ஐ T.A.L.M ஐ Open & accepting

[Hiromaniac]

Adam Kuroda

&

Lady Triana

{Secret Underground Lair, O-Ska Ruins, Veles}

"Unless your wings can carry the four of us, there is no way out." As he looked around, Adam harrumphed at the apparent lack of an exit in the chamber. Triana shied from his side and spoke up. "I believe what My Lord is trying to say is that Marit Lage destroyed the passage back to the surface. A large tree grew from her corpse instantaneously, but it collapsed shortly afterwards and we were unable to climb out." Adam sighed as he continued to look around. He was interested in the temple and the magics surrounding it. He could spend well over a year simply studying the legends of the hidden temple, but he knew the damned witches of Veles would take immediate authority over the ruins and the temple below. Once they did that, there would be no way he would ever be allowed to return to the ruins. He was lucky he was even able to get into Veles as it was. He also had many questions to ask the man. His style of simple knowledge seeking was often classified as interrogation so he would have to be careful about seeking knowledge.

"I will show you to the hole in the ceiling. It is our best way of getting out of here." Though it pained him to do so, he turned away from the temple and began walking back to the previous chamber. On his way out of the temple, he collected the staff he had made Enick. As he entered the chamber that Marit had previously occupied, he pointed up at the hole in the ceiling. "That is the only way out. But there is another issue I need to speak to you about. We were only allowed to work here with the explicit permission by the Witches of Veles. Should they find out you were located down here, they will hold you for questioning until they have obtained everything they want to know. And when they wish to hold someone, they hold them. No one, whether King or peasant, merchants or traveler, angel or demon, god or devil, can get in or out of their Tower without their permission. It is something my family has been attempting ever since it was constructed."

"For that reason, you shall say you are one of the mercenaries I hired as protection for this trip if we are to come across the Witches. Your payment for the trip was a salary of one-hundred and fifty gold per hour in addition to the price of however much mana crystals you were able to carry out of here." Adam reached into his bag and tossed the man a small pouch of mana crystals. "Place those on your person as if you were in competition with about two hundred other people to collect as many crystals as possible. The low amount can be explained by a battle with Marit Lage. The battle proceeded as thus: I made the first shot towards blinding her many eyes. We used bow and arrows to do so. Injured personnel evacuated up the stairs to the clinic Triana headed. Marit Lage fought back by smashing us with her tentacles, freezing us and shattering us, and causing boulders to fall on us. Enick made the final strike once all of her eyes had been rendered unusable. He cast some spell into the Beast's mouth which caused her immense damage. It was shortly after that the tree grew and broke a hole in the ceiling before collapsing into the heap it is now."

Without checking back on the man, he paced forward and collected a branch from the tree and packed it away into his bag. Turning back to the man with Triana at his side, he took in the sight of him holding Enick's body. His face didn't waver though. "The Witches will search the cavern extensively. If you wish to preserve the temple in which you slumbered, now would be the time to do so. I estimate their vanguard will arrive in roughly fifteen minutes." The chamber was a mess. Not only was there the wreckage of the tree, but there was the corpses of the hundreds of dead soldiers. Despite it all, Adam's look was unwavering. Triana was visibly uncomfortable, but as long as she was near Adam nothing would get to her. Her look was a questioning one. Her eyes were practically speaking for her. Look at all of this. Look at the many who gave their lives for yours. Do not let their deaths be in vain.

[Lykinpuff]

}+{ Florian }+{

The Forlorn Calamity

Location: O-ska ruins, Veles

"Hold your children close to you; they represent all of your hopes and dreams...

The Forlorn Calamity would follow Adam and Triana as far as the ante-chamber, but did not take a step further. Outstretching a hand, he'd catch the small bag of valuables and observe it's contents uninterestingly. Money or material valuables were not things he concerned himself with. Why cherish something like that? When lives were so much more valuable?
His eyes followed Adam's lips closely, his gaze astute. To be honest, this was going to be difficult for him. Florian never participated in theatre, and he never attended school for acting. But he'd been around many brigands in his time...maybe that would suffice. Needless, Florian kept all of his doubts to himself as he listened intently on Adam's instructions. "The temple wont be a concern. I'm afraid once I depart, it will be destroyed." he explained, deciding it better to leave out the part about how he would be hunted down by more than witches once he did. Witches did not worry him. As if to demonstrate, he'd take a shallow breath before stepping outside the ante-chamber with both feet and turning to the side. And just like that, the entire temple would fall from it's place in the sky and become wrapped in a large black wormhole! The violent surge wouldn't reach them however, but even the antechamber was torn to peices and swallowed up...only leaving a cave-in to seal the doorway.
"I can fly us out one at a time, if that seems more feasable to you sir." he would mention.

He'd move foreward ever so slightly to open his mouth and say something else, but he was caught off at the sight of the bodies and carnage further in the great cavern...

(( Music for the following scene ))

"W-...why? Why so much for me? I...don't understand." he would look to Adam and Triana childishly for answers. With the pouth tucked at his waist, he would clutch Enick tightly against himself. He never wanted this...sacrifice. Needless sacrifice.
He would patiently await an answer.

