The Clayman's Finale

“Well… it’s no pressure if we do our job properly, is it?” Salia smiled confidently at Lux, still feeling her body hurt every now and then, even if she could stand on her own two feet for now. “This is just like a controlled match on a joust, right? And I don’t know about you, but I never planed on losing this fight… so where we are locked or not, it won’t make a difference”. It was perhaps a too practical approach to it, too cold. Salia herself knew it was better that she took this approach instead of focusing on how stressful their situation was, but…

“Yes, let’s move on” she nodded to his suggestion. However, soon there was another split pathway. What should they do? Split the group again? Was that the objective of the maze? Split their group so that whichever force made it to the end was so weak that it was effectively a non-threat? “Divide and conquer, right Arthur?” one of the multiple tactical lessons she had been given by her Spirit, of course. They could not tell if that had been the objective there, but it sure was one of its by-products.

“I agree. It wouldn’t make sense for him to just be at the main exposition… he’s not a gambler that would be there thinking we won’t go there because we’re trying to predict his moves, is he? He shouldn’t be… let’s take the other route. If nothing else, at least it should be sneakier”. And she felt it was a less risky choice. But if it really was less risky, then their foes might have taken that into account as well… Just like a chess match with an invisible opponent.

Free Billy

Remia’s attack worked well, surprisingly well in fact!! So much so that the girl was surprised to find herself done with the beast so quickly but the moment she realised the same was true for Eowyn and Mime, she felt something was amiss. Of course, they were good fighters, but no creature is THAT easy to kill if it’s not supposed to be… “only a decoy” were Lancelot’s words to Remia.

The fish-tank was cracking because of the creature’s attempts to break it, and it was obvious that it didn’t look nice for them. “C’mon, let’s go, let’s go!!” she shouted to her nearest companions, as she pressed them onwards. Make it to the fish, and make it to the stage, those were probably the two goals they could have in mind, in terms of movement. But before they could focus too much on that… some sounds of panic distracted Remia, who looked towards the water… and saw the huge thing moving their way.

“I have no idea if we’re going to fight that but if we are, I truly hope we all perform at our best. This is going to be tough…”

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

The moment Meena had been fearing had come. Their assistance was required, yet it was impossible for them to provide it!! Despite the fact it was expected for Diane to boost Emily on her next movement, it was impossible for her. After all, she had just used one particular type of magic that worked as a broken dam. Powerful, of course, but the surge was impossible to be stopped and no matter what Diane wanted to do, she would not be able to stop it. Or perhaps she could, but at what price?

“It’s impossible, Diane can’t stop her previous magic surge now, she can’t help out with a spell yet!!” that was Meena’s apologetic and desperate reply, completely aware of how the situation was dire for them.

Yet Diane, who could notice Meena’s stress, realised something wasn’t right. There was one thing to do, and if her calculations were right, she could barely make it… as long as she would give Emily a very short boost. She would suffer some side-effects, for sure, but her gut feeling told her it was for the best. And when had her gut feeling been wrong? “Emily!! NOW!!” Diane’s voice sounded loud as she forced the interruption of the magic surge, and she felt her mind go dizzy as she directed her speed-boosting Vanilla Scherzo towards Emily. Diane closed her eyes, as if to prevent herself from becoming dizzier, yet as this feeling came because of the effort of her body and not because of external factors, nothing changed much. However, focusing only on her singing and leaving it all to her partners was the only thing she could do and it made her feel at ease, if only a little bit.

Diane crouched down, hoping not to be as much of a sitting duck as she felt she was.

A Clayman's Finale

Taking one of the alternative routes, Salia and Lux would soon find that it had been maintained very poorly. The path vanished within minutes and there were many holes in the roof and their footing. Not just that, the entire ruins had began to shake more violently. It was as if it was struggling against the white bishop's cage. Between the shaking and bewilder floor,they had to thread carefully not to... Fall!

Unaware of what was below it, Salia and Lux stepped on tiles that were loosely held together by the growth between them. Unable to hold the two holders their weight, the tiles crumbled and Salia and Lux fell into a tunnel, likely dug by some animal throughout the years. They slid through the tunnel system, made less pleasant by the moving ruins. Where were they going? The further they thrown, shook and slid downwards, the harder it became to tell.

Maria meanwhile, suffered another series of brutal attacks. Attacks which shrunk the stone golem itself. Rocks scattered across the floor in front of her; limiting her mobility even further. Her retreat was working, at least, since the golem didn't seem to know how to do much more than to lunge it's own body at her...

However, strange sounds would come from above her. The roof seemed to fail her! Bricks and dust and even earth suddenly began raining down the room; along with Lux and Salia! Soon the team would be united again, but their reunion would have to wait until they all managed to take down or escape the golem... Something that could be significantly harder to do as the crumbled ceiling obstructed their feeling and mobility... Something that didn't seem to trouble the stone golem much...

Soneillon's chains swept one of the two figures off her feet, but the older man met the spirit's great force with a massive clay arm that tore through the sleeve of his suit. He caught onto one of the chains and brought it to a standstill; then jerked it to bring Soneillon off-balance.

“You were right, doctor, these really do seem to be tools for humans.” The man laughed, before turning to Adeline and Soneillon, not letting go the chain. “Your research is sure more useful than your spirit.” Revealing the over-sized arm the man dragged across the ground, with a rune tattoo'd on his shoulder, similar to those of the golems.

“Ah, you're from the museum, are you not?” He spoke, quite friendly for the situation they were in. “Welcome to the catacombs. This is where the ancient of civilization oh Bihar buried there dead.”

“The important dead,” The woman got up to her feet, being able to stand despite being hit by Soneillon's chains earlier. “I hope you weren't going to tell her this was appropriate.” She bit at the man, though clearly she was more angry with Adeline and Soneillon than her partner. The summoned a bo-staff, aiming it straight at Adeline. “Keep the monster under control, I'll go after it's weak spot...”

