Fox of Spades

Pirate Age

The Garden

"That sounds like a solid plan," while Kai took the lead, Nolan trailed behind the King and Queen, his rifle clutched tightly between his hands.

Things went rather smoothly at first, and he turned to whisper something at Haru. "You be careful out there, okay? We'll make sure to watch over them, you can trust us, especially Kai." The garden was beautiful and it was a shame that pirates were looting the place. Had the situation been more favorable, he would have asked the queen about those specific purple flowers.

Since his parents owned a vineyard, Nolan was no stranger to plants and flowers. His mother and Annie would have liked these as well. Maybe if they succeeded, he'd ask the Queen if he could perhaps buy a few. Wait, wait, the pirate shook his head. They needed to focus on more important matters at the moment. "The shed is on the other side of the garden, if we can get them there quietly, we should be in the clear...oh gosh!" Before he could say more the queen let out a yell and gave away their position.

Uhhh, he felt like turning into a puddle, so much for avoiding conflict.

"Your highness!" Nolan leaped in front of the queen. "Stay behind us," Nolan didn't exactly feel confident, but Kai was with him and the master pirate knew how to handle almost anything. As the group rushed towards them, he put on a steely face.

He wasn't going to let Kai do all the work. Nolan gritted his teeth and took aim. He manage to shoot one of the pirates in the knee and the man crumpled to the ground, a string of yells and curses leaving his lips as he did so. There was no time to feel sorry and when another pirate rushed towards the king and queen, Nolan shot them in the shoulder and sent them falling onto their back. Kai easily took care of the rest.

"T-That was intense," the cook spun around. "Are you both okay?" He eyed the king and queen up and down, looking for any injuries. They seemed fine, so he led them towards a garden shed. "We might need to leave you hear, we're really sorry. Please lock the door and don't come out." He bowed quickly, "we'll try to resolve this as soon as we can and with this fella over here." He tapped Kai on the back, "we'll be sure to be done with it in no time."

Ahhhh! He didn't even feel that confident but he had to pretend because he didn't want to scare them. "What's next on our list Kai?"

Pirate Age

The combat was just superb, dang, I need more games like that in my life *w*

I'm going to get started on a post, it'll be up in an hour or two. Which part of the game did you reach? :D

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

“They were...beautiful...like flowers.“

A small smile tugged on the corners of Leon's lips. "Yeah," he couldn't put a finger on it, but listening to the others talk about home, it left him feeling empty. He wanted nothing to do with his father, his brother, or their company. But he missed home, missed the concept of time and birthdays. "They were really pretty," the boy sounded sad, but he turned to look at the guides. "Like watching all the colors collide, almost like an explosive rainbow," by this point he was staring at Lesley with a faint smile.

Rainbow mages, heh, perhaps he had seen it all.

Leon didn't want to admit it, but he was just as homesick as everyone else.

Martini promised to get them back home and while a part of him was thankful for the comforting words, a part of him didn't believe her. They had been told the same thing since the very beginning, but where were the other humans now? Well, they were dead and they wouldn't be going home. Leon stared at his feet, his own question had pretty much left a depressing weight on his shoulders. The young man could hear Jasper announcing something cheerfully, but it sounded like a dull buzz in his ears.

"Y'know bear, that could actually be bad news." Hakuren stood beside Songbird with a smug smile. "For all we know, the witch has already roasted the poor rider. If they were here, you think we'd at least hear them? This place is pretty small."

Yes, Hakuren was his friend, but none of them needed his negativity, especially at this moment.

Leon would have said something, but the next thing that happened was unexpected. Lesley began lashing out and at Martini too. "Lesley..." he wanted so much to rush to the mermaid's defense, but everything his friend was saying was true.

A magical train that lured humans away from their own realm. They were tricked into joining some deadly scavenger hunt and it made him angry. Stop, she's helped us the entire time...they all have. He kept his eyes on the floor and clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white.

"Lesley!" Riley yelled out, eyebrows furrowed in concern. "She risked her life for you!" The fire mage couldn't believe what was happening. They had been through hell and back, they had defeated the witch and now they were turning against each other?

Harper was now facing Lesley. "Well," he looked uncertain, "they could have left us long ago, but they didn't."

"Yeah," Hakuren sneered, "well, this is a job to them." He gestured at the guides, looking amused.

Harper took a step towards the ice mage. He really wanted to punch Hakuren in the face.

"J-O-B, they're being paid to babysit." A laugh left his throat. "If they just left us, the queen would fire the--!" The ice mage staggered back, he had a hand pressed to his cheek. Harper had actually punched him in the face? Well, well, wasn't he crawling out of his shell. Hakuren stared at the boy, Harper's shoulders were practically shaking.

"This is just a game to you," Harper lowered his fist, this was the first time he had ever punched anyone in the face and it left him feeling guilty. After hearing everyone's stories, his resolve had been strengthened, but then Haku just had to make fun of everything. "It isn't to us!"

"Doesn't change the fact that we've been duped into coming here." Hakuren was impressed, "we'll probably die before we know it."

