---

---

A battle could be a great deal many things, depending on time, location, foe, and circumstances. A battle could be a waste of time. A battle could be a friendly spar. And a battle could also be a game of chess. It is this kind of game that the current fight fell under. Because Aleph refused to be beaten by this mage, and because said mage was overwhelmingly strong, it could not simply be a straightforward fight. Absolutely not. Each and every action and reaction had to have a clear purpose within one's mind if he was going to end this fight without being made a mess of.

And that is why the battlefield was as it is now. He had nothing more than a simple but effective plan in finishing this event. The pieces had been set as well. There was some distance between the two, he was not in her vision, and he had presumably led her into thinking that he was going to launch an attack by using the dust as cover. How critically foolish she was!

He once again tapped into his magical ability, this time with one he was more familiar with. As his was a supportive magic, he had used a spell that made his physical abilities even greater! Using this spell, he could jump higher, hit harder, and move quicker and react even faster, surely he would be a deadly foe with this once he got close!

Yet that was the problem. It wasn't possible for him to GET CLOSE. Even as strong as she was, he could hopefully overwhelm her, but she also knew this and would not let it get to this point. That is why he would have to do yet another thing he loathed being forced to do: He would have to unleash one of his secret techniques upon her. One that should leave her jaw wide open.

"It hasn't failed me yet, so I don't think it will fail me now!"

As stated before, the reason the dust was kicked up was not actually to perform an attack on her, but to remove vision of himself. That was the entire purpose of his sloppy magical blasts, and they had served him well since she had launched a rather frightening attack into the smokescreen. One would expect him to have continued charging either way, but he instead backed off before she had made the dust a deathpit, by leaping backwards. With the power of his magic supporting his fairly impressive physical ability, it was almost as though he was on the moon or in space. And with another leap, he would see to it that his plan had succeeded!

....except then somebody interrupted their fight, clearly pretending like the battle going on meant little to him besides acting as an annoyance.

"Stop this right now!" the strong voice demanded.

Aleph, being in the middle of the motion to perform yet another jump, almost tripped and fell, but managed to catch himself before the accident happened. That probably would have been pretty embarrassing. Who had dared interrupt their fight this time!? Aleph caught view of the intruder and... felt a bit of shiver. Somehow, he felt like this... uh, what was the name for them again? Oaks? Oars? Well, it didn't matter. This... guy? did not look like the kidding type, and he was far too preoccupied with this woman to deal with him as well. Besides, he could use this as a chance not to reveal his hidden technique to the people spectating the battle, or his very foe! Perfect!

Striking a pose with a puffed-out chest as though he was not just struggling with this fight a mere moment earlier, Aleph proudly declared, "Very well! It has become clear to me that fate desires this battle to be postponed! I am confident that such a spectacular fight must be delayed until all of the pieces are in place. A strong foe deserves a much better stage, after all. Until then, Aleph, the Hero, shall make his leave!"

With a hearty laugh and a very agile series of hops, Aleph swiftly vacated the scene. Boy, he was lucky, wasn't he?

"Whew..." Kurokono slung his sack of goods along his back, walking along the streets of Hokkaido. Its a once in a blue moon shopping trip. His grandfather's sword had broken from long usage, so he bought for him a new katana, along with a fresh set of traditional clothing for his gramps. Also, there will be a highschool reunion in the upcoming week, and being one of the organizers of the party, he bought a penguin mascot costume for that reunion. A good amount of snacks are inside his sack too, for his own consumption. And no, he won't be sharing any of them to his grandfather.

He glared against the evening sun reflection of his mobile phone, he received Whotsapp messages of his friend raging at him for ignoring their texts. He was puzzled, how the heck did they know that he last seen them, "And what's with the deal with blue ticks...? Are they psychics?..." He is a country bumpkin, he had bought a smartphone rather recently, and he hates the battery life of that phone at first, but at least he figured out how to turn off his Mobile Data, and the Power saving feature comes in handy.

"Now, what the shit...?" When he looked up from his phone, everything around him changed. He had been transported to a slum of Lugnica. "what happen...." He looked around his surroundings, trying to grasp the current situation he's in. And his phone displayed a "Lost connection" & a "No signal" symbol appeared at the top of his phone. He tried to call his grandfather, but to no avail.

"Holy..." What caught the corner of his eye made him gasp in astonishment, an enormous city, that doesn't look like something of his era. City walls, that was the first time he actually seen one. And the inhabitants there, are all dressed up like his grandfather. "Traditional clothes... City walls... Aha! I get it, its a time travel, this is the Sengoku Jidai, the Samurai era, and that is Kyoto, the Royal Capital of the Shogun!" Kurokono slammed his fist on his palm, letting out a cheerful smile at that "realization". And yes, he'd flunked his history back in highschool, his history is way off for him to make such a conclusion. He had dreamt of seeing "Samurais", and now he got the opportunity to see them firsthand.

But first thing first, he had to blend in with the current society, the last thing he would want to happen is for him to be branded a foreign spy. Having him covered behind the bushes, he changed to his grandfather's clothing, he was glad that his pair of slippers is leather and wouldn't stand out much in the crowded. He tied his grandfather's sword on his right waist, and he ensured that his shirt was loosened a bit to act as a wandering ronin.

"Now I need to go to an inn there, to find out more of Kyoto..." He entered the streets of Lugnica, wandering around for any signs of an inn. Some demihumans look strange to him, but that doesn't surprise him much, "Before the Sengoku Jidai humans are apes, so there are still unevolved Gorillas around here..." He whisper his "history", and now he's hungry, so he took out a packet of biscuits, munching along strolling the streets.

Whilst looking for an inn, he stumbled upon Malakus, Vesta and Aleph. "A Samurai and two Ronins, looks a bit different from what I'd thought, but fascinating... Munch~" Kurokono muttered to himself and crunched on his biscuit, it was the first time in his life to see a "Samurai", but he knows one thing, stare at them too much and he will attract unnecessary attention. Kurokono lowered his head a little, as he tried to walk pass them like a "mere peasant" here, crunching on his biscuits.

~ @Lucius Cypher
@Lunarlors34 , @FamishedPants

Vesta Celestia

Vesta turned suddenly as she felt someone approaching. She had just managed to start tracing Aleph's movements so this new movement of someone much heavier was quite obvious to her. Raising her arm, the tendrils which had been raining down stopped just as Malakus let loose his demand.
"Stop this right now!" He roared at the two combatants. All Vesta could do was raise an eyebrow towards the newcomer. Just who did he think he was, giving commands to a Celestia?
This man sure had guts to walk straight through her spell like that, and judging by the armour he was clearly a knight. A knight of considerable strength considering he didn't seem hurt at all. His presence also seemed to be one that radiated strength.
"Very well! It has become clear to me that fate desires this battle to be postponed! I am confident that such a spectacular fight must be delayed until all of the pieces are in place. A strong foe deserves a much better stage, after all. Until then, Aleph, the Hero, shall make his leave!" With that Aleph now turned and leapt away quite spectacularly. Vesta would give him credit where credit was due, he sure knew how to make a damn hasty and pretty interesting retreat.
With her opponent now gone however, Vesta reasoned she didn't really have much of a choice here now. After all, she wasn't listening to his command she was simply doing what must be done since her opponent was gone. At least that's what she told herself.
Lowering her arm now, the tendrils now sank back into the earth to replace what had been taken and the ring of earth around of them soon followed suit. Soon enough all the damage from the fight on the road had seemed to vanish and if anything the road seemed to be in better condition than when she had started fighting. However such a task was rather draining, so she made a mental note not to get in any more fights lest she suffer a humiliating defeat.

