13org

The Five Senses

Karina Frost

---

It was getting harder and harder for Karina to keep on fighting. Even if she tried to conserve her stamina, the extended usage of ice magic was already starting to take it's toll on her. Besides, she knew very well that one small mistake would be all the seed needed to take her out. Not only that but the seed didn't seem to grow tired as well. When Octavio mentioned his idea of using his illusions in a more aggressive manner, Karina immediately agreed with him, almost at the same time Chres shouted for him to do it.

With that said, Octavio's plan had an... unexpected result. Luckily, not a bad one.

Karina was able to hear the seed's roar before she understood what had happened. Apparently, the seed didn't seem to care, or even react to the illusions, but that also made it relatively easy for the illusions to pass through the seed's defenses and rip out another heart. Confused and in panic after having one of it's hearts ripped out by something which it couldn't see, the seed began trashing around, smashing it's tendrils everywhere, almost hitting Karina in the process.

"Dammit! This thing doesn't get tired!" she cursed, as she gave a big jump backwards, almost losing her balance as she tried her hardest to avoid the tendrils, which were now trashing around the seed in a seemingly random manner.

Just as Karina thought that they had finally started making some progress, things went from bad to worse in a really short time. After being wounded by the illusions, the seed was now aware of them, as it became evident as it slammed down it's tendrils, quickly eliminating some of Octavio's illusions. If that was all, there wouldn't be many problems, but the worst part was that it also targeting the familiars.

Lynx was the first one the seed went after, striking it with a mighty attack. Lynn, worried about Lynx, immediately tried to help him, unaware that the seed was preparing another attack.

"WHAT IS GOING ON!? Why is this thing attacking us all of sudden?! I thought it wasn't able to see us!!" Akai shouted alarmed as one tendril suddenly tried to pierce her, followed by many others, trying to attack her.

Akai, whom was previously only warning Karina and the others about incoming attacks and avoiding attacking the creature herself, afraid it might draw it's attention, was now forced to run, dodge and fly to avoid the tendrils as she headed towards Lynx and Sil, trying to help them.

"Akai, get Sil and Lynx, try taking them somewhere safe! I'll try to cover you with Chres!" Karina said, just as Chres blocked another attack as the seed continued trying to take Sil and Lynx out.

"What's with this stupid thing?! How can we even fight against it if it regenerates, doesn't get tired and has like... at least 50 more 'hands' than we do?!" Akai complained as she jumped one of the smaller tentacles, which tried to trip her, using the momentum to slash it with her claws. Even though she knew it would regenerate soon after, it would buy her some time as she tried dragging Lynx's unconscious body and Sil away from the seed.

"Sil! Keep talking, don't close your eyes! Lynx, Lynx! Wake up!!" Akai shouted, shaking Sil and Lynx as she dragged, with some difficulty, both of them as far away from the seed as she possibly could.

In the middle of deflecting and fighting against the tendrils, Karina turned towards Chres, about to ask if he was okay, knowing that he would probably be in a worse state than she was, since he used his tempraisionism more than she had.

The moment she located Chres, she only had time to watch his back as he dashed towards the seed.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOI-" Karina shouted, nervous as she watched Chres being caught by one of the tendrils. In her mind, she was already foreseeing the worst outcome. Chres being pierced by a dozen tendrils or having his bones crushed, slammed into the ground by one of the larger ones. The only thing that she didn't expect was that Chres had a plan... and one that, despite how reckless it was, had a very good chance of succeeding.

The very moment the tendril lifted Chres into the air, Karina was able to see him throwing a little pouch at the seed's mouth... The very same pouch of salt that they were given before the fight. Fortunately, Chres' gamble paid off. The salt seemed to have a very strong effect on the seed, which immediately roared, throwing Chres into the ground as it became vulnerable. Vulnerable enough for Chres, despite being heavily wounded due to his previous gamble, approach it enough to get face to face with what once was Lord O'Kal's skull, trying to pry open it's jaw to get to the heart inside it, followed by Týfurkh, who came soon after to help Chres.

