SKYWARD MIRACLES - IC Thread

[Izurich]

@LowDefinition @Miya @Lstorm

A few days later, the trio composed of Silva, Cera, and Adale would find a letter on their room's desk when they returned one night. It was a summons from Maximilian, notifying them to be ready tomorrow morning as an envoy will take them to see Her Holiness. The time was nigh, they'd meet with the Vicar of the One. Whether it was a big deal or not for them personally, meeting with Ivanova was arguably why they came here in the first place. True enough, the next morning, their rooms would be knocked as one of the Cathedral-Palace's caretaker politely greeted them, humbly requesting for all three women to follow her.

The white-clad young nun led them deeper into the massive complex, passing many meticulously maintained marble corridors. Moments later, they'd arrive in the inner-sanctum where only the Palace's staffs, guards, and authorized guests may enter. As usual, Justicar Celestials stood by in various strategic spots, disciplined blue eyes watching for any signs of trouble. Being one - if not the - most important figure in all of Bumi, one couldn't spare any slack in assuring the Divine-Queen's safety.

Entering a double door, the Trio arrived in a wide chamber, designed to be a private meeting room with an oval table set in the center surrounded by many chairs. The floor was carpeted in dark blue, paintings depicting Celestia and The Netherworld were set around the hall, and a crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. Drinks were available on an end table set against the wall if anyone was thirsty or just needing to swallow down their nervousness. "Her Holiness and her escorts will be with you shortly." The nun bowed then left the room.

<----->​

@Ms.Ezra

The swift arrival of the Usagi Youkai was met with jubilant reception by Ariel. Upon hearing the mention of Gabriel, her fellow Messenger, the Celestial knew that Chokichi was to be trusted. Her deed of going out of her way to save an innocent woman, humbleness when offered a reward, and receptive attitude when visited by the angels convinced the Messengers that she had a genuinely good heart, something that was hard to come by in an age of rapid technological progress where greed and thirst for power ruled.

Ariel would already explain to Chokichi that she would be their agent pursuing the mutual goal of saving as many innocent lives as possible. For the Youkai, in particular, she would be assigned to a certain group together with one other person. Further details would be given to her soon.

Right now, the Usagi found herself escorted by Ariel to enter the same meeting room already occupied by the trio. "Good morning, everyone." The short-haired Celestial bowed, "I want to introduce you, Chokichi Tano, she is with us and she will be joining in our meeting today." It might be sudden, suspicions might raise from the trio but Bumi was entering a period of tense calm before the storm, the angels needed every help they could get. "Chokichi, I'd like you to meet Silva, Cera, and Adale."

After the short introduction, Ariel occupied one of the many available seats around the oval table, "Please take a seat." then motioned for the Usagi to sit beside her.

<----->​

@Warden

Meanwhile, in another part of the Cathedral, the white-haired Celestial found herself in a guest sub-room, part of the suite reserved for the Divine-Queen herself. Beside her was Grandmaster Maximilian, together with him, they would be escorting Her Holiness to meet with the peculiar guests bearing urgent news. "Lady Oriana, I see." The blonde Nephilim smiled at the Celestial, he never met her before since Oriana spent almost the entirety of Maximilian's life doing missionary work in Azura. For the Angels, the concept of time was irrelevant, decades could only be considered as mere days by them. "It's an honor to meet you, Milady." He bowed much like the knight he was.

Moments later, the Divine-Queen entered the guest room on her way out of her suite, dressed in her usual elegant white dress with blue-gold accents, a silver tiara encrusted with sapphires and diamonds adorning her head, flowing golden locks cascading down her back. Slightly behind her was Archangel Diana. While Ivanova wasn't one of the Celestial, she was blessed with the same ageless boon as the angels. Widely believed to be the Divine One's representative on Bumi, she was both divine and human. "Grandmaster, Messenger Oriana," Her soft voice escaped her lips as she gave them a sincere calming smile, "Let us go."

<----->​

@everyone

The double doors serving as the hall's entrance were opened, each by one caretaker, they bowed deeply as the Vicar entered the room, escorted by Diana, Maximilian, and Oriana. As soon as all of then were inside, the doors were closed behind them. "The Divine Trinity blesses you," Ivanova greeted them, curtsying elegantly, "I am Ivanova, Queen of Fraulia, Head of the Divine Seat, it's an honor to meet you." Of course, out of all the four guests before her, she recognized one of them the most. "It's been a while, Silva, and for everyone else, if you may be so kind to introduce yourselves?" She already knew their names of course but she wanted them to feel at ease, the topic of this particular meeting would already provide enough tension.

Once they were all done, Ivanova took a seat. To her right, Diana and Oriana, and to her left, Maximilian. They kept silent for the moment. "I've received your news regarding what has transpired in the Imperium's Sovereign and then at the Lughanta," The Queen took a deep breath, sighing softly, "It's an unfortunate string of events. As you may all realize by now, political intrigue played a part. I am sure you don't want me to repeat what has been said, nor do you wish to go through the loss again. What matters now is the future, the actions we need to take."

"Kyrie had always been a greedy child, her ambition is insatiable. I've personally met her in the past, even as she signed the truce, I could see the fire in her eyes... She won't stop until the world is under her heel." Ivanova reminisced, "The Empire is, indeed, not as united as it seemed, I know this much. The truce was partly possible because the citizens were tired of war. However, as things stood now, with her disappearance, we may have just given them a reason to unite once more. Even if Princess Olivia is lying about this Void and the Empire's attempt to weaponize it, war is still a distinct possibility. I am sure the Empire will spin a propaganda, blaming Olivia's kidnapping on Venesia, Fraulia, everyone. The people will cry for blood... and their war machines will give it to them."

"Everyone, I am afraid that war is upon us." The Divine-Queen narrowed her eyes, "This time, if that petulant child won't listen, we will have to beat her into submission."

"Your Holiness, if I may speak," Maximilian stood up, speaking to the group, "We may still be able to salvage this. I admit, war is a possibility but I don't believe it's a certainty." His eyes then met the Lughanta crew, prompting them to explain the circumstances regarding the Lughanta's latest efforts and anything else they wished to tell Ivanova.

 

[Ultra Paradox]

(Collab with @RedArmyShogun)
Somnus. Home of the drow, refuge for murderers, assassins, rapists and thieves alike. This dirty underworld held the unwanted populous of every nation that refused to keep them.This was a spacious area, hiding under the earth, almost as though "God" himself kept the eyesore from being seen. Not to mention the hint of musk and smoke that stained the air, as beggars, Somnus guards (or as he called them thugs), and the "average" populous strolled past the port.

The sounds of laughter, arguments and the not so rare fist fights also plagued the area. Add that to the fact that there was no true government, just a bunch of criminals named "The Cabal". It was no secret Merrelien detested this place, and yet, even he didn't wish upon it the chaos in which it endured. He was sitting on his bunk whilst writing on his journal when a sudden foul sound began to emanate from nearby. He ran to the nearest window, only catching a quick glimpse of a pocketship flying overhead. The shadow casted from its length is intimidating was intimidating.

Then that's when it began, the sound of large guns firing upon the city of Somnus. Merrelien, along with many other young members of the crew, ran to deck to check out what exactly was going on. That's when he, along with his shipmates, saw it. The fiery death upon the city, the fighting between slaves and Cabal thugs, and in the distant the echoing screams of those burning alive. But none of that was as intimidating as the gargantuan ship, gliding overhead, firing upon them. Civil war has erupted in Somnus.

The crew scrambled on board, prepping the ship to depart. Merrelien aided them, but he turned his head right on time to catch a glimpse of the princess, slung over somebody's shoulders and being taken below deck.This was not good, not in the slightest. Even Merrelien knew what was at stake if the girl happened to be dead. He made sure he would promise himself on asking about her health, so after aiding one of his bunk buddies with something, he headed below the deck.

It was obvious where they would have taken the girl, "Dr.Kamov," He had only met with the man once, for a strange stomach virus he received not too long ago. He scampered towards his office, but turning a corner, he met face to face with the man nearly bumping into him.

"Ah, Dr.Kamov! I was actually looking for you-Oh pardon me! Where are my manners?" He recomposed himself and held his hand out, "My name is Merrelien Thedove."

~~~

Taking the opportunity to look up, this one, for a brief instant he wondered if it was some cousin of Sorina's until he noticed the eyes didn't have slit pupils.

"Ah the High Knife Ears, haha. I remember you, I tend to try and remember the names of most of the crew. How's that Stomach of yours holding up? Water isn't as pure out here as back in your homeland, can play with the stomach. Besides that unfortunate incident not many of your kind ventures far from home, that alone makes your medical file useful to have on hand."

Pausing to look at the man, he really needed to get back to the office, though Sonya's condition wasn't threatening, and Oliva was fast asleep. All things considered they got off lightly, unless that Ugly Warship came back to call.

"Well what can our so called Illustrious Third Officer do for you? I'm just back from the Captain's Office, not having more stomach trouble are you? Or is there something else?" Josef asks flatly with a casual grin to his face, he did enjoy ribbing others after all.

~~~

Merrelien lowered his hand when the doctor wouldn't shake it, and instead clutched onto his stomach when he mentioned the virus, and chuckled out of embarrassment. The doctor seemed quite lively today, or perhaps it was just the sarcasm. Either way, Merrelien attempted to ignore any sneer remarks he would make.

"It's been healing up rather nicely, a few incidents that involved me having to rush into the restroom, yet other than that I'm perfectly fine. Fit as a fiddle. As for the water, I wouldn't dare let my lips touch any drink from Somnus, who knows what may be poisoned in this forsaken place." His face twisted in disgust.

The booming sound of a canon erupted in the distance, and Merrelien paused for a couple of seconds before returning to his conversation. "Oh no, no, the stomach issue isn't what I'm here for. Actually," He stood besides the doctor, hinting that he wanted to walk besides him, "It's about the Princess, I seen her get pulled on board, but she didn't look so good. So I wanted to know about her status..." He stared at Kalov's eyes, hidden behind the light reflecting from his glasses, "If that's alright."

~~~
Noticing his hand out, the Doctor chuckles a bit. "Ah, don't mind me, I'm just used to always having something in my hands or blood on them. I don't shake out of habit. Least I do it one day and you get a bit of someone's body parts in your hands."


Listening to his question Josef sighs, it would be something he couldn't ask for.

"Sorry kid, patient confidentiality. The fact you know the Imperial Princess is back is knowing more than you should. I can just say she's had it a bit rough. She should be alright with time, so no need to worry."

You couldn't help me anyways unless you had a degree in psychological and spiritual medicines.

Pausing for a bit, as he looks through his folders, Josef waits for a bit to see if there was anything else.. Taking note of the chaos outside, this had to also be dwelling on his mind.

"That, I can talk about, seems some of the locals got outside help and decided to remove the Status quo. One head at a time. New age Rebels of a sort. The ship is leaving soon, Alexander knows more about war than I do, but I can tell you we don't want to sit around here. All we can hope is the situation doesn't spread to the local population."

~~~

Disappointed with the answer Merrelien nodded, surely not many people saw her get carried in. Everyone was so worked up with prepping the ship for extraction, that he may have been the only one watching her be snuck on board. If someone else would've seen her, word would've spread by now. Eh, no matter, she's here now and as long as she was alive the Empire may be halted. At least for now.

"I see...at least she's breathing. That's all that truly mattered." He watched from the window as the city descended into madness. What effect would this have on Bumi in the future is the real question. Say whoever was in that ship would somehow take proper control of the area, who knows what would come from it. Yet again, he had no clue about the actual situation unfolding around him anyways.

"Alexander, as in the priest Alexander? You said he knows about what's happening?" He happened to stay away from that man or any other priests, never wanting much of anything to do with religion. But if he, out of all people, knew about the situation, then Merrelien had no problem having a quick chat with the man. "If so where could I find him?"

~~~
"Eh, in his little chapel to the Divine, off the Cargo bay down below, of course. Me and him drink time to time though, if you feel you can keep up. Well I need to get back to work. Agatha is more of who you should talk to honestly, or heh could always try getting info out of the Bloody Princess. Just wander the ship at night, red eyes that could kill a person and platemail."

Adding the last option in as hopes of causing the High Elf a little grief, it wouldn't likely be anything serious, or that he couldn't patch up at least. Waving with his free hand and folder in the other Dr. Kamov heads off back to his office to finish up with his patients and to check up on the Princess while he was at it.

~~~
Merrelien watched him leave, and then sighed as he once again glanced out the window. He didn't know exactly what he was getting himself into. But there is no way he would just ignore what was going on. Something smells fishy, and he won't stop until he gets to the bottom of it. Whether that means talking to Alexander or-

"Captain Nightingale," He smirked remembering what the Doctor said. She may be his best source of information, "That's who I must speak to." One thing was for sure, he wasn't going to talk that "princess" that haunts the halls at night anytime soon. No matter how curious he may be in nature.​

 

[Karyra]

Collab with @RedArmyShogun As Josef
​

It took what felt like literal years to get back to the ship. Luckily on the way back Seven took most of the weight of the Princess, but Sonya just following along made her feel the effects of adrenaline wear off and the pain was awful. Which was understandable, because she did take the brunt of the shrapnel.

So when Sonya finally managed to slog her way into the infirmary, all she could do was smile and say, "Hey Doc. I could use a little of your expertise."

She then plopped herself down on one of the bed and by then the problem had become quite clear. Well, she'd made it so far without having to visit him, but still she didn't really know if she could trust him. The guy was enigmatic at best, and a total ass at worst. Sonya didn't really have much of an option in this right now.

~~

"Huh?" Looking up from his work on Charlotte, Kamov takes note of the drow before him, princess in tow on the back of Seven. "Well, guess I'll be earning my pay again huh? It's nice only doing physicals and making money for nothing.. Tch."

Pulling out his magitek scanner, Josef passes it over her as his newfound assistant, a rather young looking girl with platinum hair. "Lilya be a dear and make me a basin of water, bring more of my Gel, and some bandages." Running the scan he pauses starting at Sonya, running his right hand under his chin, the fragmentation pattern, he had seen it before and not so long ago.

"Survived a run-in with Shinobu huh? Learn to duck better, I heard you were really nimble on your feet, must be too top heavy." Not really explaining what he meant with that insult, it didn't exactly take an airship engineer to figure it out. "You got peppered pretty well, back, shoulders, minor blasting to scalp, blood loss… Better than death I suppose."

~~

"Sorry, seems like you signed up for the wrong crew there. Every mission it seems like someone is getting hurt." Sonya fired back without hesitating.

Sonya knew about him, at least somewhat. He seemed as carefree and sarcastic as she was in the surface. In that way it was nice to know that he was more complex than some of the other simple minded optimists here.

"Is her cannon work so identifiable? As for nimble... it's hard to do when you're lugging around a certain unconscious princess around an exploding castle." She ignored the top heavy part. She couldn't really come up with a response right now, anyway.

"Ugh, doesn't feel like it right now, though. Though, in the grand scheme of things, I got lucky. She had a clear shot when I managed to look back at her. Plus, I imagine we weren't supposed to get her back." Sonya doubted that they wanted someone to pull out the Princess like they did, Sonya wouldn't have been nearly shot.

But new subject. No dwelling on nearly dying.

"... New assistant, eh? Enough of the female crew admit that they've fallen heads over heels for you that you need help?"

~~

"Well I did have four bodies that got hit with her handywork. And a clear shot huh? Must be an Angel or a Infernal watching out for you." Josef says in flat response, gazing over at his assistant, the Doctor gives a simple shrug. Motioning towards the girl with his head. "She's a fast learner. Too fast maybe. She came aboard with one of the crew members, a bit sick, so we take care of her and she helps me with small tasks, Three Hundred Crew and one Doctor can get hectic."

Finishing his scan and noticing the Princess, Kamov motions to his private office. "Put her in there, take a seat, lay her on the couch.. Touch my whiskey, Cook and you'll be short a few fingers at the next physical." He says in regards to Seven, turning his attention back to Sonya and shutting the device off, Dr Kamov motions towards her with his right hand.

"If you don't mind can you remove your shirt and lay flat for me, on your chest of course. If you aren't up to it I'll have to cut the shirt off.. Under normal circumstances I should just be cutting it off regardless, but I get a funny feeling you wouldn't take kindly with me just taking my scissors to you. Met enough Drow from our port calls to Somnus.. Well looks like we need a new port now."

~~

"Tch, if there is, they're doing a pretty horrible job of it." Sonya sighed. Right. Three people died at the hand of that cannon, didn't they. As for the assistant, Sonya resisted the urge to tell the good doctor to keep an eye on her.

The Doctor certainly was also defensive of his whiskey, wasn't he? Probably a sign of the fact that he had something to hide. Once again, reassuring. Sonya never did like the liars who paraded themselves as heroes but turned out to be as dirty as the rest of them.

Sonya hummed at the Doctor's comments about Somnus. "Yeah, I've had enough pointy things near me in my life, no need to add more than necessary."

Not to mention that Sonya would need to raid the closet for more clothing if he ripped up that shirt. In all the chaos there hadn't really been time to pack properly.

Plus, everything was agony anyway so it was better to save the shirt than some extra pain. So she slowly pulled it off and discarded it on the floor and laid down as told. Of course she'd need to sew it up later, but it would probably need that even if she hadn't been pelted with wall.

"I'm sure we'll find another port. That or Somnus won't fall. The Cabal probably wouldn't just roll over." At least, Sonya hoped so. Marian had been a good contact, reasonable. It would be sad if she died after making it so far up the food chain. "Tch, let's get this over with, I'd like to go get a drink as soon as possible after this. Not out of your cabinet, of course."

This was just too much. Saving the world? Saving the princess? How long until someone pointed out that she was never built to be a hero? Sonya was surprised that she hadn't been asked to kill anyone yet, and that she'd managed to worm her way out of it. But they'd all figure out this flimsy lie sooner or later. She could at least get some drinks out of it.

"So, why this company, doc? There's a lot better places to be doing medicine, in my opinion. I bet you did something that landed you in hot water."

~~

"Ah, not with me huh? What a shame, I was about to ask you around, would improve the mood and view one thousand percent." Smirking a bit as he grabbed his tools, he mumbles slightly, while the damage wasn't too serious it would take time and delicate work removing the fragments. "Ah might leave me distraught enough to leave in a few pieces actually. Shame really."

As the small girl arrives, he begins with a local anesthesia, probing her skin with a needle. Moving on with a pair of tweezers, he slips up briefly, clipping a piece of her skin. "Ah I raped a Governor's daughter obviously." Meeting her gaze, it wasn't likely she would buy that, plus that look in her eyes..

Pausing with his work, someone knowing a little of the story wouldn't hurt. "Heroes are a funny thing. It's not about being heroic or noble, it's doing the right thing as you know it must be done. Because you can't sit there and just ignore it, or wait for someone else to do it. Paragons are a load of shit for the most part anyways."

