Free Billy

Again, Remia proved herself for more capable at the job than Eowyn was. Although it shamed her to rely on the girl, Eowyn was also glad that Remia was so good at her job. It meant she had to worry a bit less... At least until her spirit spoke.

“Cause for worry.” Sleipnir told Eowyn, as was received from Mime. By her spirit's tone of voice, Eowyn could tell it was the doppelganger who had contacted him. Ever since Sleipnir and Mime had shared a body, Sleipnir had been uneasy whenever Arlette's spirit was there. Eowyn asked her spirit what the exact cause was, but he could not answer.

“Construe 'it', doppelganger.” Sleipnir bounced back at Mime through it's telepathy, clearly discontent having to ask. Eowyn just hoped the two spirits would get along well enough not to cause more issues... She barely even knew what Sleipnir had against Mime.

When Eowyn returned to her post, she met up with Nathair. “There you are.” Eowyn smiled, although her nervousness still shined through. “We best keep an eye out, Mari and Mime seem to have seen a lot of unusual things.”

Before Eowyn could say anything else to Nathair, a PR person reprimanded them. What drew Eowyn's attention however, was a man trying to climb the stage. “Excuse me,” She apologised to Nathair and the PR worker, as Eowyn climbed the stage herself as quickly as she could to get between Simon and him.

“Please step down.” She said to the man in front of her, putting her feet down in an attempt to signal she would not move. However, Eowyn failed to notice there was a second man climbing the stage also.

Will 'o the Piper

“What the bloody...” Sigmund gasped. What the hell had he gotten wrapped up in now? A mirror world and a shining river, that was what. There were more of those hideous little creatures, but that was the least of his worries now... As he witnessed how his very own spirit was unleashed!

Still holding onto Charles, Sigmund slapped him across the cheek. “Wake up, look at me!” He shouted, more aware of the danger Medusa was than the creatures apparently did. “You too Eidren, this is important. Don't look Medusa in the face, unless you want to spend the rest of your life as a statue.”

This was bad, “Shit, shit, shit.” Sigmund muttered under his breath. He didn't know about Charles' or Eidren's spirits, but having Medusa free was bad news... As would quickly prove itself as Medusa recovered from the wonder and sensation of being free...

“I'm free...” Medusa delighted, half giggling like a school-girl, the other half cackling like a witch. She cracked her fingers one by one and stepped one foot after another as if she was sleepwalking, still getting used to a material form. “It's been so long...”

Medusa waltzed towards her holder, at which point Sigmund pushed Charles towards Eidren instead, “Keep away from her. Especially your spirits.” Sigmund warned, as he felt Medusa's arms slowly wrap around him from behind. Her fingers caressed his chest, as Sigmund felt Medusa's breath in his neck.

“It's been so long...” She repeated, with the same mad smile as she leaned on Sigmund's back. “So very long...” Her fingers danced from his chest to his shoulders, as Medusa pulled Sigmund closer against her.

“There's a reason for that.” Sigmund growled at his spirit, afraid to look at even her hands. Medusa, eyes and haircut aside, had all the makings of a beautiful woman. That was perhaps the most confusing... What did his spirit want? Medusa had always been predictable, but this was an utterly unexpected move on her part. As she wrapped one leg around Sigmund's, Medusa began to whisper... “It's been so long, I've been so... Jealous...”

And then Sigmund understood it. Understood what his spirit wanted... And it was all the more reason for Charles and Eidren to get back...

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Emily

She couldn’t help the small smirk when the arrow hit. The man roared in pain as the tip buried into the armor, sank deeply into the shoulder. Unfortunately her victory over her hit was short lived.

It didn’t take long for Vignar’s spirit to have formed and emerged, the vision of a young, familiar girl now stood there in plain of the desert. Emily’s face went pure white at the sight. Her throat suddenly dry and hard to swallow, her mind became numb upon sighting Octal Chaser-learning the full name after the mission- seeming to stand there like that horrible day. A tremble visibly traveled from head to toe, her hands which grasped her bow showed the clearest.

Immediately Octal summoned her twin, the spirit rushed forward to aid Diane just a few moments before Steve sprain from the ground. Sand and earth sent scattering in many directions while Emily found it hard to move or think. Naturally Cerberus’s mind wasn’t filled with regret as his voice snapped in her head, a sound warning that came too late.

EMILY, THE CHAINS!

Umph….her ankles were ensnared by the chains, their hard surface wrapped about and dig in through her clothes. Shit, shit! The four letter words were tossed careless in her head for all the good it did her. Her bow melted from her grip, the tendrils of darkness hastily reformed to become her gauntlets and started to pull away the chains. It would take time.

Her eyes jerked forward at hearing Fran’s shriek. The onyx eyes fearful and worried as she checked on her allies, all them seemed not to fare any better than herself against the chains. Her heart thrummed louder inside her chest while her hand continued to work to free herself. While they struggled with the chains, Fran’s ability kicked in and quickly it became clear why she was ideally sent here in the first place. Green light beams darted form under her then wove a cage, separating them from the wildlife much to Emily’s relief, before it lifted from the ground. Sand shifted through with a loud hiss, the grains fell back down to the scenery leaving the chains as well as Steve exposed. It took a moment or two, but her gauntlets finally snapped the metal releasing her.

She wasted little time getting to her feet and again drawn her bow, her eyes fixed on where the scales had fallen off. The Rook hoped it would’ve been better target than hitting the hard scales. However before Emily could let loose the arrow, her eyes caught the lounge Steve made right for Vignar who still appeared to be entangled. It didn’t seem like he would get out in time.

Shit…she thought bitterly.

Her body jerked, changed its target immediately. Her arrow could’ve hit him easily yet she doubted it would’ve stopped the ragworm much less slow him down on his path. Instantly she allowed her arrow to fall away back into the dark tendrils, once more faded away like sand, then reshape into something more effective: her gauntlets. Emily kicked forward, her direction made to intersect the ragworm’s path and hopefully make it miss. It shouldn’t be hard because in short time she would’ve covered the distant between her and Steve. She sent her blades deeply into the thick, leathery flesh. She hope with the pain as well as followed by her momentum, the ragworm’s aim might end up being off and miss the man completely. At the very least, giving Vignar enough time to release himself then attack.

