---

---

Although he had no experience as a detective, Aleph's deductive abilities were strong enough such that the tense air around the group did not pass by unnoticed. He was at least 60% sure that the wolfman and his estranged companion were not in the happiest of moods, and that maybe some of that anger was directed towards Coren and himself. But for what reason? Initially, this was lost on him, but piecing together the subtle clues he was given in the form of conversation, he decided that it was because there was a moderate misunderstanding between the group, and that misunderstanding needed to be cleared up immediately.

Thankfully, Aleph was mature and aware enough to do just that.

..."Wait, did you... just say I was an assassin?"

Rather, that WOULD have been the case were his pride able to ignore this insult. Moreso than Vesta prided herself on being from a family somebody cared about, Aleph prided himself on being a Hero. He knew that the idea of a hero escaped many people, and was alright with them not believing him or saying something odd like he was delusional... but this? This was something else entirely. It wasn't merely some incapability to realize what Aleph truly was, no, this was some slanderous accusation that was entirely false and impossible. Aleph wasn't sure if this guy actually believed what came out of his own mouth, as delusional as he was, but he was sure that he needed to correct this incorrect train of thought before some other crazies believed him.

"I couldn't care less about some furball wanting to bare its teeth at two people merely trying to help, but as a Hero, I cannot with a sane mind allow someone like you to continue your slanderous ways unchallenged." he glared at the ex-penguin, likewise placing his hand on his blade, ready to draw at a moment's notice. "You who likely wear a disguise to hide your true face really believe you can claim me a schemer of any sorts? I would laugh at the idea were it not so insulting! My blade has claimed the lives of thousands of demons and the power within my right hand Trumps that tenfold! Can you dare claim you are prepared to face such overwhelming power, or will you surrender and speak the truth?" he challenged, obviously quite serious about the affair.

Aleph Banton was well-aware these two were not in league with the Demon Lord, Henry Ford. But a Hero did not merely fight just the evil that was related to Henry Ford, no, a Hero would right the wrongs in the world, no matter what they were. Just who was this guy? He didn't feel any demonic presence from either the dog or the penguin, but he could tell that the liar may as well be a demon as there was no good left within his soul anymore. What else aside from pure evil could one hope to achieve by slandering the name of a the world's only Hero? Nothing good could ever come from that, so this is what Aleph had decided. Their priority target was the ex-penguin and the wolf would have to be dealt with as well, though letting him off with a mere warning might suffice.

The Hero briefly looked to his companion, to see if he was going to have a comrade this fight, but finally noticed the new girl who had appeared. Wow, this alleyway was popular. The important thing, though, is that he heard what she had to say. Her life was a lie? What did that mean?

...

...

...

"You monster! Not merely slandering a good Hero's name, but you also trick young women, too?"

It would appear as though her presence had only caused Aleph's anger towards the penguin to rise. How silly.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I've gotten your names. I am Malakaus Firebelly. And you are?" The words echoed from the orc as Blanc stood straight and firm, her lips became an anime-ish squiggly line as she nodded in understanding. Calming down for a few seconds she placed an open palm on her chest. "I-I am Blanc Neige... the... umm... elf that Miss Vesta was talking about, nice to meet you." With a respectful two second bow, she rose up once more and turned her head to the side... glaring down on her meatshield that was Kyle, pinching his ear as she did so.

"And this is my meat shield... he can introduce himself... will you Mister Meat Shield? She's still pretty bitter Kyle. Though with her body weight it shouldn't really hurt that much. How should the orc take this situation?

Since there were others around the tavern she couldn't exactly listen to them unless they asked for her attention in any way they can. But hopefully not way too physical on the poor snow elf.

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

"I'm sorry, I don't think I've gotten your names. I am Malakaus Firebelly. And you are?" Forett let Blanc Neige speak first, not sure if he was really all so welcome here to begin with. “I am Forett Altol, it is a pleasure to meet you Malakaus.” Forett spoke just before Blanc decided to introduce her meatshield. “It seems that this place is just like you spoke of it. Full of strange people and odd jobs.” Verisa’s voice was hidden over their bond. “Not quite, it seems that there are a lot of new people here that lack place. I wouldn’t go as far to say that it isn't crazy, though.” Forett responded silently as he spoke aloud. “I hear you have a bit of a quest that needs doin’?” Forett didn’t order anything from the Tavern, however upon being offered he requested a water if it was free.

As far as what happened earlier? Well, Forett did not seem to be too phased by the happenings within the bar or the distant rumbles in the street. What was not his business was not his business, however he would make a note to stay away from these distant thunders as they may bring trouble.

