[IC] Kingdom Hearts: So You Wanna Be A Hero, Kid?

[mattmanganon]

Once upon a time, there lived a lovely little princess named Snow White. Her vain and wicked stepmother, the Queen, feared that some day Snow White's beauty would surpass her own. Then she dressed the little princess in rags and forced her to work as a scullery maid. Each day, the vain Queen consulted her Magic Mirror, "Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?" And as long as the Mirror responded, "you are the fairest one of all". Snow White was safe from the Queen's cruel jealousy.

A black room. The beautiful Queen Grimhilde walked through the darkness, parting it with her grace as she approached a Mirror. "Slave in the Magic Mirror, come from the farthest space. Through wind and darkness, I summon thee. Speak!" A thunderclap sounded, and a wildfire consumed her reflection. "Let me see thy face." She demanded before the fire subsided, revealing the face of the mirror's spirit, eagerly but patiently awaiting whatever questions his mistress may have.

"What wouldst thou know, my Queen?" The Mirror on the wall asked. Grimhilde smiled.

"Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?" She had asked this question every day and so long as the answer remained the same, her success as a Queen was assured.

"Famed is thy beauty, Majesty. But hold, a lovely maid I see. Rags cannot hide her gentle grace. Alas, she is more fair than thee." Distraught that one maiden dares to opponent her beauty, Grimhilde allowed her brow a wrinkle of anger.

"Alas for her! Reveal her name!" She demanded.

"Lips red as the rose. Hair black as ebony. Skin white as snow." silently gasping to herself, as her worst fears of her stepdaughter's beauty exceeding her own have eventually come to pass.

"Snow White! That treacherous..." she composed herself. "Very well... With a beauty such as hers, I cannot trust any simpleton to get rid of her without being wooed by her beauty... Magic Mirror on the wall, send a message beyond time and space. Bring to me warriors who's lust for gold trumps any lust for flesh" She smiled a sinister smile.

"Your will be done, your warriors will come, to ensure your beauties apex."

-Several days later-

As a portal appeared in the middle of the courtyard, Xenahorts Keybarers appeared. Kalak pulled out his Gummi Phone and watched the message from Xehanort again. "Keybarers," He began in his raspy voice so full of wisdom. "I have received word from sources that a Princess of Heart exists on this world. But you must move with haste, a great many Bounty Hunters and Mercenaries have been making their way there in recent days, I can only assume that they are searching for her for someone. Your first duty will be to make contact with the one sending out the job on this planet, pose as mercenaries and gain the information on the job, then find her and encase her in the stasis pod I have given to you. This will ensure that we can return her afterwards. And remember. No-one else on that world can find out about the Multiverse." Message ends.

Kalak looked around as Cio-cio appeared next to him. They stood and awaited the others arrival.

[Crimson Flame]

Another portal appeared, and Conner stepped out, equipped with a Keyblade Trident. He was new to this whole keyblade wielder business, but so far Conner loved it. Action, adventure, and more importantly, he was chosen for this, and his sister was not.

Conner appeared in the middle of a castle courtyard, and all of a sudden, he felt very underdressed for the occasion… Oh well, nothing that could be done about it now.

Apparently they were here because there was a Princess of Heart here, and they were there to find her. That was important for something, but Conner didn’t really remember for what. He was more interested in learning magic, and learning to fight with this new weapon he had gotten.

When he arrived, somebody else was already there waiting. And a cute shirtless pretty boy no less. Conner grinned. “Yo, aloha mate!” The surfer boy greeted them. He made a hang loose gesture with his free hand. “Name’s Conner. When are we gonna get this party started huh?”

[Dragonfly 9]

Rascal

"Heyyyyyy, everyone! What's up?"

A small, bipedal toy raccoon came out of another portal, grinning at Conner and Kalak as he was.

Rascal had mixed feelings on the whole adventure thing. On the one paw, he liked helping people, but on the other paw, he hated that he couldn't truly get to know people as friends, and also really doubted his ability as a Keyblader.

Not that he would ever admit it out loud, though.

At least he could socialize with some random strangers. That wouldn't go wrong, right?

