Lorelai hadn't thought there would be any harm in her actions. It may have been overstepping her bounds as the general of Asgard to place herself before Lady Fei, but she had the best of intentions. Lady Eleonor was supposed to be enjoying a relaxing convalescence, yet now found herself immediately embroiled in conspiracies and quests for the Relics of legend while her family seemed to implode around her. The Abyssal Knight wanted to offer her a moments support, an attempt to bolster her spirits after receiving a battering from her own sister, but everything fell apart as it was oft to do this day. My service record was near spotless before my reassignment...

But for whatever reason Solanne and Axon followed her while Lady Fei departed to embark on her mission without a second glance to the chateau. This was a small mercy, as she would be spared the confrontation between Crimson Knight and the spy. Standing by helpless to stop it now that things had boiled over, Lorelai shook her fists in impotent rage as Axon tried to make a mockery of her idol. She watched with satisfaction when his heart was stopped by a bout of blood magic, but that was far from the end of their discourse. The entire debacle left her disheartened, and most of that was directed towards herself.

If she hadn't allowed Axon inside. If she hadn't put aside Eleonor's invitation in order to pursue the sound of Titania's gunfire. If the rebels were not spared and inducted into the hunt for the conspiracy. And if Lorelai had stayed her tongue, letting Fei have her moment of revelation with Eleonor.

If any of those had come to pass, Lorelai beloved that he idol would not be suffering the grief she was, but as it were Lorelai could not change the past. As Eleonor approaches to announce their departure, and Axon left before he found himself without a head on his shoulders. "W-We can depart whenever you wish, Lady Eleonor. Give the word and two horses will meet us out front with sufficient supplies for the road ahead. I would advice that travel atop Durgan would be faster than horseback, but I understand that you would not like to share a steed with your sister and your unworthy general."

Her gaze turned down and away, unable to meet Eleonor's gaze for long. "Forgive me for speaking out of turn, but my performance as you'd subordinate has been atrocious and I have failed to preserve your convalescence at every turn. Now I have cost you a moment with your daughter and brought that ruffian upon you with his unreasonable accusations. While you may require every available hand for this journey, I would not challenge it if you wished for me to resign my commission with you." Lorelai said morosely, her anger towards the spy and the Hound who harmed Eleonor drowned out by her own self flagulation.

"A person as kind as you deserves better than this. Better than me."

Eleonor watched as Axon failed to deliver even the simplest of the relies, finally turning away from him, when Lorelai's words snapped her back to reality. Holding back the urge to punish herself for causing yet another person who believed in her to be distressed, when the one at fault was none but herself, Eleonor laid a hand of Lorelai's shoulder as she guided the Abyssal Knight, along with her sister, for the stables.

"I apologize for causing you so much distress, Lorelai. The truth is that I'm not the hero you admire, I'm just a woman that has made many mistakes and lived her life running away from them. Yet, it doesn't mean that I can't try to set things right for once." Eleonor got one of the readied horses and handed the other to Solanne, before continuing, "Actually, it's quite the contrary, Lorelai, I don't want to burden you and your companion with us; he's a warbeast, not a pack animal, both of you will do your best if you are not worried with being used as transportation."

"Now, Lorei and Sol, we must go, enough time was lost, already."

Back at the Arcadian Ruins, the Twins were starting to get quite tired from the excessive heat of the Sun burning right bellow them. However what called for Sienna's attention was a much more important fact. "Huh, where's Tori? I thought that she was just behind us." Before anyone could notice, Tori had disappeared, how and why was left for wonder. The fact stood that she just wasn't there anymore.

"Damn, what if she entered on of the other passages? We don't know what can happen." Sienna said just before the two of them were addressed by Alex. "It is game, Alex. I bet we have to step on the Sun tiles to reach the other side. I think we need to wait and figure out the pattern." Linea replied in her sister's stead, as Sienna already began to try and memorize the tile patterns. Once the three of them were able to cross the chasm, they would land on another portal.


