Well, that escalated quickly. No sooner had the words left the bartender's mouth the entire tavern went nearly silent. Jessi could feel the gaze of all the patrons on them and knew something was about to go down. At first he was ready to bash this degenerate over the head with the nearest stool for insulting the Imperium and spitting at him. But instead he stayed silent. Not because he was speechless or afraid, but because he could hear the crackling of Fei's hair as it began to lite. A smirk grew on his face; it only seemed right to let Fei have first dips on this trash.

Thanks to his enhanced senses, Jessi didn’t have to turn around to know what was happening. While he kept his gaze on the bartender, his hearing told him just as much his sight would. Like that two sets of footsteps had approached Fei. One set stopped next to her while the other moved in; no doubt they were trying to grab her. Of course Jessi was going to help Fei, that was his job after all, but he figured there was no harm in letting her have the first attack. The hiss of burning flesh and painful scream, followed by a cracked nose and a smashed table signified that the first man was down. That left just one standing.

”Very well. If you won't give us a room.” Jessi grabbed an empty stein sitting on the counter in front of him, ”Then I'll just take a pint.” Twisting around he hurled the stein toward the other mans head. With a satisfying metallic “clang” the man stumbled backwards completely stunned. That’s when Fei sent a wave of fire at the bartender, who Jessi was unfortunately in the way of. Luckily this was no matter for the young soldier, as he easily combat rolled underneath the burning attack.

On his feet but still crouched he pulled his spear off his back and swung it wide sweeping the dazed man off his feet. Then, before the man hit the ground, he brought the butt of his spear down on the man's chest. A satisfying crack of bones accompanied Jessi as he pushed himself up.

Giving his spear a quick twirl for style points, Jessi positioned himself to be directly behind Fei. While she gave the bartender a lesson on proper etiquette, he'd make sure no one interrupted. Though hopefully their little display sent the message they were not to be messed with.

@BlueAjah@TheWindel

Měihóu Niángniang

"Good. I don't think I'd want to stand next to anyone who thought taking them on would be a great idea." Měihóu smiled a bit at Chen's description of his combat capabilities. "Watch your step, and avoid wading through water or underbrush. If it's not hostile itself, and trust me, the water here can burn if it's real bad, it's probably got hostile critters hiding in it. Even the insects around here can be bad news, to say nothing of the spiders."

Měihóu gave a slight glance to the wall's images, having seen them many times before, and quickly moved away. While Měihóu's experience here gave her distinct capabilities at surviving, it had perhaps blinded her to wonders seen too many times to be appreciated.

As they delved deeper, Měihóu would keep them towards paths where the ruins where more whole and the underbrush kept at bay. They had to backtrack or cross gaps, however, due to the vast lengths of time since this Měihóu's memories had been formed, the times changing even these ruins. However, as they got closer to the labyrinth proper, Měihóu's memories got more accurate, the inner areas more resistant to change.

Eventually, they stopped before a cracked open portal and a building that looked positively pristine compared to crumbling walls and ruined half of buildings they had passed. Here was an entrance to the Labyrinth proper. Měihóu leaned down and inspected the ground, which seemed to have a peculiar blue vinelike growth over the floor. "Hmm... Don't know a way inside to the labyrinth other than this chamber, and it seems to be infested with Frost Wasps. They lay down a network of vines that sense the heat of anything passing by, then they wake and swarm and sting it to death. And they're about as big as hummingbirds."

@The 42nd Gecko

Chen nodded and looked at some nearby puddles. He tapped the pin on his hoodie and began following Měihóu through the maze. He noticed that although they had to stop a few times and go backwards, for the most part she had them memorized. He stepped near a few puddles as they wandered, but they froze the moment he got close to them. Chen stopped once to look at the images on the walls, but quickly stopped once he realized they had no bearing on their journey.

He quickly realized that Měihóu was purposely avoiding paths with water and intense underbrush and nodded to himself. She was intelligent, this was good. The last mission he had been on was just the worst. He had to protect that moron the entire time, nearly getting caught doing so. The last thing he needed wa his face on a bounty poster from the Imperium.

They finally reached an entrance and Chen stared at the blue vines. He listened to Měihóu intently and tapped his pin once more. A few seconds passed and suddenly the heat in the area increased slightly. Chen's skin turned a visible shade of blue as his body temperature lowered more and more. Throughout this his face was completely impassive, almost bored even.

"There is no need to worry about being attacked on my part. I have no heat to be detected, thus I can progress safely. If you believe you can handle subzero temperatures for long periods of time, I can drain your heat as well. I would advise against it though. My magic makes me more resistant to cold and more vulnerable to intense heat. I don't think you have the ability to survive frostbite like I can." Chen explained as his temperature finally stopped dropping at 0° Fahrenheit.

It had been a close call for Alex down in the archives. Certainly he hadn't been expecting that he would be confronted before he had gotten what he wanted from this place. Fortunately he had managed to convince them that his presence was not foreign, that he had some purpose in being there, and that had gotten them to go away and leave him be.

