Shattered Horizon IC

[Zombehs]

Looked like he had spoken far too soon.

With a thunderous rumble that nearly deafened Araki, the man painted the room with the entrails and blood of three slow vampires. It was a primal roar, devoid of any sense or reason, but one that seemed to draw and hold the crowd's attention just fine. The spike in chance of escape pushed Araki to his feet, and he managed to stay there this time as the vampires closed in on this latest interruption. The man was definitely no pushover given he pasted those hit, but he was flagging, tired, and the vampires many.

"Or I get up and go myself," Araki muttered as the berserker roared a challenge at the monsters that circled him. Sliding his feet over the blood slicked floor, he slipped into the darkened tunnel without so much as a sound. While they were all distracted, there were many vampires and only one challenger. Eventually some would grow bored faster than others, and he wanted to be long gone before they decided to turn their attention back to him and Alexa. Torches flickered further in the distance, granting him enough light to not trip over his own feet. Using the wall to brace himself, he nonetheless stumbled a few times as he put more and more distance between the unfolding battle. 'Damn this core.'

 

[Astoria]

Lyra's prediction was correct, as usual. The vampires had paid Lyra no mind, obviously because she had been in the auction crowd earlier, and she wasn't dressed as a combatant or as a slave. The gruesome scene before her left her uncomfortable though, and her desire to converse with them was put down at the sight of them feasting on the remains of the slain slaves. She wondered if that was the entire purpose of the auction, not to buy slaves for any appreciable long-term use, but to simply use them as livestock and food.

The crackle of electricity and the tell-tale sign of ozone told Lyra that the berserk mercenary had arrived. As expected, he began to clash with the vampires, and Lyra, not being stupid, knew this was the time to beat a very swift retreat. The purple-haired mage could wait a little while to attempt another rescue. Hell, perhaps they even had a chance to escape during all of the chaos. Doing her best to make herself as small of a target for Jacts, she snuck away down the corridor before eventually emerging outside.

And she was right, again! A group of girls dressed in clothes similar to the ones displayed on stage were shuddering outside, clearly without a notion of what to do or where to go. Lyra scanned the group looking for Alexa, with no luck, but…

"Eh? Agatha?"

@Izurich @Warm Regret

 

[Psyker Landshark]

As the vampire rushed to meet her, Alexa tensed up, already preparing to counterattack with her salvaged spear. However, when the vampire paused, Alexa would have moved to take advantage of his distraction if she hadn't seen the burst of lightning suddenly crash into the crowd.

The berserker reappeared. And apparently, revealed his preference for lightning Sword Arts. Just like Alexa herself. Despite herself, she found herself more than impressed at the man's skill, even as maddened and insane as he seemed to be. Anyone who could fight like that deserved at least a measure of respect from her.

Well, she would be remiss if she wasted this distraction. With that, she turned and immediately dashed out of the room after Araki in a streak of lightning. With the berserker occupying the vampires' attention, there was no point in stealth. As such, she caught up to Araki rather quickly, supporting the boy as he stumbled.

"Easy, kid." She said, supporting him with one arm while still clutching her spear. "Come on, let's get the hell out of here before the big crazy bastard gets taken down."

@Zombehs

 

[Skyswimsky]

This vile dark magic was truly annoying, first the pool where she nearly died if not for her sister, and now this black mist robbing her vision. "Tzk..." The girl couldn't see anything, neither any of the enemies nor her sister, the only information based on sound and what she had last seen. Still, the enemy behind her got harmed just mere moments ago, opening a window of opportunity to counter attack before he would most likely try another backstab. With her feet now free, Myriel spun around as she slammed her fist into... nothing? He wasn't there anymore... which could maybe mean.... "WATCH OUT!"

The flat-chest would never forgive herself if Benedicta was to die. She had to simply trust her, yes, but she also had to stop being a a burden herself. She had to do something about this dark magic somehow. After all, she was a goddamn Astopolian Knight Errant, guided and protected by their goddess, equipped with weapons and magic to deal with such pitiful creatures. Myriel thought for a second. Yes, there was a way, a chance, based on the principle of her countries holy magic being the exact opposite of the dark one those vile insects used. And considering she was still alive... they were probably ignoring her right now? This was her one, and most likely only, chance. Yes, Myriel had to try. No, the girl had to succeed. Failure was not an option, not even a possibility. Strengthening her stand and resolve, the girl started to chant.

Goddess, watch over me.​

Four simple words. A phrase. Used in most of the Astopolian prayers.

You will be the one to grant us, and under thy guidance, the power to subjugate all evil.
I bid you hear my plea and grant this wish,
for the world longs for days of peace, to be basked in your warmth.
I plead thee to let me speak for this moment.​

Myriel lifted her Gauntlet upwards, either it worked or she looked like a complete idiot...​

"Nachtzerrer"

​

 

[Asuras]

Benedicta's spirits soared knowing her sister was, for the moment, not headless thanks to her inefficacy. Spurred on in tune with the aura of glory she was emitting, the knightess thought herself no less capable than when she had first opted to crash the slave trade. But without the hearts of the two vampires taken, she was still in just as much danger as ever. Darkness surged up to her eyes, casting the world in a blanket of nothingness. She naturally readied her weapons, half-expecting a vampire to burst forth from the abyss.

"Watch out!"

Unfortunately in her blindness, her sister's warning would be vague at best. Benedicta clenched her weapons further waiting for some strike, only to feel her back tear in two. A blade -no a hand had pierced her flesh. She could tell based on how asymmetrical it was. Air escaped her lungs and blood spurted with it from her mouth. She made a pitiful noise and grit her teeth. Benedicta could only guess how grievous it was; adrenaline had by then numbed her to the sense of pain.

Even in the darkness, the power of Gloria welled within and around her. She spun a sword in her hand to her back, hoping to sever the vampire's hand as it remained embedded within her back.

 

[ERode]

As the holy words resounded through the desecrated battlefield, resplendent sunlight radiated from Myriel's gauntlet. It seared through the darkness, the air distorting madly as bipolar elements clashed against each other. Congealing around her, shadows thickened on her armored body, tendrils flinching away from the sunshine even as the vampiric mage attempted to put an end to this. Astopolian holy magic, built specifically to counter the foul sorcery of the vampires, seared through the veil of shadows, illuminating the battlefield that the two sisters fought in.

In that moment, the assassin paused, even as his clawed hand drove itself into the soft flesh of Benedicta. The chanting of the prayers that vampires so despised, the sudden appearance of bright light, it threw himself off enough that the blonde knight-lady was able to twist away before he could push deeper to tear out her heart. Blood sprayed from the open wound, adrenaline pulsing in her veins and a glorious aura enveloping herself. Like a stroke of lightning, her sword flashed outwards, sundering the outstretched arm.

But the vampire did not retract in pain, even as the shadowy arena disappeared. With a high pitched scream, he spun around, driving the heel of his shoe into Benedicta. At the same time, shadowy spears burst into the vampire's body, a dozen stakes that missed his heart as the monster used his own body as a screen for the mage's offensive spells.

The forcible action of emulating her chosen skill had already turned Benedicta to the vampire. Light tore the darkness to shreds and returned her sight. She quickly twisted her spear around to bear, holding the spear to to intercept the vampire's boot.