Starting back on his work, most of the larger fragments would be easy to remove at least, as he splashes a bit of warm water on her back, washing blood to the floor. "I was once the second Dean at a..certain magic college, where I worked on advances in medicine to aid all of Bumi, all the while having a bit of fun. I ran into a situation that could not be ignored or ran from one day, something I'll never forget. And though I won, I lost everything when it was done..and a few good Students."

Continuing his work he chuckles briefly, as part of his code with the fairer sex he couldn't just leave her in a downer over that. "Well it's not all bad, I get the resources I need, can continue my work, and I get a nice view."

~~

"Ah, I would drink with you, but you seemed very protective of that whiskey," Sonya said. "And you leave some pieces in, but you might find that you'll end up missing some of the finer alcohol in your cabinet."

At the second comment she rolled her eyes. Sonya doubted anyone that awful would be on this ship if that were the case. She also was very focused on not looking at the needles and various tools they were using to dig around in her back for various pieces of wall. Thank the gods for whatever he was using to numb her back.

"And yet, paragons get all those wonderful statues," Sonya replied. "They also get money, fame, the pat on the back..."

"No one will thank you for doing that, you know. In fact, the better thing for the long run would have been to let it go. But... I agree. Most of the time you can't just sit around and let something awful happen. Yet most of the time I find that doing something usually just ends up making everything worse. Like, for example, this." Sonya gestured with her hand, trying not to move too much.

"The Void and all this crap... man, normal mercenaries are probably dealing with something more normal like working security for a rich noble's party for their spoiled offspring. I rescued a Princess today, for Luna's sake. All because she invented or created a weapon out of this Void thing. Ughhhh, I need like five drinks to get my head around it."

~~

"Only people I don't invite to a drink, either case that Seven fellow always has the hairs on my neck standing. I'm given to not liking most men, but something about him.." Carrying on with removing a few more pieces, dropping them into a metallic pan, the conversation continues on, with people not thanking them, or him rather for his work.

"Hmm, A story the Priest Alexander once told me, "Doing good deeds in war is like pissing yourself in dark pants. It feels nice and Warm, but nobody notices." And honestly I don't care for the fame, never did. My mother is a Illim, a Witch as some call them, let's just say she's very sick. And I'm not given to watching others suffer when I can help. Look at it this way if you justify your work. Yeah you get nothing for it, maybe a mention in the paper, or thanks of some strangers, but if you ignore the symptoms of a plague how much more trouble will that cause you? I'm not allowed to harm others, though I'm given to punching others in the face, but in some cases, even that crazy Blood Devil does the world some good with that Lance of hers. Some people are...well enough of that talk.. Not very befitting of a Doctor that has to save the lives of the enemy too."

Finishing up with his work and reaching for the gel, Dr. Kamov peers down at his assistant. "Fetch her a gown or Privacy curtain will you? Heh, that's a good girl, though wish you would learn to talk.." Watching as the assistant goes off with a head nod, he begins rubbing his Green healing Gel in. "I need to examine the Princess, once that's done and I report to the Captain, we'll patch you up the rest of the way. The smaller fragments I might try a technique I learned with magnets, else you'll have fragments coming out of you the next ten years. And don't worry, I'll be sure to leave no scars.. Fucking vampires.. Anyways, try keeping off that back, you can sit up if you want, but bed rest would be better. We'll see about those drinks for you then as well." Speaking of Charlotte, the Doctor finishes up, walking away from the room to his office.

…

In the silence that followed the Doctor leaving, Sonya thought on his words. She couldn't tell if they made her more pessimistic or optimistic. She wanted to say pessimistic, because in the grand scheme of things the imperial asshats would still roll out their latest machine of death. The doc doing whatever he did would likely only stop them for a month or two before they evaded whatever people were after them. As for the Princess... Sonya knew torture, not closely, but she knew how hollow a person's eyes looked afterward. Being drugged wouldn't help, either. So really, nothing had changed except a few minor pieces of the puzzle.

The Princess would never recover, not fully anyway. They won the prize of a broken woman who had called Sonya and Seven 'pissants'. Sonya remained lying down on the bed as she stared at the floor. The patterns were easily traceable until she got bored, which wasn't very long.

Doing the right thing had always been one of those, 'maybe if I ever get the chance' but hadn't she been trying to when she stole from those nobles she deemed worthy? However, that didn't change much. Or maybe it was just fun. Sonya wondered how much people could offer her in terms of money to sell out the Lughanta. How much would let her do so without a second thought? There had to be some amount.

Because how could she believe that the other shoe wouldn't drop eventually? That someone wouldn't figure it out and turn her in? She was already pushing it. Sonya would die as a filthy Drow thief and that's the end of it.

Sonya huffed at the idea of her ever entertaining the thought that Sonya would get a pat on the back and a 'thanks for saving the world, champ'. This ship was making her soft. She even asked about that Youkai Bird's wing for him. Considered stealing it back, even. Yumi asked her to trust them and the be trusted. Seven helped her save a Princess of a country that was on the brink of enslaving slash destroying the whole world.

"Tch," Sonya said before sitting up and testing her limits. It wasn't much before she realized that she probably lost a decent amount of blood and should at least wait a day at least before heading back to her room, and also let the doc finish up with that procedure of his. Years of shrapnel didn't sound appealing.

The assistant came back with a gown and Sonya relented that she couldn't just wear nothing until the good doctor said she could leave. She put it on while waiting.

Bed rest would always be a luxury, even when it appeared that it wasn't. If she sat still too long, they'd find her. If she remained in one place too long, set down roots, they could figure it out. If she wasn't moving, wasn't ready to fight at any moment she wouldn't be fighting any more. She'd be dead.

Just like before, if she trusted, she'd end up burned and having to run even more. This was all a lie, just a convenient mask for people to wear until they tossed her off the side of the ship. That's what people did, wasn't it? Set expectations and waited for her to fall into that trap and then they would leave or she would.

Too soft. Soft things always die first.

…


Arriving a few moments later, Kamov let's out a sigh, having finished his report and study of the Princess, now he needed to finish up with Sonya. There was also the run-in with the pushy High Elf from before to keep an eye on.

Well one thing at a time; And for now that thing was Sonya. Staring at her laying there, it would be far simpler to tell her a ship has no secrets and more than a few men and women here had things to hide. But given the various back stabbings and the fact they had a woman that should be thrown out the side of the ship as an esteemed guest, there was no likely way she would listen to that now and trust his words.

"Well, then, let's finish up, make sure your skin isn't marred, I had enough of dealing with that situation out of Charlotte. "

Motioning for Sonya to lay back down on her chest so he could finish his job, Dr. Kamov pulls out a cold metallic brick, running it across her scalp and shoulders. In between there were pauses to pick back up his tweezers, finishing the job bit by bit, until satisfied. "Alright, Lilya, be a dear and put us on a kettle of tea, also I have a little something for you." Reaching into his coat pocket, the doctor pulls out a few bits of Candy, handing them over to the rather emotionless girl. "..thank you.."

Eyes widening, Kamov watches as the girl shuffles off to do her tasks, shaking his head her holds out a small glass full of the green gel. "Just rub that on your back tonight before bed. You should be fine, but avoid resting on your back for four or five days if you can. Some of the larger lacerations I stitched up, used fiber thread, it'll rot away or absorb into your body in a few days. Now as to that Drink, your free to go as you will. Learn to dodge better. While always nice to see a lovely lady, it's not all that appreciative when it's sewing them up. I don't need another Sorina case. If you care to drink with me, Alexander will be showing up later today when we're out of this blasted city."

Adding in the last bit, it could serve to help with her paranoia in regards to the situation and him to have another there. "Well, time for you to get dressed. Keep the gown for now if you want, your clothing is in need of serious needle work and I only sew up bodies, not fabric."

…

Sonya took the gel, put back on her shirt, and left. She didn't really have much else to add. The chat with the Doctor proved some things, and she needed time to think. Mostly time to drink, but Sonya was adept enough to do both.

"Thanks, Doc."

 

[Izurich]

With Buras' swift flight through the Palace's corridor, the keen sentient Owl flapped his wings stealthily, the trademark style of his kin. 'Entering the blasted dungeons now,' He telepathically reported to his soulmate, not at all keen to hide his groan, 'I do hope you realize that birds aren't meant to explore subterranean complex, Taka.' Seriously, if something happened to him, it was all in the damned scientist's hands.

The owl's yellow eyes adjusted quickly enough to the low light of the dungeons, he flew through various empty cells until his keen senses caught the agonizing screams reverberating through the corridors, violently curdling the air. In between the screams were chuckles and idle chatters. 'I hear screams,' The bird turned serious then he landed on an empty torch stand just outside of the interrogation room, peering through the bars. 'It's our prisoner. She's being tortured… You do not want to see this, trust me."

"Hahahahaha!" One guard cackled as he prodded another hot rod to the hanging Youkai's waist, hissing sounds could be heard along with another raspy scream. "After we're done with you, bitch, we gonna sell you out, get us some good money."

"Oi, what about the mercs that brought her?" His comrade inquired, lounging on a chair, fiddling with playing cards.

"Eh, the Lughanta? Ah, the Doge will handle them." He waved dismissively.

I see, hm-?" The other person noticed something white at the corner of his eyes, however, when he turned, nothing was there. "Ah, it's nothing, just my eyes playing tricks on me."

'That was close…' Buras flew back all the way to Taka, landing on his soulmate's shoulder, 'Not good. Know what? I think we have overstayed our welcome.' With that, the owl vanished into thin air, merging once more with Taka's soul.

<----->​

Meanwhile…

After the illustrious show involving the jester dynamic duo, the trio were escorted back into the Palazzo Ducale, resident of the Doge. If there was one thing Yumi noticed as they returned to the complex was the notable fewer number of guards. The halfbreed's inner-Neko's fur was raised, there was just something… off about the whole deal. It had been rather apparent ever since the disastrous meeting with the Doge but now, it was unmistakable.

Saki and Taka were still curious about the wellbeing of the prisoner they brought, the latter sending his Spirit Guardian to investigate. Meanwhile, while walking through the Courtyard, heading into her room inside the guest wing, Yumi would see someone at the corner of her eye, someone dressed as one of the palace's staff. He reached out his hand, gesturing to her to come closer, "Lughanta." He whispered, "The Draconus bears an urgent message."

---

Yumi had been lurking most of the day, fortunate enough to never draw the attention of the palace like Saki and Taka did. It seemed to work out in her favor considering it allowed her to pay attention to her surroundings rather than worry about how well she was keeping the trust of the Doge's subject. The first payout came in what appeared to be a plant inside the Doge reaching out to her. With the bad feeling she's had all day, she felt interacting would be well worth the inherent risk of talking with a spy. Yumi approaches the man perfectly casually as to make the encounter as normal and mundane as possible. Yumi looks the man in the eyes, "You have my full attention sir."

---

The 'staff' motioned for Yumi to follow him, walking casually towards a rather secluded location, bereft of guards of the seemingly quiet Palace. "Venesia has fallen," He paused for a moment, letting his works sink in, "Our 'leader', the Doge, has sold the Republic out to the Imperials." He turned at her, "You and your comrades are the bargaining piece." The betrayed look in the man's eyes were clear, if the Doge was willing to do this to Lady Agatha's Crew, what was stopping him from selling out the Draconus next? All for what, to secure his greedy notion of power. The Doge only held loyalty for Florins, not his confidants, not even his nation.

"We have eyes and ears among the staff. The palace will extend an invitation for another meeting." He took a deep breath, "Should you accept, your lives are forfeit. I imagine death will be a kinder mistress." The disguised crew of the Draconus knelt down to Yumi's eye level, "The prisoner you brought, she is being tortured in the dungeons. Speaking about the dungeons,." He then slipped a scroll to her, "There's an old escape tunnel connecting it and a cave facing the ocean, here is the map." He gave her a small smile, "Go to your friends, into the dungeons, free the prisoner, then meet us there. Our loyalty does not lie with a false Duke."

---

Yumi considers the words of this mysterious spy carefully before taking them at face value. Although he certainly had a gentlemanly disposition, and a strong statement of purpose, Yumi wanted to make absolutely sure that her actions wouldn't be putting her crewmates in danger. Yet, everything that he said lined her so perfectly that it couldn't be ignored. With the task of delivering the message to her friends discreetly, Yumi would need to make it all the way to the dungeons. Fortunately, until she gets close to the restricted area, she had no reason to hide from the palace guard. Instead she could focus her attention to simply getting to that zone as quickly as possible. Yumi's speed was nothing to scoff at, and it didn't take her much time at all to get to the more guarded areas of the palace.

The task of infiltrating the dungeon was all that stood between her and her friends. Fortunately, even this area would prove child's play for Yumi. With the knowledge that her friends having only recently entered the area, Yumi merely played the part of a lost child looking for Saki and that was enough to convince the guards to escort her to the rest of the group. Finding Saki and latching onto her arm to convince the guards that they could return to their post safely, Yumi waits until they are just out of earshot before whispering into Saki's ear, "The Doge has plans to kill us all. We are going to make a break for it and free our friend as soon as those guards close the door behind them. After that, just follow me as fast as you can. Taka will probably understand what we intend, but if you can, let him know."

 

[Beowulf]

As Buras once more merged with Taka, he stood up from his seat and wiped off imaginary dust, straightening his collar afterwords, and motioned for the tour to continue. "I'm terribly sorry for holding everyone up. Though I do thank you for humoring me." If only they could leave like Buras wanted. But it wasn't that simple. Now that he looked around, he noticed how heavily guarded they really were. He had already had his suspicions, especially since they had told him that they failed but were still invited in as guests. And on top of the large amount of guards around, he would prefer to retrieve their prisoner. But he would have to inform the others on what was happening, and the lengths they were going to retrieve information. Now, where had they gone?

 

[EmperorsChosen]

​

Escaping the burning wreckage, Rurik was for the most part unscathed save for some of his lightly scorched apparel. It was afterwards that he met up with Amilia who signaled to the other teams to make their way back to the Lughanta. Their mission was complete, though aside from battle an Orc, his place in it was rather minor.

"Yes, I am fine. Most of my work consisted of dealing with a greenskin and nothing else…" He admitted with some disappointment. Feeling like he did very little wasn't enjoyable. He didn't even manage to execute the Orc before he used the tumbling area to escape.

"Why are you insistent on returning to the Cabal? Especially in the current state of things, there would be no better opportunity to leave." Amilia's attitude toward her owners was something else aside from his lack of participation in the mission that bothered him. "Can you honestly say you are content remaining at the beck and call of such gutless cowards?"

~~~

"Well we have no proof anything was accomplished really. If I stayed it would only bring harm to yourself and others. Plus I doubt they'll just let me leave."

Amilia says rather flatly in regards to the mission they were just on. Overall it had accomplished the mission but not in a way the Cabal would be pleased with in the least. "This city is all I know and not once have I seen the open sky, it's not a matter if I want to leave or not."

~~~

"That is what I speak of. What position is the Cabal in to demand anything of anyone? Even if they are to regain control of the city their power will be far too lacking. They do not hold the ability, and will not for some time," He explained. The Cabal would not be fit to make demands or cause trouble for anyone for some time, even if they did beat back the insurrectionists.

Her second point was likely the more troublesome reason and the one anchoring her here. Uncertainty was a hard foe to battle. "...I once only knew Eustia. When I left, I knew not of how things would come about or end, but I knew it would be better than were I to have remained. This is not much different."

~~~

As the pair continue their talk, a rather portly man surrounded by his fellows shows up. While the outline may have gave it away, Amilia's response to the situation all but confirmed it.

"Boss Biggus.. What brings you here.."

Eating on a piece of chicken while carrying a pet pig around, the larger human male was fairly well dressed, asides from the fact his shirt had food stains on it, around him were seven guards, mostly in leather armor with metal chest plates, or business style suits. It seemed he had left his slaves behind for whatever the case.

"You, bitch. The council narrowly decided to let you go given the troubles your friends here causes. As we can't trust a backstabbing bitch in our company till we recover. But I'd sooner just keep you shut up somewhere deep and far till we can finally deal with you. And they aren't here to fuck'n stop me… So.. You can come with me, or you can die here. And you, armor boy, fuck off.. Too much trouble to be a slave."

~~~

As Amilia opens her mouth to reply, the words that came out immediately brought a scowl to the wizard's face. Even in such a situation as this, he had the gall the parade around with servants, guards all the while stuffing his face. The fact that he was arrogant enough to give orders while only backed by a few weak-willed mercenaries spoke volumes for how much he was used to getting his way. This time, however, he would be disappointed.

"Indeed… The rest of the Cabal are not here. Nor are their pre-readied marksmen, nor are your numerous guards to protect you. Coming here was a mistake." Stepping in front of Amilia, Rurik reaches for his blade. "...And as long as I execute all of you, even if the rest retain control of the city, they will have no choice but to assume you grew too cocky some rebels took your life. Truly an opportune moment for myself."

Black streaks formed from his back once again and Rurik shot forward, blasting past Biggus and cutting down one of his guards whilst drawing his blade. As those nearby turned to react another was beheaded a third impaled as he went for his weapon. The remaining four had enough time to arm and rushed the swordsman, but again his blade immolated with a dark aura and with another cleave of it the four were thrown back, only the one farthest back escaping maiming of his body. However, being thrown into a stone wall with a gruesome crack, it was unlikely that he managed to keep his life.

With a huff the wizard relaxed and turned back to the Cabal. Judging by his complexion and the beads of sweat, regardless of his ability as a mage, it seemed even Rurik grew tired of utilizing his abilities in quick succession, especially after the conflict with the Orc. Still, Biggus was unlikely to prove to be much of a threat regardless of if he was winded or exhausted.

"...Verily… what is it you have to say now? Will you resort to begging or hold on to your foolhardy arrogance?"

~~~

​

"Ha, haha, hahaha! Ah.." Spitting up part of his chicken from the laughing. "What makes you think I'm alone with just these boy?" Snapping his Fingers, the largeman waits, as Amilia watches Rurik's power display, she would have went about it a different way, though something about all of this struck her as odd.

"How did you know we were here?" She asks flatly.

"As if I wouldn't be keeping My eyes on you. Just like now you aren't anything more than a cave slug on the wall." He says in clear contempt of her question, seemingly unconcerned with the situation.

"And why is it you are here.."

"Heh, I wonder."

Did he perhapes know of the attack in advance?

Regardless of what it was, the pair would soon have a much larger problem to deal with.

"Oi ya Gits! Yah fergit bout me?" Comes an all too unmistakable voice, walking down from a nearby alley, where Boss Biggus had his back towards, the Greenskin from before returns, carrying his battle axe in hand. And a round object by a cord of sorts in the other.

"Oi Ummie I came ere ta even up da Score and Kill yah!"

With a laugh he throws a severed head sending it rolling on the ground past the trio. "Da rest o'yer Boyz ran across me too. Mite be sum othaz round ere, but what you gonna do now Ummie?"