Rendezvous Crash

"I have had a very bad day... Why don't you just walk away, and we'll forget this even happened." The voice was Bishop's, Vologhn realized. He turned around and squinted at her. She still looked terrible, with dried blood flaking off the side of her head, but there was light in her eyes again. She was back, from wherever she had been hiding in.

Vologhn focused his attention back to the rowdy thug, but his drunken overconfidence had been replaced by an expression of sheer terror. Vologhn shot another glance towards Bishop- this was most likely Jester's work. To his surprise, even the other men changed their behavior the instant they saw Bishop's hat. So the Aegis corporation commands that much power in this place, Vologhn surmised.

“We'll take care of him too, make him pay for insulting you. You've been expected, we'll make it up to you, we'll lead you. Follow me.” Vologhn tensed up at the words. The thug's lack of reaction and odd chuckle at his impending doom only confirmed Jester's involvement. He looked away as the men stabbed him with knives, altogether too many strokes necessary to kill a man. Such a waste of life. It wasn't the first time he had indirectly aided the murder of a person, but he would never get used to it.

"Humans," Vologhn muttered under his breath, heavy with disappointment. Bishop stepped forward to retrieve her hat, now stained with blood.

"Good to have you back, Bishop," Vologhn said. "We'll… need you for this."

He motioned for the thugs to lead the way.

The Clayman's Finale

They reached a room that was very familiar to Adeline. One that invoked unpleasant memories. Her feet felt as heavy as lead, but she braced herself and followed closely behind Sonneillon. Aside from the traps, they had not met any resistance so far. If only she hadn't been so stubborn and trusted Sonneillon back then, she didn't have to risk her life.

"I don't like the look of that Ma'am," Maria said. Ma'am? No matter how she looked, Maria looked far older than herself. Oh, right- I'm more senior in the Library. Wow, that's really something, isn't it?

"I uh- yeah. That looks- um- bad. Right?" Adeline said, not knowing what she was trying to say. Her cheeks reddened. "Sonneillon."

The spirit lumbered forward, metal chains shrieking as usual. Was it possible to polish those chains? They were awfully loud.

The Clayman's Finale

Salia smiled in a warm way to Maria’s response. “A boulder! We may get more but… I wouldn’t hold my breath”. Quite an interesting character, this girl. And all of a sudden, she had transformed from serious worker to intense personality about menacing boulders. Salia proceeded to explain their previous situation and what they had discovered so far, although there was not a lot more meaningful information she could share.

“Well, I certainly think so…” the rook’s response to Lux, who was supporting her in the time being. It was then, that the man explained he could slow a boulder if another one happened to be thrown at them. “That’s… reassuring, actually”. However, as reassuring as that was, the news that the Library itself was in such a state of chaos was not exactly good. Even if they had been suspicious in the past –and they still kind of were–, those were not good news at all.

“You’re right, let’s go then!!” Salia nodded and replied to Adeline. She had really grown, and while she was always a great asset to the team, she was now also a motivating force. Salia felt it was important to brief their new comrades on their situation but it was also true that time was running short and they could not allow themselves to waste it. As per Adeline’s suggestion, they split the groups and Salia went on with Lux. “I’m feeling a bit better, let me try to walk on my own…”

As for the researchers… they did not have to worry about them anymore. Well, she had that much to thank Noelle for, then. Salia was walking properly although not without a bit of pain. However, the feeling of being able to stand on her own and not be too much of a burden was important and satisfactory enough for her to be happy with that. Soon, along with Lux, she made it to a rather strange garden… as it was out in the open, which she wasn’t expecting.

Of course, what would come next was worse. The flowers looked too bright and too vibrant. And while the girl understood the appeal of such flowers for humans (she did think they looked gorgeous), she was well-aware that plants often had a system to alert animals of their dangerous properties… bright colours. If she was right, she was better off not touching them. And if she wasn’t, well, not touching the flowers would not be bad at all. But most importantly, the different paths from the plaza were all over the place and a golem was placed in the corner and could attack them at any time. Even if it was inactive for the time being.

Free Billy

At first, Remia felt she was struggling to advance, although that was because her objective was far away so that she always felt she needed to move quicker. However, the combination of her strength, her relatively small size and her continuously asking people to move aside was working wonders and she made her way faster than she had anticipated.

Remia realised that she had been spotted and that suspicious woman was quickening her pace, trying to get away from her. At that point, the young girl had to be rougher with the crowd, pushing them away more than she would like to. Of course, she was just pushing them out of her way so nobody would be hurt. And this seemed to be an important enough matter.

Soon enough, she would be taching up to Arlette. “Are you okay? C’mon, let’s move back!” the girl insisted, now being close enough so that she could communicate with them.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Singing and sinking. That was Diane’s situation. A moment of silliness made her think that she’d better call it “singking”… for the sake of saving time. Which was actually something she’d need right now. She had become quite good at remaining calm under the strangest situations because otherwise, her songs would be interrupted way too often. Her voice trembled a bit as she felt her own body slowly moving down and looked around, hoping to be noticed.

Luckily for her, a ghost-like entity rushed towards her and got her out of the quicksand… mere moments before that huge creature jumped from it. Diane’s voice shook a bit more than before and her legs felt weak at that sight. That was close!! But from then on, nothing would surprise her more than that. It was a good way to see it. Those green lines of light were unexpected but after she saw what they were doing, she felt it was a good opportunity for them to fight effectively.

Of course, Diane continued to have an interesting yet difficult situation. She was not a proper fighter and the best she could do was support the team from behind… from a safe place, if possible. And even if she, from her own safety, spotted something important that the rest did not, she would have no means to inform them… or would she?

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Vignar felt his breath halted in his throat upon seeing that the duneworm had lunged out of its hiding place below towards him and furiously attempted to untangle himself from the chains binding his foot. Although it didn't seem like he would manage to untangle himself and get away in time, his spirit yelled an encouragement, if one can call it that, that he'll live.

