Alex was surprised by the sheer speed involved, the way that the family seemed to know their visitor and already had things prepared for an expedition, at least to some extent. It made him feel irrelevant somewhat, though he wasn't complaining about it. The sooner he got to his destination, the better things went for him in the process. It would certainly help in beating out the competition.

With dinner over they ended up at the port, the two sisters urging them to board the airship, which he did without complaint. "Sure thing," he relied with a grin as he stepped up onto the airship itself. He enjoyed their enthusiasm, even though he knew that he couldn't exactly involve them in his more illegitimate business. He had the feeling that they wouldn't go for that, at least as much as he was concerned.

"Yes, my name is Alex," he confirmed as he looked over at Tori, sighing at the same time. Seriously, he was sure that he had said it several times before, how hard was that to remember? He shrugged then, grinning as well. "Yeah, guilty as charged. Figured I'd beat the rush, you know?"

She seemed to not approve, or something like that, as her speech turned to morbid thoughts of all the ways that he could perish on this trip. "Don't worry," he told her with a bit of nonchalance. He was confident in the ability of his tome to keep him safe, so he could explore here. "I'm sure it will be fine." He was full of optimism and certainty in his abilities, that was for sure.

If she had nothing to say, he would head off to help the sisters prepare for launch so they could get underway. It was time to get going, and begin their search.

---

As fate would dictate, Jessi's night wouldn't go without at least one more misfortune, or perhaps not so much, depending only on the knight's judgment...

As soon as Jessi began to doze off in the warm waters of the palace's bath, a certain sound would end up calling for his attention, that sound being the shuffling of the water right next to him, as a certain princess decided to make her presence know.

"Are you enjoying your stay, knight?" Emilia asked with a soft voice as if to not disturb Jessi in his sleep, Were he to shake off the allures of the Sandman, Jessi would noticed that Emilia was so close as to her breath being felt upon his face, in fact, the slight pressure and soft sensation on his legs would suggest that the Princess was sitting right by his lap with her pale and untainted body covered by nothing but a simple towel.



"Such handsomeness should not be wasted on a girl that can't even learn to show her appreciation of someone who saved her life." Emilia's right hand ran down from Jessi's face to his chest, tracing the wounds and scars of the previous battle as well as any other old one that he might have. The Princess touch was painful, sure but also pleasant beyond belief which was only natural when one considers that Emilia's arts are based upon the manipulation of flesh, sinew and bone, probably no one knows how a human body works better than she does and, while on this matter...

"Say, why don't you become mine? I could give you all the rewards I promised for the tournament and even more, all you have to do is something so simple. As a proof of my truthfulness, I'll heal all your wounds, so that you can be in shape when the time for battle comes again." With that said, Emilia drew a mark on Jessi's chest and soon enough his wounds were all stitched up by her wires, now all that Jessi would need to heal was some rest. "Now, that I held my word, what will you say?"

That last request was in fact whispered right on Jessi's ear as Emilia reclined upon his healing body, pressing her own softness against his toned muscles, while her thighs kept Jessi's waist locked. Sure, this was a dangerous situation, whose outcome depended only on Jessi. Nevertheless, what was to come after the next three days would be even more dangerous.





Three days later...

Finally, the so waited day had come, the Coloseum rumbled with the cries of the cries of the masses, today was a day of glory in battle and a day of death, a day they waited so long to witness and finally, their beloved Princess had provided such show for them. Bread and circuses, just like on old times that was all one needed to appease the masses and both were being provided by Emilia, in the form of a generous distribution of food and the carnage that was about to begin. Thus, it was no wonder that, when the Princess stepped away from the veil concealing her throne to greet the combatants personally, raising her hand to call for a attention, the crowd silenced. In the moments before Emilia spoke even the wind seemed to become still, almost as if nature itself feared the consequences of crossing the daughter of the Butcher of Warovia.

"I, Emilia Warov, Princess in exile of the Kingdom of Warovia, welcome you on this day when we celebrate the memory of my father. Naturally, there's only one way that would honor the legacy he lived to uphold and it's be the sheding of blood. For this very reason, I have brought before you these warriors who answered the call of their hearts and joined us on this feast of death.

Fear not warriors, for this expectacle shall not go unrewarded for the one who manages to best all in his ath will be reward in kind not only with gold and gems from Warovia's secret vaults as well as with my hand and eternal loyalty."

Emilia made a brief pause to let the speech sink on the gladiators minds, before pointing to a blood red crystal hovering over a pedestal in front of her, "Furthermore, whoever is the winner of this tournament will have the chance of claiming the Red Relic, once the tribute has been paid in blood. Lastly, I have one last secret reward for he or she who is willing to go beyond all bounds and become a butcher worth of my father's fame." As she said so, Emilia ordered her servants to lift the curtain and sat back on her throne, right beside her, a person was sitting. The swaying blood-red hair, golden eyes and pale skin that was exposed partially, by a light dress would leave no doubt in the heart of anyone that lived on Exilia for she was the one who had condemned most of them to live here. Besides Emilia was Eleonor, most likely known as Asgard, the Crimson Knight.

It looked like she was somehow Asgard was drugged, or under the power of Emilia's foul magic, because she didn't even resisted when the Princess caressed her face, before lifting Asgard's chin with a finger before getting ever so close of kissing her just to turn the ever crescent wail of the public into a shout that rocked the Colosseum from its very foundations.

"Indeed", Emilia said, "for the one who wins, I lay the ultimate fate of Asgard, my most hated foe. Whether it's killing her, or turning the Crimson Knight into a personal slave, the choice will be yours. Now, with my father's blessing... Let the games begin!"



As Emilia declared the beginning of the games, the arena staff came to fetch the combatants and clear the grounds for battle. The whole tournament (not counting the preliminary rounds, held yesterday) would be a simple deathmatch where every contestant had to best four foes before the Grand Final.

With everything decided, it looked like Fei first foe would be a Barbarian of the Northlands who had an ax-shaped tome with power over the Artic winds. Jessi on the other hand will be facing a member of a dying race of warriors, a samurai with a blade that can create and control shadows. The way the have been placed on the tournament meant that Fei and Jessi would have to face one another in the final, in case both of them got there.

With all said and done, what would happen from now on was up to Fei and Jessi to decide.

---

@BlueAjah, @Awesomoman64, @TheWindel, @Lucius Cypher

During their stay at Emilia’s, Fei wasted no time. Every moment was either spent training or restoring her strength. With the competition quickly approaching, she needed to be ready for anything. While she was positive the competition would prove to be no challenge, Fei would take no risks. This would be her chance to earn the glory she deserved and no one or anything would get in her way. She barely saw much of Jessi, too concerned with training. Living within Emilia’s walls was extremely uncomfortable for Fei and she couldn’t wait for the tournament to be complete. Perhaps when she returned, celebration and parades would welcome her. Not that she cared on what the public thought of her though. There was only one person she wanted to make proud.

---

The day had finally come. It was time for years of endless training and dedication to finally pay off. Instead of making friends with mere commoners, Fei had focused on getting better, becoming the best. She closed her eyes and breathed in her surroundings. This would be a day Fei would long remember. People all across the world would remember this day and it would be a time she would retell for the rest of her life. Anyone who attempted to stop her success in the tournament wouldn’t walk out of the arena the same, she almost pitied them.

Preparing herself for battle, Fei slowly dressed in fresh clothes and attached her crimson swords to her back. No one stood a chance. She would rip through anything or anyone they sent at her. Anything it took to win, she would do, even if that meant reaching deep into the pits of hell. Gameplans and strategies filled Fei’s thoughts as she made her way down to the battlefield. Depending on who she was facing, there was several ways to go about defeat. Preferably, she would like to defeat to the enemy as quickly as possible but sometimes proper strategy was required.

Roaring cheers echoed across the colosseum as Fei, Jessi, and the rest of the champions entered the arena. Despite her attempt to show any signs of emotions, she couldn’t help but smile as she listened to the applause. Although she was sure everyone in here would rather slit her throat than watch her take the win. She stayed relatively close to Jessi, hoping the two could keep an eye on each other. With so many enemies ready to stab their hearts, it was better to have four eyes keeping watch than two. “Stay sharp,” she whispered to Jessi as they walked, happy enough to even flash him a smile. “Make the Imperium proud.”

The crowd hushed as Emilia took the stage and raised her hand high in the air. Part of Fei sickened at the thought of how much power such an arrogant fool and traitor could have. She wondered if her mother was aware of how much power the fake princess had. When she returned home, she’d have to mention it to her mother. No matter how hard she tried though, the girl could never be as powerful as the Imperium.

The girl was captivating during her speech but her eloquence was nothing compared to the Imperator. No one could outshine the lovely spark of the heart of the Imperium. Fei’s ears perked up at the sound of the red relic for the winner, a suiting color for Fei to take. The fake princess then went to lift a curtain beside her throne and Fei’s whole existence seemed to shake.

Sitting in the chair was none other than the Crimson Knight, Asgard, Fei’s mother. Shocked to the bone, Fei couldn’t help but drop to her knees. “Mother?” She called out, her voice full of uncertainty. Fei watched in pure horror as Emilia touched her mother’s beautiful face. Eleonor didn’t move, made no motion to stop the horrid creature coming closer.

