Saiyan

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

To call Marsel Brooks 'obtuse,' would be like calling the Atlantic 'wet,' or Einstein 'clever.' It would be like saying that the Titanic 'ran into a little problem,' or describing Rasputin as 'a little off.' Zell's insensitivity could only be matched by the thickness of his skull and size of his ego. So when MacKensie managed to get through to him so fast and so effectively, it surprised even him. The young woman deserved a Nobel Prize.

"Yeah, you're right," Zell conceded when she was done reprimanding him. "Sorry."

Sorry? A rare moment that such a word ever got picked up from his vocabulary. If it had disappeared from the lexicon altogether, Zell might not have even noticed. But here he was, actually feeling bad and a little embarassed about his conduct. Underrated milestone.

When he got ready to step off the edge of the roof, he felt her bristle up for a moment and regarded her sidelong. "What's the matter?" Even though she was looking away, doing her best to hide her face, he could just-about see her rosy-red blushing cheek. He smirked and faced front. Stiff as a plank of wood, he thought endearingly, echoing what he'd told Barracker the other day. But that's part of her charm.

"Let's go."

"That still doesn't count," was the last word as they descended.

After grabbing a handful of shirt from the backs of each archer, Zell proceeded to drag the two broken-legged men over to where Adam was. "You wanna gift-wrap these two aswell, mate?" he asked as he dropped them off at his feet. "I'll go get the other one."

It wasn't until he woke the last one up with a slap that he realised that this was the man who Barracker shield-bashed into oblivion. The dude howled in pain holding what had to be a jaw broken in multiple places. Zell started to chuckle and was about to roughly haul the cultist up to his feet, but paused for thought. His eyes raised to see MacKensie walking off and he remembered her lecture, so he changed his approach.

"Come on, mate... up you get." He placed a hand on the cultist's shoulder and allowed him the time to slowly rise to his feet, ready to react if the man resisted. "Listen: you're probably not gonna understand this, right now, but we're here to save you. Alright? You and your buddies have lost, so just... do yourself a favour, yeah... don't try anything funny. Come tomorrow, you'll be back home with your family and you'll be happy that it's all over. Kay?"

The man seemed more concerned with his jaw than the extra-mile kindness that Zell was showing him - not that Zell was doing it for any kind of gratitude anyway (at least, not from him) - but sure enough the cultist had listened, because he allowed Zell to walk him over to Adam where he could be tied up like his friends.

"Cheers, Adam."

"Aaaggghh!!!"

Zell's attention was drawn to the scream of pain that came from behind the trees. For that reason, he completely missed Hardul the dwarf's sharp getaway plan in action. When he found out it was just James and Barracker conducting interrogations, Zell whistled a low note. "Sucks to be George," was all he said to the Druid. "We should probably hurry. The longer we mill about outside the temple, the more chance that we raise the alarm." He would say the same to the rest of the group. Zell had always been the type to strike while the iron was hot. Sure, it could be mistaken for impulsiveness, but it worked out well more times than not. And for that reason, once all the prisoners were immoblized and the party were all regrouped, Zell was edging towards the temple entrance, trying to hurry everyone up. "Shall we get to it, then?"

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

“We have company!” Barracker yelled as he jumped into action.

"FUCK!" - "FUCK!" Zell and James cursed in perfect unison, which might've been funny in a situation that wasn't so serious.

Zell cast George's arm aside and stepped forward, drawing his sword and lowering into Water Stance, weight shifted onto his back foot, sword held high in one hand behind him. The enemy outnumbered them and Zell gritted his teeth, waiting patiently for them to waste some energy sprinting to him. Six of them were heading his way, and he knew that he would have to be flawless here, to come out on top.

But it was awesome to have friends.

Barracker suddenly came into view, rushing forward and smashing his shield into the face of one cultist. Vines and roots sprang from the ground and started man-handling a group of the enemy. James' magic started flowing through him. Within the space of seconds, the odds had been evened.