But it had ultimately been worth it in the end, as his investigation got him an old scroll, detailing the location of possible treasure deposits n Arcadia. Whether it had been explored or not was another matter, but he had a feeling that the more difficult areas had yet to be looked into. That was good, as far as he was concerned. Sure, it was no map to the Citadel, but if he could get one of those Relics then it would make his job that much easier later on.

With the scroll in his possession he slipped it into a bag and made his exit. The confrontation meant that he had been noticed, and he would rather not stick around if he had to. With how crazy things were, he didn't need to draw undue attention to himself. As a thief, that sort of thing was bad.

"Now then, I just need to get to Arcadia," Alex muttered to himself as he walked the streets of the capitol. He had gotten some time to think on it, to collect his supplies as well as his cash, and now he just needed to get to his destination. That was why he was headed to the port, so he could snag an airship to Arcadia.

Overall it wouldn't be too difficult for him, as far as he was concerned. He had hitched rides before, and either he would work it off or he would just sneak before. That was a part of his skill set after all. It was just a matter of how things looked when he arrived, and he was ready for any eventuality as he neared. He was ready to go on a trip.

Měihóu Niángniang

"Nope, I don't particularly like being frozen. Nifty trick though." Měihóu's eyebrow raised in mild surprise.

Měihóu glances around what parts of the inside of the room she could see here, revealing a rivulet of water streaming through cracks in the stone floor. "I don't particularly like being separated, but maybe you should check it out for another way in or some way to neutralize the wasps?"

She looks back to Chen, "Or we could check around for another entrance. My area specific knowledge wasn't going to be much help for much further anyway."

Zora was at her usual place, behind the academy. Not many people came around there and it was the closest thing to peace and quiet that a girl could get around here. There had been quite a bit of commotion after the festival, but the brunette had elected to ignore it. She wasn't big on politics or large events.

Sighing, Zora laid on her back staring up at the sky. At night beautiful stars danced around. But even then she was in a city the night sky here didn't even compare to what it was like in the country. However, it wasn't night, and there were no stars. Instead there was a sky that could barely be considered blue. Blades of grass tickled the back of the lithe girl's neck. She was so bored of this repetitive life. Soon enough, birds began to hop around and on top of her body. Every once in awhile Zora would bring them food, but not today. These birds needed to stay independent of humans. They needed to retain their ability to find food on their own. Yet, there was no harm in speaking to them. She started speaking to the birds who chirped of complaints.

As the knight disappeared into the night, the contour did the same. Acerbus dissipated into the shadows once again after his tome became one with his own shade, and he gathered his essentials. The bespectacled man sighed in relief as he descended to the streets below as he flew down the dull establishment. He made sure to avert moving into any lit areas, lest be barely paralyzed by the illuminated properties and streets. As he weaved downwards, he took a sharp turn to the side and stared at the corporeal realm. There were a couple of people huddled together like sheep, traversing away from the fanned flames with idle terror within each orb when they looked back. Acerbus was fairly certain he saw that group around the academy and was certain that they were the first years with training tomes. The girl harboring blonde hair with twin tails that had darkened tips, a boy with huge, glistening eyes as they curiously focused on his friends, as well as the chaos, a girl that looked to be a little shorter than him all while dwarfing the group, and some bald guy with frail demeanor. Acerbus could of popped up before them, slightly shocking them into some sort of submission while continuing on a stroll back to the academy after being freed.

Of course, he wasn't that sort of person to terrorize them - It was immature, plus this was no time for jokes, especially after the event that transpired a few minutes ago.

Acerbus paused above the glass-like shade that would easily turn into mush in the moment of a simple tap as the quartet proceeded onward, passing the area where Acerbus was set to emerge from. With one simple tap, the ripples began showing in the realm he occupied. As his arm reached upwards, sable goo would appear from the streets. Part of the area began forming a viscid, ebony puddle which an unidentifiable object erected itself, before displaying itself as a hand. Eventually, a dome-like object followed too, with the hand and arms colors returning. Eventually, Acerbus regained his vividness as his flesh glowed with a pale aesthetic, his attire, the same purple shades they were before.

"That was an unfortunate encounter; it was beneficial that I wasn't prosecuted and was freed. However, that girl... when I closed the distance, she had a familiar visage... one of a scholar attending our academy; comparable to the neophytes traversing down this arbitrary, frayed route." Acerbus trudged onward, his mind and body set straight for the one place where he could take pleasure in respite - his dorm with myriads of books, ranging from knowledge over the history of the world to fictional tales with a shattered moon and grim creatures.

Even with the uneventful night, he wasn't tired out surprisingly; he took a bite out of the candied peach, struggling to sink his teeth into the object as he stared upwards into the blank empyrean. There was so much on his mind - the blonde girl stolen away from the earthen below by Midgard, the task at hand which induced suspicion, and most importantly the safety of his friends and sister. They rushed through his mind, pounding his head like horses on a track - galloping in one direction. It stimulated him, kept him awake within the dreariness as he took one step forward and never looking back.

And yet he was powerless to possibly do anything about this.

Too weak to perform a benign task of possibly appealing to the knight after his discovery a few minutes too late.

Too weak to break away from the school to adventure and discover why she needed these artifacts.

Too weak to discover the truth.