All of Fei’s body suddenly felt numb and she wasn’t sure if she was even breathing. What was happening? Why was her mother here? How did such a vile animal take her? It made absolute no sense. Fei’s eyes never left her mother as the crowd’s cheers grew louder. Something had zapped away all of Fei’s control and left her body an empty vessel full of nothing…

Emilia went on to announce the winner of the competition had full control to do whatever they pleased to her mother. The comment ignited the small fire diminishing within her. This treacherous monster had stolen her mother and given her up to the winner? All thoughts of winning glory and the relic were quickly erased as the protection of her mother grew. She would win or die before she’d let any of these traitors lay a finger on her mother. Feeling the strength within her grow, Fei let a wave of fire explode around her body, hopefully scaring both the crowd and her competitors. She looked up at Emilia and her mother, not even caring if she couldn’t hear her.

“You little, cold-hearted bitch. This illegal behavior will not be tolerated. The Imperium will destroy you and this fake kingdom built on thieves and traitors. I will burn you to a crisp before I let anyone lay one finger on my mother, you coward.” She stared at the girl intensely, a fire glowing within her eyes. Despite Fei’s conflicted feelings, the competition began and Fei prepared herself for her next competition. Taking one last look at Jessi, Fei mouthed a few words to him. “Make them pay.”

Standing in front of her was some tough barbarian who could control the wind, possibly the worst combination with her fire. The battle would have to be won without her blazing gift. No matter though, she still contained a burning heat that was yearning to be unleashed. Anger welled up inside of her and she looked at her competitor with dark eyes. No mercy. Fei would destroy everyone who pledged their allegiance to the coward of a princess. This would end quickly before the bastard could even blink. Taking a deep breath, Fei sent a pulse of flaming heat to the man's feet. The barbarian screeched in pain but before he could so much as look at Fei, she was already upon in. Using her double swords, almost glowing with heat, Fei slashed at the man's stomach and kicked his sorry behind across the playing field where he stayed. Rubbing her hands together, Fei stared up at the pathetic princess and her mother. She would regret ever messing with her family.

---

@KoL@Awesomoman64

~Ruxen~

---

Ruxen grumbled and growled as she followed behind Chen with a slightly wagging tail. She didn’t know why he somehow got the impression that she was working for him or his stupid leader or his brainless cause. It was only because she really had nowhere else to go that she was following him in the first place. That and the squirrel had escaped her grasp.

She had to contain her snickers though as Chen constantly got barraged by the branches. That was the one highpoint of the day and it was funny every time. But she did as he asked, muttering as she sniffed around the area. Nothing too noteworthy except some plant life, a few bugs, and the annoying, icy scent of Chen himself that made her feel like her nose was always wet.

“Nothing except that Relic in your pocket. You ever try just, oh I dunno, maybe touching the stupid thing? That seems like the obvious solution to get it to work,” she said aloud aimlessly. A sharp scent suddenly wafted towards her and she did twitch her ears once. Someone new but…not someone dangerous. Or at least, not dangerous to her. Chen could handle himself. He was a big boy after all.

Further away from the lush, green expanse of Rivenwood lay the harrowing skies of Arcadia, which in turn, revealed their own Garden of Eden. The winds were surprisingly smooth for a trip that most people rarely ever experienced. Who knew what dangers lay in the land of Arcadia? But for the moment, it seemed Alex’s confidence about the expedition was well earned since nothing too particular was happening. Nothing for the moment.

At once something pierced through the eardrums of all on-board the ship, a huge shadow blitzing by. Metal screeched upon metal and red lights began to blare with loud sirens as the roof of the airship was promptly torn asunder. A hiss and a snarl could be heard before the culprit revealed itself through the ceiling. It looked much like an ancient creature of old, though with some very modern enhancements.

What was going on here? Had the Imperium caught wind of the twin’s real identities and were acting accordingly? Or was this some grotesque beast only inhabitant of Arcadia? Whatever the case was, it was obvious the monster was ready to devour the crew alive.

It would seem events were beginning to converge upon one another for even now, the tournament held in Exillia by the twisted princess was beginning. As young Fei and Jessie battled for the sake of rescuing the fallen Crimson Knight, one more player would stain his hand in this bloodthirsty bid for power.

“I see you have acquired a new puppet, Princess of Warovia,” said a voice most familiar. Stepping out of the darkness of the throne balcony was the Jester of the Court, his red eyes staring Emillia down. A shuddering sense of dread would briefly overwhelm the false princess, but only for a moment.

“You’ve made yourself quite the collection, haven’t you Emilia Warov. But capturing the Crimson Knight, Asgard herself…surely you must have known that this was going to happen? Or, perhaps, you blindly believed that the Imperator would not notice? The Imperium has eyes everywhere.”

The Jester leaned on the wall with crossed arms, eyes flicking to the comatose Asgard before once more focusing on Emilia. The sound of battle and bloodshed would become second only to the attention the masked man was giving her now. Tilting his head, his voice and gaze remained devoid of all emotion.

“Tell me now, what exactly do you have planned for the Crimson Knight? The chances of me already knowing your schemes is high, but it will amuse me to hear it from your own tongue. Depending on your answer, your punishment may be wavered. After all, acts of pitiful vengeance are best left to children such as yourself.”

---

"Are you enjoying your stay, knight?" A soft voice pulled Jessi out of his relaxing trance. To say Emilia was sitting next to him would be an understatement, as the girl was practically right on top of him. ”Uh. Y-yes Miss. Warov, the accommodations have been more than...Satis..factory.” All words were lost as the exiled princess began running her fingers down his chest. It felt as though someone was dragging the tip of a blade across him, but the wounds it left crossed the line of pain and into pleasure. This along with the gentle breath from her lips made every word she spoke sound like it came from an angel.

When she made the offer, he nearly didn’t reject it; she had even healed him to show she was in good faith. What was so wrong with it anyway? This was the best treatment he had ever had, it was certainly better than trying to keep watch of the princess. But what about all he had done? His training, his service, Jessi worked his entire life to be where he was, how could he turn his back now? It was getting increasingly hard to think as Emilia worked her magic. If only he hadn’t left his tome it would have been keeping his head clear enough to truly think about this.

In the end, while his body wanted to say yes, his heart and soul spoke no loud enough to break his euphoric state. ”No. Stop.” Jessi grabbed Emilia’s hands, but not in anyway forceful, just enough to lightly push them off of him. ”I appreciate the offer, but my heart does not belong to you, the princess, or any other woman for that matter; it belongs to the Imperium. I cannot give up my country for any sort of luxury or power. sorry, but my answer is no.” Hoping she would accept his answer and loosen her grip on his waist, Jessi attempted to stand up. ”If you could excuse me, I have to return to my duties.”

---

The three days to the tournament went by slowly, between training on his own time and still trying to keep an eye on the princess, Jessi had a lot going on. Not to mention lingering thoughts about his exchange with Emilia. But none of that mattered now as he, Fei, and the rest of the combatants made their way to the center of the Colosseum. Though she must have been trying to hide it, Jessi couldn’t help but notice Fei was actually smiling, probably for the first time since they had traveled. She even spoke to him in a kind manner as she told him ”Make the Imperium proud.” He nodded to her and replied accordingly, ”Let's bring home that Relic.”

The Colosseum roared with applause as the audience almost begged for a show of blood and death that was to come. Jessi checked the straps on his armor to make sure it was on tight, something he had already done a hundred times this day. He was nervous of course, but not afraid. He knew he could manage any of these so called warriors he stood in line with. Well. Except for Fei. He wasn’t sure yet which one of them would be the superior fighter, but it would soon be time to find out.

The thunderous applause died almost the instant Emilia showed her face. It was almost eerily similar to how the people of the Imperium responded when the Imperator spoke. Though Jessi could tell the one difference. The people here did not silence our of respect, but fear.

Emilia got right to the point. Barely speaking of the history behind this tournament and addressing the reason they had traveled all this way; the Red Relic. Once more she went over all the prizes the winner would receive, but in some sort of sick twist, she revealed that there was one more prize to be won…

”IMPOSSIBLE!” Jessi nearly shouted as he saw Asgard sitting beside the exiled princess. His grip around his spear tightened as his knuckles turned white. This was why she told them to avoid the dungeon. She had the red guardian imprisoned this whole time right beneath them. The thought made Jessi sick and livid, and he had nearly been seduced by this black hearted witch!

As furious as Jessi was, he couldn’t ignore Fei as she dropped to the ground. This was no doubt worse beyond anything he could imagine for her. Still this was not a time to give in to hate or despair, they had to stay strong and win this. Jessi knelt down next to Fei and put his hand on her shoulder. ”Princess. I know this is hard, but we need to stay strong if we’re going to...shit!” Jessi could see the fire build up and quick leaped away before Fei sent out a blast. Clearly she didn’t need nor was in the mood for a pep talk, as she went on a rant about how she would destroy everyone here.

