---

Chen continued to run away from Titania, already preparing a mental map to one of The Librarian's various hideouts. This mission had gone completely FUBAR and it was definitely time to abandon ship. At least he could say he had found a really good supplier if it came down to it.

"Good being a iffy term in regards to her-" Suddenly he crashed into a red haired girl with a box attached to a necklace around her neck and an equally red mark on her forehead. Good to see it wasn't just him.

“Who are you?” She asked out of nowhere. However common courtesy dictates that he must respond when asked his name.

"My name is-" A bullet whizzed by his head and directly into a tree nearby, drilling straight trough and into another tree. "-Unimportant at the given moment, I need to go now. Chen finished as he tried to get his bearings. Which way to the forest hideout, damnit he thought it was that way but now he wasn't sure.

A hand was offered to him, a worried look plastered on the girl's face. She had a plan of escape obviously and was offering to share it with him. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Chen accepted and grabbed her hand, ready to follow wherever it was she wanted to go.

@BlueAjah@TheWindel@KoL

The Abyssal Knight clasped Axon's hand and pulled him atop the mount to sit behind her. Sadly for him the mane of fur ended where Lorelai sat, so he would have to hold onto her or be liable to fly off and reach a nasty collision. "Ah, I should introduce you. This is the Terror of the Eastern Front, Bane of Uprisings, Savior of Orphans from Burning Buildings-" The Savior of Orphans from Burning Buildings stamped his paw into the earth, almost as resentful of the title as the braids the children tied into its fur after the fact. That Lorelai didn't raise a finger to undue them earned her a rougher ride than usual for many months."-and my trusted partner in upholding the good of the Imperium, Durgan. Beyond that if you wish to know the species, well, so would the Imperium's leading biologists and naturalists. We haven't a clue, and he isn't willing to talk on the matter either."

"Now hold on tight, because I would really like to return to Eleonor before she finishes her preparations. Her general shouldn't wander too far from their Knight's side without orders, don't you think?" Lorelai turned back to face front and wound a gauntlet into Durgan's fur. The beast needed no further prompting or guidance to know where they where intended for. It wasn't like they would be going to get groceries on hectic day like this one was turning out to be. Tearing down the dirt road in leaps and bounds, clods of earth flung in their wake that left a trail of detritus leading towards the heavy scent of gunpowder wafting from the woods.

~Ruxen~

---

“And I think you’re an idiot for taunting someone with a fucking gunblade shooting at us,” Ruxen snarled right back to Chen, ducking as another bullet whizzed by overhead. Titania was hot on their heels and judging from her track record, she was a moving tank in armor hellbent on hunting down her prey. How fun considering the analogy of their situation.

When Chen gave the order to scatter, Ruxen rolled her eyes but didn’t question it. She held no allegiance to this stupid Librarian who rarely showed up anyway so what was to stop her from just ditching these fools? As for Mikoto, well, she always found a way to make it back alive anyway. Ruxen was fairly certain she wouldn’t be dying any time soon.

Seeing the three of them disperse, Titania narrowed her eyes before moving to hunt down the boy. Ruxen could always be captured later and the peddler was more a nuisance than anything else. So she barreled through thick undergrowth, closing in on her target and at last met him in a wide clearing, a victorious grin on her features.

But lo and behold luck would not be on her side because she saw Chen conversing with a girl that looked very familiar. That was…could it really be? Fei of Lady Asgard? She must have been wandering around since Titania knew Eleonor’s settlement was nearby. Perfect. The rebel was cornered now, trapped between two Imperials.

“Good work Lady Fei. The rebel scum can no longer hide nor run,” Titania said with malice, closing the distance with a thunderous crunch to the earth below. But no sooner did was she about to cleave Chen’s arm off did another newcomer pop out, this one looking like some kind of circus freak monkey. Reinforcements from the Librarian?

“And who are you?” she asked Měihóu in a deadpan manner, wondering why she wasn’t caving this idiot’s skull in. But before she could even consider that much, yet another arrival walked into the clearing, this one an actual threat. Titania tightened her grip over her weapon as none other than the Crimson Hound appeared, standing by Fei. By the gods, just what the hell was going on?

“Yo Fei, don’t just run off like that. I’m supposed to be watching out for you and all that good stuff, y’know? Oh, and watch out for trees next time too,” Solanne commented idly, taking a spare cloth from her figure and wiping the blood from Fei’s face. “I really don’t need your mom mad at me any more than she already is…hey, you planning a surprise party or something? What’s with all the people?”

---

"What the hell!?" Mikoto exclaimed as she heard Titania's accusations, feeling quite a bit offended at some of the charges she was being given. "Look, General Titania, right? There's two things that you don't seem to be getting right. First, I'm not Chenny Boy's girlfriend and second, I'm not a rebel. I might be a thief, but I'm still a citizen of the Imperium, you can't treat me like tha- Da hell, woman, stop firing when people are trying to talk with you!" Mikoto's spiel was cut short when Titania suddenly opened fire on them, forcing the Peddler Witch to follow with Ruxen's plan.

"Y'know, Ruxy, that plan of yours is the best one I heard today. I'll meet'cha later unless, you wanna a lift, of course?" Mikoto said as she zig-zagged between the forest trees, taking a diagonal path to avoid being gunned down so easily. As if this was the first time Mikoto had to beat a hasty retreat under a curtain of hot lead... it wouldn't be so easy to get her, heh!


Deeper down the forest, right around the direction that Chen and Fei, as well as, maybe, Lorelai and Axon, were bound to (the path to the Librarian's hideout at Rivenwood), a soft jiggling of a bell could barely be heard over the distant gunshots. It seemed to beckon them, somehow. But, who, or what, was the source of it?

Well, the answer was quite more close than they could expect. In fact, it was right about their faces as soon as they came across another thicket of high bushes, reaching the bank of a river that came down from the mountains were Orello was located. A place that would make them easy targets for their trigger happy pursuer. Or so should it be, if not for the fact that, right in front of them, stood a very unique individual whose unmistakable feline features, along with a classic wizard's garb, made her quite hard to forget (at least for Chen).

Sí, the Cat Sith, a rare type of true Fey, very much like the ones that skirmished against Chen a little while ago, as well as the Curator of the Infinity Library, the very own Librarian's Headquarters. Seeing the cat fairy out of the secret haven she called home was as rare as finding a four-leaf clover growing on a rocky crevasse. What could have brought her all the way here?

