As the chorus grew more fervent, the stone around Lexus Dominiel's neck began to thrum with arcane power. Jolts of energy pulsed through him. A strange magic was at work and Akena's heartstone was reacting to it.

The pale, silvery light radiated from quickly increased in intensity, until the world around Lexus was dyed in its color. The floating specks of light swarmed like a cloud of fireflies and slowly coalesced into a delicate humanoid form. At last, Akena had awoken.

When she finally manifested in full, her deep amber eyes seemed hazy and she looked to be in a daze. "Lexus... Dominiel? Is that you?"

Yuan wanted to say something but decided to keep his distance, this event was no doubt something that would need to be reported back to the Slane Theocracy. Depending on what would happen there was a chance one of the Scriptures would have to get involved in the area. Still he could not help but say a little something not exactly right for a priest to say. "By the gods...magnificent."

The priest of the Dragonfather's Cathedral was the next to speak, this directly at Lexus and Akena. "Who are you to appear so brazenly in the house of the Dragonfather? Though if you are here to offer your respects then you are of course welcome in his presence." The rest of the congregation looked back at the newcomers unsure of how to respond to the sudden course of events while Yuan spied on from outside.

As Lexus Dominiel walked through the streets, it noted the contrast between rich and poor. While decorating the place of worship was a sign of devotion, it should never come at the cost of the destitute. If anything, what wealth the church collected should be like a tax, which should be spent on social programs to strengthen the infrastructure and to share prosperity. After all, through servitude to December, all mortals are equal. Lexus Dominiel saw corruption festering in the gulf between the opulent and the abandoned. It clenched its fists and ground its teeth, but remained true to its mission of non-interference; it would merely observe.

Entering the Dragonfather's Grand Cathedral, Lexus Dominiel took a few moments to listen to what was being said and absorb. Instead of crying, "Blasphemy!" Lexus considered the possibility that these people yet worshiped December; after all December was all-powerful and could take whatever form she chose, it should be a simple matter for her to appear to these mortals in the guise of a great dragon millennia ago and have this church established in her name. Perhaps these people were not too far from salvation, there was just the issue justice and equality. Lexus Dominiel did, however, note the several other houses of worship nearby, and wondered if the Dragonfather was actually December or one of the other six gods. After all, December was One. It didn't matter. A close inspection of their scriptures to discover which most aligned with the Word of December should resolve any doubts; a project that Lexus Dominiel would need subtlety and patience to fulfill. Of course, the best person to interpret these foreign scriptures would be the Prophetess Akena...



The heartstone began glowing suddenly, prompting Lexus Dominiel to quickly pull the necklace out from within its armor. Taking a knee, Lexus Dominiel held the necklace up, letting its radiance spill forth and coalesce into Akena's physical form. Looking up at her as she addressed the angel, Lexus Dominiel replied, "Yes, Prophetess, it is I. We have much to discuss, but for the moment, please take your time getting your bearings. Lady December is nearby, and I shall take you to her whenever you are ready."

As should be expected, they had drawn the attention of the churchgoers, interrupting their ritual. Looking around, Lexus Dominiel saw, with dismay, only looks of befuddlement and annoyance. Did these mortals not realize that they had just borne witness to a miracle? The coming of the prophetess Akena, December's Final Word given form? The Dragon priest addressed Lexus Dominiel and Akena rather rudely, but Lexus Dominiel remembered its promise to December. "W-we are b-but humble travelers..." Lexus Dominiel began, wholly unused to deception. Lexus Dominiel would enjoy watching this one's insides tear and compress as a micro-singularity rendered the priest into a point of black nothingness. Banishing the violent thought, Lexus Dominiel continued, "I am a pilgrim seeking to verify the truth. I will pay respect to your Dragonfather if this church can show me the truth. For now, I...apologize for the interruption." Inclining its head in a slight show of deference to the priest, Lexus turned its attention back to Akena. "We are...strangers in a strange land." Lexus Dominiel noted the Earth Priest nearby, who seemed to be expressing interest. Perhaps they could go to him for answers.

---

Selena could only watch in horror as Senna continued her rampage. She couldn't really interfere directly as she wasn't the direct fighter type. Back in the game, she rarely ever participated in PvP, and when she did, she mostly did it with players weaker than her. The effectiveness of her curse also relied on the difference between her level and the target's level after all. And without her curses being effective against her opponents, she couldn't really fight them head on.

But then, as she followed Senna from the distance, she found a sight that brought horror to her heart.

The kid... the kid from before was now standing in front of Senna, sword drawn. Selena didn't know where he got that sword but that didn't matter now.

Why, why didn't you run away, you idiot!

Thankfully, Selena didn't end him right away. Instead, she decided to have a little fun with him first, buying Selena time.

"Take a look, Yasha, Selena! Instead of hiding behind your stupid gimmicks get out here and fight already!"

The demonees now outright taunted her and Yasha, knowing that they had to come out to save the kid from her.

And then, she kicked the kid, sending him sprawling to the ground. It was nowhere her full power obviously since the kid was still alive after that, standing up and drawing his sword once more towards Senna.

...Selena couldn't take this anymore. She had to act, knowing full well that it would make her vulnerable.

And so Selena cast a curse that dimmed all the senses towards Senna. And the moment it connected, she ran and leaped right towards her, her dagger drawn. She intended to stab her right on the back of her neck full force. She couldn't give any lenience towards the demoness anymore.

@Rune_Alchemist

Akena took a long moment to ease out of the fog clouding her mind. When at last she sloughed off the last remnants of her slumber, she realized something was off. She stared at Lexus Dominiel in stunned silence. "I felt your presence, but... you're..." She struggled to find the words. When did Lexus adopt a humanoid form? What happened?

"Yes, Prophetess, it is I. We have much to discuss, but for the moment, please take your time getting your bearings. Lady December is nearby, and I shall take you to her whenever you are ready."

"My sister is here?!" She said excitedly. Akena spun on her heel to see if she was in the building only to be greeted by the sprawling temple complex. It seated over a hundred people in neatly organized rows, and all of them were looking at her so intensely, she could feel their gazes rake across her. The staring made her skin warm nervously and shiver with anxiety. When at last she noticed where she was, she let out a yelp of surprise.

"Who are you to appear so brazenly in the house of the Dragonfather? Though if you are here to offer your respects then you are of course welcome in his presence."

Akena was taken aback for the third time since waking up. She didn't know if she could stop time, but she was ready to try, so she could at least catch her breath. She darted behind Lexus, too scared to speak coherently. Lexus may be smaller now--for whatever reason--but he was still big and imposing enough to use as a wall to hide behind. She couldn't withstand the stares or the scrutiny for even a second longer.

She opened her mouth to speak finally, but Lexus Dominiel replied before she could.

Pilgrims? Dragonfather? What are they talking about?

She nervously tugged on Lexus, and quietly whispered so no one would hear. "I don't understand what's going on. Why do you look like that? Who are all these people? Why are they all staring? Don't they know is rude? And why is this temple not consecrated? There's no divine spark. It is a temple right? And who is this Dragonfather?" Her words came in a thoughtless rush as she desperately tried to grasp the situation.

