"The Watcher? What kind of name is that?"

Rath shot the elven ranger an incredulous look. Titles were uncommon in the frontier and typically reserved for powerful adventurers, or for noble lords who did little to earn them. None of these strangers were registered adventurers--not unless they conveniently lost their membership plates along the way. Most adventurers would pawn the shirt off their backs before even considering selling the plate for coin.

"... As far as your comment about not having a guide. I am particularly skilled at wilderness survival in all types of terrain. I asked as we simply have found ourselves suddenly and mysteriously where we should not be."

Rath blinked slowly as he pondered those words.

'Did he seriously just admit to being lost? There's no way someone can navigate these mountains without already being familiar with them. It doesn't make sense. The only folks capable enough to do that are the local Uldra tribes.'

He rolled his eyes in disbelief and shrugged casually.

"Right... I'm not going to ask, but you may want to invent a better excuse before you reach the lodge. One too many sudden disappearances has left everyone on edge." He shot a glance at Lena and Cain. "I don't know what your circumstances are, but you had best be cautious. The people here, like the mountain, aren't the compassionate type." 'Speaking of which, I should take my own advice and leave before any other weird strangers show up.'

He staggered to his feet and stretched his shoulder. The muscles were still stiff and sore, forcing him to stifle a grimace, but his bones certainly weren't broken anymore.

'Damn good healing! That Lena girl is going to be overwhelmed with work, if anyone else finds out what she can do.' A slight grin played at the edges of his mouth. 'I can't be falling for a pretty face though. There's too much for me to do still.'

Snow crunched beneath his feet as he sauntered over to his mount, and caught the bridle. He whispered a soft, nearly inaudible, sibilant tune--half prayer, have song. A halo of distorted air resolved around the horse as if something was boiling the air.

Rath leaped into the saddle before his mount could react, and took hold of the reigns. His steed was quickly recovering from its horrified trance.

"Sadly, I have still have emergency deliveries to make, and don't have the time to thank you all properly. But, if you folks are still in town when I get back, I'll buy you a dri-" The horse lunged forward into a run without being spurred on. Its instincts were still telling it to flee and moved its legs vigorously as if Death itself were nipping at its feet. Rath's final word trailed off as he flew down the mountain trail.

A cold wind blew down from the mountains as the galloping figure shrank into the distance. The adventurer's lodge loomed just ahead; the column of acrid smoke billowing from its chimney tilted towards the party with a windy nudge.

---

Out of sight.

Out of mind.

Out of sight.

Out of mind.

Out of sight.

Out of mind.

December chanted the words in her mind as if reciting a mantra to will away evil spirits. The ordeal with the guards left her dumbfounded to say the least. Her expression during the performance couldn't have been more incredulous. She had only heard of Beyonce during a historical documentary, and after this incident, she had no desire to look into it ever again.

Thankfully, Danielle's magic soothed the situation and allowed them all to easily bypass the city's security. The two exchanged knowing looks. December had a calm facade, but a deep appreciate shone through her eyes she looked at Danielle. If the situation had devolved into violence, she wasn't certain she would be able to hold back her urge to just freeze everything into immobile blocks of ice.

When they entered the main thoroughfare of Brightwing City, she sighed sharply, letting go of a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Exasperated, she just wanted to find an inn with an actual bath and wind down for the day.

She still had work to do however. Brightwing should have some kind of archive or library. The real question was how to gain access to it? Additionally, who maintained it?

She recalled a conversation she had with Bertram York, one of the merchant's traveling the main road alongside them. By his reckoning, the best place to discover more about magic would be the Magician's Guild. If any institution in the Dragonic Kingdom would have information on what she was looking for, that would be it.

December knew, however, that she was poorly suited to the tedium of research. It bored her in-game and it bored her in real life. It was necessary though. And she was not without help.

Just as she thought that a surge of power prickled her skin. Her hand unconsciously brushed against the silvered chain clasped around her neck. Akena is finally awake.
She turned to Lexus Dominiel. Her eyes were clear and held a thoughtful gleam, while her thin brows were knitted together pensively.
"Lexus?" She unhooked her necklace and offered it to her servant. A smooth, black river stone etched with symbols of arcane power hung from it. "Could you take Akena with you to the temple?"
December obviously looked troubled. There's no telling what the Magician's Guild is capable of, and I'll be damned if I let them get anywhere near her. She told herself.
"She is always vulnerable immediately after manifesting, and where I'm going next isn't a safe place for her. I believe it would be better if she stays with you for now." She pinned Lexus with a urging stare. "Protect her."

It was a selfish request.

She doubted any of the magician's at the guild could forcibly take Akena's heartstone from her, but it would be hard not for them to notice a magical artifact hanging from her neck. The real problem was December had no idea how to deal with Akena. She spent an excessive amount of time and effort to make an accurate facsimile of her real world sister, personality and all. Countless questions raced through her mind. How did the 'update' change Akena's AI? Would are relationship still be the same? What if she's too much like Phuong and grows to hate me?

Treating Akena, an expertly crafted homunculus, as her sister in-game helped a great deal in soothing December's regret over the hostile relationship she had with her sister in real life, but she had no idea how things would develop with Akena now. She wasn't even sure she wanted to know the answers at this point. Ever since they left the guildhall ruins, she had been quietly dreading the moment when Akena awoke.

She turned to Danielle and Himitsu. "I've some business to attend to with the local Magician's Guild. They are the most likely ones to have the information I want. Did you two want to join me?"

@Rune_Alchemist@Spanner

Vander recognized the reaction of disbelief and confusion from Rath. If there were no survivalists of his skill in this world then he was beginning to get a sense of his ability versus theirs. He felt mildly irritated as Rath passed his explanation off as an excuse. He was proud of his skills. He had worked to the bone to achieve them. He had truly earned his title and the abilities that came with it.

"I'm not exactly the compassionate type myself," Vander responded after a deep breath. "Should any problems arise, we are more than capable to handling most situations."

He watched Rath mount his horse and wish them farewell. Well, as much of a farewell as his horse would allow. Emergency packages. Disappearing population. Dark faeries. This certainly peaked his curiosity.

Vander glanced around to the others with an eager grin. "Care for some adventure? I think it would be fun to figure out what's going on.
I imagine the reward is quite very well worth it as well. Let's head to that adventurer's lodge and see what it takes to join in on the fun."

---

Spooky was more than suprised to see his small friend fight. Especially with such skill and brutality. This would mean he didn't need to hold anything back and being released from the mental chains of him having to actually defend his Bunny friend. Still if he didn't have to worry about her, maybe they could actually help each other out... Spooky moved to his Muddy Companion, swinging his sword forward not only to cleave a Undead from the Earth, but the throw of the sword sent him forward with each swing. Pulling him closer to his Ally. He did not notice the Plague rat, due to his height and him catching tunnel vision for his ally.

