[IC] The Battle for Astrea [Always Open]

[Animus]

"It seems that everyone as arrived. At last, the cast for this grand play has been assembled. Come on now, everyone should be smiling, aren’t you all just excited for the task that lays before you?"

Gregorias was unfazed at the lack of response he received. If anything, he expected no less of the situation. Currently, there were a total of forty-two master-class and above warriors that stood before him. Amongst them, some were old, some were young. There were those who used magic and there were those who relied on their on their body. Both male and female. Yes, before him stood the coalition force formed by the three kingdoms. Each had assembled and sent out their strongest warriors. Gregorias gave a cynical smile as he noted some dangerous individuals that were hidden among them.

Nominated by both the Water and Earth Kingdom, Gregorias was chosen to oversee and aid in the management of the coalition force. He was an outsider; an observer. He was part of the northern tribes that was unaffiliated with any of the three kingdoms.

He was the ideal man since each kingdom did not complete trust that the others would stay faithful to the temporary treaty. Even their current base camp was far into neutral territory to prevent any backstabbing reinforcements from potential traitors.

He inwardly lamented how tedious it was going to be to manage the ragtag group before him. No doubt within them were plenty of egoistical individuals. Nevertheless, Gregorias always had ways to deal with such people. He gave another cynical smile.

“Let’s move onto more official matters, shall we?”

Gregorias cleared his throat before continuing.

“While the ceasefire that has been established is active, none of the voluntary parties, regardless of background, may harm one another throughout the duration of this period. The sole enemy will be the unknown monsters that have appeared, the main priorities being the large creatures that have appeared within the active warzones and caused discord for each of the nations while in combat. There are no special conditions for those who partake in this venture, the rate in which you annihilate this threat is advised to be quick and thus the quicker you return, the larger the reward's sum will be.”

He paused yet again, waiting for any questions before he resumed. All that came was silence though.

“You will all be divided into teams. The size and composition of these teams will depend on the monsters that you will be sent after. My scouts have been sent to conduct reconnaissance in the surrounding areas as well as each of your kingdoms. In the past week, we’ve already identified over 20 of these monsters in various locations. When the latest update arrives at dawn, you lot will be dispatched immediately to quell these beasts.”

Gregorias then rolled the script back into its proper form, pressing its seal closed and returning it to his bag. He looked to the group before him and gave an all teeth grin.

“So it’d be best if you guys start making acquaintances now, you never know who’s going to be your new best friend.”

[TheWendil]

Solanne listened carefully to what the Word Weaver had to say, eye arching in plain interest. She stood in the back of their merry crowd of forty-two, resting in a corner with her arms crossed. Some of these people would know her as the infamous Crimson Hound; though depending on who you were, she was either a hero or a thief. Not that the labels ever mattered to her.

The pursuit of adventure and maybe a little cash had drawn her out of the Sky Kingdom’s borders-as if that floating heap ever had any-and into this strange little place. Not to mention cramped. The next time someone “breathed” on her, she wouldn’t hesitate to punch their lights out.

The notion of teams made a grin creep up onto the Crimson Hound’s visage. It was always nice to work with other people, and she had always been taught that more people working on the same goal made the time fly by. So when the Word Weaver was finally done speaking and gestured for the present warriors to mingle, Solanne remained at her little spot off to the side.

“No need to go around causing trouble,” she told herself. “Might as well let them come to me first. That way they have no excuse for getting beat by a girl!”

Odds were, the only ones that would talk to her would be the creeps that’d hit on her or the ones wanting to picking a fight. That’s generally how these things tended to go, at least in her experience. Who knew? Maybe she’d actually find some excitement from this job after all.

So the redhead waited, closing her eyes and taking the time to crack her knuckles. Her mind wandered off to the old days with her old partner before they parted paths. The Crimson Hound and the Black Assassin. Now those were some fun times.

Still, one never knew what fate had in store for them all. With the rise of the monsters, simple thievery became the least of any village’s worries. In a sense, Solanne supposed she was here on some grand journey for justice and self-fulfillment. To bring light and hope back into an ever fading world….

