Altera Arcana IC

[Turtle of Doom]

Calder's discerning gaze never left Ace, not even as the Avian appeared and swept away his lackey. Listening to the man speak made his scales prickle with annoyance. How dare this man speak to them thus. It was a threat, plain and simple. Their safety was of their own concern, and while Calder typically didn't meddle in the affairs of others, he had a sinking suspicion that Ace's affairs would involve everybody in Altera.


Before getting the chance to speak, Raymond spoke up. Casting a brief glance to the side, Calder found himself nodding in agreement with just about everything that the man was saying, everything except for the bit about not getting involved and letting others fall into the trap. After Raymond stormed off Calder found himself all by himself with Ace and the few stragglers that had not scampered off in fear.


Calder knew he should be afraid for the man that was whisked away. He knew that if he was begging for death that something worse was about to happen, but he couldn't bring himself to care too much. The man had brought it on himself, after all. Following a man such as Ace definitely had its drawbacks.


"Maybe you're right. Maybe I don't want to be involved in…" Calder hesitated waving his hands at Ace to indicate the vagueness of the situation. "...whatever it is that you're doing, but can you tell me that my conscience will be clear if I do? I doubt it. No, you're up to something."


Without waiting for a response, Calder turned with a slight swish of his hips and began to saunter off, pausing only briefly to call out over his shoulder. "I might be more inclined to tremble at your threat if I knew what you were doing, but since honesty doesn't seem to be in your repertoire I probably wouldn't believe you if you told me."

 

[Kagayours]

Ace didn't say anything as Raymond and Calder gave their final remarks to him. He only stood by, a bit awkwardly, and waited for them to finish. Eventually, Raymond walked away, and Calder followed after him.

"Yes, thank you for your time…" Ace mumbled half-heartedly as he turned to walk away, paying little mind to what the two men actually said to him, as he was just happy they'd finally left. Once they were out of his view, his walking soon changed to running, as he scurried off to catch up with Dagger.

He eventually found the Avian nestled into the concave corner of a building, barely keeping Derrick restrained with both of his arms. He seemed to be attempting to blend in with the small shadow that the building cast over him. Ace was about to comment on his poor choice of a hiding place, but Dagger spoke before he could say anything, "I've put up an invisibility shield. You, Cloak, and other supernatural beings are the only ones who can see or hear me. Step a bit closer and you'll be hidden just the same."

A satisfied grin came across Ace's face as he joined Dagger in the corner, effectively becoming invisible to any outside observers. "Ah, good, I see you're already one step ahead of me." he chimed. "I was thinking the same thing, since we don't have time to find a more ideal location." The three of them were all a bit tightly packed into that corner, making Derrick squirm even more as Ace became so uncomfortably close. "I assume the spell's effects extend to him, as well?" Ace asked, gesturing towards Derrick.

"Yes." Dagger answered. "Derrick is invisible, too. As a side-effect, however, he can now see them." he added, gesturing at the many Gatherers sitting on the edge of the roof above them, looking down at the trio with hollow eyes. "Not that he seems to be afraid of them. If anything, I think he's hoping they'll be able to save him."

"Ah, yes, that reminds me — where's your brother?"

Before Dagger could reply, Cloak suddenly materialized on the rooftop, scattering the Gatherers who were perched where the Avian now stood. "Right here, boss!" he answered. "Huh? You're doing that now?" he asked, looking down and seeing what Ace was up to.

"There won't be time later tonight." Ace answered flatly. "Do you think you could keep the buzzards at bay for me? I'll try to get this over with quickly…" he told Cloak before returning his attention to Dagger and Derrick. "And you," he said to Dagger. "Do you think you could make this cloaking shield a bit bigger? I might need to spread out a bit more…" he cooed, looking down eagerly at the still struggling, and, now, sobbing Derrick. "Oh, and, you can stop covering his mouth now. It's not like anyone else will hear his screams…"

 

[Effort]

Shireen didn't seem surprised, or even bothered by Darius seeing creatures she couldn't. Last time he told some people that, he got several turned up noses, although they were a bunch of spell-casters. Makes sense though, if he claims to see something others can't. Looking at Shireen he started picking up details, she smelled of the sea, had calluses on her hands, sun tanned skin, muscles. Of course! A sailor! At this point Darius realized she had asked a question.

"Ah, well, I do have my own reasons for going along." Darius turned 'round to continue picking up his miscellaneous items "There's an abundance of mystery in this world, and if there's a possibility of preventing a huge mysterious threat then I have to take the chance to stop it. Even if it means putting a stop to my work" the last he said with some disdain, tossing items back into a box that had overturned. Turning back again with fists haughtily placed on his hips he declared, jutting a finger for emphasis "But if this Ace character is nothing more than a clever charlatan stealing money from farmers, I will doggedly pursue reimbursement."

