Thoom!

A thunderous sound could be heard, echoing throughout the battlefield. One that all ears could hear and those with the sharpest of senses could detect. Where it came from was hard to distinguish, as it was mostly muffled by the screams of men and women as battling across the ruined landscape- though rather than ignore this disruption, it was merely noted by those who heard it and shrugged off as nothing. A Thao soldier was knocked mid-air by a stray explosive fired from some weapon of Donian construction, landing on his back nearly unconscious and hazily standing in efforts to get back into the fight that was raging before him. But.. something was off?

Swords were not crossing at this moment, sorcerers and soldiers alike standing in awe looking towards this lone Thao, or rather, in his general direction. Breathing could be heard behind him, it was loud and rough, the smell was bad too, like that of an old dried corpse left for the vultures. The Thao looked to enemy and ally, watching in ignorant confusion as they gawked at something behind him. Was it really that amazing to quell this skirmish? The curious man let this childish curiosity take advantage for but only a moment, turning to see what had been breathing behind him.

“W-what the?...”

He did not register what loomed before him quickly enough, the towering behemoth grabbing the man by his forebody, lifting him several feet in the air. The hands were scaley, spined with a red-stone texture like that told of in fairy-tales to keep children from staying up too late. The razored fingers impaled him with ease, as if the man was fragile in his armor. Who knows if he would have stood a chance, he was caught off guard after all. No. This monstrosity was nothing to be trifled with, and with pride it reminded the surrounding men of it’s presence one last time.

Thoom!

The mere step of this creature caused the ground to quake beneath their feet, knocking some of the frozen in fear off their feet. In respect of the monster’s magnificence the crowd stared in silence, as if waiting to be dismissed by the colossi. And as if on queue, the monster leaned it’s torso towards the ground revealing it’s axe-like reptilian head to the silent audience, eyeing it’s prey for one last time. It then dropped the mangled Thao soldier, he was young, just old enough to be there really. Though the only reason this was recognized is because much of the body was ruined beyond repair, though the face of the soldier remained untouched. And on the Thao’s face was an expression that spoke to the crowd, in a language that every nation could understand. And what that expression said was.

“Run.”

---

Within Kaien

“Monster?”

“Yes sir, a massive, demon-like beast that came out of nowhere! I witnessed it with my own eyes!”

“Did anyone else see it?”

“Our entire regime, along with Donian Soldiers, and a Thao was actually killed by the creature sir, many of his comrades stayed to fight but it was useless so they retreated as well.”

“As well?”

“That’s why I’m here sir. The pope has established a meeting with all of the military high-ups, and apparently a ceasefire has been declared by the three nations.”

“Strange, alright, thanks for your hard work recruit.. I’ll head to the grand church shortly.”

“Yes sir.”

The soldier went on his way, passing the superior with a very concerned look on his face. Drawing the gruff man’s curiosity more than the idle talk, was the subject of towards the end. “A ceasefire?” Something like this had been unheard of, so, in a rush to fulfill this itch of much needed knowledge the man quickly made his way to the capital’s church.

When he finally reached the place of meeting, paladins had already been guarding the doors of the church. “Name?” They casually asked the gruff, heavily armored man who was clearly a veteran of many battles, more importantly he didn’t really need to give his name, showing his insignia on his shoulder. The paladins quickly moved from their posts allowing the captain of the phalanx battalion entry into the church, and attend the meeting within.

“Alex, you finally decided to come.”

“Roza, it’s been a while.”

“A while?”

“Too long, seems you’re growing..”

Alex’s eyes seemed to drop towards the woman’s chest, lazily, which caused the priestess to carelessly jab a punch at the man’s face, taking it carelessly. Nonetheless, they both looked at one another with a concerned look after the childish confrontation.

“So this talk about a ceasefire, is it the truth?”

“Yes, his holiness just recently returned from the meeting our enemies.”

“And the results?”

“A ceasefire, from all three ends.”

Alex seemed even more concerned with the truth’s confirmation. But he shook off his doubts before giving a lecherous smile to his own superior, pointing to the furthest hallway within the empty church.

“Looks like we’ll be the last to arrive. After you m’lady.”

The woman’s face briefly twisted in anger before returning to it’s serene expression, offering a curtsy to the man and continuing down the directed hallway, far, far, far, to the very last door of the grand church. The one that would likely be overlooked despite the large oaken doors that granted entrance. Pressing lightly against, the door opened for her, Alex a small distance behind followed. Within the room was a large white table, though only five seats were placed at it it; two on each opposing side, and one at it’s furthest end, this is where the pope sat. The two late comers sat on the empty seats on the left side of the table, and at their opposing end were two people who’s rank challenged Alex’s own. One was the current head paladin of the holy order, a younger man that went by the name of Taelen. The other was an elderly fellow, he was robed similarly to Roza, befitting since he was Archbishop of the Clergy Davitt Lambaughr. As everyone exchanged nods and the traditional greeting of the church being a hand over the heart, the Pope stood to address everyone present.

“By the light, thank all of you. My friends, my allies, the topic of tonight is not of war.. A new threat has arisen, a strange enemy that we have not seen before. I believed that Roza had some insight on this. Roza, if you would grace us with your knowledge?”

The woman stood, before taking a breath and clearing her throat.

“As a summoner I have brought many creatures into our plane, although they are only momentary and finite at my service they seem to be similar to the one that was seen on the battlefield.”

The paladin scoffed, raising his hand before standing.

“Many of my men were out there when the beast was spotted, some of them claimed that Thao soldiers tried to take it down but were child’s play in that thing’s eyes. I’ve seen your summons Rosa, but if it’s like they described to me? That thing is on another level.”

The pope raised his own hand, though it was more of a command to silence the two.

“Davitt, your thoughts?”

“It’s clearly a test of faith from Glan, the creature attacked a Thao man right? They obviously are sent from the heavens themselves, to annihilate heretics and those that commute with the-”

Before the elderly man could finish his rampage, Alex stood from his seat and raised his hand.

“Not to be rude, but I don’t think that is the case Bishop.”

“I agree with Alex.” said Roza, shortly behind him.

“As do I.” said Taelen, grumbling in his seat.

“Well then captain, what is your answer to this strange occurrence?” asked the Bishop.

Although he wasn’t really concerned about the monsters all that much, Alex did have an idea. Though he kept it to himself, and shrugged to his equals and superiors around the table.

“But I do have an idea on how we could get rid of them.” said the Captain.

Heads turned towards the gruff man as he reached into a leather pocket in his armor, pulling out a folded up paper and setting it on the table. Unraveling it revealed it to be a poorly written recruitment roster that asked for talented individuals to take their chances against this threat while the battlefield was dormant.

“What an unorganized idea, I dislike it.” said the bishop.

“Some of my men would probably give it a shot.” said the paladin.

“Unorganized? Would you rather waste our military force while we have a chance to prepare for what comes after, bishop? I give this idea my blessing.” Said the priestess.

The votes were already in his favor, but the pope’s words could overwrite it all. Though the well-dressed man simply smiled, and clapped his hands together at the idea.

“We’ll go with that then.”

---

Within Thaos

“Such trash, a ceasefire?.. Unheard of, we are people of war, the word doesn’t exist to us.”

“It does, and you will obey it soldier.”

“Our bloodthirsty general is submitting to the other nations demands! Every-!”

Before the man could finish his sentence Zhong had traveled a small distance in front of the man, silently and a sword could be heard resheathing at the general’s side. The following moments involved the impudent soldier falling to his knees, and his head sliding from his shoulders to the grass below.

“I shall be heading to the fortress, clean this up before I return.”

The ranks quickly bowed to Zhong, quickly retrieving the corpse from the ground and carrying it away. The general was travelling at an inhuman pace towards the Thao capital, it wasn’t common for him to be there as he preferred the staging grounds. Soon he reached the Red Fortress at Thao’s core where the empress resides. Opening the oriental doors and entering, he kneeled to the small girl who sat at a throne a short distance before him.

“Hello play-thing, what brings you to my cozy home?”

“Did the meeting go well, ma’am?”

“It was brief, I knew you’d be the most restless over our decision.”

“Then you know I don’t think it’s the right decision.”

“I do, but my answer does not change. Your efforts should be focused on our new problem.”

“The monsters..”

The empress rose from her seat, the two guards at her sides being at ease and walking to opposite sides of the room. She waved her hand towards the general, beckoning him towards her as she reached into a drawer at her side.

“The other nations will probably be following this method as well, so I’ve sent a messenger to both.”

Zhong looked at the parchment taken from the drawer closely, sighing at the recruitment paper and handing it back to the young woman.

“We would have no shortage of applicants. How would we wittle down those who are worthy and those who aren’t.”

The empress shrugged, before returning to her throne and lazily slumping back into it.

“That’s for you to decide, oh great general.”

Zhong again bowed to the ruler of his country, before making his way to the entrance for departure. The guards that had dispersed returning to their posts, and the doors opening once again. The air was a lot thinner outside that building, letting the general inhale like a newborn, only to be caught off guard by an old friend.

“You look rather relieved…”

“So I finally think I’m safe, and the Merchant Queen rises from the mist.”

“Oh don’t sound so unhappy, we’re in the same boat after all.”

“What do you mean Fang?”

“Without war, there’s no business for me, and no fun for you.”

The general grumbled to himself before raising his hand, and walking off. He had work to do, finding some volunteers for this suicide mission.

---

Within Doniaeth

“Such imbeciles, I can’t believe I had to breathe the same air as that old pervert and that bratty child. Sif, here please.”

“Yes sir?”

“Bring the lead-engineer here.”

“The one that was recently recruited into the military?”

“Yes, the young boy.”

The silver-haired woman dressed in maid attire quickly exited the Alchemy Lab, one of the many rooms of the Fleshworks, the central government building of Doniaeth and the building housing all minds searching for a cure to mortality. It reeked of death, and brought tears to the eyes of the newly assigned assistant to the leader of this country his majesty Damon Krump. This place was not for the weak-minded however, and she quickly looked to escape this building of nightmares. As she exited the building, the air outside was not much better, but something that all Donian people were used too. Smog filled air, the sky blackened with fumes from the nearby factories and forges throughout the land. It left the nation in a seeming eternal twilight as the sun was never really up, though the constant mechanics of the city kept it alive even during the night. Though still, the maid scurried through the capital towards the ARC Development Lab where many of the brilliant minds gathered to marvel at Rhys Welch’s work, many were soldiers of the land learning to create his machines for the battlefield.

“Mr. Welch?...”

“Hmm.. Yes ma’am?”

“His majesty has called for your attendance.”

“Why?”

“Something about the meeting he attended recently.”

“Oh.. Probably about the ‘monsters’ I’ve been hearing about. Okay, let me finish tuning this guy for the battlefield and I’ll be on my way.”

“B-battlefield.. No one’s said anything to you about the ceasefire yet?”

“Nope, but thanks for the heads-up. I’ll be on my way shortly.”

