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

For a brief moment, one of the men standing with the silver-haired, one-woman road construction crew down the street locked eyes with him, his expression mirroring almost exactly what was going through Duncan's head at that moment:

'WHAT?!'

Still, even from this distance, Duncan could see at least some degree of recognition from the man's face, probably for the uniform. Which, logically, meant he was someone he could probably extract a 'Where the fuck? How the fuck? Why the fuck?' from. So, shaking off his initial surprise at his sudden change of circumstance and adjusting his brimmed hat, he began making his way toward the group surrounding the apparent sorceress and the improbably large knight-

FLASH

BANG

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-

-And then abruptly stopped, head turning slightly in the direction he'd heard that from.

He knew that noise...

BOOM

...That one, too.

Like a machine coming online, the old mechanisms the army had left behind in Duncan's psyche began to start up again after two years of disuse, his posture becoming slightly more rigid, his expression becoming harder and his eyes becoming cold. Calmly unholstering his revolver, his eyes snapped back to the man he'd seen before, noticing him wave him over and replying the only way he really could at that moment; The universally-understood, exasperated shrug of 'Sorry, gotta deal with this.' before turning and booking it in the direction someone was having just way too much fun in, only slightly aware of just how fast his powerful legs were carrying him as weaved his way through crowds of people screaming running the opposite way and even less so once he heard the familiar report of an old Colt 1911.

He would've found it a little amusing how quickly his training took over and made his confusion about where he was how he got there completely irrelevant in the face of doing his job, if only... y'know, shit wasn't blowing up.

Duncan stopped abruptly and took cover around what could only be the final corner he had to take, if the massive explosion that kicked up a whole hell of a lot of dust, nearly knocked off his hat and leveled a few houses was any indication. Exhaling and shaking his head slightly, more irritated by the delay than anything, he readied his weapon and poked his head around the corner... finding it empty, save for a few scattered bits of people, rubble and a seared lump of MultiCam lying in the middle of the road, which a small catgirl crawled out from underneath of and then tried to revive. Which must've been as painful to do as it was for him to watch with those burns on her arms.

"Shit." Came his automatic growl as he holstered his weapon and made his way over to the now-panicking catgirl and wounded warrior.

"Shit." it came again, louder this time, once he got closer and saw the shoulder-patch, realizing he might actually know whoever was lying on the ground here.

There were, however, no words out of his throat once he was standing over them, and saw their or rather her face, which had been turned away from him.

'Doc Winters...?' Came the solitary, thundering thought through his head.

Almost immediately Duncan was on his knees, emptying Addison's first-aid pouch so that everything he'd need would be in plain view, and quickly administered a red-labeled needle, as he'd been trained by seeing her do it countless times before (occasionally on him) before pulling out her scissors and starting to cut away at her uniform so he could get to work on the wounds beneath and stop the still-cooking material from hurting her further.

"I can keep her alive, for now." He addressed the panicked catgirl for the first time "But we need to get her and you to an actual doctor. Fast."

His eyes flicked up momentarily to said catgirl, who was quite reasonably, probably in shock.

"Hey." He spoke calmly, yet firmly as his gloved hand rose and gently cupped her cheek, making sure he had her undivided attention "Did you get that?"

Forett fell silent as he realised he had spoken aloud and not over the bond with his companion. From what he could tell, talking would not get him in anything other than trouble until he at least knew fully what was going on here. He had previously thought he had understood, but the appearance of several other individuals as well as the rather spontaneous grope only himself and- he assumed- the guard saw. Forett listened in further, deciding that this rather full of herself mage was not really someone he could see himself working for. Just as he was about to make his leave, Malakus spoke up again.

"And if it's working you're looking for, then I do have a quest in mind. Those interested should come with me."

Work. That is what Forett was looking for. And from a guard? Unless it is standing on some street corner or cleaning horse stalls, it should hold something within the boundaries of Forett’s expertise… or he hoped it would. “That knight is truly well worth hearing out, Forett.” Verisa’s calm voice spoke in his head. “How would you figure?” He spoke back over the bond. “He did not falter despite the powers of the mage nor the numbers of the group he confronted. He is a brave man, a man who stands for his cause.” She spoke back, which made Forett visibly smile regardless of those around him. Verisa’s outlooks on strangers always amused him. Either she makes no comment, explains why she would kill them, or tells Forett he should attempt to befriend them. Of course there are the odd ball meetings he has had in the past, however none of that was really important at the moment. What was important was this guard had a quest!

Forett followed the guard without hesitation. His stride was true and he walked with what seemed to be some purpose despite the rather strange smile on his face. He looked like a man with little troubles. After entering the Tavern and following Malakus Forett would wait inside the private room he rented to make sure that everyone else had an available seat. Forett was nothing if not polite…

@ZekariVoblis @Lucius Cypher @Noodles @Lunarlors34

Zin grew a large grin on her face, seeing Vesta flustered and her face bright red, made her ignore the insults that Vesta threw her way. Zin nearly laughed at Vesta but held back her laughs as Vest pulled herself together and spoke with Ease, who didn't pass out, well not yet at least. When the silver-haired woman told the dragon woman she didn't have a quest that she could partake in, Zin took a knee and put a serious look on her face. " Then I wish to follow you to the ends of the Earth as your companion, any battle you fight in I will fight in. Any enemy you have will be my enemy." She told Vesta sounding like a knight wanting to be in Vesta's service. Zin looked up to the silver-haired woman for a brief moment with a single hand on her chest saying."Allow me to be by your side, and you won't be disappointed with magic or my skills. With me by your side. I'll make sure that our enemies will be nothing but charred remains." She ignored everything else around them and awaited Vesta's answer with her head down.

Vesta Celestia

"Ezekiel Evans? An heir of the Evans family? The name doesn't sound familiar. I would like to believe I know at least the surnames of all the nobles in Lugunicia so then you must be another foreigner like Mr Hishamie then? That would also explain your previous 'claim' at acquaintance. Though you have still yet to prove it." Vesta responded slowly, stroking her chin thoughtfully as Ease introduced himself. She couldn't help but add the last part seeming as Kyle had yet to say he was actually acquainted with Ease or not, and after meeting the delusional 'hero' from before she wasn't exactly trusting in strangers.
For all Vesta knew this Ezekiel man could be another nut job. Not that she's one to talk.

Vesta seemed distracted by something as Zin took to one knee to pledge her allegiance to Vesta. In fact Vesta seemed to downright ignore it at the moment as she looked away with narrowed eyes. This sensation...an explosion? It was coming from the direction of the slums. After that encounter with the 'hero' Vesta couldn't help but be on guard here.
"I'll catch up with you later Mr Firebelly so please go on ahead. And if you see my attendant there can you please tell Avery to prepare for their punishment. I have some urgent business to take care of elsewhere." Vesta bowed slightly towards the Orc in a respectful manner before finally turning back to acknowledge Zin. She had been listening to the lavender haired woman despite not looking like she had been and mulled over her offer.
"Ms Parallex you are free to do as you choose. Whether you follow me or not doesn't bother me however I must have you know that pledging your loyalty to a Celestia is no small matter. Though if you want to be my right hand I'm afraid that position is taken. The left will have to suffice." Vesta had begun turning to leave, smiling softly at her own little joke (despite it not being that funny), but first she cast a side-on glance towards Kyle, Blanc and Ease.

