So this was the queen of Angi? Rochelle had expected her to be some sort of fire elemental, or at least more of a flame motif. But then again it's not like Rochelle had any idea how high fashion goes in the royal court. At least the queen looked queenly. Her two bodyguards seemed like annoying twats, but Rochelle guessed that if they weren't, they would be bad bodyguards.

The queen questioned everyone's motives, as if the threat of Darkness taking over the world wasn't a good enough reason to be all up in arms. Seemed a bit odd how nonchalant the queen herself was about it, if she's aware of its threat. "That evil threatens to destroy the world I live in. There are things here that I like, the most important of those things being myself. so if course I'll protect it. Honestly, what kind of a question is that? When you have a big god like Lucius warn you of a threat to the entire world, you'll have to be some epic level of stupid to just ignore it."

@Darkmoon Angel

@Mangrale@cloudystar@Lucius Cypher@Ryougu@Norschtalen
The queen chuckled upon hearing everyone's answers to her question. "Of course... You must forgive me for asking such a... Stupid question... Whatever your reasons, Lucius chose all of you for a reason and I myself do not doubt our Lord of Light, unlike some..." "My queen... I believe in Lord Lucius as much as anyone else...
But these people look nothing like a group of heroes..." Michele said looking at Viranti specifically. "That's what many thought when the Six Heroes just started their journey, but now look at them... Legends to the very end..." The queen stood up from her seat.

"My friends... The Fire Stone you seek lies within a tomb beneath this very palace... The tomb was built to house the body of my long dead ancestor, Agni himself... No doubt his spirit will challenge your skills,
but I am sure you will overcome any challenge." The queen started to walk towards a doorway and beckoned for the group to follow her but a guard from outside ran into the room sweating and bearing a grave expression. "My queen, assassins... Right outside the palace, a large group of them!"

---

Right outside at front of the palace entrance, a large group of mysterious men stood ready to attack at any moment. At the head of them stood Falma and Grafl. "I'm not fond of siding with men like this, Grafl..." "Falma, we get the job done no matter... I don't like it as much as you do but think of it this way... If this oracle's group is really as tough as they sound, then we can just scavenge what's left of the battle... These men look like they have plenty of valuables on them..." "I swear Grafl... Your too optimistic sometimes..."

---

@Skepic@Lady Athena
"Oh... Your another..." Loralei had to think for a second before speaking again. "Well... The more helping our group the better... Your very welcome to join. Lady Khristina is at the palace as we speak, come on." Loralei held Nephele's hand just to make her feel more comfortable and led her and Heinrich back to palace. Upon arriving they would see the mass of brutes and criminals about to attack. "Oh no...
We got trouble..." Loralei said as she brought her spear out.

Elise was relieved to find out the queen wouldn't be angered by the groups (Rochelle's) less-than-polite response to her question. While she was relieved to find this, Elise also felt a bit guilty for not having a better response. She had just been getting up, when a guard rushed in from outside and relayed his message to the queen. "My queen, assassins... Right outside the palace, a large group of them!"

Perfect timing. Elise cursed in herself before turning to the queen. "It seems I'm proven wrong, already. I'm not sure if these lowlifes are forces of darkness, but I wouldn't consider this fight to be time wasted. I'll fight alongside your guards, if you'll have me." Turning to Malkai with a sly smirk, she continued. "Seems you get to make true on your words, orc. There's bad guys to be stomped out there."

Without paying too much mind if anyone followed or not, Elise turned and prepared to confront the mob. As if she had just remembered something crucial, she turned and looked Michele in the eye, leaning in close to the queensguard. "You're not wrong. I don't consider myself a hero, anyway, but I can fight, and that's just what I'll do." With a satisfied grin, Elise once more turned and walked back to where the guard had said the mob would be. With her hands on her weapons, ready to draw them at moment's notice, Elise mumbled one more thing.

"Looking forward to working with you all."

"Hero's are picked fer wot dey do, not fer wot they look like." Malkai responded to the bodyguard's words. He tolerates many things, but he was quite tired of people assuming that just because he was an orc, he was a bad guy. Granted, he wasn't a nice man... But he wasn't a bad one either. As the queen explained where to go to next, a guard rushed in about assassins at their gates. This got a snort from Malkai. "I don't know 'ow you people do things in Angi, but if yer assassins are knockin' at yer door, in yer own castle, y'all got some crummy security." Cracking his neck, Malkai smiled towards Elise when she quipped about Malkai's words. "Time ta get ta work den."