The boy quickly wiped his blackened hands with a nearby cloth, patting himself down and pulling off his work apron that was a few sizes too big. The maid patiently waited as the boy gave himself a check-up, patting him pants to shake the few mechanisms caught in them, and setting his gloves on just incase the Alchemist’s hands were covered in blood or something. After he had finally finished he nodded to the maid who was somewhat unhappy about his quick preparations, smiling half-heartedly to the boy and offering him to lead the way. When they reached the Fleshworks the boy seemed just as disgusted as the woman, though didn’t make as much of a fuss as the girl, opening the doors and entering first out of courtesy. When they entered the man had been shortly in front of them within the hallway garbed in medical scrubs and a facemask, seemingly stained with blood along his pants.

Upon noticing the two enter he pointed to the maid, who was escorted back out of the building where as Rhys was brought with Damon back towards the Alchemy Lab.

“So, have you heard about the meeting yet?”

“I was just informed recently, what do you need of me sir?”

“You’re a respected person Rhys, your name is well known throughout our land.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Well, we are going to need some creative people out on the unoccupied battlefield getting rid of our little problem.”

“You don’t think I’d waste my time with monsters, right?”

“Of course not! But I know that with a reputation like yours, you might be able to get the word out and recruit some thrill-seekers.”

The boy seemed unhappy at how manipulative this man before him could be, but saying no was out of question and silently nodded to the alchemist.

“Excellent. Now go make some fliers and have some of my maids hand them out throughout the city.”

Nodding again, he saluted his leader before exiting the room of his own accord. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that the man had been operating on a Thao woman within the lab, it was sickening that she was still alive, but what could he do? Making his way down the putrid hall, hearing the screams of men and women, he walked towards the entrance deafly. Ignoring the reality of the nation he lived in.

In the land of quarantine, nestled an arms length away from the very heart of Doniaeth, a golden-eyed maiden glides through the air not unlike a bird in flight. Men pursue her in numbers, but they know that they have no chance of catching the airborne hooligan. Still, suppressing the excitement in their own hearts, they call out to the delightfully shrieking girl...

"Damn it, Mira! You fiend! Get down here!"
"Hm? You dorks still waddling around down there!?"

Miraline turns her head back to glance at her pursuers briefly, hazarding a mirthful laugh as she preforms an acrobatic flip through the open air above their heads. Grasped in one hand is a bundle of what seemed to be belts, clattering together hazardously as their holder gracefully spins through the sky-

"Anyways, what happened to all that energy you had earlier? Here, look, I'm slowing down just for you!"

Just as she says this, her seemingly free hand grabs hold of a cable attached to her glove. She pulls on the wire strongly, subtly adjusting her trajectory until she lands safely on the roof of a nearby shop. Without missing a beat, she released a small clasp on her glove and retracts the cable back into her glove, instantly returning the hook that had been attached to the building two roofs over. Satisfied with her stylish landing, she twirls casually towards the edge of the roof and peers down at the handful of men clutching their pants and glaring irritably up at her-

"Well, what is it? Aren't you going to jump up here and grab these back? I guess I'll have to help you out a little..." Miraline hangs the belts tantalizingly over the edge of the roof, and every man in the crowd collectively gasps. Not one to give up a chance, she thrusts her feet down to steady her footing and begins to twirl the handful of belts in the air like a lasso-

"Now go get them!"

Releasing the grip on her prize, all of the gold-tinted eyes below watch hypnotized as the belts fly lazily through the air, over their heads and onto the roof of the building opposite. Rather than taking this moment to escape, Miraline lets out a victorious chuckle and places her hands defiantly on her hips. "That outta show you fools not to mess with me!" With this final taunt, the youthful vampire sticks her tongue out teasingly and leaps off the roof directly into the crowd waiting below. They seem surprised at first, but quickly react to her insane leap, reaching up into the air to grasp at her as she fell...

"As if!"

Catching herself just as she nears the grasping arms of her kin, she quickly launches the cable from her Mobility Glove and attaches it to the same tall building as earlier. Applying subtle magic pressure to the cable, she deftly manipulated the mechanism in her hands and suddenly flies off as if shot from a cannon. Again, she hazards a glance backwards at her unfortunate victims, who had let go of their pants to try catching her. Realizing their mistake as she dances off into the sky, she can't help but release another playful laugh as all of their pants fall simultaneously, revealing their undergarments for all to see. Ignoring cries of anger and embarrassment from behind her, she curves casually around the corner of the tall structure and disappears from sight, making her way across the city to the place she called home...

Two hours later...

---

"Huh? Where did this come from?" Miraline stops what she was doing and reaches down to grab a loose flier posted to the door of her apartment building. <An advertisement? Lets see...wanted, monster hunter?! Huge reward? Well, I am sorta tight for cash, no clue what a Monster is, but I'm sure I'll be able to kick its butt...> With suddenly revitalized determination, she rips the flier from the door and dashes excitedly into her apartment building, body full to the brim with anticipation for the coming adventure. She doesn't waste any time packing up, shoving a handful of necessities and a spare set of clothes into her backpack, sheathing her father's shortsword safely at her side and covering it with her mother's warmest wool cloak. She lingers at the doorstep with a melancholic look on her face, eyes drawn to the lopsided family picture hanging lonesomely on the wall. <Looks like I'll be leaving after all, Mom. I'll try to bring Dad back this time, yeah? Just sit tight...>

With one last longing look at her parents, she gives the picture a quick kiss and rushes out the front door, heading briskly towards the city limits. As she runs through the uncrowded streets, she passes a few familiar faces and returns their smiles of recognition cheerfully. With the flier grasped tightly in her hand, she rapidly approaches the nearby guard checkpoint and slows her pace, waltzing casually up to where two guards sat talking to one another. They were fully suited, and their weapons sat idly at their sides, they didn't get much action these days, but they had to be ready for anything. When they saw the cloaked girl approaching, they adjusted their stance warily, but immediately loosened up when they saw who it was, and what she was holding-

"What's this? Little Fortuna? What's a girl like you doing here, huh?
Miraline can't help but smile defiantly as she thrusts the flier out before their eyes, golden eyes almost glowing as she speaks...

"Bring me to the Capital, I want to to go fight the monsters. You guys have a dragon, yeah?"

Sometime early the next day...

---

Miraline is escorted through the brightly lit hallways in the capital, leading her through a labyrinth of corridors until they reach a huge, mechanical door with a grimy nameplate hanging over it. "Here we go, little miss. Just head on in there, I think he's waiting for you. Good luck fighting the monsters!" The guard chuckles softly to himself as he opens the door for the young vampire and gestures for her to enter in before him. She walks into the laboratory tentatively, wondering to herself what could possibly be waiting for her within..

“In case you were wondering,” said the bandit in what almost passed as a friendly tone, leaning casually on the pommel of his war hammer as if it was a fasion accesorry, “this is the part where you start pissing yourself and handing over all the valuables you got.”

Domenico sighed. It seemed troubles gravitated toward him whenever he visited the outskirts. “In case you were wondering,” said the clergyman as he patted off the dust on his shoulder, “I am Domenico Battere. So are you going to back off or do I have to kick your little asses?”

As the man with the war hammer roared with laughter and opened his mouth to reply, a second –a burly man with a short sandy cropped hair – leaned on the shaft of his spear as he started laughing. “Would you listen to her, Gark? This idiot actually thinks we’re gonna believe his stupid bluff. We’re all scared now, Mr. Sunday Hammer.”

Sandy hair was probably implying how minuscule the chances of a named general being in such a rural area. It was true, the town of Glenare was located in the south west corner of Kaien’s territory, it was the furthest point from the frontlines; a place where a general such as the Sunday Hammer should be.

Domenico sighed yet again.

Moments earlier, several bandits, five in fact, smashed through the doors of The Century Inn. It was midday, making it the best time to commit a robbery as all the men were out in the farms. They had probably decided it was time to strike when they saw Domenico enter. He had been in rather wealthy attire as compared to most.

“Well, duty calls,” said Domenico out loud.

---

“Its no worry, really.”

Domenico smiled as he handed the pouch of gold towards the innkeeper. “This should be more than enough to cover the damages. Use the rest for a nice meal.” He winked at the kids that were hiding behind her mother.

“Thank you so much,” said the innkeeper as she bowed politely, telling hushed words to her children to do the same.

Domenico had disposed of the bandits unarmed, knocking all five of them out before tying them up with the rope he had procured from the innkeeper.

“They’ll be out cold till midnight. By then your husband and the men will be back from the fields. I’ll let them decide how to deal with this,” said Domenico as he began to walk away before the innkeeper could say anything. He wanted to be gone before anyone else noticed and started a commotion.

---

Three days later…

When Domenico had arrived in capital of Kaien, the news of the ceasefire had already spread like wildfire. The clergyman had not heard of it earlier as he opted to travel through the mountaneous regions instead of the mainroad. His intention of enjoying the peace of nature meant he was unawares of the nation’s situation for the past few days.

He was stunned.

A ceasefire? In all the years the war had raged, not once had such a thing occurred. Yet the higherups all unanimously agreed to halt the war for some monsters? Even the bloodthirsty Thaos?

Domenico urged his steed to speed up. He wanted to confirm it personally at the grand church.

---

“It is true,” said Eien, one of the order’s higher ranking paladins. “Reports have said these beasts have appeared and ravaged most of the battlefields. Mere soldiers are nothing to them. These beasts can’t even compare to Roza’s summons. They are on a whole new level.”

Monsters that dwarfed Roza’s summons? Domenico shuddered at the thought. To think the three nations were consider them enough of a threat to create a ceasefire.

Domenico’s next words surprised Eien. “The old books have always said, in the face of great evil, humanity will set aside their differences and band up against it, something like that.”

“It seems they were right.”

“So, whats the plan?”

“It has been decided that instead of sending armies, it would be better to assemble an elite team. In fact," the paladin smiled, "I had been tasked to pass on the message to you."

The grey-haired old man smiled back, “Well, you already know my answer.”

"Alright, that should do it. When he wakes up, tell him to lay off lifting anything heavy for a few weeks, wound might re-open if he pushes himself."

A young man with shoulder-length silver hair and an odd looking black-iron faceguard upon his face rose from his position by the bedside, packing away the few tools he'd needed to use to operate on the unconscious man. It was a relatively simple procedure, the man's arm got caught in a factory machine, dislocating the bone from the socket and tearing a good bit of his skin. While it was simple to rectify, he was lucky a doctor of any sort had happened by, otherwise the arm would likely have been unsalvageable. Now with the bone reset and the skin stitched to keep his wounds closed, all that remained was for him to recover.

"Good thing you were nearby, if ya weren't, Korde woulda been down an arm! We owe ya a lot Dr..." The man scratched the back of his head, it was obvious to the young man that he thought he'd introduced himself and he'd just forgotten.

"Calinbrus. Dr. Leonard Calinbrus. Now, if you don't have anybody else bleeding out, I'll be on my way." He said as he Began walking slowly to the door. He had placed his coat upon a rack near the door, removing it from the hook he slipped his arms into it and placed the hood behind his head, before the man grabbed his arm suddenly.

"Wait, nobody here can pay you much....but we do have some food. Stick around for something to eat Doc."

Leonard stared at him for a moment, honestly having the most intense debate with himself in his head over whether to stick around or not. His brain ultimately didn't decide, but a loud rumbling from his stomach betrayed him, he nodded slowly, and was a bit reluctant to try and remember just how long ago he ate. A few days at least.

