@PKMNB0Y @Drifting Pollen @Rezod92

Now positively in a foul mood, even more after Remilia realized that for some inexplicable reason, no one here except herself found the notion of her being refused attendance with the royal family to be absolutely preposterous, not even her supposed 'allies', truly, this world had gone mad.

As such, through no conscious decision of her own, Remilia was 'content' to let Anne engage with this Bren Halmir, a mere minister. However, she did at lend an ear to listen to the conversation. Well, at least Anne was performing her role well, just as agreed.

Eventually, by the end of the Cyber Knight's elaboration of their circumstances, Remilia was not-so-subtly beaming with vindicated smugness, as if she was expecting for them to realize just how mistaken they were to not let her personally speak to the king. You people had just refused a couple heroines bearing crucial news, how did that make you feel?

@PKMNB0Y @Drifting Pollen @Izurich





Fran silently stood to Anne's side, still carrying Remilia as the cyber knight explained to the minister the events that have happened up to now, sparing no details about the attack on Aventon and the monster slime raid on Sila. As Anne wrapped up her report, Fran would notice the smug look on the vampire's face, no doubt feeling justification over demanding to see the king as soon as they got to the gates.

The Servant would not let that slide.

"Ah.", Fran chided Remilia with a shake, getting her attention. "Be...have...Sho...uted...at...guards...for...no...rea...son...Just...doing...job."

The young girl fell silent again, but at the very least she seemed less concerned. Perhaps Lewa's reassurance really did convince her he wasn't going to just rot.

Though at the same time, the idea of 'decay' having lead to those strange creatures was still a concerning one. Certainly, it couldn't be any ordinary process that caused it.

The Church was indeed packed, and not simply with worshippers. In places like this, where the healthcare was substantially better then what those on the lower end of society could achieve at home, it only made sense to seek the aid of the church.

It appeared that was just the case today.

It appeared that those who were ill were all suffering from similar symptoms. Lethargy, extreme physical weakness and difficulty breathing, and some signs of bleeding from the nose or mouth in the cases that looked more severe.

While the Church wasn't packed to the brim, it was still quite crowded with those who were suffering from illness. While most of them appeared to be older, or children, it was clear the disease was affecting all different age groups.

The small blonde girl slowly, quietly eyed those who were suffering without another word.

After a few moments, a pretty but somewhat tired-looking young woman with green hair in blue and white robes approached, a lightly-decorated habit on her head.

"A... golem?" she questioned, hesitatingly, before her eyes fell on the girl, "... Has she caught the sickness as well?"

She paused and took a closer look.

"No, that's not it... wait, is she---..."

She caught herself off, addressing Lewa directly now.

"Who sent you?"

@Lugubrious

Bren sat in silence as he listened to Anne speak. Though his gaze momentarily flicked towards the pair that had arrived with her once the pink-haired one chastised the child, his focus seemed to remain intact as he seemed to consider what, supposedly, had transpired. Though he knew of many towns in Riltaea, Aventon and Sila were not ones he could so easily place to a location despite their passing familiarity. Once the woman finished speaking her piece, the minister calmly stood up and, after pulling a document from one of the nearby shelves, calmly unfolded it.

A map of the country, as good as any other—bereft of any markings or any indications of more politically-inclined details, of course—would soon be laid out upon the desk as the man slowly traced a path from the capital to the nation's border with Eiderheim. A brief glance around the region there would corroborate the existence of a town by the name of Aventon; from there, tracing a general path towards the capital would also note the presence of Sila en route.

"Hm... An attack positioned towards the capital would be rather concerning, but I believe that any city would be concerned if similar claims were levied against them," the man responded as he returned to his seat. "Never mind how an attack from the north by Eiderheim's elite force would have easily overtaken a frontier town so far from any support. Confirming the attack and the results therein shouldn't be too difficult, assuming we can corroborate those claims. You came here with merchants, yes? I would appreciate it if you could provide information on them so that we can verify your story... Though I suppose that takes lower priority than the other issue at hand."

With that, Bren took a deep breath and looked Anne dead in the eyes.