On the other side of the portal laid a chamber as dark as the void of space, in fact they would find themselves floating at the zero gravity environment, in which the only features worthy of attention were a nebula, which illuminated the place with the light of its thousands of stars, and the floating ruins of some sort of temple, or altar, right in front of them. Amid the ruins a single being, who looked like a small girl dressed in strange looking robes and holding a staff taller that she was, which ended in a globe where a veritable galaxy's worth of stars danced slowly. [NON-AUTHORIZED BIOLOGICAL ENTITIES DETECTED IN THE CORE CHAMBER.] The girl said in a deadpan tone as her eyes seemed to flare to life in a menacing red glare. [ERECTING DEFENSIVE BARRIER AROUND CORE CONTROLLER AND PRIMARY REACTOR. BARRIERS SET, STARTING MAIN ENGINE. REQUESTING CONFIRMATION CODE, FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL TRIGGER STANDARD PROTOCOL ALFA.] After another long string of robotic speech, the girl fell silent, most likely waiting for a reply.

Right about this time, a huge rumble shoot not only the ruins where Alex and the Twins were located, but the very world itself. No matter were one was on the Shattered Realms, they would feel that some ancient power had been put in motion once again. "I don't know what just happened, but I have a bad feeling about it..." Sienna said as both of the twins fell silent, waiting for Alex's decision on what to do.

---

"Hmm, that's a lot simpler than I was expecting," Alex admitted as Linea explained what she thought that they had to do. It wouldn't be simple, but it was something that they could manage easily enough. He supposed that his time breaking into places had made him used to more complicated traps, too paranoid to see a simple one at face value.

Glancing back, he noticed with a frown that Tori wasn't there after all. She must have ducked down a side passage or something, and if he were to be honest Alex didn't feel that bad for her. She shouldn't expect him to, after how she had treated him this entire trip. "She's smart, I'm sure she'll be fine," he reassured the twins before getting back to the business of memorizing.

When it came down to it though it was fairly easy to cross, only made difficult by the speed at which the tiles were moving. His Tome helped with that though, and soon enough the three of them were across and in the new portal. At last they didn't have to bake in that overwhelming heat anymore.

Deposited beyond, Alex twisted a bit as he found himself floating in space, with a nebula beyond and some sort of altar. If he didn't miss his guess, this must have been the center of the temple, even if he still wondered how someone was supposed to get in here normally. But he didn't ask that as he noticed the strange girl, about to speak only to be spoken to instead, in words that wee not exactly comforting by any stretch of the imagination.

The rumbling that shook through his bones didn't help, causing his teeth to click together as he considered what had been said. So this girl was looking for some sort of authorization then? That could be bad, or it could be good. Certainly the twins seemed to feel the same way, as they looked to him for direction.

"Well, we can't just walk away after coming this far," he noted aloud. "The code has to be something connected to the people who built this temple, right? Some sort of phrase, saying, name, that sort of thing." He thought on it for a moment before letting himself drift forward, speaking up so the girl could hear him. "Ad astra per Aspera." well, here went nothing.

@KoL

~Mercury Titania~

---

“How…did you do that? You know what? Never mind. The sooner we get through this, the sooner I can arrest you for whatever crimes you’ve done. Because I know someone dressed like that has to have done something illegal,” Titania grumbled at the invisible monkey.

At least she didn’t make a habit of it, already turning back into her regular form. The General had to admit that it was a fancy and very useful trick, the hint of an impressed expression on her face. But tricks aside, they would need some actual power if they were going to steal Yggdrasil’s Relic. Assuming they actually get on with their journey already.

Seeing the issue be resolved with Axon and Lady Eleonor, Titania nodded before leading the way back to the Imperium capital of Infinitum. It would seem they would be traveling by foot then and that was fine by her; so long as the rest of her group didn’t feel like complaining. She led them through the forests to avoid detection from Imperial forces because they still didn’t have a good cover story.

“We should be reaching the capital soon. If anyone has any bright ideas, say them now. Otherwise, the monkey will turn invisible and I can pretend to have you as prisoner Axon,” Titania said before halting in place among the forest. “Damnit, someone’s coming!”

