---

---

—“Nestled safely in the mountains at the heart of the Bach Empire, lies the city of Arpeggio, built over ruins of the Old Civilization, this ancient city is also known as the Empire’s Crown Jewel and houses a population of around two million, being the biggest city in the Da Capo continent. This year the grand city will be housing the Battle Royale, the biggest competition in the land, which happens annually at the capital of one of the three major nations both to determine the most powerful Song Knight of Da Capo’s military academies as well as to celebrate and enforce peace during the Liberation Festival. The stage of such tournament will be the Imperial Colosseum, the grand battle arena, sitting between the black rocky cliffs to the west of Arpeggio and the Lorelai River, which divides Arpeggio in three sectors. In about an hour, exactly at 08:00 the competition will begin. For the time being a feeling of anticipation covers the city as the morning mist recedes, but… how long will it last?”




The thief overlooked the city from the top of an old church steeple which she used as a hideout, indeed Arpeggio was a whole other thing when compared even with the capitals of the other countries. Perfectly cobbled streets, most of the houses where made of stone as well, or bricks, the shinning waters of the Lorelai, singing their melody for all to hear and “The food, you can’t forget the food, always fresh and delicious. Perhaps, should I visit my favorite apple dealer?” Sienna mused to herself.

“Come on, Rin, we’ve got breakfast to catch!” Sienna called her bubbly Spirit, who replied with a cheery “Yes~” before they both leaped out of the tower. Drawing one of her daggers, Sienna played a single note that summoned a blast of snowy wind to slow down her fall, just enough so that she could land safely on a conveniently positioned hay cart, whose destination was no where else than Arpeggio’s Central Marketplace.



On a room at an affordable, average quality inn, not too far from the Imperial Colosseum, Claudia Blair was just waking up, sleep still heavy in her features. Claudia is one of the students from Chopin who came to take part in the Battle Royale, her the third time taking part in the competition. Her best position thus far being reaching the Eighth-finals on the previous year, this time Claudia was aiming for the top and no one will be able to quench her flame… mostly.

“Aww! How cold!” Claudia shouted, no doubt waking up half of the inn with her as she tried to wash her face to wake up. “Man, this mountain water is as cold as ice. Well, at least I’m awake now, better get dressed and find something to eat before the tournament begins.” The knight said to herself before dipping further under the shower. A few minutes later and Claudia was already on the streets the look out of a nice place to grab a bite. “Maybe, should I try that maid café they said that is somewhere close to the market? Hmm…” Claudia set on her way to said café, humming a random tune that popped on her head.

---

While some had struggled to meet the day, others were early risers by nature. As he had done most everyday, Cass Mormont was enjoying his morning amidst the hustle and bustle of the capital's central market place. Nestled between the stall of an affectionate jeweler and stolid textile's merchant, the Bombardier Knight hummed a gentle tune while he idly rolled a ring between his fingers. It was a band of polished silver, with a inset diamond that, while not having nearly enough carrots to grace a nobles finery, was nothing for him to scoff at.

"I wonder who's hand you belonged to?" He asked the purloined goods, not expecting an answer. The ring wasn't even to Cass' tastes if he were to be frank. In the Chopin Republic, there was a far greater expression of freedom and creativity in the goods and services, rather than the comparatively utilitarian methods employed in the Bach Empire.

Being within Arpeggio's center of trade and commerce at least served as a comfort in that regard. Culture flowed with the exchange of coin, bringing goods, services, and people from all over Da Capo. It was witnessing this that drove Cass to come here as the merchants opened their stalls, and they didn't mind too much since having a Song Knight did wonders to discourage any rowdiness from the consumers. He also wouldn't deny that he got to see a lot of ladies perusing the stalls in all manner of beautiful garb.

"You can not pull off those dresses." Came a growl from beneath Cass' collar. He looked down to find his Spirit, currently only a foot long and coiled around his throat. The acerbic dragon, Jormungand, didn't share Cass' appreciation for awaking early. "Don't even bother you damned Trap."

Cass chuckled in response, long since used to his grouchy partner. "I'm too proud of my legs to cover them anyway~" Jormungand grumbled in frustration before settling down once more. This was a well worn routine between the two, and even if the acidity never wavered from the Spirit, Cass never took offense.

So the knight, his dragon, and a stolen ring stood among the market stalls and greeted the day warmly.

This wasn't a good idea.

The thought had run through Tiamat's head multiple times, enough so that she started to seriously doubt her partner's sanity. Not like she hadn't already. On multiple occasions. Mary, her human partner, had strong armed her into agreeing with her newest hair brained scheme, which once again had a high dosage of danger and malarkey stirred into the mix for another chance of "spreading awesomeness to the masses". This idea, however, has probably broken the record for "the stunt that will most likely end the life of Mary Stradford". They were in the plains directly outside of the city in which the Liberation Festival will be held. Tiamat stretched her limbs in preparation for this dangerous maneuver, staring blankly at her partner, who was currently sitting on an innocent looking boulder twice her size with her battle axe strapped to her back.

This latest scheme involved the Spirit, with her dauntless strength, throwing her partner, who will be situated ontop of said boulder, high into the air above the city. Then, as the airborne human quickly descended to the ground, she would sing a short piece to summon the Spirit beneath her landing zone, and said Spirit would catch both the boulder and human with perfect ease. There was an immeasurable amount of factors that could cause this stunt to go wrong, such as other foreign objects in the sky, a strong gust of wind, or even Mary fumbling with her voice. If, for some reason or another, her human was unable to summon her in time, she would splatter all across the city streets like a red water balloon.

Mary seemed to notice her partner's worry, even though no external factor seemed to outline it, and hopped off of the boulder to pat Tiamat on the shoulder. She needed to kneel and lower herself to the ground in order to do so, but it was well worth it to see a flash of emotion run through the blunette's eyes. "Don't worry Tia, I'll be fine," Mary reassured the Spirit, knowing that the smaller female had many misgivings about her latest shenanigans. The teen lifted herself back up onto her feet and took on a pose with her knuckles on her hips, a cocky expression being sent towards her shorter companion. "After all, don't you remember who I am? I'm Mary Stradford, Queen of Amazingness!" she finished her short monologue with a hearty laugh, and if the Spirit didn't know any better she would have thought that the people within the city would have heard it.