Once he met up with her he dropped to one knee and held a hand above his head."Get up on my shoulders. I have a plan!"

It was a simple one really. She obviously showed her skill in ranged combat, but was delicate. Spooky was slow as a Rock, but was as tough as one as well. They could use each other's strength to hide their weakness. Spooky being her cover and a wall of defense that none of these Wretched creatures could even hope to break. His fuzzy eared friend would stay on top and hit target's with her blade from a distance. Acting as a second wall. If she didn't take them out from a distance, than Spooky would when they closed in.

@drewccapp@Spanner

---

"I see," Lena replied softly. She could understand, a bit more than Cain likely knew- but she wouldn't attempt to sound pretentious or overly friendly. She wasn't sure how the demon would react to that. "I won't claim to say I understand, Cain. I'm not, well, what you are." She glanced over to Rath. "But if you need someone to talk to, My ears are always open. I'm quite used to it." She laughed, looking over to a certain mischievous pixie. "Or if you need someone to...spar with to help with that aggression - my shield will take whatever you can throw at it." She gave the demon a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"E-eh! What about y question! Don't ignore me you human! Do you have any idea who I am?!" Tania's child like voice interrupted this small bonding moment. "Gah, I get no respect. I'm the Fairy Queen for the love of myself!" The elf sighed, shaking her head as she turned away from Cain with pursed lips, walking back over to Tania and Vander.

"Rath left in a hurry, I see." The elf commented. "Did we learn anything of value, my lady?"

"Only these people here are probably colder than these mountains. Ugh." The pixie grumbled. "Didn't even answer my questions about the fey in the area. Just upped and left! Talk about rude." Tania folded her arms against her chest. "I should steal all of his money."

"I'm quite certain he was simply in a hurry, Tania." Lena replied, turning towards Vander who was suggesting they get a move on. Indeed. It sounded like the village here was in quite the predicament. Troublesome fey, the harsh mountain, disappearances...she'd be remiss if she let herself simply pass over this town without a care. Even if her and Tania would have different motivations from Vander and Cain. "Indeed...I would like to see what is going on here as well. It would be irresponsible to simply pass through without offering our assistance."

"Haa...I just want to get out of this cold. My wings are nuuumb." With a small pat to the Fairy's head, Lena started walking towards the lodge.

~Senna~

@Hammerman@13org

---

For most of the trip, Senna listened intently to Lessings tales and words. It was a very welcome distraction from the incessant agitation she was feeling. The impatience and boredom. Besides, he really was a pleasant man to listen to. Perhaps it was again, her succubus racial attributes, but...well, lets say she behaved in more than a friendly manner towards him through the entire trip. Besides, it was a good way of getting information on this world, and where they were heading. She was glad they didn't run into any trouble, really. It meant she didn't have a chance to actually act on this agitation and boredom she was feeling. So after a few hours passed and they had made their way to the trading post, Senna was somewhat upset - and a little apprehensive.

Well, she could control herself. Probably. She just needed to not get involved with anyone - well, no one asides from the two she was already with. Besides this trading post looked fun! She could probably get up to a number of things here, heh.

As the carriage stopped in the market place, Senna hopped out behind Selena. The supposed dragon blessed walked to the front of the carriage. "Heh, thanks for the ride, Lessig." She smiled under her helmet. "Try not to run into trouble on your way back, hm? You're a...interesting person, at least~" She laughed, before turning away and heading towards the market herself. She had nothing more to say to the man, and now that she was here - with all these...people she needed to keep her wits about her or she might do something she really didn't want too.

Senna took note of where Selena had run off to, walking over to a different stall herself. A weapons merchant of some sort it looked like. Not that she was ever really going to be using anything other than Bloodlust, but it would be a good idea to see the quality of the average weapon here.

---

"I... Thank you, Lena. Your good will is much appreciated." The devil said, genuinely showing a gentle smile for a moment as the elf tried, in her own way, to ease his concerng - For a second, he couldn't help but superimpose the image of his similarly caring-yet-rough older brother over the elf, unconsciously wondering about how would he feel after his disappearance. It didn't take long for him to recover his usual bearing, as he quickly changed the particularities of his facial expression to change the gentle smile into a confident grin. "I don't think you could handle my attacks though. After all, I am one of the strongest mages of YGGDRASIL."

He didn't even wait for the elf's answer before moving to meet the rest of the group, managing to catch a few parts of their conversation before Rath tried return to his previous duties... Just to be ultimately dragged by a crazy horse desperate to get away from Cain, leaving behind a fairly unsatisfied fairy queen - who not only didn't manage to get her questions answered but also didn't like the answers she got - and seemingly uncaring elf. His first reaction, on the opposite of the rational reaction of the other party member whl wasn't there to talk with the man, was actually pretty childish: He couldn't help but laugh loudly as he still listened the echoing farewells of the man, going as far as bending his body and clutching his stomach to laugh harder before he finally managed to stop himself to say something. "Pfft. G-guess I really scared the shit out of that horse." He once more started laughing, finally freed of the tension that he felt since comming to this world, even if just for a moment and motivated by something rather silly.

"A-anyway..." He said after his laughter finally stopped, wiping away a tear before he continued his speech. "I'm not against going to the adventurer lodge, but the prospect of sleeping in the floor isn't exactly what I'd call attractive." The devil said, putting some attention into his attempt of recovering his composure, quickly tyding his clothes - a purposefully more casual outfit that the robes he normally wore - before he once more turned back to the group, showing a small grin before finishing his speech. "After all, sleeping in something soft is a basic necessity for a noble being like myself. It isn't fair that the devil king gets to sleep in the floor while the fairy queen has her own personal pair of bouncy pillows." He said, purposefully portraying himself as excessively arrogant as he pointed Lena's bossom - the pillows referenced in his argument. It wasn't hard to guess that he was trying to ease the mood after his previous blunder.

---

@Rune_Alchemist@drewccapp

 
She picked up her helmet and held it under har arm. Hopefully Lenore would show more courage going forward. It would help, considering that they were now surrounded. Her horse snorted(despite apparently lacking lungs to do so with) and stomped the ground.

"Nay, we are but mere travelers passing through. Your scouts seemed to see fit to attack first, unwisely. I am glad to see that you are showing more restraint."

It was good to see that they were holding their ground. Kallahar decided to try a different tack.

"I am hired as a guard for my Lady on her travels. What happened to your scouts was unfortunate so I decided to remain and explain what happened. We would appreciate it to be able to continue on."

The Death knight made no move towards her weapon, still a number of paces away.

@Lugubrious

@Spanner@Rune_Alchemist

"We'll find a comfortable bed in the future," Vander felt glad Cain had found some amusement in the fear he put into the horse's heart. "At the very least we have a start."