~~~

Clicking his tongue, Rurik seems more annoyed than worried at the fat man's retorts. "More stooges and fodder require little effort. As do you." However waiting it seemed as though the man's "reinforcements" was none other than the large Orc from before.

Narrowing his eyes, he wasn't quite trusting of the Orc's presence, but it was unlikely that the greenskin came to the defense of the man who posted a bounty on him. "Of course you are unscathed… Regardless, it seems that you have none that will come to your aid. You arrogance and assurance is misplaced. The only thing you may choose is who's blade you wish to end you."

~~~

Not wasting time like the other two, Amilia goes for a fallen knife, snatching it up, she throws it, and not a moment too soon, the Orc and Knight had postered far too much and Biggus was of the same mind as she. Pulling out a small holdout magitek pistol, he takes aim point blank range at Rurik's head, pulling the trigger.

However just before the crucial moment, the knife strikes home, hitting his hand. Saving Rurik's life in the process as the solid ice projectile neatly cuts into Rurik's right cheek, clipping some hair on the way past his matching ear.

"Oi Nice Throw! Hit'em in da hand real proppa!"

Says the Greenskin as he shrugs, carrying a wing of some sort on his back it certainly looked like it belonged to a certain member of the Crew who was missing one. Though it was likely in the Confusion Rurik would not remember it. Or rather if he did, there was little chance Gorgutz would simply let him have it.

"Well Ummie! Yayz kan kill'em! I needz ta leave da City n'ways." Walking off as fast as he could and shimming up the side of a building, the Orc was surprisingly spry given his large size, all the while Boss Biggus is there left holding his right hand, attempting to remove the knife.

"Argh! You damn bitch! Go ahead and kill me if you want, but you'll both be hunted so long as the Cabal exists! Take your little bitch and go!"

Reaching in for the contract paper in his coat, Biggus tosses it to the ground with an angry glare to his face. Amilia for her part does and says nothing, what was done with him would be Rurik's fate.

"..I'll be going with you either way.. I cannot stay in this city..and don't try anything Noble like telling me to live free.. I need something to serve..a purpose.." She finally adds in, mincing over the words.

~~~

Drawing his attention from the Orc, it seemed Biggus was of the proactive mindset, though you wouldn't have guessed that from his form. As he turned his attention back to the slaver, Rurik met stares with the barrel of a magitek pistol only to be saved by a knife to Biggus' hand. The projectile, though it missed its original mark, sliced passed the wizard's cheek. Eyes widening, it seemed as though Rurik had learned his lesson of talking too much, though one last quip toward the slaver wouldn't hurt.

"No… No one will tell them how you died or by who," With that cold statement, Rurik cleaved his blade across Biggus' neck, effectively popping off the man's cranium and sending the disembodied head in the air.

Looking over at the scrap of paper on the ground, Rurik stared at it a few moments before poking it with the tip of his sword, the dark aura that typically surrounded it jumping off and enveloping the contract, almost eating at it like flames. Now there was the matter of Amilia. "...You may do as you wish, Amilia. However I am in your debt more than you are in my own." He could have tried convincing her of pursuing something, but that likely wouldn't be met with much success. At the least she would be treated well and fed with him—but then there would be the ire of the Captain to worry about, for he had brought not one but now two with him.

Sighing, there was at least one thing he had to say in regards to her. "...Thank you."

~~~

"I'll earn my keep aboard that ship I'm sure. And thanking me hmm?" Pausing to stare at Biggus and then Rurik, the woman makes a motion with her left hand, follow me. "I believe I owe you as well, for a long time I've wanted to see him dead. But what you said was wrong, while an arrogant Jackass, Biggus was one to leave information behind on what he was up to. We are lucky so much chaos is around. I have in mind something on how we can thank one another. But that can wait for now."

Not bothering to elaborate on what that would be, she shrugs. "Well let's go meet with your Ship.." Unusually, or perhaps predictably calm with this situation for an Assassin, even if former.

~~~

"Then I will worry about that when the time comes… I have far more troublesome worries than a few slavers unfit for their rule." Obviously, Rurik still didn't think very highly of the Cabal, but this would likely be the last time he underestimated them. They were a problem for another day, however.

With a sigh, the wizard sheathed his blade and followed slightly behind the woman. "Yes, let's go… I hope the Captain will not be upset about this…" She wasn't exactly thrilled to have Lily come aboard, but then again at least Amilia could pull her weight. Still, he wasn't sure how well it'd go over.

~~~

"Hmm, maybe you can tell me about them sometime, until then I'll help you as I best can. Though don't think just burning that paper is enough to be rid of me."

As they continue on their way most of the madness sweeping the rest of the city seems to pass them by without incident, though the ship seemed to be in more than a little hurry as they attempt to leave the city and it's uprising behind.

As Aster looks at the pair his face frowns slightly, busy giving orders to load supplies and securing the ships cargo he seemed more than a little busy. "Unless you are marrying her or she has things to offer the ship, we don't need another mouth to feed.. Though I don't want to just leave her here after her help.. Come aboard."

"Hmm that is an interesting suggestion, I was going to request bunking with him to save space." Following him aboard, Amilia stops briefly to look at the communications boxes running throughout the ship.

"Interesting.. With a few little changes, I might be able to make use of this.."

"In what manner?" Aster asks, curious by woman's inquisitive nature and glance.

"If you can direct the voice boxes with some modifications, not only can I handle most of your communications, but I can detect other ships and even attacks with some accuracy spotters lack."

"Detection by sound? Never heard of that, what makes you so sure?"

"Before this I used to listen in on enemies with specialized equipment, with the right conditions I can tell ships apart and their distances in the harbor."

Considering her offer, he nods. "Rurik show her to your room would you, we'll get a bunk moved in later.. Some coveralls as well till we can work out some pay. I want to test this out, it could be a great advantage to us, if not you can always handle communications better than us, consider it a trail employment, I'll pass word to Sorina and the Captain based on the results of this. Welcome aboard and please don'...actually nevermind." Shaking his head, whatever he had meant to say the Vice-Captain keeps to himself.

~~~

Watching the exchange, it seemed as though his word was not needed as Amilia showed potential worth without his persuasion. The Vice Captain was fine with her presence, so that was one issue dealt with. Unfortunately, like Lilya, it seemed Amilia would be his to watch out for and deal with primarily. For one who was supposed to be laying low, he certainly was drawing a crowd around himself.

With a sigh and bringing a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, Rurik makes no arguments as he knows he isn't in the position for such, merely affirming his superior. "...Yes, Vice Captain." With that done, all that was left to do was show her to the room, then take a breather. Perhaps he would check on Lilya and Kamov. They might be interested in knowing he avoided death at the hands of a slaver. Well, the former might. The latter would be awaiting regardless with a snarky comment and sarcastic quip.

 

[Astros]

Collab w/@RedArmyShogun
Before the Lughanta's departure​

A dislocated shoulder hadn't been enough to deter Venrid. Nor the wood shard embedded in his forearm that had begun to burn as if doused in both saltwater and alcohol. Minor problems that didn't present long term hindrance, if you consider being down an arm a minor problem, he trudged on deeper into the mining offices. Expecting the harlot of a devil to have the cave skies covered, he took to the only area left him in search of his object of vengeance.

Still wrapped in his unceremonious cloak, his feet made no sound as he moved now merely a shadow, running down the labyrinth halls toward the sound of human voices. Having heard them as merely an echo before while in the tower, he now could hear the sound of approaching footsteps from behind. Taking out his dagger and changing the shape of his silhouette, he crouched in a darkened hallway and waited for them to pass.

Not long did he have to before a group of four robbed men soon clamored by.

"I seen it run this way!"

"The hell was that thing!? Sure we should be chasing it?"

"Shuttup and stop being a pussy."

Watching intently their movements, none seemed to have noticed in passing his still shadow up against the darkened hall wall. Had he the use of his arm, he'd of snatched the straggler in the mass and made them talk. Had them reveal the location of their transport, boss and whatever else he could cut out of em. Instead, he cursed the woman in his mind and heart, before moving to follow after them.

Within a few moments of shadowing their movements by keeping to their backs and pursueing mostly by sound of their step. The sounds up ahead abruptly stopped and were replaced by voices.

"Hey! Is that smoke!?"

"Where's it coming from?"

Not having paid attention to his surroundings in due part to listening closely and the pain numbing his senses, Venrid only then began to take notice of the billowing smoke trail above and the smell of burning coal and wood. Looking to his back, the halls appeared progressively darker, hinting at the light source ahead.

Fire!

Not waiting around to be found, nor to weather the flames that likely were spreading unchecked across the whole building, he began retreating to the outside. Only stopping as the group before traced their steps and overtook him once again, confirming his thoughts about the building going up in smoke.

__________________________________________________________________________________​

Back outside in the cold and damp cavern air, Venrid only managed to spot the tail end of the skeleton battleship as it flew over Somnus. Watching it slowly empty her cannons into the buildings below and wreak havoc across the horizon. He stopped in his pursuit for the moment to catch his breath and take in the sight. As he watched, the fires started to crop up and swell into uncontrollable infernos before the sound of gunshots rang and explosive booms filled the air. Soon struck with the realization that Shinobu was no doubt on that scrap heap ascending to the world above, it seemed he had been denied resolution yet once again.

Feeding his desire for revenge in place of despair, he proceeded blindly from that spot on the hill overlooking Somnus down into the depths of her burning heart. Keeping to the rooftops where space allowed, he eventually was forced to traversing the open streets in his bid to reach the Heralds Boon. Taking shortcuts to avoid open skirmishes and groups of revolters bent on tearing the city apart. He was forced to detour twice, once when met with a band of slaves who recognized him as their capturer and the other when running through a back alley and several doors had busted open to cultists lying in ambush.

Killing only in order to escape, he preferred not to bloody his hand before coming to the run down pub that was in shambles just as he had last seen it. Heading inside hoping not to get shot in the back, he noted the ever appropriate "CLOSED" sign turned over. Inside were several straggler mercs who were still sitting around their tables enjoying the evenings drink as the fighting erupted outside.

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

"Ah Venrid, can't read the sign can you?" Says the old man with a group of mercenaries sitting around the bar, in various states of readiness. "I take it you were in some of this mess? Well let's patch you up. After that, nothing more I can offer you, we're leaving the city. No profit to be hand in Civil Wars, in spite of the name they often aren't and you are almost always promised coin that is never actually in the coffers. More so when we aren't sure who will win. Once that's more clear or some stability returns, heading for the surface villages or the Merchants. A lot of hungry people will be in this City and those farms will need protecting."

As another Mercenary see's to his wounds, pulling the shard out and bandaging it another sets it in place with a pull and shove. As the barkeep looks on; "See good as new. Though might want to find some medicine or throw some alcohol on it to be safe."

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

"Later. I gotta see what's left of the Cabal. Thanks for the patch job. Get the fuck outa here already."

By the time Venrid had left the Boon, a blaze had crept a few buildings closer and seemed destined to overtake it within the passing hour. No attempts were being made to quell it nor the other fires across the city. With their hands filled by the rioters and Cultists, free hands not tussling with a blade in hand were either running or hiding to wait out the encroaching bloodshed.

With a few mobile bands of mercenaries patrolling the streets around their tower of influence. The Cabal's center of power was in ruins and littered with the pieces of those not fortunate to escape the initial cannon fire. Reduced from a crowning pier of solid foundation and imposing height, it now lay half toppled over with only the other half remaining standing by fortune.

And though he could hear voices coming from the rubble as well as the cleaved tower, Venrid doubted the Cabal would have been caught by surprise. A revolt of this magnitude wouldn't just crop up over night. It would have had signs, that only the most oblivious would miss, and take weeks if not months before the fact. They had ordered by them to take care of the problem before it spurred into the hell surrounding him now, so they definitely had a plan in the event of such a failure.

Walking among the twisted and melted metal of the tower, he scanned the ruins for a possible passage or entrance to his supposed underground section of the tower. It made the most sense for the Cabal to reside there in between meetings and duties that demanded their attention within the city. If should the tower ever come under attack they could flee the scene undetected or at least well enough to reclaim it at a later time.

Shoving over bodies with the heel of his foot, he tediously searched the grounds of the tower while keeping an eye out for the mercenary patrols. Finding nothing that wasn't buried under a ton of debris, if he couldn't find the entrance soon he'd go for the exit which had to be nearby if not near the port.

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

As the directionless sell sword is faced with an uncomfortable reality, the fact the Cabal wasn't sure to win this, his bets were mostly unhinged. While the Cabal had forces deployed, the Warship was a massive shock, while a haphazard design, it's combat effectiveness laid bare for all to see. Nor was the scale as small as they believed, even if they won this war, serious reforms would be needed in the face of resistance, something they would likely not carry out.

As he picks through the rubble of the inner tower, various Cabal agents and guards were busy with other matters to stop and question the opportunistic Mercenary. Gravity however was not.

With a large section of the floor creaking and giving way, Venrid was spilled to the ground below, his second pitfall of the day, with a hard cough and a painful roll, it just was not his day, more so as another section collapses forward of him. Peering ahead he would find an elderly appearing man with a fallen axe in his back, a display piece, and a strange gauntlet at his feet. Hinted in the rubble beyond was a treasure vault, the glittering of gold reflecting in the torch light.

Fortunately or not the fallen floor had made a ramp leading out of the hole, but attention was sure to be placed on the mighty crash, and conclusions would be rather damning for Venrid, more so if guards caught up. Unfortunately the old man had a strong death like grip on the device, if he wanted it, or to see what it was, he would have to work hard and fast to secure it.

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

The while minor nerve racking due to being the second of its kind. Despite this, Venrid could not later deny that it was not a thing of fortune. Having collected himself from the broken floor and checked he hadn't collected more injuries like before, he noticed the man and his vault after a brief sweep of his surroundings. Thinking nothing of it at first due to the fall, it was only when he spotted the gauntlet on a double take that he disregarded his welfare and ventured forth to seize it. Quickly grabbing hold of the fingers and picking it up to examine the intricate design, he soon noted the styled R.V. on the inside of the cuff in polished black. Attempting to turn it around to get a better view of the outer details, a cold iron hand stuck to its base prevented further motion.

"Tch. Let go yah damn old fart."

Stepping on the dead Cabal's head without realizing his true identity, Venrid pulled on the gauntlet in hopes to pry it loose, but to no avail. When brute strength didn't work he took to breaking the man's fingers instead, before glancing at the axe resting snuggly in his back. While returning to struggle with the grip of the boney frozen digits, he heared approaching shouts and footsteps in the distance.

"Fuck it."

Moving for the axe, with a solid yank it came out with a disgusting crack as the spine attempted to stay attached to the hunk of steel. A single swing later and Venrid had severed the hand glued to his prized possession from its owner.

Not even bothering to remove it, he hurriedly fitted the gauntlet on before frisking the man's body for any and all of his cherished treasures. Feeling two hard ovals near the man's leg, he dug into his pockets to find two huge jewels, one of sapphire and the other ruby. Discovering nothing else, and deciding he needed to leave he took what rings the man wore before in a moment of clarity realized just who he was.

"Shit. ..."

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

As two men round the corner looking down, a brief stunned silence hit the three, Venrid knowing what would be next reaches his hand for the axe, the two guardsmen exchange glances as one aims a crossbow, the other pulls a horn up to his lips, blowing an alert, the crossbowman yells; "ASSASSIN IN THE MAIN HALLS....ER BASEMENT!"

If the sound would carry far or not in the interior was unknown, but for whatever the case, it was unlikely the pair would take Venrid having found the old man like this at face value, pulling the trigger, an iron bolt with a fire aspect crystal at it's head sails through the air for Venrid who now had his prize.

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

Raising the axe to take the burnt of the bolt, Venrid shielded himself with its flat edge. The bolt tip reacting as it hit the hardened side, a cloud of fire erupted from the end engulfing him from the sentry's view. With closed eyes he expected the hot flames to singe flesh and face alike, but they oddly went no further than his forearm before all but dissipating.

Reestablishing his view on the two, even if a bit confused, Venrid made haste in throwing a few of his knives at the crossbowman's eyes. Choosing in the instant to flee rather than engage them fully, and the patrols in the area, he dashed up the ramp and out of the hole, with axe and shield in hand. Planting a swing of his blade into the whistle blower before placing a kick to the downed crossbowman, he needed to get out of there and quick, before he had a mob fight on his hands.

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

As Venrid leads his pursuers through the city around eight men continue the chase, one receiving a arrow to the knee and face soon falls, but Venrid hand foolishly ran down an alley and was now out of arrows, as he reaches back to find an empty quiver. No matter how skilled or well armed, seven to one odds did not favor him at all in such close quarters. Lacking the Armor of Heavy Infantry and not having the speed or physical power of some of his compatriots, this would be a hard battle of survival.

Though it is said the Divine Smiles on people twice when it's blessings are given. Once had Sol Smiled upon him with the magitek device dropping into his lap and so now would Luna. Though it could be said in both cases these blessings were mixed.

Suddenly a rather familiar voice sings out;

"Dededeh-Da-da-da dun-dun-duh, dededah duh-" As if by some sort of bizarre if catchy theme song, a large green figure appears, carrying some sort of bird wing in between its hands, gliding to the ground below, or rather falling slightly slower than normal, with a drop, two boots, face and chest first into two of the pursuing men. "Orksen is ere ta save da day! Let's get em Ummie!"

Shocked by the rather sudden entrance of the Orc, the five men standing still are now sandwiched between the pair, three turn to face Gorgutz, two to face Venrid, rushing in for hopes of finishing it, of the two knocked over, the one that was impacted in the face was either dead or unconscious, having a foot large as his head left this the likely result. The other man kicked in the chest, seems badly winded, but struggles to get to his feet, aiming to join the melee.

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

His face showing more surprise to see the green skin's ugly mug than his pursuers, Venrid couldn't help but feel a bit welcoming of the new arrival. Watching as he practically disables two of the men permanently with a suicidal leap, the words to escape his mouth were the first of his thoughts.

"What in the fuck!? … The hell is wrong with you... haha yah crazy Orc!?"

Grinning after the fact, the chances of receiving backup now was a welcomed sight as the mercenaries before the two divided their attention. Watching from behind the mad Orc as three took up around him and two turn to face himself, Venrid searched the handle of the axe looped between his belt as he watched the move to engage him. Seizing the sturdy metal stock, he drew it back before lobbing it forward toward the two with the best of his joined arms.

"Yah gonna need this yah bastard!"

Not caring to see if the Orc had the battle sense to catch the weapon, Venrid quickly turned attention to his opponents. Making use of his throwing knives once again, he used the moment of evasion the axe had provided to insure he hit his mark. Landing one in the man's throat to his left, Venrid drew his sword and went after the other merc to his right as the Orc let out a battle cry.

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

"Oi dis one dem der fanceh axes!" Spinning the axe in his hands, it seemed to have some sort of focusing power to it, impacting it head first into the ground, as he set the Yokai wing aside, developing a small shock wave.