@Lucius Cypher @Seirei No Hai

Kyle Hishamie

Kyle put his hands together and behind his head in a relaxed demeanor. He was not liking the name "meat shield" very much, but it was better than something demeaning in intelligence. I mean..meat shield was not exactly used for men of high intellectual intentions but pish posh that was all in the details. Kyle's eyes shined brightly and his voice had a slight sing songy tune when he spoke next.

"Yo, what's up? I'm Meat Shield, or you could call me Kyle. Whichever is fine I guess."

Kyle looked around the tavern, seeing all sorts of colorful people. This world was so strange but he could feel his excitement bubbling over.

"If there is a quest, me and Blue Beauty over here can help with any quests if you need assistance."

@seirei no hai@forett

Almost as soon as Emile finishes speaking, another young man makes his introduction, and if she had to say, he was rather cute. Keeping that thought to the confines of her mind, she listens closely as the man introduces himself to her, as well as his companion. "Oh, hello there! Um, that's very kind of you, but you see, I don't exactly know where I need guidance to." Chuckling softly, she peaks her head past the cute boy to the 'Hero' behind him. He certainly didn't look like much, though appearances weren't everything. She offers a kind smile and gentle wave as he speaks, confirming his 'Hero' title, also offering assistance. "Why, you two gentlemen are far too kind! However, you need not worry - I believe I have found ample assistance in these young men. Er... man and wolf-man."

The wolf-man speaks after her, apparently knowing Mister Penguin to some degree, and saying their assistance was ample indeed, but not required. The situation was relatively calm for the most part, penguin-man now taking the stage. "So, you got dumped or something?" He asks, coughing to himself as he prepares a more formal introduction after a moment of thought. "Ahem, ahem, I almost forgot to introduce myself, my lady, I'm Kurokono, just a wandering Ronin from a backwater village."

"I suppose, in a manner of speaking, I was. I just woke up not too long ago." States the young noblewoman as she studies the definite man before her. "A pleasure to meet you, Sir Kurokono. My name is Emile von Pâtre, of the Pâtre house situated here in Lugnica. And, uh, dare I ask what exactly 'Ronin' is...?"

Her voice grew quieter and quieter when she pieced together he and the Hero weren't exactly getting along. According to Kurokono, the Hero and his companion were assassins on a mission to kill her! But that didn't make any sense! She hadn't even done anything! Well, at least anything she could recall, at least...

The situation was rapidly escalating, and although Emile wished to speak up, her voice just couldn't quite find the courage. Staring up at the two rather agitated figures, she couldn't help but feel the urge to get away. She wasn't sure what this fight would bring, but she began to feel anxious about the two parties wounding themselves within the city. All this, coupling with the new girl who was saying her life was a lie, was making Emile rather uncomfortable, almost to the point of tearing up again.

However, that was when she saw it, rising into the sky in the distance...


She quizzes, question aimed more-so to herself than to those within her party. Needless to say, as soon as she could confirm it was smoke (and the surrounding populous was apparently apathetic towards said danger), Emile pushes herself past the two standing in the alleyway entrance, sprinting straight in the direction of the smoke as fast as she could. "Akra!" A golden light flashes about her body, as the weight of her entire body is suddenly lifted, almost as though she were gliding through the air now. Stamina effectively maintained and speed quickened, Emile sprints for the slums where the smoke is rising, to survey the scene.

Kyojin watched as Aya went up to her room, leaving the giant to wave towards her before relaxing and watching the night life of the inn. He planned on finishing his last mug of ale and his strawberries before heading to bed himself, he did have work to do early the next day, not to mention meeting Kondo's contacts for that weapon. Still he could not help but enjoy people watching at a time like this, all the laughing and enjoyment of this place, it all had drawn him in before to want to own a place like this. Still there was always a issue here and there, those types that had too much to drink or were just plane strange....

"You alright Yoshi?"

He asked the women as she seemed to be having a issue with one of the people that had come into the bar, which he identified as Evans. Though he trusted her to be able to handle any old random drunk, this one was acting a little more strange and aggressive than normal. For the time being he would watch them even as he stood and shouted, the man would have known that the giant was there in case he caused problems. As time passed it looked like the man was calming down, if a little bit and besides he knew Kondo would not have let anything happen.

"Hmm, have a good one everyone. Kondo, don't drink tomorrows stock heh."

Standing up he gave off a few teasing words and a deep chuckle before he finishing off the bowl and mug, soon heading towards the stairs with his chair back towards his room. However as he did a thud from down the hall. Normally such sounds were normal, be them love or drunkenness but the room had been given to Aya which started to raise some alarms with Kyojin. Though that was not all as the strange man from before came up the stairs as well, going towards the same room which really was the final thing that caused the giant to take action! Placing down his chair he paced over towards the man, his steps loud but very quick!