... they live to succeed in all of their hopes and dreams, and it is up to you to teach them by loving example. Nurturing."

[Higu Pigu]

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Mirka followed her brother as they approached the flying vessel.She saw him stop and offer the traditional "Ladies first.", and Mirka couldn't restrain a bitter laugh.
" You know,Orion, usually people say that to me..." she started, walking up the boarding plank and stopping when she reached the deck. " ...when they mean to stab me in the back." she turned around and stopped her eyes on him for some moments.Then, she smiled again. " But, of course, I can be at ease with you,brother..isn't that right?"
Mirka walked forward, taking notice that the airship was awfully quiet.At first, she suspected it may be a trap set by her brother, as ships like these are usually operated by many people - Gregory's airship was restless both day and night.But then she remembered how very different Gregory was compared to Orion - the first was a rebel,never thinking much before jumping into a battle; the other - a calm,rational young man, who,just like their father, liked plans and strategies, and would always think twice. It was no wonder his airship was under such control.
Mirka stopped, turning around again to wait for him.Orion would never ambush anyone on his airship, much less a member of his family.
He has so many weaknesses, her brother.But so does Mirka, but she would never allow Orion to know of them - she won't allow anyone to know of them.



▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬



Location: Saur,St.Lutudas
Mood:Suspicious and careful
In the company of: Orion, her brother

[Lykinpuff]

}*{ Orion Sai Noklim }*{

The Flying Tiger and Crown Prince of Psoglav

Location: St. Lutudas, Saur

___________________________________________________________________________

The Crowned Prince of Psoglav would quirk an eyebrow concerningly towards his sister as she remarked her backstabbing statement. Was she egging him on? Or pushing buttons? Beforehand he had to be careful with her, but it was getting to a point where she was getting blatant with her statements. Was it the wine, really? Either way, Orion felt it best to dismiss the statement and shake his head.
"Sis, I don't know whether to blame the wine or suggest you've observed too many mellow-dramas." He would shrug kiddishly, waving over a watchman to pull up the ramp. He'd inform the man to give the captain the okay to set sail back home to Psoglav before joining his sister beside the railing.

"Mirka, are you sure there isn't something troubling you? I'm getting the hidden notion there is something your not telling me." He'd surmise on a sympathetic note. To be honest, he expected nothing. He was near-positive Mirka would only be brought to justice if all the evidence was laid out before her; caught red-handed. But still he desperately pleaded with her inwardly to come clean. To get her garbage together. To him, the fact that his own sister was even doing all of this was garbage. It was malevolent, and a besmirching of the family name.

______________________________________________________________________________

[Hiromaniac]

Lux
Location: Lion's Den

Lux and his friends spent a good while having fun catching up and getting to know each other more. Eventually their merriment was disturbed by the sudden appearance of Lux's previous boothmate, the white-haired Togathian half-fox demon. She was serene as ever, but there was a hint of urgency in her look. "Lux. Something is wrong." Lux furled his brow at the woman's statement. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Hiro's face grew pale. "Did something to wrong with Green Thumb's deal?" She shook her head and his other boothmate came thundering up. He seemed out of breath as if he had just run across the city. "We never made it there. The deal got spooked by a troop of bandits just outside the gate from the warehouse. They were stopped by a trio, a young boy, a drunkard, and a guy in shaded glasses."

Lux shrugged, not seeing what was so urgent. He also noticed Hiro grow even more pale upon the other companion's arrival, a full-blooded fox demon. He looked as if he were staring at two ghosts. "I still don't see what the big deal is, Fox. The bandits didn't check with me, but they're bandits so I would expect as much. And those three took care of it for me." "That's not it." "We were on our way back when Chi noticed an unusual cracking noise. When we checked it out, two guards were dead and some creature was spewing black smoke into the air from his mouth. He had bright red hair and had a string of bells across his chest."

The messenger suddenly dropped his drink. He slowly looked up with a strange look on his face. "No. Not here too." Lux gave him an odd look. "A friend of yours?" "It's the demon from Imak." Lux slammed down his drink. "Wait, you mean the one that razed part of the city? I heard about that, it's the worst attack since Mephisto took over!" "We must stop him." The Messenger stood up from his seat and started away from the table. "Wait. I'm coming too. This is my town. There's no way I'm going to let some punk demon tear it apart. Hey, Hiro. You coming too?" Hiro was still extraordinarily pale as he looked back and forth from Chi to Fox. He seemed totally out of it. "Chi? Fox?"

"Hiro!" Hiro jumped as his name was yelled. "What? Oh! Yeah, I'm in. Let's go." Lux raised his eyebrows at the man's behavior, but didn't say anything. "Alright. Chi. Fox. Lead the way." His companions nodded then raced away, the rest of them following close behind. Lux was about to check on Hiro and The Messenger as Chi and Fox suddenly took to the roofs as they exited the bar, but they both made it to the roofs with a single leap so he didn't say anything. The company raced off in the direction of the disturbance.

