---

Isshum watched Alice work with a bit confusion. Watching her mix and swirl the smelly beakers around was tough, the liquid inside kept getting stronger and stronger. Eventually he completely ignored the odor and fell silent, glancing towards James with a silly, toothy grin. Like most Dragon Slayers, Isshum carried especially sharp canines, one that became prominent whenever he smiled or frowned.

When she was finish with Revan, Isshum raised both his firm fist into the air and laughed heartily. “Right away! Right away!” he cheered twice. “Waiting for them would take all day! Besides, James’ll probably pass out from being too bored soon. Let’s go!” he commanded, punching the air towards the guild door, even though he had no clue where her office was.

Sage crouch/ran thought the dense trees, ducking underneath the branch that would come his way. Yet no voice of a frustrations came from the man as he continued trekking deeper into the forest. About an hour later a sudden burst of light met his vision as he saw the exit onto the other side of the forest. Slowing down to a walk, the man cracked his knuckles as he entered the light. He was sure that anyone would be following him, not after going thought all that, it wasn't worth it. Sage squinted for a bit before seeing a cliff edge just into front of him, falling to his knees and made his way slowly to the end. Below him was the reach and if someone where to walk it, they would reach the shores of cedar City. Looking for any signs of life around him before jumping down the cliff.

In the mids of falling, Sage closed his eyes before landing on the ground before opening them once more. Blood red eye became his iris as he scanned once more. "No one is here, but-" on the left side of him- a couple of kilometers was where a pair of boats ashore, they aren't regular boat, they were enough to carry more than 50 people.

'......' Running towards it Sage tried to scanned for any life once more, but nothing worked 'perhaps looking into the boat, would be a better alternative.'

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



Sage landed on the first boat 'It's prepped for a long sail from the looks of it, food, water, entertainment, chain...whips?' the list of entrapping people when one 'This is....a slave boat, could this mean?' Sage hop onto the second boat and then turned to the sea 'What were looking for...might be out there?' A low hum escaped his lips before his instincts would kick in.

"Oi, you there. What do you think your are doing?" Sage eye flashed dangerously as he spun towards the voice. In fact, more than 30 men had somehow got onto the boat without him noticing.

'Heh...my senses must be getting old.' Sage chuckled.

"Well not like it matters now, you, the kid and everything living being for the almighty:" he said man started laughing loudly.



Reborn

Sage shivered with those words...it was back in the underworld, where he learned ancient Demons that roamed the underworld and even the the surface of the earth...way before the black mage Zeref was even born, Did humanity finally unleashed the Ancient Demons onto the world, was the world that bad to it needs to be destroyed?

"Now, why don't you give yourself up and i'm sure we can use you in a good place." the man chuckled as he motioned his men to circle around the white haired man.

'Fairy tail saved us from the terror of Zeref and the spriggans, and you want to set lose a demon that can end the world on a whim?' Sage shook his head before smirking 'Interesting.'

"GET him boys!" With a roar the other foot soldiers rushed the silent mage. Sage on the other hand grinned before readying himself for an easy fight.

---

Sage sighed as he left the finally man loose from this grip before looking around, blood was all around him, the cries of men and even woman, During the fight he obtained some info on the captures, he would have to get back to the city, apparently a bigger fight was about to erupt.

That was not all, Nyarlathotep was not going to be summoned via a magic circle. It was going to use a host to live inside, especially someone who was ready (and unwilling) and had the potential to host a powerful demon.

Sage gritting his teeth as he looked at the picture of the host before throwing it away.



It would be night time before Sage would regroup with Beatrix.

@Raijinslayer
@j8cob



"Already got you covered, Matt, replies Revan, "My hydras are following from the city's shadows as we speak, and since they're low level ones, I doubt even that shifty little shit will be able to sense them. If anything fishy happens, they'll alert me about it."

"GOOD." answers Matt as he starts to transform back into his human state, "We need some stealthy agents like them."

"I'm itching for a reason to make good on my promise and rip that kid's head right off. I don't care if the little flame girl has the hits for him, anyone whose willing to kill civilians like that is bad news."

"Damn right it is. In fact, I'd rather kill him myself..."

"We still should bring his ass in anyway, though, cause I sure as hell ain't paying for the damages to the city he just created."

"You mean ALL of us." Matt remarks, "The whole guild will be responsible, and the high Council would not be happy about it at all either. I mean, have you seen how the mighty Titania looks when she~?"

Just then, Hana makes her comment behind them.