"We are...strangers in a strange land."

"You should have told me that sooner!" She whispered angrily, trying not to shout. Her cheeks were already died a few shades of red. "I don't want to stay here anymore. Can we go? I want to see December!"

Seeing Lexus turn his attention to the Earth Priest outside, her gaze followed. She could his connection to some divine being, but couldn't pinpoint the source. The priest on stage, however, was a charlatan as far as Akena was concerned. He had not an ounce of divine magic and strange arcane energy flowed from him freely. "Why is the wizard at the pulpit and the priest outside the temple? Do they worship arcanists and magi here?"

Regardless, she recognized the Yuan's look was one of reverent awe rather than irritation or awkward curiosity. At first, Akena didn't understand why he wore such an expression, let alone why it seemed directed at her, but it quickly dawned on her. "I think he was overwhelmed by my aura. Should we talk to him? It may help him regain his senses."

Yasha watched as Senna left a trail of blood, corpses and destruction where she passed. Not even walls and buildings could stop her mad rage. Changing her bloody sword into a myriad of different weapons, the demoness seemed to enjoy killing innocent with the most varied, twisted and cruel means possible. She had already killed many... Who knows when she would stop...
If things continued like that, Senna would destroy the entire fort, leaving nothing but blood and bodies behind...

Sadly, Yasha's plan failed. The holy energy simply stopped above Senna, without affecting her at all. There was a barrier protecting her from Yasha's attacks. She knew that if she used stronger attacks, there was a big risk of collateral damage... But again... Did that really matter by now? Half of the fort was already bathed in blood, buildings in ruin, plunged in complete chaos... The last drop of Yasha's patience was gone after she watched what Senna did next...

A boy had approached her, with a sword in his hands... For Yasha's surprise, it was the same boy Selena was trying to talk to earlier, the one who stole from that other noisy merchant. By the way he held the sword, it was quite obvious that he didn't know how to wield it, yet he simply stood still in front of Senna.

"Run, foolish boy... Run..." Yasha said, as she aimed towards Senna. But it was useless... Senna knew she was watching, she was even mocking her, yelling at her and Selena... Only a second later, Yasha saw Senna dashing towards the boy, her sword, now only a simple sword, cutting the air in a cruel and powerful downwards slash. She was playing with the boy. She let him catch her blade on purpose, only to follow with a cruel kick, sending him to the ground. Even though, the boy still managed to pull himself to his feet, in an admirable act of courage, or in Yasha's opinion, foolishness...

There was no time to think... After the boy got up, Senna dashed towards him again. This time, she was going for the kill. Yasha knew that. She had already played with him, and he proved to not be 'capable' enough to entertain her, now she was done with him.
That was it... She couldn't stand still and watch. Even if she took some innocent lives, she had to deal with Senna...

"Thou who hath tarnisheth your hands with innocent blood, thy soul hath been marketh... Thy transgressions shall not go unpunished.
By the power of the Dark Sun, I shall hunteth the enemies of the Lords. Thy soul, body and sins shall be pierceth and purified by the light of the Dark Moon." Yasha said again, repeating the same prayer, but this time, she wouldn't hesitate. She had begun to cast the Living Magic Artillery Shell. This time, she wouldn't miss on purpose.

An incredible amount of magical energy started to concentrate on Yasha's location. Anyone who were sensitive to magic, would perceive that oppressive amount of mana in the air. It was Yasha's strongest spell, and it wasn't something to be scoffed at.
"You wanted me to attack you with everything I got, didn't you? Your wish has been granted, Senna..." Yasha said, as she aimed towards Senna.

Even with all of Yasha's calculations, there was a single variable that she forgot to include... Selena.
Apparently, Selena too was tired of seeing Senna murdering innocent people. She was obviously ready for battle, and was currently charging at Senna with a dagger on her hands.

"NO, NO, NO!! NOT NOW!!! SELENA, GET AWAY FROM SENNA, RIGHT NOW!" Yasha shouted, but she probably wouldn't hear her, given her distance from them. It was no use... She could not use strong attacks... The risk was too much... Not only for Selena, but it would probably ruin the entire place, killing anyone else that she could have saved...

But again... Wasn't Yasha's job simply to eliminate the sinners? She wasn't the one who saved others... She was just a blade. And a blade is only used to kill, never to save...

"Shit, shit!" She cursed. Now wasn't the time to let her 'human' mind speak... She had no time to think about the moral aspects of her tasks...

"If magical projectiles don't work... Lets see if your barrier can stop this..." Yasha said, firing towards Senna. That shell was different from the other ones. It was encased shells. A thin outer shell of crystalized magic, encasing a spell, on that case, pure holy energy.
The physical aspect of the shell would be enough to 'fool' the barrier, if it was simply an anti-magic barrier. Upon hitting her target, that thin shell would break, letting out the spell encased inside.

"In case that doesn't work..." Yasha said, shooting one more time. This time, it was a shell made of pure crystalized mana. Purely physical. Physical barriers or shields and armor wouldn't be enough to stop that bullet.

"I'm sorry, Senna. But I've had enough of your murderous rampage..." Yasha said, as she fired, once again, opening a hole on the clouds, letting behind a streak of pure mana, cutting the skies. This time, she didn't reposition. She simply looked directly towards Senna.

@Rune_Alchemist @Hammerman @BurningDaisies

~Senna~

@Hammerman@13org@BurningDaisies

---

Senna dashed towards the kid, aiming on ending him swiftly and quickly. What she had not accounted for though, was Selena's curses. They had worked just enough - just enough for the kid to have enough of a reaction time to avoid it. Her blade hit air, but caused the Demoness no confusion. Upon realizing what was happening and who was interfering and assuming what was likely about to happen, Senna managed to pivot towards Selena, the other girl practically tackling her with her dagger drawn. If Selena had any physical ability comparable to someone such as Senna, she might have been slightly concerned, but as it was? She simply grinned under her helmet

"GRRRAH!" The blade plunged into the side of Senna's neck but it seemed to do little to hinder the demoness. She grabbed Selena, grabbing her waist with one hand hard enough for the gauntlet to leave claw marks, and slamming her other fist into her stomach. With a feral growl she lifted Selena off the ground, slamming her full force into the ground. The kid at least had good senses to understand this would have been a good time to attack, but despite her dulled senses and weakened state her physical ability was far too much for the kid to handle still.

Faster than the kid could keep up with, her foot met his head, sending him stumbling backwards and causing him to drop his own blade.

"Tsk, I don't even need this, do I?" She laughed, knife still embedded in her neck as she turned towards the boy. "Ahaha, it hurts to laugh! How delightful!" She seemed oddly jovial about being injured. In fact, she seemed to even enjoy it just a bit. If they actually fought her seriously and were any good at physical combat they might actually pose a threat. Good thing they weren't, hmm? At least she had a very good, consistent method of regenerating that health, and she was far agile to believe Yasha could ever hope of hitting her if she was serious...and speaking of.

