Rexcalibur

The Legend of Heroes: Tales of the World

Before I forget to bring this up sooner, I just wanted to leave a head's up that aside from today's midterm (<2 hours and I understand none of it, wish me luck ;___;), I have work tomorrow along with Riley's checkup (updating with the vets to see if his IVs are actually improving his condition), and I have an essay due on Thursday. Next week is finals week, and I have one more essay due sometime that week, along with an actual final exam on Sat/Aug 2. That'll be the last day of summer classes. School aside, I've also a concert Wed/Jun 30, so... count on next two weeks being funny business for me again. ^^; Things are never consistent with my sched, no matter how hard I try orz

I'll be sure to mention these things the day before/day of too so I don't end up accidentally holding someone up in case I can't post altogether. Being out and about is hindering my creative mood a lot so I apologize heavily if my post quality has been suffering because of it ><;;. I'll do my best to keep up though!

The Legend of Heroes: Tales of the World

No worries, Fox! I try to leave things as open-ended as possible with fight scenes haha. So long as you and Kei had enough to respond to (; Also thank you hahaha!

Awesome posts, guys! I love having something to read during break times lolol /o/ *flies away*

The Legend of Heroes: Tales of the World

Aliquam: The Academy of the Arts - Southern Section

“Trixie, can you go and see if miss Rose is injured?”

"Ah, ah!" Trixie called out, ignoring Lute's request. Her voice was nasally, thanks to the clothes pin clamped right over her nostrils. "This baddie likes tricks! Well, I got tricks too!" She wouldn't be able to sniff out their attacker in a stinky chaos like this, so she decided to forgo it altogether for another tactic: chucking her own stink bomb in the direction the opponent's came from. Trixie was able to whiff enough of the stench to know where the source was, and she wasted no time with retaliating.

Her grenade managed to glide over where Fabian's had crashed, though whether it landed anywhere near the offender, she was unsure. There was enough moonlight crawling in for her to maneuver decently in the darkness, but all the smog that came with all three bombs hindered the heroes even further. It was all touch and sound now!

After throwing her own stink, Trixie immediately whipped out her two guns, locked and loaded. The second she heard any skittering or thuds coming from the thief's movements, she would unload a barrage of bullets. "Echo! You can do soundsy stuff, right?" She did not looked back to him, instead staring in the direction the supposed Masked Phantom assaulted them from. "Lemme know if you hear any footsteps! Also please check on Miss Rosy too ♥"

---

Aliquam: The Academy of the Arts - Western Section

"You said you didn't know magic!" Moira hissed. "Liar!"

"Whoa whoa, easy, honey. I said I didn't use magic for art, not that I'm magic-free!" Angel called back as he continued scanning the room. Nada. Of course this thief remained put in the shadows; if Moira had been calling Angel out like that, he would too! Too bad the only source of light in the room was that of the moon, which only cleared one section and left many angles to be explored. Damn statues turned the room into a maze in the dark!

The aristocrat snickered suddenly. A thought crossed him by - "Wouldn't it be great if we just tore down the entire room? He'd only have the other statues to hide behind, until he high-tails it of course." He said it jokingly, but he contemplated it in all seriousness. Besides, the walls weren't worth as much as the statues anyway, right?

Something tittered along the moonlit flooring - his die, turning up a four. As Angel knelt down to retrieve it, the statues too began to move. Their movements were scarily fluid; even if they were unseen, the cranking of their leg parts and footsteps sounded much more natural than mechanical, as if they were manned. One remained by the double doors, its head shifting side to side. The other sauntered into the darkness, holding out its spear towards the wall like a metal detector as it moved. It froze still after a meager distance traveled.

The die dropped once again: three. The exploring knight began moving once again. In the meantime Angel turned away from where his statues came from and began heading towards the other end of the long room, sticking to the moonlit surfaces. "He's still gotta be in here somewhere. Unless... he's not." The aristocrat spoke all too casually.

Unbeknownst to both Angel and Mattis, the sculpted suit of armor was coming straight towards the thief.

The Legend of Heroes: Tales of the World

EDIT: Post is up! Is Lucien knocked out? I'd think a jab to the neck would be enough to knock him out, unless he isn't as squishy as Syed lol. I couldn't think of anything for Amy that wasn't meh or pure reactions, and I am completely out of time to work on her section anyway (since I need to get back to studying for my midterm tomo morning). >< Hopefully it's all right I skip her today.

For Kathi, the suit of armor isn't in attacking range - unless you want it to be! If you wanted elsewise, Mattis could probably avoid it on his own or because the armor stops moving prematurely. Or he could do something totally different hahaha. I wanted to leave this choice up to you though, I don't really like steering or forcing battles in particular directions, especially not his early on... x)

Also Frosty thanks for the interest haha!

The Legend of Heroes: Tales of the World

Aliquam: The Academy of the Arts - Central-Going-North Section

Amy halted nearby a small column after feeling around in the dark a bit, and she leaned on it for support as she fought for air. Of all the Pride members, even including Moira, Amy was probably the worst when it came to athleticism and constant running. She simply was not cut out for it.

