[IC] Granblue Fantasy: Rhapsody in Red

[Flood]

Zendrith

@Skyrte@The Irish Tree

"Yeah! Critical hit, the hero wins again!" She hadn't been expecting this to be so easy honestly, guess she came in at the tail end of the fight. But now was no time to celebrate, there was work to be done around these parts. Now the real question is what to save first? On the one hand, this ship was going down in flames hard, if she wanted to salvage anything from this she would need to be fast. On the other hand, there was a person dying and she knew how to save them. Well, she knew who could save them, she herself didn't have the medical knowledge or healing magic necessary to stabilize someone who is clearly dying-

"Hey! Get over here and help me out!" Yeah saving someone's life probably is a bit more important than all this cool technology she really wanted to loot. Hopefully some of it would stay intact enough for her to come back to. With a single silent tear at the thought of losing all this cool stuff, she turned to Arno with a cheery grin.

"No need to yell Arno. I know can help your friend here!" Zendrith struck a heroic pose, with a thumbs up and legs spread as she waited for praise. "Well, not me personally. But I know someone who can help and for free!" Clarification is good. "Anyways, there's this lady at the edge of the forest who patches people up at no cost. So we probably want to start heading over there as soon as possible."

[Suku]

@The Irish Tree
"Ah thank you!" Hilde said cheerfully thanking the small warrior for his help. It wouldn't have done to lost her funds for the journey so early on. As she took the sack and stowed it away more carefully. "My name is Hilde may I ask you for yours?" She asked she was sure her outfit and the shield slung on the back already screamed what she was but she hoped it would remain a secret for a bit longer. Didn't want to get her position away so easily which was kinda hard considering they stamped the symbol on basically everything. "I am new here having never really left Niflhelm so thanks for helping!" She said as she grabbed her stuff to head to the nearest Tyragrande station to look for information on her sister. "I am sorry to cut it so short but I must go I need to do something you see so please pardon my rudeness." She said as she bowed in apology quickly before starting to look for the office to gain information from.

[Skyrte]

Arno Arrotyr

Arno couldn't quite hear. At all. Things were a muffled, distant drone, but his eyes were fine. He grimaced when Corday held her side and collapsed into a coughing fit, interrupting whatever she was saying. What kind of damage did that hit even do? Arno wasn't a doctor, or a biologist, but he knew that if an airframe was crushed the internal systems inside an airship were likely damaged, especially for a compact interceptor like the Akula. Her coughing implied damage to her respiratory system, lungs? Most likely broken bones from the blunt impact. He frowned, he could formulate some ideas of her injuries, but he didn't have the skill to do anything about it. He hated it, but someone had to have medical expertise.

The Dhirom came over at his call, and she posed heroically, giving a thumbs up. Arno couldn't discern what she was saying, but her positive body language suggested that either she knew how to heal, or knew someone who did. Arno's frown lightened, and he pointed at his ears, "I can't hear! Didn't have ear protection on when I fired my cannons, no time to! Good work slowing him too, I probably wouldn't have made the shot if you didn't show up!" He shouted, "Use your hands to tell me if I'm too loud or not!" Arno explained, demonstrating with one hand, a face down palm going up or down.

[Guess Who]

Cayde Selmy

_{@The Irish Tree@Awesomoman64@floodtalon@Skyrte}

“On it,” Cayde quickly replied, wasting no time to leave the pirate with the burning engine and rush up the stairs to the top deck. Perhaps sending the man in heavy armor to climb up the three story ship wasn’t the best decision, but Sid was needed below. Feeling somewhat out of breath after fighting the goblins and a hard sprint, he approached the first non-green skinned humanoids he spotted. Not knowing Arno had gone temporarily deaf, he shouted to him and Zendrith, “Do either of you know how to repair a burning and possibly explosive engine?” There was not enough time to find and evacuate everyone aboard. They needed to keep the fire from spreading.

Seeing Arno's confused look, followed by the Harvin pointing to his own ears and shaking his head side-to-side, Cayde soon understood the problem. This was the crazy bastard that fired the cannons. That immediately gained the savant the nobleman's respect. Pointing to the blackened smoke escaping from the ship's entrance, the former commander heated up his armored fist until it glowed red hot then opened his hand to give off the impression of an explosion. The charade was clear, Arno was needed down below and the two would quickly descend back to the engine room where Sid waited.

[The Irish Tree]

Guess, Awesomoman, flood, and Skyrte

Verdant Woodlands: Emergency Repairs

fdc68a
@Awesomoman64,@Guess Who,@Skyrte,@floodtalon
With an emergency underway, Corday gave a knowing nod to Cayde, a smile forced to her lips. "Go fix that...I can wait...gonna just...take a nap..." she said, before closing her eyes, pain finally overtaking her consciousness, though thankfully it wasn't like she had a concussion or anything. She was good for now, they could assume, save for the potential of internal bleeding. Regardless, there were more lives than her's to save at the moment, and those lives required prioritizing the engine room.

With Sid's wind keeping the fires of the engine at bay, he could hear the drum of footsteps descending down from the deck. The familiar weight of Cayde's armored footsteps told him that help had arrived, and arrive it did indeed. As soon as he was down there, Arno would swiftly get to work in extinguishing the fires, but would quickly find that the engines were beyond what he was used to repairing on his Akula. Whatever model of engine this was, it was fairly recently put out. The fire was significantly easier to deal with once the few uninjured would begin carrying pails of water in order to keep it from reaching the fuel lines. Under Cayde's direction, Sid's quick thinking, Arno's expertise in engineering, and Zendrith's springing to action to end the conflict on deck, the ship and its crew were saved, and all that remained of the fire was the black smoke billowing out into the open air.

...Oh, and Perkeo was there too, finally. Having awoken to the smell of smoke, the musician shakily rose to his feet, knees buckled together as he leaned against the wall, trying to strum a note on his instrument before the string he struck snap, sending him reeling back. "My baby!"

Ammo, Enk, 42nd Gecko

Road to Recovery

@Enkryption
bc8dbf

As Cyll downed her medicine, Amanita smiled, putting her hands on her hips. "The worse it tastes, the better it is for you. At least, for vegetables. And medicine." she said, before she suddenly stood upright, hearing a crashing sound. "Cyll, no moving! Y-You two wait here and rest. Mr. Marshall!?" she said, calling out the last bit as she ran down the hall towards the bathroom. Banging on the door, Amanita yelled: "Mr. Marshaaaaall! I'm coming in! A-And if you're naked, then that's weird because its been way too long since you went in there to take a bath! before Mucu gently grabbed the doorhandle and twisted, eventually breaking the lock.

Before that however, Marshall would hear a soft, pathetic mewling coming from beneath the sink. A small, pale yellow bundle of fur assembled into a quadrupedal form with feline features and long, triplicate pairs of whiskers winced as it tried to run out from beneath the sink, only to cut its paw upon a shard of glass and stumble, limping. Pained mews escaped the tiny creature as it looked up at Marshall, completely at his mercy and utterly helpless. Its large dark eyes stared up at him, the tiniest bit of cloud to them to show that the animal was diseased, and its showing ribcage along the sides of its torso showed that it was starving, too. It seemed it had taken shelter in here some time ago and gotten stuck, perhaps hoping to hunt mice within the confines of the bathroom's small space.