The outburst wasn't quite needed, but it took Tiamat's mind off of the highly apparent risks of this stunt. Usually, she would have already declined her involvement within this situation, and dragged Mary into the city kicking and screaming through the front entrance, but her partner hasn't had any "fun" for quite a while. If she didn't allow her to get through her pent up excitement right now, there was no telling what the brunette would do when she got the chance to do something. Mary got back into her position onto the boulder, giving her partner a thumbs up and a uplifting smile to signify that she was ready. Tiamat readied herself as well, checking the trajectory one last time as she grabbed the bottom of the boulder and lifted it above her head with apparent ease. The human ontop of the giant rock let out a little squeal at the sudden change of height, said squeal becoming a boisterous cry of excitement as both human and boulder were sent flying through the sky. As she watched the large projectile fly over the city grounds for her last few moments, Tiamat internally prayed that her human would survive her newest shenanigans before she was dismissed.

Ueno Laudwen

Another day, another disappointment. That phrase flooded Ueno's head the entire morning. He had slept in way longer then he should have, and was extremely disappointed in himself. He wasn't to be late, but the mere fact he hadn't been prepared was already enough to put him on edge for the entire morning. On occasions like these Ueno would wish for a more practical spirit, had Conquest not been a glorified stool he definitely would have been a large help. However, tis not the case. So Ueno would fly through his home and prepare himself for today by himself. He would quickly finish his errands and plan out today's Agenda, and how to best use the tournament to his advantage.

Once Ueno had been properly spiffed up, he grabbed Conquest's Acoustic and promptly went outside. He then began to 'talk' to Conquest through a broken string on his guitar. He would whisper to it while heading towards the Colosseum "Conq', chances are we won't be participating today. If that is so, we need to find out who'm we will be fighting and their address. As much as I would love to show you off, we need to win at least the first fight at all costs." No one could ever respect a song knight who couldn't even win the first fight in this festival. Ueno had to make sure that if he was to be known, he was to be known as the victor. "Actually, we might need the address of another participant too. Would be suspicious if only my first contender were to receive one of our 'visits'. Hmm..." And Ueno would continue to ramble to Conquest, who would only reply with silence.

As they got closer to the Colosseum, Ueno would be in the middle of explaining who would most likely know who they were fighting first, if the match ups weren't to be made public to everyone. This was interrupted by a chance sighting of a boulder flying through the air like a meteor. A meteor flying straight towards the city. Don't investigate it. Conquest issued the command to Ueno knowing full well it was going to be ignored. The guitar sighed inaudibly as his master ran towards where he thought the meteor was going to land.

Curiosity killed the cat, but Ueno knew he had a few lives to spare.

Moros yawned as he made his way through the city, Lefay imitating the movement as did whenever she was in his shape. He didn't complain about it, even though he always got weird looks when she did that, he learned long ago it only encouraged her. His stomach growling at him reminded him that he'd skipped his breakfast to get here early, which meant that he was eager to get something to eat. After all, it wouldn't do to enter such a prestigious tournament on an empty stomach and preform any less than his best. Even though he didn't think he'd get that far. He'd done well at his own Academy but here he was supposed to be fighting the best from everywhere.

Still, his mother wouldn't settle for anything but first place so he had to at least try for her. His thoughts were interrupted by a strange sound and a sudden darkness. Glancing upwards Moros saw a large rock hurtling through the air, seemingly aimed to impact only a few streets ahead of him and he could've sworn he'd seen someone on top of it. Surely no one was foolish enough to attack here. Now curious Moros picked up his pace a little so he could arrive at the landing spot and see what the deal was. Lefay seemed equally curious and ran ahead of him, turning to face him to make sure he could read her lips and called backwards, "Race ya wimp." before continuing on. Maybe if you didn't have to carry this massive harp. Moros thought grumpily as he chased after.

Out the back behind a fairly well regarded inn, a red headed girl in a pinstriped suit was slumped awkwardly on the ground. From another it would appear as if she was sitting on top of the crate, but gravity proved otherwise and she held a bottle close, full of amber liquid with a prestigious label emblazoned on it, as if it was a teddy bear. Looming over her, a skeletal woman with an eyepatch lightly kicked at the snoozing drunkard's legs.

"Wake up, TayTay. I know you and your good friend Jack Daniels and Johnny Walker had good fun last night, but it's about as late as we can wait without being late to the tournament. Besides, I want some!" reaching down with her bony hand Scarlet snatched up the bottle when the girl on the ground as quick as lightning woke up and lunged for the escaping bottle.

"Nooooo! Scarlet! Give it back! I paid for it! I had to stop two towns away, give up accomodation and leg it all the way here to afford that! That's good stuff and is going to be my post tournament celebration!"

"So you're gonna win then?" the bony hands deftly examining the botte, nodding in approval at her friend's taste. Taylor hadn't been much of a drinker before meeting up with Scarlet, but now she had a cast iron liver and could last longer than a seasoned soldier. Still had that daft idea of out drinking a skeleton though. Fiddling with the lid Scarlet almost laughed at Taylor's face of panic as she reached up from the ground and couldn't resist poking her cheek covered in white makeup that was seemingly permanent since she had never seen Taylor without it.

"When did I say win, Scar? I just said post tournament! What the hell does winning matter anyway? Teach just wants me and you to show off a bit~" a whining tone entered Taylor's voice as Scarlet's boot poked her face "Just give it back Scar! Oi! Wait! Where you going?!" scrambling to her feet and scooping up her sheathed falchion and trumpet case Taylor watched as Scarlet tossed the bottle in the air, caught it in her sombrero before putting it back on jauntily and swaggared away. Where the hell does a skeleton get such a swagger from anyway?