From the corner of his eyes, Vignar saw a blur colliding and attached itself with the looming worm. The Bishop didn't see what happened next as he freed himself from the chain and rolled away, gathering sands on his clothes. Looking up, he saw that it was Emily that had thrown herself onto the worm. Mentally noting to thank the woman later, he looked around for the ghost he had summoned while backing away. He had little idea on what she was capable of as this was the first time he summoned her, as even with knowledge that he called upon past holders, the amount of dead holders meant that simply memorizing all of the dead holders in the off chance that he might summon them one day was ineffective. Especially with what happened recently. Instead, he would have to settle with broad order.

"Support the other two!" he shouted at Octal, pointing toward Diane and Fran.

Free Billy

It is it, what more do you want? I'm not a mind reader~ Mime replied to the horse spirit. It could be trying to maul him or put him in a cage or some-

Mime didn't finish her reply as she saw Remia pushing through the crowd and woman and reached for Arlette. Her holder looked relieved, if a bit confused, upon seeing Remia's face. It was short-lived however and replaced with simple confusion as Mime suddenly shrieked and pulled her away from Remia.

"Get away from her!" Mime shouted.

Free Billy

Nathair & Quartz

Nathair and Quartz were finally relieved to have made it to the stage. The crowd seemed thicker and more rowdy here, likely the most spot of all. He pushed up against the stage as he felt the snake slither up his arm to his shoulder. The movement caused Nathair to winch suddenly as the scales hit some tender spots. This caused Quartz’s some concern; he promptly stopped and quickly inquired the cause. “Everything alright Nathair? Did I hurt you?”

“Give me a moment.” Nathair replied through a soft hiss, his hand rolled up his sleeve and spotted the slight bruising resulted by their little improvising. Quartz after all had to wrap about his holder’s arm in order to make it believable that the unusual strength was indeed Nathair’s own and remain a secret the fact they were holders. Unfortunately, even with their careful actions, it seemed they still needed to perfect it.

Eowyn’s comment took his attention away from his thoughts. Hastily his hand had shoved down the sleeve and hid the light bruises, his body turned to face her. She seemed happy to see him, her voice relayed a bit more of the information Quartz had suspected, and her mouth fixed into a smile. Quartz naturally couldn’t stay quiet.

“Naturally, I doubt there would’ve been any need for us if things always went smoothly. Nathair and I had noticed woman in the crowd who seemed to stick out and Mime’s little comment doesn’t put me at ease one bit. Remia might want to see if she can detach the woman from the rest of the crowd gently-“

Their conversation was interrupted when one of the PR members broke in, scolding them for their best which made Quartz’s feathers ruffle a bit. Before Quartz could say a word in reply, a man had started to climb out of the crowd then onto the stage. Eowyn excused herself to deal with him, her body moved upwards and stepped to block him. She hadn’t noticed the other man clambering onto stage behind her.

“Let’s help her out, Nathair.” Quartz said then jerked his head, still hidden underneath the collar, towards the man. Nathair just nodded and moved.

Nathair, unlike his spirit, wasn’t going to be quick enough to move in front since the man had a head start. Instead, the best option was to slow him down and hopefully stop him. His body close to the stage, Nathair moved towards the man while allowing Quartz to slither unto the stage. The spirit was faster, reaching in front of the man in moments as Nathair took hold the shoulder soon after. Ready, Quartz positioned himself, his body coiled and waiting, just where the man’s head peeked out to rise over the stage ramp. If the man refused to get down then likely the two would force him. Quartz, easily hidden from sight, would push from the back and Nathair’s grip behind would easily make it appear as if Nathair was doing it himself. One of the perks of being small was few people noticed you, mused Quartz.

Trying to mimic Eowyn, Nathair commented. “Don’t think you belong up there.”

Suddenly a shriek, one they both realize might’ve been only either Mime or Arlette, had Nathair jerk his head towards the source. Quartz already explained with a slight annoyance. “It seems Remia found Arlette and Mime. After this, I really need to sit the doppleganger and Remia down to explain what ‘covert’ means… You think with his ability, he would know its meaning by now.”

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

After successfully forcing Steve to shift gears, Emily would quickly find out there was more than a leathery hide to the ragworm's exterior. Like in a panic reaction, blades erected from the monster's skin like a hedgehog's spikes. Steve was confused and hesitated to act, but would attempt to wrap around Emily like a snake... Although it lacked the length of one, it's blades would surely make for a nasty embrace...

Sean cursed Vignar, upon recognising his dead partner. “Who do you think you are! Don't you dare spit on that girl's grave!” He roared in great anger. “Quit messing with my head!” However, Octal couldn't even recognise her previous allies. In fact, she was a vassal to Vignar's voice.

Fran, unlike Emily or Vignar, was unable to release herself from her chains. Valor had noticed this and jerked the chain, causing her to fall over, then began to drag her in with more violent jerks of the chains. Eight ran towards Fran at Vignar's command, grabbing Fran and engaging in a tug-o-war. Unfortunately Valor had more than the edge in terms of raw strength, and the chains that had bound Emily and Vignar before were reeled back in quickly, as Valor (and Sean's) head tilted to Octal... Both the armour and the knight knew that if they removed Octal from the field, Eight would vanish also... And Octal was merely human (even in ghost-form.) With Emily and Vignar occupied, it was up to Diane to help either Fran or Octal out...

Will 'o the Piper
Kestrel vs. Alta

Sophia stared at Charles in surprise, this being the first time she had her own body. Both too taken by surprise to stop the following course of action...

Alyssa, Eidren's spirit, ignored Sigmund's warnings. The angel drew her sword and shouted; “Begone hellspawn!” To get the gorgon's attention. “You shall not lay a finger upon him!” She commanded, but rather than meeting with Medusa's eyes, Alyssa heeded Sigmund's advice not to stare directly at her.

This got Medusa's attention, but not to back off... No, she stared straight at Alyssa, which Eidren's spirit fortunately shielded herself against. The gorgon's legs had wrapped into a snake's tail and she slithered past her holder. Sigmund grabbed his spirit's forearm, “Don't.” He commanded Medusa, but she had set her sights on the Angel. Medusa's snake-tail wrapped around Sigmund ankle and swept him off his feet, to which Medusa caught Sigmund and bit his shoulder; inducing him with love-toxins... One of Sigmund's own abilities. His spirit had mastered it at a far higher level, as Sigmund obediently sank to his knees, although visibly struggling against Medusa's unfluence...