---

4 Days Later
"*Bark bark*!"
The metallic beast barked out beneath Leonard who rode atop it's back as it walked along, trudging along and barking when it saw something poke its head out of the underbrush along the road. Leonard snapped out of his sleep-deprived state at the excessive barking, and patted the machine's head as if it were alive.

"C'mon Beau...we're only an hour or two from the capital...let me rest a bit more..."
"*Bark Bark*!"
"...Didn't think so."

---

3 hours later

Leonard and Beau looked around as they strode in the streets of the capital, taking in the oh so familiar sights under the same old polluted black sky. Leonard had to keep his faceguard off while outside, it was hard enough to breath the air already, and nearly impossible with the guard on. It felt good to be able to walk around with Beau in the streets, most places didn't like what looked like a deadly combat droid to be strolling around, but Beau was nice enough to know that crushing the innocent is wrong. Leonard stopped as he walked near a wall with something plastered onto it; It looked like a flier of some sort.

"...Monsters? They can't be serious...But...there's no way anyone would have the gall to place these without permission...That IS a lot of money...maybe I could finally open my own clinic." He looked to his side to see Beau now sitting on his hind legs, his head tilted to the side, unsure of a proper way to respond to Leonard's mumbling. Leonard knelt down and patted Beau on the head, He rose once more with the sheet clenched in his fist.

"Well Beau, looks like we've got ourselves a job."

The estate of Savaniel Volduriaz, positioned in a well-off town near the border of Kaien, was a rather small estate for someone of his wealth. A simple mansion with three floors filled with elegant, yet simplistic furniture, it was a building that was usually devoid of guests. Savaniel, outside of a few specialized servants he employed for the upkeep of his house, lived alone, rarely staying in the building for anything other than to sleep, dine, and occasionally entertain any guests that may pay the Grand Master a visit. His estate ground were communal fields now, for the usage of the poorer citizens in that bordertown. It could even be said that his mere presence was what had caused the town of Isriel to go being below the poverty line to rising into more of the more influential towns in Kaien, with its close proximity to the battlefield, and thus, to loot. They were all still third-class citizens with no protection from the Church, but the simple fact that someone of his position had decided to make his home there meant that the town was 'safe', and could 'prosper'.

Such was the obligation, the duty of the nobles and knights. To protect those that were weaker than them, and to become stronger than those that were stronger than them. The young Grand Master had even began instructing the citizens of Isriel in the art of war, casually using his money and influence to purchase enough swords that every male adult citizen could be armed, as well as get some of his friends in the army to spare some time for their instruction. Of course, not all the sergeants he asked particularly enjoyed that idea, but then again, a large amount of them owed him favors.

And when someone who was under the direct command of one of the military leaders of the whole Kaien army asked you to do something, generally, it was a smart idea to do it.

It was hazy that day, the sun filtered by the heavy, gray clouds above Isriel, but for once, those clouds weren't caused by some massive conflagration of fire in the battlefield, and instead, were natural. On the balcony of his home, Savaniel leaned against the marble railings as he watched the town below move. It had only been a few years since he moved to this town, and already, there seemed to be improvements to infrastructure. The buildings were getting repaired, and dirt roads were being replaced by paved ones. People were dressed in clothing that didn't look twelve years old, and the filtration system for the once-muddy river was now clear, or at least clean enough to drink without risking your health. Things were improving. If it continued like this, maybe one day, the weak would become strong enough to care for themselves. He had already seen some potential in the militia he had trained and sponsored in his spare time. Maybe in another year, he could move in to a different town. God knows that he's already spent enough money on weapons.

Just continually fortifying the borders of Kaien. That was what Savaniel did in his free time now. Maybe the Church didn't see this, but he did. The stronger Kaien's borders were, the stronger the country was as a whole. It would do them no favors to make the boundaries of Kaien blurry.

As he took in a deep breath, Savaniel reconfirmed his noblesse oblige, a wind filled with the scents of fire and death washing over from the century-old battlefield of the three warring nations.

“Master,” an elderly butler said, bowing as he stepped into the balcony, “A message has been received from Her Holiness, Grand Priestess Heartford. Shall I place the letter in your study, or do you desire to read it immediately?”

Savaniel turned around, already confident in regards to the contents of the letter. Extending his left hand and allowing his servant to delicately place the sealed letter into his hand, the Grand Master held out his right, pinching his thumb and index finger together, before making a pulling motion. A thread of light seemed to appear, extending inbetween his two fingers, before a small opening was made. From within that 'hole' another location could be seen, that of an armoury filled with an endless assortment of weapons. Releasing the thread, he reached into that hole and pulled out a curved dagger with an obsidian blade, enchanted so that it was invisible when thrown.

He dismissed his servant with a slight nod of acknowledgement, and the old man bowed once more, before shuffling away. He ran the sharp blade against the seal and broke it, before extracting the letter within. A simple, military document, signed with the only signature that he needed to acknowledge. He scanned the contents of the message, and breathed deeply, sealing any reaction he may have had to the news. It was a mutual ceasefire between the three nations in consideration to the monster that had appeared amidst a skirmish between some soldiers. Even when provoked by the Thao soldiers, it had not given chase, so it was not just a mindless beast. There had been an agreement between all nations that they would work together to kill a common enemy before resuming their deathmatches, but still...something like that seemed to be...what was it again? Ah, that's right. Savaniel thought that the ceasefire was pointless. The recruitment method was useless, and would only serve to attract glory-hungry warriors who knew not the value of their lives, nor the limits of the strengths.

All future operations of the Priestess's Guard would be stalled for the duration of this ceasefire. That was also an order that displeased him. As long as the ceasefire continued, their true enemies would be able to recover during this time of peace, able to use this time-out to further their internal agendas.

His fist clenched, crushing the parchment in his hands. That was the only sign of displeasure the young master showed as he walked back into his study. Sitting down on a hard, wooden chair, he brought out a communication rune linked specifically to that of the Grand Priestess, overlapping it with the the sword-shaped mark etched on his desk. Running his mana through it, a white light radiating through the marks, the young man waited a few seconds, before his leader responded.

In a calm tone, like a glacier on a clear day, Roza Heartford said, “Good day, Grand Master Volduriaz. I presume this is about the ceasefire?”

Though she couldn't see him, Savaniel bowed regardless. “You presume correctly, High Priestess. I'll keep it brief then. Why is it that the extermination of the monster is left to volunteers? Surely, the faster we end the ceasefire, the less time Thao and Doniaeth would have to recover.”

“Oh, and what about our own recovery, Savaniel?”

“We don't need rest. Send the Grand Masters to take care of this problem. It should be more than enough to exterminate that monster.”

“It may not be wise for the Kaien army to reveal all their cards so rashly, wouldn't it?”

“But we will most definitely lose more soldiers if we do something as utterly inane as ask for glory-seeking volunteers to fight, Roza,” he said, his fist clenching, this time glad that she couldn't see his eyes.

“Well, the decision has already been made, Grand Master. An old friend pitched the idea, and it was quickly accepted amongst those who had a say in our decision. Interesting, how such a method was decided before anything else was suggested, isn't it?”

“Roza...”

“But don't forget that this is based on a volunteer basis, Savaniel. No one will be barred from partaking in this hunt. Now if you would excuse me, I have other things to attend to.”

“...”

“Make sure you fulfill your noblesse oblige, my knight.”

And with that, the white light faded, leaving the room dark again, a monotonous study. Savaniel took in another deep breath, this time of the musty, stagnant air in the rarely used room. Then, he walked out, his green eyes clear and sharp. With a snap of his fingers, a younger, raven-haired butler appeared, draping a white fur cloak over his shoulders. He fastened the golden threads around his neck, before calling out to the red-headed gardener to prepare his horse. His shoes came on next, his feet sliding easily into the well-worn leather boots, before a blonde maid opened the down for him, bowing as the master of the house left. Taking the reins from the gardener, he hopped onto the spotted stallion's back and snapped the reins, sending the horse off towards the larger cities.

Roza Heartford, as always, was right. If no one else was going to listen to you, just to it yourself.

After all, that was how he reached where he was today.

"Lady Umholtz, you're not going to win. Come on! Let's just leave and act like nothing ever happened."

"Madison, wait outside... I'll be damned if someone speaks such filthy words about the captain and walks away unharmed."

"Oh, did I upset the princess?"

The man's question was answered with the laughter of his surrounded drunken allies.

"Rrrrrgh!" The sound of a girl who has just risen into adulthood being pissed off.

The surrounding patrons gasped as the woman quickly stomped towards the table, the sound of metal ringing throughout the room before she reached her destination, slamming her rear into the wooden chair and resting her plate-bound elbow upon the oaken surface. Esther glared at the antagonist who was now facing her at the opposing end, they exchanged grunts, people began to question if the woman was sober herself.

"Is she really going to arm wrestle that man?"

"Poor girl, she's going to make a fool of herself."

Luckily, Esther's close friend and junior member of the holy order, Madison, was there to appease the crowd of their impolite and.. FALSE accusations. She quickly appeared before the questioning patrons, innocent bystanders whom she wanted to save from her dear friend's rampage.

"No-no, Esther is sober as can be. She's a woman of the cloth, a Paladin, like me. Those men were just speaking hurtful words about Crusader Taelen, the captain of the holy order and she tends to have a short-fuse on things about the order."

With the crowd quelled Esther's mind was now at ease. Letting out a deep breath of relief and amplifying her aggression towards her enemy. She reached her arm out, the man responded by place his own elbow to the table and extending his own arm in return. They clasped their dominant hands together tightly, the tension in the woodwork of the table could be heard as the boards creaked at the weight of their strength. The bartender who had been quiet for the most part walked casually towards the table, garbed in semi-classy finery and an apron, he was also wiping a mug with a cloth to fulfill his role even more so~ such a gentleman.

"Let's have a good clean match today you two.."

"Let's..."

""Aye.. hic!"

The man was visibly losing consciousness by the moment, the best definition for his state of mind would be too drunk for justice. The crowd was clearly on her side now that Madison had explained the situation, but this man was so.. out of it, that he wouldn't even know what was going on. He would have been punished for his crimes without even realizing it, such a waste of time. But before Esther grew too disinterested in the whole ordeal, the bartender slammed his hand against the table signaling for the match to start.

At that moment the man belched in surprise, attempting to react to the woman's swift, bonecrushingly strong grip and slamming motion towards his end of the table causing it's center to splinter. Though his efforts were fruitless, the man's arm was now bent in a way that it shouldn't be. With his thumb now able to touch the back of his disgusting shoulder, the man grumbled standing from the table. Numb from the alcohol he beckoned his friends, who were looking at the armor-clad woman in sheer terror.

"You watch what you say about the Holy Order, and especially it's leader! Cause the next time... I'll have your head mounted in the Abbey!"

"Lady Umholtz, calm down.. You're scaring everyone."

"Fear not innocent denizens of the The Musing Mare! I have defeated evil once again.. Now.. Now.. There is no need to thank me, I am just a simple Paladin looking for some ale. Huh?"

A small boy approached Esther's side, in his right hand a rolled paper that wore the mark of the church. He tugged at the loose cloth just below her armor at the waist, she couldn't tell if he was actually trying to get her attention or just sneak a peek at her undergarments. Nonetheless though, she turned to the curly-haired boy and accepted the paper, patting his head with her heavily armored hand.

