[IC] Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

[AlteredTundra]

Jaakuna, Wesley, Nadeline, Emiri, and Savayna all were running down turn after turn until they would come to the Armory, which had a few soldiers there. Savayna knew she could handle them, but she wanted to get past them without setting any alarms off. So, while the others would hang low, she would try to distract them long enough for the others to get their shit and go.

While Savayna distracted the three guards at the post, she would signal the others to move on past them down a turn just the one before the armory. That would take them to another entrance to the armory. Doing as such, Jaakuna, Wesley, and the ladies went through that entrance and they would find themselves in the armory and their weapons and other possessions would be there. As each of them would get their shit, they would go back the way that they came and signal Savayna. She would then leave the guards be as she did what she needed to do.

“Next, we need to go to the labs. We have to get that other piece of Nethicite out of Grant’s hands. Once we do that, we’ll make a break for it right when we land in the Stilshrine.” She said as she pretty much gave the order.

[Hero]

Emiri was actually liking the absence of the Shards, and had half a mind to suggest leaving it behind. Of course, she could already hear Nadeline scolding her for even suggesting such a thing and Wesley disagreeing, so she just kept quiet. Mentally, however, she grumbled and complained and whatnot. She really, really did not like either of those stones at all. The idea of leaving them both with Savayna came to mind, and then she started to wonder exactly how far her help would go for them. She did say 'we' when she mentioned running to the Stilshrine of Miriam, so was she joining their side?

It looked like the same thought had crossed Nadeline's mind. Instead of just thinking it, however, the young woman voiced her thoughts, "Do you believe it to be a good idea to betray Grant so openly? To what extent is your help, exactly?" She probably didn't mean to come off as rude (and was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth) but she wanted to know before she found herself at the other end of Savayna's blade. " It may be in the better interest to remain at his side...for now, anyway. As soon as you're gone it may raise some flags, no?"

[AlteredTundra]

Heading down the halls through the turns and straight walkways, the five of them would try not to trigger any alarms. So far it would seem that they were doing a good job at evading both the red laser lights that trigger the Dreadnought Ark’s security system. When they would be walking, Savayna would hear Nadeline ask her if she truly believed that it was a good idea to betray Grant. That prompted her to stop in her tracks(she was in front of the group leading them), and turn to Nadeline. She didn’t like the little blonde princess all that much and she would like her less and less when she would suggest remaining on the good side of Grant.

Savayna looked angry, and then she spoke. “So, you think it would be a better idea if I took you all back to your cells, let Rozarria take you and little miss prissy here and take dear Jackson back to Archadia?” She asked sarcastically. Savayna didn’t really understand why Nadeline was acting this way. “Listen, if you want to be under that neurotic sociopath Grant’s care, then be my guest.” She said pointing her arm in the opposite direction. “However, if you actually want to remain with your group of ’friends’, then I suggest you shut your fucking mouth and follow me.” She said not even allowing Nadeline to get a word in.

While Savayna chewed into Nadeline, Jaakuna just said nothing as did Wesley. The both of them exchanged looks and let Savayna lead them to freedom.

[Hero]

Miss prissy? Emiri let out an irritated huff of air at the insult, but chose silence as her other comrades did. She wasn't quite sure why Nadeline said what she did, though she really didn't blame her, considering they were thinking the same thing. The two blondes' painfully obvious dislike showed for one another; and she thought she had issues with Savayna. Still, it was actually slightly entertaining, and once more she was surprised as, for once, Nadeline decided to say nothing. No, that wasn't entirely correct--as they continued she heard Nadeline grumble under her breath. "--not exactly keen on a fifth wheel--" She swore she heard Nadeline murmur, and if it were any other situation she probably would have grinned. "--all her fault anyway--" was another thing she caught, and at this point she took Nadeline's hand in hers.

"Let's not fall behind." Emiri told her quietly, this time she was the one pulling her along, albeit she did it with her good arm. Her other shoulder still ached something fierce; she would not be surprised at all if she found she were poisoned again. As her eyes briefly flickered to it, her hand instantly went to her side, and she let out a sigh. She hoped they would be able to really get out of here. Just the thought of him catching them was enough to make her heart stop, and it was too late to turn back at this point anyway.

"Of course. My apologies." Nadeline replied just as quietly, though she was still displeased.

