Jessi could tell something was wrong as he began passing certain landmarks over and over. It wasn't until closer inspection did he see the all too familiar magic wires pulling the very forest around him. A pit formed in his stomach as he realized they were once again in a trap set by the accursed Emilia.

Now aware of what was happening, Jessi broke into a full sprint breaking from the usual pathway and carving a straight line through the forest he hoped to catch Fei and stop her before she fell for whatever the Warovian had planned.

This worked in his favor as he was already going full speed when the trees seemed to part and revealed Fei and Emilia in front of him. With weapons drawn and rage on her face, it was more than apparent Fei was about to rush Emilia head on. There was no way Emilia wouldn't be prepared for this. She had to be using Fei’s anger to trick get into a fight. Jessi had to stop her even if it meant getting in the way.

As Fei neared the puppeteer, Jessi came from out of the trees and intercepted her charge. “Stop!” He grabbed her by the shoulders and tried to hold the angry princess at bay. “Don’t you see what she’s doing? She’s trying to get inside your head! Don’t let her play you like one of her puppets!”

Blood rushed to her face as the rage inside her thickened. Emilia would [i]not[/] get away. If she had to follow her to the depths of hell, she would. Nothing would stop Fei from getting the revenge she rightly deserved. All form of coherent thought seemed to disappear as only Emilia remained in her mind. Seeing Emilia’s corpse sitting at her feet seemed to be the only cure for Fei’s new sprout of doubt. She refused to let herself otherwise.

And then, hard hands gripped her shoulders and she turned to find Jessi standing before her. Fei blinked her eyes several times, making sure it wasn’t an illusion. Despite herself, she flinched as he yelled at her. The Fei minutes before might have listened to his words, might have even stepped down, but she was beyond reasoning. Jessi had to know this woman deserved death by Fei’s hands. She didn’t care if it was a trap. Whatever Emiila had planned, Fei would burn through it. She couldn’t leave, not now. A fire began burning in her eyes and she stared at Jessi as she spoke.

“I don’t care if she’s making me a puppet, Jessi! I’ll burn the damn strings if I have to. Do you know how long it would take to track her? I’m not giving up this opportunity up so don’t you dare try to stop me,” She snapped at him, letting her anger take over. Part of her knew she would regret being so harsh to him later, but at the moment, she didn’t care. Drawing fire to her body, Fei willed her shoulders, exactly where Jessi was touching, to burn, not enough to seriously damage but enough for him to pull his hands away, and continued advancing toward Emilia.

"Ho~?" Emilia let out a chuckle of throaty amusement as Fei literally ignited in rage against her. "And how exactly do you plan do defeat me, Fei, daughter of Asgard? Or should I say, Fei Luxonne? The name your mother has been negating you this whole time." The Puppeteer didn't even bothered to turn on her back and face Fei head on, if the redhead wanted to fight her, let she come, Emilia had way too many tricks on her bag, Fei wouldn't be more than a temporary distraction.

"Perhaps, should I go forward and give you the short version of why you don't even have a surname from your father, since you mother judged that her own wasn't good enough for you?" Emilia taunted once more. One could only wonder how much information she had extracted from Asgard in their short time on Emilia's palace on Exilia, or which methods Emilia had used to acquire such intelligence. Regardless, the fact stood that the Puppeteer knew too much and of too many things, things such as "Well, it's only natural, my dear Fei. After all, how do you think that the only daughter of the Crimson Guardian would feel if she knew that she was born after her mother was ra-"

The sound of wood crunching beneath a mighty force interrupted Emilia's taunting as something as black as coal stabbed through her chest. The puppet master sputtered, red blood coming out of her mouth and spilling onto Fei's face before her eyes became faded. Still, a smirk of satisfaction met Fei for one last time as the black object, now revealed to be a blackened gauntlet, ignited the woman's entire body.

The hand ripped itself out of the woman's chest, Emilia collapsing to the ground in a flurry of violent flames. Wood, bone, and flesh all crackled beneath the roaring fire before a figure stepped away from the smoking mess. Standing off to the side was a woman much older than Fei, but who looked almost exactly like her.

The Crimson Hound frowned, kicking up dirt to smother the burning Emilia before glancing at Fei. Soon a toothy grin spread to her face with her hands on her hips as she said, "Nothing but a cheap puppet trick. Man that's gotta ruin someone's day, y'know? Still, I thought puppets were supposed to be funnier than that."

Then she noticed the rather obvious inferno in Fei's eyes and sighed. With a snap of her fingers, Fei would find all of her flames extinguished without question. Finding a tree to lean up against, the woman crossed her arms and shook her head.

"Good thing I stopped you. You could have caused a nasty forest fire there, y'know?"

There was nothing he could do but watch as the mysterious figure quickly dispatched Emilia. The sight was enough to take Jessi’s mind off of his hands that while not burnt still felt this sting of Fei’s fire. For a brief moment, he wanted to believe that she had done it, that this stranger had finally ended the cruel tricks of the puppeteer. But as he gazed at the smoking body he could tell it was not so.