Zell was eager to make contribution of his own to the fight, now edging forward into a more aggressive Moon Stance, but the remaining two spearmen were heading away from him. At the moment, he seemed to be surplus to requirements.

"Shields up! Take care of the archers, don't let them interfere, the rest focus on the mage! Don't let him cast!"

"Gotcha bossman!" Zell replied loudly, he and Barracker closing back in on George. The vampire had things covered on the ground, so when MacKensie offered him a lift up to the roof, he gladly accepted, wrapping an arm around her tiny waist. "Going up?" he quipped, before they rocketed to the roof.

He could see the fear in the whites of the archers' eyes and he grinned evilly as they closed in. One of the arrows fired at them was on target, but Zell deflected it with a perfectly-timed parry. He let go of MacKensie in sync with her and they flew up before swooping down on the enemy.

The simple archers stood no chance against the speed, skill and chemistry of the duo from Europe.

Zell was afforded an undisturbed landing due to the timely appearance of Sil who ferociously clawed at the head of the archer closest to the swordsman, who was crying in agony and flapping his arms about to try and shoo the falcon away. Sil was relentless, and Zell merely had to walk up and give the archer a helping hand off the roof with a stiff kick to the midsection. "Cheers, lovely!" he shouted to Sil as she flew off to help Fenna down below.

The other archer in his path was no longer holding a bow but dual-wielding daggers, his stance suggesting a respectable amount of skill and know-how, but Zell was not discouraged and engaged him gladly, breaking out into a series of <rings> and <chings> as they rapidly exchanged attacks. Now he was having fun. "How are you doing back there, doll?" he shouted over his shoulder to MacKensie, parrying his opponents lunge and spinning backwards so he could spare a glance at the ranger. She was doing just fine. One of her opponents was already dead.

Zell looked down to see the battle on the ground was pretty-much over and so he continued to toy with the dual-wielder for a moment longer until his fun came to an end when a bolt whizzed by his ear, causing him to almost crap his pants in alarm. He dodged reflexively after the fact, his opponent taking the bolt between the eyes and dropping lifelessly, and he turned around offended. "Double-you-tee-eff mate!"

"Three drinks," was the bullshit claim!

"You're having..." he walked forward and shoved the disarmed man who'd stumbled his way cruelly off the roof. "..a bloody laugh, girl. There's no way that counts!"

He shook his head, trying not laugh at the cheeky woman, walking up to her as he slipped his sword back into its scabbard, then folded his arms defiantly. "I didn't even get to kill anyone," he sulked as he stood next to her, surveying the ground below as the last spearman alive, aswell as George, were now surrounded by Second Chance. "This battle is pretty-much over," he mused. "Shall we go back down, then?"

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

@Zapdosdougiepaynesalty.gif

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Whatever response came from his teammates, in terms of a favoured path through the temple, digesting their answers would have to wait. Zell span around at the alarming sound of an intruding voice, his hand wrapped around the black, leather bound hilt of the sword on his back. His reaction speed left a lot to be desired, seeing as by the time he saw what was going on, MacKensie and the unknown wizard were pointing weapons at eachother and could easily have let fly bolts and magic before the swordsman had a chance to do anything.

But they didn't start shooting, merely trading a few words that dissolved the situation. When MacKensie put away her crossbow, it was enough to make Zell release his grip on his own weapon, although his feet did slightly shift position as his leg muscles coiled like springs ready to burst him into action, his teleport ready to aid him in covering the distance.

"I am George of the adventurer party, Hidden Hand," he greeted, limping forward and offering to shake MacKensie's hand. "We underestimated the numbers of the cult..."

Zell's bullshit alarm was blaring like an air raid siren in WW2. As the man spoke, Zell found himself less interested in what he could hear and far more interested in what he could see. He squinted to get a better look at George's left hand, which happened to be within sight. The sight of a Source Crystal would have been all the Englishman needed to feel better about the situation, but low-n-behold; the bastard was wearing gloves.