Harper scowled, this was the angriest he had ever been at Haku. "Well, it doesn't help that you're being a pessimistic jerk!"

Leon couldn't take this. No, he refused to die in some hellhole. He refused to die in this disgusting and filthy place. Something inside the boy just snapped and soon he grabbed Songbird by the collar of his shirt. "Hakuren has a point," his voice was frantic. "Just how many humans have died here?" He was repeating Lesley, "how many batches have come and gone?" The boy's eyes went steely. "You've seen this happen all before, but you don't care, do you? Because to all of you, we're just another batch, just another casualty! Vince is dead, but it doesn't really mean anything but a drop in your paycheck, isn't the right?"

The words he had uttered left a bad taste in his mouth, but he was just too scared, so like Lesley, Leon took it out on the guides.

The Legend of Heroes: Tales of the World

All of this has defo been a awesome <3

Lol, that armor looks so hard to move around in. Also, wouldn't Josette end up killing the child D8?

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

Yeah, having our old posts would have been great. I loved how everyone handled their train scenes ;A; now they're lost forever! And Songbird's entrance with his cart, ahaha. Plus that time when Jasper took a bite out of a donut nobody was golden! The elevator inside the beanstalk was fun to write too. OTL, we lost our happy, whimsical moments.

*Mourns* We lost around a 100 + posts.

No worries Thunder, soon enough Toby and Ran will be tortured lovingly :) and you'll understand~! Soon, very soon. AHAHAHA.

Also Anon, love the setup! Because of it we came up with a couple of plans. I'm going to post again with Leon and Haku today. MUG can post whenever, he'll be a tad busy till August 6th-ish, I think, but I hope he'll be able to get a post up before tomorrow :D

The next move-along-posts are going to be collabs so they might take awhile since I think Kathi is kind of busy too, but we'll aim to have 'em up by tomorrow. Kei-chan and Kathi-chan will get a collab up with the guides or they can post individually if they prefer, then I'll follow with a move-along-post/collab with Kei-chan for moving the scene forward. Thanks for giving us a ton of fun stuff to work with guys <3

I hope you're all enjoying the mornight :D!

Edit: Posted, hope you guys don't mind the drama xD! Ehehe, it was pretty fun to write. Feel free to get reaction posts up, just remember that we're putting an end to this scene and ushering them along by tomorrow~

Pirate Age

I'll have a post up in a couple of hours :)! Best of luck with your busy days, captain.

Banba, for some reason these guys really remind me of Voltaire. Haha, I like aim for the head *w* hey, hey, are you a fan of zombie games? If so, have you played The Last of Us? It was just amazing!

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

Those llamas are cuties :3

And d'awww, you guys are so sweet ;A;! I'm really, really glad you've been enjoying the train ride so far. *Hugs*

Seriously guys, you're all awesome at bringing in the feels.

Leila said “...Soldiers are always okay.”

Leila said These people, though - like dead petals piled near the bottom of a broken flower pot - were to be considered beautiful.

Leila is so adorable, she makes me think of a little kid who believes in fairy tales. Yet, a part of her (like Ace) seems so sad and broken-ish, I don't know why, but I want to pull all of them into a big hug. GROUP HUG NOW!

---

Oh and guys, I love how the characters have been growing. I wish I still had the old posts so we could look at how much they've changed.

+Jasper is a lot more confident now than she was before, she's really growing into a strong, dependable, and caring person. In the past, challenges and interacting pretty much turned her into a puddle xD but now she's saving lives.

+Leila didn't care about the others in the past and was mostly stuck in her own little world, but now she's warming up to her fellow humans. Seeing her step out of her comfort zone and reach out more, it's really sweet. <3

+Ace is practically their candle. She's helped so many people soldier on and Harper and Jasper obviously admire her bravery. She's also grown protective of the other lost souls and I really love how that's turning out.

+Lesley is treating Inadi less like a love interest and more like a teammate he really holds dear. Plus, he's grown more understanding of Jasper, and like Ace, he's one of the more colorful people who keep them going. He's also grown to be a protector of sorts in the group.

+Inadi used to be a big worrywart who had difficulty accepting things and going with the flow. If I remember right, he was always fretting about things, but now, he's gotten a lot braver and is way more outgoing than he used to be. Seeing him all fired up is fun and he's grown into someone who always has their teammate's backs.

+ The guides: I love how the humans have been kind of starting to doubt them, the dynamics are pretty interesting. Martini, Brandy, and Songbird have done nothing but risk their lives for these humans so I wanna see how this plays out. Plus, I love the relationship between Martini and Lesley, it's just so cute >w<! And Songbird has quite a few fans already ;) *cough* Jasper and Leila *cough*

*Claps* I'm sorry about how psyched I've been lately, but you guys have just been amazinggggg! I can't, just wow. I'm so excited for when Ryver and Thunder hop in. They'll be great additions to the team and I can't wait to see them become a part of this dysfunctional family.

The Legend of Heroes: Tales of the World

Academy of the Arts: Central Section

"Woah, woah!" Tobias was on the ground, and some lady who obviously wasn't the masked phantom now had his rapier in her hands.