Of course his first instinct was to walk up to Fei and say something along the lines of “I told you!” But he refrained. Considering all the emotional and mental anguish she had been going through that day he at least understood why she acted the way she did, even if he was still bitter about the burns.

Now that the dust had settled, Jessi got a good look at the newcomer and almost instantly knew who she was. Not only did she have power over fire similar to Fei’s, she was nearly the spitting image of Eleonor. This had to be the sister she spoke of at breakfast if not an extremely devoted fan.

”Yeah, setting things on fire is sort of this one’s specialty. Just ask the tavern owner in Exilia.” Jessi chimed in as he approached the suspected twin while still admiring the burring Emilia nearby.

Fei flared her teeth at Emilia but found herself listening to the woman’s words. Luxonne? What else did Emilia possibly know? There had to be a reason her mother had neglected to tell her about her past, but Fei had a right to know… Didn’t she? For the first time in her life, Fei was beginning to question her mother. She found herself wanting to know more. Clutching her hand in a fist, Fei’s body tensed as Emilia began to reveal her grandmother’s fate. Before her lips could finish the sentence, a black object flew past her and right into the puppeteer’s body. Her eyes widened with complete shock.

Whipping around to find the person responsible, Fei felt even more confused as she saw her mother. Or, it wasn’t her mother. She frowned. This woman had to be the aunt Eleonor was speaking of earlier. Things were happening too quickly for Fei though. She just found out she had an aunt, now she was here? At the snap of the woman’s fingers, Fei’s fire extinguished and it left her feeling cold. Fei had never met someone capable of diminishing her fire power before.

“Who do you think you are?” Fei screamed. “She was just about to tell me where I came from and you stopped her!” She knew she was growing out of control, even for her. Fei was on some emotional rollercoaster that had no stop. It was honestly too much. All she wanted to do was run away from everything and return to her old life, where the only thing she had to worry about was training.

"Eh? She wouldn't have told you anything healthy to hear, y'know?" the woman said with a calm grin. "Let's see. If she was someone who would tell you healthy news that would help you, I might have let that puppet live. But at the moment, you're angry, scared, and yelling in my ear so obviously she wasn't telling you anything good, right? Y'know, I think that made more sense in my head..."

As the woman pondered her own botched up analogy, she grinned at Jessi before giving him a thumbs up. She liked him already since he at least had humor to dispel the situation. And if Fei wanted to be a fireball again, the woman would just snuff it out like last time.

Frowning, Fei continued to glare at the woman. She didn’t care that they might be related by blood, she simply didn’t trust her. Something about her was weird, but Fei had yet to know what. Making sure to avoid awkward eye contact with Jessi, Fei approached the spot where she had dropped Emilia’s apple. Perhaps it could give her a clue to the Puppeteer's real location. She quickly picked it up and took one last look back at the two.

“It’s not your place to judge whether or not her information was healthy, it was needed. Now, I will be heading back to the manor and I would appreciate it if you didn’t interrupt my work again.” She took a step forward before glancing back once more. “Oh, and don’t you ever extinguish my flames again. I won’t be so forgiving next time.” Fei hissed before taking off again.

"Sheesh, someone's cheeky," the woman said with a sigh. "Guess she wasn't all too concerned about why her not aunt totally has badass powers. Well, time to wonder around aimlessly until something happens that needs me. What do you think Little Man?" she asked, turning to Jessi.

---

”Wait!” Jessi called out once again as Fei took off. Luckily this time she was headed to a safe location as opposed to a random spot in the forest. Still, Jessi was getting tired of chasing her all around Orello, especially since she made it clear she wasn’t in the mood to have him around. Hell thinking about it she didn’t even say a word to him this morning! Regardless, it was Jessi’s job to watch over her whether they were getting along or not.

But first, seeing as Fei didn’t want to address the fact her aunt was here, he decided he would. ”Well, if you want to wander aimlessly go for it. I, on the other hand, have to chase down your not neice and make sure she doesn’t get in anymore fights on the way back.” The boy made no effort to hide the disdain in his voice. ”However, I’m sure Lady Eleonor or your not sister as it were, has been wanting to see you. Since I’m going that way I would be happy to show you to her residence if you would like?”

@KoL@BlueAjah@TheWindel

---

Chen focused on the forest intently, trying to find the fleeing Fae so he could get their Legend Relic. It was powerful, the Librarian would want it. Their war would end, he would make sure of it. And the next step was this Legend Relic. And hey, if justice could be served while doing so, all the better.

Then Ruxen shook Chen, breaking his concentration with a simple nudge. "Huh? Oh. Yes, that is likely correct." Chen shook his head and stood up, stopping the mana flow to the Relic and putting it away. The sparks along his skin stopped and his eyes returned to their normal blue, like he hadn't just channeled one of the greatest powers known to man.