Darius looked around then suddenly, his eyebrows furrowed, as if confused. Turning his head slowly, taking a couple steps in a direction, then turning a little and stepping again, he looked like he was hearing for something. Coming to a wall he pressed his ear up against it, intent on his face. "There is a man screaming bloody murder. Hm, please excuse me, there is something I have to look into." Gesturing toward the back of the lab Darius spoke again "'round that corner there is some cheese and wine and such. You're welcome to help yourselves to it as thanks for helping me. I'll return shortly." Briskly Darius stepped to the door and slipped out. Only to shortly come back in to grab a couple trinkets, then slipped back out.

Darius was approaching the screaming swiftly, but at the same time there was a foul stench getting stronger as he closed. Ugh this was going to be gross. The stench was quite bad, Darius had half a mind to just ditch right now. But the man was screaming, and there was a strange warble to it... Peering around the corner there was a shadow cast against the wall of the building. In the shadow were two men and an Avian, with another perched on the roof.

 

[Kagayours]

Before Darius had arrived on the scene, the screaming had already stopped. At the same time, the stench that Darius perceived only grew stronger. But it wasn't simply the stench of gore and death, as one might expect in a situation like this. Instead, it was something different — otherworldly, even, and difficult to compare to any ordinary scent.

When Darius caught sight of Ace, the henchman was already dead — still held vaguely upright by the Avian that had restrained him, and with a gaping hole visible in the center of his chest. A close eye would be able to pin down Ace as the obvious culprit, with blood covering his hand and wrist. But even that blood was somewhat obscured by another substance on his hand — a bright, glowing, viscous orange liquid, standing out in stark contrast to the already darkening blood. Ace eagerly licked the glowing residue of his fingers. And as his eyes wandered, he caught sight of Darius.

Ace glanced right over him at first, not caring that he was there. But then he did a double-take. His eyes locked with Darius, and his expression soon became clouded with confusion — and then suspicion, and then, finally, dread, and anger. The henchman's body turned to dust in an instant, and Ace began whispering frantically to Dagger — grabbing the Avian's clothing with one hand and pointing at Darius with the other.

Looking alarmed, the two Avians quickly sprung into action. Cloak leapt from the rooftop and down onto the ground below, with Dagger following quickly behind — both of them headed straight for Darius.

 

[AnimeLover_Princess]

Zito was a bit more skeptical of invisible bugs then Shireen was but at the same time, she'd been raised around magic and new mysterious things were always possible so she chose not to comment on it, instead just nodding along to his explanation as she put the stack of papers she was holding on the table.

Then Shireen asked what they were going to do "I don't know..." she admitted "If she's telling the truth, I feel obligated to help, if it is the God's will and all that but I don't know... I'm skeptical for sure, I'll speak to my family, see what they think... I'll probably end up going" she was rather confused though as her statement was followed with Darius saying someone was screaming and hurrying out the door "Wait!" she called, then sighed as he was already gone. she looked at Shireen "He may be in trouble, should we go after him?"

@Effort @Greenie

 

[Neobullseye]

Some time later, Alicia left the store, now holding a small stack of letters in a bag on her waist. She had already given one of them to the same person she had bought them from along with some coins, asking him to deliver it to a courier he knew of.. When asked why she did this and who he could tell the courier it was from, she simply told him that she preferred some amount of anonimity, and that she would be a very grateful customer if he just did this for him.
Her next step would be giving the rest of the letters to another courier. Of course, in a relatively small place like ths one, there weren't a whole lot of. In fact as fate would have it, the route to the closest one brought her right back to that mad bomber's laboratory just in time to see him head off to somewhere. What is he planning this time? Well, whatever it is, I want to know.
Alicia shrugged, then silently followed Darius, making sure to stay far enough behind him so that she wouldn't be spotted instantly and, if she did end up getting spotted, had a head start if he would decide to chase her.

Soon after, Darius reached his destination, some kind of building quite a bit away from the main streets -- which for some reason had a faint nasty scent of blood and human waste lingering about it... Alicia frowned; something was very obviously very wrong here, but what? Well, the easiest way to find out was to go ant take a look, but was she really so obsessed over her quest for information that she was willing to plunge herself into a blatantly obvious death trap? She shouldn't be, if nothing else. But... What was Darius dong here, and why wasn't he just getting out of here and alerting the city guards, like any sane person should be doing? And-
Before Alicia could finish her train of thought, she could see some movement from the corner of her eyes. A split-second later, she saw that it was an Avian jumping down from the roof. Another split-second, she could see that it was heading straight at Darius, obviously intending to attack him. Bereft of the time to think, Alicia had to act on instinct -- which told her that just standing there and watch as Darius got killed was a very bad idea. "Look out!," she called out as she jumped out of her hiding spot, then aimed her staff at the diving Avian and fired a blast of wind at them. "Just run! Get out of here!"

