The Sentence - IC

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Everything happened in a blur. The scream, Astra's appearance, Clanna getting knifed, two Guardians appearing behind them. Before Natalya could even react, she was grabbed by...Galina, was it?...and carried out through the window. A sliver of glass caught her face, releasing a small trickle of blood. Not enough to injure her, but enough to start the feeling of heat rush through her veins. Galina carried her down the side of the building and deposited her, thankfully on her own two feet.

"Are you okay?"

Natalya fought back a particularly foul curse. Clearly the small cut to her face was having an effect. "Well, we're now separated. One of our team is down, the other is stuck up there with what seems to be an unfriendly vampire and two Guardians. None of which are probably going to be particularly well disposed to her. This is going just great."

"We need to get back in there, see if we can catch those Guardians by sur-" Natalya was cut off by the sudden arrival of one of the Guardians, landing with a crunching sound that hinted at pain. She was carrying with her the little girl who had been with Astra. Well well well. No shortage of idiots today. Natalya was contemplating an attack when another came rushing out of the house, brandishing a rather menacing looking axe.

"So. You're the people who thought it was smart to impersonate us...Hmph. You'd better have a good reason for doing that. And for getting my ally here injured."

His attitude was pissing her off. She hated the hypocritical bastards with their holier than thou attitude.

"...Look, I'm pretty sure we're all after the same enemy here. I'll ask you all plain and simple: where's the vampire?"

"With all the respect due to you, namely fuck all, we can hardly be blamed for your imbecilic ally jumping out of a window. Maybe she should try thinking about the consequences of her actions...or would that cause some of you racketeers to develop a conscience? Guess they train it out of you. Also, vampire? What vampire? We're just looking for an old friend of ours."

Natalya thought quickly. Melea was now up there with one Guardian and Astra. Odds were less bad than they were. Chance for a turnaround here. "If things come to blows here, I'll take the axeman. You incapacitate the cripple and then go collect Melea if you can." Natalya whispered into Galina's ear, covering her mouth with her hand and keeping her voice low.
 
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Halberd
HP: ▋▋▋▋▋
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Halberd's fingers tapped against the handle of his axe as one of the women talked. Considering she just broke the law, she seemed pretty confident. And then she spoke.

"With all the respect due to you, namely fuck all, we can hardly be blamed for your imbecilic ally jumping out of a window. Maybe she should try thinking about the consequences of her actions...or would that cause some of you racketeers to develop a conscience? Guess they train it out of you."

"Mmm, helpful." Halberd said plainly. Just what he didn't need.
Christ... who even was this brat? Apart from strange clothing, she just seemed like an average swordmaiden - not too much to worry about. These were Goetians, though, so Halberd was ready for any tricks or fancy magic. Obviously, they weren't going to be cooperative, which was typical considering a small child was around. And obviously, this one wasn't a fan of Guardians. Halberd couldn't totally blame anti-Guardians... their taxes could really ruin some people's lives. He wished he could change that, but according to leaders, that was the way it had to be.

There was one thing he did agree with, though... jumping out a four story window and hurting your legs did seem pretty... moronic. Eleena still helped the poor kid out; Halberd at least gave that to her.

"Also, vampire? What vampire? We're just looking for an old friend of ours."

Could this girl be any more difficult? He then watched plainly as she began whispering to her quiet companion. Halberd remained still, unable to make out anything, but it was probably either insults or schemes. Did they think he was a joke? He didn't have time for this; they obviously weren't going to tell him where the vampire was.

"For crying out loud... can't you see I'm only trying t- .... ...just forget it. You're clearly not going to help me do some good for this rotten city. I'm just some tax-hungry prick with an axe in your eyes, right?" He said impatiently and methodically; he was used to saying this. He turned his head away from the unhelpful duo and towards Eleena instead. Mimo could decide what to do with the impostors later.

Halberd remembered the child Eleena had most likely saved, and turned towards her. Slowly, Halberd soon was bearing a relaxed smile and trying to hide his probably intimidating axe behind his back as he talked. The poor kid must be terrified at the situation.
"Hey... it's alright, you're safe now." Halberd said, trying to be reassuring as he could be, being a tall man in a black trenchcoat with a huge axe.
"If it's okay for me to ask... why were you even in there? Do you have someone to look after you?" Halberd said quietly, kneeling down to the child's level and placing his axe beside him. He wasn't armed right now, and if the two impostors saw this as an opportunity attack... then Halberd had a quick stab with Stiletta at the ready. But he doubted they'd just attack him out of the blue.
 
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Terren Keto
Vampire building -> outside
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As they searched around, looking through rooms, checking for evidence of a vampire - spots of blood, footprints in the dust, et cetera - there came a blood-curdling scream of terror, what sounded like a small girl from the pitch and tone. Its origin appeared to be from the attic.
Mimo acted faster than him, grabbing him by the shoulder, and telling him to go and get Halberd - if this was the vampire's doing, then they'd need all the muscle they could get.
Sliding his thumb along a rune upon the hilt of his bound sword, he extended it to its full longsword length. He would have extended to its full length as a bastard sword, not quite a greatsword but getting there, but he'd need to be able to react more quickly than that if he was jumped by either the impostors or the vampire on his way to Halberd.
Running downstairs, he looked around for Halberd quickly, before he saw him run out of the building, back through the doorway which they came in through. Following the man, and wondering where on earth he was going, he saw what he had run out to. Eleena was standing there, shattered glass around her, but her main asset, her speed, seemed like it would be impacted - she was hobbling, it appeared that she was injured. Looking up, he saw the window through which she had jumped, though he had no idea why she'd done such. It was then that he saw the little girl beside her, and those that he assumed must be the impostors, and from what they looked like, Goetians.
Halberd addressed them, and one of them, a pale girl, addressed him with no small amount of acidity and contempt.
Sliding his thumb upon the rune again, Terren extended the blade to its full length, holding it down, to one side, but he would be ready to strike or defend if necessary.
"Halberd, what the hell happened? And Eleena, why the hell did you just jump out of that window? Is the vampire up there??"​
 
As he grabbed a piece of fruit from the street vendor's stall they stood beside, Shotaro contemplated Konyuu's response. She made a lot of sense, really. It wasn't his fault, nor the fault of the Palace that the Guardians could no longer keep order as the self-appointed police force of Drisdane. Shotaro didn't have the luxury of thinking about the issue in any further depth or complexity, as the more senior champion motioned for the two junior ones to move up.

Following Konyuu's lead, Shotaro held position while she went into a building. Gave him time to eat the peach he had grabbed. Unfortunately, Konyuu was back in just under a minute. Well shit, he'd barely eaten half of the peach by then. Then came the bad news... Aesil's champions were on the scene and nearby. "Fantastic. Well now wh-" Suddenly he was dragged into the same house that Konyuu had recently scouted.

Dusting his shoulders a bit, Shotaro was about to smart off... until he saw the serious look on Konyuu's face. "Someone's coming, eh?" he whispered as his ally steeled herself for combat. Odd that Kato was nowhere to be found. Wait... did he wimp out or something? Shit. Regardless of the reason, being down a man was going to cause trouble if it came to a fight. ... and that's when it happened.

The wall they were standing behind burst apart in a fantastic shower of dust and debris. Taking another bite or two of the peach as Konyuu had a little monologue, Shotaro quickly crushed the remaining fruit in his hand after she told him it was time to rock. "You ain't gotta tell me twice, K-" almost before he could even ready himself, some crazy chick lunged in and tried to... bite him? What the hell? Apparently he was babysitting immature biting children now. Oh well... not his fault people were getting desperate for Champions.

After a quick sidestep and a hop away from the attacker, Shotaro yelled out: "Chew on THIS!" as he hurled the peach pit at the crazy little shit that tried to get a literal piece of him. "Because that's all you're getting from me today!" The air around the young Palace Champion began to shimmer. Shotaro's skin became flush with color as his entire body began to vibrate at a phenomenal rate, generating immense amounts of excess heat and energy. The ability he called "Shivering Flame" was now active, and it would make him significantly harder to harm.

