How many months has it been? Is it two? I think it's two, yeah it's two I think. I cannot believe I joined this guild and still haven't taken a job. How many times have I stared at that job board now looking for a job... Carver thinks to himself as he stares at the job board thinking what job could he take.
He had been down this road multiple times, he would stare at the job requests and find himself unable to pick a one. He would first look at the high paying jobs but most of the jobs looked a bit difficult for himself. He wasn't part of any team as of yet he wanted to get to know the members of Phoenix wing before taking a job. It had been two months since he joined and still no jobs taken. Looking at the current job requests. There was a rogue magician that caught his eye but the sum of which was the largest amount he sees at the moment. A rogue mage it seemed simple other than this person partly killed a guild master and is a sand wizard hiding in a desert. He shook his head that wasn't a good first time mission.
He then sees another job 'Thieves on the paradise' Dealing with thieves seemed simple enough to Carver, even get a chance to stay at a resort. Doesn't take long for Carver to decide on it as he rips the job request off the wall with a smile. "My first job, decent reward just got to deal with some thieves." Carver says to himself almost talking to himself out loud. Just as he was getting ready to celebrate things began to shake?
After sighing he puts the job request back to where it was nice and neatly. Then asks a question most are already asking but asking anyway loudly, "Alright what in the world was that? Just as I found my first job too..." Not really waiting for an answer he goes towards the nearest door to get outside to see if he could see anything not really looking where he was going just trying to get outside as quickly as possible.
Damian returned Penny's hug, though he kept it more casual since the pair HAD agreed to keep their relationship on the down low until there didn't seem to be a crisis around every corner. As he pulled back and frowned in concern for the unconscious Jasmine, the room shook violently, catching the Blade off-guard and throwing him to the ground and he let go of Penny to avoid bringing her with him. When it stopped, Damian stood up and echoed the general question coming out across the hall, though he wasn't verbal about it. Instead, after a moments thought, he decided to try and be helpful. "Obviously an earthquake, though I can't say why we felt it so violently other than it came from off the coast."
James looked over the job, noting that there had been kidnappings amongst the general disruption of the bridge's construction, and slid it back to Cody. "I do indeed think we could handle the job ourselves. You've grown more as a swordsman than you realize, and you've come a long ways with your magic as well. If you could learn to funnel that magic into a shield on your arm, it would allow you a much greater personal defense without sacrificing anything in the way of offense, perhaps even expanding it. Those gangs are well known to be inept at the majority of their endeavors, so if they are under someone else's direction, we'd do well to put a stop to it." Taking a moment to get a drink, James grins.
"With that said, if you are ready to depart, so am I. That bridge has been terrorized long enough I think."
Hunter slid backwards from his force being redirected at him, though Aria's plan to trap him was inadvertently stopped due to it as he shattered the mirror directly behind him and reached the edge of the ring. His plan had been mostly effective, he'd found that she could put a mirror between herself and him with both speed and accuracy, but it wasn't her magic reflexes he'd been testing. "Jade Dragon's Spiked Jungle!" He slapped both palms against the ground, causing Spikes to raise from the ground underneath Aria. This would force her to physically move. Or at least he hoped it would.
Jamie looked up as Mayt entered, and as soon as the quake hit, Jamie reached for both Sam and Amelia, ready to protect them if she needed to. She glanced up to Mayt, and gave a small chuckle at his outburst. Jamie gave a nod, and said “Yes, it seems like there are a few things to discuss, why don’t you round some of the members up, while I get Jarvis to make a few lacrima to connect with the other guild masters? It seems like things have escalated… and that we need to see just how our teamwork will work between the guilds.”
The time limit for Tenuru island was drawing close… maybe they were too late.
Jamie gave a sigh, before she nodded and rose, making sure both girls were alright, before she ushered them out, “Stay with Amelia, Sam” She said, before making her way to find her Husband. She found Jarvis where she expected him to be, at the bar, tending to their members. A few quick words, and Jarvis moved off, to prepare some lacrimas.
She glanced about at the rest of the guild, seeming to pause a moment. There were times where Jamie thought that it wouldn’t ever be quite again, times when she hoped it wouldn’t, and times when she hoped it would. Mostly, she just wanted her members to be happy. Yet with each passing crisis, it didn’t seem like they were.
She sighed to herself.
Penny gave a soft sigh, there were so many things she wanted to be different… that she just couldn’t help but think… shouldn’t you take what you could get? As the ground shook, Penny shifted her balance, not falling, indeed barely even stumbling. A grace that she rarely displayed kept her upright, as she quickly looked about for any danger.
When it was clear there wasn’t anything, Penny shifted again, looking over to Damien, even as she went to check on Jasmine, crouching by the girl.
“Which doesn’t tell us much… more and more, these events seem to be happening everywhere” She said softly.
“There’s a reason for that, Penny” Sasha said, her voice ringing out loud and clear through the guild hall, as she walked over to her sister. “One… that no one is going to like”
She glanced between Penny, Damien, and Sasha. "Okay. Soooo... What's going on?" Slightly confused by the cryptic statements she was getting a little anxious. What did Penny need to tell her and what seemingly big thing was going on? Maybe they were waiting for a few more people or something.
Realizing that she was rocking on her feet and probably looking rather impatient Ariel pulled up a chair and took a seat. It wasn't like things were boring or anything, but she was in her curious mode and being lead around was like teasing her.
Nicodemus Flamel, sole heir to the royal Flamel bloodline of old, would make his way through the bustling city of Magnolia after months of hiding from authorities and travelling the lone road, at last he would soon step out of the shadows and make the first step to claim what is rightfully his. What distinguishes a king is his kingdom and the support of his people, to gain the former he must earn the latter and to do that he must show that he is willing protect their interests and declare his supreme authority with no question. Joining a magical guild was, without a doubt, the right way to accomplish all of this and more, that being said what better guild to join than arguably the most powerful, Phoenix Wing? Easily fit for any royal to join with pride.