"Guh..." Sí sighed deeply as she finally found the one she had been sent to meet, that is, Chen. The look in her eyes suggested that the Cat Sith was dead tired, even though that was Sí's standard behavior. "The General was buy so... she asked me to come help you." Sí said to Chen, explaining the situation in as much detail as she could muster the will to, before taking curious a look at Fei. "Mmm... who's this one? A girlfriend... perhaps?" The Cat Sith said as a small smirk, or better, feline grin, appeared on her face while her tail swayed to and from languidly, showing about as much emotion as Sí was able to at once.


Away from there, at the distant floating archipelago of Arcadia, Tori, Alex and the Twins finally had made it to the ruins, after a painfully long trip. The interior of the ancient temple looked like it wasn't even from this world though, they wouldn't have much time to admire it just yet. As soon as the group entered the temple, the door closed behind them sealing them in with a magic barrier that even Tori wouldn't be able to circumvent without getting creative.

Almost instantly, a cold, frothing, slimy liquid began to pour on their heads, causing the Twins to shudder as they imagined their clothes being destroyed once more. Before long, the liquid as pooling in the floor even as Linea and Sienna tried to get away from, ushering Alex and Tori to do so as well. Once they were a short distance away from the slime falls, in a corridor that split between left, right and center, a short distance away from them, a skittering sound, like thousands of legs crawling on the floor, walls and ceiling rapidly, approached them from behind.

"Oh, no, Goddess. Anything but that..." Sienna said, don't even daring to look behind her, after all the foxy Twins had encountered this kind of dungeon creep more than once in the past.

"Oneesamaa, it's-"

"Yeah, I know that, Linea. Let's keep calm and go with plan A, right?"

"Right... what is plan A, again, Oneesama?"

"Oh, come on, just forget it and run! Which path should we take, Alex and Tori? By the way, whatever you do, don't look behind us. Trust me, you won't be sleeping for days, if you do." Sienna said as she began to beat a hasty retreat besides her sister. In truth, if either Alex or Tori dared look at their backs, they would notice the source of the Twins panic. A huge, sapphire-colored, mass of tiny spiders that looked like crawling bubbles was, well... crawling toward them at high speed.

There was no telling what they could do if they reached the adventurers, no doubt running was their best bet, unless Alex or Tori had the kind of heavy artillery powers that the Twins lacked. But, since they didn't, running was their best bet right now. The matter was which way to choose. As if a guide to help them, each of the tunnels had a glyph marked at its angular stone. The Sun, the Moon and a Star. But, what could each of them mean?

---

---

Chen was just about ready to get out of here along with the red haired girl when Titania caught up to them. He really didn't want to be forced to protect this girl and run away from Titania at the same time. This was quickly approaching a level of danger that he wasn't prepared for.

“Good work Lady Fei. The rebel scum can no longer hide nor run,”

A metaphorical lightbulb flicked on over Chen's head. This was much worse than he thought. He was holding onto the hand of an Imperium noble. A strong one too judging by her mother. Data and hypothetical scenarios ran through his head. Unless he got reinforcements, he was completely screwed.

Ask and ye shall receive, Chen got reinforcements in the form of a very familiar figure. "Miss Měihóu, a pleasure to see you. I don't suppose it would be possible to receive a little help in regards to the Imperium woman?"

And then another woman came out of nowhere, this one was Fei's bodyguard. Meanwhile this whole time Chen had not let go of her hand. Perhaps it was time to let go soon. Chen had one plan in mind though, already preparing to act on it. He was forming a dagger of ice inside his sleeve, the one not holding onto Fei's hand that is. He was going to pull her into himself and hold her hostage, a good supplement to the firepower that Měihóu brought to the table.

Then she came out of the wilderness. The Curator of the Infinity Library, commanded only by The Librarian. Chen let go of Fei's hand and immediately sunk to one knee, bowing to his superior Lady Sí. "Madam Sí, thank you for coming to rescue me. It is an honor and a privile- wait what?" Chen blinked as he processed the last sentence she said. "No no no Madam, she's just a girl who was about to lead me away from the battle. At least, I thought so until I found out her true nature as an Imperium noble. Chen rose to two feet once again and prepared for a fight. He had a bit of energy left to help, he wasn't going to be a hindrance.

@BlueAjah@TheWindel@KoL@The 42nd Gecko

It hadn't taken long for the pair of Imperial Agents to traverse the country roads and open fields till they were crashing through the brush of Rivenwood. A savage grin tore across the Abyssal Knight's face, the wind roaring in fierce opposition that sent her ponytail flying back into Axon's face while Durgan made little effort to care for the comfort of his riders. The dogged pursuit for the conflict in the woods had proved itself more and more prudent as they closed in, even Axon and Lorelai able to hear the heavy bang of the gunfire going off ahead of them. If she thought on it, the particular sound was of a higher caliber than conventional arms and was vaguely familiar to her, but before she could think to hard about it a melodic chime pierced through the heat of the chase. Still, it was far too late to consider this anomaly as they pierced the brush and entered a clearing that was the epicenter of this chaos.

"Halt in the name of the Imperator and the Crimson Knight Asgard!" The trio of beast and Imperial agents burst through the thickets into what was possibly a Mexican standoff involving an unfamiliar woman with a staff, the Lady Fei standing before a terrified young man who seemed to want to be anywhere but right here in this clearing as well as an older woman bearing a remarkable resemblance to her that could only be the infamous Solanne, and the person that Lorelai should have realized was the only one capable of raising such a bombastic ruckus.

Durgan came to a stop beside the general who had already been chasing the rebels, whereupon Lorelai dismounted with her battle standard materializing in hand. "Well met, general Titania." Lorelai said before thinking mirthlessly, Was there perhaps a meeting in the area, or are all of the generals showing up here for no reason in particular? There hadn't been much she could pick up on her approach, but from what she could and upon surveying the scene before her things seemed fairly cut and dry, if a bit perplexing with how many coincidences must have occurred to bring it together.

A rebel woman had descended from the trees with staff in hand, marking her as a combatant who could be eliminated with extreme prejudice, though her position made her a low priority. What was concerning were that there were two rebels near Lady Fei, a feline who looked too haggard to offer much resistance and a fool who was kneeling in deference to the wrong person. There was the woman that Lorelai was certain was the same Solanne that Eleonor expressed interest in reuniting with.

