Sigh, why don't I ever get to do any of the work my dad is doing all the time. He just doesn't let me do anything for his tax collecting. Just wait till he grows to old! I'll take over his business sometime!

Kato gniffled whilst sitting on a expensive looking pieces of furniture. He had to enjoy himself somehow for the whole day. He didn't particularly have anything to do at home except for honing his skills and learning. He sort of had to watch the house together with his guards. An old looking gentleman in suit entered the living room with a serving plate in his one hand and a towel folded over his arm. He had a nice looking moustache and his hairs brushed towards the back looking like he was in his sixties.



The butler nonchalantly replied back as he poured the cup full that was standing on the table. Kano gave him a smile as the butler walked away and sipped his tea before getting up and getting over towards the giant piano. He sat down placed his cup on the top of the piano and played away.

Looking at the two, neither of them would see the smile under Malakaus's helmet. The girl, Chieko, was cocky but had spirit. The boy Ryan was at least honest, and aware of his shortcomings enough to not let them excuse his ignorance. If there was one thing Malakaus hated most, it was people who knew what their weakness was but never sought a solution to fix them. Joining the knights would be a risky venture, but a step in the right direction for Ryan. "Heh. I was the same myself. So sure of myself, believing that all I needed was my blade and the will the fight. But there's more to knighthood then simply using a sword. You have to learn how to please the common folk, as well as nobility, and find a way to make yourself useful in peacetime. Your blade should be your final resort; do not rely on it if you do not intend to take a live." But giving warnings wasn't really Malakaus's style. He preferred a more... Active teaching method. "But rest assure you both will need a lot of work. Your first lessons would, of course, be to educate yourself about the local language, customs, and geography. Don't expect these lessons to be free. You will earn your keep. And gods willing, I'll put you to work." The orc chuckled before turning towards Maria.

"Unfortunately that is not for me to decide. You are Knight Commander Maria's guests. And ultimately, your fate is in her hands. I must leave to make arrangements for later. I will remain in the city for a short while, but tonight I shall leave on a quest. If you're interested in more, ask Maria after I meet with her. I would not wish to sway you any further than I already have." Malakaus bowed his head towards the two and bid them farewell, and did the same towards Maria, Tani, and Eris. Malakaus would arrange a meeting with Maria later when she wasn't busy, so for now Malakaus some much needed rest and repairing.

Leaving the Iron Bell HQ he could already hear Atisha arguing with the guards at the gate. He rushed towards them before things could become violent, trying to calm the situation. "Hold there! She is with me. Please excuse her poor attitude. I intend to fix that." Malakaus's glare could be seen even from underneath his helmet. "Come along now. We have preparations to make."

@KoL@liferusher@ADamnFiddle@Heckno12@Rune_Alchemist

---

Atisha quickly crossed the rooftops through the city and reached the main road with ease. From there getting to the castle was as simple as following the road, which Atisha could not fail even if she tried. A few people gave her odd looks, at least the ones fast enough to actually notice her, and soon she arrived to the front gates. Now a more devious person might think to find a way around the gate instead of dealing with all the guards, and indeed Atisha certainly could figure out a way to subvert their defenses and break in. But what would that speak of her character? That she would be so devious to sneak about like a thief, instead of being hospitable and taking the entrance? She sneered at those who thought themselves clever to break into people's homes and lodgings and expect some sort of respect for demonstrating their roguish talents. To Atisha such things reeked of vanity and unworthiness.

Unfortunately, Atisha's honor didn't always mean she did things the best or easiest way. When she arrived to the gates she tried to gain entrance by claiming to be an associate with Malakaus Firebeard, one of the knights of the capital. The guards however were understandably mistrustful; why should they simply believe the words of a mysterious, masked warrior? They asked to see her face and remove her hood, but Atisha refused. She knew that no one trusted elves. Of course, not removing her masks only made them even more distrustful and immediately they told her to turn back the way she came. "What? No. I am here to see Malakaus Firebeard, one of your knights! He and I have been traveling for some time now and I am to meet him here at the Iron Bell headquarters. I have no reason to reveal you anything further then that!" Atisha spoke with defiance, a common tone with her.

Fortunately before the guards drew their blades Malakaus did arrive. He apologized for Atisha's behavior, and when he glared at her, Atisha met with a glare of her own. She did not appreciate being treated like someone else responsibility; she would have been able to get past the guards, one way or another. But he was right; they had things to prepare for. Saving villages from danger wasn't something one rushed into. She'll need proper equipment and knowledge to tackle this threat. "Fine. Lead the way."

@Heckno12
@ADamnFiddle
@Lucius Cypher

Chieko found herself disagreeing with the orc about a few things. The things about honor and educating herself were good, of course. She had intended to do that anyways. How could she possibly hope to fit in if she couldn't read or write? History as well, and any other scholarly things she could get her hands on. It was one of her priorities. She very well couldn't call herself a respectable Knight if she couldn't do any of those things. A knight had to be intelligent and know such things, after all.

The thing about pleasing people, though? Especially the nobility, and using the sword as a last resort? Well that was just absurd. The sword was a symbol of the Knight. A symbol of justice, and above all law. Nobles and common folk were equal in the eyes of the law, and it mattered very little if it 'pleased' anyone. A sword was the representative of the law, and to be used as such. Either for enforcing it in times of peace, or defending it and the people in times of war.

Either way though, the Orc would not dissuade her so easily. She watched as he walked off, prepared for some job or another. She looked over at Maria, giving her an expectant look.

"When do we start?" She seemed at least eager to get things moving sooner rather than later. Chieko had never really been one to sit around and wait for things to happen.



@Heckno12
@Liferusher

Tsuiho silently ran up to the manor, footsteps soundless as she observed the building, peering into one of the windows. No one seemed to be around, save for a servant or two. There shouldn't have been many people around of course, but one could never be too careful. After Jiru's slip up, she had to make certain something hadn't been leaked or foiled. She moved swiftly past the window, heading into a small garden like area - with a door that would be more than easy to sneak into as long as she was quiet and careful. She'd have to find someway to get it open in a way that wouldn't cause too much suspicion.