---

@Ammokkx,@The 42nd Gecko

The two's chatter would last a fair bit of time, before there was the soft sound of a person approaching on the mossy cobblestone'd path. After a tense series of seconds as the sound of armored boots approached the door, they opened to reveal a harvin donning black plate mail in the doorframe. His size was small, but the warrior and hunter in their beds could see the immense aura the man gave off, as if the very air was gathering around him. He however did not seem malicious in any capacity, looking around curiously before looking to the twosome. "Excuse me...is the doctor in today? I needed to ask her some questions." he asked.

What would catch Mushi's eye the most however, would be the sword carried upon his back. There were few renowned harvin swordsmen, but most used thinner arms, such as katanas or long swords, whereas the broad greatsword present on the man's back bespoke of his strength. His movements were measured, each one precise and efficient, as if he'd had swordfighting drills beaten into every aspect of his life. His armor bore the emblem of Geste upon it near the right shoulder, and his violet eyes were clearly taking in every part of the room. "If she's not in, I'll come back some other time. Are you two alright though? I've heard her treatments are odd, but effective."

Suku

Crossing Fate: Krumatzi

@Suku

The harvin smiled, bowing his head to Hilde, his violet eyes shining with vitality as he stood up once more. "My name is Oliver, ma'am. A proud adherent to Free Lord Charlemagne, and one of his Twelve Peers. From the looks of you, you seem to be a knight as well. That mark of Niflhelm ...Its an honor to meet someone of their order." he exposited to her, at her request of hearing his name. With his sword carried on his back, he would wave farewell to her as she left abruptly, wishing her good luck, assuming she was on some quest of self-discovery. Knights taking leave of their order tended to be on pilgrimages to garner further strength or wisdom for themselves, and that was the case for Oliver himself.

---

Hilde would have no trouble getting in to see the Airship Commission Officer given her miltary standing with Niflhelm. While it was an isolated power, it was also one that commanded respect, even in the Zweite ruled lands. A man of middling age, a Human with thinning blonde hair and a rather stocky build, his body covered in bristles of thin fine hairs along his arms and especially around his face. "A woman with that emblem...Come to think of it, we did get someone passing by with your description. Remember it plain as day; She got off one of the transport vessels and headed straight to my office. Asked me 'How much to hire a pilot to fly an already owned airship?', and soon's I gave her the rate, she goes off and buys her own ship and comes back to fork over money for a pilot! Dunno why she was in such a hurry or where she got all that money, but I heard Niflhelm pays you Walkure a pretty penny. Her ship was headed Southwest, but none of our transports head in that direction. Too dangerous this time of year." the man said, leaning forward a bit in his chair. "Sorry that I can't do more to help. Really bad monster attacks have been going down on those islands, and the military is taking their time cleaning things up."

With that bit of information secured, Hilde wouldn't be left with much choice other than to try and seek out a pilot willing to take her, and a ship that was fit to fly her. Unfortunately, the vessel captains were all on round the clock shifts, and as far as the Commissions Officer knew, there weren't any around that were retirees or just people with licenses to fly. This was an island people were born, and died on for the most part. No real go'ers anywhere.

[The 42nd Gecko]

"Oh, she's sorta in. I think she's looking after whatever that crashing direction was thataway! Her treatments are pretty good, just the other day I had a bunch of bullet wounds and now I'm right as rain." Mushi pointed in the direction of Amanita and Marshall, but didn't rise from her bed, simply scooting her pillow a little so it bunched up and propped her head a little higher so she could get a good eye on the newcomer.

~Aw man, when will I get one of those super awesome power auras. I've trained my whole life and I still don't give off an aura unless I frivolously spend my time and effort to do it.~ Mushi's reaction to the stranger's obvious martial and magical prowess.. was to pout a little. There was a complete lack of fear, simply disappointment that she wasn't as obviously powerful. She had spent her whole childhood constantly around stronger than her duelists, so if her reaction to a stranger with extreme power was fear, she would have been quite traumatized. As it was, she was acclimated to the idea of people stronger than her, even if she didn't particularly like it.

~I mean, I guess it's fine that I don't show off my power level.. Element of surprise and all that. But darn it, it looks cool.~ Mushi continued internally sulking and turned her head to the side, making her disappointment a little less obvious. She considered introducing herself, but, probably because of the sulking, didn't.

@The Irish Tree@Ammokkx

[Ammokkx]

_xx_x Cyll _xx_x

---

After silence fell in the room where Mushi and Cyll lay, the latter's ears perked up. He heard the faint noise of metal repeatedly clanging against stone even through the cottage walls, a sound that only got louder as it neared what seemed to be the door. Cyll whipped his head around to try and get a look. Without any windows where he glanced, though, the boy was left in the dark. He swallowed a little, every hair on his body starting to tingle even without seeing the figure on the other side. A feeling of dread welled up inside his chest.

(W-What the hell is with this pressure...?)

When the door gently opened, it was revealed to be a harvin who stepped through. That didn't make Cyll feel any more at ease, though. Especially not when the stranger positively oozed power. It's as if the very air around them was heavier than any other, that even nature itself was afraid of this man. The harvin didn't look hostile, but Cyll remained on guard. One half of him was afraid, but the other didn't trust the stranger. Why the hell would someone that strong need to search for some out-of-reach doctor?

"We're fine," Cyll responded, crossing his arms and keeping an eye on the harvin.

"Pretty sure she's treatin' someone else. Prolly gonna take a bit."

[Suku]

Hilde Wandering Valkyrie

"This is just fantastic I am basically stuck on this island unless I can find someone willing to brave the terrain." Hilde muttered to herself in frustration as she continued onward she continued onward asking about pilots willing to take her and all getting the same answer of no. "DAMN IT IT ALL" She screamed in frustration she was unable to find a way off this island and her rank meant nothing so there went that option. Her sister left the island and she was stranded here for now cursing her luck Hilde continued forward hearing a few rumors of a crashed airship. Seeing no other option she headed out towards the general location. Hopefully the pilot of said airship was alive and well cause this was her only lead she had in awhile on getting of the island in the direction she wanted to go to.

[Enkryption]

It wasn’t the shouting from Amanita through the door, nor the fact that Micu broke its lock, but the pained noise that took Marshall out of his torment. He’d carefully tossed the bit and pieces of glass in his fingers into the sink, as he removed them, but he’d paid no mind to the glass that had shattered and scattered across the floor -- it was only human to think of oneself before others. Unfortunately, as he saw what that instinctive notion had accidentally wound brought the immoral nearly beside himself; throwing himself to the floor, he picked up the kitten, and looked it over extensively. “Oh, you poor thing!” he says, plaintively.

Marshall lifted the kitten above his head, and frowned, “Goodness, you are barely off the teat; not even near ready to be wandering so aimlessly, young lady,” before he held her by the nape of her neck, and cleared the sink out. “First thing you need, a good maintenance.”

A hiss escaped the mouth of the kitten as it was picked up, weakly swatting at Marshall’s arm before she was plucked up by her neck. The golden fur lining her body was soft and thick, clearly made to insulate heat. Given that the creature scarcely resembled most forms of life on the island, it could be safe to assume it was brought here by someone. It was clearly reluctant to be held, especially since it thought Marshall was trying to eat it.

Marshall barely took notice of the action -- help that his right arm was mostly armor, even if it didn’t look it -- as he set the kitten in the sink, and ran the water aside her; it was warm from his own mistrations, as he’d been cleaning his left hand, and the glass had went and washed down the drain. As such, he was free to soak and soap her fur with a bar that he’d procured alongside a small cloth. “And, just who are you hissing at, hm,” he asks.

