It didn't take long for Alex to be joined by others, and eventually the twins as well. Thus far nothing had happened, and the creature had not done anything or moved at all. It seemed they were at something on an impasse, especially so long as they had no idea what that thing could do besides the mimicry that had brought them to it in the first place.

"Nope, not really," he admitted to the twins as they arrived, asking if there was a plan to deal with that thing. He was working on some ideas, but they were far from certain at the moment. They had to get across to that temple, sooner or later. He just wasn't the sort of person who did exploration all that often. He was much more comfortable with simple robbery, where there would be plans and all.

Fortunately he didn't have to propose an idea, as the twins did so themselves. "If you think you can handle it then I don't see why not," he admitted with a conciliatory shrug. There was no reason to refuse a first chance at getting at that temple, for good or for ill. For the moment he prepared to go, ready to head across and get to that temple. There wasn't much else to do at the moment, so he wouldn't waste time idling about.

One way or another, he was going to get there. Hopefully it would be worth the trouble.

"Mm? Didn't expect there to be a line." An older gentleman comes round the corner as the discussion continues, walking up to the chateau. "Don't mind me, I'll wait. My errand's no serious request." He sits on one the railings of the ramp walkway, one foot up resting on it, leaning against one of the pillars. Pulling out a little tobacco, he stuffs his pipe a bit more full, and seems to devote his attention to it.

If anyone devoted attention to the old man, they'd find that despite his age, he seemed to be in hell of a shape. His short sleeved garment, showed off plenty of arm, and if the muscles there were any indication, he was in shape to put most fresh soldiers to shame. Near the base of his back was a pair of rosy wood tonfa stuffed a little unceremoniously into a sash. And finally, they'd find that the man paid attention back, if stared at.

Lorelai listened to the visiting Imperial spy in dutiful silence, giving him the courtesy as a comrade in arms to say his piece in full before rendering judgement. A surge of anger masked behind the narrowing of her eyes arose at the sight of Axon's badge of office. Ironically, if Axon had arrived not ten minutes earlier Lorelai would have clapped him on the back and welcomed the man heartily, but in the light of recent plots that bore relation to his superior there could be no freely given trust here.

"Lady Eleanor has asked not to be disturbed in an official capacity, but on account of your credentials and the urgency of your business I'll make an exception. However you will not be afforded a private meeting with her, as my orders are to remain at her side until told otherwise by Lady Eleanor or the Imperator herself. Lady Eleanor is also among trusted company that will likely not be departing from her side in this matter." Lorelai turned and opened the chateau's main entrance once more and gesturing for Axon to follow as she returned to the dining hall with company in toe.

She had found it worth noting that he had arrived unarmed, but a self professed spy who would openly reveal himself was either capable enough to work without concealment or was hiding the metaphorical dagger in plain sight. Regardless of his intentions, Lorelai knew she had to bring him to Eleanor from the affiliation he bore Yggdrasil alone. It wasn't proof by any means that Axon was involved in Eleanor's capture, or even that he was aware of this to begin with, but he was worth hearing out.

And if he is indeed duplicitous and a coconspirator in her violation, then he will find himself in the company of four Imperials who will offer no mercy. Letting visions of the grim fate that will befall all traitors to the Imperator fuel her, the Abyssal Knight pushed the dining hall door open and ushered Axon inside before slamming it closed in his wake. "Forgive me for disturbing your meal, but I took the liberty of presuming that an envoy from Yggdrasil would be of interest to you, Lady Eleanor. Perhaps offering some insight into matters that concern the present company."

A murky shadow covered the morning sky as one fiery redhead awoke. While the sun had yet to rise, Fei would waste no time in her training. She threw off the soft pink, silk sheets and threw on comfortable brown pants and a white, laced collar shirt. Jessi, Eleonor, and herself had all been set to this foreign mountain house to rest and relax after their reckless adventure in the desert. Of course, Fei wasted no time to get back on her feet. She would need all of her strength if she wanted to take her revenge. As soon as her mother became well and healthy again, Fei would leave the mountain home, alone. Part of her felt a little guilty for not telling Jessi any of her plans but she wanted to take absolutely no risks for this mission. It would be better if she left alone, anyway. While she knew Jessi could pull his own in any fight, and she would never admit it out loud, he would be safer if he didn’t come with her.

Grabbing hold of her double swords, Fei tied her hair into a ponytail and quickened her pace to the training area of the village. With everything on her mind, the only time she felt truly relaxed was out here with her swords. Despite having rescued her mother and ‘finding’ the legendary relic, she felt empty. Everything was supposed to be mean something, supposed change her. Yet, it hadn’t. Fei supposed she had a new respect for Jessi’s fighting ability and perhaps she was more open to teamwork but all of her life all she had wanted was to make her mother proud, make a name of herself. And hadn’t she done just that? Why did she feel so normal then?

