The Twin-Headed Dragon

Time: Night before the summoning
Location: Malthemoor



The storm outside raged with the loud claps of thunder as strikes of lightning flashed and illuminated the darkened room of the stone castle the twins resided, casting their shadows on the wall. The air was thick and humid and the sound of the torrential downpour was a heavy percussion against the ceiling above them.

“Th-th-the light elves are planning to summon man-thing tomorrow morning, do not know the location I don’t. Very s-s-secretive they are.” The rat demi-human knelt on the floor before the two. The dark-haired woman watched the rat curiously as they spoke and soon was grinning darkly. She had been lounging on her throne with her legs dangling over the armrest. She suddenly spun around and stood, slowly walking towards the sniveling rat.

”Is that so? And you truly don’t know anymore?” She asked, a grim smile on her beautiful face as she gently caressed his cheek. The rat quickly shook his head and Amarantha remained silent for a moment as she studied him, then sighed. ”Well then I guess you’ve become useless, wouldn’t you agree brother?”

Basilian looked towards the two, “Yes, and you know what we do with loose ends.” His face was stone cold with a lack of emotion as he hid his disgust from the rat on his floor. “I will give you the pleasure, sister.” He stood up walking past them, “I will get the preparations started with the cast spheres.” Basilian faced one of the guards standing in the room and said, “Get the prisoners and bring them to the balcony.”

The rat began pleading for his life, pure terror in his eyes as Amarantha shushed him as she leaned in closer. ”Hush now, everything is going to be okay.” There was a gentleness to her voice now and it began calming the man as he became unsure of what was going to happen. Was she actually going to kill him or did they mean something else when they meant ‘tying up loose ends’? Amarantha’s lips met the man’s in a soft, comforting kiss. She felt him relax, but then suddenly stiffen as his eyes and ears began bleeding. Dark tendrils surrounded Amarantha and her prey as he began screaming in agony. Suddenly he went limp and she let him drop to the floor, dark tendrils seeming to flow out of his mouth for a moment before dissipating. Amarantha stood upright once more as she wiped some blood from her mouth before moving back to her brother’s side.

“I don’t understand why you would put your lips on such a disgusting beast.” Basilian stared at his sister before looking back towards the cast sphere in his hand. “This should be ready.” He stated before he heard the door open. Basilian looked towards the door and watched as four prisoners were dragged into the room and out to the balcony. “It looks like we can join our unwelcome guests,” He told his sister as he walked out onto the balcony, rage now starting to seep out in his face.
The pitter-patter of the rain greatly increased in volume as they made their way outside. The sky was a foreboding molten gray.

Out in the middle of the courtyard sat a large map of all of Avalia. Kneeling atop of said map were four figures encompassing each of the large races of the land. On the far left of the group sat Prince Khurdral Mountainspine, heir to the throne of Ironhold and the Dwarves. Beside him was Prince Echo Millinia, youngest son of the Fairy King. Next in line was the general of the Light Elves, Talindra Joxalim. Last was the Demi-Human heir, Prince Itsuki Yoshikawa. All had their hands bound behind their backs and mouths gagged. They were swiftly becoming soaked from the rain and behind each of them stood a Dark Elf Dragon Knight.

Basilian activated the casting sphere, which opened up broadcasting to all of Availa. “Welcome Avalians to our show. We know you plan to bring the humans and thought we would make our move first. If you look over here, we have some of your fellow pinces and this Light Elf general. “ He said, waving his arm towards them and showing the world their faces. ”This is a declaration of war, We will take what is rightfully ours and plunge your pathetic races into despair just as you did to us thousand years ago. Our race has kept quiet for years building and growing this great nation of Malthemoor. I will make you watch as we murder your people just as you made us watch the murder of ours.” Basilians looked at the knights and with one swift movement of his hand the knights slit the throats of the prisoners letting the blood drain from their necks in view of everyone watching the broadcast.

”Remember this, people of Avalia, all of this could have been avoided. If you hadn't exiled us into the coldest places of Avalia, treated us as a lesser race, then there could have been peace. Now you have forced our hand and we will become the monsters you have believed us to be. The rivers and streets shall run red with the blood of your children.” As Amarantha finished speaking her words, she conjured the form of a twin-headed dragon with her dark magic. It appeared to emerge from her and her brother before lifting into the air, flying around for a moment before she signaled for the spheres to be shut off. War had come to Avalia once more.

Time: 8:30 am, Summer Solstice
Location: The Glistening Lord Inn and Tavern, Sun Elf Kingdom
Interactions: None, other than NPCs in the inn
Mentions: None.
Equipment: Rucksack filled with travel essentials, small personal axe, checked in with innkeep.

A soft thud could be heard from the room. Orenn grumbles as he sets down his mug of ale. Breakfast was simple. Eggs, sausage, toasted bread with a few mugs of brown ale to wash it all down. Letting out a heavy sigh, Orenn took out a leather-bound journal and opened it. Peering inside, he shifted a small, hand-drawn map to an empty spot on the table and set out a small jar of ink and quill to write with. Small tinkling sounds can be heard as he tapped the quill into the ink bottle.

Unsuccessful, as of right now, to acquire Tyrfing stone. It's apparently damn rare. Shit. Maybe I should have charged more. I've run through about 450 amas of the 600 retainer I took and it seems like I'm nowhere near this damn stone. Nothing in Yenworth. Nothing in North Pass. Nothing in Roshmi. I swear if I find out that the damn stone is found in River Fairy Kingdom or something I'd be pissed. I'll have to write a separate letter to that guy and ask for more from the remaining 600 amas... I'd really not want to do that. I have the iron ready, the wood for the handle, and leather for the wraps. I just need the damn stone. And now there is this shite with the dark elves declaring war. Fuck sakes. Can't everyone just leave each other alone? Why does it have to be all this conquering and bloodshed? Just find some good stone to work, and work.

Orenn physically shook his head as he tapped the quill back into the ink bottle and took another dram of the brown ale in his mug. What is it with this stone anyways. Why was it so hard to find? Orenn took a look at the map and tried to decide on a route he can take. He'll head towards River Port next. There are lots of people at the port. A blessing and a curse for him. Lots of information coming and going, but also a lot of judgment. Sighing, he sealed up the jar of ink and secure the quill before closing up the journal, satisfied with his latest entry. He flipped through a few more pages and looked at a few recipes and pondered some adjustments as he finished up his ale.

Once the ale mug was emptied, he got up and tidied up a bit. As brutish as his people might seem, they're still generally well-mannered and well-raised. Double checking that all of his belongings were packed away into his rucksack, his coin purse was tied to his waist and a charm that was passed down through his family was fastened to the necklace around his neck. Sheathing his axe to his waistband, Orenn exited the room and paid for his stay before leaving the inn and headed into town for more information and to, hopefully, outright buy the elusive stone...

---

Princess Rosaria stared at the castle hall with intensity. The prior night filled her mind’s eye. If she’d been a basilisk, she might have turned someone to stone. The innocent lives that had been ruthlessly taken had her clenching her fists. Despair must have filled those families, who were looking up to them specifically to help avenge their deaths. Rose promised herself she’d do whatever it took to do so. Her shoulders felt as if there were bricks on them. Her throat felt dry, and she wasn’t sure why her hands were shaking.

Never mind this, she thought. With a quick glance to the thrones, she found her mother’s encouraging smile and her father’s intense stare. Rose found herself looking around for Nuallán as an escape, but her father spoke up and broke her out of her reverie.

King Kymil looked at her directly and spoke with intensity. ”Go on, Rosaria. Your moment has come. Make us proud.”