Whistling for Wolf, Malkai went with Elise to confront the soldiers, regardless of what the others were going to do. Wouldn't be very heroic if they left the poor old queen and her retainers to fend for themselves. The hulking giant's stomping metal footsteps echoed throughout the halls as he reached outside and saw the mob of "assassins". No doubt there was more around here, considering that they somehow managed to get to the castle gates without any trouble. Once outside he looked down and chuckled.

"Not good... Deyz need two, maybe three times more if dey wanna fair foight. Dis'll be too easy."

@Ryougu@Darkmoon Angel

Nephele seemed to calm down consideratebly when Loralei slide their hand into hers. It sent a wave of warmth through her body. She shuts her eyes and breaths deeply before starting to walk off with the two of them. She wouldn't notice the mass of brutes as Loralei would suddenly stop. She would fall face first into the ground "Oww… What was that for?...." . She would look up at a brute and gulps deeply. She would rise to her feet quickly and prepare to engage.

@Darkmoon Angel
Viranti wasn't as quick to dismiss the monarch's question as even she herself ultimately appeared to. The others' responses were just about what he'd expect, though they did leave him wondering about his own answer. It was true that he didn't feel a greater sense of duty in preserving the world(s). "Not going down without a fight" did hold more sway over him, and self preservation was pretty fair as far as motives went. However, none of that really came to mind when he agreed to join this "quest". In fact, he hardly questioned the validity of the Oracle's story all this time. Imprisoned all those years and then presented with a guiding voice however fleeting and then exposed to new worlds and wonders he couldn't explain, of course he would have went along with whatever the voice said, albeit for his own admittedly selfish reasons. Believing in the voice of Lucius would be another matter, one that felt a long ways off.

Arms still crossed, the dragon silently pondered these things, and how no one questioned him further. Apparently, his own reply was pretty much what everyone expected as well. He noticed Michele looking at him while expressing her doubts as to their, or rather his, qualification as a hero. He of course glared back, though he didn't do more than that. He rose from his seat, properly ready to get this leg of the journey over with when the guard burst in among them and relayed the news, one of the threats to the kingdom he presumed. One more delay, he thought, a small, excited smirk on his face. "Sounds like pitiful excuses for assassins to me," Viranti joked to himself as Malkai and Elise moved ahead to face the mob. "Today looks to be your lucky day, queen. Just make sure your people stay out of my way." he happily ordered, making sure to send a glance Michele's way before turning to run outside, sword in hand.

Rochelle smirked as the queen responded to everyone's motivations. While their answers weren't exactly noble or heroic, surely there was some value in honestly at least. When they were told where the treasure was Rochelle checked her equipment for the journey below, only to get interrupted by a guardsman. Apparently assassins are like thugs in the capital city of Angi, because they just strode up to the queen's castle and wants a piece of her. Rochelle may have been a bandit out in the wastelands, but even she had a bit more tack and subtly than that. What did they expect the queen and her guards to do, cower and flee?

The fact that Rochelle really wasn't sure is why she didn't immediately go with the other heroes to face the assassins. Instead she turned towards the queen and her bodyguard. "I may be from these lands, but that don't mean I feel particularly attached to you or the land. If living in Angi taught me anything, it was that there's a fire in everyone, and the only ones who can let their fire burn are the ones who can snuff out others. So... I gotta ask: Are you going to fight, or will you let your light go out?" Rochelle looked directly at the queen. Rochelle never much liked those who sat on their laurels. If she was the Queen of Angi, the land of fire, than Rochelle expected her to be able to act and fight like a Queen of Fire.

@Darkmoon Angel

"Delightful! I look forward to meeting the other great adventures!" Heinrich said in response, following the pair as they made their way to the palace.