Thanks to the coordinated effort of Chres and Týfurkh in opening the skull, Jen had a clear line of sight towards the heart and immediately dashed towards the Seed, holding his staff almost as a spear and using it to pierce the heart with no difficulty, ripping it out of the seed's body afterwards in a brutal and gruesome way.

Karina, who was almost being overwhelmed by the tentacles, suddenly saw them go limp and drop to the ground the very moment Jen's staff pierced one of the remaining hearts, much to her relief. The only tendrils that remained, now seemed to be much more careful of the pactmakers than before and were acting in a much more defensive way as they curled around what was once Nieffar's body, protecting the last hearts it had.

As a last effort to protect the remaining hearts, the seed roared once again, making it's innards contort and twist, bloating it's stomach as it did so and using the intestines to hoist up in the air. Karina watched, alarmed as the stomach suddenly turned it's tip towards them and spat a foul, acid looking liquid. Karina had no time to react before the liquid splashed, hitting Chres' leg and Jen's right shoulder. Chres' screams of pain were enough of a warning to Karina. One clean hit of that acid would probably put them out of combat for good, if not simply kill them.

Unfortunately, due to Chres having already been wounded and now, screaming due to the acid, the seed saw him as the perfect target and took the chance to finish him off for good. Focusing all it's tendrils on Chres, it tried to pierce him, only to be stopped by Chres' heat construct. Definitely the last bit of heat he had with him, judging by it's appearance and how frail it looked compared to the previous ones. Karina knew it wouldn't last forever. She knew that if she didn't do something fast, Chres would die and the chance he bought for them after paying an enormous cost, would be wasted.

With no time to think or ponder, immediately as she heard Chres' shouts for her to take the shot, Karina, which was already extremely exhausted, both physically and with her bodily temperature already dangerously low, gathered the last bits of her energy, making the two remaining blades of ice merge into a single ice spear and shooting it towards the heart with a frightening speed.

"IT'S NOT YOUR TIME YET, CHRES!" Karina shouted as the ice spear flew towards the seed.

If that attack failed, it would be their end. Karina's lips were already blue, her bodily temperature was so low that it was nearing hypothermia and her muscles ached and burned due to exhaustion. All she could do now was hope that their last gamble succeeded.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: Morning
Location: Entrance Hall => Sorian Park
Interactions:
Mentions:

---

It wasn't really a secret that Mayet didn't trust the Grand Vizier, but when he started speaking, outraged by how the king and the queen were treating the issue, she couldn't help but silently agree with him. Whether the Royal Caesonian Family really had something to do with all that and it was all their scheme or if it was someone else, who was merely using that situation to try and undermine both countries' relations, the way Queen Alibeth and King Edin were trying to save face by hiding and silently dealing with what happened was infuriating, to say the least. Their attempts to trivialize the multiple 'issues' that happened since they had arrived in Caesonia was insulting, to say the least.

Even though Mayet said nothing as the Grand Vizier was speaking, her sharp, cold stare was more than enough to send the message that her thoughts were the same as his... Especially when he mentioned her father's overwhelming merciful behavior until now. To hear that Nahir also agreed that a punishment was in order was also refreshing. To have such offenses go unpunished would be to sully Alidasht's honor and name.

With the 'meeting' they had with the King and the Queen nearing it's end after the Sultan's declaration to leave some of his men to aid on the investigation... and undoubtedly to be his eyes and ears regarding the same, Mayet got up as well, getting ready to leave the room before she turned towards the Sultan, the Grand Vizier and her siblings and cousins.

"I have a bad feeling about what's going on in Caesonia... I'll keep my eyes open and my blade sharp until this entire situation is dealt with." Mayet said with a serious tone with a small bow before she walked away.

---

The very moment Mayet got out of the room, Nala gave an annoyed growl, clearly letting Mayet know how she was feeling after spending that entire time they were on the 'meeting' doing absolutely nothing.