"Oi, nice weapon ere." Knocking two of the three over, the magitek axe was fairly powerful and unwieldy, if one was not some form of stronger Infernal, or Orc at least. "I'm Gonna Axe you a kwestin!" He says to the third man, splitting his head clearly from his body, taking his time to bury the axe into the other two opponents, a drow male and female, Gorgutz admires the axe, though not using it's magitek function again. "Ain't nut wrong wit me Ummie! It's you lot dats da strange ones!"

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

Taking to the inside of his opponent, Venrid relied on faints to work his way in close. Evading a rather poorly placed swing of a scimitar he punished the mistake with a hard left, breaking the merc's nose and causing him to recoil back. Just as Venrid went to deliver the finishing blow the merc timely drew his second sword, swinging wildly and forcing the Lughanta merc to retrace his step.

Focused on the two blades he now had to deal with, he almost didn't pick up on the loud step from behind him. Ducking low by his intuitions will, a blade whizzed over his head where he once stood. As he looked up to the other merc, now holding a bloodied hand to his neck. Venrid realized his mistake in having not killed the man earlier with his throwing knife. Making sure then to end him there with a swift slash to his gut.

As if on cue, the dual swordsman seized the opportunity to attack as well, landing his first strike against Venrid's shield and aiming the other for his neck. However, tripped by the quick merc's leg, his poorly adjusted momentum carried him to the ground without achieving his aim. Striking the gauntlet on Venrid's right arm instead, his impatience with his swords would prove fatal after a cut to his throat.

"Hah. Jumping outa the sky like some damn hero ain't normal yah… … what's with the old man's wing?"

Noticing the white feathered appendage on the ground where the Orc had dropped, only now that the fight had concluded did Venrid note a resemblance to the that of the Youkai aboard the Lughanta. Picturing the old man's single wing, it's size, shape, and feather design. He was little more than slightly unsure of whether it really was the same wing or not. Asking being the easy way to find out, it may not have been when dealing with an Orc...

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

"Ole Man's Wing? Wut? I killed some of dat Boss Biggus Fellah's Boyz and Took it From Em, One'o yers likely killed him. Dunno any Ole Man's. I'm gonna cook dis when I haz da chance."

Taking back his wing with a guarded look, the Orc stares at the smaller human, before handing over the axe. "Nice Axe, but I needz to be getting out of Somnus, dat bitch left me fer dead and da bloom'n City gone all Mad, no money to be made ere and da slave boyz be free'n demselves."

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

"Cook it!? Better off eaten yer own damn leg, there's nothing on the fucker except feathers and bone. …"

Having eyed the Orc out of the corner of his eye as they fought together, and watched him back during the earlier attack on the slavers, Venrid knew the beast was a formidable fighter, but also a simple one at that. Thinking on that and how useful he'd of been in his fight earlier instead of the blood devil, an idea couldn't help but crop up in the back of his mind.

Maybe this Orc could…

Flashing a devilish grin while looking to his gauntlet at the thought and hopeful of the chance partnership, Venrid attempted to strike up a simple deal with the mad Orc as they both stood to gain from it. Him more so if he handled the Orc well enough and kept his nose to the bitches scent.

"Keep it. … In fact, how abouta trade? I'll give yah that axe for yer wing and to come back with me to the Lughanta. They'll probably need a hand or two and pay if yah do yer job. … I also gotta score to settle which yah can help with. That white bitch left me for dead too. … I'll help yah get back at yours and yah can have these jewels if yah like.. more where they came from ... Whaddya say?"

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

"Hmm…" Considering the offer, the Orc runs a hand under his jaw. "Well kan't say I carez bout find'n that bitch, but wuldn't be all bad eitha..An dat axe is nice Kewstin'n Axe.."

Shrugging he had no reason to not accept.

"Okeyz Dokeyz we haz a deal. But first need ta get mah roosta an wut chickenz I haz left. Won't take long. Ere yah Go Ummie!" Throwing the Wing over, he takes the axe back, then the Jewels.. "Hmm...Rite den, I'll help yah with da bitch n'white.. Owe her a lil'beat'n for kill'n me men an' insult'n me." Holding the two gems up, one red and one blue, the Orc didn't seem to care how valuable the thin lens like pieces were, setting the axe aside. "Needz me some glasses, Soddin hell! Some things seem ta stand out moar with dez! Now we gotta go get my Chickens!"

Seemingly pleased with himself, as the two arrive at the Lughanta. Aster was still loading supplies, but seemed more than a little surprised with the Orc being there, none worse the wear either.

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

"The Cabal are dead. No sense now killing this green fu- .. guy. He's a hella fighter in a pinch and I owe him one so … We'll be joining as crew now. Officially." Not really looking to Aster for permission, Venrid made to have the situation be fine by starting for the deck without staying for questions.

"Common Gorgutz, show yah were the cookins done. Fry yah some chicken."

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

In a full black suit, the Orc had two jewels fixed in the place of monocle lenses, wearing them over his eyes with a furrowed brow. "Iz feel like one'o dem soap-fist-cated boyz now. Wanna get me sum doze colah pencells and try drawn'n me sum fings!"

"What in the name of Sol.." Aster says blankly to the display, as the Greenskin has a crate of live chickens on his back, jewels over his eyes and a black nobleman's suit.

As to two go on about to board the ship, Aster holds out a hand. "Wait...well, this would get him out of here and the Cabal less angry at us.. And he seems effective enough in battle, if reports were right.. What's all of this with the Chickens? And do you even know who your men Kidnapped?"

Orksen shrugs at the questions motioning in a "I dunno" manner. "Not paid ta ask Kwestins, we were ta pick er up, guard er, den leave Somnus, we part wayz den. Seem ta be fancy lass. An, Iz raise em an eat'em! Well not dis one." Pointing up at a green painted rooster with a nasty scar across his face, and a hate filled expression to his eyes, Aster was afraid to ask and as a result doesn't. Whatever madness this Orc had, he wanted nothing to do with it.

"So you listen to commands, work for pay like most of your kind.. Please… keep whatever it is you do, out of sight of me and the Captain. Also, while your men treated the Princess fairly, if you see that Blonde girl make sure she doesn't see you..least until she is ready to speak to you.

Other than that, I guess you can stick with Venrid till now, you may have to sleep in the bow or Cargo area..a little too big for some of our rooms. Well get on board we're leaving. The Captain will send for you later to sign a contract. Luckily we can avoid the standard questioning. I've yet to see an Orc now who couldn't fight."

With that Aster turns his back to continue the loading procedure.

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

"Like I told yah, they're dead." Venrid further assured Aster with a tone confidence and stern face that commanded the fact be true.

"Chopped one of the fuckers hand off for this." he added, before raising the gauntlet that somehow retained the man's skeleton hand, still latched and dangling. Quickly tearing and breaking the bones off from his magitek device, Venrid turned to leave, but stopped when he heard of the princess's return.

"So yah got her back huh?" It seemed he'd have to make a detour to his least favorite doctors office.

After making his way to and from there, he learned of the princesses condition before getting a few drinks in during his time in the kitchen cooking the Orc several whole fried chickens. Later that day, and more than ready for sleep he stumbled his way to his bunk room, exhausted from the days events and only having rested last days prior while in recovery. He just managed to lock the door behind him, and not bothering with the wing let it drop to the floor. Caring for comfort as much as the fate of Charlotte, he laid out across his bunk, legs extending off the edge, and passed out.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

So, the Harbinger wanted his own room now? Not that it mattered, it suited her preferences just fine, Solidarity was always nice. And as he discovered, Blood Devils didn't need guards to protect them from others, but to protect others from them. Once the blood got flowing a mound of twisted corpses was always the result.. Plus she was sure there was some other reason for him being here. If that was pompous arrogance or the truth of the matter was simply a point of view.

Regardless this mission had been a near total disaster, though everything was completed in a way.. Now was time to present all this information to the Captain herself, who was hopefully drinking less today, than the previous week. Only the facts of the matter at hand was needed.

Knocking on the door and waiting for a response, Sorina calls out. "My Captain, I've had enough time to talk to the rest, and the ship will be leaving soon, would you like my debriefing now?"

---

"Oh… Sorina? Sure, come in." Much to the younger girl's relief, Agatha's voice didn't sound as tipsy or annoyed as she was in the last few days. When the Infernal entered the cabin, there was no shattered shards in the corner. While there was a bottle placed on the brunette's desk, upon closer inspection, Sorina could see it was plain grape juice instead of wine. Someone had been listening to her doctor's advice.

"Yeah… we are getting out of this hellhole, maybe for the last time, I'm done with Somnus and…" She looked out towards the window, to the fire and smoke raging in the distance, "I'm not sure they'll be open for business anytime soon." Turning her brown gaze back the purple-haired demon, she nodded, "Anyways, what do you have for me?"

---

"Today's operation was a failure..but also a success. I'm sure you know of the princess and two new crewers, so I'll skip that, for now." Watching the gaze of her employer, Sorina's take of the War breaking out was much different;

As Mother says; Blood and Iron my friends, Blood and Iron.

"It seems the Infernal, Kharlan was ready for us. I don't believe there are any leaks in the crew. She was simply overly cautious, lucky, or we were predictable.

Refined Erchius Fuel was hidden in the inner walls throughout the facility. Which normally not flammable, I need not remind you what happens when it mixes with Fire magic… On the note of Shinobu, Venrid and Charlotte made contact with her. Poor teamwork between the pair resulted in Shinobu escaping. Charlotte also took a serious bit of friendly fire to the back…" Pausing for a bit as if to look for the right words, or to contain her disappointment, the young Blood Devil continues;

"..fired by Venrid. Apparently a Harbinger was masquerading as the Princess and took the moment to use her as a human shield, the floor was then blasted from under the trio. The whereabouts of the Harbinger are currently unknown."

"Next is the issue with the Princess, it seems by luck alone and Sonya's and Seven's Cowar-err.. Initiative.. They snuck aboard the enemy flagship, where an all too talkative Engineer gave them the answers… in the escape they were noticed by Shinobu and fired upon, but were missed minus some light wounding to Sonya. As it seems, Kharlan had stopped her. Apparently waving at the trio and letting them go. Voyd made contact with her but was unable to combat her alone, she also had a look alike Princess there. Orksen I don't think I need to explain."

Crossing her arms in front of her, the report was finished, with the obvious conclusion to Kharlan being unsaid, though she decides to add a final thought and note.

"I believe our expected arrival was used by the Kharlan cultists to hide an offense they planned some time, and we aided in setting up that signal. I was also informed by Aster on my way up, that the Slave of Rur...well I guess she is free, but stays with him for whatever reason, has some sort of idea with our ship speaker system, she claims it may help the ship survive any coming combat. Something to do with, listening to the sound of projectiles and machinery noises. Such matters are beyond a Soldier such as myself."

---

"Hmmm…" The Captain listened carefully to Sorina's reports, something she certainly wouldn't be able to do had the bottle on her table contained alcoholic beverage.

"We have the princess… I say that alone already warrants a success." Agatha chuckled a little, "Yeah, I know about them. "So this Kharlan bitch was the one behind all this, huh?" It was quite obvious Agatha had no love for the demon who made an already difficult mission into one convoluted political mess. "Heh… leaks in the Crew, who else?" Agatha scoffed, "I bet Shinobitch knew we were coming for her little cult. It doesn't take a genius to figure out."

"Oh…" Now that was worrying, they didn't manage to get the traitorous scum? Again because of disorganization, shit… where did she go wrong? Camus was right, she should've tightened her recruitment procedures. Well, no crying over spilled milk. "By Luna's tits… those two, I'd have a talk with them later." All of this was a mess, now she understood why the Blood Devil considered the mission partly failed.

"Oh?" There was a silver lining after all, so her crew wasn't all one disorganized ragtag mess, the shady duo managed to work together. The fact that Kharlan let them go was intriguing, but ultimately, they had the princess. "..." Perhaps she thought Olivia was useless now, got everything out of her, and damn it, she hated to admit that they played right into her hands. "This won't be the last time we see her, I'm sure of it."

As for the former Cabal representative, she had no issue with it, the woman looked skilled and they freed her from indentured servitude, win-win solution there. "I'll see to it that her skills are put to use." Agatha sighed, drinking another shot of her… grape juice. "If that's all, you're dismissed… and Sorina," She called out to the Blood Devil again just before they girl went out, "Thank you, you did a great job." A sincere smile curled on the brunette's features, bereft of any hidden meanings or double talk so stereotypically common to Venesians.

---

"Well then, I'll take my leave, Captain. Though I will be on my own, setting up an offer for a Drill Course at various times in the late evening.. Our men have fallen over one another and their own feet far too often. I have no authority to demand others attend, but I grow wary of having such questionable allies.. Plus..well that issue does not matter all so much." While it was nice to have some minor praise there was no need to dwell on it, the Captain at least had always treated her somewhat well.

Performing her chest smacking salute, Sorina spins on her heels and leaves the Captain's office without another word, now was time to sleep, baring she was needed for anything else suddenly. If this did not meet with any progress a more forceful approach may be needed, or well enough could be left alone.

 

[Accelerator]

Upon returning to the ship, the black haired swordsman had a solemn expression on his face. That fight with Mersha Kharlan, if one could call it that, had the same implicating results as his failure all those years ago…. No matter how much he trained himself, it seemed that there's always someone out there that could kick his ass and humble him to the ground.

The very fact that he went after Kharlan instead of finding a way to rendezvous with Sorina already revealed that even after all these years, he still failed as a bodyguard. Why did he even go after the bloody Abyssal in the first place? Because of mere curiosity? Because he wanted to find out if she had one of those swords? Damn it all. There's a saying that curiosity killed the cat, but in that case, if the situation had gone a less favorable way, his curiosity would have dealt him the same result as his arrogance in the past. Then he would have the deaths of two daughters of Caramitru in his hands.

If there was any silver lining to this situation, it was they retrieved the Brendornian princess, AND somehow Sorina came out of that clusterfuck of an operation practically unscathed. Although the amount of bloodlust emanating from her was quite a surprise even for him. He knew such an aspect was innate to Blood Devils but witnessing it and its effects first hand was a completely different experience entirely.

If there's one thing he did learn from this humbling experience, he needed to take his job both as a bodyguard for Sorina, and a sellsword for the Lughanta a lot more seriously… and the first thing he needed to do was to move out of Sorina's room and get his own lodgings.

But after his shortcomings with guarding Sorina's… well body, he was hesitant to ask her for help regarding this sudden change he decided, and instead he'd just go and ask some random crew member about room assignments instead… and that person is....

---

"Wow, I hope they're okay…"

"Don't worry, Dr. Kamov and our medical personnel are taking care of them right now. One thing for sure, everyone is alive."

As he was about to turn in the corner, the Harbinger could hear two voices chatting with one another, one male and one female. He was rather familiar with the former, it was most likely the blue-haired Second Officer and Chief Engineer of the Lughanta, Aster. What a nice coincidence considering Voyd's current objective. Traversing the corner, he'd come face-to-face with Aster and a blonde slender girl with bright emerald eyes. The two stopped talking as they noticed the Infernal's presence.

"Hmm…" Aster took a moment, going through his head, "Voyd Umbridge, is it? Sorina's accomplice." He gave him a polite smile, "Good work out there and I am relieved to see you are in a better shape, others aren't so fortunate." He then gestured to the Lilim beside him, "I assume you two haven't met? Voyd, this is Marumei. Marumei, this is Voyd."

"Oh~" The rather petite girl gave the raven-haired Infernal a wide smile, "Nice to meet you, Voyd~ an accomplice of Sorina, huh? Interesting…" It seemed she had more to say but decided to postpone it for now.

"What can I help you with? I'm sorry if I seem in a hurry, the situation is quite… hectic as you can imagine." Aster sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, the stress in his voice quite audible.

---

"Heh, first person on this ship to get my surname right. I like you already pal." The harbinger swordsman replied enthusiastically to Aster before regarding the lilim and politely bowing to her.

"And likewise, Miss Marumei. I hope the both of you do not mind my employment in this ship. What with my name and all sounding like that apocalyptic weapon the princess accidentally discovered." It wasn't like anybody had the guts to make fun of his name in front of him though. Voyd certainly had the appearance of someone you wouldn't want to mess with.

"Well I was looking for someone who can get a room sorted out for me. I've been sharing a room with Sorina but I've noticed how uncomfortable she felt with me sleeping in the same room as her. That's why I'd like to get a room of my own though preferably still in close proximity to hers." Voyd replied.

Seeing the minute signs of stress Aster displayed however, he couldn't help but feel sympathy for the poor guy. Must be tough being second in command to a crew of over 300 people. The guy seriously needed to loosen up and relax.

"And it looks like you could use a drinking buddy now as well. I can hold my fair share of liqour so if you ever need somebody to drink with, just give me a call. In fact, why don't we go to the bar right now! All three of us… What do you say?"

---

"Hmmm…" Aster knew of the fellow Infernal Sorina brought into employment but he wasn't aware of the fact that they shared a cabin as well. A puzzled look fell on his features but knowing Agatha's current mood, she likely didn't even realize the implications of letting them stay together in the same room even though they were old acquaintances. This was a minor enough 'issue' that he could solve without having to pester the burnt-out Captain.

"Understood, I will assign you a new room right away." Then he shook his head slowly at the offer, "My apologies, Voyd but I have pressing matters to attend… and I also want to inform the quartermaster of your new cabin. I will get back to you as soon as possible." With that, the blue-haired man took his leave. He wanted to relax, spend some time in the bar, chatting but he'd fail his duty and honor as an officer if he slacked off now of all times.

"Well, Aster has a lot on his plate right now but~ who says someone else can't keep you company?" It was the petite blonde that accepted his invitation instead, "Come on, I fancy myself some Chateau Florentia wine." She giggled, "Also, say, you're an Infernal, right? One of those… ahem, let's talk in the bar instead, shall we?"

---

Oblivious himself to how big the implications of the rest of the crew finding out he had been sleeping in the same room as the blood devil, he sighed in resignation after failing to get the Second in Command to relax. Although it wasn't such a loss as Marumei still seemed eager to drink with him despite Aster leaving.

"Well, I guess it's just you and me, eh? Though Chateau Florentia wine… you're a fancy lilim aren't ya? I've had the opportunity to taste some myself on rare occasions. Although I must say that I don't have any particular favorites when it comes to drink. So long as it's got alcohol in it of course." He winked at the blonde lilim before gesturing her towards the bar. "I believe you have decent tolerance, right?"

Upon their arrival, the bartender dutifully asked what they'll be having.

"Chateau Florentia wine for the beautiful lady here, and a shot of Fire Fox Sake for me" Voyd said nonchalantly, his eyes never leaving its affixed gaze on Marumei.

"So, what is it you wanted to ask, Miss Marumei? I'll try to answer your questions to the best of my ability."