However, upon arrival, a large gang of sorts was standing in the entrance, collapsed guards and such scattered the area, evidence of their apparent break in. It seemed to be your typical rough crowd of cackling mercenaries and such, so with a sigh, Heinrich reached into his pocket. From it, he pulled a small wooden box, no bigger than a lighter, and with a slight shuffle, it moved under his mask and seemingly consumed it's contents. His single orange eye gleamed as he felt the gunpowder rush through his veins, sounds becoming more crisp, his vision becoming so clear, while feeling his muscles tighten and strengthen. "Right right, now that is settled, I say we convince this mob of ruffians that today was a bad day to go about smashing up the palace of the esteem land of Fire!"

Stepping forward, now with renewed vision, he once again surveyed the crowd of enemies, letting his senses find their most destructive target. Eye closed, he weaved his sense through the crowd, before smiling under his mask upon finding what he was looking for. A man had who had the largest amount of gunpowder... yes, probably wielding a rifle of sorts. Heinrich opened his eyes, preparing to detonate the mans store of gunpowde- "But a moment! By the gods above is that you Falma? I say! Query! Query I say, is that you Falma and Grafl? Why, it was only this morning since the last I saw of you two!" As if totally ignoring the situation, Heinrich approached the two. "Good to see the both of you. If it wasn't for your ride, I would have never found the Oracle in good time! Actually, speaking of that, I say what are the two of you doing here of all places, among this mob?"

@Darkmoon Angel

@Norschtalen
The queen looked confused. "Soldier... Did you even catch sight of these assassins?" "They are a large group my queen, they axes and swords and..." The queen cut the soldier off there. "That makes no sense... Assassins wouldn't attack in such a group like this, this group is too brutish, too straightforward..." The queen stopped when Rochelle spoke to her, she hung her head low when Rochelle pretty much summed her up as a coward. "Well... Your right... I always sat back and let my guards handle things... But when there is a legitimate threat to the city... Then I must act!"

"Soldier! When this is all said and done, I want to know how this group of brigands got into my city." The queen stated as she pulled out a blade that was as black as obsidian. "Of course, my queen!" The soldier ran off to gather more guards as the queen walked beside Rochelle. "I have the blood of a great hero flowing through my veins... I'm not about to let it go to waste." She said with a confident smile as she headed outside.

---

@Mangrale@Lucius Cypher@Ryougu
Michele glared at Viranti as she called for GX to follow her. "I'm not about to get shown up by a lizard, c'mon Crabby!" The two charged outside and GX started to open fire on the brigands, who immediately retaliated all at once. Three bandits tried to take on Malkai, swinging their axes in an attempt to break his armor and one with a spear charged at Elise in an attempt to run her down. A rather sneaky bandit had maneuvered around Viranti and had slashed at his back to try and bring down the large dragon warrior. "I'm gonna make a nice pair of boots out of you, lizard!"

In the back line of the group, Khristina was chanting a spell that soon took shape. An aura enveloped her allies, giving them the strength they needed to survive this encounter. "Everyone be careful! Whoever these goons are they're not after the queen!"

---

@Lady Athena@Skepic
As the battle started, the brigand that Nephele had attracted pulled his axe back and was about to swing it down on her. The loud battle cry of the brute soon turned into a death moan as Loralei's lance was plowed into the man's chest. "I got you, Nephele! Let's do this together, as always!" She said helping her fellow maid up from the ground.

Grafl groaned as he noticed Heinrich in the midst of all this chaos. "You have got to be kidding me! You know what, never mind. We have a job to do and I'm sorry but... You get in our way then your as much of an enemy as that Oracle chick." He said aiming his gun at Heinrich, the barrel of the gun sparked with electricity as it could fire a shot at any moment.

With a sigh, Heinrich shrugged as chaos ensued around him. "Very well, then I will not hold myself back. Though actually, I'll at least try to simply pacify you. Terribly sorry to get in the way, but as you say... I have a job to do."

Lazily holding out his hand, it suddenly appeared to be glowing a bright white light, with an odd dark center, almost like a tiny eclipsed sun. The neighboring mercs might have noticed their gunpowder sacks/horns somewhat lighter than before. Heinrich lowered his arm, and began walking toward Grafl, glowing hand clenched in a fist. "Oh my, dear chap, sorry to say that won't work at all. But worry not..." Closing in now, he raised his arm and through the punch, very sudden and quick, a blur of dark light streaking toward poor Grafl now.