[Ryik]

Verik

Becoming a Keybearer felt like joining a shadowy cabal. Being the only ones with knowledge of other worlds, yet deliberately keeping people in the dark felt questionable. Sure, it wouldn't do them much good without keys, and he could think of good reasons to leave the worlds segregated like this. Maybe it wasn't not letting them know that bothered him - perhaps it was being part of the group that did know. He got his key completely by accident, and it doesn't seem all that useful other than the 'door to different worlds' stuff that weird old man was going on about. As far as he could tell, obtaining one was just pure luck, making it a completely arbitrary selection criteria. Hell, the first thing he sees when he walks through the portal to another world is a toy raccoon - one of the other keybearers. Also assembled are a pair of men - one wearing what appears to be a cross between a hunter's first attempt at making clothing and fetish gear, while the other is dressed for the beach. Quite the diverse selection of backgrounds, it seems. There's also a giant bee-butterfly monster that seems to be with the questionably clothed one, given the way it hovers behind him. He had received the run down on dream eaters, but actually seeing one made him decide he wasn't interested in befriending one himself. Yeesh.

Well, in any case, might as well introduce himself. Verik walks forward to join the group. "Hey. My name is Verik. Seems we're working together on this mission. Is everyone here?"

[Double]

On a small island in the center of a creek sat an unassuming ant hill. Who knew this small little ant hill was the centerpiece of an entire world? Well, Canaan certainly didn't know that when he first arrived. Although the fact that he was the size of an insect served as his first clue. He had to use his own magic to give himself a disguise to blend in, in this case the look of a red ant, though still retaining Canaan's characteristic scarlet eyes.

The little red ant stuck out like a sore thumb when among the crowds of blue ants that occupied the island. Why were these ants not attacking what would otherwise be seen as an invading species? Well, it was because Canaan had come to this colony in the company of one its own. When he first arrived, Canaan had found himself in a city like location lived in by all manner of insects. He happened upon a blue ant in search of what he called "warrior bugs" and told him he could probably fit that bill. And after recruiting a group of other bugs Canaan found himself here. Things hadn't exactly gone too well. In the first place, Flick - the blue ant - had mistakenly believed the other bugs to be warriors when they were in fact a circus troupe. But he managed to come up with a workaround involving a mechanical bird to frighten off their enemy with. But now that enemy was here and had discovered the fake bird.

"Looks to me like you ants forgot your place." said the grasshopper, appropriately named Hopper. He was absolutely fuming with anger at the idea that someone had tried to stand up to him, and he currently had Flick at his mercy, "So let me give you a little reminder." he said with pure hatred in his eyes. That's when Canaan spotted it. There was... Darkness growing in that grasshopper's Heart. And as if on cue several Heartless appeared around him and went on the attack.

Not good. The bugs were ill-equipped to deal with Heartless, and they'd be wiped out if Canaan couldn't put a stop to this, "Flick, you deal with Hopper!" he shouted to the blue ant, then gestured to the creatures with his staff, "Leave those things to me!" the blue ant - despite being tired and ragged - nodded with a look of determination in his eyes. And as he went to confront the grasshopper, Canaan focused his attention on the Heartless. He swatted away one that tried to lunge at him and then flung a Water spell at two others, destroying them instantly.

"You're wrong, Hopper." Canaan could hear Flick say as he fought off the Heartless, "Ants are not meant to serve grasshoppers." Canaan could only listen, as his attention was focused on keeping a growing horde of Heartless at bay with a flurry of Water spells, and even a stronger Watera spell at one point, "I've seen these ants do great things. And somehow, year and year they manage to pick food for themselves AND you!" Canaan swatted away another Heartless, changing tactics and instead switching to Fire spells next. "So who is the weaker species? Ants don't serve grasshoppers! It's you who need us!" even Canaan paused to look around after hearing the murmured voices of other ants, "We're a lot stronger than you say we are... and you know it, don't you?" and although Hopper was about to squish Flick, he was interrupted by the Princess as well as all the other ants finally taking a stand.

