The Darklight Project — Roleplayer Guild

The Arena of Gurata

For a brief moment, Cyril didn't even look towards the H'kelan ambassador, at least not immediately. His thoughts were too busy, turned back to what little he had seen of Mizra out of the corner of his eye. The Prince of Barcea was not deeply educated in magic, only knowing the general ideas behind the basics with no actual skill. He knew almost nothing about what many would consider the more "controversial" aspects of the magic and the supernatural, beyond childhood stories and other anecdotes like that. Despite his lack of knowledge, though, what little he had seen of Mizra, even out of the corner of his eye... seemed wrong.

Even as the Prince remained in his own thoughts though, time continued ticking on. Despite the way Ennis may have phrased his "request" for a banquet, it certainly gave Kisarin more than enough of an excuse to throw another party. A grin broke out over his face, and giving it just a glance Yihira gave a sigh, knowing what was coming. Up the big man's hand went, and then down, clapping Ennis on the back heavily, with more than enough force to send the man crumbling down to his knees. "I like the way you think, Ambassador! If more H'kelans thought the way you did, I doubt we'd be having a problem at all!" With that, the man turned, already beginning to shout out orders, sending Guratans scurrying.

Perhaps it was Kisarin's naturally merry self coupled with his shouting that finally brought Cyril fully back to reality. He gave a brief sigh, before a nod to himself. Ennis was right, at least when it came to how he presented himself; he had allowed himself to be shaken a little too much by something he didn't understand, and it was showing. It took him a moment to regain his composure, but the paleness left his face as a sort of pleased smile came over his face. All things considered, it hadn't been that hard; after all, they had won, and everyone had fought well. All he had to do was reach into just how proud he was feeling.

"You're completely right, Ennis. Everyone's earned the rest, and I hope they enjoy it. Besides, I need to work with the three Chiefs a little more before we depart. We'll leave tomorrow."

It was then Cyril blinked in surprise as the scorpionfolk that had been Drosil and Shadar's opponent came into sight, bowing and introducing herself. Even if he had sent Diane towards her first, it had honestly surprised him that she was already up, never mind the fact she was speaking to them. Her tone seemed to underline just how she had been ordered to come, so he didn't fight it, giving a nod. "Welcome to the party then, Ms. Azize. We'll be happy to have you along."

As the fighters began to disperse and fellow group members enter onto the arena floor Alice took a moment to look around and see just who it was she'd battled against. Something churned inside of her as a sense of who it really was that'd knocked her out tickled the back of her mind. 

“What is it, Miss Alice?” Quietly questioned Stark as she stood perfectly still, also observing. 

“Come along, Stark.” Her words were simple as the shorter females moved across the arena towards the head of blue hair that was Alice’s target.

She squared her shoulders, Hissy still resting on her shoulders with his tongue flickering out every few seconds, as she approached Cyril with a smirk and confidence.

“This has got to be the most interesting set up for a joke I’ve ever seen. A handful of Gifted,” Her eyes flickered to Joachim and nodding to Chikako, “The Divine Paladin,” She smiled and gave a slight bow to the massive man before squaring off and turning back to Cyril, “And the Prince of Barcea walk into an Guartan arena...May I ask what the punchline is?”

Stark kept still as Alice spun her words, keeping behind Alice with her hands folded behind her back.

The Prince blinked in surprise as he looked away from the H’kelan ambassador, and to the woman who had just been one of their opponents. Briefly glancing around, he gave a slight shake of head, saying, “I don’t know what it is, and I hope there isn’t one. Punchlines are gimmicky.”

She nodded in thought for a moment before straightening up a tad more. “Understandable your Highness. My name is Alice Leon, this is my companion Stark. Would you have any need for two more in your party? I assume you are returning to the south and I do feel it is now time for the both of us to leave this place.” Of course she just really wanted to go somewhere South but being able to meet some of The Gifted from her childhood that she looked up to was also a plus. 

The Prince thought about it a moment, before giving a shrug and a nod. “I have no qualms with it. You had the… misfortune of fighting one of the stronger members of our party, so considering the fact you still want to come along, that’s honestly impressive. You’re welcome along.”

“If you want to see impressive you should see me with my guns.” She chuckled as she rolled her shoulders. “I wouldn’t say that it was a misfortune. She had to listen to my bone dry puns.” Stark groaned from behind Alice while she simply smirked and took a side glance at Chi before turning back to Cyril once more. “With that said, thank you for allowing us to join your party.”

