---

It was just past noon when the town of Rosa Blanca finally came into view over the top of a nearby hill. The young lady with her wagon decided that this was a fantastic time to have a quick break to enjoy the view, and hauled the hand-pulled cart up onto the grassy hill for a better view. Sitting down under a small tree, the countryside stretched away into the distance in a fantastic vista, with farmlands interspersed with forested areas, all surrounding the ever-expanding city. Ever one to enjoy the moment, and in no hurry, it was quite some time before the traveler could bring herself to get up, enjoying the sounds of the traders and other travelers chatting away on the road behind her. Finally, the sun had moved enough that her comfortable position was not quite so comfortable any more, and so with a sigh Illedrith rose, picked up her halberd and once again took to the road with her cart.

She had been off on a short job which involved the extermination of some rodents of unusual size from a nearby hamlet - a job far below her team's paygrade - and due to its simplicity had been travelling alone. The notice had been on the board for quite a while though, and she had nothing better to do, so she figured it was probably worth just getting out of the way and doing some public service. While it had only been a few days that she'd been away, it was still very nice to be back, and as she reached the outskirts of the city the number of people who nodded to her in recognition made her smile. Her cart was laden high with the rest of her fighting attire and provisions (as well as her reward, stored safely at the bottom), and in some other parts it would look almost comical the amount of stuff she was hauling, but the people of Rosa Blanca were used to it by now, so the fact she was hauling a pile much larger than herself didn't draw too many odd looks.

Getting into the center of town, Illedrith passed down through the winding streets of the town houses and down onto the main promenade, where at the far end her home sat proudly as one of the centerpieces of the city. The home stretch was certainly Mis' favorite, for here, everyone knew her. The tempting sights and sounds of the promenade were certainly a welcome change from the road, and Mis waved to her friends in various stalls as she wandered past, chatting briefly with them about her trip as she made her way up the hill to the guild. Finally, the Dragon's Maw stood before her, and she took a moment to once again enjoy the view before pushing ahead through the doorway and entering the bustling interior of the guild hall. This, more than anything, brought a smile to her face: it was good to be back home.

---

Glory, unlike most of her guildmates, was not having fun and being social. Glory was instead sitting within her room and reading a book. Impressively, this was not a normal sized book, but rather a large tome. For most people, this would not have been a book that they held to read, but for Glory the task was effortless. Glory would’ve done this for the rest of the day, but her stomachs sudden churning told her that it was time to go and eat. Closing the book with a solid thunk, Glory set it down as gently as she could before she turned to the door. Gently gripping the handle, Glory pulled the door open before ducking underneath it. Pulling the door closed behind her Glory walked down to the main hall of the guild. Pausing briefly as she entered to read the room Glory nodded to herself as it seemed to be just another day at the guild hall.

Moving towards the bar, Glory leaned over and gently placed her hands upon the bar. Her fingers clicked lightly against the hardwood top of the counter as she settled them into place. Glory spoke softly to the bartender presented and requested her usual meal. After a few moments she was presented with a platter of meats and fruits, to which Glory nodded her thanks and presented the bartender with a small clip of jewels. Scooping up the platter gently, Glory lifted it free of the bar just in time for an empty cider cup to slide by. Glory paid the gesture no heed, since it was clearly not moving fast enough to attempt to knock the platter of food away. Dismissing the occurrence, Glory turned and surveyed the guild hall briefly. Spotting a table that appeared unused, she made her way over gently. Setting the platter down gingerly, Glory scooted the bench out slightly before she sat down with an audible thump that was slightly more distinct than the general chatter of the guild hall.

If Glory was embarrassed by this, she didn’t show it. Instead, she merely began to eat in silence. Glory started with the grapes which were present upon the platter. They were high in sugar, which Glory needed extra of to fulfill her increased energy needs, and they were small enough to be eaten neatly. Glory ate surprisingly quickly, moving through the various foods present upon the platter with what would be an alarming speed if Glory was a normal human.

However, as was obvious by her robotic arms, Glory was anything but normal. She was okay with this, but her odd behaviors were probably quite off-putting to many. Glory took note of Illedrith returning to the guild carting a pile of things behind her. Glory thought about raising a hand in greeting, but remembered that her relationship with Illedrith was acquaintances at best, and it was probably better to eat the food she had in front of her while it was still fresh. Glory could stomach just about anything, but she did prefer to have food warm and thoroughly cooked. Things usually tasted better that way. Moving on from the fruits that were once present on the platter, Glory lifted her left index finger slightly. A single claw pushed forward from her fingertip, and Glory began to cut into the meats provided before hooking properly sized mouthfuls on the tip of her claw, much like how one would use a knife and fork.

Glory idly munched away at the meats present, not thinking about anything in particular. The only time she seemed to snap back to reality was to cut a bone from the meat, which lasted only a few moments. Glory was scarily precise while doing this, and unlike most she managed to cut the bone clean from the meat, leaving plenty behind for consumption. One of the many things that set Glory apart from everybody else: Her hands never shook while doing anything. From cutting meat to sewing up a wound, Glory was excessively precise. Glory didn’t mind the precision, though it did sometimes lead her to think too much about what it meant to be human. Humans made small mistakes with their hands from time to time. Glory, on the other hand, made mistakes rarely.

Glory bit down hard on a chunk of meat to chase the excessive thoughts from her mind. She reminded herself to stop thinking about everything so much. She remembered something that one of the nurses had told her shortly after she woke up again. ”If you spend so much time worrying about what could happen, you’ll miss everything that is happening.”

Glory took a moment to breathe before she resumed eating, merely watching the rest of the guild carry on with their day to day tasks.

---

---

Victoria Pax sat one of the tables in the corner of the main room in the guild hall. Across from her, was a fellow Dragon heart wizard. Both Victoria and her guild mate were locked in a deep, contemplative mental dual over the chess board that was sprawled out on the table between them. Victoria glare shifted between the chess board and her opponent. Victoria's opponent looks nervous as he cautiously uses a pawn to seize Victoria's Queen. Victoria just laughed and moved her bishop across the board to declare 'check' on her opponent's king. The wizard sighed as he moved his king back behind his pieces. Victoria wastes no time moving her knight forwards and with pride declaring, "Checkmate."