Solanne snorted at her own thoughts.

“Yeah right! I just want a free meal and some cash!”

The Crimson Hound snickered good-heartedly to herself as the people moved around her stationary form.

[SwarthyBard126]

As the World Weaver finished his introduction, Solomon frowned. The final line seemed almost frivolous to him.

"Was this what I had been called here for?" He thought, "To socialize as more lives are lost?"

Shaking his head in disgust, Solomon began making his way to the communal kitchens to receive a meal. Towering over most of the gathered warriors, his travel time was slow which gave him time to mull over the events before now. His family had received the call nearly two weeks ago from an Sky Kingdom Hussar. At first, he and his family were confused why an enemy was bearing such news, then glad that a cease-fire had been attained, and finally horrified at the circumstances that surrounded it. Solomon's father, Daud, was to old to answer the call, and his older brother Malachi was wheelchair bound after becoming paralyzed as a youth. His youngest sibling, his sister, had just returned home from her academy to celebrate her coming of age.

So, Solomon answered the call, and with his father's blessing, took his family's ancestral heirlooms, and came to the meeting area. He had been expecting a sort of military speech, then organization into teams, only to be greeted with the prospect of making friends.

"The only good thing is that we start soon," Solomon thought as he entered the communal eating area.

[Bubsy 2]

Hazel stood waiting as the old fool droned on, anything but patient. She was hardly interested in any of this. Instead her mind wandered to her surroundings: The newly found wonders all around her. No longer was her world entirely brick and mortar, but now nature. It was a completely foreign and it titillated even the likes of Hazel Daphiat, who often would find herself above so simple excitements. The words of Gregorias simply went through her, and she payed no heed to his presentation. As far as she was concerned one as old as him commanded no respect from her, and he was completely unsuited to even think of commanding a group of warriors so strong that she was counted among their ranks. The strength of her new companions had been obvious even to her, but that wasn't to say that she didn't think she was better then all of them.

That was the other thing. All the people. It was new to her, the crowds of the cities she has passed through, even this small group was more then she had seen in the last several years. And they all towered over her. She struggled to not be crushed by the armored warriors that surrounded and dwarfed her, and was exceedingly tempted to burn them all. But she didn't. These people were different than those in the Sky Kingdom, she noticed. When she walked the streets of the city for the first time she knew that they all knew who she was. She could see in there eyes that they feared her, but these strangers did not know her or fear her. In fact they payed her almost no mind, which made her angry once again and was another reason to roast them. When the gathering first assembled many had pointed out the more recognizable warriors. Whispers passed her, the Crimson Hound, The Phoenix, more names and titles that meant nothing to her. She found it a great slight that these people that she knew were weaker then her commanded so much respect.

But it was the ending of Gregorias's presentation that bought her attention.

“So it’d be best if you guys start making acquaintances now, you never know who’s going to be your new best friend.”

Oh god. Hazel already felt uncharacteristically uncomfortable. What do I do? People already began breaking into groups and making these disgusting things called friends. Disgusting, useless, pointless, stupid relations that she yearned for more than anything else. And it was so that she suddenly didn't feel like the large, strong, powerful, hateful, wrathful, strongest mage in all the world that she knew she was, but instead a small child. People were now taking notice of her now that people were spreading apart, and she caught a group of people laughing at her. She caught a comment floating in the air from a stranger "What's a little girl doing here?" She turned in a huff. She was above them. It was the one thing she knew. Soon people would begin forming around her, she knew it. Her power would command their respect.

She also knew something else: I could kill all of you if I wanted to.

But she didn't.

[Animus]

Isen’roy Dullan, “Phoenix”

Isen’roy took an immediate dislike to him. It didn’t take for a person to be instinctual time like him to sense that Gregorias was underestimating them. He was tempted to smash the old man’s face in but decided against it. Was it because he was scared of the consequences? Not at all. He simply didn’t want to ruin the merry mood he was having. Before him laid forty-one other master class adversaries!

In exile Isen’roy was deprived from battle. There were a few talented bandits here and there but none could supress his battle hunger for long. It was not surprising, if they were capable of holding their own against Isen’roy, then they would be holding powerful positions instead of roaming the barrens pointlessly.