"Ms Neige, Mr Hishamie please accompany Mr Firebelly and Mr Evans to the tavern. Avery should be there as well so just look for a man with long violet hair and that should be Avery. Oh and he will probably be dressed as and look very much like a girl so don't be fooled." It was the first time in a while that Vesta had actually called Avery a 'man' or used the male pronouns to describe him. Certainly the first since meeting Kyle and Blanc. However she was irritated with Avery and thus had decided to 'blow his cover'.
It was stupid in the first place and Vesta couldn't understand why he did it.

With that said and done Vesta now took off at a brisk pace towards the slums. Upon now reaching her designation she found flaming buildings, a few burnt bodies and what seemed to be a injured nekomimi, another badly burned person and a man trying to perform some first aid on the burnt person....Goddamnit she was such a softie.
She quickly and silently knelt down besides Addison without so much as a word towards Hamaguchi or Duncan. She quickly scanned the wound before shaking her head and sighing.
"This isn't good. I know someone who can help if you wish?"

Avery Ackbar Celestia

It would seem summoning the Emu had frightened Aya to the point that she had fallen over. Whoops. He had forgotten that summoning large creatures right in front of people tended to startle them. Really it was kinda a stupid thing to forget.
Avery blinked a couple of times in disbelief while pointing towards himself in apparent confusion. It was his fault? What? All he was trying to do was help convince her magic was real....sure he wasn't using magic to prove this, but that wasn't the point. Pouting slightly, he folded his arms across his chest as he turned back to Dante.
"It isn't a spell. It's my divine protection." He said in an angry huff, accidentally blurting out one of his biggest secrets. Of course Dante wouldn't know this but Avery was still pretty mad about it anyway. He had a few water spells and some healing spells, but honestly what kind of spell could summon A BIRD.
As someone from a magical orientated family he had been raised around it for almost half his life now, and no one had a spell which could summon a bird. Of course it was mainly a technicality, but Vesta would seriously crack the shits if she heard that.

As Dante apologised Avery simply sighed loudly. Disrupting the peace? Bah this was child's play. If he REALLY wanted to disrupt the peace he would do something far bigger....this was his behaving. They didn't want to see misbehaving.
It was then that Avery spotted the large knight entering the tavern. A knight? Here of all places? Oh god.
Avery now ducked down and out of sight of Malakus. The first thought of seeing the knight was that Vesta had gone to Mari for assistance in finding Avery. It was definitely something she would do especially after this much time had lapsed since Avery had ran off.

Ok...it was cool. So long as no-one got the attention of the room focused on them Avery was sure-
"....So um...WHAT?!?!" A man stood up from the bar and immediately pointed towards...well everything except Yoshinobu. Mostly Daisuke and Aya. 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.

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?!!"

Avery now immediately held his face in his palm. Well the entire taverns attention was now focused entirely on Avery's group. And Avery would probably look mightily suspicious being crouched down, trying to make himself seem as small as possible.

Blanc had just fallen asleep from before all this chaos was happening. Light, cute snores coming from her nose and mouth as she suddenly woke up to Vesta's voice causing her to frantically look around for a few seconds in panic only to sigh in relief. She looked to Vesta who seemed to have an uninterested expression to which the snow elf thinks its normal.

"Ms Neige, Mr Hishamie please accompany Mr Firebelly and Mr Evans to the tavern. Avery should be there as well so just look for a man with long violet hair and that should be Avery. Oh and he will probably be dressed as and look very much like a girl so don't be fooled.

The elf would snap her eyes open again. Hold on... who was Mr. Firebelly and Mr. Evans? She already knew the meat shield's last name because she bothered to remember out of the goodness of her heart. But she didn't recognize who were the other two. Blanc's ears perked beneath the cloak's hood, scanning the crowd for these two people. She would assume that the older man in glasses was Evans given that his outlandish look never gave him familiarity and of course, let's not forget the tall, armored person right in the group as well.

"U-umm... s-sir? Are you Mr. Firebelly?" Blanc wasn't all that intimidated about heights, it's that she's nervous when new acquaintances come about. It was a feeling that most people should know when meeting her. She wasn't trembling but her gaze constantly looked away from the armored orc in person. "I-I hope you didn't think that was rude by the way." The snow elf turned to both the older man (Ezekiel) and the armored orc (Firebelly) with an unsure frown.

Would they go easy on the elf girl? The snow elf wonders too. If all else goes wrong she could always count on Tundo.

@dabombjk@ZekariVoblis@FamishedPants@Spriggs27@Lunarlors34@Forett@Noodles@Lucius Cypher@Sir Lurksalot@Liferusher@Skepic

Blades tingle as they brush against the woman's skin, down her neck, sending chills along her spine. The cool breeze of the surrounding air sharply assaulting her nostrils as the serene glow of nature hums ever so slightly above her. Hidden among the clouds, though not to the point of being completely blocked, light weaves itself unto the earth, grass, and common folk who don the land, and with them, the woman. As she opens her eyes, the canvas blue sky is a welcome invitation back to the realm of consciousness. Blinking to avoid direct contact with the sun's powerful rays, she allows herself a short time to adjust to the sight: a beautiful morning sky with which the winds blew calmly, as though easing the woman into this world - this place.

She kept blinking awhile longer, eyes adjusting yet to the world before her. A quick rub of the pearl-blue orbs, and already she felt more awake. Her back exposing itself to the breeze, the woman sits, letting blades of grass trickle down from her attire: a noble piece which seemed very much like royalty more than anything. The thin crown only made her preconception bear more fruit, as her slate blue hair sways between the expensive, yet small, piece. Limbs cracking from movement as though not used in decades, she releases soft groans of pain as she tests her physical condition, thankfully everything being fully operational, confirmed only when she stood to test her legs. Her blue cape blew anew, giving any bystanders the impression of mystery or nobility.

Thankfully, the grass hill in which she had just been laying was lacking presence from people or animals.

Looking herself over, the woman noticed a couple key items upon her person: a fencing sword, dull yet resilient, was stationed at her hip. Aforementioned crown was sparkling atop her head, reflecting light, and flowers sat peacefully upon the left side of her head. Empty pockets lining her belt, earrings made of a dazzling orange-golden colour, and a watch ticking away at time on her left arm, a quick glance showing the time of day:


From the hill, the woman could see far, yet a certain place caught her eye, not too far away. In fact she estimated a walk to take no less than thirty minutes! It was the capital of Lugnica, better known as The Royal Capital of Lugnica. Despite not knowing why, she was being drawn to that place for a reason unknown to her. Calm and steady, walking downhill, the woman quietly approaches the capital, feeling that if she were to trust her gut, she'd come to find the reason anyway...