"You, what are you doing? First you mention the new people and now you are acting strange next to their rooms..."

@liferusher@Kitsune




Ease looked down the hallway still, teeth biting down on his lower lip. But right as he was about to react and approach whatever threat or incident was occurring in the other room, loud footsteps came storming up the stairs and down the hall.

"You, what are you doing? First you mention the new people and now you are acting strange next to their rooms..."

Oh, fucking come on!



He turned around to see a giant of a man behind him. His eyes went wide in surprise at the new presence as he looked the man up and down. It took a few seconds for his brain to process exactly what he said and the moment he did, he shook his head again as if to actually understand what he said. "Wait, wha...? *finally realizes what he's talking about* Ohh...Oh no. No no no! This uh..." He scratched his head. Shit. How did he explain this? Tell him to be quiet and simply just smell the obvious smell going around? Explain the situation? Try and be badass and take charge? ...Okay definitely not the last one unless he wants to be bitch slapped through a wall.

He looked back at the giant and cleared his voice. "Um, okay listen. I heard something really really weird upstairs so I'm investigating. I uh...won't lie. The fact of how dark it's getting kinda worried me a bit so I'm just...going at a crawl in case anything jumps out? His voice was nervous as hell. It sounded somewhat legitimate but even he was uncertain at his word. He didn't have time to mentally prep for this shit. He couldn't come up with a better lie in time so this was the best he could muster.

"Look, okay okay. This might seem weird but just hear me out on this one. Something weird is going on. And it seems to be from this room for whatever...reas...on."

He mentally face palmed. Good lord, there's no way in hell he'll buy this.

*Omitted since Dante was downstairs.

@ZekariVoblis@Kitsune@liferusher

Dante

Dante was sitting down, wolfing down his food when he noticed that a newcomer was poking around near eh room only to be stopped by the Giant. It seems like shit was going to go down so he decided to pull his mouth away from his plate to disarmed the situation. He walked up to them. "Whats going over her-*Sniff*" His half canine nose begin to pick up a scent he should have notice earlier. His calm face then twisted from calm to extremely shocked. This wasn't the first time he smelled this time of scent and it set off all sort of flashbacks. He then rushed to the source. "Moved!" He said right after pushing both Evan and the giant out of the way showing little restrained showing sigh of high anxiety. "No no no no no no NO!" Dante yelled while running to where the smell was.

EDIT:
Placeholder >.>

@Liferusher@Skepic@Lunarlors34

While outwardly he remained calm, the second Duncan oh-so-carefully removed the remains of Winters' vest, webbing and uniform and saw what lay beneath, his mind began to scream.

That was out of his league.

That was, by some twisted irony, something he'd really need the Doc for.

"This isn't good. I know someone who can help if you wish?"

His eyes snapped up to his left; he'd been so caught up in his own thoughts that he'd not even heard the silver-haired woman approach and, immediately recognizing her as the exact same silver-haired woman he'd seen hand-wave a street back together less than half an hour ago, spent a few seconds just staring at her, trying to figure out if this made him the luckiest man alive or if the powers-that-be were just preparing to deliver the mother of all hypothetical kicks to his metaphorical balls.

Still, she had a solution. And, given the circumstances, what with someone who'd pulled his ass out of the fire and then stitched it back together more than a few times and a young girl lying burnt and dying in some scorched street, he was pretty damned fine with whatever she had in mind.

"Right." He replied to Vesta with a small nod halfway between affirmation and gratitude "Just give me a minute to get her stable and we can-"

It was at that exact moment that Duncan's eyes caught sight of the corpse behind them, which had suddenly come down with a case of 'bloated and glowing'. Some primeval instinct in the back of his brain began screaming into his psyche that that was a very bad thing.

"GET DOWN."

And he was right, for not a moment later the street erupted in another fireball that just barely missed them.

"You alright?" Duncan finally asked Vesta, raising his head to look at her once the fire subsided, before turning to the catgirl "How 'bout you, Kid?"

Said catgirl was lying on the ground, curled up in pain.

"Kid?" He repeated, a hint of worry (the first twinge of actual emotion to make it through his professional calm throughout this whole ordeal) evident in his voice as he reached out to check on her. "Kid...?"

Weakly, she reached out to him, too. Her arms pulsing red... and bloating.

"H-help me..."

Very abruptly, Duncan felt the wind leave his sails. There was no panic, no screams, no cries or anything like that... just simple, flat acknowledgement of what was about to happen.

"Oh hell."

His world got very loud. And then very dark.