"Actually, it will be me that will handle Ira."

Matt would look behind him to see her with a grunt.

"And what makes you say that?"

"You two have each challenged him already and both times you had let him go. It would only be fair if I get a turn, but the main reason I will fight him is because I'm not like you two."

The pink-haired samurai stepped forward, standing before Revan and Matt with an authoritative pose.

"If he brings harm to Taka then I will fell him in one strike."

The brawn man listens respectfully. While all three were comparable, Hana Oshiro was known as the sharpest offense. Her fights were always quick and clean, wasting no time to test her opponent or herself. Most have to build up to full strength but The Last Samurai comes out with maximum force every time.

"I hope there is no problem with that. You have to remember that it is also part of my responsibility to look out for everyone. Besides, from watching the two fights so far it might just require my touch to maintain our honor as the Wizards of Fiore."

Matt thought to himself for a second until making his reply.

"Very well." he answers, "For the honor of this guild, you'll also keep an eye on her."

And with that, Hana left. The strong man then slowly looks over at Revan.

"I don;t know if you've already noticed, but in case you didn't, that dark mage has an aura all too similar to that blasted Zeref..." he growls quietly, "I fear something far more sinister is at play... a fear I hadn't felt since the war...

Pain. Emptiness. The crushing feeling of self doubt. These were the emotions that Aiden awoke to face the day after the technical success of the Ogre Cave mission. It went entirely awry the moment it started, but then she had to show up. The wounds on his body pulsates in remberance of his fight with the last person he ever wanted to see again. That was also the last thing about yesterday's mission that he could remember about the latter half of the mission. The woman had burst in, shadows dancing around her as she facilitated the hooded man's escape, killed the boy on the altar, and managed to hold off all four of them up to the pint until she caused a cave-in, separating him and he from the rest of the group.

There they fought some more, but even Aiden had to admit that he was greatly outmatched by his foe, who barely even flinched as she took his attacks almost as of they were nothing if he didn't build up their power, and even then it didn't seem to do much. Then he'd heard her laugh, saw the eyes underneath her hood, those familiar mocking eyes, and the next thing he knew, the others were pulling him out of the cave, drained of magic and covered in cuts and bruises. He couldn't remember anything before that moment, it was all just a blur to him, but he didn't need to to know what happened.

With a hiss of pain, he got out of his bed, his wounds seeming to have been tended to by one of the mandatory guild healers, reaching over to the fridge next to his bed to pull out a bag of ice that he kept nearby to snack on in the night. After a few handfuls, he felt good enough that he could probably due dime like work for the day. While he should've stayed inside and rested, he knew he needed to take his mind of the other day somehow, and a mission seemed the best way to do that. But not before taking a certain. . . pre-caution. Reaching underneath his bed, he pulled out an old bag that held a few old clothes, a bag of broken scale pieces he'd kept to remind him of his late adoptive father, Chronos, and a strange black choker that held a strange digit on the front of it, an X made from crossed magic staves with a double helix formation forming around them in a flowing pattern. Just the sight of it filled him with rage, but he had to swallow it down for now, lest he have a repeat of yesterday.

Reaching in, he picked up the small collar and fastened it around his neck securely, then fed a small amount of magical energy into it, so as to intimate the start up sequence for the device inside. The sigil glowed for a second before dying down, with Aiden being struck by an intense feeling of weakness and agonizing pain. He couldn't say a thing, writhing weakly on the ground in silence as the choker went to work. After a while, he was able to stand up again, wiping of the thick layer of sweat that had formed upon his face as the feeling passed.

"I didn't think I'd have to use this thing again, but I'm glad I kept it. One man's trash is another man's treasure, right?" Auden said with a dry chuckle as he got himself dressed in his usual garb, tying his air up in it's long ponytail, though he didn't take to straightening out any loose hairs today, he felt to tired to care about how he looked this. . . afternoon? Shit, All the good jobs are usually taken around this time. Probably for the best, but still. . . Aiden gave a sigh as he walked out the door to his room, walking down the hallway to the stairs, flinching slightly at every other step as he walked over to the board. Once there, he saw that Kuroko was also there, and seemed to have chosen a job as well.

Deciding to give it a once over, Aiden decided that this would be an easy enough mission to take, assuming that the Pencil Wizard would have him. "Would you like any help on this mission of yours, Kuroko? I know I'm not at a hundred percent, but this job sounds simple enough that you and me could handle it with marginal difficulty. It'd be even easier if anyone else joins in, but that'd just be overkill, though that might be just what these assholes need." Aiden face soured as he turned his thoughts to the town that was currently being occupied by a bunch of thugs. "It's people like this that put shame to all mages, so let's show him what the Wizards of Fiore do to losers thinking they can take advantage if defenseless villagers, yeah, Pencil Wizard?"