But now they were here.

An innocent childlike smile appeared on Isen’roy’s face.

It was then that Isen’roy noticed him.

He was sceptical at first, they had similar characteristics but it could always have been a lookalike. But he saw it, a giant glaive that towered of the tall bearded man. That was the enchanted glaive, Guandao, and that meant he was here.

Once again, a smile appeared on his face. However, this time instead of being innocent, it was far from it.

Using the heel of his left foot, he kicked backwards and knocked up a nearby empty bucket into the air. Turning around, he leapt into the air and performed a bicycle kick. He had to control his strength to prevent the bucket from instantly shattering but it still retained enough force to easily knock a grown man out. The bucket launched at breakneck speed towards Solomon’s head.

It was several years ago before Isen’roy was exiled and was still a general. He had encountered Solomon on the battlefield and they had a brief exchange of steel before he was forced to make a tactical retreat because his troops were outnumbered.

To think he’d get to settle an old score.

[SwarthyBard126]

Hearing a whistling sound, Solomon quickly twirled Emerald Wyvern in his right hand, knocking the bucket to the side. Searching the crowd for the source of the attack, he saw him. True, he was not as roughed up as he was in their last encounter, but Solomon recognized the long red hair, and the strange blunted blade.

"Phoenix," Solomon scowled, "what are you doing? did you not hear the warning of the World Weaver?"

As he said those words, Solomon could see the scene before him. Phoenix had just been exiled, and had taken a large contingent of men into the Nestor Delta. Solomon had ridden out with a host of his household to capture them. They met on a flat land, and the two groups clashed in a mess of limbs, steel, and blood. Solomon had just beheaded his sixth man when the traitor had attacked him. The two clashed for what deemed like hours, but their dance had only lasted a few minutes as they carved any enemy who attempted to stop them. Eventually the two were forced to part their blades, and vacanted the field of battle to tend to their wounded. Solomon let the man leave as a gift for giving him such a challege, and he had often day dreamed of fighting the man again.

"But now is not the time for the two of us to fight." Solomon thought as he tightened his grip on Emerald Wyvern.

[TheWendil]

The sound of something clanging brought Solanne’s attention away from her own inner thoughts. A man with red hair was challenging another man with a glaive. The Phoenix and the Emerald Wyvern. Both deadlocked in what was probably an unavoidable duel. Solanne grinned eagerly as the two reared up to fight.

“I should probably challenge them myself one day,” she commented aloud. “After all, I gotta teach the red one not to steal my style. The ponytail was my idea first.”

But then, something else caught the Crimson Hound’s attention. Something perhaps more important than the spectacle at hand. Solanne was good at disregarding pointless situations, and all her senses guided her to nearby laughter and an idle comment.

A little girl? Out here with a group preparing for war against the monsters?

Solanne turned around to spot a face that earned a look of interest from her. In hindsight, she probably shouldn’t have been so surprised to see Hazel Daphiat herself among their merry group of forty-two. The girl was infamous-maybe even more so than Solanne herself-back in the Sky Kingdom as a child of omen. Or just someone with a really bad temper.

Still, it was obvious that the girl was getting flustered at the crowd around her, sulking away from the groups that pointed her out. With a set mind, Solanne finally left her position and waltzed on over to the shorter and younger girl, a huge grin on her face.

“Hey there Spell Spitter,” said a cheery Solanne as she wrapped an arm around the other girl’s shoulder. “Er, aren’t you a little short to be a warrior?”

The Crimson Hound was only kidding, and was fully prepared for whatever consequence Hazel would enact upon her. She was just that brave…and stupid.

“Say, don’t I know you from somewhere?” Solanne asked with a bright, knowing smile. “But in all seriousness, you look a little down. Hey, the Word Weaver told us to be friends so…wanna be friends?”

As blunt as ever.

[Eleventhfret]

"Really, if you're going to do this you must listen to me, you'll learn soon enough, boy.", The demoness concluded after hissing out a lecture in the boys head. He didn't listen to the rambling fiend or Gregorias. He was instead sizing everyone up, he would have to work with someone, and his haphazard, spontaneous fighting style and low morals would surely get in the way. He was always doing that, getting in the way.