"... Novus, Bellus, everyone... please return safely."

He munched quietly on the peach, feeling uncomfortable with what was to come. The stoic demeanor of his stayed stalwart; his face was unflinching, and yet his airy, frigid voice never singed the winds. Acerbus' stoic demeanor was unfaltering, and nevertheless intact for now.

---

As Acerbus took each unwavering step forward, he stared off into the recesses of each vividly descriptive areas, finishing up over the geography and creatures encompassing the vegetation and warren. Flipping to the next page with one fell swoop, Acerbus found himself staring at the authors recounting of traversing to a realm among the celestial sphere - Arcadia. The solid, earthen below seemed to fade away as his mind wandered into the enigmatic terrain that heralded Imperium Sky Bases. As amazing as levitating structures were, it was bizarre how they came to fruition and how nothing from the text explain the science about how they floated...

that, or he was delving into the incorrect books which gave little to no assessment how such a thing was plausible.

Acerbus had a minor theory which swiveled between legend and fact; nevertheless, it might be plausible. Pushing his lensless spectacles up, he mentally recited his theory as the boy kept a certain oomph in his step. From the interested glare, his mind was among the clouds, drifting along with each, white, fluffy particle of condensation. "The worlds shattering... the tale woven and spun to every urchin and orphan; children and adult alike... The beast which devoured the peace and sought to wreck the world. Since our technology failed to combat the beast, the next best thing was a gift from the heavens - power over the arcane - these tomes. If that blight was only terminated by such whimsical vigor, then it might of been a beast that harbored some magic. Something within the brute must of caused a reaction within the masses of land orbiting the earthen below; shame we cannot study such enigmatic properties now... it would be interesting to learn about this volatile beings power..."

With such studious and slightly reckless thoughts, Acerbus took one look up, and to his astonishment, found himself at the steps of the Academy with other students in its wake. As he put a bookmark, and let his arm placidly bump to the side of his torso, he distinguished the students and how they reacted to the whole spiel. Some were disgruntled and heralded wide eyes, while others distinguished themselves with a puffed chest and steady step. It wasn't difficult to observe and clarify which branch these students might end up in - if they ended up serving the Imperium.

Acerbus honestly wanted to get some rest, but with adrenaline coursing through each vein and artery left him little more than restive. Tapping his side, the boy pondered on what he could do to tire himself so he might drift off into another land of darkness, and eventually the next, foreign day. "Hmm... what about taking a brief walk around campus? Surely doing something physical that calms the soul and body could be exceptional for me forgetting about the few things that transpired on this uneventful eve..." Finishing off the candied peach, his minor journey around the elephantine campus began.

...

Each step began to add up as he rounded the area, not bothering to count each step he took. Acerbus might be a dossier for recalling the identity of said person, but he wasn't too apt on memorizing things that really didn't matter at all in the long run. The background noise rattled in his ears, gnawing at him. Idle chatter that he didn't answer to was nice, but once in a while, interjecting with a pleasant comment, possibly pun thrown in never hurts too. As he drowned himself in his own ideas, he began to toy with the disused shadows where the light of the citadel never drew near. A mist of a human figure his own size came up, only to dissipate the moment he sliced into it with an outstretched arm. Another was somewhat feminine, with a duality between the two; what he created was the shape of Asgard and Fei. The shades returned to the dirt below with a certain fanning of his hands over Feis shade, while Asgard was left unmolested and was allowed the peace of disappearing on her own terms.

As he continued, he spotted a familiar young lady lying in the grass. Acerbus wondered about what a girl was doing, lying in the solemn blades of green. Stepping forward, the curious young man found that it was the same young woman that Fei decided to harass, frowning and shaking his head at the discord the fiery girl left whilst bullying her. At least that was something they both had in common...

"Er..." As Acerbus approached, the first words to traverse out of his mouth was a faint hum; an inquiry in progress of being conjured up. His voiced rumbled deeply as he stood a few feet away from the body of the young lady. "You ok? I wouldn't say lying down in the soddened earth is a proper place rest your gray matter and body to say the least... not that I would know." Acerbus uttered the last part with a soft rasp, with the possibility of averting the woman's sense of hearing.

"Well, it's certainly explain your condition, Mr. Invictus." From the darkness (Actually just unnervingly quiet) was Syn Kor, a playful smile on her face, looking over some papers written in an old and strange text. She had wondered by this late night for a peaceful stroll, as well as overlooking some fairly sensative documents for the academy, which of course were important for the Libarian as well. "Of course, I am also concerned. What are two of my students doing here, out so late?" Of course the same could have been asked for Syn, but she asked first.

Zora's peace and quiet had been interupted by a student at first. With a light movement up of her torso, the birds scattered. He had asked a quiestion, but before she could reply, a teacher emerged from seemingly nowhere. As far as the tattooed girl knew, it wasn't necessarily against the rules to be out late. Then again, she usually tuned out when it came to rules and restrictions. Some rules were enforced while others were not, so what was the use of listening to them all? It was best to just play by ear and see what works and what doesn't.

