Caroline's ice pillar attack surprised Nigel and made him miss his target, instead shooting the sphere of condenced-eternano at a nearby building, completely destroying it. Nigel undid his cannon transformation and turned to Caroline, who was now questioning the demon in front of them. "I have a hard time believing that is Xavier" he responded to Caroline and turned his attention to the strange woman that was apparently bound with the demons shadow. "That's true, it seems she is indeed bound to him..." Nigel said, confirming everything she had just said, "and your threats fall on deaf ears, demon" Nigel told Cassandra. "I think we all here demand some answers. Who says that you two are not spies, sent by Demon's Maw? As long as I'm concerned, you might as well be responsible for the attacks at Clover, Cedar and Magnolia" he finished.

Caroline

"Bite your tongue, Nigel." Caroline snapped, before rounding on Piper, a fire in her eyes, "And you will lower your weapon. Xavier is a member of Harpy's Wing, and if either of you plan on hurting him, you'll have to kill me too before I do the same to you. Now if you're through trying to murder a fellow guild member, why don't you go elsewhere and try to figure out how to break this illusion and leave him to those of us with cooler heads?" Turning her back on them and effectively putting an end to the conversation, Caroline took a step closer to Xavier and crouched down.

"Xavier, dear, do you recognize me? I promise I'm not going to hurt you, and you're not going to hurt any of us, so there's no reason to be afraid." As she spoke, the town flickered, replaced once more by the hellish nightscape, but she grimaced and forced it out of her mind, focusing on Xavier. "Here, stand up dear. This is power, nothing more. How you use it determines if it's good or bad, and I know you would never hurt any of us."

Xavier

Xavier flinched as Piper blew up the building behind him and Cassandra, but he calmed himself down with a cigarette he'd manage to grab, lighting it with his magic, and taking a long drag, feeling his nerves slip away as the bitter-sweet taste of dark chocolate filled his mouth and lungs. Breathing out the smoke, Xavier removed himself from Cassandra embrace, much to her displeasure. "I wouldn't say that much, I might want to smack Nigel over the head for trying to shoot me." Xavier kept his tone lightand friendly, but he was still genuine hurt by how quickly Nigel had been ready to shoot him. Unknown to Xavier, his wings and tail displayed this some what, drooping everso slightly and giving Xavier an air of melancholy, though he was quick to shake it off. "I'm just as confused as the everyome else here about, well, all of this, but I know someone who isn't."

Xavier turned to face Cassamdra, a serious look in his eyes. He was done letting her stay all mysterious and cryptic, he wanted answers, and he want them now.

"Cassandra, no more games okay, what the hell is going on?!? Don't tell me to be patient and wait, cause we don't have that luxury. As. . as your King I order you." Xavier wondered if pulling his supposed rank would work to get Cassandra cooperation.

Cassandra smiled, glad to see Xavier take charge for once. Despite her earlier actions, she did place Xavier's well-being as the height of importance and wanted him to be able to stand-up for himself.

"I guess it'd be rather counter-productive to with hold information from such trigger happy 'comrades', so I guess I'll talk. The long and short of the matter is that you, Xavier, are half-demon, a trait inherited from your father Revan, except where he was artificially made into one, you were born this way. This makes your Demon magic very powerful, as well as gifting you with a special type of curse and a resistance to Devil Slaying Magic as a demon. You're still the same person, though you'll have to combat certain urges brought on by your demon blood." Cassandra then gave a tired yawn, before she began to fade away into mist. "If you ever need my help in battle, my prince, just call out 'King', and I'll come, though I think you should first meet your 'Rook'and your 'Knight' first before you do. Every warrior needs his sword and shield." And with that she disappeared, leaving Xavier a little shell-shocked to say the least.

Turning slowly to face the others he quickly tookout another cigarrette, having burned through the other one, and placed in his mouth, his nerves back in full forces aa his tail swung around him spastically. After taking a qiick drag, he decided to ask the all important question if the day.

"Did anyone else know my dad was half-demon?" His calm tone hiding the level of freaking out he was doing in his head.

"Well, that's a new one. I'm mostly called 'bitch', this is the first time someone's called me a 'puppy'. I can't wait to fucking burn you to ashes, Ice chunk." The nickname came out naturally, even though she didn't even know what kind of magic she had, she just had a hunch about it, besides getting the same vibe she got from Gwen. "I still say there is someone fit-er out there to do the job. I am too much of a crazy-ball, and you seem like a real bitch. Aiden wants some more experience. So I say the Dragon pops should appoint someone after training is all done with." Oriel said, and it was kind of her final statement for the rest of the trip.

