to focus on securing his paw- sons. Yeah, his sons. "Call the estate." He ordered one of the servants in the car. "Tell them we ran into a little.. problem on the way to Ironshire. Tell them to send a new car. My orders. And tell them to send a durable one this time." The servant did just that, getting out a work phone and calling the estate. He gave a heavy sigh and rested in the car to wait. They'd have a new car, but it'd take some time. He hoped that didn't mean his sons would be in danger for longer.

 

[Kumii]

Inari Natsuki and ViviCurrent State: Partial Kitsune State
Location: Ironshire City Rooftops
Interactions: AlphaBlueWolf

Inari's ears raised a bit as Castor came to comfort her, she hadn't realized she depressed she had gotten, "S-sorry, I-" She was interrupted as something came and landed on Castor's shoulder, Vivi looked too. Inari's ears standing straight and focused on the raven,, "A... Raven?" Then she heard the raven's name, Odin. She and Vivi watched as the raven did a few tricks, Vivi was more taken then Inari was, then came the comment that he loved to get pet like Inari did. Inari blushed, "Sh-shut up, Castor." She said in an almost playful tone, her tails began gently wiggling. She put out her hand for the raven to jump to. Inari stared at the bird, her ears and head reacting to the raven's movements, it was almost like she was a puppy.

Inari giggled and her ears folded back then popped back up, Vivi watched Inari play with the bird and smiled, "Big sis is happy now." Inari's ears stood straight up at Vivi's comment and she blushed again as her ears folded back and looked away with embarrassment, "Th-thank you, all of you." Inari winced in pain and accidentally almost dropped Odin to hold the wound on her left shoulder and groaned in pain, thankfully Odin took flight before contacting the ground, "I'm sorry, I guess the adrenaline's wearing off now." She chuckled nervously.

MizukiLocation: ???
Mentions: SharkBark DarknessSama17
Interactions: None

Mizuki seemed to wander the city, against the flow of citizens rushing past to leave the city. She almost seemed to be on a mission, her gun strapped to her lower back. She jumped to the roofs to get a better looked and switched to her thermal vision. All she could see was the blob of heat from the citizens, but on the roofs, "Three... no.. four heat signatures. One brighter then the others. Kitsune." A little more scanning revealed five more signatures, "Five signatures. Two of them are human, three are Spirits." She heard footsteps from behind her and saw three more signatures rushing her, "Hostile signatures. Three of them." She took the gun from her back.

"Hey! Don't move!" The people arrived. Mizuki scanned them, two men, one female. The female seemed weaker, the men were the attackers, likely the female was a support Spirit. "Well, well, well, ain't you a beautiful... robot... thing, why don't you come with us, lady?" Mizuki took in her options, "I'm sorry, I'm looking for a new master, you are not it. I do not serve Spirits." The men seemed irritated. "Fine, die then." Mizuki shot an orb the ground in front of her, it was her Spirit Shackle shot. The men's power fizzled out, "The hell? What did you do?!"

Mizuki looked at them, "I simply got rid of a mess. Dirty, dirty." She then charged a Dark Bullet Nova at them. It impacted and engulfed them in a dark nova, "Oh my, it seems I've made a mess." She used her energy to make a shadowy hand appear and take them away, essentially making their bodies disappear. After all that, she put her gun back on her back and decided which way to go.

She decided to go to where the two human heat signatures are and saw two humans being attacked by Spirits. She decided to do nothing but simply observe from the shadows, undetected.

 

[SharkBark]

Castro looks in astonishment as he watches Iris perfectly kill the two men with two perfectly placed shots to the head.

"Oh shit! You sure can shoot lady." Castro says. His mouth then parts into a smile. "What were you saying earlier about me killing someone? Hm? That it was a bad thing? At least I only killed one."

Castro laughs as he picks himself up. He clutches the back of his head and winces. His vision's a little blurry. Is it because of the concussion or...

Castro feels his face. Nothing. They're gone. Castro looks to the side and sees his glasses, a bullet hole in one of the lenses.

"Shit!" Castro yells. "Without those, I can't see at all."

Castro shakily picks up his backpack and hoists it onto his back,.

"You might have to guide me around. Let's get going. Wait, hold on."

Castro takes a pair of glasses out of his backpack and puts them on.

"These will work but, they're heat signature readers, which makes it pretty annoying to look around.."

