@Seirei No Hai@dabombjk@Spriggs27@FamishedPants@lunarlors34




Ease was lying in his own blood, desperately waiting for someone to come assist him in some way or form. Was this really happening again? He looked over to his left and saw Ratatosk run over to his form, obvious panic in his eyes. Thanks man...Didn't want you to have to see this but hey. Guess circumstances are kinda out of my hand huh? Ratatosk jumped upon his legs before walking up to get closer, obviously trying to stay clear of the wound and making issues worse. With his head slumped down after seemingly inspecting the wound, he walked over to Ease's face as if to relay the bad or good news.

And then he slapped him.

"Moron. Most of this blood is just the berries we bought today. The wound isn't even that deep." he spoke with a sigh. Ease's eyes flared back to life and did a comical double blink, like Ratatosk just spoke in Japanese or something. "I...Wha?" He used his arms to push himself over to the wall and get a way from the puddle which, now that he moved, was more of a stain. He put his finger down and licked a bit of it up. I mean, it was a bit salty for obvious reasons, but it tasted like any ordinary juice.

Half of his wound was freaking juice.

He looked down at the slash mark and, now with a better look at it, could tell that it wasn't even as deep as that. It was still a bad cut and he would need it treated but it wasn't as life threatening as he thought. Did his mind perhaps make up how serious it was because of his panic? He proceed to face palm. "Shit...I really made that mistake?" He muttered. Well this was incredibly embarrassing on his part. Well...too late to change it. He removed his jacket before tying it around the area he was slashed in a sort of makeshift sarashi. "Well...That'll keep the blood down at least." He proceeded to try and get up, using the wall as a crutch. It was painful doing so, that much was for sure, but he eventually found his balance. He took a peak over where Vesta and Aleph were. It seemed they were still in combat, with Aleph using what Ease could only call "hero spiel". Well this either meant they noticed his berries too or they were seriously willing to let a man bleed out to continue this fight. "Jackasses..."He said under his breath. Whether this guy was really able to find a dark lord or not and whether this girl was a noble or not, this was way more trouble than he wanted or was willing to deal with. He could only deal with so much of people's shit and a fight started over a misunderstanding as stupid as this? Broke that scale real quick.

Moving around a bit labored but still functioning, he went over and got his sword, returning it to its sheathe before going to the black haired boy. His eyes had a notable look of anger but mostly annoyance. After all, he was the one responsible for this all when he got down to it. "Quick note in swordplay kid-read the power in attacks. Cause that? That sure as hell wasn't gonna mean much to anyone outside of your no protection-self. Now, I'm going to the tavern to find either a beer, a healer, or a fucking aspirin. You and I are going to talk for a bit on the way and do NOT pull anymore shit like this, so I don't look like a slashed up Picasso painting or something. His voice was obviously harsh in tone, but more with annoyance than legitimate anger. Like the slash was more an inconvenience than an actual problem. He made a quick hand gesture at the boy to follow without looking down at him again.

Wait...Oh yeah, dragon lady and the elf. He turned his head over back to where they are. "Oh yes. If you'd like to come as well Ms. Parallex and Ms Neige, you're of course welcome to. If not, that's fine as well. He said with a surprisingly calm voice and smile, as if his pissed off-ness at the boy.

Choosing to respect Vesta's "deal" with the mysterious "delusional hero" that was Aleph. Blanc would clutch onto her chest, nodding softly and backing a few steps away from the circle right beside the horned person next to her. Zin apparently had some business with the silver-haired Vesta as well, although the snow elf was nice enough to hear out what she says at least.

"Your friend is very strong I admire that." Were the words that came out of Zin. Blanc's ears twitched under her cloak, a light blush spread across her face. Friends with someone as strong as her? No! She can't be taking this like her meat shield, she shook her head out of any delusional thoughts before sighing.

"She's not really my friend yet, just a person who's willing to help me in need." With an honest answer, the monotone elf would give a light smile to the horned Zin. She would glare back at her meat-shield that was Kyle along with the interference of Ezekiel.

"I-if it's not too much, could you... the meat shield, and you... umm... sir, please let Miss Vesta take care of this. It would be much faster if you do?" She was quite audible with her voice, especially the deepened, angered, annoyed tone towards Kyle The Meat Shield but softens when she switches names with Ezekiel. Despite being so audible, it was nothing as short as a tryhard threat.

She sounded quite unsure, hoping that both of them would listen to her at least and back off at this one exact fight?

@dabombjk@ZekariVoblis@FamishedPants@Spriggs27@Lunarlors34

As the fight began, Zin noticed the other man Ease had jumped into the fight as well she didn't exactly know what he was attempting to do. Stop the fight or attempt to beat the hero himself but despite his efforts he failed and ended up on the ground wounded. Zin took her eyes off him to focus on Vesta's technique and magic. It didn't take Zin too long to figure out Vesta's magic is connected to earth or dirt, her magic looked very basic, but she could've been using her simple moves to make sure the fight wouldn't end too quickly.

Soon Ease began rising up from his puddle of blood, as he stood up he wrapped his injury up with a look of anger on his face. Zin crossed her arms as he walked away from the fight, as he walked off he asked Zin and the others if they wished to join him in leaving, Zin chose not to look in his direction as she told him." Keep your offer to yourself. I don't follow the weak, from that little performance you put on earlier, I wouldn't follow you to a stream or drink from it." She sounded dismissive towards him.

When the Elf responded to Zin, she quickly responded back to her." I thought that you were friends with Vesta." Then she noticed her blush and thought to herself, did this elf like that human woman?

@Heckno12
@ADamnFiddle
@Lucius Cypher

Chieko tilted her head towards Ryan. Fruit Loops? Wasn't that some sort of American cereal or something? And he had some with him when this whole thing happened? Not exactly junk food, but it wasn't something she was going to turn down. Too bad he didn't have any soda or anything with him. If he did, he was a terrible person for not sharing immediately. Chieko silently followed the rest of the others, taking a seat with the others somewhat close to Ryan as she listened to Maria's answer to her question.

It made sense, at least that it shouldn't be too difficult if she could already speak. Chieko took a drink of the tea as the Orc, Malakaus started conversing with Maria...and immediately regretted it. Her face scrunched in a grimace, before quickly placing the teacup back on the table, shoving it a bit away from her. She had no idea what it was, but it was definitely nothing she particularly liked and it was probably obvious. She decided then, to instead focus on the conversation between the Orc and the Knight. Slaves? Maria mentioned something like that earlier. Well, it sounded illegal enough. That said, the fact that he surrendered to avoid hurting the slaves, was rather...annoying. Perhaps she was being a bit harsh, though.

More importantly, though, those Demon Beasts sounded like something a proper knight should deal with - and not just because the idea of fighting one kind of made her a bit excited. She would definitely like a chance to see one...when she was properly equipped for such a task. Visit these villages already? That seemed a bit absurd, not to mention incredibly dangerous. For one, she couldn't exactly defend herself as unathletic as she currently was. Plus, if she couldn't read nor write, she shouldn't exactly be helping anyone yet, should she?

"Foolish idea." Chieko replied to Malakaus. It was just an all around illogical decision to her. "We would only get in the way since we have no training and can't even read or write. Our time would be better spent studying and having a basic understanding of language and swordsmanship first."