The demon lunged from her position towards the boy, causing the first shot of Yasha's to slam into the ground. The demon slammed into the boy, sending both of them falling to the ground. Damn, these dulled senses were actually fairly annoying, but at least she could still move at full speed. Just as the second shot was fired she rolled forwards onto her feet and stood up, holding the boy by the head - between her and the second bullet.

The bullet slammed right into his chest, barely grazing the side of her armor.

"...Whoops, silly me. How'd he get here?" Senna began laughing hysterically - but...it sounded just a bit odd. Almost as if there was some sort of pain mixed in with the laughter and not the physical sort. "AHA, yes yes! Glorious, isn't it! Aha!" She pulled the dagger out of neck, letting it clatter to the floor. "Tsk tsk, I almost forgot the little gift Selena gave me. Aha...well, it's a good thing I can make use of this little one before he bleeds out, hmm?"

She released his head...and impaled his chest on her sword.

"Delicious! Ah, it smells so sweet! So fresh! So young!" She slammed the boys corpse into the ground as tendrils of red traveled up the blade and her armor - healing the wound she had previously received from Selena. She stood up, stomping on the corpse of the boy, her foot crushing his head in an instant, determined to get as much blood out of it as she could out of it. "Heh, the blood! It sings so sweetly and smells so...intoxicating. Ah, I need more..."

"Haha_hahahahahaha... Profane Auras, Deathwind... Unholy Strikes"

Her sword lashed out, batting a number of arrows out of the air even as a similar amount bounced off of her armour. The conjured blades, however, were more effective and caused a moderate amount of damage. Kallahar shrugged it off and once again aimed at the distant archers.

"Duskwave."

Necrotic energy projected out from her hand. Plants, insects and hiden animals died in it's wake, as did the pair of foxmen. Kallahar felt renewed as their life entered her body. The remaining clones would have felt the unholy wind pushing against them more strongly as the range decreased.

"Had you only attacked me I would have held true to our deal, perhaps not even using any magic. Leanore, chase down the rest."

Her blade lashed out horizontally even as more blades found her body. Two of the copies exploded but that too was almost unnoticed. The power of each strike dealt enough damage to easily heal what damage had been dealt.

Revenmar listened intently to the the two men talk. Morderik was a small man, clothed in white and almost looked a bit like a rat creature. Revenmar supposed not all humans were born beautiful. Why, by his standards, he was a bit average in the face. His build was another matter entirely, seeing as he stood several feet over many of the humans in Mess Hall. He felt a little out of place, but still relieved that he wasn't the only one of his kind in the new world. He would have hated to have been the only one in a sea of Gods and beasts.

So the carving enough, believe it or not, was just a carving knife and nothing special. As suspect, he'd still keep the damn thing though. They walked back to the kitchen and he saw the motley crew of chefs working on meals for the hungry folk outside. The woman and child were intriguing, they looked at him so quickly then both turned away. Were they scared of him? Or was it something else entirely? The old men were also suspicious but what really caught his attention was the fact that two of the workers were missing, and one had left when he had arrived.

Effin whispered to him at that time and Revenmar already had somewhat of a plan. He'd have to talk to Markris and Setheo first before putting it into effect however. He looked down at Effin and whispered, "No one leaves until I'm done." Not much of a request but more of a command, he hoped the man would agree with him.

He walked over to the counter where Markris and Setheo stood. He looked at the knives in the hands and pointed at the empty whole where the third knife should set.

First, He spoke aloud for Morderik to hear, "Morderik, you mentioned someone was here before you came to talk with us, who was it?"

Then in a very intimidating voice he said to Markris and Setheo, "You boys wouldn't happen to know where that knife ran off too now?" His hand was on his sword to add to his sense of urgency.

@baraquiel@BurningDaisies

"I can read it." She added finally. "I bought the ability a long time ago to help a friend."

She glanced at the cherry wood sign above. "'Knowledge is the eye of desire and can become the pilot of the soul.'" Her eyes shifted to the small print listed below it. "Magician's Guild... Brightwing Main Branch."

"We're in the right place at least. The library they maintain here could help us find out what happened."

Having someone with a translation device would be very helpful and would save them a lot of time and effort. Depending on how long they had to stay they might have to actually try and learn the language one day but for now there were much more pressing matters such as fingering out just where here actually was.

They went inside and made their way to the front desk. The receptionist was a rather fashionable young lady with a red bare shoulders dress and a ruby set necklace. She was fresh faced and had no doubt been hired as more of the greeting face of the place than someone who actually understood the arcane arts. Standing off to the side was a more, wizardly gentleman who would step in if the guests asked about more magical details.

The woman flashed them a bright smile yet, one could tell she felt inadequate in comparison to the outrageous beauties that were approaching her, she also took more than a few glances at Danielle's servant who thankfully now was more properly attired in a formal suit, but his dark skin certainly made him stand out. "Welcome to the one and only Brightwing Magician's Guild! How may I help you today?"

Danielle flashed her pearly whites as she slid up to the front desk. More than a few interesting glances went their way despite the fact that fit in better, but they were in avatar bodies so their appearances still made them stand out quite a bit. At least the gawking at been curbed quite a bit since their clothing run.

"Why yes you can most certainly help us. A magician's guild has to have a library or an archive correct? I was hoping we could take a look at the historical section in particular and perhaps some maps as well? As you can no doubt tell I am a foreigner to these parts and would quite enjoy the opportunity to learn as much as I can about the land and its rich history." Danielle decided to just go ahead and admit she was a foreigner, it would help explain her unique currency as well as her skin color which did not seem to be very common among the general population.

"But of course madam. You may access the public archives near the back; however the majority of the archives is reserved for members only as they contain magical tombs and information for mages eyes only. We wouldn't want anyone unknowningly putting themselves in danger after all."

Danielle somewhat doubted there would be all that much danger to them, but it was a different world so who knew what could happen? Danielle convinced them to have a staff member show them the way to the desired section and soon they were off. Danielle had to admit though that like Himitsu, she was getting a bit peckish and for some reason some of the people in the area were looking quite tasty.

Danielle shuddered a bit inside as she realized this was probably going to be normal now that she was technically a monster though, even one that could pretend to be human pretty easily. The urge to sink her fangs into their necks and pump them full of venom was actually quite strong, she was also getting the urge to release her monsterous form for some reason so she could stretch out her tail/body.

The aide pointed them to a set of book shelves labeled, presumably, history, pointed to a section with some maps, and then left them to their own devices.

"Well the books ain't gonna read themselves, however I can't read them without a translation device..." Danielle thought about borrowing December's item but then her servant spoke up.

"My Mistress, if you would allow me to read them for you, you can just tell me what to look for and I will find what you seek."

"Oh! Well I completely forgot that as a servant character I gave you quite a bit of useful academic type abilities. Funny that it would come in handy like this." Her servant didn't seem to understand what she meant by character, but soon he was sorting through the books trying to find relevant material to their situation.

---

In a row next to their's was a somewhat tense looking man who appeared to be desperately searching for some specific information. The section he was looking at dealt with the city's underground, in particular the sewer system and history involved. He did not seem to have found what he was searching for yet. "Ugh, if I don't find something useful soon they'll be done for. There must be something here that will give me a clue and prove useful to them."