He suddenly realized that the currency from YGGDRASIL might not convert over to this world, and he came to a halt as he had already started marching for the village. "What are we going to use for money?" He had the pelts he acquired from his hunting as they traveled here and could trade them, however, he had no idea if the money he had would work. "We don't know if YGGDRASIL money will have any value here, and it may make us stick out unnecessarily."

Vander had no problem with being exceptional and sticking out in a manner that made him larger than life, but he did not like the thought of being viewed as entirely strange. He understood that there would be some confusion to start with all the new interactions with the denizens of this world, and yet he had no desire to draw too much attention due to the confusion. This first interaction while mild only emphasized the need to act carefully.

"We've learned a lot from Rath to be honest," Vander wanted to make it clear. "First off, not just anyone can travel this arctic tundra. He clearly did not believe me when I told him I was the reason we navigated so well without a map. We know the people here are on edge and paranoid about faeries. My title the Watcher meant nothing, so it's likely they only apply to nobility and high level adventurers.
Not to mention that there is no Watcher in this world." His tone changed clearly indicating that fact did not settle well with him. "Elves are also not exactly trusted here considering his statement after we rescued him. I understand all of you were distracted by each situation you were in, however, we have a wealth of information even if only a few of our questions were answered. I guess my question to us all is what do we do from here? I'm prepared to continue into Whiteside, or we could follow this path to Giant Downs."

@BurningDaisies

---

SilverCoffee walked up towards the altar inside the ruins he discovered earlier, hoping to investigate the stories behind this old ruins and the beast-man sculptures. He touched one of the copper horned sculpture that was covered in a fine layer of dust, examined the detailed carving on the statue. SilverCoffee could not be helped but remember the time when he was playing Yggdrasil with his friends, and they somehow triggered a hidden quest when they were in a forest dungeon. The quest was triggered when one of his friends found and pulled a horn-shaped hidden lever on a statue.

After spending a while inside the old ruins, SilverCoffee thought that it would be best to leave the place and continue his journey to find the nearest civilization. But before he was able to move an inch, an instrumental music filled his mind without any effort. Instrumental beats followed up by a few vocal chanting in the distant which somehow sounded pretty awesome. It could be as quiet as a tiptoe or as loud as a roll of distant thunder. If the beat goes on, all of them might be echoed into SilverCoffee's very soul and awoke his inner spirituality.

SilverCoffee thought that he somehow triggered an event... a boss fight? or a monster horde? SilverCoffee might have to fight for the very first time after he was sent to this new world. He grabbed his battleaxe with both hands, ran back up to the altar where he positioned himself to a higher ground.

A few cloaked pilgrims came into SilverCoffee's line of sight, murmuring while moving very slowly in a few line. All of them were wearing some sort of color painted wooden masks, but it was still easy to know that they were not humans as horns and inhuman features can still be seen. The voices and the instrumental sound came from those who were singing and playing all kinds of the instrument at the back of those lines. Every single one of them was marching slowly towards the center of the ruins but decided to stop what they were doing right after they saw SilverCoffee standing in front of them.

"I-I've the high ground!" SilverCoffee roared. Hopefully, this was more than enough to scare them away.

The music came to a disorganized and as each of them stopped to peer through the fog and discovered an enormous Minotaur standing before their altar. Their awed silence was suddenly broken when the leader of the precession dropped to her knees and bow reverently before SilverCoffee, the tips of her curled horns digging into the ground. The others quickly did the same.

"Our prayers are finally answered!" she proclaimed in a thin, wispy voice.

Just like that, one by one and one after another bowed down in front of SilverCoffee. It took SilverCoffee a second or two for the new information to sink in, even though it was right before his eyes. They should've seen the shock registered on SilverCoffee's bull-face right after they fell to their knees.

"A Lord of Tesarion has returned from the Lands of Fright!"

Somehow life decided to make SilverCoffee a cult god. He had no idea where the Lands of Fright was, or who Lord of Tesarion she's referring to, but SilverCoffee guessed that the beast-man cultists just mistook him for another cult god of theirs. But since he was alone, he would do anything just to prevent any fight, even by posing as one of their cult gods.

"M-Milord... I-I am Lethe, first servant of Tesarion" Her voice was quivering, but her expression was filled with excited anticipation as if she experiencing the happiest moment of her life. "If you have returned, does that mean the Neverborn are finally defeated? Will you lead our people once more?"

"I thanked you for the endless and firm trust you had in me, Lethe. I'm Si..." No, SilverCoffee was not a great name for a god. "Erhhm... I'm Kalduk. Remember my name, as I'm the one that defeated the Neverborn! They are nothing but the past, I will lead you all once more!"

The pilgrims began to shout with full excitement while stomping their feets. With the cheers came fists in the air. The cheers erupted like an auditory volcano. It was all quiet one second and then deafening the next, rising to a crescendo and then falling to a trickle before the same nervous tension commands silence once more.

"Let us go back to your families and home. We have a lot to discuss." SilverCoffee let out a sigh of relief as he looked at the pilgrims all got up and started to walk away from the ruins. Lethe, the beast-woman that self-proclaimed herself as the first servant of Tesarion was still standing beside SilverCoffee, eager for whatever he's going to say next.

"Lethe... I wanted to know, how much do you know about The Lands of Fright, The Lord of Tesarion and the Neverborn." SilverCoffee asked. If he was to pose as one of their lord or god, he should know all of their cultures and religions.

Accidental double post. was meant to edit my post.

@Baraquiel

Lexus Dominiel was nodding along with Himitsu's sudden declaration that they were a religious band, united in their devotion, up until she said the name 'Beyonce', at which point Lexus Dominiel couldn't help but clench its fists in fury and indignation. How could Priestess Himitsu refer to any other than December as the 'One True God'? Lexus Dominiel had to keep reminding itself that this was a ruse, and that, as a goddess and a priestess, Himitsu out-ranked Lexus Dominiel. Still, Lexus Dominiel wondered if December would smite down Himitsu for her insolence. Then Lexus Dominiel began to sense a form of magic emanating from Lady Danielle, wondering if Danielle was going to use her mind-controlling magic in the first place, why did Himitsu even have to say such a thing?

They passed through the gates while the guards were still in a trance, though Lexus Dominiel's urge to smite Himitsu was slowly rising.

"Please, just don't try something like that again, I nearly had a heart attack."

As Danielle chided Himitsu, Lexus Dominiel's fury began to subside. It was a mistake, an error in judgment, and Lady December will forgive, Lexus Dominiel thought to itself. At that point, Lexus Dominiel's attention was drawn toward December.