"Grrr." Lorelai turned to find Durgan growling in a particular direction, nostrils flaring as he drew in a scent that aroused his interest. As much as she would love to have his aid, if there were fleeing rebels it was best to let her partner off the metaphorical leash. "Hunt, Durgan. Bring them back alive, though." Permission given, the beast shrugged off Axon and tore off into the woods in pursuit of a far slower hound. One target all ready out of her mind with all the confidence that Durgan would bring back whoever ran into those woods, Lorelai moved to stand beside Titania and clapped her shoulder good naturedly. "As your comrade in arms and rank, I stand with you, but refrain from firing at the daughter of my Lady Asgard. And the woman with scarlet hair beside her is also requested to be unharmed. Really, if we brought the lot of them back to Asgard's chateau the Crimson Knight would be pleased, but I won't say anything if you need to take off an arm or a leg."

The Abyssal Knight slammed the butt of her standard into the earth with a crack of concussive force that left a circular crater beside her. She raised her voice in a commanding shout to all those in opposition to the Imperium. "To all those who stand against the Imperator, know that you are confronted by two generals of the Knights of Ragnarok, the Lady Fei, and the Crimson Hound Solanne! To fight us is to die, and to run is to die slower. Surrender now or be crushed under fire and steel!"

As he got off the ground, Chen would find himself face to face with the cold stare of an imperial soldier who now stood between him and Fei. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll get back on the ground and stop resisting.” Jessi stated, “That goes for all of you! Even you cat ears!” The tone in his voice made it clear he was not in the mood to mess around. Between chasing Fei twice and having near panic attacks over her well being each time, along with learning about various conspiracies, Jessi was done with today.

That being said, beating the ever loving crap out of some Librarian scum would be a great stress reliever; and since he didn’t think this group was going to go quietly (especially since the monkey one was toting a massive gun) a throw down seemed inevitable. At least it did until Lorelai and Axon came barreling in on her massive beast. If they were smart the Librarians would surrender now as they were not only out matched but outnumbered as well.

Still in a stare down with Chen, Jessi felt a slight temperature change in the air, like there was something cold or frozen nearby. With a bit more focus, Jessi picked up on a slight crackling noise coming from Chen’s hand. Ice maybe? Jessi figured he’d find out now rather than later. “I suggest you drop whatever you’ve got in your hand before I drop you.”

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

Axon rode with Lorelai through the forest as she showed just what a beast Durgan was. He was powerful and able bodied, but a bit rough on the back. In response Axon did hold on to Lorelai but his grip was a bit... liberal. Perhaps holding on a bit too high on her chest, though to save face he only held on with one hand. Through the brush and branch they went till they reached the standoff to which he deftly jumped off the beast almost before Lorelai had a chance to hop down. For his gruff and odd nature he seemed to be good on his feet.

Axon remained quiet as everyone and their mother seemed to say their piece. It was quiet the interesting gathering to be present though. Daughter and sister of Asgard, two Imperial generals, men of the Librarian, several beast kin... The roster was truly something strange. Looking over the field there appeared to be two sides but the soldiers were mixed up. Several of our side were intertwined with the agents of the Librarian.

Axon put his hands back into his pockets not particularly looking battle ready as everybody else was. "Look let's be reasonable. I'm not particularly looking to see everyone here involved in a big fight because that would involve a lot of complicated transactions to ensure we all have what we want... And besides what if all we have is a big misunderstanding?" Axon began to say walking up to the gaggle that was Fei, Chen, and Jessi. Starting to close teh gap but also staying out of Titania and Lorelai's line of sight and fire just in case they decided words were not the solution to this problem.

Once by Chen and Co. Axon held out his hand to Chen to say, "Name's Axon, a pleasure to meet you." Hoping to see if he'd be willing to shake hands with a man who's fingertips were pointed and black as the void.

Fei must really be a walking magnet for bad luck for it seemed her day was not going to end well, no matter the result. The moment her hand locked with the boy, a towering figure, who she later identified as Titania, appeared before them. She claimed the green haired boy was a Librarian, and even thanked her for aiding in his capture. A Librarian? Fei looked over him closely. She had never met one before, not one alive that is. Part of her had always been curious as to how they acted and looked like. She had grown up told they were evil beings who wished to destroy the happiness of the Imperium. Fei would have ripped out her swords and swung one around the boy’s neck if there wasn’t a piece of information holding her back.

The Librarians were working with Emilia. The Imperator herself had told Fei this as a reward for bringing home one of the guardians. If this Librarian was powerful enough to have Titania herself chasing him, surely he knew some information about her whereabouts? Even if he didn’t, perhaps he could get her to someone who did. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy though.

As if the three of them had a beacon of light shining on them, more people began to approach the scene. Two being the Crimson Hound and Jessi. Fei’s eyebrows slanted as Solanne wiped blood from her face and made a comment about trees. How could she know such a thing? Fei had been alone in the woods, far away from Solanne and the pile of ash Emilia left behind. There was something weird about that woman.

And then, to make the situation even stranger, a cat-like woman appeared and stood in front of the two of them. She spoke directly to the boy, who at the mere presence of the woman, let go of Fei’s hands and dropped to his knees. What in the heaven’s name was going on?? Honestly, the only thing that could make the situation even more weird would be if a gigantic beas- Coming up in the rear was none other than freaking Lorelei, sitting atop a wild creature. Fei’s jaw dropped in disbelief. Did the world enjoy mocking her so? By gods, it must.

Blinking to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, Fei turned her head back to the cat woman. She was apparently supposed to help him escape the danger of not only Titania, but two other terrifying opponents. These Librarians clearly didn’t know what they were up against. Fei knew of all people better than to take them lightly though, you could never tell how capable someone was before battle. And then there was a comment about them dating, which Fei ignored gladly.

“I didn’t think you were a Librarian... Why are you here anyway? You should know better than to come close to a guardian of the Imperium,” She snapped, folding her arms in annoyance. As more people from both sides began crowding together, Fei’s original plan surfaced. She stepped a little closer to Chen, and spoke in a hushed voice as Lorelei screamed about justice.