”Rosaria and Annya, you were born to protect this kingdom and your people. Do not fail us. The stakes are too high for you to fail.” Queen Renna added gruffly, with a sternness in her tone that meant there wasn’t any room for failure.

With all eyes on Annya, her and the other elves, Rose nodded and turned to face the middle of the room. Quickly she bit her tongue so as not to reply and break her concentration. She glanced at her sister and took her hand gently with gentleness in her eyes, as if she were greeting a fawn. Rosaria tried her best not to show her nervousness around her. She had to be strong for her kingdom, her people, and her family. If they so much as touched a hair on her sister’s head…. Rose gritted her teeth and ignored these thoughts.

With a glance around, she nodded to the other light elves and they raised their hands in unison. Her eyes narrowed as concentration filled them. Light shot out of her hands and into the middle of the room. The brightness was blinding, and Rose had to force herself not to look away. Slowly, rifts began to open up. Rosaria allowed her anger to rise as she thought of the innocent lives taken. The General had been one of her friends. Her mind flashed to the Fairy Kingdom. They had their share of trauma and now they had lost their other son. T The dwarf kingdom had been one she admired, though not knowing the prince directly. Then last, but not least, Prince Itsuki. Rose felt her heart lurch as she successfully opened several rifts. This was the right thing to do. Their deaths had to be avenged, and the rest of Avalia to be kept safe.

There was silence; then cheers erupted in the hall. The loudness of it startled her; but she reminded herself to focus. She glanced at the others and found them grinning at her, so she returned it. Then, as quickly as the rifts opened, six humans came flying through it and onto the floor. Rosaria kept her hands up in case anymore came; once it was determined they had only six humans, she then slowly allowed the rifts to close.

Rosaria grinned with triumph as she faced the humans. All eyes were on them; then she spoke sweetly as she approached them with an outstretched hand. ”Welcome, humans, to the Sun Elf Kingdom in the land of Avalia. My name is Princess Rosaria, and I implore you to let us speak and help you.” She breathed steadily, but her heart couldn’t stop racing. Rosaria waited patiently for them to react and kept her smile up.

Time: 4 am -> 9 Am
Location: A small hotel in Somalia -> Castle Hall of Sun Elf Kingdom
Interactions: @Potter
Equipment: Underwear, Dog tags, and a bed.

---

Ismael was just about to go to bed for the night. The night was long and he needed to get up in a few hours. They will be heading out to Senegal to deliver arms to the forces there, and they were expected there by tomorrow. Yet Ismael wanted to fix his bed and making sure it was spotless. This was a small thing he always did anytime they were stayed at hotels, even if it was on the nicer end. So he moved everything off of the bed and onto the dresser. Once he did he took a black light and flashed it over the entire bed, as it glowed like a Christmas tree. With a face of disgust he flipped the bed over to see the other side, it was even worst.

Ismael then thought, what if all of his stuff is covered, as he flashed himself, and sure enough, he glowed as well. He was disgusted as he took off everything and headed to the shower. After a quick shower, he went and checked the blankets and sheets, sadly the ones on the bed were gross, but the spares were all clean, as he started to put a layer of blankets and sheets on top of the bed as he then used a spare sheet as a blanket. yet before he was able to finish making his bed, Ismael saw a bright light behind him, as he turned thinking it was one of his buddies who snuck in with his spare key. Yet what he saw was otherworldly, as a large portal opened, and before Ismael could get to the head of his bed, he was already pulled in.

Once Ismael was through, he felt his body was about to hit the floor, so he curled himself up before the moment of impact to allow himself to roll through and onto his feet. Right when he came up he saw the place he was in, and he wasn't concerned about the architecture, just the fact he didn't know where he was. Ismael quickly looked around to find anything to defend himself and he saw his bed. He hopped up quickly and threw himself back to it where he 'knew' a weapon was. But right when he grabbed at the pillows and threw them off, he was met with a surprise, there was nothing there. As he remembered, he had left his gun on the dresser because he was still making his bed.

With a click of the tongue, he looked back upon hearing the voice of a woman behind him. When the woman spoke, Ismael was defensive, yet she was very passive and even trying to be comforting. Ismael let her speak, yet felt weird, as everything here felt so different. The air here was so strange it felt clear but almost suffocatingly so, the temperature here was very different, and even the atmospheric pressure was very different. They must have been a decent height above sea level. Once Ismael quickly acclimated to the sensory overload he spoke, "Avalia? Never heard of...".

As that was the moment Ismael began looking and he saw everything around him for what it was. The woman in front of him was strange, her features were strong, yet what was most prominent was her ears, they had such length and sharpness. Ismael knew what an Elf was, if you had access to any form of visual media you knew what an Elf was. He started looking towards each person around him as he realized: 'Oh, this is very real. If it was a dream, I'd summon a gun right now'. Sure enough, when a gun doesn't appear in his hand, and he doesn't start flying around as you'd normally do in a lucid dream, he knew this was real.

Ismael snapped himself out of his ideas and thoughts as he walked over to Princess Rosaria and shook her hand, knowing that cooperation is the best was the best thing to do here, "It is good to meet you, Princess Rosaria, my name is Ismael Helstein". He tried to set a firm and strong impression, not knowing that he already did, just not the way he wanted.

Time: 9am
Location: Castle Hall of Sun Elf Kingdom
Interactions:@Tae Raven @baraquiel Jomari @Alivefalling Caelan @Th3King0fChaos Ismael
@13org Nuallán @Potter Saoirse
Equipment:Armor; Chest plate is enchanted with Armor of Absorption, Map of Avalia, Water Flask, A bag of elf and demi-human ears and tails, Ama pouch with 2000 amas on hand, Three large red potions, Wayfinder, Hygiene supplies, Rose-scented Perfume, Location Sender, Shower Tube, Bedroll, Water Purifier,Axes with returning enchantment,Her backpack



Annya had barged into the hall earlier, her dark hair in a tight ponytail. She yanked open the curtains to a large nearby window, the light illuminating the floor. Then she held her map up toward the light of the window for a moment, its material becoming translucent. She spoke up, declaring and interrupting any conversation that was ongoing previously, "I will be taking my humans to River Port. It's one of the many obscure small towns out west. It is also not too far from here in case I need elves." She rolled it up after squinting up at it for a moment. She shut the curtains aggressively. Shoving the map in her bag, she turned and pointed at a couple of light elves standing up against the wall, "I'm going to take you two. Rosaria, don't take too many. Too big a group will bring attention."

One of them whistled softly under their breath. It was not hard to tell when Annya was in a mood. Her tone became more blunt than usual and the tension seemed to come off her in waves. However, they all had expected this. She and Talindra had been quite close. Not a day went by that Annya had been aiding her. The prior night, many had been assuring her that the general had simply gone off somewhere, but Annya knew Talindra never left without letting her and Rosaria know. As it had been broadcasted last night, Annya had simply watched with clenched teeth before stomping out to her room without another word.

Annya moved to stand beside her elder sister. She was tasked with aiding her in her rift opening, as she did not have the skill to do so herself. There were four powerful light elves also in the room, ready to open them as well. She followed her sister's gaze silently toward her parents. Annya wondered if Rosaria thought she could pull it off. This stunt hadn't pulled in over a thousand years. Regardless, the hard part would be keeping the humans alive and willing to help, not bringing them forward. It would be difficult, but Annya was sure things would go to plan. The King and Queen spoke, but it was just background noise as the gears in Annya's head spun around rapidly.

Her sister's gentle touch soon brought her back out to reality and she tilted her head to meet her gaze. She had been on edge and almost snapped at her, but her sister's gentle expression made her rethink that move. Rosaria seemed to be handling this okay, but Annya knew her well enough to know she was putting on an act. Taking a moment to get her thoughts in order and compose herself, she then smiled at her Rosaria,"You got this. I will have your back." Her tone was much lighter this time.