December turned to Lexus Dominiel. Her eyes were clear and held a thoughtful gleam, while her thin brows were knitted together pensively.
"Lexus?" She unhooked her necklace and offered it to her servant. A smooth, black river stone etched with symbols of arcane power hung from it. "Could you take Akena with you to the temple?"
"She is always vulnerable immediately after manifesting, and where I'm going next isn't a safe place for her. I believe it would be better if she stays with you for now." She pinned Lexus with a urging stare. "Protect her."

Lexus Dominiel offered both its hands to accept its mission with solemnity. While angels were a perfect creation, they had no choice but to obey the Creator. Mortals on the other hand, were imperfect, but had free will. Thus, their choice to obey their creator was more beloved to their creator than an angel's unquestioning obedience. If a mortal chose to obey December, they were higher even, than angels. If a mortal chose to disobey December, they were accursed, and far beneath all of creation, worthy of eternal damnation. Akena, who Lexus Dominiel recalled from their time in the previous world, was December's mortal prophetess and friend, while Lexus Dominiel was merely a servant. Though Lexus Dominiel was December's first creation and perfect in a naive, theoretical sense, Akena was December's final creation, ultimate and complete, nuanced and subtle, capable of free will, like the gods themselves.

"I will protect her with every fiber of my being," Lexus Dominiel declared. Upon hearing that December wished to go to the Mage's Guild, rather than find lodging, Lexus Dominiel asked, "Shall I follow you to ascertain your place of lodging first, or shall I head straight to the temple until I am summoned?"

"I will protect her with every fiber of my being," Lexus Dominiel declared. Upon hearing that December wished to go to the Mage's Guild, rather than find lodging, Lexus Dominiel asked, "Shall I follow you to ascertain your place of lodging first, or shall I head straight to the temple until I am summoned?"

"As long as you keep Akena safe, you're free to do as you please, Lexus. Just don't cause trouble for the people here." She hesitated upon speaking those last few words. If she were honest with herself, she was more concerned about Lexus stirring up trouble than Himitsu. Its narrow view of the world was troublesome enough, that fact that December herself was the center of it only complicated matters further. While she appreciated his loyalty, she didn't enjoy having to choose her words carefully around the golem, and wouldn't mind a little bit of time apart.

"Once we find lodging, I'll come find you."
Keeping track of his whereabouts wouldn't be too hard. December was bonded with Akena in more ways than one. In YGGDRASIL, she could pull up the map and see where Akena and her heartstone were. Even though the map feature was now unavailable, she intuitively knew where they were at all times. It was just one of many strange things December had to acclimate to during their trip.

---

"My great-grandmother prophesied that a savior would come during my generation," she said with quivering lips. "We've awaited your return for centuries. Even I began to question my faith." Tears streamed down Lethe's cheeks as she struggled with a tumultuous roil of emotion, but her eyes held an implacable resolve.

"We can finally sing a song of victory!"

The others began rejoicing loudly. Every one of them began singing an upbeat tune which instilled any listener with an exuberant energy. As if having broken an invisible dam, magic filled the air, heavy and oppressive, but warm and inviting like a summer rain. Motes of golden light began to collect along the ground and float into the air, only to dissolve into the winds blowing overhead.

The performance was infectious.

The fog began to clear as the precession danced their way out of the ruins: every step, twist, and turn flawlessly coordinated to match the rhythm of the choir. Every blade of grass danced along with them; every stretch of vine pulsed to their music, and the diminutive streams held a faint amber glow.

"Let us go back to your families and home. We have a lot to discuss."

"Yes, Lord Kalduk!" Lethe brushed away her tears of joy and bent forward, quickly bowing to SilverCoffee in reverence. "Please forgive me! I've gotten carried away. I swear on my life that I will become the finest servant of Tesarion to have ever lived." She drew in a breath, trying to calm herself.

"Lethe... I wanted to know, how much do you know about The Lands of Fright, The Lord of Tesarion and the Neverborn." SilverCoffee asked. If he was to pose as one of their lord or god, he should know all of their cultures and religions.

Is... is this a test? Lethe almost ventured a direct look at her lord and savior when he broached such questions. I will not fail!

"We have done just as you bid and stayed true to our Blood Oath, keeping our history alive in dance, song and prose. The high priestess whom martyred herself at your altar to become the bridge between this world and the Lands of Fright is my honored ancestor. As the first servant of Tesarion, her blessing of divine knowledge resides in my heart now." Her hand unconsciously moved to cover her chest. "Only through blood rituals have we been able to preserve it."
Tears began to well in her eyes again as she boldly met SilverCoffee's gaze.
"I must confess I know only what the Lords taught my ancestor before they left to defeat the Neverborn, but the memories of our people flow through my blood. If it is your desire my Lord Kalduk, then I will offer my heart to you, so you may feast upon on it, drink my blood, and learn everything I know for yourself."
Lethe hesitated to speak. The words caught in her throat as a glimmer of fear raced behind her eyes. It was fleeting, and quickly replaced with a shining resolve.
"My duty is fulfilled in guiding you home. You have the power to call the other Lords of Tesarion, so the first servant is no longer needed. I would never presume to overstep my bounds and will gladly sacrifice myself for you."

@BurningDaisies@Stern Algorithm@IceHeart

It all happened so fast.

It was just as December asking us to accompany her to a magical guild or something when I blinked and suddenly I was floating in the sky. A sea of endless clouds floats beneath me and the sky was filled with the colors of the rising sun, or was it setting? I couldn't tell back then. That's when I heard a voice.

"Beyonce?"

I looked to my right and was surprised to see someone standing, well, floating next to me. It was like it just appeared out of thin air.



It's voice had a mix of masculinity and femininity to it, and it reverberates maybe due to the mask it's wearing. Only now did I realize that it wasn't even wearing a mask: it just had no face at all.

Still, even if I don't recall meeting it before, it seems to be like someone I've known deep down in my heart.

One thing I do notice is the huge amount of magical energy from it. An energy so pure and powerful, I've never felt it before during my time at this world.

"Hi, um, I'm sorry but do we know each other? Have we met before?"

It paused for a second, then faced me again. "I am quite hurt, but I do not really blame you. After all, it is very seldom that I appear before my believers." It bowed before saying, "I am the Sky God and I am very pleased to meet you, Himitsu."

Believers... oh. Oh. OOOOOOOOOOOH. Now this was the part where I was mentally screaming and freaking out in my head. You know that episode in Spongebob when a bunch of little Spongebobs inside his brain were panicking and throwing papers everywhere and everything was on fire? My mind is pretty much like that, because I am having a very hard time processing the fact that I was talking to my GOD. Like, the god that I'm supposed to be serving is TALKING TO ME AND IS JUST AT ARM'S LENGTH.

"Himitsu. Himitsu, are you all right?"