@Kagayours @Effort

 

[Rithas]

There a few things to process through the Priestess' words. Particularly the things about Ace. One moment he was a con-man simply vying for more power. But yet now, it seemed him, and the reason they were brought here were a lot more grand.

That is, if one were to believe the priestess words. Who suddenly decided her role was over and she could hightail it out of there.

Quietly sighing, the wanderer left the laboratory. Flying up, He crouched along the edge of another rooftop. He perched there, noticing the other avian exit and go to some other destination. Curiousity getting the better of him, he slowly followed above the path she was going.

As she entered into a shop of some kind, what for was unknown due to his ignorance of the village. Perhaps to relay some infomation. There seemed to be a lack of food or water added which narrowed it down. Victarion followed along as she exited out. His eyes watched.

Amusingly, her path led straight back to the laboratory. He noticed Darius exit in a some rushed manner. Thinking back on the direction he was heading towards, Victarion smiled. "Ace..." He quickened his pace, getting back to the square before the other two. He crouched, noticing one of the Avian bodyguards on an other rooftop. He looked down and saw...nothing? He glanced back up at the bodyguard, who was definitely looking at something. Talking even...

He cooed to himself.

This was suspicious.

Darius walked through.

Quiet...

The Avian suddenly jumped down towards Darius, in the manner that one only does with dangerous intent. He blinked as Alicia warned Darrius, sending a wind blast at the bodyguard. He thought on his next course of action.

There was a second Avian coming, this one also giving off an intention to attack.

Sacrificing his little spot, He jumped down from the rooftop. He looked at the area he had seen the bodyguard look upon. Ignoring the action behind him, he simply walked in that direction. His hand resting on his sword underneath his cloak.


@Kagayours @Neobullseye @Effort

 

[Greenie]

Shireen watched Darius leave, both puzzled and worried. That being said, she didn't make a move to follow him. By now she could tell he was a learned man and most probably more than capable of handling himself. Well, he certainly held himself like such a man. It wouldn't do to follow after as if he was off to make more trouble. It seemed rude to imply that.

She did hope that he would take care, however. She had a habit of worrying about people, even those she only knew for a short while. So when Zito asked whether she was going to come along, she felt a little hint of guilt when she shook her head. "I'll finish up here an' leave, t'be honest. You should go though if ya think it's best." She hardly wanted the Terran to stay behind just because she did.

Having said that, Shireen finished up the cleaning she had been doing, grabbed a little cheese, and decided it was time to leave. She had to gather her things as well as tell the family she had been staying with that she would no longer be there, at least for a while.

Waving a hand in Zito's direction, the sailor headed out of Darius' lab. It seemed rather remarkable that so much had changed since the last time she had tried to head on home. She had been seen in a prophecy. Well, not just her, but still. What could be waiting for her in her future? The idea was exciting and welcoming. Anything that allowed her a chance to leave this city, where she was not wanted not wished to stay.​

 

[Kagayours]

Shireen may not have even noticed at first, but, by the time she left Darius's lab, it appeared that a stray dog was lying near the doorway, curled up for a nap against the side of a building. It was almost certainly a mutt of some kind — with a size and build that vaguely resembled some kind of shepherd dog, although its fur was a plain white color, and it lacked any traits that would make it easily identifiable as any specific breed.

Its ears perked up as Shireen walked by. It then woke up and raised its head, and, seeing that Shireen was walking away, the dog eagerly stood up and began to follow after her — bouncing towards her as excitedly as any dog would be upon greeting their master.

 

[Effort]

Darius was just about to swear to Tenius about this awful stench, but it was not natural, it made it hard to think. It was a wonder no one else had begun retching. Then again maybe it was just because he was sensitive. There had also been a strange shimmer in the shadow as he had come around the corner, he realized now that it must have been a cloaking spell but his eyes had peered right through it. It would have suited it's purpose just fine if maybe that stench hadn't been permeating it. Or, then again, it probably was constructed for the smell as well...Oh of course! They couldn't have accounted for Darius' senses, which would explain why they were reacting so...violently. Oh blasted, they were trying to...kill him? Maybe? That was the most likely intent considering he had just witnessed the three...blast it again he got distracted.

Unfortunately Darius had been distracted by the stench and the sight before him, and while he heard the other people approaching he did not know if they were friend or foe.... Until a blast of air flew around him at the Avian, providing something of a relief. Fortunately though the spell whispering through his lips finished, the artifact that was the tiny jar of a viscous substance in his pocket began to stir. While lunging to the side Darius lashed his hand out through the air. Within his hand swirled a deep green fluid that sprayed in a wide arc as he moved to cover. Globs and strands of a most tenacious, slightly elastic, adhesive clung and held fast everything and everyone it contacted. Hopefully that could hold them.