"That... was... so... PERFECT!!!" thought Shotaro as he stared down the girl who tried to gnaw on him like a chew toy. Indeed, the timing, the line he chose, and even the fact he had something to throw... it was all as if it was written in a book. Absolute perfection. Well, at least in his mind. Now that the badass moment was through, he readied himself for the fight at hand. "Time for some shock therapy, you nutcase!" exclaimed the young man as small sparks of electricity arcs over his arms and legs.
 
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[BCOLOR=transparent]As Aesil charged at one of the Palace champions, Lyssa readied her hammer, observing Shotaro while keeping an eye on Konyuu at the same time. Aesil's method of attack was...disturbing, to put it mildly, but better to have her as an ally than an enemy. Still, there were two enemies in front of her, and she had a job to do. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Lyssa turned to Kanade and the angel for a moment. "I'll assist Aesil, the other one is yours!" She said quickly, before rushing up towards Aesil and Shotaro. She'd noticed that the man seemed to be using some sort of enhancement ability, and she had a damn good counter for that. Lyssa leapt forwards, slamming her hammer into the ground near Aesil and Shotaro, and golden light began emanating from the cobblestones as her Hallowed Ground came into effect, trying to nullify Shotaro's enhancements while also attempting to burn him. [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]The peach pit flew at her face, and without hesitation, Aesil bit down, swallowing the hard core without a single sign of pain. It hit the bricks in her stomach with a very distinct sound, but, ultimately, the scant bits of peach flesh did little to quell her hunger. Instead, it only made her hungrier. As Lyssa moved in, Aesil moved at the same time, following him out of the rays of brilliant light that emanated from the paladin's hammer.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]And, just like always, she opened her mouth, aimed this time for his legs, and ducked in for a bite. A delicious, delicious, meaty bite. Aesil always liked the leg portion of chicken, after all.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]Shit. Now it was two-on-one. Curse Kato for bitching out at the worst possible time. Oh well, now Shotaro would just have to show why he was to be feared just as much as Konyuu. … at least in his mind. Leaping out of range of the new opponent's hammer attack, he was immediately attacked again by the strange biting girl. In fact, she even bit a hole in his pants leg. She was seriously trying to eat him?! What the hell was wrong with her?[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Pivoting on the same leg that the girl had just attempted to bite, Shotaro torqued his hips and sent the other leg upward toward the freak's midsection. "Choke THIS ONE down, you frigging weirdo!" yelled the Palace champion. Why he felt he needed to yell at people during a fight… even he didn't know. But really, it showed his overall inexperience when compared to the more seasoned champions.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]Lyssa narrowed her eyes, already annoyed by this Palace champion's incessant yelling. What kind of bloody idiot felt the need to waste breath during life-or-death combat? It was pointless, and for that matter, counterproductive. Flamboyant Palace fool. Raising her hand, she formed several blades of light in the air around her and fired them at Shotaro, hoping to take him off guard while he tried to kick Aesil.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]Close. So close. Aesil's teeth had just chomped down a little too slowly, and as she tore her head back, only cloth filled her mouth. It was devoured in an instant as well, but it still wasn't enough. The beast girl could see the throbbing of blood through Shotaro's skin, so red and juicy and like a tomato. Not her favorite food, but...her body shook violently, viciously, as her hunger roared, raging at just how close she was to a meal. Suddenly, blades of light arced through the air, one of those golden swords slicing open one of the meal's limbs right as he began to kick for her.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]And then, blood flowed freely and Aesil lost control.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]A lunge, a bite, and, for the briefest of a moment, the taste of flesh, gracing her senses. She could feel his veins, his heartbeat, his very life rolling under his skin. And then, just as she bit down, her teeth, already chipped from her previous binging, shattered.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Aesil rolled back, on all fours, a mixture of animalistic hatred and sorrow on her face as her broken teeth fell out of her jaws and new ones grew out.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]So close. Even closer. But not close enough.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]She was a lucky little shit, that crazy cannibal. If not for her friend interfering, she'd have taken a hell of a blow to the midsection. It was only a few seconds in and Shotaro was already getting frustrated. The attack that interrupted him had an odd feeling that couldn't quite be described as pain. It wasn't cold like a blade, but neither was it hot like fire. Regardless, he was now injured and bleeding near the cannibalistic nutcase. That was not a very favorable situation, to be sure.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Sure enough, the cannibal then lunged again and bit into the arm that was now slowly oozing his lifeblood. By some miracle, the girl's teeth shattered. Odd, considering Shotaro had felt them hit his flesh. Whatever the reason, he had gotten lucky on this one. "I need to figure a way out of this… two on one is not cool at all." thought the Palace Champion as he rushed into range of the more immediate threat… the cannibal.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Stepping off of his right foot, Shotaro's hips turn slightly to compensate before his left foot touches down about a meter in front of his right. Both feet on the ground again, his torso would then torque violently as his arm thrust forward in a powerful straight-punch. Add in the fact that every unarmed attack that he made was augmented by a high-voltage shock, and you got one result no matter who you were... if his punch hit home, this girl would feel it in the morning.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]Honestly, what was this fool doing? Had he completely forgotten she was there? Lyssa raised her hammer, charging in as the Palace champion continued to assault Aesil. It didn't particularly feel right to Lyssa to simply use Aesil as bait, but as long as this Palace man continued to attack her and only her, she might as well take advantage of the opportunity. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Lyssa charged forward, infusing her hammer with light before bringing it down towards Shotaro's head to crush it into a bloody pulp. [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]
[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]Another lunge by the man that won't be eaten, and another punch that flew by Aesil, who was now almost chest to chest with him. She looked into his eyes and then watched his head get hammered away by Lyssa, a trail of blood spurting onto her face.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]An intoxicating sense, made all the sweeter by an undying hunger.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]As he stumbled away, Aesil made a conscious decision. She wasn't going to eat him in small bites.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]She wanted him whole.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Her eyes flared as space distorted, a horizontal magical circle emanating from the epicenter of Shotaro. Another, vertical one expanded next, before the two of them spun, creating house-sized sphere. In her hands, a ball of light was generated, a miniature of what was before her, and Aesil's bare hands wriggled with excitement, knuckles and joints crackling wildly.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]She stared back towards Shotaro, recalling a lesson.[/BCOLOR]

"Thank you for the meal."

[BCOLOR=transparent]Aesil opened her mouth, revealing thirty-two freshly made, razor sharp teeth. They shone vividly in the light of the sphere, and then crushed it, closing over it like a bear trap. For a moment, nothing happened.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Then, Shotaro, the ground below him, the buildings nearby, the very air that was present, disappeared. The wind rushed from behind her, filling the empty vacuum, rolling over her body and almost toppling her over. Food filled her mouth, and as she swallowed, more food filled it. So much meat, so much blood, so much skin, so much bone, so much half-digested peach, so much everything~[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]A soft moan escaped Aesil, as a clear liquid dripped from below her. Hugging herself, she dove into ecstasy as her hunger was finally fulfilled, if only for a moment. Her face burned, flushed red, and she fell to her knees, shivering all over. It was an odd sensation, her body so incredibly sensitive that even her own heartbeat triggered a sensation of pleasure and pain.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Was this happiness? This warm, feverish, mind-numbing, hunger-silencing feeling that embraced her entirety?[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Yes, yes it was.[/BCOLOR]
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The outnumbered Palace guardian had fallen, leaving but a single invader left. As Lyssa and Aesil eliminated Shotaro together, leaving nothing but a memory of his self, they turned to witness the greater battle underway mere yards from their position. The angel Ildaem fired flurry after flurry of blows at Konyuu, whose form had quickly turned that into a vague demigod -ethereal arms, numerous in number, hovered at her shoulders and back, following her commands as easily as her flesh and blood counterparts.

The angel slipped in and out of invisibility, appearing in brand new places to strike at Konyuu with a disembodied blade. Each time she caught the blade with her ethereal arms -sometimes even her very hands- and returned the favor with a series of strike herself. The battle was at a standstill, with neither foe gaining the upper hand, until...