Already a sizable pile of books were at this feet, which had proven to be fruitless so far. Time was running out and he didn't have much time left.

The metallic jingle of the doorbell rang cheerfully as Rath exited the courier's station. The snow-capped building standing behind him was nice, warm place for messengers and couriers to take a much needed respite after hours of horse-riding. Its rustic, wooden features were a common style in the Giant Downs, which itself was littered with small cabin and hunting lodges.
The cold air pooling at the foot of the mountain nipped at Rath's nose. Instead of feeling sluggish and half-frozen, he was bursting with energy. His muscles twitched, ready to jump into action.

With his steed's reign in hand, he sauntered off towards the road. A phantom wind whipped the snow into a flurry behind him, obscuring his figure. A small pixie alighted on his shoulder. Her butterfly wings were of made of boreal fire which burned coldly against his skin.

"Imogen! What a pleasant surprise!" Rath breathed happily. His breath making puffs of steam in the frigid air.

"You can't prance around as a human forever, Rath. If you don't pick a side soon, one will be picked for you." Imogen's sweet and soft voice contrasted darkly with her harsh tone, but it held a trace of concern as well.

"Hahaha! A pleasure as always!" He said without an ounce of sarcasm. "But you know, I find this whole war business so tiring. Factions, politics, intrigue... They're all wasted on me. I'm much better suited to being out here with these blissfully ignorant humans. Who else will deliver their mail?"

The pixie stared at him flatly. "Is that something the Winter Knight should be saying?"

"You should know a knight does not exist without the trust of a queen. And we have no queen. So I couldn't possibly be a knight!" He smiled impishly, letting the angry flutter of Imogen's wings bat his hair.

The pixie darted up and hovered directly in front of Rath. Her tiny features were twisted in anger, and her wings flared. A thin veil of ice crystals began to spread across his face. "Rath, you idiot! I didn't come here to be patronized--least of all by you! I came to warn you!"

Rath looked at her wistfully and sighed. He seemed lonely despite the company. "You're here to tell me the frost boggarts and weirds are hunting me, and that you put yourself at risk to do it. No?"

All the tension pixie's face disappeared in a second, clearly dumbfounded by what she had heard.

"I guessed as much." Rath brushed past her with a smile. "It's nice to know I still have friends who worry about me. I don't have many of those left."

Another burst of wind cut between the two bringing a wall of snow with it. He and his horse disappeared behind it.

"Stay safe, Imogen." Rath called back. The rhythmic thud of hooves against the ground trailed in the wake of his voice.

---

The labyrinthian trails that skirted around and through the Frostfell mountains were often little more than narrow ledges overlooking a deadly drop or blocked altogether by a recent avalanche or blizzard. Some trails were natural, worn down by the trickle of a spring-time thaw, others were clearly carved out of the rock and ice to accommodate travellers.

The shallow chasm that Whiteside occupied narrowed into a single path north which eventually forked. The northeast trail lead towards severe glaciers which clawed into the tallest peaks; biting winds howled around them and covered them in an obscuring white fog. Even a bystander in Whiteside could see the path was blatantly treacherous. The northwest trail was marked by a sign whose letters had been destroyed by encroaching ice and erosion. It read To ky V e. The several feet of snow that covered the path suggested it was a road seldom traveled.

Mahon's parting advice indicated the fae preferred the windy peaks, but were all too happy to plague travelers anywhere in the Frostfell if they felt so inclined. He also hinted at some kind of territorial dispute between Wendigo tribes that he and the other residents of Whiteside would rather not be party to. It was dangerous enough to live in the north without malicious fae and cannibalistic shapeshifters complicating matters.

Yasha stood still, unable to move after the scene before her. Senna was literally playing with the boy. Yasha could only watch and hear the boy's screams of pain and agony as the demoness had her fun... She was still lost on her own moral dilemmas... On her own internal conflicts... She had to kill Senna, she had to eliminate her, but she didn't want to do so... after all, she was basically in the same situation she was. She was once a human... Was ok for her to attack her seriously? It was obvious that if she wasn't serious, she would never hit her... but still...

But time was something Yasha did not have, and she was forcefully yanked out of her own thoughts and conflicts after Selena plunged her dagger on the demoness' neck and was punched and thrown into the ground as it was nothing. To make things worse, she just realized one thing... Her shot had just hit the boy...

Yasha watched, speechless as Senna mocked her, impaling the boy's lifeless body on her own sword, absorbing his blood and using it to heal herself. After that, something inside Yasha clicked...

It was her fault... All that was her fault. Innocent lives lost because she hesitated for something as superfluous and dumb as 'friendship'... Human? No... She was not human anymore... Nor was Senna. On that world, there was no such thing... It was to kill or to be killed. As she watched the boy's blood being absorbed by the demoness, and Selena unconscious on the ground, the few remaining thoughts that could be considered 'common sense' on the real world just snapped.

She was not Akane Hikawa... On that world, where the borders between roleplaying and real life were blurred and twisted, she was Yasha, a Blade of the Darkmoon, and Senna was her mark. She would not hesitate... not anymore. No guilt, no mercy, no kindness... The only thing that should stand between her and her target was her rifle. There would be no emotions when pulling the trigger, only her cold, calculating stare.

"Die. Perish. Your sins are unforgivable." Yasha said with a shaky voice, with her hand in a closed fist so hard that her own nails were piercing her skin, letting out a small drop of blood run down her closed fist.

After a few seconds, she held her rifle, aiming directly to Senna, conjuring her strongest skill once more. But this time... there was something different with her eyes and the magic flow around her...

"WITNESS TRUE POWER! PERISH UNDER THE LIGHT OF THE DARKMOON!" Yasha shouted, loud enough for Senna to hear, as a frightening amount of magical energy emanated from her, dissipating even the clouds near her. She wasn't trying to hide her presence. She wanted Senna to look at her. She wanted to look directly into the demoness' eyes as she shot her.

She didn't care about collateral damage... Not anymore. In order to eliminate her target, everything was fair game... Even killing some innocent bystanders. Blood should be paid with blood.

"Lets see if she will be able to survive this..." She thought to herself, with her eyes wide opened as she looked directly to Senna, and not to the screens surrounding her. It was a terrifying sight... Numbers flying around her as the magical screens showed an incredible amount of calculations being made, data & etc. Behind all those numbers, you could see her eyes. She wasn't even blinking, she was staring fixedly at Senna, her eyes had no emotion, not even anger.

The shell she was firing was no other than the Living Magic Artillery Shell, modified by the Requiem Aeternam to shoot an encased shell. Under its thin, crystallized mana shell, there was raw, pure destructive mana. She didn't use elements or spells. It was simple and incredibly effective. The projectile cut the air leaving behind a chaotic streak of mana, sparkling and letting out bolts of blue energy. But differently from the other shots, this streak wasn't fading after a while, instead remaining on the air for a while, almost like the own sky was bleeding.