Another hiss escaped the cat as it attempted to leap away from the water cascading over it, held back by Marshall as it furiously scratched at him. It was pissed, for certain, and not at all pleased about receiving a bath. Thankfully no glass had gotten in its paw, making it just hurt a little as the tiny feline perched it back at an angle, to balance on one front paw after a time.

”Nu,” Marshall says, bapping her nose. “Time to be good,” he scolded, “I’m sure, after a nice bath, and a bit of feeding, you’ll be far more agreeable,” he paused to look around for a moment, “To young for meat, and I’m too incapable of crossing the boundary of human and feline... Hrm...” Marshall took of moment to raise her upper lip with his left pointer, “How capable are your teeth?”

The cat would answer by sinking them right into Marshall’s finger, the barely developed nubs managing to do little more than bruise the skin of his finger. Her jaw strength was weak as well, undeveloped from lack of hunting experience. Still, she had a degree of persistence, as she kept on shaking her head furiously to try and maim Marshall’s finger.

Marshall chuckled; although, it was almost sad in a way. “You are trying, so hard, and yet... you arrive at nothing,” he says, “It’s a pale reflection of myself. Doomed to suffer in an uncaring world.” Marshall focused on her efforts, on her lacking sharpness, and tried to weaken the barrier she worked to destroy. “I can’t find myself a redemption, but, maybe, I can find you a future...” he says, as she shook and struggled; instincts keeping her focus sharp, where all else failed to be.

A grumbling noise erupted from the feline’s stomach as she shuddered, her bite weakening as she started to realize the futility of biting. She was just wasting energy, and Marshall was far too intact to try and eat. As such, she just...felt like giving up. If it weren’t for Marshall holding her up, it was likely the kitten would just curl up, wanting to sleep away the pangs of starvation, perhaps dream of the mother it doesn’t have left to rely upon.

Marshall could almost sense her surrender, and he lifted her head with the finger being, now lamely, bitten, as if to make her face him; his fist still bled from his focus on the kitten, and not himself, but the kitten was dirty enough, as is, so he didn’t think a bit more blood would phase her in the slightest. “You aren’t going to end here,” he says, “I can feel your wanting, but, I’m greedy, and no-one can want their end more than I. So, I’m going to steal that feeling of surrender, whether you like it or not. Because, I’m a thief, and that’s what I do.”

Sure, a boastful claim such as that would surely fall flat on a kitten, but, it wasn’t something loftly, nor lightly said, either.

The kitten let out a pathetic noise, before swatting a paw weakly once, missing and just resting her paw upon his arm as her head was forced to face his, only one eye open. It was weak, but Marshall could still see the fight left in her; He’d managed to piss off a dying cat enough to get it to stop giving up, as a start. Sadly his speech was lost to everyone save Amanita, who was peeking in through a crack in the door.

Marshall smirked. “Pissed you off, I see,” he didn’t shake his grin, “That’s a start. Now, do something about it. Let’s see you bring that fight up, front and center.”

Marshall would see the feline beast open its mouth wide, before a small spark could be seen, shining light inside of her mouth before a small flicker of electricity tickled against Marshall’s skin, doubly harmless due to the size, and the Light affinity of his blood coursing through him. After that was just a puff of smoke as the kitten weakly coughed.

Marshall grinned, proudly. “Thattagirl,” he says, lifting her from the sink. “Now, let’s find you something to eat,” he dabbed at her smoky lips “clean’ with a his left pointer, “Er... I should probably heal my hand, and wash it, before I make you something. I can’t afford to lose but so much blood, and bleeding into food is bad.”

Marshall would hear footsteps outside the door make a break for it, as Amanita went to the kitchen to prepare some food before he got there. Mucu just kind of didn’t get the memo, and stood there, very clearly visible in the doorway, looking in curiously. The kitten kept on trying to take potshots at Marshall as he carried her, swatting on occasion.

Smirking, the immortal simply handled the kitten as one would handle a swaddled babe; treating her with intense care, as if she were glass. He set to amusing himself with her teeny bolts and swats by playfully poking at her belly, in return, until he reached the kitchen. Surely, he would have had to pass by the other patient, but, like with the Myconid, unless they make themselves unignorably known to him... he’d just ignore them.

He really wasn’t a people person.

As he would walk towards the kitchen, Marshall would smell fish being cooked, as would the starved kitten. Amanita was at work crisping the skin on some trout of some kind, smiling as she saw him come in. He’d also be able to count that there were more fish frying than there were people there at the moment. “O-Oh, Marshall! I was just um...fixing up some dinner for everyone. Who’s your little friend?”

“Harliqueen,” Marshall says, simply. “If she’s so obliging.”

---

Collab with the @The Irish Tree

[Skyrte]

Arno Arrotyr

Arno noted how easily Cayde adapted, accepting input from multiple people and directing them, as well as communicating when speech wouldn't do. Under the direction of the armored human, and with the assistance of several others, they had managed to extinguish the fire that threatened the ship. Arno glanced around the engine deck, following pipes and chambers. The fire had gotten close to the fuel tanks, and if the fuel tanks were damaged in any way in the crash... Arno blinked and rubbed his chin. The Akula was vulnerable to fire. He saw this now, as all airships were. He designed the Akula to be able to defend itself and its pilot against threats, hence the cannons, but he never considered... this. If he took damage in the flight against the large, tentacled beast, and the Akula caught aflame, how could he extinguish it? He thought for a moment, shutting engines down, and closing the fuel valves. And then pray the fire ate all of its available fuel, and hope the wind blew it out? Not good enough. He needed something more, something more definite than hopes and prayers, but what? What if his fuel tanks had been punctured, and the fire was feeding off of the exposed fuel? He shelved the thought for later, he'd likely spent hours mulling on the thoughts, and they weren't completely in the clear yet.

The Harvin brushed his mustache with his fingers then walked over to Cayde, jabbing him in the side twice to get his attention. "One of us is wounded on the top deck! Find a healer!" He said, loudly. He jogged out of the engine deck, back up the stairs and up to where Corday and his Akula was. He glanced around, seeing that she wasn't awake. Arno jogged over to her and knelt beside her, looking at her unmoving form with uncertainty. How did doctors do it? He blinked away any hesitation, her life was in danger, modesty be damned. He bent over and put his ear over her chest. A few seconds later he pulled away, having heard and felt a strong enough heartbeat, he hoped. Then he put two fingers over her nose and mouth, feeling a steady rhythm of breathing. Arno let out a sigh of relief. He looked around, if they needed to move, she might not be in any condition to move. He glanced at her, then around on the deck. He drew his short falchion sword and set it down next to her. After getting a rough estimation of her height, he grabbed the sword and jogged over to the Akula, setting the blade on the wing.

Running a quick calculation in his head, one of the wing panels would be long enough for her to lay on. He sheathed the blade and went over to the cockpit, opening a small compartment and pulling out a screwdriver. He got to work, quickly unscrewing the long panel from the wing. A few minutes passed, and he lifted the metal panel up and dropped it onto the deck. He glanced at the internals of the wing, wires, pipes, compartments, the exposed cannon internals and ammunition magazine. He smiled, that had taken a while to design and test. He hopped off the wing and dragged the panel over to Corday, laying it next to her.