Of course, the easiest way was simple. See if it was unlocked. You'd be surprised at how many places she got into because people just didn't lock their damn doors properly. Fools, the lot of them. Thankfully for mister Kato it seemed like he was one of the smarter ones. Well, it wasn't going to stop her, though. She needed to get someone to open the side door...there didn't seem to be any servants around the area, so she couldn't steal their keys that they might have, if they'd have them at all. Knocking was of course, out of the question here...

Tsuiho looked around for something she could use while remaining mostly hidden. Something she could use...something she could use...!! A second floor balcony on this side of the house. Chances that it would be unlocked, quite high. Most people didn't think anyone would be able to easily enter from the second floor...and well, most people likely wouldn't be able to. But well, Tsu wasn't just an adorable little fox.

Taking a quick look around to make sure she wouldn't easily be noticed, Tsuiho made good use of her superior acrobatics. Running towards the wall, she grabbed the ledge of a second story window, resting only a second before pushing off with her feet, latching onto the balconies railing and pulling herself up without much of a problem. She walked to the door...and it was open.

She was inside.

Kyle Hishamie

Kyle nearly laughed out loud, but kept his composure. These two women hate him so much right now it is almost comical. So nothing has really changed from this world and his home. His smart mouth and comic relief typically did not make him the life of the party. He was ready to move, to get this whole adventure started but he really didnt know where to go, or what to do. For all his bluster he really was hopeless. Kyle figured he should let Vesta take the rains.

Kyle looked at Vesta and spoke. "Ok....so this clearly is not working out for me huh. I get we just met but you pretty much hate me dont you? Um.....Cant really say my personality will change much so let me say this. I am sorry for offending you in ever way I have. Also I have a question. What is an Appa?"

@lunarlors34@seirei no hai

Ease threw around the bag of coins he had in his right palm in an almost absent minded manner. His eyes were still fixated upon it, but it was almost as if the coins were something else. Something more interesting. He entered that familiar dazed stat he went into when his mind had nothing else to focus on. Random thoughts flowing through that head of his, trying to find a particular one to focus on...Something to put his mind to and to help distr-Then an actual real pair of teeth bore down into his arms skin.

"Pay attention!" "Ow! You little squeaking bastard...That hurt!"

Ratatosk, in a bid to snap him back to the real world, had bitten him once again. He quickly caught the bag of coins that flew into the air as not to lose it, and started to rub the spot the squirrel had bitten. Felt wet...great, he was bleeding. As he gave his companion an annoyed look, Ratatosk simply let out a sigh instead. "You were zoning out again. And we can't have that happening." "And your response every time that happens is to bite me because...?""You're a damn good chewing post." And Ease proceeded to sigh as well. He'd be more bothered if it wasn't for the fact that Ratatosk was right.

Every week, there was a designated day. Well sometimes two days. On that day, Ease was to go and search for any info regarding any recent important activity and how to gain ability to it. On top of that, he also needed to look for info on any news regarding that strange place he called "Earth." And by strange, he meant the normal place that the freaks here would call strange with all their strange tools and scientific witchcraft. At least, that's what he'd assume they'd say if they ever saw it. On top of that, there was another pressing issue. The stone give to him by Ira seemed to be either malfunctioning or in need of a recharge. Or at least according to Ratatosk. They had a temporary stone keeping everything together back home, but that would only last so long. They needed to investigate the more permanent stone soon before that shack becomes nothing but splinters again.

Thankfully the streets seemed lively today and merchants were everywhere and plentiful. One of them had to know how these stones worked. Not to mention, merchants meant customers and customers could be magical in nature. There should be someone that has info on this...

"Why is there such a big crowd?" Ratatosk uttered.

Ease looked up from inspecting his wound to notice a large crowd gathered in a circle for...some strange reason. It seemed they were surrounding something. There seemed to be a lot of talking so maybe an argument or a fight? He went over to a thinner section of the herd to get a better look at the scene. His stature was a saving grace. The sight granted by it made it far easier to see what was going on. It seemed to be 3 women and-" Wait, what the hell?!"

The man standing there was a black haired kid, hair unkempt and ruffled. His face wasn't anything spectacular, but his clothing...they weren't Lugunica. They couldn't be Lugunica clothing. Ease's mind froze for a sec as his mouth went agape. This can't be real. Could this really be happening? "Holy, fu-!"Before he could utter his incredibly loud curse, he was once again bitten by Ratatosk. When he looked down at his annoying offender, he was surprised to see him making a shushing motion with his paw. Oh right. Yelling right now would probably attract bad sorts of attention. Damn you easily excited mind.

And then he realized, "Oh yeah, he looks completely new and is caught in an argument and one weird...horned lady made the thought of fighting him" Shit, how did he get himself in trouble when he seemed so...fresh? Distraction, distraction, distraction. And he just mentioned how they must hate him. God dammit! Only one solution...Ease walked into the center of the crowd and put his best relaxed and cheery face on.

"Oh hey, hey. S'up there man! Been looking for you all over! Oh uh...what's going on? *does a quick jab to Kyle's shoulder* Were you playing jokes again?" Ease said in the most obvious tone he could maintain. He also nonchalantly put his hand to his mouth so only the black haired kid could see and mouthed "roll with it".