After their arrival to the training facility, Oriel finally opened her mouth, and the first thing that came out was her whistling at the sheer size of the base. "Wow, so this is where all of our taxes end up in, huh? Still, pretty damn nice base we got ourselves here. I can't wait to get to training when there are things like this waiting for us." After that, the guy got on with what they should do. So, Oriel didn't waste anytime getting her own suit.

"Couldn't care less about that woman. I'll be right back." She intended to use the other car as well to change into those fugly clothes they had given them. "And I wouldn't be as careless as to just waste food like that."

Oram let out a low growl as he listened to the two Roganoff men and the woman. The old bag of bones had some project in mind. Alec hadn’t seemed to be in on it before, but apparently now he was. Oram was ready, in his eyes. Oram was in the dark though. He was annoyed. These bastard were always using him for whatever whimsical ideas came to mind. “What the fuck do you bastards want me to do? Out with it already.” He barked, doing his best to ignore Alec’s teasing. He already knew how strong he was. Yes he did have S rank level strength. That didn’t matter to him.

He didn’t even care that Alec had kept him from either joining or passing the S rank exams. What he cared about was why. Why the hell were they doing this? What were they going to make him do now? And the woman too. Why was she in league with them. He had so many questions and he never got answers. Not until it was either too late, or he managed to find out himself. The latter was rare. Only occurred about o.o6% of the time.

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



Nicolas had been stuck in that dreadful illusion. It started with his first hallucination, but than he noticed something. Everybody was gone. He turned around. He was alone. There were dead bodies around him. Some guild members that had been around him. Some he had wanted to speak too, but hadn’t gotten the chance. Some he had already begun to admire. All of them dead. But that wasn’t the end of it.

He clenched his eyes shut to try and ignore it, but then he heard a voice calling out to him. “Mom?” He opened them immediately and looked around. She wasn’t… Not wait… There she was. Being help up by the hair. He was chained down. They… His biological parents… It was them… Hurting her… He wanted to scream, but his voice seemed to be gone. What the hell was this hallucination?!

Then it was gone… He was pulled back to reality by a girl’s scream. The situation was definitely tense. “ugh…” He put his hand over his face and tried to think. A demon guy… But he looked like that Harpy dude he’d seen before. Nobody was attacking, but tensions seemed high. There was a robotic guy… That sniper chick… Some other girl… He wasn’t really focusing on any one person. Ow… Was that girl still screaming? He couldn’t tell. His ears were ringing. “What the hell is even going on?” He said just loud enough to be heard as he placed his hand on the nearest thing to him, which happened to be Nigel’s arm.

“Hm?” He looked up still abit out of it when he noticed Nigel. “OH! Sorry…” He stepped back. “Um… Wow… I thought…” He stumbled over words trying to figure things out in his head. This was really too complex. Why did he think he could help? NO… He figured crowd control or something. But that wasn’t the point. Seeing Nigel and the rest, his previous nervousness returned. Ugh… He needed to free himself of this nervousness around current and/or future companions.

The woman gives a makeover for Oram, his haircut being a bit shorter than the longer one and outfit that resembles Alec's. The dragon lacrima powder are scattered in the air. Oram's new outfit

"For the next 2 months, you will be participating in this project, Oram Hellios. Think of it a special training for the Grand Magic Games and guarantee you might reach the power of a Wizard Saint." The old man said.


Brad Li

He nods to Nathan, not letting his pride get on his way, he helps Sai get back up to a safer place, "Dude, we have to do that otherwise we're butchered, I'll stream that 'lightning' of mine to your liquid." Meanwhile Master Jat is almost finished with the runes and has yet to take effect. "Ms. Hunterblade, I require your assistance please. I need you to create a massive whirl wind encasing the island." He said.



Mamba and his team feeling the effects of the illusion, "Don't fret. This is an illusion curse, specifically an illusion that first affects the sense of smell and the latter spreading the affect mentally." Black Mamba is resistant to the effects of the illusion curse as he's able to see through it but not through the culprit. "Shifter... come out." He knew that the guy was following him all along. "I need your teleportation magic to get the rest of the Lamia Members, we need them." The Shifter nods.