As everyone raised their hands, Annya did as well to help add light magic to Rosaria's rift. She felt a familiar warm tingle in her palms as a thick light beam emerged from them, moving in a straight line forward into Rosaria's line of magic. The entire room flashed white, but Annya continued a constant flow. When finally the room began to dim down to its usual view, Annya let her arms falter. After a moment, she could see new figures on the floor of the hall. She mentally counted about six of them.

Rosaria welcomed them and Annya moved forward once she was finished speaking. She was going to have to ease up if they were going to be successful in convincing these people with weird ears to agree to fight a random war.

"My name is Princess Annya. You have been summoned to a different dimension that your kind has not walked in years. Our people humbly request your aid in saving our land. As my sister stated, this place is called Avalia. You will soon come to realize that you are in possession of abilities that you do not have in your realm. These abilities can be used to save millions of people from death. We will train, feed, and protect you, then send you back to where you come from. I offer you the opportunity to be heroes and do something extraordinary!" She gave them a confident smile and spoke loudly for them all to hear.

After her brief speech, Annya took a moment to glance over the humans. What she was able to observe thus far was a scarcely dressed male, who had moved up to shake the hand of her sister, and a young girl with purple hair who was drawing in a small book. She hadn't even seemed to notice that she was anywhere new yet.

Rose can have those two.

Time: 9AM
Location: Castle Hall of Sun Elf Kingdom
Interactions: None, Currently observing.
Equipment: Cobalt Saber, Cobalt Half Plate, Map of Avalia, Lantern, Water Flask, 3x Torch, x10 Travel Rations, Washing Brush.

Kharne's eyes were closed while he stood way off to the side in the Castle Hall. His thoughts were to the previous night, the declaration of war from the Dark Elves. Which weren't surprising really, if you were condemned to a small location you'd get pissed off too. But instead of the diplomatic approach the arrogant ones decided to take on the rest of the world. Granted their dark sorcery was powerful judging by what the history books said. But it had been shown in many a skirmish that Kharne had been in, you could be insanely powerful and skilled but numbers would destroy you eventually. Or you could be outsmarted. Either way the message was sent and diplomacy probably wasn't on the table anymore.

At the sound of magical vortexes one of his eyes snapped open. The two princesses and some other high end mages were finally performing the summoning. Several of these portals were opened and out popped, tumbled, and flopped some humanoid beings. Once they were out the vortexes closed and the princesses approached the little cluster of humans. It didn't seem there was a rhyme or reason to who was called. Each person, except the two flopping women, were very different from each other. Still that steel colored eye ran over each of the magically brought over humans. Only the mostly nude male was seemingly built for combat. The rest were slight females or a strangely slight male.

Granted a lithe build didn't mean useless, but in his mind that would mean they would be geared towards magic or light arms. Things he couldn't really help with except potentially teach how to fight against a huge and powerful opponent. Granted he had only been hired to protect, not to teach. Although judging by the younger princesses statement she'd be taking care of and training some of the humans elsewhere? It was smart to take different groups of humans and separate them, but there was also strength in numbers and combining resources like trainers. It was a gamble of safety and success either way you looked at it.

But there was another issue. He couldn't split in two, there was only one of him. Where would he be going? A question for the two princesses for later after everything was more settled. Still he stepped forward a more, getting closer to the group. Not that it was hard to miss him, what with him being well over the heads of the eves and built like a damned house. Maybe his presence would have the princesses tell him where he was going without him having to ask? He really wasn't the most vocal of beings unless he was comfortable.

Time: 8pm → 9am
Location: His friend’s house → Sun Elf Castle Hall
Interactions: @Tae Raven @baraquiel Jomari @princess Annya and Sophie @Th3King0fChaos Ismael @13org Nuallán @Potter Saoirse and Rosaria
Equipment: A D&D miniature, a blunt and the clothes on his back


Caelan sat around a wooden table in a dining room with his friends. It was your standard Canadian home with a simple wooden dining set and the room had red walls. Bowls of Cheetos, pretzels, and other snacks were on the table. A big board with a fantasy map was laid out in the middle and miniatures were scattered everywhere as well as a couple of red bulls.

He had on a black beanie and baggy, comfortable clothes. His dirty-blonde hair was a bit messy but it was freshly cleaned. His friends were in similar condition. The group had been playing D&D for the past three hours and were close to the end of the session

Caelan hunched over the table to keep a close look on the board, intensely into it. As it was nearing his turn, he listened closely to his friend as he casted fireball. With a chuckle of delight as it dealt massive damage, he leaned back again and received a blunt into his hand. They had been passing it around. The DM turned to address him, a gleam in his eye.

“A portal opens up and you get sucked into it.... and that’s where we are gonna end.”The DM,Nick, said dramatically, putting intensity into every word.

His friends groaned with disappointment at the game's ending.

Mathias, however, proclaimed, “Thank God I gotta piss.”
The others began to mutter their agreements and everyone started to go toward the bathrooms.

Caelan shrugged and took another hit of his blunt and picked up his miniature. At that moment, a literal rip in reality stretched out behind him and sucked him in backward.

He came flying into the hall on his chair. It landed straight as he stared forward with wide eyes, then the chair fell backward on the floor with him in it.

“What the fuck?!”He yelled loudly before stumbling to get up and grabbing his blunt. The confusion on his face was visible as he looked around. He was not with his friends. The place he was in was huge and looked very royal and fantasy-like with the architecture. Caelan took one final look around and stared at the elves in front of him with shock. He listened to the elf chicks who proclaimed to be princesses speak of a different world that he and these humans around him were all summoned to. They started telling them they had powers and that they could be heroes in this world.
Caelan couldn’t believe his ears. He had to take in for at least a full minute straight while still smoking his blunt. Excitement filled him as everything loaded in his head. He had been so bored with his mundane life and had always wished he could live a life like this. He decided he was probably too high for this and decided to observe as others spoke.

Once there was silence, he asked, his voice taking on a bit of an overdramatic tone as if he was voicing a righteous hero, ”How do we use these so-called powers? Cause I want to be called a hero, also the name is Caelan Knight, is that heroic enough?”

Time: Night before the summoning----->9 AM
Location: Roshmi Palace
Interactions:
Mentions: @hide on mana Kuroi
Equipment:


Just stay out of my way, I came for blood…



Music filled the ballroom of the Roshmi palace as men and women dressed in fine clothes and jewelry danced and conversed with one another. A white haired wolf demi-human girl sighed as she sipped on some wine and watched people dance. Of course her parents were throwing a ball the night before Soller. They’d be throwing another tomorrow night as well once Itsuki got home from his trip, wherever the hell that was. Her brother was always out and about, traveling to different places for parties and all sorts of revelries while Mikazuki was stuck at home. She’d never even left Roshmi unless it was for political things or parties. Why she was always so sheltered she’d never know, but at least she was able to sneak out once in a while for a few hours.

Suddenly a large image of the Dark Elf twins filled the room as Basilian’s voice boomed through the hall. Everyone stopped and stared in confusion, but then there was a scene that made Mika’s blood turn to ice. Four figured knelt on the ground, almost all of them she recognized, but her eyes were glued on one in particular. It was Itsuki. Her heart was pounding in her chest, panic rising as she realized what was happening. She heard her mother scream out and the rest of the room erupt in chaos as Itsuki’s throat was slit open. She watched as the life drained from her brother’s eyes, then she was looking at the twins once again. Had that really just happened?