"We both deserve some time to relax and calm down... Unfortunately... Due to the recent 'events', it's not a good time to go hunting..." Mayet said, sighing as she gently patted Nala.

"I promise we'll go hunting together once all this is solved... Until then, we'll have to find another things to do." Mayet said with a smile as she looked at Nala.

Fortunately, she knew exactly what they could do. The Sorian Park. It would be a perfect place to lay down in the grass and rest under the sun for a bit with Nala. Especially if it was as empty as it was when Mayet happened to take a glance at it when she arrived on Caesonia.

Unfortunately, Mayet was completely unaware of the event that was currently being held on Sorian Park. Due to that, she was quite surprised when she saw the amount of people at the park and the many tables serving pancakes and even waffles.

With that said, there was still a small saving grace on that situation. Due to the 'pancake bar' event, most of the people who were in the Sorian Park were gathered relatively near the fountain, where the tables were at. Thanks to that, it didn't take much time for Mayet to find a nice, empty clearing near some trees where she and Nala could rest.

Completely unfazed by how much attention she was drawing or even the fact that even the people serving the pancakes stopped doing so to watch her, Mayet simply continued walking just past the fountain, until she found herself on the small clearing she saw earlier.

"This seems to be a nice, quiet spot." Mayet said as she sat down on the grass, with her ring-blade on her lap, followed by Nala, whom laid down just besides Mayet, letting the sun bathe her fur as she stretched herself on the grass.

Despite the fact that many people kept looking at Mayet and Nala from a distance, enthralled by Mayet and Nala's exotic beauty or their imposing presence, few dared get too close from them, either due to the huge tigress laying down on the grass, without a single leash or anything preventing it from jumping and mauling someone or the glint of the blade Mayet carried with her.

Avalia

Time: Night
Location: River Port
Interactions: Astra and Vrexen @FunnyGuy, Alaia @Alivefalling and Maeryn @princess
Mentions:

Myra had been distracted, watching the weird horse that Astra had bought, but the moment she heard Astra and Vrexen talking about their next destination, she stopped 'investigating' (and most probably irritating or unintentionally frightening) the camel to pay attention on what they were saying. With the prospect of a hunt approaching, Vrexen's temper began to flare up once more, which made Myra give a few, cautious glances towards him as they walked. Myra was still a bit confused regarding the reason why they were working so hard to go after and hunt the weird 'hoo-mans', but if both Astra, Vrexen and her new 'companions' wanted to do so, then Myra had little choice but to follow, if she wanted to remain traveling with them.

When Astra mentioned that it would be hard to travel due to the heat, followed shortly by suggesting Vrexen to follow her to a stall, Myra couldn't help but be curious. Was there really something other than violence that Vrexen would be interested in? Especially something that was being sold in a stall? He surely wouldn't be interested in something like the Shiny-spheres Myra got for herself... They were quite comfortable to hold though, since they were always cold to the touch, despite the heat. Curious, Myra took out her shiny-spheres and held them against her cheeks, feeling the cold touch of the metallic surface on her skin as she followed Vrexen and Astra.

---

Time: 2pm
Location: Dugmaghord
Interactions: Rosaria @potter
Mentions: Rosaria @Potter, Slick @FunnyGuy

Much like Rosaria, Nuallán was not only surprised and extremely embarrassed once he heard Slick's reply when he mentioned 'exercising' and after he understood what he meant by that. The shock was so big that almost made Nuallán lose his balance and fall off the horse.

"I-... Please Slick. This is but a huge misunderstanding." Nuallán said, trying to hide his shock and embarrassment by clearing his throat.

"I am merely Lady Rosaria's faithful butler and bodyguard. Her happiness and safety are my sworn duties. I would not dare to occupy such... position." Nuallán said, still trying to hide his reactions, although not as successfully as before, due to the impact of the words Slick had.