---------

Hazily, the world came back to him, though darker than before.

It took him a moment to realize that this was because there was suddenly a roof over his head, and when the thunderous ringing left his hears and he could focus, he noticed the rubble around him, surmising that the blast must've propelled his body (unbeknownst to him, held together solely through his divine protection) through the wall of one of the nearby houses. He also noticed the seared stumps where his hands used to be... attached to his seared arms... attached to his seared everything. And then he smelled burning meat. And the pain set in.

He would've swore, had he still had the lips to form the words.

He would've screamed, had his lungs the power for it.

Instead, all that escaped him was a tortured, miserable groan as he twisted slightly on the floor of the ruined house, a skeletal thing covered in burnt remnants of muscle and ligament that was once a person animated solely by some primordial contempt for death as he dragged his own remains across the ground toward the opening he'd made in some insane, futile effort to survive.

The more he moved, the more it hurt. The more it hurt, the less he cared about it. The instinctual need to find someone, anyone and get help overrode his desire to stop. Grunting and growling with effort, he slowly crawled his way closer to the breach, finally heaving himself over the threshold with one final snarl and landing on his back with a moist 'Thud!'.

All he found was empty street, scorched houses and open sky.

Something like a sigh escaped what was left of his throat. No help was coming.

Staring up at into sky, an odd sense of ease came over him, something that he hadn't known in a very long time. He wasn't dodging bullets and running into harms way like he was in his youth, he wasn't being dragged around like a walking publicity stunt by some slimeball politician... he was just.... here. With the sky and the wind and his end.

He was tired... so very tired...

Too tired to fight the cold numbness that spread across him, quelling the pain that wracked his body. Too tired to worry as the world around him began to lose colour and darken. Too tired to dwell on the many, many regrets of his short, unusual life. Too tired to care at all.

And so, on an empty street in some foreign land, Duncan MacAiden finally allowed himself to die.

The man that Daisuke had tried to introduce himself to, rambled about and spat random words while Daisuke patiently held his hand out for the shake. Soon after though, he had been bolting up the stairs where Aya had gone, looking oddly worried, like something bad had been happening upstairs. Now that he thought about it, a thud could be heard earlier, but Daisuke had only assumed Aya had dropped a book or something on the floor, and didn't think much of it. But after Kyojin hurried after him up the stairs, he was sure something was the matter.

Instinctively, Daisuke followed them, if something had really gone wrong then he had to do all he could to help. In the back of his head though, he couldn't help but think, 'What if she really did just drop something and now we are all rushing to her room in a panic for no reason. She's going to freak out!' Still, he hurried up the stairs to join the rest of the group who were already outside her door.

"Well, do you guys know what happened?" he asked, concernedly.

"If there is a quest, me and Blue Beauty over here can help with any quests if you need assistance."

This might be the worst thing that the snow elf is currently experiencing at this very moment with a groan she smacks Kyle at the back of his forehead with the open palm of her gloved hands. Whether or not he feels the stinging pain of a woman's wrath is not her concern. She would bow in front of Malakaus. "I deeply apologize... I have no association with his troublesome meat shield. But "it" has a point... I am here to help if necessary, we might have some time before we board and accompany Miss Vesta for the day until I can find another roof over my head." Removing her hood, she proceeds to rub on the top of her silky white hair, her ears twitching as she did so while looking to the armored orc with her adorable blue eyes.

Oh, right, she has forgotten someone else. She looked towards Forett and gave a friendly wave. "I-If you've never heard. I'm Blanc Neige, nice to meet your Mister Forett."

The bond she has with Tundo seemed to react with what was within Forett. Another spirit perhaps? Blanc does not know... only he knows.

@dabombjk@Forett@Lucius Cypher

Kyojin eyed the man as he seemed to be unsure what to say, though he could not blame him since most got intimidated by his sheer size and warrior like frame, the tattoos helped little to calm people as well. Still he was acting very strange and the giant was unsure if he was trying to sneak in or just see the new people from another country since he didn't seem drunk... Well not on anything legal at the very least. However he would hear the man out, if not for him then for the wall that he may have ended up putting him through if he jumped to conclusions!

"Ok, explain."

Listening to the man explain himself, though his words sounded rather odd he did seem like the type that would be a worry wart over such things as this. Though there was also a small thing about the giant that never really came up often as the last thing anyone tried with him was to fool him... Suddenly his expression changed (7) and he reached out to pat Even's on the shoulder!

"Ah is that all. I was worried you know, a lot of perverts around Grahahahahah!"

Looking towards the room he could see the door was slightly open, and there was something rather odd, as if his tattoos were burning for some reason... Looking back to Dai as he came up he shook his head and hand towards him to keep down any worry. A big smile coming over his face as he then looked back to Even's.