Konyuu witnessed Shotaro disappear from the world in a flash, her eyes widening briefly before her resolve returned. Still, such a split second was all the angel needed. A blade of light appeared just before Konyuu's face, and as she bent backwards to dodge it, the blade nevertheless cut across her collarbone. Following up, Ildaem launched a lightning-fast axe-kick to her torso, knocking her into the stone street with a crash. The floor burst into rubble as she impacted it, creating a crater around her body.

Before she could arise, Ildaem had two blades at either side of her neck, but did not finish the blow. The two looked into each other's gazes, and Ildaem spoke up,

"What do the Champions of Aesil wish upon this one?"


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@RJS @Azathoth @Jakers @Meira @The_J

Eleena's dance around death was never more present than the split second she had staring directly into Astra's eyes, a look of absolute fury burning into the back of the Guardian's eyes. A single blade slid next to her neck, barely missing the skin as Eleena snatched the smaller girl and darted away to 'safety'. She was left untouched, but Astra clearly made a motion to follow suit.

A shot rang out in the attic, and Astra's rush for the window was halted. Tumbling to the floorboards, she cried out and curled up briefly before standing herself up on wobbling legs. A large red spot grew in width upon her belly, pierced by Mimo's jetstream shot. As she fired, the bullet barely missed Astra before quickly cornering itself and flying itself into Astra's body from behind.

Wincing, Astra, spoke up to the Warden, "Please, you must let me go. That girl needs me. You don't understand."

"Whatever lies you convinced her of believing... won't faze me, vampire," Mimo growled, tightening her grip on the musket. Astra laughed and closed her eyes. A dull glow overcame her body, and as she shot her eyes back open, the vampiress broke for Mimo with blinding speed.

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Throughout the short trip, Eleena's tiny cargo gave her no mercy, struggling as much as she could to break free of the Guardian's hold. Towards the end, she made a motion to bite Eleena but was set down away before she could sink her teeth in. Still, she remained as frustrated as before and summarily began to deliver weak but incessant punches into Eleena's belly, kicking her shins in between.

"You brutes!" she yelled over and over, "I was safe already before you threw me out of a window! Astra needs my help!" Before she could run away back into the house, Halberd's massive frame got in her way. As much as he tried to mask his formidable axe and previously serious visage, she didn't drop her guard.

"She's looking after me! She's my friend!" the girl yelled, readying another fist to slap Halberd right in his lowered face.

Before she could slap him, an unnatural and tremendous blast of wind nearly knocked her over. The air around the building had suddenly compressed towards the center, and then...

The roof exploded outwards, a stream of violent air piercing into the sky. The roofing rained down from the sky, and the remnants of some magical beam lingered at the roof for a few seconds.

"No!" the girl screamed, rising to her feet. Tears rolled down her face as Mimo made herself present at the edge of the hole in the building. Stepping forward, she fell to the street level, using a quick gust of wind at her feet to slow the descent. Holstering her musket, she approached the group. The younger girl rushed at her, once again attempting in vain to physically harm a Guardian. She pounded at her chest in despair. The Warden frowned and allowed her to continue, seemingly unfazed.

"We are taking this girl into our custody," Mimo stated to the Guardians. Glancing at the Goetia members still around, she continued, "We've got no time to waste on these Goetia folk."


Unaffiliated
@Zombehs @kingdomkeylight @Skyswimsky

"I see," the man said to Gerald, "I suppose not everyone is the gambling type." Accepting the greeting, he shook firmly. His eyes narrowed though at the mention of his name, but he returned the exchange anyways.

"Jorn is my name, pleasure to meet you." Jorn paused for a moment, looking back at the next fight in the arena, before speaking up. "Say, Harold, I don't suppose you're in need of work at the moment, are you?" From underneath his mask, Gerald could easily see he was smiling by the way his eyes narrowed.

"I'm in some need of extra hands for a rather important task. What do you say?" Leaning back, he once again looked at the fighting pits. "There's a lot more money involved than this tiny tournament, if it means anything to you.."

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Aurora awoke from a makeshift medical bed, head aching and body sore from the unfortunate beating she had received some time ago. How long it had been before she fell unconscious, she was unsure, but the light was still out as it seemed. A few other individuals were present in the room, most of them probably still unconscious as well, sleeping, or too injured to bear moving at all.

As she looked around further, she'd find a rather beautiful woman sitting just beside her, patiently reading a book by the light of a dingy window. Noticing her gaze, the woman closed the book and turned to face her with a rather inexpressive look.

"Good. You're awake," she said, "I was hoping I wouldn't have to remain here for much longer, simply to speak to someone who lost." her words were harsh, but she still seemed as calm as before. "What my master saw in you I am unsure, but I suppose everyone may eventually rise."

Standing up, she stood at the foot of Aurora's bed. "I for one will not waste time begging you to come with me. Shall you decide to do something with your life, meet me at the Hellhound tonight. I left an address at your nightstand," the woman said before turning away and leaving, offering neither a farewell nor an explanation.

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As Este made her way back to the waiting area, she was stopped in the short but darkened tunnel leading there. A gloved hand reached out to grab her shoulder from the darkness.

"You," said a low voice. Stepping out from an indentation in the arched walls, Este came face to face with a particularly strange man covered head to toe in some a variety of clothing. Head completely enclosed by a tight, black, leather mask, only a single eye was visible to Este, peering out from a hole in the mask. He was quite tall, practically bending over in the tunnel to refrain from scraping his head along the ceiling.

"Well done out there," he complimented, "There's something about you... something no one else could notice in the audience, surely," his tone was vaguely mocking, as if he knew something she did not. "I can't imagine you do much in the way of service for others..." He tilted his head.

"If I had to guess, that is." Fixing his tie, he cleared his throat and continued on, "If you are participating in the tournament and don't truly require the food they serve, I'm left to believe you're in it for the money, no? Perhaps just for the thrill? What if I could offer you even more money and fun? How does that sound?"



The Abandoned Borough of Drisbane was a dismal place, ever-remaining a testament to the results of the First Sentence. With half the population instantly wiped away from the world, so many of the households in the city had become vacated, and the remaining children could not hope to fill in the gaps, nor did many wish to. Scared and alone in many cases, youngsters had opted to band together and live under a single household rather than keep an entire establishment to themselves. Unsure of their expertise or just plain lonely, making "new family ties" with others was quite common.

Wandering its empty streets, its empty buildings, Junkiro Iwazuma entertained himself nevertheless with peace and quiet, and a wondrous opportunity to practice his skills without interruption. Finding himself in some sort of storage house -empty like the rest- he did what he did best; he stuck around.

For a time he was truly alone with only his thoughts, until that silence was broken by a brash, feminine voice.

"Howzit goin' gum-junkie?" Coming from above, Junkiro found the source of the greeting; a young Palace girl by the name of Kokusho, though she preferred to go by 'Cookie". She sat on the rafters with dangling feet, somehow managing to get inside and up there without being noticed by the boy.

"Clan's been lookin' for ya', you know?" she mentioned, "Why you gotta be disappearing all the time? Dontcha' know we're about to get into lots of fights?"​
 
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The first real fight of the tournament ended without much of a real show; it was a solid fight though, very straight to the point without much showmanship. Lasting not even a minute, Gerald felt a pang of sympathy for the fallen competitor. Despite their one good shot in, it seemed that they had been outmatched in melee and unable to withdraw far enough to rely on their ranged attacks; a situation he himself hoped never to be caught in. As the victor withdrew under the stands and a pair of medics rushed out to attend to the wounded, Gerald sighed quietly as he shifted his gaze to glance at the man beside him. 'Why...' He refused to believe it was simple coincidence that the individual had picked out the seat next to him when there were so many in the space between Gerald and the nearest entrance.