He did his best to sneak glances at the girl his age, Incinerator, as he'd nicknamed her in his head, then to Emerald Wyvern, and finally Phoenix, then between the two as the bucket flew, he kept his hands near his sabres, careful not to make contact, as that would've immediately identified him as Black Devil, the street fighter who always left a mess.

He then figured he'd go up to Incinerator, and that he did, directly up to her, then kneeling before her and looking up with a coy smile and a daring, "How's it going, Incinerator?".

[Bubsy 2]

Hazel's attention was momentarily taken by an uproar. It seemed a fight was beginning to break out. She could care less. As far as she was concerned this fighting was little more then boys trying to show off how macho they were with their silly sword and armor. It seemed to her that in her few weeks exploring the world all men were little more then bumbling fools. Few were dependable, like Winston, and even fewer were nearly as strong as they wanted to seem. As far as Hazel was concerned women were far more reliable, as vapid and vain as some may be. She did not realize the irony in this thought.

Although it seemed that the camp was mostly dominated by men, there were other women. Hazel was better then all of them.

It wasn't long before one of the women approached her. Hazel knew her power would command a natural respect among those around her, it would just take a second for people to notice. She marked this women as the first of many followers before she had approached. She gushed with foolish pride at how perceptive her new henchman must be to have noticed her.

“Hey there Spell Spitter,”

Hazel slightly recoiled as the women placed her arm around her. Oh Atros this creature is touching me.

This women would not be her new henchman, and she already felt a deep contempt for her. Hazel was not prepared for the next quip.

“Er, aren’t you a little short to be a warrior?”

Hazel flushed with anger. I can burn you. I want to burn you. She said the words in her head but not aloud. She could feel the rage welling up inside. How dare this stranger insult her.

“Say, don’t I know you from somewhere?”

Hazel balked on her initial anger for a moment. So her reputation did precede her! Of course it did! It was now obvious to Hazel that a mage as powerful of her was well known. This girl may be a bit uncultured, but Hazel quickly determined that she would teach her proper manners. The excitement welled inside her. Her first follower!

“But in all seriousness, you look a little down. Hey, the Word Weaver told us to be friends so… wanna be friends?”

Hazel's excitement quickly doubled back into a swirling combination of anger and nervousness. Her thoughts quickly leaped back and forth from 'Oh no she wants to be friends what do I do' and 'Oh no this lesser creature presumes to be friends with me' to 'Oh my Atros I'm making a friend'.

Hazel was certainly now visibly flustered and confused, as her mind quickly overloaded with emotion. Seconds passed as the strangers question hung in the air. Hazel mustered all the answer she could.

"Uhhhhh..."

By now Hazel had completely forgot that her height had been insulted, and the approach of another person put her further on edge.

"How's it going, Incinerator?"

This one was a young man, who was exceedingly handsome. Hazel flushed. His features were perfection: He was a bronzed god, his visage graced by a wry smile. Her face reddened further. She was surrounded by way too many strangers for her liking. She was completely uncomfortable and out of sorts and unable find her usual fiery self. She felt the persona she usually wore melting away, assaulted by the pair of friendly strangers. Her mouth still hung open from her last 'Uhhhh'. She gave the same answer to the boy.

"Uhhhhh..."

[Crimson Lion]

Amadeus Cross, also known as Amadeus the Prodigy Child by his teachers and mentors, was worried. He was standing in the middle of the room where the nations mightiest heros had gathered in hopes of defending their kingdoms and not only did everyone seem tense, but a fight had already threatened to begin. He took out his small notepad and watched the two in front of him and took notes. Solomon the Emerald Wyvern and Isen'roy the Phoenix, both spectacular warriors in their own right and both ready to cut each others heads off. He gulped as he imagined the pure carnage the could both create individually, and didn't dare imagine what would happen if they did indeed begin to fight.