Amidst their breaths and random bear noises, loud footsteps echoed from a particular direction. The cleric tried to hold her breath in so as to conceal herself, assuming the runner was coming straight for them, but she was unable to. "Eyes open and ears peeled," she huffed. Unfortunately the scant amount of windows and thus little moonlight pouring him did not help them see the upcoming runner in the least bit.

The footsteps grew louder and louder. Before the bear or the boys could even do anything to halt it, the runner charged into their group - and crashed right into Amy, knocking both of them and the column Amy stood by down. The column did not totally shatter upon impact, though the crash was loud enough.

Amy cried out and rolled away from the body that knocked her over. With her staff tightly in hand, she thrusted it in the other body's direction, calling forth light to its gem like a torch. There was enough light to reveal Tobias, Lucien, and the bear as well, though anything beyond the group was still submerged in darkness.

Of course, the light revealed the figure before Amy as well, blinding it if it had been looking that way when the gem lit up. Amy pulled back, eyebrows contorted in confusion. "Estelle!? What are you doing over here? Where's the thief?"

It was then the communicator began ringing with voices left and right. Multiple groups had encountered the thief, from the sounds of it. Tobias screamed aloud what was on everyone's mind.

---

Aliquam: The Academy of the Arts - Southern Section

Trixie pulled at her braided pigtails. Despite Moira's plea, she was still convinced the Masked Phantom was indeed with her own group, especially having witnessed it first hand with the dart. Man, that is so cool - but so unfair.

Having run away from the stench, Trixie could at the least make out another figure somewhere there in the dark. She puffed her cheeks. Well, maybe he'd like a taste of his own medicine! Then they could attack him while he was still dazed! She didn't think through it beyond that, but now was no time to hesitate.

"Guys, close your eyes, close your eyes!" she snapped, quiet enough for the trio to hear. At once she chucked out one of her flashbangs, lighting up the entire area for a brief spell - and hopefully blinding their attacker.

---

Aliquam: The Academy of the Arts - Western Section

"He's here? Wait, can you see him?" Angel called out, glancing around. Dumb question; they were in near total darkness from where they stood. Thankfully, with the statue and sculpture sections being as large as they were to accommodate for their sizes, the windows were equally as tall as well. The aristocrat maneuvered himself towards them, crossing into the moonlight.

"Moira, Syed! Come on, get into the light where he can't... oh." Turns out Syed was knocked out. Damn, this guy was smooth!

Suddenly the room began to rumble. Angel turned around to face its source, his die clenched tightly in hand. The duo was able to make out that the rumbles weren't a concurrent thing, but very short-lived and in a quickened rhythm. Once they drew near enough, they could hear what sounded like concrete grinding amongst each other before slamming onto the marble flooring, causing another rumble.

Then the noise makers - not one, but two - stepped into view, lit from the moonlight shining down from one side of the hallway they were in. The two faux-metallic suits of armor Angel and his gang had passed by earlier. Each wielded their own matching spear and shield. They moved further towards the group, but both froze mid-step.

Angel's grin widened as he chucked the die into the air and caught it in his palm again. His laughter was somewhat hesitant, considering the mage conversation they had earlier. "...ta-da! I'm not as useless as I look!"

Now that they had reinforcements, Angel felt that much more confident that the thief was less likely to knock out either of the two left standing. The suits of concrete (skillfully polished to resemble metallic armor) were tall and thick enough to deal damage if they were to swing their weapons, but hollow and light enough to move around quickly. Hopefully quickly enough to catch a thief.

The Legend of Heroes: Tales of the World

Thanks guys. :)

Calling next post if no one minds. It doesn't help to sit around and mope right now, especially since he still has a fighting chance. I've done enough moping and crying yesterday haha orz

EDIT: Posted! It's really huge, but I'm compensating a bit for missing so many rounds hahaha. I'll try posting again later tonight, since this month I can't keep up with morning posts on Tues/Thurs due to class. I've got a midterm Tuesday morning btw so I'll still post Monday night, but will probably skip a character if not try to make it shorter overall. <__>
EDIT EDIT: yeah I'll just post tomo morn instead hahaha

Have a good weekend guys, I'm off to work now!

The Legend of Heroes: Tales of the World

Hi guys, sorry for the MIA again. We took Riley to an animal hospital as per the vet's suggestion; he called me at 8am sharp to tell me it was dire that we took him. Turns out he has kidney failure; both of his kidneys are dead. He's on IVs now, but the hospital docs say if he doesn't handle the fluids well this week (which he seems to love the IVs right now atm), we should consider putting him down... He's not even six years old, he shouldn't have health problems *this* early. :(

It's harsh news, and way worse than any of us hoped for. Id been crying all day since the vet's initial call. Just trying to stay positive now since there's nothing else I can do. His disease now is only manageable, not cureable. Sorry for the onslaught of depression and worry lately :( I can't even look at my dog without tearing up. He just looks so content and unaware of what's happening to his body... I feel absolutely horrible. I had thought about bringing him to the vets earlier, but neither of us thought that his condition was this bad...