Instantaneously teleporting in each location guided by Kira's archive map. "Sage." The first member he get into Mamba's location was the playboy. Then, "Yuka-chan." The Wood Dragon Slayer. "Samurai-chan, Soap-kun." All of them in Mamba's place.

"Thank goodness." He said in relief. "Lamia Scale, we require your cooperation this. We need your help in finding the culprit of the cinnamon curse. At the same time, help us perform a barrier." He said.



"My sword is heavily reacting and constantly absorbing curse power... could this be?" Gwen facing the north direction. "Carol! I think the culprit is in the north. My exorcist blade is reacting to enormous curse power, I need you to crack the curse and once you do, get Sable first out of the illusion. I have a plan, Sable... this isn't time for arguments but the enemy is in the north, I need you to use telekinesis and not dragon slaying magic. We need the culprit alive. The weak offense can sometimes be the best offense in times like this."

At first Sage was munching on his steaming food, with the sound of the rain falling on the roof of the empty guild.

next minute.

He found himself on his ass looking a some guy's legs....at least the he thought he was a guy, in a completely different area, far away from Crocus.

"Sage." A man voice called him. shaking of the pain he felt on his butt he looked up to see a shadowy figure looking down on him. Before he could get his notepad out, Niti, Hana and Yukka appeared on both side of him, in the same position he was in.

"Thank goodness." The man said in relief. "Lamia Scale, we require your cooperation this. We need your help in finding the culprit of the cinnamon curse. At the same time, help us perform a barrier."He said.

Sage continued to look at him with surprise: the same surprised expression of a rock.

Eating the remainer of his food he was holding he wiped his mouth and whipped out his notepad.

-Two Five things:

1.Please don't pull me from outta nowhere. It upsets my stomach.
2. Who are you?
3.Where are we?
4. What's that Cinnamon smell?
5. Why: A barrier?

"I could fill you on that smell kid: An old remedy for seeing thing would don't want to see." the beast sighed before looking at the man sage was sitting before. "But what the heck happened just now...I could have sensed something coming...."

As the mage got up and dusted himself of, he glared at the man before him.

'This man...do i know him...it feels....of...'

The sound of his Comrades met his ear before looking a Yuuka, the mage closest him. Giving another look to the man, he shifted his gaze and knelt down to the green haired mage.

-Are you alright? Can you stand, Yuuka-san?-

Sable Rhodroth.

Even in his anger he felt himself come to a complete stand still. Like before, his scarf had turn black and inky, painted over by the curse afflicting the others. The dank village became a gray zone once Gwen's request had reached his ears. She hadn't known the fucked up truth that followed the magic, so he couldn't blame her for the suggestion but still, he had never felt so much rage that it literally transformed into sorrow.

He took a single step back before turning to face her, though he couldn't help seeing the shadowed faces of his parents sneering behind her. As imaginary as it was, the flames that erupted off of him rose over the buildings with a star-like presence--here one second then gone the next.

"Fuck you, Gwen. Never ask me to do that again," he muttered. "I can bring the bastard back alive with my Dragon Slaying. I won't rely on that other piece of shit magic I have." Fire roared around him and embers flickers off like orange fireflies.

After hearing Cassandra's explanation, Nigel relaxed a bit. Everything pieced together perfectly. Indeed, Nigel did know that Revan was a half-demon, but he imagined that the trait couldn't have been inherited by his offspring. "So that's how it is..." he muttered, already regretting his previous actions. They were supposed to be comrades, friends and above all, a family. Nigel had been quick to ruin that relationship, without even knowing all the details. He had betrayed the trust of his friends.

Nigel was out of it for a few minutes and Nicolas grabbing his arm and then talking to him brought him back to reality. He turned his head and looked at the newly recruited mage, his eyes seemingly empty but at the same time, full of regret. He didn't say a thing to Nicolas, instead, a simple smile formed on his lips; well, whatever kind of smile one could muster at a time like that. With that, he turned to Piper (@j8cob) "You heard her Piper, leave it. We were wrong on this one" he told her, his sadness clearly showing in his tone, "It seems like Gwen found the one who cast this illusion. Let's go help Sable capture and bring him back" he finished. Nigel knew Piper wouldn't respond to him because she was in her bitch-mode, but he didn't have time to transform and make her listen to him. He hoped she would just focus on the matter at hand, dispelling the illusion and figuring out what is happening in this town.