“Be still, I'll be back with you shortly.” She said, with a kind voice... Although that kindness would vanish as she swiftly approached Alyssa, yet slowing down as she gets near.

Alyssa, with sword and shield in hand, anticipated for an attack. Eidren behind her, summoned his two blades of light. “Stay back, guys, we'll take care of this.” Eidren smirked, cock-sure, not knowing what awaited him...

Rather than outright attacking, Medusa began stalking the two, circling around them. Cunning like a predator, with a poisonous tongue. “Are you jealous?” She asked Alyssa, as if genuinely concerned. “Are you not satisfied?” To which Alyssa retorted sarcastically;

“I would kill to have a man like him.” Clearly not thinking highly of Sigmund at all. After all, she thought his first instinct to break into a house was just despicable...

“No chit-chat. Two-fanged attack, Alyssa.” Eidren ordered his spirit, nudging her to move away and surround Medusa together. The gorgon however, seemed not to be bothered by this tactic at all. In fact, she kept moving, but around Alyssa only; trying to get the angel between Eidren and herself.

“You can't have him.” Medusa whispered. “You can't, he's mine.” She'd clearly not understood Alyssa's sarcastic remark, but she didn't seem to hear much either way. Not even Sigmund, who cursed her to stop (although his pleas got weaker by the second) “This will only take a minute, dear.”

Then suddenly Medusa shot forward across the ground, tangling around Alyssa's feet and pulling her off-balance. Using the momentum, the gorgon shot upright and grabbed Alyssa's head with both hands and jerked it to face hers... Causing it to slowly petrify... “He's mine now too...” She gleed, as her gaze turned to Eidren...

Eidren had rushed towards the two fighting spirits in flight, but was too late. As Alyssa turned to stone, so did his swords... And wings! He dropped onto the ground, sliding face-first across it... It was already too late for Eidren to realise; along with the petrification of his spirit, Eidren's own powers as a holder had vanished! A bloody and bruised Eidren smacked into the ground, not knowing what happened to him. One thing was for sure, the emotional and physical shock had the ex-bishop out of his mind...

Medusa meanwhile, let go of the angel statue and turned to Eidren. She forced herself upon him, picking Eidren up and embracing him tightly. “I can replace her...” She whispered, as she softly began to nibble on Eidren's ear...

“You bitch!” Eidren shouted, but to no avail. He struggled with all his might to escape Medusa, kicking and screaming to get her off. As his head shook, Eidren caused Medusa's canine to tear through his own ear. “Let me go, you ugly bitch!” He cried in pain and confusion.

That struck a bad nerve with Medusa, being called ugly. “What did you say?” She hissed violently. The rapid change in demeanor was a threat by itself. A warning the young librarian had better heed...

“You filthy, ugly bitch!” Eidren roared, ever still struggling. Those would be Eidren's last words, as Medusa slammed him against the floor and pinned Eidren down. Her tail grabbed the petrified Alyssa, and with great force broke off her arm! She raised Alyssa's fist above her head and struck down; mercilessly beating Eidren to death with the remainders of his own spirit... And then some more... Medusa beat the corpse until she'd flatten Eidren's skull... Before she'd finally calm down...

All this of course greatly upset the kappa. They grabbed the children, both those who had previously played with them as those in cages, and massively jumped into the colourful river to swim upstream... They seemed to be terrified of the chain of events, but the kidnapped kids were too important to leave behind...

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Emily

Emily felt the momentum die, the ragworm’s course altered and shifted to her. From the corner of her eyes, she watched Vignar’s form become free from the chains then rolled away much to her relief. Then pain ripped her focus away. A terrible reminder of her mistake, a slightly lapse in memory over one of Steve’s keys traits: his damn spikes. They protruded out from contact, their short, quill like needles struck against her arms. The top barely protected as the tips tried to pierce through the covering but thankfully they seemed equally matched in strength. However, the bottom was completely exposed. Blood trailed along her dune colored skin and dripped between the spikes, staining the dark, leather skin. Emily couldn’t stop the scream that tore through the air and seemed ripped from her unwilling.

She had missed Vignar’s shout to protect the others, even Sean’s reaction to seeing his dead companions, all lost in her voice. Her breath thumped through her, her chest raised and fell with each struggle to force out the pain. It only helped enough for her to notice Steve’s attempt to give her a rather spiny hug. She jerked at her weapon, once, twice, and three times only to discover it won’t budge. The force from her rush had embedded it too deeply and it served, now, only to inflamed her arm with each jarring motion.

There was one option. One Emily knew was a risk and would make her venerable for a few moments while she put distance between her and the ragworm. It wasn’t a pleasant idea but there was little other choice. The white weapon faded slowly, returned to dark tendrils that raced up her arm and vanished. Blade now gone, she was no longer stuck.

Her feet kicked off with all her might. Sand scattered in her flight away, her direction back towards Vignar. She wasn’t as fast as before and found this out too late. Her body had just cleared Steve’s leg when one of the spikes clipped her shin, the muscle seared with hurtful flames raced up and down her leg. Her tongue bit back another scream enough she tasted blood. Once safely beside Vignar, her leg gave a little bring her to her knee. Her hand instinctively touched the robe and noted the wetness start soaking the cloth, but unsure if it her arm or the leg which was the cause. Under her breath, Emily curses a bit then turned for a moment to spot how the others are doing.

A familiar and unwanted sight greeted her. It was the tug of war secession between Eight and Valor, Fran’s misfortune in being the rope. Her mind went numb when the memory of her last time here, the image of Ramza almost being dragged under the sand and the very same thing occurrence repeated itself once more. A dry lump settled in her throat.

Emily… Cerberus’s voice, thankfully for once, had broken her reminiscence. He continued with a firm, yet gentle tone of concern. Emily, focus and try to take out Sean. It will stop Steve and perhaps Valor.

The words seemed to help as Emily, now likely beside the more serious man, turned back to Vignar and spoke. “We need to redirect our focus upon Sean rather than mess with his spirit. It seems both Valor and Steve are dependent on him and if he’s killed, even out cold, then it could end this fight. Or at the least even the odds.”