@Heckno12
@Liferusher

"Just make sure this servant guy doesn't run...would be a shame for him to leave before the song is done." Take care of everyone inside? Tsu grinned...as much fun as that would be, her target was clear and she was going to be having her fun with him. There didn't seem to be anyone else inside aside from a servant...well, she'd take care of him quietly, and then head for the target. Kato or something, was his name. Whatever, just another bloodstain on her blade that would be quickly washed away. Tsu pushed open the door quietly, inching her way inside. She drew one of her blades...and made a beeline for Kato.

He would probably see her coming, since the door was facing the Piano, but he would only have a few seconds to react as her swift steps carried her right to the noble. A horizontal strike, hopefully beheading him in an instant, easily ready to possibly avoid any move the servant might try and make.

Aya reddened a little clearly finding herself to be a little offended by what Daisuke said. She folded her arms and turned her head away not wanting any reactions back on that. She thought what she said was the truth and no more.

When Avery took off his fake tail and ears Kyojin was bedazzled by it. Aya glared up at the giant seeing how he reacted. Like she thought, as a small child. Aya caught Kyojin staring at her and sharpened her facial features. She looked with a sharp look in her eyes at Kyojin knowing he was doing something.



Aya sighed a little, maybe she was taking this too seriously. These people didn't know better, all they had were hooples and sticks to push them fort after all. Aya gave Kyojin a confused look as she spoke.



Daisuke was amazed by Avery her magic trick. The way she just let a dove appear in front of them was indeed rather spectacular but magic was just all bullshit. There were thousands of tricks to do all that and Aya didn't look up from them any longer.



Daisuke was to stupid to understand it wasn't real. Aya gave him a weirded out look as he just rambled on about magic and houdini and all that stuff. Aya turned her head at him and opened her mouth loud and widely.







Yoshinobu said without turning around, she was still doing her bestest to cook the meat as well as she could. It came to mind that Aya and Kyojin didn't have a drink for a while, perhaps she should do that while she was waiting. With the meat still cooking she wandered to the bar and got another glass of juice and booze. Yoshinobu placed both the mugs in front of them and gave them a smile.





The best part of the song was coming, the play gradually raised up a notch and the pace quickened. A sweat appeared on his forehead as he close his eyes. He played this part a thousand of times. His fingers had gone crazy and mowed over the piano only to slow down again. Short pauses of two seconds came in between getting the notes farther away from each other. With a satisfied smile he pressed the last key of the song and opened his eyes again.



He rolled away from his seat towards the wall and quickly stood up. The nearby curtains had been cut in half. He widened his eyes and looked at Tsu and back at the curtains in disbelieve. His posture definitly looked like he was in shock but straightened up as he calmed down and took in the situation.



Kano backed off slowly towards the wall. Luckily he was well prepared. With a sudden motion he pulled a sword from the nearby wall light and raised it in front of him. A rapier was held in his hand as he raised a brow at her.

---

---

*CLANG*

Aleph's hilt met only a wall created by the woman's magic, which separated the two of them. He did not have to be frustrated as he was made to backpedal to avoid the wall crumbling right down on him. Yet more distance between the two, making this fight even more difficult for him. He would have to concede that as long as he continued in this way, she would eventually gain the upper hand she would need to finish him off. Perhaps he should stop playing pretend?

There was a small pause after the wall fell as he heard his opponent's voice. "I use basic spells because you're not worthy of ones which actually require effort Mr 'Hero'." she taunted.

"Don't let a little praise go to your head." Aleph replied calmly. "You've got the wrong idea of what kind of foe you face."

It would be a lie to say that Aleph was not holding back too. He wasn't using EVERY tool at his disposal, but that was because he always preferred fighting with his sword alone. He thought that the most heroic thing a Hero could do was fight on the frontlines, with only his skill with the blade assisting him. Anything else? Not as heroic. Magic especially. It would be especially cool to defeat a powerful mage like this woman with merely his blade alone, no? But that probably wasn't going to happen. A veteran of a fair amount of fights, Aleph at least recognized what this woman was going to do and without some form of assistance, there was little he could do about it. A predictable, but very effective tactic. This was assuming that she wasn't just bluffing pretty hard right now and claiming she was a lot stronger than she was. While such a possibility would be hilarious, the fact she didn't seem the least bit bothered by casting these spells in succession gave him the idea that she wasn't kidding. He would very likely run out of steam before she did. Were he better prepared for a fight with her, maybe he could overcome this without resorting to certain things. Well, since she was supposedly the Demon Lord's general, it would make sense he couldn't kid around. He could admit that effortlessly defeating the highest ranking generals without trying was the height of arrogance -- something he had abused quite a bit to defeat foes more physically superior than him.

He would not want to lose due to arrogance on his behalf. So now, he should at least try. It would be very nice to see the irritated look on her face if he managed to get her serious. That was always fun.

From Vesta's point of view on the other side of her wave attack, it would probably appear as though Aleph jumped with enough force to kick up a bit of dust from his takeoff point. And, of course, he cleared the wave of earth rolling towards him. He fluidly continued forth, but pointed his hand towards the woman and sprayed bolts of magic towards her, though only one would even hit her were she to just sit there. The other two hit the ground a bit in front of Aleph, kicking up quite a bit of dust, drastically limiting visibility. None of these bolts would be lethal, of course, but a direct hit would probably feel like a pretty mean punch. Their use was merely for utility, as was pretty much anything Aleph could cast himself.

@ADamnFiddle
@6slyboy6
@Heckno12
@Lucius Cypher

Malakaus had decided to take a commoner, no less a former slave, within his current post as a squire. Maria, from her perspective in regards to what she believed Cheiko and Ryan were likely before coming to the city from basic analysis of their situation, were likely within the same boat. Of course, Maria had no knowledge to their true identities, therefore Maria’s assumptions were wrong.

Maria wasn’t the sort ot judge someone by the color of their skin or the cat ears on their head. Her father had instilled a degree of tolerance towards other cultures and heritages, despite her ignorance about most of these being quite apparent from the relative disconnect of being within the noble class of society, but Maria was not the sort to discriminate solely based on someone’s appearance.

Or she tended to try and make more rational choices based on the current situation. She knew that it was idiotic to assume that the power of those demihumans were definitely useful, as they were able to do certain things that humans could not accomplish, and vise versa. Perhaps she should add a few demihumans into her ranks? At least Malakaus seemed to believe it was a good idea.

Elves, on the other hand, were hated by the general public. It was brave for someone like Malakaus to act in such a way; to add an elf to his roster as a squire. After all, elves, especially those with fair skin and silver hair, were seen as avatars of the Devil [Satella]. But Maria didn’t care for such societal stigmas. Skills were warranted by those who possessed them, rather than who possessed them. If Malakaus believed this individual held the potential to become a knight, then god help the lot of them.

At the very least it was easier to justify taking Cheiko or Ryan as potential squires to others. But it wasn’t as if society had forgotten about those fifty some-odd years ago, and most definitely hadn’t forgotten about the Witch.

Malakaus’ bravery was something to behold. A knight that started from the rubble of society and was given chance as a knight by simple strength. Perhaps Maria could learn something from his actions. After all, Maria was skilled with the sword and as a knight only through her father’s name. The “daughter” from a hero, it was clear why Maria was more privileged than others. But Maria’s skill was still nothing to laugh at.

The name “von Hohenzollern” was known for their skilled swordsmen and knights, and Maria was no exception to this.