@dabombjk @lunarlors34 @seirei no hai @spriggs27

Vesta Celestia

Vesta sighed again at Kyle. However this one was more directed at her own actions than anything else. Maybe she had been too harsh? She wasn't going to show weakness and apologise however it would be unbeneficial to their later interactions if she didn't clear up this misunderstanding.
"It's not that I hate you Mr Hishamie. If I hated you I wouldn't ask for your assistance, nor would I allow you to be in my presence. Personally you haven't offended me, annoyed perhaps but not offended. However on that same note you have yet to do anything to earn my respect and thus I shall grant none to you until such an event occurs." Vesta responded calmly as she noticed someone approaching them from the corner of her eye. Someone with long, flowing soft lavender hair and...horns? They were quite lifelike but Vesta could tell if something was made from metal or not; and these certainly were.
This woman now spoke before she could answer Kyle's question on Appa's, which had made Vesta give him a strange, questioning look. Who didn't know what an Appa was?
Her expression darkened as this unknown woman spoke to her in what she deemed as quite an unrespectful tone. Did this woman know who she was dealing with?
"And who are you perchance to order a Celestia around? I have no quarrel with him which needs to be settled with such one sided violence. You see this man is weak and as far as I can tell has no magic. Fighting him gains me nothing but scorn for beating a defenceless peasant." Vesta responded harshly as she didn't really bother checking out why Zin's eyes had roamed for a moment. She was covered head to toe in flour and blood so Vesta simply assumed that was the reasoning behind that behaviour.
"However I shall introduce myself so as to not contradict myself. I am Vesta Celestia, though I'm sure you've heard of my family at the least." Vesta was completely unaware of Zin's background of having been raised in the forest and thus probably wouldn't have this knowledge otherwise she wouldn't have made that last comment.
However it would seem as Vesta was talking with Zin another person had appeared from the crowd....why? Vesta was starting to get irritated by this now starting to become constant stream of people. She didn't have time for this. However he seemed to know Kyle, but she was too irritated to actually care or pay much attention to him or she probably would've noticed that he didn't actually in fact know him.
"...And who might you be dear sir?" Vesta asked with a deep, heavy exasperated sigh. This was getting on her nerves. All she wanted to do was find Avery, beat the everlasting shit out of him, go home and have a nice, relaxing warm bath. It should never have been this difficult.
Avery was going to be have to make it up to her for the trouble he has put her through.

Kyle Hishamie

Kyle frowned at the arrival of the new man, but being the theatric sum bitch he done did is he played along. As the man threw a small jab to his shoulder, Kyle instinctively caught the jab with his left hand and tossed it back. Kyle suprised himself, not meaning to show any form of reflex like that. Kyle laughed it off.

"I got lost in the crowd and met some interesting people as you can tell. I would have come looking for you,"he said as he motioned towards the elf next to him," but I got into some trouble. Good trouble though. And my new friend Vest here, I promised her I would help her find her assistant."

Kyle helped Blanc to her feet, as Blanc took her time pulling herself. Hopefully she would say something. Then he motioned to Vesta.

"We should probably get moving though."

@seirei no hai@lunarlors34@zekarivoblis

@Lunarlors34@dabombjk @seirei no hai @spriggs27




One of the women spoke up after letting out an annoyed sigh. Ease let out a smile and closed his eyes in a sheepish, but well meaning manner before doing a quick bow. "Just call me a gentleman who likes to make sure his friends are alright is all. Hahaha!" He said with a chuckle towards the end. Hopefully that was enough to sate curiosity without having to give a name. He didn't think they were untrustworthy off the bat but if anything in the next 5 minutes goes down that'll lead to him getting an ass whooping, he'd at least wanna make it hard for them to find him.

The moment the boy mentioned about getting in "good trouble," Ease inwardly grated his teeth. Good trouble my ass. If I showed up any later, your face would be flying halfway across the town. He thought to himself.

As the black haired guy helped the elf to her feet, Ease couldn't help but stare for a split sec. Huh...While they were obviously different in appearance, she did remind him of Ira a bit. Then again, him and facial recognition are also 50/50. Ignoring that, he gave the boy a light slap on the back with a smile. "Speaking of gentleman, good on you helping the lady up. Good on ya."

After mentioning the name of the girl who asked his name, he let out another bow. "Ah, I understand. If you still need any help Ms. Vest, I'll be but a moment with him. I'll gladly assist." He motioned for Kyle as he began to walk before letting out a sigh the moment as his back was turned. Please for the love of Christ, don't let anything else go wrong. He had a metric ton of questions to ask this kid and he barely knew where to begin. He can't have anything bad happening to him...Not now. He felt Ratatosk's furry head emerge from his jacket's front and look back.

Seems the little rodent was making sure everything was clear for whatever reason. Still kind of reassuring for Ease at least.

Zin watched as the guy started saying that the silver haired woman hated him, then she listened to the woman admit that she didn't hate him but seemed to dislike him and not really respect him. Zin didn't interrupt the conversation and waited for both of them to be finished and when the silver-haired woman said she was being ordered around by Zin, the horned woman cocked her head to the side with a straight face." Ordered you ? I never ordered you around and I don't order people around, I was merely giving you a suggestion to end this confrontation." Suddenly another guy arrived to speak with the guy named Hishamie, Zin just watched as the guy playfully threw a playful punch that was caught by Hishamie.

The moment Vesta introduced herself to the dragon woman, the name didn't ring any bells or sound familiar to her." Nothing about your names sound familiar to me and I don't know your family." Zin told her. Seeing the two guys getting along and almost seeming friendly then looking back to the blood splattered Vesta." Well, this seems as if it gotten boring quickly, I was expecting a fight to test my weapon or skill on someone." Zin spoke to Vesta." You should probably get cleaned up Vesta Celestia." Zin collected the mix of blood and flour onto a single gloved finger and tasted the mix." You could catch a cold and get sick."

@liferusher
Addison watched on with a little bit of longing in her eyes as Hamaguchi entertained her siblings. When would she be able to see her own family again? This question kept forcing its way into her mind, causing her to become slightly detached from the moment. Was there even a way? Sure, magic exists in this world, but to what extent? And what of her friends, her comrades, those wounded crying out to be res-

"Did you think of anything to do in the capital? Any plans?"

Hamaguchi's question yanked Addison back to reality. Yes, she needed to prioritize. Figure out how to survive, then figure out how to get home. As for the question at hand, Addison had been thinking on that during their walk here. If Hamaguchi was correct about healers and herbalists, then with Addison's very modern understanding of medicine, she might be able to make some serious money. Maybe...

"Well, I'm not entirely sure. Despite having no knowledge of healing... magic (Addison still couldn't believe she meant that literally), I'm actually very knowledgeable in healing. So I might do something along those lines... But I'm not really certain how to exactly go about that..." She said with a sigh and a tired grin. Addison still only had a rudimentary grasp on how things worked around here. "For starters though, I would like to know how the money works around here. From currency to the structure of the economy. Since, as I'm sure you can tell, I'm not from anywhere like this place, this all very new to me. So I guess I need information first and foremost."