The name didn't particularly ring a bell for him, but the offer had his hackles rise, metaphorically of course. Outwardly he showed no response and instead simply hummed as if in consideration. A sideways glance revealed an expression on the man that Gerald figured he didn't quite like. It made him feel as if this Jorn was perfectly aware of who he was, though the reaction his false name elicited already hinted at that. "I say you should go over the details first. If you know anything of me, which I understand you do given you've chosen to seek me out, you should know that money does in fact mean little to me." While it was nice to have some extra so he could buy small things such as the novel within his coat, much of what he received matched that handed out to the common citizen.

With his piece said, he turned his attention back to the arena to wait for the next fight to begin, even if his ears were still listening for a response.
"Hahaha!" the man chuckled, rocking in his seat, "I guess you can see through a bit of me, but the truth is that I don't actually know all that much about you, Harold. I only just met you, only just learned your name. The only reason I sat down next to you was because someone else pointed you out. You looked, special, they said," he explained.

"I suppose you're not a gambler after all. Can't take shadowy offers without looking underneath them a bit more, eh?" He sighed. "Very well then. I can divulge some." Jorn crossed his legs and clasped his hands, but gestured continually as he spoke.

"I'm in need of some strong arms, figuratively, of course. I can't say for certain I'll be encountering trouble… In fact I'm inclined to believe there will be little danger at all, but I still must take precautions, as I'm sure you must relate to?" His eyes smiled again.

"All in all I'm simply requesting a bodyguard of sorts. I've already got others searching for more hands as we speak, so you hopefully won't be the only one."

He turned to glance at Jorn once more before his eyes flickered for a moment and he slipped into his second sight, curious as to who might have pointed him out amidst the crowd to this man. Like his last sweep, there were a few brighter individuals mixed in with the crowd but none of them had seemed to taken notice of him. Despite not actually seeing Jorn, he nonetheless continued to listen to what the man had to say. A shift in his posture encouraged Gerald to revert his vision and he narrowed his eyes at the explanation; trying to notice any signs of deception or the like.

Yet the man seemed to be fairly honest in what he had to say, but nonetheless Gerald wasn't quite yet convinced. "And how does special translate into a capable bodyguard? And even ignoring your source, what sort of trouble or valuable would require the protection of several individuals rather than one elite? Surely it'd be easier to avoid trouble with a smaller group." He'd reclined back into his seat once more and kept his eyes on Jorn; the interest was there, but certainly still outweighed by the possible consequences of accepting the offer.

"Well…" he paused in thought, "I suppose that's what we're trying to find out. Exactly what would need protection is exactly the question we are trying to answer." Jorn chuckled and shook his head. "I only wish we could accrue elites rather than resort to whoever we can find… no offense to you of course!" His tone lowered and seemed much more grim.

"We are without a faction to bestow us with the powers we need. We had to look elsewhere, you see. In any case, our goal is not to avoid trouble, but to be prepared to face it in case it comes."

"Hm…" That little revelation was both disconcerting and enticing, though slightly more of the former. The last thing he wanted was for their protection duty to involve something that belonged to one of the four major factions; things would probably get real bad, really quickly. Yet on the other hand… his curiosity was peaked, and damn did it drive him to sate it. "Well, my interest drives me to accept on a few conditions. Keep your gold, I accompany whoever you pick out as an interested party. Do not expect me to die or fight a losing battle for your sakes. If I do fight, I receive some payment. Is that acceptable?"

The man quickly shot out a hand to shake without hesitation, "It most certainly is."

"Let's make this a successful venture then." Gerald shifted his posture to accept the handshake and chose to sweep the surroundings once more. If Jorn had other recruiters out and about, there were probably a few at this event besides himself. Not too surprisingly, now that he focused his attention on the competitor's area rather than the stands, a couple of lights stood out. Certainly they hadn't been present prior to the first few matches, but that consideration was brushed away as he tensed at the glow that came from the exit Este had taken. So bright that the girl's own glow was nearly drowned out by it, he cut the sight off with a wince as his eyes began to water. "I don't suppose you have a monster amongst your ranks?"

"One or two," he chuckled.

That was… well Gerald didn't know what to feel about that to be honest, so instead he just sighed, rubbed his eyes once or twice, and muttered, "Well let me know when this all begins." He briefly considered leaving to obtain his blunderbuss, but decided it would probably attract too much attention to himself, so he turned back to the fight that was already underway.

"Speaking of," Jorn said, sifting through a coat pocket, "This is an address for a bar called the Hellhound. Would appreciate it if you showed up tonight. The rest of us will be there." Jorn handed Gerald the slip of paper and stood up to leave. "If you don't... well then I hope we may be able to meet again another time."

A glance aside and Gerald took the slip of paper, glanced down at it, and slipped it into a pocket. "Should see you and the others tonight then."
 
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Ah, another day to be alive. Junkiro Iwazuma was in a particularly chipper mood today. Though the Abandoned Borough deterred most with its dilapidated buildings, boarded-up windows, and strewn debris, Junkiro always found himself at peace in this hybrid of civilization and wilderness. It was quiet here; nobody to boss him around, nobody to fight, nobody to just deal with. Plus, the awkward terrain and broken-down houses left him perfect opportunities to train himself.

Such an opportunity presented itself right now as he looked up at the large storage building before him. The door, though still intact, had molded over considerably-the lock had broken as well, so Junkiro had no problem lowering his shoulder and busting in. The place looked like it had stored gardening supplies at one point-two broken hoes adorned the back wall-but for the most part, everything had been cleaned out. There was a second floor as well, one Junkiro intended on using. Tapping into his gummy aura, a gum-wad formed in his hand, which he stuck to the door frame of the building. Keeping half stuck in his hand, he walked a slow, methodical pace with it, counting out his steps as he walked.

"Three, four, five..." The gum-line stretched as he walked, a foot at a time, as he approached the staircase to head to the second floor. As he reached the banister, he calmly looped through the post-there were a few missing-before continuing. The gum stretched and looped easily with him. Awesome. Looks like it's getting much stretchier now. "Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen...." Junkiro had reached the top of the stairs by count twenty-five, the gum still stretching along. The second floor seemed to be a small home-like structure; had someone owned and rented out the storage space, perhaps? "Thirty-three, thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-se-" Junkiro's steps had slowed and halted as his gum strained against him now. "Thirty seven steps...almost forty feet. That's not bad!" Junkiro loosened his aura, and the gum snapped back to his hand, sliding around the banister on its way upstairs before reforming and dissipating to its natural state in his palm.

Junkiro reached into his pocket and produced one of his seemingly-innumerable packs of gum, drawing a single stick from it; it seemed any spare penny he ever picked up was spent on his vice and recovery. Though one gum-line wasn't enough to exhaust him, he hadn't popped a stick in four hours; it was definitely time to chew again. As he did, he replayed the last few years in his head, something he liked to do when he was bored. In the years since the First Sentence had come to pass, Junkiro's powers had grown even beyond his father's expectations. Even so, he rarely found himself fighting in Palace's name-often because he wasn't around, but more commonly because he wasn't the toughest of fighters. Annoying? Sure. Strength wasn't exactly his strongest point, though. Thus, he tended to fly under the radar, practicing his power here in the Abandoned Borough and playing a lot of Solitaire. His worn-out deck of cards was certainly in need of a replacement, but for now, his trusty deck would suffice.

Junkiro was startled out of his reverie by a familiar, yet no less surprising voice. Glancing up to find the intruder, he found a fellow Palace-mate, Kokusho, hanging around the rafters without seemingly a care in the world. Jun chuckled to himself; that was classic of her, that was for sure. Though she seemed to be a bit more inquisitive than usual. To answer her, Jun shook his head, a playful smirk on his face.

"Lookin' for ME, eh? If Palace is really wondering where I went, then that means we must be dropping Champions left an' right." Junkiro wasn't entirely sure why he'd be called for now of all times...the last time he had been home was last week, and he didn't often stay up to date with the goings-on of politics. "But you know me Cookie, I'm not a fighter. I'd be fine if'n we all just sat down for a game of cards for a day. I think a better question might be, what brings ya all the way out here? Come to bring Junkie back, eh?" Junkiro chuckled warmly at the thought. In all honesty, if he resisted, she'd probably win-he didn't have nearly as much actual fighting experience as some of the other Champions across the factions. As he liked to call himself, he was a Pseudo-Champion-powerful, but weak compared to a lot. Hell, he had never even had himself referred to by that title anyways. "Or are you just here 'cuz you like me so much? Come on, spill it Cookie."
 