"The Arena numbskull. I told you we'd be late if you kept snoozing" Scarlet for her part took out a hip flask and poured it down her non existant throat, amber liquid visible as it went down, before igniting into a ball for fire inside her rib cage and the gas flowing up into her skull before vanishing just behind her eyes "If you win, you get the expensive booze~"

"Damnit Scar! I paid for it with my money!" blade on her hip and trumpet case in hand, Taylor glared up with her white and blue eyes at the one black and gold eye of Scarlet. Cursing under her breath Taylor snatched Scarlet's hip flask and took three quick swigs

"One for courage, one for luck and one because up yours Scar, I want my expensive stuff back!" coughing as if she was about to give up a lung Taylor took a deep breath and a whew~ noise escaped her as the skeleton and mariachi made their way towards the tournament ground

The sun had only started to peer its brilliant rays over the mountainous horizons when a certain young man proudly strutted his way out into the relatively quiet streets. Despite it being the crack of dawn, the streets were already sparsely populated with people hurrying back and forth; preparing for the undoubtedly busy day ahead. Shakrais himself would be performing centre stage later that day, and the mere thought of thousands, if not tens of thousands eyes gazing upon him sent a shiver of euphoric excitement up his spine.

“A truly worthwhile stage shall be prepared I’m sure” he stated, raising his arms high above himself, stretching them out as if he were attempting to communicate with some heavenly being. Unfortunately the only response he got from his bizarre ritual was a few raised eyebrows which quickly turned away, hurrying away to complete whatever errand they had set themselves for the day. The self-declared tyrant maintained his stance for a good half-minute before lowering his arms and huffing dissatisfied. He’d heard from travellers that the people of Bach were prudish stiff-necks, but their inability to comprehend his clearly evident intentions was simply unacceptable.

This wouldn’t do. This simply wouldn’t do at all.
Glancing around the streets, the tanned youth pranced his way across the street, and slipped into the nearest alley, his bare feet stepping silently across the still cool stone path, sidestepping any unruly mess the inhabitants of this overpopulated settlement had made. In all honesty Shakrais had no ideas as to where he was going, turning corners based simply on his intuitive whims. Fortunately it didn’t take very long before he came across what he’d been looking for. A makeshift slum-like hideout made of discarded boxes and cloth. From within the sound of several sleepy snorers could be heard, each little street-rat dreaming of a life that would remain a dream for as long they lived.

A gentleman would have dismissed the sight, turning a blind eye and walking off in the opposite direction, but Shakrais was neither cultured nor polite. “Rise and shine little peasants!” he shouted suddenly, banging his fist against the roof of the little shack. The sudden racket immediately dragged each and every inhabitant of the hideout awake, many scrambling to their feet, and attempting to hide anything which might incriminate them. A few even tried to flee the scene, thinking that the guards had come along, but Shakrais stood firmly by the entrance of the shack, smiling confidently as cautious eyes retreated back into the safety of their home.

“No need to be shy my dear scumbags, I don’t intend to cause any harm to you or your bizarre little doghouse, I’m simply looking for a certain someone and was hoping you could point me in the right direction? Of course, a reward shall be dealt to those who prove themselves worthy” Shakrais declared, reaching for a pouch he had tied to his waist.

The mention of being rewarded, combined with the heft pouch was more than enough for several eager young boys to come darting out like the loyal hounds they were. The remainder of their transaction was simple enough and within an hour Shakrais was guided to the home of the person he sought…

---

As the street began to fill, and contestant from the respective schools began to make their way to the tournament grounds, a certain tanned youth stood above the rest…. Literally.

Standing atop the shoulders of a huge burly man that looked as if he’d eaten children for breakfast, Shakrais stood tall and proud, his arms crossed over his chest as he arrogantly looked down at the commoners who hurried to step aside before gazing up at him with incredulous confusion.
“Onwards my dear Goliath! Let the seas of filth part way as a prelude to my grand entrance” Shakrais laughed proudly.

The man beneath Shakrais’s feet mumbled something about his name being John, not Goliath… but wasn’t really in any position to complain. He’d be foul-tempered when a crazy young man surrounded by street-waifs turned up at his door. Even moreso when the man revealed he had sought John out solely for his massive physique. John; the Blacksmith would have quite happily slammed the door in the arrogant man’s face were it not for the palm sized jewels Shakrais had handed each waif, acting as if he were some old lady giving away free food. When Shakrais offered a handful of precious gems in exchange for a few hours of service, the man simply couldn’t refuse. And hence there he was… acting as the chariot for Shakrais’s more bizzare than grand scheme to gain the attention of his surroundings. They say that idiots and smoke like high places…. And since Shakrais clearly seemed to believe people were looking up at him with respectful awe… he was quite clearly the former.

Isabelle Kaiser

A

soft breeze rippled across the landscape, creating waves in the glowing green grass. Fields of wheat stretched below, their gold sheen catching the sunlight perfectly. Isabelle kicked out one leg at a time, her lips puckered to whistle a soft tune. Sole floated above her head, resembling a quest marker in an RPG, his dirt body flowing like water down his body before reaching the bottom and being sucked into the center. It made this progress just to be pushed out at the top of his body. His red eyes emitting a piercing shine, a shade or two lighter then burgundy.

Isabelle's bottom was placed on the edge of a hard stone, high above the city wall in what she assumed to be a guard tower. The door was easy enough to break open even if it had been previously been locked. The view was well worth the trouble of climbing those stairs with her claymore strapped onto her back. Empty air was all that lay far beneath her feet, and that would make quite the unfortunate fall if she happened to.

Sole glanced down at Isabelle, a small hole opening below and betwixt his eyes as he prepared to speak. "It's beautiful, can we go?" He said, making it clear that if he had a foot he would be tapping it impatiently.

Isabelle giggled, and shook her head as she continued to scan the landscape. "You have no taste," She said, glancing up at him and continuing. "You can't even appreciate a work of art. Or the landscape," She giggled again before glancing back down at the rolling field in front of her.

A windmill was visible in the distance, along with a sparkling river, the swift moving water rushing down a-"Boring," Sole interrupted, making a yawning noise, "We need to eat, then we need to train, then we need to play some chess because I swear I'm going to destroy you this time,"

A long sigh escaped Isabelle's lips as she looked up at him again. "You don't know how to play chess, you don't even enjoy training, and you can't eat," She said slowly, her stare turning evil. "Besides this view is too breathtaking to-" Her voice caught in her throat. There was a boulder flying through the sky, with a person perched on top of it.

"Look away," Isabelle mumbled, quickly banishing her spirit, and pushing herself to her feet on the ledge, She ran to the other side, watching the boulder fly with bated breath. "First day here, and someone dies," She whispered, a hint of exhilaration reaching her voice. She jumped up onto the ledge of the tower, standing precariously as she waited for the scene to fully unfold.