Upon hitting the ground or its target, it would cause a huge magical explosion. Collateral damage was inevitable.

@Rune_Alchemist @Hammerman @BurningDaisies

---

At first, Selena was overjoyed that her attack landed.

But then, right away, she realized that it did practically nothing to the demoness.

She couldn't do anything when Senna grabbed her on her waist. She was no frontline fighter and she also had a lower level than her. Selena let out a pained "Gah!" when Senna punched her in the stomach. She screamed once again when Senna threw her down to the ground.

Selena could feel her consciousness fading. She couldn't even muster the strength to lift her face from the ground. She could only hear Senna continuing her mad boasting. Only when she heard the scream of the boy when Yasha's bullet hit him she raised her face. Her look was one of pure anger. Anger at the demoness.

Her hand and arm shook as she tried to reach for her knife, who had fallen just a little away from her. She crawled slowly towards it. But she was too late as soon after, Senna stabbed the boy with his own sword, absorbing his blood to heal herself.

Selena snapped. She no longer thought about anything else other than to put this demoness down.

She leaped towards her knife, turned 180 degrees and leaped at Senna with her knife aiming at her. Her eyes were blank. Her entire body was enveloped with calm anger. The moment her knife landed once more on Senna's skin, she activated her ultimate curse skill. The Touch of Black Plague. Now, Senna would be assaulted with all sorts of status effects and debuffs imaginable. She would feel sick and nauseous, her head dizzy and her sight foggy.

She would've continued her assault if not for her sensing Yasha's incoming attack. She smiled when she knew that Yasha wasn't holding back any longer either. So, she quickly ran away from the demoness, wanting to get out of the collateral range of her spell as far as possible.

@13org@Rune_Alchemist

@drewccapp@Spanner@BurningDaisies@GrafRoy Zeppeli

---

Well, it seemed like Betram wasn't wise to the trickery by Tania and the coins. She really would have to find a way to repay them later. There was no helping it, but she still felt bad about it. At any rate, they should discuss how they should deal with the fae on the way there. As much as she wanted to stay in the warm lodge, staying there any longer than needed might prove troublesome. So with Tania and the others, she left the lodge following Maohn's advice. Tania was glad to be able to go back to her usual fairy size.

"So...not needed but not untrue." Tania commented.

"...huh?"

"You said the last part was not needed, but not untrue. Soooo, does that mean you are good at those things? I mean, I created you so I know for a-...h-hey, what's with that look?" Lena sighed, giving Tania a small smile. "E-eh? L-lena?" In her other hand was clear glass jar. It seemed like it was a usual part of her inventory for whatever reason. Upon seeing it, Tania immediately froze. "G-gah! N-no! I'm sorry! Not the jar! I'll be a good little pixie-gah!" Before she could escape, Lena scooped the fairy up in the jar and put a lid with holes over the jar.

"Lets continue, shall we?" She replied all too cheerfully, tying the jar to her waist before donning her silver helmet.

"Awww..." Tania sniffled from inside the jar, sitting with her arms on her knees and poking the glass floor dejectedly. "Lena hates mmeeeeee..." The trip into the Frostfell would be a cold one, if the advice and directions she got from Maohn meant anything. The maze like paths were not only many, but often difficult to traverse, especially for a heavily armored dullahan with a shield as big as a human. Many paths were often blocked by avalanches or other difficult to travel terrain. To say travel was going to be difficult - even along the man made trails - was an understatement.

Eventually the group reached the fork in the road, the northeastern trail leading to what looked like tall, windy, peaks in the distance, and the northwest trail seemed to lead to a city of some sort, but the sign was too deteriorated to read it completely.

"So what do you think?" Lena turned to her companions. "Mhm. Maohn said the Fae prefer the windy peaks, so it would likely be easiest to find them there...but the dispute with the Wendigo tribes he mentioned also concerns me somewhat. It would be reckless to involve ourselves in something like that and potentially endanger the village." She paused for a moment before continuing. "If they do prefer the peaks, it would be best to travel towards the glaciers, then, though I suppose we could also chance the less seldom traveled road here. Either road will...not exactly be the easiest to travel."

Tania was mostly still pouting inside of the jar, dejectedly doodling in the air with her illusion magic.

~Senna~

@Hammerman@13org@BurningDaisies

---

Before she could do much else, Selena leaped for the knife she had lost. Not that Senna tried to stop her no - it'd be much more entertaining to see what she could do with it instead of depriving her of it. She was confident Selena couldn't majorly harm her in any way. She could easily just regenerate whatever damage was done to her easily enough, so long as she had enough blood to do so. So when Selena pulled a near 180 after leaping for the dagger, It struck her flesh again, her reaction time still somewhat dulled, the knife impaling the back of her hand.

Unfortunately for Selena, any purely physical ailments - even if they were induced by curses - wouldn't exactly work so well on her. It was more accurate to say she could still feel them, and they were there, but they simply didn't effect her. Or rather, she could ignore any negative effects brought on by physical debuffs that directly related to her ability to fight. Even the more mentally aligned effects would fall in effectiveness up by at least half - it was a skill designed to ensure one could fight up to full effectiveness no matter what the circumstances.

"WITNESS TRUE POWER! PERISH UNDER THE LIGHT OF THE DARKMOON!"

Heh.

She heard Yasha before she cast her spell. Fool, if you wanted to sneak attack someone you don't shout it to the heavens. As she fired the spell, she didn't even make a move to dodge it. Hubris? No, she just wanted to taste what the spell could do to her for future reference. Even if it did enough damage to kill her, it wouldn't. Even so, it'd be foolish to try and take the full force of the impact. Besides, now that both of her targets were out of reach - in her rage addled state she defaulted to the next nearest group of victims. She didn't care for foes she couldn't reach at the moment. All Yasha was doing was just pissing her off more. Besides, she was going to take damage from this, no doubt about it. She needed fresh blood.

So she bolted, leaping to the roof of one of the nearby buildings, the curses Selena used only slowing her down a marginal amount. She leaped from one roof to another as the shell came whistling through the air towards the area. As fast as Senna naturally was, it would have been difficult for even a trained marksman to hit her with any degree of accuracy, but she supposed if you didn't need accuracy that wasn't much of an issue, was it?

She was almost at the ramparts of the castle now.

And then there was an explosion of pure, magical energy slamming into the ground, a much more powerful explosion than she had expected - but nothing she couldn't handle. If Yasha was expected screams, no, all she'd hear was laughter as the explosion leveled the entire area. Senna seemed to almost ignore it entirely as even the blast from the explosion didn't seem to stun, knock her off her feet, or even hinder her speed. She could feel the blast of magic burning her back - her tail might have gotten a little singed, almost. The building she was standing on crumbled under the explosion, sending pieces of it flying in every direction.

Even so, as spectacular as it was, it lasted only a moment, and when it was done, there was nothing more than a large crater where there was once buildings and people.

And Senna? She was at the ramparts to the fort, now. She leaped from the flying piece of rubble, powerful inhuman muscles launching her further and higher than humanly possible. She landed on top of The ramparts in a rather graceful manner as the rage she was feeling started to subside, if only slightly. Only enough for her to quell the unthinking rage.