Victoria's opponent just buries his face in his palm. Victoria stands up and straightens the floor length skirt of her dress. She humbly extends a handshake to her fellow guild mate. Having the gesture reciprocated, Victoria made her way across the main hall to the bar. She comes up next to the resident Celestial wizard of Dragon Heart, Sara. Victoria orders a glass of wine before turning to Sara and in her country accent she says, "'Ello, Sara, How you been today? Me forge has been purring like a Country Kitten and I just won another thrilling game of Chess. Shame though, I didn't have money on it. It been good day." Victoria raised her glass of wine as a cheer then takes a long sip.

---

Sight.

Shoot.

Reload.

When hunting one of the most dangerous creatures known in Takahan, one must never hesitate to take the shot when the opportunity presented itself. A Mordrun's deadly speed and agility proved fatal to any novice hunter who misses the shot. Sniping was a game of hide and seek, and when the marksman's aim went wide, the chance is lost forever. In this case, should his shot miss the mordrun's weak spot at the side of its neck just where the spined armor shied away from its soft flesh, the ravenous predator would chase him with its razor claws until he was dead. So, as his scopes shook, the crosshairs hovering over the mordrun's neck, Vali breathed in as his aim steadied and his hands froze. The thicket of bush and brambles serving as his cover rustled with the winds, and as the hunter's scent wafted over to the resting predator, the mordrun's eyes shot up as it bolted up. With its motions, its neck was revealed, and Vali breathed out.

A loud sound, like a hammer striking against concrete, echoed off around the forest. The spent magic bullet ejected into the air, and as the hollow object thudded upon the grassy floor, the mordrun let out a weakened groan as it crashed on the ground. Still. Unmoving.

A triumphant smile curved the marksman's lips as he got to his knees before hoisting the rifle over his shoulders. The setting sun waved at him from the scarlet horizon, and when the cool dusky air sped across his cheeks, Valishin knew that there was nothing like ending the day with a well-earned kill from one of the most fearsome predators alive.

Or... that was what he wanted. And, yet, here he stood giving the bag of hares to the village chief who had sent a request to the guild for a mage to hunt and reduce the number of breeding prodigies that were becoming a pest in their area. The hares themselves proved too fast for their own hunters-- far too crafty that they failed to keep in check their population. Still, it was like sending a boot to kill an ant, and the task itself was more annoying than challenging. The hares moved faster than he had expected, and it took a good portion of the day to clear their forests and fields of the pests. The paygrade was definitely not enough to buy him a new box of bullets from the craftsman Valiant. He would just need to beg for a bullet or so since his rent was already looming upon the horizon.

Beggars can't be choosers, however. The guild quest board was like a feeding ground, and the more voracious piranhas of guildmates often scrambled for the best, and by the time the mob had dispersed, only jobs like hunting hares or trimming grass remained.

Valishin made a mental note to try to find a team next time, so that he didn't have to settle for the scraps as he got his reward and began the journey home. Although, he didn't fancy them seeing his mask that much, but the pasts didn't feed his stomach. Completing good quests did.

He had a few guildmates in mind. Dame came to mind since from all the things that Vali noted, the Great Tree Arc user was laid back yet friendly. The marksman preferred relaxed individuals, because they seemed to be the more rational ones which were more of his cup of tea. Though, he was not naive enough to believe that the blond mage would agree to partnering with a low-ranking mage like him. Sabine also waltzed in his head, and while he never really interacted much with the auburn-haired lexicon mage, he heard from chatter that she stuck her nose in books and was smarter than most. Although, she had a penchant for rambling like a dying engine, and Vali was not sure if he could focus his aim if mountains of useless banter slammed his way. Another face came into play, and Kiana was the name that paired with it. Truthfully, her rough personality would definitely clash with Vali's, but the sniper knew that he needed a teammate who would compliment his ineptitude for close quarters combat. Kiana would most definitely fit the bill, but she would need to dial her attitude down-- like way down for their group to actually work.

Soon, he stood across the towering facade of his guildhouse, and no matter how many times he passed by its elegant halls, the familiar tinge of nostalgia and happiness always radiated from his heart to every nerve in his body. He remembered the first time he passed by the halls as Kukan fully inducted him into the guild, receiving the mark of his pride on his right eye.

As his jet-black traveling cloak fluttered amidst the winds and his three leather bags toted at his back, Vali took a deep breath whilst his eyes settled on the guild house where a number of members filed in and out of its entrance. He noticed one of the guild's greatest mages, Illedrith, and he decided to follow suit as he entered after her. Once the marksman had caught up to the smiling mage, he hoisted his bag higher on his shoulder before addressing the woman.

"Just coming back as well, Mis?" Vali grinned at the red-haired mage who towered over him, peering at her with brown eyes as he regarded Dragon Heart's famous mage. He liked to believe that she was just too tall for a woman, but the fact of the matter was that the marksman was just too short for a guy. He tried to salvage his height with different methods, yet still he was stuck in the five-foot-seven hell that he stood on today. "I hope your mission was more eventful than hunting hares underneath a blistering midday sun. Let me tell you, I think I came home with more burns than what my money can cure."

The city of Rosa Blanca was beautiful, not even Vega could deny that, but to him, beautiful cities meant deep pockets to pick, as he did so on occasion, to the disdain of the guildmaster, but he did not do it for money. The main reason he climbed to A and then S as quickly as he could was so he wouldn't need to worry. He just liked it. He did it for sport. Every corner of the pristine city, door where he would bump into someone in his favorite tailor, or while people simply were not looking while passing through a large crowd, he picked up a little something. Although he was not as rampant as that was described as that would simply get the attention of authorities, he simply knew every opportunity possible for it. So if he did this for sport, what did he do with this money? Well naturally he spent it, usually on some food or small trinkets, or hoarded it stashed away somewhere. He definitely already made a decent enough sum that he no longer wore the dirty mage robes from his time before Dragon's Heart. In fact he wore some pretty expensive looking clothes, a pretty high quality waistcoat, unbuttoned dress shirt and some formal slacks. If not for his constant scowl, he would have a rather charming face, but he didn't care for that. The showman or seducer was never his type of thievery, he left that to others.