@Lmpkio



"What Matt said and all that, besides, you're probably the only one who could kill him before he runs off without destroying half the town while you do it." Revan said with a yawn, the effects of the medicine starting to take effect. As he saw her babying Alice's brat, he couldn't help but chuckle at the poor kid's fate. "It's a wonder you and Stone-faced Ajax have yet to have a kid of your own by now. You'd be a good enough parent, I suppose. . . better than me anyway." Revan said the last part under his breath, an air of melancholy hanging over him as he decides to take a seat at one of the benches in the main hall, barely acknowledging Matt's approach with more than a grunt to show he was listening. As he spoke, however, Revan forced himself into a more active state, if only slightly.

"Little shit reminds me too much of myself at a young age, except he seems to have a shred of his humanity about him if he's truly got the hots for that Taka girl. And I know what you mean, something about his presence gets my demonic blood excited, and experience has told me that's never good. Not much we can do now, what sucks about following the laws, but I say we keep an eye in the girl. Whatever the reason for his interest in her, she's are best way of keeping an eye on him. So we'll watch him, maybe try to turn him down a better path if we can, and kill him without mercy if we can't."

Revan suddenly broke out into a fit of chuckles as he thought about what he just said, and the person he said it about. "Wow, raiding a brat of my own has made me soft, hasn't it? Before that blasted war, I would've killed him the second he started that one attack, city be damned. Now. . . now I want to actually help the shut be a better person. Heh, Xavier would be shocked." Revan's chuckles slowly died down as the air of melancholy fell over him even heavier than before. He let out a defeated sigh as he laid his head on the table, a single tear making it's way from the corner of his eye as he let himself drift into a drug-induced sleep, thinking back to happier days where he'd finally had something he could be proud of. I really have gotten soft, haven't I

@j8cob

Beatrix Durandal

"Kehahhahahahaha! Clearly my arrival here promoted you to help rescue yourself, you may thank me later."

Beatrix lifted her hand and brushed her hair to the side and smiled, she was sure that the girl was truly thankful but maybe she was one of those 'tsundere' that she had heard so much about? "As much as I would love to be showered in your praise it does seem we have run out of time.." She made her way towards the center along with her angels, and as if on cue more and more cult members started to pour into the caves like ants coming to attack the intruders of their home. She counted at least 24, something that normally would be nothing in comparison to two mages like them, though they seemed to have more than a few tricks up their sleeves.

Each and every one of the people around her held a magical weapon within their hands and Beatrix could not hold back the slight look of surprise on her face. How did they obtain so many weapons? She would have to think on that later as they started to move into formation, but one section split and allowed a rather strange Masked man who swayed when he walked. He did stop when he reached the outer edge of the surrounding enemy, his hand coming up to wipe off the eye of his mask before checking his watch.

"It seems she was right about you Miss April, troublesome. I have been told not to kill you but damaged goods seem to be ok Miss April, unless..."

Motioning her hand towards the rainbow mage he pointed towards the staff that she held, his movements seemed unnatural and uneasy as if he was not use to standing.

"If you hand over that weapon, I think we could see a way of letting you go."

Beatrix motioned out her hand so that her two angels flanked her, readying their shields and spears to face off against the crowd of magical armed men and women. She did not like the face that she was being ignored but the movement of her puppets but the crowd on edge. Grinning away she leaned onto her arm and relaxed in her chair.

"Well then April, it is time to impress me~ Please do your best."

@Leslie Hall

@Raijinslayer



"Little shit reminds me too much of myself at a young age, except he seems to have a shred of his humanity about him if he's truly got the hots for that Taka girl."

A growl escapes Matt as he crosses his arms together with a worried look.

"That's what scares me. This dark mage, on his first day here on the guild, has somehow convinced fellow Taka into coming with him as if they known each other for years... And that's what scares me. A Zeref-like mage trying to date one of our guild mates? What if he tries to rape her or even persuade her to be on his side? Maybe I'm worrying too much in a fatherly manner, but in the guild, she is automatically our sister. And we have responsibilities to keep each other safe."

"And I know what you mean, something about his presence gets my demonic blood excited, and experience has told me that's never good."

"Exactly. And he should know this by now. Yet he has the balls to come in like a casual..."