---

---

Down the streets walked a young, very delusional man.

His determined stride was prompted by the need to eradicate a foe of the entire world, a being of absolute evil that existed purely to bring suffering and despair upon those they crossed paths with, and who deserved nothing but the swiftest, most harsh justice. Yes, this foul person would strike fear into the hearts of many under their moniker, "Demon Lord Henry Ford". The final showdown that Aleph Banton had been training for since he was a teen was arriving quickly, and nothing could stand in his way.

He smirked confidently upon seeing a gathering, ignoring anything that wasn't his target as he neared people that formed it. When he had first learned of their presence being so close to him, he was both skeptical and nervous. Could the Demon Lord really be hiding out in the open like this? And that is when it hit him --- Of course! Where else but right before someone's very eyes should somebody conceal themselves? It was a brilliant strategy by a horrendous person, but such is to be expected of the World's Enemy. Aleph was also, for a few admittedly weak moments, unsure if he was completely ready to challenge his greatest foe just yet. However, he began to realize that the Demon Lord had fed on such weakness, and that the longer he had waited to destroy the evil, the stronger it would inevitably become. To that end, he decided that there could be no delaying this battle of good and evil. His triumph would need to happen in haste.

But how did Aleph gain such important information on the whereabouts and appearance of the end-game villain, you ask? Well... it all started like this.....

....

....

....

The day had started out relatively normal, despite the world-shattering events that would soon unfold. Aleph Banton had awoken sometime earlier in the morning and ate breakfast that the innkeeper had kindly provided him. When he was done, he immediately retrieved his equipment (namely a sword, his gold, and a few other miscellaneous items) and went off to begin his daily routine, which consisted of cardio exercise, training with his blade, and also patrolling his general area for minions of the Demon Lord. Quite honestly, aside from some altercation that involved some strangers running into each other, nothing had really caught his attention. Just the usual goings of what one would expect. It was very quiet. But Aleph had thought that maybe it was too quiet. And that thought was correct! Later in the day, he was approached by a young woman who pleaded for his help in saving her boyfriend, who was apparently lying in a pool of his own blood in a dark alleyway. Little did Aleph know at the time, however, was that she was setting him up for a trap, one that was intended to take his very life! Aside from a man playing the role of an injured boyfriend, two men lay wait in ambush, preparing to strike Aleph down as he attempted to check up on the guy.

As luck would have it, however, Aleph managed to trip on some trash that was on the floor just in time to stumble forwards, both dodging the hidden blow and delivering one strong, albeit accidental, blow of his own. With one thug down, that left only two to fight him (the woman never joined the fight, so presumably she couldn't) and since he was prepared, the fight was... well, won effortlessly. Good trumps evil, after all.

Aleph knew just what had happened. Why he was attacked, why they were doing all of this. It was shameful to admit, but even the Demon Lord's influences had been reaching his fellow humans! Weak-willed people were the easiest to control after all. Because they had fallen to evil, they were no longer the people of his race he had sworn to protect, and so he proceeded to interrogate them one by one.

They weren't the easiest to crack. They insisted on knowing absolutely nothing of Henry Ford's plans or his whereabouts, but they ran out of lies as soon as he pointed his blade to their throats. Because in actuality these people were literally just thugs, they couldn't give the actual location of the Demon Lord that didn't really exist, let alone the one they didn't work for, so they likely just played along to get out of their situation. They named a specific city, with the additional information that the Demon Lord wore some strange clothing that set them apart from the rest of society. And that was all Aleph needed to know. Leaving the thugs, Aleph began his search for his nemesis and the fight that would determine the fates of everybody in this world, and possibly others!

....

....

....

And that's why Aleph Banton now stood in front of some black-haired boy wearing clothes that obviously weren't from anywhere nearby. though by this point he pretty much had to force his way in. It made sense, really. Though there were other candidates in this very place that fit the description of "strange clothing", the others pretty much couldn't be the Demon Lord. Some others did seem a bit strange, but as far as clothes went, this young man had them beat.

Truth be told, the biggest, most awful, most obvious sign of a Demon Lord had to be that out of every person here in this gathering of people, this black-haired young man felt like some big jerk right off the bat. It was merely a feeling, of course, but since this man had to be the Demon Lord, that wasn't too far from the truth, was it? And so, knowing whom his enemy was, Aleph had confidently made his way towards the man (who would likely later be identified as Kyle) and introduced himself, blatantly either ignoring or interrupting anybody else that tried to speak. This was his time to shine.

And it was only proper that the evil to be vanquished would know just who the hero was.

"So we meet at last..." Aleph's right hand, the bandaged one, clenched as he spoke. "... Henry Ford!" before the young man could even say anything, Aleph continued. "I have been searching for so long, waiting for the time where we could meet and here you are, in the middle of a street I would not have thought twice to look were it not for your agents of despair! So here must be where we make battle? I guess it matters not for the result will be the same!"

Aleph's body language quite clearly showed that he was more than prepared to draw his blade on a moment's notice, but he had not done so just yet. At the very least, he would probably not draw on his own unless something provoked him or until after his speech, whichever came first. It would also be moderately clear by how he stood that he had some form of stance.

"Your evil ways shall end here, Demon Lord! I, chosen Hero Aleph Banton, shall end your pitiful attempts at ending humanity." he then glanced towards the three different woman around, who all also gave off some weird air. Plus, they looked weird. One was an elf, a race whom was said to be evil incarnate. With some sort of mixture between blood and some white powder, he almost wondered if one was a ghost or apparition of some kind. Worst yet was the horned lady, who seemed to be devouring the flakes of the ghost's decaying body! Wait, how does a ghost decay? Though such thoughts entered Aleph's mind, they were quickly shot back by the need to continue the dialogue along, for only then could the two of them fight to the death to determine the fate of the world!