Broad shoulders open, a slight but noticeable tilt of the chin upwards and the graceful strut down the road speaks bounds of his aristocratic nature which is fortunately obscured by his more.. lower-class attire, not gaining too much attention as he proceeds to search for the guild hall. A small downturn of his mouth is all his thoughts would reveal about themselves; he was unsettled by the quake that had rippled through the earth of this land, something that wasn't natural per se, though this would only be just one of the many worries that was on his mind. Truly the mind of one born to rule is a hefty burden in the guise of a gift.
After traversing the busy streets whilst contemplating on the many matters that plagued his mind, the last Flamel would find what he came looking for. Perhaps the daunting size of the guild pressured others of lowborn heritage but he would feel nothing but the ever so slight eagerness of taking the first step of many into path of reclamation. Always the one for theatric he would manifest a Nordic rune for 'Gust' on each palm, pushing the doors to the guild hall abruptly wide open with both hands, and Nicodemus standing in the middle of the doorway, his golden mane blowing in the wind, arms crossed in a regal manner and his amber eyes gazing imperiously.
@t2wave@Caits@Burthstone@YipeeXD "Me too, though I just arrived here, was planning on a trip to Crocus until this earthquake..."
Royse didn't think too much on why both of them happens to be at the same path, since its a street that people usually walks around. Wait... Earthquake...? Royse took another glance at her quest log.
"Slave dealers, earthquake... Seems like I will be a million Jewels richer after this trip~"
Royse smirked. An earthquake of this scale would affect any slave trading operations, and the best day to attack those slavers is no better than today. As a mercenary, she definitely wouldn't let loose this seemingly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"I'll be busy with something, so... later~"
Royse said, and with a bit of her Wind Magic, she sped off to the exit of Magnolia, for a quick travel to the town of Crocus. She made sure that she didn't use too much magic just in case of dire situations. Though her way of thinking seemed too good to be true...
Nobody cares about the poor
Description The Flower Blooming Capital, Crocus, is by far the largest city of Fiore. It’s best known for the abundance of flowers, for the great outflow of people - tourists and the ones that comes to the city seeking for a better life - and of course for holding the Grand Magic Games. But as every metropolis, Crocus also has its problems. Some people from the poor outskirts of the city have been missing. The people missing are of both genders and all ages, the only thing they have in common is that they live alone on the poorest outskirts of Crocus. They are from all over the country and came to the city to work and send money home. The families complained about their disappearance to the Magic Council, but authorities said since there is no proof of a mage being involved, there was nothing they could do. Some of the families ask for the help of the Holy Knight Squadron, but the result was the same. The knights said that since there is no proof that these people disappeared or just left their families, there was nothing they could do. Aiko Hajime is the son of Kazuaki Hajime, who is missing. Aiko received a letter from his father just before he went missing. Mr. Hajime said that a gang of Slave Dealers have been kidnapping poor people in the neighborhood. They are hidden in an abandoned factory near Crocus. When the Slave Dealers gather a good number of people, the victims are imprisoned in a railroad car and taken by train to Hargeon, where they are taken by ship to Bosco Country, where they are sold as slaves.
Mr. Hajime’s son raised enough money and are now hiring someone a guild of mages to rescue their loved ones. According to Aiko Hajime, there is a high possibility that his father is still at the factory near Crocus, since the prisoners are usually moved to the train during the full moon. Requester: Mrs. Miyako Ume (generous rich lady, citizen of Crocus, who sympathized with Aiko Hajime’s story; he’s staying at her house) Reward: 1,350,000 Jewels + magic potion (3 doses) that is able to completely restore one’s magic power and even enhance it (the enhancing lasts one week) Taken by:
Mithera was relieved when Royse just left after a few short statements, but made an exasperated sigh when she sped off. The shapeshifter began to follow for a few steps, before realizing Jarvis would probably be more than happy to give her a teleportation lacrima. Her guildmates understood better than anyone the need to help people out. Mithera turned on her heel and began the trek back to the hall.
Phoenix Wing Guild Hall
"Well, of course it's a reason no one will like. When is it ever a reason anyone likes?" Mayt stated somewhat cynically as he rejoined Penny and the others. He glanced at the door as someone he didn't know blew the doors open. Someone thinks they're hot stuff. He thought, but didn't keep his attention on them very long. Sasha and Penny both seemed like they had important stuff to say, and Mayt doubted either of them would be very pleased if he just walked off. He crossed his arms and looked up at Damian, before glancing back to see Jamie had come out of her office. Mayt was only slightly afraid of what kind of obligations might fall to him.
Mithera came into the guild at this time, her thin frame sliding past Nicodemus without even giving him the barest of a glance. She immediately made he way over to Jarvis at the bar. "Hey Jarvis, remember Royse? The young woman that was just in here just a moment ago? I've got a bad feeling about her job, since she is going on it by herself. So I wanted to ask, uhm, could I please have a lacrima to teleport to Crocus ahead of her? I want to be there to help her if she needs it." Mithera said, biting her lip slightly. She did give a glance the growing group of mostly upper-rank members, which also worried her, but she knew they could handle anything they set their minds to and returned her attention swiftly to Jarvis.
The man who only let himself be known as Time Lord… or Patrick, to a select few… walked smoothly down the street. He no longer wore, for the moment, the robes that he had first donned in this place. Over his shoulder, he had a pack, and under an arm, a large notebook, well preserved despite the number of pages. Without his mysterious clothes (And without the litle help of magic) it became quite clear how young he was. 16 or 17, at most. Yet there was a look to him that suggested he had seen more than his years could account for, a deep almost wisdom like look in his eyes.