---

...

She was lost.

This city was far too confusing for her, what with all it's alleyways and weird directions. She was rather horrible at navigation, or so she assumed. Despite feeling parts of the city being incredibly familiar, her memory ceased to provide her with details, directions and the like. It was as though her mind was being blanketed by a thick fog, memory unable to surface or escape, just vague feelings of familiarity. The woman didn't dare get in the way of the common folk, feeling that they were likely busy and wouldn't waste their time with a lost little girl, despite knowing that likely wouldn't be the case. Even so she was shying herself away from the eyes of the public, trying her best to look like she has a place to go, despite not knowing anything about the Capital.

It was so frustrating she could feel tears beginning to well up in the backs of her eyes, for the more she kept dwelling on it, the more she realised she couldn't remember things - a lot of things. Everything about her memory was vague, aside from a few key events. Struggling true and hard, the blue-haired woman felt herself exhausting at the sheer thought of not remembering certain things. She could remember a few unclear details of her own history, such as fencing and practicing magic, but it was all incredibly muddled and unclear, like looking at a blurred painting. Even as she began looking around at the stores which were lining the marketplace, she felt her mind slipping into the state of distant familiarity, with words blurring and mashing together, meaning and alphabet scrambling before her.

Tears left her eyes upon checking the time. 11:57am.

Sniffling quietly at the entrance to a silent alleyway, thankfully populated by light, the girl just couldn't shake the incredible unease and burning sensation in her gut. Why couldn't she remember things clearly? Why was she here in the first place? What was even going on...?

Time passing by, she found a small comfort in at least one memory. Although nothing direct, it was at least a clue to who she was- is. Her thoughts became a bit clearer as she started focusing on the memory -- a name, of unknown origin -- which began clearing away tears, at least partially, anyway.

"You are Emile von Pâtre," she accidentally spoke aloud, "and you can't remember anything, but... your name... Your name is Emile von Pâtre..."

More quietly this time, the woman began crying once more.

Grian Rothfell_

@Delta44

Grian turned another corner, his eyes shining in the moonlight as he looked around the dusty alleway. Parts of this town weren't exactly the safest, and even to an experienced fighter like him, it could be trouble if he gets assaulted here. But then again, he is the definition of a beast, standing 7 feet tall, covered in thick fur with sharp teeth lined up in his smile. He instinctively grabbed the two swords hanging from his belt as he heard a noise. The leather covered grips firmly adjusted to his paws, and the engrave in the guard lit up from the light that hit it. He slowed down, and took small steps towards the voice whilst holding onto his swords like a fanatic. His ears turned from sdie to side, looking for teh source of the sound, the fur on them waving from the midnight breeze. The massive body moved unlike anything it's size, swiftly darting across the narrow street to the next corner. The origin of the sound became clearer as Grian got closer to the corner. It was someone or something crying closeby. He stopped for a second and took a clsoer look at the crummy houses that lined the street. It took him a second to locate himself, but as soonas he did a light sigh left his lungs in accknowledgement. He was close to the bar, and if a Crier was to be here he could possibly leg it. His body took a fencing pose without his knowing, and his mind was already set for a fight, before he even realized what he was doing.

But as he turned around the corner, swords drawn and ready to strike, Grian only saw a young woman crying on the ground, her face already filled with gleaming tears. He carefully sheated his swords, and his face took up more disappointed look. He listened for anything else, but the only thing he could hear was the light wind catching into the clothes that were hanging above the street. He walked closer to the girl and searched around his pockets for something that could be useful. Soon enough a small nanpking with words sewn into it appeared in his hand, and Grian kneeled down in front of the girl and began speaking to her in a calm voice. "Calm down girl. What are you crying about." It didn't seem like the girl recognized his presence yet so he held the napkin in front of him and spoke up a tiny bit louder, but still with the soft tone as before. "Don't cry now, everything's okay. Here, take this for your tears."

"HUH?" Kurokono was startled by the sound of a distant explosion. It came from a direction he find it very familiar with, the direction towards the slums. "Just half an hour ago that place is fine, just how...?" He gasped in shock, now looking outwards to see that Vesta & her group has disappeared from sight. He had lost trace of the 'princess' , but that isn't important at the time like this. "This is Kyoto, for god's sake," He hissed, now running towards the direction of the slums.

"Right turn here, and left here..." Kurokono retraced his steps, which seemed way longer than before. He turned to look back, to see traces of smoke on the opposite direction where he was going. "Oh shyt, wrong waA---" He, who wasn't even aware of what was in front of him, went crashing onto Grian & Emile, the former seemingly offering some Napkin or something. He fell onto the ground with a thud, his Penguin disguise slipping off and fluttered down further ahead.

"Ouch...." Kurokono got up, tapping the dust off his clothes, . "Sorry... You okay?... Gorilla?" That's the first thing he unintentionally said when he saw Grian. Then, he noticed Emile tearing up. Oh shit, I made a girl cry, divine punishment awaits, I so going to get struck by lightning....! He let out a cold sweat & held his breath at the realization that he had commited one of the worst atrocities. For a girl to tear up, he had failed his duty as a human being. "Apologies, just don't cry anymore~~~~" He made an attempt to defuse the current situation he's in, still it is obvious that he's already digging his own grave deeper with that lousy apology.
~@6slyboy6@Delta44@Lunarlors34

@liferusher
@Rune_Alchemist
@Heckno12
@Lucius Cypher

Atisha did not appear in the headquarters to chat, it seemed. There was a much more pressing matter to attend to. The loss of life was something that Maria methodically attempted to avoid within her actions, as any lose of life was not preferable to the sane. Perhaps that was an idealistic approach to things, or even a childish one, but Maria was not the sort to want those under her to die, and if what Atisha said was true, then there might just be a situation in which lives were on the line, even those of the recently acquired trainees like Ryan and Cheiko.

“Hmmm, I suppose that you would not be without reason to come here,” Maria said, listening to the claims which were made by Atisha and sipping on the last remaining of her tea.. “But I cannot say that another intruder is what I expected so shortly after the previous. I suppose that is a fallacy in my thought.”

“If what you had said is true, then we must prepare for an attack. Though I do wish to know where you might have obtained the information as to the likelihood of attack, I cannot allow myself to second guess your statements. In the event one of my men were to die because of my careless mistakes, I would not be able to forgive myself. Any details you could provide to better prepare the staff would be preferred, Ms. Atisha.”

Despite Atisha’s seemingly stern statements, Maria could not be said to have any sort of malice within her voice, nor any reason to chastise the other for their actions. She was not wrong. Despite Maria wishing to believe she had done her best regarding the protection of the institute, there were factors she could not control that lead to the escape of the criminal in question.