"And whom might these three be?" he asked, motioning towards each lady individually. To him, at least, they seemed most connected to him out of the group that had formed. Perhaps others were merely bystanders caught up? "Worthless underlings of yours? If they're at your side, then maybe they're your generals? I see. Then I won't have to worry about the cleanup later." the look Aleph gave the three woman was clearly one that suggested he considered them beneath him, particularly the horned woman who obviously looked the most demonic of the trio. But, why wouldn't he? At best, they were nothing more than power-hungry minions of a pathetic Demon Lord in Aleph's eyes. He had defeated many stronger-looking foes before. As far as he was concerned, they would be minor inconveniences in this battle to come, for the only true threat was the Demon Lord, Henry Ford.

A.K.A Kyle.

"What say you, scum?"

Ease watched as the horned woman began to address the other woman." Well, this seems as if it gotten boring quickly, I was expecting a fight to test my weapon or skill on someone. Well, one things for certain. This chick is either crazy or the resident fight thirster. Neither of which he was really intent on finding out, but better know now then learn it later. Wait...she also mentioned the other woman's name. Vesta Celestia...that name rung a bell for some reason. She definitely isn't someone I've met before. Her face doesn't seem familiar at all. Then did I possibly hear her mentioned previously? Keep note of her and the name. Might be important.

Just as when it seemed as though he could finally address the issue at hand(for him at least), came some man dressed in green coming through the crowd. Well, more like shouting through it.

"So we meet at last... Henry Ford!"

Son of multiple whores!

He swiveled around to see a man seemingly addressing the black haired boy he tried getting the hell out of here. Who knows their kid after the car maker guy anyway? Ratatosk brought his head up towards the man dressed in green, almost as if trying to survey the situation. Which, judging by Ease's own perched up eyebrow, he was trying to do something similar in hopes to hopefully get more information on just who this kid was and, apparently, who the man in green was.

He proceed to go on about how he had searched long and hard for this boy and talking about his apparent attempts to end humanity. The man seemed obviously steadfast in these beliefs as he was prepared to challenge the boy right there and then and definitely prepared to retaliate against him with full force. He brought notice to the 3 women, as well, interrogating on whether these 3 were henchmen to whatever scheme he had and practically stating that despite their presence, he would not waver. His face had determination within it as he spoke these words and seemed prepared for a battle to end all battles.

Naturally, Ease's face and response were appropriate for such a situation.

"I...Is he on fucking crack?"

He looked at him with eyes and a look that practically screamed "what" with his mouth held open in disbelief. He'd probably be more annoyed if it wasn't for the fact that he was confused beyond all belief and judging by a few murmurs from the crowd and some of the having similar looks of disbelief, he wasn't alone whatsoever.

@dabombjk@lunarlors34@seirei no hai@Spriggs27@famishedpants

The new girl that got captured by Yoshinobu walked out of the back again with entirely different clothes. Aya was caught a little off guard by the new outfit. The mini dress wasn't all too bad but the ears and tail were something entirely different. Aya stood up from her seat and placed one hand on the table to bend herself forwards slightly. Her finger was pointed at Avery as her voice rose.



Aya looked a little irritated on the fact that Avery was dressed like that and still enjoyed to wear it. Couldn't they just have swapped clothes instead of both wearing something stupid like this. Well there might have been a small problem with chest size in the clothes. Avery had close to none. Poor girl, well who was she to speak, Aya was close to none too.

How did Avery get those items actually. Aya guessed this world didn't have any of those let stand batteries. It was all a little strange. Maybe she had robbed someone of those items that came from their world too? Ugg more otakus around.

Aya turned over now being completely done with Avery indicating her clearly annoyed expression. She folded both her arms over each other as the next one came at her. She heard the boy from before speaking to her again and turned his way only to find the boy kneeling before her like some sort of knight. Aya raised a brow at the strange scene.



Her look seemed to be somewhat down looking on the boy like she was the bigger part here now. The boy told her he was sorry for his words. Aya's face grew a little flustered but she didn't drop the act.





When dressing Avery up she noticed that Avery didn't think his costume was completely done yet. Yoshinobu looked up at the boy with a surprised look. She didn't think he would wish for more but apparently he had prepared a little for it already. He got out cat ears and a tail that moved on their own. Creepy... but she couldn't judge what he liked. Yoshinobu flashed him a sweet smile as he went out to the front of the building again to meet his friend. Yoshinobu walked in after him and laughed a little at the sight of how happy Avery was to show him and tease the other boy. Yoshinobu went over to the large pot of stew again and looked up at everyone.



She particularly looked at the newcomers since they didn't get any yet.

Kyle Hishamie

All of Kyle's life he has been labeled. When he was nothing more than a child, he was labeled a loser without people so much as speaking a single word to him. This did not dampen his spirits at the time, but it did confuse him. How could people be like that, his child mind wondered. When he was a preteen/young teenager he was labeled punk. Someone who smoked, did drugs, partied, and used women. At first he was none of those things. Hell until 14 he was a vergin. Part of it was how he dressed, but that wasnt his fault he could not afford really nice clothes so he wore a lot of hand me downs. He like have long hair and wearing his beanie. He did not mean to look like any one thing, but after time passed he realized rolling with the punches made the punches land softer. Now he was a young adult, but nothing has changed.

Right now it appeared the same thing was happening. A random man, AGAIN WHAT THE FUCK, has appeared before him and labeled him. Well this time it was actally something interesting so Kyle knew he could not be that mad. Kyle looked the stranger up and down, and determined that he was nothing to get worked up about. He knew that he had a few options here. He could go with what the first new guy was saying, and call the second new guy out. He should be polite, he knew this and if he was maybe Blanc and Vesta would approve and not hate him as much. I mean Vesta said she didnt but.....she still gave him that look that everyone else in his life did. Those people who judged him before he even spoke. Maybe thats why he likes to joke and mess around. It was because since people already were judging him, who would not care what other people thought. This saddened him slightly, because this was a new world and Vesta was....slightly cute. So was Blanc, but she was flippin out about something called Appa's. Maybe there are similiar to apples?