“If you believe she has the potential, then I will not question your judgements, Sir Malakaus. You are not someone I would consider an idiot, but know there might be enemies you would need to consider by keeping an elf close by. But if she is to be your squire, I am sure she is a wonderful person, despite your claim to her thorny exterior. You always did have an eye for these sorts of things, no?”

However, there was another concern brought up by Malakaus.

Malakaus seemed earnest in his request:

A simple quest to assist in the subjugation of demonic beasts. Any demon beasts were evil, and usually hunters in the Knights or hired mercenaries would join in the extermination in the event that there are those without the time and excess money. After all, mercenaries tended to be a bit more expendable than those of tied and true knights.

“As for offering my assistance, I cannot say that I do not wish to see whatever was causing this issue in the ground like all Demon Beasts belong. Nuisances to society with no redeeming qualities simply do not belong in our time. Even the worst criminal might one day redeem themselves; Demon Beasts were made by the Witch to cause harm and fowl to any and all in her twisted attempt to destroy the world. “

At the very least that was what Maria was taught, not truly knowing the true origin of the Demon Beasts not coming from the witch of Envy but another witch. The road to evil is paved with good intentions, after all.

But Cheiko did bring up a good point. Ryan and Cheiko were not well trained. Without proper training with a sword, which could take upwards of a few weeks to even months, they were very ill able to keep up with whatever was going to occur within the towns.

Maria didn’t wish for anything bad to occur between the two new recruits. After all, they were now individuals Maria wished to protect as her squires. Maria did have high expectations for them, but at the very least it was nice to know there were other virtuous people who desired to make a difference in the world.

“But if Ryan and Cheiko are not comfortable with joining, I cannot say I will force them to accompany us. They seem to be ignorant with the sword, which is why I promised to assist them in their trainings. It might be good training for them to accompany us after they are at least adept in their basics. I will still offer the most I can offer you, however, as a show of good faith. After all, I am a knight myself. I would be slacking my duties if I were not to assist you in any way I can. My blade is still yours if you were to need it.”

Masked and wearing bright multi-colored robes, the man leaped from building to building in a mad sprint as if the hells itself had spewed forth its legions to destroy him personally, yet he was not in this mad flight over the town out of fear. Nothing of the sort for this armed warrior in flamboyant robes. No, he was running to catch up! The target was the one with the fear. The masked had come from above with a dagger and cut the thiefs hired muscle like kindling in plain view of the gathered crowd! People had screamed and run off in a panic as this deranged psychopath thrust his dagger in and out of the poor mans throat, every time he pulled the dagger back for another stab at the neck it spurted the hot lifeblood of his victim a little further.
Now it was a race to safety, the only place he could, his own home. Leo Delrain would be safe from this man there, surely, with its thick walls and door, its locked windows and secure basement! That would stop this man!

Right..?

Doorway in sight, Leo ran in terror, believing the assailant only moments away with a bloody dagger stalking his back ready to pounce and kill him and bathe in his blood. His hands were slick with sweat as the professional thief struggled to open the many locks before eliciting a gasp as the last latch came undone, the door swinging open and slamming closed in an instant as the house owner panted out of breathe with his back to the now locked door.

"I.. I'm safe now. I'm ok. Everything is fine. No big deal. Hire new muscle, secure a witness, report the attack, hire new muscle, secure a witness, report the attack.."

Leo rambled over and over, trying to calm himself down and steady his ragged breathing. Minutes turned to hours and still the frightened man heard nothing. Not a sound, not even the noise of people milling about outside. Silence. Complete and deafening. It gnawed at his wits as Leo paced in an endless cycle about his livingroom, treading the fine imported carpet over and over as he replayed that horrible moment in his head.
Who was this freak, why now, why the muscle, why, why, WHY!

-THUD- -THUD- -THUD-

Leo nearly jumped right out of his boots as someone pounded on the front door. Fear welling in his belly made the last bit of blood in him turn cold at the thought of an ambush. Every ounce of his courage was needed to muster the energy to simply respond.

-THUD- -THUD- -THUD-

"W-who is it!"

"Sir, there was a murdering not far from here. May we have a word?"

Guards. So quickly? Or had it been a few hours since then.. Time had slipped through the frightened mans fingers as he had paced. Brushing off his shirt, he glanced out the peephole to see a couple of armed men outside his doorway. Not royal guards but perhaps worried townspeople? Leo shook his head and put his back to the door for support. A trap! It had to be! This was a targeted mission! He would be a fool to step out.

"Didn't see it! C-COME BACK LATER!"

Something soft hit the ground outside his door, a little thump followed by another.. Was that a groan?

What in the name of the gods was happening out there? What of the men?!
Curiosity got the better of him. Slow and deliberate he turned to stare out the peephole and sucked in his breathe.

A long blade burst through the eye hole an instant later. Had he not seen it coming, Leo Delrain would have taken that horrible blade into his brain! A scream escaped his lips as he reached for the dagger at his hip as he backed away from the door, tripping on the carpet and falling to the floor, the dagger falling from his grasp as his locked door was kicked open. The locks failed to stop the blow or secure the portal as they were forcibly ripped from the door frame.
It was over in a flash.

Mithril stared at the man staring open mouthed and wide eyed at the intruder, eyes pleading not to kill him, only to feel nothing. No joy at what was to come and no fear for this mans life. Years had been endless as he watched every atrocity it committed with his body. From behind a hazy black fog his consciousness was aware of what happened around it. Felt the pain vividly as a blade or hammer cut flesh and crushed bone. But the being piloting him knew nor cared for such problems. It merely continued on despite even life threatening injuries.
And so he watched now as his own body raised its arm. The voice that came from his lips felt cruel indeed.

"Al Goa."

The buildup of mana turned red hot, almost insufferable, before it erupted from his extended hand. The flames scorched into every inch of this victims home in moments, licking the walls and ceiling hungrily as it turned anything it touched to ashes. When it was over all that remained of the thief Leonard Delrain was the twisted black dust blowing in the wind.

How the voice in his mind cackled at the sight of blissful destruction. It had no voice, no words, but Mithril knew it mocked him for his weakness. Showed him these acts of murder and mayhem forcing him to watch, breaking his will further and further, until he could no longer resist. Still it cackled through his own lips. A walking disaster that took no pity.

Wrapped in black cloth upon this lone figures back was a golden blade designed for an age long since passed. In its shining gleam lay a twisted evil blacker than the abyss itself. Mithril could still remember the moment he had claimed this sword as his own those years ago.. A single touch upon the fabulous hilt and it had struck like a tunnel asp. Overwhelming his own mind in a tidal wave of rage. Thoroughly overwhelmed and tortured endlessly, Mithrils spirit lost the ability to resist the urges of his sentient sword.

"Not satisfying. NOT SATISFYING. THERE IS NO CHALLENGE HERE. NONE TO SEE, TO TELL, TO HEAR, TO LAUGH!"

Its 'mood' twisted its rage as it turned from the complete destruction it had wrought out into the wider world. More would come to see what had sparked the inferno but Mithril and the sword would be long gone like always. Off to the find more grim fun. It hunted its prey without pattern. Sometimes deciding who would die before simply running up to them and impaling the victim. Others were stalked for days, weeks, months, before the blades obsessive desires fell atop them.
Now it turned to view the wider world, scrambling up a nearby wall until it was again on the rooftops, running free atop the city. It's sights fixated on the castle and Mithril felt him lick his own lips. On a whim it would go so far..

On a whim it would find an appetizer for its bloodlust in the castle. The mocking laughter echoed in his mind as it heard him take pity on the next life it would claim.