---

---

"The central market of Arpeggio was indeed a sight to behold as Cass Mormont, the Bombardier Knight had remarked to himself but a few minutes ago. Despite the Bach people's xenophobic tendencies, the market plaza was as lively place as it can. The come and back of goods and gold attracted many from a paths and places of life, stories were traded and both friendships and rivalries that would last a lifetime were made. It was no exaggeration to say that this Market decided the life and death of Bach as whole."



In a corner, next to the doorstep of one of Arpeggio's most prestigious inns, a mysterious minstrel wearing their profession's traditional garb and whose face was covered by the shadow cast by brim of a flamboyant feather hat, performed some strings on his lute an ancient and nostalgic melody that few of today even have heard about.



What did those words mean? Did they even mean anything? And what about the bard who even was this man, or was he man? All these question filled the minds of those visiting the market, but the only means to find it out were to go there and ask the minstrel. Who would dare to do this?



Near one of the smaller fountains that serviced the owners of weary pack animals the incoming shadow of the crashing rock caused a generalized chaos. Animals screaming, people running and in the impending chaos a baby cart was abandoned right on the place the rock was most likely going to hit, when the mother was swept away by the crowd.

"Is someone attacking us?"

"During the Liberation Festival? Are they insane?"

"Isn't that a trebuchet bullet? Are we under siege?"

"How come?"

"Oh my God, the baby!"

There was no time for Mary to react accordingly, the only choice was either crush the baby and survive, by calling Tiamat on time, or command the Spirit to take the cart out of the rock's path and endure whatever injuries could happen to her. Such was the price of insanity after all.

Unless, someone else was brave enough to get into the rock's path and save the baby by risking their own lives, but who would be bold (or insane) enough to do that?




A few minutes after she had departed from her hideout, Sienna arrived at the Marketplace. There was a serious commotion happening on the nearby plaza, but for sure it was a chance for the thief to snag some breakfast without being bothered by the authorities and that she wouldn't lose.

"Hi there, sir!" Sienna said as she approached the stall of a certain apple vendor with her hood over her head. Nevertheless, the man could see Sienna's features very well and paled when his gaze settled on the dauntless smile of the Icy Thief. He quickly scurried to cover his goods with his arms and shot a dagger sharp gaze at Sienna and Rinco, asking the thief what she wanted. "Two apples, sir. A candied one for me and a freshly washed one for Rin, the more water on it the best. Plus take this here, for that other day's troubles."

"Mmm... mmm, mmm, mmm! Apples are so yum yum~" Rin sang merrily, perched on Aria's shoulder eating her frozen apple as both Thief and Spirit strolled down the side street, lazily wondering what was happening on the other plaza. She wasn't distracted enough to pass the chance of pick-pocketing an Academy Brat that was talking with a lady on a jewelry stall. Don't they know that it's not safe to show so much money on the middle of the market?

"Sorry, my fault!" Sienna said as she deftly brushed against the pink-haired girl, the Icy Thief's hand snaking deftly in search of slit to probe. There was something familiar on her, Sienna couldn't remember why. Nevertheless, any noble brat who stalks jewelry in the open air was bound to be a target of Sienna sooner or later, perhaps this one was a regular?

---

*: I'll not post with Claudia now because there's no one near her.

~Darrel Black~

---

The sounds of the crowd, which were once harmonious with that of the clear day, were now stirred with disarraying chaos. It was perfect for the Carrion to slip through the bustling streets of the Marketplace without notice. That was good enough for him, the man never liking the responsibilities of attention. During his trek, he noticed all sorts of interesting characters.

Students from different regions of the world come to gather here for the chance to prove their worth and merit. Among those were colorful individuals that, while they caught his eye, proved of no real interest to the Carrion. The drunken fool and her skeletal companion; the loud idiot and his lumbering ape carriage; the racing buggard. None of them of course amounted to the sheer stupidity felt from the massive meteor flying overhead.

Casting his head up, Darrel’s expression deepened into a darker frown at the sight. And he wondered why he never showed up to these public events anymore. Judging from the chorus of screams coming in the direction he was heading, the man figured someone or something was in trouble. But alas, his powers did not work on falling rocks or the idiots who piloted them.

That was why he dismissed Moriel’s concern, striding towards the Colosseum with stride and hands in his pockets. No one dared to cross him, be it commoner or Imperial. The mere presence of Darrel Black brought with it whispers of fear and marker of death. Though Darrel himself could only grunt in amusement to these paranoid words in annoyance.

And he wondered why he never showed up to these places…moving along, he passed by a couple of sorts. Two female knights…no wait…one of them was definitely a guy…in any case, a third party stood nearby at full attention, dodging between shadows and hiding behind spare walls.

Echo was peering out from her hiding spot, casting glances at the two from a distance away. She ignored the glares she was currently getting from both the chew who’s menu she had stolen to hide her face as well as that of her Spirit. Something were just too important and were worth earning punishment for.

“Oh…my….god! Saren, look! It’s really her! The icy thief herself…oh I could just squee! I think I will, I think I will Saren!”

Saren sighed, wondering why she still dealt with her child of a partner. For some reason or another the girl worshipped Sienna and her unruly actions and had often tried to emulate them. She just hoped Echo wouldn’t end up getting herself arrested in this strict land of theirs…

---

Moros arrived to see people running around wildly and what was doubtless panicked screaming, though he couldn't very clearly tell that. The rapidly growing shadow indicated the boulder was going to land smack dab on the baby cart that had been so carelessly abandoned. Lefay was watching the scene in amusement, obviously she had no intention of doing anything. Moros on the other hand had a very different idea in mind. He ran forward and grabbed Lefay's core in one hand, and lunged forward wrapping his body around the cart protectively and shouted "Shield!"

His voice was deep and guttural, the word came out more like a growl than speech. Lefay's metal mass was dragged along with her core along with a screech of protest at the indignity of it all, but upon hearing his command she immediately wrapped herself around Moros in a protective cocoon of metal. It would be a real shame if he never made it to the tournament, or worse he broke his mother's harp since it would bear the brunt of the impact. The rock hadn't been that big right?