He looked around, hoping to see someone brave enough to stop their deadlock, when he noticed Solanne the Crimson Hound watching the fight, almost as if she was excited by it. He looked back to the fight, wondering to himself if he should interfere.

'I could create a flash of light to grab their attention, but that would lead to everyone in the room being focused on me. As much as I'd like to end this fight, my fame of being an "Arrogant" prodigy will make me look like I'm simply trying to assert dominance. Think Adam think.'

He then sees the Crimson Hound scowling at another boy around his age, almost as if she was ready to attack.

'Forget this fight, I can't stop them but I sure as hell can stop her before she does something she regrets'

He quickly rushes over to the two girls, hoping to stop another possible fight

(sorry I changed it so abruptly)

[wolverbells]

Jade looked around from person to person, studying the new faces one by one. She tried to keep her attention on the elderly man speaking but what he spoke of was pretty much common sense by now. She had already heard talk of what they'd be doing. Kind of. She only turned around when the man mentioned working in groups. It was something Jade knew was imminent, yet she still cringed at the sound of it. The young woman knew one person in this entire group and she stood next to him, only because half of the people here looked like they would be willing to snap whoever in half. It was slightly unfortunate that her survival would depend on some of these people to have her back.

Once the man had told them to socialize, Jade looked over at Reiner and opened her mouth to speak, but stopped herself when she heard a bit of commotion coming from two males who radiated tension. She grimaced at the amount of hostility that each person seemed to give off and sighed, letting her eyes study the others once again. "Bunch of hot heads, huh?" Her voice was low and soft, loud enough for Reiner to hear but quiet enough to stay unheard due to the forty-some conversations going on.

The woman's blue eyes lingered on a small female not too far from where she stood, curiosity causing her brow to furrow. 'How old is this girl?' she thought, wondering what the age limit was, if there was one. She paid no attention to the female when their eyes made brief contact and continued to study the next female that stood next to the small girl. She knew who that was.. Or at least knew of her. The Crimson Hound is what many called her. "I feel like females would be more dangerous than men..... They're a bit more conniving." Jade took her eyes off of the one known as the Crimson Hound and glanced at Reiner, giving him a playful smirk before deciding to walk off to continue observing. The ongoing altercation with the two men meant little to her as she walked past them. The Meredith was on a mission to find people that were at least semi trustworthy, but she'd have to settle for doing it after eating a meal.

[SwarthyBard126]

Now a crowd was beginning to gather around him. He saw a few notable figure among them. Amadeus Cross the Prodigy, who seemed indecisive on the sidelines. The Crimson Hound and the Black Devil standing next to the latest of the Daphiat line. If a fight were to break out now, the consequences would be disastrous. Releasing his position, he spoke one to his rival, still in a combat stance, "Phoenix, If you wish for a dual, find me at a time when it correct to do so. I will gladly accept the chance to cross blades with you, but our duty begins tomorrow, an we both must save our strength."

He turned his back towards his rival, and walked once more to the meal line, whihc was now deserted save for the stunned workers. He ordered his meal, and sat under the tree nearby, and began eating his meal. As the crowd watched in stunned silence at his actions, Solomon almost wished that he hadn't reunited with the Phoenix. Almost.

[TheWendil]

Solanne had to contain a laugh at Hazel’s reaction. Regardless of the fear and mystery shrouding her, she was nothing more than a little girl. Knowing that made Solanne feel a whole lot better about the fellow denizen from the Sky Kingdom. No matter what she was telling herself, she was human like the rest of them.

“Hey, there’s no need to answer quickly,” Solanne assured with a goofy grin. “We’ve got plenty of time before we’re killed, so take all the time you need Spell Spitter! Oh, by the way, I’m Solanne Luxone. Er, or Crimson Hound, though I take it you don’t talk much to strangers anyway.”

The redhead offered up her hand to Hazel when the boy had suddenly intervened. Seeing him up close, Solanne wasn’t really impressed by his physical appearance. Then again, he was just a kid, like Hazel. However, she did take notice of the other girl’s subtle reaction to his presence.

She had seen cases like this before, back at the orphanage…

“Well that’s enough sexual tension for now! Let’s go get you a drink or something. I hear liquids from foreign lands are the best remedy for anxiety, ya know?”

