Hunters of Terra Dolor (Role Playing Section)

[ZombieSplitter53]

"Amam"
Part Two

Erin cleared her throat. "Sylvie, my dear, this egg was found in a buried cavern within the Land of Ice. This should indicate whatever is within died long ago, and this was confirmed by many a mage who has handled it. But, just to be sure, would you mind using the life sense I have been told you have?"

"Very well. It's what I came down here for after all. Besides, I'm very curious about this, more so now than before." The human woman explained, resting a hand on the egg.

Her eyes widened, then grew narrow as she looked around. "It's... Alive. I can feel a soft pulsing... But... There's something else... Like a shadow... What is this?"

"Alive? You're sure?" Erin stepped next to her. "I suppose the shadow you speak of could be demonic energy..."

"Demonic? What kind of egg is this?" The Huntress turned to ask.

"Well, uh... we believe it is some kind of demon egg." Erin glanced over to Betty. "Did you not inform her?"

"I uh... May have left out ze word... Demon..." Betty admitted.

"Demon!? Keeping something like this in the manor seems foolish, what were you planning on doing with this!?" Sylvie exclaimed, trying to press the Rabbit for answers.

Erin held out her hands, backing up against the egg. "Whoa, now. This... this thing is on it's way to Fairaven for study under some bigwigs. But news of it got out to some demon worshiping cult, and they want it. So we agreed to hide it here until the heat comes down. I... guess I could hide it away in some magically sealed chest, but honestly, if your were in my shoes, would you give up a chance to study such a rare specimen?"

"It's a demon! What if your studying releases it!? It could kill thousands!" The forest girl countered.

Erin's dipped down a bit as she frowned. She looked over to Betty and softly said, "Perhaps... I truly am playing with fire..."

"I... I wouldn't want anything to happen to you. Maybe she is right. I don't like ze idea of passing it off to someone else either though..." Betty matched her frown, walking up beside her.

Erin raised an eyebrow. "Surely you don't ouch!" Erin flinched as she felt something hit the back of her head. Looking around to see what it was, she continued, "Surely you don't intend for us to tell the Fairaven government, scientific community, and magical studies community that we refuse to give them the egg they found. How would that make is look after they entrusted it to us?"

"And? If we send it and it hatches they could die!" Sylvie countered.

"True. But then what do you suggest? Surely not destroying such a priceless object? This thing could predate Year Zero! It would be such a waste..." Erin found the object that hit her, an odd, shimmery purple thing, triangular in shape, and examined it in confusion.

"What... Is zhat? C-Careful..." The Fly girl said, turning around and instinctively stepping back some.

"I don't know," Erin answered, studying it while adjusting her glasses. "It is some kind of... hard she'll. Like from some kind of carapace." She look down at her feet, a pink, yokey substance leaking from behind her. "What the bloody hell?"

"No! Is it hatching!?" Sylvie's eyes widened as she reached for a spear that she didn't have. "Huh!?"

Following her actions, Betty readied her gauntlet which she had brought down to show, poised to attack. "E-Erin! You should step back!"

Erin quickly stepped away as more pieces of the egg came off, the fluid within spilling on the floor. The shell didn't fall out so much as float off and break apart, as if by magic. After a few seconds, the trip could see the creature within.

It had a humanoid shape, but certainly wasn't human. Feminine with the shape of a child, it had pinkish skin on it's face, upper arms, and hips. Its lower arms and legs were black, almost as if it was wearing stockings and gloves, though it's legs shifted to blood red by the time it got to its feet. Its abdomen too was mostly covered black, making it look like a leotard. It had blueish black hair and long, curved horns pointing up from its forehead.

Slowly, it opened its eyes. It had the dazed expression of a child just waking up from a nap. It slowly looked around, and through its haze, its eyes rested on Betty. With a slight tilt of its head, it muttered, "Amam?"

"Uhm..." Betty eyed it carefully. "H-Hello?"

The demon slowly crawled off the remainder of the egg and into the floor, wobbling a bit as it used its legs for the first time. It slowly approached Betty, standing just under half her height. "A... Amam?" it repeated.

Betty looked up to Erin for any sort of advice, before turning her gaze back down at the little demon. "Are you asking... If I'm your Mom?"

It giggled lightly, stepping to her side and asking, "Fbeed?", and reached for her arm.

The Fly girl scratched her head, trying to puzzle out what it was saying. However she suddenly felt a strange instinct to hold the little one's hand take over her. Whether it was motherly or something else, Betty didn't resist it and accepted the demon's hand.

Meanwhile, Sylvie was eyeing it feircely, ready to attack with magic if it tried something. It may have been a baby, but who knows what it powers it had.

"Betty," Erin said softly. "Do you think that's a good idea?"

The demon stared up at Betty for a few moments before pushing up on it's toes and placing its mouth on her arm, lightly pushing its fangs in.

Betty's eyes cringed a little and widened from the pain before it subsided, "Mmn! Okay... You're biting me... Uhm... Please stop? Uh... Bad, baby demon..."

Sylvie stepped forward ready to pull it off before the Fly-girl stopped her. "No! Don't hurt her!"

"What's gotten into you? Why are you just letting it do this?" The huntress exclaimed.

"I... I don't know. I don't zhink she wants to hurt me... Don't ask me how I know but I do..." The Engineer replied, "Erin, do you know what's going on?"

Erin tapped her lip. Though she was worried about Betty, she couldn't help but be curious about the situation. "Well, um... it is possible she imprinted on you as the first thing she saw. As for the biting... uh, demons are connected to blood in many ways. Perhaps she is... getting your taste like a hound attaches to its master's scent."

The demon released her and wiped its mouth. "Heh ha! Amam fbeed veed." Its eyes wandered over to Sylvie.

Sylvie backed up a few steps. "Oh no. You stay away. I'm not giving you my blood."

The demon child snarled, and took a step towards her, it's eyes glowing a light red.

Sylvie put her fists up, ready to defend herself if the creature lunged at her, however Betty knelt down and placed a hand softly on the demon girl's shoulder. "Hey... It's okay... You can have some more of mine if you like."

The demon pointed angrily at Sylvie. "Fmd! Rpgh amam!" It gave the woman a threatening stare, a ckear demonic tinge in her voice. "'Fmsc! Gnw eph rlmgh!'"

Erin looked between the demon child and Sylvia. "I believe it see's your posture and tone as a threat, Sylvia. It might want your blood spilled, not ingested."

The huntress looked over at her, then relaxed her stance, hoping to calm the creature down. "So... What are we going to do about this?"

Betty put a finger on her chin. "Well... We can't exactly send her to Fairaven anymore, can we? Besides, zhey wanted a egg, not a baby demon."

Erin chuckled. "You think they would be upset if we have them the pieces but kept the contents? I suppose we could always use magic to put the egg back together..."

"And what about her?" The green-haired woman asked, looking at the child.

Erin scratched her head. "Well... there are a few tests I would like to do. This is a rare opportunity after all. I hope I can convince Lady Havenbrook to let me do them before we ultimately destroy it."

Betty's gasped loudly. "D-Destroy it!? You can't! She hasn't done anything to deserve zhat!"

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

"Amam"
Part Three

Sylvie put her head in her hand. "It's a demon... If we don't do something it could hurt or kill everyone here."

"But zhat's not fair! There are a lot of dangerous people already here that could do zhat!" The Fly countered.

"You seemed to be cautious around it when it was an egg, but now you want to keep it?" The huntress pointed out.

"It's different now! Look at her... She has to be so lost here... She has no parents or anything! We can't just destroy her!" Betty replied, holding the child's hand. "Erin! Please... Can't we give her a chance?"

Erin looked like she was going to protest but the sad, pleading look on Betty's face made her own expression soften. "I... I-I, um... I suppose... no one has ever studied a newborn demon. It is... a possibility that she... it won't be dangerous if we teach it proper educate."

The child looked around at the adults around her, unsure of what they were talking about but growing a bit agitated at all the yelling. She tightly held Betty's hand.

"Are you-"

"Thank you Erin! Don't worry, you can do all ze tests you like... Just make she you don't hurt her." Betty smiled happily as she cut Sylvie off.

"Where will you even keep her?" The huntress asked incredulously.

"We can keep her here! Erin and I can raise her in the lab. Zhat way she'll be less likely to cause trouble for the hunters or Ms. Havenbrook, and be close enough for Erin to monitor."

"M-me... raise her?" Erin rubbed her wrist nervously. "I-I... I don't know about... I am a scientist and a mage, not a... m-mother."

"Amam?" The demon child looked up at Betty.

"Neither am I but... We need to try our best for her. She's our responsibility now..." Betty looked into her red eyes, seeing a glint of innocence, as strange as it was coming from a demon. "It's okay. No one's going to hurt you..."

The child smiled and laughed. She looked at Sylvie again and pointed at her. "N cnbb? N cnbb?" she asked, forming a hand into a fist so Betty would know what she was asking.

"If she tries to hurt you, I'll beat her up!" The ebony skinned woman said, still smiling as she raised up a fist to match hers. "Don't worry, you're safe from ze mean forest lady."

Sylvie shook her head, then proceeded to roll her eyes at the Fly girl.

"Aside from Lady Havenbrook, we should have as few people know about this as possible. If Sylvie's reactions are any indication, who knows what a particularly violent Hunter wanting to tell his friends he slayed a demon would do." Erin stepped over to Sylvie. "I realize you are not happy with this in the least, but I ask that you do not let this get out."

She sighed loudly. "Very well... But you will at least inform Lady Havenbrook, right?"

Erin slowly nodded. "I fear what she will say... but fear more how she would react if we kept this from her." She turned to Betty. "Which one of us should do it?"

"Maybe we should both do it, we are her caretakers now..." Betty suggested.

Erin nodded, and walked to the back of the room. She returned with a dark cloak of hers that, much to her annoyance, would fit the demon child well. Receiving a glare and a hiss for attempting to put it on the being, Erin offered it to Betty. "Can you get her to wear this?"

Nodding, Betty smiled at the girl, rubbing her arm lightly. "Can you put this on for us? It'll help keep you safe."

She laughed, taking the cloak and putting it on like it was a gift. Humorously, her horns made the good stand up like she had Erin's rabbit ears.

"If you would like, we don't have to tell Lady Havenbrook you have any involvement in this, Sylvie," Erin offered.

"I'd rather not lie to her. I had a part to play in this just as much as you two..." The huntress replied.

"Very well." Erin nodded to Betty. "Come. Let us... get this over with."

Betty placed a gentle hand behind the child's back, leading her forward behind Erin. Fifteen minutes later, Mina blinked several times, staring at the demon child as it looked around the room curiously, playfully hoping up and down on the bed. "You're... out of your minds. You know that, right?"

"We can't just destroy her, she's innocent, she hasn't done anything wrong." Betty replied.

Mina folded her hands. "But it will. It is inevitable. You see a child. I see a demon. And while you both see correctly, one of those things is incredibly dangerous." Mina looked to the side. "Get away from him!" She snapped.

The demon child was staring at a crow perched on a shelf. She looked over to Betty. "Amam, ni zeed?" she pointed at the crow, then at her open mouth.

Betty shook her head at the child, motioning for her to come over. "No no, not zhat one." The Fly girl stuck out her arm. "Here, You can have my arm again.

The child giddily ran over, suckling on her arm once more. Mina have her a disgusted look. "Erin, you know more then anyone else the dangers it can pose."

"I do," Erin agreed. "But we have so many opportunities here. Studying an actual demon. Studying a demon child. Observing a demon's growth. And even the possibility to civilize a demon. Besides... Betty had a good point. Can you really punish someone for what they might do?"