Niti Laevis

LOCATION: Viper Guild Hall

“GYAAAA, HANA!” Niti nearly shrieked out, staring at the empty spot the pink-haired women had previously occupied. One minute she was standing there, then POOF! She was gone! Just like that! It made him want to scratch his head in disbelief since, as far as he knew, Hana haven't mention any teleportation magic.

“Yuuka, did you just see that--? GYAAAA, NOT YOU TOO!” The Soap Mage stared incredibly at the empty flower seat that that Wood Dragon Slayer had just made a few moments ago. He could’ve sworn she was there a few moments ago with the sudden smell of flowers and all.

By now, Niti was in full-panic mode, frantically thinking of his next course of actions. All of his teammate had just vanished into thin air. All that remained was himself, a pool of blood, the Guild Master, a giant flower, and strangely the smell of croquettes.

Crap! Just what the heck is happening!?

Could it be that all his teammates were in trouble? Doesn’t that mean he has to save them? Crap, what is causing all of this!? In his panicked mind, there was only one conclusion that made sense in his adrenaline filled mind…

“Sir!” He rapidly turned toward the Guild Master, throwing his hands into the air. “This smell! It’s doing all of this! I’m sure that—“

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LOCATION: Augustine

“—Croquettes are evil!”

Niti did a double take, stopping right before he started his proclamation of malevolent fried food. He had to blink several times just to make sure he wasn’t dreaming about standing in front of a group of people and one man(?) in a mask. Realizing this was no dream, he smiled sheepishly and took a few steps back, allowing his arms to slowly sink down. “Oh… Hi-? Yuuka, Hana, Sage! Are you guys alright?”

Although he should really focus on the change of scenery, his attention was captured by something else. Hana, Yuka, Sage… Niti could see them a few feet away from him. All of them were alright. They were all together in the same spot with not visible injuries as far as he could tell. Niti fought the urge to rush over to them and crush them with hugs as Sage was already on the move and asking Yuka about her condition. Not wanting to over suffocate them with his presence and his tears of relief, he decided to focus on the situation at hand, keeping one ear open in case one of his teammates started complaining about pains.

“Um… A barrier? Sure! What kind and how big do you want it? By the way, I’m Niti. Who’re you?” Niti asked with a carefree smile, ignoring all the rest of the questions that Sage had brought up to the faceless man.

Yuuka Takenaka Gardner of the four seasons
"I can stand" she said to sage as she used her parasol to help her in standing. Though a bit after she heard Niti's outburst of something being evil. Shaking her head and listening to the question posed she answered. "My magic is mainly defensive I would be best to help maintain the barrier though I do have some ways to track down people with some plants but I am unsure on how well that would work out." She said with a small bow "please put me to where you feel I would be best suited than." She did not understand how they were transported but they needed to help and as such she would do as much as she could to help them.

She only lowered her gun after Cassandra had vanished. So it seemed that this demon was still Xavier, and thus still a comrade. Granted he was a stupid boy, but not the enemy. "Tch," she spat out, propping her shotgun on her shoulder. So they had a half-demon among them. While it seemed that Xavier was in control of himself, Piper kept a mental note to keep an eye on him. Her gaze then went to Nigel, who suggested they assist Gwen and Sable find the source of the illusion.

"No shit we should be doing that," Piper barked. "And that pig isn't going to help the stripper find anything. You should be able to track it down yourself if you're any bit useful so we won't be waiting on idiots." Now she held her weapon in both hands, the anger in her eyes being somewhat diminished by determination. "Let's go find the fucker and tear him a new one." She turned away and was about to start walking, assuming a random direction in order to get searching, before she stopped.

Piper turned to face Nigel, but instead she looked behind him. "The hell is this?" Pink flower petals, cherry blossoms to be precise, were floating in the air above Augustine Town. The blossoms spread across the sky, gently falling down to the ground. Piper held her hand out and let one land in it, proving that it was harmless. Her confusion was evident by looking at her face. "Nigel, is this another illusion?" she asked, though it sounded more like an order than a question.



Before she had much of a chance to get information from the guild masters, Hana found herself being teleported. The world around her changed and she found herself in Augustine Town, alongside her guildmates and a few others. Rather quickly she recognized Black Mamba. "Mamba-san," she greeted, giving the mysterious wizard a polite wave. "It's been a while." While she had a friendly smile, it began to vanish when she sniffed the cinnamon smell.