"Hm?" I must've looked stupid because my mouth was open the entire time and my eyes just glazed over. I wiped the saliva with my kimono. "I-I hum- I mean I-"

"At ease, dear one. I only have a few moments with you. This is something very important that I must discuss personally with you."

"My- my lord, what do you need?"

It crossed its arms at its back while looking to the horizon. "I am afraid that I must confirm your fears. Darkness is coming, and it is benevolent storm that will destroy everything in its path. I do not know when it will come nor the other gods would know as well, but it WILL come, and it will be the most devastating storm that ever existed in a thousand years. It is a storm of chaos and death."

I looked at the direction it was looking. Even though I can still see clouds going on and on, I getting the feeling that it is already looking at this "storm", watching it brewing and becoming stronger every minute.

"Forgive me for my seemingly disrespectful question, but are you... afraid of it?"

It went silent for a few minutes. When it spoke, it's voice was filled with melancholy. "It is not as much that I fear it for me, I fear it for the destruction that it might- no, would cause. The skies will be as black as a starless night, and the air will be filled with the sound of despair and sadness from those who are unfortunate enough to be caught within its unholy grasp."

"But the gods can defend us from this evil, right? Surely powerful and sentient beings such as yourself can put stop this storm and deafet it."

It faced me before answering. "It might be the most challenging foe the gods have ever encountered yet. Something as powerful as this requires not only the power of the gods but the aid of the world's inhabitants as well. And you, Himitsu, are one of the chosen who can help us defeat it."

I remembered the people behind us when we were trying to enter the city. The young and old, sick and healthy, human and demi-human, all smiling and having a great time from my silly antics despite the pain and loss they've endured before arriving where they are now. To picture them all experiencing grief a thousand times worse is very heartbreaking.

"No matter hard the task is or how powerful the enemy is, I swear as your priestess that I would fulfill my duty of purging the land of evil and protect the innocent at all costs. You will always have me at your beck and call, my lord. I would do my duty with pride and honor to the best of my abilities". Dang girl, I was feeling fierce!

But seriously, I meant what I said before. There is no way I'm letting that "storm" or whatever that is take away the smiles of the innocent.

The god seemed proud of me. "Well done, Himitsu. I knew you would not let me down. I made the right choice in approaching you. When the time will come that you would face this evil, you have my word that I will aid you with all my might and power."

"Thank you, my l-" I was buffeted by strong winds. The winds seemed to blow me away from the god. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't fly fast enough against it. "My lord! What's happening?!"

"It is all right, dear Himitsu. My time with you has come to an end and it is now time for you to return to your comrades. There will come a time that we would meet again, hopefully it would not be about the end of the world."

I fought hard against the winds. "P-please my lord! Just one more question: what do I call you?"

It chuckled. "I have been called many things during the past millennia. You can call me Abares. Until we meet again, my priestess."

I still don't understand what he meant, but before I can process what we were talking about, the winds finally had the best of me. They flew me away from the god, becoming smaller and smaller as the winds blow me away from him.

I blinked, and suddenly I was back at Brightwing with the gang. I don't know if they noticed something strange or different had happened about me. The experience seems surreal to me, but that's something to comprehend with later. Right now, my stomach is in command of my body.

I decide to tell the group about my meeting with the god Abares some other time. "Look if it was about the thing I did a while ago, I'm sorry and it won't happen again. You guys could've even danced with us, you party poopers. Right now I'm fine going anywhere with you guys as long as it has food and as much as I want to explore the place on my own, I'll definitely be eye candy thanks to how I look though I can't compete with your level, Danielle. Anyways, you guys lead the way."

Fighting like that was... annoying for Nyna, but it was the only option, due to the terrible terrain they were in right now. The other death hounds, after seeing what happened with the one she cut, immediately bolted in all directions, surrounding her, obviously trying to get her from multiple angles, evading her blade. It would be dangerous... She had to do something. Nyna wasn't a tank. In fact, she wore almost no armor. Her advantage was exactly on her mobility, which was currently taken away, due to the terrain. She could move the Lunar Edge very quickly, but the amount of enemies nearby would overwhelm her sooner or later. She had to do something.

Making the Lunar Edge spin rapidly around her, forming a ring, she continued attacking the enemies who got near her and at the same time, discouraging other enemies who wanted to get near her. But that would only work for so long. If they all jumped at her at the same time, surely one would be able to pass trough her blade.

"Get up on my shoulders. I have a plan!" Spooky said, interrupting her thoughts.
Nyna looked at him, for a bit, confused. But shortly after, she understood what he was trying to do. Due to the circumstances, it would undeniably be the best option.

But before she could answer him, she saw a small thing running towards her, while passing underneath the other skeletons. She was already assuming a posture, ready to kick it, but when it came closer to her, she was simply unable to touch that creature...
It wasn't just a simple rat. The disgusting thing was covered in pus and wounds...

With an audible gasp and a very disgusted expression, she immediately called the Lunar Edge. The blade came quickly flying towards her, almost like it was going to hit her but this time, it wasn't spinning. Nyna flew in the air with a powerful leap, passing inside the bladed ring as she did so, grabbing the weapon with her hand, landing on Spooky's shoulders shortly after. Her landing was surprisingly weightless, the speed and height she jumped, one would probably expect quite an impact, but she simply landed on his shoulders.

"What is that thing?!" Nyna said, with a disgusted expression, sitting on his shoulders, putting her arms around his neck and pressing her thighs against his helmet for a second.

"I-I'm sorry!" Nyna said, releasing her grasp on him.
"But it's not entirely my fault!! Look at that disgusting thing!! I Would kick it, but... EWW... Its simply too disgusting for me to even touch it..." Nyna said, throwing the ringed blade in the air, making it spin around Spooky, cutting any creature foolish enough to try to approach him.

"I'm sorry to be useless like that... Its only because my fighting style is mainly based on my mobility... And with all this mud around... It gets pretty hard to move, you know?" Nyna said, with an awkward smile.

"So... Any idea on how we will get away from all these creatures? I mean... We need to get somewhere before gets dark, right?"

@BurningDaisies @Thecrash20

---

The first signal that they were approaching the fort was the vision of a stone tower in the horizon with a long, silver banner on top of it.
Approaching the fort, it was quite an interesting sight to see. The fort itself was built into a craggy hillside, with some guard posts and barracks, with the only way in and out being a narrow gravel road. It was almost something out of the fantasy books she used to read.

Surrounding the fort, Yasha was able to see a lot of makeshift stalls, wagons and a surprising number of people coming and going. As Lessig has said earlier, they would probably be able to find a carriage going to Arcos from there, as it was an active trading post. And even if they didn't find one, she could simply use her magic to go there flying... Although it wouldn't be that discreet...