"If Eiderheim has attacked our nation unprovoked, then we cannot stand idly by. But if you claim that there are swords pointed at our necks, then we can ill afford to fight a war on two fronts. Placing the form of this 'attack' aside, do you have any proof of your claims of a strike towards the capital? While it is straightforward enough to pass proof of an invasion up to His Majesty, to say that there would be some attack or another directed here... Well, rather than uncertainty, it would seem rather obvious that the enemy would want to take the capital, would it not?"

@Izurich@Drifting Pollen@Rezod92

@PKMNB0Y @Izurich @Drifting Pollen





"Hmmm...", pondered Fran, think over the minister's words. While the events in Aventon and Sila did paint a pattern of attacks getting closer to the capital, their claims did lack solid proof that an attack was coming. The only thing they had that could even be considered as proof was...

"The...girl..., the berserker spoke to Anne and Remilia. The...one...we...bro...ught...along...Could...she...know?

@PKMNB0Y @Drifting Pollen @Rezod92

While Anne and Bren were busy discussing the important stuff, Remilia's head was figuratively ballooning with every statement made. She was oozing with so smug right now, one could change her title to Remilia the Smug Devil and it'd be accurate.

Of course, the pink-haired automaton just had to rain on her parade. The little shake was far from appreciated, nor the poor attempt at scolding, but well, Remilia couldn't really blame Fran for being simple-minded, to do otherwise would be quite uncouth, like harboring frustration because your pet fish couldn't climb a tree.

"Then they performed a pathetically poor job. I gave them plenty of chances to see reason, yet they still refused, therefore it was within my rights to demand satisfaction!" As for the electromancer's suggestion to involve that blonde child, "Oh, her? Unless you can mend her shattered mind, I do not believe she'll be of much use." Shrugged Remilia.

“Theology huh?” Rayne replied, now there was a topic she would not have been able to put an actual name to had she been asked. Given what the book she was given was about, she supposed it made sense that if you had lots of gods you’d need a field of study about them, but it was still so strange to her.

Gaia was barely worshiped. People had fought in the name of the attentive goddess, yes, but that had been more about what she represented, their planet and the death of its environment they had ultimately failed to stop even in their victory, rather than any desire to bow down or adore the goddess herself.

As a result this book describing ancient worshiped deities was just utterly bizarre to her. Why did people worship them in general, why had they stopped worshiping these ones in particular, what did they get out of it and how did they do it? Well, presumably the book had the answers, which made the fact that one was present and this lady knew exactly where it was ever so convenient.

Enough that it would have been suspicious to someone more versed in conspiracy, and while the witch knight had been on the wrong end of such things at thrice in one day a mere few weeks ago, she’d completely missed them all before having to brute force and power of friendship her way out of the consequences.

As such, paranoia wasn’t exactly her first response to strange circumstances, and she happily told the lady “Oh wow, this really does look perfect, thank you so much!” after doing that initial little glance at the provided books contents to see what it was all about.

She then stepped back and poked her head around a corner to call out “Miss Sanae, I think I’ve got what we need!” before looking back, and saying “oh, and I don’t think I caught your name, sorry?” mainly out of wanting to refer to and think of this mysterious stranger properly rather than doing so as, well, ‘helpful hooded lady’ whenever she came up in conversation in the future.

Hm, alchemy? Well, she couldn't say she knew much about that at all. The little exposure that Mokou had received towards that discipline was ironically in stories surrounding Hourai and the elixir, and it was anyone's guess if whatever Eirin had done to create that counted. She wasn't one to go over and ask anything of the taoists that had shown up recently, after all.

Except to fight them, what else were immortals supposed to do?

"This is pretty normal for Gensokyo. Normally when something strange is happening, I don't think most people pick random fights."

Fairies, maybe.

At last Lewa managed to make contact with someone, even if she didn't seem to be the local equivalent of a venerable and learned Turaga. The toa didn't question her qualifications; he was just glad to get help at this point, given all the hubbub. Nor did he bother correcting the woman when she called him a golem. Instead he tried to imagine what this stranger meant by 'the sickness'. Though his world had its fair share of problems, disease wasn't one of them. Was this sickness what was wrong with the child he'd been given? Before he could reply, the nun answered her own question, then came in for a closer look. Lewa held the small one out for his new acquaintance to inspect, and when her attitude took a sudden change, he was left speechless for a moment. What was going on that warranted that kind of question...?