"Not much we can do now, what sucks about following the laws, but I say we keep an eye on the girl. Whatever the reason for his interest in her, she's are best way of keeping an eye on him."

"With Hana and your Hydras watching them from distance, I feel at least some comfort that we'll know what's going on and see if all is OK."

"So we'll watch him, maybe try to turn him down a better path if we can, and kill him without mercy if we can't."

"It seems unlikely to turn him to the path of goodness," sighs Matt deeply, "It'll be a miracle if we can, but his aura seems just too dark for any repair to be made... But we'll see what fate has in store. If things go on a better path, then perhaps we can forgive his troubled soul. If not... then death will certainly fall upon his head."

And with that, Matt calms down and lies on one of the nearby sofas, trying to put his mind to rest about the situation.

Alice stood among the discussion between Hana, Matt and Revan. They were discussing which one of them would be the one to take down the mysterious assailant. The doctor couldn't lie to herself; the man was dangerous and the thought of him being so close to a young member of our guild at this very moment sent a shiver up her spine. Yet at the same time, she was against violence; especially against someone as young as the man in question. Clearing her throat, Alice contributed to the conversation as Hana spoke of ending him swiftly if any harm came to Taka.
"If Taka has decided to entertain him for today, then perhaps the girl is able to see something in him that our more experienced eyes cannot. I've never been one for ignoring the opinion of the youth. When Taka returns, I suggest we involve her in this discussion since it seems that she will be in more of a position to assess this stranger than any of us." Alice may have sounded naive there, willing to put her trust in this man if Taka agreed it was right to do so. Yet she had this strange feeling that the young man truly meant no harm to her. She felt malice and evil in his magic, and she could hear the incomprehensible whispers of the angels foretelling destruction, but she trusted a member of the guild more than her own intuition and entities of the divine.

She wasn't able to dwell on the thought too much, as both Hana and Revan seemed to be occupying themselves with James. The young boy had met so many new people at once and Alice could see that the exposure was starting to do him good. He still stood close to Alice, but his stance had opened up and he no longer clung to her in fear. Although that didn't stop him from shaking as Revan knelt down close to him, giving his standard warning. Swallowing his fear, young James nodded his head at the demons words.
"Y-Yes Mister!" James stood up straight, pushing his shoulders back to try and seem more adult. Yet when Hana leaned in and began playfully pinching the young boys cheeks, his serious demeanor softened at her touch and he began to giggle.
"The last time I examined him, which was recent," Alice began answering Hana's question about James' magic power as the young boy listened in curiously, "He has latent power; quite a lot for someone so young. At the moment he hasn't had any outbursts of magic, but keep in mind that both my and my husbands families were not mage families. I didn't begin practicing magic until I was eighteen, so it's possible that James will be a later bloomer as well." Of coarse, all of this was all theory, and James could easily surprise her. The young boy stood there, his mouth wide open and his eyes glistening with delight.
"Can I be a mage one day? Like everyone here?" It was hard for him to hide his excitement, and he began jumping up and down with his tiny fists in the air. "I'm gonna work hard and help people just like Mommy and her friends!" Alice patted her son on the head gently. The thought of him entering the world of magic was scary, but also exciting, for she had seen both the good and the bad that it had to offer.

Turning towards Isshum as he answered her question, Alice was as excited as he was to get started. His comment about James falling asleep made the young boy pout, and he began following Isshum through the guild with a determined look in your eyes.
"I'm gonna stay up all day! I won't fall asleep!" The thought was quite amusing to Alice, since she predicted that the kid would be taking his nap around lunch time. Her finger gently traced a couple of the scars along her arm, and her mood shifted from happy to uncertain. She was truly terrified of James entering this world, but she refused to hold him back from pursuing the path he wanted. It was his life, and to restrict him would be to go against everything she stood for.

After Alice had spent a good while retrieving Isshum and James and redirecting them to the infirmary where her office actually was, she sighed as she was presented with the empty room. A pile of her equipment and possessions lay in the middle of the room. The walls were a plain white color, and the floors were made from the same wooden planks as all the other floors in the guild hall. The room had been kept quite clean by one of the other doctors. The young man was still in the room, wearing a similar lab coat to Alice's and measuring the space for her desk.
"Thank you for your help, I greatly appreciate it.". The man smiled at her, finishing up the last measurement and giving her the 'okay' for everything.
"It was my pleasure, Provost Alice." The man bowed respectfully to her, and Alice responded by placing a hand gently on his shoulder. The exchange was a simple one of respect between two healers, and without another word the man left to go and return to his job.

