Welcome to Gaia! ::

Marzena bowed her head in acknowledgement. "Indeed."

As they conversed, the other Shadows started playing on the stairs; a strange feat she watched out of the corner of her eyes. An eyebrow raised skeptically, but she said nothing to deride them of their... chosen pastime. Marzena did not see her duty to chastise them for such trivial ways of wasting their time before the battle began. The Shadows would rise up when the time came. At least that was what she believed in.

"Death will come when Fate decrees it." Justice stated. "What's more important is what we make out our death. Will we die cowards, or will we die heroes? I will confess that I fear dying of cowardice, but I do not fear if my death is for the good of our Kingdom."

And then, the Voice spoke, and she listened, understanding the grim fate that was laid out before them. Fight, or fall. That was their only option. "The time has come." She murmured, falling into silence once again as their King addressed them. "To the Tower it is, then."

Rei didn't like the King's for the littlest bit. Even after hearing that he's in truth was a really great person, after seeing him in person he still can't shake the thought about 'there's bound to be something hidden by this one', which came from his experience as an Information Broker.

Also, honestly, getting swallowed by shadows that writhed as it were alive is an experience that surely enough to be experienced once.

But there's also a side of him that is pleased by the sudden summon; at the least, he can confirm Arynek-the gem-seller girl's-safety, as she currently is standing while donning confused look on her face,

"O KING!" Shouted Rei, lowering his hood as he ripped the bandages from his face using his unhurt hand.

"I am Rei. As you have said, me and others collected here were remnants from the Kingdom of Silver, which is no more. We, have heard your proposition of becoming the Black Kingdom's warriors...and by extension, citizens."

"We appreciate your thoughts. But, pray tell, My Wise King. What are you going to do with the current situation? Our lives-your Kingdom's Fate, every 'lives' inside it counted, will be measured through weighted scales by The Voice. Can you make a promise, that we, the Remnants would not experience the second or even third Collapse if we joined you?"

Calculating was his second nature. In this bet with life as collateral he wouldn't make a rash decision based on-the-spur thoughts.

His fingers twitched, hand itching to just drive the lance through the imposter, when a voice, swift but sure echoed through the land.
The king.

"Looks like this will have to wait until another time." he frowned, lowering the weapon.
The lance dissipated, and he summoned his shade, without another word returning to the king's side.

So... the silver kingdom had fallen? That would dictate these... stray beings appearing. But more important that them, was the miasma left behind by their unfortunate demise. Surely other kingdoms would have realized by now, that this treasure trove was up for grabs. This was a chance for him to prove himself, a chance for them, as a kingdom to rise again.
They would prove that they were the ones fit to be on top. All the other nations shall fall.

With this location assigned, the Chariot placed a hand over his chest and bowed.
"So it shall be, my liege."

Climbing upon the shade's back, he left for the silver kingdom remains.

[ Exit ]

"I figured you would." Amrita chuckled softly, letting Mari carry on as she pleased. Affection wasn't something she was used to, but even a Shadow likes to be enjoyed now and again. She sometimes wished she could be as friendly and forward as the Lovers were...

"Thank you, Mari. I think perhaps---" She paused as The Voice called, her gaze growing distant as she listened, saw, learned. It ended and their King's voice rang through, Amrita giving only a silent glance to Mari before turning to gather with the rest of them. When she arrived he was already baring orders, and when he cut her and the Grim Noble off, she focused on him, listening intently.

"Understood." A graceful bow and she was off, heading alone, without a question or second thought, to the Labyrinth.


EXIT

It would appear that the king was like his own, remained within a tower. But unlike his late king, he might be able to meet this one face to face. What was a king like? Were they powerful? If this girl was a shadow, then what was the king? Was he also a shadow or was he something... more?

Though, he wasn't afraid. There wasn't much he could lose now at this point. The Silver Kingdom is gone, the Voice told all of its fate. It would appear that there was very little sound other than the clang of metal that could be heard. Therefore, little music to be heard. All he had was himself and the pack on his back. He sincerely hoped the other Silvers fared much better than he managed.

"If the king does not want me, that is fine. I am sure there is always another option." Optimism. False hope. What was there else to do? The Silver Kingdom was gone. As far as he knew, he was stuck here. He kept his mind to himself as he followed the girl up to the large doors that the tower kept. The Shadow King was inside and he was about to meet him.

Her golden eyes crinkled to mere slits at those words, and a laugh spilled from her, shrill and unnerving. "Oh, I like you. You speak sense, and sense is something sorely lacking these days."

The rambunctious actions of the other fools was, for the most part, ignored. Whenever someone shrieked, she couldn't help but glance, but her attention remained fixed upon Justice. Suddenly, a fanfare of horns played, and Nevena was struck by the magnificence that was The Voice.

Her breath caught, and when she finally remembered to speak again, her words were faint. "Indeed."

The summons of the King were met immediately, and The Hierophant stood tall. "I will obey, my King."

((Nevena is leaving the Black Tower for THE TOWER.))

"I mean no harm to you nor your Kingdom, Shadow." It was the most diplomatic she was capable of being at this time, and to illustrate her harmlessness, Davyne held her hands in front of her, palms up. She held no weapons, and had none hidden away - a mistake, perhaps, but the Silver Kingdom had always been peaceful and she had not seen the use for carrying arms.

"I am... lost." She was visibly tense as she said this, wondering how much she should divulge. Surely there would be no harm in telling this Shadow of her Kingdom's fall? He seemed to be about ready to skewer her, and she had not escaped the ruin of the Silver Kingdom just to get done in by her own refusal to share information. And they were bound to hear of it soon enough, if they had not already. "The Silver Kingdom is gone. It fell to rubble within minutes. I escaped, through the portal." She made a vague gesture to the location from which she'd came from. "I was not aware of where I'd end up, but I can assure you that the last thing on my mind is harming this Kingdom." Her safety depended on its goodwill as much as any citizen, after all - perhaps more so, now that she was without the home that had always been her's.

Although not quite sure how else to convince him, Davyne was ready to continue when everything seemed to darken and then disappear until there was only a void of nothingness and the Voice.

And what it spoke.

When it was all done and she was back to herself (although she was not entirely sure that she had ever been gone), the golden-haired woman felt shaken. 'Fight for Kings or find themselves with the same fate.' That was... that was rather clear, wasn't it. She would need to pledge herself, and soon, was her guess.

And then came the call. Ever so subtly she startled, hands clenching until her knuckles were pure white. Champions. Was she a Champion? No, likely not, but a call like that, surely only the Shadowlord could have made - and she rather needed to meet with him if she was to pledge herself. Going to another Kingdom was not an option right now, and she needed the security of belonging to a Kingdom, stat.

So she went, moving towards the tower that she was pretty certain had to be the meeting point. As she passed him, she nodded gravely to the Shadow who'd questioned her and whose presence she had forgotten until this very moment. This took precedence over his concerns.

As it happened, she was right about the location and soon enough she was among a cluster of Shadows and a few outsiders like herself, listening to the Shadowlord speak.

((Totally derped and misunderstood something, so last part deleted!))