This didn’t seem to hinder anyone much as the competition began and they made their way into the dugouts, but not before Fei made it clear he was to make them pay. The first round luckily involved Fei so she could get her anger out. She showed no hesitation in ending the gusty barbarian and made it clear she would be holding nothing back. With that, Jessi was up.

Jessi was up next, his opponent a samurai warrior with a shadow blade of sorts. The battle would be decided upon one factor; range. At far, Jessi would have no way of attacking while the samurai had his shadow blades, and up close, his sword would be much swifter and easier to swing. But at mid range? Jessi’s spear would make short work of the samurai. The trick now would be to find that perfect mid range where his sword couldn’t reach, and his shadow blades would be useless.

As it turned out, The samurai was not prepared for Jessi’s agility as he was able to avoid all shadow attacks and quickly closed the gap. Once he was close enough he pushed the samurai to the defensive as he relentlessly began swinging and stabbing which the man could only block. This didn’t last as Jessi was able to disarm the samurai and send his sword flying. Placing his spear straight at his opponents neck he could see the fear in his eyes and hear the crowd cheering for death. Though tempting to grant their wish, Jessi was not one to kill someone who was unarmed, and pulled his spear away accepting the surrender. Turning around boos from the crowd, the samurai slipped down and pulled a knife from his boot. With Jessi facing the other way, he hurled the blade hoping to stick in his back. Instead, Jessi could hear the knife fly towards him, and in what would seem like a single motion, grabbed it out of the air and sent it straight back into the samurai’s heart.

The crowd once more began cheering as Jessi made his way off the arena and the next combatants were summoned.

Chen sighed when Ruxen brought up the Legend Relic and looked at her. "I don't want to just mess around with a Legend Relic, as far as I know this could just cause my entire body explode the moment I pump some Mana into it." He pulled the Legend Relic out with his gloved hand and frowned. He closed his hand around it and shook his head. "Perhaps you're right though. Maybe activating this requires the more direct approach. Maybe I have to go against years of teaching that say not to mess with ancient unknown artifacts. I can't believe I'm doing this." Chen hesitated and cursed lightly under his breath. He began looking around to make sure that nothing nearby could hurt him. He stared at the little green gem in his hand as he internally debated whether this was really a good idea or not. It was most certainly not a good idea.

"Alright then. Wish me luck. I hope I don't enter a vegetative state or something idiotic along those lines." He muttered that last part to himself as he sat down, resting against the trunk of a large tree, and removed his glove. He then took the Legend relic in his bare hand and began channeling some Mana into it, enough to activate it hopefully.

Kasie stood at the top of a tall sand dune with two other random kids that had what looked like sand boards. "Dude she's insane" whispered one boy to the other after he looked at the strange girl's feet to discover her wearing Rollerblades that had the sand seemed to slightly vibrate away from the wide wheels. "I know, this will be the easiest money we'll ever make" the other boy said before placing his board on the ground, "Okay the first on to the bottom of this Dune wins all the money in the pot, got it?" the second boy asked Kasie. Kasie didn't give a verbal answer, she just leaned forward a small bit and gave a smile that sent a small shiver down the first boy's spine. The first boy lifted his hand up and began to count down from ten, when he reached one he dropped his hand and the second boy took off down the dune at a breakneck speed. Kasie gave the boy a head-start of about 4 seconds before she suddenly tensed up and the sand below her solidified into stone for the split second before she launched into the air over the edge of the dune's cliff. She stayed in the air for a solid 3 seconds before she began to plummet towards the boy who was still blazing down the dune side, she landed right beside him and tore down the hill past him with the sand hardening and ahead of her and turning back to sand behind her. When Kasie reached the bottom of the dude she sat and waited for both boys to get down, at which point she took the money she was presented and walked into the fairgrounds after storing her newly aquired funds in her socks where it wouldn't fall out.

Kasie had actually been at the tournament for over two days and had decided to stop here before going to the academy and she didn't regret it. She had been making some friends as well as some enemies though the main thing that interested her was the fighting that was to be had, she already had to beat up a few trouble makers as well as muggers. "This is just so FUN!" she shouted as she rolled down the walkways past others until she was right next to the Inn she had decided to stay in after she had entered the tournament.

The first three rounds of the tournament would go well in favor of Jessi and Fei, as the long and bloody competition came to the next round, Emilia called for a pause. A banquet would be served as a tribute both to those who have fallen and the four victorious souls who still persisted. “Fei, the flaming haired daughter of my most hated enemy. Jessi, a warrior whose value and loyalty overcome even the urges of his bodily shackles. Tegonay Sidonius, a noble knight of the Imperium, here on a quest of duty. And finally, Vassagus Black, the mercenary sorcerer, whose goal is merely gold and nothing else. Kasie Shae, the intrepid explorer from the lands of Arcadia who fights for emotion and Phoenix Harlley, a revolutionary who preaches the word of Chaos.” Emilia said as the guests were arranged around her table, encircled by statues of the Old Gods along with a few more respected guests, one of the being the very own Jester of the Court who rested his back against one of the colossal statues that serve also as support columns for what was once the temple’s main chamber.



“All of you, liven my heart to honor as you honor my father’s memory. For this”, Emilia had no one other than Asgard who was besides her serving as one more of Emilia’s servants, though dressed in finery that would make many noble ladies bite their heads own off in jealousy for it was the kind of garment only ones like the Imperator and Asgard would ever have the chance or right to wear. “I raise a toast.” As Emilia said so, she first drank of a silver cup, inlaid with rubies before lifting Asgard’s chin with one finger and giving her the rest of the contents of the cup (most likely there was some manner of poison or drug, mixed with the wine, though the Princess seemed to be unaffected by it), before light rubbing the Crimson Knight’s face, pretty much ignoring everyone else in the room while she did so and Asgard responded to her attention by clinging to the Princess in a demonstration of lifeless devotion.

While the Warovian Princess gorged herself in acts of depravity before everyone’s eyes, Tegonay turned to Fei with a humble reverence and said, “Milady, I do praise your skill in battle, but as a humble servant of Lord Yggdrasil, I beg of you, forfeit of this trap. I'll be sure to rescue Lady Asgard, but you can't risk your life in doing that. Please, consider what will be of the Imperium if Milady were to perish here."

On his part, Vassagus stood quiet, drinking and feasting what could as well be his last supper. A mercenary that lived only to see the next battlefield such as him wasn't the type that cared for higher morals like the ones at stake on this table. The man's indifference was only one-upped by the Jester's own, though this anyone with half an ear or eye working would be able to notice. Once Vassagus was full of this political farce, he swigged the rest of his wine and stood from the cushion he was sitting in. "I'm thankful for the meal, Princess, but if you really want to see a real fight tomorrow than I'm afraid I should go rest now. For those who are staying, my compliments, whoever comes out as the victor will be a great warrior. Just don't think I'm gonna yeld all that gold so easily."

With that said, the sorcerer retreated back into his room. Emilia, on the other hand, was was now accepting Asgard's "care" as the Crimson Knight wrapped her arms around Emilia's neck and rested her head on the Warovian Princess' shoulder while her face was carefully caressed by said Princess who had an sinister grin on her face, flaunting her current untouchability to all.



Everything was going as expected for the first part of the trip. The twins were making merry, in unusually high spirits. That is, until a giant metal bird (How was it even flying?) decided to crash their party, or rather, their ride.



"Linea! What the heck is that?" Sienna asked her sister as she drew her glaive-like tome and got back to her feet. Immediately, the moisture of the air around Sienna began to condense, forming five balls of water. The orbs stood around Linea, ready to shoot forth at a single command.

"I believe it's a wild creature native to Arcadia, Oneesama." Linea replied in her usual monotone as she flipped the pages of her spellbook, with a spoken command "Demi Monsters Release: Hell Wasps..." a small swarm of seven monsters that looked like hideous hornets the size of basketballs appeared beside her as if popping out from inside water bubbles.

"In other words, you don't know as well, do you?"

"Indeed, Oneesama."

"Heh, guess we'll have to find out after we take it down, isn't it, everyone?"

"Likewise, Oneesama. Let's do it."

As the Twins finished their exchange, the metallic menace had finished its turnaround and came to swoop down on their vessel again only to be met with a hail of water projectiles and acid spitting hornets.

Well, the trip took a turn to the weird, that's for sure. What will Alex and Toti do in this situation? We'll have to wait and see.



Just as Chen was about to begin his concentration to activate the Green Legend Relic, a certain someone that Ruxen had smelled, popped from behind the very same tree that he was using to rest his back as if she was a ghost, or ninja.



"Rejoice, weary travelers, for I, Mikoto Kanzaki -Peddler Extraordinaire- have come to ease your burdens. I'm the best traveling merchant on this side of the Great Barrier and beyond. From everlasting toothpicks to a genuine Legend Relic, I have it all and... the best part is, it can be yours, for the right price, of course." As she finished her compulsory introduction and flashed a grin brighter than a pile of gold shining under the sun in the highest of summer to Chen, Mikoto stopped and looked to Ruxen with surprised eyes. "Hey there, if it's not Ruxy? Where have you been all this time? Don't say to me that those Imperials boxed you again? Don't they ever learn you'll always find some way to escape?"