"Nobody sent me," he said after a moment. "Someone in my travel-group left her to me to safe-keep. But I know little of humans, so I thought I'd look-find someone who could take care of her." Lewa paused, his uncertainty evident on his mask. "...Can you? Is something bad-wrong?"

That was one hurdle cleared. For better or worse, this man was definitely taking them seriously now, and would doubtless investigate their claims whether or not Anne managed to get them before the royals proper. Remilia's notions aside, an audience with the king didn't really matter so long as the local authorities were alerted of the imminent danger.

The Knight didn't allow herself a sigh of relief just yet, however. She'd opened up with the obvious facts, the believable parts that could be clearly corroborated by witnesses. Now came the part where her tale strayed into the strange and fantastical, the events even she didn't fully understand. Somehow, she needed to get the vital points across without getting them all dismissed as lunatics, and preferably without prematurely setting off a war between two nations.

"It would... At least, if they were only motivated by the usual factors." She didn't turn away from the minister's gaze. Anne had endured talks held on bloodstained battlefields with the fates of entire planets on the line; her focus would not waver before a little questioning. "I have more details to share regarding the Heralds. But first, let me answer your question."

Standing back, she carefully pulled off the glove on her left hand, and then drew the sleeve of her coat partway up her forearm.

"Like I said, we were tipped off about the danger to the capital by a third party. I can't give you hard proof of what's coming, since I'm not certain how far I trust her word myself... But I can provide a reason why you shouldn't overlook her warning."

Fran's idea hadn't quite hit the mark, but it had given Anne a spark of inspiration. They couldn't get anything out of the girl, who would seem just like any other traumatized child... But what about her guardian, the eye-catching Toa they'd left her with? He, and by extension Anne, were beings wholly removed from the common laws and logic of this world, living proofs of what was truly afoot here.

"You've probably already guessed it from our clothing and unfamiliar manners, but we're not exactly locals to this region. However, my companions and I are from far further afield than you might currently suspect."

An impulse raced down her nerves, through cells both natural and artificial, into the wires and conduits of her mechanical arm. A hexagonal panel of her skin slid smoothly back before the minister's eyes, and the humming machinery underneath was revealed in its full glory, a masterwork of millimeter-precise craftsmanship from thousands of years in the future.

"...We're not from this country, or even from this continent." Anne spoke slowly, giving Bren time to take it in. She was asking him to believe a lot here, even if the evidence could be clearly seen. "If my arm here doesn't convince you, then we can show you a golem the likes of which you've never seen. Or have my companions perform the magics of distant lands, different from any you know in Riltaea. All I ask is that you understand we didn't travel here by any conventional means."

She let the panel of artificial skin slide back into place, drawing his focus fully towards what she was saying. "We were all brought here against our will, by a powerful form of magic. It was no coincidence that we were able to halt the attack on Aventon: someone summoned us for that exact purpose, and then sent us on to the capital with tidings of great danger. I don't know what her true goals are, but her actions helped save the people of that town—and I'd be a fool not to at least pass on her word, so that His Majesty can properly consider it."

@Rezod92@Izurich@PKMNB0Y

While Rayne had been free to spend her time speaking with the mysterious stranger in search of information, Sanae had found no such stroke of luck. Most of her time had been spent poring through tome after tome; with no titles on their spines, the minimum she had to do to rule any book out was pull it out of its place and skim through its contents in hopes that it held something noteworthy before having to inevitably slot it back where it had been before.

The upside to this was that it was a fast way of getting an idea of the general manner in which the people of this world revered their gods and the way they told their stories. Doing so in exchange for a terribly inefficient way of using her time, however, was... Less than pleasant. Needless to say, the young woman now deeply wished that Kosuzu was here to expedite the process exponentially. Granted, she wouldn't have been able to do much of anything in the world, but being able to simply touch a book to understand its contents would make this job far less troublesome.

