Union of the Six

[Morgrim]

Xerxes Greenblood
Mentions: shadowz1995
Borders of the Glade
​

It was then a giant sphere of darkness enveloped them all, a zone of perpetual twilight that blotted out all source of light. Xerxes wasn't all too surprised, Desh had always been a bit of an edgelord, and it was expected to see him make a trap that sucks the light and happiness out of the surrounding area. Xerxes men, and even the beasts remained calm. They knew there was nothing they could do to stop this, but Xerxes was with them, and it gave them a bout of confidence, further reinforced that they were on their home turf giving him even more power. Clearly the darkness itself was not a trap though, but made just to obscure what he was really doing, what he was really planning.

As the blades of darkness swiveled and whirred to life, the trees and lesser animals, even stone was being torn to shreds and grinded into a fine powder, Xerxes may not see it, but he could easily hear it. Desh was really foolhardy, he wanted to kill Xerxes with a blender, with a mere kitchen appliance. Rulers walked the earth like gods among men, wolves among sheep, and his plan was to make a smoothie. The idea made him laugh, as trees were being turn to wood chips around him. If he wanted a kitchen brawl he would get down to it. Xerxes terraformed the very earth to do the exact same, creating hundreds of stone blades all around them in a similar dome, and listening to the very subtle differences in the destruction around him, he could tell the way the blades of darkness danced around him, and he could counter their direction. Empowered stone clashed against darkness, and the sound created was horrid, like nails against a chalkboard, magnified a hundred times over. His men had to hold their ears, but Xerxes was resolute, and pressed forward. As he walked the stone blades followed him in a protective dome, and while he marched he could escape the darkness, and leave the infernal trap.

Sunlight greeted him again, and his men all breathed a sigh of relief now that the grating noise was gone, and then could remove their hands from their bleeding ears. Xerxes ivory complexion contorted into a viscous scowl as his eyes laid upon Desh. It wasn't the first time that demon scum tried to kill him, and he highly doubted it would be the last, but maybe he could end it here and now. He drew his sword, metal glinting, and light dancing off the blade from the rays of sunlight that now shine through unhindered from the trees that lie shredded to bits. "You know I never really liked you much Desh, but even I think being as cowardly to lay a trap is below you. Guess I was wrong. Now are you going to fight me, or pussy out since you know you will lose demon scum?" Xerxes quickly adopted a combat ready stance. He expected Desh to run, but with how inflated his ego was he might actually dare to fight Xerxes on his home turf.

 

[shadowz1995]

"It appears that a decade of peace has rotted your brains Xerxes. Especially if you believe you have a chance at beating me, sword to sword." As the archdemon spoke, he unraveled the layers of his control like a germinating flower. It took only seconds for his natural demonic visage to take place and drown the area in his dark presence. As per the usual, it was a stifling aura. As if someone had simultaneosly turned up the atmospheric pressure, gravity, and flooded the area with the cold of space. Xerxes had known this presence before but his men surely hadn't and they would feel its full effect. The king's fodder seemed confident behind him. As if they could lay a solitary hair upon his greyed skin.

"I come unarmored and unarmed Xerxes. I am here to repay you for that little unsanctioned assault against me. Not to foolishly rush into my death."

"You were never a coward but bold is something you've never been. I'm curious as to why you of all people were the one to draw first blood. Of all the rulers, you are the biggest pussy," he spat the vulgar word back, "of them all. More so then the rulers who actually HAVE them."

Suddenly, the demon launched into the skies with a powerful beat of his wings but did not flee. Without letting it be known, Desh's crimson gaze flicked upwards towards the four other daemon fires that were now encroaching upon the inner territory of The Glades. Daemon fire, if left unchecked, was far more volatile then any flame and was hungry, evident by the fact that the black flame that still surrounded Xerxes and his men, licking up the sides of the aura the Earth king was projecting to purify it. Still trying to consume what it cannot hope to touch. Greedily continuing to spread where the elf had failed to purify.

Regardless of whether he could make it back in time or not, the damage had been done. The Glades would take years to return to its former glory. Years of weakness that Deshwitat could really use. Xerxes had gotten under his skin by calling him a pussy and a coward....

Now it was his turn...

"I didn't come to fight, your highness. I came for vengeance. I came..."

A demonic hand extended lazily in the direction of his borderless kingdom

"...To watch everything you hold dear burn to ash. To give you a taste of what WE have felt for millenia. I came to give you and your people despair."

The fires were supposed to be symbolic but this had turned out much better than the dark king could have hoped. Rather than symblic retaliation, this would actually deal some damage to them without any bloodshed other than a few deer or squirrels that were unfortunate enough to have gotten caught in his trap.

Morgrim ​

 

[Fluffy-Kat]

Noblesse Rubdich
​

"Princess, you are one of a kind. Just like your father."

Noblesse shut her eyes tightly, and while pouting her lower lip, scrunched her nose when Sophia had suddenly came over to wipe her face of her victim's innards. She froze and took it as if Sophia was cleaning a cut with a concoction that stung. What was it about children and never wanting to be cleaned up? When Sophia finished, Noblesse ran her forearm across her cheek to wipe away the sensation of the cloth, and looked away with rosey cheeks from embarrassment. The older demoness continued, "The day you find someone you wish to be with, I'll be sure to remind them how lucky they are to have such a wonderful woman."

Noblesse narrowed her eyes and puffed her cheeks. She crossed her arms and straightened her posture, her chest blown up with pride, "Find someone? Who says I need anybody?" even her tail flicked in agitation at the thought of having to deal some man and his needs, "I can take care of myself," she pointed her thumb into her chest, "Besides, the only man a girl ever needs is her father, for ever and always. And I will make sure to always be by my father's side should he ever need me there," the girl stated matter of factly. There was no denying Noblesse's first love was her father, and not once did the opposite sex ever cross her mind. Not yet anyway. She had no interest in the idea of being married off to some pompous fool who would want her just for inheritance and a title, no, that wasnt Noblesse. The little demoness wanted victory, and the respect of her people, even when it means laying down her life on the battlefield to fight for them. A real leader didnt just sit and let their people do all the fighting. She wanted to be just like Desh, and earn her respect, not just by talking the talk but by walking the walk, taking matters into her own hands and setting an example. Being there in the front lines to lead her people. And she'd be damned if some strange man came into her life and prevented her from doing just that. Course she also doesnt know the strong magic that is love, and its powerful abilities to persuade, seduce, and even change the minds of the most toughest men and women.

"Noblesse, I have something important to discuss with you."

The feisty princess came off her high horse and looked at Sophia, batting her long lashes with curiosity. She wasnt familiar with the sort of tone Sophia was setting. It seemed serious and almost hesitant, but with a hint of excitement. Sophia had her full attention, "What is it?"

"Your father and I wanted to tell you this together, but since things have gone pretty chaotic, it's quite hard to tell you with both of us present..... Not too long ago, I found out that I was with child."

"Oh how wonderful~!" Noblesse's smile beamed brighter than any bloomed flower in the garden. She scooted closer to Sophia with her eyes twinkling, "With whom?!" she asked eagerly, her slender tail swishing to and fro in delight.

"You have a sibling on the way, Noblesse."

Noblesse froze, and her radiant grin faded into a polite smile. A sibling? As in, her father....is the father? Her heart cried out for joy but her stomach sank with a heavy weight. There was a heavy feeling in her chest, and the young heiress felt all sorts of conflicting emotions all at once. Happy to have a sibling to look after, another thing that could bring a smile to her father's face. But.... at the same time....Noblesse suddenly didnt feel so special anymore. Her father was her world, she wanted to be by him every second of the day. But with a baby on the way, would he even have any time left to spare for her? Hes already so busy as it is. Ruby red eyes glossed over as tears began to well.

"It may be sudden news, but it was far more important to tell you now, rather than later."

Whether they were tears of joy or sadness, she didnt know, but Noblesse tried her hardest to express her love and excitement for Sophia, "No, no, no! Im so glad you told me now!" Noblesse took Sophia's hands into her own, "Youre going to be a great mother! I cant wait!" The girl gasped at another thought, looking off to the side, "There are so many things to prepare now!" She stood up and paced infront of the mother-to-be with a hand on her chin, "We need to prepare a room for it, we need a feast! No! A party! In celebration~! Everyone has to know. Have you thought of any names yet? Is it a boy? A girl? I hope its a girl! Then again it maybe fun to have a little brother to play with," Noblesse rambled, getting caught up in her own little world....




Britt-21

 

[Britt-21]

Sophia De'Lexington
Dark Kingdom's Garden

The reaction that Noblesse had eased her worries. Her smile brightening up her features. But that was till Sophia noticed the tears and the silence that came from the princess just moments after she informed her of her father being...well...the father. Worry began to slowly build up, and before she could speak, Noblesse seemed to have jumped back and took Sophia's hands into her own. It was hard not to smile at how excited she sounded, despite her expression saying another just seconds ago. The Demoness watched as the princess began to pace, asking questions about the baby, a name, a gender. Even thinking aloud plans on what should be prepared. "P-Noblesse." she called softly "First I shall answer your questions. I have not thought of any names, mainly because I wish to speak about them with your father. Gender would have to wait till after a few months. It's impossible to tell at this very moment." she drew in a deep breath before closing her eyes for a moment. Would a Celebration really be that worth it? Sure it was a celebration of the King's upcoming child but would he even have enough energy to be within one?

After all, he's busy as of late and always returned home tired. Finally, she opened her Ruby eyes back up to look at the young Archdemon "The celebration we would have to speak with your father about, Noblesse. I wouldnt want to drag him into a party if he's exhausted after all that he's doing for us and his kingdom." plus, wouldn't announcing her pregnancy cause her to be at risk of assassination? After all, the times that they're in now, it's no surprise that someone would want to order an assassination on the mother of the Dark King's next child. The world was becoming unpredictable. Sophia's mind continued to go through every scenario she could think of, more or less preparing for the worst. Again, this would be something that has to go through Deshwitat. Just in case he would want it quiet. The demoness was the mother, so she did have a say in the matter as well "I am happy that you are excited about this. I will say." Sophia finally said.

"I'm sure to your sibling, you'll be the best big sister ever." she complimented, reaching for her tea and bringing the cup to her lips "If anything bothers you at all, don't be afraid to ask Pia or myself. I want to make sure you are as comfortable as possible. Nor do I want you to feel like everyone would stop their love for you." with that, the red-headed demon took a sip of her tea, no longer finding it as hot as it was before so she took a little larger of a sip. I wouldn't ever want to make her feel like she wasn't wanted or loved. I may be having my own child now, but I refuse to let anyone replace little Noblesse. Even my own child. she thought to herself.

Fluffy-Kat​

 

[Nogoodname]

Amanda Thera & Mammon Decorva.
A collab with: Crumbli ​

Amanda let out a small huff as she quietly glanced over the metallic bow sitting along the workbench of hers, dilligently inspecting it for flaws. She picked it up and gave it another quick test, pressing the release to release the tension and allow the limbs to spring up into action! Or, at least one of them did, eliciting a groan from the now weary girl. The blackscale glanced around in exasperation "Now where the hell is the damned..." she fell silent as her gaze shifted over exact tool she was looking for, reaching out for a metal file. It seemed something on the lower limb was catching on something else causing it to stick, the girl chewed on her lower lip as she quickly went to work along the moving piece, working away at the suspected piece. After some quick work and a more successful test Amanda smiled at her handiwork, quickly packing the concealable bow into her bag.

With that done, the roguish girl stepped away from the workbench and glanced around idly, her work was essentially done for the day, might be time to turn in for the night. For now she decided to stalk around a bit and see who else was still up, the girl was eager to move about a bit after spending a couple hours fumbling around with her gear. It didn't take long to find their loveable house demon, the man named Mammon, a small grin formed on her expression as she slowly, slowly crept up behind him, only to spring out at the last moment "Heya~!" she chimed.

Mammon jumps as the girl shouts directly in his ear, dropping an arm full of parchments across the floor. Without needing to check who it was he kneels to the floor and begins to sweep up the parchments into a pile for carrying again. "You've gotta stop doing that. You're going to send me to an early grave." The parchments were fine sheets and numbered closer to a hundred than they did to zero. He groans as he quickly sorts through them placing all confirmed executions/captures in one pile and all requests in another. It wasn't the most glamorous job but someone had to do it.

He finishes piling the parchments and turns them in different directions for easier recognition if he had to carry them in a large stack again. He picks up the confirmed executions pile and presses them against his chest before looking over to Amanda with a deadpan expression. "Lend a hand? I only have two."

With a curt nod Amanda knelt down to scoop up the rest of the papers, giving a faint snicker "ehehe, sorry, you're the only one here this late for me to pester" she admitted. The girl straightened out the papers once again and set them carefully up onto Mammon's desk. "So, what have you been up to lately? Been a while since we last spoke" she said casually, sitting back against her companion's desk.

Mammon walks towards a desk opposite of his. He stops and jolts himself on the spot to shift the papers back against his body. He places the papers against the desk and rubs his face with a soft groan. "I want to actually die." He turns around and rests against the desk with his palms pressed against the edge. "It's been weeks since I was sent out. I'm fine with files and administrative jobs but this. It's so boring. Do you know how many fingers are being left unbroken while I'm sitting here writing up names and sorting them into piles?" He pushes against his palms and makes his way back over to Amanda. "If I don't get outside in the next ten minutes, I'm going to kill someone."