Taking just a moment, Darius scanned around to now have seen two of the people that had come to his lab, the taller Avian and the shorter Avian. Heh that was kind of funny, short and tall. He'd have to laugh about it later, the taller Avian he had seen seemed to have been approaching the area the man was hidden in. The fact these two were not retching at the smell confirmed one of his suspicions, he was the only person here who could detect it. That coupled with the strange orange substance on his hand...Darius shuttered. There was more to this man than met the naked eye, a strange power was at work. Calling out to the shorter Avian he could see, hoping the taller one would hear "We should NOT hang about..." Hopefully that other Avian wouldn't get caught up in fighting them and force him to help. That being said he whipped up his neat water blob thing that he used for raw magic combat and rushed over to where the shorter Avian was...her name sounded like it had started with an A or something...

 

[Kagayours]

Cloak and Dagger paused briefly as an Avian woman suddenly appeared in their path, throwing a gust of wind at them. They both threw their wings in front of themselves to block the attack. Alicia was successful in slowing them down — as they stood still at least for that brief moment — but they were able to avoid getting knocked off their feet. And when the wind settled, they quickly resumed their pursuit of Darius.

When Darius threw the adhesive substance at them, the Avian that was closest to him was caught off-guard by the attack. He attempted to block with his wings again, but that only made matters worse for him as the sticky substance clung to his feathers, making it difficult for him to even un-furl his wings.

While the one Avian guard struggled with the mess that covered him, the 2nd had the luxury of learning from his brother's mistakes. He stepped back and out of the way as the spray came at him, allowing him to avoid the bulk of it. He then nimbly stepped around the still-struggling guard, making his way towards Alicia and Darius. "Excuse me, madam," he said to Alicia, a hint of sarcasm in his voice as he attempted to stand between her and Darius. "But I'm pretty sure this doesn't concern you." he hissed.

At about the same time, the 2nd guard angrily tore his way out of his sticky prison (tearing out quite a few of his own feathers, while he was at it). Bits of the stuff still stuck to his wings and clothes, but it was no longer enough to restrict his mobility, so he didn't care. Huffing angrily, he lunged at Darius.


Ace remained sheltered in his little corner of invisibility as events unfolded — a strategy that seemed to be working well for him… until an Avian with a head of deep blue feathers landed on the ground in front of him, slowly approaching the invisibility barrier with his hand on his weapon all the while. Ace stiffened, not knowing what to do other than simply hope that the Avian would listen to Darius's words and walk away before he saw anything. Ace considered calling on one of his own guards while Victarion still couldn't hear him, but he sure didn't want to let Darius get away.

Instinctively, Ace backed up as far as he could — soon pressing himself against the walls — as if that would somehow make him more hidden. He realized he was in a slightly vulnerable spot, being quite literally cornered like this, and of course that made him a bit nervous. But even so, Ace was confident enough in his ability to defend himself that he wasn't too worried. At the very least, he figured he was fairly certain he could survive at least for as long as it took for his guards to finish what they were doing.

 

[Turtle of Doom]

Calder made his way to the inn; after the day he had he needed to sit for a moment and collect his thoughts. He couldn't just let Ace go, but he needed a more concrete plan than "I'm watching you". Plus, now that he'd had time time to think he knew he had probably been a bit hasty in letting Ace know that he was going to be lurking around.

His step had lost a bit of its typical sway, as he opened the door. He was feeling… well, he wasn't sure how he was feeling aside from irritated. He waved at the innkeeper and made his way to a table in the dining area, waiting to have a plate brought to him. He'd probably pay for a room afterward too, just to take a bath and relax.

The food arrived in short order, and he picked at its contents lost in thought.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, as Shireen walked on ahead, patting her now grumbling stomach -the cheese had only made her hungrier- she eventually realized that she had a stalker. A rather cute one that made her grin once she stopped and turned around to face it.

"Well aren'tcha the most jolly doggy, eh?" She crouched down before the dog, reaching out with both hands to pet and scratch behind its head, especially behind the ears. "Who's a good girl then, eh?" She continued scratching and petting the dog until she felt her stomach demand attention from her again. "Well, I'mma get some food. If you're hungry, come along then, bud."

Giving her a last pat, Shireen stood up, rubbed her stomach once more, and then headed in the direction of her home. However, she did pause along the way, realizing there wouldn't be anyone at home at the moment, and therefore, no food.

"Hah." She let out an exasperated sigh before looking to the still following dog. "Alrighty, how 'bout we head off to the inn? Ain't that far, an' they shouldn't mind you comin' along in."

