Welcome to Gaia! ::

It was cold, freezing even as they entered, despite the sun shining through the windows. Nothing is sure within the castle, nothing can be taken for granted. Not anymore.

Clusters of black crystal, large and small, cover broad swathes of halls and rooms. They offer odd reflections to those who look too closely as them, a face very like their own but somehow changed. Sometimes just a small scar or two of difference, sometimes...monsters gaze back. Familiar ones.

Touching them offers something more. Something better and worse and satisfying.

The barest brush of contact and suddenly their mind and heart are elsewhere, leaving a body that draws its weapon and turns it on any in sight, black-eyed and full of vicious purpose.

Chel had chosen the silent route as well. She'd made small comments as they'd approached the castle (how could one not comment on the black spires that split the sky?), but she'd needed some time to contemplate events. She felt a sense of pride seeing the bruises on Jack's face, but they solved nothing.

She slowly filed through the area behind Shun. Not so much out of a sense of duty (Chel had never really had that), but out of a need for defense. The castle evoked something in her, something unintentionally familiar. She didn't trust it, so she had Shun as her first line of defense.

When he announced an order, Chel snorted. As if she would ever listen to anything anyone said, even if it was a friend. "Okay Shun," she said in a murmur only to him. "Have fun playin' leader. I'll do my thing an' tell y'what I find later."

Uru moved amongst the ranks with his head high and arms at his side. The view of their once pristine home was besmirched by the darkness that now resided within its hallowed halls. The bridge was a amalgamation of shadow and what was left after the defensive siege had destroyed it with barrels, tables, hay, kegs, and chicken. The gate was left opened - inviting all into the darkness inside.

"I thought that obvious, Sir Shun." Uru deadpanned beside the Great Knight. He gave a bemused huff, rubbing a gauntlet finger under his nose.

Uru followed his commanding officer through the gates until he suddenly stopped. Instinctively, the black knight's hands reached for the hilt of his sword, readying himself for whatever it was that caused the leading figure to freeze. He felt it too, the cold. The cold that seemed under his armor, beneath his skin, and into his bones. He looked through the darkness, seeing the black crystals that littered the courtyard, protruding from where they were nothing before. It was as if they were growing there, feeding off something to sprout their crystallization.

"We should report anything we find, but I would also advise that we don't get too curious and too close to anything. The dark hides many things."



Uru raised an amused brow toward the little woman beside him. He didn't get as angry outside of battle as one may think. His face was intimidating, perhaps his body to, but he was a softy. Usually. He turned to Shun, pointing at the other black knight. "Does she take anything seriously or is it just with you?"

Withdrawing Remittuntur from its hard leather scabbard, he readied himself for anything that was to come. He held it in out beside him, regardless, in preparation. A sword without a tip is less useful when held in front of oneself, but beside, a good swing could take a head off. Or two.

Uru smirked at Shun and Chel. "Noted."

"Y'know, it's pretty obvious you're mumblin' 'bout me with the way you're both whisperin' and lookin at me," she said with an accusing look. "M'not sure my fragile ego can take it ..."

Of course she didn't know what they were saying, but it didn't seem like anything good was ever spoken in whispers.

[ enter ]

Were they retaking the castle, or were they entering a crystal cave? Every other inch of the hall was taken over by ominous clusters of black crystals, and their color made him wonder--where was the Black Great Knight? What had Merlin been up to since the Tower? What was his role in all of this hellish mess?

In passing, Jack spied his reflection in a large crystal and saw not himself, but a snarling, madly grinning version. More sidhe magic, or worse: something else yet unknown to them?

"Green Brigade, stay close and alert. If someone becomes injured, call your patients to keep the order." With how few were still active, they would have to be picky and sparing with where they went; he'd need to know where everyone was in order to calculate where to direct them. "And be careful not to touch those crystals," he added to Caoin with a small frown. "There are dark things reflected in them."

Estel and Shun were there already, and each were given a slight nod in greeting, though Jack's face was a little taut. The silence was eerie and put him on edge; in battle, at least, he knew where to strike. Unsurprisingly, Chel was being a little obnoxious again.

"You're an interesting character is all," he noted dryly.

[ Enter ]

Pulling his coat around him to keep out the cold, Jason looked around warily at the black crystals that covered many areas of the castle, Their ominous feel keeping him well away. He'd already been under a spell before, and he was loathed to experience it ever again. Though he couldn't help but notice his reflection staring back at him with the same wide eyed nervousness, except with a white coat instead of a black one.

Putting on a more serious face, He cleared his throat. "Gold Brigade", Stay together for now and keep away from the black crystals. If you feel it safe, record what you see on your scrolls. Keep it short and to the point, we don't have time to write novels."

Since he could see no immediate danger, he took out his own set of scrolls, wrote a few notes about the black crystals, then placed it back within his coat.

Trisha stared around at all the crystals. But she heard the new white knight's words. Stay close, inspect the ramparts. She could do that. "Those things give me the creeps." she did wind up staring into it, seeing a horned version of herself staring back. Flowers were still strung up in her hair, but... she touched her head, looking at the ribbons placed there. Hooves were in the place of her feet and the others also had monstrous reflections.

Don't touch. She shook herself and pulled her eyes away. She then crept over towards her white knight leader, staying close.