“Wait, what?” was all Titania could manage before the monkey was gone from her sight. She looked all around before hearing a loud thud resonate from the ground below. She didn’t need to be a genius to put two and two together and sighed as she tried to steer the cloud in the direction of the rendezvous point. “You could have at least told me how to control this thing…what’s that?”

Seeing more than sensing a strange light show from nearby, Titania wrestled with the nimbus in the efforts to direct it towards that direction. Little did she know that she would be encountering Lady Si’s group very soon. At long last, the pieces were falling together. Though some of them still remained divided; such was the case with a certain thief.

Alex was right to plan for the very worst because that was what was expected to happen. Stark Zealot paused in his movements, his armored form standing rigid like a great armor of old. In that moment, the crash reached his ears, the earth seeming to shatter as the apartment all around them crumbled into a spiraling display of debris.

Stark Zealot turned to Alex, as if his helmeted gaze was enough to put an answer to the thief’s question. And then with fluidity like that of water, he snapped his hand back, revealing the weapon he had been drawing. A large knife brandished in the low light before being hurled at Alex’s leg to try and incapacitate him.

“You speak too freely among a servant of the Imperium. Having already told you of the strange energy disturbance in this location, you continue to deny me,” Zealot said, already getting up from his seat and turning to this new arrival. “You are interfering. I will bring you before the Imperium’s judges to decide your fate.”

Back in the sewers, Ruxen rolled her eyes. She was more concerned about Tori’s drabble than anything else and was glad to not be participating in the battle for whoever the hell they were fighting for. “What the fuck are you even talking about? No seriously, what the actual fuck? I don’t even know you and I already want to chew your ankle off for being so piss ass annoying,” the Beastkin said, glaring at the librarian.

“If you’ve got nothing else to say, you could be helping us y’know,” Solanne said, sending another torrent of flame beside Sienna. However she stopped cold when noting that not only were her attacks doing anything but they were probably burning Eleonor alive inside the slime. Not only that, but Antonia had apparently learned summoning magic through her newfound shape and form.

Solanne backed away from the giant mass of mud, glaring as she tried to think of a way to cut it down. Fire attacks would do no damage so she would have to….or not, since Lorelai was starting to take charge. That gave the Crimson Hound more than enough time to brandish her blade and strike at the open palm of the mud monster. What it lacked in flames it would more than make up for in cutting right through the hardened mud. “Any ideas of getting Elly?” Solanne asked, looking to Lorelai.

---

While he had been prepared for potential action by Stark Zealot, the general outline of theoretical possibilities had not included something randomly crash landing in his apartment without warning. That sort of thing was typically hard to predict, though his immediate assumption was that it was something from the Imperium, which was why he was half in the process of turning around and letting his activated Tome drop into his hands as the knife came his way.

"I have no idea," he spat, mostly to himself at this point. First Zealot showing up and now people crashing into his apartment? Just how insane had the Imperium become in the time since he had gone to Arcadia? Though judging from Zealot's reaction this probably wasn't something that had been arranged by the Imperium, or at least the same department in the Imperium.

A flick of his Tome deflected the knife and sent it hitting the floor with a thud. The peaceful option basically went by the wayside at that point, since it was pretty obvious that there would be no talking out of this. So he shifted into his own prepared strategy, sweeping out with his Tome to send a bar of solid air slamming into Zealot's knees from behind. When that took him down a further blow would follow,knocking him over to the ground itself.

A second later he sprang into action, ducking down and releasing a secret latch that opened a bolt hole in the floor. It was separated from the apartments below and went down to the ground floor, with no ladder or handholds needed. "Better get out," he warned the dynamic arrival with a few moments given to her if she headed his way before closing the hatch and descending downwards with his Tome to keep him from breaking his legs in the process. "I hope you appreciate this," he huffed to the Relic riding along with him at the same time.

@TheWindel@The 42nd Gecko

Měihóu Niángniang

Měihóu was all ready to step in to be the hero, when Alex quickly and efficiently took care of things. With a blink and a shrug, she jumped down the hatch with Alex. "I don't suppose you're related to one Angela Kincaid? I'd feel really dumb if I was actually supposed to have been helping the other guy. Though, I'd be very surprised if Stark was." She asked on the way down. "That said, I wouldn't be all that down for helping the Imperium arrest someone and me even if it was to return a favor. That kinda goes against everything I am." She made to twirl her staff with her fingers, only to find the staff not there. Its lack of presence was making her visibly uneasy. Any challenge would have to be faced with her body and skill alone, which while above human, was not nearly as good at this very task of escaping, which would have been trivial if she had still had her staff. She could only hope Titania would finish her trip soon.

Měihóu abused her durability to make another superhero landing, landing beside Alex and dusting herself off, as he spoke to the Relic. "Who you talking to? Did you find one of the Legend Relics? Those things are popping out of the woodwork these days. Grabbed two myself, albeit it was almost 100% the people I was travelling with rather than me." She tilted a head curiously, the angle of their respective paths restricting her view even if Alex had by some bizarre decision decided to take the Relic out to talk to it.

@Flamelord@TheWindel

Tori turned a faint shade of red realising she let her largely considered sacrilegious views burst from her lips. Likely either confusing or offending all within earshot. Scowling and shaking her head Tori's face regained it's pallor and looked in general as if hell froze over.

“Just try it you tiny little puppy, you’ll bite nothing but thin air. So what if I don’t recognise people, anyway?! I’ve got more important things to do! I rarely even stay in the Imperium! So much to explore...” Done giving her token answer, Tori paid closer attention to how the other were fighting the Slimy Goliath, her eyes rolling so hard they might pop out of their sockets as the other discussed tactics. Cupping her hands around her mouth, Tori yelled out while still pinning Nebula to her chest as she ignored the potential ridiculousness of her appearance as a result.

“I might not be all up to date on who’s who and I know I’m not a military genius like you all, but Arcadia has some weird stuff which has given me some insight into dealing with strange creatures. So, HOW ABOUT YOU ALL AIM AT THE CORE?! IT’S LITERALLY GLOWING WITH ENERGY!” Lowering her hands, Tori looked at Ruxen once more while rearranging her grip on the limp artificial intelligence.

“What about you, Puppy? You want a scratch behind the ears or something? Will that make you less cranky?”

@TheWindel@KoL@Lonewolf685

"Oneesama, that slime--," Linea gasped when the giant slime was summoned by Antonia, from the depths of Infinitum's waste. There was something about it that had the younger Twin fix her gaze on the amorphous mass of sludge. Maybe, the innocent look in its eyes, or the soft glow of the beast's core. Either way, it was obvious for Linea that the slime was attacking them with as much malice as an infant playing with their toys a bit roughly.

"Yeah, I know, Linea," Senia replied while dodging an insidious grab by the Giga Slime. "We can't let it die just because it doesn't know better. We will have to do it like we always do."