Though the wound plagued her body, it did not yet affect her channeling. No matter how hurt she was, so long as her mind could maintain the emulation, it would achieve its intended effects. As the foot pierced itself on the spear tip, it left a clear opening; in the split second that the vampire was still applying force to a blocked attack, his leg was wide open. Another flash of light, and the leg was severed by an unseen attack.

It worked! Well, of course it worked. Despite the doubts Myriel always carried with her the darkness that would surely have doomed both of them was finally dispelled. Despite her success however, the situation looked rather dire upon seeing her sister's struggle.

Still, Myriel continued trusting her, surely she wouldn't get herself killed by those two imbeciles. Instead, she now focused on the more annoying of the two. The vampire magician was wide open, and the girl would make sure he'd pay dearly for it. With newfound determination, Myriel was putting her all into it, focusing some magic into her legs, she got into a slight crouching position before sprinting towards the busy magician and, while doing so, made sure to enchant her Gauntlet again.

It didn't matter too much where Myriel would hit him, or so she thought, so rather than going for specific vitals the girl simply aimed for full destructive power. It was simple, really, this time her Gauntlet was in flames, trying to contain the explosive potential behind the strike until the moment it would connect. Sure, the explosion itself would most likely inflict some damage upon her as well, but considering she could probably burn him into a crisp made it a sacrifice she was willing to take.

The vampire's leg flew off next, sliced off by the Humbling Strike of Benedicta, eliciting a grimace that soon became a grin. Crippled as he was from the injuries sustained, it was nothing that the vampire couldn't recover from. The stump pointed itself towards the golden-haired dual-wielder, and in another gruesome burst, spikes of blood expanded from that injury as well, joining up with the shadow spears to create a cone-shaped explosion of projectiles, almost impossible to defend without a shield or magic.

Moments before the combined attack sank into the knight errant's body, though, Myriel closed in on the vampire mage. Her gauntlet flashed with blue flame as the entirety of her magical output was focused in that singular point. Before the mage could lift up any sort of defensive measure, her azure fist melted into his side. The smell of sizzling flesh sounded, smoke rising as flesh melted and fused with the talentium surface of the gauntlet.

And then, blue brilliance.

An explosion of flame erupted from the gauntlet, an uncontrollable shockwave that blasted the vampire in half while throwing Myriel to the other side of the room. She crashed into a set of toppled chairs, the wood splintering under her impact, but the effect was done.

The shadow spears dissipated a split second before they reached Benedicta.

Myriel could feel her own skin burning as the flames engulfed the girl's small body, though, was soon replaced by a simpler feeling of pain as she let out a cry of agony upon being catapulted across the room. "Urgh..." Her senses numbed, the black-hair was stunned for a few seconds before she regained the entirety of her consciousness.

A smile formed on her face as she looked towards the direction of the burned corpse as the strong smell of charcoaled flesh confirmed his demise. Myriel succeeded.

This was it. He was finished. Benedicta let out a grunt of relief as the shadow spears vanished before her very eyes. Still crouched low she twirled her flagpole in hand and took a step back, widening her stance low on the ground. The vampire's stumpy leg served as the perfect aiming device straight to his heart. Seizing the opportunity to one-up her sister, she once more returned to the aspect of Drakanael and imbued her weapon with virtual wings.

With a fierce battle cry, she let the flagpole loose in a spear-throw. It pierced the air, drawing gusts with it in the short distance it needed to travel from her hand to heart. Though its tip was but a blunt object, it stabbed with the power of a sharp weapon nevertheless, striking through the vampire and into the upper walls beyond. The very air in the room was drawn to the back for a short moment, compressing it and straining eardrums for a split second before it returned to the vacuum that was created.

A vicious boom shredded the vampire into scraps of flesh, a shower of blood splattering against Benedicta's armor. It was cold, congealed, but at the same time, it felt good. A euphoric sensation enveloped the two sisters as three vampires laid dead before them.

The walls cracked from above, as Benedicta's flag-pole fell from the upper floors, bouncing against the ground.

The pain and exhaustion could be felt once more, and occasional rumble of the floor signalled that the battle down below continued on. In the end, the two errant knights had only slain three out of the countless dozens that attended the slave auction, and as it stood, it didn't look like either of them could continue for much longer.

Benedicta swiped an arm across her face. Most of the blood had plastered across her forehead, now leaving two thin strips at her hairline and brow. She stood on shaky legs as the pain of her injuries truly began to settle into her muscles and bones. The knightess dragged her feet to where her flagpole had landed and picked it up slowly, easing the strain on her back where her flesh was left open.

She walked over to Myriel and extended a hand. "As much as I'd love to be a hero here, Myriel, I don't think we've quite got what it takes to follow through. More than a hero's duty to persevere, we are knights of Astopol. We've got a duty to serve our country, and I don't think we can do that if we stay here and offer ourselves up as drink. We have to go."

Taking her sister's hand, Myriel supported herself up again. She hated to admit it, but Benedicta was right, throwing away their lifes here would be meaningless, not to mention Benedicta was in a far worse state than Myriel.

"You're right, let's get out of here and treat your wounds." Myriel got herself another impression of their surroundings, getting out of here was indeed right, the question was just... which way would be the most safe to go? "Let me help you." Myriel also offered her support to her heavily wounded sister.

---

The two knight errants made their way out, Benedicta supported by Myriel as they stepped over the broken remains of the wooden door. The winter wind of Illiserev blew hard, yet, despite how cold it was, the numbing sensation was pleasant as well. They made an odd sight as they trudged through the snowy path, a scarlet trail dripping behind them.

The guards at the front gate seemed to have disappeared, and the crowd was gone as well. Apparently, there was a full withdrawal after the incident Jacts caused. Either the guards had ran off after their employer was slain, or they ran off because they didn't want to get in the way of the vampires. Regardless, their path was unimpeded...until they noticed the gathering of slaves that also managed to get out, as well as the red-haired maid that hired them, slumped against the form of a twin-tailed girl.

The snow fell, and silence enveloped the world, as the two knights encountered their true objectives on the white plains of Braxton Hall.

 

[Warm Regret]

Before Agatha could respond to him, a purple haired girl emerged from the hall after them and spoke to the former sky pirate. Apparently, Agatha had yet another acquaintance. He thought she was lucky to have so many friends or associates. Perhaps this new person would be able to help them reach more hospitable conditions at the very least. He shifted the unconscious girl on his back once more, who's weight was finally starting to make itself known but true to his persona, he bore the burden without making a sound. Eventually, others started to emerge from the hall. Looking behind him, he could see that Elana and the boy who helped them were pulling up the rear. The boy in particular seemed to require medical attention. Tulian was relieved to see that the two of them were still alive, although it would never show on his stone like face. When Tulian turned his attention forward again, he saw two figures approaching them from the opposite side of the hall and was unsure if they were friend or foe.

As their forms became more and more pronounced, it was clear from their weapons and armor that they were not slaves, nor did they appear to be particularly hostile. Could they be knights from Astopol? He didn't know that they were the ones who had started the commotion that triggered the escape but upon observing their condition, he surmised they were somehow connected to the chaos that had erupted from within. The only person he didn't see was that hulking man on whom he cast the savage heart spell. The effects of the spell should probably had worn off by now. Tulian wondered if the fact that he wasn't there was because he was still fending off attackers inside or if he had fallen in battle or if he had regained his senses and found another means of escape. The beautiful former slave let his blue and gold eyes fall to the snow covered earth, wondering if he had made the right decision. The lives of everyone around him were probably saved because of his actions, but did that make it ok?