@Seirei No Hai@dabombjk@Spriggs27




Ease raised an eyebrow at the elf's comment, not completely understanding what she was saying as she seemed to be stammering a bit. He could understand her point blank statement towards the boy though, which he had a mental smirk at it. Zin's comment, however, was far more audible and blunt towards him. "Keep your offer to yourself. I don't follow the weak, from that little performance you put on earlier, I wouldn't follow you to a stream or drink from it." She said, not even looking towards him. Great...Now the dragon lady wants nothing to do with him. Which was concerning. A dragon for an ally could be something hard to find again and she technically hasn't proven she was a gigantic reptile of trouble for him yet. Maybe he could at least make sure she wouldn't completely blow him off next they met?

He walked over to where the two women were. His eyes were closed however, as he addressed Zin first. "Understandable idea since that admittedly was a strong display there. However, that was all in an effort to save the boy in mere seconds as opposed to fighting that man. You expected to have me use any real strength for a battle I didn't wish to enter, Ms. Parallex?" His tone was that of blunt, yet uncaring confidence in his statement. He was really trying to sell that idea as best he could. He then opened his eyes and turned towards Ms. Neige with a smile. "But more on topic, I actually couldn't quite hear what you said Ms. Neige. You said something about shields?" His face still had that same previous calmness. Man it was weird switching attitudes on a dial.

"Uh...What's that?" Ratatosk said, pointing his paw into the distance.

Ease looked up and saw something far off away. Smoke? He scratched his head. It was strange. Last time he checked, house fires weren't all that common in this city. Well, except for the one time he destroyed half of it with his fire and those stupid magic stones. Guess some moron had one too many cigars? Or hell, maybe they made the same mistake as him. This is why I don't smoke shit...

@liferusher@Lunarlors34@Soragoku@Kitsune

"Mmm - Ah~ So, Dante was it? You have a fine mate, you are very lucky."

Dante could help but smile when he heard Kyojin comment. He then began rubbing the back of his head. "Hey thank you. " He seems that Kyojin comment broke through Dante cold exterior, it also helped that he was going to get something to eat after waiting for about 5 hours. "Nice bandana." He told him before laying back in his chair and waiting for his food. As soon as Yoshiodu brought their food Dante thanked her started wolfing his soup and meat down like it was going to disappear in just a few seconds only to stop when the foreigners from the other table started acting weird when they saw Avery trick. It found it weird because they acted like they never seen Magic in their lives before and not to mention they start talking about this Place(?) he believe called earth. "Your foreign too Avery?" he asked her though he wondered why he didn't notice it before.

And then finally the Maid girl begin saying things that didn't make sense to him.

"Metia? What the f*ck is that."
"Just strings and mirrors like everything else."
"Stupid! Don't you understand even the most logical things? It, isn't, real. There is no such thing as magic or hidden abilities. All is fake!"

"I'm sorry what...Do they not have magic or metia in Jilpan(he means Earth)...are they outlawed or something?" He asked them curiously as he wonders how the folk from Jilpan live out their lives without such assets. "Hey..." He said getting their attendance. "Watch!" he told them holding out his hand to them with his palm facing the ceiling. He then said the incantation; "Goa!" and then suddenly a bright fireball was formed hovering above his palm casting off real heat which Dante could barely feel being the one who created the fireball in the first place. "This is what you call fire magic, do you believe in it now." He asked the maid girl calmly and was willing to let the two of them come closer to it as long as they are carefully not to burn themselves.

Kyle Hishamie

Kyles head suddenly pounded, and for a quick second he could not breathe. He felt as if he was trapped in an enclosing space. Kyle freaked out, grabbing his head, tugging and pulling his hair. His eyes went wide, and he felt like they were going to pop out of his head. As soon as this started happening, all of these feelings dissapeared and Kyle was snapped back to reality. He had not truly changed moved or grabbed himself as he thought he had, it was all in his head. He looked around, and saw he was standing up.

"Well that was fucking weird,"Kyle whispered to himself.

Kyle looked at Ease, and he simply smiled wildly. He now officially hated this guy, who the fuck did he think he was? Telling him off like that when he himself did the same thing he was about to do. He had wanted to test his return alive process, and he had fucking interrupted. Kyle nearly smacked himself in the head, thats what happened! He was going to jump into the fight and try to die, when this stupid mother fucker decided he was gonna jump in and push him back instead.

Kyle watched the fight Vesta was in for a few seconds when he heard what Blanc said. He had enough of this. He was a nice guy, a funny guy, yes an annoying one but this world was just about the most annoying thing ever. Kyle walked over to Blanc and slightly knelt so they were on the same height level. He whispered as he spoke, as so no one else could hear.

"Ok so I get the fact that you dont know me very well, and my actions seem foolish to you, but try to understand I see more and understand more than you would think. Can we please stop with the you hating me shtick, I understand that i dragged you into this so let me say this one more and final time."

Kyle looked Blanc in the eyes.

"Blanc I am sorry I dragged you into this. I am sorry I made you lose your.....um Appas I think they were called. i will make it up to you. But I would like for us to be friends."

@lunarlors34@seirei no hai

Vesta Celestia

Vesta didn't seem too concerned nor bothered by what Aleph said or did. She could've ended this fight by now but had decided against it thus far. She wanted to beat him to a pulp and teach him a lesson about the gap between herself and just about anyone else, beating him too quickly while effective in both wouldn't be as effective in her own mind as the frustration which she could cause.
However as he sent out his sparks of magic she raised an eyebrow in slight surprise....this unrefined man had magic? It certainly took her by surprise that a man as uncouth as Aleph could use something like magic. She had figured him too stupid at this stage.
She was so surprised she almost forgot to dodge...the only one which could hit her. In fact she quickly decided not to dodge and instead launch a rock through it and at Aleph's last known location. Said 'rock' was more a boulder in size than anything....but eh. No one needed that part of the road right?
And just to answer his upping of the ante....Vesta decided to do so as well. Slowly, but not slowly enough to grant him an opening, extending her arm out towards Aleph, she took a few steady, calming breaths. Once her arm was fully extended she simply held up two fingers before she felt power well up within her.
"Dona." As Vesta uttered the word one could almost feel the power behind it as the road around of herself and Aleph now erupted into a sea of writhing stone tendrils. Obviously these were now crashing down on Aleph and completely missing herself, however if he managed to avoid the tendrils (which Vesta doubted quite highly but she always plans ahead) she was ready to defend using the tendrils as well. Assuming he was still in the dust cloud of course, which considering Vesta hadn't seen him exit was a pretty good assumption.