Amanda snorted at the comment and shook her head "Woah there big guy, cool down a little" she said, quietly sorting the papers into their respective piles. "You need a break, why don't you come with me to the tavern? I could use a good drink right now anyways..." she suggested, adimant on getting her friend out of his stuffy little office.

He cocks a brow, a smirk forming on his face. "A drink with you? I suppose. Didn't think you'd encourage someone to sherk their duties for drinks though." He begins to make his way towards the exit of his office and hopefully out of this 'lovely labrynth' he was forced to call home. His disdain for the subterranean life was never a secret and any excuse to leave was a welcomed one. He stops in the arch and waves. "You coming?"

"Coming! Coming" she said quickly, throwing her brown leather bag over her shoulder and making her way over to the arch "Got a place in mind?" she asked curiously. "I was thinking The Keen River, ever been there? they've got some great ale, oh! And there's this one bard who plays there every once in a while, he's GREAT! you've gatta see him" she trails off as the two traverse the winding tunnels undearneath the castle.

Mammon had never heard of the Keen River and didn't bother denying his ignorance of the place. He listened carefully as Amanda rambled about it and found his interest to be piqued by the venue. "I'll come if you pay for my share." His grin remains true to his face and the ability to discern playful teasing from being a cheap skate would have been incredibly difficult. He slows his pace as they make their way towards the enterance and exit hidden away in the castle dungeon.

"Tha hell would I do that for?" the girl asked, reaching over to clap her companion on the shoulder "What is this? Some kinda date?" she teased as they made their way down the dark streets of the city. Amanda would begin to lead her co-worker down towards the place in question.

The Keen River was a rather popular place near the nicer parts of the city. From the outside could be heard the loud chatter of patrons and the sound of music, seems like it's a busy night. From the two large windows in the front of the building one could see people dancing, laughing, and otherwise winding down after a hard days work. The bartender was at full speed tonight to keep up with the horde of customers, darting from customer to customer. As the two of them enter he hardly seems to have the time to acknowledge their entry.

"Is it always so busy?" Mammon asks, rubbing his wrists with a soft crack escaping the right one. He didn't care much for the size of the crowds but the speed in which they'd be served. He presses on towards the bar turning himself side on to squeeze through anyone in his path. He didn't have the energy to push people and risk a confrontation. As he arrives at the bar and takes a seat, a patron beside him notices the red coloured skin and leaves with drink in hand. "Amanda! I got you a seat."

Amanda gave a small grin and pulled up next to her companion "how lucky of us" she mused, reclining against the bar. A small sigh of relief escaped her lips as she got a bit more relaxed, already feeling the toil of the day washing away with the warm atmosphere of the tavern. "Yeah this place can get pretty hectic, it's fun though, I like it. Plus it's a GREAT spot for getting info" she said, leaning in to whisper the last bit.

Mammon laughs at her whispered addition. "Of course you'd like to relax by doing more work." The people around the pair grow louder and in their noise he finds a moment to think. He didn't understand how she could adore working for the blackscales the way she did. Nothing of it made sense. He understood why the mercenaries became blackscales, why the nobles became blackscales, but Amanda was different to him. By the time he escapes his thoughts he takes his eyes off her and leans onto the bar waving an arm. The bartender spots this and darts over towards them as fast as he could.

The girl was quick to order a drink, sliding a couple of coins across the bar as she spoke to her companion, letting out a snicker at his comment "Hey, never a bad time to do some info gathering, besides some of the stuff you can learn in a tavern is pretty interesting" she admitted, giving a light shrug of her shoulders. "I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy gossip at least a little bit.." she continued with a small smirk.

Mammon slides two silver hawks across the bench and looks at the bartender. "Reds, let me know when that runs out." The bartender nods and scoops up the coins. He returns his attention back to Amanda with a slow nod. "Oh of course not." He strums his fingers on the benchtop waiting eagerly for his wine. "So come on, tell me some of the more interesting pieces you hear."

Amanda took her glass into her hand and quickly sipped from it, letting out a pleased sigh "Ahhh, right, well you know Alek? The local blacksmith? Apparently he's..." she leaned in close "Heatin' another girls iron if ya catch my meaning~" she said with a small grin, taking a quick look around. "Shame really.. him and Maria were really sweet together, but I guess that just happens sometimes..." she trailed off as she lost herself in the local drama.

The demon rolls his eyes and exhales through his nose, moving his hand to intercept a tankard. The tankard was almost overflowing with a red coloured liquid and had an overwhelmingly fruity smell. He takes a gentle sniff of the beverage as she trails off and raises it to his lips. "Do we know who the lucky lady is? Last I checked, Alek wasn't exactly gifted with good looks." He sips the drink and places it down on the bench top. "Come to think of it I don't think he's been gifted with any looks except for that funny one he makes when you place an order in." He lifts the tankard once more to his lips and takes another sip.

She shook her head quickly and let out a small chuckle "dunno really, some new girl in town apparently, not much on her yet but I'm digging" she said, giving her companion a sideways glance. It was the kind of glance that failed to betray weather or not she was serious. Lifting the glass to her lips she took another quick drink "So, ya never really answered me back home, what have you been up to man? It's been a while, ya find a girl or something?" she teased.

He chokes on his drink, slamming the tankard down and spraying wine across the bar from his mouth. "Me? A girl?" He breathes out through his mouth and rubs his throat. The bartender sends him a nasty glare and he turns his gaze quickly away from the man. He focuses back on Amanda's face and clears his throat, a mild burning sensation lingering behind. "God no. Have you seen this skin? Sure I can get them to bed but keeping them?" He shakes his head, raising the tankard to his lips again and pausing for a sip. "That's just not in my arsenal. Ya know?"

"Aww! Sure you can!" She exclaimed, giving the demon a smirk "you just gotta show off your skill set, do some paperwork for her" she teased, letting out a giggle as she downed her drink. "... but seriously, you're a great guy, I know you can find someone" the girl said, feeling her cheeks burn faintly, though she attributed it to the drink more than anything.

He looks over at her and rolls his eyes, raising the tankard to his lips and trying to down as much as he could in one shot. He makes his way through about half before stopping and wiping his mouth. "I'm not sure we're looking at the same person here, Amanda." He raises the tankard to his lips again and finishes what's left. He slams the tankard down and rattles it on the bench top, having it refilled quickly. "I'm not even sure that life's for me. I'm a slave to the black scales. I can't go anywhere, can't have a life beyond them, what happens when she wants to move to the mountains of Elysium or even anywhere else in Oceanius?" He sighs and pulls the newly filled tankard close to him. "What about you?"

Amanda just shook her head a little at his argument, deciding not to press further. "Me? Ahh you know me, I don't have much time for anything but work these days. Maybe in a couple years, I dunno, but not now." She said with a shrug as her second drink was served, which she paused to enjoy, letting out a pleased sigh. "Either way... you hear about The Glade's attack? Scary stuff..." she trailed off, hoping to change topics.

Mammon makes a strange sound as if he'd already heard enough on the matter. The Glade, the dark kingdom, neither were his concern. They were both on the other ends of the world and he knew it'd be highly unlikely he'd see either locations. "From what I've heard it wasn't exactly uncalled for." He cranes his neck to the side and raises his tankard to his lips downing a large mouthful. "Details are fuzzy but word around the below says they got hit by Blaakfiah mercs. Seems like a long shot and even if it were true, I doubt that'd be worth a full blown war."

"Yeah... It's a weird situation I've gatta be honest, Let's just hope Oceanius doesn't get involved... I don't think anyone wants a second great war" she muttered under her breath. Gulping down another swig of her drink, Amanda shrugged her shoulders "But then again, maybe it won't escalate too badly? Who knows, it seems like people are wanting peace nowadays... maybe we'll see a little forgiveness" she said, though as hopeful as Amanda was, it was clear she was just thinking wishfully at this point.

"Honestly I couldn't care less with this royal 'my dick's bigger than yours' thing they've got going on." He raises his tankard to his lips and begins to down the entire drink. He didn't like thinking of the war and the idea of another creeping around the bend wasn't exactly comforting. He finishes the drink and places the tankard on the bench top. "So long as they keep it down there, I ain't gonna complain." He begins to pull himself up from the stool and places a hand on Amanda's shoulder. "I'll be right back."

Amanda raised a glass to her statement "Here here" she muttered, downing the contents of the glass and rubbing her temples gently. She took a quick look out the window and shook her head "I've gatta feed my bird..." she said, reaching into her coin pouch in order to pay for her drink. Amanda inhaled, then exhaled sharply "Look, you're a good guy alright? You're gonna find someone who loves you, I know it" she said, adopting a more serious tone for the moment before her ever present grin returned "See you at work tomorrow" she continued, as she made for the tavern door.

As he starts to walk away he notices her talking, slowing his pace and turning around to face her. A few people brush up against him but they don't phase. She sounds serious. "Good? Demon? Lady, you've clearly lost it." He begins to smile sinking deeper into the crowd. He hears her say her farewells and waves to her through the people. She was excuse to get out of work, but now he was here and those eagles weren't drinking their own worth in wine. They'd have to wait for him to get back though.

 

[Super Villain Nova]

It was strange for both Mizaki and Yama to be in a world without snow or the cold. The ship had yet to even dock and already Mizaki was shocked at the world he was looking at. Standing by the rails of the ship and leaning over them a bit, in hopes to get a better look at the new world. Yama stood off on the side with his arms folded over his chest as he watched Mizaki and looked to the new unexplored world. "If you lean too far, you'll fall in." He told Mizaki.

Mizaki just rolled his eyes as he continued to imagine what the Dark Kingdom was like. Like most Denki, Mizaki and Yama had never left the boarders of Raitoningu. So for them this was going to be an experience they wouldn't forget.

As the ship approached the docks Mizaki was more aw struck. His eyes wide, his jaw slightly dropped and his mind ran wild with the new adventure in front of them. Yama had taken a more casual approach to everything. He had released their wolves from the hull, Disuki was already at his side and Yama placed the saddle on him. Zeff was far from being ready as he sat next to Mizaki. It was amusing and yet strange, even in their world, as to how much the wolves resembled their riders. Zeff watched the new world just as excited as Mizaki was. Both pairs of eyes glued to what they could see of the Dark Kingdom for now.

Yama rolled his eyes at this. He let out a rough sigh before finishing the saddle on Disuki. Once done he noticed that the ship was docked and ready for the crew and passengers to leave.

"We should be getting ready." Yama turned to Mizaki. Mizaki only nodded and waved him off. Yama let his shoulders drop as Mizaki and Zeff didn't move. The two were so much alike. "We need to leave." Yama added in a somewhat harsh tone.

Mizaki finally took his eyes away from the Dark Kingdom and looked to Yama, "Okay." He stated in an annoyed tone of voice. "I'll get ready." Mizaki turned to Zeff, "Come on Zeff." He called for his wolf. Zeff looked over his shoulder to Mizaki with his ears tuned onto Mizaki's voice and his eyes looking for Mizaki's signals. Mizaki motioned for Zeff to come to his side once he reached where he had placed Zeff's saddle. They rode their wolves like horses, but with no reins only saddles. Each Denki trained their wolf differently. The wolves would only listen to their Denki even if another knew their commands, the wolves would not listen to another.

Mizaki and Zeff were ready in no time, and yet they waited for the third member of their pod. Yama and Mizaki were use to this. Ryusuuji was more of a loner. Spending more time by himself and not with the pod was expected.

shadowz1995

 

[shadowz1995]

The guards of the Earth Kingdom grabbed their clerics and shamans once they realized that the fires that pushed into the inner sanctuary of the Glades were unnatural, as water seemed to do nothing to stop its fiery hunger. They desperately struggled to douse the flames before it reached their homes while their king was holding off lord of demons to the south. Through much struggle, they managed to stop the advance of the four fires and thus preventing any casualties aside from the lives of the woodland creatures that were caught in the inferno.

"Give your citizens my regards, Xerxes. Let it be knowm that this was your doing. You drew first blood and now you pay for it."

The demon king's plan had been executed perfectly and with that, he departed from the scene. A few beats from his mighty wing and he was gone from the nation of earth. Xerxes seemed like he wanted to give pursuit but the animals and plants had been crying out for help due to the fires he had not noticed beforehand. Though the more pressing matter was the black flame of the demon king that still survived and pushed on. Xerxes Greenblood dispersed the evil black flame and made haste back to his people. He returned to a simultaneously relieving and apalling sight. His subjects were unharmed but clearly shaken and even terrified. The smoke was thick in the air and all the citizens could feel the cries of the forest and its creatures. Most of the trees on the north, east, west, and anything between had been burned to the very inner borders, just outside the kingdom itself. They were safe for now but little did they know, their northern side was now open to an assault from the dark kingdom's new tentative friends should they choose to take this opportunity....assuming they even knew it had happened. The smoke could be seen clear for many miles as most of Glade Forest had been burned to the ground.




Several hours had passed by before the Dark King had finally touched down in his homeland, arriving roughly an hour after his the men and women that had joined him in the true dark kingdom raid on the Earth Kingdom. Deshwitat landed just inside the city of Tenebris with a dark look upon his face. His work was far from over. The other kingdoms would take this as a show of force beyond measure and possibly try to launch attacks against them. Tenebris had already been caught off guard once. It wouldnt happen again.

________________________________


The Forgotten Prince sauntered up from below deck, his normally white shinobi garb exchanged for a dark, charcoal grey color to match the grim lands of darkness. It was his first time here but Raiden had already seen some of the outside world, unlike his podmates. This was going to be a shock for Ryusuuji but even more so for his teammates. The vampiric ninja almost felt bad for them.... almost.