There were many thoughts wandering through his mind at that moment. He knew that messing with time could have powerful consequences, yet… he thought he had accounted for that. All that would happen, would only affect his timeline… His disappearance there was by now, surely, noticed. His adopted father… what would he go back to, when he did go back? If he did survive here? It wasn’t as if his father didn’t know what he was doing… he’d allowed him to come here, a mere child.
The young man remembered what had happened… it had been some of the most terrifying moments of his life. The young boy had had an efficacy with manipulating time. Usually, just a few moments, sometimes a day or two. Even a week, a month one time. He couldn’t, most times, control it. Bright for his age, Patrick remembered everything. Everything that had happened, everything that he might have changed, knowing everything… So, after some thought, Patrick, at six years old, had asked if he couldn’t go back seven years… change everything.
It had taken some time to do it, a lot of planning, and yet Patrick had never been worried. So, in a council of six, with him the seventh, Patrick had flung himself through time. He was never quite sure what had happened, yet the man that had found him, in that cold, icy winter, had told him he’d been unconscious for weeks. Emancipated, weak, and lost in a time that he had never been in, would not be in for ten years or more, he had allowed himself to be cared for, first regaining the weight and strength he had lost, then regaining his magic. And sometime later, the girl had been taken in as well. Magic then was still considered evil, only just being brought back around to being good, useful. And so their master trained them, never dreaming that Patrick had ever traveled through time to be there.
It had taken some time, and illegal magic, to weave a memory block on both Sasha Shin, and their master. It wasn’t the time for him to be revealed, and he couldn’t stay in Sasha’s life forever-it would change the timeline too much… Looking back, he already knew he had greatly affected not only her life, but others. And he had seen the change in time, the split between his and this time. They were no longer united, but different… he couldn’t see the future in this timeline, but he knew the history of his own. Choices. They greatly affected everything. Had Sasha chosen to become pregnant, to the wrong man? Or had his choice to be here, changed that future too? The thought that the young Ice wizard might actually survive gave him hope for the future, for what was to come. Sasha Shin, Ice Queen, was perhaps one of the few hopes for change in this timeline.
He’d have to wait, and see, of course, what actually happened. Yet there was a difference… perhaps they had already succeeded in changing the future. Patrick thought on that for a few moments. Even if that was so, he couldn’t change his path now. The young man stopped at the plaza, just a short walk to the Phoenix Wing Guild Hall. It was here that Patrick waited, leaning against a building, for the people he had sent messages to. The last stragglers in his plan… the ones that had intrigued his interest enough, to bring them to one of the three powerful guild in this world… they would, of course, have their choice. Patrick didn’t particularly care what they went with, all he thought was that a little bit more power, a little bit more.. Honor, in what was to come, could mean the difference between life and death.
The young man, with brown hair, brown eyes, and a look that might be familiar to some people, watched the crowd that was wondering the plaza. He had never experienced this, this levity, this bright form of life, not quite like this, in his timeline. When he was growing up, the plaza was rubble. The formidable guild hall, a little way a way, nothing but a few bits of timber. That was where he had been found, near death, freezing, in the hall of his parents, waiting for them to come home.
They never did… even then, Patrick had known they were dead. But a child could hope… Seeing them alive now, being, no matter how small, a part of their lives… it was a childhood dream come true.
Shaking his head at these thoughts and images, Patrick waited, wondering if anyone would come, the shaking of the ground, the tremor, something that twisted his guts, and made him shudder. With a few words of magic, and a wave of his hand, Time Lord still the trembling ground, ”Wave Magic”. He was his parents son, after all. That had been the first magic he had learned, in this time. His mother’s magic… one he rarely used. He’d leave lacrima magic to his older sister, now that she was… alive? He supposed that wasn’t the weirdest thing he had seen, nor heard, in his life. He chuckled, he himself was man out of time.
Perhaps that was another thing that he had changed, in coming back. Mayhaps he had made it easier for such things to be manipulated… a thought he hadn’t considered, and one he’d take care to contemplate, and study later. And there he was, getting distracted once more. He cast his mind to the task at hand, recalling word for word what he had written in the messages…
Greetings!
If only this message could contain everything I want to say, but that isn’t possible, for surely that would mean it would be a novel! And than, who would read it?
Let me instead get to the point: Bad things are going to happen. Will you do something about it? Or will you cower and hide?
Come to Magnolia Plaza, and you may find a guild for you…
There were times when Patrick thought the note was rather childish… and that many might consider it a joke, but many had heard and experienced Phoenix Wing’s poweress, so he was hoping curiosity would bring those he wanted here.
Amaya took a deep breath calming herself down before she assisted Joshua with picking back up her massive invetory of books she had recently purchased. She lead him and Cecilia to her room sitting her books down before she headed to her bathroom to get her first aid kit figuring it was either quick treatment or she could use some of her own magic to heal; however, she figured since she just sent a roar straight point blank at joshua, he probably wouldnt want any of her magic near him for atleast a small while "Lets go sit in the lobby and see what sasha had to say and to see what that shake was about."she said gently
Raiden waited for the shake to stop as he lifted Elyse up to comfort her "Its alright, Grandpa won't let anything happen...seems something decided to move...Its alright...Now lets go get some hot chocolate before your uncle drinks it all."He said to Elyse with a smile carrying her on his left shoulder before he left her and rose's room heading for the bar again sitting her down on the counter seeing rose had a cup ready for elyse as he looked towrds Sasha and the group keeping his ears open to see what was going on
Joshua frowned when Amaya didn't react to his joke but he said nothing about it as he helped her carry her book up to her room. He set them down on her bed gently. When she came out with her first aid kit, he removed the rest of the remaining shards quickly and helped her patch up his face. "You know, you should wrap it up so I look like one of those... what are they called again... mummies? Yeah, one of them mummy things." He said, still attempting to cheer her up and realize that he wasn't holding anything against her.