Castro looks around the place and then freezes in his place as he sees a tall figure staring at him.

DarknessSama17 Kumii

 

[AlphaBlueWolf]

Castor giggled when Inari told him to shut up. At least she was feeling good enough to be angry. Or maybe she was saying that light-heartedly. It didn't matter either way. Inari held out her hand and he nodded at Odin. The raven didn't scare easy, so he jumped right onto Inari's wrist with a slight flutter of his wings. He bent his head to nuzzle it against her arm and pecked at her playfully. He shook out his feathers when Inari started playing with him and he rubbed his head against her other hand as she did. He cawed out, 'This is a good one.' Though, only Castor was able to understand it, so his giggle would be misinterpreted.

He smiled at Vivi's comment affirming that Inari was now happy. He was glad he'd been able to do that. Well, with Odin's help of course. He'd have to give Odin some meat later for the help. A small little snack for him. He didn't want the raven to get fat. He wouldn't be able to zip around like he liked to do. That would be horrible to see his friend lose what he liked to do because of Castor. He simply nodded at Inari's thank you, becoming a little embarrassed, while Odin gave a loud caw that was basically him saying you're welcome. Odin was way more outgoing than he was.

He watched confused as Odin took flight after Inari almost dropped him. Odin flew around the wound and cawed out, "Shoulder injury! Bad gash! Castor, you should've treated it already. I know you have the plants."

"Thank you for the help, Odin." He simply said even if he found the criticism a little annoying. But he berated himself in his head. He'd been so dazed by the battle and everything that had happened, he'd pretty much forgotten. Odin flew fast and landed with skill on the ground, he went over to the leather pouch on Castor's belt and tugged at it. "I can do it, little buddy." He said and the raven backed off. Odin seemed to want to help him in any way possible.

He was getting low on his plant storage. The pouch couldn't hold a lot and he'd already used some up for the enemy soldier. Though, those leaves wouldn't help Inari. They were used to soothe burns; she had a nasty gash. Different herbs needed to be used. He pulled out a couple plants and then looked up to Inari. Odin had gone over to nuzzle her, likely trying to provide some comfort. He realized he should ask before doing anything. "That gash on your shoulder, it looks bad. I can help with the herbs I have on me. It might hurt though. It'll be better in the end to get it treated. It might already start getting infected. And it'd be bad if it's still bleeding. Blood loss can lead to dizziness and... well, we should just get it treated. Can I?"

 

[Kumii]

Inari Natsuki and ViviCurrent State: Partial Kitsune State
Location: Ironshire City Rooftops
Interactions: AlphaBlueWolf

Inari chuckled a bit, "Hurt more then having a gash on my shoulder?" Inari joked. Odin came to nuzzle Inari, she was thankful for it but her ears gave a whole story, being completely folded flat on her head. "Do whatever you must, I trust you." She said. When Castor would go to look at it, he would noticed tiny flames in the wounds. They weren't doing much to heal but they were cauterizing it to prevent further blood loss. It's possible this was a small portion of the pain but most of it came from the big ol wound.

Vivi looked at Inari with her, you guessed it, expressionless looked but it worry in it, "Please be okay, big sis." Vivi could only watch at this point, she looked at Castor, "Please help her." Vivi pleaded.

MizukiLocation: ???
Interactions: SharkBark DarknessSama17

Mizuki saw that Castro had noticed her but did nothing in response, her right eye flashed blue and she jumped down from the rooftop and landed with grace, she looked Castro, "Master potentiality approximately 15% in the male." Mizuki then looked at Iris, "Master potentiality approximately 25% in the female." Mizuki stood before them with her right foot in front of her left foot and legs slightly crossed. She held her hands straight down over her waist, despite how frozen Castro appeared to be, Mizuki clearly meant them no harm. Of course, they had no way of knowing this, "Hello, I am Mizuki. A special-type Dark Spirit Machina." She put her left hand over her chest and bowed at the two. She returned to her idle stance, "Very brave what the female did. I was impressed." She talked so formally as she scanned their appearance. She scanned Castro, "The male appears to be a swordsman. Combat match compatibility; 100%." She looked over and scanned Iris, "The female appears to be a mix of markswoman and swordswoman. Combat match compatibility; 98%"

Mizuki looked between the two, "Combat match compatibility between the male and female; 99%" Mizuki smiled at them. She switched to normal vision and looked between the two.