[Hiromaniac]

Amalia Cruoriinhibio

Skorr, Mirth

Amalia silently made her entrance into the city as Jaakuna was killing the guards. She felt the energetic blow to her gut as the two died. Her pupils dilated ever so slightly as she felt the rush of energy. Grinning, she continued her slow entrance into the city. A familiar presence seemed like it was approaching, but she ignored the feeling. She would be too busy managing the energy from the massive amount of death the archdevil had promised.

[Hiromaniac]

Adam Kuroda

&

Lady Triana

{Underground Cavern, O-Ska Ruins, Veles}

"I told you my name is Adam. Call me as such." "I apologize. My Lord does not use honorifics, titles, or nicknames and does not like others to speak to him using them. His servants are his only exception." As always, Adam's face was unchanging, but inside he was pained to see the temple go forever beyond his grasp. He hadn't learned anything he had wished to learn on this trip and everything he had grown interested in was slowly moving out of his grasp. "I don't know why. Only Enick does. I came here with the purpose of studying the ruins and making a profit. The former is impossible whether I stay or leave. If I stay, I'll never get out of this hole unless it is by the Witches' grace and they aren't likely to do so. If I go, the Witches will see to it that I never step foot into Veles again." He was beginning to curse the day he even met with Enick about the trip.

"We never properly introduced ourselves. This is Adam Kuroda, head of the Kuroda household. I am Triana, loyal servant to the Kuroda family. I hate to inconvenience you, but the sooner we can leave this cavern, the better. As My Lord said, the witches will want to question us extensively if they catch us using powers that they were unaware of. If you have any powers, I would highly suggest that you do not utilize them until we are clear of the Witches." Adam wandered over to a corpse and took a grey cloak from it. It had a few bloodstains, but nothing major. He strolled to the man and held it out to him. "Once we surface, you may also want to hide your wings until we are clear of the Witches. If you have no way of making them disappear without any kind of sustained power, this is the best bet for hiding them." He looked up at the exit hole for a few moments. "It might be best if you allow me to do all the talking once we surface. Go along with what I say and you will have nothing to worry about."

[Lykinpuff]

)*( Jaakuna Akuma )*(

The Sin Pandemic

Location: Skorr, Mirth

Soul Intoxication Level: 2%

"The masquerade of corpses, it dances here for him...

By the time The Sin Pandemic closed his mouth, the dark clouds above had been melded with only as far as the town's district, and became completely black. The moon became covered, as well as all the stars directly above. And the smell of rain...became the smell of oil; thick as curd in the air above.
It wasn't going to rain water, it was going to rain gasoline. And with no sun to evaporate it, it would be allowed to soak in the ground for his imminent use. Many people in their homes began to awake from the foul odor, and the people already out in the streets, mostly guards, would begin gathering to investigate the source of the smell. In truth, it was all too late, but Jaakuna hunched merrily on his perch. He rested his chin on his forearms as he built up energy in his chest for the next move when his ears picked up some unfamiliar noise. What fools would be gunning it to the northern gate where he perched in such a hurry? His eyes became alight with amusement.

The first person to make it to the front gate was obviously the fastest, a familiar face that had Jaakuna grit his teeth in a psychotic smile! However he said nothing, only pitifully looking down at the man before him and studying his facial features once more. The Messenger...why did his facial features look so familiar despite only having seen him twice? He felt...he had killed someone close to him. But he had killed so many people! Did this man stare back at him in such a way, because he had killed a family member? A close friend perhaps?
He slightly remembered tearing apart a young lad being protected by his mother in Imak, but there was no evidence to prove as such. But why should he care, anyway? They were all food.
Just then, four other denizens would show up in the vacinity, and Jaakuna looked upon them with equal pity.
A gust of wind blew, and slightly jingled The Tears of Namida draped around his shoulder and waist. Though his body tingled with excitement, as did his bells, his expression was neutral as he began studying their faces. How did they know where to find him, or that he was even here?

No matter...all were going to die here if he could help it.
A few drips here...a few drops there...and suddenly, it began to rain. Yet it was not water.

...jolly in their newbron clothes, all of which consumed by flame."

[Lykinpuff]

}+{ Florian }+{

The Forlorn Calamity

Location: O-ska ruins, Veles

"Shared secrets amongst the ones you love strengthen the trust you share...

"Oh! I um, beg your pardon, ser...I mean Sir Adam ser. Aherm, Adam. And Miss Triana. Hehe, this is harder than I thought. Forgive me." He'd apologize with embaressment, a light smile dawning on his face in unison with a slight pink hue in his cheeks.
He'd set Enick down gently, wraping his wings around him like a cloak; a rather large overbearing feathery cloak of white and black. The top of the new adornment came just to the tip of his nose, as the bottom rested comfortably on the ground around his feet.
"Please, before I forget, I am called Florian. It is an honor to meet you both." Florian would bow curtly. Then extending a hand through the avian accessory, he'd politely grasp the cloak and work to drape the entire thing around his wings.It was a bare fit to say the least; if you ever bumped into him as it were, you'd feel like you bumped into a pillow of goose down. But by appearances alone, he just appeared extremely built and somewhat awkward in shape. It was all too apparent via his facial features how uncomfortable this was. Wearing his wings came natural, but wearing something over them? No sir. The temperature underneath quickly became a sauna, but he'd bare with it as long as he could.