He took his place at the center of the pod alongside his large canine companion. "Let's get moving quickly. These lands are dangerous. More so then our home." The royal said quietly as the boat touched land. Ryuusuji had studied some scrolls on dark magic from this land and this was how he learned to give the little bit of lightning he DID show, a black inner color to blend in darkness. A perfect fit for this terrain that seemed to be cast in perpetual night. To say that this land was even more treacherous then their homeland was no small statement and all who were present knew it.

The prince mounted his wolf and commanded it to advance with a low murmur. Sure enough, the creature obeyed and launched off the boat, hitting the dark sand in a sprint. The pod was a ways south of Tenebris and while they had a map, this was new territory to all of them. They needed to tread carefully but they also needed to move quickly. Every second they wasted was a second taken off of the security of Raitengu.


..............

It had taken several hours due to the caution they had exhibit but the iron walls of Tenebris were now before them. It was both a terrifying and awe-inspiring sight. Large demons, minotaurs, and ogres wearing plated armor of black and red with the Dark Crest upon the breastplate patrolled the gate. Even through their armor, one could tell they seemed tense, as if ready for an attack at any moment. Drow or dark elves lined the top of the walls in full equipment. As if they were expecting a siege, ever vigilant and sharp. "Stop. Let us continue on foot." The prince quickly stated. Something was wrong and foreigners approaching full speed on giant wolves was not something that would go over well.

Sure enough, the guards tensed when they saw these unknowns approach but made no moves that seemed violent in nature. A large, fully transformed lycan in armor stepped forth to meet these 3 "young" men.

"Greetings gentlemen. May I ask what brings you to our gates?"

Ryusuuji replied in the common tongue of Linhael, his accent heavy but understandable, " We are here to meet with King Deshwitat L. Rubdich. We are the envoys Raitoningu. I.... am the son of the Emperor. The... prince of lightning, as your people call it." Raiden removed his shinobi mask and cowl to fully reveal his identity to the 7'6 tall wolfman. The grey furred creature nodded his head in understanding as they were expected and he roared for the gates to be opened. "Enjoy your stay, Prince." The lycan growled with a small incline of his head.

The gates slowly opened and revealed the inside to the pod of ninja.

Needless to say, the culture shock was.... real. Even the stoic and silent Ryusuuji couldn't keep his jaw from dropping slightly, crimson eyes widened in surprise.

All manner of creatures walked to and fro. Laughing, talking, trading, running, and even gambling in some areas. Creatures ranging from the tallest Giant that was larger than the houses to small pixies that took some pleasure in rapidly circling around Mizaki, chattering and giggling to each other on how fair his skin was. Of course, demons were normal citizens here but Raiden couldn't help but stare at some of the more wicked looking ones. Horns, tails, claws, fangs, and outlandish skin colors.... then again.... they were far away from home. Outlandish sounds about right.

Of course, some of the succubi that roamed the streets caught sight of the three foreigners and approached with every intention clear in their gazes. It was only the sharp glare that the Lycan gave that stopped them from rubbing all over the trio. What they wore could barely be considered clothing! Merely strips of fabric placed over the essentials. Even some of the normal female demons were dressed in a way that could be considered vulgar or scantily clad. Alas, a normity among demon kind. Even the king was no exception.

"Through here is the palace. Ask for a woman by the name of Sophia De'Lexington. She is the personal assistant of our Lord and is expecting you."

Raiden numbly nodded his head and the lycan escort took that as his queue to depart and head back to the gate. The servants inside the palace were just as varied. Harpies, lamia, ogres, elves of all kinds, and humans strode throughout the halls as they went about their duties.

A young human servant noticed the trio and quickly pointed in the proper direction to the royal gardens. It seemed all the personnel within the palace were more than informed of what was going on. Raiden merely turned to look at his companions dumbfounded and then to his wolf, Sif, who seemed even more confused.

Super Villain Nova ​

 

[slim]

Collaboration between KindlyPlagueDoctor
archur

The Battle


-5 Weeks Ago-

As an ork, Ghazzy never held a funeral for fallen comrades. He never knew what that was, but he did hold a burial rite for those that fell in his name that night in their sleep the week after denying their deaths, and blaming himself for the actions of his political enemies. But he got over himself and began in the morning. Rites usually involved placing all the bodies in a somewhat orderly fashion, lined up neatly enough for the earth-mother to take back the drowsing bodies of the dead. It took much longer than he really had expected to, as the duty of preparing the bodies forces those performing rites to look back upon the dead. And to say the least, he couldn't look back on much. But they were faithful to him, and that's all the he could've asked for. It took almost an hour to gather the bodies and all their little giblets in one place, then discern them from each other, but once all was said an done, he draped their stamped tents over their bodies, their few belongings placed under their mangled forms. He lit a torch, and set aflame each of the little rags, the scent of ale from the stained cloth wafting up into the air as the bonfire crackled.

Ghaz looked on grimly. The past is in flames. He had a job to do. Looking up from the ritual fire, his attention was grabbed by a man clearing his throat. He tensed, then turned to face him at incredible speeds. He had to mentally stop himself from jamming his meaty paw down the man's throat and ripping out his heart during his moment of reflection. The man was clearly a noble, his face bore a discontented look, which quickly turned to disgust. The ork could guess the undead's thoughts- "Ugh, a foul smell. Why would I be sent here, a noble, to inform some lowly ork? Pah." "What is it?"

The vampire waved his hand in front of his face as if to dispel the stench that was the ork's breath. He stepped back, then answered. "You're to move to the borders of our kingdom and defend it against earthen invaders. Do you understand that?" The snotty noble inquired. No answer from the ork, only a singular step as the noble kept talking. "Hello? Are you even awake?" Three more steps. "What are you-!" The ork in one quick motion had the man in his grip by the neck, and he raised him above the ground slowly. The vampire, despite his strength, found himself trapped in the ork's vice, and the scratching and peeling of the ork's flesh only tightened the grip that threatened to pop the noble's head off like a swollen pustule.

"You dare... Disrespekt me ehn my toime ov grieving?" The ork threatened in near perfect tongue. The vampire kicked and tore, but to no avail. "Yoo're to leave, an' nevah speak to me loike dat evah again, or ah'll do more dan jus' squeeze ya, papery git." Staring into the glint of the vampire's eyes, he saw anger, with a hint of fear. Typical. He cast the noble to the ground, the vampire retching and heaving. "Go, tell da king I follow 'is orders. And you kan go scurry back to your brood and assehmble ahn assassination. I long ta throttle annuva one ov yer kin."

He packed what little he brought with him, and burned everything else with the pyre. To the next battle.

~~

The meeting between the Queen of Water and Deshwitat seemed to have gone well and Ashanti had watched the woman leave after the two's rather...interesting discussion. An alliance of sorts and seemed to have formed between the two, but Ashanti still was unsure if it was going to play out well for them.

Ashanti had spent more and more time training. The activity in the kingdom had come to a standstill which gave Ashanti more free time to work on her swordplay. After the fight against the traitors of the Dark Kingdom earlier, she was a little frustrated that she had actually been injured. She refused to heal the wound and instead let it naturally heal, even when it grew irritated as she strained her muscles and sweated through training.

She spent most of her time with the soldiers in the barracks and sparred which gave her a chance to see different fighting styles and try them out herself. She was accustomed to just having a sword but learned there was a world of possibilities that may aid her better. She had nearly gotten her skull caved in by a demon armed with two maces. She had blocked it with a shield but the force shook her to the bones as the weapons connected with the metal. "What are you trying to do, kill me?" Ashanti had snapped, and the demon had just given her a toothy grin.

The sparring sessions not only helped her get back in the groove but got Ashanti closer to the soldiers she was meant to lead. She was soon called up to the king's room and told what she needed to do. Ashanti was actually a little surprised to hear the news since she had been so busy with other things she had little of what was going on, which explained some of the commotions between the servants and others around the city.

She had never gotten into gossiping which is why she seemed to always be oblivious to certain matters. The king had given her 260 men to command, and Ashanti couldn't help but feel a bit happy that she was finally doing something that she was used to. Sure, the war was far from a pleasant thing, but it was a familiar thing that Ashanti knew she would feel in her element doing. Hopefully, she wouldn't fail him.

The next day was a bustle of activity as tents and food were packed into saddlebags and wagons and weapons were sharpened and armor polished until they sparkled. Even Ashanti dressed to play the part as she switched her normal outfit for gleaming armor that made her feel a bit sluggish but gave her far more protection than the usual leather armor she wore.

She made sure to say goodbye to the princess, promising she'd be back with something for the girl. She was unsure what could be brought back form a battle except for a fancy sword from a fallen enemy and she was unsure the king wanted his daughter gifted that but hey, at least the elf tried.

Her horse was already saddled and ready to go, and Ashanti left with the men following behind her as they marched out of the city, their kingdom's flag waving proudly as they rode out to face the invaders.

~~
-4 Weeks Ago-

By now, Ghaz had realized that he wasn't being sent alone to hold the line, something that hadn't really crossed his thoughts when he first encountered the surplus force, led by what looked to be some sort of knight waving a banner of the kingdom, unsurprisingly. This had quickly devolved into them coming across a small camp of his in the woods, a lot of yelling and pushing as he grumpily ushered the soldiers out of his innocuous campsite.
"Ahem! What are you doing you absolute brute!" Ashanti roared as she stumbled upon the giant Ork rampaging. She recognized the creature but it seemed he wasn't really on her side this time around and she wasted no time drawing her swords. "What is the meaning of this?" She snapped.

"Eh?" He paused, mid punch. Dropping the man to his feet, he brushed the demon's armor off of any marks of the previous brawl the took place before shaking his hand vigorously, giving the soldier a slap on the back, and sending him off back to his commander. He looked the nob up and down, wondering where the fleeting high pitched voice came from. He looked to the trees, then to the grass below. Them panzies could be hiding anywhere.

"Oi." He pointed to the armored figure. "You da one git dat woz in dat one battle fingy with the rebs?"

Ashanti saw the Ork realize who she was and seemingly stop trying to attack her men who were a bit shaken at the angry giant seemingly coming out of nowhere. The elf gazed around the empty campground and gave a questioning glance to the Ork.

"Yes, I was. And you're the leader of the other orks? I don't see them around." She said as she sheathed her weapons.

He heaved a short sigh before replying. "Dead. The lot ov dem. I killed da assassin, but 'e was a bit daft an killed everyone but me." He planted his axe into the ground before scanning the panzies' group. "Where are you lot 'eadin' to?"

Ashanti saw the Ork's saddened (or at least what she took for sadness) and felt a bit of pity for the hulkish creature.

"I have orders from the king to take some soldiers to the front and protect it from the Earth Kingdom invaders. They might've sent someone to attack your orks since you helped us with the rebels." Ashanti said. "You could join my army if you'd like to get back at them." The elf said.

The ork shrugged. "Woz 'eadin' dat way anyways. I'll be ready in a sek." He quickly unhooked the stakes without much effort, then wrapped the tent, bedroll and all, up into one neat package, and slung it across his back. He eyed the soldiers angrily, before asking the crunchy panzy a question. "You got annuva ov those horse gits?"

Ashanti watched the Ork grab some supplies and then turn to face her and ask her for a horse. She eyed the tall creature before considering it.
"I suppose you can have one but I'd think it would be easier on the creature if you just walked. Men, let's head back to the others." The small group headed back and Ashanti got on her horse while someone offered the reins of a horse that was meant for pulling wagons since the other horses were much slimmer.

"Move out!" Ashanti yelled and the group marched on once more.

And so, the combined forces of an entire company of Dark Kingdom demons joined with their singular hired mercenary, and it was off to the races.



~~

Now
The Earth kingdom forces had been battering the defenses of the Dark Kingdom for weeks now, the defenders having to stay awake day and night, with little to no break between attacks of a siege. Even when the aggressive siege led to a loss of supplies and the gradual destruction of the outpost from the roots that grew under, the defenders still held strong, however few there were. With the arrival of Ashanti's company, she was greeted by the commander assigned to Outpost Hravgom, a large figure with horns that curled around his head, His armor was in disrepair, the plates tightly bound by leather to his body, the otherwise ornate armor smeared with dirt and rust. Clearly, despite being a commander, he liked to personally lead his own into battle.

"Welcome, to Hravgom." He said, a professional edge in his tone, speaking with authority as if he hadn't been fighting a losing battle for the past few weeks. "We've got little to nothing, and those damn golems won't let up. We don't know where they're coming from, but damn if we can't take 'em." He smirked, revealing a set of pointed teeth.

Ashanti greeted him in reply and her army quickly set their camp up, the white tents making the older ones now faded and ragged from the elements look like an eyesore. Night was already falling and so the next attack was prepared for early the next morning. Food that Ashanti's army had brought was passed out among the more weary soldiers and the injured who were tended to and were finally able to get their rest. Ashanti said very little as she was lost in her own thoughts and soon barricaded herself in her tent to go over the battle strategy. She was nervous but buried the feeling deep down.

~~
The next morning was organized chaos as weapons were sharpened and armor was fitted tightly on its wearers under the faint rays of the rising sun. No fires were lit and soldiers scarfed down cold leftovers without complaint. The march was short and Ashanti made soldiers get in groups of 20 and spread out. She sent 10 men to go ahead and target the golem mages who were causing the most trouble. If they could kill them, the Earth Kingdom's army's defenses would be weakened. Everyone crept quietly through the forest and listened intently, their ears tuned for any crack of a twig and inhale of breath. A whistle was heard ahead and Ashanti immediately broke into a run, her group following behind. There was a small clearing ahead and she saw a large humanoid figure, causing her to unsheathe her sword. She neared and saw one of her men standing on top of the golem which was unmoving. She noticed another smaller figure draped over the golem's back with an arrow in her neck. One mage down, who knew how many left to go. Ashanti nodded to the soldier and he returned it before vanishing into the trees.