[AlteredTundra]

The argument could have led to a physical bout, but it seemed that Nadeline chose the high ground and went along with what Savayna was saying and what she was doing in terms of the group’s escape. As Savayna would lead them down more pathways, they would turn into one area of the ship that would have a lot of guards around. They weren’t spotted yet, but Savayna knew that going down the straight way that she had planned for them to go down would be suicide. Instead, she would look around, hoping she would find some way to go that would be a good alternative. As she looked around, she saw one on the left. Motioning the group to follow her, they all would go through it, a door opening as they would walk through it.

“Okay, we should be getting close to the labs. I think just a few more turns and it should just be down a flight of stairs.” Savayna said gluing back to a wall, peeking down the hall to make sure that there isn’t any guards down that way and of course she would be wrong. “Dammit!” She said angrily.

Wesley spoke, “What’s wrong Lady Savayna?”
“Don’t call her that; she ain’t a lady!”
“Oh, I wasn’t aware that she was secretly a dude. My apologies.”
“Oh shut up.”

While Jaakuna and Wesley were lightly throwing insults at each other, Savayna turned back to them. ‘Would you two shut up! I’m trying to sneak past those guards, but I can’t think of a way to do that with you two flapping your gums.” Savayna said barking at Wesley and Jaakuna. The more she would think, she either saw two options. The first one is finding another route, but that could take forever. The second one is going through the guards, but that would risk of them being found out. [/b]“Okay, so we have two options: We go through the guards and risk being found out or find another way, but that might be just ask risky as going through the guards just around the next right turn.”[/b]

[Hero]

Now more then ever, Emiri wished she had her power. They'd go in, get the stupid shard, get out, and be done with it. Nadeline cleared her throat, stepping to the front of the group. She quirked an eyebrow at Savayna. "I will handle this one." She stated, extending her hand towards the guards. :Sleepga." She stated quietly, her spell casting instantly. The green glyph appeared beneath the group of guards in an instant, but as none of them saw it coming, it was effective. Several bubbles popped in front of them, spreading the spell over each one of them. Slowly each one sank to the ground, fast asleep. Nadeline flipped her hair triumphantly, turning to the group. "Green Magicks are always useful in situations like these. I believe the problem has been taken care of. After you."

[AlteredTundra]

When Nadeline had used the Green Magick spell, Sleepaga, Savayna just gave her the dirty look. Savayna didn’t like others helping her out or at least stealing the glory from her. Regardless, all the guards were put to sleep and now they could all get past themw without being found out. Plus, if Savayna was going to be totally honest with herself, she really didn’t want to face all of those guards. She was just bringing up that option cause she felt that there wasn’t many to choose from.

As they would get past the guards, the five of them would go down the flight of stairs as it winded in three ways: first down, then down again, and down once more. Perhaps it was more like three flight of stairs, but Savayna didn’t really care. Once they would get to the entrance to the Labs. Savayna stood there, just waiting for the right moment to go through. She didn’t know if Grant was in there or not. She also had to take it into account that the guards could still find them out. “Okay, we’re here, but there’s still the matter of sneaking in.” Savayna said thinking about what she wanted to do.

When Savayna kept on thinking about it, she turned to Nadeline. “Hey princess.” she said to Nadeline. “Can you do that sleepy thing again?” She said, not in the most nicest of ways. In fact, It would had come across as a bit rude-sounding.

[Hero]

Be the bigger person, be the bigger person, Wesley is watching, so be the bigger person. The princess' mantra went on in her head. She had half a mind to just whack Savayna. The woman was incredibly rude even when she was trying to be neutral, so to speak. The situation called for her to be the bigger person, as much as she really, really wanted to hit the other blonde. She briefly looked at Wesley, as if secretly blaming him, and reminded herself that she had already let him see too much. Mainly, the fight with Emiri and her little tear fest in the holding cell. She was a lady and she needed to act like one.

Nadeline withdrew a small compact mirror from her pocket. She knelt down, getting as close to the entrance as possible, and extended her hand. The mirror's reflection revealed several people within: scientists, their assistants, and probably more. She didn't see Grant, and took it as a good sign. She contemplated the range of her spell, thinking carefully. She didn't doubt that she could probably get them all, but unlike the guards, each person was moving on and about, likely doing research and whatnot. Truth be told, she doubted she could get them all in one spell, she would most likely have to cast twice. She closed the mirror and stood straight, letting out a small sigh as she turned to the group.