Free Billy

While Quartz and Eowyn had some success slowing the kart, heating up the glass only made it easier, albeit it excruciatingly painful, for the fish to break through. Met with almost less resistance, the fish plainly destroyed the tank; flooding the water it contained all over Eowyn and Quartz. However, thanks to their efforts, the fish was beached; unable to return to the ocean. Whether this was a good thing or not remained to be seen... It couldn't escape now, but it wouldn't be able to breathe either...

Remia and Mime would on the other hand, witness a ridiculously strange occurrence. A song made it's way to the shore, as a deep mellow sound. It soothed the atmosphere and even stopped the crowds from panicking... But walk towards the source; on the sea's horizon. Not just the activists were affected, so were Arlette and Nathair...

To Arlette and Nathair, the sound was akin a love song. Sweet like honey, tingling their senses and desires. Though a mystery, it was very alluring... It played on their curiousity beyond a degree they could control and they too would be drawn towards the water, and the approaching form that quickly drew closer...

Rendezvous Crash

"My father is a rather busy man..." Bishop remarks softly, recalling back to his capture. Even now he was being held by the Library. Even now, he was likely being interrogated. Or used. Such genius untapped would be such a shame! Quickly dismissing such a thought from Jester, she continues. "...And he does not always have time to tell me what he is thinking. Even in his letters he laments this." It was true, so it was easy to make it work into the web she was crafting. "My father is traveling to meet other potential rebels who have anti-librarian motivations. The more we can throw in their way, the better." She looks at the birds. "...Where did you get all of these? Some of these do not even belong anywhere near this area. They are quite pretty."

“Ah,” Giovani delighted. “They are my pride and joy. A collection like this is impressive, is it not, miss Bishop?”The don was clearly proud of all the animals he had surrounded himself with, and even seemed quite cocky about it too. “It is not many that have both the access and the… Budget, to construct something this magnificent. Why, you can’t find most of these on the market. Feel free to admire them. Perhaps, if we do business, you could afford to have some of your own.”

“Only some? Hmm…” McKenzi ponders aloud, her mind racing. She wasn’t sure how to proceed from here, and confusion momentarily spilled out into her expression. “Mister Giovani…” She starts as she turns and looks at him. “...What was the last thing my father said about me here?” She implied her own ambitions in that statement, though, curiously, even now, a hint of softness in the tone came through with such a question.

Giovani’s smile faded as he recalled Alexander’s words. “He was not sure if you would be joining us. I recall you worked for the Library up until recently, and he hadn’t time to discuss your, loyalties, as we call it in Calacany.” The pudgy man explained, “Although as you stand here, I assume that is the case...”

There was a short silence, if one didn’t counted the shifting of the birds that Vologhn’s threads had unnerved, before the don continued. “Speaking of your father, I had expected him in your stead. Where is Alex, presently? Will he be joining us?”

“My father will be here shortly, in an hour at the most.” Bishop states, a full out lie this time. Careful, he already suspects much. One does not get as large as him without being paranoid of everyone. “We went off ahead while he spoke with the rebels I mentioned earlier. If he is any further behind than that I will go find him myself and bring whatever message you wish. I’m confident that he will be fine, but…” She bites her lip. “Sigmund, one of my associates from the Library, took it… Personally that I found such a place to be… Restricting. He has been pursuing us, and by association, you. That is what I came to warn you about.” Not bad, but a little dramatic… Guess your father was a little dramatic too, though. “...As for what, exactly, my father wishes… I do not know for certain here. He was to introduce me to all of this when he arrived as a sort of… Welcoming, into the family again.”

“Associate?” Giovani pondered, his thick fingers tapping his chair. “This isn’t exactly the town where strangers are invisible. I’m sure you noticed, miss Bishop. I expect to hear of Alex soon as well on that note, but I hope that your… Associate won’t cause for any trouble… I hope you’ve not brought trouble onto my turf… I don’t need to tell you it’s important as few people know as possible. Trust is important in our business.”

“Of course.” Bishop states plainly. “Which is why you may call me McKenzi.” She offers her hand for a handshake one more time. “And I hope we come to know each other better in the future.”

The don studies Bishop’s expression carefully, but slowly extends his hand to hers. “You’re quite different from your father, McKenzi. He criticized me for addressing him by name, and doesn’t have the faintest interest in my birds. I’m guessing that is your mother’s inheritance?”

She hesitates a moment at the mention of her mother. Jester snickers and grins, taking the shape of a poor old woman in robes with a cane, hunched over behind the don. He whispers to the entire group once more, almost as though wanting the rest to know the frustrations he puts Bishop through. Aahhh… Dearie dearest daughter, deadly doom-bringing dealings done, yessss? McKenzi looks at the ground, her plan stopped momentarily as the handshake ends. “She died in childbirth.” She states plainly, coldly, much more like her father.

“Tragic, I’m sure.” Giovani replied, although his mind seemed a little off. “Now,” He said, as he lifted himself from his chair. Before leaving, the don drew open a drawer and took out a bottle of wine and some glasses. “Help yourself and your associates. You must excuse me, I must use the restroom.”

And with that the Don left the room, giving the librarians ample time to plan their next move...

Hive of Minds

As Deneaerys made her comment about fire and needing a clear shot, Daniel scratched his chin and nodded, his eyes flitting about the area in thought. He didn't respond to that just then, he had ideas, now, though. "Please tell me you aren't going to light my precious crossbow bolts on fire, cousin." His uncle asked him. Daniel shrugged nonchalantly, adding nothing but further worry for him.

Hertz' lack of courage was nothing new of common people. They tended not to know how to deal with problems larger than themselves and thus did the natural thing: Flee. Daniel had nothing against that, it was the smart thing to do. After all, who would hate someone just trying to survive if they have nothing to add to the fight? As he received the book from Hertz he quickly flipped through the pages, combing each one for any useful information he could find when they began to travel into the forest. He had lowered his guard while doing this, unwise, a rookie mistake even. Still. The potential for a not-fire-related plan did intrigue him, and he nodded in agreement. "I will listen, but if I feel fire is the only option, I will use it. Nice as this forest is, these monsters are a threat that must be eliminated before they spread further than they already have."