 

[AlphaBlueWolf]

Castor was happy that Inari completely trusted him. He briefly thought about how she wouldn't if she knew he was of Reincrat blood. She was a spirit, so she probably knew about how the Reincrats were. Maybe she even had experience with them and their shady dealings. He picked the thought right out of his mind. He had to be done with his pity party. Right now, he had a hurt patient. Well, maybe she wasn't a patient because he was by no means certified to treat anyone. He was twelve after all, though that didn't stop him from helping. She wasn't a patient, but a friend in need.

He nodded and went over to the wound with the plants he had. "You got it!" He told Vivi with a surprising amount of confidence. A second ago he was practically shivering from seeing the effects of war and battle. Now, he was completely in his element. He knew plants. He loved them and nature. He was well enough versed in them to help Inari. "Odin, could you please hold up her sleeve for me." The bird responded with a caw and did just that, able to perfectly understand the instructions from Castor. The way the wound had been made, it did make a cut in her sleeve where he could see the wound, but it would be much better if it were completely out of the way. "I'm just gonna roll up your sleeve." He said, trying to talk her through the process as to not alarm her or cause panic. He was careful when he got to the wound and stretched it up and over. The sleeve was now bunched up at the top of her shoulder. As to not have it fall down while he was working, he gave it to Odin who clutched it in his beak. He rested on her back as to not cause any discomfort on her shoulder while Castor worked on it. Though, it would be much easier for the raven if he could just perch on her shoulder. It was harder to hold on without a stable surface and he had to dig into her shirt to keep ahold of himself. He even dropped the sleeve a couple times from his talons slipping but her swiftly caught it back in his beak before it could slip and mess with Castor's work.

Castor now had an unobstructed view of the wound with his raven pal helping him out. He'd first need to examine it to know what plants to use and in what fashion. Though, he knit his eyebrows with a worried expression. Tiny flames in the wound. He briefly wondered if it was from the cause of the gash, but that had been sharp ice. Nothing like fire should've been there. But it was amazing. No infection when he looked for one. And the bleeding had been gone with some dried up blood clinging around the wound. He'd have to clean it up first, but no fresh blood to speak of. The flames were still troubling. "Um.. are there supposed to be those in your wound. The tiny flames I mean. I've just never seen that before."

"Tiny flames? Where?" Odin gave a muffled caw and dropped the sleeve.

"Odin!" He exclaimed and grabbed the sleeve. The raven cawed out a quick sorry and grabbed hold of the sleeve again. He turned back to Inari with his troubled expression, waiting for a reply.

 

[SharkBark]

Castro watches as the figure walks up to them. It says something about master potential and then says it's name is Mizuki. Akito picks his blade up off of the floor.

"Listen, I don't know what you mean by Dark Machina but, I just need to know, "Castro starts. "Are you a threat? Because if so, Iris and I have no choice but to kill you."

Castro lifts up his blade and pinches the sharp part with two fingers. Suddenly, the sharp part becomes a glowing red and emits an orange energy. Castro puts the sword in one hand and reaches into his other holster and pulls out a pistol. He tosses it to Iris.

"It's a pistol I made. It can shoot through pure steel. And if you change the setting with a button on the side, you can change the modes of the bullets. There's a spirit damaging poison, a heated version, and one that splits into other bullets. There are 32 bullets left. If we have to battle, use them wisely."

Castro points the blade towards Mizuki.

"I don't mean any harm, but I have to keep this pointed at you. What do you want from us, Ms. Mizuki?"

DarknessSama17 & Kumii

 

[DarknessSama17]

Iris chuckled at Castro's remark. "that was self defense. Just like your kill."

Castro suddenly freezes then someone leaps from the roof. Upon closer inspection they seemed to be made of metal. It said it was dark spirit machina. So it was a machine. Iris found that interesting.

She wonder what she meant when she analyzed them and spoke of a master.

Then Castro pulled out a sword. He was on guard when he spoke to her. He pressed his blade and it emitted an orange glow. He then tossed her a gun which she caught. After he'd finished informing her about the powerful weapon Iris whistled impressed.

"This is some fancy weaponry. You're full of surprises huh?"

She then stepped between the machine and Castro. "I don't think she's hostile. If she were she'd have attacked already," she then turned to the machine. "right?"