Suddenly Mika was surrounded by guards and she was being ushered out of the ball room, as if there was some sort of threat to her currently. She followed, feeling absolutely numb as she was escorted to her room. She was the heir now and she needed to be protected at all costs.

---

The palace was in absolute chaos and Mika was confined to her room the next day. She’d gotten over her shock and was now angry. She wanted, no, she NEEDED revenge and she’d be damned if she wasn’t going to get it. She was supposed to meet with her new teacher today, Kuroi Usagi, the son of Akane, but that was going to have to wait. She needed to get out of Roshmi and make her way to the Sun Elf Kingdom where she knew they were summoning human’s.

For a while now, Mika had been in contact with some elven rebels and was doing what she could to aid in the rebellion while staying in Roshmi. She’d gained trust with them and was informed of the plan to summon humans, a plan she was mildly worried about. How would they ensure that the humans would help them? What motive would they have? It was now time to join the rebellion instead of working from the shadows as she had been previously.

She shoved essential supplies into a pack before strapping her katana and wakizashi to her back. She threw a few other things into the pack before pulling a mask over her face and throwing a cloak on. She couldn’t slip out the front door of her room, as it was being heavily guarded, so she needed to go out the window. Only issue with that was the fact her room was on the fourth floor. Lucky for her, she was able to stash 50 ft of rope in her room. She secured the rope around herself and looped the rope around her heavy bedpost. In theory it should hold her weight...at least she hoped. She then dropped the rest of the rope out the window. With one last check to make sure everything was secured, Mika took a deep breath and slowly eased herself out the window.

After a couple minutes she made it on top of a small bit of roof, the first checkpoint. Now she just had to make it down one more story. She untied the rope, bundled it back up, and shoved it in her pack before slowly beginning to shuffle towards the edge. The roof was slicker than she'd expected and she slipped, sliding down the roof. She gasped, grasping for anything she could. Finally she got a purchase on the gutter of the roof as she went sliding off the edge. It took everything in her to hold on as she dangled over the edge. She was now staring into the study where her mother sat, weeping. She hadn't noticed her quite yet and Mika needed to move fast. She was about eight or nine feet off the ground still and she took a deep breath before she let go. She did her best to roll in order to not injure herself, though it still hurt.

Mika quickly got herself up off the ground and looked towards the gates. There were some people heading out, if she was quick enough she could use them as a disguise to slip out. Silently she ran towards the group, keeping her head down as they began passing the guards. She was just beginning to feel confident that she'd made it when the guards grabbed her arm. "Now where do you think you're going, Princess Mikazuki?" The guard who'd watched her grow up asked, under orders to stop her at any costs. Irritation ran towards her as she looked at him.

"Uhh...I'm heading to my lesson with Ms. Akane's son and you're going to make me late." There was very clear irritation in her voice and only received a chuckle.

"Is that so? Why weren't we informed about this then?" Of course this wasn't going to be easy...

The events of the last night had turned the entire Sun Elf Kingdom upside down. The Dark Elves' declaration of war was definitive. Blood was already spilled and here was no possibility for negotiation. The war was already certain. With a bloody war looming over the horizon, threatening to engulf the entire Avalia, there was not a single soul among the royals or the nobles with a happy expression on the ceremony that they were about to perform. Nuallán knew that the tensions between Dark Elves and Light Elves wasn't something new. The unhealed wounds of what happened thousands of years ago festered and refused to heal no matter how much time passed. With the silence from both kingdoms and no attempt made in thousands of years to try and mend the political relations between both races, the entire situation was truly a powder barrel, waiting to explode... And now, it had finally happened. The declaration of war from the Dark Elves made it clear that the upcoming war was the worse type of war. It was a war born out of spite and hatred.

Standing a few meters away from Rosaria in one side of the room, Nuallán could clearly see how nervous his Mistress was by how she glanced around, how her hands were shaking and other small hints on her body language. Unfortunately, even if she was searching for him with her eyes, he couldn't help her. He knew how shaken the royalty was after the declaration of war and most importantly, he knew how much of the responsibility to deal with it rested in the royal blood. As someone who had the royal blood of the Biren running through her veins and most importantly, as a princess, it was her duty to be strong for her people and to protect them and their land. That didn't prevent him from being worried about her though. Being the next in line for being the queen already put a huge weight over her shoulders and now with the war, she would need every support he could give her.

Rosaria wasn't the one that was struggling to control her emotions though. From the moment Princess Annya had barged inside the hall, speaking about taking the humans under her to the River Kingdom as she looked on the map, putting it in front of the window. Her steps, the tone of her voice and her entire being radiated the anger and wrath she was feeling and how hard she was trying to keep it under control. Nuallán knew how much she was affected after losing General Talindra on the declaration of war that happened last night. Everyone in the castle knew how close the general and Princess Annya were. After closing the curtains in a particularly aggressive manner, she took her spot besides Rosaria, moving with large, impatient strides. Nuallán closed his eyes, sighing as the king and the queen spoke, formally announcing the start of the ceremony where the rift would be opened. Preparing herself for the task ahead, Rosaria gently held Princess Annya's hand, smiling gently to her, trying not to show how nervous she was and ease her sister's nervousness. Nuallán watched with a discreet smile as Princess Annya's expression visibly became calmer and lighter speaking with a much calmer tone, comforting Rosaria before they began opening the rifts. Things would be very tough from now on. Not only for the Sun Elf Kingdom, but for the entire Avalia. He could only hope that the bonds that tied Annya and Rosaria would continue to be stronger than the raging fires of war. Even though both sisters had incredibly different personalities, as long as the two sisters remained together, supporting each other, Nuallán was sure that no matter how hard, terrible and long the war became, they would continue firm and resolute, protecting the kingdom and the lives of their people.

Opening a rift was an incredibly difficult task, something that wasn't been accomplished in thousands of years. Even though Rosaria was considered to be a rare genius regarding magic, it would still prove to be a difficult task even with the aid of Princess Annya and other powerful mages. A deafening silence flooded the hall as the mages started. Seconds seemed to last minutes as every noble in the room held their breaths. The very second the few first rifts began to open with blinding light coming from them, the entire room erupted in cheers, commemorating the success of the ceremony. Even Nuallán was relieved, knowing that his Lady was successful in opening the rifts, despite maintaining an impeccable posture and composure through the entire ceremony. After a few seconds, six humans flew from the portal, falling into the middle of the room before the rifts were finally closed. With the ceremony complete and after the cheers died down, Rosaria and Annya introduced themselves to the humans who had just arrived. The humans didn't seem to be much at first sight for Nuallán, but he knew that with guidance and training, they had the potential to change the tides of war in their favor. Dealing with each one of them would be another completely different matter though. They were not disciplined soldiers, but normal humans. Their approach would have to be very delicate and different for each different human, according to their own personalities, ideals and particularities.

The first one to speak was the black haired human with a scar on his face. Nuallán could tell with a single glance that he was a warrior. If the way he moved when falling through the rift and the scars weren't already a dead giveaway, the way he moved, spoke and how composed he was made it even clearer. The human introduced himself as Ismael Helstein. Having memorized the name, it would be someone Nuallán would definitely keep an eye on, as he was undoubtedly a promising subject to aid them in the war. The second male human who arrived, a blonde haired man had much less of a gracious entrance, falling with a loud scream and a curse. Despite his unpleasant entrance though, he eagerly listened to Lady Rosaria and Lady Annya's words, in silent admiration before introducing himself as Caelan Knight. He seemed to be completely clueless regarding combat, but his spirit and eagerness were definitely admirable and something the kingdom would need for the tough times that were about to come. The two other female humans, were doing quite a commotion didn't seem to have the same composure as Ismael though. While the bruises and the things that they were talking about did pass the idea that they weren't exactly unfamiliar to dangerous situations, they didn't seem to be the type who would actively take action in combat. While their confusion was somewhat warranted due to the situation they found themselves in, Nuallán was still a bit annoyed by how loud and rather discourteous they were on their arrival.