The stinging wind and harsh cold brought him back to the present moment and although everyone there probably had their own agenda for the future, he was sure their immediate objective was the same. Finding shelter and tending to their wounds was probably at the top of everyone's list. Under normal circumstances, the blue haired elf would have said nothing and waited for someone to tell him what to do but these weren't normal circumstances. "Well…it looks like many of us were able to survive the horrors of Braxton Hall but might I suggest we seek some sort of sanctuary? The longer we are out in this cold the more harm it will do to our bodies… and we have wounded who need the aid of a healer." His voice was soft and hollow as he spoke aloud to no one in particular. There was a chance that no one even heard him at all or maybe even decided to ignore him. "Some of us have no money and no connections but I'm sure if given the opportunity, will work off any debt some assistance might incur."

 

[Izurich]

[fieldbox=Voyager of the Skies, Brown, solid]

The estranged Lughanta captain was about to rally a march through the snow if not for her elven companion speaking up, requesting her to wait. "...Yes?" Agatha turned towards him, whatever he wanted to say, it'd better be good since every second count if they were to survive. "Glad you can see reason." She sighed in relief, going back in was such a suicidal nonsense, she'd just assume Tulian momentarily suffered a brain freeze just now, causing him to lose his mind. His next suggestion was much more welcomed, a good one really, "Hmmm..." The Heiress examined the group of females following the, while Agatha wanted to find her airship ASAP, even she wasn't sure some of the group could survive much longer; as the male elf said, a shelter would allow them to at least stave off the cold and properly plan their next move with a clearer head. "Sound plan, Tulian, find a good spot to make it then." Most likely he'd be using his earth magic, "If there's anything we can do assist, just tel-."


"Eh? Agatha?"

A distinctively familiar female voice suddenly rang against her eardrums, freezing - no pun intended - Agatha mid-speech. "...Eh?" Turning her head at the general direction of this voice, her vision was graced with the sight of royal purple hair in twin braids, matching irises, and the soft facial features she knew ever since childhood. "L... Lyra?" Agatha blinked a few times in disbelief, she'd be rubbing her brown eyes if it wasn't for Elaina occupying her arms. "I-is that you, is that really you?" She took a few steps towards the younger girl, "Fuck me..." her lips went ajar in awe, all manner of emotions swirling chaotically in her mind, but one stood among the rest, happiness.

"L-Lyra! Ah! Lyra! Y-you're alright!" Pure joy coursed throughout her body upon witnessing her best friend's form, she was clad in her usual clothes, not a thin one-piece dress, which meant she was not enslaved. So ecstatic, Agatha looked past the few minor bruises on the purple-haired girl's skin, "W-what are you doing here? H-have you come f-for us? Oooh... T-thank you, Thank you!" She smiled wide yet her eyes winced as tears flowed freely down her cheeks. "*Sob*... I... I'm so glad to see you... c-come on, let's find help for Elaina and them, and uh..." There was one more thing, "Did you see Alexa and her friends?"

Just on cue, Alexa and her male friend emerged from the hall, the former marking the reunion of three Illeserevian Heiresses. "Alexa! Ah... glad you're safe!" then at the dark-haired boy whose name still unknown to her, "And you too. Did you two find who you were looking for, uh... Ashe, was it?" The answers were certainly worrying, but at least Ashe wasn't among the butchered corpses. "My... you two are wounded, tch... but it's okay now, we're here together." She took a deep breath, motioning for Tulian and the ex-slaves to gather together, "This is Lyra, my old friend, she can help us, all of us!" Obviously, the group began murmuring in relieves, the more optimistic ones smiling at the Mauritania Heiress, hopeful look in their eyes.

The Hall was not done with its exodus yet as one more pair sauntered out of its dark corridors, two female figures wearing full armor and weapons, even though marred by blood splotches and wounds, their majestic presence still shone through like a beacon of justice across the black sea of evil. Agatha didn't know who they were, but remembering the commotion she heard from underneath the stage, one solid assumption was them being the Astopolian Knights crashing into the auction, their attire certainly reinforced this theory. One thing for sure however, they were allies. "Heeeey!" She called out to the knightesses, "Over here!"

"Alright, fuh... everyone's he-..." wait, not quite, "Have anyone seen the large tall mercenary Elaina hired?" She directed this question to anyone, but Tulian and the ex-slave girls.
[/fieldbox]

 

[Izurich]

Flashback Collab between Agatha and Lyra

[fieldbox=Agatha, Brown, solid]
13 years ago...

Being young didn't mean one couldn't have a thirst for exciting adventures, as proven by one Agatha Nightingale, the Heiress to the Nightingale merchant family. The eleven-years old girl already went on multiple trips together with her father, see the world, explore foreign lands, and encounter interesting people over the years.

However, with the increasing tension from the Jeualian Empire up North, Lance Nightingale decided to postpone future trips with his daughter and focused on forming plans with the other families and Illserevian government to prepare in case all-out war broke out. Right now, he was in visiting the estate of his most prized client, the Mauritania family, bringing his daughter along with him. He wanted to have a talk with them and at the same time, Agatha could visit her best friend, Lyra Mauritania, both Heiresses to their respective families.

"Hm hm hm~" A happy upbeat hum rang from the little brunette's lips as she skipped along the corridor heading into the estate's library, escorted by a maid. Agatha figured Lyra would be there, knowing the lilac-haired girl loved to bury herself in books. On the way, she passed other maids whom all greeted her, already familiar with this particular close friend of young mistress Lyra.

Arriving at the Library's entrance, the maid opened the door for Agatha as the girl excused herself... then immediately ran inside which drew a sigh from the servant. "Lilyyyy~!" The Nightingale Heiress shouted, breaking the solemn silence of the library, her high-pitched voice echoing. "Lily~ it's me, Aggie! Where are you? I know you're here!"
[/fieldbox]

[fieldbox=Lyra, Purple, solid]
Within the confines of the Mauritania estate library, the eight-year old Lyra was, for once, not pouring over a book or academic text of some sort. Instead, under the streaming light of a set of bay windows that overlooked a courtyard of the estate, the young scholar-to-be was practicing a bit of magic. It was an art that she had only began to experience several seasons ago.

Indeed, continuing and escalating prospects of war had trickled down a sense of duty and interest in even the youngest and wealthiest of the children in Illiserev. Lyra was no exception, despite how out of touch she seemed; while her family was gearing up the company escorts and offensively arming their ships, she had been learning the art nearly by herself, reading old tomes and manuscripts neatly arranged on the bookshelves of the quaint wood-paneled room. Today, she stood in front of the window, watching and focusing on balancing a set of books atop a small blue ball of aether, nudging it around the library floor like a plaything.

She was deeply concentrating… so when Agatha appeared and shouted in the library, the only immediate response from the far end of the library was the clunks of a series of books falling down, and then a much louder thunk, probably the sound of an eight-year old girl tripping and falling over the aforementioned books. If Agatha rushed over after hearing the cacophony of sound, she would have found Lyra crumpled on the carpet headfirst, with a mess of books by her feet and a glowing blue ball rolling away down the library halls.

Quickly enough though, she recovered, sitting up sideways and pouting at Agatha while rubbing her face. "A-Aggie… My ears and my forehead… No shouting in the library! Bad things happen."
[/fieldbox]

[fieldbox=Agatha, Brown, solid]
As Agatha ran deeper into the library, the maid closed the doors and left the two best buddies for their reunion. This act alone already showed how close the two families were.