She took a breath, forced her heart to settle down. “I only have a few questions: Do you have any long range abilities and if that’s a yes, think you can hit Sean where the scales are no longer there? If not, think you have something in your bag of tricks to cover me while I use my bow?”

Inwardly, Emily hoped he wouldn’t look at her arm and question her ability to fire her bow. If he did ask, she wasn’t really sure how to answer because she wasn’t positive she would be able to until she tried. Her eyes skimmed her arm to take in the damage. It was rather cut up and bloody looking, her wrist flexed a bit to show it could still move. That was a positive, even if it hurt to do it.

Rendezvous Crash

The librarians were lead deeper into the city, where unfortunately they only encountered more of the same miserable state. Streets riddled with uncouth men and the protruding smell of alcohol. At some points, even the criminal guide and entourage slipped through alleys instead of taking the main road. “There's a lot of disagreements in town.” A man with a bulging eye and a greasy mustache explained. “In a way you're lucky you ran into us.”

After a fifteen minute crawl through the city, they finally reached their destination; a hollowed out manor. Outside there were guards stationed, equipped with actual blades. Some of them even carried pistols. While they certainly didn't make a better impression than the townsfolk, it was clear that they weren't small time-crooks like them. Andre and Bishop might even recognize some of the winged dogs laying around... The guardsmen spoke with their guides as their pets eyed the librarians suspiciously. After a brief exchange in Calacanese (Andre might pick up how their guide tried to butter up to the guard, whom gave him coin mostly to go away and stop talking) the librarians were invited in.

The manor was damaged internally, although there had been at least some small efforts towards restorations on critical points. The windows were blocked with barbed wires and rather than alcohol, it was the scent of tobacco that filled the air. The guard gestured them to wait in front of a stained oaken door, before leaving the trio alone in the hallway. When he returned, he seemed to be rather displeased.

“We were expecting a mister Bishop.” He addressed Bishop, then pointed at her hat. “He told us he had a daughter, is that you? And who are the other two?” The guard nodded to Vologhn and Andre. From his expression it was clear he was quite suspicious. “State your business. We're rather covert about who sees the Don.” He told them, heavily implying he wanted to hear it from their own mouths...

Rendezvous Crash

During the trip, Bishop had managed to regain most of her composure, occasionally she reached up to touch the silk bandage on her head, to be sure nothing was bleeding through, though she didn't suspect any true harm had been done anyway. After being led to the oaken door and being left alone, she took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. "They traded one drug for another." She comments quietly, almost to herself, about the tobacco scent. "My my. I remember when people had no clue what tobacco did to them. Then they learned and still did tobacco anyway... You... People... Are ever so persistent in refusing to learn anything. How amusing!" Jester whispered to the trio using Bishop's telepathy.

A few moments passed where she formulated a battle plan in her mind. It would all depend on how many guards the target had... To gather information using mind play would be impossible, she grew up too sheltered to know much of the mafia, how they speak or otherwise. It was possible, feasible, to capture the target. You assume there is a target to be found here. Jester chides her premeditation, taking the form of some fat man in a business suit and tie, smoking a cigar. Ehhh... Remember that the family don't always know what the rest o' the family is or isn't, capeche?

Bishop turns back to her two allies and speaks quickly and quietly. "If I have someone under control, I will take off my hat. From there we should try to get whoever I've taken alone, question them, and then knock them out." It was about the only signal she could manage that wouldn't look suspicious, and the only plan she could muster that could get them some level of information with relative safety. "Or, you know, kill them. It's not like these spaghetti eating fools will leave many widows behind." Jester hissed to the trio.

It was at this point that the door opened. Bishop turns back to see the guard, her eyes immediately growing cold again, as she attempted to mimic her father's mannerisms... With alarming success. It was, after all, something she had tried to do her entire life up until recently. "Would you really dare to question me, after all my father has done for you?" She stated as she crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head in disappointment, though her expression remained stone cold. "We have an important message for the Don. Someone has betrayed my father and as a result, forces acting against him have obtained information which relates to the mafia. Naturally, being a guard, you should of course be aware that delaying me from informing your leader of the details, which are quite sensitive, could have very serious repercussions..." She takes a breath, seeing Jester behind the guard with a small smile at how easily she weaved a web of lies. "...The information I have is the kind of thing I cannot tell a guard... Especially knowing that anyone could be a traitor right now. Surely, even a simple minded man such as yourself should understand something so... Simplistic." The arrogance that dripped from every word, the snide air of elitism... Just like her father.

A Clayman's Finale

Shortly after Soneillon vanished into the darkness, the atmosphere around the librarians became colder. It was a chill that felt all but natural. Soneillon experienced this even stronger... As if something was breathing down the spirit's neck. It was so cold, frostbite began to settle on it's chains. This sensation could only mean one thing... Doctor Valenci's spirit... The floor became layered with a thin crust of ice; something that in the shifting room made balance an issue for the holders. The ice settling on Soneillon's chains grew quickly; attempting to nail it to the ground so it couldn't sweep and catch it like it had last time.

An ominous whisper filled the room, “We have a score to settle, black spirit...” It echoed from deeper in the room; but nothing was to be seen. Where could the spirit be hiding?

Free Billy

Quartz and Nathair managed to overpower the man who had ran onto stage after he did not listen to their initial request. “The people need to hear this!” He spat in Nathair's face and struggled, but he was unable to break Quartz' grip.

Even so, hearing whatever it was would happen. Eowyn however, was not quite as hard-handed and as a result she was pushed aside by the man, who then proceeded take Simon his place on the stage (Simon himself sensed trouble and got out as soon as he could.) “Welcome friends!” The proclaimed, words that were welcomed by the crowd with loud chanting and roars. Judging from the reaction; the stage coup felt like an event the crowd had been waiting for. “We are here together to free the innocent animals from the clutches of the Library!” He shouted at the top of his lungs. “We will free the child!”