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​
Halberd
HP: ▋▋▋▋▋​
It all just... happened.

The little girl's screams of protest as he got in the way of her. The gust of energy and air from the roof as the house exploded into colour, dust and pieces of the roof falling from the sky, coating Halberd's hair. Halberd slowly bought himself to his feet, blinking as he saw Mimo in the doorway. It was definitely Mimo... no vampire tricks. Had she won? Was the vampire dead? A wave of relief came over Halberd as he stopped over, slowly picking up his axe again and putting it over his shoulder. It was over. But... he hadn't helped even slightly, though... Mimo was the one who'd done all the work here. She could've died because of him. The way she was just unphased, standing at the doorway as if nothing happened. Bloody hell... it was just... this sudden turn of events, was it too much to process?

But then... the tears.

Halberd watched, his eyes following the child as she ran up to Mimo, crying at the loss of her 'friend'. But it was a vampire...! How could she possibly feel like she was being looked after when her cater was a murderer? It couldn't be true. It wasn't true. The vampire was dead, that was all that mattered. People inside this area were safer once more. But watching the girl cry at her loss... Halberd remembered too well how he felt when his Sister was taken away from him. A pain that couldn't be healed... was it... no, this was worth it. It had to be worth it. It had to be. This was justice. The lesser of the two evils... right...? Halberd slowly and unsurely adjusted the black and blue cap atop his head, hair covering his eyes.

"We are taking this girl into custody." Mimo said simply.

Halberd looked up, staying silent for a moment as he looked at the crying child. He had to say something, he'd been quiet out of pure shock for long enough.

"Mimo... don't you think we're done here? The vampire's dead... that was our mission. We can't put a kid in custody... what's the point?" Halberd mumbled, his voice somewhat croaky. As much as he didn't want to go against the will of Mimo - a warden - something just didn't feel right about this. Any of this. No - what was he thinking? Why was a mere crying child making him think like this - like he said before, the vampire needed to die, and now it was dead. But why did doing the right thing feel so...

Clouded thoughts; Halberd shook them away, walking towards Eleena whilst keeping an eye on the Goetians. Now wasn't the time for a fight; Halberd just wanted to get back to base and see the story behind this child. He would have been slapped, an the fury and frustration in the child's eyes was unmistakable. What was the story here?

Halberd offered a hand to the prone Eleena; a fall like that couldn't have done any good for her legs.

"Here. If you can't walk, jump on my back. Can't have you limping in pain for an hour." Halberd offered to his blue-haired companion. Why had the child been so angry at her? Getting small children out of harm's way just seemed like the... right thing to do.

Halberd peered over at the two Goetians, watching them with his slightly sunken eyes. He could feel the insults and hate from the eyes, being fired at him like tiny daggers. This isn't how he wanted it to be. He wanted to protect the innocent and make Drisbane a better place, and be respected by others for doing so.

But justice wasn't always seen as heroic. He'd gotten used to that. To most, he was just a dog of the Guardians. And to some, a heartless bastard. And to few... a monster.

"Don't. Just... don't. There's no need for us to fight here." Halberd said to the two Goetians, in a tone that couldn't be simpler, and one that wasn't even slightly patronising or even threatening.

This whole scene... why was it making him feel so... no - there wasn't any doubt. Justice was served.

 
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Eleena

Her eyes were glazed as she watched the scene unfold. The Goetian's insults hardly fazed her, and she was ready for another skirmish until the roof blew off of things. Literally. It seems Mimo had made quick work of the vampire. ... Eleena shrugged at Halberd's offer, and the blank look on her face was scary. "Thanks, but I can still walk. Probably even faster than you run~. Oh, and I'm pretty sure we can't let the girl stay in a place like this." Like a machine, she retorted and smiled. The blue-haired girl knew full well that they weren't doing the right thing. She had already accepted long ago that there was not always a simple 'right' thing to do. But... That didn't mean she had to like it. That didn't mean she couldn't something about it. Anything. Not so she could feel better about it. But so she knew that she still could change things for the better.

The speedster approached the girl, step by step. Each time a smart pain jolted up her legs, but she could ignore it. There was something much more important, more painful. Eleena reached her hands up to her head, and untied her bandanna ribbon as she spoke.

"As long as we live and breathe, our way is paved with ice. There are no four seasons, merely an everlasting winter we can do nothing about. We continue on, helpless to resolve the blood and tears we shed. But we move on nevertheless. If you lose all warmth, keep moving until you find something new to ease your heart. If you stop and let your tears and blood freeze... Then you have no future. And the future is the only thing we can change."

She approached the child with a gentle heart-felt smile. "If it's anger and rage, that's fine. If hate for me can warm you heart, I'm happy with that. As long as you can accept the past and move forward towards the future... It's fine." With that Eleena ruffled the girl's hair and put the long ribbon in her hands. It was nothing compared to the friend she just lost. The silver-haired child would probably just throw it to the floor and stomp on it. The words would probably be treated the same way. But if it made the girl feel even a little bit better, then it was fine.

i96KN.png

Well, that's all she could do for now. Miss dramatic faced Mimo. "Well I am the one who kinda picked her up. I don't mind taking care of her. ... Sorry about rushing without orders, I just thought I had to get her out of the way." She scratched the back of her head, and a much more silly smile was on her face.

@Asuras @RJS @Azathoth @Jakers @Meira @The_J
 
Natalya visibly flinched as the building exploded. Regardless of how tough Melea claimed herself to be, the chances of surviving that were slim. As the Warden appeared, and the girl broke down, she felt a memory gnawing inside her. Abandoned by her parents, thrown out by the man who had bought her from them...a chill ran down her spine as she was reminded of those days. And yet, the kid had the guts to fight back and, now, so did she. She also had the sense to know when the odds were against her, though - 3 Guardians, plus a Warden, would decimate the two of them still standing. The aggression was there though, and Natalya could feel it bubbling away inside her, festering, intensifying.

"Mimo... don't you think we're done here? The vampire's dead... that was our mission. We can't put a kid in custody... what's the point?"

Well well well...seemed the axeman felt the same way as her. Bugger the rules, bugger 'justice', what the Warden proposed to do was fucked up. Arresting a kid? Fucking hell. And the the cripple spouting some bullshit to the kid? This would be funny if it weren't so fucking tragic. Natalya couldn't stand this any more.

"Hey, Hobble the moron! When you're done being the tragic fucking princess, show her some respect! You just killed her friend, and now you're going back to amateur dramatics? Now ain't the time for you to take the spotlight and grandstand your fucking moral high-handedness. Now ain't the time for you to pretend like you understand what it means to lose your world. Instead of spouting some wordy shit that means nothing to her right now, and carries no weight from your heart, why don't you actually show a drop of emotion, a hint that you actually care about what you did, rather than how you looked? Why don't you look her in the eye, apologise for the shit you did and actually fucking mean it?

And no reason to fight? But there's a poor innocent child here, who's had her friend killed by a murderous gang that burst into their house and are now planning to kidnap her away! If only those heroes of justice, the oh so noble Guardians, were here to save her?" Natalya bit off the rest of her spiel, aware that blood was starting leak from her clenched fists, where she'd dug her fingernails into the skin. She took a couple of deep breaths and continued, calmer, but still forcing the words through clenched teeth. The disappointment at not being able to stop them was palpable in her voice.

"We aren't stupid...I have no intention of dying a fucking...noble death just to prove a point. I get the impression at least some of you understand exactly what you've done and what you are doing. You should be fucking ashamed, heroes. Hey, kiddo! Name's Natalya Gordetz - if they ever deign to let you go free, come find me in the Goetia district. Astra meant a lot to several of us - it'd be remiss of us not to lend you a hand should you need it."

With that last piece being said, Natalya turned on her heel and headed towards the building. "Come on Galina, let's see if there's any good to be salvaged from this." As she walked, she wiped a couple of tears from her eye. "Damn dust..."
 