It took a few hours, but they were finally there. Surprisingly, nothing happened on the way. No bandits or animals, all in all, it was a pretty peaceful travel. LEssig was a good man, as it was evident after he started to talk cheerfully about his daughter, which was an adventurer herself, his life & etc.

Getting out of the wagon, she turned to Lessig.
"Lessig, It was a pleasure traveling with you. We are incredibly grateful for your kindness." Yasha said, bowing in a formal greeting.
Yasha raised her head just in the moment to see Selena running away on her own, stopping near one of the stalls nearby, and Senna going to a weapon merchant.

"She is... awfully energetic, isn't she?" Yasha thought to herself, with a discreet smile. Somehow, Selena made her remember of Nyna. She wondered what happened with her... Making a quick mental note on where Senna and Selena were, she dismissed those thoughts.

There were things to be done, and wondering about the past wasn't a good idea. With that though on her mind, she started walking around the fort. It was quite obvious that she was incredibly out of place there, especially due to her clothes, and the magic rifle on her hand. It wasn't surprising to see that she was drawing a lot of attention to herself, but Yasha wasn't that annoyed by it. She liked the style of those clothes. And being noted wasn't that bad. In fact, it could lead to some... interesting developments. Yasha walked with confidence and a noble like air. In fact, that wasn't part of the 'persona' she created a while before when she met Lessig, but she indeed did have that confident and regal air to her. The only big difference was that her words were much more sharper and venomous than the words she said to Lessig. Anyone talking to her 'real' self, would notice that she wasn't just a cute, naïve girl.

Instead of buying anything, or asking for information, Yasha simply kept walking around, analyzing both the people nearby and the stalls... Going after something she wasn't sure herself wasn't the best course of action right now. The opportunity to do something would surely present itself with time...

@Rune_Alchemist @Hammerman @Lugubrious

---

Selena soon discovered that she indeed had some coins in her skirt pocket. But oddly enough, they weren't there at all before she entered her hands into them. Hmm, could it be?

To test her theory, she dropped the coins she just took out back to the pocket. And sure enough, once they were there, the traces of their existence had all but disappeared. She couldn't feel any bumps on her pocket from the outside.

Yep, this is a magic pocket, all right!

She imagined that all her money were stored this way. So if she wanted, she could bring out piles of gold coins right now, though it'd probably take a while.

"One please!" Selena said cheerfully to the shopkeeper as she gave him her coins.

Just as she had expected. The food was indeed delicious.

Revenmar listened quietly as the Nobles and his God spoke to another. He felt he had done his part for the time being, at least for the satisfaction of Emile. The knight took the information and ingested it slowly, with much thought. The only thing he got out of the exchange was that a 'vulp' was in fact a fox. A beast man no doubt, and they were to to travel and meet a band head on before the town became taken over. An interesting predicament, and now one they had no choice but to help with. Revenmar felt himself growing impatient at the thought of battle. He hadn't had a good battle since the beholder and that was more of a slaughter, which didn't really count. He just hoped these foxmen would prove themselves worthy.

After they left, and Revenmar guided Emile through the crowd he found himself in the tavern with the fellows that had guided them to the town. They seemed like alright people but the comment about taking their helmets off made him send a quick glance at Emile before he laughed out loud. The Large knight took off his helmet to relieve the pressure from Emile and exposing his quite normal human face. He beckoned for some wine as well before talking out loud.

"Yes indeed my fine fellows, ol' Emile here is downright ugly! The ladies.. Well lets just say the helmet helps out a lot more then his face ever would. You should try it some time, works wonders, adds to that "mystery" appeal." He finished with a sip. The wine was awful.

Revenmar tried to play cool, but he was quite nervous. He had just insulted one of his Gods, something he should be killed for if anything but he believed it necessary to give some false information to get them thinking about other things then besides his face.

He listened again to the talk about a spy somewhere in the town. An odd thing, a human betraying his own kind? That wasn't a very human thing to do, now was it?

Eventually his train of thought was interrupted by Randy's observation. Much to his surprise, there was indeed a dagger sticking out between two of his plates on the side of his body. He hadn't felt it at all, and whoever had done it had gotten away unfortunately.

He yanked it out with little effort. There was no blood on it, he hadn't even been hurt such an insignificant toothpick. Still, it made him angry.

"No need for a healing spell my good man, it left not but a scratch. I'll be fine. However, if we ever find this spy... I'd like a few words with him." He finished on a darker tone before looking at the others.

@Lugubrious

@Thecrash20@13org


The two Undead groups came together as their targets became one. Because of Spooky's height, it was hard for any of the undead to reach the beast girl. The lunar blade spun around them at regular intervals, cutting down opponents of both flesh and bone. The creatures tried to gouge, gnaw, and stab the giant skeleton warrior, or just ignored him to try and reach the girl on top but Spooky easy smashed them to pieces when they came close.

The Death Hounds growled, sensing they had missed their chance for some choice meat as it was now high above them on the giant's shoulders. Still, two tried to attack from different angles. One got its timing wrong and was sliced through by a lunar blade, the other managed to try and tackle Spooky to the ground so the Undead could swarm them, but it was like hitting a brick wall and quickly enough that hound also met its end. Soon enough the Undead were starting to thin out, however new groups started to emerge from the mist, attracted to the sounds of battle.

Yes all the Undead were weak, but they made up for it in sheer numbers and the more low-level undead concentrated in one spot, the higher chance of stronger undead appearing increased exponentially. No doubt it had been a while since this section of the Katze Plains had been razed by adventurers trying to keep the Undead population in check.

"While you appear to be able to fend for yourselves allow me to assist you." A flat sounding voice, almost monotone, spoke up from nearby. A shrouded figure revealed itself and it hurled a flask full of a dark-colored solution. The flask smashed into the ground and strange vapors, with the smell of sulfur, engulfed the 'stacked' warriors. The smell was repugnant but the effects were immediate.

The nearby undead suddenly just lost all their interest in the two. Ignoring the many carcasses around them, the undead started to stumble about without purpose, their previous drive completely forgotten. Even the remaining two Death Hounds took one sniff, sneezed a few times, then scampered away into the fog.

The shrounded figure stepped forward, but made sure to keep out of range so as not to alarm them too much. The figure swept back the hood of its cloak to reveal an unknown man whose face was covered in dark paints of black, gray and brown, no doubt as a way to blend into the bleak surroundings. The figure also wore quite a few accessories, earrings, necklaces, bracelets and the like all fashioned from bone. The man looked like he might have been the shaman of some cannibal tribe removed from all society.

"Please do not be alarmed, though, if I may suggest that before the effects of anti-life detection potion wear off that you stay the night? If you decide to trek on regardless you will not doubt face a lot stronger and more numerous foes than before." The man stated that matter-of-factly without so much as a blink.