In short, the witch/inspector of his person in question would have to either be a complete dunce, or extremely preoccupied NOT to notice this flimsy desguise.

After giving Adam and Triana a moment to critique; he'd shed the cloak and release his wings to set Enick against a stone. Doing all this with one hand while holding him had not been an easy task. But'd he'd need both hands to fly the two new acquaintences out of the cavern. So begging "Miss" Triana's pardon, he'd gently latch an arm behind her waist and the other underneath her knees before picking her up and flapping his wings delicately to make space between himself and the floor; safely carrying the young lady to the top. Then he'd ask the same pardon from Adam, of course, he didn't carry him in the marital style for preservation of his pride as a man, and just carried him by his underarms.
Lastly, he'd place a small portion of the cloak in his mouth and pick up Enick with dignity before making it to the top himself; then immeadiately get to work on his flimsy disguise.

Sure enough, there was already an inquisition of Velesian Witches at the encampment just a quarter of a mile to the south.

...you commit knowledge to be exploited to the ones you pray, never will. The risks of embracing."

((Editted.))

[Hiromaniac]

Lux and Company
Location: (Skorr, Mirth)

The company already had a debriefing of Jaakuna's previous attack and had taken precautions of earplugs and to avoid blood at all costs. Lux had feared Hiro and the Messenger were at a disadvantage as they weren't used to the signals he used with his partners when discretion is advised. After seeing their ease in following his company across the city, he figured they'd be alright.

Lux and his company, along with Hiro, shed looks of confusion as the rain began and slid to a halt. The Messenger didn't notice the oddity of the rain's presence but still slid to a halt as he noticed the others do the same. As the rain began to pick up, the three made the signal for 'oil,' or rather any kind of flammable material. Nodding at the fact the three of them recognized the threat, Lux pointed at Chi and gave the signal for 'ice.' Nodding, Chi slid to a halt and took a deep breath. As she blew the breath out, the surrounding air became frigid and a half-inch layer of ice began to settle on the immediate area. The ground became cold and frigid and stopped accepting the falling rain. From that point it pooled at various points on the ice's surface.

The Messenger had realized about at this time the exact nature of the rain. Hiro, having already caught onto the situation and Chi's response, slid over to Chi and motioned for her to do it again. She gave him a confused look, but complied. Hiro spun his arm around as if he were spinning a sling and flicked his imaginary sling upwards at the clouds. Chi's freezing breath went skyward and made an imprint where it entered the clouds. Hiro motioned for her to keep the breath going as long as possible. The effect of Hiro's plan became apparent just about the time she could no longer continue blowing. The falling rain gradually became less and less of a liquid and became more and more of a thick gel. Eventually the rain had the consistency of sculpting clay. It would never truly freeze, but this was as best as they would get.

The other four gave Hiro a nod of approval and he nodded back. Lux was the first to draw his blade. His sabre was long and mean, but simple. As he held it in his hand, a small spark of electricity crackled down the length of the blade. Chi and Fox brandished their weapons at nearly identical times. Chi extended a whip that seemed to be made of ice and Fox drew his simple sword. Hiro followed suit by slipping out his jian. With his free hand he traced a symbol in the air. It was a symbol of holiness and light, of blessings and benedictions which flared to life with a white light. Seemingly grabbing onto the symbol, he ran his hand along the length of the blade causing it to take the symbol's glow. The Messenger merely cracked his knuckles and assumed the position.

[Hiromaniac]

Adam Kuroda

&

Lady Triana

{Underground Cavern, O-Ska Ruins, Veles}

Adam scowled at the futility of Florian's disguise and his utter lack of a proper introduction. His face was as unchanging as ever as Florian swept Triana off her feet and took to the air though Triana certainly grew a deep red. While Florian was flying Triana to safety, Adam turned to the limp body of his comrade. "Who is this man that you would give your only life to awaken? I feel he won't be as much use to me as you would have been. It is truly a pity." Adam silenced his thoughts as Florian returned for him. He was silent as Florian flew him to the surface, uncaring that his bulky frame was over twice the weight of Triana's slender body.

As Florian made his final descent, Triana latched onto Adam's arm. "Who is he, My Lord?" Adam shrugged ever so slightly. "I do not know, Triana. It is a few day's boat ride back to Kratos. Hopefully I will be able to get something from him during that trip or the following return to Psoglov." Adam hushed as Florian appeared with Enick and began to put on his cloak again. Rolling his eyes in disgust, an unseen force ripped the cloak from Florian's shoulders and sent it billowing down into the blackened hole.

"The Witches will soon be alerted of our position and you cannot afford to be here when they do. Go northwest around the ruins. Once you are out of view of the Witches, head straight west. Follow the coastline south to the port. We will meet you there." He collected Enick from Florian and softly lay him down on the grass. "Unfortunately you must leave Enick with us. If we show them anything short of his untouched body, the Witches will assume we simply put a knife in his back. Besides, you will not make it off the island with a corpse in tow without the prior consent from the Witches. That will be our job. Now go, we have not the time for further stalling."