"Of course." Cyril replied, with one final nod.

The feast and accompanying celebration were, in a word, massive. Not only was the entirety of the Arena loud and boisterous for the night, with plenty of good food and drink to go around, but the Homestead as a whole seemed to be awake all the night long. While many celebrated, the Prince and the three Chiefs of Gurata were hard at work planning and organizing how the coming days would progress. It would take some time for fighting forces of the tribes to be gathered, but the hope was that it would be soon enough. Thanks to all the light, the merrymaking, and in a few cases thinking, no one seemed to notice just how strange that night was.

The Wilds of Gurata

The night was darker than usual within the land of Gurata. No moon or stars could be seen thanks to the dark clouds that had rolled in, blotting out the sky. Because of the sudden deep dark many tribes came to a full halt, some out of practicality and some out of superstition. Even the animals seemed to take shelter from the heavy dark.

To the southwest of the Homestead, the woman known as Mizra was one of the few things still moving in the night, finding her way forward blindly. Her dress was in tatters, and her hair was matted with her own blood. Even her flesh was shredded, the tentacles having formed from it either falling apart entirely or just hanging limply. With one of her eyes completely destroyed and the other rendered equally useless by the night she continued to move in halting, haphazard bursts, leaving a trail of blood behind her.

As she moved, she grit her teeth. The noises she made, such as the grunts or the hisses, weren't that of pain even if there was plenty of it; no, they were out of anger. Years of effort had just been crushed underfoot by an unrealized brat, and she was forced to flee exposed and broken thanks to the presence of the Divine Paladin. To stay would have meant certain death, but given enough time she could recover and return when the threats had inevitably moved on. What really mattered at the moment, though, was to find a place to hide for the time being, and not just from the Paladin.

Even if the night was heavy, there wasn't necessarily anything unnatural about it. This changed in an instant in the area immediately around Mizra, and by the time she realized that something had changed it was far too late (even if she was quick to realize it, thanks to her paranoia). The air became thicker, positively oppressive. The stench of death and decay instantly filled the air, clouding the senses. The already deep dark seemed to become a physical blackness, one that enclosed her in heavy walls.

Even in the moment she turned, whirling about, the parts of her face that could still have been considered together went completely white. She opened her mouth, but all the came out was a choked sound as a hand wrapped around her throat much too tightly, holding her off of the ground with ease. The hand was a strange white, so much so that it was able to actually pierce through the darkness to be seen. With long and thin fingers with too many joints, it twitched every so often in unnatural places, such as in the middle of finger segments of even in the center of the hand itself.

As she looked up, she could see the vague outline of the form that held her, but it was for the complete opposite reason that she was able to see the hand. The form was even darker than surrounding walls of black, and indeed seemed to be the source of it; It was tall and thin, just vaguely humanoid in shape. The edges of Its form were distorted and fragmented, dissolving away into energy and tendrils that spread out to become one with the immediate dark. It seemed to wear a hood, one that mostly concealed Its much too white face, and blazing golden eyes peered towards her.

It grinned, showing Its much too sharp and twisted teeth.

"Well, well, look what I caught tonight! A broken and fleeing bitch in her natural habitat!"

The terrible voice was one she immediately recognized, and had hoped to never hear again. It was something worse than metal grinding, beasts snarling, and a storm raging together all at once. It sent chills down her spine, even while she felt something began to squirm within her in response to Its presence; something that had become a part of her long ago beginning to rebel, and try to shift its way out. When that wasn't successful, it began to tear, pain blossoming up and down her spine.

"I just need more-"

"Ah, ah, ah, ah!" One of those long, thin fingers went up to lightly press over her lips, and immediately she fell silent against her will as she felt a buzzing sort of numbness fill her jaw. "No excuses, no pleading, no more speaking. How many years has it been? Ten, fifteen, twenty? Eh, doesn't really matter, you should have always remembered our deal. I just asked you for one itty bitty, teensy weensy favor in return for giving you what you needed to stand head and shoulders above the rest, didn't I? 'Break the guy who calls himself 'Nocte' in whatever way you can.' And what did you do? You got yourself broken instead."