Kyle could also play his usual card, and joke about this or go along with it. If he joked about it, it would not make him any friends but he would laugh and feel good about. If he went along with it then he had a chance to see how this come back after death thing works. Although.....after he returned alive he had not felt right entirely. Barely enough to notice and to someone who isnt as in touch with their emotions they probably would not have noticed. But he felt....slightly unsettled. He could not explain it. Kyle made his decision.

Kyle sighed, then put on his best evil face. He pretended to hide his face with his arm, Dracula style.

"So you have found me, brave warrior? Yessss....yessss.....clearly you are someone that is worthy of facing me THE ALMIGHTY DEMON KING MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA.:

Kyle laughed evily, and started to walk around the new guy in a circle.

"Tell me though, how do you believe you will kill us all? My beautiful General,"He pointed at Vesta,"Has the strength of 1000 men and is more than your superior."

Kyle then motioned towards Blanc. "Blanc here, she is my mightiest caster of black magic. She commands magic than any witch, and could blast you to smitherians."

Kyle walked over next to the new first new guy.

"This here.....well ok you might be able to beat him. I actually dont know him. Just kinda....showed up wanting to join my demon army. But he said to prove himself he was willing to kill someone."

Kyle stepped forward in front of the second new guy.

"So what do I say? You ask what I say? Foolish human...I say come meet your doom!"

@seirei no hai@lunarlors34@zekarivoblis@famishedpants

Daisuke noticed the blush on Aya's face as he talked to her. It was tempting to tease her about it, but he let it be for now. She said that she enjoyed playing volleyball in P.E, and Daisuke got excited. She said she wasn't very good at it, that she had to jump too high to play, and it wasn't really made for her. This reminded him of early in his schooling years, when he was very short, but still had a passion for the game. He would put in his hardest work at practice but his simple height made him not as good as his team mates, and therefor not on a starting position for games. He would still show up to every game and watch his team, and celebrate with them when they won, and grieve with them when they lost.

The purple-haired girl had come out of the back with an entirely new outfit on, she had a small dress on with cat ears and tail. It looked a little weird, like someone who'd back at home would be made fun of for wearing. Aya shouted out to Kyojin that she was the perfect example of an otaku, and Daisuke agreed, but maybe wearing things like she was in this world was completely normal, so he tried not to focus too hard on her outfit. Instead, he listened to her introduce herself with her full name, and a curtsy. She winked at Daisuke, almost to imply something he should be picking up from the introduction. He thought maybe she found him attractive, but it seemed she was currently in a relationship with the blonde boy. The boy stated himself he had 'already agreed to date' her. The way she spoke to him, teased him, and acted around him, made the relationship obvious in itself, so that mustn't be it.

Yoshinobu shouted and asked if anyone wanted seconds of dinner, or perhaps a drink. "I'll take a glass of water, if you don't mind." he asked politely, and gave her a kind smile.

What a disaster of epic proportions! Blanc never really wished to attract this many people after the first wave of raging civilians (and Bandit) that tried to kill them in the first place. Her eyes twitched in annoyance and frustration, there was so many people coming in this little circle and there was so little time. Heck... they have been talking till dawn of all things! They were supposed to be asleep hours ago!

Well it won't be long now until the Spirit shuts them up. A few hours until the sun shows itself anyway. Scanning the new members presented a horned woman who seemed to have a big deal with Vesta. She would back off unconsciously toward Ease, who was just as confused as her and had been asking questions to Kyle, who tried to help her up when she already did. Now how could this get any worse than right now?
"So we meet at last... Henry Ford!" A delusional man walked up to the group! Just what she needs right now!

Yep. This is definitely the crazy circle. The snow elf clenches her fist as soon as Kyle was "impersonating" a random demon lord and giving her false facts about the magic she conjures. She would grab Kyle's wrist tightly, pulling him towards Vesta with an annoyed look and taking up whatever vacant space wasn't blocked by Zin.

"Vesta... can we please leave before we attract more lunatics? I'm getting uncomfortable here now that my meat shield here made a bigger mess than before. I also thank you if you wish to provide me with the Appas that were lost." Turning to Kyle with an icy glare (that he somehow finds attractive I guess), she would tighten her grip on his arm as a faint blue glow comes from it. The human in turn, would feel mild frostbite crawling underneath his skin. I guess that shows how angry she is. "Stop attracting unwanted attention you fool. I didn't come here to mess around with you and earn nothing."

Considering she spoke somewhat silently in the circle of weirdness. The people involved (besides Vesta and Kyle) could find it either cute, funny, inferior, weak, adorable, etc.

She didn't really care at this point. She wanted to get out of here hours ago, particularly before Tundo wakes up. "I don't like dealing with this right now."

@dabombjk@ZekariVoblis@FamishedPants@Spriggs27@Lunarlors34

@dabombjk@Seirei no Hai@FamishedPants@Spriggs27@Lunarlors34




It was supposed to be so simple, so damn simple. Get this new kid out of this circle of rage, ask him on how and why he was here, and hopefully gain new info. Hell, he'd probably even gain on a new ally as well just by the simple fact that he(Ease) was the first person treat him(Kyle) pretty well. Having someone from Earth would be great after all, no? After that, they could've worked in tandem towards their goal, probably make more progress than Ease ever did alone, and maybe even get out of this world. And it all woulda started with him having just moved him out of there.

How did that plan fall apart so quickly?

Ease was half expecting him to simply question what the green man meant in his statement and probably confusedly say he wasn't this "Henry Ford." Seemed like the logical safe thing any human would do. So what happens instead of that? The boy played along with what he said, as if not fully grasping what the guy really just said let alone claimed he was, being some lord of darkness and evil or something. Ease's mouth hung open at this as if he just watched a meteor drop. In a way it doubt. Just on the simplicity of what was to happen. And the crowds far more frightened whispering and looks at the kid did not help. Kid what the hell?! You're making this worse! Way worse!

Just as he was about to open his mouth, the kid was grabbed by that elf who definitely seemed rather pissy too. Sure as hell wasn't hiding it like he was. "Wha? Hey!" he said as she dragged the kid towards her. She said something low under the crowd that he couldn't quite hear to him. The only thing he could make out was that Elf there apparently was fixing to bail in the next few minutes with Vesta and Mr. Dark Lord over there. Shit! Think quick, think quick! Aha!