With a signal to her sister, Linea drew her tome, getting ready to capture the slime once a chance presented it. "Your skills at observation are amazing, Tori," Linea said, in a totally deadpan voice, after Tori's remark about the slime's core being its weak point.

"Ok, Flamehair, I don't think that that is Lady Asgard's idea of how to get a tan," Sienna dodged another blow while joking. But soon enough, she continued, "We gotta do this together if we wanna free Lady Asgard. You and Knight Girl can handle the Crap Priest, right? Linea and I'll disable the Giga Slime. I hope you don't hate cold places, cuz' this one is just about to get a sudden drop in temperature."

With that said, Sienna raised her new arm, summoning a torrent of glacial power that began to slowly condense and freeze the water vapor in the air as well as both the Giga Slime and Antonia's outer layers, without do much as turning their innards into ice as well. "If ya think that creating ice isn't a cool power, you better think again. Let's see what you are going to do when I turn you into an ice sculpture without even harming Lady Asgard!" The older of the Aquarian Twins yelled, taunting Antonia.



Si kept on waiting the decision of the rest of her party, wondering if Jesse and Fei wasn't a life of privacy here on the ancient woods, after the elven barrier falls completely. The cat sorceress also took the change to mount the hippogryph that Chen had manned, snuggling closely behind him as she sat with her legs resting at the beast's right flank, in a ladylike manner.

"Do you know how to ride one of these?" Si asked her partner while crossing her arms around his chest in a firm grasp.

---

@floodtalon, @BlueAjah, @TheWindel, @The 42nd Gecko,@McFazzer , @Awesomoman64, @Lonewolf685, @Flamelord.

"Grr, you are a persistent lot, but the more you struggle the deeper I'll drown you. I'll enact your punishment on your slime infested corpses and make you thank me for every second." Antonia hissed, or perhaps that was simply the sound of her still cooling down from nearly being boiled to death by Solanne. Had she not possessed a hostage that would have been very bad for her, though the Giga Slime's timely intervention took the attention off her briefly.

The Giga Slime was more curious then pained at the loss of its hands from the Hound and Knight's blows, turning over the stumps as though not believing what had happened. Before its eyes the hands reformed, drawing from the wellspring of filth it erupted from, yet not as swiftly as it would for Antonia if she suffered similar wounds. A being of that size couldn't hope to recuperate at the same rate, leaving it vulnerable to consecutive blows.

Lorelai picked up on this fairly quickly, but her focus was not solely upon the colossus before them. Solanne's inquiry would be met with a gauntlet taking hold of her off hand as Lorelai dashed beside her.

"My idea is you take Eleonor back. Now." Lorelai sincerely hoped that Solanne's arm didn't break from the strain of this, and that the sudden cold snap the Twins created didn't hinder her, before she spun on the spot. Imitating the form of a shotput thrower, the Abyssal Knight spun Solanne around with the concussive force of her tome channeled through the knight's body, rocketing them around to send Solanne flying at Antonia.

"Wha- Where did this ice come from?!" Taken aback, Antonia tried to dodge the airborne Hound, only to find Sienna had halted her movements with a layer of ice encasing her in place. There was a frantic thrashing from inside her crystalline container, but there wouldn't be time to escape before Solanne shot through her.

The Giga Slime was finding itself in a similar situation, however, it's greater mass and density was insulating it better then the Antonia had faired and still managed to move with some sluggishness. What patches of ice formed where being sucked away from the surface and broken up on the inside, shrinking the slime down to prevent complete freezing. The Giga Slime started to appear concerned with the cold, curling a hand protectively over its core as the other reached out for the apparent source of the climate change in a focused effort to nab her while the heavy hitters overstretched themselves with Antonia.
@KoL@TheWindel@McFazzer

Lady Si mounted the hippogryph that Chen was riding and asked him if he knew how to fly one, after grasping her arms around his chest to keep herself steady. Chen blushed and thought about how glad he was to be facing away from Lady Si at this very moment. "I do not have personal experience flying one, however I have read books on how to." Chen patted the hippogryph's head as he hugged it's body with his legs. It was time to fly.

”You know. That’s probably the nicest thing you’ve said to me yet.” Jessi noted after being told by Chen to not get killed. Rolling his newly healed shoulder as he regained his balance, Jessi thanked Chen before turning his attention to Fei. ”So. Looks like you’re the proud owner of a relic now. Bet you can’t wait to show your mom.” he commented putting his arm around her.

There was little time for conversation, however, as the entire forest began to quake. Si called to them telling them to get on the hippogryphs. Wasting no time Jessi grabbed Fei’s hand and lead her to the unoccupied hippogryph. After helping her on Jessi mounted the ghostly beast himself. ”Alright. Let’s ride. HIYAH!” Jessi hit the hippogryph with his legs like it was a horse. Nothing happened. After waiting a moment or two Jessi looked and Si on the adjacent mount. ”How uh...How do you make it go?”

@BlueAjah@floodtalon@KoL

The shift in power was hardly unnoticeable, Si transporting her group into one of the corners of the Imperium capital. It was to their luck then that Titania had witnessed the spectacle upon her flying nimbus. Without a moment’s hesitation, she speeded to their entry point and landed, wondering if the flying cloud disperse, return to its master, or any of the options in between.

“Lady Si, are you alright?” was the first thing Titania said before her eyes scanned over the others. The pulsing in her pocket made her give pause and she revealed the White Relic in hand. It was beating like a transparent heart, obvious in reaction to Fei’s Yellow Relic. “We should meet up with Eleonor’s group at the agreed upon rendezvous point,” Titania said, already leading the group to that spot now.

Back in Alex’s apartment, the Blue Relic transformed into its true self at Alex’s call. Its blade rang true as it sent the knife right to the floor with the deflecting blow. With the distraction of the Monkey along with the power of the Tome itself, Stark was not prepared to face these joint threats at the same time. Thus, he was easily knocked over by Alex’s efforts, allowing both him and the Monkey to escape.

Clambering up to his metal feet, he unlatched his own blade before stabbing it into the floor. Like a machine, he said nothing as his blade unleashed a power strong enough to rock and burn the building itself. He was intending to trap the two escapees or at least kill them; he could search for the Relics on their corpses much later.

Down below, the Blue Relic only pulsed once in affirmation in response to Alex’s statement. The closer they traveled into the dark, the hotter and heavier the air began to become. A quick look behind would indicate that their initial entry way was slowly burning down, the flames licking anything in sight to catch up to them.

Below the capital, the situation of the slime and her prey was starting to heat up in more ways than one. “Pet me and I’ll bite your fucking face off,” Ruxen growled towards Tori, doing as the librarian did and simply watching the battle. Like hell she was going to risk her neck out for a bunch of annoying strangers she had just met. “If you’re so smart ass wipe, why don’t you hit the weak spot?” she said to Tori.