“Do you know where Emilia is?” Fei spoke bluntly, realizing the limited time they had, “I’ll help you get out of here if in return, you help me get to her.” Her eyes grew serious at the mention of Emilia, and she hoped the boy wouldn’t take this as a joke. Should he say yes, Fei would gesture to her swords attached to her back, unaware of the ice knife hiding in his hand. “Hold me captive.” It was a reckless plan, even Fei was aware of that. But, she would do anything to find Emilia and if it meant helping this Librarian escape, then she would gladly to it.

And then, Jessi marched over to them, planting his feet in front of Fei. Guilt again started to build up in her. Oh, Jessi… She would feel terrible if this ridiculous plan of hers worked out. How a boy and a cat could somehow take her away from four warriors (not including the traitor behind Lorelei) was beyond her. She could only hope that the risk of her life wasn’t worth the fight.

@Awesomoman64@FrozenPhoenix@Lonewolf685@floodtalon@KoL@TheWindel @The 42nd Gecko

Somehow, Alex was not surprised to find that almost immediately upon entering the temple they had come to explore, some sort of trap activated that sealed them inside behind a magical barrier. Before he even really had a chance to react he was drenched in some sort of slimy blue liquid, which he had the sinking feeling would probably stain his clothes particularly bad.

"Why am I not surprised," he grumbled as he hurried after the Twins to get out of the weird trap. How was that even supposed to work in the first place? What about the people who presumably had to use this temple when it was still being used? Why leave the door open if yo were going to have the trap still be active?

Somehow, he had the feeling that he wouldn't be getting any answers.

He sighed then as he moved along. "Note to self, get a better wardrobe for adventuring." He really was going to need to do some shopping after this. Yet they were left with more problems, and he didn't question the twins when they were told to basically run and not look back. His tome didn't have the sort of firepower to handle a large crowd or whatever other trap had been concocted in this place.

So he ran along, at least until they arrived at some sort of split in the path that could take them one of three ways. "well, unless someone happens to know what deity they worshiped in this temple, I would say Sun," he said aloud, figuring they had a good second or so to debate before they had to move again. Without any clues, it would basically be a guessing game, and he liked to think he was good at guessing.

Měihóu Niángniang

"Erm? Which one? I count a lot of Imperium women. Eh, I'll let them pick." Měihóu was rather surprised to see her entrance completely overshadowed by a whole other bunch of people jumping out of the bushes onto the scene.

"Hey, Imperium people who want to fight, this is just too many people. A brawl'd be a mess, and you can't have that, what with your capture shtick. Anyone want to head over a little that way to fight?" Měihóu cupped her hands over her mouth to yell a bit, then nodded with her head to the side. Perhaps coincidentally or not, it was roughly the same direction Durgan had went.

If anyone was willing to break the fight up, Monkey would head off a little bit with them so that, apart from Titania's gun or a truly powerful magical attack, the two fights should be fairly separate.

---

Chen sighed as yet another person came out of nowhere, this one screaming about justice and how he was wrong for working for The Librarian. This was getting a little annoying to be honest. But then the only scenario he hadn't planned for reared its head. The best case scenario for him.

“Do you know where Emilia is? I’ll help you get out of here if in return, you help me get to her. Hold me captive.”

Chen thought about whether or not this could be a trap, calculating odds of success and smiled. This was shaping up to be a good day after all. He ignored the soldier who was getting in his face and stepped back slightly, grabbing Fei and holding his dagger to her throat.

"Alright people, let's all calm down and talk about this like the rational people we are. As you can see, I have a dagger to the throat of one of your nobles, if anyone tries anything I kill her. If someone somehow destroys the dagger, I flash freeze her throat and I crush it. " Chen made his point by pressing the dagger into her flash slightly, not deep enough to draw blood though. "So the only reasonable course of action I see for all of you, is to let us leave so we let your noble live.

@BlueAjah@TheWindel@KoL@The 42nd Gecko

~Ruxen~

---

The scent was fresh and, more importantly, wholly unique to Durgan's nose. A part of his brain registered some familiarity with it, but this was overridden by the urge to hunt the fleeing pray. It was Durgan's natural state, after all. Even if Lorelai were nowhere to be found the beast would have ran down the first person who fled the scene, it just so happened to be a particular, blue Beastkin. An ear splitting roar signaled Durgan catching sight of his contemporary among the rebels, Ruxen.

"Oh you've got to be fucking kidding me," Ruxen muttered under her breath. One glance and she could see something that looked like her but it was more beast than kin. Rolling her eyes, she pelted all the faster to lose this idiot off her tail. She had decided with Mikoto to ditch these idiots and let them have their battle. After all, it's not like she held any loyalty to any of them and her debt to Chen had been well paid off by now. So she waved her tail mockingly at Durgan and raced into the ever thickening woods.

"Grrr!" Durgan snarled at the obvious attempt to goad him, running full tilt through the brush and trees. Ruxen had the advantage of a smaller size, slipping between the obstacles in her way, while Durgan had to barrel through every tree and shrub between her and him. It was causing the beast to lose ground, so he trusted his predatory instincts and leapt upwards to pierce the canopy and descend towards where it thought Ruxen to be running.

"Motherfuck!" came the reply beneath Durgan, his instincts correct. Ruxen found herself being pinned down by hulking flesh and an unsightly weight, dirt and twigs getting into her chest fur. She coughed and strained, ears flattening to show just how pissed off she was. Like hell she was going to let some mock-off Beastkin bring her down! She moved around until she was on her back and then reared up to claw Durgan right in the face, snarling with, "Get off of my you shitty piece of ass!"

The claws were diminutive in comparison to the larger beast, but the drew blood along his cheek all the same. His head reared back for a moment, but came back to roar at the pinned hound in a flurry of saliva and sound. A paw drove down straight onto her chest with enough to crack a human rib cage easily, but someone as sturdy as Ruxen wouldn't be inconvenienced long. Teeth were bared around Ruxen's head in a primal threat to submit or die, and he was rather indifferent on which she choose.

"Fucking watch where you're spraying it," Ruxen muttered as Durgan was finished with his little screaming contest. Seeing as this guy was bigger than she was, the chances of her fighting him off were probably not going to happen. And she'd rather choose death than to submit to a mongrel like him. Fine then. Not like she could stay dead long anyway. So Ruxen decided to finish off the goading with one more paw strike to the eye this time, biggest smirk she could pull off gripped onto her features.