It didn't take too long before she reached said inn. As she entered, she looked around, and almost immediately her eyes fell upon an Aquan. It didn't take too long for her to recognize the fellow she had met before.

"Hey there!" she called, heading over to stand near the table.

Calder looked up and raised his eyebrows in surprise. A familiar face was a welcome one even if he couldn't quite recall her name. He gestured to the empty chair at the table. "Hello," he greeted her. "Care to join me?"

"Sure thing," Shireen replied immediately, pulling the chair away from the table and sitting down. She was much more familiar with Aquan folk than Avians, Terrans and even humans.

Calder sighed and pushed his half eaten plate away from him, leaning his chin in his hands and glancing over at her. "It's been one crazy day. I never imagined I'd still be in town by this time."

He was worn out, his fins sagged a bit, and the frustration that he felt at Ace and the whole situation was apparent on his pretty face.

"I thought I'd be in bed," Shireen replied, shaking her head a little. "One thing after the other kept comin' up. First that whole big crowd, then the explosion, it's sure been crazy alright." She reached down to pat the dog's head before speaking once more. "You were gonna leave town? Back to the sea?"

Calder nodded. "Yes, I just came in to make a few trades, then it's onto the next town. I was in the crowd, but I didn't manage to catch what caused the explosion… I was busy dealing with that tool Ace." A look of disgust crossed his face as he thought about what had happened. "Was Ace connected to the explosion too, or do you know? I'm inclined to think he has a hand in anything bad that happens around him..."

Shireen immediately shook her head. "Oh no, the explosion was due to someone else, a magician, or somethin'." She wasn't sure what to call Darius. "A man named Darius, there was an explosion in his lab, I'd gone there t'see if I could help." She paused to take a breath, tapping on the tabletop. "Turns out Ace is a bad one." Shireen's jovial look turned serious now and Calder couldn't help but roll his eyes at the mention of Ace. He knew Ace was… well, "bad" was putting it mildly, but he didn't interrupt.

"When we were there, me an' Zito, a whole buncha others came too, an' there was this Priestess as well. Apparently this Ace is bad enough that even the Gods want somethin' done. She had this dream or the gods spoke to her… it's all kinda mish mashed in my head right now but…" Her voice trailed a little before continuing. "We all have a journey to go on… tomorrow. The gods've chosen us t'stop Ace from whatever he's tryin' to do."

Calder cleared his throat, the fins on his brow ridge arching with interest. "A journey? And he has no idea the group of you will be following him. I am intrigued, to say the least." He raised his head off his hand and made a gesture to the door. "My… ahem… adventures today centered around Ace as well. As fate had it, the man I ran after ended up being an employee of Ace, and while he didn't say much, what he did say spoke volumes." Calder paused, gauging Shireen's reaction before continuing on with his tale. "It turns out that to fail Ace is a fate worse than death. The man was begging for us to intervene, but he never said what his death would protect him from. Personally, I'm not one for murder, and he was removed from the scene before we could really react, but Ace is definitely a "bad" man."

"That… frankly sounds scarier than I thought." Shireen couldn't imagine what the man could have found worse than death, but it seemed that Ace was more than just some corrupt man wishing for power. "The priestess told us t'be ready to leave by tomorrow mornin' if you wanna come along… I can't rightly remember where we're s'posed t'gather, so I was just gonna head to Darius' lab again."

"If you would not mind me tagging along that would be perfect. I had planned on following Ace alone, but there is a certain amount of safety in numbers after all." Calder flashed Shireen a dazzling smile and downed the last bit of his drink before continuing. "Since we have a journey ahead of us, it might do us some good to rest up. Meet me back here first thing tomorrow and then we can meet up with the rest of the group together?"

Shireen blinked before smiling back. "Sure, of course! I don't live too far from here so I'll be here early morn. Gonna have to tell the people I work for I'm leavin…" She shook her head; that wasn't any concern to Calder. "I'mma get somethin' to eat here first an' then I'll be off. You have a good night!"

Calder nodded and excused himself; there was a slight swish in his hips again as he walked, denoting that he was in much better spirits than when he first arrived. He approached the innkeeper and paid for his meal and a room, disappearing into the inn for the night.