"A message from the church?"

"No, Madison... Can you get in contact with Talen for me?"

"Sure, but we're already in the capital so why?"

"I-I'm too excited to run, I-I can't move..."

"Were you poisoned during your arm-wrestle Lady Umholtz?! Hold just a second, I know a sp-!"

"This is no sorcery! My body, is just.. letting out all of it's fear."

"Fear?"

"Yes... For I can't be burdened with such a thing, a great evil has arisen.. MONSTERS!"

As Esther announced the contents of the paper, the crowd stared in confusion- as this had been old news for several hours.

"Uhm.. Yes, the monsters on the battlefield.. Such news, good thing brave warriors are going to combat them."

A vain visibly pulsed on Esther's forehead, rising from her chair and looking at the fellow paladin with a somewhat ominous look. She approached the small brunette woman, towering above her, staring into her bright blue eyes as they moistened with fear.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you! I knew you'd want to go so I, so I.."

The woman calmed herself, giving the notable hand-over-heart salute before passing Madison towards the door of the bar, and exiting. Within the capital, people were discussing the monsters with little fear in mind. This was good, if there was fear within the holy city many would resort to flooding the doors of the grand church asking for god's word and protection for the people. It was troublesome, but what was more troublesome is the fact that she was likely the last person to hear about the monsters, the ceasefire hadn't even crossed her mind, even though it was also written on the manuscript.

"Oh, Essie.. What're you doing at a bar, you don't drink?"

"Tae- I mean captain! By the light, I'm glad you're here. I'd like to take part in the monster-exhibition-slaying of evil-event-of-virtue-please-allowmetogo... Sir!"

The heavily armored, and presently helmed man looked at the girl with a deadpan expression. Not really knowing how to react he just looked around, and then at the white-stone floor. The silence became overbearing, and just as Esther about lost her wits and was just going to turn away he lifted his faceguard revealing an innocent smile and deep brown eyes.

"Okay, just don't get ahead of yourself kid. You're one of our best, and your siblings wouldn't appreciate the loss either. Since you hold that old heirloom."

Esther looked at the spear scantily bound to her back, and then back to the man who she held the most respect for. Again placing her hand over her heart, she bowed and looked at him with a dedicated expression.

"Yes sir."

It was not often that Luthica returned to, in her eyes corrupt, Kaien. Fate was a thing she stopped believing in a long time ago, so it must have been pure luck for her to tumble into that old home at a crucial time like this. With the news of a ceasefire spreading like a wildfire it was no surprise that even Luthica learned of it. And this was also the entire reason for her visit.

"...oh Children of Glân, lend me your ears! For a evil and wicked monstrosity has started to wander on our holy land! A Beast fearful enough to even halt the continuous bloodlust of the god forsaken Thaos! A monster to whom Donaieth bullets are mere pebbles! An Abomination beyond redemption that can only be smote by our holy teachings! It is now on us to banish this new evil from the our world! His holiness, the pope himself seeks out the bravest, strongest and most righteously faithful heroes to slay those vile creatures! Glory amongst men and a rightful seat amongst the angels is guaranteed to anyone who survives this hell! A hell we can not accept to interrupt our holy conquest! So join us, and together, we will be victorious!"

A truly zealous speech for most likely anyone but her. Maybe she should have stayed in the army and whore her way up just so she could punch this guy into the face without immediate fear for anything. No, her face mostly shrouded from her robe no one could see her hatred towards this poor man, giving Luthica enough time to calm herself down before getting closer. Grabing one of the fliers on the ground, either dropped by curious people or the preacher himself, she had no reason to get too close to him.

So, it really was a hunt for a monster which alone was the whole reason of the ceasefire. Really, if it was truly capable to even bring Thaos onto its knees it must be just as powerful as the preacher proclaimed. A small grin rose across Luthica's face, perfect. Just perfect. If they recruited volunteers did they even hope to succeed? People more capable than the Kaien Military itself? Or maybe they were just desperate? Whatever it was, this sounded just suicidal enough for Luthica to jump right into it. The only annoying thing left to do was to actually pay a visit to some higher-ups; she doubted they would remember the name of an unimportant soldier, even less in her case.

---

The Grand Church of Glân, a place she doubted to ever visit again, even in all her returning trips to Kaien. But now, here she was, standing in front of a building that called forth unpleasant nostalgia. The most crucial part was to not get too upset. With a calming sigh to herself and pulling back her hood, she stepped forward, past the grand entrance, into a new chapter of her life.

There wasn’t much of a place for Chatsu in any of the nations for an extended period of time. Any major city in Thaos was sure to have a few people who would recognize even a mostly forgotten traitor like him. The other two nations were rarely hospitable to an individual who looked like a Thao, and while in Doniaeth people cared little for his armor, there were always a few who took offense in Kaien. Something about how it looked similar to the armored of certain Paladins, only blackened and ruined. Regardless, the intensely religious nation was where he had found work for the moment. It didn’t pay well, the smaller settlements that required his services usually couldn’t, but he wasn’t lacking at the moment and could afford it.

Even less sunlight managed to touch the forest ground today. The thick canopy overhead made it difficult enough, but the clouds even further above meant the forest was almost dark as night. He continued deeper into the pack’s territory nevertheless, watching for any signs of the beasts that had been terrorizing the village. He didn’t know why the creatures had grown bold enough to raid and even kill humans, they normally did their best to avoid coming in contact, but it didn’t really matter. All that was left was to drive them away and if it meant the pack had to die... then so be it.

It didn’t take long for him to find the beasts… or more accurately the beasts to find him. He had walked straight into their territory after all. The sound of whisper-like footfalls reached him first, followed quickly by faint scent of blood that lingered on the beasts, and at last their gleaming eyes emerged from the shadows and stared at him from all directions. Heightened intelligence mixed with primal instinct was enough to warn the creatures that Chatsu was not simply prey… but whatever madness drove the beasts to prey on humans compelled them to do the same to him. He just sighed as the dire wolves charged in as a pack, his sword and shield unslung and unsheathed in a blink of the eye.

---

It was a dirty and bloody brawl, plain and simple. Vicious snarls filled the air as claws and fangs were turned aside by metal while metal tore through fur, flesh, and bone. He was a machine of death amidst the pack of a dozen dire wolves, spinning and weaving through them too fast for any of the creatures to follow. Even a beast’s pounce, with its entire bodyweight behind the blow, couldn’t do much as he flowed with it and threw the wolf off in a fluid motion. Each slash of the great sword cut cleanly into one of the creatures, leaving them in no position to fight as they collapsed, dying. Backhands with his shield shattered bones and sent the beasts to the ground in pain. And when all was said and done, the only sounds left in the forest were those of the wind and downed wolves. The latter were silenced quickly.

---

“Oh thank you. Thank you so much.” The village leader had been quite happy to see Chatsu return from the forest, and was practically ecstatic when he had been given the dozen wolves’ fangs. “I’m sorry we can’t afford more.” The slightly elderly man looked apologetic as he fished out the small pouch filled with Chatsu’s payment and held it forward for him to take.

“It’s what was agreed on.” He replied nonchalantly as he took the pouch from the man before he fished out and returned several coins. When he noticed the man’s confused expression, he held up an armored hand. “There were less, and it was easier than expected.” Accepting the leader’s further thanks with a small nod, he made to leave only to stop when he was called out to.
“Actually, sir knight! You were out for a while, so you might have missed it. A ceasefire was decreed by all three nations. The crier just passed through town a few hours ago; saying the Pope calls for any capable of fighting these monstrosities.”
Well those weren’t the man’s exact words, but he had spent about a year or two in total within Kaien now and had already learned to tune out the more religious aspects of their speech. An eyebrow climbed ever so slightly at the information though, and he paused to consider it. Before he dwelled too long though, he gave the leader another nod and said, “Thank you for the information.” With that he turned and walked away at last, heading to the small building that he had been allowed to stay in, for his equipment, before he would hit the road. It seemed he would be visiting one of Kaien’s more affluent cities at last.

Thanking the driver, Grimm stretched out his muscles after the long ride from one of the last town. He crouched down and hefted his bag up onto his back before standing back up. At the very least he should be able to do a lot of business here in a larger city. Larger cities also brought larger troubles, especially in Donnaieth. He'd already attracted the stern look of a guard thanks to his foreign look and the fact that he was standing alone with a large amount of luggage. He set off to find an inn so that he would have another answer to the usual 'Who are you, what is your business here, and where are you staying?'.

Grimm soon found a place on a side street off of a side street, barely a dozen rooms arranged on two floors at the end of a dead end. He entered his new room on the top floor and checked the lock over, finding it secure albeit barely. He set his bag down and untied his weapons from where they were secured, arranging them on the bed. Selecting the shield, he slung it over his back before hanging the rest of his possessions high enough up where only he could reach them. Smiling now with the necessities tended to, Grimm left his room, locked the door and hit the streets again. A poster in the lobby caused him to pause in the doorway.

"A ceasefire? monsters?" He stood in one place, scratching his neck. Noticing that he was entirely preventing entry or exit, he moved on, deciding to find a bar and maybe get a little more information than the poster provided.

Grimm soon found a fairly full bar though it was the middle of the afternoon. He walked in and took a seat, almost immediately finding what he was looking for, a loud mouthed soldier by the bar. "Of course I saw the thing, near a hundred paces tall and horns on its head as big as trees! Picked up a dozen men in one hand and ate them whole." The soldier by the bar went on, "I figure that it'll take everyone's armies to tackle these, but I hear that the rest have their own trouble to deal with. Dragons as big as castles, great flaming demons. It's the end of the world and I plan to die drunk." He thumped his fist on the bar for emphasis.

Grimm bought himself a cider and sat down to think. The man was obviously exaggerating but how much?

Great puffs of brilliant white smoke rose over the St. Pellier house as the sun tracked high over the cloudy Doniaeth skies. The small two-story property, located at the edge of the neighborhood, was a humble place in all regards, with dull grey cobblestone walls and a planked wooden roof. Had it not been in “the quarantine zone,” as so many called it, it would have been an average house of no note. But in this area, it was quite a luxury, where most of the residents lived in packed tenements or little huts that would pass in no other place than a shantytown. The house was well-maintained and was cleanly washed daily by a pair of small automatons that substituted for a caretaker, but the small garden up front was dead and wilted, for Lyna’s horticultural endeavors had failed time and time again in the putrid air surrounding the city. The sad little garden was one of the scarce few signs that gave an insight to her past self. For all accounts, the young vampire had settled in and was quite accustomed to life in the quarantine zone, despite having only arrived a little under two years ago.

And as it was, on that particularly smoggy day, things carried on as usual, as it always did. At least, until the news came.

“Out, out, out, out of the way! Make way for the rampaging death robot!”

A sharp cry rose above the crowded square of the quarantine zone as a metallic ball-shaped object barreled down the road, followed by a black haired vampire kicking up dust and furiously sprinting after the runaway automaton. The aforementioned bot was Lyna’s most recent creation, once again born out of her incurable laziness. It was a tool-bot, or Tobie, as she affectionately named it. It was a small robot with a simple AI created as an extension of her earlier “folding missiles” concept, made with the sole purpose of storing equipment and following Lyna around like a slave. Unfortunately, it didn’t function as well as it was supposed to, and it had booted itself off the side of her roof and down into the town as she worked on simple maintenance. The people in the square parted in the middle like quicksilver at the sound of the raucous din coming down the hill.