Mina sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "What am I... the representatives of the Fairaven Science and Magic will be here within a month. What do I tell them when they show up? They'll insist we had it over to them."

"Well, zhey don't know we have her. All zhey want is the egg. Erin suggested we might be able to... Peice it back together?" She replied, feeling just a little light headed.

"You mean fooling them. Not gonna happen." Mina tapped her fingers against the desk a few times. "However... I suppose... destroying this creature would get me in trouble with them anyway. I... suppose we have no choice to watch it. But keep it in the lab as much as possible, and the first time she poses a major threat, she's being chained down." She watch as the demon pulled away, licking some dribble from its chin, and then to Betty, who has lost a bit of color. "And find something to feed her besides your blood." She thought for a moment and added, "Or the blood of others. Get her some... water, milk... goat blood. I don't care as long as she isn't draining you."

"O-okay..Maybe... I'm sure E-Erin has some... Blood around..." Betty stood up, wobbling a little.

"We can also experiment with other foods. Again, an opportunity to find out what they eat. Maybe even teach her to things demons wouldn't normally eat." Erin moved to help Betty stand. "Come. Let us being her back down stairs. Before you... pass out."

The little one looked at Betty, also seeming to notice she wasn't in the best condition. "Amam? Amam rpgh?"

"I'm okay... I just need to lie down..." She spoke, trying to hold the little one's hand.

Erin escorted them back downstairs, leaving a Guildmaster berret with frustration. To Betty's surprise, there was a small portion in the back of the lab with several cots in it, along with places for Erin to keep her personal wears. On an actual bed, Erin laid Betty down. "You get some rest. I will make you a concoction to get the production of blood up. Though... what to do with the demon chi-" The girl quickly scurried on to the bed, and curled up in a ball against Betty's body, looking like it could fit snugly in the egg again.

The Engineer wrapped an arm around her with motherly care. "You know... We should name her. I just realized she doesn't a name."

"Yes, I suppose it would be hard to gain any attachment to her if we keep referring to her with pronouns and descriptions." Erin tapped her lips in thought. "I am no good at this though. Um... Demon...y? Bloody? Um... Demon specimen number 001?"

"How about..." Betty considered for a moment. "Eliza?"

"Eliza? Hmm... yes, I like that? Someone you know?"

"She was uh... My neighbor for a while. Nice girl... But her and her family were just gone one day without warning..." She explained, running a hand through the demon girl's hair.

Erin smiled down at them. "Well, I think it is an excellent name. Eliza..." She nodded. "Rest up. I'll be back with that concoction."

The newly named demon scooted closer, her horns luckily not poking into Betty. "Amam?"

"Yes sweetie? Don't worry, I'm right here." The Thrope replied. "I never thought I'd already be taking care of a little one... You just... Bring out something in me... I guess in some ways we're a lot alike..."

Eliza closed her eyes. "Al bewl. Bewl... Amam..." She drifted off to sleep, content with its first hours of life after waiting thousands of years in the dark.

"Zhere. Just go to sleep... Maybe we'll go play-" Betty yawned suddenly, cutting herself off. "Catch in the morning..."

 

[ExoGrim]

Not in the Best Shape.

Zulik walked to the training grounds, hoping to get a good exercise before getting some food. The elf did his usual practices, only slower due to his damaged ankle. He would have to talk to Erin about getting that fixed later. Unbeknownst to him, Arlia had been watching him in the distance, taking note of his wound. The assassin walked over to Zulik. “You look like you’re pushing yourself too hard.”

“I’m only doing what’s necessary for daily training.” Zulik remarked.

“By harming yourself?” Arlia retorted. “Last I checked, that makes it worse, not better.”

“It was an accident…” Zulik countered. “I slipped… that’s all. It won’t happen again.”

Arlia still pressed on. “And what if it does happen again? You can’t stop time from happening and, with the way you’ve been handling yourself, you’ll break something soon.”

“Then what’s the point in even being here.” The corrupted elf snapped, slamming his fist into the ground. “What’s the point in working as a Hunter if I can’t keep up with the others.”

“What do you mean?” Arlia asked, worry about the elf’s mental state.

“Think about it…” Zulik continued. “You have your chi, Titania has her speed, Solomon and Sela can control time itself. And then there’s me… the corrupted Elf with some magic potential and nothing more. I might as well be useless at this point. I have absolutely nothing going for me in the slightest.”

“That’s not true…” Arlia said defensively. “You’re an expert at hand to hand combat and a durable fighter.”

“That does mean anything in this field!” The elf snapped again. “The monsters are only going to get harder and harder… and at one point I won’t be able to keep up.”

“And what makes you so sure of that?” Arlia countered. “You’ve always found a way to keep yourself ready for anything… but if you keep at it like this, you’re going to get yourself killed.”

“Then so be it.” Zulik turned back around. “If I die because I couldn’t keep up, then there was no point in even trying to save me anyway.”

Arlia groaned. “You stubborn shit.” She muttered as she left the room. Someone had to help him, but she had no interest of fighting that battle.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

MarineAvenger & ZombieSplitter53
"What They Deserve"
Part One

New Vento City
East Serasam
6:45 p.m.
March 10th, 3335

The soft light let out by the twilight Sun just below the horizon lit up the mid sized city, haunting shadows cast against the various buildings of various sizes. Individuals of all shaoes, sizes, and races moved quickly to get home before the light was completely extinguished.

Several fireflies flew around the quickly emptying streets, the little creatures being exciting little things that made the city rather unique to walk around in at night. When it was safe at least. Unfortunately, a girl was walking around the streets alone after losing her butler in the crowd an hour back. Despite trying her best, locating him was close to impossible.

"I hate this city," she said to herself softly, rubbing her arms and resting against a wall. She hid in an alley way, having ducked in when she saw some shady men in creepy cloaks, followed soon by a woman wearing some kind of crow mask. "Why did we have to move here? I don't know anyone, and I don't know my way around." She peaked out of the alley, hoping to see if the coast was clear.

The streets now appeared devoid of life in this section of the city, the sky quickly turning from orange to a jet black, no stars or mean looking to appear out tonight. Behind her there was a low growl.

She jumped and quickly turned to face the possible danger. Dozens of dark thoughts ran through her head. Rabid dogs. Crazed lunatics. Lycanthropes sneaking into the city and ripping her apart. She had heard of a string of killings in the city. Was this where the killer was located? Did he have a pack of murderous attack dogs?

The dog sitting low on its haunches ready for attack seemed like a singular dog, so skinny that its ribs were showing and its legs were almost twigs. The starving animal's yellow teeth were bared and saliva poured from his mouth. As it pounced towards Mina, something quickly wrapped around its neck and pulled it into the shadows where there was the sound of a struggle, the dog letting out a high pitched yelp before everything went silent.

The girl let out a shuddering breath. She had always been taught to be fearless, but she had never been in a situation where controlling her fear was important before. Despite the fear in her heart, however, some kind of combination of fear and curiosity compelled her to stay where she was.

She could tell there was a stirring from the blackness and a form began moving forward. First was the hood, then the shoulders, and then an entire person stood where the dog had. The coat they wore was obviously much too big as no hands fell from the sleeves and the hood was hanging so low that the head underneath must have been small. It was muddled and slightly torn but despite that, the coat was nicely made, much too nice for a street rat. The shorts the person wore were baggy and they drooped slightly past the hip, also grimy but unripped, going to the shins. Like the jacket, they too were way too big. There were no shoes on the small stranger, but instead dirty cloth wrapped around them almost like bandages.

"Um..." The girl took a deep breath. "Did... d-did you somehow stop that dog? I... th-thank you for... for that."

"No problem... they become pests at time, but they are not as strong as they appear..." a male voice responded as he walked forward slowly, swaying with each step.

The girl took a small step back. "Well... thanks a lot. I'd pay you if I... had any money, but my pockets are completely empty. Um... I need to go find my bu-... my friend."

"It's bad to go alone at night..." Each time the person talked it seemed like each word was dragged out; each syllable was forced. With the hood down, it was impossible to see a face.

"Y-yeah... I know. Kinda got... separated." She took another step back. "A-are you okay? You seem a bit... off?"

The figure kept slowly swaying back and forth towards her before falling forwards, landing face down and not moving.

She took another step away, part of her relieved and ready to leave. She stared down at the boy and frowned. "Darn it," she mumbled, and walked over to the boy, placing a hand on his back. "Are you okay, little man?"

There was no response at all. "You... y-you didn't die on me, did you?" She knelt onto her knees, and attempted to turn him over. It was surprisingly easy as she found that the hidden body underneath was extremely thin and bony. The hood still covered the face, but his chest did move slowly up and down.

The girl let out a sigh of relief. Scrunching her nose as she tried to think of what to do, she decided to remove the hood so she could at least know what he looked like. The sight she got was nauseating and tragic almost at once. The skin was horribly textured, leathery looking in nature with creases all over. The eyes were bandaged over likely for a reason but somewhat luckily there was still hair, a matted and oily looking nest of what used to be almost platinum colored long locks. When she looked down, she noticed that the bandaging around his feet were disguising the same textured skin.

"Oh, my... you poor thing." She looked around, looking for help that wasn't there. "You... I-I can't just leave you here, can I?" She bit her lip, and sat him up. It took a while to get it right, but she moved in front of him and was able to lift him onto her back with a little strain. Luckily she worked out enough to handle his weight, at least for a while. She cringed as she felt his grimy clothes push against her perfectly white, expensive, well pressed shirt and skirt. Shaking her head, she ventured out of the alley, hoping she could find someone, anyone, who could lend aid.

Unfortunately, in this part of the city as night fell, there was no such hospitality from anyone, not for free. After much wandering, it seemed her hopes were becoming useless. She made her way into another alleyway, her hear matted from sweat, her breath labored from carrying the boy. She carefully put him down, leaning him against the wall, and sat next to him. Pulling her legs up close, she shivered a bit. She had a bit of money on her, but only enough for a meal. Not nearly enough for an inn, if she even knew where one was. The sweat on her body made the cold night worse, and she longed for the summer days up north. For now, she was on her own, lost in an unfamiliar city, cold, hungry, and afraid, with no one to keep her company but an unconscious street urchin.

She felt something thump against her shoulder, the boy having leaned over and rested his head on her. "...Always here beside you So, keep your head held high, The shadows of this world Will try to steal you away into their arms But you belong in mine..." he sung softly, not being great at it, but passable.

She smiled softly. "That's a sweet song." She closed her eyes. "What's your name?"

"...Carth..." the boy mumbled slowly, moving his head a bit to get more comfortable. "You?"

"Wilhelmina. But my friends just call me Mina."

"Why... did you carry me?" Carth questioned tiredly, his concealed arms wrapping around her left one.

Mina looked down at them, but said nothing on it. "Because you passed out. What kind of person would I be if I just left you there, especially after you stopped that dog for me. I was hoping to get you some help, but... if we survive the night, maybe a meal will be the next best thing."

"No one can help me but me... no one can help me but me... no one... can... help..." A soft whimper escaped his lips, "My chest... hurts..."

Mina looked down sadly. "I'm sorry. Maybe I can... help you find a doctor or something. If I had magic, I could help you myself, but I don't. All I can do is... stay by your side and hopefully help you stay warm tonight."

"Could you... take a look for me?" Carth asked nicely.

"Take a look... at your chest?" Mina bit her lip. "Um... o-okay. Sure."