((Collab with @Greenie ))

 

[Neobullseye]

"I agree," Alicia nodded at Darius' suggestion. Sadly, the two Avians had already approached them, making fleeing nigh-impossible. Now that Darius' assailants were a bit closer, she could better see the two Avians. And yet, even up close, she could not tell the two apart at all. Identical twins, then? Those were pretty rare, as far as she knew. If nothing else, she couldn't remember seeing one before during her stay at this town before. Add to that the fact that she had already seen a pair of identical twins earlier on the day, it raised the question: How likely would it be for her to meet two pairs of identical twins on one day? No... it was more likely that these were the same ones -- Cloak and Dagger, if she recalled correctly. Which would mean that Ace would likely be around here somewhere too. Well, that's one way to confirm that this guy is an evil prick. Next step, getting out of here alive. If these people were directly under Ace's command, then they would likely be a force to reckon with in and of themselves, let alone if Ace would get involved too. No, a battle was out of the question, as was begging for their lives; from the perspective of Cloak and Dagger, it would be easier to just kill the both of them and get rid of the bodies before anyone would find them. But if they simply tried to run, they would likely struck in the back. No, they needed a plan C, and they needed it right now... Well, there was one thing that she was really practiced in using, and that was her mouth's blade. Figuring it was her only hope at this moment, Alicia started to speak, hoping she could bluff her way out of the situation.

"I do believe that it is my business, Cloak and Dagger," Alicia stated, trying to block off the advancing Avian. She had no idea which one of the two was which, but that didn't really matter right now. "Surely Ace does not approve of such random acts of violence, now does he? Let alone would he want it to be widely known that his bodyguards would lower themselves to criminal feats. Can you imagine the stories? 'Outsider who aspires to the throne in league with murderers.' He would lose all support if something like that would get out." With that, she slammed the base of her staff down on the ground, creating a loud sonic boom of sorts. It wouldn't actually damage anyone other than cause some ringing ears, but Alicia hoped that it would at least draw some attention to them, causing more people to come running. The more people that arrived at the scene, the harder it would be to cover everything up. "Alternatively, we can just drop this fight right now before it gets out of hand. Leave, and I shall not tell the world about your actions of today; this I swear to the Gods above. Or strike, and let Ace's path to the throne be ruined. I dare say that I know which one your boss would prefer..."

 

[Luma]

@Kagayours

Kiri wasn't really surprised at the general negative reaction her plan had. In her mind, she'd pictured a gloriously dramatic ambush, but yep, the reality of it was pretty darn grim. Meanwhile, she fought to keep from glaring at the random guy who started bossing the poor Terran lady. It was all she could do to assume they were related. If not.... well.... that was just plain weird.

"Right, sorry.... I guess it was pretty sudden to ask that out of nowhere...." she admitted with a calm composure, which at this point seemed to be the only way she ever spoke. It was actually an odd mismatch, between the calm delivery of her words, and the drastic action they recommended.

"You just get used to these sorts of things as a travelling dragontamer." Kiri stared off to the side, down a nearby street, bracing herself for the usual reaction. Quips about height, stature, gender, inexperience, general lack of strength. She'd heard it all really, and her face would remain neutral. A stoic expression was the best way, she'd found, to show others she was dead serious.

"Sorry to suggest that in front of umm.... whoever that was," Kiri referred to the other Terran who had just left. "Anyways, I should probably start looking for somewhere to set up my hammock for the night. It was nice meeting you." With that said, Kiri started off towards the outskirts of the city, swinging her bindle across her shoulder.

 

[Majem]

Despite everything that has happened in Atvance so far, it wasn't over yet as another stranger walked into town. A large figure hidden underneath a dark cloak and a black leather hat slowly but purposefully made his way through the streets of Atvance. Five black ravens had nestled themselves either on his shoulders or on his hat, staring blankly ahead as their master walked, feeding them seeds every so often which they happily accepted.

Today, Corvus had decided to wear his white, beaked mask. He always wore it when he felt good and something about today told him it was going to be a very special day. In an attempt to not draw too much attention, which was quite hard considering his getup, Corvus tended to avoid main streets. Larger crowds were to be avoided if possible. He preferred having the news of his arrival spread to the townsfolk a bit more passively.
As he stared on ahead, the man noticed a minor, or so he believed, skirmish between some local residents. Four avians and a human, though it didn't seem like a four-on-one squabble as far as he could tell, with one avian trying to dissolve the situation with some display of magic and another completely disinterested. He took note of this, then raised a hand.
With a simple "Go" the small flock of ravens took off towards the group screaming and cawing like mad. Two ravens decided to fly headfirst into Cloak's face at full speed, one tried obscuring Dagger's view by flapping its wings in front of his face, the last two carefully landed one on Alicia's shoulder and the other on Darius' head, cawing inquisitively at the two.

The mad birds seemed to have a complete change of heart after just a few seconds, looking at the demi-humans and human in scared confusion before hurrying away into the skies. By that time, Corvus had come into clear view of the group. "I am so sorry to interrupt your little, eh, fight." The costumed man said in a strange, maybe even made up, accent. "May I ask of you, what is the purpose of this squabble?" He asked to none of them in particular, simply folding his hands as he awaited a response.