The gesture was not needed, for the little automaton came to a screeching halt at Lyna’s hand just short of running into an elderly gentleman with a cane at the end of the road. The young engineer came to a staggered stop right behind it, smiling apologetically. Before it had another chance of running away, she grabbed it by one of its metal ears and rapped it triumphantly with her fist. The old man smiled warmly with brilliant golden eyes, clearly unfazed by the fact that he had nearly been clocked on the head by a renegade roly-poly robot.

“Oh, Lyna. Still working on the roof?”

She continued to smile sheepishly, tugging harshly at the bot’s ears to its apparent displeasure. “Yep, it’s a constant struggle. Steam engines don’t mix well with wood, you see, and with the war effort going as strong as ever, there’s not much time to do much about it.”

The old man wrinkled his face. “You haven’t heard of the ceasefire? You’re going to have plenty of time to get at that roof now.”

“N-no, I haven’t… I’ve been a little busy.” Lyna had indeed been out of touch of recent news for the past few days working on Tobie, but the words ceasefire barely registered in her brain. It was probably the first time in her lifetime–and perhaps the old gentleman’s—that there was a ceasefire between Doniaeth and another nation. Although shocking, it might be a welcome change, and Lyna decided she would mull over it with a chilled beer when she got back to the house. With an awkward wave, she made the annoying struggle back up her hill, abusively dragging the plump bot behind her legs.

---

Back up at the house, Lyna was greeted by the local courier making his daily rounds. The foolish-looking young man, probably five years her junior, had a large stack of letters and a package waiting for her, likely because she had refused the doorbell twice in the past two days. He touched the brim of his courier’s cap before handing her the large stack of letters, bound together with a thin piece of twine. Wordlessly, the man scuttled away to the next house, no doubt late on his mail route for one reason or another. Lyna jostled the packages under her left arm before pushing open the door to her house with her body.

Almost immediately inside, the inventor exhaled deeply, breathing out the filthy, toxic Doniaeth air and breathed in the pure, filtered air of her humble abode. She tossed the package aside onto a small wooden table next to the door, narrowly missing the well-maintained bonsai plant atop it. The stack of letters sailed across the room and onto a simple leather couch in the same fashion as she finally let go of Tobie to take her sooty black coat off.

After fixing a cup of steaming tea, Lyna plopped down on her couch, immediately propping up her feet on top of the coffee table. She grabbed the bundle of the letters she had earlier cast aside and undid the yarn holding them together. She sorted through them quickly, tossing the unwanted letters into a nearby wastebasket without a second thought.

“Junk, junk, what’s this, HOA? Definitely junk. Not touching that with a ten foot pole. Official correspondence and despatches… I’ll save that for later. Junk, more junk… What’s this? Neville?” Lyna’s petty murmurings came to a halt as her hand stopped on an envelope addressed in neat handwriting by one Neville St. Pellier. Without taking her eyes off the familiar lines of her cousin’s handwriting, she called for the bumbling roly-poly, which scurried over on its ball-bearing wheels. Making a few low-pitch beeps, a flap opened up between its two round ears and efficiently extended a small knife by the handle. With a single clean sweep, she took the knife and broke open the wax seal. Returning the knife to her short retainer, she scanned the letter, eager to learn of how her cousin was doing, of his technical and engineering endeavors, his progress on the battlefield, and of news from the capital.

Young Neville had little to say on academia, much to her disappointment, but he had a whole host of information from the capitol and on the battlefield. Reading his letter confirmed the rumor of ceasefire from the old man was true. A monster so fierce had appeared that even the powerful general Donian army with its logistical and technological genius had retreated. The capital was in a bit of an upheaval –a little more than it usually was—and the ceasefire was a hot topic of contention to many people. Lyna smiled lightly as she read the last lines of the letter; it ended almost nonchalantly with a comment in passing on the proposed mission against beast.

“P.S., see if you can stop by the old house on your way. I’ve left a small surprise.”

---

Two days later…

Lyra was greeted by two guards as she approached the main quarantine gate, with brief bag and Tobie in tow. The two armored soldiers gave a gesture of recognition, which she reciprocated with a small wave of her hand.

“Official business at the capital again, Ms Lyna?” asked one of the soldiers in an amiable tone as he looked down at the paper in her hand.

“No,” said Lyna, holding up the paper.

“A vacation.”

Rhys - Npc Time

As footsteps could be heard entering his domain, Rhys pulled his head up in alert. Quickly he scooped up the workings of a new invention of some-sorts placing it into a metal bin at the side of his workbench and hopping from the stool to the metallic floor. His boots would echo through the empty room, everyone had left today since Rhys would be busy dealing with business. And that business was sending people who had found interest in the ~monster fiasco, on their way to, well, where they need to be.

Following behind him was a small construct that looked like a turtle of sorts, held a large cubed crate like structure upon it's back, with four small legs that moved slowly and a tiny head at it's front. As he exited the experimental room, he saw a golden-eyed girl standing at the entrance to his building. Rhys unsure on how to approach her, paused, staring at her for a long moment.

"Did anyone give you a hard time on your way?"

The boy scratched his head, nerve-wracking was the first time he'd met a vampire. Do they resent us for isolating them from the rest of the world? No, the best thing to do would be to act normal, Rhys did nothing to this girl personally and thus, she was only here as an applicant. That's right.

"Pardon me for my rudeness. But are you here for the flier that's been distributed throughout the city?"

---

Lady Umholtz a.k.a Arm Wrestle Champion

After the confrontation with her superior and being permitted to take part in this quest of dire proportion, Esther made her way through the capital streets towards a place she knew well. The Grand Church could be seen through anywhere in the city, really, it's impressive height and central location of the city made it more of a navigational point for some. The point of this is, it's not that hard to find, you just really need to look above the rooftops of the passing buildings, it's right there. [i]

"Oh, Mrs. Umholtz.. I'm so glad that I've run into you." said a croaking voice, clearly that of an elderly citizen."

Turning slowly gave sight to an extremely aged lady of the cloth, the nun caned herself slowly towards Esther who was clearly familiar with the woman. The nun raised her posture, rubbing her chin and examining the girl.

"Have you found a man yet?"

"Have you?"

Esther's attack was answered with a quick smack of the woman's cane, though it was more of a warning than anything and the paladin's armor could take hits from that wooden stick anyway.

"Well, just checking on an old student of mine."

"Yeah-yeah, I have somewhere to be granny."

"Okay deary, you be careful now."

Continuing on her way and muttering 'hag' under her breath, Esther was now viewing distance from the church. Some fellow paladins could be seen leaving it's entryway and marching in a single filed fashion towards the western part of the capital, which is where their place of operations was. Straying from this, she marched towards the church, the stern look on her face causing a few of her comrades to laugh as she passed them. One in particular, an ******* named Kurl, laughed the loudest among them, in which Esther rewarded him by picking up a small piece of cobble from the church steps and hurling it at the man like a fastball, nailing him in the chest and knocking the wind out of him. Who names their son Kurl anyway? Into the church she went.

As she pressed the doors behind her shut, the paladin realized that it was quite a happening place today. Nuns carried paperwork swiftly from corridor to corridor, a few guards on stand-by at the cathedral room, some sorcerers could even be heard muttering incantations repeatedly within this place of worship. Taking it all in, she paced quietly, passing marble pillars and nodding to the young clerics and priests who sat on the stone benches along the cathedral's center-path. A quiet blue-eyed girl could even be seen within the church, though she didn't look like someone from the church itself so she passed quietly.

"Ah, Essie right? That's what I hear the high-ranking people call you."

"Esther Umholtz, Valiant of the Holy Order. And you?"

"Valiant? So young.. I'm Alexander, my last name doesn't matter, just know that I'm the one with the luxury of sending pretty ladies like you on a suicide mission."

"The beasts out on the battlefield, right?"

"Aye, and Taelen said some of his own would come here looking for glory. Didn't expect many, and you're the first so far.

Esther stretched her arms out, grinning brightly as she looked to the high ceiling above trying to conceal some of the excitement that she had been the first to approach him.

"Oh, I'm not looking for glory. Just doing my duty as a protector of the people."

The gruff man looked concerned about her reply, but shrugged nonetheless.

"Well, you'll be waiting for other applicants before you depart. And we've had word that the other nations are sending some of their own as well, so you'll be meeting with them at the Open Scar."

"Befitting, to meet at the most ruined place out there. Why there, if I may ask?"

"That's where all the activity is, but I'll give the information to you all as a group when everyone gets here.."

The man's eyes dropped towards Esther's chest, he squinted as if focusing really hard on them but not seeing what he was looking for. The paladin didn't really comprehend what the old soldier was doing, so tilted her head in confusion and looked for an open seat. A nearby grey-stoned bench seemed vacant, so she bowed to the lecherous man and clanked her way towards her seat. Setting her rear onto the hard stone with a thud, and began humming to herself.

The town of Belfrost, close enough to central Kaien that it was prosperous, yet still far enough that it could be considered an idyllic countryside that embodied all the 'goodness' of the commonfolk of Kaien, was the home to another Grand Master, one who was a much more reclusive presence than Savaniel was to the residents of Isriel. Occupying three acres of land that was filled only with pleasant, colorful flowers and ingenious waterworks, the mansion of Grand Master Lazaros Glenn was one filled with beauty and beauties. A garden of leisure and pleasure, one that seemed to financially support the town of Belfrost simply due to how many part-time gardeners the man hired the first month of every season to renovate his orchards. It was, in Savaniel's critical eyes, a waste of money, but who was he to judge? Belfrost was a safer place that Isriel, and the people were hard workers. They deserved being able to not worry about the war too much, even though the young Grand Master was still slightly uneasy at the fact that they didn't have a standing militia.

Urging his stallion through the well kept, grassy fields of Lazaros's land, he took in a deep breath of the pleasant air, mixed with the scent of fresh flowers and misty rain, before disembarking and tying his steed to one of the nearby apple trees. He was tempted to pick one of those bright red fruits from the tree for a moment, before restraining his appetite for a travel snack and turning back to face the impressive mansion. Five floors high, it was like a castle, just made with elegantly carved wood and brightly painted colors. The doors were massive, yet impractical for any type of actual home security, tall oak doors with crystal glass windows in them. It wasn't like a Grand Master would require home security though. Knocking on the door, Savaniel waited for three counts before a young maid with pretty eyes answered, smiling sweetly.

“Good day, Sir Knight,” she said, with a bow, “The master of the house is occupied at the moment. Do you have a message you wish to deliver, or would you like to wait inside?”

Occupied, was it? Savaniel sighed, ever so slightly. “Just tell him that Grand Master Savaniel Volduriaz requests his audience.”

“Of course, Grand Master. Please, step inside.”

With that, she removed his cloak for him, hung it on a rack reserved for guests, and then bowed once more, before walking off. Her movements were more like that of a dancer than a servant, an elegant glide over the polished wooden floor. He stood there for another ten counts, before a loud, powerful voice rang through the entirety of the mansion.