Amelia nodded when her mother told her to remain in the office with same. Once her mother left the office, she sighed and turned towards her little sister. "So, what do you want to do right now Sammy?" She asked.
Elyse didn't reply to her grandfather, just holding onto him until he picked her up and placed her on his shoulder. Once they were downstairs. She was surprised when she was set on the counter instead of an actual seat but she didn't care as the sight of the hot chocolate and she eagerly reached out for the hot drink. Maybe a bit too eagerly.
Aria noted that she would need to use more magic if she wished to contain Hunter, as he spoke out of her spell rather easily. Most targets would be unable to move at all, trapped while she finished them off, but she guessed actual mages would be another matter altogether. Her eyes narrowed as she saw his begin to move his hands towards the ground. She had watched him enough since joining to know this meant he was going to use a ground based attack so he jumped into the air. When the spikes emerged, she quickly summoned two mirrors, one below her and nother above Hunter, the spikes growing into one mirror and coming out the other to attack Hunter. Worse yet, they were still jade made with his magic, making them inedible for him.
He's making a mistake. Jackie noted as she watched the fight. Glass-Make might be Aria's first bet for offensive maneuvers but generally, unless she's not thinking and rushing things, it's more a distraction or diversion. Her best strength comes from the redirection, constriction, and access to the Mirror Realm that her Mirror Magic grants her. Her biggest strength is using her enemies against her. As an assassin, she's less then ideal, hence why father forced her to be an observer in the Mirror Realm, where she could move freely but never be spotted. As a Mage though, she has the potential of being a very deadly enemy, since she can fight with minimal movement, letting her opponents waste their magic while redirecting it back at them. I've been drilling that into her head and it seems to have sunk in well enough.
"... Alright keep me informed. And make sure Pyrrha is on high alert. If they attack, they'll be after you two. Siegard, Delsin, and Krystal will just be after thoughts." Fraquar said into his phone before hanging up. He then slammed his metal fist into a nearby wall, leaving a decent hole in it as he grit his teeth. This was not going to be a very good day by any means. He had just gotten the worse news he could ever think of. And Jamie would need to know it. Good thing he was almost to the Phoenix Wing guild hall. Without a second thought, he rushed out of the train station and made his way over to his destination. He didn't even bother to knock, instead slamming the door open before shouting out. "JAMIE! ARE YOU HERE?!"
When the three wizards, Cyare, Angel and Rei entered the office of Council Member , the three could see a busy sight. There were a few boxes of folders lying almost randomly around the floor with tables and chairs covered with books and papers. Janice appeared to be in her own world as she was reading through some notebook on one hand and with the other hand typing into a light projected keyboard of her archive magic with several screens filled with numerous moving texts and images.
“Forgive me, but just give a few seconds to finish this up and I will be with you.” As the door slowly closed behind them, could be seen in leaning against the corner of the room, but started started walking beside them. After a few seconds, Janice stopped here archive magic went behind her desk to instruct the three. “Now that the two of you are here, I'm Janice, member of the Magic Council and the one that created this mission. Over here is Wes. Although he just joined the wizard group knights about two months ago, he has been quite reliable and was requested by another Council member, Grane, to help you in this mission.”
Turning towards the three, Wes gave the three wizards a bow, “Cyare, Angel and Rei, Janice already gave me a brief explanation of the two of you while waiting for your arrival. Welcome and thanks for lending a helping hand.”
“Now then, since everyone is here now, I would prefer to restate the mission and its details to make sure the three of you understand. As stated in your mission’s contract that you both agreed to, there is a town near the border of Bosco called Myrtle Town that requested help against a band of marauders with a dark wizard as their leader. Our current rune knights that were sent there found the marauders to more difficult than expected with some having to retreat to recover from their wounds.
We could have sent other wizards that are part of the Council, but there’s a bit of a complication. The townspeople are quite fearful wizards and refused. Although the public view of wizards in Fiore has been improving now than the last 100 years, they seem to remain static on their view. But we were eventually able to negotiate and convince them with a certain condition.
This is where you four are needed. As requested, they didn’t want wizards with magic that appeared too destructive so the townspeople shouldn’t be as fearful, but I expect you three to still be cautious of how and where you use it. While you’re in Myrtle, protect the town with the other rune knights while we have find someone to track these marauders and end this problem. Now then, your travel there has already been arranged, good luck.” Finished, Janice went straight back to her work and Wes led Cyare, Angel and Rei out.
…
Myrtle Town
By the time that the party arrived on Myrtle Town, it was already late in the night. They were soon approached and greeted by a rune knight that was on guard. After explaining their mission, they knight nodded and directed them to the town’s inn where they could stay until the mayor meets them in the morning.
At sunrise rise, the roosters’ constant cry outside woke Wes up. Looking outside, the blanket of snow covered the entire town in sheets of white during this cold winter month. Leaving his room, Wes was delighted to see a morning meal ready for them and tried finding a place to sit. Outside he could hear the town be quite active and noticed two rune knights outside chatting as they ate their meals outside.
Penny seemed to hesitate a few moments, but she knew she couldn’t leave Ariel in the dark… she wasn’t too sure how Ariel’s magic might work, and if she’d experience Phoenix Magic the same way that Penny did… but she shouldn’t go in blind to what might happen. She bowed her head slightly, turning away from the others, to Ariel. “I’d rather not have everyone know, but… “ She sighed softly, pulling up a chair as well. “There are a few things about Phoenix Magic I’ve just uncovered… and you should know about it as well” She said, her voice soft, not meeting Ariel’s gaze, looking down at her hands, the normally confident young woman extremely unsure.