While Rosaria's earlier pat did help him to relax a bit, such statement said by Slick only made Nuallán even more conscious of how close he was to her and how outrageous his current actions were for a butler, but at the same time, he feared that if he suggested Rosaria that he should get down and walk, she would be offended and as such, Nuallán resigned himself to simply continue the trip where he was, despite the situation.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: Morning
Location: Her room
Interactions:
Mentions: Callum/Leo @Helo, Roman @ReusableSword, Nahir/Zarai @Rodiak, Wulfric @Silverpaw, Munir @Infinite Cosmos, Farim @Lava Alckon, Saiya/Sultan @Tae, Queen Alibeth/King Edin @princess

---

Mayet watched with sharp eyes as the situation unfolded. One of the princes, Callum, quickly agreed with Mayet's words, only to use them to take all the blame upon himself, supported by King Edin, whom showed himself more and more to be as much of an incompetent idiot and a bumbling fool as Mayet initially thought. Eager to throw his own child to the lions in order to save face, he immediately agreed with Callum, spouting pathetic excuses of how Callum was slow-witted and hit his head as a child.

Leo Smithwood also had an interesting point to add, talking about the 'odd man with a cowlick' who was also present. The description immediately reminded her of Kazu, the same man whom she briefly met in the ball and seemed to be very interested on Nala. Despite the apparent suspicion Leo held towards Kazu, Mayet wasn't really sure that he was capable of something like that...

"Kazu, if my memory serves me right. That man is a simpleton. An amusing one, but far too much of an airhead to be able to scheme something like this." Mayet replied, quickly dismissing Leo's suspicion about Kazu as unfounded.

It was exactly after Mayet said those words that Farim turned towards her, saying she should still respect the King and the Queen, Mayet's stare towards him was truly terrifying. Did he really have the audacity to think that the queen and the king were more important than her? That she, Shehzadi Mayet, owed them respect and courtesy despite how she has been treated? How could someone who was a member of the Alidasht Royal Family act like that, to grovel at their feet as if they were their servants or vassals?! Despite the anger she was feeling, she did make an effort not to raise her voice... At least not too much, especially since the Sultan, despite silently asking for her to calm down with a discreet wave of his hand, did not reprimand her.

"Don't you dare saying that I owe them unconditional respect, despite how they treat me! I am not their vassal or their servant! I am Shehzadi Mayet Kadir and I demand to be treated with the respect I deserve as a member of the Alidasht Royalty!" Mayet said as she turned towards Farim. Her voice bursting with anger.

"Besides... There were already countless attempts to poison members of the Alidasht Royal Family and all of them were dealt with swiftly. The fact that we do not remember anything that happened last night would be enough to warrant the execution of every single person who was directly responsible for the party and the drinks if we were in Alidasht." She finished, almost hissing at Farim.

Unfortunately for Farim, not only he did incur Mayet's wrath, but by trying to use Esrin, the Sultan's late wife and her mother, to manipulate the Sultan, would quickly show Farim that her father's patience wasn't infinite.

Mayet simply looked to Farim once she heard him saying that. Despite not saying anything, the icy glare she sent Farim when he tried to use her mother's name to manipulate the Sultan was truly frightening, enough to send a shiver down one's spine and definitely way worse than anything she could have said. Especially if one knew Mayet and knew very well she did not bluff or make empty threats.

Fortunately, despite Farim's words and the game the Queen was trying to play with them, the Sultan wasn't a fool and seemed to be as aware of what was going on as Mayet was. As soon as the Sultan began speaking, Mayet knew that even his almost infinite patience was starting to run out and he wouldn't tolerate being made a fool of.

"No, father. He wasn't the one who-" Mayet began saying, only to be interrupted by no one other than Anastasia, the one who probably had the worse alibi between all caesonian nobles.

In a flurry of words, Anastasia quickly shattered any plan the queen might have of pushing all that situation under the rug or blaming someone else. While it was somewhat amusing to see Queen Alibeth's expression changing as her plans and schemes were shattered by her own daughter and King Edin's desperation, Mayet was more focused on Anastasia...

She knew exactly who was the one who organized the party and yet, she refused to say. Foolish as she was, it was incredibly likely that she was simply used by this person. And despite everything, she still somehow thought he was innocent. Regardless, Anastasia's words made it impossible for the Queen to try and avoid taking responsibility for what was going on in her kingdom.