"I might be able to do it." She said somewhat reluctantly, specifically looking at Savayna. "There are many more here, and they're all moving around." She didn't like the fact that she was basically admitting that there was a possibility of not being able to complete the task (let alone admit it to Savayna of all people) but she needed to be honest. "Just...be ready."

Here goes nothing. The blonde took in a deep breath, using the mirror to look inside once more. Most of them were gathered around one machine towards the back. She extended her hand, the glyph appearing around the majority of them. Come on, it needs to cover more. She pushed herself, the glyph extended further, and she managed to make it cover the entirety of the room. "Sleepga!" The familiar transition of the spell spreading was seen, and soon they started dropping, one by one. Once the spell was done, she let out a sigh, though as she stood up, her knees wobbled a bit. She managed to sturdy herself with the wall, and looked to the group. "Done." She noted, pocketing her mirror.

[AlteredTundra]

When Savayna had rudely asked Nadeline to use her sleepaga spell once more, it was obvious that the blonde princess wasn’t too thrilled that Savayna had pretty much ordered her to do something. However, it would seem that Nadeline did it and with perfect precision. When she did do it, Jaakuna saw as did Wesley. They saw that Nadeline was getting a little wheezy cause of what she did. Savayna didn’t see cause she already went through the door to the lab, seeing everyone unconscious.

When they all walked through the doors, Savayna would lead the charge as she would just look around, hoping to find the other Nethicite that was taken from Jaakuna earlier on. As she would look around, Jaakuna noticed that this lab was not only a lab, but it also seemed to be in control of all the weapons and engine. That’s when Jaakuna got a an idea.

“Wesley, this computer right here.” Jaakuna said pointing to the main computer. “It’s connected to the ship’s engine and main weapons system. Do you think we can use this to our advantage?” Jaakuna asked Wesley.

When Jaakuna spoke, Wesley was thinking about what he said. It was definitely possible. “We could, but how would it work exactly?” Wesley said interested to see how Jaakuna could make it work.

“Well, I’m no computer major, but perhaps we can link it up to Iris on the Ifirt, and perhaps get help via that way.” He said.

Hearing again, Wesley actually thought that was a smart idea. “If you think you can do it, then go for it.” Wesley said encouraging Jaakuna.

When Jaakuan and Wesley were talking it out with each other about what they could do to get some help from his own airship, Savayna, along with Emiri and Nadeline, were walking around the large lab to find the Dawn Shard. “Fucking hell, where is that piece of shit Dawn Shard!” She yelled out.

[Hero]

The pair of girls joined Savayna in the search for the Dusk Shard. Once more, Emiri found herself dumbfounded by the machinery within the laboratory. She didn't know what half the machines were for, let along their function, and so she followed Nadeline closely in hopes that she would find it. The blonde hair girl noticed. She looked at Emiri, raising an eyebrow at her, and the brunette offered an apologetic smile. She shook her head, though kept looking, keeping an eye on the sleeping people around them. In all honesty she had surprised herself; she didn't think she would be able to pull it off. But the entire room was asleep, proving that her magicks really were top notch.

"Are you alright?" She found Emiri asking her quietly.

She nodded, though she examined Emiri. The girl didn't look up to par like she usually did. Sure, she was always pale, but her face seemed ghost white. "I should be the one asking you. You look as if you are about to pass out at any second."

Emiri felt tired. The trip through the Barheim Passage and the fight with Vlyn and Aloa (and the resulting curb stomp) had admittedly taken its toll. Combine that with Grant's torture and feeling emotionally drained, she wanted to curl up into a ball and just sleep. Of course, that was obviously not an option, and for the most part she felt fine. The weight of that heaviness had returned with a vengeance, but she was so desperate to escape from Grant she pushed herself to keep up. Though she did remember her wound, and while the boys were distracted, she went to Nadeline.

"Can you heal this?" She asked, pointing to her shoulder. As the blonde was about to pull her sleeve off to examine it, Emiri quickly held it. "U-Um...it's...not too bad...can you just cast a Cure over it?"

"It's easier if I can see it." Nadeline stated, eyeing Emiri.

"Hurry, before Savayna notices we aren't searching."