Time: 10pm --> 9am
Location: Her dorm --> Sun Elf Castle Hall
Interactions:Raven @Tae, Jomari @baraquiel, Caelan @Alivefalling, Ismael @Th3King0fChaos Saoirse and Rosaria @Potter
Equipment:Clothing(No shoes),Backpack, Sketchbook with drawings, various drawing supplies, iPhone, a PBJ sandwich, charging cable, strawberry pocky, and earphones.


It was a cozy night for Sophie as she sat, pretzel-legged on her beanbag chair. Some of her hair was clipped to the back of her head and she was in a black dress, red button-down, and long knee-high socks. After a day of classes, she had practically thrown herself into her room and plopped on her beanbag chair, not even caring to untangle herself from her backpack. She had kicked her sneakers haphazardly across the room and took out her sketchbook to get to work. She had been working on this during class and she had the urge to finish it tonight, even if it took all night. Her blue eyes scanned the page in front of her as she licked her lips and began to pencil in more details to her drawing.

Hours had passed. She had been too fixated on her work to even get up and go get some dinner. However, she did need a change of pace. She opened up a box of strawberry pocky and put one in her mouth to nibble on, and then went the extra step of deciding to listen to music. As she plugged her earphones into her ears, the sound of Coldplay's song Paradise began to play.

Sophie hummed along contently, not even noticing the rip in the fabric of reality in her room. She hunched over and began to focus on one area. Her beanbag slid through the portal and gently across the hall floor. Due to the volume of the music, she hadn't even noticed that people were speaking or the entire change of environment for a good few minutes. Finally, something did begin to feel off to Sophie as she took the last bite of her pocky. She slowly glanced up and began to look around, her earphones dropping out of her ears.

As she scoped her surroundings, she realized she was in a huge, luxurious room with a fountain in the middle. She was also surrounded by elves. Her gaze made her way from the elven women standing before her, to the people at her sides, then finally stopped at the dragon-man along the perimeter of the room.

"Umm."Sophie uttered softly.

The Night Before...

Avalia BGM - Roshmi City Tournament

This entire tournament had been nothing more than an amusement for the prodigious fox. Normally he would never let himself behave so cocky, but after he, a twenty-one year old vulpine, was offered to train the princess of Roshmi City, one could see why his ego had become inflated to such a degree. It was quite unlike him to act so pretentious. Yes, he was known for being overconfident at times which had cost him fights in the past but those times were nowhere near the amount of pride that exuded from him now. This entire tournament was purely at a regional level, a smaller one among the many large ones that took place in the grand city of Demi-Humans. Regardless, many of the fighters were fierce and definitely challenged Kuroi in the earlier matches. Yet here he was, standing in front of the last man who kept him from claiming the grand prize, a Lycan who held a parrying dagger in one hand and a saber in the other.

And all this fox had was a sarong wrapped around his right wrist. All his opponents up to this point had been nothing but humiliated by Kuroi. After all, losing to an opponent who had nothing more than a length of tubed cloth was demeaning. The agile fox wore an adorned mask of his kind over his face and wore his battle kimono, all in black with accentuations as needed to contrast. As the final match of the tournament started, Kuroi instantly began to move towards his opponent at an angle, making sure to advance in a way that would allow him to evade his opponent's attack whilst also closing the distance. His empty hand drew the opponent's blade away from his piece of cloth, feigning a grab so his hand would get slashed at. A painful sacrifice but a necessary one nonetheless.

Crimson gushed from the gash left by the swipe of the saber.

And air puffed out from the Lycan's mouth.

Kuroi had smacked the Lycan with the sarong and let it swing around, only to grab it by the other end and pull it through the length, resulting in what Kuroi called a portable noose. The moment the Lycan rose his parrying dagger to stab at Kuroi, he suddenly yanked the piece of cloth downwards while suddenly thrusting his hips forward. In a moment's notice, Kuroi's opponent flew towards him, face first into a powerful knee to the face. A loud thud resulted from the impact of Kuroi's knee against the man's face. The contender lay flat on the ground, blood oozing from his broken nose. The sarong was yanked back by it's wielder, keeping pressure on the neck whilst a foot suddenly slammed down on the flat of the parrying dagger.

In almost record time, the match had been called for the safety of both contenders (read: the loser). Letting go of the sarong, Kuroi took off his mask and raised his hands in the air, allowing his makeup adorned face to be gawked at by all the beautiful vulpine women in the roaring crowds.

The young vulpine of age twenty-one had everything anyone at age could ever want in life plus some. Yet little did these people know that he, among the countless skilled duelists that lived in Roshmi City, had been handpicked by the royal family to instruct their daughter in the arts of combat. Life was good.

As good as it could have been until he saw a magical broadcast appear up in the sky. A beautiful face overwhelmed with joy soon became one with bared teeth and an ugly scowl on its face. An execution took place before everyone attending the tournament, a war declaration coupled along with it. Worst of all, he witnessed the city's prince life end right then and there.

Such a cowardly, horrific act. It infuriated Kuroi. Nothing but hate coursed through his veins that night. He could only imagine how the Royal Family would feel.

...

Avalia BGM - The Mourning of Roshmi City

After the events that took place today, Kuroi could no longer feel any form of happiness. As he expected, his meeting with the princess today was cancelled. With such sudden grievance befalling the royal family, and the looming threat that now hung over their heads, he expected nothing more from them. What was supposed to become a leisurely pastime for the princess of Roshmi would turn into something far more serious if there were still plans for him to teach her. Any form of responsibility he had already been bestowed had just been tripled by this declaration of war. He had to turn the princess into one of the best warriors Roshmi had ever seen.

There was no doubt about it. Despite there being no future date for his services, Kuroi made it up in his mind that he had to meet with her tomorrow. If the prince had already been killed in cold blood, who was to say his sister wasn't next?

---

The Morning After...

Kuroi rose early in the morning far before either of his parents to make preparations for today. He bathed and dressed himself up in his most formal of clothing - a black kimono with accessorized with a white and black scarf and topped off with a black cloak. Atop his head was the only hat he owned, and in his left hand was a sturdy, expensive cane, made for both walking, and for committing numerous war crimes if need be.

Kuroi's Formal Attire & Appearance [+]

Right before leaving the house, the young fox wrote a note for his parents, announcing his intentions to meet with the princess and impose his services for her sake. It wasn't about money and prestige for him anymore, it was about morality and doing what he could to protect the heir to the throne.

As he left the house, his eyes instantly went up to admire the blood-colored sunrise - ironic that something that symbolized something so ugly could be so beautiful. Around Kuroi were the various buildings of the middle-class, progressively becoming bigger and more expensive as he approached the royal palace and the upper class district. He was tense, anyone could realize it with how tight he gripped his cane as he walked along. Gods, how he would love to drive his cane straight through those damned Dark Elf twins. He would not hesitate to draw blood a second time in his life. After all, this wasn't the first time he had to put down a politician. Ever since that day where one of the Light elves who helped governed the city attacked him, Kuroi had little issue with eliminating those who truly were the scum of Avalia.

Luckily for him and his family, enough strings were pulled to make the governor's death seem...untimely.

Much went through Kuroi's head as he approached the royal palace. Normally, he would appreciate the elaborate architecture on the estates that surrounded him in this part of the city. With what happened the night prior, he couldn't relax. He could only thing about protecting the current heir to the throne. He would never forgive himself if the princess so happened to meet her brother's fate.