Mayet's stare towards Anastasia was piercing. Even though Mayet knew Anastasia was incredibly unlikely to be directly responsible for the party, she knew she was trying to protect someone who was, unaware that she was being used by them.

Before any other questions could be made though, King Edin, by the first time since the meeting had started, did something by himself and immediately ordered the guards to escort Anastasia to her room before Queen Alibeth made a rather daring move, asking for some time to order her thoughts.

Despite her almost murderous aura, which she made no effort to hide, Mayet simply stood quiet as Queen Alibeth proposed for the meeting to be adjourned and Wulfric assured them that they would investigate the issue.

"That girl is being used. She doesn't even have the capacity to lie. Let alone to scheme something." Mayet said in a low tone, both to the Sultan, her siblings and her cousins.

The Friestan Incident, a Fantasy Sci-Fi Fusion RP

---

Unsurprisingly, the fight was over in a heartbeat, especially since most of the members of their group were either experienced adventurers, like Srikandi, powerful mages or experienced fighters. Catherine was a bit surprised seeing Garrett and his team fighting though. Not only their techniques were quite interesting, but they displayed a high level of coordination between themselves.

"At least that was a good way to blow off some steam." Catherine said with a chuckle.

When she heard Almira mentioning her interest for her healing potions and even considering buying the recipe, Catherine couldn't help but let out a smirk as she turned towards Almira.

"In my line of work, information is more valuable than any coin..." Catheirine said with a mischievous smirk, clearly suggesting that she would be more interested in their knowledge than their coin.

Unfortunately, Catherine's little 'negotiation' would have to wait, as in that very moment, the guards arrived, undoubtedly alerted by the confusion and noise.

Catherine herself already had some... previous meetings of that same sort and most of the times, even when she was technically in her rights, things didn't end up going as smoothly as they should've. This time though, she wasn't alone and the advantages of traveling with such famous and illustrious figures like the Ksatria Naga and Anki, one of the so called 'Living Dolls' and a princesses of the kingdom of Oberia, were quickly made clear once the guards almost immediately dismissed the entire issue the moment they laid their eyes on them and let them go to the city hall.

At the City Hall, the group briefly met the Mayor, who seemed, for some reason, be quite relieved once they arrived. The reason for his reaction soon became evident as he delivered them a letter with a very ominous black seal stamped on it. Even before Srikandi opened the letter, Catherine already knew that it definitely wasn't anything good. There was only one person that used such ominous seal... The dark lord.

When Srikandi told them the contents of the letter, Catherine let out a loud sigh. The politics behind each kingdom wanting to use any possible advantage the meteor might bring to further empower their nation was already problematic enough but now that the Dark Lord clearly stated his interest on the meteor, the situation would become even worse.

"Great... If the whole political competition between nations wasn't already exhausting enough..." Catherine said, shaking her head once Srikandi finished saying what was going on.

"Compensation is always good but... Dealing with the Dark Lord is always incredibly problematic..." Catherine said as she looked towards Srikandi and to Garrett, partially answering his question regarding if the 'Dark Lord' was really a big deal.

"As long as this issue doesn't escalate to the point it will begin getting problematic, I can tag along." Catherine replied to Srikandi and Anki, stating she would be joining them.

Avalia

Time: 2pm
Location: Dugmaghord
Interactions: Rosaria @potter, Slick @FunnyGuy

---

As Nuallán sat down behind Rosaria, he couldn't help but feeling that what he was doing was something no butler should ever do. Especially not a butler from the Varnion lineage, which were praised as the best among the best. Such feeling of guilt only made the ride even more awkward for Nuallán. Even though he did care for her a lot, it was the first time since Nuallán became Rosaria's butler that he found himself so close to her. He didn't know how he should act, what he should do or even if he had the right of being so close to her, after all, he had no doubts that what he was doing would be considered both a shameful and disgraceful conduct for a Varnion butler. Despite all that, it was undeniable that it was... comforting being close to someone whom he deeply cared for and admired. Someone who was able to be so strong and tenacious, but at the same time, so kind.