A part of him thought about tackling the woman but he ended up scrambling back in shock. However, before the woman could do anything, she threw a banner over Amy and ran off. "Uh, yeah! That's right, you better run. I can summon man-eating bears!" He had been expecting her to attack them, she had the element of surprise and everything so why did she end up running away? It was kind of strange.

Estelle rushed up to them and he tried to help her free Amy from the banner. But the cleric handled it on her own and pretty much sliced through it with her whip. It was like watching someone use a cleaver on a slice of butter and it made him laugh a little.

"Hey leader, I'm fine thanks to Amy!" He looked a little out of it, but the grinned widely all the same. Another warm glow surrounded him and in response he tapped her thankfully on the back. "I feel a whooole lot better. Roger, roger, one summon coming right up." Lucien puffed out his chest, if they were counting on him then he couldn't let his friends down. "One of you will probably have to drag me along though." He pulled out a card with a cat picture on it. The man bit down on a finger and pressed it onto the card.

There was a puff of smoke, followed by a throaty purr. The summoner's eyes went blank and a cat launched itself down the hall. It noticed the outline of a person, coiled itself up like a spring then leaped forward with an angry hiss. She wouldn't get away that easily.

---

Academy of the Arts: Northern Sector (Performance Hall)

Dylan was all business-like and Xan stood back as the matter artist began to speak.

The thief didn't look like he was about to give them the needed information soon, not even when Aria threw her threats at him. He looked at her friend with uneasiness in his eyes, but aside from that they didn't get any information. Well, until he told them their numbers. It turned out there were five of them, four more than they had been expecting. She nodded her head before their communicator crackled to life.

Xan took a step towards the cage and it took all of her self-control to stop herself from smacking him upside the head.

If any of her friends got hurt--the metallurgist scowled. "So Jay," she narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you and your friends after? A sculpture, or perhaps a painting?" As if he'd answer that. She wasn't wasting any more time. Xan turned to look at Marcus, "should we split up and send some back up Syed and Moira's way?" She didn't like the sound of Angel's call and the sooner they got to their friends the better.

---

The Academy of the Arts - Southern Section

Ughh, was she going to crush him? Fabian let out a relieved sigh when the vines around him eased their grip.

He had messed up big time. The masked phantom wouldn't be proud and it made his heart sink a little, knowing that he had failed his friends. Why, why couldn't he be as good and capable as the rest of them. He screwed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth. So much for wanting to be just like the masked phantom. He hadn't even managed to drop his charge, what a failure.

One of the grownups began muttering something about questions.

Well, cuss it! He wasn't telling them anything. The masked phantom was the one who plucked him off the streets and he sure as cuss wasn't going to let anything spill. The thieves were the closest thing to family he had.

The boy decided to keep his mouth shut, but as soon as he had reached that decision, the girl began messing with his stuff.

"What the cuss are you doing?" Despite being on the ground, he turned his head to give her the scariest glare he could muster. "That's stealing you runt!" Funny, considering he was a thief and only a couple of inches taller than the girl who was messing with his gadgets. "Oi, those are mine and I'm not cussing telling you anything about the masked phantom! You'll have to pry that info from my cold dead body!" The boy was so frustrated that he had turned as red as an apple.

"Fabi, where are you? I'm heading over."

The boy calmed down a little, he yanked his free arm out of Trixie's hold then pressed the button on the side of his mask. "Southern sectio--" it was all he managed to say before one of the vines restrained his arm. "Ooh. just you wait! You're all in trouble now." Aside from the masked phantom, Miffy was one of the few adults Fabian enjoyed being around and strove to be like. Next to Gabriel, he was the coolest person ever.

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

Pfft, taste tester, as if. *smacks Kei-chan to the moon*

Both you and Kathi-chan have been an immense help (>w<)/ and I can't thank the two of you enough for all the ideas, collabs, and brainstorming sessions. Planning with you guys has been so much fun and many of the possible routes we have cooked up wouldn't be complete without those chapter discussions and evil ideas route planning.

D'aaww, I'm really glad you've been enjoying the ride so far, Anon. That means a lot, and I'd like to thank all of you for sticking with us. The train wouldn't be the train without each of you, and it wouldn't be chugging along without the time and dedication you guys have given. Seriously, this chapter has just been a joy. You've all been really consistent and just wonderful (^w^)/ so thank you very much.

I'm really excited for the future as well. We've still got seven chapters to go, so let's give this our all and may we reach the good end!

Though I'm fine with the bad and worst end too 8D, just so you know.

To suffering, blood, tears, and avocado shakes!

:P Looking forward to it Four and dang, Jasper is all meek and innocent, but secretly, Kimchi is planning to give her a harem.

The Legend of Heroes: Tales of the World

Haven't see the ABC's of death 8D but I will look it up.

AHAHAHAHA, I just noticed S is for Susan, sorry Buns xD! And K is for Kei-chan, Rex, and Kathi :P

If no one minds, I'll call the next post :D

Edit: Posted :D