"Ah, don't worry. Even's just got worried is all. We will check it out. Even's remember to know on the ladies door first alright?"

@kitsune @soragoku @liferusher






Ease closed his eyes as the silence came before him and the giant. Well, he was probably gonna get punched through a wall now. Might as well mentally prepare for being one with brick and tiling. Except, instead he felt a hand, not meet hit his chest or side, but meet his back. Softly at that. He stumbled back for a second surprised and, once again, wide eyed. He looked up and down from the floor to the larger man, processing what just happened.

So to recap: He's met the first human here in ages by random happenstance at the market, had a random-ass "hero in green" wannabe show up, have said wannabe call the human a dark lord who invented freaking cars, said human going with that lunacy, get slashed by the hero because that moron "Hishamie" had to dive in front of a non-lethal attack, meet a dragon in human form, see a house fire, have the second human he meet be an out of nowhere cameo from Dance of The Plum Fairy(Duncan), seen an elf make the first human her meat shield, encounter two more humans out of nowhere, and finally have a random giant believe probably his worse lie in existence, let alone present time....Looking away from the giant, Ease naturally found the right words to express this.

"*completely deadpan* This is the weirdest fucking day of my life."

He promptly turned his head over to the approaching voice of Daisuke, who seemed to be responding to the situation as well. He opened his mouth, that same deadpan look on his face, but Kyojin cut him off explaining Ease's lie to Daisuke. Roll with it. The man even suggested him to knock. He looked over back to Aya's door. Knock on an open door...Why not? This day barely made any sense as is. He walked over and gave a few knocks on the opened door. "Hey uh miss...everything alright in there?" There was still a slight bit of worry in his voice but fuck it. Whatever mood he was in before was gone completely.

Vesta Celestia

'
Vesta certainly wasn't expecting this kind of response for her offer of help. She was expecting a 'thank you' or a 'yes please' or even a skeptical look and words. She wouldn't have even been insulted by him being skeptical, not many people round these parts would survive long if they weren't suspect of the people around them.
No instead the man was halfway through accepting her offer when he suddenly screamed to get down. Not one to question such things Vesta quickly dropped to the ground before feeling the heat of another explosion. Just what the hell was going on here?!
The man was talking again but all Vesta could hear was a ringing in her ears. Though she could probably easily guess what he was saying.
"I think so." Vesta said quite loudly as the ringing still hadn't subsided. However as she looked up all she saw was the flame of Hamaguichi's explosion about to wash over her.
*****
Vesta blinked a couple of times in disbelief. What the heck had just happened?
She was standing in front of the residence that she and Avery were staying at the last few days. Looking herself over she noticed the flour was gone, as was the blood. Looking up now she noticed that it was still dark. This was perculiar...last thing she remembered was man yelling and then a loud *boom*.
Oh so there were more explosions than. That would make sense. What made no sense was why she was back here again, completely clean almost as if she...hadn't...been...pranked...
Kyle now entered her thoughts quite abruptly. No it couldn't be...then again she had never died before, so she easily could. Maybe she had put up a barrier to protect herself and got blown away? No. That couldn't be it...that didn't explain why she was suddenly so clean.
A weakness now came over her as she staggered forwards slightly, the world going round and round in circles like a merry-go-round in her mind as nausea threatened to overcome her.
She wasn't sure what had happened...so she would have to go back to find out. She also had to go find Avery.