Zachary was just wondering around, reading his book, on the way to the tournament when there was a commotion right in front of him less than a block away. Loiosh, who had been sitting on and reading over his shoulder looked up as well.
Are we under attack or... wait a second. There is someone riding that boulder.
If there is, how about you fly up there and tell me who, with my luck...
Zachary then heard the screams in front of him and looking ahead saw what the problem was, there were too many people in the way of the boulders landing site, including a baby. Crap, why do I always get dragged into stuff like this? Zachary took of at a sprint in order to get everyone out of the way in time. as he got closer, he knew he couldn't quite make it in time.
Loiosh flew up to the boulder and as soon as he got close enough, he realized who was on it.
Yo boss, you wouldn't believe who the idiot on the boulder is. Who do you know from our school that...
Mary? Seriously? Tell her to have her spirit move the civilians out of the way, and jump off of the boulder just before it lands. And make sure her spirit knows that I will catch Mary, even though she really doesn't deserve it this time.
Loiosh flew over to Mary and landed on her shoulder so that he would actually be heard when he spoke."Hey Mary, you really have done it this time. Zachary can catch you if you have your spirit save the people down there instead of catching you like we are sure you planned. If you jump off just before the boulder hits, Zach should be able to soften the impact for you landing enough so that you don't get hurt. We aren't going to try to help you after that though, I mean seriously what were you thinking?!?" Loiosh finished his speach (and looked quite proud about it) before flying off of her shoulder so that he didn't ditract her.
Zachery altered his course, sure Mary wouldn't want to hurt anybody if she could help it, she likes calling attention to herself, not causing disasters. It was then that he noticed someone get in the way of the boulders lading spot. Hopefully Tiamat could move them all.

---

---

"Fufufu... hahaha!" A strange girl dressed in a frilly, elaborate outfit laughed as she observed the commotion on one of the market's many plazas. "Such a beautiful chaos and mayhem, that turned our job so much easier that I feel like rewarding them for their efforts." As he girl said so, she produced a piece of sheet music and kissed it, before letting the piece of paper be carried away by the wind.

"T.H.A.N.K. Y.O.U.~" A soft, sing-song whisper was heard on Mary's mind just before loud shriek that soon turned into a wallow, was heard on the market plaza. A Banshee's Cry, something that any Song Knight worth of their salt would know of, since it's the signal of a Dissonance being born on our world. Just as expected, a two-storeys tall, hulking abomination of twisted flesh and rock sprung forth from the sheet music that landed just, between the path of Mary's rock and the baby cart, that was a Behemoth, a dissonance and a rather powerful one at. For a moment the Behemoth remained unmoving, confused as to why or what he was supposed to do. That wold only last for a moment as soon enough a guttural howl announcd that the Carnage was about to begin.

Meanwhile, the mysterious girl had just disappeared from the top of the building, the dying screams of the beggars that lived on the alley just behind it, the only signs that she was any sort of ghost. "Fufufu~ I wonder if the Prophet will be pissed of for my little trick? Aaa~ like I care at all, at least my debt is paid, the guard will be too busy to think about the stone to begin with. You don't even know how much your little scheme helped us, Rockhead. I'd hate to see you die before you can contemplate the full depths of the despair you all deserve~ Hahahaha!" The girl said to herself amidst the cries of those unfortunate enough to cross her path.

Cass had been having a lovely conversation with the jeweler on the subject of the earthen projectile that had streaked overhead. It was certainly a peculiar occurrence, especially since Cass wasn't even involved with this one. Granted Cass had never done something so needlessly destructive around a city as populace as this. His magic, let alone his spirit, were far too...extreme, to be utilized so callously unless far away from civilization.

"Oi, hands off my bitch, bitch!"

Cass looked down to berate his spirit for what he thought was Jormungand disrespecting the vendor, but his gaze found itself locked upon a foreign hand trying to reach inside his skirt. The hand was beautiful, a limb of such supreme perfection all the artists of the land would be unable to come close to capture the majesty of this hand. The skin was a flawless alabaster that played with the dawn's early light in a tantalizing fashion. Nails were polished to a fine point, the pinnacle of feminine grace balanced against the practical benefit of a cutting edge. Dare he say that it surpassed the beauty of even his divine sisters? The heresy was almost too much.

"My lady!" He cried out to the hand that recoiled from Cass' skirt instinctively. The Bombardier Knight fell to his knees like one would before royalty- nay, divinity! Breath ghosting along immaculate flesh till her hands stood on end, he brought the back of the goddess' hand to his lips and kissed it chastely. The scent and taste of apples washed over Cass' senses at the touch of her skin, bringing with it a euphoric sense of serenity that stood in stark contrast to the hustle of the marketplace and the concern of incoming boulder. In that perfect moment without compare his gaze rose skywards up the goddess' sculpted arms, past the slender shoulders that held aloft the gorgeous head of- "It's you?"

Sienna, notorious thief, self-taught Song Knight, and all around beauty of the driven snow was before him once again. Perhaps the red string of fate had bound the two stronger than either could anticipate, or maybe it was because Cass had been waiting in this exact spot in this exact plaza for the sole purpose of reuniting with his Icy Chrysanthemum. A rosy blush spread across Cass' cheeks as his grip on Sienna's hand grew firm. "Oh me, here we go again." The vain glorious Spirit grumbled around Cass' neck while he offered the thief a dazzling smile.

"Didn't I tell you I would take responsibility, my roguish lady?"

Grinning like an idiot as he gazed down at the ant-like masses, Shakrais was thoroughly enjoying the amount of unconditional attention he was gathering from the common-folk in the area. Their bug-like eyes filled with incredulous bewilderment as they scrabbled away in order to avoid Goliath’s thudding advance. Although not completely isolated from the world where meteorites were catapulted through the air at the behest of a deranged little woman, the environment in which Shakrais found himself was bustling yet peaceful. Undisturbed by gothic lolita’s, and a fair distance from rampaging behemoths.

Speaking of behemoths, emerald green eyes glanced quizzically as he noticed his own lumbering ‘steed’ slowing his pace to a crawl; head lowered in embarrassment as several women started unkindly whispering amongst themselves. John might not have been a renowned blacksmith, but he’d lived in Arpeggio his entire life, and that naturally meant that people were bound to recognize him sooner or later.