The crowd went wild, but suddenly something might click into the heads of the librarians. The break-in they had heard about was in a marine biological laboratory... And this was a demonstration against the capture of animals for scientific purposes... From atop the stage, Eowyn and Nathair might notice what Mari could have a few minutes before; a cart carrying a giant aquarium rode fro the horizon and the crowds were dispersing to let it through. The aquarium held a fish as big as a horse. It had an extensive collar that was best described as a starfish covered in coral, which folded over the fish' head. It swam in circles anxiously, although it didn't have much space to do so. However, if it were up to the protesters; it would be anchored back into the sea...

Meanwhile, the woman asked Mime what he was so afraid of, before noticing Remia. However, with the recent movements in the crowds, she couldn't escape the approaching girl. “Who is that? Do you know her?” The woman asked. She was clearly uncomfortable at the notion of potentially helping a holder's acquaintance...

Free Billy
Mime made a high-pitched screech at Remia as the spirit hugged Arlette closer and put herself between the woman and her holder. There was no attempt to reply the woman from Mime, as she thought the shown hostility would let the woman to draw a conclusion on her own. Any attempt to answer or protest from Arlette was stopped as Mime put a hand over the girl's mouth.

Mime stopped planning at that point as the aquarium came into her sight, "Ooh, that's a big fish." Arlette seemed to also be surprised by seeing the fish as she momentarily stopped struggling.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Vignar looked at Emily's wounds with concern, specifically at her leg, before acknowledging her suggestion and replying her questions, "No, my furthest skill wouldn't reach that far, but I could do the same thing as before. There's another one, but it's too random."

He stopped as Emily summoned her bow. Giving her a short nod, Vignar then used Warrior Call once more, boosting her strength again. Afterward, he took a glance at the losing tug-o-war, the knight armor and the ghost holder. If Sean's earlier reaction was any indication, Vignar guessed that the girl ghost had a relation to Sean before, although he couldn't specify what it was. If that was true, Vignar hoped that Sean was not one of the more pragmatic or selfish Holders and would refrain from attacking the ghost.

Rendezvous Crash
Andre followed quietly to the manor while trying to memorize the path they took. He could hear Shadow muttering something under his breath although it was illegible to Andre. They finally reached a, somewhat, better looking and guarded building compared to the rest of the town. He almost gave an amused snort after overhearing their guide buttering up to the guard and the bribery that was surrendered. As they were led inside, Andre noticed that his spirit twitched over something before descending into annoyed grumbling. He didn't ask about it as Bishop turned to face him and the other guy.

"If I have someone under control, I will take off my hat. From there we should try to get whoever I've taken alone, question them, and then knock them out." She said.

Andre answered with a nod, that was good enough a plan to go with for the moment. There was no need for further detailing it, not when they have no time and the guard returned, obviously being told something unpleasant. His words addressing them was practically dripping with suspicion. It might probably going to take awhile to convince the guard on his own, but then, Bishop pulled out an impressive act. Something that he would've clapped on in another situation. But for now, he should follow suit.

"Me? I'm ensuring that no one would be too nosy and go around asking what she meant."

Free Billy

Again foiled, Eowyn began to doubt if she was of any use at all during this mission. The man just brushed her aside, even though she was a full-fledged holder. ”A pitiful display. Disgraceful.” Sleipnir muttered in the back of her head, causing Eowyn to fluster. Her heart began to beat faster and her breathing got heavier. Eowyn's fists clenched. Was this her spirit's influence again? Eowyn was conflicted between emotions. She had to get the man off stage and using her powers, like Sleipnir suggested, would make that task so easy...

“No.” Eowyn decided, she would try it one more time. She grabbed the man's arm and sternly told him to get off the stage... But the man was so into his speech, he managed to shrug Eowyn off once again. Without Sleipnir, he out-muscled and outweighed the knight...

“That does it.” Eowyn muttered under her breath, as she pulled the man by his arm again using all her strength; forcing him to turn. Eowyn summoned Sleipnir's blade, just an inch above the man's foot and motioned as if stepping on it with her heel. The sword's pummel was heavy enough to break the man's toes and Eowyn hoped to fool him into thinking she was indeed a rook or bishop. The moment she heard the crack, she dismissed the sword from reality's plane.

“Leave now, before I throw you off stage myself.” Eowyn threatened the man, but at that point she saw something else... A gigantic aquarium!

“What is that?” A still flustered Eowyn squeaked at Nathair. “Is anyone near to stop that thing?” She asked... If nobody was, Eowyn knew it'd be up to her to stop it... After all, if she used Sleipnir she could get there in the blink of an eye... Albeit at the cost of the Library being in the headlines... Surely Simon would not be pleased...

A Clayman's Finale

“Looks like they put out the red carpet for us.” Lux mused, as he pondered his options. “If I read the paperwork right, these flowers have some pretty nasty way of spreading. But if that's the case... I got just the spell.” Lux smirked, as he flicked his fingers and caused a hot warm mist to spread across the garden. It would be hard for the pollen to spread when they were wet... But Lux didn't quite feel like helping Salia through the mist. If the golem would wake up, he and Salia would be hindered by his spell, while the golem would be unaffected. After all, Lux couldn't see the giant clay man sweat or breathe...

“I'm going to try something flashy.” Lux warned Salia, “hold on tight, because if this doesn't work we'll probably have to run.” He said, as he lifted Salia off her feet. It was a good thing being a holder gave him the strength to do that with ease. “Shame of all the pretty flowers, though.”

With that, lightning sprung from Lux' hand; channeling all throughout the room and burning whatever it touched. It was unfortunate, but unless the flowers had special properties, they would be black as ash within a moment. Lux kept his eyes on the golem though... Because it was in firing range...

Library's Medical Bay
Ramza Losstarot

Red. Not that of blood but something brighter. It was the first color he saw after what seemed to be an endless veil of darkness. Naturally, he winced, almost as if the light had hurt him. His ears then started ringing with the echoes of a guttural clamor. The voice soon grew louder in his head, telling him to wake up. It wasn't a pleasant tone for him to listen to, yet, it wasn't at all unfamiliar. He stirred, slowly raising a hand to shield the light from his eyes. He blinked. His muscles ached with every movement he made, sore; somewhat still asleep and stiff from the lack of activity. His lips dry and there's a weird taste in his mouth. He swallowed, suddenly thirsty.