But for the several or so months he has been part of Dragon's Heart, he was no thief, nor did he have to do thievery to get by. He had to remind himself even now, he was a mage. What did mages do? As far as he was concerned, serving others. Though it beats getting on the wrong side of the law, besides occasionally there would be a request to hunt other mages, even some Dark Mages, and he enjoyed those. He relished the title he was given, "The Mage Slayer", "The Reaper". Quite the moniker. Regardless today he steered clear from the Guild Hall, a busy day means a noisy day and he had no intention of being anywhere near that. And so he would choose to spend his day in the city.

For now he should enjoy a quiet, relaxing day... With his own idea of relaxing of course. Maybe some of those thugs in the outer edges of Rosa Blanca have something entertaining today.

It was in all, a pretty calm day by most peoples standards. Most people were probably busy enjoying their time with friends, chatting happily away. Drinking with friends. Making merry.

Those people were not Ceri.

Honestly, maybe she was a little jealous. She could never be like them, after all. She was just too different. Besides, she was almost certain that it wouldn't end well if she ended up getting close to them even if they accepted her.

"..." She silently flipped a page in thick leather tome in front of her. Whoever so happened to peek would notice complicated magical formula printed on the pages, magical theories and other complex things one would normally need many years of education to understand. Oh well. Such feelings were unneeded for her anyways.

"Haaaa..." Yawning quietly, Ceri stretched, the pale white skin of her hands starkly contrasting with her dark blue robe. Maybe she should go find Mis and see about getting a job or something. Leaning lightly on the palm of one of her hands she flipped another of the pages in the book.

The day started pretty good for Ladon. Having already earned more than enough money for both his rent and monthly expenses, the Devil Slayer finally had some time left for his own leisure - something that when coupled with his not really sociable persona often meant either lazing around at his home or simply testing new recipes that he heard about while traveling around.

With that being said, today was undoubtedly a fairly uncommon day according to his usually very home focused routine, as, by virtue of facing a painful lack of books he hadn't finished reading at least a few times in his stash, he was ultimately forced to leave his comfort on favor of the similarly pleasant but inconveniently more crowded library.

Much to his surprise, though, this specific visit to the library was actually pretty lucky when compared to the other ones, as not only the library was relatively empty- probably on virtue of how the climate today was fairly adequate for outdoor activities, though a closet hikikomori such as himself couldn't be sure - but he actually saw the quite soothing scene of Ceri quietly yawning while reading a book.

Truth being said, Ladon didn't quite know why he appreciated being around Ceri, but the fact was that, either due to sharing the secret of her identity as a demon or simply because their personalities aligned quite neatly, the devil slayer actually felt pretty comfortable with interacting with the petite demon, and thus felt absolutely no hesitation as he directly approached her table from behind.

"Lemme guess: you're thinking about something simple in an unnecessarily complicated way again." He said rather directly as he approached the girl from behind, his right hand unconsciously moving to pat her head in the process - a scene that was undoubtedly quite shocking when considering how defensive he normally was, clearly denoting how deeply the harmless appearance of the demon affected him.

"Eep!" Sitting up straight in her chair, Ceri made a quiet squee noise as she grabbed the top of her hood. Who had the sheer audacity to headpat her?! Filthy humans should know their place! Of course, she couldn't say stuff like that aloud. No, it'd draw unneeded attention. Instead, she whipped her head around, glancing up at the human who so dared to attempt such a thing. "L-ladon..." She quietly said, glaring at him from under her hood. Well, this was easier if it was him at least.

"Hmph. Startling people is a good way to get hurt." Ceri coolly replied, in a tone quite unlike what most guild mates would know her for. "And I have no idea what you mean by that." She ran a hand over the pages of the book she was reading, before grabbing the edge of the page and turning it silently. "I'm simply considering work." It was refreshing in a way, not to have to constantly watch her words and behavior around someone. Ironic, since it was a devil slayer. "And what are you doing here? Making sure I don't get up to anything nefarious?"

Haha, if anyone else heard her talking like this they'd think she was possessed or something. An amusing thought.

Ladon couldn't help but show quite the wide grin at Ceri's reaction, being especially amused by how quickly she changed her mannerisms as soon as she noticed that he was the one who surprised her, completely losing her usual stuttering, timid attitude and just letting her poisonous tongue run loose instead.

"Geez, how un-cute. I get you don't feel the need to be careful about hurting my poor feelings, but you could at least keep the stuttering." The devil slayer retorted quite naturally, seemingly unfazed by the demon's hostility. "I mean, it's not like I'm asking you to be all fidgety like you are around Illedrith, but matching your attitude to your appearance for once would be quite soothing." He rambled while once more reaching for the demon's head, seemingly not satisfied with just patting it for a moment before she dodged his hand.

"Anyway, while I'd love to feed your ego a bit more I'll have to deny your assumption." He said while his eyes went through the books gathered in the table, seemingly searching for something that interested him amongst the pile of manuscripts that were left over by less than helpful visitors. "While I'd love to claim that I'm just being a responsible exorcist mage, truth is that I just want to pick something to read while I wait for my food to get done. Got a new recipe for a smoked wyvern brisket that stays in the oven for more than 12 hours and I ain't about to pass those staring at the ceiling." He said, mentioning his normally hidden hobby without even a shred of defensiveness as he didn't bother to keep his guard high around the demon anyway.

"Eh." Ceri showed no emotion to Ladon's words other than a dismissive, tired huff. "Acting like that is exhausting. Sometimes I wonder if its even worth it, being friendly with you humans." From Ladon's perspective, he'd be able to just see a small smirk form on Ceri's lips as she continued. "It's inevitable we'll be at each others throats soon enough anyways. Maybe I should speed up the process a bit?" A light giggle as she reached for the book, closing it gently before jumping out of her chair and fixing her hood in the process.