At this point the Heartless seemed to start vanishing, perhaps due to Hopper's own Heart faltering. But Canaan knew they'd be called back to this world again eventually. But at least it seemed like his presence in this world was no longer required. Now he just needed to make sure things played out and then he could find a secluded place to open a portal so he could- his thoughts were completely interrupted when the Gummi Phone suddenly went off., "Gah! Geez, old man, thanks for the heart attack!" he complained as he grabbed the phone and made it stop ringing. Sure enough it was a message from old man Xehanort alright, but unfortunately Canaan was a tad bit busy at the moment. Although, as Canaan watched it was becoming clear that Flick and the insects could take it from here. So he managed to catch the glimpse of Flick whom he gave a simple nod and wave, indicating that he needed to leave. Flick looked a bit sad at the sudden departure, but had to keep his attention on the matter of hand.

With that, Canaan ran off somewhere where he could find cover. Once away from the commotion, he was able to safely open a portal that would take him out into the Lanes Between. He dispelled his disguised, donned his protective armor, and stepped on through. According to Xehanort's message, Canaan was needed in a place called the Dwarf Woodlands. Some queen was about try and have a Princess killed and she was apparently too important to let die, though Canaan didn't quite understand why. Still, he couldn't just refuse a request from the old man. He saved his life after all, and so Canaan felt like he needed to repay that debt somehow.

Meanwhile, a new portal opened up in the castle courtyard where Keybearers where gathering. An armored figure stepped through it only for the armor itself to immediately dispel, revealing a red-hooded young man with eyes of scarlet, "'Protect the secret of the multiverse' he says," the scarlet-eyed youth was apparently grumbling to himself, "while also informing us that a host of intergalactic bounty hunters are on their way. Good luck maintaining the secret after they all start showing up here, old man." he rubbed his temples with his fingers, clearly looking exasperated by all this. He also didn't seem to be all that bothered with introducing himself either, as he had yet to acknowledge any of the weirdos in front of him.

[mattmanganon]

As everyone showed up through the portals. Kalak approached each to shake hands. Cio-Cio seemed to buzz behind their heads, looking into their dreams to deem what kind of person they were. She didn't seem that appalled by anyone. "Thanks for showing up, guys. Not sure exactly who this princess is, but i hope the old man is right about this. One step clo-" Before Kalak could finish his sentance, the peace was shattered by the loud slamming of a door, Cio-Cio seemed to have a small heart-attack from shock as her eyes bulged for a second, before panting heavily. As everyone looked around, they would see a large, intimidating, hairy man in a lion themed costume storm straight towards the group with a large keyblade knife in his hands. He had a look of utter fury in his eyes. As Cio-Cio jumped into action, trying to put herself between the man and Kalak, both of them preparing for a fight, the man stopped.

"Cowards..." he stated, the russian accent thick on his breath, looking all of them in the eyes. "Come to kill some pathetic creature for money." he spat on the ground in front of them. "No stomach for a REAL mans fight." He motioned the knife at all of them "If you wish to test your mettle against a TRUE quarry, put a bounty on your own head and let Kraven come for you." He then pointed the blade at Cio-Cio "Fear not, tiny creature. Kraven only hunts the most dangerous prey." He laughed. Kalak grabbed hold of her scruff as she got mad and tried to lunge at him. Kraven looked around at the world "Nothing of that sort exists here..." He looked each of them in the eyes, meeting Canaan for a second, he pointed the knife at him and waggled it up and down for a second, before laughing and turning around, running his blade through the air as he rended a hole to The Space Between and said "Do not take mad queen's offer, no honour in it." as he stepped through.

"Well, that was an interesting viewpoint on the matter." Kalak stated, turning to the others to check if they were ok. Another creature came jogging through the door and straight between the party, running out of the castle. This creature had large blue eyes and green skin, complete with a pair of green antenna and a fly-like mouth.

"Stuka u pediniki leer, mee'm koona tah be noota." It seemed to laugh as it ran off into the field towards the forest.

"I..." Kalak started "I don't think he's got a problem "Killing pathetic creature for money" as the other guy did..." Kalak laughed, slipping into a bad russian accent. "Come on, let's see what "Mad Queen" wants" He laughed again. He seemed to enjoy the bad russian accent. As they walked through the door into the dark room, they saw that this dark room was a cavernous throne-room with thick, velvet curtains blocking the light, with a beautiful queen sat upon her throne.