Ease turned his eyes over to the man in green with an embarrassed smile."Listen sir, I'm not quite actually sure who you are but, despite what my...associate said, we don't really know anything about a dark lord. Let alone a dark lord by such a nefarious name as "Henry Ford." However, I do remember hearing such a name uttered a few blocks away from here actually. Over...*quickly motions behind Aleph* there I believe!" he said, lying completely through his teeth. He scratched the back of his head, feigning innocence."I'm quite sorry if we wasted any of your time with this sir. After all, interrupting a quest like slaying a lord of darkness isn't right." Then again...lord of darkness might be high up in the world. Maybe even having inter dimensional access. "However, if you need assistance in such endeavors, I'll gladly help out if need be."

He turned his head back over to the women before him as well. More specifically, the elf who probably had bloody murder on her damn mind "And apologies beforehand for my compatriot's jokes. *bows* My losing of him helped that sadly, I suppose." he said with a hokey as hell frown. "*comes back up* If I had kept better track of him, this could've been prevented."

He knew damn well he was lying his ass off, but he needed to win favor fast. Get this "Fantasy Hero" out of here asap then hopefully get on the ladies' good side enough where they don't just bail. It was tedious as piss for him, but simply leaving on the spot with him would probably get him in worse shit. What else was there to do? Already knowing he was bullshitting, Ratatosk climbed upon Ease's shoulder, out in the open. He let out an admittedly adorable yawn before once again looking over the situation. I really wish you could be more help right now!

Hamaguchi brought a finger to her chin as she pondered on Addison her plan. She silently nodded with her eyes closed as she listened carefully. Meanwhile the three children were running around the cat girl trying to catch each other. They still had some of the food in their hands as they ran around. The other small sister Emi had stopped next to Hamaguchi and started pulling onto her ear. Hamaguchi her head moved along with the occasional pulling as she was still sitting there in deep thought. Hamaguchi came to a simple conclusion.



Anyone could have thought about that but it was the thought that counted. The sibling continued to pull on her ear with Hamaguchi not really minding. The other sibling also joined on in and pulled her cheek while the boy tried pulling her tail out. Yep it was all pretty common to her it seemed. Addison asked about the currency here. Hamaguchi poked up one of her coins that she got. It was a silver coin. Her speech sounded a little weird by Eli pulling her cheek from her body.



Hamaguchi her one ear twitched making all the three siblings stop for a moment and look a little confused at the bigger sister. The bigger sister was frozen in place her face as white as a towel. Cold sweat started forming on her face as her ears drooped back against her head.



The siblings looked a little scared at Hamaguchi but all gave a short nod after each other. One after the other darted off to sit in a dried small river under a small bridge. It was clear they would mostly sleep there looking at the cushions and jackets on the area itself. Eli came to pick up Addison. She tucked on her pants and tried dragging her with her.



From a short distance you could see a bunch of oddly looking guys approaching their play ground. Hamaguchi had already heard them coming since she felt silent. Hamaguchi stood up as she waited for them to get closer. Her ears were both back against her head with her head tilted forwards a bit, she peered in between her bangs at the guys and looked quite afraid to be honest.





The punk looking guy grabbed her by the shirt and lifted her slightly off the ground. Hamaguchi squinted her eyes a little and raised both hands to grab onto his so she didn't choke to death.



Hamaguchi got one of her hands over towards her pockets and got out a small bag with all her coins from work. She quickly tried to get out half the coins to give to nick but shuddered a lot.



Hamaguchi counted as quick as she could but accidently dropped one of her coins. Her eyes trailed after it but she couldn't care about it right now. She handed Nick the coins and gave him a terrified smile.



She didn't want her sisters to think it was some kind of robbery but that instead. They would feel safer and nick wouldn't treat her all that bad by knowing it. Nick got the coins from her and counted for a moment.



Nick looked pretty unpleased by what she had showed him. Hamaguchi gave him a look of bazzledness. She was sure she counted right and didn't believe him one bit but.



Hamaguchi felt her bag disappearing from her hand. It was punched away from her scattering all the coins over the ground. A look of terrify struck over Hamaguchi her face. Her shirt was let go too making her fall backwards in the mud. She didn't care about her white clothes now or that she couldn't go to the shop now since her clothes were dirty but more about the coins. She quickly went over the ground to get all of them while Nick grinned at the sight. A heavy foot hit her stomach sending her flying against a wooden fence nearby. An unpleasant welp could be heard as she hit the fence, it looked quite painful. She coughed for a moment but stood up and got the coins again whilst Nick was laughing.





She said with a hurt voice and a cough in between while flashing a smile and standing up with her coin bag again. That didn't go half bad. Nick walked away giving her a goodbye wave before he started walking off with his gang letting out a loud laugh altogether. More than half the people in the slums had seen the scenario and spoke to each other about it but didn't help. They were all terrified of Nick and how they could be his next target.

Hamaguchi stood there silently. Her clothes, fur and half her face were brown of mud There were some bruises on her arms but she could still smile with an half broken smile at the four of them with the bag still in her hands. She still had money for food.

@liferusher

"Well, I see one thing is universal, no matter where I go." A loud voice suddenly announced.

Suddenly, Addison emerged from the supposed hiding spot. Truth be told, she had shrugged off the children and had watched from the corner. She was immediately suspicious of the cat girl when she went all pale as a ghost, but here was the confirmation. Extortionists. Plain and simple. Much like the tactics of the early mafia, they would demand a payment for "protecting" a workplace or residence. If refused, well.... Addison's seen Godfather and knew were this went.

Now, she would have stayed out of it. Best not to rock the boat in a foreign land of magic and fantasy. However, seeing Hamaguchi get kicked like that, well, these k-pop looking thugs were about to learn a life lesson. Addison walked over to Hamaguchi, helping her up from the ground and smiling briefly. "Sorry about this, but if you got a weak stomach, I suggest you don't watch." She then turned to the group of thugs, who she hopefully caught their attentions. Walking towards them, she shrugged.