She sheathed Bloodlust before turning and facing Yasha.

"You're...going to have to try a little harder than that, Yasha!" She laughed. "It's like your not even trying! You're not going to please a lady by just half-assing it, you know!" Before Yasha could properly reply, Senna turned to face a group of soldiers that had been both stunned by the explosion and sudden appearance of a demon in front of them. Before they had time to recover, Senna dashed towards them, tearing into them with only her fists in an impressive display of both acrobatics and agility. Any damage she had taken from the blast, was quickly being replenished as she made her way down towards the main part of the fort, intent on further slaughter.

To say that no mind is purged of fear is to lie; it is what one does when terror weighs on them that determines one's fate



Revenmar's request garnered a nod from Effin, who crossed his arms in anticipation of watching the silver knight at work. He strode over toward the butcher duo, each heavy, armored step creating a sound intimidating in itself, and before he'd even reached them the pair had abandoned their current tasks to stand facing Revenmar as attentively as they could. When he stopped, there was a moment of absolute silence. The change in Revenmar's bearing told everyone present that he was on the hunt for someone, and not a soul in the kitchen dared display any kind of disrespect, lest they be targeted. This feeling only deepened for the two old men the ominous and immaculate newcomer approached when he spoke, not to them, but to the cookmaster he'd left behind. Morderik, feeling the pressure himself, hurried to answer, but before he could say a thing Revenmar interrupted him to address the butchers himself. Of course, this left Morderik worried. People of his caliber, lowborn but used to the haughty and even tyrannical ways of most lords, knew too well some of the ways smallfolk could be taken advantage of in even mundane social interactions. If this knight asked a question but did not permit him to answer, he could accuse him of all manner of things, no matter how unfair.

At this point, however, the tensions and concerns in the background had fallen out of relevance for Markris and Setheo. Their hearts, wizened over the years like their owners, pounded for the first time in decades to hear the edge in Revenmar's voice and to see the hand upon the hilt of his sword. They hadn't the slightest idea why this person, obviously a man of authority, had appeared and singled them out for hard words and threats. Setheo, distinguishable from his friend by the bandanna on his head and his longer whiskers, tried to respond but found himself paralyzed. Instead, he almost gagged on his own saliva. Meanwhile, Markris tried to control his breathing. His nerves were going haywire, and it felt as though his lungs were wrapped in chains. It was he who managed to construe a reply to Revenmar's inquiry.

“M-milord, I wasn't p-payin' much attention, but ch-chances are, Angenny took it when she went to d-deliver Count Niklas 'n Count Ingvar their lunch.” He looked around the room, trying to find support, but everyone else turned their eyes away when his drew too close. If Markris was implicated in something, none of them were interesting in being dragged along beside him. The old man knew he needed to deflect suspicion somehow, and luckily a truthful redirection lay right in front of him. “Uh, t'answer your other question, s-sir, 'Genny was here a minute ago, jus' left in fact.” His voice had grown a touch steadier, but the throb of his heart made his fear all too apparent.



Fleet-footed as they were, the beastmen archers stood no chance to evade the deathly blast aimed at them. Their stolen life, however, flew not toward its taker, but toward Lenore; noxious red and yellow fumes eked from her skin as her passive skill Blood-starved sucked it up. If the clones Kallahar destroyed harbored and life energy to give, as doubles made of force magic seldom did, the meat maiden would have unwittingly devoured those too. In any case, she did not appear aware of what she'd done. Her focus lay on the ground, shame and guilt visible in her slouch and on her face as the foxmen who had rallied their courage to challenge her fled, shrieking and scattered, into the underbrush. The horrific sight of two of their kin mutated into fleshy abominations broke what resolve they'd drummed up, but it left the one who'd committed that act shaken too.

What I just did was twisted, she thought, clutching her staff with whitened knuckles. I can't do that, even to enemies. Whether this whole crazy thing is real or not, it's not just a game anymore. It's just like Batman: it's not what's inside that really matters, but what I do with it. If I'm gonna be a good person, I have to find other ways to beat enemies.

'Enemies' did not quite describe the situation that faced the death knight and the flesh smith now, however. The only foe that remained was Rorryln—three of her, to be precise. Though her muzzle and face proved difficult to read in terms of human emotion, particularly as she dashed around to attack, there could be little doubt about the grimness of her bearing. Even a handful of second of fighting told her that this skirmish would be her end. All that stood between the vixen and a painful demise or worse were two force fakes and her agility, but neither would hold out for long. Her natural cunning, so powerful a tool under normal circumstances, was of no avail when her head was spinning in barely-concealed despair. The only possible advantage she could perceive was that the second of the two unholy beings before her seemed somewhat reluctant for reasons Rorryln couldn't begin to fathom, but when the first demonstrated the power not just to slaughter her fellow foxmen but to do so with offhanded ease, the fleshy one's hesitation mattered naught.

There was a shadow of a chance that the vixen could escape, since her double were spread out enough that the death knight might not catch all three if they turned and ran, but Rorryln retained very little in the way of hope. If she was going to die, it might as well be with some honor. “Thou art powerful beyond my reckoning,” the three gasped as one, before gritting their teeth and steeling themselves. “...But I will not die a coward. Phantom attack!” At the incantation, the three shot straight toward Kallahar at the same time. A bright blue magic aura surrounded them, and they turned intangible for a split second to perform slashes that carried them through their target. In midair, each summoned a rune beneath her feet and used it as a springboard to leap back toward the center. A meter above the death knight, the trio crashed together and recombined into a single fox whose kukri burned with great force. “My all is thine!” she cried, and with all the resolve she had left she dove with her weapon held horizontally. Its empowered blade cleaved the air, and like a flying guillotine it fell toward Kallahar's head. “Kyaaaaaah!”

So Angenny was the suspect's name. Good, he had gotten the answer he needed, and this mystery person now had a name. She even seemed the most likely person at the moment, everything just seemed to be falling into place. Perhaps it was a stroke of luck. Or perhaps it was something else entirely? Only one way to find out.

He noticed that his presence had worked to benefit him by getting the answers he needed but at the same time it looked like he had frightened the poor men, and the other people in the room, something terrible. It was good to be intimidating, when the time called for it, but now was the time for reassurance and applause. These were fine people, but people liked to talk about anything and everything and Revenmar needed to make a good impression both ways.

The looming knight visibly relaxed, and took his hand off his sword. His tone also changed, becoming more pleasant and non-aggressive. Maybe even a little inspirational.

"Very good. Very good indeed. I thank you both, Markris, Setheo- You have done me a great service and one that shan't be forgotten. Whether you want to believe it or not, there is a spy loose in this camp, and you might have just given me the clue to finding them. Take pride in that!" Revenmar then turned around to face Effin and the others. "Let us depart at once and leave these fine folk to their jobs. For without them, this town and its people, will not have food in their bellies! Come Effin, come Morderik, for we still have use for you. Let us go find this Angenny."

With that said, he left the room and waited for Morderik and Effin. For he did not know what the girl looked like, and needed their assistance in the matter.