She took a few moments before she continued, “There have always been rumors of what happens to slayers, from continued use of their abilities. Well, Phoenix Slaying is a little different… Yes, it as an effect over us, but our choice comes upon our deaths. We can either… die or be reborn, as we were, but as Phoenix’s. I haven’t… I haven’t traced back the lore all the way, but Phoenix Magic did use to be a thing… and then the first user died, and Phoenix’s were born” She explained, voice heavy, soft. “It’s funny though… how those that can do Phoenix Magic are then the only ones that can kill a Phoenix, utterly and completely”
She looked up, to Ariel, a little daunted about her future, and what her choices might affect. She was in two minds about this, and her choice depended greatly on what happened… she sighed softly, “I’m not sure what it means for you, you are a special case, Ariel… it may turn out that you are the bridge to bring Phoenix’s back to human, but who knows? Magic is always changing… “ She tailed off, having run out of words, and more than a little… apprehensive.
Jarvis
Jarvis looked up as the door was blown opened, and sighed a little wearily. While he was no stranger to those that wanted to show off, but he regarded it as a time and a place. This mage was a stranger to the guild, and trying to impress them like that, while common, was not something that Jarvis enjoyed.
His gaze fell to Mithera and he looked over to Royse, frowning slightly. He nodded to Mithera, knowing she'd go off with or without his help, and he retrieved a couple of empty lacrima, making one a teleportation one, saying a little gruffly "You can use this so long as you channel magic into it. Normally, I give out those that are useless after one or two uses, but this will give you use as long as there's magic there to fuel it. Return it when you're back, while I know the guild won't abuse it, there are others out there who might use it for their own gain" He said, his hand gently cupping the lacrima, it glowed briefly, the inside filling with smoke and turning a light shade of gray, before turning to the second lacrima, filling it with power as well. "And a new communication lacrima" It filled with a multitude of coloured gases, handing them both to Mithera.
When Mithera took the lacrima, Jarvis moved around from the bar, and approached the doors, approaching the new mage. ”Welcome to Phoenix Wing, how may I help you? Oh, and if you scratched the paint, you can repaint. We’ve just had renovations and I did rather hope it would last more than a few months before being damaged” Whiile the words might be comically, Jarvis’s demeanour wasn’t. Protective of the guild, he was wary of this mage, as he would be any mage who just baraged in like that.
Sam
Sam looked up at her older sister and smiled, a slightly crooked smile, she hugged her, and gave a small giggle, ever child-like. She looked to the door, and then back to Amelia. She blinked real slowly, before darting over to the door, ”Lets talk with the others”
Jamie
Jamie had just left her office when the door blew open for the first time, Jarvis soon going to deal with the stranger, and had just approached the group forming, when it blew open a second time.
A litle amused at Fraquars bellow, Jamie glanced about, then back to Fraquar, "Oh? i didn't gain a new form without meaning to? Excellent. Hello, Fraquar, how are you?"
Mayt skewed his face as Penny talked, and nodded slowly. She talked about being a Phoenix as if it was bad, but he didn't see any downsides from where he was standing. You got practically immortality, powerful magic, probably a great deal of respect, and if you didn't, for some reason, want all that then you could choose not to take it when you died. Seemed to him like it was something without consequence. Though, he thought, he probably didn't really know enough about Penny's magic to really make a judgement on that. She definitely was talking about it like it was something supremely bad. As she made the comment about slayer magic, Mayt spoke up.
"Maybe it's a kind of worldy failsafe? For the things that have Slayers, they're pretty much the only thing that can kill them, but in order to keep those kinds of things from going extinct, the slayers become what they slay," Mayt knew that probably sounded extremely stupid, but he decided he would live with it. "But, from the legends I've heard, though I have not heard all of them by far, but what I have heard indicates that all the ones that did become what they slew actually killed one first. So maybe you won't become a phoenix unless you hunt down a phoenix? I, uh, don't really know. I'm mostly just spitballing here, but it's a thought, right?" Mayt shrugged, and noticed Mithera out of the corner of his eye. He saw Jarvis give her the lacrimas, but didn't think anything of it and looked back at Penny.
Mithera, however, was surprised that Jarvis was giving her a special teleportation lacrima. "Whoa, I didn't know teleportation lacrima like that were possible. I always thought they were supposed to always be a one or two-shot thing, thank you very much Jarvis!" Mithera leaned over the counter and gave Jarvis a hug before taking the other lacrima he was handing her. "Thank you again, and I'll see you soon!" She gave him a big smile, storing away the communication lacrima, and holding the teleportation lacrima with both hands.
In a double-wink of her eyes, Mithera was in front of Crocus city. She put the lacrima away, and looked at the royal castle rising in the distance, the still-young sunlight glinting off its exterior. Around it were the stone buildings of the city, some of them large to house important people and meetings, and some of them smaller, to accommodate those who could only just barely afford to live here. Mithera was standing a fair ways from the city limits, far enough out that there was more tree than there was building in view. Nodding solemnly to herself, she turned around to face the Magnolia direction of the road, as if to cast away her bad memories of the city. After all, the last time she had been here, Iron Enigma had stuffed her in a bag and then made her play cards against cheating lunatics.
It was a few minutes before Mithera realized that she should not be standing in the middle of the road, hands on her hips, waiting for Royse to arrive. For one, it might catch the attention or annoy people she didn't want to do either to, but also Royse probably wasn't expecting Mithera to be there when she arrived (And that she wouldn't be there for a while yet). Taking in a quick breath to gather herself, she went to the side of the path and sat against a tree, her eyes still down-road. Her plan was, when she saw Royse, she would hide and then follow as the other mage went about her mission. Yawning, Mithera ran it over in her head a couple times, including what she would say if she was caught--Anything but the truth.