The golems were mostly patrolling without a mage around unlike the first one who was most likely trying to fix it, so the next couple of fights were a bit hard. The golems were giant and could withstand hits and continue fighting and the army required stealth to pull of the battle ahead. The best tactic was getting a couple of demons to latch on a golem's back and use their fire abilities to start heating up the rock so much that it turned into lava. The golems didn't see the demons on their back so they couldn't attack and didn't notice their form slowly melting, but it took a while. The sun had risen over the treetops by the time the area had been cleared.
Ashanti's group regrouped at the at the edge of the Earth Kingdom troop's camp and hid as they surveyed the clearing. The Earth Kingdom wasn't worried at all about the Dark Kingdom and were still lounging about, most without armor and helping themselves to whatever concoction that had been stirred up by the cooks.

It was time.

Ashanti turned to Ghaz and pointed to the camp.

"You can do the honors," Ashanti said to the giant creature. Ghaz nodded in reply and shouldered his weapon before pointing to the enemies ahead and roaring, "For 'da dark kingdom!"


~~

Knanrix had heard of Warboss Ghazzy's Waaagh and of course, being the violent little creature that he was, wanted to join. He stood at the entrance to a makeshift campsite constructed by his fellow grots, he stood thinking of methods to get to the Waaagh, occasionally taking a swig of a potion that he was fairly sure wasn't killing him "Maybe i'ze could catapult me boyz into da fight..." he said as he took another swig "Nah..i'ze might miss" he retorted himself. He took a moment to look round his camp, there where Grots and Snotlings and squigs...."Da squigs!" he shouted "We'ze can ride da squigs to da battle!" he said sounding far too proud of himself. He ordered his grots to gather up the squigs, and after three eaten grots the squigs where deemed ready. Hopping on top of the biggest one he turned to his fellows who where now also on squigs "Lets go and krump somefink!"

~~
The battle was still hard-fought and nearly half of Ashanti's men fell. Nearly all the goblins were wiped out thanks to them running quite literally in the middle of the battle, making some Dark Kingdom soldiers think they were the enemy at first. Ashanti and Ghaz ended up fighting side by side and hacked their way through the enemy's soldiers. Ashanti focused light to slice people in half and her sword was a whirlwind of steel and Ghaz made soldiers crumple with his weapon and immense strength. The battle lasted a couple hours and bodies started stacking up on each other until Ashanti's men were forcing the enemy into a wall made of their own fallen men. Only a few men survived and even then Ashanti debated chasing them down but put off the idea. The bodies were looted of weapons and anything else valuable. Ashanti found an emerald ring on one of the men and wiped the blood off, finding it fitting for Noblesse as a trinket. Bodies were left for the birds and they mourned over their fallen comrades before celebrating that night over the campfires. Ashanti was in a very happy mood and drank with her men and even helped heal more serious injuries her men ad suffered.

~~
The group set off in the middle of the day after packing supplies into wagons as well as the injured who couldn't walk. Able soldiers gave up their horses for the injured as well and the Dark Kingdom forces headed back towards Tenebris. The goblins joined as well and Ashanti and Ghaz led the front as they trekked back home. As they approached the city, citizens started cheering and trailed after the group as they entered the city. Ashanti and Ghaz headed towards the castle, as well as the goblin, Khanrix, who Ashanti admired for his people's bravery. The guards let them in and Ashanti was about to head towards the throne room when she spotted the King himself. She noticed his dark expression and faltered for a few moments before heading up to him. Ghaz and Khanrix stayed back in uncertainty while Ashanti gave the king a small smile.

"Your luck ran out, your highness. I'm back in one piece."

Morgrim shadowz1995 ya boi can't write war shit but ur welcome

 

[shadowz1995]

The Dark Lord turned around and was met with a heart warming sight. Ashanti had returned with Ghazzy, the Ork mercenary and some new friends it seemed. The soldier's that were sent out to Tenebris were trickling in slowly and the king noticed their numbers were much lower than when they went out. At least half of them didn't make it back alive and quite a few were injured. They were bloodied but their expressions told another tale. They were elated to be back, yes, but proud to have come back with a hard fought victory. The men had done incredibly well and would be rewarded appropriately.

Desh looked down and placed a hand on the shoulder of his personal guard. "You speak as if I was expecting you to lose Ashanti. I knew you would come back more than alive. I'm glad you had your fun out there, my friend. Now, go get cleaned up and rest. That's an order from your king. You've more than earned it."

The archdemon then turned his attention to the Ork and goblins in his company. His brow furrowed slightly when he noticed that none of Orkz that had previously accompanied Ghazzy were present. A look of understanding crossed his features when he realized they must have fallen in combat. The king bowed his head in respect before setting his crimson gaze on the Ork's own, "I don't need to hear the reports to know that you made ten of them pay for each man you lost, Warboss. Please, when you are ready, pass by the palace. I will give you payment, a reward of your choosing as long as it is within my power, and I will provide you with a new batch of troops. Fresh recruits so you may train them as you wish.

Consider it to be a token of my faith in your abilities."

His majesty then turned his attention the smallest individuals of the return group. People he had not met yet but he could who was the leader at a glance. The smallest, yet proudest of the bunch. The demon king kneeled down on one knee so that he could be as close as possible to meeting the goblin eye to eye. "I do not know your name but if you helped my kingdom defeat the forces that threatened us then you deserve a reward as well. Come by the palace along with Ghazzy after you have eaten and rested. King Rubdich gives you his sincere gratitude."

With that out of the way, Deshwitat moved to help transport the injured soldiers into safety and conscripted a messenger to send word to the families of the survivors of their return and to the kin of the fallen. He also ordered a recovery regiment to be dispatched to bring back the bodies of the dead. So that they may be grieved and sent off properly into the Goddess's embrace.

After some time, the king made his way to the palace with the blood of his men and women caked on his hands
​

KindlyPlagueDoctor slim Britt-21 archur Fluffy-Kat

 

[Super Villain Nova]

The guards of the Earth Kingdom grabbed their clerics and shamans once they realized that the fires that pushed into the inner sanctuary of the Glades were unnatural, as water seemed to do nothing to stop its fiery hunger. They desperately struggled to douse the flames before it reached their homes while their king was holding off lord of demons to the south. Through much struggle, they managed to stop the advance of the four fires and thus preventing any casualties aside from the lives of the woodland creatures that were caught in the inferno.

"Give your citizens my regards, Xerxes. Let it be knowm that this was your doing. You drew first blood and now you pay for it."

The demon king's plan had been executed perfectly and with that, he departed from the scene. A few beats from his mighty wing and he was gone from the nation of earth. Xerxes seemed like he wanted to give pursuit but the animals and plants had been crying out for help due to the fires he had not noticed beforehand. Though the more pressing matter was the black flame of the demon king that still survived and pushed on. Xerxes Greenblood dispersed the evil black flame and made haste back to his people. He returned to a simultaneously relieving and apalling sight. His subjects were unharmed but clearly shaken and even terrified. The smoke was thick in the air and all the citizens could feel the cries of the forest and its creatures. Most of the trees on the north, east, west, and anything between had been burned to the very inner borders, just outside the kingdom itself. They were safe for now but little did they know, their northern side was now open to an assault from the dark kingdom's new tentative friends should they choose to take this opportunity....assuming they even knew it had happened. The smoke could be seen clear for many miles as most of Glade Forest had been burned to the ground.




Several hours had passed by before the Dark King had finally touched down in his homeland, arriving roughly an hour after his the men and women that had joined him in the true dark kingdom raid on the Earth Kingdom. Deshwitat landed just inside the city of Tenebris with a dark look upon his face. His work was far from over. The other kingdoms would take this as a show of force beyond measure and possibly try to launch attacks against them. Tenebris had already been caught off guard once. It wouldnt happen again.

________________________________


The Forgotten Prince sauntered up from below deck, his normally white shinobi garb exchanged for a dark, charcoal grey color to match the grim lands of darkness. It was his first time here but Raiden had already seen some of the outside world, unlike his podmates. This was going to be a shock for Ryusuuji but even more so for his teammates. The vampiric ninja almost felt bad for them.... almost.

He took his place at the center of the pod alongside his large canine companion. "Let's get moving quickly. These lands are dangerous. More so then our home." The royal said quietly as the boat touched land. Ryuusuji had studied some scrolls on dark magic from this land and this was how he learned to give the little bit of lightning he DID show, a black inner color to blend in darkness. A perfect fit for this terrain that seemed to be cast in perpetual night. To say that this land was even more treacherous then their homeland was no small statement and all who were present knew it.

The prince mounted his wolf and commanded it to advance with a low murmur. Sure enough, the creature obeyed and launched off the boat, hitting the dark sand in a sprint. The pod was a ways south of Tenebris and while they had a map, this was new territory to all of them. They needed to tread carefully but they also needed to move quickly. Every second they wasted was a second taken off of the security of Raitengu.


..............

It had taken several hours due to the caution they had exhibit but the iron walls of Tenebris were now before them. It was both a terrifying and awe-inspiring sight. Large demons, minotaurs, and ogres wearing plated armor of black and red with the Dark Crest upon the breastplate patrolled the gate. Even through their armor, one could tell they seemed tense, as if ready for an attack at any moment. Drow or dark elves lined the top of the walls in full equipment. As if they were expecting a siege, ever vigilant and sharp. "Stop. Let us continue on foot." The prince quickly stated. Something was wrong and foreigners approaching full speed on giant wolves was not something that would go over well.

Sure enough, the guards tensed when they saw these unknowns approach but made no moves that seemed violent in nature. A large, fully transformed lycan in armor stepped forth to meet these 3 "young" men.

"Greetings gentlemen. May I ask what brings you to our gates?"

Ryusuuji replied in the common tongue of Linhael, his accent heavy but understandable, " We are here to meet with King Deshwitat L. Rubdich. We are the envoys Raitoningu. I.... am the son of the Emperor. The... prince of lightning, as your people call it." Raiden removed his shinobi mask and cowl to fully reveal his identity to the 7'6 tall wolfman. The grey furred creature nodded his head in understanding as they were expected and he roared for the gates to be opened. "Enjoy your stay, Prince." The lycan growled with a small incline of his head.

The gates slowly opened and revealed the inside to the pod of ninja.

Needless to say, the culture shock was.... real. Even the stoic and silent Ryusuuji couldn't keep his jaw from dropping slightly, crimson eyes widened in surprise.

All manner of creatures walked to and fro. Laughing, talking, trading, running, and even gambling in some areas. Creatures ranging from the tallest Giant that was larger than the houses to small pixies that took some pleasure in rapidly circling around Mizaki, chattering and giggling to each other on how fair his skin was. Of course, demons were normal citizens here but Raiden couldn't help but stare at some of the more wicked looking ones. Horns, tails, claws, fangs, and outlandish skin colors.... then again.... they were far away from home. Outlandish sounds about right.

Of course, some of the succubi that roamed the streets caught sight of the three foreigners and approached with every intention clear in their gazes. It was only the sharp glare that the Lycan gave that stopped them from rubbing all over the trio. What they wore could barely be considered clothing! Merely strips of fabric placed over the essentials. Even some of the normal female demons were dressed in a way that could be considered vulgar or scantily clad. Alas, a normity among demon kind. Even the king was no exception.

"Through here is the palace. Ask for a woman by the name of Sophia De'Lexington. She is the personal assistant of our Lord and is expecting you."

Raiden numbly nodded his head and the lycan escort took that as his queue to depart and head back to the gate. The servants inside the palace were just as varied. Harpies, lamia, ogres, elves of all kinds, and humans strode throughout the halls as they went about their duties.

A young human servant noticed the trio and quickly pointed in the proper direction to the royal gardens. It seemed all the personnel within the palace were more than informed of what was going on. Raiden merely turned to look at his companions dumbfounded and then to his wolf, Sif, who seemed even more confused.

Super Villain Nova ​

Mizaki and Yam both payed close attention to Raiden's words about the Dark Kingdom. They personally had not been outside of the Lightning Kingdom, so for them, yes this was all new and would be considered exciting in some ways.

They were both quick to follow Raiden off the ship and into the dark world before them. Yama was good at keeping his cool with the new world, while Mizaki was the complete opposite. His eyes were all over the place as he caught detail of everything new. The excitement he was holding back was not really well hidden. As they raveled you could hear him at the back of the pack going, "Did you guys see that?" or "What the hell is that?!" Everything he was pointing out would be more than common in the Dark Kingdom. But for them it was all very, very new.

When they reached the wall they were quick to dismount their wolves. Zeff stayed very much close to Mizaki, the wolf was known to be more than over protective of the hyper active ninja. Yama stood next to Disuki as he looked up at the great wall. It was indeed impressive. He looked over to Mizaki to see Mizaki's jaw drop as they slowly walked closer. Yama frowned a little at this. "Can you at least act like you're not surprised by every little thing?" he asked the other. Mizaki's eyes were still glued to the wall when he softly shook his head in response. Yama grumbled a bit and looked back to the path in front of them. He paused when a large wolf like man stood before them.