Within the actual fight itself, Solanne did her best to just survive, while listening to whatever plan Lorelei may have had. She nodded at the twins before turning her focus on Antonia. Whatever they were doing, it involved cranking the temperature down to a degree that made it slightly uncomfortable to move. Thankfully the Crimson Hound hadn’t earned her name for nothing and didn’t let the creeping chill get to her.

“Wait, what?” was all Solanne could manage out before she was suddenly grabbed and then spun about. “Wait, I’m the missile? Why couldn’t you use the dog instead?” Solanne said between cycles of her “ride”. What she got in response was a very verbal “fuck you” from Ruxen. “You owe me a new arm for this, y’know!” Solanne said before being launched right for the slime’s interior. Bracing herself, she rocketed into Antonia from one side and landed out sputtering on the ground with a wet Eleonor with her on the other.

---

Feeling the building shake was not the best experience that Alex had ever felt, even though it was definitely preferable to Zealot coming after them directly. Doing so in a small confined space like this might not exactly be a winning move for them, given that he was doubtlessly a strong close range fighter. They might be pinned in a spot like those.

Noting the pulse from the Blue Relic, Alex glanced over to his current companion. She definitely had a unique appearance, with an armor style that was one he hadn't really seen before, and a staff that she seemed to have quite a bit of experience with. Tough to, with how quick she was to move after crashing through his roof. And the fact that she was with him now indicated that she at least had some common sense, as opposed to some blind desire to charge to the attack.

"I'm not," he replied with a shake of his head. "Though you have some good timing. A half hour earlier and I wouldn't have been here." He still had no idea why she had crashed through his roof, but the possibility of her being a bounty hunter seemed a bit unlikely at the moment. It could be that she was just trying to get him away from Stark for that, but she didn't really have the demeanor of a person he would expect for it.

An eyebrow rose as she seemed to hit the nail on the head, much to his surprise. What were the odds of that? "As it turns out, yes," he confirmed after a moment, though he made no effort to produce the Relic even though he had affirmed her suspicion. "It likes to harass me." That said, he could only focus on what she had said. There were two more of them already? They really were popping out of the woodwork.

Fortunately getting out of here was not that difficult, given how his escape route had been prepared. The passageway they now found themselves in was relatively short, the walls and ceiling wooden and stone like the rest of the building. He quickly strode along to the other end of the passage as he lifted his Tome. Quick jabs would remove the loose mortar from the cracks, releasing the seal that had been present there. A quick push allowed the segment of the wall that had been modified to swing open, admitting them onto the street proper.

Though they were out of the building, Alex did not take it easy as he began moving. "So, what's your name? Generally people don't just drop out of the sky on me." They had to move fast, but already he was settling back into a confident mindset. Now they just had to get out of here before Zealot brought in any more help.

@TheWindel@The 42nd Gecko

Měihóu Niángniang

"Drat! That's what I get for going off half-baked program I never really stress tested!" She snaps a finger in irritation at the reveal that Alex and Angela weren't related.

Měihóu was unaware of Alex's seal, and when he began striking, she thought he perhaps was breaking through with finesse and skill. Monkey, on the other hand simply kept up her stride, smashing through the wall to the side of the secret door like it was so many thin panes of drywall. "Most people don't talk to their normal relics, most view them as an extension of their will, because they are." Monkey added as she saw Alex's surprise at her deduction. "And if they're still anything like how they were in life, I bet." She agreed.

"Měihóu Niángniang's the name." Měihóu said with an appreciative nod of the head. "But some call me Monkey, and I don't mind at all." She added, flourishing her tail a bit more than necessary for running away. Raising a hand, her cloud had finished returning to her, turning back into her real staff, as she tossed the imitation one she was carrying in case she needed a melee weapon away. "Huh, that was a super quick return, the other relics must be nearby. Guess all the relics are trying to have a reunion to fight old beasty round two, or one of those other destiny things. One of the things I hate forgetting the most is what beasty looked like. I'd think I'd think to remember something like that."

@Flamelord@TheWindel

Fei narrowed her eyes after hearing Chen’s rude comment about watching out for others. Pathetic Weasel. Part of Fei wished he had burned in her fire, would serve him right for speaking to her in a such a matter. “Hold your tongue! I know your miniscule Librarian brain has little room for anything other than plans to overthrow the Imperium but try to remember who you’re speaking to.” Fei flipped her fiery hair before returning her attention back to Jessi.

Chen’s comments toward both Fei and Tegonay had clearly bothered him and not to Fei’s surprise, he yelled at the ignorant fool for acting in such a way. While it was his duty to watch over her, Fei’s heart still slightly fluttered when he stood up for her. IDamn all of this emotion! She didn’t understand how people could live with all of these fuzzy feelings welling up inside. It was beyond exhausting… Amid her thoughts, Tegonany began to open his treacherous mouth and ignored the apparent weak blows from Jessi. Fei’s eyes grew wide in panic as she watched Jessi being tugged toward the black knight and trapped within his grasp. The fire above Fei’s head grew incredibly as she moved to help the man she loved.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as the supposedly dead Elf prince rose from the ground and marched toward her. Cursing under her breath, she steadied herself in a battle position. The Elf prince passed through her walls of fire without second thought, revealing nearly invisible string coming out of his body. All of the breath stopped in Fei’s body. Completely ignoring the dead warrior approaching her, Fei’s eyes darted everywhere around the area.

“Emilia!” She screamed into the air. “I swear to god, I’ll kill you! Where are you?!”

At that exact moment, the almost forgotten cat fairy stepped onto the battlefield. Fei paid her no attention as she continued seeking for the cruel puppeteer who had turned her family apart. Every time, Fei had let the woman go. Not this time.

“Where are you?” She yelled again. “Face me, you coward!”

The sharp scream of Jessi snapped Fei’s attention back to the scene. Clutching his shoulder in pain, Jessi’s body grew pale and seemed moments from collapsing. Fei gasped in horror. Motioning to move to him, Fei was once again stopped by Tegonany being hurtled into a nearby tree. Fei watched painfully as Jessi struggled to get up and finish off the black knight once and for all. Jessi collapsed after the finishing blow and Fei’s feet bolted toward him. Please be okay…She prayed to herself silently. Moments before she neared Jessi, Chen appeared before him. Whatever it was he did, Fei couldn’t see, but Jessi suddenly appeared brighter and his face no longer cowered in pain.

Not being able to control herself, Fei rushed into Jessi’s arms and held him tightly. A single tear fell down her face as she whispered an apology. She continued holding onto him even as Si spoke words of urgency that they needed to leave. It was only when the the entire forest seemed to scream did she step away from him.

Jessi then grabbed her hand and began leading her to the hippogriff. While Fei had no need for his help to mount the animal, she humored him and accepted his aid. Of course it didn’t stop her from scowling. Once they were on, he proceeded to make a fool of himself as he had no clue how to drive the hippogriff. She sighed but kept quiet.