Avery Ackbar Celestia

Avery looked up from his curled up, trying to stay hidden ball as he heard Daisuke say something. Oh right...he wouldn't know what divine protections are would he? Before Avery was given much of a chance to respond however he started talking to the weirdo who was gathering all the attention of the bar on Avery's group. Not that he stuck round long thankfully, now running up the stairs and mentioning something which Avery didn't quite catch.
Oh well wouldn't be too...important. Oh no.
Dante would notice now that the crystal top of the staff he was holding for Avery now glowed softly with a red hue. This wasn't good; this wasn't good one bit!
"M-Mr Dante! My staff! Quickly!" Avery stood up quite quickly and made his way over to Dante and spoke hastily. The crystal in his staff not only could hold and summon Shiro, but it also was enchanted to warn of danger. In short the staff was trying to warn him about something. Once Dante handed his staff back over, Avery quickly placed a hand on the crystal just as the glowing stopped.
"....." Avery fell silent as he removed his hand from the crystal, looking anxiously in the direction of the stairs. While the staff could only give him a hunch, the sense of dread he could feel coming from up there through the staff was crazy high. Despawning the Emu now, Avery turned back to Dante.
"False alarm Mr Dante~ You can have it back." Avery winked as he playfully tossed the staff back to the inumimi boy. However despite how unserious he looked, he knew he couldn't overlook this. Not as a member of the Celestial family, whether he be a blood member or not.
"Though I..ah need to go to the bathroom to...powder...my...nose. Yes. That's it. You stay here, I'll be right on back~" Avery spoke quite slowly at first, trying desperately to think of an excuse before picking one which was the most cliche thing ever but it should serve Avery's purpose. He didn't want Dante to get hurt if something was wrong.
Not that Dante would probably fall for his quite obvious lie, but he didn't give him much of a chance to argue as he quickly took and seemed to fly up the stairs. He nearly collided headlong with the group of Ease, Kyojin and Daisuke actually but managed to come to a skidding stop just before he did.
What were they doing? Ease seemed kinda....well not at ease. Daisuke and Kyojin seemed to have also sensed something was off, but they seemed a lot less concerned than Ease.
"Oh jeez~ I'll show you how to get this done. Celestia style~" As Ease knocked on the door, Avery simply pushed past and now kicked the slightly open door completely wide open. In fact, he kinda broke the hinges with how hard it slammed against the wall and now fell to the ground.
"....I'll pay for that later."

Grian Rothfell_

@FamishedPants@Ryofu@Delta44@noodles

Grian had many questions. First of all what was a Ronin. What do tehy do for a living. Why are they travelling. Why was Kurokono a ronin and why was he here. but most importantly how did a travelling ronin acquire a penguin suit, and then carry it on his journeys. That boggled his mind. However the accusations of the man seemed surreal, yet he said it with such confidence Grian almsot beleived it. Almost, was it not for one simple mistake. If those guys escaped a dragon then the calamity was upon them, and that those guys are most likely members of the witch's cult. Which they obviously weren't considering their incredibly funny armor, and half witted monolouges. Who even calls themselves a hero in the first place. That is jsut simple boasting, which would make anyone look like a fool. These two definetly looked like fools to Grian. However they carried their swords, and the Coren guy his bow, with diligance, their bodies already ready to strike at a moment's notice.

It seemed however that the Ronin's false claims at whatever those two did upset the quiet guy, who turned out to be quite the talker once mad. He babbled something stupid about demons and heroic things, most likely unaware how stupid he sounded. Of course, he couldn't go without insulting grian who didn't do anything, but tell them to fuck off. Was it any other day, he would have already striked at them, mad from anger, but considering today's events and swears, he could take this a compliment. He only smirked as he listened to the guy and his monolouge. However someone else didn't. The girl who according to Kurokono was a noblewoman, something Grian never even concidered for many reasons, seemed to have paid attention to something happening behind the two "heroes". At first grian noticed the girl standing at the end of the alleway, silently observing them. She had weird clothes like the other kids he met today, and he guessed she was also from this place called japan. But it didn't seem like Emile was paying mucha ttention to her. Rather the woman's gaze was far above the houses, looking at the emerging tower of smoke, coming from somewhere aroudn the slums if Grian had to guess.

He was not about to let this girl slip. He must need info about the events happening right now, and if she was indeed a noblewoman, then Grian had some serious plans for the girl. So when he could confirm that, yes, the girl was about to run away, Grian stepped closer to Kurokono and whispered a few words to him whilst the "hero" was still doing his monolouge. "The girl's gonna run. It'll soon get real dark, so make sure to grab your stuff hard, and get ready for a ride." He then turned around to the two guys who just finsihed their sentence and were ready to fight. "Sorry lads for ruining your night but we gotta go!" The girl behind her cast a magic on herself and began running away towards the smoke. Perfect. She was already out of range of his spells, so Grian shined a furious smile at the heroes and cast his own spells. "Shamak! Murak!" He felt his body suddenly lighten, but heavy burned was put on his shoulders and forehead as he felt his mana drain. Maybe he could edge another spell in for today, but just maybe. However as the thick black fog bursted out around him, and his body became light, he grabbed what he hoped was Kurokono with a tight grip, and jumped up in the air, straight out of the black cloud and aboce the houses. His eyes were already adopted to the darkness around him, so spotting the fast running girls who was glowing slightly was no big deal.