Against her better judgment, she complied and cast a simple Cure over her shoulder. Emiri let out a sigh of relief, lifting it to look, though refused to let Nadeline see it. She was almost certain that was Grant's work. What had Grant done to her? Unfortunately now was not the time to ask, and she got back to looking for the stone. Emiri did the same, though she admittedly was not trying as hard. However, one machine in particular spilled more Mist than the others--exactly how she knew that was beyond her, but she felt it. The stupid shard was in there.

"Here." She called out to Savayna and Nadeline.

"I assume they were testing it to see if it was the actual thing." Nadeline inspected the machine. Emiri guessed it read its power level or something.

[AlteredTundra]

While the girls were searching for the Dawn Shard, Wesley and Jaakuna were trying to figure out the mecahnics of the computer that they spotted that Jaakuna pointed out was, if one were to dumb it down, was connected to the ship’s mainframe pretty much. What Jaakuna had told Wesley was that it was connected to the engine, the ship’s weapons systems, and its security system. When Wesley would fiddle around with the controls, he noticed that it was much more connected to just the ship’s mainframe.

“Jaakuna, take a look at this.” Wesley said, pointing to the screen.

Jaakuna looked, but couldn’t see what Wesley was pointing to. “What is it? I don’t see what you’re pointing to.” He said confused.

Wesley enlarged the picture and Jaakuna saw it. “See it now?”

When Jaakuna saw it, he couldn’t believe it. “This can’t be..” Jaakuna said dumbfounded. “But how?” Jaakuna asked to himself, but aloud to where Wesley could hear it.

Wesley wondered the same thing. “I don’t know how they did it, but it seems that this ship is able to access AI technologies, much like your ship.”

Jaakuna just couldn’t believe it. “But there’s more to that it seems. There’s something that’s missing…it’s the intelligence part. They don’t have the one key part that makes an AI live aboard a ship. Do you think that’s what they need the Dawn Shard for?” Jaakuna asked Wesley.

Wesley nodded in agreement to Jaakuna’s question. “That must be it. Or else, I fear that it’s something far worse than that.”

Jaakuna looked troubled. He didn’t think that this was what they wanted the Nethicite for. If he had known this, Jaakuna wouldn’t have been so careless for such a thing. “We need to destroy it.” He said, “If we don’t, then we’ll seriously be in trouble. If either empire get their hands on this kind of AI technology, then we’re all fucked.” Jaakuna said.

Wesley agreed with Jaakuna and he would close out of that window of the schematics for the AI for now and he would follow Jaakuna over to the girls who would have just said that they found the Dawn Shard.

As the guys would head over to where the ladies are at, Savayna heard Emiri and Nadeline call out as they found the Dawn Shard. “Well it’s about fucking time. Grab it and let’s go.”

When Savayna said that, Jaakuna and Wesley were in ear shot. “No, we have to destroy it now!”

Though Wesley would usually disagree with Jaakuna, he agreed. “They’re after AI technology with Nethicite. So, I am with Jaakuna on this one. We need to destroy the Dawn Shard.”

Savayna looked at them like they were stupid. “What are you fucking stupid? If we destroy it in the machine, the ship could go down and we want to live, right?” She said with an attitude.

Jaakuna was angry with Savayna at the moment. “Damn it, Savayna! Don’t you see that if any empire get either shard, we’ll all be in danger! Or do you not care about your father or mother?” Jaakuna had snapped.

Savayna’s eyes widened. “You have no right to speak to them! Not after what you did!”

“You really want to go into this now? IF you want to blame me for leaving three years ago or whatever, then you can, but right now we NEED to destroy it.”

Savayna conceded for the moment, but Jaakuna didn’t know what Nadeline or Emiri thought about this, so he turned to them. “You two agree with Wesley and I right?”

[Hero]

Emiri was all aboard the 'destroy the nethicite' train, and was more then glad that (finally) the group seemed to agree with her intentions. Except she didn't really care about the actual reason. She just wanted to be rid of them once and for all.

Nadeline, on the other hand, understood Savayna's point. Even removing it from said machine was risky enough, and she did not want to imagine the entire ship going down. "The Stilshrine of Miriam...it is said to hold a gift that the Dynast-King gave to the Gran Kiltas of the time." She spoke slowly, racking her brain to remember. "The gift was said to be able to cut through nethicite, should its power ever get abused...although, I cannot say the specifics...but if we are headed there anyway we may as well steal the Shards and keep them with us. Somehow I doubt even if we were to try to destroy the nethicite, our methods would be useless. It may appear to be just a stone, but..." She then looked to Wesley very seriously. "Remember Nabudis." She said simply and she knew he would understand.