"We should get going. Where is Mikoto?" She needed to meet with The Librarian if she really had a Legend Relic, though he suddenly got the feeling that wasn't the case.
@KoL@TheWindel

General Yenma was well and truly out of earshot by the time Lorelai actually moved. It was only a twitch, a spasm of the facial muscles, but it was all that was needed to kick start her brain after the complete shutdown she had gone through. How else does one react to every single thing that has hit the Abyssal Knight right in the gut in this morning alone? She hadn't even had breakfast before her world had been overturned and burned to ash. Lorelai's idol had been overcome, captured, and violated by the cruelest creature to still haunt the Imperium. All of that was made possible by the cooperation of another Knight of the Order of Ragnorak who had conspired against Lady Eleanor for reasons unknown. Then came the family affairs of Lady Eleanor as well as the spy who brought word of the conspiracy's reach going ever farther. Now the uninvolved members of the Order of Ragnorak were being replaced without any past murmurings or reasons that Lorelai could recall.

If she were not such a sychophantic devotee of Lady Eleanor and knew that she would need to hear of these ill tidings, Lorelai may have had significantly more trouble compartmentalizing all this news then a simple twitch.

Turning with some stiffness, Lorelai took note of the remarkably patient man whose clattering pipe told her that shock was expression on many people's faces today. "Forgive me Sev, as much as I would normally love to take up your offer for amicable combat, I will have to postpone this bout in light of recent events. With my duties multiplying by the minute I will have little time to spare. However, if you'd be willing to arrive with the dawn tomorrow, I could work in a match as part of my morning drills. In the meantime, I ask you to be tactful with what you have heard hear today, and may the Imperator protect you in these turbulent times."

After having offered Sev what she could, Lorelai returned to the dining room where she found nothing of note had really happened. "By the Jester's suggestion, the Imperator has announced that there shall be new holders of the title Midgard and Nifelheim. I don't claim to be the most knowledgeable of Imperial politics, but I would say that unless the prior two were corrupt in totality, then our position has considerably weakened against this conspiracy. Oh, and I may be having an exhibition with an old man named Sev in the morning, so don't let the noise keep you from slumber."

"Hmm, I see," Eleonor nodded to Axon, listening to his story while eating a strawberry, her expression being a slightly dispassionate mask as she waited for him to conclude his whole report while slowly emptying the tray of the succulent fruit whose color wasn't very distinct of that of her own hair. "Why don't you take a seat, Axon? We have much to talk about as soon as Lorelai comes back." Eleonor said, as she beckoned Axon to a chair beside the one Jessi was using earlier. "Don't feel shy. Please, help yourself, if you are feeling hungry."

Fate would have it that they wouldn't need to wait for long, since Lorelai had just returned, bringing even more world shaking news, though Eleonor was already aware of some of the hidden moves among the Knights of Ragnarok and the Jester playing them as if pieces on a chess board. "I see. To say the truth, I'm surprised that he took so much time to do so. Nifilheim hosted a private army that could have been serious trouble, plus he tried to get in the way of the other divisions on a constant basis. Midgard on the other hand, was unreadable and impossible to control, their mind was too alien even for the Jester, I believe; war hounds that can't be trusted not to bite their own allies should be put down, after all. Or so they say, even though I'm not a adherent of this philosophy. Actually, the only thing I believe that's keeping the Jester from doing the same to Yggdrasil and I is the fact that he must be amused by the Yggdrasil's attempt at a civil war. And for myself... there's things I think that are better left as secrets, especially when they involve the Jester." Eleonor said, just before eating another strawberry. The Crimson Knight appeared to be extremely fond of those fruits, indeed.

"Either way, now that Lorelai is here, I can tell you this, Axon." Eleonor tapped the chair right beside hers, to invite Lorelai before continuing, "You're mistaken on an account, Antonia has nothing to do with this whole situation. She's a priestess, thereby it's natural for her to know of many secrets, the information she holds is beneficial for Yggdrasil, since he can't overthrow me without a Legend Relic of his own and Antonia knows the location of one of them." Eleonor ate another strawberry, chewing the delicate flesh carefully while letting the story sink in on both of them, "However, Antonia swore to protect the information with her life if need be. I'm a friend of hers, from when we both were at the Academy, she's a very dutiful person that we can trust. Unless someone solves the hidden puzzle at the Grand Cathedral, Antonia won't tell them, even at the cost of her life. That's why," another strawberry went down Eleonor's throat as she paused before saying. "I want you to help me, Lorelai, my dearest. As it stands now, you are the only one I can truly trust."

"I want you to come with me and help searching the Relic Antonia is hiding, actually, Axon will come as well. I'm sure you know that I'll want to keep an eye on you, now that you know so much, don't you?" Anticipating the obvious question from both of them, Eleonor said, "Even Fei can't be fully trusted. I don't mean that she would betray me, but she's blind with her lust for revenge against Emilia, she would abandon the mission without thinking, if the Princess were to goad her. I can't risk Fei's life in such a way. She's my own flesh and blood, I won't send her to a place where she can die... not out of my own will."

"By the way, did any of you two know that strawberries are members of the rose family?" Eleonor said, apparently out of the blue. However, the fact was that as soon as Axon stepped in her house Eleonor had felt a very faint wisp of rose perfume around him, roses that only two persons in this world had access to and considering that one of them was the cohort of her sister, this left only another one to be the source of the smell Axon carried with him.