After the tenth tome or so had been returned from her hands to the shelves, though, the shrine maiden heard Rayne call her name out from the other side of a bookshelf—and seemingly lucky enough to have discovered what it was that they were seeking. It was... Uncannily convenient, but there was no reason to complain about so fortuitous an occasion.

"Did you?" she asked, poking her head around the corner. "I'd like to take a look to check, just in case."

@DracoLunaris@VitaVitaAR

---

Despite the speed at which Youmu had approached her—and in so doing had begun with a two-pronged attack to be expected from dual-sword styles—Musashi had wasted no time in parrying the pair of blades with her own. There was a small smirk on her face as a scattering of sparks flew into the air, and the pink-haired woman quickly shifted her form to return the favor. Her twin katanas moved in unison, changing the trajectories of those bearing down upon her to cut through naught but air before slashing forward towards her torso.

"Not bad, but you're wide open——!"

While the two swordswomen continued their duel (and banter, at least in Musashi's case), the smaller girl regarded the woman's response with a rather displeased expression.

"I would certainly hope they wouldn't. What kind of hellhole must the place you lived in be like if fighting people is on the level of saying hello?" she retorted before sighing. "It'd be much better to think about problems logically and dissect them one piece at a time, anyhow. Far easier than fumbling about and fighting anyone who looks vaguely suspicious."

There was a brief moment of silence as she glanced between her new (apparent) conversation partner and the two dueling battle maniacs causing a ruckus on the street.

"...Not that we have any room to talk, I suppose. Gensokyo, was it? The name sounds vaguely Japanese, and your features do match the region... Would it be too much to assume that you might come from an alternate Earth as well? Though I suppose simply asking wouldn't hurt, would it?"

@VitaVitaAR@Raineh Daze

---

Though he had been fairly reticent about the discussion as a whole, entertaining it insofar as he would a matter of national security, the lilac-haired girl's words left Bren's patience trying—and desperately so, given how she seemed to have an ego larger than the building that they were in. Such self-righteous beliefs were common among sheltered nobility whose parents knew not how to raise a child with the dignity befitting of their station, but given the current situation the minister had little leeway to reprimand the child. With that said, the man's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he watched Anne's arm move and change on a level so fundamentally different from any sense that he was used to that he had to take a moment to right himself. For a moment, the man lost himself in thought about her story and the implications of it all. The whole affair seemed to be something out of some madman's ramblings, but seeing metalwork that was crafted and that moved in such a way to be beyond comprehension...

While illusions could mimic the impossible and inscrutable, it was a different matter altogether when presented with something so uniquely alien instead.

"...Right. I don't believe that anyone could dismiss anything of that nature out of hand," he finally responded after managing to compose himself once more. "I'll go send some people out to confirm what I need to, but at the very least I can recognize something beyond magic when I see it. That being said, I can't exactly go speaking about this matter to just anyone; if word got out about what you just showed me, there'd be no end to our problems."

Bren paused again as he considered all of the information he had been provided up until this point before speaking again.

"Would you mind speaking with a few other people and participating in some tests? I cannot rule out the possibility of deception despite what you have shown me, and if there is any chance of your words being doubted I would like to put them to rest as soon as possible. You are free to refuse, of course, but it would expedite a few things quite considerably... As would further discussions bereft of ego. If you came here with altruistic intentions, after all, I would hate for relationships to be sullied due to a lack of mutual respect and understanding."

Who those words were meant for was quite obvious at this point, but there was a genuine sentiment in the man's heart that such things were true. He could only hope that the woman speaking with him felt the same way, regardless of what her charge might think.

@Izurich@Drifting Pollen@Rezod92

"It's actually pretty nice," Mokou defended, "Most of the fights now are completely safe now."

Even before that, Gensokyo had been a nice enough place, she thought, although her perspective of it had been pretty limited. Not that any of the rules around Gensokyo's fighting applied to watching these two go at it with live steel. It was probably fine, right? If they were good enough to be dragged here, they ought to stop before anyone got too badly impaled.

"Yeah, we're from another Earth. Are you two from different places?" It seemed likely, if the easy violence was unfamiliar to the girl.