"I was simply relaxing and enjoying the outdoors," The brown eyed girl replied honestly. There wasn't really anything to hide. She had simply been minding her own business before this bespeckled boy wandered on over to her. Besides, most adults were trying to get students to go outside. Zora turned her head to the male to hear his reason.

The shadow flickered, the purplish tints spiking up for a moment as Acerbus remained still after a familiar voice shot out from the encompassing darkness. The young mans body remained still as each sinking foot step resounded with little more than a mute echo in the lush grass. He watched as each bird scattered as the woman wiggled her figure. As he awaited the tranquility within him, the physical form gave a different look - one comparable to an iceberg. A few seconds passed before he rotated his head to diagnose who the person was - Syn Kor, or Miss Kor; one of his teachers and owner of a workshop.

"Does my visage herald knowledge to her of my unwitting trials? I thought I managed to slough off the possibility... so does this mean I'm more transparent than I originally thought?" Very troubling to say the least since she was an arbiter of knowledge, one who worked for the Academy which had the support of the Imperium. It occurred to him that she only noticed the turmoil, but he was slightly ajar about another possibility - one where someone discloses his mindset. Acerbus was certain she didn't know as he felt the trust of this woman, but a zealot with powers to digress anothers truths.

The harassed girl broke him from his framed mind as she began to answer Syn's question. He thought this young woman would be off celebrating the festivities before returning to her dorms, cross about the whole imminent display of terrorism... yet, she was off in the back of the school, enjoying what little time she could procure before returning to studies. Blinking, he found the duo both looking at the young man for answers as to why he was out here at this hour.

Staying his composure, he looked at the two as unwavering stone, and spoke equably while extruding such dejected events that befell the unlucky scholar. "Me? I just wished to quell myself after the myriads of unprecedented events and horrible decisions made on the eve... and tranquilize my mind and each wavering question with a stroll; don't think I would be able to sleep in such condition with these thoughts repeating themselves..."

With that out of the way, he was curious as to what these two thought of the whole spiel with the artifacts. Acerbus had the feeling of a ruse implanted in him, with glimmer pieces to hide the meaning of this quest. He wondered if these two were blinded by the prospect of money, or fame that came inherent after this. This was a competition - one where everyone else would most likely devour each other in a flurry of destruction, all for a huge, but paltry payment.

Eyeing the parchment Syn held in her arms, Acerbus temporarily delayed the inevitable question - one to satiate his appetite for wisdom and give him a slight chance of hope that he wasn't just alone. Of course, there were the documents that also left him wondering, but he could ask that another time. "So," his voice still as the night and echoing with silence, "what do you two think of this mission the Imperator heralded us with? I don't know about you two, but it sounds to captivate more than one person with certain distinguishable promises... I can only wonder why she needs the relics foretold in legend as I find it to be a little bit of an enigma."

@The 42nd Gecko

Chen nodded at her and entered through the doorway. The first thing he noticed was the giant purple hive on the wall from which water was trickling down onto the floor. There was a slight purple tint, most likely from the hive itself. There was also an open door, but that was unimportant at the moment. What was infinitely more important was the Frost Wasps that were waking up due to the increase in heat in the air. Chen quickly backed out of the room and looked at Měihóu.

"I would suggest finding a different entrance, the Wasps have awakened. Or alternatively we could simply wait a bit farther away and hope they go back to sleep. At which point we would have to make a mad dash to the exit, here." At this point Chen was quickly sketching out a map of the room using ice on the wall. "Either way, we will be losing valuable time. I would suggest waiting them out so we can go for the surefire entrance. However, I leave the decision to your discretion."

Alex considered himself very fortunate that he had stumbled upon the twins at that time, with their offer of transport in turn for labor. They were nice people, and he was grateful for that. Admittedly it made them easier to manipulate, but in this case he wasn't even lying to them! It assuaged his conscience a little bit, for what it was worth, and he chatted amicably as they made their way to the docks.

Soon enough they would approach a woman with purple hair, which was interesting in and of itself. He kept silent for the most part given that they were acquaintances and he didn't want to interfere with that. Instead he would merely put on an affable air, smiling and waving when they introduced him. He was more than willing to let them carry the conversation, if only to keep from drawing any unnecessary attention. Being recognized as the guy who broke into the Citadel would be a tad uncomfortable right now.

"Hey," he said at last, stepping forward. "I'm Alex. And yes, I've agreed to help out for the duration of the trip." There was nothing wrong with a little bit of hard work. "I'm headed to Arcadia, so I hope we'll have a pleasant trip."

Things were going well at first, no matter how many came at them Jessi and Fei were more than capable of taking on these savage foes. Then some assholes deiced they didn’t want to fight like real men and cast two curses. In a matter of seconds Jessi was robbed of his sight. Everything appeared to be in a dark fog that no light could penetrate. He could still hear, however, although he wished he couldn’t when he heard Fei being attacked and being dragged out of tavern.

“STOP RIGHT TH-” He charged blindly at the ogre only to run into a brick wall of a man who was now guarding the door. He pushed Jessi down and laughed, “Your girlfriend is have a private session. But don’t worry, you can still party with us.” Not even remotely ready to give in, Jessi pushed himself up and thrust his spear towards the brute, only for his spear to be snatched away and once more be shoved back to the ground. “Pftt, I thought you guardsmen were the ‘Imperium's finest’? Guess they made an exception for you. Alright boys, take him out!”