@Lugubrious

@Spanner@BurningDaisies@GrafRoy Zeppeli

As they struck the deal and made their way back outside and to the outskirts of the village, Vander had some time to cool down. He felt glad that things never escalated to a point where a violent outburst happened. It was clear that Vrymain's temper could result in a breakdown in the group's efficiency and teamwork, and Cain's high-and-mighty attitude left him uneasy. He felt the need to figure a way to resolve any issues between the members of the group, himself included, so they could survive together in this new world.

He found the interaction between Tania and Lena more than amusing. He was fairly surprised when Lena produced a jar and then swiftly put Tania in a time out. He imagined their antics might be enough to break some of the tension within the team.

"Perhaps we can handle both?" Vander suggested. "I prefer starting by dealing with the Fae before managing the Wendigo situation. Although, I could just as easily scout out each situation before we come to a decision." He looked at Cain and Vyrmain with an inquisitive expression. "What do you two prefer?"

oops

As titans clashed and exacted a terrible toll on their surroundings, their magic mingled and recoiled against the stream of raw natural power coursing through the battlefield. Hidden and silent, the ley line began to stir, disturbed by powerful forces, and summoned its strength in fierce defiance.

Rampant magic beckoned storms to gather across the cloudless hills and twist into an dark, menacing eye. The black thunderhead plumed outward in all directions while lances of raw energy began to strike the earth. The wild precession of lightning expanded further and further, scarring the ground, melting stone, and tearing into the thin veil of reality that held the world together.

Long, sinuous fissures rended the air and sky like a clear sheet of glass about to shatter. Wherever the lightning touched blood jagged crystalline spires erupted from the ground and grew gnarled protrusions like branching veins. Nearby survivors were absorbed by their roots, their inhuman screams squelched as their flesh fused into the ruby red trees. Corpses boiled into gory columns of steam illuminated by a pale violet radiance. Water leeched from the earth and fell into the sky as torrential rain. Raging fires froze in time, their burning victims trapped in a state of cauterized agony.

A frightening reflection of a world turning itself inside out, magic was running wild. But, nature's guiding hand sought to correct the imbalance. Strange fissures engulfed the greatest of disturbances and shunted them away.

@Hammerman@13org@Rune_Alchemist

---

After falling sideways through an open fissure, Selena trapped behind curtains of impossible color shimmering like an aurora. When she finally hit solid ground, she discovered herself in a strange and wondrous place.

Sunbeams filtered through a tangle of enormous roots which reach several stories into the air. Individually, each root could easily tower over the monarch of any forest. Yurts stitched together from brilliant orange and deep red leaves have been built around a massive stone dias, while a single monolithic pillar jutted from its center. Sacred liturgies have been carved onto every surface of it.

Sitting casually beneath the pillar is the familiar figure--a Minotaur, in fact. He sat squarely in the center of dozens of strangely dressed villagers who congregated around him and seemed to hinge on his every word.

"Hǫggrheim remains just as you left it, milord. We-" Lethe's ears twitched at Selena's arrival. "An intruder?" Her voice became quiet.

@hivekiller

---

A maelstrom of raw and furious colors consumed Yasha. The world fell away leaving only a bizarre aurora in its stead. When the torrent of energy subsided, a dense woodland scenery showed through the diminishing veil of magic. The trees grew had grown close and the air was thick enough to cut. It was an old forest, where shadows moved and life was silent, but ever watchful.

The distant clamor of fighting reached Yasha's ears. War and strife were abundant in this world.

@Lugubrious

---

Swallowed by a scintillating rainbow of color, the demoness fell through a hole in the world and found herself in the heavens. Pure white clouds unfurled beneath her like a rolling blanket of cotton. Between small openings in the clouds could be seen the tips of towering structures. Gravity mercilessly latched onto Senna and pulled her into free fall.

High above, the city sprawl appeared little more than a scaled down model children would play with. But the ground was fast approaching. A smear of blue sparkled next to a line of greenery. A pond maybe?

@IceHeart

---

History was not December's strong suit. She likes the stories, but memorizing who did what and when was tedious and boring. It scarcely held her attention before. But, with a specific goal in mind, the work was palatable. Danielle's assistant, despite his faults, had seemed to be quite useful in a pinch. She liked to think Lexus Dominiel could be that way too, if he could stop trying to make her into a goddess for five minutes.
The guild's public archives were filled with old records about the founding of Brightwing, the royal lineage and heraldry, and important victories in their military history. It was a surreal feeling that settled into December's mind--a disconnect. The numerous accounts of powerful heroes and demonic kings seemed little more than fairy tales, but she felt that they were true nonetheless. She continued to search for older and older documents, something that might help explain their current state of affairs, but there was no mention of YGGDRASIL.

Slightly dejected by her lack of progress, she began wandering the other sections and keeping a watchful eye for interesting titles and topics. What stole attention wasn't the biography of a great hero, but the acrid smell of distress and a salty hint of perspiration. I need to figure out how to turn off this scent ability, or last weaken it. It's driving me crazy.
Inconvenienced by her own powers, December grumbled as she passed by the source of the unpleasant odor, looking for some book or scroll to distract her. But, what was supposed to be some quiet mumbling nearly became a low predatory growl. The sound briefly rolled in her chest like thunder before she could stifle it. She peeked over her shoulder at the man behind her, and excused herself politely as if embarrassed about passing gas in public. Hopefully he would buy it.

She hurried away from the city records section and approached the front desk again. "Excuse me, miss?" Her tone softened when she met eyes with the receptionist. "I was wondering... How does one join the Magician's Guild? I have-" She hesitated awkwardly. "...some skill with magic already, and I'm quick to learn." It felt like there was a lump in her throat. Lying outright did not come naturally to December. Her mind raced trying to figure out what exactly she should say about herself and how much truth to include.

@IceHeart@baraquiel

---

Cain couldn't deny that the result of their visit to the city disappointed him. While the addition of a new party member was somehow interesting, it simply couldn't compensate for the overall lack of entertainment brought by the events that happened in the village - mostly resultant from the fact that Vander was seemingly determined to solve things in the most naively honest way possible for some reason, adding even more blandness to the inate boredom of a backwater village and deeply annoying the devil in the process - taking away his enthusiasm to the point where even the usual shenanigans between Lena and Tania didn't really help to make it more bearable for Cain, who hated being bored above anything else... He did chuckle a bit when Tania was locked into a jar though.

By the time they reached the fork in the path the devil was already more than unsatiafied by the lack of emotion during the trip, going as far as openly grumbling about how novel protagonists had it easy and randomly muttering about his dissatisfaction about the lack of flags during most of the trip - a behaviour that would most certainly bring some confusion to the NPCs in the group, who would hardly understand the references used by the former neet - only recovering some of his usual attitude after the effect of Tania's illusion wore off, restauring his previous appearance and seemingly brightening the mood of the devil.