But even if she was not able to control these factors, it was still her responsibility to protect the Iron Bell Knight Headquarters with her entirety. After all, the Iron Bell knights at founding was once a premier Knightly Order. Maria wished to bring the organization back to it’s heyday through her leadership. Though her skill at being a knight was rather great, her prowess for leadership could be considered lackluster. Or at the very least, the factors against her at the time could be considered greater than her experience provides.

However, if there was one thing that Maria was confident in, it would be her ability to do is to defeat any injustices before her. If someone wished to harm one of her men, one could expect Maria to fight them tenfold. Even if the former actions against a certain cat-like burglar might not have been the best showing of her ability, Maria chose to prioritize the safety of her comrades over the apprehension of her target as she deemed an intruder like him was less harmful, and seeing as his goal was not to be met Maria did not care much about him over the wellbeing of her men and her guests.. Perhaps it could be said that Maria was someone who valued the lives of her comrades over justice, but to her, the act of protecting those of righteous heart was “justice” of its own.

“Very well, though. I believe you are in the right to be proactive. If we were to find this man before he attacks us, then we would have the advantage that he would have to react to us rather than the other way around. It is like a game of chess. Regardless of how well the player on the black field plays, the player on the white has the advantage. I will accompany you.”

[Maria has joined the party]

To be reactionary is to be complacent. Though there were strategies involving defensive play in swordfighting, there was always an advantage to “throwing the first stone”.

Daisuke couldn't do much but sit and watch in jaw-dropping awe, as fireballs were conjured and turned to ice with a simple hand swipe, birds materializing out of thin air, talks of 'metia', some sort of magic devices, and getting a peek of a pretty girl's panties. Everyone reacts to things in different ways, some people react with action, some people react with words, and some people just freeze up. Generally, Daisuke reacts with action. But when real life, actual magic, legitimately happens; it's mind blowing.

"My head hurts..." he mumbled, pushing his open handed palm against his forehead. So many unbelievable things happened so fast in such a short span of time, and he's finding it hard to process it all.

Avery mentioned something about a 'divine protection'. "Uhh, what is a 'divine protection' exactly?" he asked Avery, with a confused look. First actual, real life magic, and now, from the sounds of it, a godly protection? This world is the most possible different it could be from his own.

A new group of people entered the tavern, maybe these people are normal, and cant use magic; he's had enough magic for now.

A man, with blonde hair, very joyful, sat down at a table, and asked for a strong, alcoholic drink. He received it, drank a little out of the cup, then spat most of it back into the cup. It must have burned, hard alcohol is known to give that sensation. After this, he reacted to the new people he'd seen in the tavern, with much confusion. He stumbled over his own words in attempt to get a sentence out.

He chuckled, "Hi, I'm Daisuke, its nice to meet you. And your name is?" Daisuke extended his hand to the confused man for a handshake, and gave him a friendly smile.

Now resting in the tavern, it was booming with activity. That strange character, Ezekiel Evans, started shouting at some people in the tavern who he was somewhat familiar with? Malakaus didn't know, but he didn't seem to be causing any trouble so he didn't bother him. Vesta, the girl he wanted to speak to, had some other arrangement she had to attend to. It likely had something to do with that explosion in the distance, which Malakaus should really go see to himself... Once he was finished with his business here. Vesta did have two of her companions, a Ms Neige and Mr Hishamie, come with him. Ms Neige was another elf and Hishamie appeared to be yet another foreign human.

"Been getting a lot of their types recently..."

Soon a maid came by Malakaus's table. Removing his helmet and laying it on the table he ordered his drink: Apple Cider. To the inexperienced it gave the impression that he was a rustic, old timely taste. For anyone who actually knows what Apple Cider is, he essentially brought A stronger tasting apple juice. As Malakaus disliked the taste of alcohol, he often tried to get pass the usual teasing by ordering something that seems alcoholic. As the maid left to get his order Malakaus was approached by Ms Neige, who seemed somewhat nervous towards him. Was it because he was an orc, a knight, or just a stranger? Perhaps a combination of the three. "It's fine. I am Mr. Firebelly, though you can simply call me Malakaus. Please, take a seat, order a drink. I'll pay." There was another man as well, some stranger that Malakaus only vaguely remembered seeing outside while he was dealing with Vesta and the others. Perhaps he overheard him mentioning a quest? He was armed and armored, so perhaps he was an adventurer or mercenary. In fact, he doesn't know the elf girl either, aside that she is possibly Ms Neige.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I've gotten your names. I am Malakaus Firebelly. And you are?"

@Forett@Seirei No Hai

---

Atisha simply snorted. It was probably better for the both of them to confront the mad man before he got into the castle; Atisha doesn't trust the guard's competency and they'll likely only get in the way. "He's a strange looking man, armed and armored, running across the rooftops away from a burning building. He must either be a fool or a mad man to start running towards the castle of all places. If we leave now I'm sure we can catch him while he's still on the rooftops." Without further comment Atisha left the room to go after this mad man. While she wished she had some more time to get properly equipped, she at least had her weapon. And besides that, she has always fought unarmored. Speed is armor, and now matter how powerful a blow, it could not hurt what it can't hit.

It wouldn't be long before Atisha rushed out of the castle and onto the rooftops of the city below. She in fact took the same route as that thief did, hopefully showing the guards of a serious preach in security. She could see the mad man make his way towards the castle and Atisha made no efforts to hide herself either; in fact she wanted him to see her and face her. This way she could distract him long enough for reinforcements to arrive, or at least keep his destruction to one area. Pointing her partisan at the mysterious figure Atisha spoke loud and clearly. "Halt and lay down your weapons! You are under suspicion for acts of violence against the city and it's people. Surrender peacefully and you will receive a lawful trial. Otherwise you will be treated to an immediate execution." Atisha knew she had no actual authority, but if this person was sane he would still lay down his weapons and stop anyways.

@Zelosse@ADamnFiddle@liferusher

@Lucius Cypher

"Halt and lay down your weapons! You are under suspicion for acts of violence against the city and it's people. Surrender peacefully and you will receive a lawful trial. Otherwise you will be treated to an immediate execution."

Mithril stopped entirely where the stood, halting even his own momentum as he stood stiffly in his tracks almost comically as one leg was on the uneven rooftop while the other was just beginning to step forward to advance in his run, both arms to either side in a joggers position. Slowly the masked face turned to glance upon his would be assailants features though they too were obscured by outlandish clothing. Some fool with a death wish dared to stop the universe itself. Ever so slowly he unbent his body and put both feet on the roof and rested his hands on his hips to stare haughtily at her.

Outwardly calm and relaxed, complying with this strange womans demand for his peaceful surrender, did not betray the inner thoughts that screamed to attack. To rend this woman limb from limb and toss the severed pieces to the streets before kicking her filthy head over the palaces front gate. To dance in her blood and drink in the terror of her face as he slid the knife into the soft flesh of her body. To inhale her last breathe through the puppets lungs as the light in her eyes faded to nothing.
But the Golden Sword loved these games. It would play along until it got bored. After all, even if this woman killed her puppet, it would only be a matter of time before a new one tried to move the exquisite blade. No force in the heavens or the hells could stop it from commandeering a weak willed servant. No force known could cheapen its shine, dull it edge, or trap it forever. Someone always answered the call.