Turning to the pile of stuff, Alice began to sort through her boxes of paperwork, transferring them to the correct spot in the filing cabinet. The paperwork involved a lot of personal files of every guild member regarding their medical conditions. They were sealed with a powerful magic that only allowed the medical staff of the guild to read them, as there had been cases of sneaky young mages stealing them to try and get intimate details of their female companions. She turned to James and Isshum.
"Everything is already assembled, you just have to move it around a bit. Also if you could sort those vials into those two cabinets over there. I would like one cabinet to hold the medicine, and the other my collection of poison samples. The poisonous vials have a red lid, and the medicine has a green lid. I should warn you, if you drop one of the poison vials and it breaks, we could die, so let's avoid that." She mostly made that comment as a joke, yet despite that she could see James taking a step away from the box filled with poison. Instead of working with the medicine, James instead made himself in charge of setting up Alice's desk with an assortment of colorful things that would remind her of home.

While sorting through files, Alice came across a few portraits. In one, a tired looking Alice sat in a hospital bed with a newborn James in her arms. She looked awful. Her hair was a mess and she was as pale as anything. At the time she hated Ebisu for taking a picture of her in that state, but it turns out that capturing the first memories with James proved to be the right idea. Another photo showed Alice and Ebisu together at the alter. Alice was crying in this picture, but she was also smiling. There was a photo of Alice receiving her Diploma from Provost Nicolas all those years ago. Her scars ached upon seeing the mans face, and she couldn't help but touch them. The man had caused her so much pain, but she'd be a fool if she tried to act as if she didn't owe everything to him. There was even a photo of Alice at the opening ceremony of her academy. She remembered how happy she was that day. Before she could dwell on the memories, the last photo caused her to gasp; catching the attention of those in the room.
"When did this..." She stared in disbelief. It was a black and white photo if Alice and her family when she was only 16. It was taken before her brother passed away. She could still remember the day clearly. It was supposed to be a nice family photo, but Alice and James decided to pull silly faces together which caused their parents to be angry at first. However upon seeing how much fun their children were having, they paid for an additional photo where all four of them were making a wide variety of wacky expressions. She stared at her brothers face, smiling as a tear rolled down her cheek.
"You look so much like your Uncle, James. If you end up growing to look like him then you should consider yourself fortunate, he was very popular with the girls in our town." James began to blush at those words, covering his face in embarrassment.
"Stop it Mom! Don't say stuff like that!" Alice laughed, hanging the photos up on her wall. She turned to Isshum.
"I can't wait to fill up this wall with more memories."

@j8cob
@Raijinslayer
@Renny
@Lmpkio



April impatiently tapped her foot at the arrogance of the woman in front of her. It pissed her off that she was implying that April should be thankful for her showing up at the last minute to claim the glory. How did she even find her anyway? The whole ordeal seemed sketchy to April. She took a step back from her, Iris still aimed at the puppet master.
"Your presence caused me to escape? That is the biggest, steaming pile of bullshi-" April was interrupted by the woman once again, warning her of an upcoming danger. With an annoyed groan, April turned to face the group of adversaries that had flooded into the room. "If you hadn't distracted me I'd be long gone by now you swine!" Bracing for a battle, April held out Iris in front of her and began pulsing with magic. However when the mysterious masked man stepped forward, April found her magic power lowering in his presence. Was this fear? She trembled at his words, especially when he threatened to damage her. However when he talked about her handing over Iris, April's body went still. So that was what they were after. Anger rose within the girl, followed by an eerie calm. With a cocky smile, April poked her tongue out at the man and entered a battle stance.
"You think I was born yesterday, maggot? If you just wanted my weapon then you wouldn't have put me in prison. You're as dumb as you look if you think I'm gonna believe that you'll just let me go you twat!" A large magic circle appeared underneath April, sending a wave of technicolor magic along her skin. She stared back at the puppet master, who was lounging carelessly on a chair while her angels armed themselves. With an annoyed 'tsk' she began to shift the form of Iris into that of a large, ornate rose.
"Like I give a damn if you're impressed or not. Quit talking to me as if I care why you're here! Make yourself useful or leave!"