"Come before me, mercenaries and bounty hunters." She beaconed "For i have a task for thee." With a wave of her hand, a table appeared in the middle of the room, a box appeared appeared atop it. "Your queen demands a tribute to be paid to her. Within the woods lives a maiden, fair of face, but black of soul. She has committed attrocities unto my kingdom too... Too horrid of which to speak." She draped a dainty hand across her face as if to prevent herself from being moved to tears. "So disgusting is her crime, that so disgusting is her punishment. You will find this maiden and cut out her heart and place it in this box... That it may never know the rest of the grave." She waved another hand and a large pile of gold and jewels appeared "Do this for your queen and your reward shall be most agreeable." She sneered. Kalak looked at the box and then back to the party, before shrugging, as if asking them how to respond.

[EnterTheHero]

Bell was never much one for words- they preferred actions over flapping their lips. It’s how they got this far, after all. Which was why this whole scenario stunk to high Heaven, even without the old man’s warning that something was amiss; they didn’t trust anyone who used so many words while saying nothing at all. Ones like this “Queen,” who seemed to think she was putting on a good act, but who oozed contempt from every pore.

So, this “maiden” is probably the Princess that the old man mentioned, thought Bell to themselves, a file casually rasping across their nails as they watched and listened. Seems even hardened bounty hunters can tell this job stinks, they continued, thinking of the strange lion-man and his knife. And yet, if this girl was the Princess…

The bitch wants this girl’s heart. That’s never a good sign.

Bell’s heels clacked on the stone floor as they casually strode forward, pocketing their nail file.

”Your Grace. I understand that it might be difficult, but I’m afraid we need to know what it is we’re getting into. If this girl’s crimes are so heinous, then she is no doubt dangerous. Perhaps you could enlighten us, even the slightest bit, as to the nature of her misdeeds, so we may be better prepared to deal with her…”

They finished with a slow bow, eyes never leaving the Queen’s.

Let’s see what lie she tries to concoct here. Or, on the off-chance she’s telling the truth, what we’re in for in those woods.

[mattmanganon]

Grimhilde watched as one of the odd looking beings stepped forward to ask her for more information. Her eyes narrowed with every question that passed his lips. Her perfect lips curling into a sneer. "You are mercenaries, are you not. Soldiers who fight for gold, rather than loyalty. The details of her treacherous actions are of no concern to you. Will you perform the duty and be paid, or will you slink away with your tail betwixt your legs? For i promise you that others are also on their way to this maiden and whoever brings me the heart will be paid." She waved her hand and the pile of gold and jewels disappeared.

"No problem for me, your highness" Came a thick New Yorker accent from behind them. As the crew looked around, they would see a large man in a black costume with skull and bone motiff to it. "Take the box, bag a broad, bring her the heart in said box, badda-bing-badda-boom, don't even bother with these losers" he laughed, pushing them aside to grab the box. "Just make my piles of moolah out to one Crossbones and we're golden." He gave her a two-finger salute, before turning and walking back out, again, making the effort to shove Kalak to the side. Cio-Cio buzzed into Crossbones' face and the pair stared each other down for a second. "Killed plenty of your kind before, tiny." He laughed, before walking out.

"As you can see, i have no shortage of people wishing to perform this duty to their queen." She got up and waved her hand, an identical box appearing on the table, exactly where Crossbones had just grabbed one. "So, i ask again, will you do as you are told or waste more time with pointless prattle?" She asked.

[Ryik]

Verik

At this point is was obvious beyond a shadow of a doubt that the queen's request was just an abuse of power. That was, frankly, to be expected, though it's not like knowing this changes anything. Their mission was to pose as mercenaries, which means going along with her request. Bell's question was good to keep the team from doubting themselves, but was ultimately dangerous and unnecessary.

It was a good question though. Forget moral justification, Verik was just curious why someone so rich, powerful, and beautiful would have issues with some girl living in the forest. The most obvious assumption is a lover's quarrel or some variation thereof, but unless the King is in the dungeon, he can't imagine how that came about. She seemingly has it all, implying this is a matter of jealousy rather than envy, but who's approval would she be afraid of losing?

Well, her outfit is a disaster, but if she just let her hair down she'd probably be supermodel material.