---

@TheWindel@FrozenPhoenix

Měihóu Niángniang

Ink suddenly raised behind Měihóu into lettering on the air itself, as she posed dramatically with a heavenward clenched hand ~CONFUSE EVERYONE NO JUTSU!~ She snapped the hand downward, and what seemed to be a combination smoke/flash bomb occurred, where flash lights scattered everywhere to blind, like a pack of firecrackers jumping around, breaking apart, and zipping everywhere, releasing smoke, so that by the time one had recovered from the flashes, the area was full of smoke.

This naturally scared the wildlife, squirrels and birds and other animals evacuating the premises. A fleeing crowd is a great mob to hide yourself in, and this is what Měihóu did, turning herself into just another rodent fleeing from the loud noise. She moved in the direction of whoever it was, though not directly at them, hoping to get a glimpse of what they were up against while still incognito.

Hopefully Axon and Titania could come up with SOME reason why two imperial agents would be meeting in the forest if they needed to keep their cover. Maybe they were lovers with a smoke/flash bomb fetish?

"No, you have nothing to apologize for, and you are the hero I admire!" Lorelai responded as she mounted her war beast with the ease of practice. Said beast could only rolls its predatory eyes and hope this would not be the topic of conversation for very long, even if it too could respect Eleonor as the apex predator of their motley group. "You've made mistakes, but who can say you've run away? Lady Fei may not have known her mother as well as either would like, but thanks to the efforts of you and the whole Imperium, countless more sons and daughters can know the love of their parents. For now the pain may feel raw and regret lingers in your heart, but it is because of your 'mistakes' that Lady Fei has the ability to live the life she wants."

The Abyssal Knight lead the way out of the stables with Durgan moving at a sedate pace so as not to lose the horses. Her gaze turned from Solanne and Eleonor, skyward and distant as her fists curled within the war beasts mane. People forget so easily. They forget why we fight for the things we do, and stand for the beliefs we cherish. They forget that their freedom isn't free, and that we bled for their rights, even if they use it to harm us. Seditio, rebellion, guilt and self-loathing. Call it what you may, but it's because they have forgotten why we make the sacrifices that they rally against us.

"Time, gold, blood, and love. We give it all up so someone else can enjoy these simple things that make life wonderful." Her tome was made to manifest itself, and within Lorelai's hand was an Imperial standard. The flag was tarnished with dirt and specks of dried blood, the edges frayed with time and abuse, but she still carried it proudly in the air. "I don't believe the mistakes we made outdo the good we have, and if I need to bath myself in river's of spilt blood to excise the blight upon our world, I will. Because you did it for Lady Fei, and now I will for you..."

Resolute words turned to silence as Lorelai rode onwards, following the road to the relic which would bring them one step closer to striking at the corruption which plagued there shattered world.

The drama regarding Axon unfolded without the awareness of Fei, Chen and Jessi, who had long since departed to meet the commander of the Orello Garrison of the Imperial Army. When they were about to arrive there, they would be able to see signs of unrest through the whole fort, built over the ruins of an ancient watch tower that guarded this mountain pass since time immemorial.

"By the Divine, Sir!" One of the messengers said as he almost tackled them, while barreling forth, seemingly to Eleonor's chateau. "We were about to sent a message to Lady Asgard's residence. We know she's resting, but an emergency has arisen. Mercenaries have been spotted on the Rivenwood, heading for the deepest parts of the forest but we were unable to stop them, we need your help." The messenger said before standing at attention, waiting for their reply.

Meanwhile, Eleonor put a hand on Lorelai's shoulder, looking at her knight with kind eyes as her mood was lifted by the overtly passionate speech Lorelai had just made. "Indeed, Lorelai, you are right. I should not let the chains of the past drag me down. I'm carrying the weight of all that blood I because I chose to, after all." For one to rest and enjoy their freedom, others have to get hurt and die, indeed.

Freedom and Death are twins, after all. Such an ironic truth was evident in the very existence of Solanne and Eleonor and brought smirk to Elenor's face as she glanced over her sister. However, it only lasted a moment before Eleonor stroke her horse, "Let's go, Sol, otherwise Lorelai will reach the capital before us!" Eleonor extended her hand to Solanne, with a smile in her lips. Rare as it may be that was a good sign.