The young womans clothes began to change color before the eyes of everyone, swapping through a multitude of various effects before settling on a white and blue attire; even her hair had turned strawberry blonde. In her hands, Iris released Magic Power from the tip of the rose.
"Color Switch! Rainbow Boom!" She held Iris into the air, and from the tip of the rose, many seed shaped objects began flying out and scattering themselves out among the cult members. Many of them dodged out of the way, but some weren't fast enough and were met with a large explosion as the seeds reached their feet. If they were to look at the seeds, they would find that they weren't actual seeds; rather just bombs shaped to look that way. Some of them even had a pair of legs and arms and were chasing after cult members that had evaded them before exploding. Despite the effort she'd put into the attack, April had barely dented the numbers. She wasn't the strongest of mages, and as much as she didn't want to admit it, she'd be relying on Beatrix to assist her with this fight.

@Kitsune

Beatrix Durandal

The masked man clenched his hand when April denied his offer, he even seemed somewhat insulted by the implication that he would go back on his word though it was really hard to tell due to his mask. "I did try to be nice Miss April, please do not think less of me for having to do this..." Despite his threat the man stood completely still, allowing the crowd of men to charge towards them, though the barrage of explosive 'seeds' slowed them down considerably.

Beatrix on the other hand did not even react to the girls words, after all who would not be thankful for someone like her to be by their side and helping them out? "Very good! Your magic puts on a great show!" She cheered on the girl as she also 'readied' herself for battle, one of her arms dangling loosely towards the floor, her wires sinking into the soft ground while she motioned for the white angel Aria to dash towards the right side of April, her shield coming up as she advanced towards the enemies on that side! Smashing through them in a crescendo of flying cult members and explosive colors from the rainbow mages attack.

Smiling to herself as she watched the scene one of the cult members saw their opportunity to take out the puppet master and raised his flaming great sword "I have you now!" With a powerful swing the large man sent a wave of flames straight towards Beatrix, but without even missing a beat the black angel Shi dashed in front of the flames, its shield giving off a soft hum as it was covered in a thick layer of water and then frost, using its intense power to bash the flames away into the near by wall! "Shi be a dear and handle that side? I will be taking care of the rest with April." With that the throne she was on started to walk forwards.

"Wire Subjugation~"

The wires that she had been feeding into the ground suddenly burst forth, wrapping around at least ten of the cult members, their legs being pulled back and their weapons being held tightly within the wire made a 'creek' as they struggled "What is going on?! Why can't I move?" The wires were so thin that only the trained eye could see them now that they had been covered in the dust from the ground "You have all been very bad, kidnapping such a nice girl as this-" They all stopped struggling for a moment and looked confused, peering between Beatrix and the 'not very nice at all' April, "Wire Punishment" Combining into one thick threat the wire slammed into the bound cult members, sending them flying across the room. "April, be careful of that masked one... He is likely a mage, and he is likely not using his magic because it may effect the others." That was the only conclusion that she could come up with as to why the man had yet to attack and was just standing there... Creepy...

@Leslie Hall

A thirst for knowledge!

...Ah, Magnolia, one of the greatest towns in all of Fiore. Albeit already being a big town by regular standards, after the establishment of the grand guild, Wizard's of Fiore, and the relocation of the Magic Council's headquarters to Magnolia, it exponentially grew in size and importance. It took many years for the people to recover from the sheer amount of destruction that the civil war brought to the country but in the end, they did just that and so, here we are now, 6 years later, witnessing a new era for Fiore.

---

The sound of machines beeping, a pulse that could not be heard, white lights illuminating the nonetheless, dark room. The clicking sound of shoes making contact with the floor, slowly inching closer and closer. "Doctor, we just got the test results and it's just as you said," the assistant told the bespectacled man standing beside the bed while giving him two sheets of paper. "Yes. This is good. This is really good," the man exclaimed and turned his attention towards the bed. "Hehehe... Well, my boy. You are indeed the one. I'm going to have such a good t-

-IME. Zzzt. The eternano current traveled through his body, shocking him awake. "Master! It's almost noon! It's about time you woke up!" Mio yelled, although no one but Nigel could hear her. He sat up on his bed and opened the command console. "Ugh..Mio..I've told you countless times to not wake me up so roughly," Nigel told her in response while rubbing the back of his head. "And I think we've already had a little talk about your ...careless use of eternano, just like you did now..."

"But Masteeeer, it was you that programmed me that way so that I would make sure that you did not oversleep after staying awake for so long, experimenting," Mio said and pouted. "She does have a point there... Ugh, whatever am I going to do with you?" Nigel said and laughed, inciting another jolt of eternano from Mio. "Hey! Why'd you do that for?" he said jokingly. "Hmph!" Mio turned her back and closed the console.