"Of course if you were not together I am sure this one would have no problem getting through." The strange man stared at Spooky, probably aware of his unique identity. The man did not give off a threatening atmosphere, but his appearance certainly didn't fill anyone with feelings of safety and warmth. He had not given them a name yet, no doubt waiting to see how they would respond.

---

@baraquiel@BurningDaisies@Stern Algorithm



Well, now that they were inside and away from the guard things would be a lot easier. The super loyal NPC, Lexus seemed eager to visit the nearest temple at the behest of his maker, as his fanatacism seemed to know no bounds, it was not hard to imagine something going wrong, course Lexus was not her NPC so Danielle was not about to do any babysitting. December seemed set on visiting the nearest magician's guild, if the city was anything like ones in YGGDRASIL then there was certain to be one and the information there would no doubt be useful to acquire.

"I've some business to attend to with the local Magician's Guild. They are the most likely ones to have the information I want. Did you two want to join me?" December asked Danielle and Himitsu.

Danielle was about to answer when something unexpected happened. Danielle's divinity noticed the presence of Abares when the god made contact with her. To anyone without a divine aura or the ability to detect such beings, nothing would appear out of the ordinary expect for maybe a person spacing out of a bit, but to Danielle the other god's aura felt abrasive and intrusive.

Danielle recoiled a little as she was able to 'hear' fragments of the other god's message to Himitsu but nearly as soon as the presence appeared it was gone. Still unsure of what had just happened, Danielle was still able to listen to Himitsu as she told them she would basically just follow them for now.

"Right, right the magician's guild sounds like a solid plan. But!" Danielle decided to strike an unnecessarily dramatic pose for good measure. "Before anything else happens I am finding the nearest clothing shop and getting myself some proper attire! You two can go there together first will I get a little shopping done, or can can come with me first if you like, but we'll meet up there regardless. If we're gonna be here for a while we better learn as much as you can."

Danielle nodded to herself and her npc servant spoke up. "Please leave all of the packages to me." He put a hand over his chest as a sign of complete respect and servitude. Danielle could not help but cringe on the inside.

"I doubt I'll need to do that much shopping...Well, time to butter up some shopkeepers if our money doesn't work here...I really hope I don't have to though." Danielle sighed, cracked her neck for good measure and proceeded to walk to the nearest market place.

---

Beastmen warriors of various types lounged, feasted, sparred, and basically did whatever the heck they wanted. Drunk on victory and full of fresh meat the beastmen warriors were quite lively and energized. Taroosa was merely the lastest town to fall to the strength of the beastmen. Fresh human meat was plenty and while they had dined quite heavily on their enemies, many of the people, especially the tender women, were caged as supplies and delicacies for further feasts.

For Xerchark Bonebreaker, he could not be content with the pitiful resistance the city had put up. It was clear by how easily its defenses were crushed that the Dragon Kingdom's armies had decided to abandon the town in order to conserve their forces. There had been no glorious kill, no champions to fight against, it had been a mere slaughter. Unlike many of the bother warriors who enjoyed the mere act of hunting down prey, for Xerchark Bonebreaker there was little point unless there was an opponent to enjoy battling against. Most humans he fought against just were too fragile to put up any real resistance.

He had heard of a great warrior from the Re-Estize Kingdom, one who was known as a warrior-captain amongst his people, Gazef. Now that was a warrior he wished to face in battle but in order to get there he would have to conquer the Dragon Kingdom first. There was little doubt they would be able to keep pressing into the Dragon Kingdom's territory but the closer they got to the capital, the stronger the defenses would become, he just hoped those defenses would actually prove a challenge.

Screams of pain out be heard from one of the alley ways which caused Xerchark Bonebreaker's ears to twitch. Annoyed, he walked into the alleyway to check the commotion. In it, he saw a hyena beastman biting into the flesh of a still alive woman, blood everywhere. The hyena snarled at the intruder, until he saw who it was and quickly changed his tune.

"This is my...oh! Champion Bonebreaker! If you desire a taste then please, be my guest!" The hyena cowered before Bonebreaker while offering the dying, screaming and gurgling woman to the champion.

Xerchark growled in response. "I only wish to dine on the flesh of the strongest of enemies, I have no desire to feast on the weak." To silence the commotion he crushed her chest beneath his heel, instantly killing her. "Now enjoy your spoils of war." He said spoils like it disgusted him and walked away, leaving the hyena behind with the fresh corpse.

There were rumors of an inside job with the enemy capital, so maybe it would not take too much longer for them to give the Dragon Kingdom the finishing blow. He just hoped it would not cause all of the strong opponents to leave, he had also yet to clash with the rumored adamantium adventurer team that had been thwarting some of their advances, that would be a glorious battle if he was ever given the opportunity.

@drewccapp@Spanner

---

"I-I said leave my bouncy - my Bosom out of this!" The dullahan stopped in her tracks, turning to face Cain as her face went red despite the chill in the area.

"Well, they are pretty comfortable." Tania snickered to herself, earning a swat on the head from the elf. Before her and Tania could get far, however, it seemed Vander had something to say on the matter. Lena frowned at his words. He suggested merely leaving? Inaction was just a great a sin as action itself at times, was it not? Lena didn't claim to be a saint, but she wasn't going to be leaving these poor people to suffer at the hands of some impish pixie...well. An Impish Pixie she didn't have a tight leash on, anyways.

"I agree...we've learned quite a bit from Rath." Lena replied with a small frown with a bit of color still in her cheeks. "It is true. We likely do appear quite odd to anyone around here. A pixie, an elf, and a human who can clearly travel these harsh conditions without any sort of difficulty isn't going to go unnoticed." Lena shook her head. "Mistrust is something I am not wholly unused too, but it is nothing I am unafraid of. All we need to do is show we are trustworthy and I am certain people will begin to see us that way." The elf replied, belief easy to hear in her words. If anything, she believed them. Whether or not the others would was another question entirely. "Either way, I can not in good conscience leave these people here at the mercy of whatever ails them."

"'Sides, I wanna meet another fairy. This good be a good chance for me to get some underlin-" Lena gave the fairy a sharp look. "...information about the fey of this world! Hah! Great recovery and no being used as a baseball!" Lena sighed, but said nothing.

"Either way, Lady Tania and I will be investigating this fairy problem regardless."

---

Cain couldn't help but chuckle at the elf's reaction, clearly taking quite the amusement out of the girl's excessively shy reaction. No need to say that he had to make even more effort to hold his laugh in the following second, as the ever-so-mischievous Tania took the opportunity to directly tease her subordinate once more - earning some physical punishment in the process.