"I'm right here, Chenny Boy, Ruxy." Mikoto said, coming from behind a tree, holding her hat with a hand and her broom with another, "Man, I gotta say that... was a nice fireworks show."

"What are you gonna do now? I don't suppose you want to chase those grey-skinned hippies. That forest must be rigged with more traps than a trade contract with an Aquarian Merchant Prince." Mikoto said, casually reclining against the tree she was hiding behind and smiling at Chen and Ruxen in a knowing way. "But, if you do wish to go," the Peddler Witch drew a pouch of potions from her backpack, "You'd better restock while you can, after all, how many adventurers can say that they are lucky enough to have their own general store traveling with them at every moment?"


"" ""

One could easily say that the Twins' plan was a success, though there were some small setbacks, like for example the weird frog like things exploding in a rain of acid organs and entrails. Not only it caused the bridge to crumble before Alex and Tori could cross it (though one had to wonder why they were having so much difficulty making the trip, considering the powers they have employed up to now?) but also, causing some major damage to the Aquarian Twins' clothes, leaving Linea and Siena in little but their underwear and a few scraps of outer clothing.

"At least, I got some of them, Oneesama." Linea said, showing a page of her book filled with drawings and info about the "frogs".

"Well, that's great, Linea. At least we'll have some fun when we get back to the Academy." Siena said smirking evilly, "I can't way to see what'll happen when we drop'em on the pool during the girls' P.E."

"But, before that, let's find something else to wear." Sienna said, clutching her sides while trying to shake of the water from her skin and fur, spraying it everywhere, like a dog right after a bath.

"I came prepared, Oneesama. Just get behind that bush." Linea said, dragging Siena with her to a suspect bush nearby.

"Wa-wait, you can't be serious, Linea! Anything but that!" Siena yelled in distress, apparently Linea's idea was one that even she couldn't stand.

---

The situation developed quickly, but Alex did his best to keep you with it. The two sisters managed to make a bridge of ice or something like that, which was very nice if he didn't have to worry about slipping off of the bridge and falling into the water. That would be less than pleasant, what with all the things hanging around in the water.

"Guess we should be going," he noted, ready to head across and move on to the temple itself. He was more than eager to get into this place and see what he could find. There had to be something good there, right?

Or....not. The situation began to rapidly degrade as the things they had found before began to spit acid at the ice bridge, which quickly began collapsing under the stress of the acid, and the rest of that stuff. Naturally the sisters moved across fairly rapidly, but otherwise they would have to go quickly before the thing collapsed.

With a sigh, he joined them in movement. "Alright, looks like it's fun time." With that he took off running, following after the sisters as he activated his tome. A good thing too, as the bridge crumbled. He had to act quick, lashing out with blasts of solid air to create platforms for himself, to get across one gap after another as the thing fell apart, as well as dodging any shots of acid that came his way. He had the feeling that getting hit would be bad.

Huffing, he at last finished the crossing and landed on the ground, at the other side of the riverbank. "Well then, never doing that again," he muttered to himself as he looked around. It was easy to note the two sisters hiding, but he let them be. After all, he had somewhat seen what had happened to them. "So what next," he asked as he waited patiently for them to reemerge.

~Ruxen~

---

Ruxen breathed an easy sigh of relief. It would do no good if Chen became fully possessed by the Legend Relic and went on a power hungry spree. They had enough problems as it were. As for Mikoto, she was probably camping it out where things were safer and not about to blow up…maybe. The peddler lived for the adrenaline after all.

In any case, Mikoto eventually did show herself from hiding, coming up to offer her goods and needs. While ordinarily Ruxen would have rolled her eyes at the lame attempt to sell them stupid shit, they might want to follow heed this time. After all, Chen had just wasted away whatever energy he had currently into the Legend Relic.

“We better get fucking discounts. And didn’t you need to see the Librarian? Not that I really fucking care, but get your fucking story right you shitty broker,” she said. There was always a catch when dealing business with Mikoto. Unfortunately, this time would be no different because the ground suddenly rumbled beneath them before something hard hit the ground just a few feet away. Dirt and roots were upturned from the mighty blow, drawing all of their attention to the distance.

The Beastkin was on alert immediately, crouching down and snarling with a sniff to the air. Someone was definitely here but for them to sneak up on them, they had to be of the Cerulean Knight’s faction. Intelligence and knowledge was their strong-point; this was no different even now when the juggernaut walked before them calmly, massive weapon slung over her shoulder.

It was none other than General Titania, rallying leader of the majority of the Intelligence Division. The fact that such a powerful adversary was calmly walking towards the trio implied that she was on a mission of her own. These three just happened to get in her way.

“Nice to see the traces of that Relic I detected led me to a bunch of criminals,” she said coolly, eyes moving towards Ruxen. “Shouldn’t you be in your cage monster?”