After that, Mikoto took a short fly on her broom and landed beside Ruxen, with an arm crossed behind the beast girl's neck as the Peddler Witch drew closer and closer to say something on Ruxen's ears. "More importantly, Ruxy. Did you made your mind about that anti-flea collar I offered you last time? I still have it, all youi have to do is gimme the word."

All the while, Mikoto's unshakable grin was glued to her face as she waited either Ruxen or Chen to speak.

---

~Ruxen~

---

“Yeah, sure, whatever man. If you do become a vegetable you don’t have to worry about me. I don’t usually eat my greens anyway,” Ruxen commented idly as Chen began to focus his power on the Green Relic. But it would seem fate had other plans in store, the familiar scent becoming stronger. Ruxen narrowed her eyes before groaning to herself. She had a feeling she knew who this new presence was…

And lo and behold her suspicions were correct. A very familiar peddler, who seemed to have grown up in the time she had last saw her, walked through the clearing and confronted the travelers. Actually, it was more like Mikoto was trying to sell them something stupid, pointless, and unnecessary to their general health. Was there any real difference?

“Don’t call me that,” Ruxen said bluntly, not even going ahead to greet Mikoto back. “And if you must know, yes, I was trapped in that god awful prison again. Where the hell were you?” she growled before Mikoto was by her side. Hearing the offer, Ruxen frowned and was half-tempted to punch the peddler’s lights out, free of charge.

“No I don’t want your stupid flea collar…hey let me go. We’re not friends or anything Mikoto…”

---

~Student President Mariette Shej~

---

Back in Exilia, events were progressing at an interesting rate. With news of the tournament underway-along with the rumors that Asgard of the Imperium had been spotted alive and well within the badlands’ capital-Student President Mariette Shej had traveled across the lands to confirm the rumors herself. That and it seemed all of her fellow students had either gone missing or had quit the Academy in general. While still saddening, the Student President was determined to make the most of this little journey.

So here she was now, having missed the first few rounds due to time lost in her traveling. Sighing to herself, she had decided to enjoy her stay in a small little inn. Feeling like now would be a good time for dinner, she exited her room and proceeded to walk outside. However she soon paused in her steps when she saw another girl who looked to be her age halt right in front of the inn herself, albeit this girl was riding on some strange rollerblades.

“Wow, that was really cool! I don’t think I’ve seen you before in the Academy though. Come to think of it, why’s a kid like you traveling in Exilia? Don’t you know this place is dangerous?” Mariette asked with curiosity, scanning Kasie up and down.

Meanwhile back in the throne of the Puppet Princess, the Jester continued to linger in the shadows. However his gaze took in all before falling on the daughter of Asgard herself. Eyes seeming to gleam just a little, he motioned for Fei to leave the dining chambers before fading away. What’s this? The Jester of the Court wanted to speak with the daughter of the Crimson Knight?

---

Watching Alex walk off, Tori didn’t really care. She wasn’t good at holding conversation and talking to him had exhausted her mentally. The whole reason she hid herself away in the library was to avoid people, but her desire regarding Arcadia continued to thwart those efforts. As she looked over the white sea of clouds the shrieking sound of metal on metal as alarms blared announced the presence of some metallic beast battered itself against the airship. Contrary to the crew, Tori was as calm as ever. This was largely due to her Tome, but she dared not be arrogant, she was always wary of her Tome possibly failing, but she did dread that day.

As she was lost in thought, the twins actions shocked Tori from her day dreaming state as the paradoxically ancient and modern creature assaulted the ship again, windows shattering and Tori tumbling out into the open air, given her a clear look as the beast was assaulted by the twins combined power of bees and water... it sounded rather odd to Tori when it was called like that.

Her tome in the form of her white cloak billowing out, split gently along her back and splayed into the shape of wings. With the intent of moving Tori flapped through the air and had herself vanish from view, landing on the roof of the besieged airship unseen.

How the hell do I deal with this? I suppose the safest option is to get out of the skies and to one of Arcadia’s landmasses and hide from this beast that way. We are in its domain and need to escape it or we are falling shrapnel Wings folding away, Tori became visible once more and had herself turn intangible to fall through the floor before and dashing to the cockpit. Running through every wall in her way she made good time and burst through the wall to the shock of the crew.

“Captain? Helmsman? Whatever your role is, we need to land. Now. I don’t intend to die here today and if we’re on one of Arcadia’s islands we have some chance of not being giant metal predator food. So please, be a hero and save us all from a midair death and put us down?”

@KoL@Flamelord

"Geez, did you really have to drag me all the way out here Lav. I thought it was a simple day. Wake up, go to work, maybe get some coffee and deal with the resident idiots...so why are we going to this meeting that I really don't feel like going to?"

The complaints were coming from none other than Jeremias Hett, chair CEO and founder of the Hett Tome Industries. What they did was cherished by millions...or at least that's what Jeremias told himself. In truth they were the number one Tome distrubuting company and he took pride in that fact. Meaning that dealing with small fry businesses like this was a waste of his time. A small, light chuckle came from his companion who walked ahead of him. Slowly pivoting on her ribboned high heels, she turned toward him and walked backwards. Her flouncy skirt flaring up as she turned.

"You're one to complain! These losers have totally been stealing our revenue. And you know what they say!" The pastel secretary turned back around, twirling her parasol in hand with a cheshire grin. "Bitches get stitches<3~"

After a few more steps, the pink haired assistant stopped and sighed, resting her weaponized parasol on her shoulder. She looked at her boss, pursing her lips.

"Hey Boss, if you're not up for this I could just go in there and totally wreck them and all--but last time that happened you, like, got so slammed with paperwork, so I'm doing you the favor this time."

"Yeah...and I wonder who's fault that was," Jeremias said with a huff, reaching over and pinching his assistant's cheeks, ushering a sort of squeaky toy sound effect as Lav stopped dead in her tracks and blushed dark red, eyes going wide. "Don't start going cheeky on me. I don't pay you big bucks to be cheeky. Anyway, they'd just get confused if they saw you instead of me. We can't have their final moments be confusion? Think of the rumors they'll spread! They'd think I was some kind of Loli all along! Unbelievable!"

Finally releasing his grip on his assistant, he wondered just what the point of this meeting was. Surely they knew what happened to all the others who had gotten in his way? Well whatever. At least Lav could have some fun. The pink haired assistant watched him walk past, her cheeks still fire engine red until she shook her head vigorously and stuck her tongue out at his backside while trying to quell her racing heartbeat. She followed after him, opening her parasol and holding it over herself despite them being indoors.

"Umm, you say that like it wouldn't be an upgrade!"

"Look, just don't get blood on my suit. I just got this thing tailored!" he said before entering the meeting room. Pushing open two mahogany doors led them into a room full of classic men in black suits, shaved heads and sunglasses all lining a long table. At the end of the similarly mahogany table was their rival. A skeevy looking man in a white suit and hair gelled up enough that you could see the overly crisp layers keeping the fine points stiff. He sat, overconfident, smoking a cigar and with his chair half turned toward the large wall-to-wall windows behind them. It was night, and the lights of Imperium, as always, were breath taking.

"Mr. Fett, It's good to finally meet you. I've heard... many things." The businessman slowly swiveled his chair toward the two that had entered, his gaze solely fixed on Jeremias. Slowly, his eyebrow raised. "They didn't mention that you were quite so... small."

"The pleasure's all mine Mister Douchebag," Jeremias said with a smile, taking his seat across from the finely dressed man. In response, the finely dressed man across from him wrinkled his nose as ash fell from his cigar. Compared to some of the shocked expressions the other man had when he made the insult, Jeremias was as confident as can be. He didn't have to look to know Lav was standing beside him patiently, ready to move if needed. Clasping his hands behind his head, Jeremias propped his shoes on the table and grinned.

"Now gentlemen it's come to my understanding that you've been getting your hands sticky in the cookie jar. Well allow me to remind you what happens when those hands get caught. As you can see, Hett Tome Industries loves to deal with all sorts of minds! But one thing we don't like is being loose with our money. So how about I reward you all with a permannent retirement plan!"

Some of the men in the room blinked, caught off guard by the...generous tone in Hett's voice. He seemed to be caught off guard too, Jeremias confused as to why they weren't celebrating. So he crossed his arms and frowned at Lav.

"They don't like my ideas Lav. Aw gee that really makes me sad, you know? If only there was a way to make me feel all happy again-oh I know! Why don't you show these fine folks in greater detail the benefits of my all expense paid retirement plan?"

...

Lav was on her cellphone, giggling at an animated gif and not at all paying attention.

"Boss, omg, this cat totally got stuck in the bush, It's like, sooooo cute!" Her high pitched giggle completely threw off the serious and very cool atmosphere in the room. Across from them, their opponent blinked slowly, having not paid attention to Hett's lackey a moment ago, looked at her in full now.

"...You brought a school girl?" He looked back at Hett incredulously, his eyes half closed. "What's this about a retirement plan now?"