@Neobullseye @Kagayours @Effort

 

[Effort]

While Darius appreciated Alicia's diplomatic approach, the infuriated Avian didn't seem too keen on diplomacy. Must have been upset about losing a few feathers. Jumping back, Darius prepared for the Avian to charge around Alicia, whipping up his floating glob of water into a bolt to launch right at his beak. At least, that's what he had intended. Instead what happened is Darius tripped over a miscellaneous crate he could have sworn wasn't there before, and would have caught himself had he not also then stepped on his own robe, toppling to the ground. Just his luck.

Hearing a different set of footsteps, much heavier than anyone else's he had heard in a long time, he though a beast must have been approaching. But he didn't smell any beasts except...no that was a caw. Birds? This didn't make any sense and Darius was fairly certain the Avian was going to be on him soon. Throwing his robe off his head, and preparing to defend himself from the flat of his back he noticed a very large hooded figure, lumbering curiously toward them. Then a crow perched upon his head "Oh you're a raven" he said apologetically to the bird. But it then flew off and seeing as the giant man wasn't attacking, yet, he took this opportunity to wad up his floating glob of special water and hurl it with a grunt at the Avian who had been coming after him, hoping the distraction of the birds would allow for contact. It would probably hurt a lot, and considering how much water he had gathering, might just knock him off his feet or at the very least take the wind from his sails.

"Uh, evil man is sicking his goons upon witnesses?" Darius said after attempting hastily to recover his footing. Hopefully the presence of a mountain would help discourage any more fighting. As much as Darius would like that, he began whipping up another large floating mass or dynamic fluid.

 

[Rithas]

He heard Darius telling them to retreat from this. But Victarion remembered the man telling him to leave the lab a while back. He did not feel like following this stranger's requests today.

He raised his hand infront of him. Pushing forward, it came to his delight that the tips of his fingers disappeared.

He stepped forward, his eyes adjusting as he spotted Ace pressed against a wall.

"You have terrible bodyguards." He commented. Not a hint of hostility to him. Though to some the strange curiousity to him was probably more unsettling. "Though I must admit that this is a neat trick." His eyes squinted. "You have a little something...on your cheek." He pointed to the strange orange substance that stained the edges of Ace's mouth.

A invisiblity shield to just hide him? That didn't make sense. Plus with them attacking Darius right out of the blue. He would chalk it up to past relations but Ace was a new travelling upstart and it seemed Darius lived here. So that much was unlikely, though still a possiblity.

He sighed, remembering the fact that the two bodyguards weren't the only part of Ace's crew that he had seen earlier today. They could also be using invisibility magic. And while he was confident in battle with most, a deftly timed sneak attack was still dangerous to his health.

"How embarrassing" He grinned, before glancing to the scuffle on the otherside of the street.

"And I have to leave before it gets interesting...." He mumbled, before suddenly jumping into the air towards the others. Landing on the roof next to them.

"Aw, are you done already?"


@Effort @Neobullseye @Kagayours @Majem

 

[Kagayours]

Ace remained still as Victarion entered his invisibility bubble. He braced himself, ready to strike back as soon as the Avian attacked, but, no such thing happened. Victarion didn't look like he had any plans to attack, nor did he seem to be at all surprised to find Ace hiding there.

Victarion did, however, point out the residue that was left on Ace's cheek, which Ace then hastily rubbed off with his hand. …And then he licked it off his hand.

Dagger narrowed his eyes as he listened to Alicia's ultimatum, subtly turning his gaze towards Ace to look for guidance — and then doing a slightly-less-subtle double-take when he realized that Ace wasn't alone back there. But before he could do anything about that, Alicia slammed her staff onto the ground. The twins flinched — though seemingly not from the sound as much as the threat of attention being brought towards them, as they began to scan the surrounding area for any approaching passersby. And they had only just caught sight of Corvus before a small flock of ravens was sent flying into their faces.

Dagger pulled his arms up in front of his face, mildly annoyed by the birds' presence. Cloak, the already-enraged one, violently swatted the two birds away, hitting them both and nearly knocking them right out of the air, although the birds both caught themselves before hitting the ground and flew away without any obvious injury. Then, Cloak leapt a good distance into the air — propelling himself upwards with a powerful flap of his wings, and allowing himself to dodge the large glob of whatever-it-was that Darius threw at him. He then landed in front of Darius, his tall body hunched over the comparatively-small human.

Wordlessly, Dagger put his hand on Cloak's shoulder, and he looked towards Ace again.

As Victarion turned his gaze away from Ace and towards the action on the street, Ace began frantically gesturing at Dagger, mouthing the words "not worth it!" in an exaggerated manner as he signaled for them to stop. Ace seemed to relax a bit as Victarion left him alone, letting out a small sigh of relief, but that didn't mean he was about to recant his earlier statement. He waved his arm and gestured for his guards to come towards him — and, more importantly, to leave this conflict behind.