Chuckling, Nigel got out of bed and headed towards the bathroom. "Ah, a nice, cold shower first thing in the morning is the best..." he thought as he entered the shower, closing the door behind him. He let the water fall on his back for a while, trying to stave off the remaining of his sleepiness. "I had the same dream again... how many times does this make it? Ugh..." Nigel rubbed his temples and proceeded to finish with his morning routine before putting on some clothes and heading downstairs to make some breakfast, well, breakfast for him at least. For most people, it would probably be time for lunch but Nigel didn't really care about that so much.

"Miooooo! Nigel called whilst sipping on his coffee. "Miiiiooooo!" The console suddenly opened once again, "WHAT!?" "Hehe, why are you angry? It was only a joke. Okay, sorry. There. Are you happy now?" he told her but she was unrelenting. "I am not a kid! I am a perfectly grown up artificial intelligence! Oh, but I know what is wrong, though," Mio snickered. "You're just jealous that you can't be like that fire mage we met the other day. Oh, how good must it feel to be able to change the properties of eternano. Aww, It's really regrettable that you can't do that, Master," she told him with mock pity.

Coffee flew out of Nigel's mouth once he heard her mention the fire mage. "No I am not! Who is jealous? Certainly not me! Why you, it's probably time I really took a better look at your behavioral patterns. That ought to give you a lesson..." he said while sponging the spilled coffee from the table with a cloth. "Anyway, It's about time we went over to the guild," Nigel said and, after finishing his coffee, grabbed his coat and exited his apartment.

---

The walk to the guild was like every other time, quiet and uneventful. "Pff, sometimes I think that It's too peaceful... It's too good to be true, really..." Nigel sighed reached for the guild hall's doors. "Hey everyone!" Nigel called, making his presence known to his fellow guildmates, and walked towards the bar. He sat down on one of the stools and grabbed one of the many small inventions of his that he carried around with him whenever he left his house. Hey, a man had to occupy his time somehow. It seemed there weren't any jobs available and usually, if that was the case, his inventions took up most of his time - albeit, that happened even when there were jobs that he could take.

Hana grinned to herself as both Matt and Revan conceded and allowed her the right to fight Ira. Hopefully she wouldn't have to, but from what she had seen of his fights before he might actually be worthy. It had been a long time since she's had a good fight, in her eyes. But while she was pinching Alice's kid's cheeks, Revan made a comment on her and Ajax having a child. The samurai woman immediately blushed and released James, standing up to full height and crossing her arms over her chest as she faced the half-demon. "Ajax and I know what we want," Hana said rather sternly. "And besides, he's gone all the time. I haven't seen him in two months actually. He's a busy man."

Then Hana turned away from Revan with surprising attitude. Clearly he had struck some kind of nerve with her, judging by her unusual behavior. Children must be a touchy subject. While Hana's redness was dying down, she looked back to Alice and let out a sigh. "Well that's good news. No need to pressure him or rush him or anything like that." The older woman and her child moved on to other business, forcing Hana to turn back to Revan and Matt. "I'm not really the stealthiest for watching people in secret, because I can't mask my magical pressure all that well," Hana confessed, walking towards the door. "But what I can do is spread it out to make it a lot harder to detect. I'll just watch them from afar, okay?" She didn't wait for any kind of confirmation from Revan as she stepped out of the door. The moment she was outside her body began to separate, dissolving into many hundreds of cherry blossoms that immediately scattered into the wind. And like that she had vanished from sight.

---

Isshum had his arms folded lazily behind his head as he walked into the laboratory. A mess of items were piled in the middle, foreign constructs that seemed far too fragile for him to handle. He was beginning to re-think his offer to help. If he broke anything, it was possible that Mrs. Alice—the kind, motherly woman that he had just met—might turn scary.

He glanced upward and grin awkwardly at the thought. “I heard mothers could be super scary sometimes. I sorta wonder what’s that like.” he thought aloud.

The Dragon Slayer returned to Alice and another greeting each other. Though it was obvious that man held a great deal of respect for her. That was what he had wanted all his life, just for someone to respect him. Being alive, for the longest time at least, had seemed like a curse on others. His own village had looked upon him with nothing but fear and disgust. He still wonders why.

His sadden lips pursed though his eyes held a maintained unease as he delved in and out of his past. Whenever he melded with others, a large group mostly, he always picked out small things that he was missing out of his childhood. A love family. A mother that would do anything and everything to show love. A father … that actually cared that he lived.