Emiri remembered how Aloa used the manufactured nethicite on Zalera. Nadeline had said the deifacted nethicite was stronger--much, much stronger. Suddenly, Savayna made sense, and she bit her lip nervously. She did not want to be around when the nethicite finally exploded.

[AlteredTundra]

While Jaakuna and Wesley both looked at each other when Nadeline would explain the dangers of destroying the Dawn Shard. Jaakuna didn’t understand what the big deal about it all was. To him, destroying the Dawn Shard right here and now would save them a load of trouble, but when Nadeline spoke, he started to understand as Wesley had come to understand. It was when she mentioned Nabudis. That was all Wesley needed to understand the errors in his previous judgment and Jaakuna was starting to.

“Mind telling me what the hell happened in Nabudis?” Jaakuna asked. He knew of the rumors, but it’s been so long before he actually read about it properly.

Wesley cleared his throat. “A while back, when Nabudis was a thriving city with a very rich family living within the castle, it was overrun by Archadian forces. Under the orders of the Emperor at the time, decided to the land of Nabudis as their own little playground for the Midnight Shard. They were going to test it, to see how it worked and reacted, but when they were reaching the final stages, something went horribly wrong.” Wesley paused, looking down as he curled his hands into fists and squeezed tightly obviously angry at what happened, “A massive explosion of pure mist was released due to the errors of man and now Nabudis is the home to Ivalice’s largest state of mist matter, crawling with monsters.” Wesley said as he was gritting his teeth, grinding them against each other.

Jaakuna had no idea. Well, he remembers reading some little details, but that was almost fifteen years ago and at the time, Jaakuna’s grandfather, Brandon “Bahamut” Ira Darcone was the Emperor. Jaakuna hasn’t seen his grandfather in over six years, and even then they weren’t on the greatest of terms. “I had no idea.” That’s all Jaakuna could utter. He really had no words or clever phrase to say in a situation like this. He didn’t know what to say in this situation.

Savayna finally saw that she was right and now, as Jaakuna and Wesley were talking it out, she would grab the Dawn Shard with her hands, carefully taking it from the storage compartment it was in. “Okay, we have it. Now, let’s get the fuck out of dodge.” Savayna said, as she was just getting ready to run out from the entrance of the Labs.

Jaakuna stopped her. “Um, before you do, I would like the Dawn Shard back if you don’t mind.” Jaakuna said taking Dawn Shard back as he literally snatched it from her hands.

“What the fuck Jaakuna?” She shouted.

Jaakuna looked at her. “This WAS mine to begin with, before you and fancy-pants Grant took it away from me.” He said.

Wesley intervened. “I would also like to request the Dusk Shard back, please.” He asked calmly.

“Jeezus, you two are so bossy.” Savayna barked, but she gave Wesley the Dusk Shard only cause he asked so nicely.

Both Jaakuna and Wesley put their respective shards in their pockets.

[Hero]

Just the sound of his name made Emiri somewhat nervous, and she looked around to make sure he wasn't there. Nadeline noticed and squeezed her hand, smiling at her then watched as Savayna handed over the other shard to Wesley. This made her feel somewhat safer, so to speak; were Savayna to betray them (yes she was still suspicious) at the very least they would have both Shards in their possession. As she was about to make a comment, however, the airship began to descend somewhat, before halting completely. Emiri looked out the window to see the mountains surrounding them, along with what looked like a temple.

"...It seems we have arrived." Nadeline commented airily, her voice cheerful. "Let us take our leave before a certain Prince finds out we have escaped."

[AlteredTundra]

As they were just about to get the hell out of dodge, the ship started to descend. As Emiri would then go on to look out of the window, Savayna, Wesley, and Jaakuna would do the same, seeing the mountain range within the area. There was also a temple. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that they had arrived at the Stilshrine of Miriam. As Nadeline would say that it was their time to get the hell out of the ship and into the temple, Savayna knew that the halls would be crawling with soldiers as they would prepare for departure. So, in response to that, Savayna pushed Emiri away from the window, she would then to use her Ice Magick to freeze the window, and then crack out the ice with a punch of her hand.

When the ice broke, the window was open. It was a pretty big window; well, big-ish, but it was still big enough for everyone to go through it. Savayna would then create an Ice Slide that led from the window to the ground of the temple.