Slowly, the mind-blanking pleasure disappeared, leaving Aesil with a sense of loss and emptiness once more. It was less painful and lonely than before, but still, the sudden loss of warmth made her sad. She looked at her hands, covering her face with them. With her fingers, she wiped away the film that blurred her eyes, and rose up once more. Her body was lighter, stronger than before, but, as her eyes turned to witness the battle before her, Aesil knew that she had no place there. Her hunger had abated now, enough that her instinct of self-preservation was on overdrive, telling her to hide, run, and get stronger before even thinking about staying in the presence of those powerhouses. But she couldn't cast her eyes off the beauty of the battle.

It was a clash between angelic swords and divine arms, a brilliant display of skill accentuated by flashes of light and a symphony of chimes. Each strike caused another pair of arms to rise out of the enemy of Efrida, blossoming like a flower out of her back, whilst the princess's holy guardian flitted in and out of existence, attacking at impossible angles that were nevertheless countered. It was a deadly, awe-inspiring, hunger-silencing battle that made the beast-girl breathless.

And then, just like that, it ended.

A chance blow that snowballed into an absolute victory, with the dark-skinned goddess pinned against the cracked pavement and two of Ildaem's blades against her neck. Aesil was stunned. And then, she caught the scent of her blood.

It was intoxicating, a strong, thick scent much too similar to well-aged wine and incense. It was invigorating, a thousand needles pinning themselves deep into her brain and causing goosebumps to break out up and down her body. It was electrifying, her nerves going haywire at the blood-stench, saliva dripping from the sides of Aesil's mouth as she became drunk with this scent that was so much greater than the meal that she just had. A delicacy flowed from the dark-skinned woman's shoulder, and, like a moth to a flame, her mouth began to open, teeth bared and ready for a taste of this treasure.

Then, Aesil shoved her left hand into her mouth and bit down, hard enough that she could feel her bones giving way, and taste the iron tang of her own blood. Pain pushed away her obsession, and she bit down even harder, shivering madly as she forced those thoughts away.

It wasn't for her. Yes, it wasn't for her. This divine existence, though an enemy, wasn't for her. No eating. No tasting. All for the princess. Allallallallallnoshutup! A lick, a bite, taste, a meal, a feast, a a a a a a aaaaaaaAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-

A guttural scream erupted from the raven-haired girl as she plunged herself into pain, purging herself of those thoughts. She fell to the ground, banged her forehead against the pavement until her mind was blank, and then finally, unsteadily, got back onto her feet. Aesil breathed heavily, a trickle of blood running down her forehead, but she disregarded all that as she took a step towards the angel, her mangled, regenerating hand clutched over her nose.

"For Efrida."

"For Efrida," she repeated, as if trying to restrain her own desires, "Don't kill."

The best meal was fresh, and the best meal should be for the most brilliant existence in Aesil's short life.

Until she could stand beside that person, she was undeserving of eating on the same table as her.
 
[fieldbox="Galina Raske/Sitara Qadir, aqua, solid, 10, Times New Roman"]


Galina nodded in response to Natalya's whispered plan regarding the two Guardians, but remained silent throughout the rest of the exchange. Although she felt bad about leaving this 'Melea' behind, she did not regret the decision. She thought she had shown atypically good judgement in finding a way to salvage a rapidly deteriorating situation.

Instead of dwelling on what she had chosen to do, the Goetian evaluated the Guardians before her. The blue-haired one was fast, perhaps even as fast as Galina herself, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to follow her out the window. Fortunately, it also seemed like she was stupid, maybe even stupider than Galina herself, otherwise she wouldn't have followed her out the window. Without any magical assistance, a fall like that would have critically wounded Galina without a doubt. As for the other one, he appeared to be a brute from the axe he wielded, but the way he seemed to be avoiding a fight meant he was either a gentle giant or not as confident as he appeared.

Galina sighed as a third Guardian stepped out of the building, hopefully the blue-haired girl was immobilized because the odds had quickly turned against them. Before the situation could escalate any further, an eruption from above drew all eyes to the rooftop, where the fourth floor of the building had been soundly destroyed by a magic attack. It had to be the work of Astra or the Guardian, and if Melea was still up there it didn't look good for her either way. After a few moments the question of who had won was answered, and the Guardian's leader was descending from the rooftop aided by the wind.


Wind magic, outmaneuvering her might not be an option, Galina considered, still ready for the battle that would spell her death. Fortunately for them, the Guardian didn't seem to have any interest in arresting them, and as a debate rose among their party it seemed like the perfect time to slip away.

"Hey, Hobble the moron!"

Galina sighed. As much as she agreed with Natalya's tirade, this might not be the best time. She was relieved when, without incident, her fellow champion turned away from the Guardians and headed towards the building. Galina took the lead as they ascended the stairs, and upon reaching the fourth floor she began searching through the rubble, expecting the worse. After a few moments of scanning the debris, she cursed violently and knelt next to the partially buried corpse of Melea. A blast of some sort had ripped straight through her, killing her instantly. Her sightless eyes held an expression of shock at her own demise.

"I'm sorry... this... this is my fault," she whispered to Natalya, closing Melea's staring eyes. Standing again, she saw no sign of Clanna, or even of the bloodstain where she had fallen. That is strange, no one could have gotten to her corpse before we did... she was dead, I saw it... she has to be, shaken, she continued searching until she saw Astra's corpse lying against the far wall. It served her right for killing Clanna, but the cries of that child had not fallen on deaf ears and Galina still wished there had been something she could have done to save the girl. Drawing nearer to Astra's remains, she gasped, the vampiress was still breathing shallowly, but it was clear from the severity of her wounds she would be dead soon unless a miracle occurred.

"Natalya! She's still alive!" Grasping the vampiress' shoulder, she tried to rouse her. "Astra? Who was that child? Where is Clanna?!" [/fieldbox]
 
Soreness, she indeed felt that in more ways then one. Aurora's eyes shot open once her conscious mind could register what had happened to her not that long ago. She groaned lightly as she sat up from her medical bed giving her body enough time to register what ways not to move at the moment as she was still in recovery from her bout with the noble in red. Then again bout would mean they were match... no she got her ass handed to her. It was at that time another person one of rather notable look's decided to remind Aurora exactly what she was already thinking.

Yet at the same time this persons supposed master apparently say something to warrant this rather "kind" messenger to await for her to wake up offering some sort of job it seemed. Aurora matched the woman look with her own expressionless look following her right to the end until neither sight nor sound could be felt of the strangers presence. Aurora lightly ran her hands through her hair as she looked over to the nightstand were said information laid.

"Well... its better then staying here at this point," she mumbled softly as she slowly got out of the bed grabbing her belongings. Along with the note containing the address she was about to visit. Though truth be told she was rather curious to watch the rest of the arena matches yet at the same time her pride didn't want to suffer running into the noble in red after such a crushing defeat. However, the loss was somewhat a nice experience. It reminded Aurora that she needed to get stronger so that she could one day topple those who could currently topple her. Once she got past the stiffness in her body Aurora re-equipped all of her gear rather happy to have her mace back she gave the weapon a soft twirl before slinging it to her side along with her satchel.

"To the Hellhound we go."
 
She could do nothing but watch. The angel and the unknown woman were both far too strong for Kanade do do more than risk herself in the fight, and likely turn the tables for the worst if she suddenly had to be protected. So she stood to the sidelines, her sword drawn and at the ready in case something did come her way. Whoever sent those two was not fooling around, she thought. Anyone who could fight one of Efrida's angels to a standstill was seriously strong.

She kept an eye on her fellow young Champions and their own fight, at least enough to be appalled at Aesil's beastly fighting style. The girl was terrifying enough to make her glad they were on the same side. She had no clue what happened to cause that sudden disappearance and rush of air. Did the girl just...eat him? And the rest of the area? Even for most champions, something like that was just too much. She'd...have to ask about it later.