“Oh, Savaniel's here? Bring him right up, Infernia! Can't keep my junior waiting!”

When the maid with the pretty eyes, Infernia, came back, her face was just a shade more flushed, before saying with the same smile, “Shall I lead you to his chambers then, Master Savaniel?”

“...Of course.” Yes...Lazaros was totally occupied at the moment.

After ascending a few delicately grooved staircases and passing by a few beautifully painted depictions of nature, he finally arrived at the private chambers of the man in question. There were many charms hidden on the patterns of that door, functioning both as a deterrent to unwanted visitors and a soundproofing barrier so that conversations could be said in private.

Of course, all those preparations were pointless when Infernia went on and opened the door.

Another sigh escaped Savaniel's lips as he looked into the room, noting with some amusement that Infernia was blushing heavier now, averting her eyes. Clearly, the maid did not want to see his facial reactions in response to the scene in front of him.

Lazaros was a muscular knight, many scars covering his body, with his most prominent one being the jagged scar right beside his right eye, still an angry red compared to the rest of his complexion. His wiry black hair, greying at some points, was wilder that day, tousled as if he had just woken up. Of course, through all this, the most obvious point was that he was essentially naked, with only a towel over his body in a useless show of slight modesty. The second most obvious point was the dark-haired maid kneeling before him.

“Is this really necessary,” Savaniel questioned, his palm over his face as he massaged his eyes.

Lazaros simply laughed heartily, waving Infernia off. “Savaniel, my friend, surely you understand that for someone who has known only the battlefield, this is the only way to heal their bruising body.”

“How about settling down and being a family man, Lazaros? I'm sure your parents would appreciate that.”

“My, Savaniel, are you irritated today? It's a ceasefire and I'm surrounded by so many pretty ladies. It's natural to do what I'm doing, but it seems like you're still but a boy.”

Savaniel twitched at that comment, before shrugging. “I'm a Grand Master first, Lazaros.”

“But still, if I recall, that blonde maid of yours was quite a beauty. You're not aware that maids had a duty to please their masters as well?” A shadow of a smile appeared on the experienced man's face.

Yeah, this conversation was going into the older man's forte, and Savaniel realized he hadn't even gotten to the meat of the issue. “I'll assume that you won't be partaking in the monster hunt then?”

“And of course you would, which would mean...”

“Yes, the Coffin of Cerebrum. I'd like to ask for your permission to use it, Grand Master Lazaros.” With that, he bowed, his hand over his heart in a show of formality to the senior Grand Master.

“Master Glenn, so lively~ <3”

It was only the proclamation of the maid that warned Savaniel of the unexpected assault. In an instant, a rip in space appeared as a shield fell out of his inventories, blocking the deadly projectile right before it splattered onto him. Truly, the vigor and range of Lazaros was not to be underestimated. As the shield fell to the ground with a clang, Savaniel's gaze had now become cold, glaring at the scarred knight.

Lazaros, on the other hand, was trying best to hide his laughter. “Oh god,” he said, lots of fake coughs interrupting his speech, “I'm so very sorry for that dishonor, Savaniel! It seems that Aezrael here has yet to learn how to swallow properly. My sincerest apologies, and of course I'll let you use the Coffin! I presume you'd like to be present in the Grand Church?”

“...yes.”

“Well then, Aezreal, you're dismissed for now. Shall we get started, Savaniel?”

We should have gotten started WAY before this, you old bastard.
~
Exactly two minutes after that odd exchange, a young man materialized in the center of the Grand Church, fully naked, even though he had no genitals. Savaniel looked down for a moment, shot a murderous glare at the empty air behind him, and after another minute, his clothes materialized as well, complete with his cloak.

He had an expression of 'do not comment at all' on his face as he walked up to the man who seemed to be doing all the recruiting, before saying, “Greetings. I am Savaniel Volduriaz, Grand Master of the Priestess's Guard, here to partake in the slaying of the monster currently residing in the battlefields. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking to?”

Grimm left the bar a short while later, having made up his mind about the whole thing. He walked out of the bar as sober as he had been going in, his bulk having a lot to do with it and the fact that he listened more that he drank doing the rest. Stopping one of the more friendly looking guards, he politely asked for and received directions to sign up for the monster hunt. Adjusting his grip on the shield handle, Grimm set off.

He had decided that if the beast was anywhere as large as was claimed, he would see it from far enough away to have ample time to change his mind. If the stories were as exaggerated as Grimm expected then a halfway skilled team should be able to handle things and he considered the risk of being on that team well worth it.

Grimm reached a hand towards the door to the building and stopped, hearing the murmur of indistinct voices inside. His hand dropped to his side and he stood back a pace, partially to avoid the appearance of eavesdropping which would be useless with such a heavy door and mostly to give himself a broader view in through the windows. He wanted to put himself in view of the conversation in order to ensure that he was spotted by those inside and to watch the proceedings. He couldn't lip read though sorely wish he had the talent at times but found that facial expressions and body language could tell a lot about the conversation at hand.

When he had set off deeper into Kaien territory, Chatsu had expected to finish his business at one of the major cities within the nation. What he hadn’t expected was to be redirected all the way to the Grand Church of Glan smack dab in the middle of the capital. At the very least, even at a distance from the city, the Grand Church was easily visible as it rose above all the buildings around it. He wished he wouldn’t run into any trouble on his way to his destination, but the massive populations of these places usually meant there was someone who wanted to cause him some grief, for one reason or another. At the very least the bound scroll in his pack would let him deal with any officials without trouble.

---

“A mercenary? And what makes you qualified?”
“Allow me to demonstrate.”
“Very well. There should be a duo available.”

Unsurprisingly, there were no words exchanged between the two sides as the battle raged on, only the roar of magic and the rings of weapons clashing.. The match was fierce enough that wasting breath would have been foolish; anything that needed to be said could come afterwards. For Chatsu, the pair he faced were impressive opponents. Individually he would have overwhelmed either of them in moments, but their teamwork was almost flawless. Still… it was a downhill battle for them all things considered. Forced onto the defensive, the paladin was reduced to keeping Chatsu from his partner while the sorcerer didn’t have the time to prepare a large spell; without his assistance the paladin wouldn’t last. Yet even the man’s quick incantations carried enormous power; blasts of electricity, spikes of earth as large as a man, creeping ice that would have entombed a horse whole. Yet they only served to delay and distract their opponent.

“That is enough!” The priest called out from atop the church’s stairs, having seen enough of the match. It wasn’t easy to stop a sword already in motion, but with a grimace Chatsu forced the blade to halt mid-swing. Pulling the weapon to his side, he sighed quietly before relaxing his posture and turning to the priest. “Laries. Antoine. Thank you.” Chatsu turned to catch the two men nod towards the priest, and he extended a hand towards the pair before they left.
“A nice spar.”
The sorcerer didn’t care much for the gesture, but the paladin grabbed the gauntlet-clad hand with his own and shook it. “Truly. It’s good to see someone like you joining the cause.” With that, the man gave him a nod before he joined his partner and they turned to go about their own business.

“That aside, I shall have a document for you soon. Please, come to the church tomorrow.”

---

It was a pleasant surprise that no one bothered him as he walked through the city streets. Oh, he got many looks, but it was inevitable with an appearance such as his and he had grown used to it. As long as the attention did not go much further than that he cared little about it. He could feel the guards’ stares as he approached the front of the church, but they did nothing to prevent him from entering the place of worship. Given what he saw inside, namely dozens of people milling about and attending to business, he guessed he wasn’t the first unusual individual to walk into the church.

He approached a man that appeared to be in charge of all this and before anything was spoken between the two he simply held the sealed scroll forwards. “A head priest’s seal? Let’s see how you managed to get that,” the man muttered as he broke the wax and quickly unrolled the parchment to scan it over. After a few moments, the man finally rolled the piece of paper back up and set it aside. “Well, good enough for me. You can wait around until the others arrive.”

Nodding, he stepped aside to clear away before looking around the building for a quiet spot in the midst of the activity. Given his taller stature it wasn’t too hard to see over the heads of everyone else and he quickly picked out an empty corner near the church’s entrance. It was a small comfort to finally put aside the weight of his sword and shield if only for a brief moment as he laid them against walls. With a deep breath, he pulled his helmet off and shook his head, tossing his hair about. The number of suspicious looks rose sharply at his Thao visage, but he ignored them as usual.

“Four out six Jaegers, that’s not so bad,” said a grinning Domenico. The Jaegers were Domenico’s most skilled men. Although it was not an official squad, each of them had sworn loyalty to the Sunday Hammer, each having their own story of how they had come to meet him. Domenico had sent messengers out to contact them the day before.

“Come on, you knew it would just be us four from the start,” said Aristaeus.

“Yeah, Diana and Prince happily enjoying their honey moon, no way their giving that up to hunt giant monsters. Hardly romantic,” continued Relk.

“Enough of this topic~! I am still very perplexed how Diana betrayed me and snatched my handsome Prince!” Felicia was once again moaning about the love triangle that he still believed he was a part of. The disturbingly hairy and muscular man was making grotesque actions as he rambled on about how he should be interrupting the recently wedded couple instead of being hunting monsters.

Ajax snorted. “Then why the fuck are you here then?”

“Because he’s trying to make Prince jealous by pretending he’s lost interest in him,” said Relk.

Everyone but Felicia burst out laughing.

---

As the five of them made their way through the Grand Church, every passing paladin, cleric or the everyday Kaien, greeted them with respect in their voices. Several times, they had to stop for Domenico to engage in some small chat with the head priests and high ranking paladins.

“Nothing beats walking around with you, Dom,” said Relk. “People actually treat us with respect.”

“The hell you guys talking about? All of you are well respected.”

Ajax gave his usual snort at this. “We’re well-known, not respected. Have you seen some of the looks those bloody paladins gave us? Our ranks are technically still that of normal foot soldiers.”

“That’s true, the only guys that actually look up to us are the foot soldiers,” remarked Relk.

As they debated over the matter, they finally reached their destination; the center of the Grand Church.

“Sir Domenico! What a pleasure to see you.” Alexander had rushed over the moment he spotted the general. The old soldier was eager for the chance to build up relationships with higher ups. “I’ve heard that you would personally be participating in this escapade. I think that it is wonderful that you would do so much for our holy nation.”

“Uhhh, yeah.” Domenico had never been too good with dealing with suck ups. He despised handling such people. Not wanting to hear the ramblings of some soldier grovelling, the Jaegers split. Assholes, he thought.

---

By the time he finally got rid of the old coot, the Jaegers were already mingled with the rest. Domenico was about to call out to them when somebody caught his eye. Savaniel Volduriaz materialized then and there, in the middle of the hall. Strangely, he was naked for several seconds before his clothes finally appeared as well. Domenico had met the young genius several times before but they were always mere exchange of greetings at parties due to a series of unfortunate events. Domenico always had to rush off before any real conversation happened.

“Well, well, well. Look who we have here. Why am I not surprised to find out someone as esteemed as yourself to be taking part in this?” Domenico shot Alexander a look which he understood immediately. The soldier scribbled onto the parchment he was holding before he hurried off to register other participants. “I believe the last time we met was the ball the pope two months ago.”

Domenico extended his right hand.