“Well, what are you waiting for? I’m sure as hell am not going to risk getting caught by going out the proper way.” Savayna said as she slid down the slide and to the ground floor of the area outside of the temple.

Jaakuna and Wesley looked at each other and then to Emiri and Nadeline. “Not like we have any other option,” Wesley said as he would follow Savayna’s lead and Jaakuna would follow.

[Hero]

Emiri looked down the way both Wesley and Jaakuna had gone. It was quite high, making her somewhat nervous. Still, she slowly sat down, trying not to go too fast down. Nadeline shook her head at Emiri, but as she was about to follow, something told her she was no longer alone. "Nadeline." The blonde haired girl cursed mentally as she looked back to see Aloa behind her. Surprisingly, Vlyn was not present, nor did Aloa look on the offense. In fact, she actually looked somewhat reluctant. "I did not teach you to be a fool." The viera stated quietly, placing a hand on her hip.

"You taught me to do what was right, to think for myself, to extend my view beyond what I could see." Nadeline replied, turning to her. "To stay here...to go back to the castle would go against everything you taught me. I have seen the world, and yet there is still so much I do not know."

"You realize, even should I remain quiet, they will come for you and them. Please princess, I beg you to remain here." Aloa urged her. She stepped forward, bearing a sad look. "I cannot protect you from Lord Grant if you leave me. He wants only the girl and will do whatever it takes to get her back."

"And I cannot protect Emiri if I stay." She responded quite clearly. "I already made the mistake of leaving her with Grant twice. I will not do it again."

Aloa nodded, letting out a small sigh. "Best be on your way. A princess is always prompt."

She nodded, grinning. "I will repay you someday!" Nadeline yelled as she jumped out the window.

The viera watched her leave and turned back to the entrance. Vlyn appeared, looking slightly out of breath as he looked around. "The captives...what happened here?"

"They've escaped. Need I say more?" Aloa asked him coyly. "We must inform His Highness."

The blonde had decided to go down on her feet as opposed to Emiri's sitting position. As Nadeline slid down the ice, she noticed she was going very fast. A little too fast. She tried to control herself, only to slip and land on her bum. She resisted screaming but she managed to zip right into Emiri, who had just stood up from getting to the ground. The two actually ended up going quite a distance from the slide, and Emiri glared at Nadeline. "Naddie!" She cried out from under her. "What is your problem?!"

Nadeline giggled slightly as she picked herself up, though helped Emiri to her feet.

[AlteredTundra]

It would be a few minutes before the group would all be on the ground. Jaakuna and Wesley were able to land on their feet when they had followed Savayna down the slide, but Emiri and Nadeline seemed to land off their feet. Actually, it would seem that both of them would crash into each other. Savayna and Jaakuna laughed aloud, but Wesley would contain his laughter to a mere chuckle. It would only be a minute or so until they were all on their feet and they would all head into the temple, not wanting to wait for any of the enemy forces to catch them.

As they would come up to the entrance, there were no Kitlas guards there, which was odd as those guards are the ones who are always guarding the entrance to the Stilshrine. Savayna especially found it odd, but she would just shrug it off as Jaakuna and Wesley would follow her, as would Emiri and Nadeline. They all would go into the Stilshrine, and once inside, the sight of the inside of the temple was certainly one to behold. First off, the big statue of the legendary Goddess of Swords. It was raised and leveled to such a way that would easily grant passage to those of worth. It would sense them right as soon as they would step through the entrance. Given that the sword was raised, the temple deems the group worthy.

As they would head around ltitle corners, they would eventually make their way to the Hall of Worth. Entering the Hall of Worth, they would be met by something that they weren’t expecting. A glyph of ice and wind would take over the room and in front of them would stand the Esper of Ice, Mateus, The Corrupt. Savayna would look on as if she was memorized by the esper in front of her, but she also was livid as she didn’t know what the hell it was.

“So, what exactly is this beast?” She asked.

Wesley gazed upon the beast. “Nadeline, does your tomb say anything about an Esper found within the Stilshrine of Miriam?” He asked as the Esper in front of them was just waiting for the group to make the first move.