One brief hesitation ended the other ongoing battle with the intruder pinned and at their mercy. And then Aesil went nuts again, on herself this time. Kanade could only stare, slack-jawed, as the monstrous girl turned to chewing on her own hand, but...she couldn't help but agree with her when she spoke. "I also think it's best if we take her in alive," she said, carefully making her way around to the other Champions. "We don't know who sent that little group, and we don't know why. She's obviously quite dangerous," she nodded toward the downed woman, who looked like some sort of many-armed goddess of vengeance at this point. "...but, even so, it would be better to bring her in for questioning. I doubt we'll learn much, but if we kill her, we learn nothing."

She stopped by Aesil, and sheathed her sword. She looked at the other girl with a mixture of concern and fear, as she raised a hand toward her wounds. "If you're hurt, I can at least patch you up." She didn't really wait for an answer before she did lay on hands and softly spoke a few sentences in a melodic language, invoking her healing magic. self-inflicted or no, she can't just ignore someone in need. ...She'd probably attend to their captive soon enough,if she could.
 
Terren Keto
Outside the house
​
As the girl pounded her fists upon those taking her into custody, he felt a strong pang of sympathy. This vampire had been taking care of the poor little girl, and... now Mimo had ended its life. The kid probably loved it like a parent. Terren had lost his parents too, so he knew the pain that it could bring, the death of a loved one so early in life, especially one upon which you had learned to depend.
Eleena wasn't helping with her dramatic speech of hate and love, either, even the loud Goetian picked up on that, berating her for it. She herself actually told the little girl to go find her herself in Goetia, a highly dangerous and shady place, and with only so much as a name? Genius, he thought.
Terren had dealt with children before, though, helping them out after saving them - he'd actually built up quite a reputation, as when duties in the Guardians allowed, he's do his best to stop child slavery, abuse, whatever shit the scum of Drisbane cooked up to torment the innocent kids. A few of them recognised him as the phantom, a legend based around the man himself, though most probably assumed he was just a sweet story poor kids told themselves to retain any hope of being saved. Until they met him, of course, or the sharp edge his glowing blade.
Once he'd saved another child from similar circumstances - he had killed a man who'd actually attacked him, a mugger, but that had left his child starving, alone, and afraid, but he'd eventually managed to convince the kid to come with him to a good orphanage he'd found. The carers were kind and hard-working, and the building wasn't falling apart like a lot of Drisbane. He himself invested a decent amount of his own money in the place, allowing it to accept any children he brought to their door.
If only a similar approach could now be taken. This girl might be the vampire's own daughter, for all they knew, or she might be otherwise of interest to the guardians. If her luck held out, as Terren hoped, she'd be treated well, and allowed to go free soon enough, hopefully to an orphanage like Terren's, or even into someone's care, if the gods smiled upon her.
For now, though, he resolved to make sure she'd stay all fine.
"Mimo, I understand she must be taken into custody... but what then? I despise seeing children mistreated, and I want to be sure she won't be."​
 
Thinking about it now, the fight the vampire noble just had was actually rather lackluster. Heck, the armor clad woman didn't even manage her to hit once. Sure, it was fun for the moment it lasted, but now? Truly disappointing. Those eyes were all she had going for her. And regarding how weak she was, Este actually doubted she was a vampire, which meant, she would have been a fine meal nonetheless. Regardless, a win was a win, and Este wanted that gold. Gold was important after all.

The white hair was about to get back to Saya, as a stranger suddenly tried to grab her. Moving a few steps back from that filth, she gave off a murderous, down-looking glance. That he just continued on though, wasn't helping, but ultimately, Este gave off a small sigh. She was too weak right now to make a scene, and instead, gave off a slightly amused grin. "Oh~? That's pretty sharp of you." Her playful smile became a bit wider. "It is true that I don't need the coupon, after all, I had a small feast not too long ago. And it really depends on your offer, I might have been holed up for a long time…" A small chuckle followed. "But that didn't make me suicidal." Expecting a response, or explanation of some sort, Este looked at him curious.

"I can't say I'm familiar with your desires, miss," he said, "But I could offer many choices…" Putting his palms together he listed off. "Perhaps the miss desires greater knowledge? A potential truth none have yet seen? One can only wonder what power it may hold. No desire for knowledge? Perhaps genuine power, then? You could sit on a seat of power far greater than you've considered possible in the squabbling between factions. Imagine what you could do for your people in such a position, no?"

"Or perhaps you could simply make a request of me, as to what you desire? I may not look like the most trustworthy man, but I assure, there is little I cannot supply."

A few seconds of silence passed, as Este was taking in the words of the stranger. She had problems not bursting out in laughter, and while she normally would have done so, getting more attention on them was probably not the best of ideas, giving off a strange amused snorting sound. After a minute or a half though, she was finally capable of speaking again, still with a few tears in her eyes. "Are you serious? Truly serious? Oh dear, only an idiot would believe that!" Pausing for a moment, she collected herself truly. "But then again, there isn't much of a reward without any risks? And if this is just some puny human trap to put me down, I'll just crush them all!" Este's smile was truly genuine, nearly resembling that of a child who was still rather innocent. "But giving me two such greats offers, you are not making this any easier, you know? And for what I desire..." Now, her face became way more sinister. "I, Esterellia Levanaros Asphodel Forbes, desire everything this pathetic world has to offer, no, that's not quite right... I desire everything it possesses. What great does power do me if I don't have the knowledge to put it to use? What good does wisdom bring me if I am powerless enough to not change anything? No, my friend. I plan to take everything." Hearing herself speak though, did made her doubt him even more. "Say though, just who are you that you could possibly make such an offer? To a stranger nonetheless"

"You're a haughty one," the man stated, crossing his arms, "I won't turn you away, but I advise you to shift your attitude a bit, lest you be sorely disappointed." With a tap on his leather mask, the man then shook his finger at Este.

"I wear this for a reason. Can't let just anybody know who I am. For now, you may call me…" he paused, clearly thinking, "Aposto." He lifted a hand to shake. "So what do you say? Are you in?"

Shift her attitude? What? Este was already behaving... Regardless, this seemed still much better than what she had so far. "We have a deal." Hesitating for a moment, Este shook his hand in agreement, but it was clear she didn't enjoy that motion.

"Good," Aposto said, shaking firmly in turn, "Meet me at the Hellhound tonight. It'll be more than just you and I. Now then, I must take my leave, dear Esterellia," he said, giving a slight bow to the much shorter girl. With a quick turn, he headed down another tunnel in the area, distancing himself from the pits and the waiting area of the arena.

Tonight? At the Hellhound? What? Well, that came as a surprise yet again. Whatever. It just meant the vampire noble could continue to participate in the tournament while keeping an eye out for Saya, and that was exactly what she was about to do.
 
Lyssa stood by, aghast as Aesil outright devoured the foe they had been fighting. She had been prepared to kill, had killed before, but nothing could have prepared her for the sight of seeing the girl swallow a man whole. The knight stood shock still for a moment before whirling around to witness the end of the fight between the angel and Konyuu.

As Konyuu fell, Lyssa rejoined the others, staring down at the fallen Palace champion. She already had an idea of what to do with the woman, but before she could say anything, she was treated to the sight of Aesil practically going insane. Lyssa tightened her grip on her hammer, but paused as Aesil finally managed to restrain herself, even wanting to keep Konyuu alive.

"Agreed." Lyssa said, nodding at both Aesil and Kanade. "It's best we bring her back as a prisoner. Her Highness can decide what to do with her." She looked around, trusting the angel to keep an eye on Konyuu. "Does anyone have anything we can use to restrain the prisoner?"
 

A beastly glare overcame Konyuu's face as she idly listened to the Aesil champions dictate her future. Still, with the angel's swords at her neck, she could do little else. Keeping quiet, the Palace champion refrained from revealing anything at all; it seemed these ones were quiet oblivious if they thought her attack was anything more than an assault on their princesses' insolent actions.

Ildaem never budged in his stance, eyes trained on the imprisoned woman, stony arms readied to behead her in a flash. Slowly, her ethereal arms began to dissipate, their translucent, metallic forms fading away to the tune of a harmonic bell. Eventually she was left but her normal self, her toughened body itself returning to its original state.