The shapeshifter was so caught up in herself that she didn't even notice herself dozing off in the cold light and leaving herself visible to anyone who bothered to walk by.
Nicodemus's own demeanour is a calm regal mien that left no tells, gained through countless lessons on matters of diplomacy and social finesse, it would hide his slight annoyance at his welcome or rather the lack of one from the guild of Phoenix Tail. Such a paltry thing should be imperative for someone of his station but alas the sole remaining heir to the Flamel line must make due of what he has if he were to start from nothing. He would gladly take that over wealth, power and fame that was given from manipulation and lies, all to gain sway over him. The very thought of it threatened to make Nicodemus lose his composure, he quickly reins his anger in as one of the guild mages nears toward him from behind the bar, a burly bearded man who looked to be well into his forties, ”Welcome to Phoenix Wing, how may I help you? Oh, and if you scratched the paint, you can repaint. We’ve just had renovations and I did rather hope it would last more than a few months before being damaged.”
Ah finally a welcome! Though he could have at least appreciated the effort I put into a theatrical introduction, truly it was a talent left unappreciated.. still it was a start he could work with. "Apologies for such an entrance, I have somewhat of a flair for such things that gets the best of me. I meant no harm and shall reimburse any damages that I may have caused." Anyone could have easily discerned the high-born manner of speech, something Nicodemus could never fully get rid of even during his time spent hiding, he would follow this with a short bow, swallowing up his great pride to leave a humble impression, "My name is Nicodemus Flamel and I wish to join such a guild as Phoenix Tail, I wield Rune Magic and am second to none with that magic. Who would I need to speak to, to grant me the honour of joining your ranks?" The future king looks up from the ground, eyes matching the man's in front of him, determined to take another step into the path unto reclaiming his rightful throne.
@Caits@Burthstone@Zarkun "Reached at last..." Royse squinted her eyes under the drippling sweat from her forehead. Her shirt are drenched from the hastened paste of the whole trip, with the afternoon sun heating up the already toughened fabric like an oven. Not worth it to cool myself with my magic, got to ensure my magic is full... The city, was more soothing than she imagined, well-grown trees and flowers. She had initially thought it would be like another typical city with castles and town centre, but now stepping into the entrance of Crocus, she has no regrets taking this quest.
But the most important thing to do... Royse scurried towards the ice cream vendor, buying two cones of ice creams. Licking on her chocolate ice cream, she walked down the streets until a familiar face appeared in her field of vision, again. The girl she met earlier from Fiore have arrived earlier than her, and sleeping on a nearby tree from the pathway. Trains... She wasn't sure what to think about coincidentally meeting Mithera three times a row, but at the same time she felt a bit relieved, as her guild mate happens to be nearby. She began scribbling down a note with pen & paper.
Royse quietly stuck the second ice cream, the strawberry ice cream on the ground beside Mithera, securing her note with the tip of the ice cream cone. Then, she walked to the edge of the mini garden, taking out her bow. Sigh... I didn't bring toy arrows... I will have to use that magic, no choice... Royse has one other magic that she doesn't like to use, the Arrow Creation Magic. A strange-looking arrow, its tip with a gimmick frog head, has appeared on her hand as she drew and fired towards the treetop. As soon as that arrow leaves her bow, she returned to the streets, keeping her bow and blended in the crowd naturally.
"RIBBIT! RIBBIT!---" The frog arrow let out a noise as soon as it struck the tree, loud enough for anybody sleeping down there to wake up. It was a blunt & harmless arrow, so it descended down the treetops. As crafty as Royse could be, the blunt edge also made it harder to judge the direction of where the arrow is fired from, as the falling arrow bounced along the branches and landed on a different ground.
The note that Royse had scribbled down reads: "We meet again, fancy yourself hogging all those train rides >.< . You looked tired, so here's an ice cream from me. You're a girl, you shouldn't be sleeping along the streets ^_^ ~ Royse" Also that strawberry ice cream is still there, unmelted~
At the same time, Royse was headed towards the slums, she had lived in slums for the most of her life, and could pretty much figure out where they are usually located: The Outskirts. Her young and tender age will also be an advantage for her, as she could also be a potential target for a slave. They will be fishing for slaves, and I will bite them back as a shark ~
Stories of other worlds never ceased to captivate. A war between angels and demons, a fated tournament, a gathering of warriors from distant realms, the trials of a young band of heroes...with every page Fleo turned, she couldn't help but read on. In the months since the end of the Grand Magic Games, Amaya hadn't been the only member of Phoenix Wing to nurse an interest in books. Fleo's newfound hobby, healthy for the stimulation of her mind had occupied much of her off time. Hers was a busy life, full of work and getting to know her fellow workers. Today began as a day seemingly like any others, but after her ordinary morning routine of exercise, hygiene, and breakfast, her day was shaken -quite literally- to its core.
”Whoa!” The tremor threw her, perched as she was atop the new heels of which she was so proud, to the ground. Her frayed, bold-print longcoat slapped across her head, and more irritated than hurt she pushed it away to get back to her feet. Without delay she examined the Guild Hall's first floor. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, except of course that pretty much everyone had been spooked by the sudden and severe earthquake. In doing so, she took a closer look at those present. There appeared to be quite the colorful assortment of people here today, including a few that Fleo was surprised to notice were strangers. When had that happened? Had over-the-top craziness become so commonplace in Phoenix Wing life that she had learned to tune it out whilst reading? Speaking of, the dusty woman knelt to retrieve her paperback from where it landed. Her furrowed brow spoke of her consternation: clearly, something was happening, but she hadn't been paying attention. Making an effort to appear composed and attentive, she turned her attention to Ariel with intent to answer, but Damian beat her to he punch. ”Well, yeah, but that doesn't help much.” Penny echoed the sentiment, and then in a rather odd tone added that such happenings were occurring throughout Fiore. ”Wait, how do you know?” Bereft of an answer, Fleo could only turn her attention to Sasha as she walked over and said something cryptic. Thoroughly confused, Fleo held her hands up. ”Why is everyone being so weirdly dramatic? Was that not just a normal tremor, like we've been having for months?”