Jeremias shrugged before saying, "What? Not like you don't have some hiding around in that stuffy dungeon you call an office. I'm paying her tuition." With that he waited for Lav to get on with it already, tapping his finger on the desk. Honestly, Lav could learn a lesson in some common sense. At that, Lav looked up at her boss and the others, her sparkling strawberry cell phone charm swaying as she looked back and forth, blinking her brightly colored eyes and smiling. Then she looked at her boss, smile dropping and eyes wide.

"Ooooh my gosh, did you say the thing?"

Jeremias sighed, putting a hand to his forehead before waving his other hand towards the fine gentleman. Really, at this point there was no use in getting her to focus.

"Just kill them already so I can have lunch," he said, rolling his eyes at the shocked gasps of some of the men. Really? Were they that surprised?

"Oh and Lav? I think I'm going to lower your salary for tonight."

The men in black raised their guns at hearing his words, cocking their weapons as their rival rasied his eyebrow slowly. Lav pouted and lowered her parasol, tucking her phone into a belt at her side.

"Awww, gee boss, I'm sorry. Hmmmm.... That's fair though." She sighed deeply as five different sets of lazer pointers set their marks on her forehead. "Goooood, how EMBARASSING!" She opened her bright eyes after closing them tightly, dramatic sparkling tears dropping from them before she got her game face on. She grinned as the men were frozen in place, vine like neon pink flowers growing on them from their legs up. She closed her parasol and huffed, resting it on her shoulder.

"Too easy!"

Lav leapt onto the table, and with the elegance of someone whose been taught fencing, leapt around the table piercing each of the men's throats with the blade on the end of her prarasol, opening and closing it as she danced her way down the table. Avoiding bullets on the way down from the few she hadn't paralyzed. For them, she leapt off the table, wrapped her legs around their shoulders and swung them around, impaling one of the guards who attempted to grab her off of him in the face.

At the end of the table, the rival stood up. His cigar glew a bright orange shade and transformed into a rapier, revealing itself as his tome. He jumped onto the table as well, holding his rapier in front of his face, and then phased in front of Hett in a flurry of Orange sparks, attempting an attack on Hett.

"Oh no a sneak attack! Whatever will I do about-how about this! Boom!"

At that moment a searing hole would be seen growing from the rival's abdomen. The hole seemed to be growing from the inside out as it consumed flesh, bone, and clothing, Jeremias casually aiming his fist at the man. A bright ring was finally seen, glowing before he placed it away to let the interally bleeding and decaying man stumble back.

"Lav, chop, chop already. I have minds to corrupt and values to warp."

"NNNNYAAAH~<3" Lav let out a giggle as she tripped the last of the henchmen and stabbed him through the eye with the base of her heel. "Selfie!" Just as quickly as she had ended it, she lifted her cell phone from her belt, made a peace sign with a kitten-like smile and snapped the shot of her with several dead behind her and her boss standing over the corpse of the man they had just come here to kill. She lowered it and started to post it to social media as she walked back to her boss. "Let's see... hashtaaag..... mondaays.... Alright! Man that was an easy one, boss. I'm almost kinda dissappointed, you know?"

Lavlene looked up from her phone to smile at her boss before she stopped dead, her eyes widening and letting out a pained gasp that turned into a full on yelp of pain. She jumped back, pointing her parasol down at whatever had hurt her. The business man that had a hole blasted through his stomach had taken his cigar tome and burned it against her calve, leaving Lav's leg trembling and in a searing amount of pain.

"Haa...heheh... You idiots... you... have no... idea...." His words came between gasps for air that was quickly leaving his lungs. "This wasn't just.... about me... or you.... These tomes are for something.... much greater. Without these... They'll come after you..."

The rival would soon find himself disarmed as another bolt from Jeremias' ring would strike his...well, his arm. Another gaping hole was opened up in the arm holding his cigar, the flesh once again consuming itself from the inside out.

"Dude, seriously? Do you have any idea what the HR is gonna think now? Great. Just perfect. I'm lucky she didn't sue me yet for employee sexual harassment," Jeremias complained as he got up from his seat. "Also, really? In this boring story, I'm the one who's supposed to have the super secret goals in mind. Quit copying my character."

And with that another bolt was directed at the man's head now, Jeremias rolling his eyes as the rival would feel his flesh being torn apart, inside out, his face spilling out all over the table, illiciting screams until his rival no longer had a mouth to scream with. Muttering about the idiot foils, he walked over to Lav and studied the wound inflicted on her.

Lav had fallen back when her boss had approached the rival into a cozy leather seat after using a gloved hand to wipe away the blood that had gotten onto it. She'd also been inspecting her leg, knowing the issue would be dealt with. The burn on her leg seared through the flesh enough for blood to have started pouring out, black edges around the fair skin showing the burn had come from a hotter-than-normal cigar, no doubt thanks to the tome magic. Her leg was trembling, as were her gloved hands over the wound, but she smiled at her boss.

"Tch, stupid rivals. I really liked this pair of leggings too. Heheh...." Her laugh was shaky, and she did her best to keep her happy-go-lucky smile on for her boss when he came to take a look.

"Yeah, that really looks like it hurts," Jeremias said with amazement. It was difficult to tell whether he was being genuine or sarcastic. But regardless, it didn't stop his sigh coming forth before he took out his ring and aimed it at Lav's leg, causing her to flinch slightly in knowing its capability, but she didn't run from it. Instead of opening a hole, this time the wound closed itself to stop the bleeding, though the burn marks would still need to be treated. Then he whacked Lav on the head lightly with a frown.

"See? That's what you get for not paying attention. Maybe I should confiscate your phone too."

"Hah... aw, come on boss, then how will I find out where we should go to lunch?" She chuckled, but kept her head low and closed her eyes, nodding in understanding. "Speaking of which, I'm... um, I'm like totally starving. Can we go and leave the janitorial department to handle this stuff?" She looked over at the piles of bodies they'd left in their wake without batting an eye.

"Eh? Sure why not. It's not like this is my office anyway," Jeremias said with a shrug. "Besides, I'm pretty sure the alarm went off like five minutes ago when you decided to go all Neo on them. I assume you're still able to do your job despite this injury?"

Before she could answer, he was already walking away towards the hallway, hands in his pockets. Seems he had answered for her, confidence brimming his grin as he walked calmly. Watching him, the pink haired secretary blushed a soft pink and smiled as he went. Resting a hand over her heart, she sighed softly and stood up. Resting her parasol on her shoulder, she limped as she walked after him, being careful to go a little slower in her ribboned high heels.

"Man I could really go for some Chinese. Or maybe Mexican. What's the closest restaurant you know around here Lav?"

---

"You seem to be excited," the Jester of the Court mused as he stood in the back allyways of Exilia's capital. It was only fitting that he speak to his assistant in the cover of darkness. After all, Evie's existence was something that only he was aware of. Not even the high command of the Imperium or even the Imperator herself knew of her presence. And the Jester kept it that way.

Arms crossed, he leaned on the wall while setting his red eyes on his assistant, waiting for her response. Despite the dreary lighting, those eyes of his seemed all too capable of piercing through her. There was no rage or doubt, or any emotion for that matter in his eyes. Simple, calculated acknowledgement. Across from him in the dark alley, a girl so pale her skin seemed to glow in the dark tapped her high heeled boot against the cobblestones. She did show quite a bit of skin these days, making her relatively hard to miss too.

"Hey, it's been a while since you've asked me to take care of something that wasn't just about stealth, you know? Hand to hand... in an arena... I can do it no problem." The dark haired woman with wide blue eyes met the Jester's and nodded, arms folded under her breast. "I have to admit though, I'm on edge. This place is far too full of people who are too comfortable around strangers."

"Are you suggesting you're not?" the Jester asked with little emotion; his eyes flicked over to the crowd before being drawn back to his assistant. "After all, you'd have to be. Why else have you continued to act under my will?"

"You already know why," Evie looked at Jester with her own placid emotions. The Jester, as she understood him, knew things that would be otherwise impossible to understand. So it wouldn't be a question for her if he understood how she felt about him, in both her gratitude and sense of studenthood amongst other things. Slowly, her lips curls into a smile and she tilted her head to the side, causing her hair to fall away from her eye as she chuckled quietly, closing her eyes. "I shouldn't even bother asking, but you have my name under an alias right? What is it?"

"Your given name for this assignment is Letty Winchock. You know your mission and the consequences of failing. Though I doubt you will lose sight of either," the Jester remarked as he sunk into the shadows further, fading away like a ghost. As he left, Evie's nose wrinkled up.

"Letty Winchock? Hey! Jester aren't you supposed to be good at dramatic names...? ...Hey! ...Ugh." Evie turned, looking at the gross sunlight she had to expose herself to in this godforsaken desert. [color=ligtseagreen]"Winchock. Next time I get to pick my own alias."[/color] She headed down the alley, considering what she would need to do come the next morning.

---

Evie, or as the Jester had so classily named her, "Letty," made her way through the halls of the arena. She had missed the first fighting round, which was a shame. Well, perhaps not really. After slinking away the Jester had returned to give her full detail of his plan, or at least the usual amount of it she usually got from the master of vagueness. In her magical girl form with her Tome fully active, her face concealed and her lithe body clung to by ebony armor, she opened the great doors which led into the banquet hall, where the Princess and her comrades sat, having just finished a toast.