"…Alright, fair enough." Dagger said to Alicia, lightly tugging on Cloak's clothing in an attempt to pry his brother's attention away from Darius. "We'll leave you alone, then." Cloak wasn't thrilled at the thought of letting Darius get away — still glaring at the human even as he straightened out his back and turned to follow Dagger — but he wasn't about to argue the point. "Ta-ta~" Dagger said sarcastically as he waved goodbye, walking away from the group with Cloak following behind him. The duo had only taken a few steps away before they both vanished from sight completely.

 

[Neobullseye]

Subtle as Dagger's first aside glance was, Alicia still noted it. So Ace was indeed here, and now his bodyguard was asking for advice for advice on how to deal with this situation. Alicia just hoped that the advice was not 'kill them all', because if it was, then they were all in deep trouble.
...Speaking about trouble, was Ace in trouble too? At least, if Dagger's double take was any tell-tale sign, he saw something that surprised him, which given the situation could only be good for her. Surpressing her instinct to follow her opponent's eyes, she instead kept her focus on the person in front of her, figuring that if things did turn south she really didn't want to be distracted at the wrong ti-BIRDS?!
...Well, at least the birds were on their side, considering they attacked Cloak and Dagger while essentially leaving Darius and Alicia alone. And since birds weren't exactly known for their tendency to attack people out of the blue, let alone in such a selective fashion, that meant that someone else had come to help them. Not only that, but Victarion also came back from his inspection of the building, meaning it was now four against two. Apparently this was too much for Cloak and Dagger (or rather Ace, who was more than likely around here somewhere too), because one of the two accepted her 'suggestion' and dragged the other one off.

Alicia simply nodded as Ace's minions took their leave, forcing herself to keep her composure until the two were out of sight -- or rather, vanished into thin air. Only sheer mental control kept her from gasping in surprise. What happened? Did they use a spell to warp away? Or were they still there, and were they merely hidden from sight? If anything, she was even more alert now than she was a few seconds ago. Silently, Alicia kept staring in the general direction of Cloak and Dagger, hoping that something in the environment would give them away if they approached the trio again.
Several moments later, Alicia still wasn't gutted by an invisible knife. Figuring that this meant that the duo actually left, It was only then that she finally allowed her breath out. By Corvenus, that was far too close for comfort. Thank the gods for my public speech lessons... Note to self, though; Ace very much values his public appeal; therefore, attacking said public appeal might be far more effective a tactic in taking him down than brute force.

With tthat, Alicia turned to the newest human arrival, who was wearing a dark cloak of some sorts. "Thank you for coming to our aid," she started, still keeping her voice a bit low in case someone was still listening in. "I fear to think what could have happened if you hadn't arrived in time. As for what happened here, those two Avians were Cloak and Dagger, two of Ace's cronies," Alicia explained. "I saw them earlier today during Ace's speech, where he publicly stated that they were his bodyguards. Ace Dominyx, or whatever is real name is, is one of the people trying to take the throne -- and more than that, if the priestess is correct, which I see no reason to doubt anymore ...It's a long story. I think we need to talk more about this later."

"As for why they were attacking us, or rather him," she continued, gesturing at Darius "I have no idea, though I too am curious. Considering we just made ourselves an enemy out of someone who is likely one of the most dangerous men on this world, I feel that we owe an explanation. Sir, do you know what is going on here?"she asked Darius.

@Majem @Effort @Rithas

 

[Majem]

"Ah, I see. That would be most unpleasant." The man said simply, casting a glance upwards at the birds that were injured. For a moment, he considered unsheating his sword, but by the time he'd mulled over this idea dagger had put his hand on cloak's shoulder, signaling him to stop any further attacks. Corvus was relieved to see this since despite his size and strength, he didn't think he'd actually make any sort of positive difference in a fight. From what little he had seen, the two seemed like the kind of people you do not want to mess with.

Corvus was staring at where the two had vanished, completely in awe and envious of such magic. It would've made many days a whole lot easier if he had a spell like that. When Alicia began to speak to him, however, he switched his focus completely to her, taking in the more comprehensive explanation of what happened here just before he'd shown up. It reassured him that he had helped the right side of this conflict. Of course, he had some questions, but she was right that they should talk about it later.
"No need to thank me. I think your diplomatic efforts were all that really mattered here." He told her, then turned his attention towards Darius, eager to hear his side of the story. The throne, a speech, bodyguards, and somehow the priestess was involved. She had been the reason Corvus found himself in Atvance in the first place, but all of this sounded very important so there might be a change of plans. Perhaps he would still be able to talk to her before he'd find himself tangled up in whatever this might be.