Hidden hand, eh, Zell thought. Fucking convenient. Convenient indeed. And just like that, Zell was hit with a gut-wrenching realisation... Shit! Lillianna might be in trouble.

It had all seemed too far-fetched that Lillianna had to leave at once to save this ghost of hers. And losing their wizard right before showtime was just far too convenient for their enemy. Fuck! Why hadn't he realised sooner? It wasn't for certain - Sister Gwen might indeed be innocent - but they shouldn't have been allowed to leave without first being interrogated. Zell was completely off in his own world, missing the end of George's words and MacKensie's also. His eyes were looking about the floor as he thought about how far away Lillianna had gotten and if there was any logistical way they could catch her and still get back in time before the entrance to the temple sealed shut again. There was no way to know, but the odds were surely against them.

Zell looked up as Adam spoke up, brought back to the present to catch the young American's polite show of suspicion. The druid had asked Barracker for advice on how to proceed, but Zell had plans of his own, interrupting before the vampire had a chance to respond.

"Calm down, mate," Zell said with a smirk to Adam, and a gesture for Barracker to hold a moment. He started walking towards George. "Can't you see these men have been through enough already." And then to George himself as he neared; "You'll have to forgive my friend, he's a little on edge right now. Zell Brooks."

He offered his hand to shake. His left hand. And as he shook George's hand, his thumb brushed the back of the wizard's left hand, searching for the feel of a Source Crystal. Now this would go one of two ways:

Either A>>He would feel the marble-smoothness of the Source Crystal beneath the man's glove. In which case, he would smile with relief and give a nod to the dwarf also. "You two must be hungry. Why don't you come and have a seat?"

Or B>>>He would feel nothing. And Zell would proceed to twist the wizard's arm up behind his back and slam him face-first into the dirt, not letting go George's hand, putting a foot on lying bastard's back and peeling the glove off to show everyone that he wasn't an adventurer at all. "No source crystal! He's fucking lying. All these bastards around here are fucking compromised."

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Unlike the others, Zell was not restrained by the need to be polite or understanding.

"Lily-Pad, are you fucking mental?" His perfectly calm tone was a comical contrast to the question itself. It was muted incredulity. "This can't wait 24 hours?" Zell looked around at his comrades' faces to check that they were hearing the same thing he was. It sounded ridiculous. Of course, this was a ridiculous world they were in - metal ninjas and giant centaurs running about the place - but the fact that Lillianna was so insistent on leaving the group for some random ghost she'd known for five minutes showed a loyalty flimsier than a dandelion in a tornado. "He's dead - no offence, love," he added to Sister Gwen. "We've got living people here who need our help, not to mention you're the one the magic attacks."

It was no use. It was like she was under a spell and couldn't grasp the fact that she was leaving them up shit creek without a paddle. And why this couldn't wait one extra day, when they didn't even know how long that ghost'd been dead for, was beyond him. Zell was pissed. He didn't even say goodbye.

"Screw it," Zell said as he stood with his hands on his hips, watching the two women go. "We didn't need a wizard in our first battle. We'll get by without one now." He listened to James as the Cleric got them back on track. At the change in formation, Zell just said, "Fine," but he was suspicious of James, thinking that their leader might be trying to protect him because he didn't possess any magic. The thought of such a thing made him even angrier, but he held it in. A potential plan slowly came together while Zell stood, promising himself over and over that he wouldn't let anyone die tonight. He would never forgive himself if he survived and one of his comrades didn't. And he wouldn't forgive Lillianna either.

At the camp on top of the hill, Zell snacked on some beef jerky from his rations while he paced back and forth, keeping an eye on the entrance to the temple while thinking about what they might face. When Barracker gave them all the information he had, Zell was listening and nodding as he took it in, still pacing slowly up and down with his hands on his hips. It seemed that nothing would brighten his mood until Adam did his druid-thing and pocketed a few acorns, bringing a teethy one-sided grin to the Englishman's face.