[The Irish Tree]

Guess, Awesomoman, flood, Suku, and Skyrte

Verdant Woodlands: To The Healer's Hut

@Awesomoman64,@Guess Who,@Skyrte,@floodtalon,@Suku
The actions taken by the crew had managed to save the ship, and its fugitive passengers from a fiery demise, and with Corday being the only one injured in the fighting (save for Perkeo's future children), there was little overall damage. The goblins had lost their leader, so it was doubtful that they would be back for any amount of time. Time was on their side, now that fires were extinguished and the way forward was clear. As dozens of former prisoners emerged, aid would flock to the crew of vagabonds, mostly in the form of tending to the wounded and getting Corday onto their little man-made metal stretcher.

With the knowledge of directions that Zendrith and Sid possessed about the island, finding the healer's house would be a cinch, even if it was a bit off the beaten path. Tension would stir however, once they would meet a wayward pink-haired knight traveling down the same road, bearing a clearly displayed symbol of her knighthood. Unease was clear amongst the fugitives, many believing her to be a Zweite agent, while others insisted they remain calm; After all, there was one of her, and roughly seventy total amongst them.

Both Hilde and the gathered crew would feel the tension in the air; Something needed to be done and addressed, as this wasn't just something that could be ignored. A band of seventy or so adults all dressed in prisoner's rags were incredibly conspicuous, as was a knight wandering in such a backwater island road. Hilde would however be unable to ignore that someone was hurt and on a makeshift stretcher.

Ammo, Enk, 42nd Gecko

Road to Recovery

@Enkryption

Harliqueen didn't seem to care all that much about her new name compared to the overwhelming scent of delicious food, driving the little animal to mew loudly, flailing in Marshall's arms until it was finally offered a whole fish, the little thing's now moist tongue salivating before it practically tackled the plate the fish was upon, greedily devouring it in large gulps.

Amanita couldn't stifle a giggle as she observed the little kitten eat away at the fish, having been ignorant that it had somehow snuck into her bathroom. Mucu was just cooking up some diced vegetables in a pot, scratching the top of his cap before a bit broke off of the red and brown mass, which he tossed in. For extra flavor. As Harliqueen ate, Amanita hummed, staying a decent distance away as she looked at the eyes and ribs. "She's lucky that her eyes aren't infected...usually cats this young without a mother to clean them wind up losing one...its even fatal sometimes." she said, eyes full of concern. Standing, she smiled once more. "I'll make it a little bed, so that it has a place to lie down. Its legs are shaking like it'll fall over at any moment..." was all she said before running off to get together a pillow and blanket to make a small place for the cat in the corner of the kitchen. With dinner cooked, Amanita would go to inform the duo of patients that their food would be ready soon, but upon peeking around the corner was forced to duck back into the kitchen. "Mucu, mind serving Mushi and Cyll their food?" she would request before going to answer the new guest to her hospital.

---

@Ammokkx,@The 42nd Gecko

At hearing that the doctor was currently busy, the harvin nodded in understanding. "I see...then, I'll just have to wait here for a bit." he would say, making himself right at home as he unclipped the sheath housing his sword from the back of his armor, letting it rest against the chair he was sitting upon. Looking to Mushi, he smiled "Bullet wounds, eh? You must have had quite a brawl. Guessing its not with your friend here though."

Some time would pass before the harvin realized that he hadn't even properly introduced himself, and as such cleared his throat. "My apologies. I'm Oliver, and I'm one of the Twelve Peers of Free Lord Charlemagne. Forgot my manners there for a second, he would finally introduce himself, and though Geste was a far off country, both would know that their knights were revered for their power and discipline. That would certainly explain the powerful aura he let out, especially since the Twelve Peers were the elite Royal Guards.

After some time, Amanita would emerge once again and spot the man's armor, feeling a bit nervous at having someone heavily armed in her hospital. "O-Oh, um...hello. I'm the doctor here. Are you hurt anywhere? O-Or just looking for medical advice?" she asked. Oliver just smiled at her. "C'mon, I'm not that scary. I'm just looking for some advice, since someone I know is suffering from an illness with no known cure. I figured someone off the beaten path of medicine might be able to give me some answers. Mind if we talk in private?" he would request. After a moment of tension, Amanita would nod, leading Oliver into a back room, likely used for painful treatments given the clear weight behind the door.

Mucu would come out in a minute, before carrying to the twosome plates set with a large deboned fish for each of them, along with an assortment of fried vegetables arranged beside a small loaf of bread, with a fork and a knife for each to use. Marshall would also have one set out for him, a dining table set for two being the only furnishings within the kitchen available for him to eat upon. Mucu stretched his arms outwards, taking a few lunging steps back and forth before the chunk he had removed earlier grew back. Hopefully Cyll liked Mushrooms.

[Ammokkx]

_xx_x Cyll _xx_x

---

Cyll didn't feel at ease for a single second while Oliver was around. In fact, he still couldn't relax even after the harvin had gone off with the good doctor.

"I don't like guys like him..." Cyll growled once he was out of ear-shot, dropping his arms down in order to prop himself up a little more. He continued to stare at the door the duo had left through, ready to jump out of the bed and run over in case he heard anything funny happen from where he sat. Strength of one of the twelve be damned; Cyll had already faced deathly odds and come out on top on the same day.

Of course, once his nose picked up the smell of freshly cooked food, all this was thrown right out the window. Cyll could instantly feel his stomach growling from all the needless exercise he'd done that day, as well as missing out on his original meal. He whipped his head around to see the local, bipedal fungi delivering a duet of still-hot goodness to both him and his fellow patient. Drool dripped from Cyll's mouth as the plate was set in front of him, not once having taken his eyes off the food this entire time. Not only that, but it was fish. Cyll loved fish.

"Ohgreatprimalthisisamazingthankyou!"

The boy nabbed the plate once it was free. Cyll also wasted no time in grabbing the fork that was given to him, stabbing it straight through the long-dead nautical creature with the swiftness of a lightning bolt. Somehow the thing didn't fall apart despite having been softened up considerably, being left in one piece while Cyll brought it up to his face and tore into it. A huge chunk of fishy goodness filled his mouth as the rest of it dropped back onto the plate in his hands, but the boy hadn't even finished chewing before stuffing his mouth full of vegetables. He ate like a man possessed, devouring his meal faster than the speed of light until only a few insignificant scraps remained. Everything that had been served was consumed with delight, including Mucu's little gift.

"Oh man I haven't eaten this good in weeks!"

The boy set the plate down next to him, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stretched his arms to celebrate. His relief didn't last long, however, as Cyll suddenly whipped his head back to Mushi. His face had genuine, unfiltered shock plastered all over it. There was even a hint of jealousy in there.

"Wait, don't tell me... did you get to eat food this amazing this entire time?! How lucky can you be?!"

[Enkryption]

Marshall largely ignored Amanita, as she spoke. He didn’t really think on the terms of what could have been, but, rather what was to be, and that was caring for the kitten that was savaging the fish. A chuckle escaped him, as she set her upon the table, and flipped off his shirt to bundle her up as a little kitten burrito; all but her shoulders and above exposed so she could eat, while being soaked in the linger warm of Marshall’s core, and the building warmth of her own self.

Due to the removal of his shirt, Marshall was reminded of a certain, overtly inquisitive Harvin; another pet of a beast, like himself. Funny, how she slipped into his thoughts; so insidious, like her serpentine master. “Selmia,” Marshall murmured, as drew her dagger, and admired it. “Astrals be damned, Primals be leashed,” he swore, “I am cursed with boundless greed and infinite obsession. If I want it, so shall I possess it, until it breaks or bores.” Marshall held the knife to the light, and his persona shifted; he called it, “Pleonexia,” the only word befitting its extremeness...