Alice’s voice wafted between his thoughts, ushering him back to his duties. Isshum’s face changed like a flipped switched. He became that innocent youth who dreamed of becoming a Hero as he squatted near the items and toyed with them. Specifically, he pulled a beaker with a red lid out of a box, twirling the molten red liquid inside.

“This? This is poisonous?” he asked rather quickly. He took a whiff of the glass tube. “It certainly smells foul. A mixture of metal, hot rock, and … something I can’t quite pin-point. Oh, well,” he mumbled to himself as he placed it back and picked up the container.

He was on his way to putting it up when a sharp gasp cut the air. Isshum ears were stabbed but he couldn’t deny the slight sound of distressed that lined the sound. He placed the box on a conveniently close counter before hurrying over to Alice. “You alright?” he asked as she stared into a photo, mesmerized to the point of becoming emotional.

Silently, he took in every moment the mother and son shared. Seeing it, for whatever reason made his heart palpitate. He gripped it with a veiny hand, though that was impossible to see behind the black bandages lining his entire arm. His face scrunched up in a teary respite from his confusion.

I-I hate this feeling. It feels like somethings about to break inside of me. Like a tree’s about to fall in a lonely forest. He lowered his head, hiding the fiery glow of the tattoo around his left eye. It burned furiously, causing Isshum to grip the leather of his shirt even more.

A pulse thumped from within him, a powerful impulse that sent weak embers into the air from off his skin. The firelight quickly died away. A burning unlike anything cut deep into the tattoo of his face as another impulse burst from his chest. He cried out in pain before falling to his knees and holding his heart desperately; he felt as if the organ was going to leap out his muscle and skin.

Another wave of embers erupted from him, this one stronger and hotter but not quite dangerous; though Alice would probably notice the heat was escalating far faster than the fire show. Before his daze, pain-filled eyes, Isshum could see a pale hand reach out of warped space, an arm piercing reality before gripping his face. The palm was smooth, featureless, but its strength was unlike anything he’s ever seen. A porcelain bracelet laid on the thick wrist as it applied pressure.

An icy voice, soft but masculine spoke in the midst of Isshum’s agony. “Be still demon.” It compelled Isshum, wiped away his current memories and sent him sprawling onto the floor. He faded into darkness, the heat of his skin was so cold that one would think he was a corpse. After it did, the arm slid back into the warp hole, the space that it came from returning to normal.

@Leslie Hall

Damon's eyes looked over the arriving Bristlebane and a smile etched it's way upon his face. It was nice to see that the newer members of Team rave had earlier then even Ren and Blanche, two people that Damon had went on a handful of missions with. He wondered just where they were at this time. There was a mission to be had and he would have liked the whole team to be here for this. Damon placed his right hand inside his hood and laced his fingers through his red hair, a color opposite of his mother's hair color. Ruffling his hair for a bit Damon gave out a loud sigh. "welp we shouldn't be waiting for Ren and Blanche but we will for now. I'll let you in on the mission. Apparently there is a Dark Guild known as Satyr Horn that has been ravaging a small village known as Eastcliff. They aren't too strong from reports leading me to believe that this will be somewhat of a cakewalk. The people insist that we stop them. I trust you guys don't mind beating up a Dark Guild. If you want, you can go get whatever you think you'll need for this and just meet me at the edge of town."

Damon's mind wandered a bit at what they could possibly encounter on the mission. It wasn't everyday that a mission to stop a Dark Guild was brought forward. He could only imagine the amount of things that could go wrong. They'd need Blanche at the least to be on her A game. Damon had faith in everyone on the team but Blanche was conveniently the strongest person on the team. Definitely guaranteed insurance on the mission running smoothly. "Or if you guys want then you can wait here with me. Your choice."

Bristlebane grinned and nodded: beating up a dark guild sounded kind of fun. He hadn't gotten to beat up anything in a while, well besides that one piñata. "Alright, guess we're all ready to g-" he paused in his speech. He couldn't remember where his blanket was, he never went to sleep without his blanket. A brief check of the pockets in which he commonly kept it revealed nothing. "Be right back squad, I gotta go get something.... very important. Yes." Bristlebane said cryptically and quickly set off at a dead sprint for the guild hall, the only logical location for it, with his cloak flourishing out behind him majestically. Unless someone had managed to steal it his blanket, then it wouldn't be in the guild hall. Nah. He made it into the Guild Hall and promptly began searching everywhere he could think of for it, and some places he couldn't.

@WaddleDaisy@Kal-El