Still. Their traveling came to an abrupt halt as the Sloth appeared, infested in such a way as to remind him of the many, many other times he had to face insect-sized bastards. He was not equipped to deal with them this time, however. He should have thought of that one too. With a frown he glances to Julius quickly, who held Whiskers the skull in his hand. "Whiskers recommends a tactical advance in the opposite direction. I agree with his recommendation!" Daniel nods in agreement, though looks to Ramza. They had just wasted one of their three jars of potential bait on a single target. On the other hand, Ramza's wings made for an effective anti-parasite defense. Commendable. More useful than he was at this moment.

"Alright." Daniel mutters under his breath as he immediately runs away from the parasites, behind Ramza, to the nearest dead tree with a low lying branch. Summoning Război Ciocan with its long reach and solid grip he swings and breaks the lowest branch off by its base, grabbing it as it falls he then turns on his heels and brushes the end of it against Ramza's wings, lighting the end of it aflame. Using it as one would a spear, he shoves it out towards the parasites. Small insects, slower than him, would be vulnerable to fire. "RAMZA! Try to avoid using valuable resources! They are small, slower than us, we can use fire to defeat a swarm this small!" He then looks at Rugratz. "What is your plan?" He asks more softly, attempting to understand what it was that Ramza had in mind, but not being able to discern it from what little he could see.

Free Billy

Quartz

Quartz's coils tightened enough to cause the wheel axel creak in protest, the wood slightly splintered where he gripped as his belly scales dug into the sand. The spirit shifted and grunted deeper, his full strength put into the task. Inch by inch, it slowed its path towards the sea making him smirk inwardly. In the background the fish continued to plummet its head aha sit the smooth surface with each powerful thrust. Cracks spiderwebbed outward from its center where it spread and leaked, water dampening the dry sand into wet blotches underneath. At this rate, Quartz thought in alarm, the beast will be out of its cage in no time...

The soft patter of hooves echoed upon the beach. At the sound, Quartz's attention shifted and his head to jerk upward to spot Eowyn galloping in his direction. Her flaming hooves and sword sent the crowds scattering away like a charging rock parting the sea. In moments the centaur fused holder had arrived and was scooped up fistfuls of sand which she melted into the growing fissions. The glass naturally began hot. The animal seemed unfazed by the rising temperature, it's five tentacles suctioned to the glass and continued its battering... Until the tank shattered.

Glass shot across both Eowyn and Quartz, followed by water afterwards where it quickly was absorbed into the beach. In moments the specimen was flipping and flopping on the ground, it's mouth seeking for air it wouldn't find. The animal now beached, the winged serpent shook the wetness from his feathers before Remia had managed to join them. At Remia's comment, Quartz finally noticed the large, unmistakeable shape of the monster on the horizon.

"Well, that's interesting. That's about my max height..." Quartz began was interrupted when a song broke out across the scene.

Nathair

Nathair's arms shoved away the pressing bodies, his figure was tossed by the crowd's panicked rush away from the stage. When he had lost sight of Quartz several minutes back, the holder fought the slight worry in the back of his mind. His main focus was to get to Arlette and get away from the crowd. With each new push, he felt a soft growl rise within his throat as he bit back the urge to lash out at the aggressors.

He just about reached the young girl when a sweet, gentle sound reached his ears. Nathair came to an abrupt stop. His feet planted in the sand for a moment while the delicate melody filled his mind. It drowned out all sense and left him filled with a sense of curiosity and desire to seek out the source. Slowly he started to on heel to the sea. His eyes became unfocused when he began to walk, each step brought him closer to the water.

Quartz

What happened next was very odd to Quartz, namely because he had never seen it before. The sound tinkled throughout the scene and affected several activists, their panic suddenly stop, heads turned towards the water's edge and slowly began to walk to it. Something wasn't right. The spirit knew it right off by the way the people moved, feet sluggish in their movement, almost trancelike.

The feathers on Quartz's head rose in alarm when he spotted Nathair and Arlette sucked into the song's spell. His voice instantly shouted out to his holder. "Nathair! What are you doing?"

No answer.

"Something's not right... Nathair's not answering me." Quartz's anxiety was heard in his voice.

"Alright...might I suggest a new plan? I can deal with the big baddie, namely cause I can almost match him size for size and prevent him from getting to shore. At least delay him. Eowyn, maybe could you create a crude pond or something for our little fishy friend? I rather not have it die on us while we deal with the bigger one. That would leave Remia." He turned to Remia. "Might want to have Mime help you to keep everyone, especially Arlette and Nathair, away from the water."

He had already became the size of a small pony, his skin still continued to flake off in layers at a time, as he added in his wake towards the water edge. "Oh... Also, be careful. Nathair could likely bite when he's startled. Old habits die hard, I'm afraid, so try not to take it personally."

Once he hit the shore line, Quartz would've grown to the size of a large elephant at that point and still getting bigger with each discarded skin. Careful not to smash anyone, he braced to meet the beast head on as it made its way close to shore. It was unlikely it would go onto the beach, much to Quartz distaste, which meant he would lose his advantage on land. At least he could use the air instead. His fangs gathered the whipping air of his Aztec Winds inside his mouth and readied to slice the beast the moment it was close enough to his position, a rough guess due to where the trance induced holders and activists were heading. He only hoped he would be large enough by the time the beast came.

Rendezvous Crash

"Right, restroom," Andre repeated after the Don left the room. Who knows what the Don was actually doing. The Rook looked at Bishop with a grimace, "We really don't have the time for further small talk now. Do you want to try talking more or should we try to go look for documents?"

Free Billy
Arlette
Arlette futilely pushed against the panicking crowd in her attempt to both stay closer to the rest of the Librarians and to get away from the crowd. Instead she was getting pushed along and away by them. Even her increasingly panicked plea for the protesters to calm down and for help fell to deaf ears. She felt a tinge of relief filtering to her eyes as she saw Nathair pushing his way towards her. She heard his coming accompanied with a song. One that made her felt relaxed and warm that even the pushing crowd was not an issue any longer. The song whispered its way into the girl's mind and, with a dreamy sigh, Arlette let herself immersed to the melody. Her legs then started to lead her closer to the source of the sweet melody.