There in her arms rested Asgard, the Crimson Knight. And there, behind them all was the Jester. "Letty" strode into the great hall, blue embers whisping away from her ravenesque helm and her armor making a quiet clanking sound with each footstep. A Black Knight in a world of color.

"Princess Emilia of Warovia,"

She spoke with a sense of regality, coming to a stand still before the false princess and taking a knee, her wings folded behind her back like a gallant cape.

"I ask your forgivness. I am to fight in your humble arena, but have found myself later than desirable. I, too, have been wronged by the Crimson Guardian and seek retribution for my grievances."

---

Chen was surprised by this sudden newcomer, stepping out from behind the tree he was resting on. He quickly stashed the Legend Relic in his pocket and got back up. After listening to her introduction, he was curious whether or not she had an actual Legend Relic. He had run into more than a few salesman who had claimed to have a Legend relic for the low low price of a kidney or your house, something idiotic along those lines. None of them actually had a Legend Relic, but then again, none of them flew around on magic brooms and knew Beastkin who had been locked away for god knows how long.

"It's nice to meet you Ms. Kanzaki. I am Chen Chideta, I work for the Librarian and am on the hunt for a Legend Relic. It is very nice to meet you." Chen considered sticking his hand out for a handshake, but she had already moved on to Ruxen. "I see you two know each other. That is good, I met Ms. Ruxen recently while I was out searching through the Rexicorg." He stared at the witch for a second and then figured he would ask the obvious question.

"Do you actually have a Legend Relic? Or are you just trying to scam me? I would like to know sooner rather than later. It would be more convenient for me."

@KoL@TheWindel

In spite of Alex's continually icy relationship with Tori, the airship ride had been an interesting experience as they entered the skies of Arcadia. he had kept his hands from stealing anything for the moment and had instead stuck to work, learning skills he was sure would come in use sooner or later. You never knew when things like these might come in handy later in life, and he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to learn this sort of thing, especially with the two twins involved.

That was brought to an abrupt end by the attack, the roof of the airship being torn away by some metal bird that screeched and loomed over them all. His worry was dampened somewhat by the twins leaping into action, but it was still there regardless. What was this thing, and why was it attacking them? Was it some sort of predator in Arcadia, or was it a weapon sent by the Imperium? That sort of thing would be incredibly unfortunate if it turned out to be correct, enough for him to lament the possibility that his traditional luck had deserted him.

Well, using a weapon was probably out of the question, so it seemed that he would have no choice but to reveal one of his tricks. Specifically his Tome as he activated it, the escrima sticks falling into his grasp as he ran to join the members of the crew who were currently fighting in the defense. He was confident that his Tome's ability would be very useful against a flying enemy such as this, if only to deter it.

"Come on, where are you," he said aloud before sighting in on the flying bird, which was being attacked b the twins. He joined in then, a leap and a flick of his wrist forming a small platform he could use to launch himself higher, before he swung downwards and unleashed an arc of slid air at the bird. Not a massive attack, sure, but it should do some damage or at least hinder it so someone with more heavy hitting powers could get in some shots.

Landing, he rolled out of the way as he spun his Tome, ready to go at it again. Well, the trip had definitely gotten interesting, that was for sure.

"Huh?" Kasie said as the girl that had come out of the hotel said something about her skates then about not seeing her at the academy and it being dangerous here. Kasie was silent for a few moments as she tried to process what was said to her but did roll towards the girl and stop about 4 feet away, she mimed the action of the girl and looked her up and down as well. The girl looked like she was the same age as Kasie herself but she had a feeling that she was just as capable of protecting herself just as well as Kasie had been since she got to the Exilia tournament.

"Well first off this place is for the most part FUN not necessarily DANGEROUS" she said to the girl with a smile before continuing "Second thank you for the compliment but this is nothing fancy". She gave a small twirl on one wheel just to show off a bit before getting back to explaining herself, "Lastly, I'm actually on my way to the academy.... I just stopped here for a bit of fun that's all." she said. "Now for my question who are you, you seem familiar but I can't put my finger on it."

“Just why did I get out of bed today?” Soma thought to herself pulling innocent bystanders out the way before they caused her to kill herself

“Take an air ride, see the world through a bird’s eye it’ll be great, ” she muttered to herself sarcastically projecting shields around people to protect them from falling debris from the entire ceiling being lobbed off

“What could possibly go wrong….” She said sarcastically watching three others do battle with what appeared to be a giant metal bird “That thing ain’t natural, in any case, it’s here best to deal with it now before it makes even more of a mess” she said creating a rectangular platform with elastic properties to bounce herself upward.

High into the air, she propelled herself until she was a good distance above the current battle the twins were having with it, a thought occurred to her to just let them take care it, but that was soon dismissed by the inevitable fact that she would be stuck babysitting the people on the ship, at least by fighting she could help end the problem at the source. Standing on a platform she made in the sky, she made several others with the same bouncy properties as the others, then balling up her fist she made several shield circles around her fist condensing them all together to make it harder to break each one as solid as the last. Launching herself at one trampoline, then another building up her momentum repeatedly each one only good for one bounce each so it became a little mini game to keep a good rhythm going until she aimed herself downward at the monster and shot herself in its direction with her fist and entire arm coated in protective shields. Terminal velocity as well as gravity on her side when she actually made constant with its head the sound of the impact was tremendous.

“Blunt force trauma never steered me wrong yet!” Soma yelled, jumping off the beast’s head dispelling her shields around her fist so that she could create a safe landing for herself. Bouncing up and down ready for the creature to retaliate so that she could run ‘fly’ herself to another location to avoid being this thing’s never meal.

“Yup should have just stayed in bed today”

---

With the news of the unfortunate demise of one of their main suppliers, the mysterious figure known as the Librarian finally turned his eyes toward the world's number one supplier of tome related technology and the responsible for the Librarian's secret ally's death. However, the Librarian wasn't someone that could simply leave his long list of chores to tend to a random task such as giving out a proper greeting, so in his place came the Rebel Assassin, Orihime Tokisada, a near literal angel of death.

The sun was about to hide under the skyline of the Imperium's capital when the sound of her light steps began to be heard around the corridors and soon enough a group of security guards crossed her way. Orihime merely licked her lips silently...

They never knew what hit them.

Not long after that, the main office would be casually be penetrated by Orihime, "Mister Hett, I suppose?" The assassin said as she walked inside seemingly without a care int the world, "I have a message for you, would you.... care to listen to it now?" Orihime licked her right index in a very suggestive way (cleaning herself of some blood droplets) as she waited from an answer.

The man in the stark business suit and who's hair was the color of snow froze in place as his door was cut down by some doll-like figure. However, he wasn't rooted in place due to the girl's appearance or even her ominous message. No, he froze partly in fact to the book currently held in his grip. "50 Shades of-" but Orihime would not see the rest of the book's title as Jeremias hid it in one of his drawers before crossing his arms.

"....can I help you? Look, if you're looking for a job, sorry kid. I already have a piece of eye candy working as my assistant. Speaking of which, said piece of lolita eye candy needs to be getting in here and doing her job," he called out, waiting for Lav to do just that.

. . .

"...WHAT?" The secretary's voice came from down the hall, having not heard her boss properly. The sound of a shower running was heard.

"What do you mean "what"?!? Get in here so you can stop hogging all my shower water! We have a guest who's seen too much. Compromising information or whatever."

"...OH! Yeah I just gotta-AWWW SHIT OW SOAP IN MY FLIPPING EYE... ughhhhh I'LL BE RIGHT THERE...." Lav went quiet as the shower kept running.

Jeremias sighed before saying to Orihime, "You'll have to excuse her. It's not that she's new. She's just an idiot."

Was that a joke? Sincerely, Orihime was getting it, yet the Rebel assassin walked all the way to Hett's desk and reclined her body against it, not surprisingly giving the man an eyeful of her assets. "You know I'm here because of the Librarian, right? Your business is a great source of migraines to him and I... am the vaccine to cure it. Why don't you die now, Mister Hett?" As Orihime said so, she drew her tome with what looked like godlike speed, resting the fine edge of her blade against Hett's neck.

"I must say it's a a pity, though. Despite being old, you're not half bad." Orihime licked the length of her sword stopping just as her tongue was about to touch the man's skin. At that moment, a small pink neon flower appeared on the edge of Orihime's tongue. From there, it rapidly grew down the length of her body and activated it's ability; paralysis.

Standing in the doorway, blushing and looking quite upset, the pink haired secretary stood with her legs apart and one hand, palm open, outstretched and faced toward the assassin. Her long pink hair was wrapped up in a towel resting on top of her head and the other hand was keeping a medium sized, fluffy white towel wrapped around d her body. Slowly, she walked forward, her face all red and looking quite angry. A very low growl emerged from the base of her throat and she went straight up to the frozen dark assassin.