"And may I inquire as to who you are sir knight? It takes a man of considerable courage to come between a Celestia and their foe. Let alone try and order one around. But where are my manners, before asking your name I should give my own first. Forgive me I always forget to do so." Vesta flicked back the earring which contained her family crest as she talked, her tone while being harsh still carried an undertone of respect to it. She couldn't help but respect the knight thus far, and she needed to satisfy the curiosity which was building within her as to who this knight was.
"My name is Vesta Celestia, heir to the Celestia family. Surely a knight knows of us? Please tell me you do because no one I've spoken to today seems to." She carried a dignified tone for the first half of what she said, but it quickly fell away to one of annoyance, disappointment and confusion with a heavy sigh to end it all. If this knight didn't know her family name, she was done. She would just walk away and be done with this whole situation and just go home. Avery would come back sooner or later.
She gave a short bow soon after, now simply awaiting the knight's response. Although a knight would perhaps be helpful in finding Avery? Well the more set of eyes and ears she had the better, plus she might be able to circulate the news around and perhaps another knight has seen the troublesome trap?
Though she still had an inkling he was at the tavern, it never hurt to have backup plans though.

"What!? Imbecile!" Malakaus tried in vain to catch this "hero" as he made his escape, but alas, magic must have been fueling him and the stranger made a quick escape. His fool, Aleph he called himself, promised yet another battle another time. Malakaus signed and made a mental note to make sure the town guards kept an eye out for him. If he wanted to fight someone, so be it, but Aleph had better had the judgement to take his fight outside of a public district. There were plenty of warehouse and open spaces one could fight at and minimize the damage. Standing there exasperated the orc's attention then turned towards the mage Aleph had fought. She seemed unharmed, but was obviously quite powerful. He wasn't sure who was the aggressor here, though Malakaus knew that if he couldn't speak to Aleph he wouldn't get both sides of the story anyways.

The girl seemed curious to know who Malakaus was and why he would interrupt her duel, as if it shouldn't have been obvious enough. But when she mentioned Celestia, it took Malakaus a moment to figure out what might have happened. While he has yet to associate with the Celestia family themselves, he at least knew they were a powerful wizard family. And with that came their strength and arrogance. If Aleph was as much of a foolhardy hero as classical stories tell, then he imagined that Aleph had done something to slight this girl, and her pride could not allow it to pass without violence. She introduced herself as Vesta Celestia, one of their heirs. He bowed towards her, as he often does to every stranger he meets. "Malakaus Firebelly of the Great Swamp Tribe, knight errant of Lugnica. I have heard of your family, and their power is quite prideful." He's mostly heard them in passing from annoyed nobility for reasons Malakaus honestly cared little about. but the frequency of their name was somewhat alarming, and in hindsight Malakaus should have paid more attention. Oh well.

Sighing Malakaus still had a job to do. He'll need to figure out why this fight was happening and whether or not any judgement should be passed. No one seemed hurt, and despite his initial worries the damage done to the area was minor. In fact, aside from blocking traffic during the duration of their duel, there didn't seem to be any damage done at all. "Though I wonder why someone from such a prestigious family like yourself was fighting with that so-called hero. I have no doubts that you're more than able to take care of yourself, but regardless as a protector of this kingdom I must know why one of it's citizens was fighting within it's capital. Please understand you're in no trouble, but I cannot allow these battles to continue frivolously."

As he spoke, a mere peasant passed Malakaus and Vesta. While initially beneath notice, but out of the corner of his eye Malakaus noticed what appeared to be a sword on his belt. It appeared to be a sabre of some sort, but combined with his peasant robes, Malakaus wasn't quite sure what to make of the stranger. Little did Malakaus know of course, the man's clothing were a quality above that of a peasant, but Malakaus never had such an eye for clothing. He did make a minor mental note to keep an eye out for him or others like him, as he's not seen anyone who looked like that before. The amount of foreigners coming into the city was both astounding and, upon further thought, not quite as unexpected as it ought to be. Malakaus needs to actually see people more.

@Lunarlors34@Noodles

As the fight came to an end and another person came to intervene between Vesta and Aleph's fight, despite Vesta not winning the fight, Zin was impressed with Vesta's strength. The moment she was finished speaking to the knight who stopped the fight. Zin put one of her gloved hands on Vesta's back." Vesta I'm surprised by your strength and your talent using Earth magic." Zin looked to the knight for a split second, then back to Vesta." Vesta, it may not seem like much but you have earned my respect." She told the silver-haired woman doing her best to sound genuine." I don't know if you require another sword on your mission or journey but I am willing to fight for you. Hopefully, I'll find my worth or purpose."

Zin took her hand off Vesta's back and noticed that her same hand that was on Vesta's back moved down to the silver-haired woman's bottom. For the few seconds, she had her hand on the royal lady's keister she enjoyed the firm feeling in her hand and immediately felt panicked by what she did and slapped her open hand onto Vesta's back." We should get you cleaned up before you get sick." She told her, trying to act like she didn't just feel up Vesta's backside almost ten seconds ago.

As the man introduced himself to Vesta, Zin felt as if she should introduce herself as well," I am Zin Parellax, a dragon in human form." She told him casually and with a straight face. When he brought up the hero that escaped from Vesta in the earlier fight Zin tried to give her take on the whole situation." Well, the guy claimed one of Vesta's companions was someone that he wasn't and tried to attack him and asked for Vesta to fight him, that should be just about it." Zin told him, she briefly looked over to Vesta before looking back to Malakaus." Vesta is there anything you want to add ?"

Forett had been on his way to the markets and managed to get himself lost as he usually did when he came back to this city. As any passerby with nothing much to do would, he had paused to watch the fight. Forett had caught the entire bit, not all that startled by the use of magic despite his rather common look. His hood was down, allowing anyone to see his blonde hair as well as his unnatural eyes. Over his back was a shield that held some insignia known only to him in the shape of a large tree. His belt held a sword, though it was peace tied as he was within the city. It hung from his right hip, looking to be a gladus of some sort. He had purchased it just recently to replace his own which could be easily seen as it was absent of any dirt or wear.

Forett was impressed as Malakus walked in and stopped the fight, his face expressing himself openly. This man was huge, and not only that- he sounded just as intimidating as he looked. Forett did well not to get in his way as Aleph fled. Forett sidestepped as to make more space for Malakus should he choose to give chase, though seeing him turn to speak with the mage he quickly fell back in place. Forett did not back away or continue as a normal citizen would, he was still interested in the magic he had seen destroy and repair the street so casually. He moved to speak, however upon seeing the guard conversing with Vesta he paused yet again. Forett knew how to be polite if anything, though he was not well versed with talking to ‘normal’ people.
“*Human culture confuses me… How is it that you wear other things as a gimmick for your own hide? It can’t be comfortable, can it?” Verisa spoke to him over their bond.

“*I've told you this every time you ask about it.” He made it sound serious… before losing the serious tone. “*We make them comfortable! It just takes one or two rabbits or some good cowhide and you can make some nice and fluffy leather pads.” Forett smiled as the conversation played out both in his head and before him in the street. Though his smile may make someone think of him as a little loose in the head. He hid it quickly as he waited for the guard to finish his business, making eye contact and nodding to anyone who looked his way. Right when it looked ripe yet again, a woman walked passed and inserted herself into the situation. Forett was slightly stunned to see the sight, and when he heard that she was a dragon in human form? Well, he lost his smile all together. Perhaps she was telling a lie, but that did not matter at the moment. This woman spoke words that Forett had previously missed. " I don't know if you require another sword on your mission or journey but I am willing to fight for you. Hopefully, I'll find my worth or purpose."
This woman was looking for people to quest? Now he was truly interested, especially if she was so capable. However, his attention was grabbed by Verisa as she was loking through his distracted eyes. “* I have never seen that form of greeting before, Forett?” She conveyed over the bond.
Forett stapped back to realise he was looking at a woman’s backside, and quickly looked up.
“*Do you mind!”
Once more Forett was simply that one man who had yet to move on and looked as though he had a question to ask someone. If nothing else, he was decently armed and armored. His cloak hid most of what he wore, however.