"On what grounds do you choose to arrest me. Or is it you are smitten by my handsome features." Mithril fake-swooned and dramatically placed his wrist upon his forehead as he cried out. "OH to be as handsome and daring as I! irresistable to the filthy masses. Tis a curse, I assure you."

His laughter was dark indeed as the mad man took a step towards Atisha, then another, his every footfall began to sound like a hammer striking the anvil as the golden sword subtly emitted an aura of fear from its puppet. Strong minds could resist the trembling of the body or the sinking dread that filled their stomach, but the weaker or unwilling would find themselves incapable of approaching. The very air they breathed took on the chill of the grave and forced them to stare in horror at every shadow.

There would be no reinforcements from the weaklings or the craven that wielded 'authority' but lacked a spine to enforce it.
"Bring me a good time or fly home, little bird." He whispered.

She wept over her name for what felt like an age, seemingly unable to quell the tears of frustration. 'Why?' She thought to herself, the lump in her throat apparently growing, choking her sobbing breaths. 'Why can't I remember...?!' The thought of having lost memory was driving her mad, angering her to no end, though behind the choked tears she would still look the part of a damsel in distress.

And that was when a surprise white-knight appeared at her doorstep, although his armour was a lot more... furry.

"Don't cry now, everything's okay. Here, take this for your tears."

Her heart froze. She hadn't seen anything like it - a creature much like a wolf stood on hind legs, offering her a napkin. She'd never seen one of these creatures up close before, though she had read about them being excellent hunters and fighters. It made her question why a being such as himself, who looked ready for a war, would be walking down a dark alley, talking to a...

Oh.

Uh-oh.

Emile wants to scream, yet her voice has apparently left her from all the sobbing. Eyes, fearful and wide, looking as though they were staring death in the face, only a lone thought swirling in her pretty little head:

'He's going to eat me!'

At that very moment, a penguin appeared before them, almost slamming into the giant wolf-man. Although it wasn't quite a penguin - more a human in disguise. Emile watching as the scene unfolded before her, the man-penguin got up and began dusting himself off, apologising to a... gorilla? It took her a moment, but she finally realised that he was talking to wolf-man. Her tears were frozen in place, yet upon the penguin-man's apology, she began crying again.



Between giggles and laughter, Emile speaks: "I don't think I've ever seen something like this before...!" Her infectious little giggle could put their hearts to ease, assuming they weren't incredibly dense, as she took the napkin from the wolf-man to stem the tears. "Thank you, my friend. You're too kind, ehehe!" A large smile adorning her features, she was now pleasantly relaxing as the stress from earlier began to dissipate alongside her laughter. Given a minute or two, her giggles began dying down, until they finally stopped altogether. "And thank you, Sir Penguin, for the... humorous entrance." Her kindly smile directing itself at both parties, she finally found the strength in her legs to stand, dusting herself off also.

"I apologise if I've caused either of you any inconvenience." She says with a bow, speaking in a polite and sweet tone. "I was feeling a little frustrated, you see, and just found myself here, moping away. As it so happens, I'm not entirely sure where I am - I'm lost, as one would say. I know this is The Royal Capital of Lugnica, yet I'm not entirely familiar with the surroundings." Something about the way she spoke may sound surprisingly genuine to the two parties, as she kept gently averting her gaze aside out of embarrassment. "Oh, but don't let me keep you! I'm sure you both have things to do, places to be! I'll find my way, I'm sure!" She beams innocently. She was still failing to realise that there was smoke coming from behind her, in the direction of the slums.

---

---

Coren was leading the way to an eatery that he frequently. . . . . frequented when he was quite a peculiar scene. A crying girl. A wolf. A . . . penguin? A man in a penguin costume at the very least. They seemed to be quite an interesting group, but after but a moment of watching, Coren's interest was hooked. They looked strong. Maybe if he got to know them better, he would be able to trick convince them to spar with him. After all, it was only by battling with the strong that he would get any stronger himself. And to be fair, it didn't hurt to provide a little bit of help to someone that was lost. Well, not that he could give the impression that he was being helpful. Luckily, he had just befriended the perfect scapegoat for such a situation. As such, he made his way to the group, completely ignoring anything that was happening in the slums. Not his problem.



"Why hello there Miss and. . . . . Misters. My name is Coren and I just so happened to overhear your conversation just a bit ago. My sidekick companion here just so happens to be a hero, and as the one overseeing his action right now it would be my pleasure to assist you. I have lived here my whole life and I am sure that the Hero here would love to help you."

He was grinning from ear to ear in a very convincing and confident manner. He postured forward in such a way that it was clear that he wouldn't take no for an answer. He was going to help them, whether they wanted it or not. He was hungry, and they were going to join him for food. Then he would let the "hero" show them around. It was always good to make acquaintances after all. Especially ones that looked as strong, or interesting as this bunch. Not every person wore weapons around after all. Huhuhu. Maybe they would give him a chance to test out a couple of his newest inventions. That would be great fun.

Anyway, he introduced himself and offered his assistance. Nothing more than that.

---

---

Aleph was following this Corrin guy to a place he frequently frequented when all the sudden, some punk-ass, crying-ass, girl-ass girl and some goons appeared in an alleyway they were passing by. One of them even seemed to be part penquinz0. Well, a Hero's job wasn't to judge one by the stuff that gets them through the night, so he did his best to ignore it. But aside from that, the people here did not seem particularly demon-like, so there was no true reason for him to get excited or to draw his blade.... unless they did, of course.

Quite honestly, Aleph was hungry and wanted to hurry this along. People in need were important and all, but what if demons attacked them and he was too weak from hunger or his stomach growled in the middle of the fight? That would be very embarrassing, or deadly. Either situation wasn't pleasant to think about, so he wanted to eat as soon as he possibly could. But... it was his duty as the only Hero in the world to assist those in need when he could. He would feel bad if he left this lost woman in the presence of a pervert, too. That being the case, Aleph did not speak up against what his companion had begun saying.

Wearing a confident grin, the Hero awaited Corentine to finish his introduction before offering a small wave when he was mentioned.

Wait... what? What the hell is this? How does this fit the mood at all?

Aleph's OST changed.

Uh... better, I guess? I think it will have to do.

Deciding against fighting whatever mysterious and unpredictable being had control over what OSTs started playing in his posts, Aleph instead returned his attention just as Coren made a promise for him. Well, that would likely slow his plans for grub, wouldn't it?

"Y-yeah, as a Hero, I would gladly lend a helping hand." he proudly stated, keeping his image of a Hero up...mostly. Hopefully, she would need a helping hand to or around some grub though, that would be nice. Perhaps he would get lucky and they would wind up nearing the tavern he intended to go to or something? Well, as long as it was away from the obvious trouble that was the direction of the slums, anywhere should be good. He wasn't a picky eater.