Verik walked forward, past Bell, taking the box on the table and tucking it under one arm as he moved closer to the queen, coming to a stop a respectable distance away. "If that is what it means to be a mercenary, then I believe I make for a rather poor one, your majesty." He steps closer, gesturing to the treasures in the room. "Rather than gold or jewels, what catches my eye most here..." He pauses, then points to the queen dramatically. "...is your unbelievable wealth of beauty." He takes another step forward, onto the steps before her throne, kneeling down in front of her with his free arm over his chest. "Although I can't speak for my fellow mercenaries, I, for one, have every intention of finding such a scoundrel and giving them their just desserts. Rather than any gold, I would instead prefer to be repaid in your favor; in nothing more than your smile that could light up the kingdom and drive lesser men mad. Woe be unto they who would drive it away."

Verik reaches forward, for the queen's hand, and, the queen permitting, gently kisses it, as a knight would kiss the hand of their sovereign.

「SEAL PACT」

Having made his attempt, he steps back. "I'll be off! I hope to bring thy grace good news soon." He turns to leave, not waiting for the other keybearers to process his flattery of the queen. "Are the rest of you coming?"

[Dragonfly 9]

Rascal

Rascal, for one, did not know what all the fuss was about, killing what was probably an innocent girl. He knew that he should probably just play along, but geez, was this lady a loser or what!?

At least the team would definitely stop her from getting what she wanted and get the Princess to a safe location, though! Sure, that weird black haired guy might try to stop them, but Rascal suspected that that wouldn't stop the team from getting things done!

"Don't worry, Your Highness, that loser girl won't stand a chance against us!" He exclaimed, following Verik's lead and motioning for the others to follow.

[Double]

The Sorcerer kept his mouth shut through all the exchanges, still not bothering to actually introduce himself. Strange characters and oddities just coming and going as if they didn't care one lick about protecting the existence of the Multiverse. It all made him that much more frustrated that the old man insisted on restricting what they could do or say. Otherwise this whole thing would be little more than a trifle to deal with. Even when one of them tried to shake his hand, Canaan just stared at them with an incredulous gaze and offered no hand in return. With no other choice, he followed along with a frustrated sigh. He had a feeling this was all going to become very annoying in the future.

Entering the Throne Room, Canaan's mood remained unchanged. While others may have thought to bow or kowtow to this monarch, Canaan on the other hand barely acknowledged her existence. The power she displayed seemed mediocre at best in his professional opinion. Something any two-bit hack on a stage could accomplish with smoke and mirrors. But he did detect actual power somewhere in this castle. Something more legitimately impressive to him, but it was not the Queen. The magic he detected emanated from somewhere beneath them, possibly the dungeons or somewhere else down in the basement levels. What he hadn't said to anyone was that the story of a Queen trying to kill a Princess was one that existed in his world, albeit as a mere fairy tale. Still, if this world was anything like that fairy tale, then the magic he sensed would have to be...

"Are the rest of you coming?"

Canaan gave the blue-eyed one a very slight blink-and-you'll-miss-it sideways glance but not much else. If his suspicions were right, then what he sensed was the Queen's Magic Mirror, and it had real power. And that was enough to fully intrigue the Sorcerer. He lingered a moment, only walking away when he was the last to do so. And still not offering so much as a glance of acknowledgement to the Queen. He made sure to lag behind the others, a smirk appearing on his lips.

Note to self: investigate that Mirror. It could be... useful.

[Crimson Flame]

Soon, everyone in the group arrived. The cute little elf dude was nice, and so was the talking stuffed racoon thing. The dude in the red cloak gave strong asshole vibes… Soon enough, everyone was there, and they all went inside.

When they went to hear the queen out, Conner had to try very hard not to hide his disgust. This queen deserves an Oscar for her performance. The pirate looking person knew what they were talking about, and was the only thing about this whole scene that wasn’t totally embarrassing. Conner just let them talk. Queen bitch shot them down immediately. The scene was made even worse when Verik tried flirting the queen… It took everything he could not to throw up right there.