Mime
Mime laughed at Eowyn and Quartz as the two were drenched by the water from the tank and the beached creature.The spirit then turned her head upon hearing a song reaching the beach and seeing the chaos died down. She almost expressed both of her awe and puzzlement before noticing the crowd started to move into the water. That by itself was not a concern to her, what was alarming was that Mime heard Quartz calling out to Nathair and receiving no response and then seeing Arlette among those who headed into the sea. The fake girl had already made her way to her holder as her fellow spirit planned with Remia and Eowyn. It was probably fortunate that the telepathy link between the spirits that Mime had set up earlier was still connected.

A Clayman's Finale

Sonneillon didn't expect the frail looking humans to guide such brute strength. It stumbled forward a few steps. If not for its great mass and enigmatic strength, the spirit would have surely toppled over. Holding the chain taut, it glared down on the two humans with inhuman fury.

Adeline was appalled at her spirit's aggression, but it appeared that her worries were misplaced. They were no doubt allies of Dr. Valenci. The woman produced a short stag from nowhere, sights obviously leveled at her. They know about Knights!

She retreated back down the corner in an instant, her instincts taking over. "Sonneillon... You've got this right?"

Adeline thought she heard the beast sigh. "Of course, Lin."

Without letting go of the chain, Sonneilon cast its Black Sphere in front of the two humans, placing them under their damning effects and cutting off their way to Adeline. The narrow quarters of the Bihar ruins were an advantage in this situation. They would have to get past the spirit to reach Adeline.

Hive of Minds

The parasites instinctively left the sloth corpse; causing it to drop on the ground. Motionless, like corpses were supposed to be, the sloth itself was no longer a threat. Both Ramza and Daniel had the right idea. Ramza's cape was an effective defence, and Daniel was indeed far quicker. However; Rugratz was not.

The parasites swarmed the giant, desperately seeking openings. Some tried to circumvent his leaf shield, others began to eat their way through it. Whatever the case; Rugratz would not be safe for long.

Meanwhile, the jar's contents had attracted the attention of one of the wasp monsters. As it approached, it would come to notice the librarians. Specifically; Deneaerys, whom had summoned her armour and used a defensive technique similar to Ramza. The giant wasp fearlessly attacked her, and a stinger at the size of a small sword found itself below the woman's chest. Within seconds; she began to swell up at skin-tearing speed and volumes. As the wasp's weapon was pulled from between Deneaerys' ribs, the swelling squeezed out the woman's blood; squirting it out of her wound like a small fountain.

The wasp itself however, quickly turned to it's next target; Daniel. It raised it's altitude before attempting to swoop in and give him the same treatment as Deneaerys...

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Emily's dagger cut through the visor, and without further resistance, she was able to plant her dagger into Sean. Emily wouldn't need to confirm her kill, as mere seconds after her attack, Steve vanished from existence; freeing Vignar from it's embrace.

Even with one threat gone, there still was Valor. Emily, acting like a human cushion, managed to break the brunt of Fran's fall, but both women would be lucky if they only got away with some bruising. Furious at Emily, Valor now raised all it's chains and focused only on her; preparing to slam them all down with all the force it could muster...

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Vignar stumbled into the sand as the constricting worm vanished. He clawed at the sand in his effort to stand up only to fell down once more. From his position, Vignar could not see where Emily and Fran stumbled to, but he can see Valor raising his chains in preparation. His head churned for an idea before he shouted to his ghostly spectrals to tackled the armored spirit. Much to his chagrin, one of them decided to tackle the much heavier spirit directly, although thankfully, the other did better by reaching for Valor's chain wielding arm. Hopefully the added weight would at least throw off Valor's aim. In the mean time, Vignar wrestled against the ground as he tried to recover his footing and stand back up.

Free Billy

Eowyn's attempt to keep the glass together had proven futile. Not just that; the situation changed completely. The monster-fish had broken out and something crazy was happening to the crowds... As well as two of their own.

“Eowyn, maybe could you create a crude pond or something for our little fishy friend.” Quartz asked her, but Eowyn hadn't the faintest idea how... Not to mention the way Sleipnir thought was far different from Quartz.

“It need not last another breath.” The horse spoke it's mind through Eowyn's mouth. “Hear me, I shall ride into battle! I shall not be vetoed of bloodshed!” The centaur let out a warcry, and galloped forward. But the entities were conflicted... As loud and commanding Sleipnir's voice sounded, Eowyn's contrasted with doubt.

“Sleipnir, that fish is important.” Eowyn spoke in her mind, Simon had said so after all, “And Quartz is right, the bigger fish may be related. We don't want to make it angry.”

“Cease this absurd speculation.” Sleipnir dictated, taking reign of their combined form “We shall compensate for it's indignation with that of our sword!” The horse claimed, as it galloped past the giant snake and towards the menacing marine giant.

“But the Library wants it-” Eowyn protested, but far too weakly to even scratch Sleipnir's will. She didn't want to cause trouble, but in truth she also wanted to protect Remia and Arlette from whatever was heading their way. She was more determined to have them come back alive, than to obey the Library...

“We crave no approval from a mortal, we seek entrance to Valhalla!” Sleipnir sensed Eowyn's feelings, even if it's own were far different. At the edge of the water, the centaur halted abruptly, before planting it's sword within the sand. “Surtr's Wake!” The ground began to shake, and the sand to rummage. From below the ocean floor it rumbled; and in a massive burst of rock and fire; a stream of lava shot up at the giant fish from below; towards it's belly. It was a two-fanged attack with Quartz' Aztec Winds; hitting the fish hard from multiple angles.

A Clayman's Finale

“Whoah, whoah, whoah!” Lux shouted as he and Salia were suddenly pushed through a maze of dark sliding tunnels. This wasn't what he had planned for at all. The roughness of the ride reminded him of Noelle's or the Queen's treatment; but nothing so much hurt him as slamming down on a cold stone floor and soon after, involuntarily breaking Salia's fall, as the rook landed on top of him.