Meanwhile…

Aristaeus and Ajax had settled down and were seated as they discussed the efficiency of weapons. It was one of the common topics they shared, though they never saw eye to eye on it. Ajax was hellbent that the heavier and larger the weapon, the better it was. Aristaeus had a more flexible look on the matter.

However, the other two were unfortunately running around and getting into trouble.

Felicia who had been silent all the while had finally cheered up. The reason being that he had spotted a man he fancied. This man in particular was quite unlike his usual tastes. For one thing, he was large and muscular, a direct opposite of Felicia’s preferred choice of men much smaller than him. The man looked gruff and his face gave on an intimidating look. This seemed to spark a masochist side within Felicia. What attracted him the most was the man’s unusual Thao origin.

Although Felicia was over twenty paces from Chatsu, his stare had such intensity that it would have been unexpected that Chatsu did not realize. In fact, if one observed closely, they might have seen the faint image of heart shapes appearing and floating towards him during Felicia’s occasional wink.

Relk on the other hand, had also spotted a target, except it was female. Although the particular individual was rather lacking in the upper department, she was definitely a beauty. The dignified aura Esther seemed to give off was what allured Relk even more.

Unabashedly, the Jaeger knelt in a proposing manner in front of her. He seemed oblivious to the soldiers that sat at each side. Snapping his fingers, he whipped a red rose out of mid-air; one of the many magic tricks he had learned for such purposes. “Oh you have bewitched me, body and soul. Can you spare a peasant like me the honour of knowing your name?”

Luthica

---

The Paladin examined Luthica from top to bottom, his eyes showed no sign of lust, just pure disbelief. Finishing his examination he let out a small laugh. "What does a woman like you wish to accomplish? What's your name?" She had expected nothing else from an ordinary Paladin like this guy. However, if she wanted to move on there was no way past this guy without proofing she wouldn't die from a small breeze. Ignoring his remarks she answered with a rather respectful voice. "Luthica, Luthica Cyrilleon." She doubted he would know the name of an ordinary ex- soldier, even less of one like her.

"You're a nobody."

He declared. "Proof to me that you are worth your salt." Did he want a fight? Seeing how he didn't even take a battle position she doubted it, maybe just a general demonstration of her abilities? She didn't really look like a swordzerking butcherer after all. "I am a magician, able to use time-magic." While it wasn't exactly time-magic Luthica doubted she needed to go into any details. The Paladin gave a small whistle. "Listen, calling herself a time magician. Well, how bout a fancy trick then?" Luthica thought for a bit, calling herself a full-fledged magician was a lie after all, but what she had at her disposal should be enough and she nodded.

Pointing her finger towards a far end of the grand hall the Paladin's eyes followed. A quick teleportation brought Luthica to the end she was pointing at and, after dwelling a few seconds there, she returned to her initial position. The Paladin needed a moment before realizing the girl with her look of expectancy was already in front of him. Turning towards her his eyebrows narrowed a bit, mistakenly viewing it as an insult.

"Oh, wow, you are able to run away like no one's business, but what good is that gonna do you to defeat a beast even an army couldn't take on?"

Luthica swallowed down a sigh. "Then how about this?" Pulling a dagger out of her sleeve she didn't hesitate to stab her hand. "Urgh..." The pain was intense enough that she considered stabbing HIM instead of herself. The Paladin was a moment in shock but gave more time to do...whatever she was about to do. For a moment just long enough for those who actually paid attention to her, Luthicas entire body was swallowed by a dim light before returning to normal, the wound cured and no signs of any blood. Not giving her the chance to explain, the Paladin cut her off. "Good Job, you can use healing magic. My niece can do that too, I bet in 1 or 2 years she becomes the best TIME MAGICIAN out here!"

Collecting her thoughts for a short moment, she responded politely. "It wasn't curing magic, at least not directly. I simply turned back the state of my body, via time-magic." It didn't took a pro to guess that the Paladin wasn't buying her words, forcing her to press on. "Allright, how about this... Putting the dagger back into place she moved towards the pews. "Strength of Purpose. To the Paladin's surprise, Luthica lifted her leg high up into the air before stretching it and bringing it down onto the poor wood.

*CRACK*

"H-Hey how dare you to destroy the property of the Holy Church!" Having caught some more attention the Paladin shut out to her while taking a few steps towards her. Retracing her leg into a normal standing position Luthica stretched her arm out towards the demolished piece of furniture. "Leitmotif." And, in the same fashion as before, restoring it into a unscathed condition, or at least without the scratch she added. Turning towards him she continued. "I don't believe curing magic is able to cure objects?" The paladins eyebrows narrowed even more, but the fact that he caught a few people's attention made him give in sighing. "Fine, fine, move your ass over there and wait until further instructions." He pointed towards a mixed bunch of people who already seemed in wait.

"Thank you." with a small bow and a smile on her face she left the annoying Paladin and moved on towards the group. She actually knew a few of those people and was quite surprised that they joined this mission, but she had more important matters to attend right now. Abusing one of the pews as a seat she moved her slightly bend arms in front of her, like holding a balloon in booth hands. "Timeline Threading." The empty room in-between her hands shortly filled with what could only be described as beautiful magic, small orange lines in a warm light dancing around like butterflies on a flower field, Luthica took her time to reduce the just created Paradox.

---

Lu&Rinshan

---

Lu sighed upon watching the 3 bandits running with their tails between their legs. That was already the fourth encounter in just one week. While the majority might think a temporary ceasefire was a good thing, for Thao it just meant more turmoil and bloodshed than before. Lu hadn't joined the battlefield for years, and had good reason to not do so, but now that the war has come to him what was he supposed to do? According to the rumours it should even be safer on the actual battlefield now than at home and after the past few days he gladly started to believe so.

Turning back towards the rather large wooden and spacious building, if actually maintained worthy to be called a mansion, the old soldier had set his mind. He would help slay that gigantic monstrosity on the battlefield for the sake of his kind-of peaceful live and the future of a certain girl. And with the current state Thao was in, it definitely was saver on the battlefield than leaving this girl here on her own.

After moving through a labyrinth of hallways and doors he stopped in front of a door where on the other side a happy humming could be heard from. "Rinshan." He declared his intrusion before opening the door. "Lu!" the girl, laying with her belly on the floor while drawing on a piece of paper, looked up from her work and greeted Lu with a big smile. She didn't hesitate to stand up and rush towards him, proudly showing him what she was working on. "Look, look, what do you think?" She asked. Honestly speaking the vet couldn't make much out of her doodle, but she definitely improved. Petting her head he said with a gentle smile. "Keep up the good work!" Rinshan just giggled.

"Listen Rinshan." Changing back to a bit more serious attitude he looked into her eyes."What do you think about if You, Plurry and me go on a journey?" Upon hearing that her already bright face became even brighter.

"Really?! Where are we going?!"

"Mhm, it is not really some sort of vacation, but I have some work to do, it could actually be quite dangerous, but definitely safer than here. I already told you about the temporary peace, right? I am going to beat up that big bad monster that everyone is scared of."

"Oooohhhhh... right. I wanna see it! I promise to listen, so please~~?"

"You can watch from far away, I can't say what will happen on the journey, so yes, you have to listen to me, no matter what, understood? So get your stuff and we meet at the entrance."

With a motivated nod the small girl turned around and started to grab the few belongings she had. Lu could only guess what was in that little head of hers, happy about a beast that made Thao agree to some kind of peace? Maybe he was too indulgent towards her but she definitely knew that this world wasn't such a nice place as in some fairy tales she loved. There was no need for Lu to go to his own room, while they lived in that rather big house they weren't really rich, in fact, poor.

...

"Heeere we are~" with a small jump Rinshan came out of the main entrance, Edelweiss together with a small backpack on her back while Plurry hung on her side. "Alright, we have to visit the central capital first." She nodded, this time a lot less happy than before, she didn't like that place after all. And thus, grabbing each other hands, they made their 1 to 2 hour walk towards the heart of Thao.

...

Luckily there weren't many complications, Lu's face was a known personality after all and after nicely asking a few strangers he also learned about Zhong Xin Dao himself looking for capable people on a plaza. He definitely knew the General, the question was, did the General remember Lu? Whatever the case was he could only hope this would go over without much trouble, considering he carried a small little girl around. Warning her about the Generals temper Lu didn't need long to find his way towards him, giving him a somewhat respectful but still casual. "Yo." quickly followed by his intend."I am here to sign up for some kind of beast slaying for the sake of Thao's warriors not getting too bored. He definitely played with fire here, prepared to battle any moment.

The Donaieth capital was as smoggy as ever. As much as Lyna reveled in the nation’s innovation and industrial prowess, she loathed the technological capital of the world for its immense pollution. She had always stood by that staying a day in the capital was akin to “smoking ten cigarettes a day for an entire month.” Inhaling deeply through a handkerchief she pressed up to her face, she made her way through the dirty streets of the capital, flanked by a visibly struggling Tobie. In preparation for leaving her home, she had crammed the majority of her tools and a small portion of her personal effects into the little mech. She had exceeded the designs of her own compression algorithm in the tool-bot by nearly an order of magnitude, and it weighed nearly 500 pounds, double the weight its little motors and bearings were rated for. She resolved to add a more powerful drive to her little retainer as soon as she could; Lyna was using a large portion of her energy in just keeping the overweight bot moving alongside her. Exerting significant energy unnecessarily in such a manner would not do.

The strange pair of struggling robot and vampiric inventor didn’t go unnoticed in town. Lyna felt consciously aware of staring eyes as she made her way down a large avenue. She was not unknown to them either; she was at the heart of the major scandal two years prior where she was involved in that ‘accident.’ While Lyna still had the good reputation as a quality engineer that she had before the incident, she was fully aware that some people likely resented her for what had happened, even if she wasn’t directly to blame. As a precaution against any unnecessarily attention, she hurried on to the famed engineer Rhys’ workshop where she had been advised to go.

By the time Lyna reached the aforementioned establishment, there were already a few people outside of the building. She hurried on ahead into the building ignoring the others; if they were there for the same thing, she would have time to greet them later. She found Rhys by the door. She’d never talked to the boy personally, but she seen him at demonstrations and other engineering events before she moved. He was engaged with a familiar looking individual; the person before him was a vampire that was well known for her antics in the quarantine zone. She herself had gotten mixed up in one of them, but it wasn’t anything that she held against Fortuna. Pushing the faltering robot through the door with her foot, she said hello to Fortuna before producing a folded document for the young engineer.

“I don’t know about little Fortuna here, but I haven’t seen any fliers. It seems a certain General thought I would be interested, however, and he was right.” She produced the letter of recommendation from her cousin with an awkward smile. It was a bit unnecessary and a little embarrassing to hand over, but it had saved her from a lot of hassle traveling through the capital.

“Is this everybody?”

Grimm walked in after Lyna, hands clasped behind his back under the shield hanging there. He was vaguely aware that he was by far the oldest present and was two decades older than this latest arrival. He ducked into the doorway though not as much as this one was much taller than most in town. He took a place near the back of the group, being tall enough to easily see over the head of anyone else in the room. Several pairs of eyes caught his attention.