Fortunately, the awkward silence between him and Rosaria was soon broken by Slick, who asked Rosaria how the life of someone of her status was. As Rosaria began replying, the moment she said that without her title, she was just an expendable light elf, Nuallán politely interrupted her by clearing his throat.

"Princess Rosaria, forgive my interruption, but... I find it hard to believe that someone so strong, determined and at the same time, so incredibly kind could be considered 'expendable'." Nuallán said. The tone of his voice, despite being slightly playful, made it clear that he wasn't saying such things just to flatter her.

"Despite carrying such an incredibly heavy burden and an immense responsibility, you still persevere. Selfless, kind, strong and determined. Someone who is willing to take the weight of the entire world on their shoulders, if it means protecting their people and those whom you love." Nuallán finished, with a kind, warm smile, which remained on his face for a brief moment, until he realized that he was still, incredibly close from Rosaria, which made him immediately lower his head in a polite bow, hiding his embarrassment under the guise of respectfulness and professionalism.

When Rosaria turned over, asking if they would be able to see him 'unleashed' on the way back, Nuallán smiled as she winked and turned forward again.

"Some exercise would be a perfect way to... relax a bit." He said with a chuckle. Coincidentally, Rosaria would quickly notice how rigid and tense Nuallán's body and muscles were, betraying the nervousness he was feeling under the composed and professional mask he wore.

The Hunt, A Modern Fantasy Smorgasbord RP

^{Interactions: Amanda @Kumbaris, Micheal Crane @BigPapaBelial, Scarlet @AWACS}

---

Faye heard Alexeya's warnings about not overexerting herself for the next few days, silently replying with a nod of her head. While she was definitely more relaxed than she was upon she first met Alexeya, it was still quite clear that Faye still had a very respectful attitude near the woman.

"Thank you, Madam Alexeya." Faye said, nodding her head.

With the small medical checkup done, Amanda told Faye and Scarlet to rest for a moment before reuniting with the rest of the group to ask them a question.

"Thank you, Amanda. I'm already beginning to feel better. I'm sure I'll be fine after a short rest." Faye said with a smile before she turned to Scarlet.

"And Scarlet... Thanks a lot for having our back." Faye said with a smile as she turned to Scarlet, who was also resting in the same room as her.

After about thirty minutes, just as Amanda had told her previously, they were all reunited on her own bedroom. Faye was expecting to be very cramped when she heard where they were going to talk, but due to the ample size, it was able to house her, Michael and Scarlet without any problem.

The first thing Amanda had to tell them were words of praise, given their quick thinking and their performance when facing a situation as dangerous as the one they were in. Just after that though, Amanda told them some very, very concerning news. Faye had already thought about it earlier and she was sure Micheal and Scarlet also had wondered about it, but the moment Amanda mentioned they had traitors among the OMR agents, their fears were confirmed.

"That would explain a lot about how they were able to find and corner us so easily!" Faye said, surprised.

While dealing with a possible informant inside the OMR headquarters was obviously something urgent, as it was definitely a huge security issue, Amanda also mentioned on how whoever was responsible for the warehouse certainly knew that the OMR was after them and if the team wasn't quick to go after them, they would certainly have enough time to erase their tracks.

"Having an informant inside the OMR is a huge risk... We would be walking on the knife's edge if we decided to go investigating the portals while knowing there is a traitor around... But at the same time, we have no doubts that, whoever is behind all the weapons is already aware of us. Whoever ordered those people to attack us might even be part of the same group!" Faye said, thinking as she looked around to Amanda, Scarlet and Micheal.