Hitting the dummy standing in front of her, she let her strikes be drowned out by her thoughts. Perhaps finding revenge for her mother was this strange feeling holding her back. Once she finished off Emilia, would she feel different? The Jester had indeed promised she would get the chance once everything was over but Fei was beginning to wonder if making the deal with him was a wise decision. It had saved her life, that was true. Now that she wasn’t so absorbed in saving her mother, even she was surprised at how quickly she had accepted the terms of his deal. What would he make her do? Whatever it was, it couldn’t be so bad...right? Since he worked for the Imperator, he could never make her kill her mother or Jessi or anyone she cared about. Now that she thought about it, what could the Jester possibly want from her? She was the daughter of Asgard and a mighty warrior, true, but even she paled in comparison to the Jester. The thought pondered in her mind for a few moments before she continued back to training. Fei wasn’t sure what her future entailed, but what she did know was that Fei would never give up until Emilia’s corpse rest in front of her.

A few hours later as the sun was beginning to bring color to the sky, Fei slowly walked to dining hall where she was first to sit down. She hadn’t even bothered changing or washing, quickly forgetting all forms of manners and etiquette. Wiping the sweat off her brow, Fei took a deep breath and relaxed as everyone began filing into breakfast. Jessi was first to enter, as he was always right behind her. Another feeling of guilt passed over but she refused to even consider bringing him. As he mouthed hello, she quietly ignored him and avoided all eye contact. He would forgive her in time, she hoped anyway. This was a mission she needed to do by herself.

Eventually, Eleonor made her way to breakfast, followed by her handmaiden, handselected by the Imperator herself. Fei wasn’t sure what to make of her. She might once have been jealous that the Imperator didn’t think Fei was enough to protect her mother but at the moment, she was grateful for another set of eyes on Eleonor. With everything that had happened, it was hard to trust anyone. Lorelai would be good, at least that’s what Fei told herself.

Of course things never seemed to go smoothly in Fei’s life. The first thing her mother spoke of was some apparent relationship between her and Jessi. Fei’s eyes widened as big as the apple sitting on her plate. She thought what? Looking over to Jessi, she noticed his face had turned bright red. Had she missed something? Fei would have spit out her juice if she hadn’t bitten her tongue. Never had her mind thought of such silly thoughts, how could it? She was Fei, daughter of Asgard, and… Shaking her head, she let the juice settle into her stomach and ignored the stomach pain.

As Eleonor went on with her conversation, she began to state Yggrasil as the reason for her capture. From the Jester’s comments of someone betraying her, it all began to come full circle. Still, it was rather shocking that she believed one of the guardians was behind it. What could Yggrasil possibly want with having the Asgard kidnapped? Someone of his status should be content with his life, why risk everything? Fei wasn’t sure what was happening but everything seemed rather strange. Eleonor continued on to ask for both Jessi and her own help, to investigate the matter personally. Fei silently cursed to herself. There was things she had to do, people she needed to find, but her mother asking her only meant it was of absolute importance. Who was she to deny such a task from not the Asgard but her mother?

If things couldn’t get anymore odd, Eleonor went on to mention having a sister. Fei had an aunt? She had grown up believing the only family she had was her mother and now there was some sort of aunt, looking exactly like her mother, walking around? Could there possibly be anything else to upset her stomach further? Fei waited for the Lorelai to leave the room before she answered to her mother.

“Mother, you have a sister?” She asked, still in shock of the whole event. Fei could tell Eleonor was deeply sorry from her quivering voice, and well, Fei was angry. Of course she was upset that her mother had hidden a family member from her, but out of respect to her mother, Fei showed none of it. Although it did make her question if her mother was keeping anything else from her.

It was only breakfast and Fei’s head already felt like exploding with questions. Perhaps a good run would take her mind off everything. “I.. think I’m going to go for a jog. I will return later,” Fei said before she rushed out of the kitchen, past the Lorelai and a rather odd looking man, and away from the house. It was a rather dramatic exit, probably unnecessary, but Fei was too focused on leaving to care much. She let her feet guide her, taking her where, she wasn’t sure, but it didn’t matter as long as she was just going.

@Awesomoman64@KoL@FrozenPhoenix@Lonewolf685

~Ruxen~

---

Ruxen rolled her eyes, fur bristling with each new and stupid pun. She was still wondering how the hell Mikoto had survived this long given the last time they had met. Clearly she had made off with an Elixir of some kind. Clearly. Regardless of those thoughts, she did raise an eye at how they were basically abandoning Chen to his fate. Then again, he seemed to be handling things just fine with that Relic of his.

“Yeah, no. I doubt you owe anyone anything with your habits of favors Mikoto,” she growled to the offer. Free food was free food, sure, but dealing with Mikoto probably ensured they would be driven out before they even got a glass of water. Before she could comment on that anymore, a surge of power made her tail stick straight up. Ears flattening, she turned to see the fight at hand.