Keeping one hand out to hold the neon flowers in place, Lav's other hand let go of the towel and in slow motion, as the towel dropped, brought it back into a fist before unleashing it straight across the frozen assassins face with a grunt of exertion. Thus in kind knocking the frozen assassin off the table and leaving Lav naked, and still quite fuming as she kept her other hand out to hold the paralysis, her nostrils flaring.

Then she stopped and looked at Jeremias, eyes wide and blushing, then quickly dipped down to wrap the towel back around herself with her free hand, looking away. Her punches were stronger than they initially appeared they might be.

Jeremias blinked at the display, raising an eye first at Lav's once bare naked body before glancing at the fallen Orihime. Well. That had gone just about as he had expected. Shaking his head, he got up from his seat and stood behind Lav since she seemed perfectly fine taking on this chick in a cat fight.

"By the way, I'm twenty-three. Not that old," he told Orihime.

"I like it, the number twenty three, I mean, there's something incredibly intriguing about it don't you think?" Orihime's voice came from the side of Hett's desk, where the assassin was sitting right now. If they cared to check, she had disappeared from the place she was supposed to be and reappeared where she's now. The bruise on her face made it evident that this was the same person, and not an illusion, or another ruse, though.

Orihime ran a hand over the bruise and licked a bit of blood that was running from a cut in her lips, while she shot a suggestive glare at Lav. "To someone without the assistance of any tomes at the moment, you do have a nice punch... I wonder if you are this brave in the bed as well?"

"Ummmh.... honesty hashtag? Your whole sex...aesthetic thing, is, soooooooo tacky. But like, your eyes are super cute though so you have that going for you." Lavlene took the time to pluck a clip off of Jeremias' desk and clip her towel shut while Orihime was talking, leaving her hands free. She held both her hands up, a dozen neon butterflies appearing around them. "Scat, stray kitty. You don't wanna keep, like, going down this path and whatever."

Jeremias brought a fist to hand and coughed out, "Catfight," beneath his breath.

---

Orihime breathed an exasperated sigh just as Lav summoned power once again. "Ara, ara... It seems someone here doesn't get the cue on who's going to be on top when this is over." Just as she said so, something around them seemed to 'warp', as if the space itself was flowing and weaving. A blink of an eye later, Orihime appeared behind Lav, trying to get the other girl into an arm lock, before throwing her to the floor using some form of martial arts from a foreign land.

Meanwhile, she replied to Hett's provocation with a smile worthy of a succubus, "Ara... I didn't knew that Mister Hett was a fan of such things, why don't we put out a good show for him, huh?" The assassin finished her speech and licked Lav's ear, just for fun.

"...you say something?" Jeremias asked, too busy taking notes on the interactions between these two girls. For research. Of course.

Lav had grunted when she hit the floor and lay there for a moment, listening to what the assassin was saying. She lifted her head to look over her shoulder at Orihime, her hand slipping under her own body. As she did, the towel turban she'd put on her hair after the shower slipped off, her bright pink hair pooling out as the cloth fell to the fancy carpet. She slowly started to scowl.

"...The only show that Jeremias Hett will ever be getting..." Beneath Orihime, Lav quickly turned around, the towel that had been on her body coming off. Like a shimmering spear of light, the extremely effective clip that had been holding her towel shut came up.... and pinched down right on Orihime's nipple through her clothing.

"Is from me!"

With that, Lav wrapped her naked body around Orihime's like a crab crunching down on the unsuspecting victim's finger. She grit her teeth, her eyes wide and started screaming.

"I'LL SHOW YOU FUCKING.... HASHTAG ARARARARARARARARRARARARARARARARARARRARARRARRARRRRRRAAARRA" As she was screaming this, she rolled her body and Orihime's out of the room at a highly increasing velocity and into the hall... then down the hall... with no sign of letting up.

"A... ra?" Orihime barely had the time to react to Lav's counter when the pink-haired girl grabbed her and rolled out of the office. For a moment Orihime didn't knew how to react and just allowed the loli to take her, until they fell of a flight of stairs.

"Well...that's one way to roll over the competition," Jeremias commented to himself, glancing around to make sure no one was present to hear his lame pun. Then he began taking more notes, muttering to come up with funnier jokes. "Guess Lav got a bit crabby lately."

Orihime's confusion wouldn't last long, though as another spatial warp demonstrated right in time to save both of them of becoming scarlet stains on the pristine marble floor below. Instead of that, they landed on an indoors fountain, becoming soaking wet. Orihime didn't lose the momentum and teleported once again, freeing herself from Lav's crustaceous grip.

As she let go, Lav rose from the water coughing and gasping, but she moved away and jumped out of the fountain to get some distance between them. As she turned back, a bright pink light emitted from her hand and she extended her palm, a swinging parasol appearing a she turned back, grinning, and pointed the tome toward her opponent.

"Ara? Why is it that we never have mud available when we need it the most?" Orihime teased, before drawing her blade once again... just then, the assassin stopped dead on her tracks, the fire in her eyes turning from feelings of exhilaration to boredom.

"It seems I'll have to get going now, Kani-chan, my acquaintance just finished her mission. I guess we can play again another day, then." As Orihime said so a huge explosion coming from the tome vault rocked the building, an airship hovered just above it. With another weaved of space Orihime disappeared from the fountain and was then inside the ship. Lav stepped back, shielding her face while looking up, her eyes wide and her hair blowing in the intense wind.

"Farewell for you too, mister Hett, I hope to meet you again under better circumstances." Orihime said while weaving a suspicious object that remembered very much the towel that was supposed to be draped around Lav's body. "I hope you don't care if I take this little souvenir with me, Kani-chan. I'll give it back to you if you can defeat me on our next date."

Lav watched, eyebrows furrowed, as the assassin left with her towel. She didn't say anything, but tightened her grip on her parasol and watched her go, the intense wind making her shiver and making her bare nipples hard. Sighing, she looked down and covered herself with her hands as much as possible, her head turning to the side as the assassin was gone.

"What was that all about...?"

"Then you are more than welcome to join us, Letty Winchock. However, your own grievances against Asgard hold little to no value to me, if you want to avenge yourself you'll have to overcome all of these warriors, before setting hands on the Crimson Knight." Emilia replied to Letty after the masked woman approached her.

The aftermath of the previous night’s banquet was yet to be made known, yet the Ring of Blood could not be sated, as if it was a big creature hungering for more and more to feed it’s gapping maw. And such Emilia intended to provide as the thunderous rumbling of the masses who filled the colosseum could testimony. Once again, the nation of thieves and murderers as well as those from other lands who came here to witness one of the greatest events to ever happen on the story of the Imperium, quieted itself as Emilia raised her fine, doll-like hand.

“Today is a day to celebrate the victorious and honor the deceased. The day when the ones who’ll proceed to the final round of this once in a life time event will be determined as such, my dear gladiators, I have a special treat for you. The eight who remained steady will be facing each other until only two of you are left standing.” The crowd broke into a wild cheer as Emilia laid down the rules of the penultimate round, which was supposed to be a battle royale between the victors of the previous one. The Princess raised her hand again and silence followed suit, “Furthermore, to turn this into a massacre worthy of my father’s name, how about we add a small extra? Fufufu…”

With a wave of Emilia’s hand, the gates lining up the walls collapsed, revealing a pack of beasts that looked like they were no less of the Dollmaster’s toys as Asgard was at the moment. With another sign, “Well then, shall the merrymaking begin?” the carnage broke loose.



“Oh, Ruxy, you don’t need to be like this. It feels like you and I don’t even have a story together.” Mikoto said as the rabid wolf girl jumped away from her. “I know, to commemorate our reunion after all those years I’ll give you this!” Mikoto produced a box of S.Snax, from inside her backpack and offered it to Ruxen. “Your favorite, right? Don’t worry, it’s absolutely on the house, hehe!” The witch grinned as she touched her nose with a thumb.

When Chen came and asked her about the Relic, Mikoto smiled a smile brighter than the sun over their heads and said as she beckoned him to come near, “Well, my friend, do you think this Peddler Witch here can’t hold her word? I’ll tell ya, I got the best of them Relics here.” As she said so, Mikoto opened a small pouch revealing a stone much like the one Chen had, just that it shone with a golden radiance that made one try to cover their eyes to avoid blindness. “See, the genuine Yellow Relic, but ya know, this ain’t something I can simply hand over, so ya gotta impress me before.”

“Anyway, Chen… I’m sure that Librarian pal must have quite a… Library, huh? Maybe if you get me there I can think of selling this sweet babe to you.” Mikoto than straightened her posture and shifted her gaze to the side a she finished her statement “Of course there’s nothing suspect with my interest on that. I just, hmm… love books, that’s it. If you don’t believe me you, you can ask Ruxy here, ain’t it, Ruxy?”

~Ruxen~

---

“Yeah we met alright…”

Ruxen was grumbling to herself, still outraged that this annoying peddler was even still alive. How long had it been? Somehow the blonde girl didn’t even look a day older since the first time they had met; which was another story for another time. Continuing to give Mikoto a hard stare, Ruxen blinked in outright disbelief as she was handed a very familiar green and orange box.