It wasn't until he heard...the princess? discussing with the guards inside the palace courtyard that he snapped back to reality. Confusion was visible on Kuroi's face...was that her? Why was she already dressed for combat. Surely she couldn't have been sneaking out? Based on the attire she had, she surely had some form of fighting experience, he imagined. After all, he refused to believe she'd be absolutely defenseless. Regardless, he merely listened in on the conversation, paying close attention to the intonation of the woman who did end up being Princess Mikazuki.

A quiet sigh escaped Kuroi's lips as he approached the gate, banging on it with the tip of his cane. He already had an idea of what was going on and given the situation, he couldn't help but indulge the princess, "Yes, yes...our meeting together got pushed back...an honor to finally meet you face to face, princess..."

Gods save him for playing along. If the royal family ever caught word of this he'd be executed within a moment's notice.

---

Time: 9 AM
Location: Port Vanarosa
Interactions: @Benzaiten Éliane
Mentions:
Equipment:


The Devil's Dancefloor



In the corner of a small cell sat a red haired woman, messing with the finger bone of some poor soul who'd died in the cell before her and was left to be picked clean by the rats. Lizzie had briefly wondered if she, too, was to suffer the same fate as that man...or woman, it was hard to tell when there was no flesh on the bones anymore. It had already been a month since she and the crew had been captured and, while they informed them their trial was in a week, it looked like there was no end in sight. They said it was a "trial", but Lizzie knew they would immediately be walking to the gallows. At least Maria had escaped that gruesome fate, though she suffered a fate almost as bad. Fever had taken her and she lasted a week before she drew no more breath. It shattered Lizzie's heart, but she was relieved she wouldn't have to see the woman hanging from a noose.

In the cell next to her sat Patton, the captain of the ship and the damned fool that allowed them to get captured. He'd allowed all to get drunk on the ship, including himself, and so when the Royal Navy came for them they couldn't even fight. Lizzie and Maria were the only ones smart enough to not drink themselves silly and thus were the only able-bodied ones to fight, and put up a fight they did. It was all for not, though, as they were now here.

She tossed the finger bone away from her and sighed as she glanced up at the small barred window. It would be night soon and they'd be one day closer to death. Suddenly there was a bright light within her cell and Lizzie had to shield her eyes for a moment. She grasped the bars beside her as she felt it pulling her in. What was happening? Was that a...portal? What luck she had! She began moving towards the portal, not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, but a familiar voice made her pause. "Lizzie! Lizzie, my darling, don't leave me here! Find a way for me to get through that portal too!" She glanced back at Patton and let out a laugh. Really? She grinned at him now.

"No, Captain, I don't think I will. If you would have fought like a man, you wouldn't be about to die like a dog." With that she turned on her heel and went through the portal.

The familiar sound of seagulls hit her ears as she shielded her eyes from...pink sunlight? How strange. The smell of saltwater was comforting as well, but what alarmed her was the two figures standing in front of her. They looked pretty normal at first glance, but then she noted their ears. What in the hell were these creatures? As if on cue, they began speaking. "Welcome to Avalia, human. You were summoned here because you're kind holds great powers and you can help us defeat a terrible foe. If you help us, then we will send you back home." Lizzie seemed to stand there and nod for a moment, as if really contemplating their words.

"I hear what you're saying and it's all fascinating, really it is, but I've just got one thing to say." She'd been scanning the area she was in for a moment to get her bearings. She seemed to be behind a small building and there were some alleyways to her right. "Fuck that." She took off running for the alley and heard the elves shouting behind her. They were definitely pursuing her and she needed a plan. She darted down another alley, ignoring all the strange creatures she passed as she did so. She rounded a corner and immediately saw a woman walking and not paying attention. Perfect. She grabbed the woman's wrist, yanking the sword out of her grasp as she did so and pulled her into the alley.

"Shhh, don't struggle, darling. I truly don't want to hurt you, but I need your assistance. Cooperate and all shall go smoothly." Lizzie freed the sword and now had it placed against the woman's neck as she heard the elves approaching. She turned herself and Éliane to face the duo as they entered the other end of the alleyway. They immediately halted and held up their hands.

"Here's how this is going to go. You're going to leave this alley and leave me be. It's quite simple really. If you don't comply I'll slit her throat. Does this make sense?" They seemed to debate amongst themselves for a moment and Lizzie decided to start counting. She hit two and finally they agreed, backing away and disappearing. After she was sure they were gone she decided to speak to the woman again.

"Alright, love, a few things. First, what other weapons are you carrying? No person with a weapon carries only one. Two, what valuables do you have? I've unfortunately got nothing on me and was hoping you could rectify that problem. And three, where can I...acquire a ship?" She only slightly eased up on her grip, waiting for the woman's reply before letting her go, but keeping the sword in hand.

The sun was just beginning to rise and give light to the town of Laguna. Tropical trees towered over foreign buildings that stood over stolen lands and its people were starting to wake up as well. Most men were farmers, builders, and fishermen while the women were in charge of cooking and cleaning. Despite being under the rule of the Spaniards for centuries, these people had started to adjust to their new lifestyle. As long as they're following the rules and pay taxes in time, no harm will come to them. It's not like they had a choice really. They knew they were no match against the might of the Spaniards. However, some Filipinos would still fight back despite the odds.

The peaceful morning, however, was bombarded with shouts and gunfires that came from the biggest house there which belonged to the mayor. Worried about being caught in the crossfires of battle, the residents all quickly went back to their houses, closing all their doors and windows shut. Unbeknownst to them, there wasn't a war going on. Not just yet, at least. The sounds of shouting and gun firing came from the wife of the mayor who caught his husband cheating on her with another man.

Said man was now running for his dear life as the mayor, who's so surprised of what happened only managed to wrap his blanket over his lower body, was chasing him through the forests while shouting in anger and in fright from his wife who's screaming bloody murder at both of them. Behind her were a few Spanish soldiers who were woken up by the commotion. Most were only in their underwear while the others had their uniforms inside out.

Jomari couldn't help but laugh at the scenario he caught himself into. He's not a stranger when it came to situations like these. Oftentimes after spending the night with his asset, he'd steal his important documents which were very helpful to the resistance in winning key battles against the Spaniards. Of course, Jomari would also steal all the wife's jewelry too as his reward for himself for all his hard work. Sometimes, the wife would catch her husband cheating on her with Jomari but he always managed to escape unharmed.

Bullets whizzed through the air and grazed through trees. There were times when the bullets would fly by dangerously close to Jomari and he was glad those Spanish bastards sucked, but he knew his luck would eventually run out. While he ran, he lost some of the jewelry and the important documents he was clutching were now tattered and useless. At least he managed to steal the man's precious dagger but it was no match against their rifles. The huge trees of the forest helped in confusing and slowing the Spaniards for now, though he needed to think of another way to get himself out of danger.

Just then, a portal of light emerged several feet away from Jomari. He gasped in surprise as he had never seen anything like this. His adoptive mother would often tell him stories of various diwata in the woods, fairies and other mystical beings who could harness the power of nature. He didn't know what would happen to him should he choose to enter the portal but with the Spaniards shouting behind him, it would only be a manner of time before he got caught.

Seeing no other choice, Jomari jumped through the portal. On the other side, he was surprised that his foot made contact with hard flooring and the humidity of the air changed. He really didn't know what to expect but it was definitely not a massive luxurious room with a freaking fountain in the middle. There were also several people with him inside, some looked human like him but in different clothing while the others were what he thought only existed in fairy tales.

"Wha..." Jomari looked around in confusion as he saw people with long pointed ears, some wore what appeared to be armor while two women introduced themselves as princesses greeted the group. All these talks about heroes and powers drew a blank in his mind as he was getting overwhelmed by what was happening.