Before he could think the crowd swarmed Jessi and began beating him with chairs, clubs, and even their bare fists. He tried fighting back but without his sight he could hardly land a hit, and even if he could he now lacked the strength to do any damage. Soon he was on the floor bruised and bleeding, the mob backed off as two men approached him. He could hear the metal object twirling in one’s hand and knew what was coming; Jessi’s life was about to end.

The man spat at Jessi and began insulting him, stating he was simply there to have his way with the princess while the one behind made mention that they would “take care of her”. It was then that his blood began to boil and he was hit with a second wind. This was his time. This is what he had trained for all those years. He was going to show these scumbags just what this soldier could do and he wouldn't stop until he knew Fei would be safe.

Right now though, he could barely help himself. If they were going to get out of this, they needed to break those curses. Once he had an idea of how to handle things, he pushed himself off the ground and slid his headband down over his eyes taking a deep breath; focus and timing would be everything.

Listening carefully before making a move, he heard both men took a step to attack with their right foot, but the knife man’s was first to hit the ground. Waiting for the last minute, Jessi shifted to the side and grabbed the man’s outstretched arm and directed it towards the chair man’s gut just as said chair came crashing down onto the others head. Once their comrades went down, the mob once more charged at Jessi, but this time he was ready.

First man came at him swinging, punching both left and right aiming for his head. Jessi bobbed and weaved until another tried to hit him with a club. When he heard the club come up for a second time he rolled into the punching guy’s legs and tripped him to the ground just in time to meet the club head on. Obviously not happy about killing his friend, the club wielder charged screaming at Jessi. Feeling a table nearby, Jessi swung his arm across to find a mug of ale. Once he had the pint in his hand he tossed its contents on the man which only seemed to annoy him further.

Luckily, that was only part of the plan. Dodging to the wall, he could very clearly hear the crackle of fire from a lantern hanging above him. As the club man came for another swing, Jessi grabbed the lantern and smashed it on the club man’s head. He could feel the heat as the flames consumed his angry foe who ran screaming out of the tavern. Four were down, but he had no idea how many there still were. To make things worse, he could hear the massive string of a crossbow being pulled back. Great. First they curse him now they shoot at him! No wonder these people were out here, they had no honor.

Then, luck finally smiled on Jessi as his ears caught something he had waiting for this whole time, chanting. One of the magic using pussies that cursed him and Fei was attempting to cast another spell, but this time he wouldn’t let him. As the bolt of the crossbow was loaded, Jessi ran full speed at the previous table and used it as a boost as he jumped over the crowd. He landed right behind the caster as the archer fired his bolt, hitting the mage in the heart. Just to be sure, Jessi twisted the bolt then yanked it out of him, then pushed the dead caster to the ground.

One curse was now broken.

@KoL@BlueAjah

~Rexicorg~

---

It had seemed that Chen and Měihóu were caught between two undesirable locations. In front of them lay the chamber of Wasps, each of the hives now buzzing awake and eager for fresh meat. Behind them, a low growling became present, a constant reminder that one did not stay still for too long in the labyrinth of Rexicorg. Perhaps some secret, some riddle lay on the walls from earlier?

If the two were to look now, they would see different images painted on the sides. Images of a large, monstrous being surrounded by figures of what appeared to be man. Snaked lines were drawn from the figure’s hands and connected to the shape of the beast. Was there something hidden, locked away in these ancient ruins?

The two travelers would not know until they made a decision; to either risk the Wasps or face the bigger threat that loomed behind them. Regardless of their actions, they were constantly on surveillance. Watched from a third party, an external source.

---

Měihóu Niángniang

"Huuuuuuuuuh." Měihóu turned and her eyebrow raised in surprise at the growl. "That's pretty odd. Usually the things here try to kill you and eat you, not warn you off."

Looking back to Chan, "I think the odd beast behind us is probably not friendly, but I dunno. Not heard of a beast like that. Maybe we should go above the room and look for a hole in the roof, since we're not in the labyrinth proper yet. Grab on?" Měihóu planted her staff in the ground and pointed it such that if the staff extended, it would point towards just above the wasp room, and two bars extended out near the bottom. Měihóu put her right foot on one of the bars.

@The 42nd Gecko@TheWindel

Chen looked to the growling and stared at the source blankly. "It would appear as if our choices have become rather limited suddenly. Inconvenient, but nothing mission threatening." Chen suddenly began to get warmer as he stopped dumping body heat into the area. His skin began to regain a normal tint of color and the heat that was present in the area was now gone.

"I suppose we can go above. Gaining the higher ground always presents a tactical advantage, both in combat and in exploration." Chen put his left foot on the other bar and nodded. "We shall go up."

Fei should have known better. Walking around with her crimson hair out in the open and an Imperium guard by her side was completely foolish. She should have known those around here wouldn’t care who her mother was. How could she have been so stupid? Despite the fact that both Jessi and Fei were more than capable enough to take down every one of the scumbags in the room, fighting all of them at once would be difficult, even for Fei. Calculations ran through her head of ways to get it over with as quickly as possible while she waited for the bartender to apologize for his tongue.