The shadow alone of the Lycan made both Yama and Mizaki very uncomfortable. Mizaki's jaw shut tight as he gulped at the sight of the wolf. His eyes almost popped out of his head when the wolf man spoke. "Okami..." Mizaki whispered under his breath as he stepped closer to Zeff.

Yama had different thoughts on the matter. Instead of being amazed or intimidated, he felt like a cruel joke was being played on them. This wolf giant was nothing like their God Okami. If anything Yama saw him as a cheap imitation of their God.

None the less the guard lead them through the gate, leading them into a whole new word. This would be the bigger shocker. And speaking of shocks, Mizaki jumped a bit right after the gates had opened. A small red spark shocked his hand when he didn't know what to do or think. Just the glimpse of the world before them made the ninja lost in all senses. "Ow..." He hushed under his breath as he rubbed his hand quickly.

Upon turning back to the Dark Kingdom his eyes grew big and his jaw dropped again. People of all kinds of shapes and forms wandering around attending to various activities.

Yama and Disuki walked past the guard as the Lycan left to head back to his post. When Mizaki passed the guard he stopped and bowed to the wolf. "Pakku no tsuyo-sa wa okamidesu." He stated in a soft voice before turning back to the others. At first he didn't even noticed the pixies until one flew by in his path. This made him stop and look at the little creatures with aw. He slowly placed his hand out towards one of the pixies, in hopes to see what they would do. Before he could touch one Yama grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the fire fairies. "But I?" Mizaki started. "We have a mission." Yama snapped back.

Mizaki frowned as they continued to follow Raiden. Yama kept his eyes out for possible threats while Mizaki was more care free. It was like a child in a toy store that could only look and not touch.

Once in the garden Yama seemed a bit more relaxed towards being in a new place. He still seemed a bit on edge. His mind set was clear that he wasn't sure if to trust anything in or from the Dark Kingdom. Mizaki on the other hand seemed more open to the world. Curious as a child, and wanting to touch just about everything he could see. Even in something as simple as the garden Mizaki was still in shock. His thoughts were all over the place and the ninja could not focus at all. Thanks to Zeff, the wolf made sure Mizaki had one hand on him at all times and would not move anywhere unless he knew Mizaki was with him.


(Not sure who else I'm tagging in this.....) shadowz1995

 

[Soviet Panda]

Though a war had just started, Luther stood at his pulpit, giving his sermon to his flock. His massive Book of Luminosity sat opened in front of him, and his strong voice sang out over the gathered people. This was his favorite sermon to give, it's teachings resonating with him in a way no other line could. "Lumin blessed the Five with his presence," he sang in Luminian, "and congratulated them on completing the tasks he had given them. But before the Five could begin their celebrating, Lumin continued. 'But I have yet more tasks for you. Each harder than the last. I do this not to test you, but because of love for you, my children. I do not wish for you to stagnate and grow dull. I wish for you, all of you, to keep improving, to be the best you can possibly be. For when you are at your best, I am proudest. Like every Father proud of his Son, so am I of you. Now go forth, take these challenges. Solve them with brute force, with guile and cunning, there is no one correct path, but an ever expanding web of narrow trails that all meet and end at one point. Home, with all of your kin."

With the last word still ringing in the chapel and an arm yet raised, he gently, almost affectionately, closed the massive book and bowed his head in respect, ending his sermon. As he had been preaching, the donation baskets, they had gotten a second one a few months ago to make it easier on everyone, had made their way around and collected what the generous offered. But Luther did not concern himself with the donations, he knew they would have enough, the clerks could figure out the rest. And as the last person trailed out of the chapel, Luther changed gears and began to prepare for lunch. It would be a simple affair, like every meal served by his chapel to feed those being tested, but they were filling. Oatmeal often sat nicely in ones stomach, he had learned in his time spent in the military.

But the meals were not the only thing going through his mind. He was also ever so slightly curious about how the war was going. It had only just started, so it was difficult to tell if it was going to be just a brief spat or a long and drawn out war. For all he knew, it was going to end today and that was that. He was just glad that none of his flock, or any Follower of Light really, had yet been harmed. He sincerely hoped it would stay that way, but he doubted it. He expected more than a few flocks to be slaughtered before everything was settled.

 

[Fluffy-Kat]

Noblesse Rubdich
​

The little demoness stopped her pacing as soon as Sophia had given some answers. Her smile faded and twisted to a little frown with one corner of her lips to the side and her lower lip stuck out. The ruby irises that she shared with her father lookee down and away from the woman. It wasnt Sophia's fault she couldnt tell whether it was a boy or a girl, but Noblesse had hoped, by some miracle, she would know anyway. As for names, Sophia was right, it would be right to include her father in the naming process. Noblesse was no spoiled brat but she lacked patience with things that excited her.

"The celebration we would have to speak with your father about, Noblesse. I wouldnt want to drag him into a party if he's exhausted after all that he's doing for us and his kingdom." This turned the princess' half-pout into a full on one, complete with crossed arms and her famous scrunching-of-the-nose. Why not have a party? Parties were fun and everyone in the palace seems to need a break, something to refresh their dampened spirits during these times of war. The Kingdom was dark already, naturally, but the atmosphere was much more grim lately and she could see it on the faces of everyone around her. "Well a party could be good! He'll be tired sure, but we'll take care of him! I'll take care of him, he wont have to lift a finger! Itll give him a short amount of time, even those few hours of the party, to worry about himself for once!" Noblesse walked briskly and slid into the outside sofa Sophia was sitting on, slightly and accidentally knocking into her with the momentum. She muttered a quick 'sorry' before taking one of the older woman's hands and continuing, "Dont you think we could use a little morale boost around here? Surely all this negativity and lack of cheer cant be good for an expecting mother?" Her large, doe eyes blinked as a silent 'pretty please'.

"I am happy that you are excited about this. I will say." Sophia started, making the little princess grow serious with a glimmer of hope in her eyes. She stared at Sophia intensely, softly but still solid, eagerly waiting for an answer or at least a 'I'll speak to your father about it,' but no. Nothing. Instead Sophia gave an apologetic smile and said something else entirely, not related to the matter of a celebration, "I'm sure to your sibling, you'll be the best big sister ever."

They werent, exactly, the words she wanted to hear....infact....not at all.... but Noblesse smiled anyway, and took pride in Sophia's confidence with her. Shed save the matter of the party for another time. "Of course I will be!" She grinned, "I'll be the only sister anyway," she laughed. Noblesse pointed at Sophia's belly and narrowed her eyes, "You hear me? I better be the best, you've got no other choice," she giggled and looked back up at Sophia, "I'll take care you two when ever father is away, I'll make it my own personal duty," she put a hand over her heart with a curt nod.

Sophia moved on to mention that if Noblesse ever had anything troubling her she could confide in her or Pia at anytime. Noblesse couldnt help but wonder if Sophia had read her mind when she had her moment of doubt. The girl raised an eyebrow at first, her tail flicking behind her, but relaxed rather quickly and nodded, "I know~" she grinned, "Well then," the young heiress stood up, patting and smoothing out the wrinkles of her clothing, "If that was all you wanted to speak to me about," she extended a hand to Sophia to help her up, "Im going to see whats cooking up in the kitchens!"

The sounds of footsteps made Noblesse's head turn. For a moment she thought it was her father, finally returning and coming to greet his daughter, mistress, and soon-to-be child. But the pitter patter was louder and hinted at multiple people coming closer, rather than just one. It was strange and felt off to the little archdemoness, even servants didnt travel in entourages, they scurried and rushed to and fro one by one rarelt ever, if never, in groups. Voices carried through the foliage, unfamiliar voices. Noblesse's instinct, as well as her inherited trait of her fighting spirit, kicked in. The strangers entered her line of vision. They had unusual clothing, and large wolves in tow. Who were these people?

Assassains sent to kill her father? To put an end to the Rubdich family line? Ha. Not today.

Her left palm sparked and crackled, the rune on it pulsing a soft, purple glow. Faint whispers of the trapped souls in hell floated around her ears when the hilt of a sword appeared to be sticking out of her flesh from the rune. It was a tiny gateway, big enough for only a sword to pass through. Most people have forged weapons, Noblesse can summon a lost weapon that was born and returned to the deepest pits of hell. Her right hand reached to the other and pulled out the hilt of the sword. Black whisps of flame and shadow poured from the small tear in her hand, connected to the black metal hilt. When the whole mass was pulled out, Noblesse gripped the hilt with both hands firmly, the dark shroud went up in purple flame and withered away to leave behind a dark purple blade. The hellsword was embellished with demonic symbols and glyphs stamped onto the flat side of the metal.

Uninformed of the visitors, Noblesse stepped infront of Sophia, "Were we expecting anyone?" she asked her with out turning her head, red eyes fixed on the small troop of "guests". Noblesse has expressed over-protection and extra cautiousness these past days since Desh has been absent. With all this talk over war, can you blame the girl?




Britt-21 Super Villain Nova shadowz1995

 

[Britt-21]

Sophia De'Lexington
Dark Kingdom Royal Gardens

Sophia giggled softly when Noblesse pointed at her stomach and spoke to the slowly-growing child. This was definitely something the Demoness enjoyed and found quite amusing. "Many things are always cooking in 'the kitchens' Princess." before Sophia could reach out for Noblesses hand, she too heard the sound of something walking through the garden. All out of sync to make it all the more obvious that there was more than one person... Or thing. The Attendant stood from her seat and fixed her dress, catching sight of Noblesse standing not too far in front of her while pulling out a sword from her palm with her back to her "Now now, Noblesse." Sophia said, lifting her gaze to the creatures who finally became visible to the eye. "We were expecting some guests, yes. One that happens to be the Prince of Lightning. He is no threat as far as I am aware." Sophia folded her hands in front of her "From your reaction, however, I failed to inform you of that visit. I apologize for that." The Demoness moved next to Noblesse for a brief moment "Let's go greet them, shall we?"

With that, Sophia continued to walk up to the group "It's nice of you all to make it here." once close enough, she stopped and gently bowed her head for a quick second "Prince Ryusuuji." Even though she's known of his past, he is still royal blood. So respect towards a royal will always be present. "I hope your travel wasnt too much of a hassle. After all, we have various creatures that are fairly unpredictable outside the walls." then again, the group looked like they can take care of themselves. "Regardless, Glad you could all make it here in one piece." she then glanced at Noblesse before looking back at their guests "How about we all go inside. Princess Noblesse and I will escort you to a room where you can all satisfy your hunger and quench your thirsts." that said, both herself and Noblesse lead the group right back into the castle. Making small chatter as they walked down some of the halls and into a room which seemed like a lounge, two couches and two single chairs on either side of a table which looked like it could hold quite a bit of snacks.

"Please, have a seat." she said before managing to catch sight of a staff member to the castle. She whispered into his ear, asking for some snacks and drinks for the guests. With a nod, the male ran off to the kitchen where as Sophia joined everyone within the room. "Drinks and Food will be sent back here shortly. We may begin talking if you wish to, Prince." Sophia stood by Noblesse -who was sitting on the couch and was all ears.

Super Villain Nova shadowz1995 Fluffy-Kat​

 

[shadowz1995]

The cobra that Victor had given the Queen of Ignium sat coiled in the arms of the Master of Snakes. The brisk curtains had been pulled back, allowing the bright sun to spill into the queen's bedchambers. The thief stood at the opening, letting the snake in his arms sunbathe to its heart's content. His naturally cold skin simulating a stone in the desert after morning had risen.

Pale, snow colored eyes looked out upon the kingdom Victor had decided to put his stake into. He didn't regret the decision but due to who he was and his line of work, the rogue always doubted and reevaluated. New information always came into play which could alter the integrity of a previous choice made. The recent news Victor had received moments ago via python was not the most comforting news. It gave the thief pause, considering whether or not it was wise to so quickly accept an Alliance with Earth Nation. The rabbit hole seemed to be much darker than the king had led on in his meeting with Nadian.

Well, even if she was to hasty, there was still.... one more reason he had to stay....

The dark elf turned around so that his scarred back was pressing against the window sill, the desert's rays bathing his dark skin in a soft shine. Victor made no noise in full gear but with his bare feet, he might as well not even exist. Utter silence. Not even the sound of his breathing could be heard as he placed the trained serpent back in the den Nadian had created for it. No, the only person who had the pleasure of hearing any sounds from Hydra was from the woman that lay in the sheets of her own bed behind him. A woman as fiery as the kingdom she ruled and she made that fact known after the first he had laid with her. Every other day or so, she would summon him to her chambers once again and despite knowing better than to mix business and pleasure, Victor found himself going everytime for the past 5 weeks ever since.

The thief regarded her slumbering form for some time before a genuine, albeit small, smile touched his grey lips. He had found himself becoming slightly fond of her and her.... eccentricities.

Victor moved with all the grace of a shadow to the Sultana's side and gently tried to rouse her from her sleep. As much as he would prefer to let sleeping dogs lie, she needed to hear this news. His job came before her pleasure and that was a fact they both understood, for it applied to her as well.
​

slim

 

[slim]

Nadian's eye opened up a bit as she was woken up and blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the light in the room. She made a sound in the back of her throat in protest and pulled the blanket over her head for a few moments and adjusted to being awake. After a few moments, she reluctantly pulled the sheets back and sat up and stretched before turning to the man who woke her.

"Nice to see you're already up and about. I thought by now you would've known I prefer sleeping late whenever you come to visit the night before." The queen remarked as she rose from the bed, the thin sheet from the bed draped over her shoulders like a cape as she walked over to a table near the door where some food was laid out from last night. She grabbed a handful of dried apricots before walking back towards Victor until she noticed the den was full when she heard a familiar hissing noise. Her eyes flickered over to it for a few moments before she gazed at Victor with an eyebrow raised.