"I don't know much about how the OMR works nor I have experience as an agent but... this all looks like there's someone inside the OMR who has their hands on this weapons smuggling business. If we're intending to go investigating the portal, we might have to cut all communication and contact with the OMR headquarters for a while... Both to prevent information from leaking and in order for us to be able to act without interference... right?" Faye asked, looking around, almost as if she was gauging if her plan was a good one or not, based on the others' reactions.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: Morning
Location: Her room
Interactions:
Mentions: Callum/Leo @Helo, Roman @ReusableSword, Nahir/Zarai @Rodiak, Wulfric @Silverpaw, Munir @Infinite Cosmos, Farim @Lava Alckon, Saiya/Sultan @Tae, Queen Alibeth/King Edin @princess

---

Back in Alidasht, Mayet was infamous for being incredibly hard to deal with once she was in a bad mood or when she was angry. As such, most of the Alidasht guards and servants knew better than to stand in her way as she made her way to the meeting room, after being summoned by the Sultan Raif Kadir and the Queen Alibeth. Fortunately, after the first, icy-cold stare she gave to one of the guards, which tried to say that she couldn't take Nala or her blade with her, the nearby guards understood the message loud and clear.

Inside the meeting room, Mayet's anger was almost palpable. The heavy aura around her and Nala were enough to drive most people to sit far away from her, with the exception of her siblings and cousins. Queen Alibeth's calculated speech showed itself to be completely ineffective against Mayet, whom, instead, only grew further displeased by her speech, something which she made no effort to hide.

"It's been only a day since the Alidasht Royal Family arrived in Caesonia... And not only we were already insulted a number of times but there was even an attempt to poison or intoxicate us... All in a single day. Too much to be just a mere coincidence... And now you are saying we won't be allowed to come and go as we please, after what was basically an interrogation session?" Mayet said with a dangerously low tone and a raised eyebrow as she looked to Queen Alibeth, with Nala growling in a similarly menacing tone as she spoke. Discerning which one was more menacing between Mayet's tone and the tigress' growl was impossible.

"Do not expect me to just stay silent and tolerate seeing my dear siblings and cousins humiliated and our kingdom disrespected." Mayet said, with both her eyes, her tone of voice and the fact that she had not only Nala, but her blade with her, sending a clear warning to those at the room.

Her glance towards the Sultan after she said so was a clear indication of how unsatisfied she was with how passive he had been thus far, regarding the many times they were offended and nothing was done.

When Queen Alibeth brought the stable boy to the room, saying he would be the one to die to pay for his 'crimes', Mayet frowned. Using a random nobody as a scapegoat, to take the blame for an incident that could only have been orchestrated by someone with power and influence... Was that just an attempt to save face or she really did expect them to just believe that all would be fine and solved once that stable boy died?

"All these... 'Incidents'... Both related to the Alidasht Royal family and other high standing nobles... These doesn't seem to be just a coincidence..." Mayet said, with a very sharp, gaze as she looked towards the Queen.

"And definitely, not something a random stable boy, who lacks power, influence and contacts could orchestrate by himself..." Mayet said, with sharp eyes.

Despite not saying much about the matter, her thoughts about the situation were clear to anyone who paid even a little bit of attention to her words. She was suspicious that someone was trying to use their presence on Caesonia to provoke the factions and create a diplomatic incident. Something which could greatly hinder the relationship between all kingdoms involved or maybe even throw the kingdoms into a war...

It didn't take long until King Edin appear bursting through the door, in quite a pathetic display as he tried mumbling about saying something on behalf of someone. Such a pitiful display only made Mayet even more certain that if there was someone who was capable of using political schemes to try and make a fool of Alidasht, it would be the Queen.

Even though Wulfric was someone who did attract Mayet's interest, the moment he started speaking and looking around as he asked if someone knew something about the event organizer, he would find Mayet staring back at him with a cold, piercing stare, should his gaze extend to her as well. A clear warning that she did not appreciate being interrogated like that.

"If I knew something about the owner of that party, I wouldn't be sitting here. By now... Their blood would already be on my blade and I would already have some of answers I seek." Mayet replied with a cold gaze, her tone was a clear warning that she wasn't bluffing.