@Spriggs27 @Lucius Cypher @Lunarlors34

@Seirei No Hai@dabombjk@Spriggs27@FamishedPants@lunarlors34@Lucius Cypher@Noodles@Forett




Ease took another glance back down at his injury while he walked. This is weird. I was in front of Vesta and pretty much had nothing to defend myself. Even with the berries, this wound should be way more serious. Unless... His eyes went in for a quizzical glare at his injury.

"Stop this right now!"

Ease's back immediately stiffened at the sudden deep voice that bellowed not too far from him. He looked back with a face less nervous and more asking "What's going on NOW?" and noticed a large man covered head to toe in armor. He let out a sigh and a smile. "Finally...Some order in all of this." He took his hands off the two's backs and instead turned around to take a better glimpse at what was going on.

Once again displaying the flair that Ease now associated with him, Aleph proceed to puff out his chest and announced his exit. Well after nearly tripping from hearing the larger man speak. With an admittedly inspiring laugh and some impressive jumps, he was gone just as soon as he entered it. "Crazy asshole...But the guys got skills, won't lie. And a weirdly nice laugh." He muttered to himself. He looked down and felt the wound he left a bit. He flinched. While it wasn't bad, it still stung to touch. Though there was one thing that was certain-the guy was holding back. Well, on the cut at least. The fight he wasn't as certain on. It didn't say a lot and it was much too soon to make judgement, but maybe the guy wasn't exactly bad. Bat shit insane-he already made that conclusion. But even the craziest people aren't necessarily bad. He looked up where he left. Hmm...

He swung his head back over to where Vesta and the large man now stood. In practically a mere instance, she took the destroyed city street and put it together as if she and Aleph had never fought. He took a closer look. Hell...that street looked even better than it previously was. He raised an eyebrow. You just used carefully created public property as ammunition. How the hell did you improve it on top of fixing it? He did take a note though. To be able to fix something like that and so quickly...It was impressive no doubt. Props to her there.

"And may I inquire as to who you are sir knight? It takes a man of considerable courage to come between a Celestia and their foe. Let alone try and order one around. But where are my manners, before asking your name I should give my own first. Forgive me I always forget to do so. My name is Vesta Celestia, heir to the Celestia family. Surely a knight knows of us? Please tell me you do because no one I've spoken to today seems to." What was with this girl and her name? He knew nobility was important, but the more she mentioned it, the more it reminded him of the usual pompous girls that were the causers of the drama back in his high school years. To her credit, she didn't seem to really cause the issue so much as escalate it and, unlike those girls, she definitely had a good reason to brag. Hell, as long as she didn't let her ego get to her, she'd probably be an alright asset. Not as much as the dragon, but definitely helpful.

Afterwards, the knight known as Malakaus introduced himself as well. Swamp Tribe...The man obviously wasn't city raised. He still had a rather refined way of speaking though. And on top of that, his main priority seemed to be simply keeping the peace above all else. Ease gave a "phew" and a smirk. He didn't know the guy obviously but a knight with such values is good news. Less fights and someone he can sorta fall back on.

As the two spoke, a man walked past them, head down as if he was trying to avoid the authorities and mumbling. Ease glanced over at him with eyes of curiosity more than anything. The man seemed different somehow but his clothes weren't anything special. It seemed like he was just this world's equivalent of some sort of...Japanese wanderer. What did they call them? A wanderer? He shrugged. It'll come to me at some point. At least I hope so.

Zin then announced how she apparently was willing to follow Vesta due to her display in power. And announcing how she was looking for a....purpose? That was a new one. Was she a wanderer like that man? Then he glanced down and noticed Zin grabbing Vesta's....posterior. She immediately moved her hand to slap her on the back when she took notice, as if trying to brush off what just happened. Either she had no sense of personal space or she really likes Vesta's peaches. The only thing for certain was that Ease was blushing like the color on his chest. It didn't help that now his attention was placed on the geomancer's behind. Which was a lot curvier than he had noti-"GAH! Eyes stop that!" He said to himself, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to stop himself. As his brain was trying to find other things to grab at that wasn't the booty, he took not of what Zin's introduction to the knight. Though he didn't quite get why she did it. He didn't seem to ask her, but hey. Initiative. Respect there.

“*Do you mind!”

Ease jumped back for a second at the new individual that was near him. Some hooded man. Ironically his clothing reminded him of his new ruined clothes. He looked left and right as if he was talking to him. Was he? It would make sense if that was to Zin too. "I uh...What?" After a few awkward seconds, he cleared his voice and shifted his head back over to the group. "~Aaaanywaaaay~"

"Zin's right. To be more exact, he called my compatriot over here *points to the black haired boy* a 'dark lord' named Henry Ford and that the ladies present including Ms Neige *points to the el* were his generals. For what reason, I don't know. After that, the fight began and ended as you arrived. However, despite all of that...call me crazy, but I'm not sure if he was thoroughly trying to kill us." He said, already expecting critique on his judgement.

He put his hands in the air defensively yet his face still kept a sort of monotone, deadpan expression. "Now hear me out. I tried deflecting a slash directed towards Vesta after having to get him *points to the black haired boy again* from taking the blow instead. Now considering the fact that besides my clothing I was unarmed and that I was directly in front of her, I should be critically injured. Simple logic puts it that he'd have to be swinging hard to get a good blow on Vesta at the distance he was at and someone even closer and therefore much easier to cut down would take a far worse hit than even that. Yet," He pointed to his new chest wound. "This is all there is. It hurts, but I'm not in any bad condition. From that, it can be easily figured out he held back. If not on Vesta, then on the attack I took, most definitely."

Putting one hand down and another to his chin, he closed his eyes. "My theory is most obviously is that he wasn't gunning to kill. Injure-More than likely. But I seriously doubt on the kill front. So the only real question is why." He opened his eyes, finishing the analysis he made on the fight. He admits it was more or less on the fly from what he could immediately gather and what he'd been mulling over.

@ADamnFiddle
@Rune_Alchemist
@Heckno12
@Lucius Cypher

Malakaus had given his input upon the situation after Maria had given him her blessing in regards to obtaining both funding and personnel from the Iron Bell, including but not limited to herself.

As for her new recruits, Maria did understand that Malakaus was someone who preferred a more spartan approach to training perhaps, but Maria was perhaps a tad bit less demanding of people who she understood, based on how pretty their hands appeared compared to a warriors or even the average peasant, and how any muscles developed appeared to be from less traditional, work-induced trainings.

Though, if the two wished to at the least observe the duty of a knight, she would not mind having both Chieko and Ryan accompany her. After all, they would eventually become reputable knights amongst the Iron Bell. At least if they were to continue upon their goal. Maria might not be the most idealistic individual, but she did expect at the very least some sentience of competency, but It is never fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself.

Perhaps it could be said that Maria and Malakaus were both meritocratic and altruistic in regards to their perception on recruitment, feeling that it should not matter about background or status to determine the worth of an individual. Though Maria did place emphasis on her family name, she understood that her family name was merely something that provided her with an advantage over others and that she should use her advantages to better those without such. However, Maria did not have tolerance for those who blamed society for their disadvantages. Philanthropy is for the betterment of others, not for bringing yourself to the level of others. It is essential to employ, trust, and reward those whose perspective, ability, and judgment are radically different from yours. It is also rare, for it requires uncommon humility, tolerance, and wisdom, which to some degree Maria aspired towards.

Perhaps Maria was not so socially brave compared to Malakaus. As she had pointed out, Elves tend not to be very reputable as a race, and to both the humans and the demibeasts, whom of which had many conflicts in the past in regards to coexistence, both races tend to agree about their dislike of those of elvish blood. Especially those who are half-elves.

Maria held no such convictions against Elves or even Half-Elves for that matter. A person should never be judged by their appearance and only on their inners, and not in the way that a certain emboweler & assassin-for-hire from the north would imagine it as. Character determined the person.

That was about when a certain guard had entered her room after knocking and making request to enter. Maria allowed the guard to enter her quarters, as she saw no reason to reject the request.