The library was big, alright, but! Aggie was a skilled tracker, she could find Lily easily. Using her almighty sharp senses, she heard the thunks and thuds coming from one corner of the library. Yep, not even an elf could heard those subtle sounds, Aggie was just that good.

Making her way there with pattering feet, she skidded to a halt at the sight of books strew on the floor, a younger girl, and-... oh! Shiny ball! Like an excited puppy with short attention span, Agatha chased after the ball first before even thinking of helping Lyra to her feet. With her supreme agility and lightning reflexes, "Gotcha!" she recovered the ancient azure artifact.

Turning around on her feet, Agatha came back to Lyra's previous location, now greeted by a girl with pouted cheeks rubbing her forehead. "Awww~ Sorry, Lily!" She looked so adorable that way. she knelt in front of her friend then offered the sphere back, "Here, I got your ball for ya~" then she'd help the shorter girl up, "What were you doing? Reading books while playing throw ball with the wall?"
[/fieldbox]

[fieldbox=Lyra, Purple, solid]
It took a few seconds for the purple haired girl to react to her own utterly shameful collapse. By the time she'd recovered from her spill, she had seen Agatha running away from her, chasing after the small glowing orb instead of helping her up, making her pout even more than she would have originally.

Her immature displeasure gradually faded away as Aggie finally helped her up and offered the blue ball back. Taking the odd artifact back, she brought it up her face, inspecting it for damage before setting it back aside, satisfied that they hadn't completely destroyed it. Taking a book that had been cast aside in the mess, she bopped Aggie on the head with it, lightly chiding the older girl. "Bad Aggie."

Tidying up the fallen books, Lyra neatly stacked the leather-bound volumes on a nearby end table. Picking up the bright round contraption, she offered the ball again for the auburn-haired girl to look at, offering an explanation in a matter-of-fact manner that was common for her. "It's a magic gyroscope,"she explained. "Father says it came from the Empire, and was supposed to be used in their big war robots. I was trying to balance my books on it. Aggie, want to try?"

It was an expensive piece of engineering tech, unfortunately reduced to the use of a common toy for Lyra. If a maid were still looking on, she would be questioning why it wasn't on the desk of her father or locked up in some high tech development facility somewhere…
[/fieldbox]

[fieldbox=Agatha, Brown, solid]
"Ouch~" The older girl playfully rubbed her forehead, "Sorry..." while her tone was still very much jesting, there was a tinge of genuine apology coating it. To make up for choosing the blue orb over her best friends, Agatha helped Lyra in gathering the books, moving noticeably faster and dextereous compared to her bookworm buddy. She gathered most of the books then handed them over for Lyra to tidy up.

Agatha's eyes perked as she noticed Lyra casting her beloved books aside in favor for the azure sphere, she knew it! There must be something about the ball if it could make Lyra abandon one of her most favorite object in the world, going by this logic, the brunette wasn't at fault when she decided to mind the ball first before Agatha. Yep, a legitimate excuse. "Oooh..." Her dark amber eyes closely examined the orb, its azure glow reflected in both of the girls' irises. "What is this thing really?"

Now, someone like Agatha would be stereotypically seen as... 'dumb', all brawns and energy, but no brain. For her case, they couldn't be more wrong. Her father would obviously give Agatha the best education money could offer, her being his eldest daughter and heir and all. The brunette may not be focusing her studies on arcane arts, but she could understand big words. "Oh, gyroscope, I see! It's used to... balance stuffs then." Her curiosity was perked,"I wonder how it works exactly, a ball to balance war-bots?" Now this was beyond her, but one more thing for her to discover!

"Hehehe~ so that's what you were doing, huh?" She made a cat-like smile then moved to pick up the stacked books on the end table, "Of course~ In fact, let's try more things with it, Lily!" She'd follow wherever Lyra took them, walking beside her, humming a song. "You know~ it's good to see you again, I..." Agatha paused a bit,a small blush creeping at her cheeks, "I missed you... hehe."
[/fieldbox]

[fieldbox=Lyra, Purple, solid]
It was about this time that the double doors to the library opened once again, quickly showing a maid with a disapproving face to the two. Hushing up a bit, Lyra turned to Agatha rather expeditiously. "Maybe we should go out to the courtyard or the grass…"

On her own cue, they made their retreat from the library with the orb in hand; after all, it wouldn't due if the maids got angry and made a mess of things! Nodding and smiling as Aggie spoke, Lyra held her hand as she pulled her along to the estate gardens. "Oh yes. It's been like a couple months, right? I guess you're back from traveling because everybody's scared of the empire…" Pausing for a moment, she continued. "I missed you too!"

Walking along the rosebushes and cherry trees that adorned the enclosed garden, she tried tossing the ball into the air a few times, a bit awkwardly but managing to catch it each time. Making it to a grassy area, she let it roll onto the ground before stepped atop it, trying to balance herself on it and channel mana into it to transport herself around… for science, of course! In the end, she wasn't very good at it, and instead offered Agatha a try.

"So, what do you think? Maybe we can make something nice with this."
[/fieldbox]

[fieldbox=Agatha, Brown, solid]
Oops, someone was angry~ Seriously, these maids were so uptight, they were no fun at all! She was just having fun with her friend and one of them had to ruin the fun, maids should be called 'Anti-Fun Brigades' instead. Fortunately, she didn't need to mind them with Lyra around, "Great idea, let's g-!"she cut herself off, "I mean... yeah, let's go~" then continued with a hushed voice.

Nothing could beat travelling in big ships and exploring new places, but... this simple walk in the garden with Lyra came really close to it. "Uhm..." The normally talkative girl became rather quiet when Lyra held her hand, soft and warm, a fuzzy feeling washed over her; such a strange thing... but she welcomed it. "O-oh! Y... yeah... haha... Few months, maybe more." Damn it! Snap out of it Aggie, Lyra was talking to you! Hopefully the shorter girl didn't notice she was being odd, that'd be embarrassing. "Mhm~" She nodded, "Big bad empire people want to cause trouble from what I've heard, don't worry though, we'll kick their asses!"

While Lyra was busy with playing with her glowing toy, Agatha couldn't help but stare at her friend's face, finding her features rather... captivating. Curse this, what was wrong with her? She wanted to ask, but she's afraid Lyra or anyone else would think of her as some kind of weirdo. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts (again), the brunette - rather begrudgingly - let Lyra's hand go so the girl could go on with her... strange, but cool, activity.

"Wow..." Balancing oneself on a ball was one thing, riding a rolling ball was on a whole another level. Agatha was used to keep her feet on rocking ship decks, but she wasn't sure she could do this. "T... that looks fun! Weird... but fun, yes!" Agatha accepted the offer, hopping on top of the ball then let tried her best to keep balanced. "W-... woah, woaaah?!" She fell a couple of times, ruining her hair with dried leaves and grasses, but the laughs and glee were worth it.

Dusting herself off, Agatha skipped back to Lyra, holding the orb in her hands. "Hmmm... what can we do with this...?" She pondered for a moment then her eyes perked up, "Hey, hey~ I have an idea, why don't we get someplace dark then... hang this up as a lamp, I want to tell you a story~"
[/fieldbox]

[fieldbox=Lyra, Purple, solid]
Having taken a tumble several times now and with Agatha doing the same, Lyra giggled. Honestly, the idea seemed easy, but in practice, it was quite troublesome to stay on top of the thing even with a healthy dose of magic to the magical orb's functions.