Ruxen growled back in defiance, fur bristling and tail wagging vividly. She refused to be put back into the hellish prison. Shrugging, Titania aimed her weapon at Chen and Mikoto. An unspoken order to either come with her peacefully for interrogation or be blown apart. Unbeknownst to any of them, the blast from Titania’s shot could be heard by Fei, Jessi, and a Crimson Hound.

Back in Arcadia, the bulbous creatures coldly watched as Alex made the leap across their river. That only left the Imperial scholar and they slowly turned their eyes towards Tori. As they did so, a soft blue light would emit from inside one of the passageways in the temple. Was it a Legend Relic?

---

At Eleonor's behest Axon walk over to the chair and takes a seat, starting to look over the foods and treats that were laid out on the table. Having just ate not too long ago he wasn't ready to just dig in and devour half the table, but some snacks and treats never hurt anyone, may hurt their hips, but hey lives is made for living! Looking at a collection of assorted and cut fruits he reached out for a few to gather up some watermelon, strawberries, and a pear. Gathering his small trove of succulent snacks he began to eat as they both waited what couldn't have been more than three minutes for Lorelai to return.

Axon silently listens to Asgard as she speaks of politics and the rather turbulent times that everyone is living in about now. As a spy he'd known things were off though his focus was always more on foreign rather than domestic, until recently of course.

Though when she speaks of Antonia Axon perks up to join the conversation, "I don't claim that she is part of the growing coup, but she is involved whether directly or not. The fact of the Legend Relic is an interesting one though. I know of the trail in which you speak, though I know only of it's existence." Upon hearing of Eleonor's request for Axon to join Lorelai and herself he felt no need to decline. After all they may not trust him, but his wish to help and the soon coming aggressors to himself made allies a valuable thing. "I'd gladly come Lady Asgard." Was his only response however.

At Eleonor's strange question on strawberries Axon cocked his head to the side ever so slightly not expecting the random thing, "Can't say I did. To be honest I don't care much for that kind of stuff. I just prefer to enjoy their taste." He said in his normal jovial manner taking one of the strawberries he had to pop it into his mouth. Humming out in satisfaction as if to verify that they still tasted good and to show that he meant what he said.

On a different note Axon turned to Lorelai and brought up something she had said, "A fight you say? I haven't had a good row in awhile would it be an issue if I joined you? Even if I can't participate I'd love to simply watch!"

Sev had been quite surprised when Lorelai said yes, and so smiled, "Thanks, I'll be here." He bowed slightly.

Then, after he turned and left, walking for awhile, and Lorelai had gone back inside to attend to Eleanor and Axon, Sev paused for a moment. Then he mumbled do himself, "Huh, strangest feeling that somewhere, out there, I just missed seeing something I would have very much wanted to see. Weird, oh well." And the old man went about his way.

There was a time when Lorelai would have been happy to awake to three square meals a day and endless patrols astride Durgan, a simpler time where she couldn't even conceive of corruption within the Imperium. A time where all the Knights of the Order of Ragnarok where seen as shining beacons of the Imperium's greatness that all should aspire to emulate, the Knight Asgard most of all. Things were easy and didn't leave her wanting to strangle her comrades-in-arms out of abject paranoia that they may have been complicit in Yggdrasil or the Jester's plotting.

But the luxury of ignorance and the innocence it conferred was no longer available to her. And if she were completely honest with herself, she wouldn't have it any other way. A blissful smile spread across her face at being invited to sit beside Lady Eleanor as her right hand, a position she wouldn't have dared conceive herself in yet now she was. Lorelai settled into the chair lightly and began to pick at a vine of grapes to sate her hunger while listening to Lady Eleanor. "Well it is good to know that the priestess Antonia is stalwart loyalist to the Imperium. It would be tedious if we had to ferret out our enemies from every-"

The Abyssal Knight froze as her face became a shade of color not unlike her lady's hair at hearing words which probably weighed heavier upon her than Lady Eleanor had intended, unless she had a habit flattering her subordinates into blushing school girls. "D-D-D-Dearest?!" Lorelai stuttered out, crushing a grape between her clammy fingers before taking a sudden interest in staring at her own lap. "I'm unbefitting of such a kindness Lady Eleanor, but my life and all I hold are yours to use at your discretion. Nothing will bar your path while I still draw breath..."

Lorelai seemed to close in on herself after that, nodding in assent to Eleanor's request that they maintain the strictest of confidences and unintentionally agreeing to Axon's request to join her in the morning. Regardless of her intent, she wouldn't reject him if her showed up to join her and Sev.

---

Chen sighed as Mikoto once again tried to sell him stuff and tempted him to go after the Fae. He vaguely considered it as he did feel pretty tired from that battle just now. It would appear as though Legend Relics had a cost to their use, hopefully as he learned to use it the cost would grow less. Chen looked at Mikoto and her offering of potions. He shook his head with a exasperated expression.

"No Mikoto, we need to go to-" Suddenly he was interrupted by a shot from the forest in their direction. Chen swung in the direction of the shot and stumbled slightly. He might have poured way too much energy into that Legend Relic. Chen flexed his hands a few times and let his face turn into a "worried" expression. It was now time to bluff the everliving hell out of this situation.