Seeing his fellow soldiers being slaughtered, a look of indefinite rage creased onto the Fae’s face. The only way to combat a Legend Relic was with another one and soon he held up a stone of pure, shining gold. The artifact beat and pulsed with an unnatural power. The attack of his men suddenly ceased, each of them falling back to avoid the clash of powers.

Eyes digging daggers right into Chen’s, he smirked as the boy sought to stab right through his throat. But at the last moment, one of the Fae’s soldier’s jumped in front of him, taking the blow instead. Blood would splatter onto Chen’s face, blinding him. Leaping out of the way and Chen’s trap, the Fae leader continued to glare at the boy.

He pointed at him, giving a wordless threat as he moved his fingers over his throat in a cutting motion. Then he rallied his troops with the Yellow Relic in hand, each of them melting away into the shadows of the forest. The now dead soldier by Chen’s feet twitched occasionally as a grim reminder of what had just occurred.

Back in Arcadia, the plans the twins had concocted wasn’t bad given their circumstances. However, there was one fatal flaw to it and that would manifest in the sound of water being stirred. Because now there were two of the creatures staring at the group. And three. And four. And five. Many of them began to surface the water, each of them staring at the group as if daring them to cross the water.

---

Though Jessi was still in shock about the news of Yggdrasil’s betrayal; this along with the fact she had an aunt was clearly too much for Fei to handle. Excusing herself from breakfast Fei nearly sprinted out of the room before anyone had time to react. Jessi called for her to wait but it did little to slow her pace as she was gone before anything else could be said. Obviously the relaxing part of the vacation was already over.

Instinctively Jessi jumped out of his chair in pursuit of his protectee, but stopped just shy of the entryway upon hearing from Lorelai that there was a servant of Yggdrasil currently at the door. Unless this man was acting as a double agent or informant of sorts, nothing good could come of this visit. Should things take a violent turn, it would be wiser for Jessi to stay and be an extra fighter for Lady Eleanor.

Things of course weren’t that simple. Though he felt it would be best to stay and be ready for a fight rather than chase after someone who wanted to be left alone; his job required him to do the latter. Ultimately he was responsible for Fei’s protection over Eleanor’s and if anything were to happen to her he would be held accountable. Despite what he wanted to do, it was his duty to follow Fei and trust that Lorelai and the servants could handle whatever became of this situation.

Without giving it another thought Jessi ran out the door. The few seconds he stopped to decide his course of action had cost him as Fei was now out of sight. Still determined he kept up a steady pace hoping to pick up a trail if not catch up to her.

@KoL@BlueAjah@Lonewolf685@FrozenPhoenix@The 42nd Gecko

The old man noticed with a raise of an eyebrow Jessi's eyes scan the area for Fei. "That way, son. Presuming you're the young lady's." The old man said, poking the mouth of his pipe in the direction Fei had ran. The old man left it strangely vague what Jessi was of the young lady's. "I'd hurry if ... Nevermind, already are." The old man seemed to have a little more advice, but as Jessi kept up a steady pace the advice was unnecessary and the old man's voice would quickly fade from distance and the fact he was more muttering than helping at this point. "How's an old man supposed to portray himself as a mystical font of wisdom if the youth already know what's up and down." The old man smiled, pulling out a bottle and taking a swig.

But other than that, he seemed content to wait here, and quickly resumed smoking, still having not moved from his original resting pose outside the chateau.

@Awesomoman64

Axon stayed at at Lorelai's heels walking with her as she went through the rather beautiful walls of the quaint home. Truly the guardians did get to enjoy the luxuries of life. Deeper and deeper through the halls he followed as Lorelai quiet literally led him to his mark.

Hands in his pockets Axon still held his wide smile on his face, eyes glancing about to and fro at the decor. Then once they reached another large set of doors and was ushered in he strided past Lorelai nodding in appreciation of her hospitality. Turning his head to face inside he saw her, Eleanor, Asgard, The Crimson Knight looking so young and vulnerable due to the lack of her armor. However now was not the time for that.

Axon gave a gentle bow to Lady Eleanor, giving the respect her position warranted. "Lady Eleanor, a pleasure to see you. I unfortunately come with sour news however." He spoke in a generally calm and almost happy tone despite claiming to bear ill news. Though before he got to the news he glanced back to Lorelai, then back again to Eleanor, "Would you allow us a bit of privacy my Lady? This news may be ill but I see no need in letting it reach more ears than it needs to."

It was at this point he drew his hands from his pockets to wrap a few fingers on his belt to let his arms hang loosely. This in turn revealed something to Lorelai who would be close enough to see. First is that he wore two belts for some reason and on the inside of the looser one there was something metallic and steel-like that caught the light making it glint at Lorelai. Then the second and truly the stranger of the two each of his finger tips were not only pointed like a claw but were also a pitch black, as though he had claws for nails and dipped them in tar.