Avery Ackbar Celestia

Avery turned his head to face the giant as he talked before moving it side to side in an almost godfather clock-like motion, a finger placed on his cheek for good measure as he seemed to be thinking.
"How long? Ah...8 years didn't I say earlier Mr Dante? So that would make it when I was still reeeeally little. Like 11." Avery glanced towards Dante as he spoke before continuing.
"Lady Vesta found me in the mountains at the time when she was training and took me home where her family adopted me. They tried to teach me magic since it's their family's tradition or something, but my gate doesn't work well. I mean I can still use mana, just can't control magic. So instead they taught me Spiritual arts to work around it. Surely you guys know the Celestia's?" Avery elaborated as well as he could without going into an overwhelming amount of detail. He got the important gist of it down anyway and that's all that mattered to him.
"I don't think I'm from their country specifically no. There are a lot of countries from where we're from. I mean if they were from my country they would've recognised the bird as one native to my homeland." Avery turned back to face Aya with a raised eyebrow before glancing back towards Dante once more.
"Not outlawed where I come from...more like no one can use it. It's complicated Mr Dante~" Avery giggled playfully into his hand as he talk, a habit he had picked up since coming here and wasn't planning on breaking any time soon.
"Mr Dante I don't think having a fire in the middle of a building is wise. Huma." Avery waved his hand over the fire, almost as if the heat didn't even bother him, which now caused it to freeze solid in his hand.
"A metia is a device which allows one to use magic without having to use their gate. So it's useful for someone like me. However I work around it as I use mana from the air rather than my body. Also you don't believe my little show? Hmm maybe something bigger." Avery hummed thoughtfully as he tapped his chin a couple of times. Suddenly clicking his fingers it seemed like a light bulb had gone off in his head.
"One moment....this is gonna be difficult." Avery placed both of his hands either side of his temple before concentrating as hard as he could. Big, feathery, and not dangerous in the slightest. (At least in Avery's eyes)
Yes this would do nicely.
An emu now seemed to materialise from thin air before Aya's very eyes. Surely that would convince her? Cause that was kinda tiring....

@Heckno12
@Liferusher

Ho~

"Whaha, someone has some good reflexes. Most people would already be dead, you know. So good job on not dying!~" She clapped. It seemed her pretty little prey had some skill in not immediately dying right away. How utterly delightful A grin crept across the foxes face. She postured herself, standing straight up, unsheathing another blade from where it was sheathed on her back torso. "Sorry, Lets call it...professional integrity. I don't take bribes from my targets."

Her ears twitched in mild annoyance. He wasn't dead yet, which put a kink in their plans. That said, she was fairly confident she could keep him busy while Jiru did his job. If he was smart, he'd take the box and run with it, pick it elsewhere and get out without being seen.

"So...well, I'm not going to offer to make this nice and quick for you." She readied one of her blades, giggling childishly as she grinned at him. "No no, I haven't killed anyone for all of three hours! I'm suffering from withdrawal, really! Hehe...I'm going to take my delicious time with you." In truth, she was just baiting him to attack first. It'd be easier on her end if he attacked first. Wasn't like he was going to be able to hit her anyways, heh.

"Ah, no its nothing!"

Kyojin gave off a deep chuckle and raised his hands in defense of the small girl as aya glared at him with daggers, really he didn't know how she knew he was thinking about such a thing! Maybe she knew some kind of super magical sepll that allowed her to read his mind, or she had spies everywhere.. Or maybe it was because the giant could not really hide such thoughts well at all and so the moment when he looked to her she knew just what he was thinking about!

"A-Anyway yeah. Metia?"

He did not know that there were still people in the world that did not know about these amazing devices, well maybe she was someone from a backwater kingdom? Well that would be rude to assume, maybe she was just some sheltered noble from the way she dressed that may have been a good guess. Still he would help Avery in explaining such a thing, that was right after he accepted his drink from Yoshinobu and then popped another strawberry into his mouth. Smiling brightly back to Yoshi she sure knew how to make someone happy, no wonder they had such loyal regulars.

"Mmm? Mmm! you are going to make a fine wife some day Yoshinobu! Ah, as for metia? What Avery says is right. They are rather rare right now but they can do so much. Even a person like me who cannot use magic can use it with these things. They are normally pretty powerful to, able to do so many things. I hope to get one one day to make myself a little smaller.. heh, if such a thing is possible."

Not that he was ashamed of his height or anything, but being a little more compact at times like Aya would have been so helpful, and much less expensive!

Tani glanced at Ryan for a moment as he mentioned fruit loops? Tani never heard of these fruit loops before but was certainly willing to try them. Perhaps it was fruit made in loops or something. Tani was somewhat curious about it.



Tani rose up her sword and sheathed it in the holster hanging from her side. She had a serious look on her face as she spoke indicating that she intrested.

Maria lead them back to her room where they were offered a seat. Tani took of her helmet and placed it on the ground next to her. She shook her head a little letting her hairs wander in the right place again. Her hair was bound in two pony tails at the side of her head.

Maria spoke up about the fruit loops Ryan gave her. Tani gave a short nod, she liked sweet things too but didn't know such a flavor could be found in such a small thing. She didn't speak up about it though rather leaving it to herself.



After Malakaus told his story around the table Tani could only tilt her head forwards and spoke softly.



Tani stayed rather quiet during the rest of the conversation not really having any input into it. She was only observing the others, taking all the information in.



Dante seemed to have interest in what Aya said about magic not being real and stuff. Aya looked up at him and rose a brow. He dared to defy her? Dante was asking her if they weren't allowed from where they came from.



She rolled her eyes and tilted her head the other way. Dante called out to her again after a short minute noticing that she was trying to ignore him. Aya turned her head towards him with an angry look on it and somewhat yelled at him.



Dante rose up his hand and jolted out a fireball from the top if hand. It hovered above his hand really lighting up the tavern now. Aya fell backwards a little but was able to keep herself sitting.



Dante seemed to be happy about Aya her reaction, that she was finally gonna believe him.



Aya stood up from her chair pointing at him with a fierce look in her eyes. This wasn't real. It couldn't be. Avery hovered her hands over Dantes to put out the fire. Aya didn't seem to notice this was the use of magic too.

Kyojin commented something about making himself smaller with the use of a metia. Aya glanced at him with a slight painful expression. She looked away from him again not wanting to grieve about her situation too.

Before she knew it a giant bird was formed in front of her. Aya stumbled backwards over her chair and fell with a short whelp. She was found on the ground with her legs still stuck on the chair. Helplessly she rubbed her head before noticing the grave thing that happened. She quickly covered the short skirt with both hands completely red and silent. She slid further over the ground making it able for her to stand up straight again. Quickly she stood up with her skirt still covered and her body bend forwards a little. A pout was found on her face together with teary eyes not looking pleased with it at all.





Kondo stood up from his chair still with his eyes closed. He had been quite silent for the past hour or so mostly observing the situation at hand. They were getting a little to free with what they were doing. This wasn't enjoyable for him.



Kondo opened his eyes and gave them a heavy glare which eased in matter of seconds. He gave them a small smile short after and spoke again.



Kondo sat back down again and rose the mug to his mouth only to chug it down once more. Not much later Yoshinobu got him another mug of booze to drink. It was about time... The door of the tavern opened once more to welcome a bunch of men and some women. It was a group of people that were usuals at the tavern. There were about 10 people that laughed and greeted the others. They came up to Yoshinobu and ordered drinks before sitting down at various places around the others.





Kato smirked a the girl as he was praised for his dodging skills.



Kato jumped from right to left as he put his empty hand behind his back. He rose his rapier up towards her looking ready for a fight. A shadow overwhelmed his eyes for a moment as a creepy grint was found on his face. He finally got to help his family defend their property for once!



His voice echoed through the building as he himself moved forwards towards her. With grace he tried stabbing at her face for a few times making small jumps back with his feet each time he poked at her. He didn't suspect his hits to hit her though.



Her skirt had come undone just like her socks. Her blazer was found somewhere on the floor too. Her blouse was unbuttoned slightly making her a little more comfortable as she slept. The few books she read were scattered around her on different pages clearly making the librarian a little mad but she was at ease now. One with heaven. Her mouth was slightly open producing a small amount of saliva and her hair definitly was in sleep mode too, all messed up.