Glancing over at Chen and Si, she couldn’t help but snicker. Chen’s face was covered in a thick blush as Si had placed her hands tightly around him. It was quite an odd scene.

@Awesomoman64@floodtalon@KoL

Alex and Meihou would have a less than pleasant surprise when their escape was suddenly halted by... something. All of sudden it seemed like an invisible wall cut their extraction route (very likely having one, or the the two of them smashing their face against it), making a dash for freedom all the more hard.

"That's as far as any of you two will get," The source of the invisible wall of crystal revealed herself to be none other than Farris Arran, who had been waiting for anyone who attempted to escape the building, along with a small patrol she managed to gather in the meantime. "You are under arrest for resisting Imperial authority and property damage. Don't try to resist, or I'll be forced to act in self-defense."

After giving her ultimatum, Farris approached the duo, forcing them further against the wall (which was shaped in a semi-spherical shape, to avoid aerial escapes), while the other half a dozen guards pointed weapons at them. In the Royal Guard's hands she had a pair of tome negating handcuffs, like the ones the Imperial forces use to restrain the Librarians and other criminals until they can take more... permanent measures.


Fei's party would find that the word fast wasn't enough to describe the mounts provided by the feline enchanter. The hippogryphs were a true lightning, as fast as a thought once in flight and— probably not to their surprise — Si had tricked them once more. The Phantasmal Beasts didn't needed to be guided by hand, they would follow the mental commands of whoever was holding their reins. That was very convenient, indeed.

The encounter with Titania was not out of the realm of expectancy as well. Si was prepared to get back to action and rendezvous with the main group as soon as they were back in the capital, it was only natural they do so now. "You can take us, then. We may not have much time left," Si said as they got off the hippogryps before she dismissed them back to the ether where they first came from.



"Oneesama, take care!" Linea yelled desperately as the Giga Slime lunged at her sister.

Despite her sister's best efforts, there was only so much room in this sewer for someone to avoid the attacks of a foe as massive as the Giga Slime, obviously Sienna's luck would ran out some time. "Gah!" And so it was that the older of the Aquarian Twins was captured in the filthy mass of the Giga Slime's body, cutting off the frigid air that restrained both the humongous mass of decay and Antonia.

Despite the odds, Sienna's grin was as wide as ever as she turned to her sister and shouted, "I— I'm ok. Get ready to do your part on my signal, Linea. And don't you dare to miss!"

"Oneesama what are yo—"

Sienna muttered something before taking a deep breath, "It's all or nothing, damn it!" The older twin yelled before letting out a huge wave of frost and using her new found strength to shatter the fingers holding her.

Using the remainders of the frozen limb as a springboard, Sienna jumped over the Giga Slime's 'head', concentrating all her power in one hand as she aimed to expose the amorphous being's core.


"So— Sol? What—" Eleonor forced herself to say amid some vigorous coughing as Solanne took her out of Antonia's slimy grasp.

After that much time, even the Crimson Guardian was disoriented, especially while being deprived of her power source. The damage from the previous fights was mostly healed by now, though Eleonor couldn't really be called well, yet. The amount of slime she coughed and the fact that she was stripped of even the least piece to safeguard her modesty should be more than enough proof of that.

At least now, with Eleonor away from Antonia, they could try to end the Fallen Priestess once and for all, right?

---

@floodtalon, @BlueAjah, @TheWindel, @The 42nd Gecko,@McFazzer , @Awesomoman64, @Lonewolf685, @Flamelord.

This was a circus. One that Tori felt ill equipped to take part in. She could fly and go intangible, but that simply keeps her safe, it’s not all that useful to dealing damage to a slime goliath. Still, that beastkin seemed to be trying to step on her last nerve. A frustrated sigh and massaging her temple with one hand was all Tori could bring herself to do in response before compiling her thoughts.

“Puppy. A truly wise person understands her limits. Damage dealing was never my role. Information gathering and minor espionage work, that's my forté. Me performing in an attack would be as useful as using a needle and thread to build a house from the ground up. In other words, stupidity at its finest. Speaking of my role, would you care to assist me in figuring out where we should go after their victory?” dropping through the floor and spreading her ‘wings’ Tori drifted around the far periphery of the battle, making sure she was out of everyone’s way, something much easier to do when you can make yourself untouchable. Floating in a way she made four corners of a square, Tori overlapped the images in her mind in an attempt to figure out the whole structure of the room. Landing back where she started, Tori made sure to check Nebula for any sewerage stains that splashed off the giant slime, licking her thumb and cleaning the AI’s cheek.

“So, I saw some viable pathways. Any chance you can, well, sniff out the best one? No beasts or dangers? Or if not, the absolute minimum of them? I’m fairly certain ‘escape’ will be everyone’s plan once this slime giant is taken care of after all.” Scratching behind Ruxen’s ears, Tori hoped that it would go some way to convincing her to comply.

@TheWindel@KoL@Lonewolf685

Chen's blush quickly faded as he focused on getting his hippogryph to its intended location, stopping after seeing Titania and landing to meet with her. They get off the hippogryphs and Chen watched as they faded into ethereal mist, Lady Si truly was an inspiration. He didn't bother helping Lady Si down knowing she could easily do it herself, instead choosing to follow Titania to the rendezvous. He felt his Relic pulsing with a new intensity that he had never felt before, in response to both the White Relic and the Yellow Relic. They were quickly collecting everything.

Alex @Flamelord, Měihóu Niángniang @The 42nd Gecko, Stark Zealot @TheWindel, Farris @KoL

"What do you mean by that," Alex asked as he walked along towards the prepared exit, more than a tad confused by the statement 'how they were in life'. For the human that had appeared to him out of the Blue Relic before, weren't they still just objects? Spooky abilities kinda came with the territory, and being a sentient artifact was hardly unusual compared to the other things he had seen on his trip.

Unfortunately all his hard work was basically wasted as his companion walked through the wall beside him, taking it out on the way. "Nice to meet you Monkey," he concluded then with a quick adaptation to that particular fact. But there was no time to worry about that, or to casually converse, as they found themselves cut off with the sudden collision of his face into an invisible barrier, courtesy of his quick movement to leave before Zealot tried using a window. "Ow, geez," he huffed, rubbing his face and blinking fairly rapidly until he was sure that his nose wasn't broken.

The source was quickly revealed, indicating that his wariness for additional support had been well deserved, but not enough. Now they were pinned, and with how she was advancing the wall kept coming with it, causing him to back up so he could avoid her and the half dozen guards she had with her. A quick test of his tome revealed that it encompassed them and ended at the building, which wasn't really a winning option for escape given that they would most likely meet Zealot on the way back in.

So, limited options, and time rapidly running out. Checking to make sure that Meihou didn't have any ideas, he then did the only thing he could do as he glanced down at the hidden Relic. "Alright then," he said in a soft tone to keep the guards from hearing. "You said you could protect me. Show me what tricks you've got." He braced himself for whatever would happen next, all the while hoping that this didn't escalate into something ridiculous. He didn't need a replication of the Church thing, only with all those guards headed specifically towards him.