The sound of metal clinking against wood could be heard as Amanita and Oliver concluded their conversation, Amanita taking a seat in the room Cyll and Mushi were resting in. The harvin, rather than simply leaving, strode into the kitchen and with the lightest tap of his gauntlet covered finger, poked at Marshall’s back. ”Excuse me...have a moment for a few questions, sir?”

Marshall snarled, a moment’s lost of sanity, as he turnt the dagger against the Harvin, before his mind settled against the visage of the decidedly masculine figure before him; Selmia banished from his mind, for now. “Another round,” he says, shaking his head, “eh, Bart?” Marshall frowned, “No, no, think, focus...” Sheathing the dagger, Marshall tapped his head, and brought himself back. “Yes?”

”Not here, if you’re looking for a fight. I’ve been looking for clues about a cure to a certain…”illness” a friend of mine has. Primal artifacts, or primals themselves carry this sort of “feeling” thats really easy to sniff out when you get close enough, if you know what it feels like.” Oliver said, eyes focused on Marshall. ”That isn’t your arm, is it? Or rather...that thing’s stuck to your arm, isn’t it?” the short individual would ask, pointing at the gauntlet on Marshall’s arm.

“It’s far from stuck,” Marshall says, “It is my arm, has been for over 1,900 years. But, let’s press on...” he shifted, and looked over, “Illness, you say? I’m not doctor, but, unfortunately, I’ve been a guinea pig for too many, too much, too often for my liking. Immortality is too attractive for the twisted of thought.” Marshall scratched at Harliqueen’s ears, “So, what are you asking for? Blood? Flesh? Bone?”

”No need for any of that. I just need words.” Oliver said as he pulled up a chair, struggling for a moment to actually pull himself up onto it, before he sat across from Marshall. ”Namely, the ones that could tell me the Primal Beast that gave you that arm.” he said, while the small cat in Marshall’s arms shifted around within the blanket burrito that enshrouded it, trying to stretch its legs a little.

“Gave? You think too highly on that one,” Marshall says, loosing Harliqueen’s wrapping. “This is a punishment for my hubris. I stole this; one of seven pieces I intend to fully possess.” Flexing his right fingers, the old thief chuckled, “If you want to talk to the old hag, I could ask her. If she’s kind enough to deign to answer.”

Oliver hummed, netting his armored fingers together. ”Hrm...I can’t really trust the words of a Primal Beast. Not like they’d sell out one of their own. Even if she did know, whoever this ‘hag’ is doesn’t seem to like you much. I can tell. Your ether is...sickly, to say the least. I can smell that underneath, your ether is the same as mine, but its like its being violently pushed back,” he would say, before tilting his head to the right ”So, why are you here? Looking for one of those other seven pieces? Or just here to adopt kittens?”

“Six left,” Marshall corrects. “I couldn’t care less how the Lady of Virtue feels of me; just that she upholds her end of the bargain,” he says. “In any case, I escaped an undesired situation, crashed here, after taking a stowaway’s nap, rescued that child doctor, and, now, I’m here, immortal, and yet under her medical care.” Marshall sighed, “This cutie-pie is just a little bonus in my drab life of fan-splayed shit salad.”

”Language. There are kids in the next room.” Oliver said, with a completely serious tone, before his expression lightened up a bit. Relaxing his posture, Oliver asked: ”So, you stowed away, huh? Funny...we just got telegrammed a report. A prisoner ship went down over the area between here and Ziggurat; Seemed like pirates from the report. That wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with you, would it?”

“I’m a thief, not a pirate,” Marshall says, simply. “I couldn’t be bothered to be involved in piracy, unless my goal is involved,” he says, “As such,. I cannot say I would be involved. Maybe, my ship was a pirate ship, but, unfortunately for them, I was not such. If I was, they would have lived. Maybe.” Marshall grinned, a twisted half-grin, “If I was, though, what would that mean for me?”

“Ah, it’d be a bit out of my jurisdiction, since this is Zweite territory, but…” Oliver would say, before for just the briefest of moments, Marshall would feel a sense of dread simply looking at the Harvin. ”I’d probably have to drag you back to Geste for a trial. he said, before snickering, then full out laughing. ”You’re no pirate, clear as day. Thievery’s a crime, but seeing as this is Zweite territory, I imagine its not from anything less than their coffers. Oliver said, back to his cheery self.

“So we’ll leave it at that,” Marshall smiled back. “For the best.” Looking up, Marshall hummed, “Good to know where I am, though. Zweite...” his eyes closed, clearly looking at a map in his head. “There’s a village near, and an port to the northwest of it, going to it from this direction,” he says, opening his eyes, “There’s where I need to go.”

”Sorry to say, any public airships aren’t able to leave right now. So unless you can get a private ship on an island that doesn’t sell them, you’re stuck here for a while.” Oliver explained. He had a point, that is, if one actually had the intention of booking a flight through a public channel. Marshall would know from experience that some islands had underground smugglers that could ferry passengers, but for a high cost given the secrecy of the business dealt.

“I’ll just stowaway,” Marshall shrugged. “A corpse get flown fairly far, for free,” he says. “Unless things have changed.”

”Oh, they haven’t, unless you’re planning to go all the way down to the bottom of the sky when they catch you.” Oliver joked, with just a hint of seriousness in his tone. ”This talk has been...informative, in its own way. I appreciate you giving me your time, Marshall.” he would say, leaving Marshall to wonder...at what point did he learn that name that was not given to him? Oliver hadn’t asked, nor had he given his own name, yet in the end walked away with Marshall’s.

Marshall narrowed his eyes. ‘I didn’t pass my name. Not to the best of my knowledge. Amanita, perhaps? No... Maybe...’ he looked up. ‘... did he overhear it, or just...’ Standing, Marshall decided to follow Oliver, and ask.

Oliver would simply keep walking, passing by Amanita, Cyll, and Mushi before stopping in the doorway. ”Did you have a question for me, Marshall?” Oliver would ask, looking up at the human he’d just finished his conversation with.

“How did you know my name,” Marshall asks.

Oliver would tilt his head a moment, before scratching the back of his head. ”I really let that slip, huh? Oh well. Its not important.” Oliver would say dismissively, before opening Amanita’s door to leave.

Marshall’s expression turned rather grim, but didn’t chase. He knew too much, too many... he didn’t... want to hurt again. If Oliver belonged to his past, the Harvin would show up again. They always did...

Stopping on one foot, Oliver looked back at Marshall, before saying: ”Ah, I forgot...its rude for me to leave out the introduction. My name is Oliver Vimmins.” as he looked back at Marshall, he could feel something sinister, from that name he knew. ”And if I ever see you again, Marshall...it may not be on pleasant terms.”

Marshall’s armor bulked up, and he nearly crushed the atmosphere with his sheer anger. “No...” he says, “I doubt it shall be. Such an uncommon surname. Unknown for many, many years.” Marshall inhaled, and exhaled, “Explains things...” he turned. “Try to avoid me, descendant.”

Oliver looked over his shoulder at Marshall, at that armor, and for the briefest of moments, he fully considered killing Marshall where he stood, the ebony blade housed in his sheath revealing itself; And then, all at once, Marshall would feel the impact of not steel against flesh, but of memory against mind. That same exact sword...that had belonged to Bartholomew. ”I will, for a time. But should you show yourself to me again, not even immortality will be enough to keep me from avenging my grandfather.” he would say, clear and loud enough for those inside to hear before he walked off.