Irked by the throbbing in his eye, Durgan blinked repeatedly till he could actually look straight and pulled his head back to avoid any more swipes at his face. Breathing in and out to steady himself, it took a moment to study the scent wafting off of Ruxen. While this was lost on the humans who seemed to think they owned the world, he found there was an earthy undertone to Ruxen that was...soothing. The beast blinked once more and stuck his snout against the Beastkin once more, though he was too busy sniffing to actual maul her.

"The...fuck?" Ruxen said, fully expecting this idiot to sink his jaws into her; no, instead he was smelling her up like some kind of mate or something. "Ugh, get off! You're supposed to kill me, not molest me you dumbass. Did that shitty owner of yours teach you the wrong commands?" Ruxen protested, batting her paws along Durgan's snout. This time though it was to try and push him away rather than to attack. Had she paid enough attention, she would have realized the same soothing instinct brought about by Durgan's own scent.

Whatever it was wafting off Durgan, he could recall it somewhere in the distant fog of memories long left untouched. It was soothing and invoked some sense of fondness that was more confusing than anything else at the moment. "Rrrr..." A low rumble echoed in his throat as he pulled his paw back and sat on his haunches. He licked his paw before running it across the gauges on his cheek in irritation. The beast eyed Ruxen in mild confusion, but the urge to hunt had passed.

"What are you going on about you idiot?" Ruxen muttered, getting back on her feet and resting on her own haunches. She too was confused, but more so from Durgan's actions than anything else. This brought forth a new wave of irritation and she said, "Hey, it's not my fault you decided to confuse your dumbass self. If we're through here, I'm fucking leaving like I'm supposed to."

Durgan grunted in acknowledgement of the beast sitting across from him, tail flickered off towards the woods were she was running towards. It was a novel experience for the both of them, and while Durgan would have liked to have ignored his ruminations in favor of good, old fashioned savagery, the thrill of it all had passed. He rose to his feet and leaned forward for one last sniff before turning about with lumbering steps to make the trip back. If he hurried he'd get to eat someone who didn't cause such confusion for the normally taciturn creature.

"Still weird," Ruxen said to herself but did not hesitate in running away. Strange. That oversized wolf felt familiar...but that was not her concern now. As one confrontation, another one was boiling to its breaking point. The one to watch it all saw Ruxen pass him by from his perched spot high in a tree before he melded away from sight...only to reappear in yet another tree, this time overlooking the confrontation in the clearing. Indeed, the events taking place now proved to be quite interesting to the Jester and he leaned upon the trunk of his tree with crossed arms to watch.

Chen's attempt to hold Fei hostage would fail as a burst of silver flame instantly melted the ice dagger before it could make contact with Fei's skin. Seems the young girl was so quick to forget the deal she had made with the masked man. No matter though, since by the looks of two women in particular, the outcome of this confrontation was already decided. The question left remained as to what would happen once all had been set into place? Who knew...but it was bound to be interesting regardless.

If Chen had thought that taking Lady Fei captive was a good idea, deal with the Jester or not, then he would find himself sorely mistaken. If he came quietly, then perhaps he and his cohorts would have been brought in with nothing more than bruises from being dragged before Eleonor. But after threatening Fei with a blade to the throat? Lorelai would hold Chen as the third most contemptible person in existence, right behind Emilia and the Librarian himself. There wasn't need for words to express this, as she was already hurtling across the field to drive her spear through him, safe in the knowledge that the Jester's flames would keep Fei safe if the coward even considered using her as a shield.

Likewise, Solanne was already moving in motion, grabbing onto Fei's wrist and forcefully bringing her back and away from Chen. Seems Axon and the monkey's attempts at negotiations would fail today because the Crimson Hound was not in the mood for talk that held no actual worth to them. Fei would find her aunt's grip to be iron and absolute, a steely look on her face that quite contrasted what Fei had been shown of her so far. Because Solanne wasn't stupid. She had a good idea of what Fei was trying to do and quite frankly, she wanted to punch the girl's lights out. But Fei could bitch to her after the danger had passed.

"Here," she said to Jessi, turning Fei over to him for safekeeping. "Make sure she doesn't do anything else stupid today," she said in a tone that spoke volumes of just how ticked off she was. Honestly, if Eleonor didn't yell at her than she would personally. But again, that could be handled after this mess was through. For now, it was better to play the role the Imperials wanted of her than to cause further complications.

It was over before any fighting could truly break out, a one sided takedown that overwhelmed the Librarians before they could try and further incite the Imperials into doing something they would regret. Lorelai blurred past Axon and his failed diplomacy to collide with Chen and pin him to the ground beneath her, a gauntlet clenching the collar of his shirt while another was raised to strike him if he moved in anyway she didn't like. As for Měihóu, she would find herself facing down the barrel of Titania's gun, the general smugly smirking. Any motion from her was just another reason to blow the monkey's chest out. If Si had thought that she could perform some magic and reverse the Librarians' fates then the beast that leapt from the woods to bowl her over with a paw upon her back would do well to dissuade her, Durgan having no issue ending the Fey.

---

Jessi saw every movement Chen made and even predicted he would make a grab for Fei. But, he thought she saw it too. In all their time together Jessi never saw her get taken off guard; yet that's exactly what happened. Now with an ice dagger to Fei's throat, all Jessi could think was how. How did she miss it? Unless… No, she wouldn’t. She would never let herself get captured… Would she?

This was a question for later. Right now he had to focus on getting this filth away from and the dagger was melted… Once the weapon was gone Jessi sprung into action! Or at least he was ready to, until Solanne and Lorelai beat him to the punch; Sol literally tossing Fei to him while Lorelai downed Chen.

With the situation practically defused, Jessi lead Fei away from the clearing both for her protection and interrogation. Though he still didn't want to believe it, something Solanne said made him think she was on the same page, he had to ask. ”Mind telling me what happened back there? You and I both know that Librarian shouldn't have even been able to touch you yet you practically fell into his grip!”

Just as she had suggested, Chen grabbed Fei and held a dagger to her throat. She gritted her teeth in annoyance. Pretending to be weak was definitely not something she planned on doing ever again. The idea of some pathetic traitor beating her in such a way was beyond ridiculous. Should the cards be flipped, the boy would already be burning on the ground and the entire lot of Librarians taken back to the manor. Perhaps it was too ridiculous to believe any of the powerful warriors standing before her to buy it. Fei should have known better.