Well, it seemed that none of the soon to be prisoners decided to resist in the end. A wise choice if there ever was one. Anyone on this world knew that standing against the might of the Imperium was suicidal at the very least. Either way those weren't concerns that Farris had to pay much mind to, she was here to do her job and that's what she was going to do.

Or so she thought, as the sound of heavy footfalls behind her denounced the approach of none but Stark Zealot, the one who was actually responsible for this operation. "It seems that my presence here is not necessary anymore, is it? Do as you see fit with these two, the barrier set up will remain there until I get a few blocks away from here," Farris said to Zealot as he came in. "If you don't mind, I'll be back to my station at the Royal Guard." With these last parting words, the dark-skinned soldier took her leave from the scene. Yet as she walked, a pause was given in her step and she furrowed her features in confusion.

"Ow..." Monkey said, as she bonked off an invisible barrier, setting her balance way off and sending her falling to the ground. She took a moment to review her options. ~The barrier is made of a transparent material. That meant light passed through it! Maybe? Could be other stuff. Maybe I can use that!~ Monkey tried to transform into light. This did not work. ~Darn.~ There were so many things in the world to transform into that sometimes she forgot which ones she could and couldn't turn into. So, to outside viewers, such as Farris, Zealot, or Alex, Monkey was passively lying on the ground with her tail flitting back and forth.

"Well, you see, the legend relics hold the legacy, so to speak, of the heroes who stopped the great beast. I'm not sure whether it's just magitech constructs based on their personalities, or if it's a thing like me where even if I transform into an unliving object, it's still totally me and has my soul. I wasn't present when they were made. Dunno. There was a lot going on, couldn't pay attention to it all. Not to mention my memory's pretty terrible 10 years back, much less near the beginning." Měihóu answered Alex's question as she pondered and tried out a few other transformations. ~Welp, no luck, let's go back to the old standby.~

Transforming her staff into her armor/strength boost coat, Monkey was just about to try punching through the floor when Alex activated his Relic. On cue, the blue artifact pulsed a slow beating as if it were a living heart. Whatever it was trying to do, it needed to do it fast because the heavy footfalls of Stark Zealot signifed the arrival of his presence. And come closer he did, closing the distance between him and Alex. Despite the explosion from earlier, his armor was still a stark white, albeit charred in some areas. He reached for his blade, eager to strike Alex down...but then he paused. Soon enough the soldiers all around them followed suit, looking at the two prisoners as if in a confused stupor.

"State your business," Stark said, the shrill of metal only an adding factor to the words he was speaking. He sheathed back his blade and stepped away, as if not too concerned for whatever answer Alex could give him. "You two. Stay out of trouble," he said before turning away and motioning for the rest of the soldiers to draw back. Whatever had happened, the Blue Relic still pulsed with light, an indication that this phenomenon was its doing.

Alex wasn't sure what he had thought would happen, but plenty of things had sprung to mind. It could have been anything from beam attacks to explosions to straight teleportation itself. But ultimately he was left in impressed confusion as Stark seemed to be placed under some sort of mental control or illusion that made him think they were two different people who had done nothing wrong. Just what he had been hoping for ultimately, and he was left wishing that he had something that could do that without the personality/sentience/ability to do whatever it wanted without his input. That would have made a significant chunk of his life a whole lot easier.

"Okay then, fair enough," he muttered to the Relic before turning back to Meihou. "I think it's time to get out of here before someone else realizes that Zealot doesn't actually have us with him," the thief offered as he looked around and mentally planned out what he wanted to do next. Fine then, if they wouldn't leave him alone for a bit then he figured he didn't have to leave them alone either. He'd make sure that she was ready before heading out, taking side streets and back alleys to dodge any official Imperium presence as he moved towards one of his other safehouses.

At the same time, with the passing of danger he found his curiosity rising once again. "Wait, so you were around at the beginning of the Imperium? Wow," he said aloud, still keeping up the fairly swift pace just in case. He didn't know how they were exactly tracking the Relic, so it was best to keep on the move. "You'd think that you and the Imperator would be best buddies, with that sort of connection." Well, what did he know? It wasn't like there were many people in the Imperium who could make that claim.

"We don't exactly see eye to eye, or at all, I don't think I've ever actually been worth her attention." Monkey walked alongside Alex. "And the answer to that question is 'yes and no'. I've lived many lives, as I have complete longevity. But my memory capacity isn't similarly infinite. I can only expand it so far beyond the human norm. So, I've lived a LOT longer than I can remember, and a lot of my lifetimes are summarized in the memory equivalent of a few lines of text. And between all of it, I'm not terribly reliable at memory. My Tome here.." Měihóu showed the inside of her coat, revealing cryptographic text. "It's my back up knowledge, but anything put in there's literally just text, so, no getting it back as real actual memory. I'm pretty good at it and can get close, but still, not real."

"Oh, I see." That was unfortunate, honestly, and he couldn't help but feel some sympathy for his companion. Having lived so long but not being able to remember it? While it was probably a blessing considering what had happened in all those lifetimes, it also seemed like a burden as well. At least she had some way to record things, but unless it was particularly strong he had the feeling that she didn't get to choose which memories she wanted to keep. All of that lost forever, frankly it was kind of depressing.

Quickly he shook himself out of that though, as they exited their current path to blend into the crowds of the main street, with him slowing now to a walk. That had been answered, but there was definitely something else that needed to be talked about now that they had some relative safety from their pursuers. Really, she was proving to be a pleasant conversationalist, and he could appreciate that. It was less disconcerting than talking with the Twins. "Anyway, you said that you found two other Relics? What's the story there?"

"Yeah, the first one, this librarian Chen, grabbed from this rhinocerous in Rexicorg. There was also this wolf-lady who was really ungrateful about being rescued. Then, me and General Titania walked up to Yggdrasil, and then Titania yanked his relic off his belt and we hightailed it. Seeing he's supposed to be some super strong dude, I'm betting it's all part of some sneaky plot to track the other relics by letting us have one. Which was a side reason I ditched that group. But then, lo and behold, you have one too. Guess it's my destiny to come across everyone who has a relic, which is fun, I've got a historian persona or two that'd probably love to write a book about all this. I'm still mulling over what kind of poetry I think I should go for."

Well then, that was quite the tale wasn't it? He didn't mind, of course, but even he would admit that if that was mere chance then it was very coincidental when it came down to it. Then again, with what the Relic had told him earlier there was probably a bit more to it than that. For now though he'd just continue on and see where he ended up. Fate or no, he'd try to carve his own path the same as always. "Ah, interesting. Though from what Zealot said in our chat it sounds like they can track the Relics on their own anyways, so it's probably a bit unnecessarily convoluted for a plot."