The older girl gently led Hazel away so as not to frighten her anymore than was already running in her head. She was about to turn and go, but halted and glanced back at the boy.

“Name’s Solanne by the way. Or, er, Crimson Hound. Heh, guess you’d know that better. Anyway, I’ll see you on the battlefield. Don’t get killed, cause I might want to duel you one day, ya know?”

The girl waved quickly before speeding off, half-dragging, half-leading Hazel away from the crowd and into a more secluded corner. Once she was sure the others were back to their own business, she turned to the shorter girl with that same smile.

“Sheesh, you’re quite popular Spell Spitter. I get the feeling this isn’t the first time I’m gonna have to bail you out. Just a hunch.”

Solanne paused with a curious tilt of her head.

“Though I gotta wonder, what brings you out here by yourself? Weren’t you supposed to be off living in some fancy establishment or something?”

[Crimson Lion]

Amadeus sighed in relief as everyone began to calm down, he was honestly surprised by Solomons levelheadedness. 'I had heard rumors of him being some sort of barbarian who only liked to fight and hunt, I'm glad to know that they where all false.' He began to think about the warrior in question and the previously exiled warrior. 'I wonder what kind of history those two have?'

As he thought about this, he took advantage of the fact that the meal line was currently deserted. He grabbed a small meal (compared to the meals of the huge people around him) for himself and sat down at a table alone, looking around at the other 41 warriors of master class. 'I wonder if I could make allies among the people here.'

[Bubsy 2]

Hazel was slowly but steadily regaining her composure. She quickly realized how stupid she must have looked. She quickly shut her mouth, and took a breath. After finding herself, she opened her mouth to speak again, but by now she found herself being tugged away. She had no way to resist the pull of the bigger girl, who she now knew was Solanne Luxone. The Crimson Hound. She was from the Sky Kingdom, like her. Even Hazel in all her isolation had heard her name. Solanne was a strong mage, just like herself. But I'm stronger. There was no question of that as far as Hazel was concerned.

By the time Solanne found it suitable to stop dragging Hazel around she had calmed down. Her face was once again it's usual shade of pale white, and she was able to properly form a sentence. She was still quite embarrassed by her behavior in front of her potential future followers, and of course the handsome boy that approached her, but she swept away this embarrassment. You are Hazel Daphiat. You are the most powerful mage to have ever lived. You could destroy all of these people if you wanted. She told herself what was truth to her. The only truth she could be sure of. By the time Solanne's next question came, she was ready to answer.

“Though I gotta wonder, what brings you out here by yourself? Weren’t you supposed to be off living in some fancy establishment or something?”

Hazel huffed. "First of all, I don't need you to bail me out. I was just fine back there... but anyways, you're from the Sky Kingdom, right? You know they're scared of me. They'd rather send me off for the other Kingdoms to worry about then keep me in their 'establishment'. I'm not interested in staying there anyways."

[Eleventhfret]

Harley wasn't as accustomed to rejection as he once was. He cringed as Hazel was dragged off by that vile woman, gritting his teeth. He was on the verge of drawing his sabres and challenging her. "Calm down boy, it's a bit early to start fighting.", and damnit she was right.

He ran a hand through his tousled ebon locks, as a thought creeped into his mind, squinting pensively. He glanced around at the crew and thought to himself and the demoness occupying his mind, "What a lovely day for a social experiment". He gathered energy into his hands and clapped loudly, so loudly that he might wake the dead, or anyone within a half-mile. The clap made a sound like an Earth Kingdom cannon, and he grinned wryly as the energy dissipated in a flash of multicolored sparks.

"Idiot.", mumbled the demoness in his head. "Anyone wanting to spar with me is welcome to do so, I'll use no weapons and surprise attacks are completely acceptable, however, I ask that they not be attempted while I sleep", he retorted. With that, he ran a hand through his hair again, and waited, a cocky grin lingering on his lips to make being attacked more likely.

[TheWendil]

Solanne leaned back with crossed arms, an amused smirk rising as Hazel proclaimed both her reason and her independence.