Her face began to contort in horror. It looked almost as if Hana was about to scream. But rather surprisingly, she simply let out a quiet sneeze. She rubbed her nose while listening to Black Mamba start to explain the situation. Hana was able to pick up the rest on her own. "I understand what's going on here," she said slowly, regaining her composure from her previous sneeze. "Someone is making that scent and we need to find them..."

Without any warning, Hana lifted her hands into the air with her palms to the sky. Wind began picking up around her as she released some of her magic power. The gust may have whipped loose clothes and long hair around for those nearby, but it only made her own pink hair temporarily defy gravity. From her feet began spawning cherry blossoms, many thousands of them being flung into the sky by the gust of power. Within seconds a literal cloud of blossoms was formed in the sky.

Once completed, Hana lowered her arms and the wind died down. As well, the cloud of blossoms began to thin out and disperse over Augustine Town, the multitudes of petals slowly descending to the earth. "I can find them," Hana finally explained, after the fact rather than before. She looked over to Black Mamba and then to her guildmates. "I can feel where my blossoms are and the world around them... In a few seconds I'll know where everything is in this city... Including the person casting the cinnamon spell." As if on queue, Hana suddenly perked up and faced away from her comrades.

"Harpy's Wing and Vyper Bolt mages are here too," she noted, now feeling the presence of the other group on the other side of Augustine. "So this is where everyone went..." The pink-haired samurai looked toward Mamba now. "Should we regroup with them or... wait..." Hana remained motionless for a moment as she concentrated. "North..." The young woman turned to face the direction. She held out her left hand and a white magic circle appeared.

In her hand appeared a long spear, which she gripped with only her left. "The source is in the North part of the town," Hana elaborated, her expression noticeably more stern than people would recognize. She held the spear vertically and rested the bottom of the pole on the ground. "I don't think I can help much with any barrier... so I think I should go after the bad guy..." Hana looked back to her teammates now. "The scary thing is that I don't sense very many living things here... so this can be dangerous. If you guys are worried, stick with Mamba and you'll be just fine." With that as her suggestion, the Last Samurai lifted her spear and began running down the street, a blur of pink barely visible to the human eye as she homed in on the evil presence.

"I can stand" she said to sage as she used her parasol to help her in standing.

The boy nodded as he got back up. he assessed the area around, Hana's voice brought his attention to her.

"Mamba-san," she greeted, giving the mysterious wizard a polite wave. "It's been a while."

'Mamba....doesn't ring a bell' yet he couldn't shake the feeling of them meeting somewhere.' sage leaned back a bit and crossed his arms in confusion as he pulled out another fried crab from his bag, surprisingly they weren't damaged. He started nibbling on another one. He was trying the ward of the cinnamon that was invading his nose, so to counter that: he was using the scent of the fried good to counterbalance it.

It was working...somewhat: but he was his is vision flicker for a second before returning to normal. It was very much annoying him. Closing his eyes for a second he made a mental connection with the black beast.

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

'You said that this smell allow people who have inhaled it was hallucinate right?'

'Indeed'

'Then do you mind making something that won't screw with my vision?'

'Already am, it'll kick in in 3....2...1'

A sharp pain exploding inside his mind, causing him the clutch his head. it was enough to break the connection between him and Bakuko.

'hehhehe....' the beast grinned. 'Try hiding this from your friends.'

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

Back in reality, Sage crouched over covering his left eye. he gritting his teeth as he droped his croquette. the pain lasted for a while before it faded. his breath returned back to normal before feeling something burning in his left eye: a small sensation. quickly he looked at the nearby window to catch his refleaction

"!?"

While his right eye was normal...this left one was Blood red with a vertical slit for a iris. Quickly shutting his left one he re-establish the mental connection.

'oi!'

'you wanted something to counter the small right? Giving you my left eye to use should make you immune to any demonic effects' Bakuko said 'But keep doing what you're doing and make sure no one sees.' and with that the beast cut him off. Sage clicked his tongue in distaste.

Recomposed himself he turn back to the group, using his hair to cover most of his left eye for the time being. He was in time to hear Yuuka speak.

"My magic is mainly defensive I would be best to help maintain the barrier though I do have some ways to track down people with some plants but I am unsure on how well that would work out." She said with a small bow "please put me to where you feel I would be best suited than."