“Ma’am, there appears to be an elf claiming to be the Squire of Sir Malakaus. What do you wish me to do with her?”

It appeared that for whatever reason Malakaus’ aid and squire had appeared at the Iron Bell’s chapter as Malakaus had left the premises. Perhaps this was where they were to meet up, but Malakaus had other plans for the time being. Or perhaps there was some sort of information Maria needed to know.

“Allow her audience with me. Malakaus had explained to me that he had taken an Elf as a squire, and I trust Malakaus’ judge of character.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Though the guard had allowed one “Atisha Eluvian” entrance to Maria’s room, he seemed rather begrudgingly to allow the woman access to his commander’s room. Perhaps he was the sort not to trust elves. After all, it was a general idea that Elves were not to be trusted. The Witch was an Elf, so the natural association was that anyone who was an elf could potentially become like “that Witch”, but he tried his best to hide this expression of himself from this Elf-woman.

"Ahem. Yes, well firstly on the matter of my... Aide. Her name is Atisha Eluvian”

Maria got up from the table she sat at with Cheiko and Ryan and took a bit of a stance of authority with her hands folded behind her back and her posture overbearing and her face, like her normal actions, serious. At the very least Maria tried to have others take her seriously as a knight. She was more than just a rich family’s only daughter, dammit!.

“Ms Atisha Eluvian, I presume? If you are looking to find Sir Malakaus, he had left the headquarters not too long ago. If what you need is not urgent, I’d like to invite you to tea if you’d accept my invitation. Please forgive any mistreatments my guards have given you Ms Eluvian. I do not wish to cause a friend of Malakaus any inconvenience”

What just happened? While passing by, Kurokono was puzzled when his surroundings that was obviously collateral damages by the "two ronins" suddenly restored to a clean state. Just what was that...? He tried to maintain his nonchalantness to the situation, that was a feat that he had not seen before, that goes beyond even his own realm of common sense. On the second thought, he was relieved that he chose the wiser decision of blending in, otherwise he would end up being pulverised by one of the things of the "era" that he doesn't know about. This era is more chaotic than I thought...

Vesta Celunaga? Kurokono being at a further distance now, could barely make out the details of the conversation. He realized Vesta's way of speech to Malakus is more of someone of a high infleunce, than a mere "ronin". And it seems that she was the one who used that "sorcery thing". Don't tell me she is the heir to the Shogun family?...

Kurokono slowed down his walking pace, as he noticed Zin approaching Vesta. Dragon... Magic...? Aren't they just legends...? He almost let out a gasp in astonishment, that lady was definitely the Shogun's daughter, for quite the number of "bodyguards" to gather around her in what it seems like a moment to him. He had heard legends of the "Shogun" raising Dragons, but he didn't believe it until he overheard what was in front of him. Zin was probably Vesta's pet dragon, and seeing how she mentioned "human form", she definitely could transform if she want. That sorcery thing was magic...? Kurokono didn't believe in magic obviously, until today when he saw how something isn't supposed to happen have happened.

"First, that Vesta girl is the Princess," Walking to the end of that street, Kurokono hid at a corner, trying to grasp his head on the current situation. "Second, Dragons and Magic exist. So, someone tried to assassinate the Princess, but a Samurai and her bodyguards stopped that assassination attempt. And that happened when I was strolling around here, Wow..." He spoke to himself. There is no need for him to gather information at an inn anymore, just tailing them and overhearing their conversation will be more than enough to gather knowledge of the politics of "Kyoto". He needed to get at least the general idea of Magic, 'cause the last thing he wanted is for something strange like that to be used against him.

As a precaution, Kurokono put on his penguin mascot suit, though it isn't really meant for this purpose, but its good enough for a disguise in an "era like this". With quite a number of warriors with seasoned instincts around there, he knew that he will be discovered eventually. So, taking cover at the hidden corner, he peeked out for a moment to see that they're still there, trying to overhear more of their conversation, his right hand is positioned near his sword, being on alert for situation of his cover blown.

~ @ZekariVoblis@Forett@Spriggs27@Lucius Cypher@Lunarlors34

Kyojin blinked in surprise when he saw the magic being fired off left and right, from birds to fire balls, causing him to raise one of his hands to act as a shield against it. Though his calmness was clear as he picked up another strawberry from the bowl and stuffed it into hos mouth, as long as nothing happened to his bowl and ale he was a happy giant.

"The evening rush has not even started yet and the magic is already flying. Heh, Aya please calm yourself,. Is magic not common in your land or something?"

However there were others that were much less amused by the entire thing, Aya for instance was freaking out the rather normal use of magic for instance, then again he did grow up with a witch so he likely thought it was normal. Though it was the rather threatening feeling that was pouring off Kondo that caught Kyojin's attention. No matter how lazy he may have been at times, or how much of his stock he drunk, there was no doubt in his mind that his friend was a intense person when he was annoyed.

"I have not seen you like that for a while Kondo. Anything been bothering you my freind? It normally takes a lot more before you bother handling such things yourself heh."

The giant teased his friend to try and lighten his mood, through when the regulars started to come in he suspected that it was around about that time. It was always enjoyable as the ones that came inside always gave him a wave and a big smile, in this place he felt rather at home. This was the feeling that drove him to want to own such a place as this, as he always wanted others to come inside and greet him with a happy smile.

@ZekariVoblis@Seirei No Hai@dabombjk@Spriggs27@FamishedPants@lunarlors34@Lucius Cypher@Noodles@Forett

They said he had to look his best for this bullshit formal dinner and, staring at himself in the mirror in his bedroom, eyeballing his immaculate red serge with it's polished buttons, Corporal's chevrons, shiny leather cross-strap and belt and a left breast festooned with medals; a Medal and Star of Military Valour, a Star of Bravery, a Cross of Valour and the two American odd-balls, a Bronze Star and a Distinguished Service Cross, Duncan came to one conclusion:

He looked like Dudley Freakin' Do-Right. And it was pissing him off.

With a few grumbled profanities, the bald man put on his campaign hat and went over to and opened up his desk drawer to retrieve his sidearm, an old Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolver that was supposed to have been completely replaced within the force about a decade or two ago by more modern, semi-automatic models, but still kicked around in small numbers due to that oldest of the RCMP's enemies- budget constraints. Giving it a once-over, Duncan opened another drawer and the strongbox within it where he kept his ammunition, loading the weapon and holstering it, as well as putting three speed-loaders of ammunition in the appropriate pouch on his belt.

Next he reached his gloved hands back into his weapons drawer and produced the one thing guaranteed to always make him smile; his knife. A little heirloom made by his grandfather's grandfather (coincidentally, also named Duncan) with a handle of carved elk bone and an eight-inch blade before he set out for the Boer War. It saw extremely liberal use before he came home and passed it off to his son (another Duncan) who graciously shared his love for this magical-murder-implement with the forces of the Central Powers before he too came home and passed it onto his son (yet another Duncan), who gleefully took it right back to Europe with him to demonstrate to the Germans why their fathers couldn't seem to get a good night's sleep without waking up screaming and covered in fear-pee. He too, eventually came home, leaving again for a lovely little jaunt through Korea before coming back again to wait until he was old and absolutely out of fucks to give before passing it on to his grandson.

It wasn't exactly pretty to look at, what with four generations of use and the fact that 'The damned thing's been in more men than a proctologist's finger!' as his grampa always used to brag. Still, one who knew what they were looking for could see how much love and affection had been poured into the object over the years; from it's carefully sharpened edge, the beautiful engravings on the handle and the lack of rust-spots caused by blood; evidence that whoever used it for it's intended purpose, and it had quite clearly been used a whole hell of a lot for that purpose, had been extremely diligent in cleaning it afterward.

With a small grin, MacAiden strapped it to his leg with a little contraption his granddad rigged together back in Italy when he realized he had too much shit in his pockets and hanging off his belt, where he could hide it in his boot where his boss wouldn't see it and subsequently freak out.