SharkBark Kumii

 

[Kumii]

Inari Natsuki and ViviCurrent State: Partial Kitsune State
Location: Ironshire City Rooftops
Interactions: AlphaBlueWolf

Inari looked at Castor, "Flames..?" Then she remembered, "Oh.. yeah that's normal, they're mostly harmless. There's a reason Kitsune Blood is an extremely rare commodity." She joked again. "It even works on p-" Vivi reacted so quickly to cover Inari's mouth as she knew where she was going with that, "Don't talk, big sis." She said nervously. Inari giggled slightly then sighed, "But yeah, don't worry too much about them, they're not big enough or strong enough to do any damage to you."

Inari leaned her head back and continue to let Castor work on her arm.

MizukiLocation: ???
Interactions: SharkBark DarknessSama17

Mizuki was slightly taken back by the hostile reaction from the male, was she too aggressive? Did she say something wrong? But something did intrigue her, the male didn't seem afraid of her. Before she could answer, the female stepped between them, again, the braveness of these two was quite intriguing to Mizuki. She nodded at Iris' comment, "The female is correct. My intention was not to be hostile, merely, I wished to meet two potential masters." She placed a hand on her chest again, "You see, I said I was a Dark Spirit Machina, I am a machine with the soul of a Spirit within me. I am also a combat and support-oriented maid." She returned her hand to it's idle position, "I live to serve humans. That is my prime directive." Mizkuki realized this might bring up the question of, 'why would I be so keen on serving a human.' So she decided to answer it before it could asked, "To answer any potential questions you may have about my intentions. My only wish is to serve humans in any way I can. Most of my previous masters wished that I be a Maid so I took it upon myself to orient myself as such to please my masters." Mizuki smiled, "I take pride in my work though, I do not feel that this is a burden, in fact, I am glad to be like this."

Mizuki placed a hand on her chest once more and bowed, "If you do not mind, I would like to observe and evaluate you two so that I may better choose a master from you two. If you do not wish, I shall leave immediately and continue my search."

 

[SharkBark]

Castro stumbles back a little when Iris pushes in front of him. The Dark Spirit Machina then says some more stuff about masters and how it means so harm.

"Um...I mean, if you're not a threat then, I guess you can stick around. But, you're going to have to help us out." Castro says. "We're looking for a pointy eared boy named Castor Reinhart. I notice your eye keeps changing. Maybe you could help us out?"

Castro was surprised. He had came into Ironshire for one thing and ended up meeting a lot of people. Castro looks at Iris and then thinks about Vinyl. Some trustworthy people too. Now, he had encountered his 6th spirit of the day. And he only had to kill one.

"If you love to serve humans so much, than you'll help us out."

Castro sheathes his blade and walks up to Mizuki. He puts out his arm for a handshake.

"I'm Castro Smith. Genius mechanic, and the guy that's trying to stop the war. This is my brand new partner, Iris Eloclipse. Please to meet you, Mizuki."

Kumii DarknessSama17

 

[Kumii]

MizukiLocation: ???
Interactions: SharkBark DarknessSama17

Mizuki looked at Castro, "Correction; I only love to serve a single master and any allies that master approves of. I do not serve humanity as a whole." Mizuki extends her hand and shakes Castro's, "Until such a time comes that I find a suitable master, I will not take orders from you or the human girl." She let go of his hand, "I will assist you in searching for this pointy-eared creature you speak of, but when it comes to combat, you will receive no assistance from me unless I am directly attacked. My current objective is to evaluate you two, in that sense, I am just an observer." Mizuki smiled a bit.

She remembered, "Oh and to address the comment about my eye, it's artificial. I have what you'd call 'normal vision' and 'thermal vision'. I can free-" Her eye flashed red as she detected a large heat mass coming at them, it was fire. Mizuki quickly took the gun off her lower back and held it up like a shield to block the attack. "Seems we're being attacked again." She flipped the gun around and charged up a stronger version of her Dark Bullet ammo. It impacted on the man's body and exploded, killing him instantly. After that was done, she flipped the gun back around and put it back on her lower back and turned to face Castro and Iris, "Please forgive me for making a mess." she said she bowed at them as her eye changed back blue as she switched to her normal vision.

Spoiler: New Passive Effect Discovered

Mizuki discovered a new Passive Effect!
"Heat Resistance - Due to her alloy body, she has a high resistance to fire attacks."