He drew his dagger and held it as he glared at the elven princesses. "Don't take me for a fool, you Spanish bastards! Why would I help save your land when you've enslaved mine for centuries! You want me to believe you will give me 'powers' and you can make me a 'hero'. Heh, even a child could lie better than you!" He shouted defiantly. He pointed his dagger at the rest of the pointy-eared humans and noticed one that wasn't entirely human-looking at all. Just what the heck was this place?

He turned his attention to his fellow humans and pointed his dagger at them too. "Are you working for the Spanish bastards too?! Is this a whole scheme by that wretched man to fool me?!" He shouted again, slowly backing up as he pointed his daggers randomly at them until he pointed at the elven princesses yet again. "I'm not afraid of you so do your worst, bastards!"

Time: Last night --> 9am
Location: Port Vanarosa (with some brief flashbacks to the River Fairy Kingdom)
Equipment:Black coat with fur trim on the hood, dark-colored, plain male clothing, sword with unbreaking and return enchantments, strength enchanted gloves, 2 medium red potions, hygiene products, timeteller, wayfinder, a flask, standard backpack, a couple rings(for this post only) and an ama pouch with 2000-->1800 amas.


Ambience:Tavern

The Seagull had been packed last night like sardines in a tin. The collective of all the talking in the room would welcome a newcomer with quite the mess of sounds. Dimly lit and occupied by what seemed to be every man and woman in Port Vanarosa, the basic tavern was what one might expect. Helio had a good time observing it all for the first half-hour after he arrived. An inebriated, overweight elf was boasting to his fellow sailors how it was him who had discovered the existence of trout eight years ago in Yenworth. Two men to his right were trying to keep their obvious drug deal under the radar and failing miserably. But most importantly, there were definitely some pretty ladies in the room.

It did not take long for Helio to create his ideal situation. He seated himself with two women. The two women immediately exchanged glances. One had long, blonde hair and the other black short hair. They were dressed in rather feminine clothing for the location. To his initial dismay, the girls seemed to know exactly who he was.

The red-haired man in his dark outfit took a swig of his rum as one of the girls trailed her finger up his arm, speaking with a tone full of honey as she did, "Could it be? The fairy prince all the way in humble little Vanarosa?"

"Oh and I heard he's been murdering innocents-"The blonde went to chime in but Helio quickly halted that statement

"No! No. Ladies, come on. Rumors. All of them. You know how jealous some people can be. They see a rich and handsome man and they just take his reputation and they stomp-"Helio gave the girls a smile as he turned on the charm, pausing to squish a small roach scuddling across the wooden table. "on it like a bug."

The blonde girl's expression melted into disappointment and she leaned back in her chair, folding her arms, "That's too bad."

"Yeah. We love a big...bad... man."The other woman moved closer and began to breathe in his ear as she emphasized each word.

Helio's brows raised and he straightened. "In that case, it's all true. I just rampaged aaallll across Avalia, murdering innocents and taking whatever I wanted from whomever I wanted. " He moved his hand across the air to further highlight just how much of Avalia he had been to. "I'm as bad as they get..."He paused dramatically,"...and you two are looking like my new treasures." He added in the token wink after his statement.

The girls looked at each other and giggled. They were blushing. Another win. This is going to be a good night.

Music:Vienna

As if to taunt his words, the muffled sounds of a broadcast could be heard from outside the tavern. The talking became hushed for a moment as the sounds of wooden chairs being scooted backward filled the room. It quickly got loud in the room again as folks began piling into the front door. Helio shrugged it off. He had intended to stay right where he was, but unfortunately, the women stood up too and began making their way outside too. He exhaled heavily.

Once he made his way into the road outside, he turned his attention upward toward the broadcasted screen against one of the buildings. His heart felt as if it had dropped into his stomach as the events played out. Hushed whispering filled the air and he barely noticed a few finger points in his direction. Echo. His expression broke and he began pushing his way through the crowd to get a closer view. "No!"He found himself shouting in desperation as he watched his little brother get his throat slit. "Fuck!" Helio threw the mug of rum on the ground he had in his hand.

His body trembled and tears brimmed in his eyes. This didn't have to happen.



His knees unbuckled as the scene played out in his head further.



It had not been long after that he had ended up in Roshmi, walking through the pouring rain. He had felt in his heart that he had made the right choice that day, but now...?

Helio did not want to imagine his parent's reaction to that broadcast and how worried sick they were over him currently. He knew he couldn't go back there now. There was nothing he could do and he felt as pathetic and powerless as he did that day.

"Are you okay?"

A hand fell on his shoulder but he didn't move to meet their gaze. He fell silent for a long moment. Finally, he spoke up. "I need more rum."He mumbled numbly as he slowly got to his feet.

He wasn't aware of his own movements as he went back into the bar and grabbed a rum bottle. The waiter's protest was muffled background noise as he began to chug it. What happened next was missing from his memory.

The sound of seagulls outside moved through into his ears eventually, his eyes snapping open once again. Helio scrambled upward on impulse and pain shot through his head. with a sideways glance upward, he became aware that he had hit his head into the bar table. He found himself sitting on the wooden floor of the tavern, the room deserted as the sun rays through the window lit up parts of the room. He had passed out on the floor at some point. Great.

"Time to go, lad."

Helio grumbled a few curses under his breath as he got to his feet, not immediately replying. His movements were slow and he felt sluggish. His gaze fell on his hands for a moment and he narrowed his eyes. Helio's gaze drifted over to the man cleaning a nearby table. He was the bartender from last night.

"They robbed your rings and what looked to be about 200 amas...The girls."

"Of course they did."Helio replied blankly and pulled his bag back over his shoulder. With that, he made his way outside into the busy street of Port Vanarosa.

Time: 9am
Location: Port Vanarosa
Interactions: @Tae Lizzie @Benzaiten Éliane
Equipment:

---

Barboda had been tracking his bounty for about a week, finally tracking him down to Port Vanarosa. This hunt was going to give him the highest pay he’d ever received if he finished the job. He had arrived in Port Vanarosa last night in time to walk into town and see a broadcast. Silently, he watched. He made note of the red-haired fairy with the emotional reaction, identifying him immediately as Helio Millinia. Once the broadcast was finished, he had simply retreated without much thought about it.

It was now the morning and he was right where he needed to be. He watched from a distance as two light elves opened a portal. Not long after, a red-haired female stepped out. The girl had suddenly bolted, leading the elves into a chase and Barboda as well. He followed swiftly behind the three, managing his distance by following through opposite alleyways. Eventually, he stopped and watched as the red-haired girl took a random citizen hostage, telling the two elves to leave. He knew they wouldn’t as this person had to be one of those humans they talked about on the broadcast. Barboda found the light elves going another way to catch her from behind. At that moment, he found them distracted enough and pulled out his repeating crossbow. With a swift movement, he launched a bolt into each of their backs and heads, killing them right behind two women. “You know this could have been a lot easier if you hadn’t sent me on a wild goose chase. If you truly want to escape this place, I know the location of their ship but first, we will need a crew and a captain who can drive."

Time:Last night → 9am
Location: Port Vanarosa
Equipment:

Equipment [+]

-Outfit Bought from Sailor’s Emporium
-Sword, strapped to her belt, enchanted with return enchantment
-Daggers tied her to pants and in her boots, sheathed
-Location sender
-Timeteller
-Eye protectors & dark sight glasses

Last night's events were something Tigerlily was trying to forget. The Twin headed bitches had slayed three royals, and the Light elf general. Watching as Helio’s brother had his neck slit had crushed her inside. The family had been through so much.. And now Helio had lost his brother. Tears had welled up in her eyes as she growled under her breath, scaring off the nearby male elves trying to woo her. She crushed herself and the damned, cruel world they lived in. She knew she had to help but how? She was too busy evading her own damned fate and then… Guilt settled in and threatened to overwhelm her. Tigerlily slammed her hand against a palm tree on the beach and tore off toward her residence.