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

"What They Deserve"
Part Two

Reaching down, he fumbled around for the coat buttons through the sleeves, not bringing out his hands to make things easier. Finally, the clothing parted and showed he wore no shirt underneath, and much to Mina's horror, the scarring seemed to be all over his entire body. Worse yet, his chest was covered in large blackened purple spots. "Oh, gods! How did this happen to you? Did someone torture you?" Mina stared at his wounds in shock, afraid to touch him else he might collapse in pain.

"It happens from time to time. I don't know who does it, but they do. Some... longer than others." Carth said softly. "I... I-I don't feel it much. It is dulled for the most part. I don't... Feel really anymore."

Mina lightly placed a hand on his cheek. "I... I promise you, I won't let this happen to you. I'll... I'll find a way to take you away from this."

"But... Why? We aren't really friends. We just met. You owe me nothing." The boy noted as he slowly pushed away her hand.

Mina shrugged. "Because I owe you for the dog." She smiled. "Besides, my parents have always taught me to help those in need... like you."

"You... Don't know me Wilhelmina." Letting his head fall, he reached back into the hood and untied the cloth. Pulling back the hood, he turned to face her. His face was even more grotesque in full view, and where his eyes should have been was just skin that was fused over where the eyes should have been.

Mina cringed, never seeing something like that before. "It isn't fair. You... no one should have to suffer like you obviously do."

"Life has seen fit to put me on this course. I have no choice but to consign myself to fate. If it means my death, then I must have been fated to die. It is the way I must live."

Mina sighed, and sat next to him. "Life can be cruel. And sometimes, you have to fight it to try and get something better, even if it means relying on someone else to help you along." She scooted closer so they were shoulder to shoulder. "Let's get some rest. We can talk about what happens next tomorrow, after I get you something to eat."

'Looking' over at Mina, finally he relented with a sigh, the boy near her age snuggling up next to her to try and get comfortable as was feasible.

Mina did the same, closing her eyes and trying to get some rest on that cold night with her unfortunate new friend.

When Mina started to wake once more, she found that where that happened to be was not the same where she had started out. She was spawled out on a bed, her clothing gone. She was stipped bare, completely naked underneath a thin sheet. The room was empty except for a broken dresser and smashed mirror, though no dust covered anything. Mina gripped the sheet tightly as fear tightly gripped her chest. She looked around, trying to find her clothes, an exit, and the one who had taken her here.

The door to the room opened up and her fears were alleviated briefly as she saw Carth who was carrying a wooden bucket. Shutting the door, he approached and reached out for her sheet. Mina pulled back a bit. "W-what are we doing here? Where are we, Carth? Where... where are my clothes?"

"Oh, you are awake." he noted, setting the bucket down. "You were snoring loudly so I thought it best to move. We are in an abandoned loft. Your clothes are soaking. I thought you could use a wash. You smelled."

"I... smell?" Mina sniffed her wrist and frowned. "Well... w-well, I was running around a lot, and didn't get to take a bath." She looked around. "How did you get us here when you're... you know..."

"I... Am able to see in a way. I see electrical impulses. Humans... Plants... Thunder storms are the best. The sky lights up and ripples like northern lights. There is a greenhouse outside. I followed my way to it." Carth explained as he took out a rag and reached out to run it along her.

Mina hesitated at first, but reluctantly handed him an arm. "You don't have to bathe me, you know. I could do it myself."

"You showed me kindness. You promised to feed me. I refuse to be idle. I refuse to hold a debt to you." Slowly bringing the material over her arm, he smiled in a childishly amused way. "Your nerves are acting wild."

Mina redeemed a bit. "It typically isn't appropriate for a lady to be bathed by a stranger like this."

"It typically isn't appropriate for ladies to carry unknown dirty urchins on their backs." he retorted plainly, continuing his careful cleaning.

"Good point," Mina agreed, letting out a small laugh. "I wonder what my butler would have said if he had seen me carrying you like that. Probably would have been shocked."

"What would he have said about this?" Carth questioned as he moved onto her shoulders and back.

"He would freak out, honestly. Push you away and say something dramatic like 'Unhand her, fiend!', or something of that fashion." Mina smiled. "He can be a pain in the butt, but he is passionate about his job. I... I hope he doesn't get in trouble for losing me."

"Do you want to be unhanded?" the young man asked with an unusual amount of coyness creeping into his tone.

Mina thought for a moment, then slowly shook her head. "No. You... have a gentle touch. I admit, I was frightened of you at first. Despite your size, you were an unknown shadow in the night creeping ever closer. But... you've had your chance to be a fiend in the night, and you've only been a gentlemen. More so then some so-called 'gentlemen' I know."

"Do you... Want to know how this happened to me? How I got so... Ugly?" he reached down and wet the rag before taking away her sheet to start rubbing her stomach.

Again Mina blushed, her breathing quickening for a moment. "O-only if... you don't mind sharing."

With a nod, his washing slowed as he recalled the events. "It was... Five years ago, when I was seven. I was staying in an orphanage of some nasty lady. She treated us badly, and unfortunately there was no space for me. I had to stay in the attic where the winters were cold and the summers were hot. One night, I woke up and could only breath in smoke. The old woman burned down the orphanage and ran away. I was the only one not to get out. I don't know how I survived in the ashes. I could not feel anything. I could not see. I was laughed at and ridiculed. Beaten for being a freak. You came along, and for once in my life, I felt happiness. Felt loved."

Mina have him a sorrowful look, placing her hand upon his cheek. "People can see so cruel. It is such a shame when the world itself is so harsh that we do the same to each other. No one should ever be treated as you did." Mina shook her head. "I can only hope that woman gets what she deserves when she faces the judgement of the God of Death."

"Maybe." Carth slowly rubbed down her thighs, technically not being able to see her naked at all.

Still, her breathing quickened, and she did a lousy job hiding it. "S-so... will you come home with me? Let me get you some help?"

"I don't belong in your home. You would be taking me from being an outcast of one world and into being another." he said sadly.

Mina lowered her gaze. "Then... what are we to do? You have been so kind. I must pay you back somehow. It is only right. At least permit me to get you to a doctor who will tend to your wounds."

"You are enough payment in itself. To see your body react like this... It is funny." Carth noted as he let out a childish giggle.

Mina flinched, blushing again, but laughed. "Th-thank you, Carth. For everything. If you ever want to come to my home... to get some food, or to get some shelter, or just to have someone to talk to... please, don't hesitate."

"I will... Keep that in mind." Carth said with a nod. His eyeless gaze seemed to take her in for a bit as he slowly moved up, bringing his face closer and closer to hers until finally...

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

"What They Deserve"
Part Three

Havenbrook Manor/Guildhouse

Mina woke up and found herself chin deep in her personal bath in the Manor. She shifted uncomfortably, looking around in a daze as she got used to the waking world again. Such an old memory. Hard to know if it was real, or just a pleasant dream. Regardless, she smiled softly as she finished up and got up before she got too wrinkly. When she was dressed up in her warm pajamas and about to get into bed, there was a knock on her door, one of her servants saying there was a visitor.

"Damn," she muttered, glancing at the pocket watch by her bed, one of the few things of her father's that survived twelve years ago completely intact. After a short internal debate, she finally said, "Send them in, please. I'll see them for a short while."

The servant nodded and exited. Moments later some entered in, a man dressed in a constable's uniform. The marking on his jacket showed him to be from New Vento City. "Sorry to disturb you ma'am. I was hoping that you would be able to help with a matter that... Unfortunately my men have been unable to stop."

Mina sat at a small desk and crossed her legs. "The city have a monster problem, my good man?"

Swallowing, the man took out a kerchief and dabbed his head. "We... We don't know Lady Havenbrook. People have been dying a but too closely to one another, and in the same ways. Their hearts stopped, all of them. All upstanding citizens, nobles... The most recently was an elderly grandmother. We believe there is a serial killer in the city, and we need you to put a stop to these senseless killings."

"Well... non-monsters are rare for us, and serial killers even more so, but not unheard of." She poured a small amount of brandy into two glasses, offering one to the officer to calm his nerves. "Any other clues besides same means of death? Any link between the victims besides their high yearly incomes?"

"Well... None. It is like it is being randomly committed. There is no discernible reason..." Reaching out for the second glass, he froze in place, his jaw hanging open.

Mina raised an eyebrow. "Constable?" The glass slipped from,his hand as he fell to the ground, holding onto his chest as he struggled for breath. Mina rushed to his side and grasping his hand. She moved his head on to her lap. "Get the doctor in here!" She yelled. Softer, she said, "Stay with me. Stay calm. Breath, constable, breath."

After a few moments, his body went limp, eyes lifeless. "Let go of him..." A voice said behind Mina.

Mina gasped softly. She slowly put his hand down. "Who are you? What do you want?" She didn't turn her head. She needed to buy time until someone came or she found an opening to get to her weapon.

There was silent for a few moments, longer than it should have been. "What I wanted I already achieved. Another name scratched off the long list." Why did the voice sound so familiar?

Mina slowly tilted her head halfway, testing to see how he would react. "The serial killer, I presume? Your victims included an officer of the law? Or was it because he was seeking help to stop you?"

"Victims? No... That would imply innocence. No one I have killed has been innocent. Not. A. Single. One." the man growled vindictively. "I thought you of all people would understand my pain..."

"Me of all people? I have a bit of money myself. Am I going to be your next..." She gasped as she looked back. His was a face she could never forget.

"And you of all people should know I could never hurt you." Carth said softly. His attire was changed little since all those years ago. He wore wrappings over his eyes like before, and the coat he had was finally grown into. The difference now was was he wore pants, as well as shoes with cushioned bottoms to make his footsteps silent.

Mina slowly stood up to face him. "What is the link then? Surely... you wouldn't kill them for nothing. What did they do to deserve this?"

"They all hurt me the worst. Every single one of them... Heartless monsters. Whenever I needed help, they not even turned their noses up at me, the hurt me worse. Each time more than the last one. And what happens when I try to report the crimes? I get laughed at! Told in no uncertain terms that no one would ever help me. And I had enough. It was time for there to be some sort of justice. For these... Bastards to get what they deserve." he spat out the words in total disgust.

Mina took a step forward. "Please... please, Carth. This is wrong. They should have helped you, but... but that isn't a good enough reason to kill them."

"I had nowhere to go. And they kept using me as their... Punching bag. Like a no good dog." The man who she used to remember as a calm boy shook with fury. "And then I found her. That woman... The one who ruined my life. Killing her was the hardest, because it took every ounce of me not to make it quick. She suffered. Oh... I made quite sure she suffered."

"Carth... Carth, please." Mina stepped forward again, gently placing her hands on his shoulders. "They are terrible people. They should never, ever hurt you like that. But you can't... just kill them like that. I understand the woman who burned you, but the others? They should be punished for what they did. But killing them is going to far. And... And now you've murdered a constable."

"The man was no constable. He helped no one but himself,and his cronies. And then turned to you to help kill me." Carth took a step back from her, going on the defensive. "I had hoped time hadn't changed you. Hoped beyond belief. Was I wrong?"

"I... time has changed me. The murder of one's parents will do that. But that change is the only reason I understand you. The old me would have been horrified. This me understands the poison of revenge." Mina stepped towards him. "Please, I can help you. Help you like you should have let me help you fourteen years ago."

"It is funny... Everyday you were gone I thought about you. Everyday I could not cry, because my tear ducts were sealed shut. I don't have any tears left in me. To survive, I had to become hard as steel. I don't have a heart anymore Mina. I don't hear its beat anymore." Carth told her as he shook his head.