@Zelosse
@Lucius Cypher
@Rune_Alchemist

The man before Maria.

The one who wished to cause pain and destruction in her city. The one who would stop at nothing to cause some sort of disturbance. A man who was a criminal, through and through. Someone that Maria detested at her core; as both a Knight and a person.

Maria hated those who would claim the lives of others without reason.

At least, if Malakaus’ squire was correct in her accusations. Though Maria had no reason question the statements Atisha had stated. There was no way that Atisha would lie about such matters, right? But Maria trusted the judgment of Malakaus.

Unlike the likes of Tani [?] and Atisha, Maria would not be able to feel any sort of “pressure” from the sword if it was a "pressure" exuded as magical in conception. The ability to reject any sort of mental-targeting spells was one of the many blessings that Maria was born with. An ability that has not proven to be too useful, outside the occasional yin magic-user. After all, there were few curses or magics that truly targeted the mind over the body, but within the likes of something like a Gospel it was an invaluable addition of skill to protect against the cult of Witches.

Though it was equally likely that someone who valued “justice” over all else would have a strong conviction and would naturally be immune to the ability.

“Not really my type, i would have to say. Girls my age don’t really like find geezers like you attractive. Besides people who wear masks are either not confident about their appearance, or perhaps they have something to hide. My guess for you is a little bit of both. Besides, I hardly think you have the prowess to back up your confidence.”

Perhaps it would have been a bit jarring for the sword[‘s owner] that there was someone able to directly reject the interference of which was given out by mere proximity.

The man looked like some sort of weirdo with a sword was trying to act in a violent manner. But Maria did recognize the sinisterness of the situation. Perhaps in any other setting, with a different individual performing the same actions, it would not be as alarming, but this man, unknown to Maria as a legend known as“Mithril Blackblood”, seemed to have a certain conviction about himself that seemed at glance unnatural. Unnerving, to an extent, were his very movements.

Maria, with only her view on the situation, was not able to discern the reason for her discomfort around his presence. All she knew was that she recognized the individual approaching her as a “danger” that she would “have to deal with”. Peaceful resolutions were preferred by Maria, but in the event that she was forced to use her sword, she was no slacker.

In fact, one could argue that Maria, as the heir to the von Hohenzollern name, was able to utilize the sword near the level of a master. Her entire life was dedicated to the weapon, as her family was one of a great military history with many upon many of heroes still sung about to this day. Though it was known she was not related to the Hohenzollern family by blood, she was trained as if she was, and her natural blessings made her a formidable foe in combat situations.

“Besides, you need to buy a girl dinner if you want to drone on about your appearance. Confidence might be an attractive trait, but narcissism isn’t so much. Didn’t your mother ever teach you subtlety?”

Maria placed herself before her opponent, her sword drawn in a stance that seemed defensive in nature. She would not allow this man to step another foot, inch, or whatever, forward. The two were in lunging range of one another as it began, after all, and any step forward by the two would place one another within the range of a slash. And Maria was more than willing to prepare a slash of her own or defend against the man in the event that she needed to.

As a knight, Maria knew no fear before the man. If she was to die in the line of duty, she had understood that commitment long ago and would only regret that she was not able to produce her father an heir before her passing. But that was not as if she “wanted to die”. “Wanting to die” and “being ready to die” are not mutually exclusive nor inclusive to one another. Maria “wanted to live” in all respects, but knew her line of duty was that of the sword. And those who live by the sword will inevitably be undone by the sword.

“I don’t know what you want, who you are acting for, or even who you are, but it is my duty to protect the people of this fine city, and as a knight who has sworn her sword to the people, anyone in this kingdom, so long as I am able. I am Maria von Hohenzollern, and I shall not allow you another step forward. Drop your weapon, or I will be forced to take action. On my honor, I shall see you put to justice!”

Grian Rothfell_

@FamishedPants@Ryofu@Delta44@noodles

What seemed like an eternity crawling a solid stone wall, was only a matter of seconds or minutes. To Grian time really just stopped as soon as a Penguin budged him, then fell over, revealing a man in a penguin costume. Was he not confused he would have probably laughed, but the confusion that took place inside his head could only let him do a weird giggle and a face best described as "WTF". The girl taking his napkin shook him back into reality, and her giggling laugh dissipated the uncomfortable feeling he had. It seems that ultimately he achieved his goal. Little did he know he wouldn't have without the penguin.

Though he gave a furious gaze for the penguin man, he turned back to the girl with a smile. She apologized for keeping them up, but it was quite the other way around. Grian really wanted to apologize for making a bad first impression, mostly because his pride couldn't let his name be associated with a man wearing a penguin suit. Then out of nowhere, another 2 weird figures appeared. Though less mind boggling than the first one, these two seemed to have somehow found the perfect balance between weird outfits and stupid personalities. The first one was overly confident, and spoke in a tone that made Grian want to punch the man in the face. Coming here saying he is a hero and all that. Bullshit Grian though. Especially talking about him knowing the neighbourhood. He would be surprised if that man could find a castle in these parts of town. But what can you really expect from a man confident in his abilities so much he walks like he owns the place.

And the other one was, well, interesting to put it bluntly. Grian frowned as he inspected the boy as he made his introduction, no more than a single sentence, seemingly put together hastily. Probably not a man who needs to greet others on a daily basis. As far as he could tell the boy was a weirdo too, his armor clearly reflecting no taste and a bad sense for armor. Perfect match for Mr Ego. Grian was beginning to think he might have lucked out with the weird kids from Japan and the overly enthusiastic knight commander. After all, they were still better than two self proclaimed heroes with ego problems, a man in a penguin suit, and a probably mentally ill woman who was crying and laughing at the same time. He cursed the day he left that damn Iron Bell barracks. But the clinging of gold in his pocket firmly reminded him he did it because money speaks and...erm wolf howls. He never liked the version with dogs anyways, wolfs are far superior. How come if dogs evolved from wolves, then he wasn't a dogman, huh?

Anyways that was a subject for another day, and another place. Now he just looked the first "hero" who called himself Coren. Thought the man seemed a though guy kinda person, and looked like he wouldn't take a no, Grian took pride in his swordsmanship. After all he trained.almost his whole life. He rested his right hand on his sword's hilt and pointed at the man with his other hand. "I must kindly refuse your offer Mr Coren. Me and my erm... compadre have perfect control of the situation. It is best we part ways before we end up troubling each other with our own business." Grian made sure to articulate the words OUR OWN very clearly so the man could understand him and his intentions. He wasn't sure if the other one would care, or if he'd act up to his own regard. For now he had to go on this Coren's wird for the other one being with him. Not like he cared. Two at best adept swordsman could hardly beat him. But he didn't want to fight in front of a lady, so instead he turned back to the girl and ignored the others for a second. "Don't worry, you are not keeping us up. Me at least. May I know why you are here crying?". He really tried his best to ignore the recent events, but he just couldn't ask the question with a straight face considering the other 3.