Every part of Lux' body ached. He'd be lucky if he hadn't broken anything, he thought, but as he tried to pick himself up, Lux found that Salia wasn't the only one with an injured limb anymore... His right arm had tried to brace him from the fall, and had been squashed in the process. “Of all things going limp right now,” Lux muttered to himself, before his attention shifted from the pain in his arm to the sight in front of him.

“Didn't expect to see you again so soon, Maria.” Lux habitually joked, as he stretched out his arm and called for a greenhouse spell to surround the stone golem. This time however, he wouldn't throw his lightning at it (even if he had been left-handed, he still couldn't get up quickly with Salia on top of him) but summoned his frost mists to freeze his mist and expand outwardly between the cracks of the golem. With a little luck, he'd be able to take down two of them in one day.

If not... Well, hopefully Salia or Maria would be so kind to help him up...

A Clayman's Finale

"Whu?" Maria said articulately. As she turned toward Lux's voice, she felt her armor reaching it's limit and falling away piece by piece, crumbling into the aether as they hit the floor. She sighed in relief at her comrades timely appearance and slumped to her knees, then pushed herself to her feet quickly, this was no time to be resting.

"No time for quips," she said quickly, turning to the passage behind them. "Adeline and Sonnelion went this way. I'm worried they might be in danger." She stopped beside Lux and Salia to help them both to their feet, having no trouble lifting Lux despite her size, then rushed down the corridor.

Free Billy

Quartz and Eowyn were close enough to see what had brought itself to the beach. It was a giant version of the fish in the tank; with an equally menacing collar in the shape of a sea-star... But at this distance they could see something peculiar the smaller fish did not have. Humanoid creatures, dressed in algae took the shape of buxom women and handsome men. Each sung it's own song, and it was these creatures that lured the crowd towards the water...

Quartz' fangs dug into the fish, but it's thick fat protected it quite well.; The struggle that ensued did more damage to the alagae creatures (several of which were ripped off and sent flying) than the monster itself. The same wasn't true for Eowyn; whose eruption launched the monster on it's side; displaying heavy burns on it's belly...

Not that this stopped any of the hypnotised to approach it. One particularly unfortunate woman made it to the monster; only to be grabbed by one of the sea-star arms and thrown onto it's back, where the algae creatures fought for the woman like bridesmaids for the bouquet; ripping her apart limb by limb in the process before devouring her flesh...

The monster-fish would attempt to turn around, back on it's belly and if it managed to do so; attempt to beach it's massive girth to reach it's young... No matter how many holder, or hypnotised people were in the way...

A Clayman's Finale

The gravity sphere posed a problem... Or so it would have if the woman didn't dismiss her staff in favour for a large hammer, which she promptly used to smash in one of the corridor's walls. If Soneillon and Adeline paid attention, they'd be able to hear doctor Valenci shriek at the sight of this. The man with the golem's arm, on the other hand, remained to pull the chain. If Soneillon was going to lock him down, he would do the same to the spirit...

Will 'o the Piper

When Charles (and a little later Sigmund) passed through the portal, they would find their spirits could not. Perhaps that was only for the best... However, what was not for the best were the two oni noticing them. “Why you bring big humanses!” The red oni barked at the kappa when it noticed Charles. “Big ones too chewy!” It shouted in rage. As it spoke, a thick saliva was spit all over. The kappa were unaffected by it, but Charles and Sigmund would find it very sticky if they stepped into it...

The red oni, unable to control it's growing rage, used it's tree to swat several kappa at once in the air. “Throw it off mountain!” The oni commanded the kappa, who shivered in fear as they would attempt to follow it's command. However, besides sending his minions, the red oni too approached the holder, threateningly raising it's tree-cudgel...

The blue oni, on the other hand, remained a lot calmer. From the back, it leered at scene. It seemed to prefer thinking before acting, which could mean it was very dangerous...

A Clayman's Finale

Sonneillon didn't expect the woman to break the corridor to get to Adeline. The situation was getting dangerous- even if he could take one down, the other might get to Adeline.

"Filthy mogrels!" the spirit screeched, blood boiling. It grabbed the iron maiden on its back with one pitch black appendage and brought it to the fore. With a powerful yank on the chain to unbalance the gauntlet-user, Sonneillon charged down the narrow corridor using the iron maiden as a battering ram. There was no space to dodge, and once the man was done for he could turn his attention to the other human.

Adeline, on the other hand, continued to run for dear life. She hoped the maze would throw off the assailant- she would have no chance of surviving if they caught up.

Rendezvous Crash

Vologhn leaned against a cabinet at the side of the room, quietly listening to Bishop's conversation to the Don. Her words were really believable, at least on a logical level. Vologhn was no good judge of facial expressions. For all he knew, the Don was already planning to kill them all the moment the facade dropped. The men gathering outside the door certainly made that a possible outcome.

He had no way of informing his allies of the eavesdroppers. Interrupting the conversation with some whispered words would look far too suspicious. The best he could do was to tell Andre. Casually he slinked over to where the man was standing, but the conversation abruptly ended with the Don excusing himself to the washroom. Andre opened his mouth before Vologhn could stop him.

"Right, restroom. We really don't have the time for further small talk now. Do you want to try talking more or should we try to go look for documents?" Vologhn smacked his palm against his face.
"We'll go to Mr. Blair's office for the documents later," Vologhn said, the made-up name only for confusing the Don's men. He discreetly pointed to his ear and then the door, trying to warn them about the men spying on them. He mouthed the words, "I'll block the door. Let's start."

Vologhn activated the Silken Weave command on the threads covering the door, sealing it shut. Although the Don's men weren't holders, the blocked door wouldn't hold forever. Vologhn went straight to the Don's table and started rummaging through the drawers, looking for anything important.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Emily

Emily barely registered the blade piercing it's mark. Her mind already raced to the next step of cushioning Fran, unaware her hand left the weapon behind. Nor had she seen Steve's vanish and a clear sign of Sean's passing. Everything was slow motion. As if someone had gummed up father time's watch, caught in an invisible river. Up until the moment Fran's body connected with hers.

