Izurich

SPIRITUM

--Rassvet - Tanker Crash Site--

Through the combined efforts of Morden, Silje, and Justice, the Barghests had managed to triumph over even the titanic broodmother of the pack... and keep everyone alive in the process, what? Justice's barrier wasn't there just to look pretty. Nevertheless, it was finally over-... it better be over, there was no higher purpose in combating wildlife, an unnecessary risk and waste of effort from the nation's first line of defense.

"Haaa..." After confirming there were no other burrowers nearby, Valerie slightly relaxed as she disengaged her powers, the purple veins fading away from Haylel's surface as the weapon's hum and glow ceased, leaving only the faint trail of mist vapors wisping out of its barrel. However, just as a precaution, she didn't stow away the bulky mistarm yet, instead keeping it on her person as she approached Gerard’s location.

"..." The white-haired WARDEN observed in inquisitive silence as the "civilian" started prattling on and on, being overly animated even though he was (mostly) fine. Oh please, for the love of the Earthmother, they didn't need another Silje in the team. Though apparently, Ivan here was closely acquainted with one of them, and oddly, it's not the battlemage, but instead...

"Care to enlighten us about this jackass, Kali?"

During the commotion, the tallest white-haired personnel among them did say something along the lines of 'mission-critical' and 'needing him alive', but the question still remained, why?

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

--Mizutani Mansion - Interior--

So, now that the rat had given what the cat wanted, there should be absolutely no reason to keep her alive anymore, yes? Between her inner turmoil enticing her to succumb to her most violent desires in her zealous pursuit to "make everything right" and Tane simply being an insufferable scum who attempted to besmirch Ciradyl's name, Eve was this close to launching a stone spike into the crime lord's skull so they could all be done with it. Fortunately, Miina had the same idea and at last fulfilled their primary objective.

Care not to forget to remove the head for Captain Bikke. ...is what she'd say, but with Izayoi around, it'd be a redundant affair, something her aching head couldn't handle right now.

As for the matters of Ciradyl's “betrayal”, some of the Kirins might be shocked or stupefied by this... so-called revelation, but Eve? Honestly, she expected it, as in, Ciradyl was a spy masquerading as a bard, and as proven time and time again, she was a damned fine one, to the point that the people she had infiltrated truly believed she was one of them, including Mizutani herself. Speaking of, as far as the late crime lord was concerned, she was being truthful; in her eyes, her beloved 'Cici' had truly turned on her, which goes to show just how competent the Faye was at her job.

However, were those real tears coming from the Bard's eyes? They seemed to be. Hmmm... there was only one reasonable hypothesis for this: the emotional catharsis from finally being able to cut off the head of the snake who had been constricting the innocent for so long must be... overwhelming.

She's so deep undercover that even she herself feels like she had just betrayed her former employer... I don't envy her.

Whatever, they'd sort this all out back at Hien's place, Eve was sure of it.

--Kugane - Safehouse--

"Ugh..." Seated next to the SEED agent, the Pseudolon couldn't help but to roll her eyes at the commotion raised by Arton, and then to make matters worse, Ciradyl was enabling his baseless accusations, what was she up to? Hien had been rescued and Mizutani was slain, there was no need to maintain the masquerade, at least not to the Kirins. When the Skaellan swordsman demolished the perfectly functional table, "Uuuurgh..." another - longer and more exasperated - groan left Eve's throat, a figurative trail of wisp-like ether floating up from her slightly ajar lips, Now she couldn't even bury her forehead into the surface, indeed, he better be sorry...

... ... ...

See? She knew it, she also knew that Esben would be able to see the truth where others couldn't; he's a spy too after all, he should be aware of the nitty gritty details of the world of espionage. While Eve had experience of blending into the crowd and not attracting attention, she had nothing against these agents of subterfuge, who could falsify even their very identity, all to accomplish their missions.

Esben's detailed and rational deliberation, backed by official documents and confirmations from Izayoi, couldn't come any sooner. Finally, it'd push even these hysterical braggarts to see the truth, that Ciradyl had sacrificed her identity and even conscience, all to ensure her people's survival, the good people, those who deserved to live, and culling those who - like Tane - were essentially parasites.