"Whoah, whoah there Spell Spitter. I didn't think the world revolved around you. You're that Daphiat girl, right? Hazel Daphiat? For someone who's so feared, you sure looked spooked back there yourself, ya know," she reminded Hazel.

The Crimson Hound shook her head and sighed, grin never wavering.

"But hey, it makes sense. They're scared so they send you off to war. Still, you're just a kid so...."

Solanne shook her head, as if confirming something with herself, before reaching over and wrapping an arm around Hazel again. Her smile widened and her eyes sparked with determination.

"It's settled then. Until this whole thing's over, I'm gonna be your big sister! It'd kill me to know a kid like you is getting herself mixed into this. Besides, I've got experience babysitting, ya know. And I can't let a fellow Sky Kingdom resident go off alone."

The Crimson Hound gave a thumbs up to Hazel and was about to say more when a large clap brought her notice. The boy from minutes ago was challenging anyone and eveyone to face him at the moment, despite the Word Weaver's...well, words. Solanne sighed at the sight.

Just another kid who was in way over their head. Like she was one to talk. She made a mental note to keep an eye on him as well.

"So Spell Spitter," she said, turning to Hazel again. "Ready to make some friends? I hear that Prodigy Child is pretty easy to get along with."

Then the Crimson Hound chuckled deviously.

"Unless you get scared again? Don't worry, big sister will hold your hand," she teased.

[QT]

Reiner Ward

Before The Assembly

"....It's okay darlin, I'll be back and we can build it then okay?" Ward said with reassurance of his return from his mission. He laid on one knee and had his hand on his nieces arm. She was tearing up and just stood there with her head tilted towards the ground, extremely heart broken that Ward wouldn't be able to build a puzzle with her. Kera then jerked forward and hugged her uncle tightly with no intention of letting go. "Please don't go" she begged yet again - a fifth time now? Or maybe sixth.

Behind them was Kera's mother, Aribel - who was also Ward's sister (obviously). Ward stood up with a body hanging from his neck. He placed his arms below Kera for support so she wouldn't slip and break his spine on the way down. Turning to his sister, he started towards her in attempt to detach the little girl from him, hoping Aribel would do her motherly duties and take her from him. "I have to go" he mouthed to his sister who understood.

Aribel had lost her husband three years prior to this day. He was in the Water Kingdom's naval force - a commander of his own fleet. Unfortunately he was ambushed by never-revealed pirates and was killed alongside his men - some which were taken missing in action. Therefore, Aribel has understood to let the men in her life go out to fight the good fight. She was a good woman and a great mother.

After taking Kera from Ward's hands, Aribel gave her big brother a kiss on the cheek. "You better come back" she told him, her own eyes getting a little watery.

"Pff!" Ward responded. "I always do, cuz I'm the best of the best!" he stated with a smile as he opened the door. "Stay breezy" he finished, letting the sun shine on him and the door close on its own as he walked away - cool as can be.

Day Of The Assembly

Warriors left and right, front and back - there were just too many. Half of these guys were probably second rated fighters or whatever, unable to truly devote to the cause. Then again, Ward fell under that criteria. He was standing there yawning the whole time, not having gotten enough sleep the day before. The fool even forgot to eat his breakfast, just left with his stomach unsatisfied by the tasty morning proteins. "Ugh" he grunted as his neck leaned to the left - it was so boring for him.

His eyes didn't pop open until Jade spoke to him. She was right too, people were fighting for no reason - probably testing their cockiness against one another. "Yeah" he responded, still bored. He heard everything the announcer had to say, but didn't really listen. With his rifle strapped to his back and hidden under a large piece of cloth, his lower back was bothering him. He was used to it, but it was the boredom that was getting to him.

But then, his eyes caught something magical. "Babadook" he whispered to himself, surely Jade heard. He stared at the ass of one of the female warriors in eyes distance and was drawn to it. "More like hot mommas" Ward whispered to Jade, responding to what she had said previously. It was a late joke, but he laughed at it.