Her mind was ripped back into the present.

The woman's front drove into her own, their figures twisted together briefly when Emily hit the sands first. Time snapped forwarded like some forced gear clock, Emily's senses and awareness jarred into overdrive. Despite the ground not being completely solid, it wasn't as soft a landing as most would assume. Sands really were nothing more then finely grounded rock after all.

Crack! A muffled but hard to dismiss sound filled her with dread. Her fear was followed up by a wave of searing ache, likely one or two fractured on impact. However that didn't stop her arms from wrapping about her fellow holder and trying to bear most the landing. The million sharp grains scratched on her exposed flesh and clothes, sleeves budded signs of blood seeping through in patches. Emily was pretty sure she looked like a complete mess.

After she had hit the ground, Fran rolled off and away from her crumbled figure, allowing her lungs to gather back air lost. They seemed to be useless in assisting her tries. A fresh scent, one she knew to be blood, filled her nose with its rustic smell. Pain...was the first thing her voice gave life to when air finally found her heart. A strangled cry like a wild, wounded animal realizing her weakness. Tenderly she shoved her body onto her belly and tried to rise.

Cerberus stood stone still beside her. His eyes, voided of pity or compassion, watched his holder's stirring of life. Only when she failed once did he break his composure. Slowly he lowered his muzzle close to her ear causing Emily's eyes to jerk to the side and finally noticing him there for the first time. Green flames licked his lips with each inaudible word he spoke into her ear. When he finished, Emily's face looked sick and her head jerked to Fran's still form in the opposite direction. The woman hadn't moved.

Cerberus mumbled one last sentence then backed away. Emily's fists balled tightly as her face lowered to the ground. Bitting back another scream she struggled to stand upright with greater determination. Her right leg slowly edged underneath her form and with it, another pain wave washed over her. Her dark eyes glared at Valor, noting his fury, with his chains rose high above and ready to slam down upon her. Strangely, despite her pissed expression, Emily felt completely in control. Where hate, fear and sorrow should've been only a sense of emptiness resided.

Warmth of her blood dripped down her lip. It wetted the gritty sand in her mouth and filled it with a nasty, rust taste. She wasn't going to die. The recall of Cerberus's words caused Emily's curiosity to sway, her eyes briefly sought where her spirit's form lurked within her mind. Was it even possible he could carry it out? Ignoring her building questions and unsettled worry, she slowly righted herself only to find her torso reeled against it.

Dammit...Emily inwardly cursed, she needed more time.

That's when two unlikely saviors, Octal and Eight, decided to tackle the wrathful armor. Emily's eyes widened at the unexpected aid. The ghost holder took hold of the chains while her spirit knocked in about Valor's waist. Without thinking about her injuries and the pain, Emily let the dagger vanish -as it seemed not to obstruct the spirit's vision at all- and pulled her hand back in a familiar posture. Her bow once more formed within her grasp, the familiar smoke wisps surfaced and her eyes narrowed upon her target: Valor's shoulder. The area had been cleared of any the scale like armor and was likely the weakest point, a fact she wanted to capitalize on. Blood dripped from her wounds while her ribs shifted unnaturally, breathing as difficult as it was painful, failed to distract her focus.

"You should've listened..." Emily managed to say in strained voice. Her fingers released and once the arrow cleared her bow, her leg gave out underneath her.

Free Billy

Quartz

Quartz eyed the large beast in its approach.

As he suspected, the creature was a larger and much meaner version of their little one back on the beach. From the starfish crown about its neck to its fishy tail tip, the only difference was the horde of parasites latched upon it's back and the very song's source. Knowing this fact satisfied Quartz, mentally grateful he had left -despite the hasty flight- their idle critter back in Eowyn's care. If the beast had managed to get by him, the knight would be the last and final defense against the beast reclaiming her young before they could save the crowd. He didn't once dwell on the guilt of leaving her in a rather terrible situation, nor the fact she was left to figure out, because he assumed she was clever enough to improvise.

Another driving factor Quartz didn't want the young reclaim was because of two possible outcomes: either they would leave together or both mother and child would enjoy a banquet. Including not just the placid beach goers and frustrating protesters, but also the entranced holders, Arlette and Nathair. Later was the most troublesome risk and result.

Despite the demonstration's purpose and Nathair's claims he had read too many horror stories, Quartz was convinced the later was likeliest. Maybe it was a understanding of a wild sorts or what a harsh master hunger, fear and instinct were. Maybe personally he expected no less from the beast then what he would've done in such situation, his reasoning was numerous after all. So many notions swarm within his head until Quartz's memory skimmed back to Nathair's reaction. It wasn't a stretch to say the spirit wasn't use to being ignored by his holder in that manner, the slight tightening in the serpent's long belly at his recollection reminded he about that fact.

Distracted heavily between concerns if someone was looking after Nathair and the fast approaching beast, Quartz hadn't realize Eowyn's current action. Merely the black and red blur from the corner of his eye as she darted towards the beach edge. Something he easily ignored in his foolishness. His coils tensed, winds whipped about his fangs, and feathery wings raised to throw himself into the air when the beast was coming into range.

The wait was tormenting. Each time the beast gained more ground, Quartz had to resist taking to the skies. Finally the moment arrived and his lithe figure jerked into the air, his wings shot outwards and caught the salty winds. His feathers quivered from the air. The spirit launched forward, little time wasted, as the wind about his fangs struck the creature's flesh. Blubber was thick and rubbery against his fangs, the slicing increased by the whipping winds in his mouth. He had just struck when Eowyn and Sleipnir's melded voice broke through the combat.

“Surtr's Wake!”

Quartz, mentally, cursed in nahuatl with great color. In order to use his fangs, the spirit had to be in a fixed, closer range position to the beast. So while his fangs ripped away the small creatures on the beast's back, their humanoid figures fling away like wet kelp, the side of his muzzle was treated to an unpleasant sensation. Boiling water.