"Twelve hours, huh?" She grunted coolly, changing subjects in a mildly irritated tone. "So what, you thought I wanted your company? Hah. You're more dimwitted than everyone else around here." Her hand traced over the tomes as she searched for another book. "Go away. I'm not interested. I have better things to do than play nice with you..." her hand paused over a tome before she turned her head up towards the higher up shelves.

"...oh." Oh. That book was really high. She turned her head to Ladon, briefly wondering over her course of action. Grab it herself? No, she was too short. Ask Ladon? haha, like she'd ever ask a human for help. Her head turned back to the bookshelf. Unconsciously, she began to fidget in place. "Uhm...uhm..."

"Not sure about the going at each other's throat part, but I do have to agree that humans are very troublesome creatures." He replied with the same nonchalance as before, seemingly not even registering the dismissive nature of the demon's words. After all, as contemptuous as the demon sounded when talking with him he actually favored this straightforward approach of hers. "As for speeding up the process... Well, you can take me on whenever you want." He said with a shrug, quite obviously not taking her words seriously.

With that being said, even he couldn't help but frown for a bit when faced by the following act of the girl, almost surrendering to her wiles and just taking a book and walking away. Fortunately, that ultimately didn't happen due to the following situation, as the girl proceeded to find herself in a difficult situation right after shooing him away - something that quite obviously amused Ladon, as he didn't even try to hide the smug grin that plastered his face as he watched the girl's predicament.

"Now that's a difficult situation, isn't it?" He said in a teasing tone, obviously greatly entertained by the scene. "Well, I guess it can't be helped. Even someone as mighty as the great Ceri faces obstacles sometimes." He continued while reaching for the book from behind the demoness, his smug grin somehow widening even further as he easily grabbed the manuscript and held it above her head - just high enough so she couldn't reach without having to jump - quite obviously waiting for her to ask him for it.

"...huh perhaps you're not entirely incomp-what are you doing?" Ceri stared up at Ladon and the book. She was even about to thank him for getting it for her! Well, not really, but still! He...he wasn't, right? He wasn't going to stoop this low, was he!? Well this was not how she expected this to go at all.

"Y-you abnormally tall person! Quit that! Hand it over now!" Standing on her tiptoes, Ceri reached for the book, attempting to grab it from Ladon's nefarious grasp. How cruel! How evil! "Aren't I supposed to be the demon here?" A few more taunts and shouts if displeasure left the small girls lips as she attempted to grab it before finally giving in and making a jump for it.

Ladon's amusement only seemed to grow as the girl tried to reach for the book, the grin in his face leaving the fact that the devil slayer was
not even a bit ashamed of bullying the much shorter girl.

"Seems like the tables have turned now, huh?" He said in a teasing tone as he proceeded to lift the book even further, keeping it out of the girl's reach as she tiptoed around. It was about time he teached the demon something about the natural order of things.

"I wonder what you're going to do t earn my help now. If you want a tip, I suggest apologizing for your venomous tongue and cutely asking me to help you. Pretty please n' everything" He continued, once more lifting the book more centimeters above her reach as she jumped to grab it, his satisfied smile leaving his satisfaction about getting to watch the girl desperate attempts crystal clear.

Ceri stopped her jumping, glaring at the ground as Ladon taunted her. He wouldn't be able to see it, but her cheeks were red with embarrassment and anger as she puffed out her cheeks slightly. This infuriating, pathetic, HUMAN. Urgh, wanted her to apologize? Ha, no way was she going to do that willingly. Not even a small chance. She clutched the hem of her hood in an all too familiar nervous fashion as lifted the book just out of her reach once more. This human wanted a lesson in something? Fine then! He'd get a lesson in why you shouldn't make fun of a demon!

"I-I'm..." She replied quietly, words stuttering in that cute fashion that Ladon seemed to want. For the briefest of instants, it seemed like she might actually comply with the request. "...I-I'M TELLING MIS!" She quickly turned, bolting for the door. She didn't know where Mis was, but as long as she found someone else in the guild that wasn't going to be suspicious of her, then she could easily turn the tables, hah! Flawless plan.

Ladon could already feel the triumphant ending incoming at the moment when Ceri lost her toughness and started stuttering, seemingly going back to the timid state she displayed around while interacting with other guild members. It was just obvious that the demon wouldn't be able to keep her arrogant act up for any longer now that he had something she needed, so at this point there was nothing she could do to turn the situation around anyway... Or at least so he thought.

Unfortunately for him, this time he was dealing with an enemy who was away more cunning than he expected, and the demoness actually resorted for a method he couldn't ever predict: She ran away to call for reinforcements. "Wait, what? Come back here!" He said, his face going from surprise to panic quite rapidly as Ceri mentioned Illedrith. He didn't even think twice before dashing towards the girl with all his might in the following moment, quite obviously not even a single bit interested in facing the possibility of murder from the hands of a very pissed mirror knight. "It was a joke, goddamnit!"

---

While Illedrith would have loved to have stood in the doorway and enjoyed the scenery of the guild for a long time, the sudden presence of someone next to her quickly reminded her that she and her cart were blocking the doorway. Before she could move off into the guild, the new arrival spoke to her.

"Just coming back as well, Mis? I hope your mission was more eventful than hunting hares underneath a blistering midday sun. Let me tell you, I think I came home with more burns than what my money can cure."

Illedrith turned quickly in recognition at the sound of Valishin's voice and smiled even wider as she did so.

"Vali!!"

As one of the other law-abiding, order-oriented mages of the guild, Illedrith knew Valishin well; his steadfast loyalty to the guild and protective nature won him a great number of points in her eyes, and she had enjoyed watching him grow as a mage since he joined the guild. Stepping forward in an attempt to sweep him into a hug, she did her best not to jab him with any of the edges of her still-worn battle attire, a move she was well versed in given her predilection for hugs...