"I don't believe that," Mina said sternly, perhaps even a little angrily. "Life is cruel. Humans can be terrible. But I believe in the good nature in everyone. It is why I kept this Guild alive. To help people. Let me help you. Let me help you regain the good natured boy I remember saving my all those years ago."

Carth reached out, letting his fingers touch her cheek. "You want to know the worst part about you?"

"What's that?" Mina asked softly.

"I thought about our kiss a hundred times. But I never felt it. I can never feel you. I think that is the worst pain of them all..." There was a commotion outside, banging on the door trying to get in. At some point it seemed he had locked the door.

"Please..." She reached down and tightly took his wrist. "I can't let you go. This is my fault for not forcing you to come with me back then. I... I-I can't let you leave again. I won't."

"I'm sorry..." he said lightly, pulling her close. After a few seconds he whispered, "Carth... Is a fake last name. My real name is... Janne. Suddenly something struck the back of Mina's neck and she slipped into unconciousness. When her door was broken down, all they found were Mina and the dead constable, the curtains of the window blowing in the wind as the were wide open. Janne was gone.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

ExoGrim & ZombieSplitter53
"Royal Flush"
Part One

Havenbrook Manor/Guildhouse
The Bar
March 10th, 3349
10:10 p.m.

The newly opened dispensary of alcoholic beverages within the Guildhouse drew in quite the crowd of hunters, and other staff, wishing to relax with a pint. It had all the makings of a town pub, from the gramophone in the corner, to the stools and tables, to the plucky maid turned bartender behind the counter. It even had a small, currently unoccupied stage in the corner.

Edminfar grunted, and dropped his prosthetic leg on the table, the various coins gingling underneath. "You're kidding, right?" A Hunter named Stevens asked. "Is this thing even worth the gold?"

Ed hiccuped. "W-worth it's weight... in gold. A-are you calling? O-or are you chickening out?"

"Don't, man?" a maid by the name of Britana said. "He's drunk."

Stevens shrugged. "Not my problem. I'll call."

Arlia walked into the bar... having been exhausted from training Titania and Faith. She sat down near the blacksmith, sighing briefly. "Got any wine on you?"

The server giggled enthusiastically. "Of course! Red or white?"

"Red." Arlia answered.

"Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Zinfandel, or Pinot Noir?" the server asked gingerly.

"Syrah." The assassin answered again.

"Regular Syrah, Melbec, Petite Sirah, Pinotage, or Mourvèdre?"

"Just a regular for now..." Arlia stated. "I'm not looking for anything too fancy."

The woman giggled. "Why didn't you just say so?! Be right back, hon."

The eye's of everyone was briefly drawn to the side as Stevens slammed his fist on the table. "You old codger! You hustled me?"

Edminfar pulled his winnings over. "Hustled? Is that happened? Or did you just look at me, and judge that based on my size and wage, I was much too drunk to make a good bet?"

"You're full of crap, old man!" Stevens dropped his cards, downed the rest of his drink, and stormed out.

"Pft... sore loser," Ed muttered.

"Now you did it," the table's fourth player, a Hunter named Svenden, muttered. "You know he is the kind with a temper. And now we have only three. You can not play with three! Is no fun!"

Arlia noticed the commotion. She headed towards the the gamblers and looked at Ed. "What's going on here?"

He let out a hiccup, and gave her a big smile. "No need to... urp, worry friends. We have our fourth right hair... her... here! Isn't that right, you sultry little thing?"

Arlia looked around at the group, then back at Ed. "Are you okay? You seem like you've had too much."

Ed waved his hand dramatically. "Nah nah, Ima fine. You... know howda play poker?"

"I've never played the game before..." Arlia answered, sighing. "Mainly because I'm not one to place bets on chance."

The two others perked up at that. "Well, come and join us!" Britana quickly said.

"Yes, join us comrade," Svenden agreed. "You have the gold, we provide the cards. You will learn really fast."

Arlia let out another sigh and she sat down. "Fine, I guess I can afford to lose a bit of gold."

"You... you won't lose a single coin. Y-you just lissen to ol' Ed, ya hear? I'll treat you right." Ed gave her a big smile.

Arlia looked at the Netzi with a worrisome look. "Okay, I guess."

The male Hunter passed out the cards, saying, "The game iz Tevan Hold 'ems. No wilds." He gave to cards to each person, through in a copper, and looked at his cards.

The other two seasoned players tossed in the same and Ed said, "N-now, my dear, th-throw in your ante."

Arlia looked at her hand, taking advantage of her assassin training to put on the perfect poker face. The hand was decent enough, but it probably wouldn't win her anything. She tossed in a copper, expecting to lose this round.

Being next to the dealer, Ed said, "I'll be nice te the new chickity and start with... one silver." He tossed in the coin a said, "Now, my sweet, b-by the end of the game, he ist gonna put down five c-cards anyone can pair wiff their own two cards. Y-you wanna make the best hand of f-five. I-it goes... um..."

Britana rolled her eyes. "A high card, a matching pair, two pairs, three of the same or a three of a kind, five cards in numerical order or a straight, five cards of the same suit or a flush..."

"...a pair and a three of a kind or a full house, four of the same number or a four of a kind, five cards in order and the same suit or a straight flush, and finally, best hand iz a royal flush, which is straight flush with Ten-Jack-Queen-King-Ace." Svenden nodded his head to her pile of coins. "We make bets, call bets, or raise bets based on our confidence in our cards. Understanding?"

"Simple enough..." Arlia answered. "Shouldn't be too hard to win."

They all watched her for a few seconds of silence. Ed guzzled down half his mug and loudly whispered, "This is the part where you either throw in a silver piece to match my bet, raise the bet, or fold."

Arlia looked back at her hand. "I guess I fold then... nothing useful here."

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

"Royal Flush"
Part Two

The other two called. After the first three cards where shown, Edminfar and Svenden stayed in, with the former folding after seeing the fourth card. Svenden gathered up his winnings while Ed shuffled the deck. "S-so what's yer name, cutie?" he asked the assassin.

"Arlia." She answered. "I'm assuming that you're Edminfar, the blacksmith."

"Ye've heard of me! It must be destiny fer is ta be t'gether!"

"Don't be daft," Britana said. "Of course she's heard of you. You're the head of the smithy and armory."

"Considering he's also a well known pervert, I'd be surprised if any females of this guild were not at least warned about him." The assassin remarked, grinning slightly.

Ed laughed heartily, passing out the cards and taking another swig after his ante. "You flatter me, dear beauty."

Svenden leaned close to Britana. "Is what she is saying compliment?"

Britana shook her head. "He's a bit too wasted to care... if he ever would."

Ed looked at his cards. "N-now, sweet Arlia, I-I delt, a-and you're to my left, and the one to ze left of the dealer mmmmakes the first bet, soooo..."

Arlia silently placed three gold onto the bet. "Oh, big spender," Britana said with a laugh. "I have to see this." She matched the bet.

Svenden did the same. "I also wish to know if she simply overestimated chances of first cards, or iz secret poker savant."

Edminfar simply stared up at Arlia with a big smile. "Beauty incarnate..."

"Unfortunately for you, I'm already taken." Arlia told Ed.

Ed's ears drooped a little... but only a little. "W-who are we waiting on?"

"That would be you, comrade," the male Hunter said.

"Oh... right." Ed threw in three gold pieces and laid out three cards, a ten of clubs, and ten of diamonds, and a four of hearts. Eyes turned to Arlia to bet or fold.

Arlia placed three more gold on the table and took a sip of her wine. "I'm assuming that now is the time to show you all my cards."

"Not until we lay down all five cards." Britana placed her cards down. "Though I'm folding."

"Do not be fooled. I think she is bluffing." Svenden threw in three more coins. "And I will call bluff."

Ed folded himself, and laid out the fourth card. The Jack of Clubs. "S-still gonna bet, d-darling?"

Arlia continued her bet. "Not backing down now."

Svenden stared her down for a moment, before matching her bet once more. Ed later down the final card, the Ace of Clubs. "She could have a straight, or even a royal flush," Britana warned.

"She does not," Svenden said confidently. "So, Arlia, will you make another foolish get or finally gold?"

Arlia placed more gold on the table, not opting to talk this time.

Svenden stared into Arlia's eyes, placing his hand over his coins but not moving them. The cold look of an assassin left nothing for him to read. He glanced down at his cards. With the cards on the table, he would have a full house. But was Arlia bluffing? He wasn't so sure anymore. Finally, he scoffed and dropped his cards. "I fold."

Britana laughed. "All that bravado wasted. Please, Arlia. We must know what you had."

Arlia showed the group her hand as she took her winnings. She leaned back and took another sip of her wine. "You probably would've won if you stuck to your cards."

"Hmm..." Svenden laughed loudly. "That is quite the poker face, comrade. Are you sure you have never played poker before?"

"No, I haven't." Arlia answered. "But, as an assassin, I was taught how to turn my emotions off... figured it would come in handy here."

Edminfar laughed heartily as he gathered the cards and handed them to Arlia. "Sounds like [hic] we have a good game in our h-hands!"

The four continued to play Dr the next forty minutes or so. Arlia one some and she lost some, overall coming out on top thanks to her unreadable poker face. Ed himself, the one who had invited Arlia, lost quite a bit to her, but never seemed to mind, either a good sport or too wasted to let it bother him. When they were wrapping up, Britana stepped next to Arlia and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're a lot of fun when you make an attempt to socialize. Please, come by more often."

"Sure thing..." Arlia replied as she gathered her winnings and put them in her coin pouch. "I like that this place got set up... allows for more down time then before, with or without drinks."

"I expect chance to get my money back, understand?" Svenden said sternly, but with a smile that said he had enjoyed himself. "I also hope for chance to fight by your side on the battlefield."

"No promises on the money, but I'm sure the two of us will be able to work along side one another."

They left Arlia and Ed alone, the latter sloppily shuffling the cards. "H-how about a new game between us? Top card sssstrip?"

"You, my friend, need to take a break and get some rest..." Arlia told the old Netzi. "You've obviously been drinking too much."

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

"Royal Flush"
Part Three

Ed let out a hardy laugh. "Trust me, I wooda asked fer that, drunk or sober." He took her in for a moment and asked, "So how come I never seen you inda armory? I can make you some sweet weapons, lovely."

"Never had the time to check it out." Arlia admitted. "Though, now that I think about it... I am running low on kunai. I might have to stop by to get some more of those."

"Kunai?" Ed scratched his head. "Do I... know what that is?"

She pulled out one. "Look familiar to you? It's Stormrend craftsmanship."

Ed blinked as his eyes adjusted to it, and he nodded with a smile. "Of course! Kuna... kunis... make 'em all the time." He slowly stood up, and fell over. "Seems I... didn't put ma leg on r-right. Embarrassin'..."

"If you need help, I'd be happy to guide you back to the armory." The assassin offered.

"Well... how could I turn down sssuch a generous offer?" Ed raised his arms to her.

Arlis smiled as she helped him up and made her way down to the armory.

Edminfar limped along, trying to adjust his leg and leaning on Arlia for support. "So tell me, pretty lady... how serious is this person you're attached to?" he asked, one of his hands resting high on the back of her leg.

"Considering he's a fellow assassin from the same homeland..." Arlia thought for a moment. "Pretty serious. And he'd probably kill you if you made any moves on me."

Ed only laughed. "Bring him on! I can tek... tek... tetake him! What does he have that... I can't... fight?" His ears drooped a little.

"Age advantage and stealth... not to mention he's not drunk right now." Arlia teased the old blacksmith.

"You ffforgot size... a-and strength..." His ears drooped more as the headed into the lower level. "Plush he probly izn't... cripple..."