I'll post as soon as I wake up before I head to work (it's 4am now haha)

The Legend of Heroes: Tales of the World

IC Ic ic ic

I'm picturing Angel speaking into the communicator following the events that took place in my other two chars' scenes. Primarily because I didn't want to make my post longer than it already is without them responding to it. D; lol. Whether other scenes and chars react to it before or after a thief shows up is down to everyone else hahaha, just to keep that clear. :>

Right, I'm off to sleep now. Hope everyone has a fab mornight and a fab weekend! Also, thank you too Fox <3 I'd love for Fabian to cross Group E as well.

The Legend of Heroes: Tales of the World

Aliquam: The Academy of the Arts - Central Section

Sadly enough, Amy understood that splitting up was a pretty poor decision at this point, when they could if anything scout back-to-back-to-back to cover all angles. She just wanted to split up anyway, lest she deal with more of Tobias' constant nagging. It's worse than lighthearted chattering, which she had gotten used to by then thanks to Trixie. Amy was so close to telling Lucien to bring out the bear anyway just to defy his wishes.

Which he did in the end. Amy's lips curled into a smirk - but that reverted the second Tobias dared laid a hand on her. "Let go of me!" she snatched herself away from him instantly mid-run, and trailed behind after him as they proceeded northward. It was not difficult to keep up, considering Tobias was holding onto a another young man his size that was completely zoned out. Fear can only stimulate speed for so long.

Estelle's section wasn't far off, especially after all the sprinting they did just then, but Amy paused for a breather anyway (despite whatever protests Tobias may or may not have had). Thank Dyn she wore flats to this mission. The aura encasing her gem now pulsed wildly due to everyone's running; Amy cursed to herself as now her sole 'tracking' ability had become useless, but at least it wasn't necessary now. Assuming Estelle's group neutralized their trespasser, anyway... With their lack of response on the communicator, there was no way to tell until they met in person.

Amy clenched her staff tightly.

---

Aliquam: The Academy of the Arts - Southern Section

Trixie yelped like a startled puppy the second Rose plopped her off the ground and onto Sebastian's back. Then they rode into the night like cowboys, kinda. She felt like a cowgirl now that she had her guns out and ready to zip, zang, bang on whatever muthatrucka tried to mess with them. Once she got used to the constant bouncing, she continued her scouting - she had to be prepared in case the thief came out of nowhere because he was trying to escape Supersis and her group like a total caught wuss.

But then she smelled something. Something highly unusual that was not there to begin with. Was that him? Was he already nearby? Trixie closed her eyes and loosened her arms, allowing her mind to zero in on her strongest scent. And then she figured out-

"Ewwww, Miss Rosy, your horse farted and it's ruining everything!"

The prankster did her best to waft the nose away from her with one hand, while she continued aiming the gun in her other along the walls. If the thief was in fact running away this very minute, or heck even if he hadn't came to Estelle's group, he sure wasn't going to where Trixie's group was now!

---

Aliquam: The Academy of the Arts - Western Section

Angel halted upon Syed making his observation - not so much to heed his superstition, but to catch a breather and have a chance to heed his suggestion from earlier instead. "Yeah, yeah, hang on a second actually." He clicked. "Yooo, this is Angel. We all still heading to the north section? Uhh, over?" He looked to the two guilders and shrugged nonchalantly before pocketing the electronic.

"Well, hopefully that helps. Now what were you saying about something seeming off...? Oh!" Angel snapped his fingers. "I know." With his other hand, he chucked the die that he held onto into the air, catching it in his palm. Then he slapped it atop the back of his other hand, before removing the top hand and revealing the die. Six. He smiled wide and let out a deep, relaxed exhalation through his nose. "See? We'll be fine. Now, should we keep moving?" He looked back and forth between the other two, awaiting their confirmation. Only a few seconds had passed since he made his request over the line, and he was already set on moving onward.

Moira and Syed hadn't noticed during their bickering as they ran, but Angel had done the same thing with his die a couple of times during their short-lived sprint as well.

The Legend of Heroes: Tales of the World

Thanks for the well-wishes, guys. :) I'll be getting a call tomorrow morning about Riley's blood test results. Hopefully it really is nothing too serious.

Aside from Amy's drawl (she sounds exactly like Meg from Disney's Hercules, though she speaks slower and has a slightly deeper tone of voice), I always picture Trixie to sound like a snobby white brat pretending to be black with the most annoying/ear-grating voice ever. :P I have Aria's and Marcus' voices in my head, though I can't quite think of an established character who has the same or similar enough voice to describe it well enough haha. Same with Estelle's to an extent. I already spent like 20 minutes digging for some videos and can't find any atm lmao.

I hope the art books weren't super costly. I still want my Borderlands artbook but the price has skyrocketed to $150 USD :C

Anyhoo, calling next post. I haven't read anything yet, but I really haven't interacted with Kathi/Aria that often at all; the only direct one with either of my girls that lasted longer than a one-liner that's happened since Aria joined was the bar-drinking this chapter lol. T__T