Recollections of the Past: Part I

---

One Night Earlier

It was an evening like any other one on Asgard's chateau at the village of Orello, the guardian had an unrestful sleep, the memories of a past long since gone filling her mind once again. One that she thought that she had forgotten long ago, but it seems that Emilia had somehow pried deep enough on Eleonor's mind to force it all back up. Getting up from her bed, Eleonor walked to the balcony of her room and stood there by the night breeze, remembering the days she and her sister had together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several years ago...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

---

It was a morning like any other one on the Imperial Academy, among the in and outflow of students who went to and from from mission and or classes, there was a certain buzz about some recent events. Apparently a very famous individual known as the Red Eyed Ghost had defected the Imperium, claiming false accusations on Her Divinity, the Imperator. In the middle of all this morning hubbub was one Eleonor Luxonne, rushing for her morning lecture about the Legendary Heroes.

On the way up the corridors, Eleonor ran around in haste, not even caring to look where she was going, otherwise she was gonna get late, apparently caution wasn't the first thing on the mind of the future Crimson Knight. So much in a hurry was she, that she failed to notice who she was about to hit, a gruff grunt heard as she collided with a familiar person.

The Crimson Hound herself, Solanne Luxonne. A frown was present on the older twin's face but she quickly hid it away as she took in just who had bumped into her. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she poked Eleonor's forehead to get her to pay attention.

"Y'know you really should pay attention when you're walking sis. I'm no rocket scientist, but I think we were given eyes for a reason," she said, digging into her pocket to reveal a packet of pocky. "Want some? Might as well be late to class in style."

"S-Sol!?" Eleonor looked around in a hurry, after she ran on her sister, surprised to even see Solanne in the Academy this early in the morning. It's not even like she needed it, too, Solanne was a genius with much more potential than most of the other students, Eleonor included, when it came to fighting. A life in the military, or even being a knight not bound under the four Guardians, all that would be easy for her, which made Eleonor, who struggled to get her own dreams to fruition, feel a bit uneasy.

It wasn't like Eleonor hated, or was envious of Solanne, just... she felt so inferior, like she was the one dragging Solanne down, because Solanne was always looking up for Eleonor and helping her, yet Eleonor never could do anything for her sister. Anyway, Eleonor couldn't just stand there the whole morning staring at Solanne, "Did you fall of your bed, or something like this? Usually you don't appear on the Academy so early, is something the matter?" Despite her earlier hurry, Eleonor picked one of the pocky sticks and began to nibble on it mindlessly as she walked beside her sister.

"Hmm? I can be punctual when I want to be y'know," Solanne said with a huff before her grin reappeared. "But nah, I had to take care of some stuff. Supposedly there was a super rare Tome they were transporting to put on display for the Academy. And they asked yours truly to help with the shipping."

She pointed a curled thumb at herself, as if to emphasize that point. That was odd, since Solanne wasn't a part of the Student Council or anything important like that. Still, she was a respected student in the school-barring her tardiness-so maybe she had been asked to test out this new Tome.

"Oh? Is that so, Sol? That's, hmm... well, I don't know. It must be very cool to be able to do all these sorts of things," Eleonor said looking at Solanne with shiny eyes as she believed her sister's every word, it was almost painful to see how genuine she was, yet how much she felt bad for it as well. "I-I mean, the best thing I did these days was helping with the introduction of a thesis. It's not something you'd like to hear about, but if it was true, it could change the world forever."

"Eh? And why wouldn't I not wanna hear about my favorite sister's thesis?" Solanne scoffed as if this was common knowledge.

"Anyway, Sol", Eleonor said, trying to change the subject before she said something she didn't wanted to, "Have you thought about your choice for a career assignment? I mean, this is our last year here and we'll probably not see each other very much after we graduate, so I wanted to know what you think of doing on your future. I think I'll vouch for the Intelligence Division, to work on Aquaria, the libraries there are just awesome. I'm not cut to be soldier, I'd prefer to marry, have children and live in peace, but hey, I'm the black sheep after, not?" Eleonor tried to pass that last statement as a joke, but the wry smile on her lips made it quite clear that the self-deprecation wasn't laughing stock at all.

"E-Eh? Um, well...eheh, well to be honest, I haven't really thought of any career plans. Like at all. Shocking, right? Besides, you're the black sheep. Trust me, you're far from that," Solanne said with a thumbs up and a tussle of Eleonor's hair. "You do what you're expected. Me? I'm the screw up that keeps turning down expectations. Besides, I think I'm just a soldier anyway, forced to take orders."

On that note, the bell rang and before Eleonor could process those words, Solanne was already off. She turned on her heels to give a wave to her younger sister and a cheeky grin. Youth was still the time of freedom, right?