Fortunately the humiliation John felt would come to an abrupt halt as Shakrais, tapped his foot. Signalling for the lumbering man to stop before he casually leapt down, narrowly missing a collision between Shakrais’s foot, and the back of the blacksmith’s head. The blessing had come in the form a mysterious man wearing a feather tipped hat. The skilled strumming of his stringed instrument had gone unnoticed at first, primarily due to the bustle of people and the un-peculiar sight of someone playing an instrument this time of the year. But the moment his lips parted and ominous words were released into the air, the temperature seemed to drop a few degree’s as several eyes turned away from Shakrais, and towards the mysterious man in quizzical confusion. After all, the dreary prophecy like words were hardly befitting for such a marvellously splendid day.

“Nonsense dear little woodpecker” Shakrais proclaimed, quickly making his way over to the mysterious man, and invasively grabbing at the man’s hand.
“Such gloom and doom on such a festive day? Thou shan’t pick up any fine women with that sort of tune” Shakrais continued with mocking confidence, yanking on the man’s arm persistently and looking around for someone to prey on.

His attention was unwaveringly drawn towards a beautiful woman with flowing golden-hair tinged with a hint of crimson to give a truly intriguing hue. Her alluring figure was the typical desire of any man, and the rather skimpy attire she wore only emphasized her form. Some might even mistake her for a woman in the ‘nightly-business’, but Shakrais wasn’t exactly fully clad himself by Bachian standards. Regardless Claudia was an ideal example, and Shakrais paused only momentarily to acknowledge the minstrel “Watch carefully and learn~”

Closing the distance within moments, it was evidently clear. Whichever the case it mattered little to Shakrais who procured his flute, mimicking the tune played by the minstrel,

Procuring his flute and mimicking the tune played by the minstrel as he closed the distance between his target and himself, it was evidently clear that from the way Claudia twisted and turned her head that she was looking for something, or perhaps someone, but whichever the case she’d have no choice but to notice Shakrais as he obstructed her from proceeding further down the street.

“Beneath the stars, when lights fade
By dimming light, it’s time to play
May we kiss for just one day
May we dance together this day
Your eyes have spoken; they wishes shall be granted
With insatiable passion; to thou cries, tonight we dance.“

The words were an outright bastardization of the mysterious words spoken by the minstrel only moments prior. But Shakrais spoke as if they were his own, smiling smugly as he outstretched his free hand in offering.

Taylor was not happy. Well to be more accurate she was livid. First of all Scarlet had woken her up at the ungodly hour of before noon and second she took her reward for herself once the tournament was done. Now, to make things worse she could see the head of a Behemoth peeking over the tops of buildings. How the hell did that thing even show up here?! No breakfast, no drink and now she was going to have to kill a Dissonance.

"C'mon Scar. We better go do our duty... damn, I may need a bit more 'courage' to face this thing" taking out her trumpet and unsheathing her blade she tossed the sword to Scarlet

"You go stabby and I'll play a nice backing theme to the tune of burning the hell out of it." chuckling Scarlet caught the blade and swished it about flamboyantly

"This will make a nice warm up for the tournament... well I'm always hot so I guess I won't need to warm up much will I? You though, Tay? Well... you have the style, but you could certainly use the practice~♪" Scarlet led the way through the streets, the fleeing crowd halting in their steps when a Skeleton with a sword was walking towards them. Stopping for a second in front of the sea of people and tilted her head and would have probably raised an eyebrow if she had any. Pointing the blade at the group gesturing to the left and then the right. The crowd, getting the idea, parted like the red sea for the sword wielding skeleton lady.

"Hey! Don't you talk to me about practice. I practice every single day! I don't even slack off either." followed in Scarlet's wake before they arrived at the clearing where the Behemoth was. Turns out they weren't the first on the scene but...

"What the hell?! Why the hell is everyone just staring at the giant ass Dissonance as if it's a vaguely interesting statue?! It's a monster people! Attack the bastard while it's still figuring out what the hell's going on!" bringing the trumpet to her lips as Scarlet dashed at the giant and threw the falchion high, Taylor began playing, the blade twirling in the air and igniting with an unnatural black flame. Scarlet using the Dissonance as a springboard caught the sword above the creature and with gravity as her co-pilot, rode the natural force back down to the ground as she cut across the Dissonance's chest from left shoulder to right waist, Taylor's black flame lingering on the wound preventing it from healing any time soon. With a twirl of the blade Scarlet looked around

"Hey, Tay? After this, lets go get some new clothes for the tournament. I want some new boots." making a casual swing with her blade, Scarlet cleaves at where what would be the Dissonance's achilies tendon... if it has one

"Huh? Sure no problem. I need some more makeup anyway. You have the cash? You do remember how expensive that bottle was right?" played a little more to make sure the wounds of the creature wouldn't burn out, although the sins of the creature seemed enough to give it plentiful fuel.

"I'm a Spirit, Tay. What in the world makes you think I have cash of any description? tugged the blade free from the Dissonance's heel and lightly skipped back to Taylor's side

Randar arrived in Arpeggio fresh off the cart in the morning, it was cutting it close, but he made it. He glanced around to admire the place. It may have been a fluke, skill, or a little bit of both. He was here to participate in a competition, to show what he was made of. He could hardly contain himself, but he had some business to take care of. He glanced at the paper in his hand, checking to make sure he had the right time to arrive. He was disappointed that the competition was so early, there wouldn't be time to tour the area in advance. He took some time to calculate how much prep time he needed before the rounds started. 20 minutes would be good enough to start the show.

He looked at his Spirit, Cothyl, who stood around 2 feet tall. He had to remind himself that this was part of the plan. If he was to pull off the stunt like last time, he had to not stick out, yet. He found himself smirking as he thought of the look on their faces when they saw this surprise. He gave a nod to his Spirit, they walked into the Arpeggio, as a small man and a smaller lizard. He was relieved that his gear was so small and portable, no need to stand out. Every time Cothyl picked up some size, he would expel the energy harmlessly to stay small. He was confident that round 2 was gonna be the big leagues. The big, big, big leagues. Hopefully they could move the fight outdoors. Or better yet, the opponent gave up when they saw who they were up against.

After finding the location and working out what time he needed to show up, he decided to get a sneak peek of the city. There was always a bustle in a place like this. He wandered the streets, preferring to take the back roads, he didn't want to talk to people really. He saw some odd things like some drunk girl arguing with a skeleton and yet more street urchins running off talking of some rich guy throwing money around. Most would guess these are pretty normal things, but he suspected these must be other song knights presumably here for the tournament like him. He once again grinned at the thought no one knew who he was still. At least the weather will be good today.