"But he's also not an expert smith." Arlia reminded him. "Everyone has something over another person."

Ed let out a humorless chuckle. "Engineer... great weapons I can't even use. Even... Grigori..." He looked up at his single sagging antenna. "Grigori... useless..."

"Something happen to Grigori?" Arlia asked, concerned.

"Yeah... can't make him... work right." The Netzi looked up with a sad smile. "Wanna see him?"

"I don't see why not." Arlia seemed eager to see what the Netzi had hidden up his sleeve.

The pair made their way through the armory and into the smithy. At this time of night, most of the work was done and the room was a an actually tolerable level. Ed limped over to one of the tables, grabbing the walking stick he had left behind, and moved over to a sheet. Pulling it down in a clumsy motion, he uncovered Grigori, his thunder construct in the form of a sleek, metal tiger, looking as new as the day it was made.

"You built this?" Arlia asked in awe.

Ed laughed softly. "I did... ma dear. Made... long time ago. Been upkeeping e-ever since."

"How did you make something like this?" The assassin asked, obviously amazed by the design.

Ed sighed. "The plans were... extensive. Used da best magitech... uh, I cood aford at ze time. P-powered by m-magic stone in... c-center. Itz heart. T-took me years to g-get it to work right..."

"Then what's wrong with it?" Arlia looked at the Netzi in confusion. "You mentioned that it didn't work right."

"I-it works!" Edminfar insisted, somewhat defensively. The slight outburst made him suddenly fly into a side room and grab a bucket. After an awkward half minute of the sound of retching, he flew back in, panting slightly. "W-works great. S-see..." His antenna twitched, and a light glow came from the construct's eyes. It stood up tall, and took a step towards Arlia.

"Okay, good." Arlia sighed briefly, looking at the time. "Thanks for showing. I would stay and chat, but I must get going."

Grigori took another step forward and suddenly fell to the side. Edminfar lowered his head as he walked over. "I'm sorry, buddy," he muttered, placing a hand on the mechanized beast. After a few moments of silence, he said, "Thanks for... walking me. See you later, Arlia."

"No problem... whatever it takes to help out a comrade." Arlia patted the Netzi on the head. "I'll be back tomorrow to see about a new set of kunai."

He nodded softly, and watched as she walked out. He slowly turned his head towards Grigori and tried to get him to stand again, but with only one antenna, he couldn't keep the link in his inebriated state. "Useless..." He stared at his reflection in the constructs metal skin. "Useless..."

He slowly walked away, only for a connection to pop, causing him to tumble forward, his leg falling the other way. He laid on the floor, staring at nothing in particular, for the longest time. Finally, he floated up, and slowly made his way to his room. Pouring a glass of brandy, he slowly lifted it to his lips. The imperfect connection with he symbiote in his arm acted up at the worst time, and he accidentally crushed his glass. With a yell of anger, sadness, and frustration, he ripped the arm off and threw it across the room. Shakily, he grabbed the bottle of brandy with his good arm and chugged from it, and continued to do so until he finally passed out.

 

[MarineAvenger]

The Next Steps Part One

Havenbrook Forest
Ryna Naflopsola
March 11th, 3349
7: 21 a.m.

Drayce let out several breaths, standing in the clearing right before where he had communicated with the ‘Old Man’. The Dragon Thrope wasn’t much one for other people’s stakes and claims on land and had personally named the lake “Ryna Naflopsola”, or just Lake Grandfather in dragon tongue. He figured if Gramps had control over all water, maybe he could occasionally see him train. Drayce promised to stay strong and he wanted to prove himself to the man he admired next to his mother above all others.

He was stripped down to nothing but his pants, his body muscular beyond belief for someone who looked barely thirteen. Naturally, his scales covered the area around his neck and the tops of his shoulders, the rest of it places on his rib cages. With another sharp intake of breath, the scales began to grow as claws formed from his toes and hands. His eyes shifted to a more reptilian form and even his hair grew slightly now in the process. Ever since his first time going over the top, his powers seemed different. When in his pre-transformation state, everything was more vivid to him. Colors were more saturated and his sight could see well past their normal range. Everything smelled much more pungent, from the smell of mud and wet leaves to the blooming flowers and crisp wind of spring approaching. Drayce could hear the tiny breaths coming from Aussir as he slept in the pile of clothing that lay not far off.

It was tantalizing, and it made goosebumps roll across his body as if new life was being breathed into him. This was what dragons felt at all times, but to Drayce being in this state was one of constant battle. He wanted to draw more and more, to delve deeper into his dragon form but doing that would make his mind slip from him, causing another Charter incident. Out here there was no Titania to save him.

Pushing those thoughts from his mind with a shake of his head, the chaos dragon rushed forwards to a nearby tree with enhanced speed, swiping his claws against the bark repeatedly which caused pieces of bark to fly off as splinters and leave deep gashes in the wood. His rodent slave peaked up over the edge of his temporary bedding and squealed, hiding back down as a fireball rushed by overhead and slammed into another tree. Jumping back briefly, he ran forwards and jumped up, claws sinking into the rather hard maple wood. Climbing up as fast as possible, Drayce jumped and grabbed onto a branch, doing a spin and landing on the branch squatting down.

He ran along the thin branch and dove off, his wings expanding out behind him suddenly as he upturned into the air past the treeline. With a deep breath, he let out a deafening roar which traveled along the forest for miles all around. Wings collapsing inwards, Drayce went into a freefall. He fell straight down feet first, the lake expanding out under him as it approached quickly. Crossing arms over his chest pointing feet straight down, he slipped under the water without injury.

His eyes opened slowly while submerged, the water a brilliant blue rather than the green like the ones back home. Rays of light shimmered while looking up towards the sky as it did through stained glass from a big church. Arms and legs spread out, the Thrope let a few bubbles escape from his lips as he sunk deeper and deeper into the water, enjoying the sight which in his state was more beautiful than able to be put into words. The beauty of it was something inhuman, unable to be comprehended by a mere person. It was something only he could see.

Closing his eyes, he embraced that moment, feeling closer to back home than he had in months.

 

[MarineAvenger]

The Next Steps Part Two

New Vento City
East Serasam
March 11th, 3349
9: 45 a.m.

Davon slowly dismounted his dark bay horse who he had purchased not long after coming to the Guild, Chaser, patting the steed on the muzzle before handing his reins off to a stable boy at the inn he was visiting. The place was called Raven’s Nest, the iconography of the front sign being that of an empty bird’s nest. The place was know as a rather upscale place for the east side of the city’s clients but he was not there for expensive, sub par spirits. What interested him was the underbelly of the establishment.

Approaching the back of the residence, there was a rather robust man sitting on a stool casually, a rather large tankard of some of the darkest beer Davon had seen. He was a slab of meat the man was, with his nose crooked from being broken one too many times, no hair on his head whatsoever and his left cheek marred with a deep scar. Grabbing a chair in his right hand as he approached, Davon spun it around and sat it in front of his patron of choice today.

“Morning there mate. I wanted to know if-” Davon began smoothly before being promptly cut off.

“Feck off pritty boy. ‘E don’t serve no pansies in dis e’tablisment. Waltzin’ in ‘ere with that blue ‘air and crimson fuckin’ coat like you some Rashavarak wannabe.” the gruff man spoke in no uncertain terms. Bringing the tankard up to his lips he gulped down the thick beverage so much that much of it made it rolling down his face than in his mouth.

“I can see things are going to be difficult.” Davon noted to himself as a small knife was out of his coat sleeve and into his hand with a simple flick and into the man’s hand, pinning it to the table. Thick beer flew from his mouth as the big man bellowed loudly, dropping the mug as he gripped his wrist. “So let’s simplify it shall we?”

“AHHHH! FUCK!” the bald headed man called out in agony, several patrons getting up before Davon held up a hand.

“Now, now lads… none of this is your affair and it’ll be over quickly. I suggest merely going back to your drinks and enjoying the lovely atmosphere before… what is your name?” the blue-haired assassin asked.

“B-B-Butch…” the man sobbed out.

“Before you end up like our good friend B-B-Butch here.” Davon said without breaking his gaze from his target. “Now Butch, I am on a little job. A bit of it professional, a bit of it for personal gain. But in order for me to do it, I need to know the location of a little hideout. Where is the Marcodi Auction House? I know you work for Mr. Marcodi there, so the right answer the first time would be pleasant.”

“I… I… I dun’t knooow!” the big man blubbered.

A sigh escaped the lips of the man as he shook his head. Grabbing the neck of the man he pushed it back so the back of his head rested against the headrest of the chair. Another knife was in hand and pointed not too far away from the man’s left eye. “Always got to be the hard way with you people. Now Butch, I know you big guys can be a bit slow but I am giving you to the count of three, got it, three before the point of this knife slowly and agonizingly slips its way past your cornea in the most brutal way possible. Ready. One… Two… Th-”

“In the cellar of the New Vento Museum! The cellar of the New Vento Museum!” the man cried out in pure terror, letting out sobs so uncharacteristic of his physique that Davon felt nothing but pity.

Pulling away the blade and getting off the man, Davon let out a sigh as he ripped the second blade from the man’s hand. “New Vento Museum huh… damn bastard was right under my nose the whole time.” Looking at the cloak that hung from the chair next to Butch, Davon reached over and took the heavy woolen piece of clothing, looking it over. “I so did enjoy our chat my good man. Next time when a man with blue hair and crimson coat comes your way, don’t assume he is not the real thing.” Turning around and throwing the article of clothing over his shoulder, the assassin walked away from the man who echoed prayer after prayer for how kind her was for sparing him.

***​

 

[MarineAvenger]

Davon through the cloak over the naked body of a petite and pretty looking blonde woman who barely stood to his shoulders, the strange physical nature of the Light Elf making it seem obvious as to why she was being auctioned off in the first place. Of course getting to her wasn’t exactly easy, but the bodies lining up from around her cage to the stairs leading down to the basement was a testament to just how hard the thugs had actually been. “Sure you are alright Evelyn?”

The young blonde’s entire body was shaking but she nodded very subtly, “Y-Yes Mr. Reinhold. T-Though if… if I may ask… who… who sent you? S-Surely my sister wouldn’t have had enough to… to pay you.”

“Let’s just say a young lord who has taken a fancy to you. You’ll never have to sell yourself again for all he is concerned. In the very unlikely event he would ever mistreat you -gods bless that the kid even knows the word violence- know you have a friend you can contact to save you again.” the assassin assured the young woman.

She looked down and thought a few moments, running a hand through matted blonde locks that brushed must have been stunning. “Surely not that… that shy Thrope. There’s no way he…”

“Lady Brianna, I think your rescuer is more than a little eager to see you safe. He has already collected your sister I hear so you shouldn’t dally about daydreaming.” the blue-haired assassin noted with some humor.

Evelyn blushed at her last name having such a label put onto it, especially when marriage was… “I thank you Sir Davon. I will… I will never forget this debt.”

“Well don’t hold your breath waiting for me to collect.” he noted with some humility. “They are waiting out back for you. Hurry along.”

With a wide smile, Evelyn bit her bottom lip briefly before running forward and embracing Davon before she made her way past the dead bodies, trying not to look at them so she could see her means to a new life.

Davon watched her go, chuckling at the sight of young love. His amused smile faded after a moment as he turned and walked to the side storage room, kicking down the door to it. Inside a number of various priceless artifacts that must have each cost their own individual fortunes sat waiting to have been sold by illegal dealers now currently soaking the floorboards. Quickly scanning the area, he spotted what he had been looking for, the reason he freed Evelyn in the first place. The young Lord Adam Devoss was a fool when it came to taste in women, but he knew his way around business deals. He kept a mental note of the new upstart. A pleasant yet sometimes naive boy, but he was dangerous when underestimated too much. His information was now leading to the first goal in a long journey.