However, would this enthusiasm last for long?

Back at the Ruins of Arcadia, the mysterious girl would regard the trio before her with uncaring eyes as Alex replied to her question. "INCORRECT TRIGGER CODE, SHUTTING DOWN PRIMARY WEAPONS SYSTEMS. SETTING COURSE TO PRIMARY TARGET." As the girl said so, a holographic sphere appeared around them, overlaying the nebula on the background. Images project a course that they would be acquainted with, ending at nowhere els other than Infinitum, the Imperium's capital. A focus was placed then on the Imperial Palace, its inner corridors and chamber, until the images showed none but the very own Imperator, the Hallowed Divine guide of the Imperium, apparently being the the target of whatever actions this robotic girl would take.

"WAITING HANDLER INPUT." The girl looked at them with cold eyes as if requesting them to say something.

---

Alex's blood froze as the girl revealed that he had said the wrong phrase, fair in the fact that he had no idea what it was but unfair in the fact that he probably wouldn't survive that failure. So he was pleasantly surprised to hear that he was not, in fact, going to die, but merely that some sort of weapons system had shut down. Which was weird if you failed to put in the proper command code, since theoretically that should have preceded activation in the first. But he was getting off track.

More worrying was the mention of 'primary target', and the arrival of a map to reveal where they were going. He wasn't some sort of die hard fanatic, but even he was more than a bit taken off guard when it revealed that it was headed for the capital of the Imperium. Needless to say that was a bad thing, since it meant approximately everyone would be shooting at them, something he didn't want as a man who preferred stealth rather than force, and because he wanted to enjoy a decent life span that went past this point.

The twins weren't proving to be of much help at the moment, so Alex was once again left to fumble and try to handle things as best he could. "Well.....stop, desist, deactivate, retarget?" Hopefully one of those would work, though he didn't have high hopes without having the passcode to make this thing listen to him. But he had to try, and so he did.

~Solanne and Titania~

A cough and a glare was Titania’s reaction to the Monkey’s tricks and ploys, the smoke doing well to give her just a bit of time to think of a plan. She didn’t know who was coming but given that they were close to the Imperium’s capital, it must be a high-ranking official. Thus, she waved away the smoke cloud, only to see none other than a fellow general standing before them.

General Stark Zealot, the right hand of Yggdrasil himself. Probably not the best greeting, especially now that his sights were on Axon. Thankfully Titania had already straightened herself up, giving a nod to the other general with curtness.

“Greetings Stark Zealot. Just the man I was looking for. We come to bring a message to Yggdrasil of the Knights of Ragnorak,” she said, trying not to glance over at Axon to see how he was holding up. As a former servant of Yggdrasil, he would have encountered Stark more times than most of anyone else and not for reasons that ended in Stark using his blade.

“To what business do I disturb my master with?” Stark Zealot asked, though by the tone of his voice he was directing the question right at Axon. Figures he’d go for the technically fired employee first.

Back at Eleonor’s Chateau, Solanne had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. Not only was Lorelai preaching about a highly corrupt government, but she was acting like the Imperium had wept and bled for the sake of the people. But she kept her tongue at ease because she didn’t feel like getting into a match of ideologies at the moment.

“Yeah, I’m coming,” she said, urging her steed onward to catch up to the other two. There wasn’t really much for her to contribute so she rode on in peace. Though the Crimson Hound did wonder if her special friend would be joining them on this journey or if they would be traveling alone for now.

---

After traveling for some time through the thick forest the three finally found the tree line that ended the sea of green and opened up to the mountain pass where the mighty Fort Orello stood. Jessi stood for a moment and let the familiar sight sink in. Though the others undoubtedly saw it simply as military base built upon ancient ruins, Jessi saw the old stone walls that were his childhood. ”Home, sweet home.” He spoke to himself softly. He had not been back here since he first left to the academy all those years ago. He almost felt guilty his return to it was not a social one, but then again that was the life of a soldier and he was lucky to be back at all.