---

"Oh, you're quite sharp, aren't you?" Marumei teased, it wasn't a mere empty praise as Lilims looked pretty much like a female human strictly from external appearance. However, if one was familiar with a certain Infernal sub-race or possessed keen senses in general, the telltale alluring presence of their succubi blood, the blood of Lilith flowing through their veins. In Voyd's case, it was probably both as he was a fellow Infernal, they usually could identify their fellow children of Luna.

After the drinks were served, Marumei offered a toast for a mission success. She might not be personally involved in the nitty-gritty part of the rescue operation this time but she could certainly feel the relief washing over the crew. "Hmm… you're one of those… Harbingers, aren't you?" She winked, returning the gesture from earlier, "I never met one before… or maybe I did? It's hard to tell considering what your kin can do."

Performing a simple wind-based spell, Marumei floated her glass in mid-air as she put one elbow against the bar, propping her cheek up with her hand, "What's it like sleeping with Sorina?" Yes, she definitely phrased the question as such. If Voyd was in doubt, the sly grin on her face would confirm her intentions.

---

"Perceptive one too ain't you. I'm really surprised you guessed right considering the masses view my race as a mere fairy tale now. Though I'd really appreciate it if you keep this between ourselves. Between you and me, only the High Families know my kind still exists." He said in a conspiring voice.

Just as he was taking a shot of his sake, Marumei suddenly asked him what it was like to sleep with the Blood Devil causing him to comically spit the drink, fortunately away from anyone, in shock.

"Guh… You've got pretty nice timing there too… Luna my throat hurts." He complained.

After ordering a bottle of ale to wash down his throat he decided to humor the lilim and answer her question.

"Normal, I suppose. She isn't that bloodthirsty violent girl most of you guys probably think of her all the time. Sure she's bossy, and mean, and snobbish but that's just how she is. Her mother, after all, is the de facto ruler of the netherworld and you know how those Houses act all the time right? But despite all that, she's a good person. She's generous and kind to her allies but ruthless to her enemies. She's also quite considerate too." Voyd admitted. "I know this because among everyone here on this ship, I've probably known her the longest. A childhood friend if you will."

Realizing that the lilim may have been thinking of more perverse thoughts between he decided to shed some more light on the matter.

"And don't get me wrong. The reason why I was sharing a room with Sorina is because I've been assigned as her bodyguard due to an agreement between both of our families. But from the looks of it she doesn't need a bodyguard, right? I'd say she can take care of herself perfectly fine."

---

"Well, Voyd, it isn't that hard to guess if you put two and two together." Actually, Marumei was taking a leap of faith there, she heard news about the new crew that Sorina brought and how he was a guard of the Caramitru house. The Lilim connected it to what she knew about the famous legends of the Harbinger and how the rumors said they were now most employed as guards of the Infernal's prominent families. Besides, if she guessed wrong, what was the worse that could happen? A brief awkward moment at worst.

"Hehe~" Bingo, that was the reaction she expected, well one of them, the other being him choking on his drink. Oh, she bet Luna was also giggling right now, the Mistress of Chaos would certainly approve of what the Lilim did. "Out of all people, I certainly never expected for someone to not think Sorina as bloodthirsty. She literally drinks blood." The blonde giggled again. So that explained her attitude, Sorina was the equivalent of a princess, not surprising considering her family name. "Aha~ with how much you praise her, I'm starting to think… you don't simply think of her as just a 'friend'." having a relationship with the girl would be thrilling, anyone could see that.

"Ah, I see~ on the contrary, I think she sorely needs one. With how much she recklessly charges into battle, she's strong but not invincible, sooner or later, her luck will run out… and who else could save her butt other than her bodyguard slash childhood friend, hmm?" Marumei paused, letting her words sink before she continued, "But enough about her, let's talk about you, yes? You are one of the 'mythical' Infernal-subrace after all. Tell me more~"

---

"Ohh. Not hard to guess, eh? You continue to impress me still, Miss Marumei. You are the first one to correctly pinpoint which race I belong to… that I am of a race considered to be fiction to all the denizens of the netherworld. And you claim it wasn't hard to guess? Most impressive indeed." With the way Voyd said it, Marumei would certainly have a hard time determining whether or not that was genuine praise or plain sarcasm.

Chugging his ale, he orders another round of the sake which he could hopefully ingest this time instead of spitting it on the floor.

"I don't know what you're trying to get at but Sorina and I are just really close friends. Nothing more. If anything, we're also comrades-at-arms but banish the thought of something romantic going on between us. For one thing, me and her have different ideas of romance, and for another, I heard marriage among the High Houses have all sorts of politics tied to them. She'd most likely be forced to an arranged marriage somewhere down the line and since her mother is basically the most powerful Infernal in the Netherworld right now, I'd doubt she'd go against her mother's wishes."

" I ain't invincible either. In fact, I got my ass handed to me down there when I decided to stray off the beaten path and go after Mersha Kharlan. Goddamn Abyssal is strong as hell. Swatted me like a goddamn fly even. Makes me doubt if all those years of training I've been doing has been paying off. On the other hand, Sorina caused quite a massacre and came out of it unscathed. That really challenges my credibility as a bodyguard…"

After taking a shot of the sake, he continues to answer the lilim's questions. One of the things he noticed was how much Marumei seemed interested in him, which he would rather take as a good thing. But even so, it seemed she didn't betray the notion of Lilim's being naturally interested in gossip and other scandalous information.

"What about me do you want to know specifically? I'm afraid telling you all about Harbingers is too much to tackle for one night. Do you want to know something specific? Of course, since I've been away from home for such a long time, I don't know how much things have changed there so take what I say with a grain of salt."

---

It seemed he was a charmer as well, Embellishing her accomplishments by exaggerating the mythical nature of his kin no doubt. Words got around fast and being employed as guards of high-profile Infernals, Marumei couldn't believe no one know the actual truth, especially since Infernals were active people, they couldn't keep still. Maybe if he was a Celestial, Youkai, and… what was that Eruvian sub-race again? Oh, the Erumer, it'd be more feasible. Still, she wouldn't refute the fact that even for Infernals, his kin was rarely seen… in fact, this was the first time she met face-to-face with the 'mythical' Harbingers.

"Ah, I see, so it's strictly professional, hmm?" Here she thought someone managed to conquer the blood princess' tough heart, "Well, if there's one thing I know about my maternal ancestor's people is that you are never one for strict rules and all that, things change all the time. Sorina's mom might be the ruler but I imagine with the constantly shifting political climate, someone else will take the position sooner or later." Maybe not in this generation but it was true, especially when compared to their Orderly counterpart. "That said, I won't be surprised if Sorina says, 'fuck it!', and do what she likes, hehe~ I bet Luna herself would support the cause."

"Oh…" The Lilim smirked as she took a ship of her red wine, manufactured in the vineyard owned by Lughanta's 'vampire diva', "You look pretty fine for someone who got his ass kicked. Drinking here instead of groaning in pain on the infirmary's bed." Did Harbingers recover fast? "Haha, Abyssal, huh…" Famous for their white-hair and ability to both wield sword and spell simultaneously. The Divine Seat's Eidolon representing Luna had always been an Abyssal if her memory served right. "Anyways, don't worry about Sorina, I think it's more apt to think of yourself as her, you said it yourself, comrade-in-arms, a companion, someone to fight with, not for." What's up with her? Why was she becoming a wise Lilim Matriarch all of the sudden? ...maybe it's because of the wine, Charlotte's attitude was rubbing off her.

"Hmmm… about I said yourself, not your kin, let's talk about the crew member who has the same name as the ominous concept the princess came up with, hehe~"

---

"Yeah. The bloody princess is quite unpredictable. Although, I still think her going against her mother's wishes is still quite a long shot. I just hope someday my own race need not hide under the guise of legends or fairy tales. That one day, my own kind would be revered and respected not constantly feared by everyone else. Heck, maybe one day they'd be the ones leading the Netherworld. But until that day comes, my father seems contented with the way things are for us… a legend lost in the sands of time."

Then Marumei mentioned how fine he looked like despite claiming having his ass handed to him. To be fair, he saw just how worse it had been for the others. The drow female's back was peppered with Shards and even the vampire, Charlotte suffered quite a bit of damage along with her companion, Venrid. It certainly felt like Voyd accomplished nothing both by the way he came out of the mission unscathed and having collected no worthy information to present the crew… Hearing Aster tell him he did a good job just added insult to injury.

"I may look like this but had she used her sword and fought me seriously, I might be dead or dying right now. I don't know if I should be glad or insulted that she didn't even want to fight me. Must have not bothered because she considered me as just another boring weakling." said Voyd, finishing another bottle of Ale before sighing in exasperation.

"About me, huh? Well… where should I start? My childhood should be good… If one could call it that. See, I spent most of my youth training to become a living weapon. The rulers of the Netherworld thought it was a good idea to turn Harbingers into bodyguards for the High Houses to bridge the gap formed when the Celestials and Infernals teamed up to "regulate" my race and see to it that all information about us wiped off from the history books. What was left were accounts told in various fairy tales passed down from generation to generation until we find ourselves with this outcome. My race was reduced only to the few thousands, a strict policy set in place allowing for a family to bear only one child… with the exception of the Chief's family."

He paused for a bit, ordering another shot of sake and downing it as soon as the barkeep finished filling up the glass.

"So there I was training to become a bodyguard for one of those nobles. During the day, I learned from school, during the night, I learned from my family's dojo. Between classes and my own training, I barely had enough time to make friends. They were in the same boat as me as well so you really won't see any Harbinger kids messing around and playing amongst themselves. For some reason, however, I had the dumb luck of becoming a bodyguard for the Caramitru family, specifically for Erika Caramitru… Sorina's older sister. She was nothing like her younger sister. Kind, caring, understanding, compassionate. Those words do not do Erika justice with the way she acted. She treated me less of a bodyguard, and more of a friend… In fact, to this very day, I consider her to be the first friend I ever made. Sorina comes in second of course. I still remember the days spent with me constantly chasing after Erika, worrying about her safety. Dragged me through all sorts of mess, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't have fun."

Another bottle of ale was downed by the Harbinger before he continued his story.

"Those innocent days would soon come to an end when an assassination attempt was plotted against Erika and Sorina's mother. I thought it'd be a good idea to focus my attention protecting Lady Caramitru. What a foolish mistake that was. The assassins ended up taking Erika hostage and she didn't come out of that situation alive. I've been blaming myself for her death to this day… Thoughts of "maybe I shouldn't have left her side, then perhaps she'd still be alive…" cross my mind still from time to time. Out of shame, I went into exile, vowing to never return home until I have redeemed my honor and made up for my mistakes… the fact that I was recently tasked to be Sorina's bodyguard really came as a surprise for me. But I've accepted it as a means to make up for my past failures. But prior that, I was just wandering all over the land, taking all sorts of jobs as long as the pay was good. Being Sorina's bodyguard inevitably led me here to the Lughanta where she had astonishingly become a member of. And here I thought that princess would refuse to work for anyone. People sure do change huh?"

Now it was his time to question the Lilim. He certainly wouldn't let Marumei get away without questioning him after he had poured his heart out to her.

"How about you, Miss Marumei? Mind telling me more about yourself?" Voyd asks inquisitively while gazing intently at the Lilim's eyes.

---

Well, this was certainly an interesting development, sure Marumei was happy she could lean an ear or a shoulder to cry on, just someone who could listen to his worries. However, she didn't quite expect him to tell her all of his life stories… along with his race's history. "Ah~" Truth to be told, Marumei found the rather fantastical tale a bit hard to believe… if anything, there must be various versions from various sides on the story. The Seraphic Era was an ancient war predating Magitek, the Empire, and even Fraulia, it was back when the Celestials and Infernals wielded most of the power in Bumi before being replaced by the humans. Since humanity's domination of Bumi alone already lasted centuries… who knew what really happened back then, she bet that Voyd knew this story from mouth-to-mouth as none could live that long except the angels.

"Okay…" She chortled at him mentioning 'living weapon', come on, Voyd, seriously, that statement looked like it came from a young human boy who got his head into storybooks too much. Ironically, Sorina was more of a living weapon than he was, the Blood Devil certainly enjoyed fighting, like it was her main purpose in life, and what was a weapon made for? Yeah, fighting. "I think you have a unique way of phrasing your sentences, I wonder if it's a harbinger's thing." Just like Armers who loved putting in technical jargons into their speech, perhaps Harbingers loved exaggerating facts and got the notion that being 'dark' is somehow… an admirable quality to have.

"Oh… huh, so you are like those Imperial Crimson Knights, I heard they were trained from a really young age too, that's why they are so good." If what he said was true, even with the embellishments, then he was a fine fighter indeed, certainly a warrior worthy of guarding a princess. "Ah… I see… My condolences." The Lilim decided to not comment about Erika, it would unbecoming of her, it was not her place to lecture or judge him about what he did, they barely even knew each other.

"Yep~" She gave him a bright smile as he moved on with the topic, "People sure do. You meet all sorts of people working in a mercenary company. Well...you have been doing a good job so far, keep it up." She giggled, "About me? Ah, I'm just your regular Lilim, nothing fancy, compared to yours at least. You know the deal about Succubi Matriarch Lilith, right? How she travelled all across Bumi, leaving children in her wake? Well, I am one of her descendants. No war, strict rules, bodyguarding and all that fancy tales, we are just girls wanting to have fun~ and oh, we also claim the best hat design in the world, and the Arcane Schools were our thing even before Magitek was a thing, don't let the Armers tell you otherwise. True, they invented Magitek, but without the knowledge of magic, Magitek wouldn't even be possible, we just like to lay low and let the Armer take the glory." Grinning, she closed in on him… then pecked him on the cheek, "It's been nice talking with you~" with that, she finished another glass of wine before stretching, "I think it's time for my beauty sleep, catch you later, Voyd~"

---

"Oh don't mind me and my storytelling. The Divine One knows that the rest of my kin don't talk the way like I do. Probably because I've been away from home. While I gotta admit, I may have exaggerated a few things here and there." The black haired swordsman admitted.

Being compared with the Imperial Crimson Knights, however, didn't sit well with him, though he did try to not show it to the Lilim. While the Empire certainly does take its military seriously, the idea of being compared to such a racist, xenophobic, war mongering, and power hungry nation's soldiers was something he'd rather not fathom.

Listening intently to Marumei's story, he didn't mind at all that her life story was relatively more grounded than his. In fact, it was interesting to hear about somebody talk about a normal life considering he had grown up with people who have not experienced such humble beginnings in theirs. Though judging from what she said, she may have some beef with Armers with the way she spoke of them.

The night seemingly won't end without another surprise as he noticed the blonde Lilim lean closer to him before kissing his cheek and promptly leaving afterwards. The Harbinger would slowly bring his right hand where Marumei kissed him and chuckled at the memory of it.

"Interesting company you've got yourself involved in… Scarlet.I may just start enjoying my stay here, after all." Voyd mused before downing another shot of the Harukayaman drink, paying the tab and retiring for the night afterwards.

 

[Warden]

It took some rushed preparations on her part, but here she finally was. Oriana remembered the shock on her neighbors' faces and could only guess at their thoughts when she, after nearly four decades, returned to their quaint woodland community no worse for wear. And when she strode out of her rundown shack in a full suit of heavy armor, Sariel gleaming under the rays of the afternoon sun, little Maris and Senha- grubby, floundering babies when she past saw them, now full-grown with families of their own- gaped from the windows of their houses. She knew that that was the most exciting thing any of them had ever seen in their lives, and wondered if her appearance invoked hope or terror of things to come. Oriana dearly hoped it was the former.

The voice of her nearest companion drove Oriana from her thoughts, and her attention wafted back to her current whereabouts: the Grand Cathedral. "The honor is all mine, Grandmaster." The Celestial returned the gesture warmly. Although they were strangers, whispers of the knight's accomplishments had reached her on her travels, and she thought well of his devotion to the Divine-Queen. Of course, there were also unsavory rumors - his heritage, for one- which Oriana deemed pale when compared to the whole. "Thank you for your endless efforts for the cause."

The Divine-Queen arrived soon enough and led them to the meeting room, and Oriana fell in step behind the Eidolon. Once the formalities were done, a discussion regarding the current state of affairs was initiated by Ivanova Herself. Through it all the Celestial kept a straight face, albeit made of a gentler mien than her Justicar counterparts patrolling the hallways... Save when the topic of war came up, where a worried expression marred Oriana's gentle features, if only for the shortest of moments.

Now, it was time for the crew of the Lughanta to speak their part. Her eyes followed the Grandmaster's sudden movement, and should any of them choose to spare a glance at the pale-haired Celestial, they would see that she was watching them with a soft, encouraging smile on her face.

@LowDefinition @Miya @Ms.Ezra @Lstorm

 

[LowDefinition]

​

Few days have passed for Silva and her group. Silva mostly spend those days helping her family crafting weapons, learning on what upgrade would her sister do to her rifle, and also hanging out with Max if it's possible to do so. Just yesterday, they have been informed that they would meet the queen today.

This morning, Silva was preparing herself for the meeting. Deciding to wear a formal military coat, it have been a long time since Silva last wear the coat. Then, when she heard the door knocked, Silva along with the others are led to the meeting room.

---

While waiting for the queen to arrive. A Youkai entered the room escorted by Ariel. A slight suspicion arise when Ariel mentioned the Youkai would join the meeting. Though she hid it well and formally introduced herself to the Youkai. And the wait continues...

---

When the door opened by the Cathedral-Palace's caretakers, Silva stood up and looked over on who was arriving. Her Holiness Ivanova along with Archangel Diana, Maximilian, and another Celestial. "Your Holiness..." Silva bowed at the arrival of Ivanova.

. . .

Silva listened Ivanova's speech and hearing that a war is upon them. Silva knew that on the crew's end, they tried to fix this whole mess before it even begun. They can delay or even stop the war from happening if those who were on the other side succeeded on their mission without any sort of twists.

"Your Holiness, if I may speak," Maximilian stood up, speaking to the group, "We may still be able to salvage this. I admit, war is a possibility but I don't believe it's a certainty." True, from what the group told Maximilian a few days earlier, efforts were made, but they didn't know what happened with the other teams.

"It is true Your Holiness... Our crew are currently divided in teams in an attempt to fix this whole mess. One team were sent to Somnus, to go after the kidnapper and attempt to re-take Princess Olivia from their grasp. Another one went to Venesia, to explain their failure to the Doge and possibly attempt to start an alliance to repel Brendorn's possible advance in worst case scenario as Your Holiness have said. We've received no news from the other team yet, but we knew that we, the Lughanta are supposed to gather back here. Showing results on what we've done." Silva stood up and explained what the crew are currently doing to Ivanova. She looked over to the others to see if they have some more to add on what she just said.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

As Amilia quickly takes over a work station on the bridge, she hurriedly works with her mechanical arm, to some protest seemingly sabotaging the communications set. With some assistance from Aster she finishes her modifications as Aster orders the ship into the air. For now he would handle commands until Agatha could get out of her office and away from here.

Putting on her makeshift headeset Amilia seems lost in another world listening intently on the headset.