Marshall gritted his teeth. ‘Don’t. Don’t. Leave it. It was a gift. Don’t! Don’t! It was a gift! You made it! You gave it! Leave it!’ Marshall screamed at himself. ‘Just... leave it...’ Marshall inhaled deeply, then sighed, equally so. “At least... it’s not lost...” he says, with a sad smile, “Barty would be happy to know, I didn’t lose it, after all.”

Amanita heard what Oliver had said, as well as Marshall’s sighs, rushing over to ask: ”U-Um..is everything okay, Mr. Marshall?” she would ask, wishing she could help in some way but...Oliver sounded less than pleased after that, and Marshall looked like he was in agony.

"Die young, kids, so you don’t make irreparable mistakes,” Marshall sighed, as he flopped onto the couch.

---

Collab with @The Irish Tree / Attn: @Ammokkx & @The 42nd Gecko

[The 42nd Gecko]

"Nah, he's cool." Mushi nodded as Oliver commented on the bullet wounds and how they weren't from Cyll. She didn't feel too much like trying to interact with him. Trying to ask for a duel with one of Charlemagne's peers was waaaay beyond her level. Like, sure, you learned a lot from a loss and all, but there was a point where you were so much weaker than someone you couldn't learn from the fight, like trying to attack a mountain.

She grumbled to herself as she rolled over on the bed, stuffing her face into her pillow and hugging it tight. Not the most fashionable and polite way to pose oneself while someone was trying to introduce themselves to you, it must be said. "Nn'mm Mushi. Nish ta'meecha." Mushi mumbled back at Oliver through her pillow after he had given his name. Between the pair Muchi definitely seemed to be the one with less manners.

After Oliver had left, Mushi spent a little more time watching how enthusiastic Cyll was about eating than she did eating herself. Her mouth hanging open more for the speed of Cyll's frantic consumption more often that it was for nomming her own nosh.

"Oh man I haven't eaten this good in weeks!" As Cyll commented on how he hadn't eaten this well for weeks, Mushi glanced down at her own food. It was good, not that good, was it? She took a careful bite, trying to discern if this flavor was special.

"Wait, don't tell me... did you get to eat food this amazing this entire time?! How lucky can you be?!"

"Pfft...." Mushi couldn't help but start to crack up at how shocked and even jealous Cyll looked. She stifled her laughter with a hand over her mouth. "Haha, what, are you gonna be picking your wife on how well she cooks fish or something? Do you love it that much?"

The light and joyous mood however, came to a quick end as Marshal and Oliver returned. Things were very quickly turning sour. She gave a quick glance at Cyll, that spoke of being sorry to leave him behind.

Then she fled out the window. She was probably not undetected, as she bumped her horns on the sill, the pain of having her neck twisted making her yipe out in pain. And then, even after exiting the room for a few moments, she reached through again, blindly feeling around for her tray, with just one arm visible. The clatter of her silverware was audible when she finally found it, and then she pulled the tray outside.

Her sword was left behind, so she was probably intending on coming back later, but she wasn't a fan of the magnifying edge effect that seemed to be generated from Oliver and Marshall bouncing off each other.

@The Irish Tree@Ammokkx@The 42nd Gecko@Enkryption

[Guess Who]

Cayde Selmy

_{@The Irish Tree@Awesomoman64@floodtalon@Skyrte@Suku}

With the fires extinguished and the injured and dying collected, Cayde would volunteer himself to organize their rag tag group and get moving through the forest. Others might have called it leading, but in his own head the military man was purposefully avoiding using such a term. Despite all he'd done today, he was still unsure of how he felt taking command again. In any case, they couldn't stay here. He needed to keep as many of their group alive as he could, so it would be off to this mysterious healer as soon as they were able. They wouldn't be able to bring everything, after all mobility and speed would be their objective here, so the larger and heavier supplies would need to be left behind and hopefully collected later, the biggest of note being the harvin engineer's personal fighter. It was unfortunate to leave such a beauty behind, but there was no way to get it ready for take off and it wouldn't help with transporting everyone either.

While journeying through the unknown wood, the escapees would come across a new face. Being the nephew of a member of the Zweite Junta as well as a commander in Eradine's military, Cayde had quite a bit of knowledge of the other islands, especially those with impressive military capabilities. So seeing the young knight's armor, he recognized its place of origin in a decent amount of time. "What's a soldier of Niflhelm doing so far from home?" he asked Hilde. Or perhaps a better word was interrogated as he kept a hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw from it's scabbard in case of trouble. And one with affiliation to their elite guard judging by the insignia. Now what were they called again?

[Awesomoman64]

Sid Lofton

---

With the goblins routed and the ship fire extinguished, it was time for the group to take care of any wounded they had. After formally introducing himself to the ragtag group Sid had now found himself apart of, he agreed to help guide the fugitives the mystical healer to tend to Corday and the other wounded. In truth Sid had never actually been to see her, but he did have a knowledge of this islands layout. This combined with their Dhirom companion Zendrith, who seemed to know a little more about the exact location of the healer, meant that she could point them in the right direction while Cadye kept the caravan together. All Sid would have to do is take them along the safest path that lead to their destination. A task he thought would be rather easy, until about halfway into the woods a pink haired knight bearing an unfamiliar insignia blocked their way.

Cayde seemed to recognize the insignia and immediately called her out as a “Soldier of Niflhelm.” Sid’s eyes widened and he too placed his hand on his weapon. He had only heard legends of the fearsome knights from the tundra, but it was enough to keep him from even setting foot there. If she was truly here for a fight, then a lot more people would be needing to see that healer.

“Haven’t even been here an hour and you lot are drawing attention from as far as Niflhelm? The villagers are not going to like this.” The pirate said under his breath.

_{@The Irish Tree@Guess Who@Skyrte@floodtalon@Suku}

[Suku]

Hilde Wandering Valkyrie

_{@The Irish Tree@Awesomoman64@Skyrte@Guess Who}

"My name is Hilde and I am searching for someone tell me have you seen her?" Hilde said putting her best voice to sound like she wasn't worried about this situation escalating. "Move your hands from your weapons and we can settle this peacefully. I mean no harm and if you answer can answer my questions I will leave you all in peace" Hilde said in a official voice she was clearly drawing upon her experience as she mind raced preparing for the worst situation she would stand and fight should the need arise.

[The Irish Tree]

Guess, Awesomoman, Suku, and Skyrte

Verdant Woodlands: To The Healer's Hut

@Guess Who,@Suku

The minds of the escaped fugitives was at least somewhat put at ease as Hilde explained that she would hear them out. Given that they had few among them that were high born and well spoken, after a hushed discussion many of them agreed that Cayde should be the one to explain their situation to the wandering knight, while in the meantime they would tear off parts of their sleeves in order to fashion makeshift braces and bandages, hurriedly affixing them to those with cuts or broken limbs in an effort to speed recovery before meeting the doctor. Corday was still on the makeshift stretcher, groaning in her unconsciousness as pain still racked her body and mind.

@Awesomoman64

Whilst the two would discuss however, the superior hearing of an Erune would allow Sid to hear something rustling from within the nearby bushes on the sides of the woodland road, and from the sound of it, something relatively big. It didn't seem at all perturbed by the presence of people, as it continued to stay still, unmoving from its verdant perch but hidden by the thick foliage. The faintest glimmer of an eye could be seen from amidst the leaves, before a sizeable rabbit would leap out and dash between the legs of the present party. In the distance, a thunderous echo resounded throughout the forest, quickly pushing through and moving in a clear direction towards the road.