"It's good to see you again! I'm sure the people you helped out appreciate your efforts more than the reward can tell - its such a shame that the wealth of the city doesn't extend so well into the countryside where most of the requests are made. In any case, I was just hunting a colony of enormous rodents, so I doubt mine paid much more than yours for the trouble involved."

Turning away from Vali and back to her cart, she mused for a second, before turning back.

"On that subject I think I might have something you'd like. The hamlet I went to asked if they could pay half the fee in goods rather than cold cash, which suited me just fine with my cart. Come over with me to the bar and you can join me in enjoying the fruits of their fields if you'd like!"

Just as Mis started over towards the bar, someone came flying across the room and crashed into the wall not three meters from her. This seemed to immediately spark a brawl, which quickly spread throughout the room between her and the bar. Sighing at the ever troublesome antics of the guild, Mis reached into her cart, pulled out her helmet, and secured it on her head. Without turning to look at him, she once again addressed Vali as she took a firm grasp of her cart's handle.

"Well, if you're coming, stay close behind the cart..."

With that, Mis began running right down the central aisle of the hall, pulling her cart behind her as she went and gathering more and more momentum. As she approached the brawl she roared out her approach at the top of her lungs.

"GET OUT OF THE AISLE OR I WILL CRUSH YOU ALL"

Dashing out of the Library, Ceri didn't bother closing the door behind her. A joke? Was that what that whole thing was? Well a joke shouldn't make people nearly cry! Not that she was about to, of course not. Not at all. She was a font of emotional stability and was a demon, therefore couldn't do such things. The demon moved swiftly, jumping over one of the pool tables and past a group of guild members playing darts. She was almost certainly faster than Ladon, and as agile as she was, she obviously didn't need to -

"Eeep!" As soon as she reached the stairs, Ceri's feet got caught on her own robe, sending the blue mage tumbling down the stairs with a series of oofs and more squee noises until she hit the bottom of the stairs - only to be met with the sight of a fight breaking out.

"Oh goodness..." Ceri swiftly got back to her feet, quickly spotting Mis among the chaos. Oh dear. She couldn't go and ask for help then. She'd only get in the way. OOh, who could she go to then? Ceri fidgeted on the spot briefly, hands in front of her as she turned and looked quickly around the room. "Uhm...uhm...oh dear..." It was then, she spotted a figure sitting away from the rest who seemed totally and completely uninterested in the fighting. "...Glory...!" Ceri didn't know the human too well, but she always seemed particularly gullib-nice. Perhaps some kinship, with not wanting or liking people staring at her.

Deciding on her target, Ceri bolted across the guild hall's main floor, avoiding anything tossed her way rather easily until she nearly ran face first into Glory's side.

"Ah-ah...!" Unsure of what to say here, Ceri simply bolted behind the large cyborg before poking her head out and glaring at Ladon from across the room.

Why did they have to be so noisy. This was a library after all. Flavia glared over the top of her book, across the room, at Ladon messing with poor Ceri, before ducking her head back behind the book. She wanted to leap to the defense of her friend but she could never muster the nerve to do such a thing. ...besides, she was on the short side as well. What could she accomplish? She watched evenst play out, book forgotten for the moment. She hid a grin as Ceri ran out for Illy, imagining the Mirror mage giving the trolling Devil Slayer a thrashing. He ran after her, shouting an apology.

Take that you bully. She thought in the safety of her own head.

The soap opera over for the moment, she returned to her book. Or books, really. She had a small array of them in a half circle around her, some lying open, others propped up. directly in front of her was a few sheaves of paper, covered margin to margin with small, neat rows of letter, along with a ink pot. Her pen was held carefully in one hand, held outward to avoid any potential ink drips, with a book in the other. She was cross-referencing an interesting magic formula she found with a few others in an attempt to understand it. But she couldn't find the right book. Hm...

Her gaze drifted over to where Ceri had been sitting. Upon it was the book she was reading before Ladon had teased her with another. It couldn't be...could it?

She nervously glanced around at the few people still here. Most were absorbed in what they were doing. Maaaaby just a peek? Ceri wouldn't mind, right?

She could do this. She could be brave. "Be brave, Flavia. Be brave." Maybe if she could do this, it would be a step forward? Carefully, she laid down the book she had been holding and tucked the quill into it's ink pot. With another glance around to make sure no one was watching her, she slid the chair back, winching at the creak and got to her feet. Trying to act nonchalantly and looking as fishy as an aquarium, she walked over and pretended to peruse the bookshelf next to the table. Now what? She glanced at them out of the corner of her eye. They were lying shut, titles down. Curses. foiled again. ...or maybe she could lift them and take a peek? She shuffled closer. Maybe it wasn't the right book. Could be just a story book or something. Ceri read lots of those right? Maybe she should wait. If she came back and saw Flavia looking at her books...No, she couldn't let her nerve fail. She had to do this. Still facing the bookshelves, she slowly reach out a hand. Just a peek at the title. Nothing more. Slowly, she leaned over as she, slowly, lifted the book. Almost there. She could see the light glint off the title. Aaaalmost there... Crash!

"EEEP!" She squeaked, flailing in surprise. Her leaning position making her lose her balance, and her convolsing hand catching the edge of the book and flipping it open. She went crashing to the floor, and the book, flipping open, pulled itself off the table and fell on her head. Thunk

"Ow..." She groaned, reflecting suddenly on how silly she was being.

She grabbed the book with one hand and felt her sore head with the other as she got to her feet. What was that? And, more importantly, did anyone see her? She looked around. Everyone else was too busy looking in the direction the loud noise had come from to note Flavia's mishap. Whew

But what had that been? She placed the pilfered book with the others in her pile, and went wandering out to check on the noise. Unwittingly following Ceri and Ladon, her ears lead her to the main hall, where she emerged to a scene of pure carnage. Food, plates, and people were flying everywhere, chairs and tables lay in ruins and the walls and floors were pock-marketed with fresh craters. Oh. A brawl. She wasn't really surprised. Dragon Heart's members loved to rough each other up in the name of friendship. At first it had scared her, but once she learned that there were (rarely) any hard feeling behind it... no it still scared her. The timid mage shrank back in the door frame. "I think I'll go back to my books..." She muttered, turning around to go hide back in the library until it was over. Her stomach growled loudly, reminding her she missed breakfast. But with the state the hall was in, she didn't dare venture out in search of food.