Taking an elongated bundled wrapped up in thick cloth, Davon felt almost nostalgic holding it in his hand again. It was a strange feeling, one that brought back a lot of emotions. All of which were dashed by a new voice. “A dangerous man you are Davon Reinhold.”

Closing his eyes, the assassin mentally cursed himself. He had been so wrapped up in his mission that he forgot the most basic rule. Listening. “You don’t live long as an assassin without being so.”

There was silence for a few moments without any response. Sweat began to form on his forehead, and Davon’s body tensed when a hand touched his shoulder. “Duncan Marcodi was a corrupt man with no ethical or moral fiber. He was a disgrace who needed to be dealt with. I only wish I could have been here to do it myself. I hear you are a close associate of Adam Devoss. I have a few questions, ones I need answered. I do not wish to get them the hard way.”

Fuck off karma, you bipolar cunt… “I won’t give you incentive to get to that stage. I would hardly call myself a close associate considering-”

“That Light Elf… why did the boy want a sex slave? Did he wish to merely not pay for an exotic woman?” the man Davon had not looked behind him to see asked.

“That’s what I thought at first but it seems the guy genuinely cared for her well-being. Don’t know the story behind it though. It must be interesting though for him to go out of his way.” the blue haired assassin responded calmly.

Again moments of silence. “Is he sincere?”

“Kid has a keen sense of business and the underworld, but he is still young. I doubt he has gotten far enough in life or even the heart not to be. A boon and a curse.” Davon answered again concisely.

“I see…” The unknown man said, “Davon Reinhold, I suggest in the future you keep your ambitions low. I know the things of you have done to rise to the top. If they had harmed me in any way I would kill you right now. But now in the future, once my own personal list is concluded, you are at the top of another of people who harm this world with their existence.”

“Very honorable of you. And I kill you first?” the crimson coated Hunter questioned.

That elicited a bitter laugh with no humor in it. “Know I am not an easy man to kill. And we all have to do what we have to do. Whether or not you kill a top assassin or a lowly street thug… there will always be another criminal. One who may be worse. My goal… is to make sure suffering ends, but on my own terms. I do what I do for me alone first. Whatever consequences come afterwards I will deal with. Most of the time I hope they better others as well.”

Davon rolled his eyes and nodded, “Point taken. Mind if I get the name of my future ‘killer’?”

“I do mind.” Was the response, before silence ensued once more.

After a couple of minutes past, Davon turned his head and saw no one. “Damn it… should have tried something to see him.” Looking down at the bundle in his hand, Davon chuckled, “I think it is time for a new change if the stakes are being raised.”

The man turned and proceeded to the door of the storeroom, his flanged mace falling to the ground along with its holster. Davon let the bundle rest against his shoulder, a cocky smirk on his face, I’ll be waiting for you to come whoever you are. But I have a vendetta of my own. I won’t stop till I kill him. You hear that Gabriel? I’m not dying until you go first you bastard. Davon’s hand tightened around the bundle hard. One day...

 

[Insane Darkness]

Insane Darkness, Black0ut, and ExoGrim present...
Becoming the Student of the Teacher's Teacher


The training grounds were bustling with activity, but a small area that could’ve held more Hunters only held two of them. Titania sighed, slightly irritated at Arlia’s training. “We’ve been at this for a literal couple of hours. When will this work, Arlia, and are you sure that you know how to do this ‘chi’ thing?”

Arlia sighed. “It takes practice and time. That, and you’re trying too hard… it needs to happen naturally.”

Faith heard the two females training outside and opened the door she was about to pass. If the sword in front of the door wasn’t there, she could’ve easily hidden without the two noticing. She instead tripped, dropping her own newly-acquired sword onto the ground with a loud clang and dirtying her newly-fixed hoodie.

Titania turned at the sound, and soon rushed over at blinding speeds to pick her disciple up. “Are you okay? You’re not too hurt?” Titania started, her leg blurring for a moment, as she kicked the sword back, more concerned about Faith than her new weapon.

Arlia, however, picked up the blade and examined it. “You dropped this.” The assassin said nonchalantly, turning the blade in her hand and offering it to Faith.

“Th-thank you-ou… Ow…” Faith grabbed the blade and stood on one leg to rub the sore spot, balancing on the weapon. “I’m okay, I guess…” Faith told Titania in Elven.

“Who is weapon owner?” Titania asked in choppy Elven, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms.

“Me? I was given this.” Faith twisted her truth slightly to avoid suspicion. She stood taller again, wielding the weapon higher and admiring it.

Arlia stood quietly, not understanding the language that the two were speaking. When she noticed the Duck Thrope wielding the blade high, she placed her hand on her own. After a brief moment of concentration, there was a flash of steel and a slamming sound as Arlia’s katana made contact with the sword Faith was carrying.

Faith’s new blade flew through the air, but was brought back to her grubby hands by her wind magic. In Doloran, she asked the woman she didn’t recognize, “Wh-what? Why d-did y-y-you hit m-my blad-de?” She shrunk further into herself after every word she spoke.

“Not trying to be rude, but I don’t take kindly to the both of you talking in a language I don’t understand.” Arlia said, trying her best to speak nicely to the newcomer.

“Arlia… please stop. That was rude, and uncalled for… I know recent events kinda give you a reason to act this way, but please, Arlia, we aren’t in Stormrend.” Titania lectured Arlia before turning back to Faith, “Explain yourself. In Elven.”

“A woman who was looking for the Havenbrook Guild gave it to me in exchange for me telling her where it was. I didn’t think I was doing anything specifically wrong… She had two of these in the first place, along with a shield.” Faith explained, slightly nervous that her reaped rewards would be taken from her. She couldn’t help being honest to her “mother”, either.

One of Titania’s eyes flashed feral for a moment, her irritation causing the slight change to occur. After a moment or two, she sighed and the eye returned to normal. “Faith… That’s not at all appropriate. Telling someone where we’re located is free, and taking their belongings, even if they have duplicates, isn’t acceptable.” The wolf Thrope scolded, crossing her arms and tapping her foot on the ground.

The Duck Thrope reluctantly held the sword out towards Titania, looking at the ground. “I-I… I’m sorry…” Faith apologized in Doloran so she wouldn’t be stricken by another attack.

Arlia noticed the sudden change in Titania’s eyes. She looked nervously at the motherly Thrope. “Are you okay?” The princess asked with concern in her voice.

“Yeah… I’m okay.” Titania reassured quickly, turning her attention back to Faith. “I’m not the one you need to apologize to. That’d be the proper owner of this sword. If… When you find them, you’re going to apologize for blackmailing them into giving you their sword. Totally irresponsible… I expected more from you.”

Arlia gaze shifted between the two Thropes. Though the young one known as Faith looked ashamed, she was more concerned about Titania. “No, I’m serious, your eyes… they turned feral, almost beast like. That’s not usual for you.”

Faith returned the sword to her body again, switching her gaze between the two women in front of her.

“Yeah… that’s been happening ever since the mine. I think my beastial side is appearing more, and, uh, I’m keeping it contained. Apparently being bitten by zombies and cut by skeletons triggers a survival response. Who could’ve guessed that would happen?” Titania replied ruefully, as she looked away, slightly embarrassed by what she was saying.

“Have you thought about talking to Zulik?” Arlia mentioned. “Or even Erin… I’m sure either of the them could help with the zombie bites. And I can help you manage your feral side.”

“The zombie bites fade after twenty-four hours, so I’m fine with that. As for the beast side… I don’t want you to help,” Titania replied rudely, looking away to hide the slightly fearful look she had.

“But you obviously need my help.” Arlia retorted. “You came close to attacking Faith here over a stupid sword. You can’t rely on yourself all the time and I know what you’re going through… so please, let me help.”

“Not close… I would’ve transformed if I had come close to hurting Faith. Besides… can’t really ask for help when I don’t even know what I’m doing, Arlia.” Titania replied, looking slightly older.

Every time her name was said, Faith grew increasingly more shy, to the point that her hood became increasingly enticing to pull over her head every time. After the last one, she couldn’t take it anymore and pulled it over her head quickly and crouched towards the ground, making herself feel less noticeable and invisible.

Titania, noticing Faith shrink down, promptly picked her up, gently rocking her in her arms. “Sorry...I didn’t mean to upset you, Faith… please calm down.” Titania said, speaking in Elven, and subsequently in Doloran for words she didn’t know.

Arlia examined the young Thrope. “It appears that she gets stressed when she’s the focus of a conversation…”

Faith snuggled closer into Titania’s body, embracing its warmth gratefully. She ignored Arlia’s examination and hoped that their conversation would change topics.

“I think we should let her be to herself.” Arlia said, her gazed focusing on Titania. “Especially since I need to help you deal with this feral spirit you have.”

“Well, it's not really a spirit… it's more or less me, just as a wolf. It's more or less two different sides of me, I suppose.” Titania started to say, her ear twitching slightly. “One where my survival instincts kick in and take control, and one where my emotions control me instead, which is how I usually am.”

“No you’re not!” Arlia snapped. “The Titania I know wouldn’t be consumed by her anger to the point that she would attack an innocent. You will be able to fight this, but you can’t do it yourself.”

Faith looked up to Titania’s face. “I don’t know what I would do if my inner duck took over… Just listen to her,” she told her in Elven, worried for Titania’s safety.

“Alright, fine…” Titania replied in Elven, sighing slightly as she looked at Arlia, “If you want to try to help me, be aware it might not work and that you’re risking your life to help. Which I’m very appreciative for.”

Arlia sighed in relief. “You never gave up on me… I’m not giving up on you.”

“I’d give you a hug, but my hands are full, so I guess a friendly nod will have to suffice.” Titania replied, doing exactly as she said she would. “But… I might have to deliver Faith to her room, so… I kinda have to go…”

“I came out here to train, Titania! I’m not going back to my room now!” Faith rolled away from Titania’s embrace and dropped the sword that she still had close to her body accidentally. The loud noise made her jump and she quickly picked the blade up once again, taking a defiant standing position.

“Okay, okay. Well, Arlia… mind helping me out with Faith’s training?” Titania asked, rubbing her head slightly.

Arlia giggled lightly. “Only if Faith is okay with it.”

“I-I’m a-a-a qui-ick lear-rn-ner…” Faith announced, having some more difficulty with her Doloran’s nervous stuttering again.

“There, it’s settled then. Would you mind, uh, teaching her what you’ve been teaching me?” Titania asked politely.

“Shouldn’t be too hard.” The princess pulled out her katana. “Shall we begin?”

--------------------------

Sadly, I have to return the sword... Titania is basically forcing me to... If I had a choice, I wouldn't return it.

Lying in bed, exhausted after sparring with Titania and Arlia all day, Faith stared at her ceiling, clutching "her sword" to her chest. It wouldn't be hers for much longer, she knew, as Titania had guilt-tripped her into giving it back.

She sighed. Sometimes, I wish that I was cute enough to get away with everything I want... she thought.

 

[Insane Darkness]

Insane Darkness, ZombieSplitter53, and The Goblin King present...
Returning the Sword with a Few Sparring Matches Included


Faith wandered around the Guild, searching for that stupid… idiotic… cat thing. When she noticed the shield that that woman had been carrying around when they met, Faith quickly jogged in her direction, shortsword in hand.

Liara heard the sound of running and turned to see what was making the noise. “Oh, it’s you again. How are you doing?” She asked in Elven because it was Faith running towards her.