“How the fuck did you even get this?” Ruxen muttered before tearing the box’s top off and digging one paw in to scoop up her treats. As Mikoto went about her usual theatrics, Ruxen crunched away at the bland and average tasting snack. Best chow in the land, huh…well at least it was free for now. Ruxen knew full well the ridiculous prices Mikoto could charge her clients for.

Seeing the bright Yellow Relic though caught her attention, Ruxen’s nose twitching. Chen probably wanted to know if Mikoto was actually scamming him or not so the Beastkin rolled her eyes before leaning forward. She took one small whiff, catching the Relic’s scent…before curling her lip into a frown and recoiling back.

“Aw what the hell Mikoto?!? The fuck did you drench this thing in? Piss?” Ruxen questioned angrily. The peddler must have dabbed the Relic in something to ensure the Beastkin wouldn’t be able to distinguish treasure from bust. Genius on her part…and all the more reason why Ruxen never visited this chick.

---

~Student President Mariette Shej~

---

“A bit of fun? Even though there’s a massive battle tourney going on right now?” Mariette questioned, as if to herself. She tilted her head and brought a finger to her chin. Then she smiled, as if figuring out some great secret before grabbing Kasie’s hand and leading her off towards the direction of the Coliseum.

“Ah, so you want to join the Academy, is that it? And you find all this bloodshed fun? You certainly are a girl who shares my own interests and heart,” Mariette giggled as she led Kasie through the small village and ever closer to the next beginning match. “It’s no wonder you were able to recognize me. I am the Student President of the Academy after all, Mariette Shej. A pleasure to meet you! Oh! But we have to hurry. We don’t want to lose the good seats, right?”

Unsurprisingly, the two girls were easily allowed into the crowded viewing areas of the battle arena. Seeing as everyone within Exillia was a part of reeking scum and villainy, it was not strange to see ones so young fascinated with the spilling of blood. Mariette held Kasie’s hand with an iron grip, determined not to lose her in the raving mass of people cheering.

But such shifting chaos was perhaps nothing compared to the madness taking place over the skies of Arcadia. As Tori ran to try and seek control of the ship, she would find the captain slouched back in his seat, a spear of metal and shrapnel impaling his mid-section. Nothing else could have caused this besides the monster attacking them outside.

That meant this creature was smart. Dangerously so. The actual monster itself was growling out in pained snarls as the twins launched their attack on it. The massive hornet-like creatures did a number on the creature’s face before metal claws would be found embedded in each summoning, the dragon growling with ever growing rage. As it did so, it set its mechanical eyes right on the twins and prepared to lunge.

Before it could so, something light and powerful landed on its back, the condensed wind blow from Alex connecting. Looking around, the dragon immediately spotted Alex and took his landing as an opportunity to pounce, gripping the man in its metal-clawed hand and slamming him through the floor of the ship, hanging him precariously above the earth below.

But whatever intent it had, it was stopped in mid-motion by something heavy and physical plopping on its head. The mechanical abomination whirred and screeched with eyes flickering as it slumped forward. Its sharp beak cut right through the flooring of the ship, making control of it all the more difficult as they began to spin out of the air.

---

Barely holding a sweat, Fei watched Jessi fight with sharp eyes, assessing all of his steps and positions. Both of them had to be on their best game if they wanted to win this competition and she would accept nothing but perfection from the guard. From the vigorous amounts of training from both of them, no one here stood a chance unless the games turned dirty. Before her mother was put within the equation, Fei might not have thought of going to such tactics. Should anyone attempt any form of such fighting, she would not hold back. For her mother, she would do anything.

While she would never admit it, part of Fei was glad she wasn’t alone in this dreadful waste. With her mother somehow in the hands of the piece of trash they called princess, she wasn’t sure what to expect. The idea of losing her mother… She shook her head. Eleanor would return safely the Imperium, Fei would make sure of it. Nothing would stop her from bringing home her mother, even if it meant dying in the process. She continued staring at Jessi and she knew he felt the same. They just had to win this dreadful competition.

After the first rounds had finished, all of the competitors were shipped to feast with Emilia. Fei almost barfed at the idea of sitting at the same table as the woman. But she stayed silent as she stood beside Jessi, her eyes calculating her enemy’s strengths and weaknesses. Unless they possessed hidden secrets, Fei honestly believed the two of them would be the last standing. Having no friends for all of her life seemed worth it as she stood here among traitors and filth, waiting for the moment she could burn them all to crisps.

Silence echoed across the room, only the sound of breathing could be heard, as Emilia made her appearance and spoke before the crowd. She began to give tributes and introduction to the competitors, claiming Fei as the daughter of her enemy. It was easy how much one forgot who she was when they had an army of filth and traitors backing them up. When Fei won the relic, when she took her mother, she would make her remember. Make her understand who she was messing with and make. Her. Pay. Fei’s irises burned with a golden flame, pinpointed exactly on Emilia. Any rational person would run in the other direction but Emilia was the princess of traitors, clearly immune to any form of rational thinking.

Fei’s arms clenched into tight fists as her mother entered the room, dressed as a pathetic slave and serving to the wretched princess. As Emilia proposed a toast, Fei stared with her burning eyes at her mother as Emilia went to give Eleanor a sip of her drink. Every ounce of Fei’s body wanted to burn Emilia alive, make her suffer in pain for even touching her mother’s body. She wanted blood, Emilia’s blood. The tome glowed beneath her shirt. Gods help them all. Fei would settle it right here, right now. All other sounds seemed to be silenced and only Emilia and Fei existed. The tips of Fei’s hair crackled with flame, yearning to devour on Emilia’s pain. It would be a slow death. She raised her hand and pointed it toward…

A soft voice shattered Fei from her intense concentration and spell, bringing her back to the dinner party. Blinking, she looked down to find one of the competitors, Tegonay she believed, warning her about the competition. The knight was dressed in all black and thick armor that she wondered if her fire could penetrate through. Appearance worthy of being titled as one who served the Imperium. A soft chuckle escaped her mouth though. “You dare question my part here? My name is Fei, daughter of the mighty Asgard, Crimson Knight of the Imperium. I’ve spent my entire life training and training, never once a moment of relaxation. I will win this ridiculous competition and I will bring my mother home. And anyone, no matter their allegiance, who dares tries to get in my way will burn.” She stared the knight down, daring him to speak another word.

Before the knight could so much as make a sound, Fei’s attention was caught by someone she had not expected to see. Jest of the Court. What was he doing all the way out in such a despicable desert? He gestured for her to follow him. Raising her eyebrow, Fei knew this wasn’t a request she could ignore. She whispered to Jessi to keep an eye of her mother and quietly left the dining hall. Hopefully everyone else would be too preoccupied to notice. She stared at the Jester, waiting for him to speak first.

---

Day two of the bloody competition. Thunderous clamps and screams filled the colosseum as the competitors waited to find what their next challenge would be. She had no doubt Emilia had many tricks up her sleeve to make the competition more interesting. No matter what she threw at both Jessi and her though, Fei would prevail. This competition was hers before it even began.

At the sight of Emilia, the crowd surprisingly hushed and Fei waited for the rules to be called out. It would be an all out battle where only two would make it to the finals. One spot for her, and one spot for Jessi. Smirking, she let her hair burn wild with a roaring fire. She stepped closer to Jessi and awaited for the bell to the commence the battle. Being the devilish Emilia she was, a group of beasts, mere puppets to the will of the fake princess, appeared before the battle. She only let her smirk grow wider as she looked at Jessi. Holding out her hand to the brave guard, she let her voice grow quiet so only the two could hear. “Thank you for serving the Imperium. You are worthy of much more than a guard, Jessi. For the Imperium!” She flashed him a grin as she pulled out her swords. This would be fun.

@TheWindel@KoL@Awesomoman64

Chen carefully considered the peddler's options, taking a peek at the Yellow Relic and wincing at how bright it was, then glancing at Ruxen to see what her thoughts were. She was currently munching on what appeared to be dog treats, so Chen coughed lightly to try and get her attention, tilting his head towards the bag. Ruxen then looked at the Relic, sniffing it to see if it was fake. Chen anxiously waited to see her thoughts, only to be let down by her exclamation of disgust as she recoiled from the Legend Relic. It would appear as if the Relic had been smeared in something to mask it's scent, that way it was indistinguishable from an actual Relic. Highly suspicious in Chen's eyes, but it wasn't time to reveal his hand quite yet.

"Any particular reason you wish to mask the Legend Relic's scent? I doubt that any bandit is going to be able to smell it and know what it is." Chen stated blandly as he stared into Mikoto's eyes with no emotion whatsoever. "Never mind, it doesn't matter. As for whether I can get you into the Librarian's Library, I would need to first contact them to make sure it's okay. I'm sure you can discuss further terms with The Librarian themselves." Chen pulled out a notepad and pen from his pocket, quickly scratching down an address in Infinitum to meet in, along with some directions to be followed so that someone could retrieve her. The spot in question was chosen specifically for how out of the way it was, one or two Librarian scouts keeping an eye on it at all times. "Would that be acceptable?" Chen asked as he held out the address for Mikoto to take.
@TheWindel@KoL