The Five Senses

Karina Frost

---

Týfurkh's bolt bolt pierced one of the larger tentacles effortlessly, ripping out the heart which was hidden inside it. The Seed immediattely reacted to the attack, roaring, saying that it couldn't die.

"It's working!" Karina said as she deflected another tentacle, which flew directly towards her abdomen, trying to stab her.

With Týfurkh having dealt a strong blow, ripping one of it's hearts out of it's body, the Seed almost immediately had turned it's attention towards him, sending a frightening number of smaller tentacles to attack Týfurkh.

While Chres was able to block the smaller tentacles by creating a heat construct, the Seed was quickly able to find another way to attack them, by pulling it's roots and causing the roof to collapse on top of them. Fortunately, both Chres and Týfurkh were able to escape from the collapsing roof without any serious injuries.

Karina, which was using all her ice blades and her rapier to try and keep the smaller tentacles at bay, saw herself forced to move closer to Chres and Týfurkh to give them some time to recover as both Jen and Sil called out to her.

"Dammit! I'm trying!" Karina said, jumping back in the very moment three of the smaller tentacles tried to stab her once again, before sending two of her ice blades flying to the ground, just in front of Chres, Týfurkh and the soldiers which were being attacked. The moment the ice blades hit the ground, they would shatter and explode, forming a wall of ice in front of them. While it would definitely not hold on for too long against the seed's tentacles, it would still give them a precious few seconds to recover and reposition.

"Conserve your energy! If we get exhausted, it's over!" Karina shouted as she dashed towards the group, putting herself in front of the wall of ice she had created trying to keep enough of the smaller tentacles focused on her and stopping their attacks.

"The smaller tentacles regenerate! It's useless to cut them down! We have to aim for the hearts!" Karina shouted.

She knew that the combat against the seed was a battle against time. Their energy and stamina wasn't infinite and they would definitely tire earlier than the seed.

Avalia

Time: 2pm
Location: Dugmaghord
Interactions: Rosaria @potter
Mentions: Aurora @Mole, Caelan @Alivefalling, Kuroi @hide on mana, Leaf @Helo, Sophie, Mikazuki @princess, Nuallán @13org, Jomari @baraquiel and Slick @FunnyGuy

---

"If I couldn't, I wouldn't be a very good butler now, would I?" Nuallán said, with a playful smirk as he heard Rosaria replying to his jest.

When Rosaria approached, gently patting his cheek Nuallán let out a soft, warm smile, leaning against her hand as she did so.

"As long as you are safe and happy, as long as I can see your kind smile, I am more than satisfied." He said with a sweet smile before they went to where Slick was.

As Rosaria asked if anyone else was coming, Nuallán couldn't help but notice how Sophie seemed to be relaxed and comfortable around children as she drew them, being able to deal even with Orcish children, despite how fierce they were, similar to their parents. At first, Nuallán thought that Alette, the little pixie that had began accompanying Sophie, would prove to be a bit too much for her to handle, due to how mischievous and full of energy pixies normally were, but he was surprised to see that as the days passed, both of them became even closer and friendlier than he had expected. It seemed like small Alette's energy was very contagious, affecting even the quiet Sophie herself.

As Aurora replied to Slick, blushing heavily before mentioning she would prefer staying, Nuallán couldn't help but to wonder if Aurora would prefer going hunting with Slick if they were alone instead of being accompanied by the Princess and her butler. The way they had been acting around each other, it would be no surprise if Aurora had began nurturing some feelings herself towards Slick, just as he did for her.

As Rosaria mounted her horse, ready to go hunting, Nuallán, who was, as always, close nearby, was caught by surprise as Rosaria asked if he wanted to get up on the horse with her. He had already an answer in mind, should someone asked him if he wasn't going to take a horse and if he would be able to keep up with both Rosaria and Slick, but he definitely wasn't ready for Rosaria's words.

"K-Keep lookout, yes..." Nuallán said, cleaning his throat, trying to hide his embarrassment and struggling to answer as he accepted Rosaria's hand, getting up on the horse with her, gently patting Sugar as he did so.