He found himself on the main streets when he spotted something large zooming in the distance. He strained his eyes to figure out what that was, looked like a rock, no, a boulder? A flash of color and he would swear that something was on it. He was gonna just laugh about it till he went white in the face. If that was a person on there, only one person he knew would be crazy enough to do it. The name Mary Stradford flashed in his head. Please be wrong, please be an attack or anything except that girl...

He glanced at his Spirit, still small, not gonna be helpful. If this goes wrong, would he have to change his plans? That thought didn't matter if there were people in danger. He headed in the direction the rock was flying, maybe it was gonna miss the city, or he was seeing things. Still, when the name Mary came up, trouble was sure to follow. He still had time, so there wasn't harm in double checking if he saw something. Cothyl picked up on his distress and asked if he should stop focusing on staying small. This plan was a little locked in at the moment, and he wasn't happy that he overlooked usefulness for a chance to be flashy. If he cleared the first round, he was gonna stomp the next opponent flat without showing off.

Wrapped up in his thoughts, he was startled by a sound in the distance. He knew that sound, and it was definitely trouble. He wasn't sure how much use he was going to be, but darn it, no one's gonna die on his watch. He motioned to Cothyl to keep his distance when they get there. "Get big if there's trouble and you have the time, otherwise focus on finding any injured people and motion them to myself so I can work my magic quick and efficiently." He felt his magical gun in his pocket, still had a good few shots, just in case. He wasn't planning on using it this time. His music was gonna be more practical to calm the crowd and heal the injured.

Finally arriving, he spotted a skeleton attacking the Dissonance. Who knew the drunk could fight so well? He showed up panting from the effort of all this running. He scanned the area. No one was hurt yet, finally some good news. He looked upwards in time to see the boulder on its way here. He groaned when he recognized the person up there. Mary really did it this time, who even rides a boulder into a town? He wanted to run up to the song knight but found himself sticking to the sidelines. He glanced at Cothyl, about his size. Looks like its gonna be a support kind of day.

A loud whoop of enjoyment released itself from Mary's lips as she flew through the sky, her solid form of transportation held firmly below her. The experience of flight was very new to her, and the teen was going to milk it for all it's worth. The clouds, which were once so small high in the skies, seemed much larger during her moments in the air, as if welcoming her to their dimension. She waved towards one of the white, fluffy figures, it's shape slowly forming itself into a boat as it traveled above. Mary's smile grew wider as a moment of weightlessness surrounded her, holding her afloat for moments before gravity kicked in and pulled a yell of excitement from her lips.

_@Zardoric
The ground started to become larger beneath her, tiny figures on the ground slowly gaining detail and features the closer she became. A movement from the corner of the teen's eye alerted her to the small, but familiar, figure of a certain winged reptile. Loiosh, the Spirit who was the partner of Zachary, or Zach as she called her fellow classmate. As one of the few people who have acknowledged her existence, no matter how much he probably wished he didn't, Mary was quite sure he and his Spirit had come to witness her grand spectacle and cheer her on as apart of her currently non-existent cheerleader squad. Maybe she could ask some others to help them out?

Hey there Lilo! Enjoying my amazing entrance?" Mary questioned the Spirit, a smug look on appearing on her face as she misinterpreted his approach as an act of awe. Her words were probably lost, taken away by the displacement of air caused by her impromptu way of travel, and unheard by Loiosh as he perched himself onto her shoulder to impart his message. "Hey Mary, you really have done it this time," he started, gaining a confused look from the teen. What had she done wrong? Did her Headmaster finally notice the taped note that was plastered to the front of his desk? It took him quite awhile, but at least he found it before it stopped being funny.

"Zachary can catch you-" Mary rolled her eyes, missing some of the Spirit's warning as she ignored him for a few moments. Here we go again, with someone believing that she didn't think her whole plan through. "-jump off just before the boulder hits, Zach should be able to soften the impact for you landing enough so that you don't get hurt. We aren't going to try to help you after that though, I mean seriously what were you thinking?!?" At this, an unladylike snort exited from her nostrils. Who did they think she was? Obvisouly, she had a plan to keep herself from splattering all over the plaza like a giant water balloon, so why did He and Zach think she didn't? A scream from the ground alerted the teen to look down towards her "landing zone", finally noticing the real reason for the Spirit's concern: A baby cart, left alone and situated smack dab in the middle of her landing zone.

...Well shit.

An expression of shock was plain to see upon the teen's face, and the returned look of smugness wasn't unnoticed upon Loiosh's face. Heck, she didn't even know dragon's could even pull off a smug look, but apparently they could. Said Spirit left Mary alone, taking flight from her shoulder and probably returning to his partner as the human on a flying rock started to get into motion. She didn't really have a choice in the matter, seeing that there wasn't really any time to think of anything else, so the teen was just going to have to commence Zach's idea. It really grinded her gears that one of her plans had actually gone awry without purpose, but it couldn't be helped. Her voice let out a soothing melody, a brief piece that awakened her partner and brought the blunette into the world with a small, mental command: "Move the baby carriage stuck in our landing zone. Zach will save me."

Right after summoning her Spirit, the teen readied her self to jump as the ground got closer and closer, trusting the small, but defined form of Zach on the ground to save her from her current situation. All of the sudden, a soft, almost melodic voice called out from within her mind. "T.H.A.N.K. Y.O.U.~", the voice said. Mary wouldn't have even a moment to wonder about the strange phenomenon, as the telltale screeching of a Banshee's Cry echoed throughout the plaza, and the giant, hulking form of a Behemoth magically appeared... Right in front of her transportation/ artillery projectile. How convenient.

Mary quickly changed her plan to accompany the sudden turn of events, jumping from her boulder right before it could impact into the massive torso of the beast, hoping that the giant boulder would do some lasting damage if it strcuk true as she landed onto the Behemoth's shoulder, rolling off of it as she landed to distribute the shock of landing from such a high velocity, and fell off of the Dissonance. For a few short moments, her body felt weightless as it sailed towards the ground, only to feel the effects of gravity once more and the ground beneath her feet as her partner snatched her out of her freefall and settled the teen onto the ground.