"I'll catch you later Elly. Hey, tonight let's celebrate just for the hell of it! Why? Dunno, but it'll be fun, y'know!" the Crimson Hound called out before gunning towards her classroom. Only when she was out of Eleonor's sight did she slow her pace and sigh heavily, eyes flicking to the floor. Tonight...she had hoped Eleonor's last memory of her would be a normal one. Normal Solanne being a goofball, her big sister doing what she did best...she didn't need to know the truth.

Frowning, she took one last stick of pocky and shoved it in her mouth. At least that would serve to distract her from what was to come. Hopefully.

---

"Wa-wait it, Fei!" Eleonor tried to reach out for Fei, but before she could get a hold of her, Fei had already dashed out of the dining hall. Even with Jessi leaving to go after Fei, Eleonor couldn't help but feel guilty about what happened. But, what could she do? Because of Eleonor's job, she knew way too many things she wasn't supposed to and the habit of keeping secrets grew on her unconsciously.

If a lie could save Fei from the world of pain that the truth brings, Eleonor would be more than glad to keep Fei in the dark but it seems that things too far. However, how could Eleonor tell Fei the worst of the secrets she was keeping for all these years?

As if she were reading Eleonor's mind, Lorelai came again and snapped the Crimson knight of her inner turmoil. Eleonor shuffled her worries back and smiled at Lorelai and the unexpected guest. "Actually not, Axon, right? There's nothing that you may say that I don't trust Lorelai to listen. At the moment she's most trusted servant. However, could you wait just a moment?" Elonor asked Axon, before turning to Lorelai, "Lorelai, my dear, I hate to keep asking you to do the same thing over and over, but there's someone else by the door. Could you ask one of the other maids to see what they want?"

"Now then, in which way can I help you, Axon?" Eleonor asked just as she gestured Lorelai to close the dinner room's door.

---

---

"Hey, hey You got it all wrong, Ruxy! It's the guy who owes me, big time. Anyway-" Mikoto was interrupted by the sudden crackling of the power of the two relics colliding against one another in the nearby clearing. The sheer pressure of the wind was enough to knock the Peddler Witch away, and she hid behind a tree with a hand holding her hat and another inside her pocket, fishing the fake relic she carried around "I knew that this thing would bring me luck, the real relic is right over there, once I fish it, I'll be able to make a huge catch." Though, what catch was that, no one knew. Apparently Mikoto had some big scheme (Or would it be a scam?) planned. What could be it?

---

---

Back at Arcadia, the Twins sighed, leaving a shocked expression hanging on their faces when the multiple surfaced from the water.

"Are you serious? The powers that be must hate us it's literally one problem after the other."

"What now, Oneesama? I don't have anymore ideas."

"Well, I guess the only thing we can do now is try to cross the river and hopes these things don't attack us. Come on, Alex, Tori. We're gonna have to run!" Sienna said as she used her tome to build a frozen bridge over the river. It was now or never for them.

---

Lorelai would have been a fool not to catch the metallic sheen emanating from Axon's waist, such was its luster that she actually did have to briefly tear herself away from watching Eleanor to consider Axon once more. The exact shape and nature of the metallic object was uncertain, and the blackened claws were equally as mysterious, but upon consideration of who she was dealing with it became woefully typical. Anyone would tell you that a spy would carry some sort of concealed armaments, likely carrying several knives and some sort of poison on his nails.

Before addressing this concern, she knocked a coded message on the door, alerting the maid staff outside to check on the old man outside. At least, Lorelai hoped she got the message right. Otherwise they were about to burn the barley fields to stave off a rampaging herd of nonexistent sheep before they could overrun the chateau.

"The staff have been alerted to your request, Lady Eleanor. Before you continue with Axon, I feel it my duty to inform you that he is likely carrying concealed weaponry in his belts, as well as his hands possibly being a threat too. To preserve your sanctity I humbly ask you to refrain from shaking this mans hand." Lorelai directed a thin, dangerous smile towards Axon as she drew her sword and held it at her side, making a show of looking it over for blemishes that anyone could tell didn't exist. "Since I will not be departing at this moment, commence with your message, Axon. And please keep your hands out of your pants, as you are in the company of a lady."

A look of surprise passed over Chen's face as the Fae leader produced a Legend Relic of his own. Now this was more than personal, this was an oppurtunity to gain another Legend Relic for the Librarian. Things have become very interesting in this forest. Chen smirked as he went for the blow, but things can never go according to plan.

Chen flinched as one of the leaders troops jumped in front of the blow, cutting his head off instead while the leader retreated. Blood flew into his eyes and Chen instinctively closed his eyes to protect his vision. He stopped quickly and raised a dome of vines around him to protect from surprise attacks. After rubbing his eyes for a few seconds with his sleeves, he opened his eyes and let the vines sink back into the ground.