"Alright, Helm reverse then right full rudder, ahead full. Make for the mouth, avoid other traffic but get us out of here while the Cabal is in disarray."

Aye, comes the reply as the Lughanta heads out of it's berth, backing away slowly on it's own power, before making a sharp turn to the right, finally straightening out the ship heads towards the cave mouth opening that lead into Somnus. Narrowing her eyes in focus, Aster momentarily disturbs the young woman. "Can you really hear what's out there? This is a huge expense for a hunch." If results weren't forthcoming he doubted Agatha would let even him slide without a rebuke. The woman could be frightening when great expenses were incurred.

"Maybe.." She says in reply, flipping the ships speakers to communicate with the Bow. "Bridge to lower holds, if anyone can, flip the speaking box towards the wall, an open porthole, if you can funnel the mouth piece with a bigger metal coupling that would also help." Noting the raise eyebrow of Aster she didn't have a response that would satisfy him. Regardless a rather odd sounding voice comes back from that line.

"Oi will do! Ere we go Ladz!"

Almost immediately does she have better reception. "Hmm.. A signature is waiting outside the Mouth..hard to pick up with the surrounding traffic.." Fingering the switch Amilia speaks up again. "Put the speaker with it.." Tapping her metallic knuckles against the wooden desk she was seated at, she keeps the speaker pressed to it. Satisfied this was better than nothing, but the system needed major improvements, an isolated circuit even.

But for now it performed well enough, across the cackling air and whatever modifications the unknown figure was doing, Amilia immediately heard the sound of four reactors in locations, followed by a loud slamming and gear cranking.. Triggering the communications button for all locations the former Assassin bellows out.

"All hands brace!"​

Maridius

"Take us down and hard left, twenty meters now!"

"Helm carry out that order!"

Unsure of why he was doing this, the man complies, as two larger Erchuis artillery shells explode in the sky right above them, cackling with electricity and flame, sweeping over and expanding.​

"Lookouts! What was that!?" Aster shouts as a pair of eyes behind a scope rapidly spins towards the direction of the blast.

"Sir! Its the Maridius! I've lost contact, they've ducked into the clouds, making way for our baffles!"

Suddenly as the ship rights it's self, Agatha comes stumbling into bridge from her office, grape juice spilled over her shirt and down into her lap.

"What the hell is going on Aster!?" Explaining the situation and why her bridge was in as bad of shape as it was, Aster relinquishes command of the ship to Agatha. Beaming a smile, this was one of the few things she enjoyed about the job.

"Alright Amilia! Let's put those ears of yours to the test and lose these bastards!" While Agatha wanted to fight it the description of the ship made it sound like some sort of horrible hybrid of heavy armor and firepower, likely at the expense of speed.. Or so she hoped the Lughanta was still the fastest ship of her type.

"Yes.. Captain.. Sound, reactor four types! Barring Three O'clock, Down ten, no twenty meters below! 300 Meters off!"


"Helm! Come Right, up fifteen meters. Get the boosters ready, Gunnery Crew, prepare for point blank fire! Dive for the cloud cover, we'll follow. All Crew brace for evasive actions! Battle Stations! Fire at will!"

What was to follow in the wake of Agatha's orders was the Maridius firing it's Dreadnought and Cruiser level guns in a barrage, a single shell impacting as Amilia shouts out the barrings of the shells, smashing into the side of the Light Cruiser. All the while Amilia operates the communications set in turn, relaying the warnings and commands from Agatha.

Fortunately the shell slammed into the cargo deck, causing rather minor damage, likely a shell from the Cruiser. The Lughanta in turn returns fire with her own Magitek guns, scoring light hits that seemed to do nothing to the ships frontal armor plates as the pair pass one another dipping back into the clouds with lookouts on both sides calling out positions and barring before vanishing into the cloud cover.

".....5th Reactor powering up! I hear some sort of..gears? Barring, to our rear Five O'clock, thrity meters up.. Three hundred back."

Hearing the report, Agatha reaches a snap decision, gripping on to her command chairs arms. "Gunnery hold fire! Helm! Engineering! Engines Full stop, Hard Right and up 80! All Crew Brace!"

Receiving an acknowledgement, the ship slams hard to the right with it's remaining thrust carrying it upwards, just as Amilia pulls her ears away from the head phones a massive blue energy beam shoots across the previous course of the ship, traveling some distance before it finally dissolves. A magical beam cannon of some sort? With their engines cut from speed, the ship falls like a stone as the Pocket Battleship's main guns blast the location they had ran to. Were they just letting them go or really trying to kill them?

Putting her headset back on, Agatha orders the ship back to full power as they clear the clouds. "Alright! Engeineering! Activate the booster and engines, let's get out of here!" With a sudden jerking motion the Lughanta burns through the Erchuis fuel being pumped into the ring, rapidly bursting ahead as the Maridius follows, firing all of it's basic guns in a flak screen, before suddenly all fire ceases...

"...Maridius.. Three reactors running, barring changing to the North East, pulling away rapidly.. We've lost them!" With the sound of cheers erupting, Agatha motions for all on the bridge to be silent as the girl focuses on her headset. "No pursuit craft detected, I hear another craft, single reactor type to the far South, no other signatures detected."

"Ahaha! You might actually be worth spending money on, I have a feeling this system of yours is going to make me an even richer woman. Come by my office later, we have a commissioned contract to discuss. You conducted yourself very well, Might leave you in charge of communications and I want to see some more improvements out of this idea of yours! Also, please head to the ships store and find something in your size, I can't have you sitting around in those slave rags, oh yeah get something to sleep in too, consider it on the house. Oh yeah we need to make up a position name for you.. This is something totally new."

"How about Sonar?" Amilia offers up, drawing narrowed eyebrows from Agatha in kind. "Sonar?"

"Sound Navigation And Ranging, I don't think it will ever work that well in the sky, but it's useful in finding attacks we can't see, like from behind or in the clouds."

"Huh, where did you come up with this Idea anyways? Sonar huh? I like the sound of it."

"When I was an Assassin, I calmly used a device like this to listen through walls to aid in my work. I never expected to use it like this.."


Pleased with their clean escape and what small details they had gained on the enemy ship, this was a good victory, outgunned and ambushed, by all rights they should have been sent crashing into the surface of Bumi, plus this idea of Amilia's could make a tidy profit, no matter how short lived.

"All hands stand down from battle stations, reduce speed to cruising, see if any messes need to be cleaned up, get me a battle report. Set course for the Kingdom! Oh, and someone send for a cleaner.. and more Grape Juice. Well that was fun. If anything else comes up, send for me Aster. Great job everyone!"

Relaying the instructions, calm would settle back, as an Orc who tied himself to a bow support beam to hang a speaker box set out a window crawls his way back inside.

"Now dat wuz da stuff!"

Now would begin the trip to the Kingdom's Capital, with Princess in tow and skins attached. Leaving the criminal city far behind, the crew could finally relax, even if uncertainty hung above them still. All the while, Aster was left to ponder if she meant real grape juice or more wine.

---

With the situation calmed back down and only a few of her things thrown out into the floor, Sorina is grumpily awoken from her sleep. "Ugh..I just wanna sleep...meh.." Rubbing her eyes and yawning, Sorina seems rather obvious to the commotion that had happened before, or at least not worried and why should she? She could fly if the ship decided to crash after all. Adjusting her gown and cap she decides to make use of the disturbance, picking herself up with her mattress to where it had slid. Having wrote up some flyers she grabs a handful of them, angrily opening her door, she grabs the first crewmen she sees by the shirt. "Eh-Hey. You. Do me a slight favor and post these up in the Mess Hall and Lounge would you? mhmehmmehm..sleep.."

Not wanting to argue with the Blood Princess the man simply nods his head yes as the aristocrat lets the leaflets fall, slamming her door shut as a loud yawn, fallowed by a bed hitting impact could be heard. She didn't seem as frightening when sleepy, pushy as always though.

Reading the leaflet, it was rather well wrote in a form of so called High-Infernal Script with fancy letters that matched the common language.

Spoiler

"Dear Crew of the Lughanta, I Sorina of House Caramitru graciously hereby extend to you a dearly needed invitation to a lesson this afternoon for the purpose of meaningful practical Drill and Combat Training to better improve the cohesion, teamwork, and combat capabilities of the crew to the minimum Standards of the Netherworld's Army, in line with Blood Devil Traditions. Please only come if you are prepared to sweat. Bring your own weapons, but practice ones may be provided based on observed competency, this is of my own time, so I nor the Company are liable for your repairs. Please only those who are serious, this is something of an adjustment to my sleep schedule. The lesson will be held at dusk till roughly some time past dark for two to three hours.

Sincerely, Sorina, House Caramitru."

 

[Astoria]

Relative to her normal demeanor, Charlotte was in a proper sour mood. Like any sane individual, she had little toleration for receiving projectiles to her back, and let alone somebody that, in theory, was an ally. His refusal for cooperation had cost her the potential for an interesting new slave, but more importantly, the vampire girl was deeply worried about the prognosis of her complexion from such a blow. Indeed, with her mind running a one-track loop, despite the flames and the chaos of civil war erupting in the city below her, she made a beeline for the company airship still sitting within the city grounds.

Using her blood magic as a simple stop-gap measure to stem her own bleeding, coagulating her blood, she silently cursed Venrid again for his actions as she finally swooped down into the Lughatha, making her way to the resident ship's doctor to be taken care of.

-


"Ahahaha… what a mess…"

It was only after she was patched up, reassured by Kamov's, bandages, and his special gel, that she'd realized what trouble she'd helped orchestrate. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she knocked the upside of her head with her own fist. From the safety of her cabin window, she watched, almost sadly, as the flames crept, advancing through the town as she listened to the report of large-caliber gunfire in the distance, blowing pieces of the city apart with each echoing blow.

Charlotte was perhaps one of the few aboard, or at this point, even in the city, that had preferred the city how it had been, under cabal rule. While it was one city out of many, she'd still built up relationships, friendships, and agreements with many, and seeing it burned to cinders was a sore disappointment. And at a very base level, should the cabal fall to the rebelling slaves, it would be one less place to buy them. In the end, there was little use crying over spilled milk. Still, she wanted to return to the city and have her own fill of the commotion, but there was a time and place for everything; with her injuries and outstanding commitments, there was little gain in staying.

-

That much quickly became obvious as the ship took to the air. Charlotte let out a sigh of relief; never would she have thought in any recent memory that she would be overwhelmed by a series of events. Following Kamov's words, she shifted to rest on her bed with her chest down so pressure wouldn't be placed on her back. She'd get some rest, and then deal with that fool properly when she woke up.

Unfortunately, the tactical situation outside had other things to say, as an urgent voice amplified through the communication pipes all around the ship.

Brace.

The vampire shot right back up, taking hold of her bedpost as the airship suddenly maneuvered violently, buffeted by what felt like proximity fused shells exploding nearby. Even with a hull between her and the outside environment, she could feel the concussive force of the airbursts. It was clear that the warship that had been bombarding the city had now taken offense to the Lughatha's presence. She had half a mind to go see the battle from herself on deck, but thought better of it as she listened to the report of her ship's own guns firing back at the so-called pocket battleship. She herself was no naval expert, but she knew that it was a lopsided engagement that was not in the Lughatha's favor if they tarried about for too long.

But soon enough, the vessel was buffeted by a brief turbulence as they entered white clouds, and then there was a peaceful silence. It seemed like they'd disengaged successfully. And with the moment's excitement over, she went right to sleep.

 

[Miya]

In the evening after the meeting with the Grandmaster and Ariel, Cera comfortably leaned on a wooden chair with a book in hand. The brown, hardcover book was as thick as a light novel, with the title "How to Let Go" printed in front of the book. The half-Infernal was seemingly immersed in it, as her crimson eyes moved from word to word, attempting to understand and digest the book's contents.

Then, her ears picked up some faint noises coming from a neighboring room. Cera ignored it, thinking it was just a figment of her imagination, or maybe Ariel was going to talk to her again through telepathy. She tried her best to steer her focus back to the book she was currently reading, but to no avail.

("If I'm not mistaken, it was coming from Silva's room...")

The half-Infernal eventually closed her book, and placed it on the table in front of her. She then got up from her seat, intending to investigate the source of unusual noise coming from Silva's room. Cera carefully exited her room, and made her way to the door that leads to Silva's room. She was going to knock on the door, but something told her that she should attempt to eavesdrop instead.

Placing her right ear on the wooden door, the half-Infernal heard something.

Something that she should not be intruding and she must keep a blind eye from.

("Is that...? But...")

However, Cera felt conflicted. She has a rough idea what was going on in Silva's room, yet she wanted a... resolution. After thinking for a few good seconds, the half-Infernal eventually peeked through the keyhole. At first, she saw nothing, aside from the dimmed lights emitting from the lanterns inside the room. Then...

The half-Infernal gasped, before quickly closing her mouth with her hands to prevent alerting the occupants inside. Cera slowly got up and backed away from the door, wide eyed.

("Am I embarrassed...?")

She asked herself when she placed her hands on her flustered cheeks, and it felt quite hot.

("Yes, I am. Right now.")

Having known the actual truth, Cera silently returned to her room...

---

* * *​

---

The half-Infernal was preparing herself for the meeting with the Divine-Queen, as she received the letter on her desk last night. For the last few days, it was mostly uneventful, although the crimson-eyed sellsword considered on visiting the Divine Seat's armory. Her father used to boast how great the blacksmiths are and superior quality weapons unseen in the markets of Venesia. Her current Magitek weapon, albeit a replica, is an offspring of the Divine Seat's ingenuity.

Then, gentle knocks on the door can be heard, signaling that it was time to go. Once she was done, Cera exited her guest room. Once the trio was gathered, the caretaker leads them to a large meeting room with drinks served on the side. With a statement that the Divine-Queen and her escorts are arriving soon, the caretaker bids the trio farewell. At first, Cera wanted to talk with the other two, but soon realized that it was better to be said after the meeting with the Divine-Queen.

The brief silence was interrupted when Ariel entered the meeting room...

With a tall rabbit Youkai beside her.

"Good morning, everyone."

Ariel proceeded to introduce the Youkai as Chokichi Tano, who will be joining with them in the meeting later on.

"Chokichi, I'd like you to meet Silva, Cera, and Ádalé."

Cera raised her eyebrows as she looked at Chokichi who was towering her.

"Hello, Ms. Tano..."

She greeted as professional as possible, although awe can be perceived through her expressions.

...

Once the introduction was done, everyone took their own seats, waiting for the Divine-Queen's arrival.

---

Cera's crimson eyes narrowed as Divine-Queen Ivanova and her escorts entered the meeting room. Thanks to the constant... descriptions from her Casanova father, she managed to recognize Diana, one of the pair of Eidolons controlling the Divine Seat. She could not recognize the other white haired Celestial, however. The Divine-Queen formally greeted the four.

"It's been a while, Silva, and for everyone else, if you may be so kind to introduce yourselves?"

Once Silva was done greeting the Divine-Queen, Cera stood up.

"Good day, Divine-Queen Ivanova." The half-Infernal bowed. "I'm Cera Scarlet Regnier, the eldest daughter of Gerald Regnier and Liselotte Regnier. Currently a mercenary, serving under the Lughanta Company."

She noticed some inquisitive gazes directed on her, most likely when she introduced her family background. With a bow, Cera sat down, passing the opportunity to make a short introduction to the others.

...

Once everyone was done introducing themselves, the Divine-Queen began her words on the current ongoing matter. She eventually concluded that war is inevitable. However, Grandmaster Maximilian suggested that it is still possible to salvage the situation, before hinting the Lughanta's crew to speak out their part. Being the team leader for the expedition, Silva was the first one to speak out, stating out the plans to prevent another all-out war.

"We've received no news from the other team yet, but we knew that we, the Lughanta are supposed to gather back here. Showing results on what we've done."

With that being said, Silva was done, giving the others a chance to add in. For Cera, there was nothing much to be said. Whether the war will happen or otherwise directly hinges on recapturing Princess Olivia. Should they fail to recapture her...

"Ms. Sloan is right." Cera stood up, supporting Silva's points. "Should we manage to recapture Princess Olivia, we'll have a chance on preventing another all-out war with the Brendorn Imperium as she will testify against the Empress in regards to the Void technology."

She bowed and sat down afterwards, signalling that she was done with her suggestions.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

​

Waking up again a few hours later, the young Blood Devil yawns, stretching her body out. "Ugh so Early.." Preferring to operate at night she was no stranger to day light operations and had developed something of a good internal clock and waking mechanism. Getting up from her bed, Sorina ventures briefly into the hall, taking a chance to peer out a porthole the sun was low over the horizon the overcast a dim orange.

Turning to return to her room Sorina quickly dons her armor, grabbing her lance the Infernal pauses. She had neglected to mention where the training would take place, but from her mentioning of the sun and moon plus the general confines of the ship, it left only one logical conclusion to where the training would take place, the upper deck.

Making her way to the open deck twilight was fast approaching, casting the ship in it's warm glow, a few people had seemed to have came, more to watch than participate. To be expected of Mercenaries. Well, it was something at least. Heading to the front of the group there was little point in treating them like fresh recruits, but there were fundamental flaws in what they had been doing till this point, one in which she had bared the brunt of.

Clasping her hands behind her back, spear resting on her right shoulder, the Blood Devil Arrogantly stares on those assembled. "Oh-ho, if you came for a show I suggest getting the mechanics drunk down below. I would ask you all to stand in formation, or to line up, but I think that would exhaust the capabilities of a good number of you." With an awkward shuffling of feet some of them do at least make something half resembling a formation. "On the last several missions we have had a traitor in our midst's that caused massive death, damage and mistrust. On yet another we lost a crew member to an organized assault and were a puppet to a little girl's schemes. To top it all off we have adventures, pacifists, friendly fire and general lack of co-ordination in allied units."

Looking pointly at Venrid and Charlotte who had joined the show, a faint smile forms on her lips before vanishing. "Bounty Hunters, adventures, failed or retired soldiers and plans made out of desperation. While it is no secret we have the Princess back, War still looms. With the flailing about you all do, how will you ever survive a coordinated battle with Imperial Forces? Individually you all for the most are skilled to one extent or another.. But I can assure you others may be or just are better. And an organized mob of peasant spearmen with a little training would kill the better part of you."

"The Infernal Races are made up of several types and far more rebellious than you lot. For Centuries have we Blood Devils been the Shield and the Sword for our lands. We believe in the use of Chaos, the individual's power and skill playing a fundamental role in our Army. But we operate in concert with one another, I foolishly have charged ahead many a time, to find finicky or limited support at my back."

First was the reasoning now came the hardening.