Vampires. He remembered the panic and paranoia. The thought of them had horrified him at first, but only until he had the fortune to meet one face to face. He saw them as being no different than himself and resolved to treat them as such. He thought that the capturing and exiling of them was wrong. Maybe when he decided to leave Donaieth he would try to smuggle some out with him

He let his eyes wander again, letting them rest on the young Rhys Welch. Grimm would have loved to meet him under better circumstances, discuss engineering with him. At this point Grimm wished that he had brought the gun with him. He sighed and stretched slightly. The guard had simply given an address, likely expecting that anyone in the city knew where the young inventor lived. Maybe there would be time following the meeting.

Things looked to be about to get under way so Grimm took a couple of steps out from the wall so that he could hear better. He took the shield off of his back and placed it on the floor inf front of him, holding it upright with one hand resting on the other in a relaxed way.

"Seems like that's the last of you. Cel, seal the doors please, we can't have anyone outside listening in on us."

"Yes sir."

The white-robed girl stepped away from her fellow robed colleagues, making her way down the cathedral and towards the great doors of the church. On her way she waved at the armored soldiers known as the Jaegers, the white-haired girl who seemed a bit distant, Lady Esther sitting on the bench, the Grand Master Savaniel who appeared in a strange way, and finally, as she reached the end to the foreign man by the door. With a snap of her fingers, a faint blue glow resonated from the entrance, humming with mana and causing the face of the church to briefly vibrate.

"Doors are sealed sir."

"Thank you Cel. Now to business, the reason you're all here.. Is of course..."

"You're taking too long."

"Oh Roza, I'm glad you're here.. I was worried that no 'actual' women would be here."

"Save it Alex.. Now, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine... More than I expected.

"Quite a diverse bunch as well." as Alex said this he shot a questioning look towards the Thao in the near the entrance.

The gruff man sat upon the bench near the font of the cathedral, pulling from a leather bag at his side a paper which bore the seal of Doniaeth, Thao, and Kaien. Uncrumbling the less-than well kept paper he cleared his throat and began to read from the script.

"In two days, each nation will send volunteers to the dormant battlefield. While the ceasefire that has been established is active, none of the voluntary parties, regardless of background, may harm one another throughout the duration of this period. The sole enemy will be the unknown monsters that have appeared, one is solely the main priority, being the large creature that appeared within the active warzone and caused discord for each of the nations while in combat. There are no special conditions for those who partake in this venture, the rate in which you annihilate this threat is advised to be quick and thus the quicker you return, the larger the reward's sum will be."

Alex then rolled the script back into it's proper form, pressing it's seal closed and returning it to his bag. He looked to the group before him, and then to Roza who seemed to be giving a concerned look to those who had arrived. Flipping some stray hairs from her face, she paced towards her old friend nodding at him in a ploy for attention.

Two days. If they had the strongest of the Kaien military, they could probably clean up all those unknown monsters in the same amount of days. But for some reason, he didn't see anyone that was noticeably stronger than himself. Curious. During a ceasefire, it wasn't like those other knights had anything better to do, nor was it much of a secret that there was such a mission. So why the secrecy? A little curious. A little pointless. But he didn't ask about that, because he didn't care in the end. There were only nine volunteers in the end, fighting for a reward that wasn't previously advertised.

Catching Roza's expression as she nodded towards him, Savaniel asked, as he sat down on one of the pews of the church, "Worried about that monster? Some have said that it's stronger than your summons."

"Worried? I'm a bit concerned with this group's well-being. And whoever told you that is thick, Theia and Hyperion are not on the same level as these monsters, nor are they similar in any way."

Directing his gaze towards the mercenary and white-haired woman nearby the entrance, the Grand Master shrugged, "Surprised that you didn't issue an 'unofficial' request for the Priestess's Guard to participate though. Would have avoided depending on those nationless independents and Paladins."

"What was that about Paladins?" Esther rose from her seat, the plate armor clanking against the marble as she stepped towards the two who had been speaking to eachother.

"Ah, Lady Esther Umholtz.. Didn't notice you over there, did your head get bigger?" Shot Roza as she offered the woman a sinister look, squinting her eyes and averting her vision from the woman who clearly wanted to announce her presence.

Umholtz? Another noble family, as expected of a Paladin. Her armor was well crafted, and her spear had the feeling of a virtue. But said armor was also TOO unmarked, as if it had never been in a massive battle before. Made sense. Esther was a young lady, legible for marriage. Probably just working as a Paladin to up her 'pedigree'. Probably just partaking in this job to get a better reputation amongst potential suitors. Roza though, seemed to have some history with that Paladin.

"Paladins are elite soldiers that are only elite because they are nobles, no? A rather unproven group of knights, if I say so myself. But if you may, list off your accomplishments, Lady Umholtz. It would be helpful to assess whether you are stronger or weaker than me."

Most likely the latter, but Savaniel had enough restraint to keep quiet about that.

"Hey Roza... Is he an inbred? Or is he just looking to get his teeth knocked in?" asked the female paladin, who's habit of turning red-faced when getting 'pissed off' came to light on all of those partaking in this conversation.

"Neither, he's one of my own.. And I'd rather you not threaten my guards Esther. For both of our sake." Roza giggled after this remark, looking at Esther as she shook in anger, the vein again visible on her forehead.

"Oh, that reminds me. You two haven't met- Sav, my knight, this is Esther Umholtz.. A friend of mine, or rather, the younger sister of an equal. Essie, this is Savaniel Volduriaz, a Grand Master of our military and should be respected as such. Though in defense of her... Sav, Esther isn't your ordinary paladin, she's the 2nd ranked Valiant in their order, which puts her directly below her sister." Roza seemed to hide some venom in the last words of her speech, muffling a snicker into her robe's sleeve and darting her eyes at Esther.

"Yeah-yeah, second is close enough to where I want to be. Speaking of, you know she's planning on retiring soon? Sis wants to settle down and have a family, while she can, so she can have a different lifestyle other than war... I don't blame her to be honest, and grandma scolds her about finding a man as much as me." The tone of the girl seemed more somber than before, almost sad at the reality she spoke of.

Second ranked Valiant...it was an acceptable rank. Perhaps actually useful? He never really bothered to understand the convulted ranking system of Paladins anyways. Too many double standards related to your lineage and prestige. Presumably, it was good though. At least, if one assumed that Esther's older sister was also equal to Roza in strength. Bowing slightly in a show partly of respect and apology, Savaniel said, "My apologies, Lady Umholtz. It appears that you are an exception in the ranks of the Paladins."

"That said, I'm surprised that the Umholtz family allows their daughters to find their own husbands. Is it not an accepted practice for noble families to arrange profitable marriages?"

"Yeah, it's supposed to.." Laughed Roza, her shroud falling from her head as she grasped her stomache letting a numerous amount of loud cackles.

"Yeah, the last guy my dad had arranged left our estate with a broken nose and a swollen eye. Noble men aren't very chivalrous, regardless of name and title. Anyway, I overheard my captain speaking about the monsters, or I think I did, probably was half asleep or something. He said that it was a lot bigg-."

"It was not bigger than my summons.. Enough, Alex, wrap this up."

"Ah-yes... Alright, before the sealed doors are unbound, does anyone have questions?"

"Drana. Help."

The voice was quiet, pitiful, like nothing more than a starving dog whimpering in the streets for a scrap of food. For a moment, the lazing girl paid no mind, quite sure that it was just a trick of her mind, a dream trying to surface. If it wasn't, and it was who she dearly hoped it was not, things wouldn't be quite so serene and quiet.

"Drana. Please help me!"

She sat herself up, lifting from the strangely comforting surface of a cobblestone outcropping. Above, small beams of sunlight managed to break past the layers of iron grating, and the undulating form of a monstrous beast. The metallic centipede hovered above her, eyes quite distraught. Even behind its skull-like mask, Drana could tell it was suffering from some petty annoyance, as if crying out, 'I'm useless'. Despite its massive, unnerving body, the girl felt little inclination to run, scream or otherwise; she was the one in control here, after all.

"Damnit slug, what do you want?" she grumbled, brushing her hair of moisture. She sat upon a flat stone outcropping the protruded from a narrowing channel, and water gushed from its hollowed center into the river below. Above, beyond her troublesome partner, metal grates prevented anyone on the surface from falling into the waterways. The humidity had collected on the cold stone, and transferred to her black hair. Luckily, it wasn't a waste-water system of the city, and so Drana was spared from being painted with a foul odor during her rest.

The vampede slithered to the side, crawling across the angled walls of the channel to present the length of his body to her. Part of it was obscured by the blue cape he wore, but it was quite evident something had been placed upon his armored carapace that normally wasn't there; paper.

"I woke this morning and someone had glued all these flyers to my armor! I can't get it off, please help," Nolox pleaded. Indeed, there were quite a few of the flyers plastered upon his rusted armor, quite haphazardly at that. Either the one who did it was drunk off their mind, or had such terrible eyesight in the night that they could easily miss a thirty-foot long monster covered in metal. That or he was mistaken for abstract art.

"Where the hell did you sleep?" Drana questioned, ripping one of the flyers from his body.

"In one of those sewer entrances, in a channel. I figured it was far enough away from the hubbub of the city that being slightly in the open wouldn't matter much." The potential answer as to why anyone would go down to such a place was as clear as day on the paper. A huge reward for fighting monsters.

Well you certainly don't find mercenaries walking around in the aristocratic districts, Drana thought to herself. "You read this?" Drana asked the vampede, waving the paper at him. The number presented as the reward certainly had a lot of zeroes, but must enticing of all, it meant a job taking down creatures of the night. Or the morning, Drana didn't care.

"That I did. Not only did I come here for you to get them off of me, but also to notify you of the request!"

"Uh huh," Drana dismissed his apparent thoughtfulness. She pressed the flyer back onto Nolox's side.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wholly on purpose, Drana found a flyer that wasn't now a second layer of Nolox's armor above ground. Folding the paper into a pocket within her grungy, worn out vest, she proceeded on her way towards the indicated meet-up spot. The vest was a size to large for her, and displayed a number of bloodstains she was absolutely sure weren't brought about by her, but if she didn't want to get apprehended again, it was necessary. No way in hell would she be arrested for public indecency on her way to making an amount of cash that she couldn't see being easily carried in her pant's pockets.

If there were nay others even remotely like her, she would have to face working with a group. Teamwork wasn't something that gave her a cough, but in the end her own methods often deterred further interaction. In any case, Drana had steeled her mind to simply deal with it if the situation ever came up. The others would have to deal with it too, she mentally grumbled. Such a reward was hard to pass up; it was a high probability others would turn up.

With a strong familiarity with the streets of the capital, Drana easily found her way there, taking every shortcut a less adventurous citizen would think architecturally impossible. Coming upon the establishment, she found herself recognizing a certain guard standing at the doorway. With so many misdemeanors, Drana had come to know quite a number of uniformed individuals. For a moment she considered if he would stop her, state, "Wait, I know you," and force her to use a terrible persuasion skill, hack up what little cash she had, or face evisceration, all in the name of not being arrested. She really just wanted the money. Fortunately, he did not apprehend her, and simply allowed her in without a word. Maybe it was because she was wearing something over her chest this time.

Drana entered the building, unfettered by the group that had turned up beforehand. If there were a limit, no- there had better not be a limit to the number of participants. Finding her way towards the front, she buried her hands into her pockets and gazed on as the coordinator began.