"Zealots." He muttered disdainfully as he kicked the twitching corpse. He shook his head and took a few deep breaths. Why was he showing so much emotion right now? A side effect of the Relic maybe? No time for thinking, back to the Fae. Chen watched the Fae do a slicing motion and shook his head. The Fae faded into the forest and had the rest of his followers do so as well. Chen waited a few seconds and then knelt down, putting his hand on the forest floor.

"Where are you?
@KoL@TheWindel

Axon nodded at Asgard's words, knowing that if she would trust Lorelai he wouldn't argue against it. THough before he could begin Lorelai chimed up and spoke to him about the glint in his belt and the look of his fingers. So rude! What if he made a comment about her nails look poisonous... Though she had a point, he wasn't exactly unarmed and normal in the hand department. Turning to look at Lorelai he spoke up saying, "Oh yes of course, I forgot to give you my weapons and I dont' recall being searched..." He confessed Turning back to Asgard he started to walk towards her and once at the edge of the table he reached under the strap of his pack and pulled out a knife, setting it on the table. Reaching down into his boot he produced a second knife and also reaching into his pack he pulled out a skinner's knife once again setting them all on the table. "I don't mean to come off as a threat, I promise you this. My belt is no weapon though that I promise you." He continued undoing his belt and showing Lorelai the inside. For some reason it had a metal band of silver lining it, thin enough to be flexible, but strong enough to not break.

Putting his belt back on he turned to Eleanor and started to finally speak on why he came to her, "My name is Axon Lyrious, I am an agent working under Yggdrasil... Or uh... I guess I was not too long ago. I've left him behind after I started to find some strange things about my boss. I'm sure you are familiar with a certain Emilia. Mean woman her, but she has made contact several times with Yggdrasil. I know he was involved in your recent kidnapping. What's more a name kept coming up in the report I managed to glean, Antonia. Now I know that name... And you should too. She is a priestess of the Holy Order. I know she's involved as well I just don't know how."

Once he finished he paused for a moment before saying in closing, "I know this probably soudns incredibly suspicious especially knowing who I am and who I worked for. But I'm telling the truth and I don't have long before he realizes and sneds assassins after me."

With all said and done, Axon took a step back to let teh ladies process the information and do as they would with it, decided if they would trust him or not. "Just know that I say this knowing that I don't know how far this conspiracy goes. If you trust Lorelai then I will honor your judgement, but in times like these one can never know who is a coat waiting to turn."

~Ruxen~

---

“Are you really fucking serious? You’re actually considering snatching the damn thing after seeing all that?!?” Ruxen snarled, forcing Mikoto’s head down again lest she get her face burned off by a stray bolt of energy. “You know sometimes I feel like it’s the best moral thing to fucking report you to the authorities Mikoto.”

It took some time, but the sounds of battle finally seemed to die down. Ruxen took that as an opportunity to peak out, seeing the rest of the remaining Fae flee. Sniffing and narrowing her eyes, she growled on instinct; not from the cowardliness of their enemy, but from the resonating particles of pure magic still lingering faintly in the air. It smelled like the Yellow Relic.

Jumping out from her hiding spot, she padded over to Chen and frowned even deeper. The boy’s eyes were a shade of green, sparks of power still twitching all around him. The Beastkin nudged his side, gaze flicking to the Relic still held concealed in his palm.

“Alright that’s enough fly boy. They’re fucking gone and pursuing them might just lead ourselves into a trap. And frankly, you can die all you want, but I’m going to go live my fucking life without sharp sticks sticking out of my ass.”

Back in the ruins of Arcadia, the horrid creatures of the lake snapped their sights onto the two twins. Beady, black eyes blinked in cold calculation before they slowly drifted towards the group. The one closest to the river’s bank and the foundations of the ice bridge suddenly slowed in its movement, body inflating to a ridiculous proportion.

It grew, more and more until the traveling group would be able to see its organs swim in its now engorged, see-through skin. Naturally, the thing popped with a squishing sound, like grapes being smashed in one’s palm. A clear, bluish liquid was sprayed in the general direction of the group, hissing heard as the substance made contact with the ground.

Foamy bubble formed as some of the liquid settled into the water while more of it splashed onto the ice bridge. Judging from the burning sound, the juices were acid and slowly eating away at the ice bridge. Some of the fluid made contact with another one of the creatures and soon it too began to inflate with the now familiar phenomenon. If the group wasn’t quick enough, they would be walking into an acidic mine field. A chain reaction that would never end.

In the peaceful village of Orello, the sound of thudding hooves would be heard, the lazy bustle of country life slowly coming to a halt. Massive horse and rhinoceroses coated in thick armor were handled by knights sheeted in pristine armor. Though the men’s aura was not one of an oncoming threat and in fact, the majority of the knights held posters in their hands to place upon the village’s buildings.