Out of the foliage emerged a purple haired woman with a massive gun. Chen would recognize her anywhere, General Titania of the Intelligence Division. Likely to kick his ass if they fought. Especially now. Chen analyzed the situation and mentally frowned. The only way things could be much worse is if one of the Four Guardians themselves was here. No, now wasn't the time for worst case scenarios though. Now was the time to come up with a good excuse as to why they shouldn't be taken in for interrogation.

"Hey there. I actually think the Legend Relic you detected is the that is held by the Fae we just fought. He just disappeared into the forest and you might be able to catch him if you hurry." Chen bluffed with a "worried" look on his face as the massive gun was pointed right at them. He also made sure to try and sound somewhat scared while still trying to be casual. Imperium officials just ate that BS up most of the time. What's more valuable, a few rebels or a Legend Relic?
@TheWindel@KoL

"Well then, Lorei and Axon. I believe I have nothing else to say as off now. Please excuse me but, I guess that I'll retire for the morning. I have some preparations to do and then, maybe take a short walk through the village? Hopefully, Fei will be back by the time I return." Eleonor said, more to herself than anyone else, as she announced her leave, before actually going out. "Sometimes, I feel like that, even if I managed to become a proper idol and role model, I still failed terribly at being a mother for Fei." The Crimson Knight said, in a wistful tone before finally getting back to her feet and turning to leave the dinning hall.

"Oh! I almost forgot, if you are free of your duties later, Lorei, you can always join me, if you want. Farewell, both of you and don't be shy about finishing your breakfast." Eleonor waved them goodbye, casually, and then went back to her room, to prepare things for the upcoming journey.

"Of course, Ruxy, of course. For my partners, I have only the best, at the cheapest price." Mikoto said to Ruxen as she began to draw another belt full of an odd variety of items and trinkets.

However, before she could do anything, it appeared that Fate would have another rock thrown at their path, in the form of
a certain Imperial officer that was a little to fond of literal dynamic entries. Well... at least she didn't had brought any tanks or airships with her, not that Mikoto didn't knew anything about how to evade canon fire at point blank range, but luck was always a nice thing to have. "Hold it. lady! I know what they say about gunpoint business, but that's just a metaphor. Sometimes I think that people take those terms a bit too literally." Anyway, when Chen tried to tell the world's worst lie to Titania, even Mikoto couldn't help but say, "Serious, Chenny Boy? Even I wouldn't fall for that unless, of course, enough gold was involved. But I don't think that our guest will be bought out so easily."

"Phew, that could have gone all sorts of wrong. Don't scare me like this again, Linea." Siena said as Linea and her came out of the bushes wearing their human disguises on the place of their previously ruined clothes. "It's not my fault that you were resisting so much, Oneesama. We could have done changing a lot faster otherwise."

"Well, if you had told me that it was just our disguises, I wouldn't be like that. I still remember that last time, y'know?"

"But we only had our swimsuits that time, Oneesama. Aren't you glad that I came prepared for our clothes being destroyed just this once? Or would you prefer for Alex-san to look at us like that the whole day?"

"Gah! You're the worst, Linea. Don't tell anyone about that or I'll throw your books outta the window again!"

"Sure, Oneesama, but they are your books too. Moreover, shouldn't we be moving to the ruins? They are finally within our grasp. We should go before another guardian approaches."

"You're right 'bout that, Linea. Let's go before something else get in our way, Alex and Tori!"

After a... heated discussing between the Aquarian Twins, they finally decided to press forward and enter the dark depths of the ancient temple. It was up for Alex and Tori to decide their fates now.

---

~Ruxen~

---

“The fact that you failed to address me with respect is a sign that you speak nothing but lies out of your teeth little worm. You had best heed the words of your girlfriend over there. Besides, you must truly think I’m an idiot to say I can’t sense the Relic’s energies coming directly off from you,” Titania said in a deadpan manner. “Oh well. I’ll be taking two rebel scum and one beast in today.”

As the general pointed her massive cannon blade at the trio, Ruxen turned to glare at Chen. Were they not in danger, she would have bit his ankle for not only telling a stupid lie, but telling a stupid lie that was rife with evident guilt. At this point, fighting would not get them anywhere, so their only option right now was to…

“Run!” Ruxen snarled, bolting in the opposite direction. No sooner did she say that did the ground explode with gunshots, Titania taking her sweet time as if savoring the thrill of the chase. She moved slowly but with confidence, like an unrelenting tank that fired away without remorse.

---

Alistair lifted an eyebrow as Siena and Linea reemerged from the bushes, having lost their previous animal traits at some point to now look completely human. It was an odd development, and one that he had to wonder how they had managed. it seemed that their magic was fairly impressive after all. Or it could just be Imperium tech. Either way, he kept his opinions to himself.

For his part, Alex coughed in a manner to remind the both of them that he was right here, and they didn't exactly need to talk like he wasn't standing there. This was already reaching a point of awkward innuendo, and it wasn't quite the time for that sort of thing.