Chen foolishly allowed the blade to touch her skin, although it made no mark, it quickly disintegrated into thin air. “You idiot.” She muttered softly to his ear. Damn the Jester. She hadn’t believed the contract to be as strong as it was, or even knew if it would work outside Exilia. It seemed as though it would remain until her duty was finished.

Things seemed to finish quickly after the dagger disappeared. No one would show mercy after seeing Chen pull such a stunt, even if it was Fei’s idea. While Lorelai moved to attack Chen, Fei was yanked to the side by Sollane. It was beyond humiliating; she wanted to scream out in frustration and annoyance. How dare they just shove her around like a mindless object? She could take care of herself, and she would have started screaming at everyone right then had Solanne not shoved her into Jessi’s arms. Damn them all He led the two away from the chaos while the warriors quickly took out the danger.

Jessi soon began grilling into her about what had happened, and Fei was too angry to control herself. “It’s none of your business! I don’t recall ever giving you permission to constantly question my actions! I will do what I see as fit, and you will stay out of it!” She screamed, already knowing she was going to regret everything in a few hours.

Putting his hands on his head Jessi turned away from Fei. He had tried to remain calm, even understand why she was acting this way, but her screaming sent him over the edge. Turning back, he let her have it, “In case you have forgotten, it's my job to look out for you. I am responsible for your safety! So when you go and do shit like engage an enemy without backup or willing get yourself captured you better believe I'm gonna damn well question it!” Jessi was practically steaming as he scolded the girl.

“You should know better than anyone that I can take care of myself! I don’t need a freaking babysitter! That was my chance to find Emilia and all of you blew it! Do you really think I would let someone get that close to me without a plan?” Fei threw her hands up in anger as she spoke. Why couldn’t he just trust her? By gods, she was more than capable of handling a traitor like Chen.

“Alright, then let's hear it.” Jessi took a step back and folded his arms still keeping a stern look with Fei. “Let’s say we backed off, let you get kidnapped. What then? You really think the Librarians would tell you what you wanted and just let you go?” Jessi moved in closer almost getting into her face. “No. They would have turned on you. Thrown you in a cell and used you as leverage or worse make an example out of your corpse!”

Jessi pulled back giving Fei a bit of space, but kept on with his lecture. “And if you think you could just kill everyone there, let me remind you what happened in Exilia. All it took was two curses and both of us were nearly killed by a bunch of thugs! If you think those revolutionaries wouldn't stoop to the same level then you've got another thing coming!”

Clenching her hands into a fist, Fei fumed with anger. Hundreds of remarks and words were spinning through her head, ready to explode on Jessi. Why did he think so lightly of her? Couldn’t he just trust her? She always found a way, no matter what life tried to throw at her. Why didn’t he see that? Rage swept over her mind and a slight fire trickled upon Fei’s hair. He was supposed to be the one person who understood her actions. He was supposed to trust her. He was…

As Jessi took a step forward, the two were so close she could feel his breath up against her skin. Her heart beat began to thud louder than her thoughts, and she sweared even Jessi could hear its echoing rhythm. Tingles raced down her body, and her face felt like it was burning. Staring into his golden brown eyes, she suddenly forgot what they were talking about.

“I…” She spoke softly, unsure what to say next.

Seeing she was speechless, Jessi was ready to keep going with his scolding. But something about her in that moment. The sudden flush of red that filled her cheeks, the way the light flame in her hair danced giving her eyes a slight shine, it was mesmerizing. In an instant, Jessi's anger and frustration melted away into guilt. Maybe he had been too hard on her, let his emotions get the better of him.

Snapping out of his trance Jessi let out a quick sigh before speaking. ”Look, princess I… Fei. I get what you’re going through. You've got questions about things no one will give you answers to and you feel empty and confused without them. Now you have the opportunity to get those answers and not matter what you're going to get them; even if you have to risk everything. But… Nothing says you have to do it alone.

Jessi moved in close again, gently placing his hand on Fei’s shoulder as he finished. “The Next time you're going to do something stupid and risky, just let me know so I can watch your back rather than chase you down every time.”

Hearing Jessi speak such genuine and heartwarming words, Fei felt droplets of tears cascade down her red face. All of her life she had believed herself to be alone, isolated from the rest of the world. She had only looked ahead, chasing after her mother’s triumphs and dreams. Never look back. Train. Grow Stronger. Caring for others was a weakness, Fei had always told herself that. It was better this way. Those kids don’t deserve to be your friend. You will one day control all of their fates. Ignore their smiles and continue being the bright flame that you are.

How foolish she had been. She didn’t need to run away anymore. All she needed was to take a step back for he was standing right there, as he always had. Fei’s chest grew warm as a soft light glowed from her tome. Of course, she was too busy staring at Jessi to notice. She took a step toward him, filling the gap between them. Leaning in inches from his lips, Fei hesitated before kissing him. Did he want her? What if he thought her touch was repulsive?

With Jessi’s tome, he could process sensory information nearly five times faster than an average fighter, yet not even he saw this coming. A mix of surprise and confusion flooded him as Fei moved in for the kiss. His eyes widened and his body became stiff.

After a moment however, he let go of his worries and fully embraced the moment. His arms slowly wrapped around Fei holding her tightly to him. His senses were so overwhelmed he could hardly feel anything other than her in this moment.

Throwing her arms around his neck, Fei lost herself within Jessi’s soft lips and warmth. Her breath was taken away and the only thing that existed in that moment was the two of them. The kiss felt wild and dangerous, but everything about it was right. A wild fire blazed across her hair as the two were encased in the light of her tome. Jessi had heard her story, seen her obnoxious and bratty side, watched her train endlessly, and yet, here he was. He wasn’t appalled or scared of her. Jessi had stayed by her side through everything, and Fei soon realized, she loved him fiercely for it. Please. She thought to herself. Stay by my side forever…

Though it felt like it would last forever, the moment eventually passed and Jessi released his lips from Fei’s. He eased his grip but didn't let her go just yet. Still enchanted by her shinning pink eyes, Jessi managed to force out a few words as he gently brushed strands of her crimson hair out of her face. ”The...others will...be at the chateau soon. We should…probably...head back…

Fei nodded, still slightly out of breath. “Oh, um..Of course.. The chateau..” She glanced up one last time at Jessi, trying to relish the moment for as long as she could before taking a step out of his reach. Scratching her hair, Fei couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed for her bold actions. She turned around quickly, hiding her flamed cheeks. “Well, uhh… Let’s get going then,” She coughed loudly as her feet started to quicken toward the chateau.