"Props on the creativity, Adam. Not a bad trick, mate." He was extremely impressed. "Not bad, at all."

After Fenna threw in her two cents about the route they should take, Zell agreed at least in part. "You're probably right; I doubt we'll get to the wraith without having to contend with any cultists. But I reckon if we go down the main corridor, we are announcing ourselves." He shared his gaze with everyone. "I don't mind going straight down the middle, but it won't be stealthy, I'll bet that much. So it's either puzzles, locks and kicking through the front door. Or it's a quiet job the long way around. We can't have both." He gestured to Barracker. "I commend your bravery volunteering to be a decoy, n all that, but I think our resident monster hunter should be in the fight with the monster. Whatever we do, we should fight as one."

He looked at the darkening sky, feeling the anticipation in his gut. He was ready for whatever came next.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

They say that, of all the Gods, Hades is very popular.

People are always dying to meet him

@xenon

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THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Zell stood by Fenna as she explained about her connection with Sil in a little more detail, rubbing his chin as he listened. When she finished, he nodded. "Well, I'm sure she'll make herself useful either way." He looked around to see if he could put eyes on her. "Clever little thing."

When James told everyone the gameplan for Cherrad, Zell signalled he was on board with lazy salute. MacKensie paired up with Barracker, leaving Zell with the option of either Adam or Lillianna, and seeing as Zell was not particularly enthused with the idea of going to church (he'd not seen one of those since before he was a teenager) that left only one choice. He regarded James sidelong.

"Why don't you and Fenna go find the Church of Iris with Lillianna. It'll probably be somewhere in the center of the village. Me n Plant Man'll check out the right side, see what we can see. Sound good?" With that decided, he gave a little nod to Adam and started walking. "Come on then, mate."

The steady descenting road that led them into Cherrad gave them enough time and enough of a view of the place for some contemplation.

What a fucking boring-looking place, was the city-boy's assessment.

He couldn't imagine having to grow up in an area with less buildings than the average road in London. What on earth was there to do, here? There couldn't have been any night-life. No gyms. No leisure centres. The few girls around would likely be related to you.

"Jeez, bruv," he said to Adam as they walked side-by-side. "If I was born here, I'd probably be begging to join the cult, just for something to do."

He smirked at Adam, although something told him that the younger man probably wouldn't find the humour in such a dark quip. When they got into the village, they started asking around. Zell let Adam take the lead whenever the Druid chose, but didn't neglect to make a few inquiries himself.

"Alright there, my mate," he greeted to a man in the road. He raised his left hand to show the villager the Source crystal embedded in the back of it. "Zell Brooks. Of Second Chance. Just wondering if I could ask you a few questions about the cult on the hill up there."

...

No luck on Zell's side. The englishman wasn't even sure what questions would be good to ask. All he knew was that their contract was to kill the Greater Wraith. This cult was just in the way. But he at least understood that it was possible to get some information that might prove useful, so hopefully his fellow party members would have better questions than him. And hopefully get better answers too.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

<Snipped quote by Saiyan>

Honestly I am at a crossroads dude, originally I wanted for the color to change based on the last blessing he used (to sort of imply an echo in the mystical sense) but I think I will instead just change it the first time he uses any given blessing. Once I run out of new blessings I will see what will follow

@Teyao

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THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

@TeyaoAre you keeping your nameplate and speech in purple now? I just assumed you were doing that to signal that James was still transformed by the Sillagy blessing.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

He managed an extra hour of sleep after getting back from the jailhouse, and woke up with a groan. The sunlight made him squint, already hurting his eyes and he'd not even opened them yet. His head was banging, he was dehydrated as hell and his guts felt like they were tied in knots. He stayed lying there with an arm covering his face for a few minutes, feeling sorry for himself. Then he started chuckling. Then outright laughing.

"...Fell down the fucking well, haha."