Ramza Losstarot soon sat over the edge of the bed with a hand pressing at his forehead. The whole place seemed to be spinning around him. Where is this place? Thought the Holder as he lifted his head up and looked at the surroundings. How in Hub's pits, did I end up here? He silently asked himself upon realization.

Heat. The sun. The sand. If it wasn't for the brief flashbacks, he would've been convinced that he was there after the pursuit with the rebels in the sewer; where he'd been wounded. Where half of his face have melted. So something must have taken him by surprise in his next mission. Enough to knock him unconscious. So what happened to the rest of the team? Did they make it? Was the mission a success?

Disappointing! The voice he'd earlier heard in his thoughts, thundered. Those questions galled me! They should just let those things drag you under! Or left you to burn and rot in the desert! Never to be awaken again!
Let's not do this now, Bahamut! My head hurts and your lectures are not helping!
It was your work, Ramza Losstarot! Your work to see the mission through to the end! To see that it was successful and that everyone was safe! Instead, you became a burden!
I don't have time for this, Dragon King! I have to quickly get back in the game! So quit your whining and say something helpful! Otherwise, be quiet!

Ramza stood up and walked out of the bay quietly after a moment of silence. He paused when he entered the hallway. Changes have been made, he noticed. The structures, its facilities and even he himself felt strangely different. He could feel them running through his veins. New found strength?

No...

It's power!

Moments later, Ramza was found seated behind his own desk, staring at the file with the latest update the Intelligence department have provided. So much had happened while he's gone. The corruptions, the betrayal and reorganizations, enemies, monsters, power and medicine; Ramza'd looked through them all. Tough time for the Library.., thought the Rook. He could immediately tell then, that missions won't get any easier from now on. Not that they'd been anywhere near easy before to begin with though. Just tougher, especially when they'd lost the support of those around them.

"Sandwalker by Night", the currently available missions he saw on the notice board. It'll suffice. He'll take it. Hopefully, he won't be too rusty for the quest.

Rendezvous Crash

Throughout the city, it seemed like there was nothing but thugs and drunks. How a society functioned in this manner was beyond Vologhn. This abject waste of intelligence and knowledge. Perhaps in the brightness of the Hub and the Library headquarters, he had grown ignorant of the rest of this world.

The guide eventually led them to a large empty mansion, filled with heavily armed men. Unlike the bottles and small knives the thugs in the city held, these men would prove to be a bigger threat should a fight break out. A much bigger threat. Many overconfident holders had died to a bullet through their head- a very common cause of death for Bishops and Rooks, in fact. After some negotiation, they were handed over to a guard that brought them into the main hall of the mansion. Rather than a residence, the place looked like a fort.

The guard inquired about their identities and motive for coming here, but Bishop handled it perfectly with her position and acting. When the guard looked at him for an answer as well, Vologhn merely stared back with cold indifference. Unbeknownst to the mafia, he was already weaving a Spectral Web in the place. Soon, the entire building would become his trap, and the former occupants the prey.

The Clayman's Finale

Sonneillon hissed as it realized what was lurking in the darkness.

'So we meet again, dog! Rest assured that this time I will rip you to shreds!' the dark spirit bellowed loudly. It shook the spiked chains loose, the thin crust of ice shattering as they slid off its body. With its black amorphous appendages Sonneillon swung multiple chains around itself, turning into a whirlwind of steel and spikes. the chains bore into the surrounding stone and tombs, ripping away huge chunks of stone wherever they touched. Dr. Valenci's spirit, invisible as it may be, couldn't possible hide from this storm of destruction.

Adeline took a step back from the carnage that unfolded in front of her. There was always a feeling of lack of control when it came to summoning Sonneillon. Sometimes she wished she wasn't a Knight.

A Clayman's Finale

Lux' lightning assault was highly effective... At the very least in turning a thing of beauty into a burning hallway. However, his fear of waking the golem had come true as well. Yet, between the mist and the lightning strike Lux' powerful magic had done the impossible; he had significantly damaged the golem! It seemed to be heated, but more importantly malfunctioning. It's movements faltered as it stood up and would fall multiple times. It was that if a golem were to have muscles, several of them had been numbed...

Soneillon had the right idea in attacking with it's whirlwind and hit something solid. It's opponent was struck with the chain and with the spikes in it's body it was dragged across the floor as the temple building rumbled and roared. Unfortunately, this was the exact set-up of the spirit's plan B...

While tangled in in Soneillon's chain, it phased through the floor; taking Soneillon's chains with it. Although this would be difficult to notice due to it's invisibility. It bound them to pillars below-ground, before slipping outside of Soneillon's grip; locking Soneillon in position. “I've learned, black spirit.” Echoed through the room, as a large clawed hand appeared from the floor in front of Adeline. Although it'd been invisible before, Valenci's spirit had finally decided to show itself. The creature pulled itself up; it had the maws of a caiman, and a pair of bright yellow eyes. Everywhere from it's body a blueish mist protruded and it's breath was an especially thick form of it. On it's back there were a multitude of ice crystals that were worn like the needles of a hedgehog.

“I want you to watch as I tear through your holder, black spirit...” Valenci's servant said, as it broke one of it's crystals from it's back, then raised it slowly with the intent to bring it down on Adeline!

Rendezvous Crash

“Like father like daughter...” The guard scoffed, but stepped aside let the trio through, though leaving them with the note; “Don't forget there's still one end of the bargain, miss Bishop.” The guard warned, and took a step back from Andre; whose words had the guard on guard. He glimpsed a smile towards Andre, although it's nature was questionable. As the librarians passed, the guard was left staring at a weird fly, that unbeknown to the guard; had been trapped in Vologhn's spectral web...

The don, Giovani Celino, was a well-fed, middle-aged man with a waxed mustache compensating for his balding head. His 'office' was filled with exotic birds, many of which seemed alarmed as the three librarians stepped into the room together. “Pericolo straniero! Pericolo straniero!” A brown parrot shrieked, as a number of birds joined in the choir.