"Triana." "Yes, My Lord?" "If you will, we need to make it look like we just barely made it out of the cavern before the tree collapsed." Triana nodded and drew an ofuda from her sleeve. Approaching the edge of the hole, she collected a rock. Wrapping the ofuda around it, she tossed the rock down the hole and skittered back. It took a while, but when the rock hit the bottom of the hole it exploded. The explosion, amplified by the size of the cave, caused another smaller landslide in the cavern below. In honest, it sounded as if a very large object had fallen to the ground.

[Lykinpuff]

)*( Jaakuna Akuma )*(

The Sin Pandemic

Location: Skorr, Mirth

Soul Intoxication Level: 10%

"Oh what fun, oh what fun, when the children are slain; their chests split open, their dirty feet bare and plain...

Jaakuna Akuma waisted no time in merely observing their ploy to counter-act his rain of fire. Engraving a blood seal in his hunched position to his right, he broke it to summon a few dozen firey whisps to his side. Practically harmless, they shivered fearfully near his person at the sudden drop in temperature.
Grunting and motioning his head foreward, the small group blitzed to the sky and began setting the unaffected clouds ablaze with fire! Chi and Lux's cooperation had saved them great damage on their part, for if they hadn't acted, they would have been fighting in the middle of the hazard. So their fighting area not only had been established by this, but it had been made decently save for them. Small pot-fires would emerge, but nothing serious if you watched your footing.

However...the same could not be said for the area's outside of Chi's range. Liquid fire rained true, as the curois souls who wondered out to observe, soon became leeched to Jaakuna as their body's crumpled and crisped under the pelting fire that insued. Jaakuna's eyes would dialate; his skin would quiver with a buzz! It was time to put on a show!
The Archdevil would stand up and ring a few bells on his sash, expectant to see Lux and his crew gripping their heads with madness...but yet again, not all went according to his plan. And he didn't like that.
Now Lux's funny hand signals made sense. The damn messenger spilt the beans, the b*****d. This limited his Tear's of Namida to their eyes and skin contact only. So if he couldn't touch them with the sash, he'd have to place himself in melee where his opponent's eyes focused on him. And doing that may just do the trick, since it seemed many of them were melee fighters by the looks of them.

But that tactic he'd save for later, a warm up was in order! And he wasn't about to let some neighborhood watch insects ruin his mood! More souls were being stripped from their bodies by the hour, so he decided it best to enjoy himself.

(( Music for the following fight. ))

Spitting off to the side, Jaakuna would make a monsterous leap and land right at the center of his opponent's formation, making sure he was surrounded on all sides. His grin was cocky, and his dialated eyes were wild with expectation as all of his muscles tightened.
"Well! Let's dance!" he yelled, understanding that their ears were plugged, but uncaring either way. Being The Sin Pandemic he was, he helped himself to the first move. Cracking his knuckles a few times, he'd give little warning to the dirty trick building up in his mouth. As if to spit once more casually, he'd actually exhale a rather rank black plume of fog! Intended to visually cut off Fox and Chi, and encase The Messenger, Lux, and even Hiro, he'd use the oppurtunity to sprint right into Hiro's face!
Users of the holy arts disgusted him, and Hiro looked the most dangerous wearing his heavier armor and weilding a weapon that had further reach than his claws. Jaakuna's attacks were be few, but highly vicious; all aimed low, he'd drop to the floor once he could gather Hiro realized he was being attacked, and kick out both feet in a lowering drop kick to shove demonic weight against Hiro's ankles!
It was up to Hiro how'd he'd defend or parry; but if he was expecting a face-to-face fight, he was in for a dissapointment. Whether Jaakuna was unsuccessful or not, he'd actually just remain on all fours and creepily skitter away!
The fog was thick, and wasn't dissapated as quickly as one would hope, but thankfully for the heros, it wasn't spreading either. But it wouldn't matter, hoping he'd entice Hiro to follow, Jaakuna would then attempt a feint attack on Lux and The Messenger's life as well.

Lux would find Jaakuna's head popping out of the fog to toss a few bolts of black lightning at his feet.
And The Messenger, in his location, would find The Archdevil vomiting a plume of black and red fire toward's his chest before skittering away!

If Jaakuna's plan worked, all three fighters would get antsy in their cut-off positions in the fog and would either try and break away, or worse, tread deeper into the fog. The ploy would last as long as the fog remained, but Jaakuna new The Messenger had means of ridding the playing field of it. But of course, he risked running into an object or comrade if he couldn't see. All three heros ran that risk if they moved around blindly.
So there Jaakuna stood at the fog's center, waiting patiently whilst his opponents took their turn to react.

...the devil he accepts them, into his unholy cowl; absorbing their souls, their dreams, and turning it into something most foul."

[Lykinpuff]

}+{ Florian }+{

The Forlorn Calamity

Location: O-ska ruins, Veles

"You lift your head to see the sun, only to find she is accosted by moons...