One of the men, General Yenma of the Golden Knight Midgard, scanned his gaze until it fell on Asgard’s mansion of a residence. He felt it was best to deliver the news he brought to the Crimson Knight personally, before the Imperator announced it on a national scale.

---

Noticing the oncoming hubbub, the old man waved off the maid after giving her a message, having barely paid attention to her and speaking through the side of his mouth, pipe still held lightly in place. "Who's bloody next? The Imperator? And after her the Great Beast?" The old man finally took out his pipe and shook his head in wide eyed astonishment as he saw the general approach. Were vacations usually this busy for guardians of the realm?

The old man had recovered a modicum of decorum by the time Yenma was within normal speaking distance. "There's a bit of a line I'm afraid, General. Don't mind if you cut me, but there's others ahead of me yet." The old man kept the pipe held low.





@TheWindel@Lonewolf685

Despite his best efforts, Jessi wouldn't find his way to Fei so easily, the path he had choosen to follow might not even be the wrong, but the very forest that encircles these parts of the mountains as the altitude gets progressively lower, eventually blending seamlessly with Rivenwood and becoming one sea of green, the forest itself seeemed to weaved and bend, to force Jessi to walk in circles. Thank to the powers of his tome, Jessi wouldn't get totally lost, and eventually he would catch up with Fei's trail, but the magic used to warp this region was strong enough to slow his progress substantially. On further analysis, Jessi would noticed that it wasn't like the forest paths had been weaved with magic, they in fact, had been so and the thin trails (more like wires) of magic left behind were far too much similar to he knew all too well.



On the other hand, Fei would find herself lost with extreme easy, a bare few minutes running aimlessly and she would be unable to tell north from south. In the midst of the tangled mess that the woods were becoming with each consecutive step, Fei would come across a hooded figure sitting beside the road, on a rock, no matter whatever direction she followed. The hooded person eventually asked, no matter how many times it took for Fei to notice her, "So, how long are you going to continue to run away, Fei, daughter of Asgard? How does it feel to have your world turned upside down? Your very concept and notion of self ruined because of a simple truth that you cannot refute. To know that all that you believed in were lies and you are nothing but a doll dancing obliviously to the strings of a cruel puppeteer?"

The hooded figure, drew an apple from within her cloak, giving Fei a momentary glimpse of her hand, with a ring of pure silver bearing arcane inscriptions on each finger, as she seemed to assess the ruby colored fruit, before speaking again, "Did you ever considered what it's to not even know who you truly are? Take it as an example, do you even know who your father is? Fufufu~ Hahahaha! I guarantee you'll have a blast when you hear it from the mouth of your own mother, how was it that you were conceived." Then, she got up from the stone and threw the apple to Fei, before saying "I can see your rage, but if you think you can take me on yourself, alone, you're free to try and fail miserably like broken puppet you are, Fei. Your world will burn and there's nothing you can do to avoid it... Hahahaha!"

After saying so, the hooded figure turned in her back and began to leave, the forest slowly wrapping itself around her, as the path between Fei and Jessi was once again cleared.

---

@BlueAjah@Awesomoman64

The world seemed to drown out as Fei’s feet hit across the pavement. Nothing else mattered as she ran away from the world of worry; she didn’t care either. The faces she passed blurred, images becoming one, only her thoughts seemed to remain. An aunt? Someone she needed to take revenge upon? Unexplainable feelings? The universe seemed to be taunting her. No matter how hard she tried, her flame couldn’t burn away her problems. Fei had tried to remain in control, tried to make a name for herself, yet all she could feel was doubt and uncertainty. Right turned into left, day into night, nothing was right anymore… She was Fei, daughter of Asgard, a title meant to bring her strength and courage. Shaking her head, Fei continued running.

Fei paid little to no attention to the direction she was heading, and before she had time to turn back, she found herself lost within a vast, neverending forest. Silently cursing under her breath, she refused to admit she didn’t know the way home. Before long, she noticed a rather eerie hooded figure sitting beside the road. Raising her eyebrow, Fei slowed her pace to hear the figure’s words. It wasn’t hard to figure the figure meant her no good will as she spoke Fei’s name with extreme distaste. Chills shot up her body as the words of the figure echoed across the mystic forest. As the woman continued to speak, Fei’s eyes darkened with pure hatred and she soon recognized the familiarity of the person. Emilia… Both of her swords were unleashed from their clasp and fire, although dimmer than ever before, breathed life atop her head.

As Emilia reached into her cloak, Fei tensed and her trained body prepared for the worst, but a mere apple sat in her hand. The gesture brought attention to the various rings, carved with strange symbols, resting on each of her hands. Attack. What are you doing? Fei screamed at herself, but the words escaping Emilia’s lips hit hard. Who was her father? Of course, Fei had wondered all of her life this exact question. Out of respect to her mother, she had never questioned it much. When you had the strongest warrior as your mother, it seemed irrelevant as to who her father was. But she still wished to know… Who was she?