"So, Maggots and Children, if you will not be useful as soldiers, mayhap you'll do as food. During this class, for now I shall observe you, provide instructions as I see fit, and put you against one another. You will learn one another's patterns and abilities, when to back up one another at a moments notice, to operate in unison, you will follow my commands, you will say Yes Ma'am, Yes Instructor, or if you want to be a cheeky little Drow, Yes My Lady. As unlike you peasant filth I do have that title by right. I will drill you until you wish you hadn't came here! I will turn you into Instruments of war! Not thugs to settle disputes and hunt pirates! But this all is volunteer, if you want to turn and run with your tail between your legs, I won't judge you. but I won't support you either."

Stomping her foot down as her hands come forward, she grips her Lance, spinning it quickly before slamming it down to her side. "A pity all concerned parties must hold back, but there is a reason I am the Vanguard. I mean to see that traitorous bitch Dead and to give all our past enemies a run for their money, should any of you doubt me or see just a little girl with red eyes, then feel free to knock me down, you can run the class then. And of course there are a few small rules and pieces of advice I have for later.. A good Number of you may have been Mercenaries for far longer than I, but you still are not trained soldiers."


Overall Sorina was rather confident she could beat any of the crew one on one in Melee, mostly as she was prepared to go far enough to kill them, something a few of them would not do easily, those who were a threat to her in general terms however... Smiling, there was no point giving that away during this talk. Nor would she mention that she also had some to learn from this exchange.

 

[R-9 Pilot]

Saki nodded. "So that's how it is." It certainly explained the nice treatment after the guy had to leave in conniptions over the whole plan not working due to shit you can't predict. She'd worry about the why later, as for now, her path was clear. "Let's go, then." Without much need to keep the intimate distance with the conversation over, Saki gently pulled away from Yumi. She kept walking as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Best way to stay places you probably weren't supposed to be is to just act like you belonged there.

---

Yumi follows Saki's lead towards the guards. However, rather than follow Saki side by side, she walked on the rightmost extreme as to provide a different angle of attack. Yumi seems quite ready to draw her blade and end this fight as quickly as it begins. In anticipation of this, Yumi's attention is placed almost entirely on Saki, waiting for her first move to begin the assault.

---

Saki walked right up to the next checkpoint and set of guards. "Excuse me," she said, "we're here to see our prisoner."

One of the guards move to stop her. "I'm sorry, but I have specific orders not to allow anyone further in at this time."

"Well, isn't that just too bad," Saki growled, before quickly launching a strike at the man's throat.

---

Once Saki begins to make the low growling in her throat, Yumi springs into action. Yumi leaps forward, slashing the guard across his eyes, quickly following it up with a stab through the chest as the guard instinctively moves to protect his wounded eyes. She then bursts through the checkpoint, placing her first time anchor. Positioned seven feet in front of Saki, she intends to reveal any nasty surprises that awaited them from the front.

---

"Didn't have to kill 'im," Saki said as she tripped her own guard after putting him off balance and in a choking fit. A solid stomp to the head and he stopped moving, at least for the short term. "We'll get noticed eventually, so better move. How'd you hear about this plot or whatever, anyway?" Saki picked up the pace as she continued past the checkpoint.

---

Yumi comments as she moves down the long corridor at Saki's pace, "Maybe you didn't need to, but I'm not strong enough to knock someone out quickly." Yumi repositions her eyes forward, "There are spies planted in the palace. The Draconus seem to be worried that the Doge is treacherous. It is in their interest to keep us alive as to divide the Doge's attention, and they might just be good people."

---

Saki shrugged as she jogged down the hallway. "Regardless of their motivations, not gonna question them if they're true."

---

The two guards were dealt with quickly enough and time was a pressing enough issue that it didn't matter whether they hide the body or not. According to what the Draconus crew said, the palace's hall was the last place they wanted to be. Saki and Yumi entered the underground complex, one of the oldest site in all of Venesia ever since the Merchant Republic was still an Imperial colony. Quite a heartbreaking twist that their independence would soon end, handed over by their own leader. However, it only proved the famous Venesian saying that 'everyone has their price'.

Taka should be closely following behind them but what about John? Now it came to them that the young warrior was missing sometime in-between their tour. Was he captured? As much as the group wanted to find out, the circumstances just didn't warrant them to go back, it'd be tantamount to suicide. For now, they must cross their fingers and hope for the best.

Soon enough, guided by the chatters and pained moans, the group arrived before at the corridor leading to the dungeon's torture chamber. Through the barred window, they could see their prisoner, hanging from the chains attached to her wrists, a pale bluish light shining down on her battered form. She had whip marks, burnt flesh, and bruises all over her body, a far cry from the once prideful dragon warrior. In front of her were two guards, chuckling as they played cards and drank ale, heedless to the dragon's groans.

For Saki in particular, though they were once enemies, the tortured girl was still a close kin, she wasn't just a Youkai but a fellow Ryuu, mighty dragons, would she let this affront to her clan's dignity continue?

---

Saki paused at the door momentarily. "Hm…" She took a few deep, calming breaths...and then breathed a gout of frost and chilling air right through the bars. In the moments that followed, she set her stance, eyed the door with determination, stepped in, and knocked it off its hinges with the strongest side kick she could manage.

She followed through, stepping lightly into the room. "I'm dissatisfied with your treatment of our prisoner, so I'm going to have to take her back."

---

Yumi, unlike Saki, spent absolutely no time with fanfare. Jumping onto the door, Yumi latches onto it so that she can jump off of it with the additional momentum provided by Saki's kick. Rocketing through the air at ridiculous speeds, Yumi pulls back her legs like a spring so that she can unleash a ferocious double air kick at the head of one of the guards, while simultaneously slashing at the weak point of the armor of the second. These moves were calculated as the fastest way to get these guards away from their victim, but it had a cost. With no way to stop her forward momentum, Yumi crashes into the wall having only barely done anything to slow herself. While the extent of the damage had yet to be seen, Yumi seemed to have trouble getting back up to her feet.

---

"Brr… is it just me or it's getting cold in here?" The guard shuddered, the cards still held between his fingers. "No, I feel it too… hey, bitch!" The other guard whipped angrily towards the shackled youkai, "Is this your doing? I'll fucking gouge your eyes ou- what the-?!" Their angry remarks were interrupted as the door was violently detached from its hinges by the dragon, no not the prisoner, the other dragon just outside the missing door.

"Who?!" The guards were clearly not pleased, standing up from their seats, hands on their blades and magitek pistols. Just as they drew the guns, a certain petite halfbreed swiftly struck one guard's head, taking him off guard. "Gah!" The sheer momentum and surprise factor managed to make him lose his balance, falling unceremoniously on the cold stone floor, hitting the back of his head, good thing he was wearing a helmet. "Uuugh…" Still alive but disoriented, he slowly wobbled back up to his feet.

The other guard was on the receiving end of Yumi's blade but he managed to narrowly evade a clean strike and combined with his armor, even if it was a weak point, Yumi struck the chainmail underneath the plate. "Hmph!" He reacted by swatting the small cat with his gauntlet, sending her careening to the wall right next to the barely-conscious prisoner.

"You aren't supposed to be here." They scrutinized the golden-scaled dragon and the raven-haired cat entered the room, "Oh no, you don't, intruder. This one is the Doge's property now, a criminal. Apparently, animals like you two are too stupid to obey rules!" The two guards drew their guns, one aiming at Saki and the other at Yumi, then bang! They fired a bolt of fire each to the duo.

---

Saki rolled out of the way of the blast of flame, quickly getting back to her feet. "Yeah, but at least we don't treat prisoners like animals." She drew her sword, unleashing a horizontal wave of energy toward the nearest guard.

---

Yumi, caught in a situation without any good way out, decides to activate the time anchor she placed earlier to return to the time before she entered the chamber. With her mind and body restored, Yumi burst off at full speed. Having nearly hit the fifteenth second limit before her anchor expired, Yumi found herself uncomfortably far away from the action. If she had a ranged weapon, this situation could have been advantageous, but with only her dagger this time jump meant wearing herself down just to get back into striking range. Yumi watches the scene closely, hoping that Saki could hold her own for the brief moments she'd be in a 1 v 2 situation.

---

"Wha-?!" The Dragon swordswoman was fast, too fast for the guard as she unleashed a lightning-fast strike with her curved blade, sending a wave of kinetic energy fueled by her Magitek weapon. "Gah!" His shot missed as the wave struck square at his armored plant, creating a dent as he was thrown backward. "Ah…" Struck but not out of commission.

"The hell?!" On the other hand, the other guard blinked his eyes in utter confusion as the small cat-eared girl instantaneously disappeared from her spot, his shot hitting nothing but the wall. He turned towards the door and there she was, right near the entrance. Wha-... how?! Gritting his teeth in annoyance, the guard brandished his blade as he decided to help his comrade slay the golden dragon first.

"Yaaaah!" The two guards unleashed a two-pronged assault at Saki.

---

"Didn't anyone teach you to wait your turn?" Saki kept her guard up, fighting defensively. She deflected the attack of one of the guards, sidestepping to put the man between her and his comrade. The hell did Yumi go, she wondered as she kept her guard up. She continued her careful dance, staying out of the middle of her two opponents, focusing more on keeping them and their swords away than on doing any significant damage. In the short term, at least, she could stall and wear them down.

---

Yumi found herself grateful that Saki understood the fundamentals of fighting multiple opponents. Thanks to her ability to prevent them from ganging up on her, Yumi managed to sprint back in time to get back into striking range. Unfortunately, Yumi struggled against heavily armored opponents like this due to her lack of strength, but even she could pose a threat to them if they gave her too much of an opening. If she could just take enough pressure off Saki, Yumi would be happy with her contribution.

---

The Dragon kept her composure well even when fighting against multiple opponents. However, the cramped nature of the dungeons prevented her from utilizing her superior mobility to the fullest and she couldn't just barrel through her armored opponents. "Die, lizard!" One guard struck at her with a swing as Saki parried the other, he managed to graze the scales on her arm before the blonde Youkai deflected him, pushing them back.

Saki's tactic of keeping on the defensive and staggering them enabled an opportunity for Yumi to flank the guards. Her small size and agility paid off well as the guards were mostly focused on the biggest threat in the room, figuratively and literally. "Ah?! Get… off me!" Pestered by the halfbreed, one guard was forced to divert his attention to her, opening a window of opportunity for Saki to engage a single opponent uninterrupted.

---

With only one opponent to focus on, Saki pushed back on the offensive. She moved in with a high feint, followed quickly by a sharp kick thrusting down at one of the guard's knees. She didn't bother to see if she'd broken anything as she let her momentum carry her forward. The man was off balance, and that would be enough of an opening. Too close for a good swing, she instead pulled her sword back for a thrust at an exposed joint.

---

Seeing that Saki made an opening in her fight, Yumi also feints an attack, but instead of confronting her target, backs up to create space, preparing to spring forward with her signature pounce. Anyone with half a brain would know how telegraphed such an attack would be, but turning to assist his partner would be impossible while Yumi could retaliate with a full force strike wherever she wanted. With all the space Yumi created, she left the guard in a catch 22. Stand your ground while your partner dies, invade no-man's zone and suffer a disadvantage, or ignore the threat and eat a full force attack. In all scenarios, Yumi came out on top.

---

The scuffle of battle echoed in the dungeon's stone walls as the first guard was staggered by the dragon, the strike against his knee destroyed his footing, causing him to stumble. "Aaah!" A pained scream rang from behind his helmet as Saki's blade pierced through the chainmail protecting his shoulder joint, impaling him.

"Bastard!" The other guard was enraged, forgoing Yumi to assist his friend, falling right into Yumi's attack of opportunity. Caught by the full force of her pounce, his armor became a liability as he fell to the side along with the halfbreed, helpless to further attacks.

…..

A moment later, two incapacitated guards lied on one corner of the interrogation room. With the threat take care of, Saki could finally rescue her fellow dragon. The blue-scaled Youkai certainly looked worse for wear, barely conscious, but she was a dragon, she'd pull through. Now if someone could get her down.

---

Saki searched the guards for the keys to the cell and manacles therein. Surey any further protest had been beaten out of them. She let herself into the cell to finally recover her countryman.

"Sorry about all that," Saki said as she got the other dragon down. "Not sure what we'll do with you, but it'll be better than whatever those bastards had planned." She helped the other woman out of the cell, offering a shoulder to lean on if it was needed.

"So," she said to Yumi, "I'm sure we've quite worn out our welcome by now. You've got a way out, right?"

---

Yumi nods, leading the way towards the secret path. Rather than relying on the map, Yumi simply recalled the details, taking Saki to the exit. Still on guard, Yumi pays a keen eye to her surroundings the entire way.

---

"Haaa… uh... heh…" The prisoner, beaten and battered, could only curl a dry smirk as the fellow dragon released her chains. She groaned as Saki helped her up, her feet wobbly, damn it hurt, these human bastards. "Let's just… get out of here." The mercenary didn't have the energy to ask questions or demand explanations, however, from the looks of things, the Doge and his men screwed the Lughanta crew as well. This job was one big clusterfuck.

Entering the secret door disguises as part of the wall and guided by Yumi, the party went through the secret path. The trio of Youkai, two Dragons and one Owl, followed the Cat halfbreed as they traversed the dark corridor. The ancient escape tunnel was clearly not used much, evident by the mosses and webs marring the stone walls, floors, and ceiling.
---
Meanwhile, back at the interrogation chamber, a rather displeased Guard Commander stood, hands gripped into fists. The hostages, slipped through their fingers, playing them for fools. How…? Surely they couldn't escape alone, they must have help but from whom? Don't tell him…
---
Soon enough, the party could hear the caws of sea gulls echoing in the distance and the smell of sea air wafting in the air, they were close. The light at the end of the tunnel marked the exit and lo and behold, they exited the mouth of a beachside cave. They could see a few sailors were waiting for them and behind them, just off the coast, was the titular airship of the Draconus Mercenary Company.

"I'm glad you're all safe, Yumi, Saki, Taka," A familiar voice called out to them from the side, it was none other than John, "Sorry if I seemingly disappeared, one of the Camus' men approached me and… ah, I'm sure you already know. Anyways, these men are on our side, we are leaving off this greed-infested nation." He nodded as the motioned for the party to embark on an airboat parked on the beach.

 

[Karyra]

Specific Mentions of: @RedArmyShogun
​

Sonya had been eating breakfast when she had seen the leaflets that Sorina had posted up around the ship. Teamwork and cohesion, eh? Good luck with that, Sonya thought as she skimmed it. She couldn't tell if that was directed at her antics of splitting off to do what she wanted, but she followed orders. She scouted out the ship and even as a bonus helped rescue the princess as Seven slightly damaged the ship.

Besides, teamwork was overrated. Sonya had done all her own work for a long time and the one time, the one time she worked with people, they ended up trying to stab her in the back. On top of that, her own parents had agendas for her. If she had done what they wanted, that would be whole other sense of betrayal. In short, it wasn't worth putting your life on the line for someone.

Yet, Yumi's words stuck in her head and Sonya had to admit that if she didn't show up and Yumi decided to blab because of her not trying to be trustworthy. Pfft, who trusted a thief?

As Sonya finished up her breakfast, she elected to go and see what all the hooplah was about. Of course she'd need to rest to make sure she made it through this training, but maybe she'd learn something about this ship in doing so. Yeah, maybe this would be fun.

---

Halfway into Sorina's speech, Sonya was sure this was going to be some kind of torture. The Blood Devil clearly held them all in low regards, and what had Sonya been thinking going to this dumb event. And of course Sorina had to tell Sonya to call the Blood Bitch my lady. Sonya would sooner stab herself in the throat than call her that.

For now, she could only roll her eyes and go off to find a partner for the sparring.

 

[Astros]

Collab w/@RedArmyShogun​

Great… Two of em.

Was the cynical mood that Venrid took, at the mention of "Blood Devil". He could still remember his more recent encounter with the race of Infernals and it was painfully apparently like many times before, they were all just so damn arrogant and mighty.

He had been half asleep at the mention of the word, and shortly before the raising of the issue on friendly fire. Looking to Charlotte's dress and position in the file of volunteers during then, he had said nothing except for the disdain spoken by his eyes.

Yah just had to complain… didn't you… He thought idly.

Returning to his haven of darkness, beneath folds of his eyelids, Venrid clearly lacked in the enthusiasm department. Having chosen to come merely as a spectator, he was there to judge the possible benefit of having himself and the giant green killing machine in attending. But, with great difficulty, as the sun grew larger on the horizon he felt that his eyelids grew still heavier.

His mind being selective in what it was receiving by his ears, the majority of Sorina's speech was lost to him as he only processed bits and pieces of the words and the rest was mere mumbling. Head nodding next to his sword, it repeatedly inched closer to resting upon his hands which nestled on its pommel. Sat down unlike many who were standing, he was leaned forward in a state of half sleep. His body hardly holding the form.

I should… … … come back… … … night…

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

"Oh? I didn't know my list said Sleep studies, you have a lot of nerve… I think I found my match."

Continuing on, Sorina smiles in contempt, using her lance as a yardstick to clear the way. "Always remember these two things, You do not have to like your allies, but you do have to reach a common ground with them. Two, a Sentry that sleeps in the presence of an enemy force, is a dead Sentry."

Summoning up her blood lust, the Blood Devil seems more than a bit angry as she lifts her lance into the air, spinning it with a downward bash, the pole would connect with his head at this rate, though perhaps it was a test.

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

With a shock and jolt of movement, Venrid quickly lunged to the side within the moment of impact between the lance's pole end and the box he had been resting on. Sprawled out on the ship deck floor afterward, his languor all but disappeared in the face of the rude offensive as it made a quick mess of the small wooden crate. Donning a scowl that possibly could match Sorina's very own in intensity, Venrid scrambled to his feet before unsheathing his sword in the face of her bloodthirsty attack.

Having experienced the sort before, it was more of a surprise now given who the attacker was and their setting. But with the blood lust and slight killing intent waking all his senses and urging them to fight, he wasn't sure of what to reply in kind with so simply readied his stance before blurting.

"The hells yer problem!?"

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

"Oh, I'm sorry, you were just resting so peacefully, I thought it would be best.."

Pulling her lance back with a sadistic smile, she prepares another blow; "...you didn't wake up."

"Or so I would like to say. I'm afraid I need to set a bit of a pecking order and you made the top of the list."

"Lesson One, always aim to destroy the Enemy in the first strike. Never do what you are not prepared to have done to you. For this challenge we shall battle till one tires out or submits. No lethal blows of course. I thank you for being so Eager to volunteer."

"Lesson Two, when the element of surprise is lost…" Rushing off on her feet with blood flowing and crystallizing into wings. "..use speed and force of arms to keep your opponent reacting to you." With a flurry of strikes, it didn't seem Sorina was trying to hold back at all, her blood lust emanating as she rushes Venrid with polearm in hand, in spite of being small, the physical power she possessed was something of a shock, being on pair with the Orc in all likelihood.

Aiming the blade in a sweep, her face betrays no emotion other than a soft smirk.