'Won't be so bad...' he thought to himself as he put on his boots, not believing a damned word of it, but thinking all the same 'Food's free. And all I've got to do is shut up and smile like a fuckin' idiot every time some jackass MP wants a picture next to the dangling bits of metal hangin' over my left tit...'

With one last look in the mirror, the now fully-dressed Mountie took a slight breath, put his hands on his hips and nodded not approvingly, but grudgingly accepting of what he saw.

"Well... Let's get this show on the road."

Had he any idea of how literally the universe would take his comment, he probably would've just stayed in bed that day. For not a heartbeat after those words left his throat, did he find himself standing in the middle of a ruined cobblestone street.

"...What."

A street filled with bizarrely-dressed people, some with honest-to-god animal ears sticking out of their heads, who were coming out of apparent hiding to watch as the street began repairing itself, apparently obeying the deft hand-waving of some silver-haired woman in the distance.

"What."

As a man in green tights gracefully pranced by.

"What."

Malakaus was quick to take his leave after having had a few cups of tea. Tani gave a nod the head as a goodbye to the green man and waited for him to leave as they continued discussing a few minor things. Not much later a guard of Maria had entered the room with a short knock. IT appeared the squire of Malakaus had found her way into the palace and was taken as suspicious. The elf entered the room short after which made Maria invite her at the table. Tani gave her a short sharp glance to what she was gonna say. She didn't have anything against elfs but she didn't trust this one as much as others. Perhaps it was a little hostile to assume something like that but that was only to be proven after they have talked.



Dante was getting mad at his girlfriend for having done such a thing. The girlfriend hadn't replied back to her boyfriend yet, maybe she was a little shocked by what happened to Aya. The bird was still strolling around a little in the tavern but looked rather calm for now. Aya shivered with her hands still on her skirt. She silently made her way over towards Yoshinobu who was busy serving customers totally ignoring Kyojin on her way. She didn't say a word more about the incident or even looked at the others at the table. She discussed a few more things with Yoshinobu seeming rather shocked by the whole thing. Yoshinobu left the bar in a hurry to get a few things for her. A short while later she got her old clothes back and a key for upstairs together with a mug of water. Yoshinobu gave the girl a short kind wave before helping the others at the bar again.

With a sniffle and a sad look she slowly made her way over towards the stairs with a short glance at the group. The look on her face was definitly quite depressed she couldn't handle everything so easily and this was definitly the drip that made her break. Her legs moved one by one and really slow, eventually she got up top and went around the corner. She walked through the short hallway towards room number three. She put the key in the hole...



Kondo watched the girl slowly making her way over upstairs. She didn't look pleased but there was nothing to do about it anymore. They might have all been to hard on the girl. It probably wasn't the first time for her to get treated this way. Kondo looked away from her again to get further with drinking. He laughed and drank more with his other buddies. They told intresting stories and jokes while getting drunk themselves.

A short while later Kyojin asked if Kondo had anything on his mind. Kondo chugged his mug before looking at him.

Vesta Celestia

Vesta let out a sigh of relief. Finally, someone who was normal and had heard of her family. She was starting to think that everyone here was a foreigner but at least this knight knew. Wait-Malakus Firebelly? Great Swamp Clan?
Vesta had heard of this man, or rather orc, from Mari from time to time and from some other nobles. Apparently he was quite the powerful knight who had risen to the rank through sheer work. This was a man (orc) worthy of her respect then.
As the knight continued to talk she nodded as she listened. She wasn't going to lie; she felt a little ashamed with herself for fighting Aleph. She could've done some serious harm to the city but she was already in a bad mood, so it didn't take much for him to irritate her enough to fight him. She was going to answer straight away but Zin had made her way over now and began talking.
"Of course I'm talented in it. All Celestia's are talented with magic from birth. There is no better family to learn it from, and as the strongest earth mage in the kingdom you shouldn't be surprised." Vesta responded pridefully as she held her head high. While she always loved being praised, she didn't think what she had done was worthy of any praise. She had barely put any effort into the fight except in trying to stay away from his blade.
His movements were easy to read with or without the dust screen. No one on dry earth could possibly try to hide from-

Vesta's thoughts were suddenly cut off now as she felt blood rush to her face. Where was that...that DRAGON touching?!
"W-w-w-ould you s-s-stop that y-y-you perverted overgrown n-newt!" Vesta's didn't only just stutter as her face now matched the blood splattered over her, but it seemed to crack slightly as the 'dragon' broke her composure once more with ease.
Vesta probably would've attacked Zin there and then if it wasn't for the fact they were in the city and Malakus would break it up anyway. She also wasn't sure if she could beat Zin after repairing the road, though she probably could she wasn't going to take the risk.

As the blush faded and she regained her composure once more, Vesta listened to what Ease how to say as well. That fool was still here? Huh, she thought he had passed out already or something from his 'wounds'.
"First things first. I should clear up a misunderstanding Ms Parellax." Vesta now seemed to act as though her previous outburst hadn't even occurred. It would probably be best if nobody brought it up either.
"I have no such quest at this present stage in time. While my family usually does partake in large missions of subjugation of demon beasts or missions of that ilk, I currently have no such quest at this stage in time." She added before turning her gaze towards Malakus. She had neglected to answer him and it would be rude not to give the man a response now.

"I apologise for my delay in answering your question Mr Firebelly. It is as Ms Parellax and Mr...um...Gentleman said. The man was delusional and seemed to mistake Mr Hishamie for some form of 'demon king' from my understanding. Then he had the audacity to compare me to a mere underling of Mr Hishamie, which considering the difference in station wasn't something I could just let slide. He then continued to hurl insulting words and looks so I decided to teach him a lesson about how to not pick fights with someone above you in power. Then you showed up just as I had begun warming up." Vesta explained cooly, despite still not knowing Ease's name. He had still yet to give it to her despite her asking for it.

"That pathetic excuse for an attack almost made me want to kill that so called hero then and there. If you lot hadn't dived in front of that I would've stopped it with ease, however just the sheer laziness and arrogance behind such a sloppy attack was more insulting than anything else he did." Vesta huffed angrily, folding her arms across her chest. Just thinking about it made her blood boil. She could deal with insulting phrases, words, looks and the like to a point.
But such a half-hearted attack? That was the biggest insult to her pride. It was like the man wasn't even trying, like Vesta was far too beneath him to even put in effort.
"That man was delusional so don't dwell on it. He seemed rather fickle from wanting to fight us but not kill us. Which if Mr Hisamie is even a fraction of the evil person he claimed him to be then that kind of attitude would get you killed in moments."

---

---

Aleph Banton had survived his awkward encounter with the Demon Lord's general. He had vastly underestimated the Demon Lord's power, to have such people under his command. Even though that woman had acted as though she was not beneath the Demon Lord, it was very likely this was merely an act to keep up appearances and hide her true feelings of admiration for the devil. With the power of a demon as strong as her beneath him, then surely Aleph was not as ready to fight the final fight as he had foolishly thought he was.

His right hand started to twitch.

The Hero had not fled far from the scene of his fight at all. He did not want to waste any energy, so he had only jumped until he was out of sight from the group, and simply began walking away from there. Since nobody seemed to follow him, this was apparently enough to get away with. "There is still much for me to learn, I must train harder so that evil does not emerge victorious next time!"

*RUMBLE*

...All that being said, I should probably eat. Good cannot triumph over evil on an empty stomach!

Despite the dark power rising in his hand, he knew that feasting was important to keeping one's strength up. If he showed any signs of weakness for even a second, then the power inside his hand would devour him whole, and the world would have a new threat to deal with, and a lack of a Hero to save them from it. He could not allow that to happen! Thus, Aleph's new destination was set: a tavern that had a good name around these parts. Relatively.

Wait. I should probably put my sword away. I don't sense any foes around, at least for the moment...