Florian's face was riddled with minor concerns as the cloak he tried to put on was seemingly ripped from his shoulders and sent down towards the chasm below. And sure enough, Sir Adam had a change of plans, but that was understandable. It was still early, but Florian was begining to get a few finger's grasp on how this strange pale man seemed to operate; thought-process wise. He was very methodical.
Given a new set of instructions, Florian would look towards the horizen to see a bright orange setting sun...it was evening in Veles. At the end of Adam's lecture, the young Angel Eater would reluctantly hand Enick over to Miss Triana, truely not wanting to part with The Loremaster. Assuming Adam's directions were explicit, he was confident he'd only have to worry about bumping into one port city, instead of having to worry about multiples and worrying which one Adam would need him to be at. And with the small bag of mana crystals, he felt set in means of currency.

(( Music for the following scene ))

"Please take care of him Miss Triana." Florian would request respectively, dusting himself off afterwards and giving his wings a good stretching. Since he needed to avoid being seen, he felt it'd be better to walk, at least till he made it around the northwest side of the ruins and made it to the coast. Chances were, he'd make it to port before the rest."I'll meet you at port then Sir Adam. I'm not much for taverns or staying in inns, but if they have a library or marketplace, chances are we can find one another there." Florian would farewell with a polite smile.
And with a wave goodbye, he'd begin tredding casually northwest of the ruins.

...but when you lower your head towards the water's reflection, you see that the moon has surrounded himself with many suns. A Rhapsody of the Reliquary."

[Oddoddish]

Kiren

Mirth: Skorr

Kiren Let go of guy as she left two souls leave this plain, Leaving his side Kiren Ran off down the streets and off towards the main gates. It seemed too peaceful and with each pacing step her sword Kobato howled with delight as she heard his voice. Leaping onto patios and side walls Kiren stooped about a yard away on a near by roof. Watching as what looked like four man and a girl were near the front gate. As she unsheathed her onyx sword the voice vibrated as it stared at the man that was facing the others. Eye brows raised Kiren felt that he wasn't a man but a powerful demon. Keeping a watchful eye on them as they fought each other, with a slight grin she giggled in amusement as she watched them in pure delight.