"You owe us a table, Arton..." Eve murmured, uncaring if she was too quiet to be heard, but didn't care if she wasn't either.

ArrowFell: The Wizard Queen's Court

--Athroyeaux Castle - Throne Room--

@Estylwen @LunarParadox @ERode @Click This @Irradiant

Oh, so the Ghost King wasn't truly defenseless after all? Granted, while he was full of hubris, he was no fool, of course he'd employ some sort of self-defense measures, especially when addressing strangers of unknown allegiances. Still, even as the red sigil spawned and worked its magic, Kronos made full use of Melisande's talents and its own mastery over the domain of space-time to analyze as much of the runes as it could, it might prove useful, know one's enemy as much as one could.

Seemingly heedless to the arrival of the spectral mages, "Heh... ehehehe.... hahahahahahahaha...!" Melisande's shadow continued cackling as if it was witnessing the most amusing show in the world. In fact, it was a mixture of humor and annoyance that made it so... rousing. Those words coming from the so-called 'Ghost King', empty claims and boasts, finally revealing his despicable nature after his facade of diplomacy utterly failed against them. Oh, so he wished to play the ominous shadowy figure, did he? Well... two can play that game.

The Lilim's shadow ebbed and flowed on its own as it loomed its head near Lamont's ghostly ears, then it whispered, its words piercing straight into his undead soul, "Mark my words, Petty King of False-Shades," Kronos chuckled lowly, "The next time we meet, I shall show you what it means to face against a true shadeborne, when I take your rotten souls, drag you and your people - kicking and screaming - into the Shade... oh, your wails of agony shall be symphony to us..."

If Lamont took its words to heart, then good, let him marinate in fear, but if he dismissed them, then even better, Kronos would prefer if its prey could fight back, it'd make their fall all the sweeter.

With one final chuckle, the Simulacrum vanished from the throne room along with the others, but it was nowhere to be found at their supposed destination, it had truly evaporated into thin air...
..........
......
...

"Ah, Kronos, you've returned. How was the summon?"

"Indeed I have, heheheh... and I can't believe I'd ever say this, but, Feyling, you mortals can be interesting after all..."

... ... ...

"So I see... then we may have a mutual enemy. Hmmm... do you think that the reason Her Majesty had been so strict is to prepare Arrowfell for the inevitable conflict with Ravenfell? Perhaps, she had always known."

"Ah, perhaps, little Feyling, perhaps indeed... and you may not believe me when I say this, but... that spectre... that thing vexes me more than even your mother or the Wizard-Queen, hehehe... I will tear his soul apart. This, I promise you."

"While I'd normally say your resentment is excessive, it'd be a lie, as from what you've told me of this Lamont, he's indeed long due for consequences."

"You're wise, Melisande, hehe..."

"So, what will you do next?"

"Heh... you shall see."

--Arrowfell - Tearmoon Glade--

"Mother, a package has arrived for you," A peppy voice came from the dark-haired Lilim entering the Matriarch's abode, "Nitta said it's for your eyes only." The girl mentioned, her onyx eyes briefly scanning over the wrapped box in her hands.

"Oh, curious," The Coven's Matriarch, Jezebel Tearmoon, curled a small amused smile as she faced the younger Lilim, one of her daughters, "Please give it to me, Fidel."

"Of course, Mother." Fidelicia obediently approached and politely offered the object to the older woman.

"Thank you, dear." She took the package away, having already analyzed it for magical trappings the moment she laid eyes on it earlier, it was safe.

"You're welcome!" Though she'd like to stay and indulge in her curiosity of the contents, great-aunt Suzanna had a task for her and besides, Nitta did say the package was for her mother's eyes only, and last time she checked, she was Jezebel's daughter and not Jezebel herself, "I'll see you around!"

"Of course, dear, try to be back home before dinner." The Matriarch chuckled as her second eldest daughter left the house, flying away with her wind magic, meanwhile, Jezebel turned her indigo eyes back at the 'secret delivery' then used a simple telekinetic spell to unwrap it.