Last night had been one for the books. As a montage of moments moved through his mind, he decided that how he was feeling, right now, was all absolutely worth it. Looking James in the eye without laughing was going to be difficult today. Talk about 'full of surprises.' Here was a guy who, when you get past his unapproachable grimace, was actually a good-hearted dude. Smart. Caring. Died trying to save someone from a burning building, for Christ's sake. But Hoe. Lee. Shit, was he ready to roll around in the mud if you gave him the chance. Picked up a chair as soon as he saw his friend in trouble. Chopped it up with those goons at The Brass Monkey. Stole a fucking horse!

James was officially 'The Best.' But the award ceremony would have to wait, because there were more important matters at hand.

"Alright Zell," he said aloud to himself. "Game day."

And just like that, his hangover was promptly ignored. He sat up, dug the heels of his palms in his eyes, then with an unnecessarily loud strain, stretched his arms. He went to the bathroom and drank a litre of water straight from the tap, then went back into his room and banged out a tonne of press-ups and sit-ups, having to use his imagination in place of loud music. After a shower, he armoured up, then went downstairs and got himself a big breakfast that he ate while chatting with some of the others.

"Alright, doll," he greeted MacKensie, at one point during the morning. Zell quirked an eyebrow when she acted strangely, all-but blanking him and making herself scarce. Strange.

He did a poor job of holding back a grin when he greeted James, giving him a nod and a knowing look. Of course, he remembered that they'd made an agreement that last night stayed just between them. That didn't mean he couldn't be a fool though.

"Can I get another cup of tea, Frederick, please mate? My throat's a bit hoarse."

"Well, I..."

"Well, now that you mention it..."

Later in the morning, when things got a little more serious and Barracker gave some advice about the upcoming mission, Zell nodded his understanding. Killing actual people instead of monsters, definitely had a sour ring to it, but Zell would do what was required, in order to ensure the safety of his teammates. As for the ghost enemies; Zell was one of the ones who didn't possess any elemental magic, but he trusted the others to have his back in that regard. He was not perturbed.

As had quickly become a habit when travelling, Zell took the lone rearguard position. Even though they travelled on the man-made roads of civilisation this time, he still kept his awareness on the surround, ready to jump into a front-line position should any trouble arise.

He was happy to note that Adam was back to normal again after seeing him converse with Barracker and even squeezing some potentially valuable information out of the wagon driver who'd stopped to chat. Being at the back alone had given him the chance to assess his friends the way he'd survey his team before a football match. Their demeanours. Their countenance. Their energy. It was a team-captain's job to make sure his troops were ready on match-day. He was no longer a team-captain of anything, but old habits die hard. Everything seemed well, aside from MacKensie acting weird earlier. It was probably nothing but he decided he would eventually say something, just in case.

He walked up front as the wagon driver left them on the road. "Looks like the cult like to play dirty," he said, patting Barracker on the back as he passed him (for no reason other than the vampire happened to be within reach.) Zell turned to face everyone who was stood around. "We should be careful. If the enemy is pulling off charades like that, then we shouldn't put it past them to have double-agents all around the local area. Be wary of anyone in Cherrad who is being a little too helpful."

"Here, a little extra something in case you ever need it."

When James handed out the spare knives, "Cheers boss," Zell came up alongside MacKensie to recieve his. He tested how the scabbard fit in his right boot and it was pretty snug, so he took off his boot and tied the scabbard to his ankle, then put his boot back on. Then he turned his gaze onto his french buddy and lowered his voice. "If something's bothering you, you'll only make it worse by overthinking." He grinned. "I need you at your best so you can save my dumb ass when I inevitably do something insane, okay?"

As he walked away, his eyes went skyward and he wondered about Sil the falcon. Once the party was moving again, Zell checked in with Fenna. "Hey, Fenna mate?" he began, steering himself alongside her. "You know when you were saying about your magical connection with Sil... can you communicate at all with her? Like, is there any chance she could possibly sniff out an ambush and warn us...? Anything like that?"