---

Next Day, morning

Tigerlily sat on the beach with her legs crossed and her hands out beside her. The warm sea salt air brushed across her skin. She shut her eyes, enjoying the ambiance. The water lapped at her toes and taunted her about her possible transformation. Fortunately, she wasn't deep enough to transform into her tail. She cracked one eye open as a seagull cawed high above, searching for food. She shut her eyes again and breathed in deeply. Warm sea salt air hit her nostrils. If someone would have told her nine years ago she’d be on a beach in Port Vanarosa, she would have laughed at them and called them a liar. To think of where she’d gone from, to now. She bit her lip and finally reopened her eyes.

He finally had met his demise with her sword. Glancing down, she noticed it was strapped to her belt still. If she lost this sword, she’d be devastated. It was the token she prized the most out of all her supplies. Lily sighed and began to relish the moment until the seagulls cried so hysterically, she was forced out of her reverie. These damn birds, she thought and watched as a few Light elf children began feeding them.

With an eye roll, she stood up and dusted off her outfit. She was wearing an outfit from Port Vanarosa’s shop and rather enjoyed it. It was different from her usual outfits. The hat, with its feather, was something she couldn’t help but play with and giggle. She looked so unlike herself and it was key. But her hair? That had to change, it stood out too much. Tigerlily was aware of her parents searching desperately for her. She bit her lip and felt her hands tremble and balled them into fists to make them stop. I’ll be damned if I go back…. Tigerlily scanned the beach, then stood up. Her hair flew into her face and she inhaled sharply, momentarily surprised. She had recently dyed it blue. It was so different from her usual dark brown… She sighed and shook her head as she pulled it into a braid.

Then, feeling her stomach growl, Tigerlily began making her way toward Yolichi's Restaurant hoping for some fish on the menu. She could kill for some genuine seafood. The idea caused her to smile, something rare for the siren.

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Rosaria felt relieved when one of the humans shook her hand and introduced himself. She smiled at him, grateful for his reaction. ”It’s quite nice to meet you, Ismael. Thank you for your cooperation. I’m so sorry you were probably disturbed in your private quarters. ” She told him kindly, her voice like honey.

Her eyes searched the room until she found Nuallán. Her expression softened, ”My dear Nuallán, would you mind fetching this young man a set of clothes? Actually, I believe Annya prepared ahead of time and set aside some clothing on a rack for them. It should be right outside this room in the hall. Could you wheel it in here?” She glanced towards the girl who had head in her book for the last few minutes, ”That girl also needs a pair of shoes. Small ones.” She glanced toward a nearby servant and she gently ushered them over with her finger. ”My dear, what is your name? Have you heard any of us talking?” She glanced at her book and took a few steps over to her. ”My my, your… art looks lovely. You do this yourself, right? It looks great, my dear. Do you mind joining the rest of us?” Then, she glanced over her shoulder at the other servants. ”Bring out the refreshment cart for them please.”

Annya took the time to elaborate further on what was going on, but everyone seemed terribly confused still. One human took it worse than the others and started shouting. She glanced at him in alarm as the elven guards all became alert as well. ”I apologize for the confusion, but we are not what you call ‘Spanish bastards.’ This is an entire different realm than yours. Also you are safe here; I won’t hurt you. ” With a sigh, she gently conjured a small ball of light in her palm, keeping her body language relaxed. ”I understand magic is a foreign concept to you in your land, but look here as I prove to you its existence. Take a moment to calm down.”

An elf wheeled a cart out, but seemed to be afraid of getting too close because of the shouting man with the dagger. She turned to the humans.

”Please everyone take a moment to relax, take things in, and have some food. When you are ready, three of you will come with me and three of you will go with my sister, Princess Annya here. My butler will also be accompanying me and the dragonborn, Kharne, will be accompanying Annya.” Despite Annya’s confidence, she had hired a mercenary to make sure Annya had protection and aid as well. They were high value targets.

During the silence, one of the humans spoke up, asking, ”How do we use these so-called powers? Cause I want to be called a hero, also the name is Caelan Knight, is that heroic enough?”

Rosaria glanced at his direction and stated, ”I will teach you as soon as I can. Just try to relax and enjoy some food for now.” A smile pulled at her lips and she added, ”That is undoubtedly an extraordinarily heroic name. On that subject, I need the rest of your names as well.” While she waited, she began to pull her hair into a low ponytail and faced the humans.

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Saoirse finally began taking in her surroundings and the chaotic scene before her. Her attention turned to the brown haired-green eyed gal, apparently named “Princess Annya”. What the hell was this and where was she? What was this bitch talking about? As she listened, she began to guffaw at the end of the women's majestic speech. Heroes? Was she serious? She doubled over laughing, unable to help herself. She noticed the woman’s armor though, and knew this would be a difficult opponent to deal with. She glanced around the scenario and then back to the woman.

They were summoned here, to this random dimension, to help them with whatever war they were involved in. It was this or being back in Chicago and going to jail. Still, the idea of being a hero, instead of herself, felt foreign and unfamiliar and she was not comfortable with it. Yet, she needed their help and their knowledge. So she remained silent and narrowed her eyes. Shae hated to admit it,but these bastard elves had saved her life; but why her? Didn’t life know she was a criminal, a delinquent, street rat, and better off dead?

Her gaze moved over to Raven to assess her reaction. She remained silent, not replying more. Shouting caused her to move her hand to her pocket as she grabbed a knife. Mentally, she cursed herself for not having her gun on her. This man, clearly out of his fucking mind, was shouting about them beign Spanish bastards. Eyebrows raised. She remained stoic and tried not to laugh at him either. Ws she tripping? Had she been gassed? This was the craziest shit she’d ever been in. Subconsciously, she moved to Raven’s side and slowly let her hand move off the knife. The other elf, Rosaria, was now talking to the man and trying to calm him down. Saoirse took the moment to whisper to Raven, ”Raven, are we tripping?” Her voice was soft, as to only allow her ex-friend to hear. ”I’m not high on LSD am I?” She giggled at the thought, but glanced at her quickly. ”No, girl, I haven’t done LSD, don’t look at me like that,”

Shae folded her arms and continued taking in everything and rubbed her temples. This was unbelievable. A cart was wheeled out with food on it and Shae turned to it. Her eyes widened at the sight of all the food, and her stomach instantly began to growl. She had never seen so much food before. She moved towards it as if she were in a daydream. There were her normal foods he recognized, then unfamiliar shit she was going to stay away from. She looked unable to help herself with wide eyes. Saoirse bit her lip and then began to scarf down the familiar looking food. Hell, if it was poisoned, at least she wouldn’t die starving, which was always how she thought she might end up; if she wasn’t murdered first. She remembered Declan had given her protein shakes to bulk up and felt a twinge in her heart. Her gang… Were they alive? Was he alive? Would she ever see them again? This princess bitch said so, but she didn’t trust her word or anyone else’s.

Aware of a few eyes on her, Saoirse quickly began to slow down. Once she finished eating, she moved away and offered some to Raven. ”Try this. It isn’t bad.” She offered but otherwise didn’t make any attempt to speak to the others or move to help. Shae watched as clothes were brought in and bit her lip. What was next? Where would they be going? Would she be separated from Raven? Hell, who cared? Saoirse sighed heavily and rubbed her temples.