Ariel shared her confusion, and for clarity's sake Fleo strode to her friend's side to stand with her bandaged hands on her hips, even as her companion sat. Instead of a reply, she received a blast of wind as the front doors flew open, and in the very center stood a showy guy with scruffy long hair and an opinion of himself so large that Fleo regretted that it didn't block the door and prevent his entry. The next moment, after fixing her hair and clothes, she caught herself and shook her head. Some people are just insanely emotive, she reasoned, like half the people in this guild. Which is probably why this dude came here. It's my responsibility to give him a good impression. Waving her hand, she offered Nico a smile, and called out, ”Hello!” A proper introduction, however, could wait. Mayt seemed intent on getting the story from Sasha, and with Amaya, Raiden, and Joshua also present, Fleo felt as if an explanation were owed.
However, Sasha and Pennys' revelations were delayed once again as the doors exploded open again for the second time in about as many minutes. A sarcastic comment lay on the tip of Fleo's tongue -hanging out with a platoon of wisecrackers had begun to mold her after this long, after all- until she recognized the new entrant as nobody less than the prestigious and pissed-off master of some other guild, Fraquar. Wisely, Fleo opted to put a lid on it, and left her master to answer that.
Soon after, to Fleo's great relief, Penny began to talk. Her speech, however, revolved solely around some new development with her Phoenix Magic. When it was done, the dusty woman could scarcely contain herself any longer. ”...Huh? I must be missing something. What's going on?” Head abuzz, she decided to pull up her own chair as well, and to sit with a dazed expression until the current situation became less baffling.
Above Magnolia, a dark shape cast a wide shadow. Those who looked up, and managed to not be blinded by wonder, fear, or the sun, would find to their amazement the impossible shape of a ship in the sky. It floated, light as a dream and swift as a breeze, toward Phoenix Wing's guild hall. On its side, two symbols hinted at just what the meaning of this airbound vessel might be: the dual insignias of Pirate Lord and Frenzy Plant, the former redone in the latter's colors of green, black, and red. Coasting at an easy pace, the airship came to a stop in front of the guild hall, shielding the entire structure from the sun. A trumpet pierced the day's serenety -a peace already shattered by the repeated attacks on the structure's front door- and from the bottom of the ship a section of the hull began to descend. As it went lower, it could be identified as a platform suspended by chains from above, with three famous silhouettes on board. Motionless, the trio stood while the platform was gingerly laid on the concrete before the eyes of of onlookers. Together, the three stepped from the length of wood onto the cobblestone and marched toward the agape doors of Phoenix Wing's headquarters.
Most recognizable was, of course, the grandmaster general of the war guild Frenzy Plant, Cormorant Sanders himself. Clad in an impeccable but unadorned uniform and bearing a cane decorated to look like a thorny vine, he sauntered forward flanked on either side by two guards. Owen Whately, the fencer of the badlands and half of the dynamic duo that wreaked havoc on the battlefield during the Grand Magic Games' free for all, stood to his commander's right, with the former piratess Jane Putcher on his own right. Somewhat in keeping with that theme, Sanders walked in time to the autumnal witch Blair Ravencroft and the well-dressed war sphinx Mari Gatlock. Each one wore the uniform of Frenzy Plant, though modified with include extra blue and white for the last two ladies to signify their belonging to Aerial Ace, the division of Frenzy Plant formerly known as the independent guild Pirate Lord. The merger, it seemed, had been long completed. With his entourage on his heels, Sanders entered the Phoenix Wing guild hall. There, he gave a slight bow to both Fraquar and Jamie in turn. ”Fellow masters, I am pleased to see you once more,” his gentle voice affirmed.
Ariel watched as her normally confident guild mate looked rather down. Clearly whatever was bothering Penny was pretty severe. And as it turned out it had to do with their Phoenix Magic. Or at least Penny's. Ariel didn't quite catch on to the real issue at first. They had a choice to die or become a phoenix. Although from what she understood becoming a phoenix, while on the surface sounded great what with living "forever", came with the implication that you will outlive everyone you ever loved. You just couldn't make the same emotional connections which meant either heartache or loneliness.
Penny's observation that Ariel was a special case wasn't a stretch really. Though in light of what was just told it did mean that she should have become a phoenix already. After drawing in the magic from Penny's father's death Ariel technically had died and been reborn from the ashes. Only she had become some human phoenix hybrid and was able to return to her normal human form easily. This was a lot to think about and she opened her mouth to say something but was somewhat at a loss for words.
Taking a moment to collect her thoughts Ariel nodded and said "mhmm" a few times. Finally she came up with somethin to say. "Alright so... I'm different that's for sure. I'm guessing that information being as hard to find as it is means you can't be 100% on what will happen. And whatever is going on with me is in the air." She paused a moment. "If what you say is true then at least there's a choice, right?" She was trying to me more optimistic. She didn't like seeing someone so down, especially over her and something that couldn't have been anticipated. "Penny, whatever happened to me isn't your fault. I chose to go with you because you're my friend. And there was no way of knowing how I was going to react to Phoenix Magic. I still don't know how it works with regular magic. But what's done is done and there's no sense in beating yourself up about it. We'll figure it out." She gave Penny a hug whether she wanted it or not. Ariel's emotions, when she decided on one, were ironclad and defied reason sometimes.