@PKMNB0Y @Drifting Pollen @Rezod92

By the time Anne elaborated further about their circumstances then irrefutably proved the group's otherworldly nature via showcasing her machine-like body, at that point, Remilia's smug satisfaction had peaked... and in a somewhat ironic twist, actually calmed the Scarlet Devil down. She had been vindicated enough, allowing her to bask in the catharsis and think clearer. On a related note, this was definitely why her blood magic didn't manage to completely heal Anne back then, Remilia couldn't mend the machine part of her body, alas, if only Nitori was here.

The Blood Mistress' demeanor took a noticeable shift as she seemed to regard the ambassador with more dignity, perhaps him willing to take them seriously lifted his image, certainly above those insipid guards. He was clearly educated too, many unwashed peasants would simply label anything and everything their tiny minds couldn't grasp as 'magic' or 'witchcraft', Remilia herself had certainly been on the receiving end of such treatment, centuries ago in the past at the Outside World.

"Very well~ we shall humor these... tests of yours, fufu~" Remilia giggled, using her right hand to partially cover her lips, "Purely altruistic intentions? I'd say nay, good ambassador, as all of us would like to be returned to our homes, justified as all of us were abducted by that so-called goddess Lavielle." The youkai nodded solemnly with closed eyes, before opening them back up, "However! I won't stand idly by either as after all, evil must not be allowed to fester. These... 'Raven Heralds' and their wicked wings shall be clipped, and we can only accomplish that together."

[@PKMNB0Y] @Izurich @Drifting Pollen





"Uuuuuugh...", muttered Fran, now feeling a tad nervous. She...had a history of tests being done on her. Almost all of them were not...pleasant. Still, if it meant having good standing and gaining cooperation from the ruler of Nieve, then the berserker can tolerate some tests being done on her...

...So long as they don't mess with her mind. She does not want to go through that again.

At least Remilia had said the first agreeable statement in this entire endeavor.

"However! I won't stand idly by either as after all, evil must not be allowed to fester. These... 'Raven Heralds' and their wicked wings shall be clipped, and we can only accomplish that together."

"We...can...help.", concurred the Servant with a nod of her head.

“Oh, one second” Ranye said to the mysterious book finder lady (see this is why she needed a name to put the face. Or lack of face) as she hustled on along the shelves to where Sana was looking around them.

“I mean, it seems to fit the general gist of what we are looking for, so yes, we should for sure take a skim read and see if we can find her specifically before getting it” Rayne replied to the request, handing over the tome, before explaining her confidence was because of “the lady in the hood back there who seems like she comes here a lot recommended it, which was very nice of her” before turning to point her out.

So Remilia could be diplomatic after all? It would've been a lot easier if she'd been that way from the start, but Anne wasn't about to complain. The Knight inclined her head in quiet agreement with the others, glad that everyone finally seemed to be on the same page.

"Our side has nothing to lose by cooperating with you here. The larger situation aside, we all gain from better establishing our trust and credibility." Even as she spouted these perfectly rational justifications, Anne's satisfaction showed on her face. Finally, they'd made a connection in the political scene! Now they just needed to secure funding, logistical support, reliable sources of information... Maybe she was getting a little ahead of herself here, but she already felt much more in her element than she had since being stranded out in the countryside.

Most importantly, her warning would probably get passed on now. Nieve would be able to bring its formidable defenses to bear, and possibly drive back the coming storm without any need for the Otherworlders to get their hands dirty.

Following up on her acquiescence to Bren's requests, Anne filled him in on the merchant caravan, naming Syldon Hest and some of the more prominent traders along with the approximate time they'd been let through the gates into the city. That ought to be enough for the minister and his flunkies to track down any eyewitness accounts they needed, assuming their 'tests' didn't yield conclusive evidence.

@PKMNB0Y@Izurich@Rezod92

The sound of steel on steel rang out through the streets. Her attack being blocked wasn't surprising in the least. Youmu could tell simply from the manner in which her opponent carried herself that she was particularly capable, even before hearing her name.