“Look… um… I’m sorry…” Faith bowed to the cat Thrope, feeling utterly ashamed of herself by allowing herself to bow to her predator. She held out the cat Thrope’s sword, realizing that she, in fact, held no attachment to the weapon whatsoever.

Liara tilted her head out of curiosity as to why Faith wanted to give back her sword after already making a trade. “What are you doing, we made a deal didn’t we?” Liara asked puzzled.

“There was no reason for me to take your weapon… I should’ve been nice and just offered to lead you to the Guild… The directions to the Guild are absolutely free. I was just being a snob… So, please. Just take it, or else Titania will give me Hell…” Faith pleaded, holding the sword out farther for Liara to grab.

“Thank you for my sword. May I ask who this Titania is?” Liara asked, grabbing her sword and putting it back on her sheath.

“Um… Titania is a really nice but really strict member of this Guild. She’s like a uh… a second mother, I guess.” Faith shifted in place, twirling her fingers.

“She sounds like my owners but they were probably a lot stricter.” Liara said in a joking tone trying to make things cheery.

“Sounds like you’re making friends fast,” said Lady Havenbrook as she walked over. By the way she was dressed, a moist shirt over her whole body and a towel in her hair, it seemed she was coming from the manor’s indoor pool. “Who is your friend, Faith?”

“I don’t know about ‘friend’... I kinda stole from her, technically… So I was returning what it was that I stole… As you can tell, she’s a Thrope who just so happens to prey upon ducks, so… It’s hard to get along with someone like her, miss Havenbrook.” Faith turned to the woman herself, happy that she didn’t have to keep her sour attitude towards the cat lady any longer than she had to.

Mina couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, I can’t claim to know much about the dynamics of different types of Thropes.” She offered her hand to the new commer. “Wilhelmina Havenbrook. Welcome to the Havenbrook Organization.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Liara” Liara replied then turned to Faith “I don’t think Thrope’s eat other Thrope’s, or at least I know that I don’t.” She hoped this would get rid of any ill thoughts about her.

“Scientists have proved that Thropes of natural predator-prey situations will be less likely to like each other… And it’s true.” Faith informed.

“Well, I know so Thropes of a more predatory nature are more aggressive,” Mina admitted. “But their are exceptions to every rule. Take the head of the laboratories. She’s one of the most aggressive Thropes you’ll find, at least as far as in regards to her own opinion, and she’s got big ol’ bunny ears.”

“I did say less likely, miss Havenbrook… So…” Faith didn’t know what to say after that, so she started twirling her fingers again.

Mina sighed. “Well… I can tell you that I just met our feline friend, and I already trust that she won’t harm you. Isn’t that right… Liara, was it?”

“I only ever fight to protect myself and others. That was how I was trained.” Liara replied in a serious tone of voice. “ To be honest, all I ever did was train under my owners.” Liara said going back to her cheery self.

Mina frowned at the word ‘owners’. “Well, Faith… I’m not expecting to change your mind about her overnight. But at least give her a chance, okay?”

Faith groaned. “Miss Havenbrook, I make no promises…”

Mina leaned in front of her. “You can’t even give me a promise to try? I mean… Titania is a Thrope of a predatory animal too. How would she feel if it got out that you felt this way?”

At the mention of Titania, Faith felt overly pressured. “Umm… I can try… but that’s it…”

“It’s a start. More then I can get from a certain dragon Thrope.” Mina stood up and turned to Liara. “And I’m glad to have someone new. What weapons do you specialize in?”

“I mainly use swords, but I was taught how to improvise with other weapons if I must.” Liara replied “ I also use a shield, but if I lose it in a fight or otherwise, I dual wield my two short swords.”

“Excellent. So you both use swords.” Mina pointed down the hall. “Eraqus is down in the indoor training room. Why don’t you two head down there now? Faith, he can check on your progress, and Liara, he can get a good read on your skills.”

“O-okay Miss Havenbrook…” Faith shuffled towards the direction Mina pointed, reluctant to meet another person she would most likely have issues talking to.

“Thank you, and it was a pleasure meeting you Miss Havenbrook.” Liara said, following Faith and looking forward to meeting another person.

Once they arrived, it was easy to tell who they were looking for. Eraqus was by himself, in black slacks and no shirt, sweat rolling down his body. He rapidly swung his training sword forward vertically, stepped back into position, and swung again. Again and again he swung, building up his stamina. As the two women came close, he turned to them like he knew what they were there for. He assessed them closely, especially the smaller of the pair. “Good day, ladies.”

“Hello. We were sent by Miss Havenbrook to be tested on our skills.” Liara replied in a polite, cheerful manner.

 

[Insane Darkness]

Returning the Sword with a Few Sparring Matches Included cont.

“Alright. You are… Faith…” he said to the respective young woman, she being the easier of the two to know of considering there was no one else like her there. “...and… um… L… someone told me… Lana?”

“It’s Liara, sir. Nice to meet you.” Liara answered to his attempt to say her name.

“Same.” The Elf looked down at Faith. “You’ve been training with Titania, right?”

“Yeah. She’s tough, but she can be quite nice. I am definitely better off now because of her stamina training.” Faith looked at the man with awe, sad that she still couldn’t find anybody her size.

“Stamina training is quite important,” Eraqus agreed, especially considering it was what he was just doing. “Let’s see how you’re doing. Want to go first?”

Faith’s voice dropped in tone. “Alright. I’m ready.”

Eraqus raised an eyebrow for a moment, but nodded. He had been at this for some time, and this wasn’t the first shy hunter he had met. “Alright, grab your preferred practice sword and step into the ring over there.”

Faith walked to the ring, holding her hand out. A short wood sword floated its way to her hand. She stood in the middle, prepared to fight. Eraqus stepped across from her, and few feet away. He rolled his neck, and motioned for Faith to make the first move, taking a defensive stance.

Faith held her hand behind her before launching herself forwards. When she was within distance to attack, she crouched down and instead of swiping at his feet, she propelled herself off of his leg to test what he would do. Eraqus watched her calmly and stoically, studying her every move, blatant and subtle. He moved forward, swinging his sword horizontally, though slower than usual in case she couldn’t handle full speed.

Faith landed on her shoulder, so she forward rolled into a standing position, sword at the ready. “I can already tell I’m no match for you,” she noted aloud.

“Good thing I’m not expecting you to beat me then.” Eraqus smiled lightly. “I just expect you to do your best. Come on. Don’t hold anything back. Come at me with everything.”

Faith ran and jumped above the tall figure with a sword of his own, smacking below her.

Eraqus was caught a bit off guard, but not enough to stop him from blocking. As she momentarily hung in the air, her sword pressed against his, he said, “Got any tricks with your magic besides enhancing your attacks?”

Faith placed her hand on his and used Knockback on it, ruining his grip on his blade. Before she fell out of the ring, she floated back in. “Sure. If this counts.”

“It does.” Eraqus reached down and picked up his sword, but relaxed his stance. “You disarmed me. If you were both fighting me, she could have gotten a killing blow while I fumbled for me weapon. If you were trying to take me alive, you could have followed up by pointing your weapon at me.” He nodded in satisfaction. “You show promise. You show intuition and innovation. I’d like to test you again in a couple weeks to see how quickly you improve, if that’s okay.”

Faith’s body temperature rose from the compliments more than the sparring had. “Th-thank you…” she said in Elven, stuttering even in the language she doesn’t stutter in.

Eraqus couldn’t help but smile a bit at that, and turned to the second woman. “So… you ready to show me what you can do?”

“Sure, but I have one request.” Liara said, excited to finally get to spar with someone after traveling for so long.”Can I use a sword and shield?”

Eraqus nodded. “Whatever you are the most comfortable with. I want to see the extent of what you can do.”

“Then I’m fully prepared.” Liara said smiling, walking into the ring.

Eraqus rolled his shoulders and flexed his hand over the hilt of his wooden sword, taking in a few deep breaths. Taking a defensive stance once more, he said, “The first move is yours.”

Liara did a test swing with her left hand while keeping her defence up with the shield on her right. Eraqus deflected the attack, watched her right side for drops in defence. Satisfied that she at least knew how to hold the shield, he made a diagonal slash towards her right to see if she knew how to use it.

Liara thrust her shield towards the attack then swinging her sword at the blind spot as soon as recoil hits him. Eraqus dodged back, more out of anticipation of the attack then seeing it coming. He gave her an impressed smile. “The best defense as a good offense, right?”

“That’s what my owners taught me.” Liara replied waiting for the next strike.

Eraqus twirled the blade in his hand. “A former slave who’s masters taught her how to fight, huh? That’s a new one.” He quickly stepped forward again, swinging high, then suddenly shifting his arm low, targeting her left side.

Liara turned to block. “I still am technically a slave. They sent me to venture out and explore the world,” she replied, preparing to be knocked back a little.

“You seem pretty unfazed about being a slave. You know you’re not considered one here, right.” Eraqus’ sword connected with hers. With little hesitation, he dropped a bit to try a sweep at her legs.

“I’ve been a slave for as long as I can remember. So I never cared about denying what I am.” she replied, jumping back slightly to properly block a sweep.

“An interesting point of view,” Eraqus muttered, wondering what Jay would think of that line of thought. After trading several blows, he relaxed, seemingly satisfied. “Good work. I’m pleased with what I saw here. You both have plenty of room for improvement, but you are both skilled. Please, keep training and improving your fighting and your knowledge.”

“Thank you for the sparring match. I plan to get better I’ll promise you that.” Liara said gleefully.

Eraqus nodded to her and Faith. He gathered up his stuff and said, “I’m gonna hit the showers. Since you two are here, you should get some training in. I hope to train with you both soon.” He headed for the exit. Before walking out, he called back, “Try training together. I bet you two would make great partners.”

Faith cringed openly at the suggestion, but respectfully accepted his previous complements.

“So Faith wanna spar?” Liara asked, looking forward to pushing past her limits.

“I suppose…” Faith tapped her sword on the ground twice before walking into the ring.

“Let's put our all into it" Liara said walking into the ring.

“Alright. Let’s do this thing.”

 

[Insane Darkness]

Insane Darkness, The Goblin King, and Black0ut present...
A Fight Worse Than Steel


Furious blows echoed across the training grounds, Titania’s practice longsword smashing into the dummy while she herself weaved into elegant battle stances in such frequent moves it almost seemed like she was dancing.

Liara kept low to the ground practicing on blocking and attacking the blind spot of her enemy. Liara lunged her shield forward then swinging her sword as soon as she hit the enemy’s blade.

Faith attacked her dummy with a barrage of Knockbacks. She was starting to get really tired of how much the dummies refused to move and just wanted to take her anger out on something.

With a final mighty blow, Titania nearly broke the wooden longsword on the dummy, and took a moment to catch her breath, before noticing Faith. She walked behind the Duck Thrope, watching her apprentice punch her non-living dummy into submission.

After a few more Knockbacks and her magic nearing depletion, Faith quickly grabbed the sword again, sharpened it, then struck the dummy as hard as she could. While it may have moved and was decently satisfying, it hadn’t had the same effect as Knockback had. She collapsed on the ground and stared at the sky, knowing that if someone was actually worried about her, they would walk over to pick her up off the ground.

Titania blurred, disappearing for a moment, before returning with a glass of water and a grimace. She gently tapped Faith’s shoulder and offered the refreshment to her.

Faith sat up, now noticing the wolf Thrope. She turned towards her and smiled, extending an arm to grab the glass.