---

As pandemonium erupted from the guildhall, a large green creature, slightly battered and bruised, came silently walking from the main entrance. It was simply just regular business as usual here in the guild. Fights here were incredibly common and heavily disruptive to the entire atmosphere. Dreadlin wasn't much of a brawler, although he admits to participating in a handful back in the day, and would rather be fighting the wild monsters lurking deep within the nearby jungle. Speaking of that, the lizardman's somewhat tired and tarnished look came from one of the recent creatures he fought in that very jungle. A large wyvern had attacked him while he was observing the nature around him, and he had no other option but to combat him in his fiery monster form. The fight was fierce and quickly-paced, with the two having fallen into a lake, where the winged-beast quickly took flight and escaped with an inch of his life at stake. But it wasn't without sacrificing its tail to the blade-like protrusion of Dreadlin's own.

A shame he wasn't able to nab a Wyvern for his ever growing collection of transformable beasts. It would've definitely benefited him walking miles just to get there.

And boy was he starving.

He left the guild on an empty stomach, which for someone who burns so many calories in one fight alone is already a recipe for failure. However, the rich bear-stew he had last night really filled him up, so he didn't even feel hungry when he left. Dreadlin looks around one one side of the room for something to eat. He glances over the tables and taking a peak at what others are having. Most of the people had beer in their hands and only one person was actually eating something... a measly salad. Yuck. As a lizardman with sharp teeth, he needs something more substantial than simply greens. If anything, he wouldn't mind fruit, but he's on the prowl for something more. Maybe he can find some meat?

Dreadlin checks the other side of the room. At first he saw more-or-less the same thing until he smelled a welcoming scent. It was the unmistakable smell of smoking-hot cooked meat. His mouth was already beginning to water as he follows the scent to the corner of the room. But once he found the source of the smell, his face of eagerness turned into a face of utter fear. There, sitting alone eating a chunk of meat, was one hell of a woman named Glory. Oh boy, why did it lead him to her. He didn't hate Glory in anyway or capacity, far from it, but she's simply so... imposing! With her body replaced with metal than meat, she definitely gave off a cold vibe. He didn't want to disturb her from her lunch, but his rumbling stomach says otherwise.

Well, looks like he's going in.

Dreadlin approached Glory cautiously, trying not to disturb her with his presence as he walks up to her.

"Oi, 'scuse meh Glory-O-Mighty," he says hesitantly with a heavy slang in his voice, "Sorry ta be a botha, but uh, if I meh ask kindly, are ya gonna finish that big ole' chunk o' mutton ya got there? I didn' eat anythin' before I wen' out and I be wonderin' if ya mah kindly spare a lil' ole' piece for meh plese? Jus' a tiny piece, nuthin' too big, yeh?"

---

Glory munched on chunks of meat absentmindedly as she watched the guild hall. It was going peacefully until the unceremonial cry of “FIST MAGIC” cracked through the air, and a poor soul went flying from a punch to the gut. Giving a sigh, Glory popped another chunk of meat into her mouth. Normally she would have intervened in the brawls that liked to erupt from time to time, but with the lack of jobs Glory figured that the more… Brutish of the guild members had to let their stress out somehow. Glory raised her index finger to cut another piece of meat, but was stopped by an approaching sense of motion approaching her side.

Glory paused in her motions precisely, a faint but audible click coming from the sudden stoppage of movement motors. Glory turned and looked down at her side, but saw nothing. Glory then turned a bit and blinked once when she saw Ceri cowering behind her. Letting out a slight sigh, Glory spoke softly. “You’re… Ceri, right? You never were one for fights, were you? Well. I guess you can hide. The bench is also an option, if you wish.” Glory turned back to her meal, but not before gesturing to the empty bench she sat upon. Glory wasn’t exactly pleasant company, but it was company regardless. In an ironic twist the company of Glory quickly shot up in value when a Brawl was going on. As one of the tallest members of the guild, at least in any normal form, and an S class mage Glory was often one of the people that people didn’t like to start fights with. Not to mention the intimidating appearance of her arms was usually rather off putting as well.

Glory went back to what she had been doing previously, content in her non-involvement with the latest brawl that had overtaken the guild hall. Glory had just finished chewing on another chunk of meat when the distinct sound of heavyset footsteps approached. Glory once again halted her actions, another click coming from the sudden stoppage of movement motors. Glory looked towards the sound and blinked once as she fixed her gaze on Dreadlin. From the way Dreadlin spoke, Glory already could tell that he wanted something, and when he finally elaborated on what Glory raised an eyebrow briefly. “Dreadlin, right? You… Want a chunk? Why not just get your own…” Glory looked up towards the brawl that was happening, not paying attention to it, she noticed something that she hadn’t been paying attention to before: The brawl going on was perfectly obstructing the bar. Approaching it without wading into the brawl was likely impossible, and now Glory saw the reason why Dreadlin was mooching.

Letting out another sigh, this one more audible than her prior one, Glory finished her train of thought. “Oh. That would be why.” Glory looked down at what she had left, then took a side glance at Dreadlin. He was quite stocky, and most likely needed the meat to maintain his size and grow larger. Glory nodded slightly before she cut a fair mouthful from the chunk of meat and popped it into her mouth. Forcing the meat into her cheek for a moment, Glory retracted her claw into her fingertip before plucking the remainder of the meat from the platter.

Glory extended her arm, and said one thing before she would move on to chewing the meat she had taken for herself. “You owe me a favor.”