Malakaus nodded his head politely to the trio as they introduced himself. This Kyle, or "Meat Shield" as he's called by Blanc, seemed eager enough. He also seemed a fool, but if his name was any indication, he was tough. Malakaus hoped Kyle was as good at giving a beating as he was at taking one. The other person, Forett, seemed like a capable person. At the very least a regular adventurer. That would have to do for what Malakaus needs them for. Blanc seemed dismissive of Kyle, but Malakaus didn't question it too much. Perhaps it was just a personal thing. Still, if she was an acquaintance of Vesta, then Blanc may have some talent. A person like Vesta wouldn't just interact with riffraff after all. "It is good to meet the three of you. As for my quest, it's simple enough. Tomorrow I shall be leaving the city with my squire to assist some villages. The crystal that protects their home from Demon Beasts have been destroyed, somehow. I wish to investigate, but at the same time I must also help these villages prepare a defense against the demon beasts. Thus I need able-bodied adventurers, both warrior and mages, who can help not only defeat our enemies, but also protect the village."

Malakaus took a sip of his cider when he head a faint and familiar shout. It sounded like Atisha, and a lot like her warcry... And if it was that close, then danger was nearby. "Normally I would like to learn more about you and your abilities, however as a Knight of Lugnica I also have a duty to protect it. I sense that there is danger nearby and I must investigate. And I would like you three to come with me, so that I may see your skills." Quickly downing his cider Malakaus put his helmet back on and started to walk out of the room.

Rushing out of the tavern Malakaus went into the alley ways where it was relatively quieter. He could still hear Atisha's grunts, meaning she was fighting. And even if it wasn't Atisha, someone was struggling. The sound was distant and above, likely on the rooftops. He disliked having to climb in full armor, not because he can't, but because it was tedious. Tightening his gloves Malakaus looked for some sturdy handholds and quickly began to scale a wall towards the rooftops. Hopefully the others would be close behind him, because he didn't intend to slow down.

@Seirei No Hai@Forett@dabombjk

---

This stranger was both arrogant and a fool, a dangerous combination. More so if he was even slightly dangerous. Atisha could feel the air get heavy, and a certain malicious intent radiated from the man. Something that told Atisha that this was no mere fool or thug. No, this was something far, far more dangerous. Like a demon. But this only steeled Atisha's resolve; it only proved that this man was guilty. If he had surrendered, even with such an aura Atisha would accept it and detain him. But he made no efforts to do as commanded and even dared mock her. There was no point in a trial; now it was time for the execution.

First, Atisha observed her opponent. He wore a breastplate with gauntlet and grieves, making striking those areas a bit more difficult. Additionally he had something wrapped in a black cloth behind him; likely another weapon. He currently wielded a rapier, and while it couldn't match the reach of Atisha's own partisan, if he actually knew how to use it then he could quickly thrust towards her when she attacked. But if it was going to be a battle of speed, then Atisha was going to come out on top. Additionally with Maria and Tani on her side, who weren't simple warriors (Hopefully), this man was at a disadvantage. And if he knew that, then surely he would try to escape. Atisha intended to make sure he never leaves this rooftop alive.

"Caela ie'lle!"

In a blur Atisha lunged at the man, moving towards his blade hand. Her spear aimed towards his hand; either to impale it or disarm him of his weapon. Or even better, he would try to avoid it and move his arm, but that would allow her to redirect her attack to his unarmed armpit. Atisha struck fast and hard, but she did not stay in place. After her lunge, regardless if she had landed a hit or not, Atisha would bounce back a fair distance into a rather large puddle. She could feet the water wet her toes. A small smile formed on her face as she readied for the mad man's counter attack.

@Zelosse@ADamnFiddle@liferusher

---

---

Today was a day like any other.

At least, that was what Heinrich had wanted to believe, being a person unaccustomed to nor caring for change in his daily routine. Of course, since he arrived in this strange world a single month ago, things had changed drastically.

Removing some of his luscious locks from in front of his eye as he walked, Heinrich still felt uncomfortable trying to navigate the streets. He wasn't one to walk frequently to begin with, but he was especially having trouble dealing with his new, fabulous body he had come to own upon entering this world. It was the result of his blessing, the one that forced him to be aesthetically pleasing at all times. Being a NEET and never really applying himself to anything, particularly physically, his old body was shorter and rounder --- by far.

In public, he had used to be called fat.

But nowadays, this was much different. He was the pinnacle of physical fitness. If he had a stat chart indicating all of his physical abilities, they would read "S", even standing above an "A". And, of course, he looked absolutely gorgeous to boot! Heinrich himself could acknowledge that his sex appeal was a resounding "yes" on a scale of 1 to 10. But even if he was in denial, the countless men, women, and even beasts had all given him looks that confirmed this. To be honest, he wasn't sure if there had ever been anybody who he had passed this past month who hadn't stared longingly at him. And at first, that was fairly creepy. Now it was just irritating. Why did his body have to stand out so? The worst part is that he couldn't even hide it! He wasn't incapable of wearing clothing, but he was not allowed to wear anything that didn't stand out, so there was little point, really.