”Hey,” Jessi shook his bag as he continued walking, trying to wake up the slumbering cat inside. ”We’re here, time to wake up. You didn’t think I wouldn’t notice my bag was about a cat heavier did you?”

Once Si was awake his eyes returned to the gates of the Fort, only now that they were closer did Jessi realize that there were no guards armed patrolling the outside. ”That’s strange, there should always be a team on the ground. The only reason everyone would be inside is if there was an immediate threat...Chen, you and the other Librarians didn’t run into anyone else before us did they?”

Before he could answer, a messenger came barreling toward them and quickly filled the party in on the current situation. Jessi quickly glanced to both Chen and Fei before responding authoritively, ”Report back to the Commander and let her know we are willing to help in anyway we can.”

@BlueAjah@floodtalon@KoL

---

Chen walked with Jessi and Fei until they reached a area of ruins, with a military base built atop it. Jessi muttered something to himself and Chen glanced at him. "Did you have something to say? Its rude to mutter." Chen intoned with no emotion whatsoever.

Jessi shook his bag and woke up Si, annoying Chen slightly. There was no reason to do that, Lady Si needed her rest after all.

Jessi asked about anyone Chen had encountered before them and Chen shook his head. "You should listen more carefully during briefings. I specifically mentioned the elves who had attacked me with the Yellow Relic during it." Chen sighed and looked at the messenger.

"Which way did they go and do you know if they had any distinguishing characteristics? Something that marks who they belong to or physical features."
@Awesomoman64@KoL@BlueAjah

Coughing as if to announce something, Tori was bent over as she dragged her way into the room. The damned swarm almost got her and despite the apparent arrogance of the cough, the cause was far more physical. Seeing the galactic array of technology, Tori was left panting, eyes gleaming in excitement, while supporting herself as her white cloak tactfully covered any injuries.

“Fascinating… AI, what is your designation? Define your primary mission parameters and report status of all systems after performing a basic scan of your current functionality” if there was any chance to gain some semblance of control of this… well she couldn’t rightly call it a temple any more, regardless controlling the vehicle meant not accidentally crashing or destroying any of these floating isles. Saving the Imperium would be useful too. They sign the pay check and provide the grants. Resources are unbelievably useful for research, who knew? There is absolutely no way Tori could let her benefactor be destroyed!

“AI, please display all non-classified information stored in your memory banks as well. Including archived topological data for the surrounding area as far back as your records possess” Tori’s lust for knowledge finally greatly outweighed the need to… immediately take care of the threat. Especially if she could determine if the temple was always airborne or if there was some kind mass disruption resulting in the current archipelago.

"Hey... Alex? Where are the twins? I don't want them to die... I really don't want to confront their mother..."

@Flamelord @KoL

"I got caught, guh." Si said in her characteristically drowsy voice, spooking the hell out of the messenger, as Jessi quite literally let the cat out of the bag. "They have gone after the fey, I can sense it... guh." The cat fairy replied to both Chen and Jessi's question while the messenger said, "In-indeed, Sir, they went deep in the forest. They had no markings or distinguishable insignias, only thing our scouts reported is that their leader wears black armor and carries a two handed sword."

Upon listening to Jessi's command, the messenger left for the fort, leaving them to their own devices as Si finally decided to morph back into her humanoid form. "They must be seeking the Relic... guh. Or... trying to come after us... since I didn't reported back... guh" The cat fairy said, before falling silent again as she waited for Jessi and Chen's reply.


Eleonor's group would reach Infinitum in the dead of the night. The Crimson Knight wore a traveler's mantle, with the hood covering her face in an effort to remain inconspicuous as they traversed the back alleys until reaching the Cathedral, where the Priestess Antonia was in deep concentration, even in this dark hour. "O, Divine, please guide your children of this Shattered World; pour your blessings on all across the land."

The priestess' voice echoed through the desolate cathedral, even when none could listen. "Even though the doors of the House of the Divine are open to all, at any time, may I ask the reason of your visit?" Antonia asked, interrupting her prayers, as she noticed the approaching group. "The weight of your sins might be great, but if you have faith in the Divine's mercy, Salvation will come to you." Antonia said in a condescending voice, though she didn't seem to have meant it any ill to them, just the normal way clergy is used to act.