When everything was all said and done, Lyra tried to clean and tidy herself up, and helped Aggie do the same, plucking off leaves and bits of plant material from her hair and clothes. Thankfully, there wasn't too much of a mess; even though it was fall and the trees were turning amber and losing their leaves, the caretakers of the estate had done a great job in keeping the place looking pristine.

"Huh, a story?" Lyra was curious what kind of tale Agatha had in store for her. Lyra was surprised, though, when her friend suggested going somewhere dark. She had to rack her brain to consider a place in the area that was truly dark even in the daytime and wouldn't be quickly found by the maids… But she remembered that there was a small cave above a stream nearby that fit the bill. It wasn't too small and she'd used it several times, maybe once or twice with Aggie, and it was fitted out enough that it was quite cozy for a cave. "I know, let's go to the cave down by the stream then."

The little expedition to the little rocky alcove was only about fifteen minutes at a fast pace of walking, at least for Lyra. It was probably easy stuff for Agatha. Nested between two trees and on a ledge above a gently gurgling stream was the cave. It had a few wooden chairs and a table or so, clearly a bit weather-worn. There was a slightly rusty oil lamp on one of the tables, the innards of which Lyra replaced with the orb, on suggestion of Agatha.

"So, what's the tale about, Aggie?"
[/fieldbox]

[fieldbox=Agatha, Brown, solid]
"Oh, that cave?!" The older girl perked up in enthusiasm, it was a little hideout Lyra made for herself; the lilac-haired girl had taken Agatha a few times there before. A quaint little heaven, that'll place would be perfect! "Sure! Let's go there!" The Brunette jumped up and down once in excitement, even the prospect of traversing down the riverbank was compelling for Agatha, as long as she could spend more time with Lyra... nothing could be boring really.

"Come on, come on! We're almost there, right?" Along the way, the active girl motivated her bookworm friend to keep up with her, not that Lyra was sickly but she could use a little more stamina in her. Of course, Agatha had no intention of forcing Lyra let alone accidentally hurting her; the brunette would slow down to let her friend catch up and stop each time Lyra wanted rest. After about fifteen chimes, they arrived at the Lyracave. A small cave snuggled by two trees and watching over the small river.

They went inside the cave, Agatha took the time to examine the contents while Lyra set up their little storytelling session. "Wow....!" The orb worked beautifully as expected, the cavern was now lit with its mystical azure glow. "Okay, okay, you can't wait, can you"? Me too!" Sitting on one chair while Lyra on the other across from each other, Agatha put both hands on the table. "This one is called... 'The Girl Who Soared Across The Sky!'" She opened her arms as if mimicking a bird spreading its wings.

"There's this brave curious girl called Aga-.... uhm.... eh... er..." The brunette made a big awkward big grin, "Agnes! Yes! She's called 'Agnes'! You see... Agnes likes travelling, see the world, explore new exciting places!" Agatha leaned forward, seemingly a bit too eagre to mind personal spaces between them, "Carriages, boats, big ships, she rode them all!" Her grin grew wider, revealing all of her teeth, "At one time, she looked up at the sky and wondered... what if one day, ships can fly? Imagine, flying ships! How cool will that be? Clouds instead of water, birds instead of fishes, and mountains instead of reefs!"

Agatha reached her pocket then took out a piece of folded canvas. She put it on the table then opened it, revealing a crude drawing of a red ship flying through the clouds. "Look! This is what she drew, she calls this... an... uhm... Airship! See, see?" The girl went around the table, standing beside Lyra, "She'd take all of her friends, especially Ly-... uhm... Lucy~ her best friend who likes to read books."
[/fieldbox]

[fieldbox=Lyra, Purple, solid]
Taking a seat on the chair on the farthest end of the table, Lyra listened to Aggie's story, having readied and cleared the table of debris. Motioning for her friend to sit down, the purple-haired girl listened intently to Agatha's story.

It was a rather odd story for Lyra, and several times, she tilted her at the girl in either confusion or some sort of suspicion… because it sounded very familiar to two characters in a grand story that she knew all too well! The names were slightly different… but Lyra was almost positive that she was talking about themselves.

Naturally, she was going to point this out, but in the end became distracted by what she initially thought was a piece of paper. After Agatha opened the 'document', she realized that it was a piece of canvas with a colorful drawing of a ship sailing through the sky. Being a bright and curious young lady, she gazed at the picture in deep thought. Taking the orb again, she raised up between Lyra and Agatha, unintendedly creating a dramatic lighting effect and grinned at Aggie.

"Shall we create a flying boat, then?"
[/fieldbox]

[fieldbox=Agatha, Brown, solid]
"Hehe~" Little Agatha giggled in actual pride, she managed to spin her lifelong dream into an exciting tale of adventure! Surely not even Lyra could notice that, yep, she was sure of it. "Isn't that exciting?!" Agatha hugged her younger friend's shoulders from behind, swaying their bodies slightly from side to side. "They went on many adventures! Reaching places no one had ever reached before! Ha~" Sighing dreamily, Agatha released Lyra then went back to her seat.

The brunette was about to continue the next chapter of her thinly-veiled attempt at 'recruiting' Lyra into her trips when the lilac-haired aspiring mage raised the glowing orb between them, looking quite ominous, the grin fitted perfectly with the pose. "Wha-...?" Upon hearing the idea, Agatha was dumbfounded for a second before.... "Whaaaaaaaaaaat?!!!" Her loud shrieking voice violently shook in the small cave.

"W-we can do that?! We can actually do that?!" She jumped up and down like a hyperactive brown-furred rabbit, "How, how, how how?!!"
[/fieldbox]

[fieldbox=Lyra, Purple, solid]
"Wha? Woah!" Lyra was taken completely by surprise as Agatha embraced her in a bear hug, nearly flying completely off the chair before she could right herself into a properly balanced position. Breathing a sigh of relief when her friend returned to her seat, she smiled awkwardly at her friend.

Watching Aggie bubble up in excitement, Lyra had to plug her own ears as Agatha shrieked in disbelief, leading Lyra to second guess herself on whether or not she should have mentioned anything at all. Regardless, she answered somewhat positively.

"Well… it will be a very, very long time… But the basic idea to make things float exist, right?" A good example of this was putting a flame under hot air… Or using something lighter than air, if Lyra read her books correctly. "If our families worked hard together, we could create new ideas to make your dream come true!"
[/fieldbox]

 

[Astoria]

Lyra had gone searching for one enslaved noble girl and had instead found another. The 'another' in this case was her auburn-haired childhood friend Agatha, who was curiously underdressed like many of the others. Finding her here was as much as surprise to Lyra as it was for Agatha to see Lyra. While her smile was subdued as usual and wasn't as wide as Agatha's, it was evident that she was also happy to see her friend, although perhaps not under the best of circumstances. After all, she herself had narrowly avoided becoming a splatter on the side of the wall, courtesy of a certain berserk mercenary, and Agatha was in a fairly compromising position, not to mention the sight of a familiar servant, dreadfully injured and held in the hands of her mistress.