Spray from the gush erupted under the beast's underside and splashed upon him, enough to catch him on the underside of his muzzle at the close range. His feathers and scales offered little protection against the scalding hot attack. His mind was numbed to everything but pain, ignorant he had even bellowed into the heavens themselves when contact was made. Quickly, Quartz's wings pulled himself backwards and tried to clear the fish's location.

He retreated back onto the shore line where the unblemished part of his body coiled onshore. His face promptly submerged into the semi-swallow depths. Salt seeped into the reddish burn on his jaw's underside, the ache increased into a hot sting then at its peak grew duller. Slowly his head rose from the tide enough to talk and eye Eowyn's figure nearby. The spirit's voice was surprisingly calm but firm, fatherly scolding almost, at Eowyn's fused form.

"My dear... A little warning would've been called for and saved me some injury." His head feathers flattened against his skull to show his slight irritation at the nasty surprise.

However after a few moments, his mind drifted to the task he had left her to attend to earlier and curiosity swelled. Had she already completed it? Quartz hesitated to confirm it. Namely because the sense of doubt deep inside and instead, casually mentioned his thoughts. "I suppose you figured a way to keep the fish alive then? Otherwise, when mama finds her little one's dead, things will likely get much worse. Anger and revenge tends to make some beasts stronger."

Any farther conversation was cut off when one of the crowd, a woman, had managed to make her way towards the large fish. With amazing speed the human was snatched up then flipped over onto the beast's hitch hikers. In moments, their green hands reached and tore the unfortunate victim into bloody pieces. Her flesh vanished without even the chance of a scream from its source. Quartz stiffened at the scene, disturbed by the speed and bizarre display. Instinctively his eyes shifted to the crowd. Among the numerous heads and bodies, he spotted Nathair who at this point was likely followed by Arlette in his wake. Slowly the holder's feet plunged into the sea, his pant legs darkened and weighted by collected water drenching them. Nathair stumbled for a moment. Water splashed as he kept his balance, his path unaltered by the terrain change. Ignorant of the prior soul's miserable fate, Nathair continued his way towards the fish driven by the humanoids' tempting song, the animal itself still attempted to rise once more upon its belly. It would only be a matter of minutes before a starfish arm reached for the knight.

Quartz tried once to detour his holder with a shout, his feathers ruffled when it was as effective as the last time. "Nathair! Get away from the water! Right now!"

"Where in the heavens is Remia?!?" Quartz hissed to no one in particular. His eye caught the sluggish movements and jerked upwards to spot Eowyn's earlier task slowly dying in the sun. Inwardly he groaned, his eyes snapped shut for a moment to turn his conflict inwards. Maybe the girl wasn't as clever as he had hoped, Quartz mentally admitted in disappointment. Now he had a choice to make. It was either Nathair and Arlette or the fish. His instinct wanted to damn the consequences and save the two holders but...

"Alright. I'll deal with the fish then since you're so determined to fight the larger one. I thought I was the only cold blooded one here..." Quartz mumbled the later softer before he continued. "Can you keep the fish occupied? I might be able to drag the smaller one towards the swallows and keep it there by creating a pen with my coils. It shouldn't be too hard after I'm at my full size."

At least he believed, his size change resumed once again bring him to at least over half his full size. He was pretty sure he looked like a slight smaller. distance cousin to the monster by now when it came to girth. Sadly, his shedding hadn't been able to mend his jawline and it showed when he fought the desire to winch while asking his question.

"Is that reasonable?"

Mentally he spoke with Mime, hinting for the doppelgänger to be on standby incase Remia didn't reach the pair in time. 'Mime, I've spotted Nathair and possible Arlette. Both are closing in on the fish's position. I don't see Remia nearby and I don't think I have to tell you what happens when a knight's holder dies, do I? I'm going to try to lure the larger fish away using the protesters' little beast but it won't stop our holders from following it. Please tell me you'll be able to stop them...'

The Clayman's Finale

Such a poor state for their current route. Salia walked with Lux through the path until it essentially vanished and they were just walking on who knew what. And soon enough, the tiles gave way and despite the fact both holders had quick reflexes, it was impossible for them to avoid the fall or to even grab anything that would keep them from going down.

Salia did not know exactly for how long they had been falling or how much space they moved through their quick descent, which was rough due to the movement and the shaking they had to endure. So much so that it appeared as though the place was suffering some sort of earthquake. After tumbling down for what seemed to be a really long time, they finally fell… somewhere. Salia landed on Lux, not realising it was him that broke her fall.

And much to Salia’s surprise, they soon found themselves meeting with their companions!! At first, Salia only recognised the voices with their rushed yells, but soon her eyes showed the truth to her. They did not deceive her; they truly were her partners. But first of all… a golem!! “Lux! Let’s take this one down like the ones before!” Somehow, it looked bigger, more dangerous than the ones they had encountered before.

“I say let’s try to take out part by part. Focusing our offensive power on its limbs first, then finish it off”. As she readied her sword, she hoped Lux was fine and ready to attack, as well. Only then, seeing that the spell was different, Salia looked back and saw her partner on the ground, looking hurt. Not saying anything, she helped him up while he was using his magic. Surely, having better visual connection with the objective would improve the results.

“Maria!” Salia simply said. With something as simple as calling her name, she expected –and hoped– to establish a quick connection with her so that she would be aware of their position. It might be the key to their survival.

Free Billy

And just as Remia thought things could not get stranger… a song coming from the water!! Everyone was calmer, which was a good thing, but for some reason they seemed mesmerised by something and walked towards the sea. Well, Remia did not have to be a sage to realise what was going on. It was circumstantial evidence, only, but the moment the song started sounding, people had entered the state of strange trance…

Quartz’ leading skills came in handy at that point, particularly as everyone was given a task and if everything was done according to the plan, then it should go well… However, Remia, who nodded at Quartz’s ‘orders’, was not happy about being in the back. She felt she could help everyone at the front. At least, under normal circumstances. But with something that big? All she could do was accept her job.