Biting her tongue, even drawing blood, Fei refused to let any tears stream down her face. Emilia would not win. The puppeteer threw the apple at Fei, who had to quickly return her left hand sword to its clasp before catching it, and made her final words. Of course she didn’t think Fei would let her get away? She would walk out of here dead before she let Emilia escape. “The only person who will burn,” Fei gritted her teeth as she spoke. “Is you.” And then she charged. A battle cry ripped from her throat, incorporating the pain, chaos, and new series of doubt this single woman had caused in Fei’s life. Enough was enough.

@Awesomoman64 @KoL

Lorelai stood in marked silence as Axon confessed himself to the embodiment of Imperial justice and her chosen knight. During his speech she returned her blade to its sheath as the need for threats and posturing faded away. It was curious to find how sloppy Yggdrasil and Emilia were in covering up their collaboration against Lady Eleanor, considering how many were beginning to come forward with knowledge of their works. There hubris was great if they believed they could act with impunity and be so flagrant with their treachery. At this rate the Imperator would publicly execute them before Lorelai even had a chance to tear Emilia limb from limb.

The Abyssal Knight reached out to Axon and clapped his shoulder. "I can not say I fully trust you, your profession and previous allegiance are matters I will only reconcile with time so bear with me, but I am impressed by your willingness to throw yourself before the judgement of Lady Eleanor. Regardless of what may befall you, I applaud you for stepping forward to shed light on this grievous injustice committed against my lady."

A coded knock upon the door drew Lorelai's attention once more, eyes widening in surprise before her face went taut with contemplation."Lady Eleanor, a company of knights is approaching the chateau and they are headed by an imposing figure in golden armor. I could be wrong , but my intelligence had lead me to believe that the knight Midgard was nowhere near us, so I would presume that this is an emissary of some note. Loath as I am to think poorly of a fellow Imperial I considered favorably, we can not presume that this visitation is for joyous news. I will take me leave to address them, as well as that peculiar old man smoking on your stoop."

The Abyssal Knight left Axon to either be accepted or executed by Lady Eleanor while she returned to the Chateau's entrance to address the knight and smoker who seemed to latest in the cadre of fellows hell-bent on ruining Lady Eleanor's well earned reprieve. Her attitude sobered while she schooled herself for coming face to face with General Yenma, a man who cut an impressive figure atop his stead, resplendent in armor that was befitting one of his position. "Greetings general, I am Lorelai, sworn protector of Lady Eleanor during this times. The lady is currently occupied with a guest, but if you would relay the reasoning for your visit I would gladly relay it to her and see if she will take you. In the meantime you may take your mounts around back to the stables if they require food and drink...pardon me a moment."

Her gaze drew to the man who had been patiently awaiting outside the chateau, and nodded to him briefly."Excuse me sir, but as you can plainly see it is a busy morning so I thank you for your patience. If you have business then you may speak it here, for the Imperium will not ignore its subjects."

General Yenma nodded, expecting Lorelai to answer his calls. He had been informed through the ranks that the Crimson Knight was not only recovering from her ordeal, but she was also put in the charge of a trusted maiden. Seeing as his troops were still on the move, he would have to make this quick. So with piercing eyes, he leaned in so no one else may hear.

“Tell this to your Lady then Maid. There has been a shift of power within the Imperium. As of this day, the Imperator has selected new candidates to uphold the title of Golden Knight of Midgard and Cerulean Knight of Nifelheim as per the Jester’s suggestions. That is all as I must carry out the news to all of the Imperium’s officials before this is announced.”

Nodding towards her, the general took his leave with a bow and rallied up with his men. Two new Knights within the Order of Ragnorak? That spelled out all sorts of interesting theories. Were Midgard and Nifelheim perhaps working with Yggdrasil in this conspiracy? Or had something come up that had made them obsolete and to be replaced with?

Either way, the Jester had directly had a hand to the new candidates. Only time will tell what would come of this news. For now, all Lorelai could do was report to her Lady and let her decide on the next course of action. The Imperator was not to be questioned after all.

---

The old man's pipe audibly clattered to the ground. Someone replaced Rainer? Surprising, but no more surprising than Asgard's abduction. Someone replaced Legion? Legion was an army's army unto themselves. Probably could have won the entire Warovia conflict themselves if they had been deployed. After picking it up and waiting for the General to finish, the old man said his piece. "Well, my request seems pretty silly what with all the important matters going on. Won't be the least bit offended if you say no. I go by Sev, and that's because it's a fair sight less absurdly ostentatious than my name, not cause any alias business. I just wanted a chance to have a friendly match with you, Lorelai. Heard you were real good. " Sev's body language seemed to imply he didn't expect Lorelai to say yes, what with all that was going on, but he waited good and long to say his piece, so he was gonna.

@TheWindel@Lonewolf685