The elf replied back at Maria, she notified them off smoke rising from behind the rooftops. It happened sometimes that some kind of fire broke out but it wouldn't take much up in it since everything was mostly made of stone. These fires were grief but it didn't have much impact on the city. But hearing the elf talk about how she perhaps knew the culprit was strange. They only have just entered town right? From what she heard before. This was strange, how did the elf know such an exact plan from an intruder Tani wouldn't let Atisha out of sight from now on. She stayed quiet letting this chaos unfold in front of her with her sword close to her body.

Maria trusted this elf girl, likely because she was close with Malakaus. Too trusting, Tani didn't like this one bit. If Maria got backstabbed it would be her problem. Atisha dashed off out of the room to catch the thief. Shit she was suppose to keep track off her.

Both Maria and Tani dashed out of the room after the girl. Tani glanced around the palace hall for her knights but they were all busy aiding the hurted people in the situation from before. With a click of the tongue she turned her face forwards again. A few of Maria her knights ran after her but couldn't quite keep up with them. They were still able to follow the route they went through from the downcast view on the buildings beneath them.

After a short while they found Atisha and a man that was described before. Tani squinted her eyes with a downcast look on her face glaring at the man. He looked different, quite strong so to say. Maria commanded the man to drop his weapon, Tani stayed quiet letting Maria and Atisha do the talking as she muttered under her breath.





Slowly the door squeaked open making the candles in the hallway light up the floor of the room as the door opened. The girl quietly stood in the door opening breathing slowly with a sad expression found in her eyes. The room was filled with dust and moonlight from the window. She gave a soft sigh and stepped forwards into the room. Each time her feet touched the ground a slight creak could be heard throughout the room. She closed her eyes for a moment and breathed slowly to get her composer back. She acted stupid back down there, she shouldn't have done that. Aya jolted both her hands at her cheeks making her eyes tear once more. Her cheeks completely red from both her hands, she had to apologise for being like that. She was treated like a guest here after all.

Aya looked back up again noticing something in the window. Her eyes shot fully open in horror as she fell back onto her butt making quite some noise in the room. She had caught sight of a figure in the window, it looked like a person just standing there in her room. Aya slowly crawled back with her butt still on the ground as the person turned their head towards them. Black eyes sparkling by the moonlight pointing right at her with a surprised look on their face of Aya being behind them. Looking closer the whole body was black light the night. She thought it was the lighting casting down on the figure making it almost unseeable in the dark room but it was their body itself. Aya her jaw twitched not knowing what to say. What was this person doing here.



Hairs levitated above the person its head now. Aya looked completely overwhelmed by it and sat there in shock. They weren't hairs, the whole body was made out of bandages of some kind.



The creature turned around completely now and closed their mouth giving a more serious look at the maid girl now. It raised their hand up at Aya as the tentacles got closer towards her. The creature lightly cherished her chin and gave a soft wicked smile. Aya smiled back slightly as she felt a little less terrified now. Aya gave a creeped out smile back at the creature.

In the shadows of the two you could see the small girl hanging from the ground. Muffled screams were heard as the hands flailed helplessly to get herself free of the creature its grip. Her eyes were tearing as the creature watched Aya in agony.

It only took matter of moments before the muffled screams became less and calmer. Her eyes started closing slowly as the creature smiled at her. Just before she lost her breath completely in the shadow could be seen multiple tentacles levitating next to the creature all pointed at Aya. At an alarming fast pace they were driven through her small body spreading red liquid over the floor. Aya grasped for air once more before her muscles relaxed letting the girl hang from the tentacles. Her body was dropped to the ground as the creature let out a small chuckle.



After serving all the customers that had just entered the bar another specific person joined on in. He came by regularly and was well known with Yoshinobu after the first few times he came in alone. He was a rather strange one at first but he adapted to living here. He came from another town too or something. It was probably far away but a customer was a customer so she didn't mind.



Her hands started working, she mixed rum and whiskey with each other and added some fresh lemon juice with a lot chunks of ice. She sat is down on the bar in front of him and gave a smile while getting the money from him. He took a gulp of his drink before breaking the glass in his hand. Yoshinobu lifted herself backwards a bit with a confused look on her face.



He stood up, oh god. He shouted and muttered again before shouting once more! Yoshinobu still very confused simply tilted her head at Evans. She didn't comprehend what he wanted from the new people.



She placed her hand onto his shoulder to bring him some comfort. She didn't want him to burst out in fighting or something. Maybe he just had a shitty day.



Hamaguchi was bent over Addison her body as Addison her mind was slowly fading away from this world. Hamaguchi was hyperventilating as she watched the smoldering flesh on the back of Addison eat away the rest. There was blood everywhere and not only from Addison, also from Nick who just exploded. The colors in her eyes faded away, Everything started becoming gray. Her hands hurted but she shouldn't give up. Hamaguchi placed both her hands in pain on the back of Addison to heal her. Spurts of blue light kept forming under her hands but it was no use she couldn't concentrate.



She said in a hurted voice as tears fell on the back of Addison. She was touched, a hand was placed on her cheek. She patiently turned her face at the person doing this. Someone was sitting besides her, he was bald and talking in a strict manner. She hadn't noticed him being there untill now.

The fire kept spreading over the blood pool Nick had left behind. No not spreading, forming while Duncan was doing his best to save Addison from death. He had injected some kind of needle which made Addison suddenly really calm. Duncan had said something to Hamaguchi but she couldn't focus on it. Her eyes were pointed at Addison again without answers.

At the back of the scene the smoldering body of Nick had grown in size a little. It had formed a yellow color already and slowly changed to bright red. While the others weren't paying attention to it another big explosion occurred right next to them spreading out another red sea off fire. No one was luckily hurt by it.

Hamaguchi suddenly duck down. Her hands on her belly as her head bowed down towards her knees. A sound of agony came from her lips, she was more in pain then before now. She fell on her side shaking her body in pain. On the back of Addison the flesh had swollen quite badly too and grew red. Oh oh, this was bad. Hamaguchi had reached out her hand at Duncan. It was also swollen and red.



Next thing they knew they were caught in a fire sea just like the rest of the area after both Addison and Hamaguchi their smoldering flesh had exploded.



She was still outside. It was getting late and it was ice cold outside. With both her hands hugging herself she stumbles forwards. It was rather cold with only a skirt and her blouse half undone. Every time she breathed out of her mouth she felt a little like a dragon puffing out smoke. Still it was cold, she didn't feel her toes anymore. There was only pain coming from her feet. The bottom side of her feet was pitch black from the dirt of the street. She was getting hungry again, where was she, she didn't understand. Shiina couldn't remember the way back anymore, it was a building made from stones and quite big. Her clothes were still there, how could she forget them! Her parents will get mad at her. If she could just find a warm spot right now that would be plenty.