[Ginia the turtle]

~~~Anna Ikeda~~~

Location: St. Lutudas, Saur

"Now....surrender."

The emotionless words that came from the knight fed the growing sense of dread within Anna as she was now surrounded by his troops with no escape in sight. Despite being heavily outnumbered Anna firmly stood her ground with her rapier half drawn as she glared at the leader of the men, showing no hint of backing down. In reality however, the girl was suppressing the panic and confusion growing within herself as she attempted to quickly assess the mess she had somehow gotten into. "Tsk....To be chased down like a rat and become trapped like this......I was too careless.....!!" Anna had thought about fighting her way out, but decided not to as she would easily end up being skewered by their swords from all directions. Even if she somehow managed to force her way out the swordmaster knew that she would not emerge unscathed in a fight right now, and would end up tired and heavily wounded before possibly being surrounded elsewhere again.

"Tch....."

Her thoughts shifted back to the chase that occurred only moments before. The knights had pushed Anna from direction to direction with their barrage of spells and constant pursuing, herding her right where they wanted her. It was a well executed trap to be sure, but something bothered Anna the more she thought about it. The escape routes she had planned out many days beforehand were but a few in the dozens of exits that the alleyway maze possessed. She had of course, taken the utmost care to make sure that none were neither too close to each other or easily found. Even with the large amount of soldiers present, there was no way that they could have covered every single alleyway in the city.....that would have been impossible. If that had been the case, their forces would have been stretched so thinly that Anna would have been able escape somehow even if they had blocked her way! "....So how......? How did they know where my escape routes would be?!"

Unless......

They had already known everything from the start.

......?!?!

A chill went down Anna's spine as she shuddered at this absurd realization. It was a nearly impossible possibility yes, but there was no other way to explain it. Yes.....it would explain everything! The exact building and room where she was staying, the way they blocked her exits during the chase, the exact method in the alleyway to lure and trap her.....they knew everything right from the very start!!! ".....I've underestimated you, it seems." Anna finally said with a grim smile to the commanding knight. With a sigh of resignation, she closed her eyes while straightening up from her stance as she pushed her half drawn rapier back into its sheath.

"Right right, you got me, I'll surrender......" The girl said in a weary tone with her eyes still closed.

The leader of the knights watched as Anna removed her hands from her weapons before slowly raising her hands up in the air. The man allowed a few seconds to pass, keeping his gaze on her as though she would suddenly pull a ridiculous stunt, before finally taking a slow step forward. But as the knight did so, he quickly halted as Anna suddenly spoke again. ".......But, before I do, there's something I want to know. Answer these questions of mine, sir knight, and I'll come quietly without a fight." This time she had opened her eyes while addressing him, looking at him with a sharp gaze.

"......A cornered rat like you dares to command me? Your impudence tries my patience, spy!!" The knight gripped his scythe tightly, ready to command his men to skewer her with their swords from every direction before beheading her himself on the spot. However, he did not allow his anger to get the best of him as he knew the girl to be a formidable opponent. It was better to allow this request to pass than for her to possibly try and make a last stand and heavily injure his valuable men before getting killed herself. "....Hmph. Spit out your words quickly spy, and pray that the answers you receive will comfort you as you rot in the dungeons for all eternity."

"Who are you, how did you find me, and why are you after me?" Anna instantly asked without hesitation.

"We....are the Saurian Police." The commanding knight began while keeping his eyes on her. "....We are but a few of many who defend the peace of Saur from threats....threats such as yourself, Spy of Psoglav."

"First of all, I've never heard of the Saurian Police before, and second I'm not a spy." Anna replied. "I was just coming to Saur on holiday to visit-"

"To visit a certain Mister Valgosp I presume?" The knight suddenly asked.

"What? How did yo-"

"Except that he doesn't exist, does he?"

"..............."

"After going through the records of everyone currently living in Saur, it seemed that there was no one named Valgosp, or should I say Psoglav spelled backwards?"

"...................."

"As for how we found you, all outsiders coming into Saur are automatically tracked and monitored by my men the moment they arrive here. As if your arrival from Psoglav and letter of passage wasn't suspicious enough, we watched day by day as you walked around the city repeatedly asking strange questions concerning St. Lutudas Castle and the area around it.....not to mention how you would always disappear through the alleyways for long periods of time for unknown reasons before exiting at certain areas.....all of this was already enough to take you in for questioning."

"............................"

"As if your suspicious movements weren't enough........."

The knight took out a piece of parchment from his person and began to read it out loud.

"Report 14736, Warning alert: Multiple security threats at the coliseum found today this afternoon. Suspects: Male, with brown hair, half naked except pants (Escapee Gladiator), Female, blonde hair, wearing blue armor and white tunic. (Outsider) Incident: Male Gladiator used unknown means to have dragon to burst out of coliseum and into city, inciting widespread panic and resulted in 46 civilians and 15 soldiers injured. Female accomplice believed to have bribed coliseum guards before dragon attack to give illegal aid to Male accomplice. Female then resisted arrest after dragon rampage and murdered 12 coliseum guards before both of them escaped. Orders for immediate capture of both individuals has been issued before further damage occurs."

The expression on Anna's face was one of confusion as he read out the contents of the report. Murder? Her thoughts went back to the events at the coliseum, to when she was defending Guy against a dozen guards while he regained consciousness. Anna was certain that she did not kill them; she had only used a technique to blow them away with wind while knocking them out momentarily. They had been breathing the last time she had saw them before running away from the arena. "I didn't murder anyone back there!!" She yelled with a feeling of frustration in her voice. "All I did was knock them out, I swear it on my heart! They were still breathing before I left!"

But the commander ignored her pleas as though he hadn't heard them..

"Those men you murdered.......I personally knew every one of them." The knight quietly spoke as he put away the paper. "Quintus....Germaine.....Wright....They were my comrades; men that I knew since I was but a lad in the army..... They were loyal.... and honest men with families waiting for them at home.......AND THEY WERE FOUND DEAD!!!" He suddenly shouted in anguish. "DEAD. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM DEAD!!! THEY WERE FOUND CUT DOWN WITH WOUNDS ONLY A SWORD COULD MAKE!!!"

The man paused as he panted from his anger filled words. Though his face was hidden behind a helmet, Anna could clearly sense the growing killing intent and hatred being directed at her. He continued to pause before attempting to calmly speak again.".....Wounds that were said that only a broad sword and rapier such as yours could make." He spat this part out with clear contempt for Anna in his voice. "The most disturbing thing that was noticed was that when the bodies were being carried away....." The knight paused once more as though he were hesitating. "Their shadows........they were completely gone."