After a moment he shrugged, dismissing that. "Well, it's the Imperium. Convoluted is their way of dealing with things. Like this hunt for the Relics in the first place I guess." Considering how it had gone for them, the Imperator was probably regretting making it an open invitation for people to look for them. Nonetheless, her loss was his gain, and that was fine by him. "I've been away in Arcadia the past couple days myself, which is actually where I got the Relic. Hauled it out of an ancient war machine with a scholar and a pair of Twins. But we got separated when we returned, so i don't know where they are now. I hope nothing to bad has happened to them."

"See, that's got me super confused. If they can track relics, why didn't they already have all of them? No one can match the imperium for sheer firepower unless someone's been hiding half a dozen Guardian class warriors in their back pocket, so if the Imperium knew where the relics were, they should have had them." Then Monkey's tail twitched at the mention of twins. "Were these the fire hair twins or the ones with fox bits?"

That was a question Alex had been musing on as well, though he had no real satisfactory answers. What she was suggesting made sense, to be fair. "If I had to guess, they can only track them when they're being used. And maybe it's possible to shield from those sensors. Without knowing what they're using I couldn't give you a definitive answer," he admitted, turning down another street to continue on his way. "Fox bits. Pretty nice people, albeit a bit eccentric. Then again who is normal these days."

"I'm definitely not one to talk about eccentricity. I have a preprogrammed disposition towards having a monkey tail and I don't remember why. Think it was somehow important at some point."

"Fair enough," Alex ceded. That was one of those things where he would just have to accept it, because he didn't really have those kinds of problems. His biggest worry tended to be getting shot, not wondering why he had a monkey tail. Though he had to imagine that it was useful for some things. "So, is there anything you can't transform into?" It could come in handy for what he had planned, if she was willing to join in.

"Quite a few things actually. I found just recently that I could not create transparent glass, light, or nerve gas. But, I definitely can transform into most animals. Also, strength-defense enhancing coat, and flying cloud. Immortality and increased memory capacity's nice too. But the real kicker is that I can transform other people, if they're willing. Oddly enough, people almost always turn immortality down for some reason. Personally, I enjoy it, but I guess other people have more friends and family and connection to the here and now than I do." Monkey shrugs.

"Well then, that does sound convenient." So she could transform other people too? That seemed like it could provide some benefits even without the immortality in consideration. Alex would admit that the thought was alluring, but he restrained himself. He'd ask after he was done with this particular job, and then see where they went from there. either way, it seemed that she had quite a few advantages, the downsides of forgetting your past lives notwithstanding. She certainly seemed to think it was an acceptable cost to pay.

Having addressed that, it seemed like as good a time as any to move on to the primary consideration in his mind, before they actually got to the safehouse where he had his gear stored. It was going to be tricky, especially with them being unable to use the Blue Relic, but he figured he had a good way to make up for it. "Anyways, I was originally going to rest and recover for a few days after the harrowing stuff in Arcadia like the airship crash, the death traps, the giant robot, but since the Imperium doesn't seem to want to leave me alone, I figured I'd give them the same courtesy. Want to help out?"

"Oooh!, Would I ever! Sounds like fun. I joined the librarians because it seemed like a way to cheese them off, but the librarians never actually did anything." Monkey clasped her hands together. A chance to do some real honest to goodness mayhem? It sent shivers down her tail.

"Excellent," Alex replied with a grin and a thankful nod as Meihou agreed to take part in the heist. He couldn't really comment on the Librarian of course, but if it got her to come along with him then who was he to argue? It was just another card to help stack his side of the deck against the Imperium. It might not make up the shortfall, but with them working together he was sure that it would make things even easier than he had planned them out to be when coming up with this idea.

With that he waved, gesturing for her to continue following him as they moved along. "Now then, I need to stop in with a friend to make sure that the thing I was planning to go for actually showed up in the first place, but once I do that we'll be stopping by a safehouse of mine to grab some gear before heading on our way. it shouldn't take very long, and we'll probably need it if the Blue Relic is too dangerous to use. But hey, it'll be fine. I've done this sort of thing before."

"No objections here, I could try making fun gear, but sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Not sure why. I can make gunpowder and fireworks and smokebombs, but not glass." Monkey shrugs, "Best not to rely on it." Together they headed off to go make this heist a reality.

The End

It was good to see Si's group had managed to succeed as well as make it to the Capital. With little time left, they needed to hurry over to the conclusion as soon as possible. "Right then, let's head towards...hey wait. I can't move," Titania said in surprise. Her limbs felt as heavy as stones, her muscles acting as if they were full of lead. She wouldn't be the only one, for every member of their party would also find movement all but impossible. The sole exception was of course Si, an irony that was perhaps too late to be recognized. Closer inspection would show that a multitude of wires in fact kept them all at bay an'd that could mean only one suspect.

"You've run the end of your gambit, haven't you?" came the voice of the Imperator's advisor, the masked Jester standing in their sights. In front of him was a certain doll user who seemed all too ready to end this pathetic tale. "It seems you've been given a chance of escape Lady Si. However, your kind is very much predictable. Either you turn yourself in willingly before the Imperator, or the companions you've fought so hard for perish right now," the Jester said neutrally. "Oh, but you also have something of mine don't you?"

"Oh my, it seems that the pesky flies finally fell into my web for good," Emilia said, in an obvious mockery as she tightened the strings holding the greater part of the group. "I hoped that the distraction by the doll I sent for Riven Wood was an entertaining one. Those Fey were likely some of the last targets I was asked to take care of, your help was splendid. Fufufu~" The Dollmaker chuckled darkly as she approached Fei, Jessi and Chen.

However, before she could say anything else, Si put her staff on Emilia's way. "You really don't know how to play fair, do you? What's the point of making them all into hostages when I can simply let you capture me and wait until they die of old age to try it all again, like all the other times?" Si's voice had a clarity unusual of her, as if she had finally ditched the lazy disguise she wore all this time. A mask without a mask, perhaps.

"How very cold of you Si. Though I'm not sure if now is the best time to be revealing your ruthlessness," the Jester commented, his gaze sweeping over the rest of the group. Judging from Titania's shocked expression alone, it was easy enough to gauge the rest of their mindsets on this revelation as well. "Behold the conquering hero. The Great Librarian; willing to use her own allies as pawns for her own manipulative gain. Well now, it seems you've lost both your freedom and your allies' trust Lady Si. You may take them away Doll Maker."

Si was of course still free, though not for long. A clenching hand would grip the back of her neck and the Jester held her aloft like the drained cat that she was. "Emblazon the image of your great savior into your hearts and minds. Let her betrayel fester the hatred you have of her ever more. And know that she will face divine judgement under the Imperator's graces." What might have been percieved as dramatics would serve well to do exactly what the masked man wanted. Because now only scorn and anger were drawn into the Rebel's expressions, the seeds of doubt all but harvested.