"Alright," he agreed with a nod as they decided to move on to the temple itself. Based on what had just happened to them, it would be best that they concluded their business as quickly as possible. Who knew when something else powerful or otherwise dangerous would show up to attack them?

With that said he readied his tome and followed after the twins, entering the temple itself. Time to see what treasures, and dangers, waited for them in the unexplored depths. It was sure to be interesting.

Tori callously watched the creature, the odd amalgamation of a frog and a monkey and even these words didn’t come close to describing it. It looked slimy and amphibious, the chest area was bony, but the head was sack-like, supporting the amphibious nature theory, possibly housing the creature’s equivalent of lungs. The frail limbs likely suggest that the higher altitude may have caused its skeletal structure to become similar to a bird’s, like a lot of the wildlife she had encountered before. Glassy eyes, slightly on the side of the head help confirm the bird theory and add the possibility of it being prey as well as predator as it can observe its surroundings safely.

As she was making mental notes of the climate it was inhabiting and the nature of the creature, the ever rambunctious twins took the initiative to strike out and eliminate the perceived threat. Why couldn’t they have just waited!? I could fly where we need to go and I wasn’t even done studying the creature yet! Blatantly ignoring the threat the creature posed in favour of her studies

As the twins ended up in a spot embarrassment, Tori wondered how to assist the young fox girls, but given the nature of the situation, airship wrecked and with limited supplies, she didn’t think they would be much help, thankfully the girls seemed to be prepared for the eventuality of losing their clothes which caused Tori to raise an eyebrow What on earth have these girls experienced to have that as a preparation!?

“By all means, let’s all rush into the ancient temple that are often filled with traps. Also, let’s just destroy the island, explode all the creatures and turn Arcadia into a barren wasteland? Pay no mind to the discoveries that can be made” With a sigh Tori’s cloak split into wings and she took flight, following after the twins and Alex, making sure to not step on anything resembling an outer trap or any other life form, pouting as she flew.

---

"Really, you couldn't even try to go with it?" A rare spurt of frustration showed as Mikoto spoke up against his lie. Titania spoke once more and Chen looked at her. "For the record, I think everyone with the Imperium is an idiot." He said dryly after Titania was done deadpanning at them.

With that final statement Chen looked at Ruxen and knew that she probably thought he was an idiot. She was wrong of course, but he could see why she would think that. The other thought that he could read was that it was definitely time to run.

"Scatter!" Chen burst off in a random direction and began navigating his way through the trees, making sure to duck behind one every now and then to avoid being torn apart by bullets. This mission really sucked. A lot.

@TheWindel@KoL

The bubbling anger within Fei diminished slowly with each step she took. After everything that had happened, the only emotion she felt now was sadness. Of course she would never admit it, but all Fei wanted to do at the moment was fall into a ball and cry. She just felt so exhausted. There was so much to do, and Fei wasn’t sure what she wanted anymore. Listening to Emilia only confused her. Who was she? Fei really knew nothing about her family’s past, or her mother for that matter. There was just too much she didn’t know…

As she was lost in her thoughts, Fei paid no attention to the environment around her until a large object smacked right into her face. A loud curse echoed in the area and Fei stepped back to find a tree standing before her. She shook her head. So stupid… A large red mark covered Fei’s forehead, and she wouldn’t be surprised if it bruised later on. It was then that a blasting gunshot shook the entire forest, sending several birds flying into the air.

Jessi.

Despite herself, he was the first thing that popped into her mind. The blast had come from the opposite side of where they had all been, though. She was foolish to believe him in danger. Goodness, she was letting her mother’s comments get into her head. There was nothing between them, how could there be? Even if she did express such feelings, Jessi would never return them. Oh, it was too frustrating to think about! Fei stomped her foot on the ground in frustration while her cheeks turned pink. There were more important matters to worry about than childish love stories.

The blast. Who would dare use such a weapon so near one of the mighty Guardians? It was obviously powerful magic, probably more powerful than Fei. Could someone be attempting an assassination? Thousands of questions rang through her mind, but all of them lead to the same conclusion - she needed to find out where it came from. There was too much at stake not to determine this source of high magic energy. Fei considered waiting for Jessi, but it was too risky to wait, and considering the sound of the blast, she assumed he would have heard it too. Perhaps they would even meet at the scene. Rubbing her red forehead, Fei began making her way toward the sound.

Passing tree after tree, Fei worried she was trapped yet again in Emilia’s bothersome puppet world. Wouldn’t that be just her luck. Fei had just considered turning back when a series of bullets rang out to her left. Whatever was going on, it definitely did not seem good. Perhaps she was seriously stupid, but Fei’s pace picked up into a run. The gunshots continued. What in the world was going on? Fei continued running until she smacked right into a green haired man. The impact sent them right to the ground, and Fei moaned in disbelievement. Not one, but two things she had ran right into today? What was going on with her?