She would have made some reassuring comments to her, but her words failed her as Agatha sputtered own, tears flowing from her eyes. "Y-yes. What happened?" Taken off guard by her words, Lyra stammered out her own answer before asking her question in turn. She hadn't expected to see Agatha at all, really… "No. I was told they would be here…"

Of course, as she said so, another familiar face emerged from the depths of the hall, once again bringing the three together. It didn't feel like much of a reunion though; everybody was injured, Lyra was utterly in the dark about what had happened, and worst of all, she was unarmed. Regardless, she tried to greet her other childhood friend as appropriately as possible, but her eyes seemed to say 'how did you mess up so badly?'

"Alexa… You're alive."

Agatha was talking a lot. Lyra was used to this, but after being out of contact for so long, she once again found herself struggling to keep up. Trying to catch her between sentences, she shook her head, surprisingly curtailing much of her pride as she made a statement. It was necessity, though; there would be no way that she could do anything if she didn't get some form of talentium if there was going to be further conflict. Now that she'd found Alexa and even Agatha, she was effectively going down the jailbreaking plan that everybody else had conceived of. "I can do that, and more… but I've been disarmed. I can defend everybody here as I could defend a castle singlehandedly, but I need talentium. Does anybody have some?"

She paused again, looking straight at Agatha as she inquired as to the whereabouts of the hired mercenary. Staring back down at the hall, she delivered her answer deadpan.

"Yes, he tried to kill me."

 

[Zombehs]

"... Thanks," Araki murmured a moment after she helped to catch him. With her support, it was easy to move away from the raging sounds of battle, and the feverish heat slowly cooled as the din faded off into the distance. By the time the pair reached the large space the outer gates opened into, he felt well enough to stand by himself and mentioned just that to Alexa.

The howling wind greeted him rather unpleasantly as he neared the cracked open gates, freezing droplets of sweat on exposed skin. Already bundled in clothes beneath the layers of cloaks though, Araki pulled several of the thick overgarments and held them out for Alexa to take as they approached the group huddled together just outside. For a moment he wondered why they hadn't moved further, but it wasn't like they would have been hard to find; better to have some idea rather than run around blindly.

Shaking his head in response to the response to the brunette's question, he glanced towards Alexa at the mention of their missing acquaintance, though he supposed Ashe was more than just that to her. Araki's attention turned towards the purple-haired one for a moment before he stepped away from Alexa and brought a hand up to scratch the back of his head. An agitated glance backwards towards the now-silent hall spurred thoughts of self-survival, and he surveyed those gathered in the cold. If the berserker was dead, which was practically a certainty at this point, the vampires could be on the group in moments. Of course it was also possible the man had hurt them badly enou-

Snapped from his thoughts as the brunette called out once more, Araki looked towards the latest arrivals and figured that, yes, his time to leave was about now. He had little desire to hang around Knights of Astopol, injured as they were. He could only imagine what would happen if they discovered his secret, and it was hardly pleasant.

Beyond that, there was little reason to stay with this group. Their numbers offered no safety, but danger instead, and his presence didn't make things any safer. Alexa had been rescued and it seemed she actually knew these people. Ashe had disappeared without a trace, but the countryside was far too vast for him to search alone, and that was even before vampires were introduced into the situation. No doubt the Astopolians would probably be combing the area in a matter of weeks if not days…

Shrugging off all but one of the cloaks, he held them out for someone to take and distribute among the gathered. Pulling the remaining cloak tight around himself, he eyed the faint tether that extended from the unconscious woman on Tulian's back. It stretched off into the distance, towards the coastline, and Araki figured it could not hurt to investigate. Before the knightesses could arrive, he dipped his head towards those before him and turned to hurry away. The mana trail was visible, but faint. He'd have to grab his supplies quickly lest it dissipate.

 

[Psyker Landshark]

They'd made it out. And it was bloody cold. Good thing Araki had extra clothes to give her. Gratefully taking the bundle, Alexa took a moment to wrap herself up before heading outside, already starting to shiver a little. And then the surprises started coming.

What the hell was Lyra doing here? Returning Lyra's smile with a strained one of her own, she simply nodded at her statement.

"I am. Don't ask how I got in this position." She said, keeping a grip on her spear. "I swear, you go to bed drunk in an inn in Cykes and wake up having been abducted by vampire slavers." Alexa said sardonically before shaking her head sadly at Agatha.

"Couldn't find Ashe. No trace of her back in the chamber. Hopefully that means she wasn't one of them." She scowled, her grip on her stolen spear tightening. "We need to get out of here. I need to find a bank, withdraw some funds, and get a new sword forged. Not enough talentium in this spear to matter. And then, I'm going slaver hunting. If Ashe wasn't killed, then she's still with the slavers."

"And Agatha, where's the girl I handed off? Need to see if she's awake yet."

 

[Skyswimsky]

As Myriel walked out of the building, realizing they were out of immediate danger for the time being, her body decided to relax as far as she was capable of. Exhausting now setting in, she could feel the full extent of the damage she took in that battle - most of it self-inflicted. Still, she had to keep going for now, unlike Myriel her older sister had it way worse and needed first-aid very soon. Of course, Myriel also knew about the basics in healing magic but, unlike offensive maneuvers that could easily be varied through some simple tricks, this field of magic was on an entire different level. Thus, what Myriel could do was very limited and took way too much time and more of her already sparse energy.

The black-hair was just about to give off some suggestion to her valiant partner she supported as she spotted a group of people a tad farther away from them. One of them called out to the pair and, considering her voice, they were probably not enemies. "You still have my sword, right?" Nonetheless, one could never be too safe as she was finally reunited with her mundane weapon that her sister took care of.

Getting closer to the group and seeing more of their details, it was pretty obvious it mostly consisted of slaves. To make matters worse, some of them were actually elves. Myriel's facial features formed to that of pure hatred for a moment upon making that discovery but quickly changed to that of compassion as she realized there was also a certain red-hair with them. The girl's mouth was half-torn and, considering there wasn't much blood flowing anymore, probably bled out by now. Which meant she didn't make it.

She didn't care about the money anymore, in fact, she never cared about it in the first place. Instead, her heart became filled with rage upon realizing that this poor human most likely only died for the sake of also rescuing a bunch of elves. Yes, already having failed to contain this vampire plague, the least she should be capable of doing was releasing those monsters in front of her from their sins through death.

More than likely however, she doubted anybody of those blind fools was sharing her view, not to mention Benedicta took priority. Still keeping a certain amount of safe distance she gently nudged Benedicta, whispering. "Should we stay with them until I took care of your wounds?"

 

[Asuras]

Benedicta spat out a wad of black-red ichor onto the stone courtyard as Myriel hoisted her outside. Every time she swallowed, she tasted that coppery dread as well. Blood welled in her throat, but she wasn't about to startle gurgling pathetically. Spitting was uncouth, but it was better than looking pathetic. Her polearm dragged along the ground, scraping stone against brass as her legs struggled to keep up a pace that wasn't painful for her younger sister. Try as she might, she couldn't ease much of the support Myriel had to give as they walked.

Though the freeze numbed her pain somewhat, the sight of snow was moreso damning than anything else. At the speed they were maintaining, they wouldn't reach any considerable location to heal her wounds in time. Her consciousness was slipping, and unless Myriel could procure stronger arms, she was doomed to bleed out on the streets. The gathering before her didn't ease her dread either; even in her waning vision she could tell they were mostly slaves, unlikely to solve her problems anytime soon.

"Set me down, Myriel," Benedicta choked, "Do what you can, then see if you can't find help among these people." Her eyes were half-closed, and it seemed as though she couldn't explicitly see Myriel even then. Her gaze stared off into the white sky drearily. She spat blood again, this time without restraint. She couldn't bother to care anymore.