---

"Hah?", Vega turned his head towards the direction of the guild hall. He thought he heard a low thud from there... Some thugs he just beat up were scrambling to get away from him as he held their coin purse in his hand, but as they ran he already lost interest in them. Something interesting may be up. It was customary for S rank mages to be the ones to end conflicts within a guild, but Vega was no such person. If something's happening it just sounds like a whole lot of fun to him.

Pretty soon his shadow brewed over the entrance to the Dragon Heart Guild Hall, some onlookers outside hearing the commotion were looking cautiously in. "Another fight?" they said, "maybe construction?", "what's happening?", "someone getting reprimanded?", and soon they realized who was standing at the door. A feeling of relief that it wasn't Vega who spurred this fight, followed by near horror as they realized he was going to go in and spice things up, and soon enough, Vega stepped into the guild hall.

---

Vega entered with a kick, sending yet another poor soul from the brawl back into it, knocking over a bunch set upon the aisle like a bowling alley, with Illedrith already coming in with a cart to bulldoze through. He was already out of the way of her charge, so he's gonna stay out of the way of that, instead he kicked up one of the chairs and kicked it at her feet in order to stop or trip her.

"Well aren't we having so much fun? Don't mind if I join in", he had his usual menacing smile as he walked closer to the brawl. Some of the lower ranks were already pretty shaken up just seeing him. It was a non-magic brawl so it appeared... Should he change that...? Or keep it as is so it can last a bit longer? Well we'll see who else decides to show up to the party first.

---

Unlike most of the mages in the guild, Lorn was generally the one who ended up taking on the more mundane quests that everyone avoided, the ones that didn't involve fighting or violence or killing for that matter. Truth be told, the nature of his magic allowed him to fulfill certain quests in ways that the others just couldn't. Not that he minded anyways; he generally preferred the more pacifistic approach to an outcome, though, do not be fooled by his gentle temperament. As an A ranked mage in the Dragon Heart Guild, Lorn was more than capable of holding his own if necessary.

Even still, he didn't mind the quests that were usually left over for him. Such as the current quest he was on now. A tutoring gig. A test of patience and compassion, but a quest nonetheless. The very rich Ms. Pigmy had needed a tutor for her spoiled and belligerent son Chancey, a stout young boy as adorably porky as his last name suggested. Ms. Pigmy was away in the oversized kitchen of her mansion, barking orders at her maids to finish baking the remainder of the blueberry pies. Lorn sat across from Chancey, whose body suddenly tensed as the intense aroma wafted into the room. The boy trembled and stirred, almost as though he couldn't contain himself much longer from diving head first into the kitchen oven.

Lorn lightly touched Chancey's arm as the boy turned to make haste to the kitchen, "Calm Down..." Lorn said in a gentle voice. Chancey grumbled, pulling away. "No! I'm hungry!" he shouted, continuing for the door. Lorn smiled, clasping his hands upon his lap, "Calm down..." he repeated, though this time, the boy abruptly stopped in his tracks. He looked back to Lorn confused; his desire to feed had suddenly dwindled, yet he was perplexed as to why. He loved blueberry pie. Lorn sighed deeply. He generally wasn't keen on using his Heart Magic to influence people's emotions, but, it certainly served it's purpose, so he did what was necessary. Lorn watched carefully as Chancey returned to his seat, his foaming for the pies no longer a temptation from his studies. "Good..." Lorn said to the boy sweetly, "Let's continue. We're almost done."

---

Back at the guild, Lorn opened up the entrance doors to the sound and visual of a brawl that was ensuing. He chuckled to himself, amused at the normal camaraderie of the guild, especially at seeing Illedrith bulldozing people with a cart. He looked around for a bit to see who else was around. The usual folks. He noticed the adorable Sara chiming with the mild-mannered Victoria. Stubborn was that one, but probably the most grounded and down-to-earth person in the guild. Lorn had always thought of her as the 'Mother' of Dragon Heart. She may not seem it, but she was not one to be underestimated. But then his gaze fell upon the silent giant of a woman Glory, and her preoccupation with the cowering Ceri and the obviously hungry Dreadlin, the stout reptilian man thieving for a bite of her dish. Lorn looked away from them with a grin upon his lovely countenance, obviously tickled.

As he continued forth, Lorn gave a kind smile to the lower ranked mage as he gracefully passed him, the one with the mask. Valishin he recalled was the man's name.

Lorn was well-known within the guild(and the town) for his beauty and his model-like stature and sophisticated aura. Even when he walked, it was more like a glide, and people generally noticed. And yet, he himself did not. The irony of it. And it's not that he wasn't aware of his effeminate features, its just that he didn't understand why so many fancied it. He had often been called a "Pointless Beauty" by some of the other men of the guild, which puzzled him. They often jested that he didn't use his looks to his advantage, cause if they'd had had his looks, they'd go for a night on the town with all the town's hottest babes. But he only shook his head in amused disapproval. He only needed one babe. His babe. Bébé. But then...where was his girlfriend anyways? She had been giving him the cold shoulder for weeks now and he did his best NOT to use his heart magic to pry into her feelings. He wanted her to confer with him on her own accord, but it was tempting. He really just wanted to know what was up with her.

In any case, as he worked his way around the brawl towards the stairs, he came to a brief halt as he was greeted by some of the fanniest members of the guild. They circled around him like vultures; they were the more forthright members who weren't afraid of confessing their infatuation with him. Female and male members alike, though the male members had a tendency to treat him more like a girl they had a crush on. The female members treated him like an idol of sorts. One of them even held up the latest copy of the 'Sorcerer Magazine' in which Lorn had been featured as the cover model. He smiled at the girl sweetly, signing the half-naked image of himself as that was what the young female mage had feverishly requested of him, large beating hearts replacing what had been her dark brown eyes beforehand.

Once he managed to break away from them, he made his way up onto the second floor and waltzed into the library, halting as he locked eyes onto one of the newer members of the guild, Flavia. He looked at her with a sympathetic smile, "Hiding away in the library again are we?" he asked her in a kind tone, walking over to where she was stationed and sitting opposite of her on the floor, resting on his knees in a rather graceful posture. He looked over to where all the sounds of commotion were coming from downstairs and then turned back to her, his beautifully sharp eyes twinkling.