@Skyrte

Eyes turned to the sky, Arno would see a large, wyvern type monster soaring along, casual as a bird but clearly far out of its normal hunting grounds. Before he could wounder what exactly it was that had driven it so far out, in an instant jaws would snatch, and a long, serpentine body marred with burns would slam the Wyvern into the ground, far into the forest beyond them. Sid might have seen it too,though the rabbit may have proven to be a distraction. Whatever that was, it was clearly not an ordinary monster, given the impossible scale of it.

Ammo, Enk

Road to Recovery

@Enkryption

Amanita couldn't help but hide behind Mucu as she watched Oliver leave, wondering just what Marshall had done to anger Oliver...he'd explained his position as a Knight, but...Marshall was a nice person to her. So, how could he have done something so bad to make someone like THAT swear revenge upon him? It didn't make sense, nor did Mushi suddenly leaving...and forgetting her sword, apparently.

Turning to Marshall, Amanita nervously rugged on the back of his arm. "U-Um...Mr. Marshall...what's not lost? Oh! Mucu, go give Mushi her sword. She shouldn't be out and about so soon, so...c-could you go fast and make sure she doesn't re-open her wounds?" she requested, turning to her myconid companion before he would nod, waddling over to her sword and hefting it up, before lowering his stance and jetting out of the room at an unbelievable speed, arms swinging as he ran as fast as he could to chase after Amanita.

Marhsall would suddenly feel a pressure in his mind however, as he would feel a familiar beating echo through the pulse of life the island carried. Envy had landed.

@Ammokkx

Not missing a beat after that, Amanita turned to Cyll and bowed her head, immediately apologizing. "I-I'm sorry you had to be here for that. Are you still hungry? I have plenty of food for seconds if you like." she would say, offering him an awkward smile. She'd heard from the kitchen his excitement at her food, and that made her a bit happy. "We still have a few grilled fish leftover too, so don't be shy about asking for more food, okay? Patients can't heal on empty stomachs."

Harlequin, now out from under Mushi's bed since the argument concluded, promptly hopped up and onto Marshall's shoulder with a surprising degree of ease, the food having done wonders as she curled up around his neck, holding onto her tail for stability as she became a little living fluffy scarf for him. It was barely fitting for someone like Marshall, yet the cat didn't care at all for aesthetics in regards to her master. She would turn her head towards Cyll and give a soft meow as it looked at the small scraps of the fish he had eaten, wanting more for herself as well.

42nd Gecko

@The 42nd Gecko

Mushrooms and Megalomania

Mushi may have intended on returning at some point, but that would have been too late for Mucu's tastes. As Mushi ran, she would hear fast footsteps behind her giving chase, and if she looked back, she would see the world's fastest mushroom barreling towards her, her sheathed blade in his hand and with a furrowed brow. It wasn't clear if he was upset or just exerting himself from all the running, but it sure was fucking scary that such a pudgy round thing could run as fast, if not faster than she could. Rather, she would notice after observing for a second, he wasn't running at all. He was kicking the ground with his legs so hard that it was propelling him forward at high speeds, acting like a springboard.

After a time, whether through Mushi seeing no point to continue running or Mucu just outpacing her after a time, he would present her sword to her, holding up a slip of paper from Amanita, saying:

"Mushee,

i an so sorre abbot this. U Fourgot yor sword, and u shoodnt be running a round now. Pleas com bak or at leest rest on yor trip.

-Amanita"

...Well, it was certainly clear that Amanita never went to school, but it was at least somewhat parsable to Mushi. Before she could decide on where to go though, a rustle could be heard from the nearby bushes, before a tall woman dressed in gray and black emerged from the forest, the faintest look of confusion on her face as she observed Mushi and Mucu. The myconid man suddenly froze, completely ceasing movement as he observed her, before his stocky body trembled uncontrollably.

"Playing at being friends with skydwellers, are you?" she would say, slowly approaching. Mushi wouldn't be able to put a finger on it, but this woman reeked of danger. She approached Mucu, arms outstretched, seemingly ignoring the draph that stood beside him. "Legion. Come now, you know better than that."

[The 42nd Gecko]

Mushi might have technically been fleeing, but she wasn't doing it at great speed. Surely everyone would be too busy being all grumpy to chase her, right? As soon as she rounded a few trees to put a little distance between her and the place, she had slowed down to a leisurely pace to enjoy her food. Only to spit out her first bite in shock as Mucu rounded her up at speed.

"Pwaaugh...! Mucu.. Sheesh, you scared me there, don't do that! It's bad for your patient's health and all." Mushi gasped out, fairly hypocritically, as she caught her breath.

"Hwuh, ah noht?" Mushi leaned in close to the note, blinking as she read it, slowly chewing another bite she had stuffed into her mouth the moment she had gotten an opportunity. She might have not liked it as much as the fluffy Erune, but she was still hungry.

After a quick gulp, Mushi gave a hearty wide smile, displaying fierce white teeth decorated with little veggie bits Mushi hadn't quite caught yet. "No worries, I wasn't gonna go far, just out of 'grim determination' range. I was gonna stay in earshot in case of trouble. Just getting a little fresh air." Mushi waved away the sword, and took herself a seat on a fallen limb from a tree.

However, danger quickly came to the pair as a new face on the block showed her self. "Oh come on! I can't catch a break today... Everyone with their stupid dangerous auras..." Mushi grumbled as she now grabbed her sword from Mucu.

"Libation Ignition Launch!" Mushi yelled as she twirled once building momentum while holding her still sheathed blade close to her. Suddenly she scooped it under Mucu, utilizing its massive flat side like a lever, and with an explosive blast, launched him skyward, aiming for him to land in a large shrubbery near Amanita's home, utilizing the fact that she hadn't run all that far. Hopefully he would be able to get help, and that would shake him out of things.

"Gooooh.... Oh gosh.. This shouldn't be that hard.. Am I out of shape? Have I gotten fat off all this rest?" That little display put Mushi out of breath, greedily sucking in air. She fretted about herself, plucking once at her tummy with her left hand while her right shoved her sheathed blade into the ground, letting the sheer weight of it dig it far enough into the soil that she could let go and it stood upright still.

@The Irish Tree

[Enkryption]

Marshall

“It’s nothing,” Marshall says. “Just an old sword that I forged for someone I knew, many years ago,” he sighed, “I've many trinkets lying around, many exploits and... let's call them adventures... for innocence's sake,” Harliqueen was a welcome distraction, “Do you want in on the conversation, or just more to eat,” Marshall followed her lazy line of sight, “Food, then.”

Suddenly, he felt it. All but flinging himself to his feet, Marshall extended his sense of self as far out as he could, and grinned. “Finally...” he clenched his right fist, and looked back to Amanita and Cyll, “Find some place to hide, kids. Time for Beasts to play.” It was almost an afterthought, as the immortal set Harliqueen down, and made for the door.

Unhesitatingly, Marshall raced down the path that Mushi and Mucu had, tracing the Sin that came from the same direction, before coming to a full stop. “How curious,” he says, pointing at the woman, “Envy is still more attractive than Lust. And, they say, jealousy is ugly.”

There was a loud bang, as blood, explosively, left the gauntlet -- far more power than usual put into the already powerful shot. Marshall grinned wickedly, and the woman would noticed a all too familiar dagger at her feet. “Been taking care of her for me,” he asks, before a tendril of blood whipped the dagger back to him, “I don’t steal used goods, you know.”