"There's news." It seemed like she was just saying the statement, but there was a hint of a question as she regarded the elf. She knew the two had work to be done and that they did with no complaint because it was their responsibility, but it didn't mean Nadian didn't feel a bit disgruntled whenever she saw the snake that bore news. She finished off the fruit in her hand, her hunger barely sated but she would go to the kitchens later. For now, there were more important things needed to be dealt with. Nadian walked behind Victor and stood on her tiptoes so she could put her chin on his shoulder as she embraced him.

"So, what's the news? I doubt it's anything good or you would've been nice enough to let me sleep. Hopefully, it's not that bad." A hint of worry was in her tone but she tried to keep her thoughts positive. Surely it couldn't be that bad, there had been no reports in her kingdom except for reports of thievery here and there among other petty crimes but those were normal occurrences. Nadian released the elf and walked past him and sat on the bed so she could face him while he told her what was going on.

shadowz1995 im hungry man gimme some boneless pizza

 

[shadowz1995]

Ryusuuji had a sense for danger that few knew about. Not only as a ninja, but as a person whose deific power does not manifest externally, he had to push his senses to be beyond normal limits so that he could survive the harsh wildlands of Raitoningu. Add in his vampirism and you had a whole new type of Denki altogether. The forgotten prince could practically taste hostility the moment it appeared. This went doubly so when Noblesse, the daughter of the Dark King and heir apparent to the black throne, revealed her defensive nature. Admirable.... if you were on the side being defended.

Not so fun the other way around.

Of course, when Raiden's scarlet eyes actually found the cause of the chills going down his spine, he was more than surprised at her age. She was... young. Perhaps unbearably so. How could one so young produce such an astonishing amount of terrible power and all she had done was draw her weapon. The royal shinobi's body had become a live wire, silently humming with all the power he could muster. It made no sound and he himself made no obvious signs that he was ready fight other than the look in his eye. The cold glare he gave Noblesse was the look someone gave an opponent and not a respectful look from one royal to another. "Perhaps the Emperor was mistaken in seeking friendship from this place." The ninja said no more on the subject and instead focused on the vastly more composed woman in red. She seemed to know the comings and goings of the kingdom and held herself in confidence. Perhaps she was the Queen?

They were led to a cozy room where they awaited food and drink but Raiden couldn't help but take in the castle in its dark splendor. It was such a far cry from the style of his home but every bit as grand. Ryusuuji sat down stiffly, as he was still very uncomfortable being in the same room as the girl who possessed such terrible power.

"I will not be the one talking. I'm merely here as a sign of authenticity." The prince explained. His (japanese) accent thick on his tongue.

"Well, that is certainly different if nothing else. I wonder if Masamori was the one that decided that or if it was all you, Prince."

The voice of the demon king chimed in from the shadows beneath Sophia. 'Is this man darkness incarnate?'

In another life, Deshwitat would have made a great assassin if he wasnt leading armies.

A few minutes had passed before the footfalls of the Dark King were audible coming down the hall. Deshwitat had changed into his casual clothing, revealing the black burns of conjuring his own untameable demonic flame on various parts of his body. Mainly his hands and right shoulder. A strange contrast to his pale, grey skin. The knob on the door jiggled lightly as Desh opened the door and stepped in. A black overcoat and black trousers with nothing else upon his body.

The king crossed the room to his daughter and he brought her into a warm embrace, placing a soft kiss upon her head, "I'm back sweetheart. Missed me?" He asked with a hint of a smile. The king then turned to his woman, brazenly placing his lips upon her own. Battle always had a way of working a man up and that went double for a demon. Normally, Deshwitat wouldn't be so open with his relationship to Sophia or Cassiopeia in front of others but the combination of battle and future fatherhood pretty much stomped his inhibitions into the dirt and then scorched it. "How are you feeling? The strain is not too much yet I hope?" He questioned with genuine worry, placing a hand upon her belly to sense the life growing there. The king visibly frowned at the amount his child was already draining from Sophia. Desh was sure she could feel it but he doubted she knew exactly how much. This was going to be a harsh set of months for her and he wasn't going to be able to see it through every step of the way with her because of this accursed war. "This is my child alright. Its been mere weeks and already she is overbearing." Deshwitat didn't know why but he felt like it was going to be a girl. The majority of his life, he seemed to be surrounded by women.

Ryusuuji merely sat there with a stunned look upon his face at the..... what would you even call all of this? The king barely wore clothing, openly embraced his daughter, lover, and apparently future child all at once before even turning to greet the guests! He referred to his father by name rather than title. As if they were old acquaintances..... To top it all off, it looks like the king had recently returned from some kind of fight, judging from the injuries he had.

"I apologize for my tardiness shinobi of Raitoningu." Deshwitat stated with a slight bow of his head in respect and apology, "I was a bit occupied burning The Glades to the ground." He spat with equal measures of spite and pride. Though, Sophia was certainly going to love hearing that news.

"Now then. Let's get to business, shall we?"


______________________________________________



As tantalizing as ever the Queen was....

She had a strange effect on Victor Anguis. The elf was always very meticulous in every single thing he did but this woman made him not care about things. Like when she draped her arms over him from behind, he almost didn't even care about the news he had received.

Almost.

Victor turned around and gave her a light peck out of instinct before moving to her bedside nightstand, which was basically the second home to the journal he used to communicate. The leather cover had some fire damage due to the events of the past few weeks but it served as an amusimg memoir for the thief. He opened the journal in question, picked up his pen, and quickly began scribbling into its pages. It was a few moments but he then presented it to the Sultana.

The writing was as eloquent as came to be expected of the dark elf and it read,

"It seems like the Kingdom of Earth made a grave mistake in more ways than one and by extension, dragging you into it. King Greenblood had launched a pre-emptive assault on the Kingdom of Darkness and it was a successful attack. The reasoning being was that a Dark raid party had been defeated by the scouts of Earth.

My men in The Glades and Tenebris have just reported back and the news is rather bleak. Tenebris had never sent a raid party. According to Earth, it was Orkz wearing Dark Kingdom armor. The moment the King learned of this, he launched his attack. According to Dark, a patrol had gone missing recently and they were out looking for them.

It seems an Ork raid party attacked the patrol and plundered their gear. Xerxes made a very big move and such a minor issue. No negotiations or warnings were given either. It seems like he was just looking for an excuse and that reflects poorly on you, my queen. The alliance you made with him may have been too hasty.

To add further insult to this, it seems The Glades have been almost entirely burned to the ground. A retaliation led by the Dark King Rubdich himself for the territory he lost. They picked a fight on shallow reasoning and now paid the price with most of their forests.

I think Ignium made a grave mistake judging by this news, your highness...."

Super Villain Nova Fluffy-Kat slim Britt-21 ​

 

[Super Villain Nova]

Yama and Mizaki's first impressions of the Dark Kingdom were now shattered. It wasn't in a bad way, they were even more shocked than ever. After being lead off to a room with... The Queen and her princess.... They both became extremely quiet. Not sure as how to act when it came to dealing with the Queen. It's not that they didn't know how to show respect, but in Raitoningu the Emperor would be the one to speak with the guests from other kingdoms. So from the garden to the room, Yama and Mizaki kept quiet and mostly let Raiden take the lead.

This whole kingdom was shocking none the less. It wasn't until Desh arrival did this really make the two ninja's feel out of place. He wore nothing more than slacks and a trow over coat. Yama felt intimidated very quickly by how casual the leader of the Dark Kingdom acted. Mizaki was still shocked. He thought it was strange for people in the streets to wear almost nothing, but here was their king doing the same thing.

In Raitoningu it was disgraceful to show skin like so in public. But then again this was the king's home and they were in no position to make any comments about how the King ran his household.

Mizaki pulled out of his daze when he felt a tap on his arm. He looked over to Yama who was still looking at the King and his family. Yama glanced over and gave him a look. Mizaki wasn't sure what Yama was trying to say for a second before Desh's words reminded him. "Yes." Mizaki almost jumped as he rushed to his messenger bag.

Mizaki was quick to find what he was looking for. A scroll Emperor Masinori had given him before they left. Raiden was to represent their empire but to be safe he had Mizaki or Yama hold onto the scroll. Mizaki stood up and made his way to Desh holding out the scroll while bowing slightly. "Emperor Masinori has written down his wishes." Mizaki stated. Mizaki knew of the language for the Dark Kingdom, but was strongly out of practice. Wishes was the closest thing he could think of while handing over the scroll.

On the scroll would be Masinori's terms of alliance, more so for peace. That's all they wanted. They wanted to be left alone, but in case war came to their door, they wanted to be ready. Not that they weren't ready, but to have an alliance with the Dark Kingdom would keep their enemies at bay for the time being.

After handing over the scroll Mizaki took his seat once more, still feeling strange about the chairs and couches. They didn't have things like this in Raitoningu. All very strange. Even when they had come into the kingdom he could tell their food would be strange too, just by the smell alone. Mizaki glanced to Raiden and Yama. Raiden didn't seem all to interested in negotiations, his mind was probably set on 'take it or leave it, don't waist our time.' While Yama seemed a bit more restrained with his emotions.

Fluffy-Kat Britt-21 shadowz1995

 

[Britt-21]

Sophia De'Lexington
Lounge Room - Dark Kingdom

Before Sophia could speak, Desh's voice filled the room, causing the Demonesses lips to curl up into a small smile "Your Highness, you've returned. If I had known sooner I would have had something prepared for you to eat." with nothing heard in response, the sounds of footsteps -followed by the jiggling knob- had caused Sophia to turn, watching as Desh himself come into the room. His first greeting was directed towards Noblesse, to which he happily pulled her into a hug. However, after his embrace with his daughter, Desh had turned towards the redhead and planted his lips upon hers. She returned this kiss, her red eyes slipping shut while a hand came up and gently rested upon his cheek. Happy that her lover returned with no serious injuries and seemed quite confident with his words and actions. This was shown after their kiss, his hand resting against her stomach "No, fortunately, the strain hasnt hit...Yet. I'm a little tired, but nothing more." though Sophia knew very well that now was the time to bathe in the peace before things got more hectic between herself and the ever growing child within her womb.

"Indeed..." the demoness said softly while Desh began to speak with the Lightning Prince. However, the news regarding The Glades sent a shiver of excitement up her spine. Oh she would have loved to see that forest burn. Hear the screams of that Earth King's people getting annihilated within. If she kept dwelling on what happened during the destruction, she'd get all excited again! But she couldnt help herself! Sophia loved such gruesome scenes. There was no denying that fact. The sound of the door to the room opening once more had grasped Sophia's attention, spotting the servant and a cart -that held the snacks- that she had kindly asked for "Thank you. I shall take care of this myself. You may go." she offered the servant a nod and moved towards the cart. Grabbing it and bringing it towards the short table. Placing down the plates of food, as well as the glasses. The food had looked a lot normal than what most people would have probably thought. "Please enjoy. Dont be shy, I promise our cuisine doesnt bite."

shadowz1995 Super Villain Nova Fluffy-Kat​

 

[slim]

Nadian watched the elf write like she always did, her eyes gazing at his focused expression as he quickly scrawled down the words. It was a good thing she had met the elf when she did, or she wouldn’t have such a good idea on what was happening past the Akl deserts and in the other kingdoms. The way Victor gained his information had never been Nadian’s strong suit or even pursuit and she had never really tried to set up a system like it. It was a nice change, especially since she felt like the other kingdoms wouldn’t play fair either.


Victor raised the journal and Nadian took it from him and placed it on her lap as she read. Almost immediately her stomach plunged down. How long has this battle been going on? The Akl desert was giant and of course wasn’t patrolled entirely, so there were many places where whole armies could pass if they do pleased, even though traveling through the desert wasn’t exactly pleasant, especially if you didn’t know how to deal with some of the more dangerous creatures that roamed out there. It seemed Nadian’s Kingdom was just a middle ground as both armies just passed by to fight the other on the opposite side. At least Xerxes hadn’t asked her to join his efforts or she would’ve received the wrath of Desh, but he’d have to find another way to harm her kingdom since she’d deal with fire a lot better than King Greenblood’s kingdom of tinder.


Still, she was indeed at fault for so hastily jumping into an alliance. The earth kingdom ruler seemed like a good man, but a man who jumped so recklessly into a serious matter such as this would not be an ideal ally in other battles down the road.


“I suppose I could notify the earth kingdom ruler of his grand mistake, maybe he will learn from this and try to be a little less headstrong. I’m unsure about breaking the alliance over this so I’ll just see how things pan out. For now I’ll try to keep the whole thing under wraps, Ignuim doesn’t need to be associated with the earth kingdom just yet. Hopefully not a lot of people know about the alliance unless he just announced that just as boldly as he attacked Tenebris.” Nadian rubbed her temples as she spoke, the contents of the letter wearing down the calm demeanor she had earlier. She wasn’t good at matters such as these and didn’t expect she’d need to deal with them anytime soon. She got up and went to her desk and pulled out some parchment that she quickly wrote a message on and rolled up. She applied her seal albeit a bit hasty and caused it so smear a bit but she didn’t care.


“I have no doubt you have matters to attend to as I do now it seems so here’s where I take my leave.” Nadian said as she pulled a loose black dress over her head and quickly put black kohl around her eyes. Black was a fitting color for her mood. She grabbed the scroll of her desk and approached Victor and tried to muster a smile.