Slowly she woke up again, she watched around her a little and found herself on a stone cold floor. It appeared she was in a different world. No wait she was already, she had been reading weird books about the history of the land she was in. It was pretty entertaining but her stomach definitly was excited for something else. Patiently she pulled on her skirt again and walked off with half her clothes still on the ground in the library. She got outside barefooted and shivered once. With her mind still in sleeping mode she wandered over the market street. People were still weirded out by the looks of the girl but she clearly didn't look bothered.

After a while she stared at a food stand, it was selling chicken. Hmm chicken. Shiina bit a finger that she had put in her mouth as replacement of food. She really wanted it but her parents would get mad if she spent too much money on this kind of stuff. Without hesitation she poked her other in the air at the salesman to indicate she wanted to order one leg. The salesman that had been excitedly staring at her for the past minute immediately jumped at her and gave her the chicken after she had been standing there indecisively if she should order or not.

Shiina grabbed the chicken leg from the man with the hand that was just about not in her mouth just now and nibbled away. Her eyes definitly seemed to be enlightened by the flavor of the piping hot chicken. It was truly wondrous! The salesman had to remind her to pay him once more at which Shiina simply stared. She gave a nod with the chicken still in her mouth and got out her wallet. She threw some heavy japanese currency his way but he didn't give anything in return. Wasn't it enough? She gave him some more 500 yen coins but he was still not pleased. Shiina gave him her bank pass but he was still not satisfied. After a while she just gave her wallet to the man and walked away still nibbling the chicken.

Too be continued...

"I thought that you were friends with Vesta." Whatever imagination this girl had like if Blanc had a thing for an older woman, would be quite weird. In all actuality, she was embarrassed that someone else had thought a discriminated elf like her would be friends with one of the most prominent magic users in Lugunica. Looking back, Blanc had slapped her cheeks to stop whatever heat was rushing through them, though the red coloring remained and she whimpered as a result.

"W-were not that much of friends... more like acquaintances... that's it." How adorable, she's stuttering again. Going back to her humiliating whimpers. Ease spoke up from near the center of Vesta and Aleph's fight causing her to snap out of her sudden delusion and shake her head.

"But more on topic, I actually couldn't quite hear what you said Ms. Neige. You said something about shields?" Shields he says? Oh yes! Blanc thought he probably mean the meat shield that was Kyle. The snow elf would sigh before walking closer and speaking a bit more audibly. "...I-I mean the meat shield... that boy you were trying to save is m-my meatshield so..." She was quite nervous, after all he did tower over for her several inches and despite being over 100 years old, that was a big disadvantage for an introverted elf. Then there was Kyle who tried to apologize, Blanc shot another icy glare back to him as the top of her pretty face darkened in a somewhat yandere-look. She would lean near his face with a comical hiss. "You're already paying it by becoming my meat shield against arrows, melee weapons and other magic spells. So deal with it."

Kyle should really pay her back to earn her forgiveness, or at least do something that would completely change her mind.

@dabombjk@ZekariVoblis@FamishedPants@Spriggs27@Lunarlors34

@dabombjk@Spriggs27@Seirei No Hai@famishedpants@lunarlors34




Ease's brow raised up once again. Zin's words of how she thought Vesta and Neige were friends were making the elf...surprisingly nervous. She kept stuttering and let out rather embarrassed whimpers every few seconds. Hell, she was even blushing at the mere thought as if she was an embarrassed girl noticed by her crush. Ease wasn't entirely sure what to even think at this sight but hey. He doesn't know much about either of these women. Maybe she had a crush on Vesta? Or maybe she's just naturally nervous as a shy puppy...Wow that mental image is actually way more adorable than I thought.

"...I-I mean the meat shield... that boy you were trying to save is m-my meatshield so..." Thank God someone understood what he was trying to do. Despite this fact, she still seemed nervous as all hell. She was still stammering talking to him. Probably something to do with what Zin was saying before. Whatever. Opening his mouth and preparing to speak, he was quickly interrupted by Kyle's attempt to say sorry.

He couldn't lie...He felt bad for the kid. The kid got him slashed but it's not like he meant to. Hell, this entire situation probably wasn't on the poor kid's agenda. Even worse, the elf completely shut down his seemingly heartfelt apology with an icy glare and a hiss directly towards his face. Wait...Did that kid say appas? And as if to interrupt the new thought, Ratatosk jabbed his face with his paw. Ease looked him only for Ratatosk to point towards the two as if to say "do something."

Ease did an attention grabbing throat clear. "Look, all things considered it could be worse. Better appas then having a cut upon on your chest. That, aside, if it's simply appas that's the issue, then we *holds up a destroyed bag of berries* happen to be in a similar situation." He proceeded to toss the emptied bag over his head. "I can help with replacing those rather easily. There's a market stand not too far from here. How about we all go there, *points at Neige* replenish your appas, *points at the boy* help you learn a bit more about this wor-country, *points at himself* and help find me a healer and some more berries. Ah before I forget, we should get introductions out of the way as well. *with a new smile* My name's Ezekiel Evans. And what may your two's names be?" Despite his attempts to defuse the situation, he seriously wanted to deck the both of them into a different continent. His anger was actually immense at the moment. He took a blow from a swordsman, lost berries he just bought, and made a fool of himself because two people couldn't solve a simple dispute about freaking appas? Well, one things for certain. He's guilt tripping them like no tomorrow the moment he's better.

"Dona."

And the ground was shaking again. Shit. He looked over his head as Vesta seemed to be getting another spell ready. "On second thought, let's get moving first. If either of you are opposed to this, don't be. The only things that'll respond are the rocks that are gonna be flying in this direction in a sec. Got it?" His voice was urgent, but incredibly stern, like a father giving his children an order. He turned, started speeding walking, and proceeded to push the elf and boy by the back to help get the lot of them to safety, with each of his hands to each of the shorter individuals backs. It was becoming very blatant that he 1. Didn't want to be involved with this and 2. That he was getting sick of this. He gave a look back as if to scan the fight and what was going on. Vesta seemed to have summoned stone tendrils from the ground around her. Hmm...That was new. Then again, he hadn't been exposed to much earth magic. He wondered...could he do something similar?

Grian Rothfell_

The day quickly flew by as Grian pitched in with the treatement of the sick, and with helping to clear up some of the mess caused by the events that happened beforehand. At first teh guards didn't want him helping, but his charming personality, albeit irritating sometimes, helped him get along with most of the guards. With a night at the bar with them still ahead of Grian, he sat down on the highest point of the wall and observed the sunset. He always liekd to sit down on teh balcony of his house to observe. reminded him of the time he was back at their village, watching the same sun set every night with his little brothers and sisters. That was back when he was still an openly caring person. This was the emmory he cherished, the one thing that often kept him sane in this blasted world. But it also amde him sad, and melancholic. The thought of him changing so much, and inevitably turning into someone entirely different because of outer influences scared him. But maybe, jsut maybe, these kids arriving here were not for him to get rich. Maybe it was a chance to get back to his old self, the one he wishes to be so much. The sun slowly set, giving it's celestial stage to the moon and stars to shine on. He watched for a few minutes and then left the barracks.