Conner saluted, then ran off after Verik. ”Dude, what are you doing?” Conner questioned. “I may not be into women, but you can certainly do better than… That…”

[Ryik]

Verik

Swimsuit boy was the first to catch up with Verik, asking him why he would flirt up the Queen. Admittedly, he put on a bit of a performance back there, but he needed to get close to her to seal the pact. "No need to be mean. She was pretty enough, in spite of her weird getup. I figure a woman as rich and powerful as her could only be this upset with some random forest girl if it was a matter of jealousy, so I thought she'd like it if I appealed to her vanity. Who knows? Maybe a boost to her self-esteem would be enough to make her forget about this whole thing. Either way, we're supposed to be undercover mercenaries, and that question back there made her suspicious. We wouldn't want the queen thinking we're questioning the legitimacy or morality of the job. Also, I just like making friends. All kinds of friends, really." Thinking back to his old friends in Florem, he had to admit, he missed them, even if they were jerks. The Queen was petty and vain... similar to a lot of his old friends, actually, but her throne room wasn't all that big despite the great riches available to her. Her actual throne was a bit gaudy, but it was only two steps above ground level. There was something more vulnerable and lonely in her conceit, and he could empathize. Of course, he wasn't about to excuse trying to kill some innocent girl because of mere insecurities, but being on good terms with bad people wasn't a bad thing, in his opinion.

Verik stops to face Conner, holding his hand out for a handshake and giving him a friendly smirk. "Speaking of which, would you like to be my friend?"

[mattmanganon]

As the party seemed to bow and bid a hasty retreat, she called to them "Oh, and i will give you a reward for the hearts of anyone who tries to protect her. She has already used her charms to corrupt a pair of the first mercenaries i sent after her. Nothing is as heinous as a traitor..." She said. Kalak had the strange feeling she was staring at him when she said that. As soon as they closed the door behind them, her smile instantly turned into a frown. "I have a feeling they are going be a thorn in my side..." She sighed. Barely a few minutes had passed when there was a flash of light in the corner and Grimhilde stood up, staring a the being that had just appeared. "Who are you, explain yourself." She demanded. The man that entered took a bow.

"Greetings, dear queen. Truly, the elegance, beauty and grace of someone such as you is matched only by... Well, me!" the man laughed.

"You seem to presume much to come in here and make a claim to my throne of fairity." She said, her lips curling into a snarl as she raised her hand, seemingly ready to strike with her magics

"Then fear not, my queen, for i come to you with great tidings. You say that some of your mercenaries are having trouble killing this traitor, constantly being corrupted by her?" Grimhilde's hand slowly lowered. "Then allow me to introduce you to a new weapon in your arsenal. One that i give freely." A rhythmic stomping of many feet in unison was heard as Grimhilde's face curled into a curious smile. "I presume them to be to your liking?"

"Very much so..." She smiled "Go forth, my new soldiers and kill the wretch known as Snow White." She ordered.

"KILL!!!" A chorus came in unison, before she watched her new army file out of another door towards another exit to the castle.

****

Outside, Kalak and the others gathered back in the courtyard. "So, she's hiding something..." Kalak sighed. "But right now, all we have to go on is that girl and the longer we stand here, the closer those other mercs get to her." He jumped up on the well and struck an epic pose, whilst pointing out towards the woods. "ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!!!" He jumped down and set off at a run towards the woods, hoping that the others would follow.

[Double]

"Of course she's hiding something." said the Sorcerer, at last breaking his long silence. He wondered how long it would be before someone else had started to notice what he had noticed a while ago, "And she's hiding it under the castle somewhere. I sensed it coming from somewhere below the throne room. Power. Real power. Not like the cheap smoke and mirrors tricks she was doing in the throne room." he reached up and adjusted his red coat a bit, also using the time to let them react however they would. But he wouldn't wait long.

"And best of all? I'm pretty sure I know what it is." he said with a cocky smirk, "A mirror, magical of course. And if I'm right about it, one that possesses near omniscient levels of knowledge, and able to answer anything you ask of it with perfect accuracy. I assume you all realize the implications here?" he glanced about at his current companions. Surely even the most clueless among them would make the connection. That a power like the mirror's could allow one to always know the movements and whereabouts and anyone they wish to track, among a myriad of other ways it could be used... or abused.

"I say the mirror should be our goal." he said flatly, "For two reasons. First: We can probably use its power to locate the Princess, saving us the time it would have taken to search for her. And second: It would be in our best interests to ensure that such a power remains well out of the wrong hands, if you catch my meaning."