“Silenzio!” Giovani said sternly without even standing up from the leather chair he was seated in, but the noise died down within seconds. The don gazed first upon Andre, then Vologhn and finally Bishop. “Welcome to Midenze,” Giovani said friendly and politely, although there was a hint of restraint in his voice. “You must be Alex' daughter. He wasn't sure if you'd join us, but I am glad you did.”

In contrast to his speech mannerisms, the don didn't bother to stand up and leaned back from the leisure of his chair. “I hope you have cut ties with the Library. There is some bad blood between the Celino family and those greedy sons of whores...” He hinted at past events. “I had a daughter just like you... Until a few months ago... But forgive me, I haven't formally introduced myself yet. Don Giovani Celino.” The name Celino would be familiar to Andre and Bishop, as both had dealt with a woman by the name of Parvati Celino in the past, and just like the men outside, this woman had commanded drogans.

“Head of the Celino family and soon, with your help, future lord of Midenze.” The don stuck out his hand, with five thick sausage fingers and a ring on each and every single one of them.

The Clayman's Finale

Salia listened to her companion as he explained everything he knew about these flowers… if the paperwork was right, which it should be, she thought. Lux flicked his fingers and a rather hot, humid mist spread around them… and seemingly across the whole place. Soon, she was finding it hard to even see where she was going, and that was bothering her. At the same time, that ‘weather’ effect was making her body feel slightly better. Hot temperatures had always been comfortable for her.

“He-hey!!” she made a small shriek as all of a sudden, as Lux lifted her off her feet. She was not expecting it and because of her personality, she had never relied too much on others. Even less so when it came to having physical contact with them… and to mention a man lifting her like she was some sort of damsel in distress, it made her feel somewhat awkward… However, she still held on to Lux and it felt somewhat natural.

And then, the man started running with lightning from his hand burning whatever it touched… the garden became a burning hell in a matter of seconds. But Salia kept wondering, would the golem react to their presence? Her worries became true as she heard it begin moving… but she sighed in relief as it soon became obvious it was not working well, falling over and over again. “You’ve… damaged it?!” she was impressed.

“Should we finish it here or just move on?” Salia asked Lux. A part of her told her they’d better do a good job and move steadily but safely and be done with the golem. However, it was not as if they had much time so maybe it was wiser that they simply went on, taking advantage of the golem’s situation… and hoping it would not strike their backs later on.

Free Billy

A relieved look from Arlette and a sudden shriek from Mime. “Huh?!” Remia was confused. And of course she would be since those were the very worst decisions in her opinion. Making a loud noise in the middle of a mission and split the group in a rather suspicious way. Not to mention the fact they were actually being split by someone who was leading them away… What on Earth was going on anyway?

“Shh!!” was the only reaction she could think of, one that probably Mime wasn’t expecting anyway. Remia did not take Mime’s apparently panicked reaction as anything offensive but rather as something extremely confusing. It was clear that whoever the woman with Mime and Arlette was, she was not comfortable with Remia following them, which only made Remia feel more suspicious. Lancelot insisted they captured the woman to make her talk but the holder would have none of that.

“Just what is going on here?! I thought we were companions! Friends, even!!” After all that had happened on their last mission, and the help they had given them, and now Mime was behaving like that… why? But the crowd was now getting louder as a big tank with an equally big fish inside was being moved. People were giving space for those moving said tank, and the attention was focused on that and those that were on the stage.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

And suddenly, things happened. Quite a few, in fact. Blades coming from their foe’s skin and it trying to wrap itself around Emily… those blades looked particularly nasty in such a situation. And Fran was so far unable to release herself from those chains that were trapping her. Soon she was made to fall over and no long after that, Eight and Valor were battling with Fran as the unwilling battlefield.

Now, Diane had a tough decision in her hands. What to do? She HAD to do something, but how, and who to focus on? The girl was panicking and that caused her to stop singing at some point, with the effects of her magic vanishing from Emily. Of course, she could always start singing again and in fact she figured she may be able to do something by helping someone else… maybe!

It was a long shot, but it was worth a try. And she had an idea… they were in a desert after all. Diane knelt down and grabbed two fistfuls of sand and threw them in the air just as she began her second song of the day… the Sugar Polka which was way too cheery for the moment, yet its marked rhythm pumped her own self. If she was right, her mind would be fooled by her own activities and see the sand she had thrown in the air as just more sugar like the one her spell made appear. She launched her attack towards Sean. The small grains of sugar could get where other attacks couldn’t…

Of course, this was what she wanted. Not hit him hard enough, as he was protected so this song would be useless. But as the grains went past Sean’s safest spots and into the weakest ones, it was time for Diane to use something new that she had not used yet. She felt a bit aghast but the Active Sweet Explosion! held her best chance now. The sugar grains that came with the spell would explode now, and if they were past Sean’s defences, they could deal a big amount of damage! At that moment, Diane felt the magic surge through her body and realised that stopping was not an option anymore. Magic had been unleashed and she almost felt how her mouth moved on its own and she continued singing, directing more and more of her sugar-y projectiles towards Sean. That was how she hoped to help everyone!!

The Clayman's Finale
Maria took action, stepping in front of Adeline. "You won't get past me." She said firmly, raising her shield. She braced herself for the impact, activating Traction. Even though her shield dispersed most of the impact, she knew it wouldn't stop all of it, and it was better to be overcautious than unprepared. With her eyes still on the blade coming down, she mentally commanded her armor to appear. As it phased around her body, she felt more conspicuous, knowing it was the effect of the armor. "Why don't you take me on instead of an unarmed girl, coward?" She taunted, activating Provoke. "Or are you that afraid of fighting fairly?"

Will O' the Piper
Charles hesitated for a moment, wondering what he should do. He quickly decided that the children were higher priority now and called out to Sigmund. "I'm going after the kids, so don't die until I get back!" He ran towards the river with Sophia close behind and turned to run along the bank, knowing there was no way he'd catch them in the water. He knew that if the Kapa decided to leave the river on the opposite side, they'd be in trouble. "Sophia, jump!" He yelled, summoning his staff. He stopped for a moment while she did a short hop onto the pole, then heaved the staff up as Sophia Jumped from it. He figured the boost would be enough to get her across, even if his arms were sore now, and kept running after the targets.