The half-phantom pushed off the cobblestones, her opponent's blade cleaving through nothing but empty air as she attempted her counterattack. Even before her feet met the ground again, Youmu was analyzing her opponent's movements as best she could. The benefits of attacking with two swords were hardly erased, but given her opponent specialized in the exact same sort of combat(and in fact founded the most well-known school of it) it meant that surprise was difficult to rely on.

Still, there were some things this Miyamoto Musashi couldn't necessarily expect, simply by dint of the fact that neither of them was fully aware of the other's capabilities.

Even without the full use of her phantom half, Youmu could still do things like this.

"Turning Angle Cut!"

Roukanken flicked through the air to Youmu's right, the edge of the blade glowing a brilliant white as it released a thin sliver of magical energy and sent it careening skywards. No sooner than the projectile had left the longer of the two blades was Youmu running, the small girl sprinting towards her opponent to open with a double-layered slash, diagonally with Hakurouken and horizontally with Roukanken.

Even as she did, her prior attack suddenly twisted inwards, hurtling towards Miyamoto Musashi from the opposite side and above.

@FujiwaraPhoenix@Raineh Daze

---

"Mmm, my name?" the hooded woman cocked her head, a smile crossing her lips as she regarded first the halfling witch and then the green-haired miko in turn. In fact, it almost seemed as if her gaze lingered on the latter for just a few more moments then it had upon the former, but perhaps that was just coincidence.

"Wu Qing'e," she introduced herself, bowing her head, her pleasant smile only seeming to grow, "There's no need to thank me, in any case."

The woman raised her right hand, her sleeve falling slightly to reveal her pale, delicate fingers and painted blue nails.

"I'm of the opinion that knowledge should be free to spread and flourish. There's no reason to try and obscure information, no matter how great or small."

It made sense in regards to her actions. Even if it was just a matter of finding the right book, someone like this would certainly want to see that anyone seeking knowledge would be able to obtain it.

@DracoLunaris@FujiwaraPhoenix

---

The priestess's gaze regarded the silent young girl for a few more moments on the golem's prompting. Evidently, she wasn't so used to golems that could speak for themselves, but at the moment she appeared to be taking it in stride.

However, the same could not be said for the girl. The priestess sighed heavily, before her gaze returned to Lewa's mask.

"I'm afraid we don't have any way to treat her," she began, "Not that I can tell what's wrong in the first place. That girl isn't human."

The small girl didn't really respond to the priestess's comment on her nature. At least, however, those ethereal eyes seemed to be focusing again.

This time, she was simply looking around the church, curiosity having appeared to have cut through her catatonia in some small way.

"She's one of the fae," continued the priestess, "If something ails her, then you're not going to find the solution to her condition here, I'm afraid."

@Lugubrious

After receiving the tome from Rayne, Sanae wasted no time in hastily flipping through it's contents in order to find at least a mention of the goddess' name within. The number of deities listed was rather numerous, unsurprisingly enough, but after utilizing her years-old memories of analyzing texts in school to its utmost the young shrine maiden finally found a passage naming the goddess... And a few others.

"Wow, this one really does mention her. Let's see..." Sanae trailed off as she glanced over the paragraph in question briefly.

The three goddesses Lavielle, Eistre, and Filyn seemed to have been held as those who controlled fate. Eistre, the eldest, marked the 'beginning' of journeys. Filyn, the second eldest, marked their ends. Lavielle, the youngest, seemed to have been given the role of charting their courses... And, fittingly enough, seems to have been the ones that the Merellians often believed was most likely to watch over—and, in many cases, interfere with—their lives.

"This... Does seem like what we're looking for," Sanae answered, closing the book back up and returning it to Rayne. "I guess it might be in our best interests to buy the book—and maybe look for whoever wrote it, too."

With that said, Sanae turned towards where Rayne was pointing and, in seeing nothing more than a hooded woman, simply bowed in thanks before refocusing on Rayne.

"Uh... Speaking of, though... Do you have any money on you? I wasn't exactly trading with the caravan, and it, uh... Slipped my mind when we were travelling."