Slowly, It held her closer, golden eyes burning with a sinister and frightening light as It spoke much more quietly than before, asking, "Did you mishear, possibly? Get it backwards? Get hit in the head in the past couple of years and catch a case of the stupid?" It gave an almost violent shrug, one that jostled her body and disoriented her, It swinging her around easily like a ragdoll with the movement before It held her back in front of It again. "Oh well, doesn't matter! You failed miserably. You know what that means?"

"Do-hck-" Before she could finish even a single word Its hand clenched around her throat, in one easy movement crushing her windpipe. As It did this, the grin on Its face widened, stretching beyond a natural point even as the flesh of Its cheeks tore to reveal more and more sharp, wicked teeth.

"Ta ta, and good riddance."

She didn't get the chance to scream, thanks to both the hand crushing her throat and just how fast it happened. In a fraction of the second, a strange sort of split tore across Its chest in a jagged tear. In the next moment the split opened into a maw, Its entire body angling as this maw opened with tearing flesh and cracking bones. Teeth made of bones that twisted even in the moment curved out, and strange tentacles made of sick flesh waved erratically, excited at the apparent prospect of a meal. Even as one hand held continued to grip her throat, the other tore forwards like a claw, ripping into her stomach and shredding flesh with ease as it found a grip. With both hands it pulled her forwards, and the maw closed down upon her with a snap, severing her upper half from her lower with one snap, sending her left arm spinning off to the side as it was broken away. Even as Its arms lunged out to grab her lower half and pull it in as well, one tendril shot out from the maw to catch the arm before it hit the ground and pull it in as well.

Mizra died afraid.

The maw sealed itself close once again. Its body twitched back and forth violently, skin lunging out as if something was trying to push out from It from the inside. It shuddered, before It finally went still once again, hunched over slightly. With Its head still bowed it slowly brought up both hands in a shrug again.

"Oh well... I forgive you, because it didn't matter all that much anyway."

And then It threw Its head back, mouth opening wide as it began to laugh, slowly at first, but then picking up in volume and pace:

"Heh heh heh... heheheheheh... KyahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA!"

The Road South

In contrast to the dark night, perhaps even in defiance against it, the next morning was bright. Even after the celebrating of the night before, the Sentinels and their companions rose early to prepare and leave. They did so with very little fanfare, though the three Chiefs of Gurata were there, to see them off in different capacities. While Yihira's farewell was cheerful, Kisarin's was certainly much louder, and Seryosa's seemed entirely focused on Thuraya, as she sent her subordinate off to the south.

The steadily growing group began their return to Barcea. In comparison to the trip north, the trip south was relatively uneventful. They carved their way back down through the wilds of Gurata, crossing the border back into the land of Barcea, the climate steadily becoming warmer once again, and the roads becoming smooth and traveled. They were not going to make it back to the Capitol in one day, but they were able to pass through and past several Barcean villages, before settling into one for the night.

News that came from the border was tense, but not utterly terrified.

The Renata Household

The past few days at the Lady of Demons' home had been... educational to Etsuko, to put it lightly. When both she and Calypso weren't lost in the winding and (at this point undoubtedly) changing halls of the mansion and waiting for rescue by Richard, who was never too far behind, they were spending time with one of the two of the Renatas. With the Lady of Demons herself, Etsuko spent time exploring just where the source of her powers came from, and how to further tap into them. It was a difficult process, one that challenged her to her very core. Still, she always had a break when she spent time with Helle... where she instead learned how fast she could run, or how well she could hide, only to figure out how fast she could run still when she was found.

There was one other person that Etsuko had met during her days in the mansion, one that Lady Renata had mentioned in their initial meeting. Resalia Narratio was another of the few remaining demons in the world, and served Lady Renata as everything from a researcher, to an experimenter, to a recorder, and in Etsuko's case educator. With Resalia, Etsuko learned more about magic as a whole, lessons that she would be able to take to her time with Lady Renata. From both Resalia and Lady Renata, though, she continued learning about the organization called the Manu Propria, the enemy that had yet to be seen.

In truth, Etsuko never thought she’d learn this much in her entire lifetime. It was both exhilarating and exhausting and every night, she went to bed with an overwhelming amount of knowledge. What truly amazed her was the fact that she had so much potential. More than she had initially thought.

The breaks with Helle were certainly welcome, though she was genuinely surprised by how well her body managed to hold together every time the younger demon felt the need to hug her. She was sure that Calypso was just as surprised, if not worried about her every time the young Renata came out of hiding.