For some reason, the young holder did not feel taken by the mellow sound. There had to be a reason. A possibility was the fact she may be too far… but maybe it was something else. However, there was no way to know and she would not take the risk. Using her sword, Remia cut a good part of her dress and used it to tie it around her head so that her ears would be blocked.

Suddenly, everything was muffled. The sounds of the crowd, the waves of the sea, the cries of the creatures… everything. And in a way, it was as though she was seeing things a lot clearer. Less was more. The less input she had, the more she could focus on her eyes. Maybe she was relying on her eyes too heavily, but ears were dangerous now, so what could she do? Remia moved to the water and prepared for anything that may come… while trying to keep everyone away from the water. All she could do was push them, trying not to hurt them.

“Stay back or you’ll be killed, damn it!!” It was hard to keep the calm when a woman was being ripped off behind them, and these people seemed to be too focused on the song. And she did not even hear her own voice properly. But that gave Remia an idea. What if she was able to…? Smirking, it made her think of some sort of guerrilla tactics. The young rook was running around, getting close to people and simply screaming as close to their ears as possible. It might not look too elegant, but maybe it would break the connection if they stopped hearing the song!!

Remia had moved too far away from her group, trying to snap people out of that mesmerised status, and she was now rushing to Arlette and Nathair, hoping her idea would work. She did not have time to check if it had, so far. The only thing she could do was trusting her own judgement and hopefully this faith would have a reward. She would find out as soon as she came across Arlette or Nathair…

Hive of Minds
Ramza Losstarot

The Rook recovered and glanced over his shoulder towards his comrades, just in time to witness the female holder spurts a fountain of blood from the midsection before her body crumpled to the ground. A brief acquaintance she was, Ramza would say. Too brief for grief perhaps.

"I plan on using the surroundings," said the Rook after he nodded an acknowledgement on the use of the baits as he looked at Daniel. "So I can't quite say yet until we reach the site!"
"Grab them and jump into the fire!" Shroom suddenly commanded his summoned creature in which it immediately left Rugratz's face, gathered all the parasite it could in its leafy grasp before hopping itself into the flame torch that Daniel was holding. "Rugratz! Eat!" Since Rugratz's mouth was shaped like a funnel with multiple layers of sharp teeth, they acted like a filter into the giant's mouth as he munches down on the remainder. "Pixie! Rinse!"
"Huh?" replied the confused female minion.

By this time, Ramza was already up on his feet and his attention now shifted up on the creature who'd just gained altitude and was already swooping down towards Daniel. "Heads up!" The Holder warned his fellow Rook as he materialized his gauntlets of talons and readied himself to assist in killing the overgrown wasp.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Finally, their final opponent fell. Valor, too damaged to keep it's physical form, faded into the air itself. Fran, though saved by the collaborative effort of Vignar and Emily, had passed out from shock. This mission had clearly been something their translator had not been prepared for... And that might have become a major disadvantage.

As Fran's conscious had faded, so had her cage. It became apparent that the werecats whom had been lurking outside had become triggered by the scent of blood, circling around them like predators; just waiting for the opportunity to kill. Some feigned to pounce, but something was holding them back... A something that soon threw a shadow over the sands, then whipped them up in a storm as it descended. It let out a loud roar; causing the werecats to scurry aside and make place for the dragon to land...

After it's landing, it's massive formed towered over the librarians and with a roar it spoke to them, but in a language that of course only Cerberus was able to understand. However, one of the werecats stepped forward; and slowly shifted to the form of an older woman. She took her place next to the dragon and spoke with a rasp voice; “She asks; What brings you back to my home, humans?”

A Clayman's Finale

Lux' attack once again managed to obliterate a golem. It became even more sluggish, as it's rocks were pushed apart until it eventually fell and... Turned back to clay. Like the golem before, there were shrunk human parts stuck in it. Although it wasn't sure if Maria was going to see it, as she would run into Adeline soon... Behind whom there would be a massive fight going on.

Between Soneillon's strength and gravity field, it was evenly matched with the man wielding the golem arm; who used it to catch the battering ram, but was still pushed back as only it's arm wielded the massive strength of Bihar. However, as Adeline's wallflower skill made the woman lose sight of the knight; when it burst out of the wall with her giant hammer, it instead turned to Soneillon's back; knowing that if it kept playing with her ally, there was no way it would be able to dodge a blunt attack to it's head!

Will O' the Piper

Charles finally found a suitable outlet for the rage that had been building inside him this entire mission. As the red demon charged forward, he crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes, seeking the foreign Radian Mana in his body. As his eyes snapped open, his hair shifted from black to white and his arms whipped out to his sides, holding Sophia's chain knives. "Let's dance, ugly." He said, throwing a knife toward it's face with all his considerable strength. Whether or not it connected, he then Jumped onto the demon's back, wrapping the chain around it's neck and yanking hard.

A Clayman's Finalle

Maria turned the corner just after the woman with the hammer turned around, and quickly dispelled her armor to avoid drawing attention. She saw someone on the other side of Sonellion, but hoped the Spirit would block her from view. She almost ran into Adeline before she saw the Knight holder, and briefly put a hand on the girl's shoulder and pointed back down the hall.

"Lux and Salia are back that way, they should be coming. Stand back for now, we'll take care of this." She rushed forward as silently as she could, hoping the sounds of the fight would cover her approach. When she was close enough, she lifted her shield and, without a word, brought the edge down as hard as she could on the woman's right arm, trying to make her drop the hammer. She quickly followed with a blow from her left fist, aiming straight for the woman's kidneys.

Hive of Minds
Aderyn Davies

Aderyn, is it really so hard to pay attention?
Aderyn sighed under her breath in frustration, running through the woods, eyes darting from side to side to keep watch for anything that might attack her. In spite of her best intentions she had missed when the others were heading out on the mission, and now she was late. Possibly too late, but she hoped that she would still be able to be of help. Kree, shut your beak for once and help me watch for whatever we're looking for. Including the group we're trying to join. She snapped at him, continuing on. After a while, she slowed, thinking she heard sounds of people, and possibly fighting. She continued on more cautiously.

((is it daytime? also I feel like this is a really short post >.<''))