"TEMPORARY HALT ORDERS ACCEPTED. STATE YOUR OBJECTIVES." The girl asked as she listened to Alex's order to stop. If he looked around he would see that even the twins seemed to been quiet, perhaps because they were surprised with Tori's sudden return. In fact, Tori's orders for the girl to present whatever information she had would be met with a declaration of "COMMAND ACCEPTED, UNIT ID: NEBULA. TRANSMITTING ALL NON-CLASSIFIED DATA TO THE MAIN SCREEN." With this, a wealth of lore was displayed on the holographic screen, maps, images and sounds, including a detailed description of Arcadia's geographic features, however all of that seemed rather strange, as if it wasn't information of this world.

"Maybe, this information is from before the Shattering, the time before the Great Beast rose and destroyed the Old World?" Linea theorized. However, before any of them could say or do anything else, they felt a great rumble shake the entire temple.

"CRITICAL DAMAGE TO THE STRUCTURE. THE EFFECTS OF TIME HAVE WORN DOWN THE STRUCTURE, MAIN REACTOR CANNOT HOLD IDEAL FUSION CONDITIONS. COLLAPSE OF THE STRUCTURE IS UNAVOIDABLE. WAITING HANDLER INPUT." The girl said another long string of machine like instructions, with utter calm even as the rumble only got stronger. By now, the space like illusion they were in up to a minute ago was dismissed abruptly, in its place, they were now inside of a huge stone hall with carvings depicting that very same space. Behind the girl, where the nebula was, stood a stone arc filled with swirly energy, a portal lading to the unknown. And, behind the group the were the same three doorways, depicting the Sun, Moon and Stars, that they used to reach this place eventually.

Independent of the size and magnificence of the structure, Linea said as she continued to dodge falling stones. "I dunno about you, Tori and Alex, but when things start to fall on our heads, it's generally a good time to get the hell outta a dungeon." The fox girl pointed to the doorways. "By the way, don'tcha think that thing on the girl's staff kinda looks like the Blue Relic?"

---

The surprise at the girl actually listening to what Alex was saying was overwhelmed by the surprise of Tori suddenly appearing again, after having been lost for so long. "Where did you get off to," he asked in confusion. She certainly hadn't been with them in the last room, and he hadn't seen her go off on her own while they were running for their lives.

"They're over there," he said as he gestured to the duo before looking back to the girl that was waiting for them to tell her what to do. It was very weird, and while he did like to think he was good at adapting, this thing was a bit outside of his area of experience, to say the least.

But hey, it seemed to be working out. If by 'working out', one meant that the giant robot that they were in appeared to be at the point of practically falling apart, but its own description. He wasn't certain, but it was easy enough to agree that that was a bad thing. Especially if this main reactor went up. He wasn't confident in his ability to be explosion proof in a pinch.

"Yes, yes it does," he said to the twins before looking forward once again. "Begin emergency shut down," he suggested to the girl even as he slipped forward. "I'll also be taking this." With that he grabbed for the thing atop her staff before pulling back, ready to make his escape from this place. They had something, though whether it proved to be valuable remained to be seen.

Axon walked and paced himself along with the two women as they traveled their path towards the Imperium. His voice wasn't added to the chatter that mainly Měihóu provided. His mind was elsewhere and despite the rather tilted and obscure conversation he had with Asgard his mind was not on that 'talk', but instead something far different and actually taxing on him. Though his thoughts were broken when Titania made note of a possible traveler...

That interesting ppart happened when Měihóu essentially wrote in the air and then blew up into a cloud of smoke and sparks. The odd and rather unexpected show making him flinch and take his hands from his pockets to protect his eyes with a forearm before promptly putting his hand back into his pocket.