The streets were still crowded even in these late hours. Not as tightly packed with citizens as it is at noon, but definetly enough to hide from people chasing you. However, he wasn't trying to run this time. The slow pace at night seemed almost refreshing compared to what he was used to. He kicked a stone away and looked at the stary sky shining above the city. He smiled as he enjoyed the fresh breeze run through his fur. He always liked these calm nights when the wind gently blows. As he left the main road and entered a anrrow alleway, the stars dimmed, and the wind calmed down. He was going to take one more detour before heading to the bar. His eyes searched the familair street for the small kiosk he knew so well. Tucked away in one of teh doorways, the rickety wooden structure stood as a shady reminder of what he does every day. He walked up to it, hoping to earn some cash.

At the structure stood a small old woman, and in front of her a variety of different pillows. She looked up as Grian approached, her eyes gleaming with masked interest. As Grian walked up, he picked up one of the pillows and checked out how soft it was. "Your merchandise is still the same bad quality nanny." he put teh pillow back and seemingly observed the others. "I got some news for your boss."

The old woman put both her hands on the pillows Grianw as looking at, and forced him to look at her. She spook up with an incredibly soft voice, that so unimaginable for an old woman like her. "Don't play around here Grian. And don't call me nanny, you know I hate that!" She sat down on teh chair behind her and looked at Grian angrily, clearly frustrated by how stubborn teh demi human was. She let out a loud sigh as she gave up trying to convince Grian. "Okay spit it out. I'll let you pass this time, but next time adhere to teh rules you scruffy bastard!"

Grian chuckled as he heard the word scruffy. That's a word he heard a long time ago. Especially considering teh good care he took of his fur. A wolf's pride is his fur, and he knew that very well. "You know about the new kids in town. They seem to have jsut popped up today out of nowhere." He stopped for a second to add to the atmosphere. The frustration of the granny told himn all he wanted to know. "One of came from a place called Japan, a palce with no demi-humans appereantly. They have weird books and statues, and their clothes are more efined than that of kings. Thought not as fashionable. They also carry paintinga around with themselves that depict how they look, and have some weird language on them." Grian pulled out an ID card from his pocket, and put it on the table. When he bumped into Cheiko, he made sure to grab this little plastic card. Thought he didn't know what material it was made from, he was sure he never saw it before. His thanked his blessed furry hands for being such good theifs. "Her name is Cheiko." He stopped for a second and remembred as he watched the sunset just earlier. just this alst time. "That's all I know." That was a lie, and the woman know it as well as she got agitated, and searched for something under the bench. Soon enough a bag of coins found it's way on the table and the woman looked up at Grian.

Clearly statisfied he took the bag with a wide smile on his face and continued. "There is three of them I know of. This girl, Cheiko, a boy called Ryan, and another girl called Eris. It seemed like they all wanted to join the iron bell knights." He remembered something and continued with less enhusiasm this time. "It also seems like the troublemaker has arrived back in town. Malakus also got a new squire it seems. You'd better watch out for him until he goes hunting again."

The woman put a single gold coin on the table, and then entered the door behind her, shutting it tight behind her. Grian chuckled as he took the gold coin, flipped it in the air, and then put it away in one of his pockets. After all you never have enough gold lying around, now do you. Wioth his job taken care of, and the weight of gold keeping his guilt at bay, Grian made his way to the bar. Thought he was statisfied with the reward he got, he kept one minor detail from the broker. The monster hunting the knights talked about. The next day he will make sure to get on that, hopefully getting picked up as a mercenary.

"Understandable, Knight Commander Maria. I have no intentions of endangering the lives of your young wards either, I merely felt that this quest may be a good experience for them to realize a knight's duty in practice. With all that said, I have nothing further to report. If you have knights to spare they would be very much appreciated in anticipation of this threat. However what these villages truly needs are not knights, but a scholar or magician who may be able to restore the crystal that once protected them. I understand that our ranks are low at the moment and we simply do not have the manpower to assign guardians at every outlaying village. Now if there is nothing else, I shall take my leave. Farewell, everyone."

Drinking his last refill of tea, Malakaus stood up from the table, bowed, and walked away. He had faith in his ability to slay demon beast and any other monster that arrived, but alas, what the village needed was a more permanent protector. If they had no crystal, then they would need guardsmen or militia. And of the villages Malakaus went to, only one had a "militia" that consisted of a gang of youth armed with farming tools with more strength then skill. Barely warriors, however it were these very youth that allowed Malakaus to consider their village not a lost cause. The other villages were, while not content, uninterested in trying to muster any sort of defense for themselves without the crystals, relying solely on traveling guardsmen or errant knights such as Malakaus. Such villagers Malakaus looked down upon, not for their weakness, but cowardice. How could Malakaus protect someone who had no interest in protecting themselves, or were even endangering their own lives under the impression that he is obligated to save them? He wouldn't. But those youth, as crude and unskilled as they were, at least showed that they wanted to protect their village and would risk their lives to do so. Such bravery was what Malakaus sought and appreciated.

Malakaus returned to the armory to find Atisha, and when he couldn't he was going to leave. But before he did one of the smithing assistants called out to him and told Malakaus that his armor was ready. "Is it now? I have not even been gone for an hour and you've already repaired my armor?" The assistant explained that they didn't actually repair the armor he gave them, but thanks to his many generous payments, they had the funds to create an extra set of identical armor for Malakaus while his old one was undergoing maintenance. While his new armor lacked any notable upgrades from what he's used to, it would at least allow him to be properly dressed while out and about. Malakaus himself was somewhat apprehensive, but he would not deny their good work. With the assistant's help, Malakaus don his armor, fitting him just like his old one. It was cleaned and comfortable, literally brand new. He was also given his axe which the assistant had maintained himself. He admitted that aside from a few knicks the blade was well kept and there really wasn't much to do aside from changing the shaft and a polish. Regardless Malakaus handed the young lad a silver coin for his troubles and headed into the city. As he left, Malakaus also took a shortsword and had it sheathed onto his belt, just in case. While the blade was broad, the length was relatively shorter than most of the longswords here, and may be helpful if Malakaus finds himself in a bind.

Most knights may stay at the castle for it's luxury and company, but Malakaus had no friends aside from his coworkers up there. But in the city, he was more likely to run into familiar faces such as those from the Great Swamp Tribe. He remembers fondly back in the day where he fought that grand battle for a noble family, where only he and nine others were the survivors of one hundred orcs who fought against and army one thousand strong. Since then the survivors had made a better name for themselves, mostly knights like Malakaus, but quite a few becoming governors and administrators in their own right. Now that he thought about them, Malakaus was certain he could have recommended one of them to Eris if she wanted a comfortable occupation. Her skills at art and intelligence would have made her a great boon for one of the more decedent orcs. And aside from his kin, Malakaus would occasionally have the pleasure of seeing old faces from his travels, such as merchants he had saved or villagers who remembered him. These moments were rare, but it always made Malakaus feel good that he had helped them in the only way he knew how.

Ah, but there was one place that Malakaus loved to go to: the local tavern. While Malakaus was not a drinking himself the tavern often had pleasant company and the chance for a friendly brawl. And if anyone wanted to make it less friendly, Malakaus could certainly oblige. However before he could get there, he heard a commotion distressingly close to the castle. He went to investigate and saw that there was some sort of wizard duel going on. Magic was flying and people were running off to safety. Malakaus didn't like mages precisely for this reckless endangerment. He especially hated the mages who felt they weren't responsible for the collateral damage their magic did, and he was quite straightforward with those types: one swing and judgement would have been dealt with. So the large man in steel walked calmly towards the scene of the battle, no weapons drawn, his blatantly ignoring all the debris and shrapnel that was hitting him. He even walked undaunted into the writhing mass of stone tentacles that would likely try to beat on him, grab him, and even try to trip him, but nothing would slowed him down.