"You know...", he began calmly, picking up one of the spellbooks Flavia had been studying and flipping through the pages, "I don't have to use my magic to tell that you're nervous." He looked up at her and beamed, "And hungry" he chimed playfully, noticing her tummy grumble. "I understand though. It can be a little scary down there. Especially with all the loud noises they make when they get a little rowdy." He chuckled to himself. The thought of their antics downstairs always amused him so. "But...you'll get used to it. There's nothing to be afraid of. Everyone in this guild is family, whether they realize it or not." he said, winking at her in a light-hearted manner, hoping to quelm some of her wariness.

It was... Quiet. Peaceful. A rarity in the guild. Mind you, this was because most of the S-Rank members weren't in the guild, and Muko had decided to place himself by the window, book in hand and reading. The book though, really wasn't S+ Rank material. Didn't help that Muko himself had a very limited reading skill. Perks of spending his formative years in the forest. Instead of reading something constructive, or inspiring... He was reading a collection of the funnies. Particularly one about an orange cat that ate all the food in the house.

"It's funny, because he's fat." Muko whispered to himself, smiling as the cat kicked a dog right off a table. Some things are just timeless. And yet, as the Dragon Slayer took in the sun, and the really dated comic, he couldn't help but notice a new sound slowly coming up from the floorboards. Something ruining his quiet. Tossing the comic aside, Muko struggled to roll off the alcove he had been using as a make-shift bed. Landing on all fours, and standing up with a yawn. As he approached the balcony that opened up to the floors below, he could hear and see chaos erupting on the first floor. A fight was breaking out.

"Right... Guess I should be responsible, and stop this." Muko sighed out, brushing a hand through his snow-white hair. But... Why should he? Wasn't like he was the one who started the fighting. if he did stop the fight, it would reduce the odds of the one who did start it getting a punch to the face. And yet... NOW was the perfect time to test his latest spell! Not really a new spell though. More like a sudden desire to leap down and call it something else rather than just his basic Void Dragon Spark.

Muko stepped onto the railing, and looked down upon the slowly expanding chaos. He opened his mouth, and made a terrifying declaration.



Muko fell like a rock. Black flames erupting around him and sucking the warmth from the room. A near instant flash freeze as inside the Dragon Heart Guild, it began to flurry. Snow falling down, as Muko crashed into the floodboards. They cracked, before freezing into a solid impact zone. Snow fell right after him, smothering the guild members who didn't leave in a thick frozen slush that exploded out through the open door, and scattering the crowd that was still hovering outside.

"There we go... Brawl pacified."
__________________________________________________________________________________
@Sho Minazuki@Valor@Lmpkio@Rune_Alchemist@Hitman

---

"Why not just get your own…”

Dreadlin would blink once before turning to the carnage that unfolded before him.

"Yeeeeeh abot that." the lizardman said reluctantly as he pointed to the brawl that was going on.

He wasn't in the mood for braving the cafeteria battlefield all just so he could grab a meal. While he could easily beat most of the members here - save for the S-Class and a few other high rankers perhaps - he's already been weakened by the fight that he had with the wyvern. He's simply not at full strength to take them head on. Thankfully though, the stern woman seemed to acknowledge this dilemma and after an audible sigh she agreed to give him a chunk of her meat. She ripped a piece with her powerful jaws and with her powerful claws she plucked the remainder of the meat from the bone. She would give the remaining meat from her platter to Dreadlin.

"Ah, thanks-a-million, mate." the lizardman politely thanked her as he began to immediately plop of piece of meat into his mouth, "I reckon I~"

Of course, he wouldn't be off the hook right there and then, or not without Glory simply telling him:

“You owe me a favor.”

She beaten him to the punch. Dreadlin paused for a moment before rapidly nodding his head with a nervous chuckle.

"Ah, y-yeh!" the lizardman nervously responded, "Tha's wut I was gonna say! Sure! I'll do anythin' ya wan' meh ta~"

Before he could finish, he hears the dreadful call of a spell about to be casted in the guild hall. Turning quickly he sees the resident dragon slayer, Muko, cast a powerful spell to disperse the brawl taking place. With a lightning fast explosion, he began to feel the whole room instantly turn from a pleasantly warm sunny day to a chilly cold evening. All the warmth that was left in the room was merely extinguished as snow began to fall from the ceiling. A big patch also attempted to rid the fighters from their conflict and head for cover.

With the room having turned awfully chilly, Dreadlin was the first to suffer from this as he began shivering. Being a cold-blooded reptilian humanoid, he like the other reptiles in the world relied on the sun to warm them up. When the warmth is suddenly extinguished from existence, they are never prepared to engage the cold that rattles through their bones. That god-damned Muko. He may have so-called pacified the brawl, it couldn't be said for the rest of the bystanders. Dreadlin growled angrily as he hammered his fist into the table, followed by a sharp sneeze, and roared at the Void Dragon Slayer.

"OI, YA DAMN BARNEY RUBBLIN' GIT!" he roars defiantly over his way, "HAVEN'T YA GOT THE SLIGHTEST NOTION OF RESPECTIN' OTHA PEEPLE'S SPACES?! WHERE ARE YA BLOODY MANNAS?!"

---

The blast blew the benches, tables, and chairs of the guild hall all around, the explosion was enough to cause smoke rummaging out the windows. But as the mess cleared, and Dreadlin's voice roared in scold to the Void Dragon Slayer, a foot to his face, followed by a black mask with glowing purple eyes stepped from the dust. Whether or not he'd block it, or take it head on, the force and sudden appearance would be enough to force him to fly back several feet.

"Kuhahahaahahahah! And I thought I was the crazy one! How's we have some fun before the guild master shows up?!", his voice echoed ominously beneath the mask as it broke away again, leaving only his signature coat, he did a motion as if swinging a blade over his shoulder and as he did so, his scythe took form.