Holding his blade was about as natural to him as breathing, so there were occasionally times he did forget to sheathe it, and he did not want to draw unnecessary attention. At least, moreso. So, he did a quick twirling motion and his blade found its respite in the sheathe, where it would hopefully be protected from the shrapnel of food that would likely otherwise taint it were he to eat with it out.

Heroes weren't perfect, after all.

"Ah, now that I think of it, perhaps that woman was the Demon of Pride I have been hearing so much about? Powerful, especially prideful even for a demon. Yes, it makes a lot of sense now!" Aleph grinned. "With how she destroyed everything she touched, I'm sure she's a messier eater than myself."

But wait, does that mean she's BETTER than me at messily eating?

Aleph did not know how to feel about this. Aside from being evil, he did not enjoy demons being better than him at things. But it wasn't like being a messy eater was something to be proud of.... unless you were the Pride Demon!

I'll make sure to eat especially sloppy today!

And so, Aleph Banton continued walking down the street, headed for a relatively popular tavern.

Addison stared them down, slightly irked by Nick's arrogant comments. Now, she was no fool. Regardless of how good she was, at best she could only take down three or four, but Addison was no fool either. In a flash, the hand that had held the knife from her belt now held a metal can of sorts. By the time Nick and his crew were making their way towards her, that can was in the air above them.

Addison closed her eyes, looked away, and covered her ears. "Sorry, Hamaguchi, but this may hurt a bit."

FLASH

BANG

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-

The Flash Bang went off above the crew, hopefully severely stunning them. Addison quickly rushed forward towards Nick, stabbing upward with surgical precision into his armpit. She knew that if she hit him there, she could sever an artery and put his nervous system into shock. He'll have bled out by the time she would be done with the rest.

---

The army girl threw some kind of object into the air which exploded and was pretty damn loud. Everyone in the area had a moment needed to recalibrate. Hamaguchi stumbled back onto her butt. With Nick still in shock Addison dashed close to him.

Nick threw his arm into the air to slap Addison away from him but to no avail. The knife went into his armpit as a momentary shock went over his body. The rest of the crew came back to conscious and spread a little around Nick. One of the crew swung a sword at Addison to get her away from Nick. Meanwhile Nick was being leaded to a safer spot to treat him

---

Addison quickly caught the hand that swung the blade, grabbing it like a vice in her hand. She yanked the goon right up to her, her other hand stabbing the knife into the man's kidney. He immediately froze up from the physical shock, his heart literally stopping for a few moments as his brain was overwhelmed with neural messages. These attacks, this precision, was all thanks to Addison military training, and extensive medical knowledge. She knew how to put someone together... but she also knew how to rip you apart.

Using the now neutralized foe as a battering ram, she slammed the man into another goon that was between her and the two crew men attempting to drag away Nick, who was bleeding like a stuck pig. The combined body weight of both the dead comrade and Addison shoved the man to the ground, smothered by the body. Addison stood quickly and yelled to the three crew left who were trying to pull Nick to safety. "Hey! I got one more surprise for you!" Pulling out a frag grenade, she quickly tossed it into the center of the three, landing a Nick's feet. Addison, as soon as she had thrown the grenade, jumped back over the two on the ground, almost using them as a bit of cover.

BOOM

---

Nick was starting to come back to senses again, he shook his head a little and looked at his arm. It was really bad, he became a little white and felt unwell but he couldn't be bothered by it. He shook his way out of the grasp his crew had on him and fell to the ground. He sat himself upright with one of his elbows supporting him and looked quite mad at Addison having dealt with two more of his crew. She flung another one of those balls at him.



The grenade landed in front of his feet, he immediately kicked it away with his leg. A second later the thing exploded with a small tremor still in the area, that could have killed him! He stood up, his crew still tried to stop him but he waltzed through. He came closer and closer to Addison with his arm bleeding heavily up till the point when he was with his face in front of her.



Addison had watch Nick approach her after he kicked the grenade. His legs were all torn and bleeding. Blood also poured from his previous wound. Smirking, she got up, watching him get closer. Her free hand smoothly pulled the pistol out out its holster. He was nearly face to face when he finally spoke.

---

"Bring... it... ON I said!" he said, obviously delirious. The blood loss must have been really getting to him now. Addison, despite all of this, was shockingly calm and collected. She exhibited neither fear or blood lust with her adversary so close.

CRACK CRACK

Two hollow point rounds impacted Nick's torso. They tumbled and tore there way threw his body, shattering ribs and artery's alike. The two crew behind him watched in silent horror as Nick stumbled backwards from the sheer impact of the bullets. Addison looked to the other crew, waved her smoking gun and spoke.

"Now, it seems you two are all that's left. Your boss here had his insides all scrambled up, and I'd be surprised if there is any blood left in him. Your two buddies over there are pretty toast... literally, and I still got more where that came from. So, being the merciful, bleeding heart type of person I am, I'm giving you an option to run now. Never mess with me, or any of these people again, and you'll never have to deal with me again. And I'm sure I don't have to explain the alternative." She finished, in a almost disturbingly professional, calm tone.

---

Nick was shot in the torso twice after having gotten up close to Addison. He grasped for his chest as he faltered backwards. He was trying to grasp for air after the shock but it wasn't helping him. He could only try to reach out for his comrades as they all shook in fear now too. Not because of how fierce Addison was but something different.

With Nick his half dead body lying on the ground slowly heading towards death his comrades already started fleeing before Addison even gave them a choice.

Hamaguchi ran up to Addison as hard as she could and janked Addison her hand towards her own. Tears were running down her face as she held Addison her hand as Tights as she could.



Her voice was trembling as she shouted at the girl. Hamaguchi really didn't want for Addison to finish these guys off so much.

While Hamaguchi spoke Nick his skin reddened. He had swollen quite a bit and also didn't look so fierce as before anymore. Smoke started forming from his skin and his comrades already knew it was too late to do anything. Only a few seconds later his body swolle up to the point not being able to contain the fire inside anymore. His body exploded leaving a giant fire plume in the air. Some of the houses were taken together with his life.

---

Addison watched as the two thugs began to run before she could even finish. "Huh, bunch of cowa-" she was cut off when Hamaguchi suddenly grabbed her hand. Addison quickly turned to see the poor cat girl crying hard, tightly holding her hand.

"Please stop this! I don't want this! Leave them alone!" the small girl cried out. Addison suddenly felt a great pain in her chest. The look on Hamaguchi's face nearly broke Addison right there. She had done again, she had gone overboard. It had happened before in the past, it was one the very big, hush hush reasons she had been sent back to the States for awhile. Sometime, Addison just couldn't control her bloodlust, her hatred of those who took great advantage of the innocent and weak. She pulled Hamaguchi into a hug, and leaned in.

"I'm sorry..." was all she could mutter. Suddenly, Addison noticed behind them Nicks body growing red and bloating. It didn't take her but a split second to put two and two together. "Son of bitch, GET DOWN!" She yelled, now grabbing Hamaguchi and throwing herself on top of her as the body detonated.

A massive plume of fire erupted from the corpse, washing over Addison's back. She nearly smothered the poor cat girl below her to protect her as the heat burned over them. When the initial explosion died down, all that was left was a black scorch mark and a severely damaged slum house, now smoldering quietly. Addison knew she had been burned bad, as she'd recognize that smell of burning human flesh anywhere, but it didn't matter to her. Quickly, and painfully getting up, she checked on Hamaguchi, sighing in relief. "Good.... you're... okay..." she said, panting, before falling over again. Her back was covered in a third degree burn, and the pain was really getting to her now. fumbling, she shakily tried to unzip her first aid kit on her leg. "Hamaguchi... please, there is a... needle with a red label on it. It's not that big.... get it out of my bag here with the small.... ugh....." the pain was starting to become unbearable.

---

Hamaguchi felt her heart stop for a moment when Addison started hugging her and looked quite bedazzled at the girl. Her mouth opened slightly further as her eyes squinted almost shut with tears now rolling down her eyes. She softly cried as she let her head drop against Addison her torso and her arms gliding towards Addison her back. She felt the blood slowly driping over her from Addison and thought it was grose but the situation was bit more dire then that.