@DracoLunaris@VitaVitaAR

---

Musashi would have considered herself very much a fool had she not heeded the words—and rather distinct choice of action—of her opponent as she recovered from the scant few moments of her counterattack missing its mark. The swordswoman acknowledged Youmu's choice of action with no more than a smirk as she readied herself for another clash of blades, her own swords at the ready as the other girl sprang forward with an assault quite similar to the last.

"You're not the only one with tricks up their sleeve!" the pink-haired woman called out as she bent her knees ever so slightly. In an instant, a barrage of rainbow-colored energy seemed to rocket out from behind her, launching her towards Youmu with a speed that, at that point in time, far exceeded that with which she was approaching with. Now, with both her swords pressing down upon her opponent, Musashi's smirk turned into a wide grin as she pressed the assault further.

All the while, though, the smaller girl standing to Mokou's side gave her conversation partner a look of mild distrust. While it was clear that she didn't agree with the white-haired girl's assessment of her own realm, it seemed reasonable for the moment to simply accept that they would likely not see eye-to-eye on the matter for a long while, if ever.

"...Yes, you could say that. My so-called bodyguard over there seemed to be familiar with the concept of interdimensional travel, though as far as I know she's only ever traveled to parallel versions of her own Earth. I come from a different one altogether, and to summarize the situation in as simple a manner as possible, we both found ourselves in this foreign world and chose to work together for both of our sakes," she replied before revealing a set of three red markings that seemed to be tattooed onto the back of her hand. "While I have your attention, then: would these markings be at all familiar to you? At this point, it's one more question in the dozens I need to research, but if anyone might have any answers it would probably be another wanderer like yourself."

@VitaVitaAR@Raineh Daze

---

Bren nodded in silence as Anne relayed to him a few names that would prove useful in his own investigations, and after having committed them to memory the minister briefly excused himself from the room to, as he put it, 'contact the person most likely to be able to help and set everything else into motion'. The wait afterwards took more than a few minutes, but bereft of anything else to occupy themselves with the three present may as well have felt the wait to have been far longer than it actually was.

When the minister finally returned to the room, he seemed to have been left notably more exhausted than he had first been when he had left. It was quite obvious that the source therein had to have been mental in nature, given the lack of any sort of signs of strenuous activity, but by the way he seemed to be keeping himself it was clear that something was amiss.

"My apologies for the delay. I've sent some people to retrieve testimony about the situation you presented, and they should be following up with us within the next few hours. As for the tests..." he trailed off before sighing and shaking his head.

"...The person in question should be arriving to meet us within a few minutes. She insisted that if what I said was true... No, actually, I do not believe I could accurately convey anything that she said in any reasonable manner. Could I ask that you please follow me? My office isn't particularly suitable for anything beyond clerical work and discussions, I'm afraid."

With that invitation extended, Bren quickly escorted the trio out of his office and towards a different building nearby—one that, as Fran would notice quite quickly, seemed to be suffused with mana of one form or another.

"The Nievan Mages' Guild," Bren briefly explained as they walked through the doors and towards a young man who had quickly moved to meet and guide the group in turn. "If there's anywhere equipped to dispel any magically-inclined doubts about your story, it would be here. As for the person in question—"

Before Bren could even finish his statement, the sound of an explosion from further down the hallway they had been led down caused the minister to pause in concern. After a few seconds, a plume of white smoke billowed out in turn as a young woman with vibrant red hair tied back in a ponytail stumbled out. Her clothes—a blouse and a dress—seemed rather practical at a glance, but further inspection would reveal that their craftsmanship and delicate handcrafted stitching was weaved through with no small number of magical wards and protections.

"Eugh..." the woman grumbled to herself before noticing the oncoming group and quickly scrambling to dust herself off in an effort to make herself look more presentable. At this, Bren simply sighed and turned back towards the group.

"The woman you see before you is Princess Serena ei Verzhe, sixth in line for succession of the throne. Though she may be a bit more spirited than one might expect of royalty, her dedication towards the magical arts is worthy of more than a little praise. She is also the one who insisted to examine you in lieu of the person I had in mind, and, well..."