The sound of incantation caught Fei’s attention before pain beyond measure bursted into her stomach and darkness filled her vision. Sweat formed around her brow as she clutched her double swords for support. The pain was incredible but Fei would rather die than let such cowardly exiles take her.

An aggressive voice screamed at her and Fei had barely enough time to flinch before a powerful arm swung into her gut. A loud growl escaped her mouth, followed by a spur of curses as someone dragged her by the ponytail outside.

How...

Dare..

They...



Fire began to entirely consume Fei as her anger surged. The necklace under her shirt glowed furiously. No one would make it out of here alive. Any chance of mercy had diminished. Fei let the deadly flame within her completely take over She didn’t care if she used up all of her fire and heat tonight, these people would pay. While all she could see was blackness, Fei flicked open her eyes and let the burning flame glow within her pupils.

Screw her eyesight, she’d win this fight with or without it. Fei had gotten sick of the endless scene of sand but right then she was grateful someone had taken her out into it. The moment the person moved, Fei could hear their footsteps in the sand. She tightened her grip around the swords to reassure herself they were still there. The fools had forgotten to remove one of Fei’s deadly skills. Idiots. She didn’t have enough time to move out of the way before the person’s feet left the ground and pounced on her but Fei swung with her right arm, hoping to hit the person’s neck. Without knowing the size or height of the body, Fei wasn’t sure exactly where she hit only that she made contact. The moment her sword sunk into flesh, she pushed the person to the ground hard, and rose from the ground.

Fei looked at where she thought the body was and glared. She smacked her foot into where she believed to be their stomach. “I don’t need my mother to protect me, you little bitch,” Fei cursed loudly toward the body. Hopefully whoever it was would stay on the ground, she had more important things to worry about.

She needed to get Jessi out of the tavern and leave far from this rotten place, and quickly. Without any eye sight, she was practically useless. Fei reached out with her hands, searching for a door or any building. After a moment of foolishly walking around and repeatedly kickings of the sand, Fei finally regained back her eyesight. One moment everything had been dark, the next her entire collection of color had returned. Jessi was the first thought that came to her head. She swept around to find the tavern directly behind her and huffed in annoyance.

Fei closed her eyes and once again let the flame within her burn brightly. She could feel the fire within her reaching halfway down the well of her ability, but it didn’t matter. Fei was only focused on the task on hand. Stretching her hands out, she left the bloody sword to continue dripping blood. She thrusted the doors to the tavern open, practically pulling them off the hinges. The first man she laid eyes was struck by a slash to the stomach, the next a kick to the face. She quickly caught sight of her protective guard fighting and a smile spread across her lips. He’d fought his way through, something Fei found extremely impressive. Striding over to him, anyone who would try get in her way would either get a severe burn or a slash to the throat. Fei was in no mood to play around.

“Still alive? I’m surprised you’ve made it this far,” Fei said when she reached Jessi. Glancing around, Fei knew no matter how powerful they were, they couldn’t defeat this many people. She needed to get Jessi out of here and then she could follow through with her plan. There would be a bonfire in Exilia tonight.

---

@Awesomoman64@KoL

Měihóu Niángniang

"Going up. Hang tight." Měihóu looked at Chen to make sure he was gripping pretty well, before looking up one last time to make sure their course was correct. The staff suddenly began growing, sending the both of them up towards the roof of the structure. Stepping off once they reached the level to see.. Maaany spider webs. Of the "oh boy, giant spiders" variety. The weird thing about it was each of the larger webs seemed to have a glowy light at the center, each with a different color.

"And a dead-hand spider nest. Joy. At least they aren't dangerous." Měihóu surveys the scene, and a spider about the size of a VERY large dog or a rather small tiger began making it's way towards them, stopping at about five or six meters out and then just watching them. The spider's hairs that covered its body clumped together in nasty hard knots that almost gave the impression of being covered in gnarled hands reaching in all directions.

"Come on, let's find a way down." Měihóu paid it little heed and started moving forward, skirting the webs connected to a light, pushing smaller webs out of her way with her staff as the dead-hand spider simply watched, following them from about five or six meters.

@The 42nd Gecko@TheWindel

Chen made sure he was secured to the bar by partially freezing his foot to it as they rushed upwards. He quickly stepped off and onto the roof letting the ice melt as he did so. Her quickly formed an ice sword as he saw the many giant spider webs and began calculating how many there likely were. 'I would say an upwards of ten judging by both how many there are and how large they are. The lights should be noted as well. Eggs perhaps?' He thought to himself as he prepared for a fight.

He quickly calmed down as he listened to Měihóu mention that the spiders weren't dangerous. "That is good. I would've been displeased if I had to kill them all. Disrupting the ecosystem is a surefire way to get on nature's bad side." He said in a bland tone of voice. It was difficult to tell if he joking or not. When the spider came into view, Chen began walking with Měihóu and following her lead. He pushed some webs away with his sword, but otherwise did little else.

"Do you suppose that the lights are dangerous? Most things in nature that are bright and flashy usually mean they're poisonous." Chen asked as he searched for a way down from the web filled nightmare.