What laid inside the box was a batch of fine perfumes and skin oils, crafted by the famous artisan Henrietta Elkenisle, sent to her under the behest of House Rhinecliff of Odonfield, indeed, proven by the envelope included within, enclosed with a seal bearing the noble house's crest. The missive floated in the air, manipulated by Jezebel's arcane limbs, then opened, revealing a letter - handwritten - authored by none other than Duke Laurent himself.

"..." The more Jezebel read the words contained within, the wider her smile grew, and she was positively smirking by the time the letter floated back down onto her study's table, "Well played, Rhinecliff... well played indeed..."

From Realms Beyond — An Isekai Crossover RP (Now Accepting)

--Nieve - Embassy--

@FujiwaraPhoenix @Drifting Pollen @Rezod92

Well then, now that they got everything settled in this stuffy office (that's also quite beneath her to linger in), they could move on to this... 'test' of theirs. In fact, Remilia herself was quite curious to discover the exact nature of these trials. Thus, after Bren returned from doing whatever he needed to do, the vampiress had absolutely nothing keeping her in the embassy, the ambassador himself too looked as if he couldn't stand staying here any longer either.

"Mmm..." The youkai pursed her lips, wondering just when he'd finish speaking and start walking. Though eventually he did, and Remilia - having pried herself off Fran's arms sometime during their wait - started following him, hovering above the ground at around Anne's chest level.

--Nieve - Mages' Guild--

At long last, they left the embassy and into what appeared to be a magical research facility, one that a certain librarian would fancy. Ah, so it was the Mages' Guild, that made sense. Then immediately, this establishment already proved far more interesting than the bland embassy as a veritable explosion violently reverberated through the walls. "Oh~?" Remilia quirked an eyebrow as a redheaded stranger emerged from the plume of white, "Hmmm...~" For a lady of high society such as Lady Scarlet, the young woman's meticulously-crafted and enchanted dress didn't go unnoticed, whoever this person was, she certainly was no commoner.

"Ah~ splendid~" The red-eyed youkai beamed, delighted at the notion of finally encountering someone appropriate for her presence. Without further ado, she hovered forward, then landing on the ground a few feet away from the royal with red locks, "It's my utmost pleasure to meet you, Your Highness, I am Lady Remilia of House Scarlet, here from distant lands, one of the people your ambassador spoke of." She said along with an elegant curtsy, "Now then, since it'd seem you are quite keen to conduct these examinations, shall we leave pleasantries for later and instead begin immediately?"

ArrowFell: The Wizard Queen's Court

Meanwhile, Rhinecliff is like: "wow, does everyone and their mother have access to cross-continental levels of teleportation these days?"

@ERode

The 'Protection Against Mental Affliction' fad is over, 'Cross-Continental Instantaneous Travel' is all the rage nowadays.

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

--Mizutani Mansion - Interior--

She knew it, she knew and called it, really, it wouldn't take a clairvoyant, nor a seer to predict this outcome. Ciradyl the Spy-Bard, from the very beginning, her goals had aligned with the rest of Team Kirin, however, like Eve and unlike Miina, she didn't need any interrogation to take place first before the execution. Still, as Eve witnessed the scuffle, even she could see that whatever animosity Ciradyl had with Tane, it was personal. The sheer hateful rage she put into each strike, those weren't the bodily expressions of a calm and collected assassin, nay, twas' the actions of a slave who had enough and snapped...

Indeed the very thing that doomed a certain research facility.

As the Pseudolon's ruby eyes took in the sight of Rudolf desperately trying to restrain the enraged Faye, how the crime lord bled and gasped within an inch of her life, and the efforts by Galahad and Miina to salvage the situation, Eve found herself... smirking, a small barely-perceptible one, but a smirk nonetheless.

You're enjoying this, aren't you?

The petite black mage blinked, her sneer replaced by a frown.

She deserves it.

Truly, anyone who couldn't see that was a fool.

But the fact remains that you relish in suffering, in death and destruction, for their own sake regardless of what pragmatic excuses you used to justify them; you are - after all - made to destroy.

No, she didn't like these thoughts, mother told her that she was so much more than what the empire wanted her to be, that she was her own person, with her own goals, aspirations, and fears.

That's not true... not true at all...

Not true? Then why do you still wish to end the hunter's life? Even after the little... pact you made?