“Thank you for the information as always. Seems like you put too much faith in me, though.” She gave him a kiss that lasted a bit long and pulled away and headed downstairs. She gave the scroll to a servant with instructions about who to send it to. She’d most likely spend the rest of the day getting information about how many soldiers were available and if they had enough armor and weapons to equip them all and if not, how much metal needed to be mined and such. Ignuim wouldn’t be caught off guard if something were to happen, that was for sure.

shadowz1995

shame morg

 

[Soviet Panda]

It was time for Baalog to once more return to the outside world. He had forged his estate to fit his tastes, but to much of one thing ruins your appetite.He practically felt the cold heat of the Abyssal Flame as it consumed the Earth Kingdom, a flame he had been starting to fear would never be used again. For with it's use, he knew that another war had started. All the better, it would take his mind away from the tedium, allow him to take more "servants" for his own, and perhaps even present him an opportunity to take the Black Throne for himself.

So, mustering his small House troops, he marched towards Tenebris. He may know that a war had started, but he did not have any plans. Deshwitat had those plans, and if Baalog were privy to them, then he could find opportunities to take the throne much more easily. He even rode at the front of his army, forgoing the carriage or even the chariot, those would have both been fairly uncomfortable and awkward anyway. Directly behind him was a strange looking wagon drawn by a team of horses. It was as tall as any carriage, but longer by far, and it was covered. This was Baalog's sword array, each blade linked to him through magic. Wherever he went, they would not be to far behind if he could help it.

The journey to Tenebris did not take long. And his arrival coincided with the arrival of the victorious army. 'I have already missed battle? Well, Deshwitat has not changed much then.' Baalog thought to himself as he forced his way through the gathering crowd. The people were always so willing to celebrate something. They intentionally forget that they lost almost as many soldiers as the enemy, and only saw a victory. This was why he didn't like to associate himself with them, and reveled in showing them how the world truly worked.

Approaching the gates to the castle, the guards straightened up and let him in, though he noticed a shadow quickly scurry ahead of them and into the castle. No doubt to tell it's master who had arrived. 'Oh, what a novel idea' he thought to himself as he brought his horse to a stop at the steps and dismounted. With a wave of his hand he dismissed his troops, who quickly dispersed. He confidently walks into the castle, and expects either Deshwitat himself to be there, or a servant that can show him where he is.

 

[shadowz1995]

The reigning lord of shadow carefully regarded the royal of the shinobi and how uninterested he seemed with negotiations in general. He seemed like the quiet type but the archdemon could also detect his pride and irritation at the situation. Desh's gaze flicked to the boy who had been speaking, then to the overly uptight one beside the prince. They had made the right choice picking the more mild mannered of the three... even if he did seem scared.

In the end, Lightning wanted the same exact thing that Dark did. Peace, to be left the hell alone, and possibly a helping hand should things become too much to handle. Though that was a hope rather than an expectation. "Our goals seem to be in line with each other at the very least.

...

If you had come earlier I might have considered it. There is just one problem. I have already entered a temporary cease-fire with Oceanius and have no intention of breaking my word with them. The bad blood between your kingdoms is not lost on me and I am not willing to damage that fragile truce." Deshwitat's red gaze swept over the group of outsiders within his walls. It was something he truly didn't wish to say to a potential ally but the demon was a man of his word before anything. "I'm sorry, but Tenebris cannot promise Raitoningu anything as long as your empire and Oceanius remain at odds."

Before the king could get out any more words, the sound of one of his servants approaching reached his ears, "What is it, Sylphie?" The shadows around the servant asked. Completely unsurprised by the sudden disembodied voice, the servant quickly informed King Rubdich of a slight.... problem.

Immediately, the king's face darkened noticeably. A long sigh escaped his lips as he reached out with the darkness in his kingdom to find the person in question. Naturally, it didnt take long to lock on to THAT aura.

"Baalog, you'll have to wait for a moment. I'm with some foreign envoys. I'll be with you momentarily."

The demon's pale grey fingers reached down onto the short table where the food and drink had been laid out. He grasped the glass of red wine that laid there. He slowly tipped the glass up once it made contact with his lips until the scarlet liquid trickled onto his tongue.

Even in his 40+ years as a ruler, Desh never acquired the taste for the "finer" things in life. The wine was great but give him an ale over this fancy stuff anyday. Still, it was the ladies in his life that enjoyed it. Desh offered the same glass to the red headed she-devil with a smile, "It's very good." He stated warmly before putting one of the pastries on a plate for his beloved daughter and offering it to her before spying some of the leftover crumbs on her dress from her previous sweets.

The girl's father gave her a look before eventually giving in with an exaggerated eye roll. "You inherited your mother's obsession with sweets of all things." He said with a hint of a smile before a slightly melancholic look took his eyes for a moment.

Above his kingdom, citizens, and pride, this is what Deshwitat L. Rubdich fought for. His family. Whether they were among the living or dead. Adding another member on the way just meant that the demon king had to fight that much harder.

"Again, I am sorry that you must return bearing bad news to Masinori but I can at least promise you that I will not attack unless attacked myself. I can offer that much at least." The ashen haired man said, now addressing the shinobi once more. "You may stay here and enjoy what my kingdom has to offer for as long as you like and when you are ready, I can arrange for aerial transport of you and your companions back to kingdom. "

(Good enough for u guys to work with i think)​

 

[Super Villain Nova]

Mizaki blinked as the food was brought into the room. He figured that the food would indeed be different, but not like this. There was no fish, no rice, no red bean cakes. It smelt good but he couldn't be sure what was good and what wasn't. Before he could even debate which to try first his eyes shot up to the Dark King's response. His eyes light up when the King mentioned that they had the same interests as they did, but his hope slowly slipped away as the demon King explained that they already made a treaty with the water kingdom.

"We can still have a peace treaty." Mizaki felt more than determined. "Seeing that Oceanius has a peace treaty with you would help our futures as a whole." He started. Mizaki paused as he tried to think of the words he wished to say. "We do not wish for war, we plan to not attack other kingdoms, only to retaliate."

Yama glanced at Mizaki a little shocked that the Denki even knew of such words. Yes he joked around a lot and sometimes would ditch his training for other meaningless activities, but he knew Mizaki did have a political side to him when it came down to similar serious conversations.

"We will not cause war with Oceanius, especially if they are in a peace treaty with you." Mizaki was finding it harder and harder to really pick his words right. They needed an alliance. "If we attack Oceanius our treaty with you will no longer exist. But as long as you hold a treaty with us, we promise to never show harm to them." Mizaki hoped that his words would help the situation. His mind was on trying to get this alliance. If they didn't get this one.... They would be shit out of luck. What other kingdoms would say yes to a treaty with them? Their options were next to none. So this had to work, somehow it needed to work.

Yama looked from Mizaki to Desh, his fellow ninja did seem to shock him a little with the way he was handling thing. He even noticed that Mizaki's attention was far away from the food in front of them and more so focused on their mission. A little surprising but not by too much.

"We can still have peace, we just need to figure out new terms so there is no issues with your current treaties with other kingdoms." Mizaki added in hopes as to one last word in to help change the dark king's mind.

 

[shadowz1995]

"The treaty will no longer exist if you are the ones to attack? That almost sounds like a threat.....

Boy, the very prince of the water kingdom came here proposing something similar and even offered me his life....


And I almost took his head off his shoulders right then and there."

Deshwitat turned to the young man and narrowed his eyes into a dangerous, soul piercing glare. "As I told the the prince of Oceanius, I met your emperor on the battlefield multiple times, including the time that we almost destroyed the entire world. Choose your words very carefully young man. Showing your desperation to a potential enemy is never a good move." The lord of darkness stepped around the small table and slowly approached the group of ninja before him. His attention was focused on the boy who was speaking but the shadows beneath the feet of the other two and their wolves were more than ready to restain them.

"You seem to be misunderstanding something. If Oceanius gets attack, it doesnt mean that we will go help them. We have an agreement of peace, not partnership. If they dont attack me, I wont attack them. Understand? The same applies to Raitoningu and all of your people, young one. If you lightwalkers don't mess with us, we wont mess with you."

"Of course, this might change in the coming days if Oceanius seeks a deeper agreement...." That's when Desh got a rather clever idea for someone who knows next to nothing about politics other than what his warrior instincts told him was the right move. "How about this? If Raitoningu can find a way to reach an agreement with your supposed sworn enemies, I will personally propose a deeper relationship with both of your kingdoms. You'd be surprised how like-minded our three kingdoms are." Deshwitat had a confident smirk on his face because he felt there was no way he could lose this. Either the shinobi left and would (hopefully) never attack Tenebris or Desh would have a triumvirate of power between Water, Lightning, and Darkness. As his demon eyes saw it, it was a win-win for him and his people.
​

Super Villain Nova

 

[Super Villain Nova]

Desh's stare didn't seem to bother Mizaki one bit. The Dark king's words sounded full of pride and ego to him. But he could feel it as the others did when the shadows started to move. Yama looked to his feet and then back to their wolves before locking his eyes on Desh and Mizaki.

Mizaki found those so easily to give up their lives weak. As Desh explained how the prince of Oceanius offered his own life for peace... Mizaki didn't find it shocking. But they weren't here to listen about others that had offered alliances, they were there to get one. Mizaki had to hold back all of his words as he watched the dark king. His eyes never left the other. Mizaki stood from his seat once the dark king finished his words. He bowed slightly out of respect, "We shall have to bring this information to our Emperor." Mizaki stood up from his bow. "We apologize for disturbing you, but we should be heading back now."

Mizaki stood waiting for Desh's response, and also for him to remove his shadows from the others. Yama stayed where he was as he wasn't sure what the dark king was looking to do with his shadows. They didn't come here to threaten anyone, but the dark king took it like so. Thus why he was trying to make a statement of some sort. Yama glanced to Radien. The lightning prince seemed of no help in this matter yet it was his father's kingdom. Sending the three of them seemed to be the down fall to this negotiation, but then again.... No one gave word that the dark king had already made a deal with Oceanius. That kind of information would have helped them weeks ago. Why were they here if the dark king had no interest in making any kind of agreement.

More so that's how he seemed at the moment. Yama felt bad for Mizaki as he had watched the other stand his grown and even bow to this demon. Still they were in the enemies den so Yama made sure that those around him could not tell that he was thinking such ill thoughts. Instead he acted as if this was all to be normal.

 

[Wandering Grim Hollow]

A Storm Brews
2 weeks after the Earth Kingdom Conflict
Crown Princess Alva Patricia Une, Princess Alyn Jacelyn Une, Head Matron Gwendolyn Arwoll ​

"Its madness to just restart this foolish war!" The Royal Treasurer argued, slamming a fist on the table. There were some mummers of agreement as they began to discuss, or debate, their thoughts while waiting for the Crown Princess to arrive. Seated on either side of the currently empty chair at the head sat her children, Prince Hamilton and Princess Jacelyn. On the chairs next to them were their guardians and Patricia's most trusted allies. The rest were either high ranking officers or Nobility. In this case, the Royal Treasurer was trying to rally support against the War. A truly noble goal but unfortunately, it seems he was toeing a very dangerous line.

"Lord Pendleton, can this please wait until Her Majesty has arrived? Your babbling is giving me a migraine." Hamilton complained. The Prince and Head Marshal of the Blackscales was oddly moody the past few weeks after the deal between Oceanius and the Darkness Kingdom was set. It seems he had worked himself raggard and rarely attended any events or made any public appearances.

"Forgive me Young Prince, but this is a matter worth debating! To just throw our country back into War would be madness! Please, I implore that you try to listen to reason! My family has proudly served yours for generations and not even your Grandfather was this ma-" The Royal Treasurer's words were cut short by a crossbow bolt right in his windpipe. The mummers stopped as everyone's attention was fixed on Hamilton as he quietly stowed the small hand bolter back under his seat.

"I'm not sure if I made this clear enough in the past but..." Hamilton rose from his seat, taking slow and deliberate steps towards the former Royal Treasurer. "I did mention that the next outburst from you will be seen as an act of rebellion. What is you plea?"

A slightly sick smile formed on the Prince's lips as he looked Lord Pendleton in the eye. After a few short moments, the room fell silent as the Royal Treasurer died. Hamilton motioned for the attending Blackscale guards to remove the body as the Council Room doors opened. As the Crown Princess entered, the rest of the room rose from their seats. Patricia's gaze was fixed on her son standing by the dead body of the Royal Treasurer.

".... Another rebel, I presume?" Was all Patrica asked.

Gwendolyn leaned back in her seat with little to no care over the situation. Truth be told she was only there to cement her role as the head matron of Orcus. While a new title and rank, she was eager to fill her selfmade shoes. No position like this had ever existed to her knowledge and while she was honoured to have the title, she was sure it wasn't due to merit but instead her close affiliation with Jacelyn. She refused to allow her position be granted on connections alone so she was to make sure she was on her best behaviour.

She strummed her fingers once or twice as the treasurer calls out prematurely about the war. She found herself agreeing with what little he's able to say before Hamilton cuts him off. A bolt juts from his throat and without thinking she rose to her feet with her hand on her rapier. Muttering beneath her mask, "Unholy cur." She quickly planted herself back down praying silently that she wasn't spotted as being ready to cut down the prince at a moment's notice.

She then watched on the edge of her seat as Hamilton threatens the royal treasurer's dying body. As the blood trickles down from the wound and his hands clutch at the wooden shaft, she found herself on the verge of crying from frustration. The fact she could do nothing to help this dying man, the fact she couldn't do what was right, it pained her. She knew the boy had a long history of being sadistically inclined but she didn't expect him to act on such unholy impulses in a room as full as this. He was a vile man and if not for his position of authority, she'd challenge him then and there.