Měihóu Niángniang

"Well, dead-hand spiders are the darndest things. I've never seen nor heard of two of them being in the same place. I've never seen nor heard of a baby dead-hand spider, or a old dead-hand spider. As for the lights..." Měihóu looked back at the spider, pausing for a moment, the spider also pausing to maintain distance.

"See, how dead-hand spiders work is they just follow sentient prey around until it gets killed by something else, then they drag it back, web it up, and then that's where the lights comes from. Always the same as the prey's tome color." Měihóu begins searching again, eventually finding a promising stretch of soft ground rather than stone ceiling. She begins prodding around with her staff.

"I've heard theories that they're psychopomps, gathering the souls of the dead and sending them on their way. I've heard stories that they trap the souls in their webs eternally. I do know that they have some preternatural sense of who's gonna die soon, cause I've only heard one or two stories of people not dying once a dead-hand spider started following them around, and it's always a near miss." Měihóu finished finding and clearing a small path down into the room below. Chen could judge that this seemed to be about where he had estimated the peat that had covered the doorway below to be. "So, on the plus side, we're gonna find something today. On the downside, it's gonna be dangerous. And you might get your soul eaten afterwards."

Rainer

"Sure. I've already arranged the paperwork for you. Good luck." Rainer said without even looking up from his papers. He didn't even need to read Tori's mind to know what she wanted and why. Chatter around the office was enough to know that there was some sort of wild goose chase in Arcadia, and Tori intended to use some vacation days to head there and participate in that tournament. Honestly, it would be good for Rainer; he had to deal with a little... Conflict between the Nifilhiem and Yggdrasil due to something Tori had said to an operative. Perhaps some time away from other operations would allow everyone time to let their emotions settle. Nonetheless Rainer felt it was necessary to speak to Tori about it before she left.

"And Tori, do try to be on your best behavior. Even while you're on vacation, you still represent the Nifilhiem through your actions. So make sure you have fun and don't make too many enemies, alright?" Rainer gave Tori a friendly smile as he stamped some papers, filing them off to be reviewed by the Asgard. Seems like they're going to be busy with some new prisoners. Rainer went back to work after he sent Tori on her way, humming a little diddly to himself.

@McFazzer

It seemed that luck, or rather, skill and grit saved Fei and Jessi from being pummeled to death by the first wave of the raging mob or rabble and scum, but as they say 'It only gets worse' and soon enough the remnants of the wretched circled them, like vultures waiting to prey at a dying animal.

Their twisted smile, like frothing hyenas, heralded doom for the duo of Imperials as it became rather evident that no matter how many they killed there would be more to takes the place. Soon enough, one of them dived at them, wielding what looked like a crooked ax that was meant more to crush than to cut... it was the sign for the slaughter to begin.

And, it did, but the first one to meet his fate was the ax-wielding psycho who found out that his heart had been pierced by a lance belonging to a doll-like construct. Anyone in the whole of Exilia knew what that meant and thus they stepped back, fearing for their very lives, the one who stepped inside the decrepit tavern.

"Most impressive", a girl's voice said, upon a simple head turn, one could ascertain that it came from a blonde with an enigmatic smile in her face. The girl was of mean height and build (just about Fei's size), her hair reached just about her shoulders in the front, with the back tied into a single braid and she wore what could be better described as a mix-and-match combination of a battle armor and a blue dress. Beside the girl an number of dolls just like the one that had just killed the ruthless ruffian laid in wait, ready to execute every of their mistress' commands*.

"Your efforts moved me", the one that could be none other than Emilia -The Puppeteer of Warovia- herself said, with more than a little excitement coloring her discourse. "When I heard about it, I could barely believe, but it's in fact true that no one else other than the child of the Blood Knight had come to my lands in exile. What do I owe the pleasure of this meeting to, Fei, daughter of Asgard?"

With the pleasantries taken care over, Emilia turned to Jessi and smiled as she regarded the way he seemed to be about to crumble to pieces. "Oh, and let us not forget the valiant knight who fought through life and limb to save the princess of Flaming Hair, one such as you deserves a place to rest and a balm to sooth your wounds, thus I propose that we continue our conversation in my humble habitation. Of course it's much less luxurious than what your mistress may be used to, but they are there best this forsaken land has to offer."

"Of course, you are free to turn down my hospitality. But, I wonder, how long it'll take for you remains to be feeding the pigs, if that's your choice?" Emilia said with a knowing smirk, anticipating the initial refusal of the duo. Indeed, their choice was between taking their chances with a declared enemy of Fei's mother, or fight until they could no more and succumb to the hands of the mob that even now was held at bay only because of Emilia's dreadful presence.





After a couple days or so, traveling on the airship full of luxuries that are usual for this kind of transportation, the group composed by Alex, Tori and the Aquarian twins arrived in the grand city of Aquaria the trading heart of the Imperium. The foxy twins wasted no time in bounding off the ship as soon as it had been docked with smiles beamed on their face as soon as they were greeted by the smell of the abundant water and the sound of the waterfalls who was like a gentle lullaby for them.