Her feet stopped on the spot as she timidly looked up with an agape mouth. She stared at the penguin for a moment. This was really out of place but whatever. There was a penguin mascot right on the street. Shiina stared a the penguin mascot without uttering a word. In her head she slowly started to remember again. She was lost in the shopping center before. She had been strolling around the area for some time trying to find her parents. Multiple broadcasts were sounded throughout the shopping center but she didn't know how to go to the police station. At that moment she saw this same penguin. He was giving out balloons and making children laugh. Shiina felt comfortable around the penguin back then. After a while the penguin saw the girl and notice how she matched the missing report so he took her back to the police station. She had never seen anyone as such a hero.

IT WAS THE SAME PENGUIN! After all these years they meet again. Did he still remember her or was it only on first sight...

He ran away... He ran away just like that. NO this wasn't gonna happen to her! Her feet pattered against the pavement. She wasn't gonna let the penguin go away without her regards! Shiina slowly hobbled after him.

Almost turning the same corner. This was the time! She finally could really tell what she was really feeling. She could thank her hero for saving her! After all these years her life would get on the roll again. His head came off... She stared at the head for a moment in silence and turned her body away from the others while muttering softly.

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




The moron's finger continued to point outwards to the man, the catgirl, and the space that once held the maid. His thoughts were racing by so much he barely noticed she had left. After all, who had time to notice anything in the middle of his probable biggest freakout in....well ever. The man, as if not bothered at all by his yelling and confusion, he simply outstretched his hand as if nothing was wrong and introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Daisuke, its nice to meet you. And your name is?" The guy, Daisuke, had a shockingly warm smile and attitude about him.

Ease continued to stutter despite this as if still continuing to process everything. Yoshinobu even put her hand on his shoulder in what could only be an effort to calm him down. Even telling them they just seemed to be here for a break. He couldn't really think coherent actual thoughts, but if he could, they'd be somewhere around the lines of am I the only one who actually understands how fucking big this is right now?! He stammered a bit more like a moron, hands spread at each side in that same expression of his surprise. He looked between Daisuke's hand and face multiple times, as if the guy was giving him a gun or something.

"Butta bah-Butta bah-B-b-butta baaah-"

But before his "butta bah" ing could commence, Ratatosk had gotten annoyed again. The idiot he was helping was once again had to just stammer on and get distracted didn't he? The squirrel crawled onto the shoulder Yoshinobu didn't touch. He let out a sigh and reared up his head and front teeth for a "wake-up bite."

In the seconds before he could, there was another quack and a very audible explosion. The first one was rather quiet and far, but notable. "Ratatosk: What the...?" He shook his head. Not important. Whatever it was, guards could deal with it. He looked up to see the fool stammering still. What was with this guy right now...? He reared for the second bit only...Why was there muffled screaming from up top? Shit didn't that girl head up there? He darted his head over to Ease again. "Moron! Snap out of it!" He said before finally biting him again.

In an instance, Ease's entire body arched up in surprise. Unlike usual bites from the rodent, this one was particularly deep. "FUCKING SHIT!" He yelled before glancing at his shoulder. Of course it was Ratatosk...who else? He rubbed his shoulder as the furry rodent made his way to his other shoulder, next to Yoshinobu's hand. Wait...he blinked twice as if his brain finally was back into reality. "Um....where am-Oh right!" He said, fist to his open hand in remembrance. He turned towards Yoshinobu and scratched his head. "Shit...Sorry about that Yoshi. Kinda went off the handle for a sec." He looked around and saw even more confused bartenders, more than likely confused at his outburst. "Ah...Sorry everyone about that. I kinda overreacted there." He finally turned back to Daisuke, about to return the handshake offer. Before he could, a certain squirrel got close to his ear.

"Ratatosk: That other girl went upstairs. Ease, I heard muffle screaming upstairs and I can smell blood. There's something up."

Shit, shit, shit! How did everything go wrong so fast again? He closed his eyes. Fuck being a hero, man. He ran over to the stair and after getting on the first step, shouted over to Daisuke, enough for him to hear at least. "Daisuke, my name's Ease! I'll shake your hand in a sec, but just give me one sec, okay?" He went up those stairs...Fuck, what was going on now...?

Getting up the stairs was fairly quick actually. He pretty much zoomed up them. Then came that hallway...that door was open. It seemed so ordinary so...simple to eyes that didn't have an idea of what was going on. He gulped. He knew damn well there was something up. It shouldn't be this normal. It shouldn't be. He walked slowly, each step getting heavier than the last. His thoughts were focused primarily on how this anticipation was the worst thing. His footsteps got closer. That damned familiar stench of blood was ripping into his nose. He put a hand to his chest without looking down. Way too familiar...Stray gulps were the only other sound. He was only a few feet from the door opening now.

He couldn't help but be overcome by an even worse feeling of dread than the previous one. Sweat was streaming down. He wasn't backing down though. It was a sense of "shit, what's going on here?" than any feeling of fear at whoever caused all this. He could already figured out something got hurt or killed. He just didn't know what else to make of it. He wasn't fearful. Simply filled with anxiety. That was it, right?

@liferusher@6slyboy6@FamishedPants@Ryofu@Delta44

"So, you got dumped or something?" Kurokono asked Emile sarcastically, getting up & scratching his head a bit. So, Japan used to be called Lugnica back then huh...? He stuffed his Penguin suit into his bag, stood up straight, making a few coughs before putting on his formal speech, "Ahem, ahem, I almost forgot to introduce myself, my lady, I'm Kurokono, just a wandering Ronin from a backwater village,"

The approach of another person cut off his words. Another 'Samurai' had appeared it seems, that was quite expected considering how Emile was a 'noble' or something.

"Hero my ass," Kurokono now placed his sword on his left side on his waist, his right hand is positioned near the his hilt, ready to draw & cut anytime, "Back off, my lady, they're assassins, they tried to kill a princess just now but failed, so they are targetting you now." He had trained on his sword from his grandfather since he started learning how to walk, but he obviously had not killed anybody before, and he doesn't know how exactly magic works, so he ain't that confident in this engagement.

"Gorilla, don't take them too lightly, one of them had escaped pursuit from a Samurai, a Dragon, and a bunch of Royal Guards." He muttered to Grian, calling him Gorilla for now since he doesn't know his name. Another time traveller? The corner of his eye caught sight of a girl with similiar clothing to his world.

"Step close into my reach, and you know what will happen," His eyes are piercing, giving a slight smirk to ease himself off the tension, "So, your previous target is too difficult, so you took an easier one now? Seems like your boss isn't so forgiving. Its a good thing I heard that commotion just now, your infiltration is professional, I would've been fooled if it weren't for that. So, who is your client, and what are his motives?" Though Kurokono doesn't look like it, he is a Police back in his 'era', and he had investigated couple of cases that link to the Triads, his deductive skills would be useful & pretty accurate if he's aware he is in a completely different world.