In fact, she wouldn’t be surprised if Helle was hiding around the corner as she left the room she was given to get Calypso. 

However, it was not the younger Renata who was waiting for Etsuko as she emerged from her room. Instead, it was the elder, who was standing a few feet down the hallway. The Lady of Demons had the habit of often appearing suddenly like this, without warning, and whenever she did she usually had some sort of smirk on her face, as if she knew that what she did had a habit of startling people.

"It's almost time for you to leave my home for the time being, Ms. Tanaka."

Etsuko jumped—as she always did whenever she was startled—though it had nothing to do with the fact that it was Lady Renata that she saw; it was the fact that she had been expecting one and gotten the other. She let out a sigh, as if to recover her sense, and then looked at Lady Renata.

“Oh, I see. Will we be going home?”

Lady Renata gave a slight shake of her head before she spoke, saying, "No, you will not. Instead, you will head back west, return to the Capitol, and present yourself to Queen Serio once again and fall under her care instead. A message has already been delivered to her, so she will be expecting you. From then on, you will stay with the Serios until I find a need to say otherwise."

She nodded her head, and even though she wanted to ask why they’d be going back to the Capitol, she’s learned in her time with Lady Renata that it was better not to ask. Lady Renata always seemed to have some sort of plan in mind anyway.

“Oh, um, alright then. Are we leaving today?”

"That you are." Lady Renata said this with a slight nod. "Your companion has already been informed, and should already be packed now."

Etsuko nodded again and gave a slight smile. “Oh! Well, umm…thank you for letting us stay here. And for teaching me so much!”

"Of course." The Lady of Demons gave a slight wave of her hand, as if it were not something to be so concerned with. "Prepare your things, and meet me at the front door. We'll say our farewells then." And, with that, she turned, simply beginning to walk away.

Etsuko retreated back into the room that was given to her, packing up her things as was instructed.

She managed to find her way to the front of the manor, and felt some achievement in the fact that she didn’t need Richard’s help for it. Upon seeing Calypso, she smiled and waved, going over to stand by her side.

Calypso, of course, returned the wave, excitedly wiggling her fingers as she did so. Though Etsuko's time in the manor had consisted of plenty of education and instruction, things that Calypso wasn't really a part of, she seemed to have found ways to entertain herself anyway.

"Agggh, do they have to go!"

"Yes, Helle."

Behind Etsuko not only had Lady Renata appeared again, but also Richard and Helle as well. The blonde and younger of the two sisters, clearly, wasn't very happy about the fact that her newest playmate was being sent away... So much so that, without warning, she suddenly pounced forwards, hugging Etsuko quite tightly.

[b]"I don't want you to goooooo!"

Etsuko was expecting the hug from Helle and giggled as she wrapped her arms around the smaller demon and returned the hug.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll be back.”

"You better!" Helle only pulled away after Lady Renata gave Richard a nod, and the butler moved forwards to gently pry her away. While the younger demon huffed and puffed, the elder gave another one of her smiles that teetered just on the edge of being a smirk.

"Enjoy your time in the Capitol, Ms. Tanaka."

Seeing as everyone in the Renata manor ended up being like family in the last few, very intense, days, Etsuko couldn’t help herself as she went over to Richard and gave him a hug.

“Thank you, Mr. Richard.”

The old butler gave a slight chuckle, allowing himself to be embraced before he stepped back, giving a slight bow. "It's my pleasure, Ms. Tanaka. Don't worry, though; I'm sure I'll see you again very soon."

She smiled and let go of him as he gave a bow. Then she turned to Lady Renata and hesitated. Was it really appropriate? She didn’t want to leave her out.

After a moment’s deliberation, she went over and gave the Lady of Demons herself a hug.

"Thank you, Lady Renata."

The eyebrow of the Lady raised ever slightly as Etsuko took the time to make her decision, and then her eyes opened slightly further at the hung itself. After a moment, she gently brought her hand up, reaching above to lightly pat the girl on her head.

"Save your thanks for later. Off you go."

Etsuko let go, satisfied with the pat on the head and nodded. “We’ll see each other soon.” With that, she returned to Calypso and smiled. “Off we go.”

The Road South to the Capitol

The next day, the Sentinels and their companions continued their way south. Back within the inner parts of Barcea, they were able to travel at a much more comfortable pace, returning to the best roads that they had seen in the past few days. The walls of the Capitol came into sight around midday, and as they were once more spotted by the guard a call went up, news rapidly travelling of their arrival. The people swarmed them once again on their entrance, welcoming back, and the group slowly made their way from outer walls to inner, and beyond to the castle.