"I've been to many places. Seen many things. Sadly, even here I can see that scum thrives on the weak." Suddenly, she had two large fixed blade knives drawn. On from her shoulder, the other from her belt. Her stance, loose, seemingly unprepared. In reality, however, Addison was baiting them.

"I mean, come on. I have more balls than you guys, and that's saying something. Extorting adorable cat girls? Ha, what weak stuff is that? A bet you're threatened by anything more than an old lady with brittle bones. Honestly, if you were any real criminal, you wouldn't be wasting your time on small pickings like this." Addison said, grinning. "Really. I'm relieved more than anything. I'm used to killing people who at least know what they're doing. But you, my friends...." Addison's grin suddenly grew dark and sinisters. "are more worthless than cannon fodder."

@ADamnFiddle
@6slyboy6
@Heckno12
@liferusher
@Lucius Cypher

Huh.

It appeared the artist had disappeared. Probably took Maria’s suggestion about potential actions towards bettering herself. At least she appeared to have left the image for potential mass production and moving information of the thief through the various townships.

That took care of a single problem. With an image of the individual gained through simple observation, Maria could take the appropriate measures to apprehend the suspect. Perhaps this would lead to some interesting instances?

Perhaps not, but Maria did find it outrageous in the actions and audacity of this man’s approach. As commander of the Iron Bell, she had a responsibility to the established nature of the Knight Order, and Maria was not the sort to ever back down from a challenge. Perhaps the type to diplomatically solve issues, sure, but provocation was something that Maria considered important to match, even if at times it wasn’t in her best interests.

“Since we have an image of the suspect, I suppose we could use it to find him. Perhaps not today, or perhaps not tomorrow, but I doubt there to be many people on this city with such a goofy face

For whatever reason, Maria disliked this man’s face. Perhaps because it seemed to convey a degree of frivolousness that someone born into a proper household like Maria couldn’t stand. Despite her rather kind outlook towards others, there were certain traits that Marai despised, and thievery was definitely one of them. One must work to earn their bread, not take it from those who earn.

Either way, Maria was now in charge of two more people. Perhaps three if she included the offer she had made previously to Grian in the event he had not heard her. He was still in the area or something. Probably.

But the two she was in charge of, Chieko and Ryan, had given her privy to a bit of information. She had not interrupted Sir Malakaus statements to her [potential] recruits. Maria did not wish to disrupt his statements, as despite his appearance not being perhaps the most aesthetically pleasing with regards to what Maria thought to be the ideal knight, Maria did know that he was a dependable knight.

Her father had taught Maria that appearances might matter to an extent, but never to judge solely based on the appearances of another. Perhaps he was right in some regards. He was a hero during a time of instability, and his actions may have caused issue with regards to certain groups.

“Come back any time Malakaus. You know that to the Iron Bell you are not a stranger. I’d love to know of your travels. Though I’ve read a lot in books, I’ve always wanted to travel myself.”

Maria made sure to see the knight off before he had left the station. He had his own fight to continue on, as Maria knew. But to ask the Knights of the Capital for assistance, perhaps there was a bit more going on than Maria realized. She knew something was up for such a face to return, but it was not like she believed anything could be so bad with Knights like Malakaus on the field.

Maria unsheathed her sword for the first time since meeting the two, Ryan and Cheiko, holding the sword by the handle with her dominate hand, and with her other hand placing it on the blade as if caressing a dainty flower.

“From this day forward,” Maria told both Ryan and Cheiko “I shall instruct the two of you on how to wield the blade. But know the blade is something that isn’t something to wield for yourself. The blade is something used to protect the people, not to point towards others as a weapon.”

Through not interrupting the conversation between Malakaus and the two recruits, Maria had learned of something that would have to be rectified if the two wisehd to become proper knights.

Simply put, the ability to read and write.

Perhaps not above her pride in her family as master swordsmen, Maria considered the ability to read to be vital in regards to knighthood. After all, knights were expected to be educated about the knowledge of the world, and to be a shining example to the public. Swordsmanship did come first to Maria, but reading was a close second. There was a reason Maria kept

“There are many other things you needed to learn. The path of the scholar is not contradictory to the path of a knight .Art, literature and history are all important for those wishing to become knights. I may have knowledge on the sword and these subjects, I am afraid to admit my shortcomings in regards to other weapons or any sort of magicks aside from rudimentary information. If you wish to take discipline in these fields, I am not sure if I will be able to completely assist, though I do know a few individuals who might be a bit more skilled in these departments, so if you wish to learn about these I would have to call in specialists.”

Honesty was probably best for Maria in the current situation. She did not wish to teach anyone something that wasn’t exactly correct. After all, she understood her strengths and weaknesses better than almost anyone else. Likely better than anyone else. Her strength was the sword, and the book. Order and law of the same calibre.

“That being said, where we start is up to you. I considered starting with the regiment tomorrow, as I feel today might have been a bit of a shock for you two. However, if you are eager to learn more,then I shall give it my all starting today. Know that rest is as important to learning than the actual training itself.”

Maria knew that to make these individuals into proper knights she could be proud of might take a bit longer than usual, but at the very least she believed that those with a passion for justice as herself would make the best knights.

Maria realized that Tani was currently in the building as well with her. The knight of passion Maria had hardly seen before. Someone who was given a chance to join with the knights through pure chance, but through her complete determination to prove herself none-the-less.

Someone Maria knew as a reliable person. Along with Malakaus one of the knights she trust ed to always complete their tasks, whether crucial or mundane alike with a degree of fervor one would expect a knight to act like.

“Sorry for wasting your time, Lady Tani. It appears you came a bit late to catch the thief, but I humbly thank you for your concern. Perhaps if you are a bit tired from your tasks, I have tea I had imported from Kararagi if that interests you. That invitation does go to any here that wishes to join me. After all, luxuries are more luxurious if you have people to share them with. I’d have invited Malakaus as well if he had not needed to leave, and I would understand if you are busy as well, Lady Tani.”