@Izurich@Drifting Pollen@Rezod92

@FujiwaraPhoenix @Drifting Pollen @Rezod92

Well then, now that they got everything settled in this stuffy office (that's also quite beneath her to linger in), they could move on to this... 'test' of theirs. In fact, Remilia herself was quite curious to discover the exact nature of these trials. Thus, after Bren returned from doing whatever he needed to do, the vampiress had absolutely nothing keeping her in the embassy, the ambassador himself too looked as if he couldn't stand staying here any longer either.

"Mmm..." The youkai pursed her lips, wondering just when he'd finish speaking and start walking. Though eventually he did, and Remilia - having pried herself off Fran's arms sometime during their wait - started following him, hovering above the ground at around Anne's chest level.



At long last, they left the embassy and into what appeared to be a magical research facility, one that a certain librarian would fancy. Ah, so it was the Mages' Guild, that made sense. Then immediately, this establishment already proved far more interesting than the bland embassy as a veritable explosion violently reverberated through the walls. "Oh~?" Remilia quirked an eyebrow as a redheaded stranger emerged from the plume of white, "Hmmm...~" For a lady of high society such as Lady Scarlet, the young woman's meticulously-crafted and enchanted dress didn't go unnoticed, whoever this person was, she certainly was no commoner.

"Ah~ splendid~" The red-eyed youkai beamed, delighted at the notion of finally encountering someone appropriate for her presence. Without further ado, she hovered forward, then landing on the ground a few feet away from the royal with red locks, "It's my utmost pleasure to meet you, Your Highness, I am Lady Remilia of House Scarlet, here from distant lands, one of the people your ambassador spoke of." She said along with an elegant curtsy, "Now then, since it'd seem you are quite keen to conduct these examinations, shall we leave pleasantries for later and instead begin immediately?"

When Bren left the room, the Knight finally allowed herself an audible sigh of relief. Things had been hairy for a little while there at the start, but somehow they'd gotten their plan back on track. Now she just needed to keep an eye on Remilia, and there would definitely be no more unexpected deviations.

...Riiiight. Even if she told herself that, Anne couldn't quite believe it. If experience had taught her one thing, it was that there would always, always be some crazy complication at the last minute that threw all her efforts into disarray. Grateful as she was to have a moment here to catch her breath, she wasn't about to let her guard down until she was absolutely certain the city would be safe.

As the seconds ticked by, her tired eyes drifted back towards Fran. The Berserker was hard to read, but Anne got the feeling she'd been a bit uncomfortable with the minister's request, even if she'd ultimately gone along with it out of necessity. While Remilia wormed herself free and floated into a more comfortable position, the Knight approached Fran and offered a gentle smile of reassurance.

"Just stick close to me, alright? I won't let them do anything to hurt you." It seemed a little silly to say out loud: the Servant was probably the strongest out of the entire party in a fight. If things took a turn for the worse, she could easily handle herself on her own—and yet Anne was determined all the same.

I'll protect them all. Not just Nieve, but her companions as well, the ones who'd stuck together all this way.

Even as she affirmed it to herself, Bren Halmir reentered the office, and the look on his face told Anne everything she needed to know. There would be no more waiting and resting: the inevitable complication had arrived, and the three of them were surely in for it now. As they followed the man to their next destination, the Knight could only steel herself for what was to come—and quietly hope that she'd be able to keep her word.


...Of all the things she'd been expecting, a princess hadn't been high on the list.

Was this a good thing? It made enough sense not to be an obvious trap, and might even let them leapfrog a couple of steps closer to their overall goal. All the same, the Knight couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling churning inside her. Maybe it was the all-too-fresh memory of her last encounter with a princess—which had ended in a duel to the death atop an exploding warship—or maybe it was the fact this one had already set off a minor detonation within moments of Anne's arrival. No matter how honest her intentions, could this woman really be trusted with examining them up close?

Fortunately Remilia took point this time, and bought her attendant a couple of seconds to gather her composure. "Anne Mayer," she introduced herself, with a simple bow. "I'm a Knight currently in Lady Remilia's service." A vast oversimplification, but she was happy to leave it without elaboration and let the vampiress move things along. If Remilia wanted to be the one drawing the attention of a powerful and unpredictable royal, she was more than welcome to it.

@FujiwaraPhoenix@Izurich@Rezod92