"What...? What do you mean gone?!" Anna suddenly blurted out in surprise. Somewhere inside her mind, an old sense of dread grew inside her the moment he spoke those last words.

"I do not know, as I was not there at the scene unfortunately. What I do know however, is that you'll be rotting in the dungeons after we're done with you spy! Seize her!" At this moment, the commander's subordinates moved forward to close in on Anna from all directions and apprehend her. Anna, who still had both her arms raised high in the air, would have not been able to pull out her both her swords in time before they arrested her. Still in thought and unnerved by the knight's last words, the sound clanking metal boots brought her attention back to the dire situation she was in.

"I can't be captured here."

These words repeated themselves in Anna's head as she thought about everything the knight had said. There were too many questions still left unanswered, but Anna did could not dwell on them. Instead during the time the knight was answering her questions, the fencer had also been looking around her surroundings even the smallest possibility of a way out. Her declaration of surrender had momentarily lowered the knight's guard, giving her enough time to find what she needed. And she did, but it would cost her.

"I don't have a choice right now; there's only one way out of this mess." Anna thought with the few seconds of freedom that she had left. The mana Anna had absorbed earlier that was left in her legs from Quickening had almost completely disappeared. She couldn't risk pulling in more mana from the air as the knight would probably notice and immediately retaliate. So with little choice left, Anna reluctantly decided to bolster her next action with her own internal mana.

"Sorry." Anna told the knight as she took a step back and bent her legs halfway to the ground. "But I can't get caught here."

"No!!"

The knight as Anna had predicted, immediately took notice and without hesitation quickly swung his giant scythe towards her neck with the intention of beheading her before she could act.

"Ikeda Tech: Sky Walk!"

At the moment when the scythe should have decapitated her, the knight found himself cutting through empty air instead as Anna leapt into the air. With all the mana she could muster in that instant, Anna had surged all the energy she gathered into her lower body and with great force jumped extremely high up into the air. "What?!" The man stared at the empty spot where a headless corpse should have been, momentarily dumbfounded before looking upwards where his prey had escaped to. "Don't let her get away!!" The commander along with a majority of the knights pointed their hands or weapons at Anna's direction, firing a volley of spells into the air in a bid to shoot her down before she could escape. "Just a little more........!!" Anna desperately thought as her outstretched hands were almost at the edge of the 3-story building's roof. This was the only chance she had to escape; Anna had put nearly everything she had into that boosted jump so if she failed to grab the roof or was struck down by one of her foe's spells, the girl would quickly find herself plummeting to the ground for a messy death. As fireballs and lightning bolts went flying past her, time slowed down for Anna as adrenaline was coursing through her body. "C'mon!!!!" The fencer yelled with determination as her fingers brushed against the building. But as they did, Anna felt herself beginning to fall. In that moment, the effort she put fourth seemed useless as those small inches between her and the building became miles that were impossible to cross. Her goal was getting farther away......

"NO!! I WON'T LOSE HERE!!"

Without hesitation, the girl twisted her torso and threw her entire body's momentum forward while stretching her shoulder to its very limits.

"Yes!!"

As if by some miracle, her right hand had somehow closed the impossible distance and now gripped the edge of the brick building. She found herself dangling off the roof's edge hanging on for dear life as the intensity of the volley of spells became greater. Some fireballs and lightning bolts had almost struck Anna a number of times during this moment, just barely missing as they blasted the wall instead. Mustering all the strength she could, the swordmaster barely pulled herself up enough for her other hand to grab hold of the roof's edge. Without wasting a second, she shakily brought herself up to the brick roof and landed flat on her behind, laying on the ground heavily panting amid the sounds of small explosions and angry voices from below. "Haaahhh....haahhh.....haah......Ahahahaha!" Placing a hand on her forehead while laughing in disbelief, she continued to catch her breath while thinking in amazement how she able to escape against all odds. However, her joy was short lived as a loud voice that was unmistakably the commander's knights caused her to quickly get back onto her feet.

"QUICKLY! GET TO THE ROOF AND FIND HER! DON'T LET HER GET AWAY! KILL HER IF YOU HAVE TO!!!"

"Tsk,...."

No sooner did he give out this command did Anna immediately started running again into the coming night, not knowing where she was going. Anna could not recall how long she had ran and jumped across various buildings of different shapes and sizes; all that mattered at the moment was to get away from her pursuers before they found her. By the time she had finally stopped somewhere in Saur, the moon was high above in the sky illuminating the city below.

"Haahhhh....haahh.....haahhhh....haahhh....."

A number of words such as "exhausted" and and "miserable" could only describe Anna Ikeda as she finally slumped down onto the ground after stopping, looking like a dirty, sweaty, and tired mess. She managed to sit on the ground against a nearby wall while resting her head on it, still panting heavily while looking around her surroundings to ascertain where she was. The place, which seemed to be an empty and possibly abandoned warehouse area, was deserted and eerily quiet. Anna continued to scan her surroundings for another minute before finally breathing a sigh of relief."Haahh......it seems I've lost them for now...." It would be best to lay low for now, Anna thought, with the Saurian guards and police now searching the city for her. Of course she would have to change her location later in case they came looking here, but for now the fencer was quite exhausted at this point having expended a majority of her mana and stamina from recent events. Rest was needed if she was to get through this situation.

There was bread and water in the bag that Anna had brought with her, but at the moment she felt nauseous from running and overusing her power and did not feel like eating. As Anna was still catching her breath, the girl's body suddenly bent over, seized by a sudden coughing fit. A familiar and unpleasant tasting liquid came out of her mouth as she wheezed, droplets of blood spraying onto the ground. She continued to to cough uncontrollably for a while longer while covering her mouth with a hand to muffle the sound before it finally stopped.

"Guh......"

Anna took a reluctant look at the hand she used to cover her mouth; it was covered in with her own blood as she expected. "It's getting worse, isn't it?" The fencer asked herself with a frown while wiping her hand with a handkerchief she took out of her bag before wiping her mouth. As she took a look her hand again, the words of two familiar voices from before suddenly rang through her head.

".......Their shadows........they were completely gone......."

"......Don't push yourself too hard, kiddo........Until you get it back......you'll only have a few years left to live........"

The girl sighed and slowly closed her eyes before resting her hands on her stomach. There was still much more she had to investigate in Saur, now that there were more unanswered questions that appeared. Tomorrow, Anna would look through Saur once more even with the current dangers present. She hoped that her search would be more fruitful this time around......and above all, the fencer hoped to herself that her growing suspicions were wrong.

But for now, she slept quietly.