At the clearing of the chaos, the calming of the wildlife around, and of course the absence of Měihóu, Axon looked ahead to see a rather familiar face in the shape of General Stark Zealot. Though given the rather... tepid circumstances of his disappearance and the most likely now known betrayal of him against Yggdrasil. Yet despite all of this he still couldn't help bringing his usual jovial and calm demenour to the table by saying, "Hey Stark. We're just a little concerned about him is all. Been hearing tons of terrible things and as you can imagine we're all a little concerned, me especially! It's always a damn shame when Dad gets sick."

Lorelai was not one with much love for the cloak and dagger methods they found themselves favoring, but she could take a hint from Eleonor and use some discretion in their mission. She could not hope to hold anywhere near the fame of the Crimson Knight, or infamy of the Crimson Hound, but she still chose to cover her armor in a shabby burlap raiment to conceal the blackened steels and fur lined cloak she often wore. For the sake of remaining conspicuous her partner had to remain outside the city, as it was certain that a creature as peculiar as Durgan would be connected to their partner instantly.

They entered the church and found themselves greeted by priestess whose words were as a balm to the weary Abyssal Knight. Witnessing a kind, pious soul such as Antonia could only be proof that the Imperium still did good for its people and that not all of its ranks succumbed to treachery.

"Greetings Priestess. It does our hearts good to know that the faith shall watch over us in these times we occupy." The hood of her cloak was drawn back now that they were free of prying eyes, or so she believed, anyway. Reverence clouded her gaze as it swept along the stained glass and carved marble, painstaking masterpieces formed to praise the Divine for all she had bestowed upon them. Almost as though in spite of the hardships placed before her, this Cathedral still bore the innocence which strengthened her faith in the Imperator's reign just as working beside Eleonor buoyed her faith in the righteousness of the Crimson Knight.

Lorelai hoped this feeling would last after their introductions, and more importantly, that Solanne did not sully this moment with her typical barbarism. Sadly, she knew that it would not. "Forgive me for being so forward, but we have come to learn your life and the sanctity of this Cathedral are in danger. Forces running counter to the Divine desire something of great import you possess, and will stop at nothing to possess it. If we can remove it from their path, the Infinitum will be sans a Cathedral and all it within soon enough."

~Solanne and Titania~

Titania was convinced Axon had been dropped as a kid because being so open with General Stark was destined to give them a punishment of sorts. She was half-tempted to whack him across the head with her weapon, the presence of Stark being the only thing stopping her. So for now she waited and watched with bated breath, eyes nervously flicking to the armor-clad warrior.

For his part, Stark did not reply immediately and when he did, it was with his usual robotic stoic tone. He stared at Axon for a few moments before saying, “Is that so? In that case, it might be best to bring you both to Yggdrasil directly. I’m sure whatever business you may have with him can be discussed in his quarters.” And with that he turned away, expecting the duo to follow at once.

General Titania once again resisted the urge to react, mainly giving herself a sigh of relief while glaring at Axon. That had been too close and this was most obviously a trap. But what choice did they have now? They couldn’t outright refuse to follow Stark or try and explain their need to meet with Yggdrasil. No, they would have to see where things went from here, Titania taking the first step forward. Also…what was that about Axon and his father? Surely he and Yggdrasil couldn’t be….?

Little did they know that Eleonor’s group was nearby, albeit having made their way to the Imperium’s Grand Cathedral. Solanne too had taken on the cloak of secrecy, though she had to roll her eyes when she noticed Lorelai was still wearing her darkened armor underneath. Could she not forgo the get-up for a single day? This was a mission of espionage after all, something an assassin like her excelled at.

In any case, the three women would enter the church and be greeted by none other than the priestess Antonia. Listening to her words, Solanne couldn’t help but note the presumptuous tone in her voice, no doubt something that would go right over Lorelai’s head. As if the Church really cared for the welfare of the people….

“More specifically, we’re searching for a Legend Relic. We have indication that it might be lying nearby,” she offered, seeing as Lorelai couldn’t just get to the point already. “Can you show us the way priestess?”