"Sincerely? I'm not in the mood to watch while Tania tries to charm a bunch of fae into becoming her lackeys." The devil didn't even try to hide his unwillingness to go meet the fae with the rest of the team, openly expressing his desire to go do something more exciting. "Since you guys plan to search the fae in the glaciers, I'll naturally take the other way and go have some fun dealing with the Wendigos if they choose to appear. It's already more than clear that the standard strength of this world is pitiful anyway, I don't think I'll find any problem even by myself. We just need to meet in the village after finishing." The devil shrugged, already starting to walk towards the road with a sign, giving no leisure for his teammates to convince him to change his decision - a selfish measure fairly adequated to his identity as a devil.

---

@GrafRoy Zeppeli@BurningDaisies@Rune_Alchemist@drewccapp

 

"If only all my foes had such resolve."

Even with her strength, such a blow would be difficult to block fully in these circumstances. Kallahar had intended to meet at least one of the foxes mid charge. With her sword still in motion she pivoted on her heel and let herself fall backwards, swinging upwards to meet the other blade edge on edge. With equal blades this would result in a great loss of durability for each of them. Int his case however there was only one outcome.

The upper two thirds of the Kukri blade sprang away and Kallahar complete her tumble onto her back with her free hand fastened in a death grip around the foxes neck.

"A battle well fought Rorryln Glean. Deaths Blessing."

Kallahar devoured the life from her and set the body aside as she climbed back to her feet. She was silent for a moment before turning to Lenore. She knew about the skill Blood-Starved, a blood knight having given here a bit of trouble in the past. That it had stolen her healing meant that Kallahar was no longer considered her ally.

"You've decided then? Wait here for the others in that case. It may be we must go our seperate ways now."

Kallahar turned without sheathing her blade and walked away from Lenore into the trees.

@drewccapp@Spanner@BurningDaisies@GrafRoy Zeppeli

---

"H-hey! If you think I'm just gonna charm 'em you seriously dunno how Fae work!" Tania was quick to poke the side of the glass jar, losing her previously pouty mood as Cain replied. There was a lot more danger than that in the Fae courts. Plotting, planning, deception...especially in the Unseelie Fae. They weren't...a nice sort. Of course, she was still just working on the knowledge from the other world here. Things might work completely differently here still.

"...I see. Well, I wish you luck, Cain." Lena replied with a small frown. "I suppose I'll leave what you wish to do up to you, Vander."

"Hey hey, can I say something?" Tania asked, earning a glare from the elf.

"As long as it's not about my bosom or me not denying certain things."

"Heheh. Yes, yes, of course!" Before Lena could say anything, there was a strong gust of wind from within the jar, blowing the lid off of it with some force, causing it to land on top of Lena's head. Tania easily fluttered out, shivering slightly in the cold as she landed on Lena's shoulder. "Alright. So's. Not to be rude or anything but if you're with us Vander, the Fae are probably gonna be suspicious. I'm pretty confident in my illusions of course, but the chance some of them could see through something like that is pretty likely."

"Mhm...my Lady does have a point. As a Dullahan my position is rather unique in that regard...I wouldn't draw too much attention in Fae lands, nor in the accompany of one so long as I chose my words carefully."

"Suppose we could say you're my uh, 'servant'." Tania continued with an all too impish chuckle.

"...you just want to boss him around."

"Hey, it's a valid strategy! Just whatever you wanna do though. I'm cool with anything, but I'd like to avoid fighting if possible. Not at least until I know what we're dealing with. Either way, we're probably going to have to deal with typical fae intrigue and their uh...fickle dispositions. Basically, think of me but ten times less cute and a lot more domineering if it is the Unseelie."

~Senna~

@BurningDaisies

---

In one instant, Senna was reveling in the destruction of Wolfs run.

In the next, she was falling.

She wasn't entirely sure what happened. There was a massive surge of magic, and then the feeling of being sucked into nothingness...then free fall. The fall, at least, managed to help Senna clear her thoughts, offering her some clarity of the events that just happened. As well as realizing she was in a bit of a pickle. She couldn't fly...though, she could maybe survive the impact thanks to quickly healing after the events of Wolfs Run. It'd hurt...a lot, but fortunately it seemed she couldn't even feel pain in this form. At least - any pain she felt was translated to something else entirely.

The demoness slammed into the lake, a mighty splash covering the entire area from the height of the fall, likely surprising anyone or anything that had been in the immediate area. For a few seconds however the lake settled, Senna allowing the cool water to envelop her. For a few moments, she simply sank. She was tired...not physically mind you. She couldn't get tired, it seemed, just like she couldn't feel pain. Mentally though? She was exhausted.

Her old personality and this new demonic persona of hers...were not really getting along well.

After a few seconds however, she finally surface with a growl, crawling onto the shore of the lake with a few coughs, sputtering up a few mouthfuls of water before laying on the shoreline.

"Ah, I messed up." She sighed with a light giggle. "Jeez, suppose that's what I get for trying to suppress it again. Tsk, didn't work before certainly isn't going to work now, I suppose, is it?" The demoness pulled off her helmet, causing it to clatter to the ground next to her as she stretched her limbs. "Why'd they have to go and make me angry by attacking me? Could have talked things through, but nooo. Fools.....specially that kid..." She seemed almost sad - though it was quickly replaced with a yawn of boredom. "Boring and predictable." She grunted as she pulled off the rest of her armor, emptying the water out of it, revealing her usual black somewhat transparent top.

Huhm, perhaps she should invest in some less revealing clothes here...eh, a thought for later. For now, she took a moment to relax and inspect her body for injuries.

Bruises, scrapes, burns from Yasha's final attack...a gash where Selena's knife had hit her. The nausea, slight dizziness, and dulled senses from those curses were still there too. Annoying now that she wasn't in a rage-induced clarity, though nothing crippling. Felt like maybe she had a fractured bone or two. Hah, if she could actually feel pain she'd probably be incapable of functioning. Instead, all she felt was either numbness or the 'lust' part of the battlelust perk.

Ugh, she had really come close to being killed there, wasn't it? That was the thing with her class, though. Either she killed her targets...or she was killed. No second chances, no do-overs. No incapacitating. Victory or Death - just how she liked it. Thankfully she was a little harder to kill then some believed, with her healing and 'Undying Rage' perk. If she hadn't had so much heal fodder, Yasha's attack would have killed her. Thankfully she hadn't been smart enough to fire a second round or something after the explosion or she would have been gone. Kaput. Executed. She always thought it'd be part of a game though...a place where she could get away from it all. A place where she could indulge and get that sweet release. Now though...well, be careful what you wish for she supposed.

How troublesome~

"Tsk, I'll have to be more careful in the future...whatever happened back there wasn't appreciative." She grumbled, laying her armor in a half-hazard pile near her, crawling over to a rock jutting over the waters edge and letting her bare legs soak in the water. Her wounds would heal easily enough, even without some healing fodder like she had back in wolfs run. "Haaa....and news of that is sure to spread. Unfortunate. Maybe I should find a nice ruin to crawl into and live in for the rest of my probably now immortal life."

For a moment...she would rest - though she took a momentary glance around the lake. There was a cabin not far off in the distance...huhm, she'd investigate it after resting a moment and collecting her thoughts.