"Ha ha, we're back home, Linea! Quick, let's go see mom!" Sienna said in her typical energetic way, though it looked like she was even more excited than usual.

"Indeed, Oneesama, we are back." Linea replied in her usual shy way, though even she looked to be a bit eager to meet their mother after months away from home, if her wagging tail was of any indication. Yet, before her sister dragged her as usual, Linea took the time to turn to their guests and bow, before apologizing, "I'm sorry, but it has been a long time since we left. If it's not imposing, we would appreciate if you came and had lunch with us. I'm sure mother will be glad as well."

And, with that said, the twins, or better Sienna, dashed out to meet their mother at the Grand Library of Aquaria, second to none but Imperial Library resting at the cradle of the Imperium.



"Ah, I'm sorry if my daughters gave you any trouble, please take a seat and let's enjoy this afternoon meal." Surprisingly, the twins' mother didn't even looked to be that much older when compared with her daughters, yet the semblance between them was quite clear.

"So, I take it that you're here to explore Arcadia, right? Oh, this bring some memories back..." The fox woman spoke in a soft voice as they sat around a table in one of the upper alcoves of the library that also double as the Aquarian family's habitation. From the open porch a breeze swayed in the room, carrying the cool smell of the abundant water and of the water lilies that dotted the city more still ponds, before them a large selection of foodstuffs from all over the land decorated the table, a meal worthy of even the Imperator so to say.

"Talking about memories." The fox woman said, regarding Tori, "Ara~ Tori my dear, it has been ages since I last seen you. You've grown so much; now you're a fine young woman. I bet the boys must not give you a moment of peace, right~?" This last dragged comment, was said with a knowing tone as the fox woman shot a narrowed eyes glance at Alex. Perhaps, was she seeing something that wasn't there, or... who knows?

"Ara ara! Please excuse this old woman's ramblings, I'm clearly letting my mind wander off, right?" She said, chuckling heartily just a moment after. "By the way, excuse me for the lack of introductions", the fox woman regarded Alex, since she was already acquainted with Tori (in fact, being one of the young librarian's teachers and the one who introduced Tori to their shared profession), "I'm Berlina Aquarian, the Head Librarian here at the Grand Library. Also, the mother of these two, hopefully not very troublesome puppies and Deputy Queen of this province. Though, don't let this tick you off, the only thing this titles ensure is that I have so much paperwork to do that I barely ever get the chance to leave the office. Really, I'm not special at all."

Despite the way she said it, it was clear that Berlina was a more than a bit proud, or perhaps even... haughty about her position, if the smug smile she had on while she waited for Tori's and Alex's reply was of any indication.

---

@TheWindel@Lucius Cypher@BlueAjah@Awesomoman64@McFazzer@Flamelord

As the casters body hit the floor Jessi noticed light seep in from his headband. Pushing his headband back up he could clearly see everything now. The dead thugs, the dying flames around the where he set the man on fire, and the large brute still guarding the door with his spear. But more importantly, he could see his impending doom.

His sight was back which gave him an advantage, but there were so many. He could kill another 5, maybe even 6, but eventually the weakening curse would become too much for him and then… he pushed the thought out of his mind. He had a job to do. As far as he knew Fei was still out there being pummeled by that Ogress. If he could at the very least find the last caster and take him down, hell have done his duty.

Readying once more as the crowd began to circle him, all eyes were drawn to the front as the doors nearly broke open and the brute guarding them met his end by the blades of the imperial Princess. Clearly she had no trouble dealing with the monster outside. Whether planned or not, the force of the blow sent Jessi's spear high into the air which he was able to catch the second it came near him. The number of kills he could manage just hit the double digits.

There was little time to rejoice however. Fei cut her way to Jessi which he quickly realized put her in just as much danger. What was she doing? She could have ran while the others thought she was being pummeled. She could have gotten far away from here and been safe. Why did she come back and essentially seal her fate?... She didn't come back for him did she?

These were questions for another time as the fiery fighter reached Jessi and complimented his survival. ”The feeling is mutual.” He replied lining up with her to prepare for the coming force. “Though the real challenge will be surviving this.” He gripped his spear tight and watched for the first strike.

A crazed man with an axe charged first. Jessi leveled his spear so the man would impale himself. Though that was how the axe man was stopped, it was not by Jessi’s spear. A lance held by something that looked human, but clearly wasn’t. This thing clearly scared the ruffians as all nearly backed into the walls making room for… her.

Emilia, Puppeteer of Warovia. According to written history, she was slain by Asgard along with her father; though rumors and arisen that she still walked the earth. As she entered a multitude of the human like constructs followed further ensuring the tavern brawlers stayed back.
She spoke as though she was watching the whole time, and only due to their display of skill, had decided to intervene. She then gave them what could only be described as a devils deal. Either accept shelter and hospitality from the mortal enemy of the crimson guardian, or stay and meet their end at the hands of these lowlife's.

In any other circumstance, Jessi would have spat at the Warovian's offer; but this was their only way out. Looking over at Fei he voiced his opinion, “Princess, speaking as your protector, I think we should accept the offer. But if you would rather go down fighting, I’ll gladly go with you.”

@KoL@BlueAjah