”Right uhh.. Right behind you.” Jessi followed Fei still in a sort of shock about everything. Had that really happened? What did it mean? He ducked his head slightly to try and hide his face with his shoulders; but all the while he found his gaze going back to Fei who no doubtedly was feeling the same. And though he tried to at least push it out of his mind, he couldn't help but think of the image of Fei still in his arms.

Axon watched as the small bit of chaos unfolded seeing what appeared to be the magic of the Jester defend Fei which raised a few questions in Axon's mind. Why would the Jester take such an interest in Fei and so much so to follow her enough to make sure that she would not be harmed in the recent events. Why her in the first place, could it be her connection to her mother or perhaps some other reason. All for another day though as she was carted away by Jessi and Chen was subdued by a few of the fellows at his side. Seeing the situation rather abruptly come to a close Axon let out a sigh having his words mean next to nothing, but the outcome wasn't so bad. Interesting cast though... Chen seemed to be an average fellow, but with two beastkin and a possible third in the shape of Měihóu. Shame one escaped, she would have made more of a large scale from which to learn.

Walking over to the monkey and cat-woman Axon spoke up once more, "Believe you me I tried to be diplomatic but now I'm more inclined to think things have changed a wee bit. Now given my friends rather gung ho attitude and general need for violence I'd like you to think of me as a friend in this rather unfortunate situation." At that little tid bit he resigned to let the others subdue and maintain the new prisoners not particularly wanting to get his hands and his particularly fine nails dirty with the scuff.

With that handled his direction quickly became the estate of Lady Eleonor to which he began to casually whistle and walk off with the rest of the group. attempting to strike up a conversation with Lorelai as they went about. "You move quick, especially for being as cute as you are. I must say I do look forward to our fight later and I do hope you haven't changed your mind."

"I see..." Eleonor said after the whole party came back to her chateau. The face of the Crimson Knight had a very fitting spot of red marked on it by none other than her sister during a talk they just had in private a few minutes ago, as well as eyes red from crying. But, whatever they did talk about had already been put behind them given that Eleonor kept on talking without even mentioning it. "I do owe you all an apology, especially you, Fei. As soon as we have the time, I shall answer all of your questions, no matter how painful it might be. For the time being, I ask you. Please, refrain from doing anymore self destructive actions, I wouldn't know what to do if I lost you."

"Now then, I think that I'll begin with what I know of the current situation." Eleonor, or better, Asgard (as the noticeable shift in her voice to a deadly serious contralto made evident) sat cross-legged at her favorite armchair, resting her hands over Vladimir, which was over her lap. Meanwhile everyone involved at that most fortunate (or not?) encounter in the forest, save for Mikoto and Ruxen, had been offered (demanded) to accommodate themselves on Asgard's living room, given that this Chateau lacked a proper court, or meeting room, where the Supreme Justice of the Imperium could preside. The captured Librarians where offered the chance of having their restraints relieved as long as they swore not to try any tricks (lest they face Asgard herself). Such demands weren't actually a problem for Sí, who was calmly resting on the soft carpet, transformed in a plain white cat wearing a mini witch's hat and a bell tied to her tail with a silken ribbon, not even caring about what happened as she yawned lazily.

"I believe that you are all aware of the tale of the Legendary Heroes and how they defeated the Great Beast with the Imperator as their leader, eons ago, right? The fact is that it is not a legend as the very existence of the Legend Relics, like Vladimir and the one the young rebel is in possession of, can attest. The Great Beast is very much true as well, though most about it is shrouded in mystery but, Yggdrasil seemed to have found it somehow and wishes to bring the Beast back and harness its power against the enemies of the Imperium. It's foolish but, the Platinum Guardian will not realize his own blindness until it's too late thereby, we must put him down as well as his recently acquired allies, the Librarian and Emilia Warov."

Asgard made a pause as she placed a tome over the table, one that Solanne would know all too well since it belonged to Eleonor while they were at the Academy. Her thesis that Solanne never got around to listening to thanks to their break up. "You must recognize this, right, Sol? The thesis I never had a chance of telling you about. Well, now you can read it, the contents are of utmost importance to the fate of our world." Inside the book there was detailed research about the Legend Relics, their powers, history and even hints of their probable locations as well as information about the Great Beast and the Imperator. It was truly a wonderful compilation of the past of the Shattered World they lived in, all made by Eleonor and her tutor, Berlina Aquarian, a woman that knew way more about everything than she ever let anyone notice.

"Me-meow~ It's just not Yggdrasil." Sí said while Asgard made a pause for the others to get the chance to read Eleonor's thesis. "Master as well as Emilia... all of them want the same thing. Master wants to set Sacchiro free and... Emilia wants to... bring the Butcher back as the one controlling the Great Beast... meow~" The cat fairy dropped such a revelation, including the Imperator real name (one that was known only to the Librarian) in a completely casual way, before finishing with a message to Chen and going back to her nap, "They all plan to... backstab one another when the Beast is alive again... meow~ I... came here to... tell you to not... bring the Relic back. It's the only thing that can... defeat the Great Beast."

"That makes our haste even more important." Asgard looked at hey eyes of the ones present before her. "We must, reunite the Seven Relics before it's too late. Of these ones, we have two right here, a report of a third one nearby, one hidden on Arcadia that's been recovered by Queen Berlina's daughters even as we speak, one who location is kept secret by Antonia until a worthy bearer have been found, Yggdrasil posses the one which belonged to the Betrayer and the final one, the Black Relic is... it's better that we don't talk about it before retrieving the other ones, the risk of failure is too high." Asgard paused once again, contemplating their options on how to deal with such a predicament as she waited for someone to manifest their own will.

---

*I'll wait just a bit for Fazzer before posting for the Twins/Arcadia, again.

Měihóu Niángniang

Měihóu seemed a bit bored during the whole affair. She had shrunk down her her staff into a needle and placed it into her hair.