"Say, were teaming up rig-" he was about to ask, but as he turned to see Jade, she was gone. "Where the hell-" he started, raising his hands up in annoyance. He looked around, but couldn't see her anywhere, everyone was so damn tall and had bulky ass armor. The man later found himself speaking to an Amazon like woman, though she wasn't as tall as most of them. "....Haha. I remember a time I had to deal with those guys too, they ARE a pain. Soooo......How bout we forget this stupid quest and you come with me to the Water Kingdom? I'll be honored to show you around" he flirted, but could suddenly see the growing annoyance in the Amazon's eyes. "Oh shit!" he cursed as a left hook flashed right through his face.

Minutes later he sat on a bench near the exit doors with a piece of frozen meat on his now bruised cheek.

[Animus]

Isen’roy Dullan, “Phoenix”

Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh?

A vein popped on Isen’roy’s forehead.

Oi oi oi, what’s up with that? He went out of his way to great Solomon and he gets shrugged off with a ”But now is not the time for the two of us to fight.”? Totally dismissing him, the bearded bastard was attempting to proceed with his meal!

“Hahaha…”

Annoyance built up in him. Just because he went off the radar for a year or two and suddenly people were forgetting what he was capable of. Grabbing the hilt of Impetus, Isen’roy concentrated for a moment before unleashing his technique.

The giant red sword was hanging off an open sheathe on his back. Holding the sword in this position hardly counted as stance but it was a stance nonetheless. Isen’roy was using a variation of the common quick-draw sword technique. His arm and the sword blurred momentarily. To the untrained eye, it would have seemed as if Isen’roy hadn’t moved at all.

In reality, the red haired warrior had launched three lightning-fast slashes. Using the friction from his sheathe, each slash created a powerful shockwave of heat. None of these shockwaves hit Solomon directly, instead destroying the area around him. The top of the tree Solomon was sitting under was blown away, leaving behind a two meter high smouldering stump.

“That’s not how you should treat long lost frie-“

Isen’roy was cut off midway as several others surrounded him.

“Ya shouldn’t really be doing that, ya’know?”

“Indeed, it was actions like this that caused your exile.”

“Calm the fuck down, you hot-headed retard.”

A katana, a double-sided magical lance and a chainsaw. Each of these were pointed towards Isen’roy. The killing intent overflowed from each of their users, indicating they would cut him down with no hesitation if he tried anything stupid.

Ajitae, Silverlight. from the royal family of the Water Kingdom. The 3rd prince in line for the throne. Many of proclaimed him as a sword prodigy that appears once every hundred years. Aelynthi the Knightfall. A famous knight commander from the Sky Kingdom. A top-tier fighter and of the prime tools of justice used by the Pope. Agneria the Executioner. A genetically modified anti magic soldier from the Earth Kingdom. Her prototype weapon, Extinction, is a powerful chainsaw. Her favourite means of fighting is decapitation.

Gregorias had noticed the commotion starting and the cunning old man brought it up to their attention. Unlike Isen’roy, these three were loyal to their nations. In short, they were not going to entertain ruffians like Isen’roy disrupting official business. He whistled happily to himself as he observed from the sidelines.

“And you there, shitty Solomon” said Agneria. “You’re equally at fault for provoking this dumbass.”

[SwarthyBard126]

Narrowing his eyes, Solomon answered the super-soldier, "Agneria, I have offered to meet him at another time, if he chooses to pursue his challenge, then he is at fault. But if that what you believe, then I will take responsibility."

Getting to his feet, he focused on the exile, Solomon continued, "Phoenix, if you wish to duel me, then I am willing to meet you outside of this camp. However, this situation is above you and me, we need to focus our energy against the monsters that are at our doors." Then grinning slightly, "And if you wish to best me, then why not besting me in the hunt? Whoever slays the greatest number of beasts over the course of this endeavor will be awknowledged as the greater."

Holding Emerald Wyvern blade down behind him, he waited for his rival to answer. In truth Solomon had wanted to face his opponent, but his discipline was holding him back now. It was the same discipline that had saved him at the siege, that had lead him to victory over the Sky Knights on the Fields of Tannis, and now his steel will made his face into an unreadable cast.