"Grrr!" Si groaned as she was held off her feet by nothing but her neck. However, what made her grit her fangs was how that manipulative bastard twisted her words to his own ends, again. "You— you know that's not how it is," Si said with great effort, "One day you'll taste defeat. I'm sure of that, grr!"

Meanwhile, Emilia had already taken the necessary measures to remove the others, taking them to a mansion not very far from Infinitum itself. "Now, now, while you may think that I'm a cruel and heartless monster, know that all I did was with but a simple purpose," the Dollmaker said as she revealed the basement of her temporary home, with an enormous Hermetic circle drawn on the floor, encircled by the Ouroboros symbol. "You see, I got the chance to finally be free of my own chains and, meet my mother for the first time as long as I worked for Zyxzaxityn. To say the truth I don't need any of you, but taking revenge on the stuck up princess who had everything and didn't care for it was more than entertaining for me. Now that you snakes have been outed, you have no where else to go..."

"I'm sure you won't complain about helping me sharpen the skills and knowledge Mother left for me, right?" Emilia's smirk and the sight of a page of her Grimoire, which clearly differed from the other tomes, containing the signature of someone named Hohenheim, would be the last thing any of them would remember seeing, before falling into a deep slumber. What fate the sinister Dollmaker had for them, would be better left unmentioned, but certainly wouldn't be a pleasant one.

In the bowels beneath the Infinitum, two sisters were re-united at great cost to everyone present. Solanne's flight through the fallen priestess had not just liberated Eleonor but also the very core of the woman they fought. As the Crimson Hound pulled back from the battered Eleonor, shattered fragments of the ruby core slipped out and tumbled onto the stones below to herald her ignoble demise.

Yet what should have heralded victory only brought their ruin. The once docile, child like creature dominating the room's center was keenly aware of the loss of a compatriot, it's core flashing an angry light before raising it's voice in a scream that shook the foundation of the sewers. Sienna, whose attack may have gone without difficulty, would be swatted out the sky as the Giga Slime abandoned it's own defense to snatch her with its remained arm. She was pulled within the thick sewage, masked from outside observation while the pressure intensified within the slime's palm. Linea would not be seeing her dear sister emerge from the mass of filth as it sent its bared fist rocketing down upon her soon after to swallow the remaining fox.

Eleonor's eyes widened in shock, in one moment everything seemed ok, and that they would finally be able to succeed, but— next thing she knew, Antonia was dead and the Aquarian Twins devoured by the gigantic slime, to whatever fate waited them. Yet, she could do nothing to avoid it, her impotence being such that she could only give in to despair, her soul completely crushed. The only thing she could do was cling to Solanne, her own sister, wondering when all this destiny had been decided.

"No. no .no. no. no. no. no. no. no. No!" Lorelai screamed over the frantic thundering of her heart as once more things fell apart around her, and for all their power, this looked to be the time where they couldn't put it back together. The Aquarian twins were swallowed whole and the Slime was now rearing upon them next. Tori and Ruxen were still beside her, yet all her focus was drawn to lamentations of Asgard- No, Eleonor. It was callous and ignoble but when faced with certain defeat, Lorelai left them with an explosive leap towards the Luxonne's just seconds before the Slime's fist came down once more. This time it did not bother to swallow the hound and academic, as when Lorelai stole a look back she found the nauseating sight of their bodies driven into the curvature of the walls with such force they still clung to the stone after the first reared back. Missing from Tori's splattered carcass was the tiny robot she held so dear, it's stolid form skidding across the masonry before slipping into the sewage, never to be seen again. She wretched in mid air, and the distraction caused her to stumble upon landing with her back roughly meeting the wall. "Gaah-!"

"Fuck off you giant piece of crap. That shit hurt, y'know-" were the Beastkin's last words before she was crushed against the walls. Solanne could only stare in nervous horror as it looked like their plans to escape were slowly dwindling away into complete nothingness. Still, she did the best she could and shakily hiked Eleonor up into a standing position.

"L-lady Eleonor. Yo-guh- need to...run." The Abyssal Knight coughed, a wad of fluid a dark red spitting out onto her chest in the process. She struggled to rise and felt a deep laceration cutting into her back, the knight's own armor now stabbing her from the warping of the collision. Still, it did not stop her from raising a shaky hand to point towards the only way to escape the Giga Slime. On the platform adjacent to theirs was an elevator set into the stone, and if there was any chance of evading the slime it was there. "Solanne, please...take her. Run."

"You will do no such thing," said the voice of authority. Before Solanne could think about moving Eleonor to somewhere, she was flung into the wall by an invisible force. Eleonor would be shoved to the opposite end, the sisters far out of reach now but fully able to see the other's horror. Eyes zipping about wildly, she looked around to see what was going on. And when she spotted the masked man rising from the ground like a ghost, she knew this all to be over. They had lost.

"You have lost," the Jester said, walking over to where Lorelai's downed body was. Soon enough, the sound of heavy, clamoring boots would fill her ears as Imperial soldiers from all sides descended upon them led by Farris and Stark. "You should perhaps be quieter when skulking around the Imperium's basement," the Jester told Lorelai flatly, gaze turning into the bloody mess that was Ruxen. "The immortal still lives," he observed, walking over and picking up what was left of Ruxen by the scruff of her neck. "You may apprehend these Rebels to our glorious Imperium General Stark, Commander Farris. You on the other hand...." The Jester's words trailed off as he looked down at Ruxen; if anyone bothered to listen, they'd be able to pick up a small whimper of fear coming from the Beastkin.

"Ahh!" Eleonor yelled when she was slammed against a wall, falling limp on her knees before Farris. "How could something like this happen? All I ever wanted was to make the Imperium a better place for everyone, a place where Sol could live again..."A fit of coughing forced the fallen Crimson Knight to stop talking, for a moment, specking the stones under her with red. "Why can't I ever do anything right?"

"That is simple, former Lady Asgard," Farris replied as she put Eleonor in chains, before pushing her to the other soldiers to carry away. "You wanted to dig too deep. There's no way a simple human like us can change the world that much, if you had just fought against the Librarians, you would be a hero like no other one, but the moment you turned your hand against the Imperator, was the moment your demise became certain."

"In fact, you are lucky that her Holiness is as benevolent as she is, none of you may end up facing the worst punishment possible," Farris gestured for the men to take Solanne away as well, leaving Lorelai to Zealot's judgement. "This one is almost dead, you can do of her as you see fit, I don't intend to sully the Imperator's chambers with more blood than necessary. As for you, Crimson Hound," the dark skinned soldier said, approaching Solanne and cupping the face of the legendary rebel in one of her hands, "How do you feel by finally being put in your place? Your rebellion lasted for too long. It's about time you meeting the Imperial kennels."