A loud bang was heard from behind Addison making Hamaguchi her ears stand up straight.



Her small frame was being dragged down by Addison who fell onto her from the blast behind her. They were both flung backwards a bit and landed on their sides. Hamaguchi her ears peeped for a minute but her eyes shot open again short after the blast. She gazed around for a moment to see her friend burnt half besides her. Addison was the first to get up where Hamaguchi quickly tried to follow only to notice her arms were scorched black. She fell onto the ground again with both arms curling into a pained position. It hurted, but seeing Addison. She must be in a lot of pain right now.

Addison fell over again in which Hamaguchi immediatly sat herself upright. She wanted to reach out to her but it hurted too much. She gave a short whelp but she was able to make herself stand with the use of her hands. She shot over towards Addison and dropped to her knees.



Hamaguchi pointed both her arms at Addison and a blue glow formed around them only to stop milli seconds later. She clicked her toungh and tried again. Same thing, she couldn't heal with these injuries.



Tears formed in her eyes as she started panicking. What was she suppose to do. Slowly she started to hyperventilate as she looked around to find a solution. She was not thinking straight anymore.

---

---

How curious. Corentine had just finished shopping for certain ingredients that he needed for a new experiment when he came across quite the interesting scene. A man referring to himself as a hero battling in the streets. That same man running from the fight. Very interesting. Coren's heart was beating a bit more intensely than usual. Someone who was strong. A hero. That would definitely be someone that was worth testing his strength on. That said, he wasn't so crude as to walk up to a man and challenge him to a duel. Instead, he would offer a hand in friendship. Once the time was right, he would request a friendly spar. In that battle, he would know. He would know that he was the strongest. Ha. Perfect.

As such, he followed the self proclaimed hero on his retreat. Of course he was careful not to let the man know that he was following. Years of training and hunting bounties had given him more than a bit of skill of silent movement. It didn't take long before the man stopped.

"Ah, now that I think of it, perhaps that woman was the Demon of Pride I have been hearing so much about? Powerful, especially prideful even for a demon. Yes, it makes a lot of sense now!" Aleph grinned. "With how she destroyed everything she touched, I'm sure she's a messier eater than myself."

. . .
. . .
. . .
Well, ummm. . . . There was probably some way to explain that train of thought. His opponent hadn't really appeared to be a demon of any sort to his eyes. Regardless, now was the time to strike. Coren had heard him mention that he needed to get something to eat, so that was his way in. He stopped in front of the "hero" with a grin smeared across his lips.

"Hello there mighty Hero. My name is Corentine de Flamel, and I am The Strongest Man in the World. Would you be so kind as to allow me to offer you a meal? I would love to get to know someone who is this. . . Just."

Compliments and food. The best way to anyone's heart.

Little did Coren know that this was just the start to a companionship that he never could have expected. . .

@Sir Lurksalot@Lunarlors34@Seirei No Hai@dabombjk@Spriggs27@Noodles@Lucius Cypher@Forett




Ease mentally rolled his eyes. "There is no better family to learn it from, and as the strongest earth mage in the kingdom you shouldn't be surprised." Vesta announced with her head held high, obviously in pride. Good grief...This girl might have the reasons to brag unlike those high school girls, but her ego was definitely worse. There was a case of a random attack and instead she's boasting about how she was the "strongest earth mage in the kingdom?" Ugh. However, near right after, he turned his eyes to the side the literal moment Vesta noticed Zin's...groping. Less you pay attention to it, less trouble you get yourself in. And while he doubts either of these women would attempt to harm him in the presence of a knight, let alone one so large, it's better safe than sorry.

I would say that's karma for bragging but...No, I'll say it. That's karma for bragging.

Vesta appeared to pretty much throw away her little blush fest to the side as she addressed something that actually mattered to Ease-The apparent fact that her family was known to help defeat large demon beasts. Now this was news. Is that where he's heard her last name before? Considering the amount of adventurers in the taverns he frequented for recreational reasons(getting hammered), it wouldn't shock him much. Well, it's official-She was someone he needed to at least be on good terms with. Her apparent arrogance was annoying, but hey? It was far from insufferable and she has the bite to match the bark.

She gave a quick rundown of, well, basically what he and Zin said, though from her apparent perspective. The one thing of note was that the apparent reason she even started the fight in the first place was just cause Aleph suggested she was Kyle's lackey and him saying some annoying words. He shook his head before giving her the look that most expressed how he felt-"Are you shitting me?" The entire reason she started a fight against someone...was cause the guy basically was being a dumbass? He put his fingers to his brow. If this woman so much as ever saw the inter webs and encountered a troll...the troll would have the greatest field day of his life at how much sodium she'd let out.

As remembering the attack that left Ease his current wound, she took note of the weakness of the attack and seemed especially irritated, folding her arms across her chest. Even expressing how she wanted to kill him for it. Did she seriously want to kill someone just cause they held back? Well...If there's a less crazy sister in all this, he's going with the sister. "That man was delusional so don't dwell on it." Seems like she was telling herself that more than Malakaus or anyone else...

Ease decided to pipe up once more. "You aren't wrong there Vesta. It would've gotten him killed, which, again, brings the question why he would back in a fight like that. Considering no one in there right mind would hold back against a 'dark lord,' so it's possible he might've been nervous during the fight, not so much arrogant. Dwelling on the attack itself won't solve much. After all, *looks to Vesta* a delusional man like that shouldn't be considered much at the end of the day. Especially when the power gap is as large as it is." He said in a confident, yet uplifting tone towards Vesta. Again, he didn't like her much but her calmed down would be far more beneficial. He then remembered something. She called him Mr Gentleman again didn't she? Well...This could be a prime opportunity to get some trust and, well, fuck with her a bit.

"Ah, before I forget, my name- He turned around mid sentence to observe behind him, sort of in dramatic effect, until he noticed something that made him double take before he could finish. A man dressed in some...red uniform with an expression that could only be defined as "what?!" To which Ease gave the exact same reaction, mouth agape and all. He knew damn well that wasn't Lugunica clothing, no way in hell. It looked familiar too but he couldn't quite put his tongue on it...Was it the Nutcracker? Something like that...He promptly shook his head before returning his attention to the group.

" Apologies on that. Ahem, my name is Ezekiel Evans, an heir of the Evans family. Apologies on not introducing myself sooner." He announced, in a plain, but once again confident manner. Barely anyone knew his full first and last name and most just knew him as "Ease" around here. He wasn't hopeful on them actually knowing the name, let alone believing him, but pfft. It was something. More importantly...he needed to address that elephant in the room. The red shirted elephant in the room.

Malakaus quietly watched as the scene around her went from mage brawl in an alley way to a a gathering of weirdos. Now, Malakaus always figured himself an odd one, but he's usually perceptive enough to keep his wits about him. The rest of these people though? Now these were some strange ones. As he was speaking to Vesta some strange woman arrived to announce what she had witnessed, as well as grope Vesta. Malakaus's glare was hidden by his helmet. Vesta obviously didn't appreciate that, and Malakaus didn't either. A random blond stranger arrived to further explain what had happened, adding in his observation that the wannabe hero wasn't seriously trying to harm Vesta for some reason or another. So on top of causing a fight out of some foolish mistaken identity, this hero dishonors the purpose of a blade by holding back. Finally, Vesta was able to give her part of the story, where she confirms that she was attacked because the wannabe hero mistook her as his underling. She fought to protect herself and possibly would have killed the hero if Malakaus had arrived.