The angel nodded at Lyssa's suggestion, and with a flourish, generated a bond of light around the champion's body, pressing her arms at her sides without leeway. Grabbing hold of her underarm, Ildaem lifted Konyuu to her feet and urged her forward. His blades glowed intensely for but a brief moment before they, too, disappeared into thin air.

"Take her where you shall," the angel stated. Bowing to the girls, Ildaem vanished, presumably still with them in memory only. Konyuu snarled at the three champions.

"Get this over with weaklings." Despite her aggressiveness, it was clear through Ildaem's vanishing that he, at least, was confident the bindings would hold fast; the three Aesil champions would likely feel similarly as they brought her back to the Citadel's steps.



Mere whispers could escape Astra's mouth, her eyes dim and lids drooping. "Y-you are Goetia, right?" Blood seeped from her lips in waves, surging forth from deeper within her pierced body. "Why did you come for me? Was it Kaileb?" She grit her teeth, obviously attempting to ignore another blast of pain.

"Don't bring her to him, whatever you do. Take care of," Astra coughed, "take care of her, please. Just don't take her back." Astra turned her head to the side and lifted her hand to her mouth before wetting a finger with blood. Her limb wobbled incessantly as she moved it to her side, slowly tracing her finger along the floor. She made out a small symbol with the blood, one which neither Galina nor Natalya could recognize.

"This," Astra wheezed, "this book, in the Library. Carol read from it. She knows the words. Please, if Kaileb gets her back..." She fell silent and closed her eyes, lips quivering. Tears began to roll down her face as she cried out,

"I miss... I miss..." Before she could continue, her body jerked in pain, and Astra moved no more.



"We can," Mimo said, "And we will." She shot daggers at Halberd, though he could tell that there was more to it than simply being put into custody; he knew she wasn't so heartless as to imprison such a small girl. There was something else. She gave him that look, as if to say, I will explain later. Mimo stood at the girl's back, watching with an unimpressed expression as Eleena attempted to lessen the girl's pain. The girl accepted Eleena's ribbon with waterfalls of tears and sniffling, though ended up gripping it so tightly it seemed as if she would crush it into dust.

"No, Eleena. Do not apologize. In the end you secured an interest," Mimo replied to the champion. "Terren," Mimo mentioned, quickly turning to the young man, "I am not imprisoning her. We are taking her with us for her own safety. She will not be harmed by any means." She looked down upon the girl, who, while still tearful, was beginning to calm down.

"Her name is Carol, as it seems, and we will keep her with us until I get a better grasp on this... situation," Mimo stated, "We are going to bring her back to the Guardian Borough and keep her at the headquarters." Frowning, she turned away and thought for a moment.

"We're going to have our hands full, pretty soon," she mumbled.



The young girl blushed briefly and turned her head away, puffing her cheeks as she attempted to shed the embarrassment. Her attention quickly returned to his prior statement.

"Oh man I'd love to be able to just play card games for glory too!" Cookie proclaimed, looking up in imagination, "Just imagine it! We have tournaments and magical cards and people have to win to get stuff and...!" She flailed her legs a few more times before hopping down from the beams. Landing with a sharp tap, she threw her arms behind her back and grinned.

"But I don't think anyone would just settle with that. They'd get angry all, you know. First they'd flip the table and call you a cheater, then it'd just become a barfight! You can't avoid fighting..." Kokusho threw a finger at the older champion. "Which is why you've gotta learn to fight better," she chastised.

"How bout' a spar! You and me! We can both learn from the experience!" she stated eagerly, raising a fist with vigor. Suddenly, an expression of recollection popped up on her face. "Ah! Almost forgot though, that's not why I came!" Returning her hands behind, she rolled on her heels and toes continually as she spoke.

"Someone showed up at the Palace gates, looking for you of all people. Had a letter," she said, reaching into a pocket to retrieve said parchment. With a push, she flung it into his chest and retreated a few steps. "That's all I had, actually. I hate being a mailman! But I was being too energetic, apparently, so I got told to do this task," Kokusho pouted, "Anyways! Gotta go Junkie!" With a spin, she rushed for the doorway, disappearing in a flash with her implacable fervor.

The note, as Junkiro read it, was as follows:

Junkiro Iwazuma,
Your deviance from Palace society does not go unnoticed. I could use your help. Please meet me at the peak of Carm Hill tonight when the moon is highest. Bring no one.
​

The note was unsigned.


Unaffiliated​

The location of the Hellhound was as sheltered and out-of-the-way as physically possible. It took several tries from Esterellia, Gerald, and Aurora to even get the right information from nearby citizenry. More often than not, the people of the surrounding neighborhood didn't even recognize the name of the bar. Once they had actually found it, however, it was unsurprising why they had such a difficult time in the first place

Down an alley, up a pair of stairs, around a corner, through a hallway with a closed door, and down another pair of stairs, and they found themselves at the Hellhound's entrance, denoted only by a small name card at the entrance's door. The unassuming exterior was highly contrasting to its interior, which was rather well-decorated and well-kept. Several magical lanterns of a red hue cast over the bar and its small size.

Besides the bar and stools, a leather, circular couch sat at the back of the room, already occupied by three individuals. A man in a full-head leather mask, another one in a much more revealing, seemingly ceramic mask, and a woman wearing a veil and cloak. The man in the ceramic mask, Jorn, was the only one to arise. Throwing his arms outwards, he greeted those that had arrived, Gerald in particular.

"Ah! So glad to see you all choose to make it! Come, come, take a seat," he beckoned to the couch, "Do any of you drink?"

Aposto chimed in, "The short one doesn't," nodding towards Esterellia with what she could only assume was a mocking smile.
 
Junkiro quirked an eyebrow in amusement at Kokusho's antics-quite typical of her, for sure. Only she'd invent a magic card game and then immediately destroy it in a bar fight. Jun himself liked to believe otherwise; he felt that if everyone just spent a day not worrying about faction and whatnot and just hung out with each other for once, the world, or at least Drisbane, would be a much happier, healthier place. Of course, he wasn't God. He couldn't just quell the hatred in people...though he was sure a champion somewhere could. Perhaps he ought to check them out...

As for her offer to spar, Junkiro inside quailed slightly at the thought. While he was no slouch, he definitely was a bit out of practice; the last official mission he had at least been around for had ended in total disaster, and he had made sure to stay well out of his betters' way for a while after that mishap. Not to mention....despite being younger than him, Cookie was far tougher than he was. A sparring match with her would probably result in him getting knocked out, knowing her fantastic ability to overdo it. But alas (or thankfully), that was not to be the case today.

"A letter, you say? For me, huh?" Junkiro caught the letter flung into his chest easily, forced to say goodbye to Kokusho practically as he received the letter. Couldn't even stay and keep me company a little while? She has all the energy in the world. Makes me jealous, that's for sure. Shame, though. I don't mind spending time with her. Junkiro, with little more to do beyond mull over Cookie a little longer, carefully slid the letter out of the envelope, proceeding to read it slowly.

Well. This was certainly an interesting change to the day. "She said he just showed up at the gates, eh? Guess I'm not totally invisible out here after all." Junkiro glanced about in a mock paranoid inspection of the room. "Still, though. What would mystery man want with me? Not like I ever showed off. Hell, I'm barely even part of the faction. But something tells me he ain't lookin' out for their safety...." Junkiro noted the very first part "Your deviance from Palace society has not gone unnoticed." Who WAS this guy and how long had he been spying on Junkiro?

Only one way to find out. "Carm Hill at moonpeak, huh?" Glancing out the window, Junkiro noted the sun, starting to set. "That's a good coupla hours of walkin' I have ahead of me. Best be movin' along, then." Junkiro, just as quickly as he had settled, proceeded to head back downstairs to the storage area, minding the door he had busted through mere minutes before. Carm Hill was to the west....Jun headed for the setting sun, chewing on his gum thoughtfully. Best be cautious; this could be a trap, though God knows why....
 
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