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

Side stepping out of the way of the second downward swing of the lance, it became clear to Venrid if not already, that the Devil was making for a fight and not asking. Prattling on about the necessities of striking first, she began to aggravate him, and more so than simply having attacked him out of the blue. Equipping his shield in his left hand and discarding the sheath of his sword, if she was wanting a battle of endurance then he'd be more than happy to give it to her.

Focusing his mind on situation at hand and pushing away the trivial concerns for restraint, he didn't intend to play nice just by her asking, and especially after what she just attempted. Steeling his nerves and quickly brushing off the lethargy in his muscles, his shoulders gyrated and neck cracked as the blood got to pumping to the needed areas.

Watching as wings of blood materialized and the woman rushed forward, sequences of the fight with Shinobu briefly played in his mind as a flurry of thrusts blurred his vision. Careening his neck and head out of their way, the amount of attacks were a challenge to keep up with from the outset. Not counting on the strength behind them, Venrid was a little shocked to find his deflection fail and the spear to graze his shoulder. Soon followed by a quick jab aimed at his torso, he failed again to match her strength and the resulting counterattack was even graver.

Pressed into bobbing and weaving, but deflecting to spare his vitals, Venrid was continuously pushed back and kept in constant motion with no room for advance or attack. Clenching his jaw at the predicament, he kept on the move, but refused to back up a single step unless absolutely necessary. Needing to get in close so as not to fight an ever retreating battle, given the lance's range, he reluctantly waited for the inevitable attack to rear its ugly head. A swing.

Fancying himself lucky as it was aimed toward his legs, he nimbly leaped into the air and let the pole sweep under him. Looking to dodge, but in actuality planning an offensive of his own, Venrid's feet quickly snapped back down atop the metal bar, near the tip, before his sword drew back in a swing aimed at the woman's hands that firmly grasped it.

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

"Lesson Three, should the enemy..." Twisting the polearm in mid speech and flipping it upwards as she took flight briefly; "...take the high ground, counter the fulcrum of the attack."

Watching as he landed back on his feet, still attempting his swordplay, it was sensible in theory. If she were an untrained spearman at least. Rather than the slower clumsy arcs from before, she maneuvers the lance in a tighter, almost rowing pattern, followed by moving the spear length in her hands for stabbing, while alternating with blocking. In some ways this was even more of a test. While a creative counter it had some issues in the follow up, it would be curious to see what the bounty hunter would do next.

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

The pace of the fight was changing, and not in his favor. With his slash merely rebounding off the underside of the lance and his opportunity for a counter gone within seconds. Venrid now had an opponent in the air and with a comfortable distance between them. There would be no way he could reach her now as she hung by her red wings. Suspended above like a human looking down at an animal in its cage. He was more or less left helpless to only defend her increasing onslaught of attack.

Raising his shield to partially block, the fabric around his arms began to dye red from the accumulating wounds on his forearms. The longer the bout drug on the deeper shade they became, until the point where Venrid began to tire from continuous strain of constant struggle. Having a few times dodged instead of blocked, hoping to draw in the devil to cleave her head off. He every time was disappointed to find her back off and return to the incessant rowing motion that she used to hide her point of attack.

Nothing like the spear man of the past, she was cold, calculating, and calm. Every opening was soon closed with a flap of her wings in retreat or a raise of her pole in defense. And only the tip of his blade managed to reach her at times, and always to be reflected back by her lance or armor. The damned thing on her body made the fight even more insuferable as it left his field of attack to her arms, legs, and head which were all heavily guarded.

Cursing having even shown up to this damned thing, his regrets only exasperated his frustrations which shown in his bizarre use of a kick instead of his sword when favorably left with an opening by his opponent.

"I don't need... *huff* Yah fucking charity! *huff*"

Left with little chance of defeating the blood devil who ironically seemed to pose no danger at all with her small delicate frame, Venrid knew he'd have to resort to sly tactics in order to walk away without utter shame. Raising his shield again in defense, he clung it closer to his body before raising his sword above it. Intercepting another swing with it, the blade smacked down immediately against the knit covered steel. Seeming to fall back only only blocking and back stepping in retreat, to those watching it likely was an amusing sight to behold as the bad mouthed merc struggled so poorly in such a sore state.

But ignoring that fact and thinking only of the battle at hand Venrid clung to the throwing knives strung by leather against his chest. Gripping two between his index and ring fingers, they were hidden from view by the shadow of his shield. Waiting on a chance to gain some distance and force the Demon into a charged thrust, he ran around the deck in a mock attempt to gain distance.

After several minutes he finally received his chance and let loose of one under the guise of a block aimed at her throat. And after the spear made contact with the shield, he recovered and soon tossed another, but targeting her eyes.

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

"Oh." Sniffing the air, Iron..blood. Cheeky little shit. Lowering her lance slightly, Sorina swings her right arm upwards, intercepting the row of knives with a few stabbing into her at the joints. Grabbing onto his belt during his moment of Jubilation and pulling in close, she was more than a little pissed.

"Lesson Four, if the option to end the enemy presents itself at risk to you, take it." Next she rears back her head, smashing into him head to head with a brutal swing. "Lesson FIVE Strike to end your enemy once you have them in close!"

Releasing him, she angrily grips a pair of the knives, yanking them out of her arm. Those were aimed for her face or neck, so much for non-lethal rules. Staring at his wavering form, she hoped he would see a little reason at least.

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

Ridiculous…

Venrid thought as she intercepted his knives with split second decisioning. She wasn't human, that fact was painfully apparently in the difference of their strength and motor functions. But to the extent of knowing what to do in a matter of moments with no inclination as to the attack was nigh impossible.

Realizing this fact after his laugh of success was ended by a swift grasp of his equipment. He stared at her during the words of advice, eyes wide in surprise but brow folded in frustration. Counting on her attack by the closing of distance, he wasn't nearly as swift and only managed to return the headbutt in angle as their skulls smashed into one another. Connecting with the partial top of his own head the following shot of pain dulled his skull before he stumbling back.

Not falling out of a mix of personal pride and simple refusal to do so. His arms chose to instead, and partially went limp in fatigue and pain as trickles of blood flowed down his forearms and to the floor while running down the length of his sword. Breathing heavy, it had been a good long while since Venrid had been so taxed from a battle. Known and proud of his capacity for endurance, it was more than a shame to be reduced to the state he was in.

Not particularly fond to see how this fight would end if he drug on despite his injuries and hating more than anything that soft smile that hadn't faded at all in the moments during, and had mocked him at every pass. Venrid wanted it gone along with its pompous arrogance, whatever the cost. Stopping from his momentary break and raising his weapons once again, the Devil took it as her que to begin the onslaught once more. Taking to playing with him now, as much as needed to teach a lesson to those watching and likely to rub her ego, the attacks were not nearly as fierce as they were before.

Taking notice and squeezing the color out of his hand on his sword hilt, Venrid abandoned reason and looked for the moment of attack where his shoulder would be the target. After a few piss poor attempts at his arms again, the moment came and he rashly stepped forward. Not bothering to raise his shield, the lance landed true and pierced through his body with a deceptively devastating force. Twisting it away at the point of contact, Venrid forcefully bent his torso in order to push it back and close in before seizing the pole with his firm left as it passed through his shoulder.

Having momentarily blacked out from the pain of his collar bone shattering and the muscles being torn apart, the adrenaline in his system did well to move his body as he intended, and he wasted no time in gloating nor looking to the reaction of his foolish surprise tactic. Using the advantage and element of surprise he slashed swiftly at the woman's arms on the other end of the pole, intended to sever them in a last bid of defiance and cunning.

"Lesson Four... At cost to yerself .... make.. use *huff* of opportunities."

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

"Heh.. Good, very good." With that her smile vanishes, as bloody tendrils form along her previous wounds, intertwining with the blow, and up his sword arm, their crystallized forms stopping short of his jugular and eyes.

"Lesson Six.. Know your your enemy and you'll win half your battles, know your enemy and yourself and you'll win them all." Pressing back to her smile, the blood bolts seem to move closer.

"Lesson Seven, always finish off the enemy unless they are willing to turn and can be trusted. Without hesitation." Going in the rest she halts just briefly, as if millimeters from the kill. "But you are not an enemy. Your tactics are commendable, but lacking in finesse.. I may of had some problems had you had some support or tried the order of events differently. Your style is much better suited to working as a scout, ambusher, or support to a dedicated Heavy Infantry."

While he was a lesser creature, she could respect his tenacity. "Ah, I thought I remembered you… Until Shinobu pays we cannot have you dying to a pointless exercise." Withdrawing her lance and blood abilities, Sorina motions with the lance towards the back. "If you feel able to continue with the basic instructions and teamwork at least bandage yourself, it would simply not do for my position as instructor to have a trainee die."

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

"Heh... Yah know Demon... yah don't fight fair either. Heheh"

Remarking this on the use of her Sanguine Arts, Venrid stared at where his sword had met the short woman's skinny arms and was halted further by the red hardened tendrils that prevented him from severing them. Admittedly considering the move a bit of cheating on her part, he could still understand her not wanting to part with the precious limbs.

Sorely content with the sight of such things in defense, it was enough for his own self satisfaction, even if he had to pay a large price. Unaware almost of the tendrils inching toward his neck and face, he reflexively turned away from them as they creeped ever closer. Not intending to extend the fight given his current state. He knew all too well it couldn't continue on with any capacity worth the effort. His life, not at stake and nothing more to prove that he didn't already fail to. The bout of anger and surprise indignation had passed, and the pain of his shoulder slowly intensifying beside the cold truth of reality, of absolute defeat, had robbed the spirit and fight from him.

As he looked down at the woman's cold stare, and brow raised in question, she eventually drew her tendrils off with words of admission. Making light of them, it wasn't within Venrid to accept such words in defeat and no less from a woman half his size. Though that said, they weren't all hated as he flashed a quick smirk in response.

It had been a long while since he had such feelings of gratitude toward another in defeat and been allowed to walk away. Only during his younger years did he ever have such encounters, largely with his first trainer. One who challenged him seriously to the point of injury, but not simply in the name of sport. Back then, like now, he had been told to preserve his life and tend to his wounds. Usually bullheaded and not adhering to the reality of matches outcome, back then he pressed on, but now was different. It was an odd feeling, not having to fight tooth and nail to kill the opposing factor or run for your life in the face of failure and superior numbers. Almost nostalgic in a sense, but not enough to go about getting sentimental.

"Like I'd die before that bitch..." "Heh... And sorry Demon, but unlike you and the shield ... a hole in mah shoulder is time to quit."

Teetering on collapse at the end of his sword, Venrid stayed upright by the assistance of his blade plunged into the wooden deck. Groaning loudly as the lance was withdrawn and cut through his body once more. Only by determination and grit did he endure the pain fully upright. Blood soon rushing out of the fresh wound, he'd have to see about it before anything more could be done. Though, in the moment of calm after the storm and outburst of fighting, Venrid remembered what he had came there to do.

In a show of calm odd for the merc, he simply walked toward where the Demon pointed without word. No threats, curses or hate filled insults. Merely silent submission in acknowledgement of their skill difference. If the battle had been with her blood powers from the start it would have been a different matter. But with how things stood, she bested him at every turn with only the basics of her power and with pure skill alone.

For now, he would have to just submit to absolute defeat.

Managing on his own toward the direction of the stairs leading below deck, and leaving a blood trail in his wake, the familiar sound of laughter boomed into his ears from his blind right.

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

"Hmm, you'll learn respect sooner or later. Oh-ho Well if you can work up the courage to return. Same time tomorrow until people stop coming or I get bored. Minus the Day of Sol, have to let the hollies have a rest."

Watching him move on, those little knives of his were a nasty trick, he would be better served with a few small modifications to his equipment, something she would mention at a later date alone. "... Well there you have it, now if there were any more-"



As Venrid hobbles off, Orksen is there to laugh at him, eating a whole chicken as he does so. "Oi Ummie, shuuda thrown doz when yah stepped up, touh think da lil'demon will come see'yah, with some tips I'z also seen. Well Ummie letz getyah to da Dokz. Touh yea were at ah disavatege, she one'o doz Heavy Boyz, small but tank ammah, natural enemy fer a Ummie like you Ahahahaha!."

____________________________________________________________________________________________​

"Laugh it up... yah big green fucker."

Making for a leg of the Ork's chicken, Venrid still had enough energy to harass the giant. Putting it in his mouth immediately and taking a chunk from it, he smiled as the Greenskin's bellowed in anger. Though, admitting agreement to his assessment of the battle, it was clear he wasn't cut out to win from the start. Rarely did a swordsman of any caliber defeat a well trained spear man. However, that realization had taken too long to manifest.

Battling now with the searing pain, Venrid leaned against the wall and descended the stairs for Doctor Kamov's with Gorgutz in tow.


""Well, well, well, look what the Green Skin dragged in. Combat training tends to leave the combat out, but I guess you missed that memo."

 

[Astoria]

It took some time, but Charlotte managed to scrape herself out of bed in the morning. While the more nuanced traits of her race gave her an advantage over lesser races in recovering from injuries, the blond-haired vampire was still sore in the morning, prompting her to rub her back gingerly upon waking up. By a great coincidence, she had received one of her blood devil counterpart's flyers. Although she did not intend to participate in it herself, Charlotte thought that it would be an amusing sideshow to watch.

After raiding the ship's canteen for a nourishing breakfast, she arrived on deck, standing back as she listened to her slightly more self-righteous ally prattle on about her philosophy. Making a frown at seeing a familiar but unwelcome face across from her, she didn't make the same mistake as Venrid in nodding off to sleep. And because of another of the mercenary's countless mistakes, the adventurous vampire was given another treat.

"Aw, too bad he woke up~"

While it seemed as if Charlotte was mock disappointed that Sorina's sudden blow didn't connect with Venrid's head, the cheery vampire certainly wouldn't have minded if he'd ceased to exist. But he lunged out of the way, and she got the next best thing: a good round of punishment for Venrid, which Charlotte happy booed and cheered at varying intervals of the fight. Unfortunately for her, it was Sorina who put an end to fight, sending the bleeding mercenary down below to see the doctor. It would probably be a few more days before she'd get over her small vendetta against him.

Sneaking over to a certain green-skinned individual, she snuck a piece of his meal too before returning to her perch atop one of the still intact crates. Munching on the snack, she waited to see who Sorina would next 'spar.'

 

[Villamvihar]

That was a little disappointing. Ádalé was not sure what she had expected, but the Grandmaster seemed to take things in stride. Only a frown showed itself on his face. Ariel was much the same. Perhaps the knight had expected they would rally the whole of Fraulia just to meet the threat. Or maybe she expected they would be upset at their failure. But no response at all? That did not sit well with Ádalé. Instructors usually did that when they wanted to lull their charges into a false sense of security. Then they would punish them even more harshly for the mistake made earlier. This thought made Ádalé suppress a shiver as she listened to the Grandmaster's statement. She dearly hoped that would not be the case, because any punishment for failing a country had to be death. But maybe they were not liable for that?

She did not know. A feeling of uncertainty filled her bones even as she graciously accepted the hospitality of Fraulia's capital. Not a deep, unsettling one that she had felt before. This was more subtle. As the trio left the Grandmaster's presence, she realised that she was nervous. Anxious. Almost as if she could feel an unpleasant change hanging in the air. Ádalé may not have been alive during the last war, but she has heard some veterans of the Order talk about it. Massive armies on both sides. Casualites that went through the roof. Bloodshed that life and limb beyond a Celestial's healing ability. The knight may not have considered these points while she was simmering with thoughts of revenge. But now that she had stood before the Grandmaster himself, the reality of it hit home.

It was only a matter of time before another war erupted.

Perhaps it was unreasonable to think this way, but she did not manage to get it out of her head. She kept the thought from showing on her face as she was escorted to her room in an effort to keep it from her companions. She tried to come up with arguements against it. However, Ádalé found herself always arriving at the conclusion that such a thing was inevitable. She could not imagine how the empire could remain peaceful after what she saw on that Imperial ball. The people there were all too eager to shout the Empress' name. They looked almost as if they were replacing the Divine One with Kyri-

They did.

And as Ádalé realised all of a sudden, that was the source of her anxiety. The Brendorn Imperium did not respect the Creator. That was fine. However, they were just as willing to go to war in the name of Kyrie as if they were obeying the One. Thoroughly unsettled by this sudden relevation, the knight did not spend much time in her room. Her restless anxiety boiled over into her limbs and she soon found herself making rounds around the Cathedral. Not to appreciate its divine art. Not to look up at the magnificent pieces of stained glass. Not to pay her respects to her Creator. Not to seek peace. But simply to get rid of the tension which had strung itself so high in her. She shot for the Cathedral gardens for a long walk that would hopefully clear out her head and had written a simple note with her location in case she was needed.

---

A couple of days later, Ádalé found herself much more calm as she was escorted to Queen Ivanova herself. Her underlying worries still strangled the knight, but they settled into a calm sort of rationale. She had thought her points through time and again. She thought she knew what she would be saying, the concerns she would bring up to the One's representative herself. However, she had not counted on Ivanova's escort at all. The moment the group entered the room, Ádalé was forced into stunned silence as she beheld the form of Archangel Diana. The Divine Queen, she had prepared for. But Sol's living avatar of Order? The only one missing was the elusive and mischevious Ellysion to complete a trinity second only to the One along with Its Left and Right hands.

In essence, Ádalé found herself stunned for several seconds despite her best intentions. She probably stared for all too long at Diana along with the Divine Queen, not to mention that her plan of giving proper respect was shot to pieces. The knight spent all too long in silence as if she was a country bumpkin and when it was over, she felt her cheeks heat as she averted her eyes towards the ground. Would she be handed a measure of luck already? She felt she was making a fool of herself many times over as the others introduced themselves. It was almost as bad as the situation when she had to mingle in a party. Her only saving grace this time was the fact that she did not have a dress that made it more difficult for her to think than it really should be.

"I apologise for my rudeness." The honest apology was followed by a sincere, modest bow from Ádalé. "I didn't mean to greet your Majesty like this. If I'm still permitted to introduce myself, then I am called Ádalé Jertan. It is an honour to meet all of you, Queen Ivanova, Archangel Diana, Angel Orianna, Chokichi Tano." Right. Damage control done. A small sigh of relief left Ádalé's lips as she regained some of her confidence. It did not last long as she realised that she was the only one who had not spoken about the matter of princess Olivia yet.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I can agree with my comrades-in-arms on this. I don't mean to contest your Majesty's wisdom, or the One's insights... But I don't think a war can be avoided. I... your Majesty, if I may speak freely?" A wait for confirmation that she was then given. "I was in the ballroom when the Brendorn Empress made a speech to her people and I... feel like her people treat her as if she was the One. Even if we manage to get Princess Olivia back on our side, I don't think the Empress' people will forgive what happened that day." This was punctuated by another deeply respectful bow. Ádalé really did not mean to speak at such length, but she had to share her insight with Ivanova and Diana. Hopefully, her insight was not taken as insulting or belittling the One's representatives on Bumi.