Unfortunately, the devil didn't get to see yet another round of live Manzai performance. Before they could even start, Vander directly interrupted the small discussion to point some issues that they conveniently ignorared up till now, including his own conclusions about what Rath's reaction represented."He seemed more surprised about the fact that there are elfs that lacking trust for the race though..?" The devil briefly commented before Lena joined the talk to state her own thoughts about the situation -
demonstrating such a pure view that it almost seemed to overflow with innocent optimism - triggering Tania into voicing her own characteristically playful view of the situation - unsurprisingly making her subordinate somehow frustrated.

"Anyway, I don't see why should we care that much about their distaste for Fae or how harsh this small hike is supposed to be." Cain nonchalantly said, sleepily stretching his arms above his head as he continued his speech. "Tania can easily change her form to look like a weird elf loli anyway, so it's not like she has to be recognized as a fairy. Add that to a small ear changing illusion and we have a family of wandering elfs coming from a distant country. We can even make Vander act as our famous adventurer father that conveniently lost his badge while we travelled but still has top notch skills." He completed with a shrug, clearly not even a bit worried about the situation. After all, by what he could see this world clearly used the same level system as YYGDRASIL, what made them fairly above average if they also used the same system as the one used in YGGDRASIL's common NPCs to define the level of the inhabitants of this world, with their abilities pretty much matching that of an usual high tier adventurer or even surpassing most of them - though he still needed to meet some strong adventurer to confirm this, as the level cap in this world could be superior to 100.

"As for the money problem..." He unceremoniously opened his item box through a small gesture of his right hand, using it to fetch a single golden coin, rolling it across his knuckles. "Even if the coins of our "faraway kingdom" aren't the same, in the eyes of a merchant foreign gold is still gold." He finished with a grin, seemingly amused by his own declaration.

---

@Rune_Alchemist@drewccapp

A short, young boy wove in and out of the bustling crowds. A disheveled mop of thin chesnut-colored hair draped across his head. A stubborn whorl of hair jutted from behind his left ear and swayed every time he bobbed his head to and fro, inspecting the people and wares around him through large yellow eyes. Angular brown splotches were painted on both his cheeks, which were stuffed full of food. His plump cheeks and perpetually vacant expression, as if confused about where to go next, gave the strong impression of a squirrel.

He casually nibbled on a piece of bread as he flitted from one stall to another, wandering and exploring aimlessly like a curious child. With barely any room to maneuver, he bumped into several merchants and shoppers along the way. Most paid the youth no mind at all, but were quick to grumble irritably at his obvious lack of manners.

The boy stopped briefly by Selena, and eyed the food in the stall while a warm pastry bun still dangled from his mouth. His sharp eyes caught a glimpse of one of her coins disappearing into her pocket, and his gaze was fixed to it like a moth to a flame.

A furious shout rang out over the crowd. "Oi, that little rat robbed me blind!"
One of the middle-aged merchants was looking through the crowd at the boy. The man's face was beet red, as he continued bellowing. "Get back 'ere you little weasel! You don't steal from Ole' Gilfrey! I'll make mince meat out of you!"

The child whipped his to see where the shouts were coming from. His eyes held a feral glint as they narrowed at the merchant. His attention snapped back to Selena's pocket with the same wide-eyed wonder he had before. He looked up at her quizzically while gulping down the bread in enormous bites.

Gilfrey pushed through the crowd after the boy, passing by Yasha and blustering the whole way. The guards patrolling the adjacent thoroughfare perked up. Then, as if on cue, the boy leaped into the air and vaulted over the stall. His nimble feet hit the ground at a sprint.



December's nose twitched and wrinkled as it picked up a strange, yet warm and inviting scent around Himitsu. It smelled sweet but with an accent of burnt air, like pastries cooked by a short-circuiting toaster. Her senses told her she was smelling something similar to magic, which had the unique stench of burnt sugar, but this was somehow... different.

"Do you guys smell that too?" she asked absentmindedly, obviously distracted by some kind of scent in the air. "It's not a spell...but..."

The scent disappeared as Himitsu regained her lucidity. December looked at her curiously for a moment, and was about to ask what was going on, until Danielle stole her attention with an exaggerated pose.

"Right, right the magician's guild sounds like a solid plan. But!" Danielle decided to strike an unnecessarily dramatic pose for good measure. "Before anything else happens I am finding the nearest clothing shop and getting myself some proper attire! You two can go there together first will I get a little shopping done, or can can come with me first if you like, but we'll meet up there regardless. If we're gonna be here for a while we better learn as much as you can."

December recoiled internally at the thought of a former man going clothes shopping as a girl, but the feeling was colored with a twinge of guilt. She had already pawned Akena off onto Lexus, which was a questionable move to say the least, one which she felt ashamed about no matter how much she tried to justify it.
She knew she couldn't avoid her problems for long, but she would at least try to pick and choose which ones to deal with. Her conflicted feelings about meeting her long-time-surrogate-sister-turned-real-sister seemed so much more complicated than helping Danielle find new clothes, which was more appealing by comparison. December's imagination already running wild in the back of her mind with all the different ways she could screw up. Shopping and investigating the Magician's Guild were welcome distractions for the time being.

"You're right." She said after a nervous pause. "We should find you suitable clothes first. I couldn't tell you how many lecherous looks you've gotten just this morning." An impish grin played across her lips. "I stopped counting at 50."

---

"Oi, that little rat robbed me blind!"

Selena was brought out of her enjoyment of her food when she heard the loud shouting of the middle-aged man, who was surprisingly loud enough to beat the already loud noises of the market. She turned to look at the man, finding him really quite angry indeed as his face was terribly red.

"Get back 'ere you little weasel! You don't steal from Ole' Gilfrey! I'll make mince meat out of you!"

She then turned again to look at said "little weasel". It was just a boy, eating bread. And he seemed to be staring at her.

Before Selena could do anything, the kid suddenly darted and leaped over the stall. Selena had to admit, that was quite impressive, especially for a little kid. He must be running away as the angry man was now pushing and shoving his way towards their direction.

Hmm, should she interfere? Should she chase after the boy? It shouldn't be too hard with how she was now.

Well, he was a thief, and thieves were bad people. But he was just a boy. And the angry man could be mistaken.

"Well, I think I'll catch up with him, just to ask about his side of the story. And besides, it should be fun trying out the super speed and agility I have now," she said to herself with a smile, clasping her hands and tilting her head slightly.

And then, in a blink of an eye, she vanished.

The kid sprinted through the crowds skillfully, as if he had done this many times before. It didn't take him long until he escaped the market and into the alleyways. However, right as he turned in an intersection, he bumped into someone, making him lose his balance, stopping him in his tracks.

And now, in front of him was Selena, still smiling warmly.

"Hello. Mind if we have a little chat?" she asked, extending her hand towards him, bowing down a little thanks to their height difference.

@BurningDaisies