"It's about time you screwed off," Solanne said right back, ripping her head to and fro to get Farris' grip off of her. "Do what you want. There are still plenty of Rebels out there, waiting for the chance to cut you and your precious Imperator down, y'know." Of this, she was certain, thoughts of several other forces laying dormant in this world coming to mind.

Disregarded as one of the dying, Lorelai felt wholly impotent to watch as the Jester struck them down and carried off the battered Lady Eleonor. That she couldn't at least follow her lady into their grim fate stung more then wound digging into her flesh like a dull knife. "Damn it." She swore lamely, no fire left to fuel her anger any longer, and it was with little resistance that Stark's men would find her slumped against the wall. Stark took one glance at Lorelai before motioning his men to carry her off like the rest of their prisoners. He would be sure to seperate her from the Luxonne sisters for the rest of her endurance.

The Giga Slime had gone docile the moment the Jester made its presence known, showing it was at least well trained enough not to attack its loyal superiors. Its rage subsided as it watched the others be detained and knew its work was done and some sense of justice would be had for its slaughtered kin. Antonia was a new born compared to the Giga Slime, and while her personality left much to be desired, it still welcomed her company deep within the bowels of the sewer. Now, it intended to have another take her place and keep the ancient monster appeased. Reaching its hand out over the platform where Farris was carrying off her prisoners, Linea passed through its palm and fell onto the stones. Her body was covered from head to toe in thick slime and the skin beneath was bruised shades of black and blue, yet her chest still rose and fell with gasping breathes. The giga slime then drew her hand back close to her chest and cradled what looked to be a sleeping form close to its chest, Sienna herself looking hale and hearty where it not for a red light shining through her chest cavity. Which sister received the harsher fate was unclear, though it was certain to be interesting if either twin were to see the other ever again.

"Yes, you may be right, but it's not like that is of my concern at the moment," was Farris reply to Solanne's snarled threat. "That's the problem with you rebels, why be so persistent? Even if you won, all that would happen is a point of view shift. You would be seen as the oppressors, while the rest who's content to live as they are now would become the rebels, or worse, your own base would be shattered and you would start to fight between yourselves? Following the rules by the book and not caring for anything else is the simplest thing in the world. Is that so hard to see?"was the last thing the Royal Guard would say before Solanne and the rest of the prisoners were taken away.


With the Imperial forces scattered about in the Shattered world, it only made sense that security among the Capital would be few and far between. Even so, that was an acceptable outcome; Alex and Meihou were able to successfully execute their Heist, though there was little to take in the first place. No doubt each were happy with what they had accomplished, living long and happy lives without pondering the consequences of doing so. But even this was acceptable; as the two of them departed from the vaults of the Capital, they would never notice the masked presence watching them. Of course, no interference would be taken; after all, they had brought about this themselves and there was no reason to punish them for remaining ignorant.

For as long as the sins of greed and selfishness remained in the hearts of man, they would always be swayed those greater than themselves. Even now this was true as Alex and Meihou would be all the wiser of the results of their actions. As for the Blue Relic, Alex was free to keep it as long as he liked. Though he would find its shine and luster to dim with each passing day until even its influence was reduced to nothing more than a dull rock. Whether Alex would dispose of the thing when it stopped being useful towards his needs couldn't be said, though it was very probable.

"... and, such is life, is it not?" A overtly cheery merchant's voice said to a man that was just about to leave her street stall, having had his immediate needs fulfilled by the magic of capitalism. "May I offer you one last item, I'm sure your children will like a picture book about the fall of the of the Librarian and the fake Asgard, right?" Mikoto said, her grin wide as ever and somehow she looked like she didn't aged a single day from the time when she met Chen in the outskirts of Riven Wood. "In fact you can have this one on the house, it's a present for one of my best patrons, hehe!"

Once she was done with the business of the day, Mikoto packed her things, making sure to keep a certain pouch safely secured to her waist. A sneak peek would reveal a jet black stone, shining lustrously inside of it, a remainder of why one shouldn't dismiss a helping hand when it comes to them, "It's such a shame, right, Chenny Boy? I said I had a Relic with me, but I never said it was the yellow one. Maybe, someday I can pawn it for Ruxy's freedom? Who knows?" The fate of some truly hanged in the scales of a merchant sometimes.

Far away from the bustling activity of the Imperial Capital, in the once ruined lands of Warovia, a certain Dollmaker Princess celebrated her first success after so long years of trying to replicate her mother's genius work. Sincerly, Emilia was still leagues behind understanding all the lore left to her by the mysterious Alchemist of Genesis, but even the tiniest fraction of it was enough to completely revitalize her realm. Sure, the populace looked a bit bland, given that Emilia had quite a limited number of samples to work with, but the Dark Princess was sure that, Jessi and Chen wouldn't complain about their position as the progenitors of a New Warovia, along with a few of the remaining doll bodies Emilia had in stock.

At least Titania and Fei had been treated to a much better fate, if on could call it that, the Doll Maker being unable to pass one the chance of having two new toys to sooth her pains after as much work as she did. It was indeed always a magnificent sight whenever Emilia came back to her chambers, to find the two living dolls she loved so much waiting to serve her eagerly. "I may be a bit too slow to understand the full scope of your work, Dear Mother, but I'm sure to enjoy whatever I can get out of it. Just wait for me, soon enough I'll show you what kind of daughter you've built. Hahahaha!"

Within the Imperium, the Luxonnes found themselves sharing a fate similar to their counterparts in far off Warovia, a service to the Imperium even in their captivity that would not end till their death's many years later. The Abyssal Knight survived her wounds only to endure a life long torment in the cell adjacent to her Lady's, cursed to hear yet never comfort. Tales would persist of a terrifying beast that would be drawn to the edge of the capital each year, but after a decade it gave up on returning to await it's lost partner.

And so the tale of this Shattered World came to an end. A fitting conclusion for the foolish individuals who sought to put an end to the Imperium's reign. Within the chambers of its highest leader, the masked Jester watched from the shadows the fruits of this world's labor. For no one brought about this conclusion except for the inhabitants who dwelled in this world.

"In the end, all things came about as they were foreseen. Granted, I could have made do with all of the Legend Relics. But if my source is to be trusted, then the Blue Relic is of no use to me anyway. It's a shame you had to endure all of these trials, only to amount to this my dear friend."

The voice of the Imperator was full of victory, her divine words no doubt hosting a very different meaning for the two cradled before her. Two leashes were gripped in her hand, each of which ending in a life-draining collar and fitted around the newest treasures of the Imperium. For her part, Ruxen simply stared at the floor with dull eyes, the occassional twitch of her ears signifying that she was still breathing at all. As she occupied one side of the Imperator's throne, the other was taken by the former Librarian that had caused such petty trouble to begin with. Only a mere dosage of twelve years had passed and still the Fairy sought to defy her. That was fine by the Imperator; it wasn't like these two would be granted the mercy of permanent death.

Nor would the Imperium's rule be ending any time soon.

---