---

Axon stood his ground and when Stark spoke about bringing them directly to Yggdrasil he smiled a wee bit before turning to Titania to see what was essentially a death stare. "What? What I say? You're the one with the message I'm just here because I look pretty." Turning back to face Stark he spoke up again, "I'll be honest I haven't heard much from Dad in an age. I'm just here because I have a habit of finding pretty girls who want to hurt me. But you know all about that huh? Remember that time I came back into the office after meeting with Alice?" He continued lifting up his shirt a bit to reveal a really odd looking scar that know practical weapon could have made. "I honestly didn't think a fork would hurt that much. Thanks for patching me up though, tell me do I still owe you that beer or did I get you back and just forget that night?"

Following his friendly bout he lowered his shirt and pocketed his hands again. One thing he missed about working for Yggdrasil was General Stark. He was always a good man and while rather stoic and monotoned he was a good boss to have. Friendly and kind... in a "I could kill you all if I wanted to but you guys aren't so bad." Kind of way. Regardless, it sucked to not be able to get wasted with a robot.

"Sorry I know it's been a bit. If you don't mind me asking, how's Dad been?" Was his last note being directed towards Stark as a closer for his quick bit and jovial conversation regardless of how Titania was looking at him.

@TheWindel@FrozenPhoenix

Měihóu Niángniang

Měihóu waited until she was well out of line of sight before transforming into a bird and making her way towards their collective objective in a wishy washy back and forth "possibly looking for prey" kind of way. Occasionally she we dip back to be able to see a "Still walking?" level of detail from her great height, but otherwise she stayed away from the group.

Upon reaching their location, Měihóu hunted down a larger rodent, one large enough that a hawk eating it on the ground rather than carrying it away to a perch. This way she'd be able to keep an eye out for the team's arrival. And then think of something fast.

~Please let no one want to hunt hawks for sport around here... Or have animal related tomes... Blaugh, even with how perfect my transformations are, there's so many ways I could get caught.~

Fei stood silent for a moment outside before Chen and Jessi eventually followed her out. Taking a deep breath, she left herself slip back into her old skin and momentarily forget the turmoil raging in her mind. She needed to focus and family drama would only slow her down. Traveling with both Chen and Jessi would require her utmost attention, as well. She could already feel her annoyance rising up.

"I hope we can put the past behind us, it would be highly disadvantageous if we let former allegiances cloud our judgement after all." Chen spoke as he came outside. Raising her eyebrow, Fei simply nodded. It seemed so strange to think that only a few hours ago, this boy had a knife to her neck. She’d be damned if she let something so ridiculous happen again.

Following Chen, Jessi finally stepped out of the manor. A slight smile rose on her face at his presence, her thoughts lingering back to the kiss they had recently shared. Despite the chaos going on with both her family and the world, Fei felt more at ease when Jessi was around. Not that she couldn’t survive on her own, Fei was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

Jessi’s eyes met with Chen and a rather salty comment escaped his lips. ”As long as no one here is planning any more kidnappings then I’m willing to work with you. But that doesn’t mean I’m ready to trust you just yet.”

Sighing, Fei prepared herself for an incredibly long journey ahead. How she had somehow become the sane one in a group was beyond her. “Look you two, I don’t want to listen to any shit talk during this trip. We’re here to find the relic, not argue about the past.” Flipping her crimson hair, Fei began walking toward their destination.

---

The group eventually arrived at Fort Orello, and what would normally have been a beautiful military based seemed like a silent resting place. No guards patrolled the outside and an unsettling feeling began to rise in Fei. The reality of this mission hadn’t truly settled in until now. They had a duty to find this relic and burn any obstacles that might come their way, otherwise, people could die. This wasn’t gym practice in the academy where she could make as many mistakes as she wanted...

A few moments later a messenger shot out toward them and begged for the team’s help. Crossing her arms, Fei stayed silent as Jessi spoke to the boy. Part of Fei was slightly disappointed that the keep couldn’t handle a few pesky mercenaries but not wanting to upset Jessi, she forced the comment under her tongue.

“A black armored warrior with two handed sword, hmm?” Fei cracked her knuckles in excitement as a tinky trickle of fire danced above her head. “Sounds like the perfect way to let off some steam.”

@Awesomoman64@floodtalon@KoL