"I always return what I've borrowed, I am a gentleman, after all" He said, punch aimed for Grafl's head flying at inhuman speeds.
@Darkmoon Angel

@Darkmoon Angel
Excited with the anticipation of battle, Viranti stormed outside, luckily not hitting anything with his unsheathed sword on his way out. He could hear the loud mechanical inner workings of GX behind him, meaning that Crabby and likely Michele weren't too far behind, a thought that only quickened his pace even more. As the bright glare of the sun dissipated, he caught sight of the gaggle of aggressors, or at least some group of armed individuals with unfamiliar armor that looked an awful lot like people he wouldn't necessarily be jailed for attacking. And in the state he was in now, that was good enough for him. Viranti rushed forward to arc his sword across a couple of mooks to drive them back, just as the purple war machine fired upon some other assassins.

A rather sneaky bandit had maneuvered around Viranti and had slashed at his back to try and bring down the large dragon warrior. "I'm gonna make a nice pair of boots out of you, lizard!"

Leaving a large, nearly claw-like gash across their armors, the dragon's legs tensed up for a follow up attack to finished them off before taking notice of a speedy bandit that had maneuvered behind him. "(Livid Growl) That right!?" The blade came inches away from Viranti's back before a leathery tail brushed his arm to their right. As the bandit reeled to the side, the dragon's left leg, along with his entire body, came around to rest on or near his attacker's head. His foot's claws effectively gripping the head, his leg pulled upward before cruelly stomping and smashing the bandit head-first into the ground (or maybe the courtyard path), dust and heated air pushed away. "Not from where I stand..." he retorted in a low growl before a magical aura enveloped him. "What is this?" he muttered, confused at his new state, but feeling invigorated by it.

"Everyone be careful! Whoever these goons are they're not after the queen!"

He was even more perplexed by this, though kept his attention at the attackers. What could they possibly be after if not the queen? he wondered, though ultimately thinking it unnecessary. Heh, They will all be ashes soon enough anyway

As the spear-wielder charged Elise, she merely scoffed at him, sidestepping the linear attack. As she did, she turned and grabbed hold of the spear's end with one hand. The other hand brought down her blade on the shaft of the spear, aiming to split it in two. With what force was leftover from the previous motion, Elise continued her move into a spin and a step away from the spear-wielder. Deciding to not play with the man any longer, Elise hurled the speartip back at the man and followed with a series of short thrusts.

When Khristina yelled something about the brigands not being here for the queen, this was... Worrying, at least. After all, there were only so many people other than the queen worth sending assassins after. This mission had just turned from 'Repel Invaders' to 'Rout the Enemy'. "Not good." She mumbled, looking for the others as well as a way to get everyone back inside. It was then, that she noticed the trio at the back of the battlefield. That was going to be tough, though perhaps it could prove advantageous. 'For now' She decided, 'I should focus on the enemies nearby.' She drew her second blade, a rapier, and dashed over to the nearest enemy she could find --plenty of them around-- and proceeded to assault him with a mix of stabs and slashes.

Nephele took Loralei's hand and slowly begins to smile. She nods her eyes locking onto the enemies as she drew her rapier "Let's do this Loralei. Like we do with most other things" Her sleepy eyes suddenly igniting at the sight of a fight and a chance to redeem herself from slowing the party down.

She raises her rapier to the sky and tries to reflect light from the sun into some of the brute's eyes. "Now is your time. Loralei, take them out."

@Mangrale@Ryougu@Norschtalen@Lucius Cypher
As the four heroes battled it out near the entrance to the palace, the queen made her presence known when a large blackflame erupted under a group of bandits, scorching them to ash. The queen pulled her sword from the ground and approached the heroes. "These brigands have to have a leader amongst them, if we defeat them the whole lot of them will surrender. Michele, I want GX to do a full scan over the field, find out who's giving orders to these brutes!" "Yes ma'am. Crabby, you heard her!"

At Michele's order, GX started to scan the battlefield in search of the brigand leader, all the while more of the brutes started to charge at the heroes.

---

@Lady Athena
The bandits shielded there eyes from the light that Nephele reflected from her rapier, leaving them vulnerable to Loralei as she jumped from glyph to glyph, slaying a brigand with each jump. A smarter bandit snuck up from behind Nephele and knocked her to the ground. He brought a knife to her throat, "It's a shame to have to kill such a delicate flower, well... As long as Cardes pays up I'm happy..." The bandit said with a sadistic grin. "Nephele!" Loralei tried to rush to her friend's aid but a wall of bandits stood between her and Nephele. If Nephele didn't do something now she's as good as dead.