The crown princess enters and Gwendolyn rises to her feet once more, finding her foot tapping against the floor. She wanted to walk out or at least pace the room for a bit to gather herself but she promised herself that she'd be on her best behaviour. With hand on hilt and chin held high, she waits for the crown princess to be seated or address the court in terms of permission to rest.

The redhead sat back quietly in her chair as the others bickered among themselves, quietly listening to their argument. Jace was not often one to speak in these kind of sessions, she was not a politician and preferred to avoid making a fool of herself, but the conversation always spurred her interest somewhat.

Her attention was only dragged away from the argument when her brother voiced his annoyance for the pointless clamoring. It was true that nothing would actually be done until the crown princess entered the room after all, but the treasurer refused to relent, causing Jace to brace herself for what was obviously about to happen next...

The quiet click of a bolter and a louder 'thud!' as the point of the bolt struck against the back of the royal treasurer's chair, and everything went quiet. Jace shook her head slowly in disdain while her brother and his blackscales went to remove the man from his seat. Such a pity, but the people here knew not to argue with Hamilton.

Jace rose slowly from her seat as the crown princess entered the room, watching with a solemn expression before she spoke up. "At the risk of punishment for... er... speaking out of turn..." she began, trailing off as she glanced over towards the royal treasurer with a lovely new neck piece. "He did have a point, we should take caution over the next few days, lest we suffer avoidable losses..." she reasoned, her gaze shifting from Patrica to Hamilton to gauge their reaction.

"Caution indeed. A pity he didn't take his own advice. Pardon my rudeness, Your Grace." Hamilton chuckled before quickly bowing in apology as Patricia shot him an icy glare. She kept that cold gaze upon Hamilton the entire time she strode over to her seat.

"Head Marshal, I care not about when and how you dispose of rebels but.... On what charge is Lord Pendleton guilty of, may I ask?" Patricia calmly asked in a soft, controlled tone. Hamilton calmly bowed and began to explain.

"Funny thing really... I was supposed to confront the late Lord Pendleton after this meeting... It seems our good Royal Treasurer was smart enough to evade me for the 4 years I was busy weeding out the.... Troublesome lot" Hamilton stopped for a moment to look back at the fallen corpse of the Royal Treasurer as he lay there, eyes wide open with a face frozen in fear. "I have evidence that proves that our dear Royal Treasurer was helping himself to the Kingdom's funds in order to sponsor a potential rebellion. What's more, I even have a list of his co-conspirators. None of them are here in this room so my guess is that they are laying low. That would be all."

"I see... Keep up with your hard efforts, Head Marshal. As for the rest of us... Please be seated. We have much to discuss..." Patricia sighed and sat, waiting for the rest to follow suit before continuing. Her gaze moved over to her daughter. "Jacelyn dear, I thank you for your input... It seems you all misunderstood my intentions for this meeting... But first things first... Aureus Pendleton, as of this moment, you are hereby appointed the title of Royal Treasurer. I trust you won't do the same mistakes as your older brother..."

"O-Of course Your Grace! I aim to serve your Family and the Kingdom faithfully..." The Younger Pendleton quickly answered. Hamilton took a moment to pause by his seat to whisper something to the newly appointed Royal Treasurer. Whatever the Prince said made all the remaining colour drain from the man's face. Smirking slightly, Hamilton sat back down in his seat.

"Very well.... This Meeting shall now begin. Field Marshal Tullius, any word from the Western Border?" Patricia asked before a middle aged, balding man stood up.

"All is quiet. We have bolstered our defenses as ordered and added another ballista tower to strengthen our ability to counter any fool that attempts to breech our gates. I must also thank our new Head Matron for her squad of Chaplains. The men's morale has rose significantly thanks to them." The man took a moment to smile at the Head Matron.

"Thank you, Field Marshal. Head Matron Arwoll, how goes the training of the new group of Chaplains? I am rather surprised at the number of fae and even humans requesting for a posting." Patricia asked, her gaze now locked on the Matron.

Gwendolyn listened to the boy justify the untimely shooting of the treasurer. She couldn't believe a word that came out of his mouth. He always had one too many excuses to have someone killed. One too many reasons as to why he shouldn't be in trouble for taking another life without trying to work it out before hand. The treasurer was executed without an after thought, without hesitation, like a boar during a hunt.

She let out a soft growl in anger as she planted herself back down into her seat. The person beside her provided an odd look at the noises but she couldn't care less. Their compliance with random executions wasn't something she admired. As they promote his younger brother to his former position she can't help but feel it's all a show to prove they aren't against his family. This just cemented the idea that Hamilton's ill temper and list of excuses were as fictional as the earth kingdom's military might. If he really was planning a coup, his whole family should be tried.

She entered her own world of thought until hearing the term 'head matron.' That's her. She's the head matron. She looked around for the speaker and her eyes fall upon a balding man who was now returning to his seat. The crown princess asks her for a report but alas, she has nothing with her to form an educated report with. She slowly rose to her feet placing one hand on the hilt of her rapier and the other up to her mask. A slender finger slipped between her face and it to allow for her to speak clearer.

"Your royal highness, our men and women are training tirelessly to ensure our combatant ability is," she paused to think of the right word, "on par with our devotion to Orcus." She looked straight forward, keeping her eyes fixed to one position in an attempt to appear more military and less priestly. "If you're concerned with the racial mixing of our ranks I can place a suspension on specific kinds. As of now we already have sanctions preventing demons and beastkin from joining the chaplains."

"I see... However.... I see no problems with racial mixing. After all, didn't our founder, Armadeus Une, start this Principality with naught but a mixed group of varied individuals? It is our duty as citizens of Oceanius to be as accommodating as possible to those who prove their loyalty and worth." Patricia took a moment to think. Gwen has always been rather... adamant about keeping the purity of the Orcus Church. A fact that made a Merfolk Squad Captain approach Patricia personally to discuss. Given the circumstances, she understood that having the Chaplains did have an impact on morale but it seems the Aquarius Faithful within the land based army was starting to feel slightly unnerved. She figured its better to tackle this matter with some tact. Religion has always been a touchy subject and it almost did cause friction in the past.

"That being said, I'm sure you know that in Oceanius, everyone has the right to worship whatever Gods or Goddesses they want. All I ask is for you to keep an open mind about it. Not everyone is going to be a devout Orcus worshipper such as yourself." Patricia advised, hoping her tone wasn't too forced or her message was improperly passed. Sighing slightly, she moved on to the next issue at hand.

"Now with that out of the way. I'm sure you all may have heard rumors that Oceanius will go into war if our allies do..." Patricia began. The effect was immediate, she had the attention of almost everyone at the table. She wasn't sure how the rumor started but it seems that after announcing Oceanius' alliance with the Dark Kingdom, it spread like wildfire. Talk of re-igniting the war and another military campaign spread faster than Tempest flames on a ship. Patricia knew that she had to cut this bud off before it can bloom.

"Let it be known that Oceanius shall only begin a war in the event she were attacked. I'd rather not have a repeat of my.... Mistake 10 years ago. To put it simply, Oceanius is now only going to take a defensive stance in the event the flames of war were to re-ignite themselves. Do I make myself clear?" Patricia announced, now gazing at each member present at the Council Room for a reaction.

Jace was one of the first to nod her head in agreement "Clear" she said, as well as a few others who muttered in agreement. The redhead gave a brief look around for a moment before she continued. "And... if I may ask... What exactly was it that you wanted me here for?" she asked, a question that had been on her mind since the start of this little meeting. "I mean.. I'm not necessarily the most tactically minded, nor do I have anything to report that would be of any help...." she trailed off shortly after.

Jace couldn't help but feel a little... well... like she didn't belong here, surrounded by men and women who had pledged themselves to defend the principality for years. Even her brother ran the blackscales, and while people doubted his motives occasionally, she knew he was still in a position of power to help the kingdom. Jace on the other hand.. she didn't necessarily do much.. She knew quite a bit about the landscape and history of the kingdom, but nothing entirely special, and nothing that would really be of use to a tactician. It was enough to make her question her mothers motives for inviting her.

"....." The silence that followed was brief but tangable. Hamilton kept glancing between Patricia and Jace, unsure if he should cut into this line of questioning before Patricia suddenly, and very uncharacteristically, smiled for the briefest of moments. There was a sense of sadness to that smile but it did help answer part of the question.

"Don't be silly, Child. You have the one of the most important reasons for being here." Patricia took a moment to gather her thoughts properly while gazing at her daughter. Its been more than a month since their argument aboard that ship and Patricia did not blame the poor girl for avoiding her. Hell, it was her own fault anyway, letting her own emotions get the better of herself. To think she thought of hurting her own daughter....

"In the event of my death, Hamilton will take the throne. However, should we both fall in battle or other causes, you are to ascend the throne and lead this country as it is your Birthright to do so. And that's.... Not all I have to tell you, Jacelyn. As of this moment, you are to take Command of the Oceanius Home Guard. Your Brother and Tutors may assist you in leadership duties but all decisions are to be done only by yourself." Patricia declared. There was a stunned silence in the room. Command of the Oceanius Home Guard is a very powerful position. One that rivals, if not overtakes the Blackscales when it comes to domestic defense.

"Well... That was... unexpected... But congratulations, Sister." Hamilton happily chuckled and flashed a smile at his sister. Seated next to him, Arco could only clap softly for his Godniece but his glances towards Patricia showed that he was trying to figure out what was his friend's motive.

Jace was taken aback in shock from the news, standing there in stunning silence as she glanced around the room, before slowly returning her gaze to her mother. She didn't know what to say, she was stricken completely speechless, so many thoughts ran through her head at once that it was impossible to focus on any single one. Eventually after a moment of silence she gave a curt nod of her head "I... see, thank you.. I promise I'll do my best to keep the kingdom safe." she swore, taking a quick bow before returning to her seat.

Her gaze shifted over to her brother, who she gave a sideways glance, clearly lost in thought at the prospect of this new position. It was.. unexpected to say the least. She had never held a position this important in her life, she had never planned to, combat, especially on a large scale, had never truly been her area of expertise. And yet she was committed to at least trying, she wanted to show her mother that she could, at the very least.

"With that issue taken care of... Let me end this meeting with one last topic..." Patricia's gaze shifted towards the window and her expression softened slightly as she stared at the drifting snowflakes falling outside. Her thoughts flashed back to her meeting with Deshwitat. In particular, the sight of a wrecked Tempest flamer and the worn Oceanius flag fluttering limply over the remains of a battle with the mysterious Lightning Kingdom.

"It regards our neighbours to the Northwest, the Raitoningu Empire. I wish to broker an official non-aggression pact with them." Patricia announced. Mummers began to be shared between the Council members. Peace with Raitoningu? Such a thing has never really been done ever since the reign of Crown Prince Alto Mordecai Une almost a 120 years ago before the start of the Hundred Year War. The harsh skirmishes between the two countries have dyed the snow red with blood but both countries have never pushed beyond the borders.

"So I would assume this would be the first Diplomatic Mission to Raitoningu in a long time then, Your Grace?" Hamilton quietly piped up, a rather nervous hush descended upon a table as the Prince and the Crown Princess silently stared at each other. The silence was broken by Patricia sighing softly and smiling.

"Yes. You will be sent as the Envoy. Don't mess this up like the other time with King Rubdich." Patricia warned. Hamilton simply bowed slightly in understanding before turning his attention to the table. After a short moment of silence, Patricia addressed the Council once more.

"That will be all for today. Anyone else have any concerns that they deem important to sound to the Council?"

Gwendolyn sat with nothing new to add. She'd resisted the urge to erupt in a fit of clapping applause for the news of her friend, feeling overjoyed at the news. Since being blessed with the role of head matron she'd found little excitement or enjoyment from life and instead felt swamped by the micromanaging needed to ensure faith and ability was of a satisfactory level. She found the room around her growing quieter as she focuses on her duties after this meeting.

Jace sat there for the rest of the meeting with a blank expression as butterflies bubbled in her chest. She shifed her gaze from person to person in a trance like state as she considered her new responsibility. It was so... alien to her, as the second born there really wasn't much expected of her, it was expected that Hamilton would rule and take care of the kingdoms affairs, all Jace had to do was.... not fuck up, not tarnish the family reputation. But now... now she had things to take care of, peoples lives at stake... this was too much for her to handle. At Patricias request Jace simply shook her head in response, silently overwhelmed by her new duties.

"Very well. That will be all. I thank you all for your attendance. Have a good day. Captain Swift, Captain Hydraena, if you could please come to my Study. I have some other issues I'd like to discuss." Patricia rose from her seat and was about to leave when she stopped and turned her attention to the puddle of blood on the floor.

"Hamilton, please get that cleaned up. Personally." Patricia ordered but hiding a brief smile as she left. The young Prince could only sigh and immediately got up from his seat to get a water bucket. As he passed Jace's seat, he gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. As he returned, the room bagan to empty and soon it was just him and a couple of Blackscales who hung around to wait for their Leader. As Hamilton manipulated the final drops of bloody water into the bucket, he chuckled softly.

"Off to Raitoningu eh? That sounds like its gonna be fun... I hope my grasp of their native language isn't too rusty." Hamilton mused as he picked up the bucket and made his exit with his Blackscales in tow. Time to move on.

Nogoodname Crumbli (Thanks guys.)