The bullets echoed from behind them, getting louder every second. Fei looked at the man she had ran into. He felt.. Strange. There was an odd aura coming from him, but Fei couldn’t quite understand why. “Who are you?” She asked. Of course there was no time for introductions. Jumping to her feet, Fei extended her hand out to him Why was she being so nice to this stranger? There was just something about him… It felt both familiar and foreign at the same time. Should he take her hand, Fei planned to dash away. Hopefully, the bullets would eventually stop coming closer.

@floodtalon@TheWindel@KoL

"Lady Eleonor..." The Abyssal Knight said in a small, forlorn voice as the doors closed behind the Crimson Knight. It brought her no small measure of pain to see Eleonor so distraught over her worth as a parent, a subject which Lorelai could offer nothing substantial in comfort. Try as she might it would only come across as vapid flattery if she herself had no parenting experience. If Durgan had pups I'd like to think I'd rear them right, but that isn't the same... Beyond that Durgan was just so picky he'd rather ride out his seasonal heat in solitude then settle for a creature his lesser.

Still, it brought her some joy to find that her lady had so readily accepted her as to bestow a nickname on her so soon after entering her service. While Lorelai was in this state of mixed elation and dejection, a maid approached her and whispered in a hurry about reports of explosions and gunfire coming from the woodlands nearby. Under most circumstances Lorelai's immediate response would be to send a missive to the nearby garrison while she prepared the chateau in the case this was a rebel attempt on Eleonor's life, but this wasn't typical.

"What wretched timing. Axon, I understand you have only just arrived but I must request your assistance. The Lady Fei and Lord Jessi had left for...a morning run, shortly before your arrival, and I am hearing talk that there are signs of conflict near us. If there weren't the possibility they could be involved I wouldn't ask this, but I would appreciate if you could help me investigate this." Lorelai asked of Axon, not a shred of doubt over whether or not she could trust him now that Eleonor evaluated him.

"We have already begun to make preparations, Dame Lorelai. The Master shall not be disturbed in the slightest until you return, and your partner awaits you out front." The maid said with a polite bow. "Though if the Master were to inquire about your presence, we will be obligated to speak truthfully with her."

"I would ask no less of you. Please go tell her that Axon and I shall be investigating a commotion in the woods. It should not take us long and that I would like to join her on her walk when I return." Lorelai turned to the side as the maid gave her a knowing look and left to do what she was told with a light giggle. Slightly embarrassed, the Abyssal Knight stormed out of the hall and just hoped Axon agreed in coming along without waiting for a response.

Outside where there had once been a general resplendent in gold was now Lorelai's partner in upholding Imperial Justice, Durgan was waiting for her. It's eyes shone with a disturbing amount of intellect even as it grunted in acknowledgement of Lorelai's presence. She climbed atop his bare back and settled atop the mane of flame colored fur before turning back to the entry way with a hand ready to help someone aboard. "Time is of the essence, so let's be quick about this, and hope to the Imperator that the Lord and Lady haven't become involved. Lady Eleonor has enough weighing upon her mind as it is."

Axon mostly continued to pluck at the food as the maid came in and notified the group of the chaos in the woodlands nearby. Perking an eyebrow at that he listened intently though he seemed to be focused on the food. His spy training kicking in to make him dual focus with ease. Though it was more of a habit than because he wasn't welcome to lend an ear. When the maid concluded and Lorelai started to say her piece he was already mouth full of some fruits when he turned to her.

It took him a few moments to fully chew and swallow his morsels before he spoke up in response, "I'd be happy to join you Lorelai. I must admit I'm quiet curious of what could be happening so close." Again his tone was still jovial and seemingly whimsical despite teh reports of chaos.

When Lorelai charged out of the room Axon was quick to stand up as well though before he ran out of the room he swiped an apple from the table. Chasing her down through the halls he took a few bites of it before tossing the rest away to degrade in nature. When Lorelai ran up to what was basically a large stone dog... thing... he paused for a moment. Such a strange creature and sure something that wasn't of common stock. When she reached out a hand to help him up he again hesitated though it was better than walking so he took her hand and leap up to join her. "What is this one's name? Particularly though, what is this thing?"

Měihóu Niángniang

"Hey, watch where you're firing that thing! You chipped my tooth!" Měihóu popped out in a shower of leaves and twigs from inside the upper branches of a tree, as though she had been falling through it, about three horselengths away from General Titania, about 30 degrees east of where Titania had been facing.

She was mumbling a little bit, but her message would become a fair bit more clear when she spat one of Titania's giant bullets at Titania's feet, accompanied by a few tiny white flakes. Surely she hadn't actually tanked one of those rounds to the teeth? Had she? Must have been a bluff, right?

She slammed down into the ground, her staff at her side the majority of her earthshaking landing, suddenly a massive weapon nearly thicker than Monkey was wide at the shoulders. Almost as though Monkey needed to say in that unspoken language of showing off, ~No, mine's bigger.~

"If you could give me enough to cover a visit to the dentist, that'd be great." Monkey seemed to be playing it straight though, her hand out as if expecting payment, her tail impatiently tapping on her hip.