[mattmanganon]

Noticing that nobody was following, Kalak stopped as Canaan brought up some valid points about the current situation. "Don't..." Kalak laughed "Don't want to be a negative nancy on this, but i'm hearing a lot of "Pretty sure" and "If i'm right"" Kalak stated. "Ok, she's got a lot of magical power in that castle somewhere. 1) We don't know for a fact what it is 2) even if it is an all knowing magic mirror, we don't know what's guarding it, could be powerful 3) If it is a magic mirror and its guards are weak enough for us to push through, we don't know it'll answer any of our questions. It might be inclined only for the queen herself. And whilst we're wasting time pushing through a lot of unknowns, that bug-guy and the skull-guy and whoever else is out there are still trying to kill that maiden." He shook his head.

"Our first priority is finding that princess and getting her safe, then we can storm the castle and deal with the magics in there. My point is, one of our goals is time sensitive, the other isn't. We should deal with the one we KNOW about first and deal with everything else later."

[Crimson Flame]

Conner blinked, and gave Verik a look. He wasn’t so sure how good of friends someone who was willing to hire mercenaries to kill someone just because they were prettier than her could be. This kid was weird for sure… But he was cute, Conner couldn’t deny that! “Um… yeah, sure dude.” Conner returned the handshake, and followed the rest of the group.

As they were heading off, that guy in the red cloak suggested going after the queen’s magic mirror. He wasn’t wrong, he knew the story of Snow White, it had to exist somewhere… Even though he was always up for an adventure, even he thought that was a bad idea. Kalak thought so too, and brought up every reason why. “Yeah, as much as I would love a little action, I agree with him. Unless that magic mirror can teleport us directly to her, we gotta keep the princess safe… Plus… uh… no offense bro, but you kinda give me bad vibes… I don’t know what you’re gonna do with that thing once we find it.”

[mattmanganon]

After a short argument, the party had decided to search for the Princess and go back for the supposed mirror later. The forest was lush and thick, their first entrance seemed a little difficult with vines and other knotweeds preventing easy incursion. As they finally managed to find a way into the forest, the dense cannopy began to block most of the light, the photosynthesis-starved smaller branches and bushes grabbing at their clothes as if the claws of demons. Cio-Cio began to glow as a lightsource as the forest quickly began to look as if night had fallen. Finally it opened into what looked like a maze of paths. The Dreameater seemed to lead the way, seeming to sense the pure heart off in the distance.

Following her down a path, they could each feel an evil presence emanating from further in. As they continued to walk, Kalak would quietly pick at the strings of the guitar. Suddenly, they would hear a familiar sound before a scream. "What in the heck?" The party set off at a run towards where the sound had come from. As they reached the clearing, they found the body of the green man they had met back at the castle, laying in a slowly expanding pool of blood, his chest impaled by several a large spears of wood. "Ooooooh..." Kalak winced. "Who the heck did that to you?" Cio-Cio slowly buzzed over to the body and began looking it over.

[Dragonfly 9]

Rascal

Rascal visibly gasped when he saw the green man, his eyes wide as he rushed over to him. The cocky facade was entirely gone as Rascal's entire body shook, wondering who would do such a thing.

"Is there anything we can do!?" He asked, looking at Kalak and Cio-Cio.

[Ryik]

Verik

Verik eyed the green man as he approached him. "This is the same man who accepted the queen's offer without hesitation, I believe. As Kalak said, I don't think he's got a problem 'killing pathetic creature for money.' I bring this up because I can save him, but if I do, and the same thing happens to one of you, I won't be able to do it a second time. If I help him, he could become our enemy, and even if he doesn't, one of us may unknowingly be trading our lives for his. It's not as simple as self-sacrifice. Any lives we would have saved and any lives he will go on to take will be doomed by this choice, but the alternative is leaving him to die when we didn't need to. We don't have a lot of time before the decision is made for us, so let's go straight to a vote. Raise your hand if you think we should save him."

Verik looks the others in the eye, one by one. It was quite sudden, but they needed to make a choice. He was quite reluctant to spend his only use of Raise on an enemy, but if they could make him an ally, or at least a friend, it would be worth it. He couldn't just do nothing, because when he uses it later, they'd ask why he didn't use it now. That being said, the idea of reviving the green man and being blamed for his choice down the line was scary, so he put it to a vote. This way, no matter what they decide, no one will hate him. It's the perfect plan.

"I will abstain."