B-... because he-...

Deserves it? There it is again. You're a smart girl, you must be, otherwise they'd not have bothered creating you, an intelligent self-operating weapon.

SILENCE!! I'm not like that!

You always have an excuse, an oh-so-logical reason for each and every single murder you've committed, but... beneath it all, be honest, Grayscale, the fact is... you feel most alive when others lay dying before you. The reaper at the eve of their demise...

... ... ...

Eve trembled and gritted her teeth, shutting her eyes and tearing her gaze away from the commotion, her lips pursed, trying to say something, anything just for this whole farce of a mission to be over, so they could leave.

"Nothing but lunacy." The Pseudolon snapped back at the gun-lugging Dame Commander, perhaps with a tad too much enmity than Eliane deserved, alas, she was simply a victim of circumstances.

ArrowFell: The Wizard Queen's Court

Kronos to Lamont be like:

(

Also, just in case anyone that was in the throne room managed to post before me, I have to preemptively tell you that "Melisande" would be apparently missing post-teleportation (Answer: Kronos simply dispelled the Simulacrum immediately after the warp spell engaged) @Estylwen @LunarParadox @ERode @Irradiant @Click This

Also also, that plan sounds good to me, Est.

ArrowFell: The Wizard Queen's Court

--Athroyeaux Castle - Throne Room--

@Estylwen @LunarParadox @ERode @Click This @Irradiant

The Duke and Duchesses deliberated on the Ghost-King's offer, side with him and he shall bring Arrowfell into an enlightened age, free from the tyrant monarch's oppression and into an era of peace and prosperity. Heh... And yet, Kronos could see that regardless of DuFairre's true intentions, these humans didn't seem too keen on following through.

Doubt, apprehension, suspicion.

These sentiments grew more and more palpable with each word spoken by the three nobles. They - Rhinecliff included - didn't believe the spectre sitting on the throne was as magnanimous as he claimed to be; they had no faith that he'd be a better ruler than the Wizard Queen, perhaps... even worse. After all, for all of her faults, Evelyn didn't consign each and every single being - people, animals, and plants all - in her lands into undeath.

Kronos itself was practically forced to live as a Lilim, transformed against its will away from its perfect Shadeborne existence. In this, it could understand the humans' reluctance.

Huh, is this what the mortals call 'empathy'?

Interesting...

The shadows cast upon by the Simulacrum's physical presence contorted and morphed, a wide, ear-splitting grin gaped from its face as an otherworldly cackle echoed throughout the dreary halls. The spine-chilling laughter of a true Shadeborne, supplanting the false reign of these pale imitations...

...and yet, even as Kronos reintroduced the primal emotion of fear back into these ghosts, Duke Rhinecliff, Duchess Agustria, and Duchess Bastille would have this odd twist in their gut, conveying to them that somehow, someway...

Tonight, the Shade was on their side.

Mortals truly are... interesting.

The Dremora could no longer suppress itself as a similar - but more human-like - smirk curled on its Lilim facade. From outside observers, they could discern nothing but Melisande behaving... slightly 'out of character', but in truth, Kronos was working her-... their magic, combining the Dremora's mastery over causality and the Lilim's fey-touched arcane blood, it performed a minute gesture with its right index finger, silently casting a most romantic spell, one that reflected the undying bond between the Spectre King and his subjects.

Thus, even as the Titan-slaying sword sailed through the air at the King of Ravenfell, Kronos, through the power of the Shade and Feywilds both, tied the strings of fates between Lamont DuFairre and Valor Teardrop together, intertwining them in the Fate Bond.

For them, the Shade-Lord of Space-Time had naught but a single parting word.

Die...

ArrowFell: The Wizard Queen's Court

FYI, still doing short-collab hijinks with Click and Irradiant. Hopefully will be done by the end of this week.

@ERode

Ohooo~ looks like it's retcon time after all.

Don't mind Kronos, it'll just be in the corner, emulating Ryuk. ...or not, it might do something after all. I'll see what I can cook up.

Regardless, I'll edit the retconned parts of my previous posts in a hider.

I like this path better. 😏

Why We Fight - An Underground Fight Club RP

@Dorehanma @Bry