Sighing, Malakaus figured this would have to do. He would keep an eye out for this "Hero" and make sure he doesn't cause any trouble. Ideally, with a stern talking to. But if necessary Malakaus would show him what you're suppose to do when you your a blade. "I see. Well then, thank you for your time, Vesta Celestia. As for the rest of you... Gods, quite a bunch we have here. How about we sojourn somewhere more comfortable then this dusty alley way?" Malakaus jerked his thumb towards a fairly rowdy tavern just down the street, his original destination. Regardless of who was actually going to accept his deal, he did sweeten it by mentioning one more thing. "And if it's working you're looking for, then I do have a quest in mind. Those interested should come with me."

Malakaus walked towards the tavern. He noticed an odd sight of someone wearing what appeared to be a bird suit... If this rag-tag group was any indication, Malakaus guessed that he now had this freakshow in his entourage. No matter. The bird can follow or he can continue hiding behind the corner. As long as he stayed out of trouble then Malakaus didn't intend to make trouble. Upon entering the tavern the knight's massive frame gained the attention of a few, most who were concerned about why a knight just entered such a lowly establishment. But he wasn't here to arrest anyone or looking for a criminal, but just a drink. He brought himself a private room for a group to ensure that if those from before were going to tag along, they would have plenty of space without having to rub elbows with any unsavory characters.

@Sir Lurksalot@Lunarlors34@Seirei No Hai@dabombjk@Spriggs27@Noodles@Forett

---

Atisha followed the spooked guardsmen all the way to the Iron Bell headquaters. Atisha was meaning to visit this place at some point today, though she didn't imagine it'd be under these circumstances. Not exactly a warm welcome. Oh sure, this Maria person was being as polite as she could, but her grunts seemed about as compete as a village militia. What sort of operation was she running, that a common vagrant from the slums could break into a castle? Atisha worried for this place if it was ever legitimately attacked. Probably won't even last a day.

"Malakaus? No. And I'm afraid it is rather urgent. I saw some smoke rising from a building in the city, as it's possibly perpetrator running across the rooftops towards the castle. Considering how a common burglar managed to sneak into what is suppose to be one of the most fortified places in Lugnica, I have no doubts that this arson will break into the castle and slaughter a few of your men before you could even step out of your room. I intend to prepare for him however, and meet with your garrison to prepare for this intruder."

The elf made no efforts to hide her disdain. While other elves may have used more cunning wordplay to both insult and compliment their host in the same sentence, Atisha wasn't that kind of elf. She was about as straightforward as a warhammer, and one of the reasons why Malakaus took to her company. Flipping her long hair off her shoulders Atisha did help herself to a cup of tea. "And Atisha is fine. As for this intruder, I think it would be best that if he does intend to come to the castle to cause trouble, we make sure that he has no escape. I suspect he might have magic and could preform feats well beyond what a normal man could, such as jumping a great height or surviving mortal injuries. If your guards are not prepared to face such an enemy, then let us hurry to find this mad man before he continues his reign of terror."

@ADamnFiddle@liferusher

---

---

There had been a bit of a problem when it came to the whole "eating" thing, Aleph had noticed shortly after he made his decision to go to the tavern. That being the fact that food generally required some form of currency to acquire, and at this moment, he had found himself... missing his coin pouch. This was seriously bad. He was really hungry, and now that he was thinking about it, his stomach wasn't playing nice! Could this really be how he, a Hero, was to fall? This must be the work of an enemy demon!

But as luck would have it, a knight in shining armor came to his aid!

"Hello there mighty Hero. My name is Corentine de Flamel, and I am The Strongest Man in the World. Would you be so kind as to allow me to offer you a meal? I would love to get to know someone who is this. . . Just."

This was too good to be true!

....this was too good to be true. Was this some sort of trap? Could a demon in disguise be attempting to butter him up before sticking a knife in his back? What kind of monsters were they!

Well, he was pretty Famished right now so it he was willing to take such a risk.

"Corentine, you say? A strong name, for sure." Aleph responded. "I can tell you're a man with special eyes."

Aleph Banton extend his hand towards the other individual. Something about him, despite the risk, made him feel this person was alright. Maybe... even sidekick material, but that was just a feeling. He would need to know more about this man before he made any conclusion. And hopefully what the other guy said was true about the eating part. "Aleph Banton, the Hero. I would gladly take you up on that offer."

Malakaus, the large armored man, made the suggestion that they should go to a tavern not too far from here. At least, that's what Ease assumed "sojourn" meant. Damn this planet's fancy lingo...However, he did make mention of a quest he had in. Ease gave a cheery smile over to Malakaus. "Now that's something I can get behind. I can put these archer skills to the test. Even better on pointing towards that tavern. It's actually a place I frequent at times for a quick drink and good times." Okay, now he was using fancy words. Then again, good to get on people's good sides. And while he didn't want to have to use his archer skills, screw it. Look optimistic and it'll get you further...Hopefully.

He turned his head back over to the Nutcracker fellow and made a quick gesture as if to tell him to come. He could barely make him out again so it was hard to tell if he'd get it or not, but here's hoping.

Just before wanting to leave, he went over one last time to the apparent "Mr Hishamie." What was that? Greek? Either or, he leaned in close and whispered quietly in his ear. "Listen man, before you say anything, come with us. You're gonna find it hard to believe, but I'm from Earth too. We need to stick together. Bad." Afterwards, he continued on his way, expecting the boy to follow. Ease was one of the first to start walking over to where the tavern was actually, dragging the elf, Ms Neige, along with him accidentally. Well more so she followed him, seemingly for little other reason than not wanting to speak up. It was honestly shocking he was moving so quick since the chest wound should've stung far more, at least enough to have him take a bit more time. Then again, possible alcohol and a seat were two things he'd adore right now.

With a hearty grab of the knob and swinging the door open, that blonde alcoholic barged on in. "Good to see you guys never change!" Familiar environment...A few women dressed in maid outfits...and the smell of ale. God it felt good to be in here after all of that. He walked right over to the usual stool with a smile on his face. Didn't know why, but he always liked sitting on this one. He glanced around the tavern seeing at any newcomers like usual. From what he saw, it was just a catgirl in a maid outfit, a girl screaming in random Japanese words about how magic wasn't real who was also in a maid outfit, a wolf boy with a sword, a pretty friendly looking giant, and a man dressed in a vest and sweater that were obviously from Earth.

Ah, usually visitors the bar huh? Good to see some normalcy.

He took a hearty seat down before waving to Yoshinobu. "S'up Yosh! Something a bit stronger than the usual today if you could. *taking out his coin bag with a wink* And of course a stronger payment for it." Almost as if hearing him well before he spoke, another bar attendant managed to bring him out something in that instant. He took the glass heartily and raised it over to the man who gave it to him. "Ah thanks! Man, I swear the speed here gets better every time I come. He proceeded to down his drink a bit, head going back and all. Definitely something new in terms of taste, though there was a sure faint bit of whiskey in it. Bit of rum too. But still nice and strong. Man, that familiar burn felt-and then he cracked his glass.

He slowly tilted his head back up as if trying to process life. He blinked three times fast as the alcohol he had went down his throat and the rest, well, fell right into his drink. He slowly put down the drink on the bar table before standing up slowly.

"....So um...WHAT?!?!"

He immediately pointed towards...well everything except Yoshinobu. Mostly the brown haired guy and the girl shouting out Japanese. His eyes went back and forth from one to the other as if trying to figure out if they were real or it was one of those illusions where if you take your eyes of one, the other just poofs. Two more humans? TWO MORE HUMANS?! AT THE TAVERN!?! THIS WHOLE DAMN TIME?!! It was if the coherency and deductive skills he had displayed mere moments ago on the street had jumped right out a fucking two story window.

He continued to stammer, pointing at the two and afterwards the obligatory maid catgirl that was probably most otakus wet dream taken form.

"But I-Just how-When the-How the fu-How long have-? *turning his head over to the green haired maid while still pointing at the 3* YOSHINOBU, WHO AND WHEN?!!"

@liferusher@Lunarlors34@demonspade64@Kitsune@Soragoku@Sir Lurksalot@Lunarlors34@Seirei No Hai@dabombjk@Spriggs27@Noodles@Lucius Cypher@Forett