Though the two had tried to keep the conversation on the downlow it seemed that Fleo had overheard enough to be curious. But both Ariel and Fleo were in the same team though so she was confident that she wouldn't go blabbing this information around. Actually it might be important for her to know, and anyone else in Team Powder Keg. Either way she stepped closer to Fleo to let her know what was up, more or less catching her up with what Penny just told her and her own Phoenix Slayer transformation that happened during the Grand Magic Games.
Trinity's morning metal menagerie had gone on for a while, slowly ramping up in intensity. At it's most intense, the Energy Makespeakers that had been following her around focused ever so slightly on the door. The frame rattled and shook. A screw or two shook loose from the hinges, before the door rattled loose and fell a few feet out of the frame. An easy fix, but...
Her music stopped, and she started at the door with astonishment. It took her a moment, but, "whoooaaa, I've never done that before! Is that why they didn't want me doing that...?" The speakers and instruments reduce to spheres of golden light dragging through the air behind her. "Suppose I aight to... Fix this." One orb lowers to the ground and scoops the screws up, while she moves over to the door. Two orbs move to the door, one on either side, and the squish onto it. They stretch to lift the door up, and then turn it upright and bring it into the frame, opening it to allow Trinity to secure the screws.
"There." Trinity opened and shut the door a few times to be certain, before her stomach growled. "Ooh... Hungry. Hope we have bacon." The young mage took the wheels that had just rolled the door, and made them into roller blades so she could glide down the hallway. For the stairs, she grabbed an Energy Make orb and made a whip motion, sending a bunch of it out and ahead. It stretched onto a wide, flat rail, and she used it to slide over the stairs, to the first floor where she went into the kitchen.
Inside, she could be found using her Energy Make as kitchen implements. Bowls, whisks, the griddle. French toast and bacon was the order that morning, and the ingredients were put away immediately after use. She sang softly about bacon and cinnamon and syrup being so delicious.
@Caits@Burthstone@t2wave@Zarkun@Lugubrious The world still seemed to be spinning from Jasmine's prospective as she slowly plopped up on her elbows. She wasn't too sure as to what had just happened, other than a big shake and a bunch of strangers appearing. Then darkness. Had she passed out? Yeah, she had passed out. How embarrassing. Though at least, though she was just lying on the guildhall floor, no-one but Penny luckily had seemed to notice. Though now that Jasmine had come to again, she now noticed that there were even more people. The timid girl quickly got back to her feet and once again proceeded to hide behind of Penny. She knew it was sad and pathetic, but she honestly had no idea what was going on and didn't know what else to do. It seemed like everyone else was speaking of something important, but all Jasmine knew was that all these people freaked her out.
Cody Bloodstein
@Zarkun "You think so?" Cody stared blankly back at the request sheet. A shield on his arm huh? That would certainly help, as wielding a sword and concentration on Absolute Defence at the same time was incredibly difficult and tiring. Not only did he had to devote attention to his surroundings to know what to block and when, but he also had to focus on whomever was close enough for the sword. It was a challenge which he hadn't faced before, but to be honest instead of dreading it; Cody welcomed it. Relished it. It was a strange feeling, but the satisfaction of getting even a small thing right just felt so....good. It was a step closer to his goal. Nodding his head in agreement at the comment of the gangs, Cody rolled up the request and put it in his cloak. Such gangs shouldn't be too much of an issue, hopefully. Though Cody was sure there would be more to it than a simple rock up and beat up. Giving James a wide, confident grin the younger boy now stood up. "I was ready to go-" He found himself cut off halfway through his response as the guildhall shook violently, knocking the Defensive mage off of his feet and flat on his buttocks. Once the shaking stopped, Cody looked around blankly. "What the hell was that?"
In the next two minutes, things happened just a little bit faster than Damian could keep up with as it was all unexpected. First Fleo joined the group, a member of the guild that Damian hadn't seen much of the last couple of months and whom he hoped was doing well, followed by the doors being thrown open by someone who was a lot of bravado and poorly concealed haughty attitude, though the Blade of Phoenix Wing would withhold final judgement until after getting to know him. Shortly after the doors were closed and Jarvis had moved to speak with the newcomer, the doors flew open with a shout from the guild master of Ryder's Blade, Fraquar. Apparently something had him incredibly aggravated, and it didn't seem to be Master Jamie.
While the doors were still open, Guild Master Sanders of Frenzy Plant arrived and greeted the Fraquar and Jamie. Certain that there couldn't be any one else about to blast open the doors for the next few minutes, Damian goes and closes them before approaching the three guild masters, standing slightly to Jamie's right. He hadn't had time to get around to it, but he had been meaning to ask if there were anymore "Belka incidents" or if any new information had come around from the incident, and before the guild masters began their meeting seemed like a good time to ask, but he would wait until the trio had spoken with each other.
Rolling to the left of the falling spikes, Hunter slid into a ready stance as he came back to a standing position. Redirection, every time. Meaning she's not going to engage in a fight she doesn't have to. Easy weakness to exploit, since she's likely confident that I can't touch her if she doesn't want me to. Rushing in once more, Hunter doesn't use any magic, instead opting to simply attack in a flurry of martial arts blows. He needed to know if she was as avid to avoid a regular physical blow as she was a magic one.
James braced himself against the tremor by grasping the table, having not stood yet, but shrugged as he stood. "It's hard to say for certain, but regardless, we have a bridge to save, and we had best get moving." He trusted that the others in the guild could handle whatever problems were about to rise, as Cody needed this chance to improve himself.