[Hero]

"Scion of darkness ruling and protecting those who live in the underworld, in opposition to Lahabrea, Abyssal Celebrant and scion of light. In the course of his rule, he submitted to avarice, and the darkness took his heart, transforming him until he was both evil and corrupt. Then in his cowardice did he bind a Goddess of the Demesne of Ice, and using her as a living shield, he challenged the gods. Defeated before their might, he fell screaming into the depths of hell, there to be imprisoned for eternity." Nadeline recited, withdrawing her sword. "I admit my surprise, I did not think it would be here, I thought I read about another Esper being here, but it seemed I was mistaken."

Emiri looked at the freaky mermaid-esque Esper before them. Something about it just gave her the creeps. But from what Nadeline had said, it seemed as if its main elemental attribute was Ice. Somehow, it did not give off the same feeling Zalera had. Dare she say it, it seemed slightly weaker...no, that wasn't it. It was less hostile, that's what it was. It reminded her much of Belias: still, not aggressive unless provoked. It clicked in her head that maybe, just like Belias, it was a guardian of sorts. "This one must be protecting the gift you were talking about." She spoke to Nadeline.

[AlteredTundra]

As Nadeline started to read about the Esper in front of them, Jaakuna and Wesley listened intently. However, Savayna couldn’t care less even if she wanted to. She had such a dull-looking expression across her face. Every word that Nadeline spoke was just boring in her mind. Nothing but useless information and she would be vocal about it.

“Oh who fucking cares! All I need to know is that it’s in the way and we need to destroy it. I really couldn’t care any less about how this beast supposedly got here.” Savayna said expressing her deep, deep lack of caring for the legend of this Esper.

Wesley looked at Savayna. “Please, Lady Savayna.
“WOULD YOU STOP CALLING HER THAT!”
“Jaakuna please, she is obviously a lady
“YOU’RE CHECKING ME OUT! You creep!”
“But, I only meant..”
“I know what you meant — you dig her, don’t you Wesley?”

After that, Wesley just kept quiet, obviously embarrassed by both Jaakuna and Savayna. It could be seen across his face. He was red as a rouge tomato. “Let’s just eliminate this beast.” Wesley said lowly.

Savayna was laughing as she saw the redness on Wesley’s face. “You’re a pervy one, Prince Wesley.” She said in a teasing manner.

Jaakuna also laughed, but said nothing. He would turn his attention to the Esper in front of them. He drew Deamonsbane and held it in a single-handed grip. Wesley held his Platinum Sword and shield and prepared for battle as well. As for Savayna, she had her Ice Queen Sword and Crystal Shield as she also would prepare for the fight.

Mateus would come forward, flying through the air as if he was in water, In came a blizzaga spell and the group darted to opposite ways. Jaakuna would dart to the right, Savayna underneath Mateus, and Wesley to the left. They would each throw in a spell of their own. Wesley would slice upward(to the left of Mateus) and out flew a wave of Holy, Jaakuna would do the same motion, but with a Firaga spell. As for Savayna, she would actually jump upwards and attack with a physical attack. Two of the attacks would backfire as Mateus would first deflect Savayna’s attack with his Spear, thus sending Savayna back to the ground. The holy spell would be whipped aside with the tail, but the Firaga would hit and send Mateus flying ten feet to the left, tumbling on the ground in the process.

[Hero]

She didn't really want to admit it, but the more Savayna spoke, the more Nadeline was reminded of Jaakuna. Truly the two were two peas in a pod at one point, and it showed. Except for the fact that she found Savayna to be truly obnoxious. Her disdain for the woman would have to wait as Mateus attacked. She and Emiri would both jump back, avoiding the spells, and waited their turn to strike. Once Mateus had been knocked down, Emiri nodded at Nadeline, and the two went rushing forward towards the Esper. Nadeline made a mad dash, her sword connecting several times as each of her attacks melded together in what was described as a barrage of attacks. Emiri, on the other hand, spun around, gaining momentum, and sliced the Esper once. The two girls then jumped back, and mirroring one another, and both darted forward, their swords both striking the Esper at the same time.

Mateus let out a shriek, and with its spear, sent forth a Blizzaga of its own. Nadeline jumped back and attempted to cast a Shell spell, but Mateus was faster; the Blizzaga hit Emiri with full force, and was sent flying into Nadeline for her troubles. As she got up, Emiri clutched her shoulder, clearly in pain. She thought the Cure would have healed it, but it had been worse then she thought. Nadeline opened her mouth to say something, but at this point, Mateus was preparing another attack.