"Soooo... I appreciate that you provided more direction than the Librarian or the Imperator. Both of them just said 'Go find the relics' and then pretty much booted people out the door. Sure, since then, I've blindly stumbled onto one more relic than I had in the seven lifetimes before that, but that was mostly Chen and Ruxen. I literally made things worse in the chain battle and messed up Chen's plans, and didn't help at all against the beast with the relic."

"So, eh, what do you want me to do about this? There are six people here that I KNOW outclass me so hard I might as well not be in any fight they're involved in, even if my weapon wasn't literally incapable of harming people. And probably a couple others outclass me too that I don't know about. And there are five relics left. Doing the math, why even bother recruiting me, even if you plan on splitting up and grabbing each relic at the same time? Between Titania, Asgard, Solanne, Fei, Si, Lorelai or Durgan, take your pick, I'm utterly irrelevant in this conflict. Each of you could take me out in one off hand attack and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it. And Chen's probably at that point with his legend relic too. I haven't even beaten an imperial soldier yet, much less a general or living legend like you guys. My entire combat experience vs actual opponents in this whole Imperium vs Librarian thing has been kicking an old man in the balls when he was looking another direction. If you need me to scout or something sure, aright, I'll give you a ring if I spot one of the relics, but if there's anyone blocking the goal that wouldn't be utterly irrelevant to you guys, I really am not going to be much of any help."

"I suppose if either of these Antonia or Queen Berlina's daughters are on your team but haven't checked their email lately, I could go and talk to them for you. But, like, one of Lorelai's supermaids could get there just as fast as me. Or anyone with a bus ticket, really. Also, was Antonia the church puzzle lady? Cause I suck at puzzles. Not gonna be any use there."

Axon listen to all parties involved and when Eleonor spoke up of relic locations he had a few words to say, but first wanted to take a look over the tome that was being passed around, studying the book to see for locations and key facts about each relic is particular based on their previous owners to try and gauge what the threat level of each one would be in either a combat scenario or a retrieval scenario should they either need to be used or are used against us.

The agents of the Librarian though were a bit more concerning though, "It's not that I don't trust our new friends in particular but more that I don't really trust anybody. However being said, we did just forceably detain these kind folks and upon learning of their alligence to our enemy I'm none to particular to just take them in as allies given the tepid circumstances." Axon said looking to Chen, Měihóu, and the cat with the hat. "I don't mean to take enemies as I'm always looking for new friends, I just wish to have a bit more of an assurance given that we were the best hosts for our first meeting. And of course just so that it can be said. The Cat-Woman is incredible cute and I'd love to have her as a pet, I do hope that isn't offensive just that most cats are traditionally considered pets. You're obviously not a traditional cat but I do hope you understand my meaning, you're just very cute. For Měihóu, she's just plan cute and I love her energy! So I do hope that we can all be freinds later!"

Back to the topics of relics however, "A few of you know my former alligence to Yggdrasil and how by now he's most likely found out about me. I'm willing to go after his relic given that I'm still somewhat upset with my former employer, though I don't know how well I'll be able to infiltrate them. As for the relic nearby, I'd be more than happy to secure it swiftly as long as I could have a few traveling companions to help alieviate the boredom on the road. Any volunteers?" Axon spoke out again his normal jovial and whimsical tone coming back to hint that he almost didn't seem to care about the world ending conditions they'd soon have to face.

This day was just one surprise after another. Currently Jessi leaned against the doorway into the living room where Asgard and the cat lady from before spoke to everyone who had been present at the forest encounter; including the LIbrarians whom Jessi was keeping his eyes on. When the tome containing facts and locations of the relics came his way, he simply glanced over it before passing it on. He was interested in finding them of course, but he was more interested in figuring out how this uneasy alliance was going to work.

Měihóu spoke first going to great lengths to explain how she would be of little to no help in their quest. Jessi’s opinion on this was along the lines of “Then either start training or there’s the door.” but he chose to remain silent and hear what Asgard’s suggestion was.

He did however voice his opinion on another matter when it was made clear he wasn’t the only one thinking it, ”I have to agree with Axon. I don't exactly see how they're supposed to trust us nor us them. You said it yourself, those trying to wake the beast plan on betraying each other for control. Who's to say the same won’t occur with us once the beast is defeated and all the relics are in a single location? I’m not saying anyone here currently has that intention, but it certainly would be an opportune moment to permanently gain the upper hand in our conflict.”

”As for the relic near by,” He added making sure to contribute to their overall goal and not just throw around accusations. “I might have an idea. I know the Overseer at Fort Orello. It’s not far from here and it’s one of the largest military facilities in the Imperium. I’m sure she would lend us use of some of the troops there to comb the area and find the relic in no time.”

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

---

Chen stared into nothing for a moment as he processed everything he had been told. He had dedicated a good portion of his life to the Librarian, doing nothing but search lead after lead for years, letting his loyalty to her consume everything he did, and apparently she was going to cause a possible apocalypse. He was handed the tome concerning the Relics and scanned it quickly before passing it to someone else in silence. Chen sighed and began to speak.

"I grew up in the slums of Infinitum, my parents were killed for reasons which I don't know. Every day I had to set strict goals for myself if I wanted to live. I couldn't let guilt take a hold of me after I stole my breakfast, or I would be caught and beaten. I have centered everything in my life around logic. I looked at the facts I was given and did not let emotions get in the way of what I felt needed to be done. I am a machine in regards to my work. I pledged my life to the Librarian, believing that they could make the world better. You have told me that the one thing that gave me purpose for years now, has been progression towards the apocalypse. Logically speaking, that is the absolute worst way to make the world better." Chen was clenching his fists tightly, nails beginning to penetrate his skin.

He then pulled out his Legend Relic and set it down on the table in front of Eleonor."I can understand your distrust of my colleagues and I. I have no way to prove I won't betray you unfortunately. If you choose to not trust me, you may have the Legend Relic and you will likely lock me away for the rest of my life. I don't believe it will work for anyone but me though."

Chen then moved onto the topic of finding the Relics. "If you do choose to allow me to work with you, I can battle the Fae who wields the Yellow Relic. I have a rather personal grudge against him to be honest. I also know how he fights. I also happen to be an expert on locating Legend Relics."

@Awesomoman64@BlueAjah@TheWindel@KoL@The 42nd Gecko@Lonewolf685@FrozenPhoenix