Once he got close enough he spoke clearly, loudly, over the two combatants. "Stop this right now!" He roared at the two. He didn't care why they were fighting, and frankly if they weren't doing it in the city he wouldn't have interrupted. But so long as they were here, Malakaus is going to keep the peace.

@ADamnFiddle@liferusher@Rune_Alchemist@Lunarlors34@FamishedPants

---

Atisha had been spending some time trying to get a handle on the various polearms the castle had to offer. While she wasn't trained in all their uses, she felt that by adapting what she did know of spear fighting, she could adapt to using these other polearms. First and foremost, she needed a polearm with length. While she didn't need a pike, she did need something longer than your average longsword. Atisha fought with range and could easily defeat any opponent both at the tip of her spear and beyond it, though she preferred to keep them a safe distance away regardless. Second, the shaft must be flexible. Atisha often uses her weapon for mobility, and hard staffs were more prone to breaking. A flexible staff was more accommodating to her highly acrobatic fighting style. And lastly, versatility. She needed a weapon that could not only slice and dice, but hack and slash, smash and crush, trip and disarm, sunder or throw. But nothing was for free, and for all she knew there could very well be a weapon she was looking for, and Atisha just hasn't found it yet. Thus she needed to continue testing the various weapons until she felt comfortable with one of them.

What she ultimately chose was a partisan; a sort of longspear with sharpen edge to allow slashing, as well as a crescent shaped hilt to give it the appearance of a trident and parrying capabilities. Having used an actual trident before (Atisha did grow up at a fishing village after all) the weapon felt familiar to her, and she was glad to be using something that reminded her of home. She tested the abilities of this particular partisan, using it's tip to pierce through a wooden dummy with a fair amount of ease (In both stabbing and retrieving her spear), as well as leaving sizable cuts and being of decent range. While too heavy to throw, the bottom end of this particular partisan had a weighted cap allowing for a quick blunt strike, as well as bracing the polearm against an incoming charge. As for the shaft, while one preformed fairly optimally all things considered. Atisha had used it to vault herself around the courtyard and on top of various buildings, and despite it's weight being unwieldy for throwing it wasn't so heavy that she couldn't carry it with her while hopping around the castle.

As she was training she was inevitably approached by unfamiliar guardsmen who demanded to know who she was. She turned and glared at them and simply showed Malakaus emblem at them. They were hesitant at first so Atisha had to explain who she was. "Gods above, I'm Malakaus's squire! He went to the Iron Bell headquarters to talk to whoever is in charge there. Why don't you go and get her if you're so worried?" One of the guards did do that, leaving the other behind to watch Atisha. She was told that she wasn't allowed to leave until her identity had been verified. Sighing, Atisha did not feel like causing another scene and merely waited. The guard was obviously nervous, perhaps expecting some sort of witchcraft. And while Atisha could certainly do something to him, once again she chose to simply wait.

As she waited Atisha took the time to look into the city from the top of the castle walls where she was stopped. This city was vast and, from this view, quite magnificent. From so high above she could see that the walls glowed with a brilliant light from the sun's reflection, and the hustle and bustle of the city reminded her of life back at the village. Those were sweet memories where she was still an innocent youth hoping to one day lead the village herself. She remembered the smells of apple and cinnamon being traded for their fish and alcohol. The sounds of seagulls and the waves crashing against the coast. Seeing people busy at work, some struggling and others rushing, but regardless they were satisfied. They had only a handful of warriors to protect the docks and patrol the village, but it was mostly her mother's magic that protected that village. The demon beasts could not get pass her wards, and no bandit or thief could escape their arrows. It her thoughts slowly drifted towards that one horrible night, where it wans't bandits or monsters that destroyed her home, but men on great warships.

Letting out a sad sigh Atisha did notice something off. She wasn't sure how common it was in the city, but typically she doesn't consider the rooftops to be a road. Thus, it wasn't hard for Atisha's keen eyes to notice someone running across the rooftops. Not too much further away she also saw smoke rise from a building which presumably was on fire. It didn't take her long to peice together the simple conclusion that this person running across the rooftops had just set fire to a building and was now heading in the direction of the castle. Why the castle, she wasn't sure, but she supposed that considering how easy it was for one street rat to break into the castle, now other madmen were going to invade.

"Someone approaches the castle from the rooftops. I suspect that he isn't here for tea and cookies. If you are even slightly competent, I suggest that you gather some men and arm yourself for battle. Take ranged weapons and be wary of magic. I will stop this person myself." The guard of course wasn't going to take answers from the elf, to which she gave him a cold stare. This was a familiar paranoia that had claimed the lives of many before, so Atisha had to compromise. And she would spite this man for it. "So be it. I will go with you, if you distrust me so much, and prepare the castle for yet another break-in that you guardsmen are too incompetent to stop in the first place. Surely you were there when chaos erupted from out first uninvited guest? You'd do well not to repeat it!" The guard sized himself up and stepped towards Atisha, saying that he doesn't follow her orders, and that she is to come with him. Rolling her eyes Atisha did follow, and sure enough he was going to get a few guards together while Atisha explained her plan.

Meanwhile back at the conference room where Maria and the others were at, a slightly panting guardsmen arrived for Maria. He waited patiently for permission before asking Maria about a elf who was on the castle walls. She had Malakaus's emblem, but none of the castle guards were informed that he had arrived with an elf of all things. Current she was being watched by a guardsmen, so hopefully they could get this all sorted out before anything extreme happened.

@ADamnFiddle

@liferusher@Lunarlors34@Soragoku@Kitsune

"How long? Ah...8 years didn't I say earlier Mr Dante? So that would make it when I was still reeeeally little. Like 11."

Dante then gave her a glare. "One time was enough Avery, besides i was just making sure cause i never saw theses places on the world map" He told her calmly. However, when he heard the rest of the story he began to frown and lower his ears when you heard the rest of her story. "I'm sorry that you're a long way from home, i'm glad you were able to find a family in his kingdom.".

With Avery telling him the for some reason his...continent(?) do use magic at all he can sort of understand the maid girls skepticism about magic. She even back jumped when he created a fireball, obvious she never saw magic before, that definitely confirm it. Suddenly Avery used water spell freeze the fireball while it was above his hand causing it to fall into it and nearly fall to the floor, but with Dante being strong he was able to keep it from falling. He then turned to Avery. "I'm not an idiot, I wouldn't create a fireball i would be able to control." He told her arrogantly.

Then Avery used her summoning magic to summon a feathery beast with a long neck that and that maid girl falls backward in his chair. Dante quickly got out of his chair to help her out but saw her underwear the process causing him to brush a little. He was a bit embarrassed but offered her while looking at her face and not her underwear. "Good job, Avery your spell cause this poor girl to hurt herself." He pointed out. Though his spell spooked the maid girl out, it was only fair Dante to point out her mistake in this since she did it twice to him.

Once the maid girl was up he then turned to the purple haired guys who scorned the two of them for using magic to created such chaos. He then bows in a Japanese like fashion. "I'm sorry, I and my partner should have been more carefully about using magic in this tavern. We are sorry for interrupting the peace of the tavern and promise it will not happen again." He told him sincerely.