"Hah, this just the worst! Why can't all these people just leave me alone!?"

He had wanted to scream this from the top of his lungs. Of course, he could not. It would not allow him. Saying something like that aloud would be very unsightly, after all, and he could not have that. Instead, he continued wearing a rather determined face as he strolled forwards as though he had a distinct purpose for each and every action, with every movement betraying complete confidence in himself. His body was really good at making it look like he was doing something important, when really all he was doing was taking a walk. He needed to clear his mind and think of what he wanted to do with this new, horrible life he was cursed with.

"Kyaa~!" a nearby woman passed out spontaneously upon gazing at him.

This was his power. In particularly weak-willed people, he could essentially enthrall them and get them to do whatever he wanted. Whether he wanted to or not. That, or like this particular woman, some would faint upon witnessing his form. He wasn't sure if it was actually a power or if people were that susceptible to beauty, but either way it caused him nothing but trouble.

And because he was both above lowly peasants like her and also because it would be a pain to check on her, he decided to pretend as though nothing happened continued to walk the road. He was good at ignoring problems that weren't his own, just like all that commotion that was going on recently.

Until... Vesta blocked his path.

Since she quite literally just appeared in front of him with like she was cut/pasted into this world, it startled him as he was merely inches away from her. He startled back, but due to the nature of his "blessing", it looked fully conscious and ended with him in a pose that had his back slanted and a finger pointing at the woman, almost as though he were accusing her of something. This being how his reflexes turned out, he only held this very briefly before returning to his normal stance, which, as it turns out, was also a pose.

"You... where did you come from?" he questioned, quite noticeably suspicious of her sudden appearance, unlike the rest of the immediate crowd, who acted as though she had been there from the start.

@Lucius Cypher@adamnfiddle@liferusher




Mithril silently counted the number of assailants that had come out of the city like cockroaches, approaching a potentially dangerous man on the rooftops just a short time after he had torched a single building.
They sure got there fast.. Mithril silently wondered how this group had engaged him so swiftly, never mind the fact that they had scaled the rooftops to confront him.

Not that it really mattered.

The air was thick with his suppressing aura of fear. The elf, the knight, and what appeared to be a little girl, showed no outward signs of being effected by its secondary function. That spoke to him of discipline. Skill. Strong wills. The Golden sword, shrouded below the thick black cloth, had a single cross upon its blade shining a low red. If they could see it they might have worried about it. Maybe.

The lunge came just as Mithril turned to address the knight woman. The partisans blade passed within an inch of his armored hand and another near hit as he moved out of the blades path ever so slightly, both feet still planted firmly where they had been before. The aura about him took on a tinge of outrage as the smiling metal mask turned to view the elf lass. She was quick, most elves were, and her strike had been a blur. To phrase it perfectly it was the same as watching a tunnel asp snap. The snakes were terrifyingly quick and potent. Mithril made note of that realization but did not raise his guard.

"What proof do you have that I am your perpetrator? Is it wrong to flee a sudden fire? Is it odd that a performer of the streets carry steel?"

Mithril turned his attention, but not his head, to the knightess and continued.

"By your laws, I am a victim of an assault upon my person. You are a witness. Tell me, will you not defend my honor after being attacked by a vigilante?"

Mithril had no idea if the elf actually had some sort of authority. Or if the knightess did. But it would be fun to see what came of it all anyways.

@Lunarlors34 @Liferusher@Kitsune @Soragoku @Seirei No Hai @dabombjk @Spriggs27 @ZekariVoblis @Noodles @Lucius Cypher @Forett

Dante was wolfing down on his food when he noticed that the end of Avery staff was glowing. He slowly wondered if it was always glowing like that- of course, not it;a magic staff and he should know better. Dante then turned the so it was horizontal and then toss it to Avery when Avery called for it, only to have it toss back like nothing was every happening.

"False alarm Mr Dante~ You can have it back."

"Though I..ah need to go to the bathroom to...powder...my...nose. Yes. That's it. You stay here, I'll be right on back~"

Avery told him.

Though Dante continued to look at him with the same calm expression inside he was thinking...Hmmm yeah, that bullshit. he thought with a dumb-founded look. The staff glowing out of nowhere, Avery's behavior, the de-summoning of the strange feathered; yea so many flags have been raised and you don't need the training Dante receive from his clan to know Avery was sugar-coating things by 11. The way he sees it this staff didn't go off for at random, it serves a special purpose, that why Avery hesitate to hand it to him for safe keeping when they first met earlier. Never-the-less Dante waited a few seconds before going after Avery. He didn't know why but something tell him things are going to go south.