---

@Skepic
In a bright flash of light, Heinrich's punch was blocked by two electrified daggers and was kicked away. The daggers belonged to Falma and he stood beside Grafl giving him a stern look. "Do I have to bail you out of everything?" "Ah come on, I'm not about to use my powers on an acquaintance of ours..." "In case you hadn't noticed... Our acquaintance is helping the enemy... Now stop messing around and use your lightning gun for gods sakes!" Grafl let out an annoyed groan and pointed his gun at Heinrich. Without gunpowder or any bullet or projectile to allow the gun to work, it fired off a bolt of lightning at Heinrich, if he didn't think quick he was gonna get fried by these two lightning wielding mercs.

@Darkmoon Angel

Heinrich quickly spun around his right, attempting to rotate past the lightning that was fired at him. Upon completing the fancy foot work, he pointed at Falma, gloved hand still radiating the black flame of energy. "Excuse you, good sir! I was trying to have a lovely sporting duel with your compatriot over our differences! That was very rude of you to interject so unjustly! Yes, we are both after conflicting goals, but that is no excuse for poor etiquette in a jolly good clash of wit and brawn! Your friend here posses a unique weapon well suited for combat against my Power Mage techniques! We are quite matched and it will come down to skill, if any! Either step aside ruffian, or I shall smite you rightly!" Heinrich said, now taking an indignant pose, totally ignoring the unfolding battle around him, masked nose upturned.

@Darkmoon Angel
The dragon had hastily charged into a group, working up enough speed and momentum to pounce onto an unprepared bandit, his arms forcing a slide across the cobbled pathway for a few feet before the beastman practically somersaulted and used the remaining force to hurl the unlucky man in an overhead throw that saw him fly through the air and crash into two other bandits. "Of what use are tactics against these weaklings?!" Viranti conjectured, emboldened by the inexplicable buff he had received, thinking he'd try his hand at disarming an armored assailant but finding the results to be a step beyond what he had intended, not that he wasn't complaining, though the bandit certainly was. It sounded to him that the "mechwarrior" would be carrying out something in order to find the leader among the attacking force, meaning that it should probably be protected until then, a chore he'd be inclined to think as too much of a hassle if he wasn't having fun here. To GX's distant flank further down the courtyard were a line of rifleman poised to fire, unfamiliar weaponry, but it wasn't like he'd let that stop him from advancing on them, his cocky smile faltering as their barrels erupted in flash and munitions, Viranti diving behind a decorative hedge, but not before getting hit in the left calf and right forearm. There was a lesson to be learned here, but instead Viranti dashed as far as he could and unleashed a ferocious wave of flames that reached and ultimately roasted the entire line of marksman as well as two thirds of the gunners that were setting up behind them. A group of four bandits had diverged to keep the dragonute at bay until that final third could pick him off from afar. As a side note, there's a chance Viranti might have burned down some trees and such in the blast.

Nephele was ready to blind some more enemies when suddenly she was knocked to the ground and had a knife to her throat. Things were looking grime and her eyes would slowly close and her body glows brightly. The foe suddenly being sent flying by some kind of thing that felt like a thick arm.

Slowly the light would disperse and Nephele would lie on the ground. She was suddenly shocked by the tail she now had. "IM CURSED! IM CURSED! IM CURSED!" she begins to panic. When suddenly she realizes her head felt different… She reached up and felt little bumps… They were hard. She would soon realize these were horns.

"SOMEONE HELP ME!" She seemed slightly light headed...

"Excellent."

Malkai charged into battle, Wolf by his side. The brigands would find their blades to fail them when Malkai deflected their strikes with his hard-edge armor. With a simple flex he deflected their blades like rain off a frog's back. In return, Malkai cleaved his blade through the front line, hewing down as many as he can per swing. Wolf used hit-and-run tactics, striking at the marauders from behind before vanishing through the chaos of battle. Malkai himself waded as far into the center of the horde as he could to get intentionally surrounded, fighting defensively to maximize his protection but also remain a threat to thee brigands. He'll leave it to the other "Heroes" to wipe them out while he draws their attention to himself.