'That Mamba guy wanted a barrier...for the town maybe?' he looked at the wizard again, but he notice that there were more mages behind him.
'Wow...i didn't see them....'

It was now time for Hana to speak up.

In her hand appeared a long spear, which she gripped with only her left. "The source is in the North part of the town," Hana elaborated, her expression noticeably more stern than people would recognize. She held the spear vertically and rested the bottom of the pole on the ground. "I don't think I can help much with any barrier... so I think I should go after the bad guy..." Hana looked back to her teammates now. "The scary thing is that I don't sense very many living things here... so this can be dangerous. If you guys are worried, stick with Mamba and you'll be just fine." With that as her suggestion, the Last Samurai lifted her spear and began running down the street, a blur of pink barely visible to the human eye as she homed in on the evil presence.

Sage shook his head 'TEAM EFFORT!!!!!!!! WHAT DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND ABOUT THAT WOMAN!?' his shoulder sagged. 'Here i am trying to beocome a team player...'

Suddenly Sage felt his honed battled instincts kick it, all around the town, he felt mana-signatures everywhere. Grunting he got out his swords and quickly turned into a railgun. 'Fine, i'll be clean up then' he wrote something down to both Yuuka and Niti.

-We're head out now: You two are on me since Hana just left us: Or help with the barrier. It's up to you- He quickly jumped up the the roof of a nearby house and stared at them: waiting for an answer.

-What is it going to be?- (@Kiso @Bleu Chess)

Yuuka Takenaka

"I stated earlier that I would be best for maintaining a barrier so my vote would be for helping with the barrier." Yuuka said calmly it was hard to admit but no one was really a true team player it took time and they were suddenly thrust into this without time to get used to each other so of course people would act on their own. "With that said though I do believe that despite anything I will go with what the choice is in the end." Yuuka added with a small tilt of her head as she looked to see what Niti would want to do.

Kuro kept calm throughout the whole conversation. So Xavier was NOT a traitor after all, despite having demon abilities. He was no stranger to demons himself, but the boy was the last person he would think to house one. Maybe that was why he felt confident on wanting to join his previous mission before... None of the less, he needs to get back to his mission. He still needs to find and bring Julian back to Alec and get answers to what the hell is going on.

"Very well..." he then said, "If your not an enemy, then there is nothing to fear."

Silently, he slowly walks away, continuing the search for Julian.

As she witnessed the different scenes happening in front of her, causing mixed emotions to arise, Aria noted what she needed to do. She put away her swords using Requip. Looks like she wouldn't be fighting anytime soon.

"Yes, Master Jat," she said firmly.

Aria concentrated her magic and regulated her breathing, readying herself. Then she moved her arms in a swirling motion, swaying them in big arcs for the wind to follow it. It started complying, and began wrapping itself around the forming barrier. The island, though a small dot from the map, was quite a large area when you're actually in it. So it took a large sum of effort to have the wind go around the whole Island repeatedly, sucking in the water outside. Despite that though, she still willed the wind to keep whirling. This time, her arms moved rather vigorously, affecting the wind to do so as well.

The island would soon be inside the eye of a huge whirlwind of water.

Niti Laevis

“Sage, you go ahead and back Hana up and whoever needs help. I’ll work with Yuuka to get that barrier set up.” Niti finally said, feeling the burning sensation that his fellow Guildmates’ stares had managed to create on the back of his neck. Biting his bottom lip lightly, he smiled and, forming small squishy bubbles under his heels with magic, he used the extra bounce to kick off from the ground. His feet quietly landed next to Sage; although, he nearly stumbled and quickly had to regain his balance – by waving his arms none too elegantly - once he got on the slanted surface.

Gently, the Soap Mage gently tapped a finger against Sage’s forehead. From his hands, a single bubble appeared and floated over to the muted boy’s side. While it’s small and lake blue in color, it was translucent enough to see distorted images when you were to peer through it. Not only that, it was special in that it seemed to follow Sage’s movements, drift into which ever direction the mage went to.

“Let this lil’ guy follow you.” Niti requested, gesturing toward the blue bubble. “I’ll be able to keep track of where you’re going and it’ll hang back a few feet so it won’t get in the way. If you need any assistance, pop it and we’ll be there in a jiffy. As a bonus, you can talk it and it’ll deliver your message ASAP.”