 

[ERode]

Eventually, regardless of Benedicta's words, Tulian's meanderings, Agatha's chit-chattering, Alexa's sarcasm, and Lyra's deadpan, the group of slaves and saviors managed to get moving, searching for a place that would take them. Wandering barefoot in the snow was a brutal experience, but the group supported each other through it all, Alexa taking the lead as they marched through town hurriedly.

Their wounds, for better or worse, have frozen over in the harsh temperatures, and a few suggestive overtures by the few elven beauties within the group got them into the attic of a merchant man. It was a cramped, dusty place, but it was out of the weather, if nothing else, and there were a few carpets to lay the injured on. Benedicta was treated first, one of the other girls casting some mildly effective healing magic on the grievously wounded holy knight. The gap in her back pulled itself together, and her ruptured organs were patched up in the same way. However, blood loss kept her face pale, and she would require some respite and food to recover the energy lost.

Elaina, on the other hand, sustained injuries that weren't quite as terrible as they appeared. She had lost a sizable amount of blood, and was down with a fever as well, but the red-haired girl was sleeping soundly, and after some time, some healing magic turned that split-open mouth into merely a scar. A gnarly scar, but still, a better job than what natural doctoring would have gotten her.

Wynn was an entirely different situation. The blue-haired young woman was completely unresponsive, not a single muscle moving. She wasn't even breathing, and yet, she was undoubtedly alive, her body still warm despite the lack of a heartbeat and her exposure to the cold. The oddest case of the bunch, ultimately.

The application of some water magic cleaned off most of the blood and grime that could be found on the group's bodies, though their white dresses were pretty much ruined at this point. It was now up to them to figure out what exactly they'll do from here.

Perhaps it was a bit of a miracle that they managed to make it to shelter without anyone immediately dying, all things considered.

---

After a detour to the Fight Club, from which Araki retrieved his supplies, the Crystalla child found himself following the magical trail once more. Hopping from rooftop to rooftop like the ninja he always dreamed of being, the ponytailed boy managed to avoid the attention of most of the vampires that stalked the streets. Many of them have already departed the town of Yuimas, now that everything of interest had ended, but a few stragglers still wandered about, their eyes bloodshot with anger and hunger. The human citizens of the port town stayed indoors as a result, preferring to be in large gatherings in case one of the vampires decided to feast on them instead.

A vantage point such as this brought with it the added benefit of seeing where Alexa's group eventually found their lodgings as well, and after noting that place down, the young boy continued on his adventure through the snowy town.

The trail lead to the frostbitten port of Yuimas. Many ships were present, but none of them was the destination of the arcane trail. Instead, it lead off into the frigid ocean, and in the distance, if Araki strained his eyes, he could make out a ship, a ghostly aura wrapped around it. It looked like the procession that passed him by had gone to sea, along with whoever else came with it.

As he decided where to go from there, the Crystalla's sharp senses picked up something else of interest. Though faint, he could detect the presence of spiritual energy beneath the hull of the ships currently in port. An offensive spell, meant to break the wooden ships in half, and triggered automatically.

How…intriguing.

 

[Zombehs]

"Damn…" Even if someone could have scraped together a crew willing to sail out in this weather at record time, it seemed that had been planned for as well. The twisting mass of magic beneath each ship sent shivers up Araki's spine that had nothing to do with the cold. Stupid vampires and their disgusting magic. He looked towards the distant ship once more, almost at the horizon now, and sighed in disappointment. It wasn't like he would have stormed the ship suicidally even if it was still in port, but unsated curiosity was a rather unpleasant sensation.

For now, he figured he could try and find someone to warn about the dangerous magic that clung to the hull of the ships in port. The most obvious guess was that they would trigger based on a delay set by the caster, but considering the vampire it was probable the trigger being a certain number of individuals going onboard. In light of the massacre it had left beneath Braxton Hall, and it became all the more likely the trigger was meant to cause more than just destruction.

Araki dropped to the undisturbed snow beneath the roof with a soft thwump, and hurried over to the small building that overlooked the docks. A lit lantern burned faintly against the winter chill, and a shadow from within revealed the presence of probably a guard or dock master. Knocking on the heavy wooden door, it took a few moments before something scraped against the floor within. The door swung open towards Araki quickly, almost as if thrown open, and he just barely managed to dart back out of the way. The coin, dropped in surprise, tumbled as it fell and sank slightly into the snow. Glancing between the slight glimmer and Araki, the dock master bent over and pocketed the piece before he looked Araki over with greater scrutiny.

"Well you definitely aren't from around here. The hells do you want?"

Having brushed the snow from his cloak and robes, Araki frowned momentarily as the smell of alcohol hit his nose from the man. Rosy cheeks and slightly slurred words pointed towards a bit of a drinker, and he wondered if the man would actually be of any help… "I don't suppose you could tell me anything about the ship that just left?"

The man blinked a few times before he wandered back into the shack and peered out towards the sea with a spyglass. His expression seemed a bit confused as he wracked his spirit-addled mind for answers.

"Papers were in order. Paid good money to waive the inspection though. Can't really remember seeing anyone come off though…" Trailing off for a moment, the man shrugged as if it couldn't be helped he didn't know more. It wasn't his business to go poking around in people's affairs after they had paid to avoid exactly that.

Disappointing, but not too surprising. "Don't suppose you're aware of anyone who can do something about vampires?"

The man gave him a bit of an incredulous look at the unexpected question. "Pft, not unless a boatful of Astopolians arrived without my notice. Which hasn't happened, so no."

"Thanks," Araki muttered quickly as he pulled out another coin and tossed it towards the man. Catching it, the man gave him a strange look before shrugging and closing the door. Taking to the rooftops again, he surveyed the city streets once again before he decided to pay Alexa's group a visit. The two Astopolians were the only chance to avert disaster with the ships in port, and the group as a whole could probably use a bit of funds.

He wrapped the cloak tight around himself, and began to dart from roof to roof. It didn't seem like any of the stragglers noticed him as he made his way over to the merchant's building. The piled up snow shuddered only slightly as he landed on the rooftop, and he knocked against the window to try and catch the group's attention before he poked at Alexa's shoulder with his telekinesis.

Alexa whirled around, searching for whoever poked her. When she finally looked up, she relaxed a tad, giving Araki a lazy wave.

"Hey, kid." She called up, gesturing for him to come down. "Where've you been? Kind of got worried for you after you took off."

"Just had something to check at the docks." He dropped down quietly and reached beneath his cloak, fumbling with something for a moment. He held out a small coin purse filled to the brim afterwards for her to take. His family had given him enough for him for a few months, but it'd probably last the group at least a week or two if they stretched it. The captain's contributions were enough for him to survive with.

"Has anyone spoken with the Astopolians yet?"

"Don't think so." She replied, taking the coin purse with a thankful nod. "Lyra would be better for that anyways. She's always been the most diplomatic of us. Agatha is...herself, while I'm kind of a raging bitch at the moment."

The names were unfamiliar to him, but Araki nonetheless nodded in understanding. "I'm sure they'll be calling down some Astopolian Knights to deal with all the vampires running amuck, but try and get them to understand the urgency. One of the vampires has done something to the ships in port. There's a roiling mass of spirit magic beneath each of their hulls, ready to split the ships in half or worse."