The Queen welcomed them back herself in the throne room, and listened to what they had to say about their journey and results. She seemed pleased, though in her reserved, calm way. She thanked them for their efforts on behalf of Barcea, and welcomed all of the newcomers as well, showing her gratitude for them as well. The audience with the group as a whole was rather quick, before they were allowed to disperse for the most part. However, the Queen requested that Joachim and Chikako stay for a little while longer, so they might speak.

When the group was gone, Joachim dropped to one knee and bowed his head. Quite simply, he said, "He understands if the Gifted are not welcome here, Queen Serio. Barcea has no reason to love them from the God King War. He offers his own life as payment, but asks you spare his companion here."

The Queen gave her usual smile, and a slight shake of her head. "That is not necessary, Joachim Raizen. The past is in the past, and Barcea made its fair share of mistakes at the time. It is not fair to hold it against you, especially since you protected our people in the present."

In five days, the group had gone north, gathered many allies, and returned to Barcea once again. They had done well.

The Next Day

The news that came in the next day brought a grave reminder of what the land of Barcea was dealing with. Those watching the border brought news of how the H'kelans were beginning to gather en masse, clearly preparing for some sort of incursion. Tensions were rapidly building, and those on the border were requesting for reinforcement. Unfortunately, the Guratans were not due to be prepared for some time, which meant that, for the time being, the nation of Barcea was on its own.

With the few men they were able to send, both Kori and Cyril came to the decision together to send some of their best with them. The Sentinels were gathered, and told to prepare to ride to the border. Very quickly Alasa, Sampson, Gortual, and Diane prepared themselves, before receiving Kori's blessing to be sent on their way. Though Cyril wished he could join them, Kori asked for him to remain, in case a messenger sent in advance by Gurata arrived.

Even after the Sentinels left though, two who were familiar to some of those in the group returned to the castle.

Even if the Capitol was still as grand as she remembered, the atmosphere was different. The citizens moved about with a bit of fear, looking over their shoulders, wondering if they were surrounded by friend or foe. Etsuko did her best to smile and appear friendly—a feat that she and Calypso seemed to have down to an art—but she could tell that it did nothing for the citizens’ nerves. So they continued on their way to the castle.

Just as Lady Karin had said, those at the castle were notified of their eventual arrival and they were taken to the Queen’s throne room immediately. The fortune teller wondered if Cyril and his Sentinels were doing well—especially considering the circumstances—and that no one had been lost since the last time they had seen each other. She also wondered if any newcomers had joined them. The Prince seemed to have a knack for recruiting others into joining his noble cause, and it would certainly be nice to see some new faces.

As they entered the throne room, her eyes landed on the Queen and she curtsied.

The Queen smiled at the sight of Etsuko and Calypso, the latter electing to do her usual wave rather than curtsying or bowing. The Queen rose from her throne, stepping down to them and closing the gap without the slightest care, saying, "Welcome back, Etsuko and Calypso. I trust you have been well?"

As Etsuko rose, she gave Queen Kori a smile and nodded.

“Yes, thank you. And how have you been?”

"Oh, well enough. There has been a decent amount of good news as of late, thankfully. Including your arrival; I'm glad you took us up on our offer."

It took Etsuko a moment to realize what she was talking about, but after a series of blinks she seemed to understand.

“Aha, yes, well…I-I’m sure you need all the support you can get. I-I may not be able to do much, but I’m sure Calypso would!”

The Queen smiled, before giving a slight nod. "I'm glad for both of you, my dear. You know where the Sentinels are, of course, and Cyril has brought a few more under his wing. I'm sure you'll meet them all soon enough."

She smiled a little, glad to know that her assumption that the Sentinels had grown was correct.

“We look forward to meeting them. Er, but is there anything you would like us to do now?”

The Queen shook her head as she turned, walking back to return to her throne. "No, not at all. Simply make yourself comfortable, of course."

“O-Oh, um, alright.”

For some reason, that made Etsuko feel nervous. Then again, she was a somewhat nervous individual anyway.

Throughout the rest of the castle things were quiet. It was a lull in activity finally, at least for a little while; now, they could rest as best as they could, before the war truly began.
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Them Done Horrid Murder on Bloody Stages

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