_@Eklispe
A few seconds earlier, on Tiamat's side of things, she was pretty irritated by her partner with all things considered. For one, Mary's antics have finally started to affect others in a very negative way. This wasn't good at all, since the death of a child could probably hurt the human girl in ways that a doctor couldn't heal within a few days like her previous stunts. Secondly, the teen had the gal to order her to save someone else besides herself, and trust in another person's ability. To be fair, the other person in question was Zachary Arc, one of Mary's classmates and who held a powerful sense of loyalty that Tiamat could respect, but forgive the blunette if she believed herself to be more qualified with a stronger and faster body. Lastly, the baby was already protected by another person. The hard, metal shell would probably be dented enough to hurt the occupants inside by the three hundred or so pound boulder that was flying through the sky at high speeds, but the baby was protected by some degree. Of course, none of the Spirit's misgivings were apparent on her face, only her eternally reserved expression, but if Mary herself was around she would notice Tiamat's annoyance in a heartbeat.

_@McFazzer
So when the Behemoth appeared and negated Mary's order by blocking the boulder with it's body, Tiamat took the chance to grab her partner from her eventual fall and give her a look as she set the teen onto the ground. For anyone who wasn't as close to her as Mary was, they wouldn't notice a single difference from her usual indifference. But Mary understood, if her actions of rubbing the back of her head and sheepish grin were any indication. "Whoops," Mary offered lamely, a silent sigh escaping from her partner's lips as the Spirit mentally told herself to never let the teen do anything as asinine as what had transpired ever again. From the looks of things, a skeletal-like Spirit was already hacking at the Behemoth's body, so the two just sat it out as Mary was given a silent lecture by her smaller partner through minute changes in expression, the teen seemingly getting smaller and smaller as she was constantly locked down by Tiamat's seemingly unemotional glare. Mary would have loved to jump into the fray, battle axe raised, but apparently her partner thought otherwise. Hopefully they would be done with this "lecture" before the Behemoth fell.

Zachary Arc

Zachary was almost in position to catch Mary when he heard the sound of the Banshee's Cry. Crap. Crap crap crap, alright we need to... Then the Behemoth appeared. Right in-front of him. Zach quickly thought about the best way to take care of it.
Loiosh, try stinging it in the flesh or filling its mouth with your breath, maybe it will have some kind of effect, it looks at least somewhat organic.
Oh sure boss, I'm just going to be able to land on it, ask it to open its mouth nice and wide, and breath on it while stabbing it with my tail until I have nothing left. This is an excellent plan. I'll just go kill myself, it would accomplish the same thing.
Oh don't be over dramatic, hide in its shadow or something until you have a good opportunity. I'm going to try and knock it down.
It was then that the boulder slammed into it (I'm going to assume that it doesn't have enough time to try to block or dodge it, correct @KoL?). Zach waited until just the right moment, jumping into the air at the same time as Mary did, twisting his body so that he could put as much centrifugal force into the kick as possible; Hopefully she has a landing plan, although a fall of 22'-24' won't kill her, and made his foot as flat and wide as he could, launching himself to put as much pressure on the back of the knee as possible. If this worked the way he wanted, the Behemoth would fall over and be easier for everyone to hit. As he flew towards the Behemoth, he noticed Tiamat catch Mary. Good, at least she will be fine, now if only they would fight, their axes would be perfect to behead the Behemoth.
As Zachary jumped into his kick, Loiosh flew to just below the Behemoth's head, using the shadow of the monster in order to remain hidden. As soon as/If it opened its mouth, whether as a scream of pain or rage or whatever, Loiosh would indeed breath as much of his poisonous gas into its mouth as he could, before stinging it and flying away.

Ueno Laudwen

As Ueno bolted towards his destination, an arrangement of unbelievable events began to unfold in front of him. Once he was a few hundred feet away from the ruckus, it was apparent he had a front row showing to what he could only describe as a catastrophe. Ueno instinctively had pulled out his guitar, but wasn't even able to pluck the strings before an arrangement of other song knights sprung into action. Had he not been dumbstruck, perhaps he could have been one of those to first jump in, instead he could only stand and watch as others leaped into the fray.

The boulder, that Ueno had now noticed contained a rather eccentric passenger, flew into town and brought chaos with it. Crowds were shattered and in their wake left a small baby carriage that was going to get pancaked by the meteorite. However, even before he noticed this another young gentleman leaped in front of the carriage with his spirit. He constructed some form of wall with his spirit, attempting to save the child.

Then, everything else flew by in a flash. Spirits began flying up to the boulder, a behemoth had been summoned between the shield-wall and the meteorite. Then, skeletons attacked? Ueno heard a trumpet in the distance, and then a blur of movement struck at the giant. A skeleton with a flaming sword cut at the beast while nonchalantly talking to her master about clothes. Seconds later, the boulder struck at the monstrosity, but not before its passenger could jump off. Ueno could only look at these unfolding events in both awe and fear. Who were these other song knights?

However, things then clicked in Ueno's head. He knew that this many other song knights could hopefully take out this colossus with little effort, and then they would probably be treated like heroes. Just thinking about the publicity he could get for participating in this made Ueno drool, and if was the one to land the finishing blow! Truly this was a chance he could not let pass by. So, Ueno strummed his guitar and fell backwards onto the throne that grew from the flames and earth behind him. Sorry, but I'm gonna have to stay a little farther away from the action than Usual, but I have faith you can take this guy down yourself. As he fell onto his throne, he could feel tendrils of his own flesh meld together with the steel of Conquest. He winced in pain and held back a gasp. The first time he had done this, he had cried because of how much it hurt, but now he could function a few seconds after the merge.

Two sets of armors also rose from the flames and earth, kneeling at first, but then quickly rose as Ueno gave his commands. Whispers that only conquest could hear were let loose and the empty shells began to hover a few inches above the ground. They then unsheathed their swords and unleashed themselves towards the beast. The claymore wielder would try to chop its leg into pieces, while the zweihander would scale the beast in attempt to get at its head. They would make no moves to protect the other spirits or humans, only strike down the beast.

As they moved towards the crowd, the tiles near the throne Ueno sat upon shook and conquest would speak like thunder through the holes in the floor.The voice could also be heard resonating through the helmets of the vanguard, all would say "Be struck down where you stand."