Sighing quietly as he looked around, he gestured in the direction of the Fight Club building. "If you need to find me, I'll be staying at the Fight Club for a few more days? Suppose it depends on when the stores will reopen."

Alexa shook her head at Araki. "The ships aren't my problem. I'll get word out to the Astopolians, but don't expect my help." She said coldly, turning away. "I need to get to a damn bank, and then a forge."

"Alright. Be careful though, still a few vampires prowling the streets." With that done, he dashed forwards and hopped up onto the rooftop and out of sight.

 

[Skyswimsky]

Myriel didn't like this. No, she did not like this at all. Not only did she have no other choice but to let herself be carried by the safety, but also the dangers, this rag-tag group possessed, but there was also this fear gnawing at the back of her mind about leaving the city alive. She didn't doubt that the vampires realized that the two would make sure this information gets the Astopolian attention it deserves. For now, however, there was nothing the Knight Errant could do and if she passed the exam to become a real Knight was the least of her worries. If anything, Benedicta was the one who deserved it more than her anyways.

Right now, the black-haired girl was simply resting. She exhausted herself to a level of nearly fainting as she used her ineffective healing magic on Benedicta which, in the end, turned out to be a waste anyways as she was nowhere close to the level of what the dedicated healers in this small group could do. Still, her body needed some rest. Even the thin glowing lines of her Gauntlet lay dormant, indicating that she isn't wasn't any Talentium at all, which ultimately, combined with her fatigue, made her sometimes even cough some blood - in moderation.

Nonetheless, considering the sounds she heard from the floor under them and the underlying anxiety of the entire situation, the girl wasn't able to fall asleep yet. Instead, she confirmed her own thoughts with her sister, whispering. "We have to get to Astopol as fast as possible, though, I doubt the vampires would let us leave alive."

 

[Warm Regret]

Withdrawn from the others, in a small group of elven slaves, Tulian sat kneeling among them. His face and body were marred with filth collected from their escape and the simple white dress given to him looked more like a dirty rag. Despite his downtrodden look and being the only male in their company, he easily stuck out as the most beautiful among them. The elves spoke in hushed whispers, yet Tulian added nothing to the conversation for the time being. In fact, he was barely paying attention. His hands lay in his lap, while his blue and gold eyes remained somberly focused on them. Although he was grateful they were able to find shelter, it never showed on his expressionless face. He was more concerned about what happened to that boy who helped saved them and why he chose not to seek shelter with them. He also thought about the mercenary from earlier. Apparently the Savage Heart spell caused him to attack Agatha's friend Lyra but she managed to escape his spellbound wrath. She didn't seem to know what happened to him after that though and sadly, Tulian wasn't sure if there was any way he would ever find out.

On their way into town, he learned that the people behind the massacre at Braxton Hall were actually vampires. It made sense in a way, after all the carnage he had seen in the secret tunnels. It must have been some sort of feeding frenzy. He thought they should all count themselves lucky that things happened the way they did. The auction appeared to be a front to feed bloodthirsty vampires. If they had been sold off, it was unlikely any of them would have survived. More immediately, he thought about the injured. Agatha's friend was alive, if not scarred both physically and mentally after her confrontation with the vampires. Alexa's acquaintance was in a more peculiar state. She gave off all the signs of being deceased yet she was clearly still alive. Tulian assumed there was some type of dark magic at play but it was beyond his comprehension. There were also the two knights from Astopol. One of them was in dire need of rest after a healing patched up her wounds while the other kept watch over her. He noticed that she was not so focused on her companion to shoot him and the other elves a contemptuous glare every now and then. It would have been a tense situation for most people but Tulian remained nonchalant.

Lifting his head slightly as well as his blue-gold eyes, he casually glanced over his shoulder to see Alexa step away to speak to the young man from earlier. Well that was one question solved. He couldn't hear their conversation but he did see the exchange of money. He wasn't sure what it was for but could only hope it was to get them out of their squalid conditions. At this point, the chatter from the other elves caught his attention and he turned back to face the group.

'I think we should slip out when everyone has gone to sleep.' One of the girls whispered.

'I agree, that girl in the corner, that look in her eyes, I don't trust her. Who's to say she won't kill us in our sleep.' Added another.

'Better than to be devoured by the vampires outside.' Chimed in another.

'What about that girl who said she would find jobs for us.' Said one, in an unsure voice.

'You believe her?' Came the reply from the first girl. 'If she was really as important as she said, she wouldn't be in this situation.'

'What do you think?' Asked the second girl. Her question was aimed at Tulian, who let his eyes fall.

"I think you should do what your hearts tell you to do." He said flatly. "But I'm going to stay with Agatha. She may be a little rough around the edges but I believe in her and I believe that she'll keep her word and help us. However, she'll need our assistance as well. If anyone has any information on her airship or crew, it would help her out tremendously and if not, I'm sure she would appreciate our support." Standing, he excused himself to join Agatha but on the way he stopped and lingered in the doorway that lead to the level below. He could hear moans, heavy panting and low grunts coming from downstairs. It was unmistakable what was happening beneath them, especially to someone who's former profession was to bring temporary pleasure to others. Was it really just a simple merchant who was putting them up for the night?

 

[Asuras]

Serenity. It was hardly the plush bedroom of her home, but it was surface, and a warm one at that. As if having suffered a year of grueling cross-continental walking, Benedicta seemed to settle into her lying position perfectly. She was content for the moment, a vague smile lifting on her lips as she clasped her hands over her chest. Her breaths were steady, even as the mild pain remained in her back; there was a sense of victory and pride in feeling the injury yet still. She had survived to fight again, and this grim mark served as a reminder of life in some twisted way.

Benedicta's head rested just beside Myriel, one sleepy nod away from collapsing onto her shoulder. Her eyes remained closed as she spoke, and she seemed surprisingly vibrant.

"We have to get to Astopol as quickly as possible, yes," she said, "but not for those reasons. I don't think those vampires are necessarily after us. Unless this city has somehow been taken over by the filth with one feeding frenzy, it's not like the whole city is after us." She shifted in her place, wincing briefly, before settling down again.

"I'd prefer we... I rest at least for the day, until I can walk without trouble. If anything we could meet with the mayor or whatever to let him know his already detestable city has been overrun by blood-sucking rats."

 

[Astoria]

The flow of freed slaves and their saviors brought Lyra back across town. She had far better choices for shelter in mind, namely the loading houses of the shipping companies in her family's name, but the realization of having lost her weapon and the disorganization of the massed retreat left Lyra to follow her friends to the establishment of a lesser merchantman. After lifting a crude talentium spear from one of the other former slaves in exchange for a modest sum of money, the purple-haired noble girl left the others to their own devices. Sticking with her fellow noble friends, Lyra seemed to pay no mind to the obvious acts of depravity occurring below her on the ground floor, and instead pressed closer to Agatha and Alexa.

Tending to the beaten up weapon that she had acquired, she glanced up at the pair of Astopolian knights occasionally, seemingly paying attention to their hushed conversation as she wrapped a coil of twine around the wooden pole of the weapon. Tightening the coil, she felt her work, holding the makeshift grip and peeling away bits of splinters from the weathered staff. Glancing once again at the injured knight, she finally cut in with an objection. "I would avoid counting on this town and the officials that govern it. It thrives on the slave trade. There might even be search parties right now."

Of course, knowing these facts, she had her own ulterior motive; if the lord of the city was in cohorts with the vampires, perhaps Braxton would be a man worth paying a visit to after all.