“Oh, and Sage?” Niti asked, the smile ever so present on his lips; although, there was a slight wrinkle between his brows. Quickly, he turned his face away as he stared at the cherry blossoms that coated the roof. “I know we just became a team, and I know everybody in this group – minus me - is strong enough to go solo, but… be careful out there. I’ve lost people before, and I don’t want to go through that again. It won’t do to lose my newfound friends so easily. I want to trust you. Can I trust your strength to keep safe? I...” He trailed off, lightly biting his lips. Suddenly, with a deep breath, Niti turned on his heels toward Sage and looked as perky as ever. ”You know what? I have no idea what I’m talking about! Give my regards to Hana and tell her not to ditch us next time!”

Niti hopped off the roof, cushioning his fall with numerous bubbles that popped beneath his weight. Then he tapped Yuuka lightly on the shoulder. His smile was it usual self – bright and energetic. “Ready to get started, my dear lovely partner?”

"I stated earlier that I would be best for maintaining a barrier so my vote would be for helping with the barrier." Yuuka said calmly it was hard to admit but no one was really a true team player it took time and they were suddenly thrust into this without time to get used to each other so of course people would act on their own. "With that said though I do believe that despite anything I will go with what the choice is in the end." Yuuka added with a small tilt of her head as she looked to see what Niti would want to do.

“Sage, you go ahead and back Hana up and whoever needs help. I’ll work with Yuuka to get that barrier set up.”

'Alright then, it's you and me Bakuko' Sage nodded at his teammates actions, in honesty it was better like this: Two members on the offensive while the other set up a defensive barrier. He thought to himself. 'It'll be easier of where not watching each others back'

"Hold on kid, looks like bubble boy wants to tell you something."

Niti smiled and, forming small squishy bubbles under his heels with magic, he used the extra bounce to kick off from the ground. His feet quietly landed next to Sage; although, he nearly stumbled and quickly had to regain his balance – by waving his arms none too elegantly - once he got on the slanted surface.

'.....i guess he hasn't landed on roofs before huh..' tilting his head, Sage awaited for the bubble mage to say something.

Gently, the Soap Mage gently tapped a finger against Sage’s forehead. Making the mute boy back off a bit.

'Please don't touch me all of a sudden.' He cursed the red haired boy.


From his hands, a single bubble appeared and floated over to the muted boy’s side. While it’s small and lake blue in color, it was translucent enough to see distorted images when you were to peer through it. Not only that, it was special in that it seemed to follow Sage’s movements, drift into which ever direction the mage went to.

'It...its....its looks cool~'

“Let this lil’ guy follow you.” Niti requested, gesturing toward the blue bubble. “I’ll be able to keep track of where you’re going and it’ll hang back a few feet so it won’t get in the way. If you need any assistance, pop it and we’ll be there in a jiffy. As a bonus, you can talk it and it’ll deliver your message ASAP.”

'Niti...i can't talk...how did you not know this...have the notes i've been writing to you been for naught?' The black haired boy mental facepalmed himself 'whatever: this bubble looks cool! I shall named you Squishy!'



'But thank you Niti-san, i will look after this bubble and find out what's been causing this.' he silently thanked the bubble mage again. before walking to the source of danger.

“Oh, and Sage?” The mute boy turned back. “I know we just became a team, and I know everybody in this group – minus me - is strong enough to go solo, but… be careful out there. I’ve lost people before, and I don’t want to go through that again. It won’t do to lose my newfound friends so easily. I want to trust you. Can I trust your strength to keep safe? I...” He trailed off, lightly biting his lips. Suddenly, with a deep breath, Niti turned on his heels toward Sage and looked as perky as ever. ”You know what? I have no idea what I’m talking about! Give my regards to Hana and tell her not to ditch us next time!”

Sage was taken aback by this. But smiled in the end before he quickly noted something before turning it into a paper plane which soared straight towards the red haired boys back.

Insert music: One piece: The sword of vows


As the Note hit Niti in his hair, Sage refocused himself, jumping away from the main group.

'Come to think of it...Master did want me to join up with someone....'

Aiden

"Ajax-san, you've got to teach me how to do that some day, it would make things so much easier back at the guild." Aiden asked, only half-joking about what he said, as he got off the train gratefully. If it wasn't for the Ice he'd bern munching on through out the ride, he'd have vomited quite a lot on the way here.