---

Attn: @The Irish Tree, @Ammokkx, & @The 42nd Gecko

---

Sayaka

A Dream to Outfox ‘Em All

"Child of the Sky..." A voice rang out, calling from within the widespread arms of sleep.

“Huh...? I’m in the ground, though,” grumbled Sayaka, trying to turn over; an impossibly in her current, phantasmal state. “Are you a huge one of those, uh, um...~ Oh! Dhirom!””

"I am the Dawn, and Dusk of creation. I have come to you as you near the brink. Death stalks, and soon it shall reap. Your life comes to a close...yet the Sky has need of you yet. Here, you shall not fall. Here, you shall rise. As one who decides the fate of this bloodstained world, your fate lies beyond these prison walls. Answer me, Child."

"Those who's fates you will entwine with your own...what will you do when the time comes to untie them? When bonds become only a hindrance to your aspirations?"

“I’m not dying! I was napping!” Sayaka huffed, before looking around, “My forest isn't a prison. It doesn't even have walls. I think. There's a lot of those little grass-colored monsters around.”

"This world has need of strength...dare you to carry that burden on your shoulders, when you yourself have failed before you have even begun?"

"What is it that drives your Conviction, Singularity? How do you so fearlessly embark towards the end, knowing the destruction that may await you?"

“I will not. This world will carry me, in honor of the great deeds I've done. My shoulders shall rest upon theirs, so they can rub my belly,” Sayaka purred in delighted expectation. “Yes! The entire world will witness my rumble to the top of the sky, and see me ascend to Primal! The Queen of the Foxes, the new Inari Ōkami! To do so, I will have no fear!”

"Such fragility...yet you shall outlast even the most durable. Such weakness, yet you shall overthrow the undefeated. I will not deny the possibilities that lie within you. Awaken, Children of the Sky. Your hour is at hand."

Attn: @The Irish Tree & Anyone Interested

---

First Rumble: Trashing The Goblin Camp

Startled awake from the abrupt ending of her dream, Sayaka shifted in her napping curl, and stretched out. Above her, she heard the march of feet, tired grumbles in a foreign tongue, and she could smell the thick stench of blood. It was the grass-colored monsters that walked on two paws instead of four, and they were going back to their above ground den. Standing in her makeshift den, the cream-furred fox waited until they were far away enough that she could stalk behind them.

[Hrm.They look a lot weaker than usual. Did the big Dhirom give me the opportunity to ascend to my next stage of godliness? I'll surely grow my next tail, if I can beat them, this time.] Sayaka decided, before flattening herself against the ground, and streaking straight for a weary Goblin, and leaping off the earth; strangely serrated teeth catching green flesh and crimson muscle, and rent it all away with her momentum and gravity.

The Queen skidded before her opponents, and howled.

It was rumble time.

The goblin that Sayaka had caught yowled in pain, clutching at the missing hunk of flesh his arm once had while two of his comrades moved in to engage against the strange fox, one slicing downward with a machete in an attempt to lop her head off, while the other performed a similar attack, albeit with a simple club. Behind them, two archers readied arrows, pointed straight at Sayaka.

Sayaka swished her tail, and slung loose soil and grass into the air, before dashing at the archers. They weren't unfamiliar to her; she'd be a nuisance to their camp over the course of then last week, as they were loud and smelly and ate all the good birds and shrews in the area. It was just offensive how they paid the forest queen no tribute or even a small respect -- a darn bow would be pleasing.

Instead, however, they try to commit the most heinous crime of regicide. Simply inexcusable, she decided, as she zipped by legs and arms, and drove her claws into the throat of an archer, and leapt off him to sink her fangs into the throat of the other. [Oh, my Primal! That actually worked!] she squealed, as she did a happy prance by the exsanguinating Goblin. [I mean, of course it worked! I can do anything!]

Sayaka comprised herself, and face her opposition.

Suddenly, one of the goblins blew their horn, his companion charging forward with his shield raised, playing a bit more defensively after realizing how dangerous Sayaka was, he kept his shield covering his neck, while trying to circle around her to swing at the side of her head.

More would arrive if she didn’t silence that horn, but his ally was poised to strike should her attention fall away from him.

[Loud-maker! Finally, someone to announce my arrival!] Sayaka was elated, as she swished her tail against the ground, before kicking up, and pressing to the shield before her. It was as if a full-grown human had set upon him with all their might, as Sayaka impacted the shield-carrier, and bodily crushed him into the ground. [However, your tune offends my ears. It is one-note and bland. Not at a bit worthy of my regality!] she growled, unaware of her crushing act.

Kicking off the ground, she went straight for the hornblower.

Raising up his machete after finishing his horn blowing, the goblin horn master attempted to block her blow with his blade, while his ally recovered and chased after her once more. He wasn’t a match for her speed, but if his friend could stop her for just a moment, he could end this swiftly. At least, that was the plan.

It was a decent plan, save for one unpredictable thing: Sayaka suddenly coming to a full stop. Desperately, she attacked her ears with her hind legs; one after the other, in a bid to free herself of a sudden onset of itching. [Blasted insects! I am a queen! How dare you bite me without beseeching my consent with a long-winded monologue about the delightful taste of my blood and the honor it is to sup upon it! I hate you!] whined the fox, as she became a mass to trip over for the Goblin that had been chasing her.

And just like that, the charging goblin tripped over Sayaka, landing face first into his ally, with both of their helmets colliding against unprotected parts of the other goblins’ head, resulting in both of them just falling over, knocked out cold. She had...won. In a way. But more Goblins would be coming, unless she fled.

Sayaka sighed, as she ridded herself of the itching, and looked up. [Huh? Oh, I won! I won! I mean, of course, I did. I’m the best, and queen, and the best. Yawning, she stretched out, and looked to the north, as headed by the Goblins, and decided on her next course of action: she was going to trash their camp. Blasting off, she felt her footfalls stress the earth in a much more dominant fashion, her muscles tense and release, and something indescribable wash over her. Her fur shined bright, as if cast in moonlight, and then settled.

Racing towards the camp, she rushed up the makeshirt wall, and soared against the breeze; her body glowed gold, and the fox landed in a small crater of her creation. “Listen up, suckers! The Forest Queen has arrived! Time to pack your bag and bend over, because I’m about to kick your butts out of here!” she announced, as the sudden explosion of dust settled, standing tall and pointing. “Wait...” Sayaka looked at things carefully, and realized something. “I CAN TALK!”

The fact that she was suddenly humanoid -- Erune, by design -- and skyclad was just side notes to the overall.

To the Goblins, her being clothed and humanoid mattered little before roughly a dozen goblins charged, half a dozen more began firing arrows at her, and the goblin chieftain rose from his throne, far larger than even the hobgoblin elite guards that had surrounded him. Roughly fifty goblins in total were gunning for Sayaka’s throat, and as such, this was sure to be one hell of a rumble.

Sayaka grinned, as arrows whipped by her, and Goblin charged her. All inconsequential. All nothing. Just practice for learning her new stance, ranges, and speed; her punches and kicks stronger than before, doubly so; her claws longer and sharper; her fangs, the same.

Everyone that was sent her way didn’t matter in the slightest.

All that matters was the biggest and the best.

Standing atop a small pile, she yanked an arrow out of her shoulder, and pointed it at the chieftain, “Rumble time.”

And, it was on.

---

Collab with @The Irish Tree \ Attn: @Guess Who, @Suku, & @Awesomoman64