He listened to Ajax's directions, stepping into the car with Oriel to change into his combat fatiques, which he didn't mind that much, before steping over to the supplies and picking ip one bag. He formed a number of Ice Guardians to carry anything him and Oriel couldn't and moved back to where Ajax was. "Ready when you are, Sir." Aiden grinned, excited by the uncertainty of whats to come, in both the training. . . and his relationship with Oriel. He still wasn't sure what to make of her yet, but he knew he didn't hate her and that he liked to spend time with her. He also wondered, in the back of his mind, if he was just some kind of placeholder or replacement to Sable. It wasn't a frequent thought, but it was still there, always lingering in his mind.

Am I really the one she wants, he'd wonder as he fell asleep at night, or am I just who she's stuck with.

It would be a depressing reality if Oriel was just using him in such a way, but it would be nothing new. All his life, he'd just been a means to an end for people, always abandoned when he'd fulfilled his usefulness, so why should now be any different.

The darkness of his thoughts showed briefly as he stared at Oriel for a little while, before turning his attention back to Ajax, the passion that had been present moments before seeming somewhat dimmec before it disappeared all together, a layer of ice freezing the heterochromic blue orbs and locking away any emotions that they had displayed before.

@J8cob

@Hebigami Shiho

[b][S Class Island][/b]

The Isvan Warriors had been left a decent disadvantage. Yunin couldn't control himself and had encased himself in a cocoon from the world. Obinari had been taken out and would probably die. Renji and Lu were the last ones actually paying attention to the battle at hand and they were vastly outnumbered. Despite being effectively more powerful then most, it was easy to see they were at a disadvantage and now the s classes were attempting to hold them from escape. Renji had already taken a hit from Revan and was rather fine now. He glared at the people that he was meant to test and kill if needed. Before he could retaliate, he felt a hand touch his shoulder. A masked individual slowly sauntered into the battlefield between the opponents.

"I see they are stronger then I thought." The Masked individual spoke in a docile tone,"I expected you four to do a better job." Renji balled his fist with an anger so great that his hand began to bleed. "Oh calm yourself, Renji. I shall retreat you all to Augustine. Take Yunin with you." With a wave of his hand, the sky ripped asunder with blackened bolts of lightning shaped magic tore apart the earth all around the wizards and a dome of blackness rose around everyone in the immediate area. "TERRAIN TRANSFER!" His voice echoed to the beat of another voice.

[Augustine Town]

"You all have done wonderfully." A voice boomed over the commotion within Augustine Town, "Your mettle shall be tested." A man materialized from the air itself with a resounding boom across the city, looking like a young Hades. His body hovered above the various wizards that had come to save the town. With a snap of his fingers, the illusions were shattered, giving away to the true appearance of the town. Blood scattered across the street, buildings wrecked beyond repair, and the town's people now wore robes with demonic symbols upon them. "You've come to be fed the beast known as Walpurgisnacht and I, Lucifer, shall harbor to your death." The same occurrence from the island began to take place in the very core of Augustine. Lucifer's hands began glowing with a dark purple, magic coercing all around him. "TERRAIN COMPLETE!" Lucifer's voice mirrored the voice of the masked man from the island.

[Cohesion between Lands]

The land began to shake and tremor as if the tectonic plates were tearing apart. Space warped and flipped around the wizards of Augustine and the S-Class camp. As the world changed, the earth rose and shifted around. Spires ascended from the very bowels of hell itself, a shrine took visage several miles away, and various demonic looking buildings formed all around. The S-Class Wizards and Augustine Wizards stood amongst each other in a general area. The masked man laughed and immediately threw a oddly shaped orb at Obinari's body. His body shook violently as blood began to leak from the wound that he claimed earlier. Sairis eyes opened instantly at the smell of the curse that took form over Obinari's body. Sairis reacted by lifting brad and throwing him several meters away before dashing over to Obinari like a wild beast. Only a moment passed before he bit into Obinari's neck, tearing flesh and blood from bone. The curse along with blood began to fill Sairis's body, morphing him into something far beyond malicious. His wound healed instantly and he turned back to those that he once called friend, intimidating them with a loud roar.

"Good. I was hoping for that outcome. Lucifer, Renji, and Lu, stall them and bring out more magic. Yunin is almost ready to become the vessel. Make sure their "friend" over there gets to feed." The Masked Man laughed insatiably as he began walking toward the shrine. The battle for Augustine had just gotten worse.