“Don’t overwork yourself, Faith. It won’t help you get better.” Titania advised, sitting down as well.

“Yes, mo--... Miss Titania…” Faith agreed, catching herself from saying something she didn’t want to. She took a sip of the water before swallowing and saying her thanks to Titania.

“Wait… what was that you said before, you know, Miss Titania?” The Wolf Thrope asked, offering a bemused look to her protege.

Liara set down her shield down and grabbed her other sword. She then attacked the foe ferociously not letting a single opening show. After beating the dummy senseless she walked towards Faith and waved to her trying to get her attention.

Faith noticed Liara had finished beating up her dummy and desperately waved the snow leopard Thrope towards her. Help me! she mouthed. Her slip-up had caused severe, unwanted hidden embarrassment.

“Hey Faith. Who’s that?” Liara asked pointing towards the wolf Thrope lady.

“Oh, th-this is Titania. She’s been raising me since I’ve gotten here. She’s nice, if you get to know her. She can be strict, though…” Faith introduced. “Titania, this is… Lira? Lina? Um…” She started twirling her fingers again, hoping that their attention would shift soon. Especially since she had forgotten the name of the cat lady, therefore making another mistake to add on top of her previous one.

“It’s Liara, Faith.” she said, smiling “Also nice to meet you Ms.Titania.” she put her hand out to shake Titania’s hand.

Titania smiled and shook the snow leopard’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Liara.” Turning her attention back to Faith, “So… Faith… I’ll ask some other time. When it’s just us… so maybe when we’re training.”

“NO! Can’t we just leave it alone?! Please?...” Faith pleaded, attempting to abuse her cuteness to keep what she was going to say a secret.

“Leave what alone?” Liara asked tilting her head out of curiosity.

“Alright, alright. I’ll drop it… in a day or two. As for what, Liara, that’s between us, not you. Sorry.” Titania replied sternly, winking at Faith as she stretched her arms out.

“Alright, thought I’d try.” Liara said cheerfully “So you teach Faith how to fight I’m guessing?” Liara asked hoping to spar.

“Yes…? I mean, I help her with her training regimen and correct her on her stances, so… I guess?” Titania replied scratching right behind her ear nervously.

“Would you spar with me?” Liara asked with high hopes of testing herself.

“...No.” Titania replied curtly as she yawned, cracking her knuckles one at a time.

“Damn, maybe next time.” Liara said with a slight chuckle.

“Maybe, maybe...” Titania replied, closing her eyes as she began to nap.

Faith poked Titania’s cheek. “Why are you trying to sleep on us? We should all spar together and learn from each other!”

“But… sleep, I needs it…” Titania replied, cocking an eye open to look at Faith.

“How much sleep are you getting, Miss Titania? It’s not healthy if you aren’t getting enough sleep.” Faith poked Titania’s cheek some more, trying to keep her awake to listen to her response.

“Umm… like a couple of hours?” Titania replied, as she rolled over to avoid her pupil’s incessant poking.

Faith levitated Titania’s body and walked under it to continue poking her. “Do you want me to take you to your room?”

Titania grunted, annoyed that her pupil had wind magic to counteract her sleep tactics. “No… I could manage… but is it really necessary to poke me awake?”

“Well, if you’re going to become a sleepy butthead, then I think it is quite necessary.” Faith explained.

Titania raised an eyebrow and reached down to grab Faith’s arm, grasping her wrist. With little effort she lifted the Duck Thrope to where she was in the air, a stern look on her face.

Liara started to walk slowly backwards to stay out of trouble. “You’re on your own on this one.” she said to Faith smiling.

Ignoring Liara, Faith asked Titania, “What is it? Is there anything you would like to tell me?”

“You’re being pretty sassy today. So, tell me, what’s wrong? Is it that new girl?” Titania whispered, still raising an eyebrow.

“I know that she is a natural predator like you… but it’s something about her that I cannot… like, I guess? It’s hard to trust her. I have a feeling that her smile is fake and that she has hidden motives for being so nice and forgiving towards us. Do you agree, Miss Titania?” Faith questioned, hoping that her deductive reasoning made sense.

“Faith… everyone has something they keep hidden, like that half-finished word you won’t tell me. If she wants to keep her secrets, then let her keep her secrets. And stop calling me ‘Miss Titania’. It makes me feel old.” Titania complained, doing her best to keep Faith upright.

Faith glared at her teacher, then sighed. “Miss Titania… You are virtually my teacher. There’s no reason why I should call you anything that doesn’t contain respect. So, forgive me for that, first of all. Second of all, you never answered my question. Now, let me rephrase it again…” Faith paused, then continued, “So… Number one: do you think her smile is fake? Number two: do you think her kindness and forgiveness contain hidden motives? Please… Answer with a simple, direct response. I don’t want your cryptic phrases that lack Elven charm.”

One of Titania’s eyes turned feral, her irritation at the lack of respect from Faith showing. “Faith… apologize. Now.”

“Miss Titania. Please let me go. I do not appreciate your malice being pointed in my direction. I just asked for a straight answer.” Faith stared into Titania’s eyes seriously, speaking completely in Doloran.

Titania stared into Faith’s eyes, her eyes turning fully feral, before reverting back to normal. With a deep breath, she sigh and dropped Faith gently to the ground. “If you want an answer… then don’t disrespect me. And the Miss Titania thing doesn’t matter, even though you’re my pupil. Consider it, at least to me, to be more disrespectful than if you just said my name.” Titania replied, her tone cool, and devoid of the motherly warmth it usually had. “So… again, apologize.”

Faith floated to the ground lightly. “I understand, Titania. Forgive me, as the way I phrase my Elven is slightly different than yours. The way I put it wouldn’t have been considered respectful nor disrespectful, yet it still had some challenging words used within it. And don’t worry about answering my questions. I think I can live without them. Now, please excuse me. Fried duck is the last thing I want to see on the menu.” Faith’s Doloran was darker in tone than usual and lacking all of its stuttering. She turned around to walk back inside, but tripped on a misplaced sword, throwing off her composure and forcing her to almost land face-first into the floor, had she not caught herself with her wind magic at the last second. “Uh-uhm… E-excus-se m-me!” Faith stuttered, rushing back inside after her third mistake in a row after picking herself back up.

“If you want that sparring match, my whole day is now open.” Titania murmured glumly, the words Faith uttered hurting her worse than any arrow or sword could inflict.

“I think we should call it good for today.” Liara said, dropping her happy facade.

 

[Dahlexpert]

Dhalexpert and Exogrim the right things to say


Havenbrook manner

Charter was practicing with the pole axe that his father gave him weeks ago, using the point to impale his target and using the ax to decapitate the next target. “Yep I see why my dad gave me this, hell even the back in of this could fracture a skull. Hmm... my last gift from my father.” Charter thought about what his dad said to him about being his own person and looked at his sword and heavy shield. “Doesn’t mean I can’t use both or bring on at a time. But if that happens, that means I’m gonna have to give to a saddle boy.” Slone looked at his master and growled at the thought of getting a saddle.

Arlia walked up to the warrior has he practiced. “Please don’t tell me I have to give you the same talk I just gave Zulik.”

Charter turned around and saw Arlia. “Oh hey, you're the assassin chick right. Sorry if I forgot your name, we only talked the one time, and back then you were scared of Slone over there.” Slone yawned then looked at Arlia.

“Yes, my name is Arlia.” She reminded him. “And don’t worry about the Dire Wolf, I no longer have reason to fear him.”

“Great to hear, it’s nice to see most people getting used to my wolves. Won’t let anyone near the den of course, but that’s just me, so how have you been? It’s been awhile since I saw you, I hear you been busy and the last time we talked to had a voice in your head, how is that going?”

“I’m doing much better now.” Arlia answered. “The voice problem has been fixed and I’ve been able to catch up with old friends.”

“That’s great, nice to hear things are going well for you. As for me well, I went back home to Mirandia and visited my family. It was good to see them after nine years, so it was great seeing them. Now what did you say about Zulik?”

“He’s, what you would call, overworking himself.” The assassin explained. “He’s determined that the rest of the guild will eventually surpass him and he’ll be killed because of it.”

Charter placed his palm into his forehead. “Where is he? I have a few words for him, if he thinks that he’s going to be kicked out because of something like that.”

“He’s in the training fields, near the entrance.” Arlia pointed out the direction. “Just follow this trail and you’ll find him.”

“Great, want to come along? I should prove to be entertaining depending on how this goes, and how much I dig into him.”

“No thank you, I need some rest.” Arlia answered, yawning slightly. “Good luck though, you’re going to need it.”

“I can handle it.” Charter picked up his sword and shield as well as his bow and arrow, he then turned to Slone. “Yea you're getting a saddle, I’m not carrying all this into battle.” Slone growled again at his master and walking out of the room, leaving his master with all the weapons to carry. “I hate you so much right now.” Charter carried the weapons uncomfortably to the training fields where he saw Zulik.

Zulik was practicing his form on one of the training dummies. He had to make sure he was in enough of a good shape for the next mission… whenever the hell that was. He barely noticed the warrior in the edge of his vision. “You want something from me?” He asked briefly, still attacking the dummy.

Charter put the weapons he was carrying down on the edge of the field, and then approached the elf. “I heard from Arlia that something is bothering you, that your over training yourself?”

“This is nothing compared to what I need to keep up with the others.” The corrupted elf remarked. “I need to be on the top of my game at all times if I intend to survive.”

“Alright, what’s going on man. You're acting weird. What’s going on man, what is this about keeping up with the others?”

“The guild is getting stronger by the day… and I will soon be unable to keep up with all of you.” Zulik explained irritably. “All of you have something special that grows with you… I don’t have that leisure.”

Charter rubbed his head. “Alright where is this coming from man? Why do you suddenly feel like this? I mean… this is kinda out of nowhere?”

“It doesn’t take much for realization to hit hard…” Zulik stated, still attacking the dummy.


“Zulik what is this about, I mean, come on man... talk to me here.”

Zulik slammed his hand in the dummy’s face. “Don’t you realize it? I’m useless! There’s no point in being here… considering I’ve made it out of each mission through sheer luck.”

Charter looked at the man confused. “A.. Are you serious, here I was thinking there was something actually wrong with you.” Charter rubbed his head. “Come on man, seriously how did this even get in your head?”

“You wouldn’t understand…” Zulik muttered. “Not that you would even believe me if I explained myself anyway.”

“Please try me, I would love to hear what you have to say for yourself?”

The priest paused… not sure how to proceed. After clearing his throat, Zulik explained. “I was placed on a secret mission to rescue a young Thrope. In the mission, we were spotted and had to retreat… leaving one of our own behind. Unfortunately, the people we were fighting had tracked us. We would’ve died if I hadn’t had obtained help from the Goddess of Justice, Nemesis. To be honest… we should’ve died that day, but luck was out for me.”

“So you're blaming yourself about what happened? Why? Because the way I heard it, you saved the day and helped your comrades and brought them back. So why are you bitching and moaning?”

“Because I shouldn’t have been the hero… I was lucky and I need to make sure I don’t have to do that again.”

“Alright, instead of saying that it was luck, why not be proud of you saving those people? And train just to make yourself stronger, instead of training out of guilt.”

Zulik’s gazed lowered. “I guess you’re right… in this state, there’s no way I’ll be of use to anyone. I’ve damaged myself to badly to be effective.”

“Ok look, see what I am. I don’t have any magic abilities or anything special about me. I’m just a normal guy. I have no magic or anything. And yet I do pretty well, I try to get stronger to save people, that’s what you should be doing… not blaming yourself.”

“You’re right…” Zulik stated. “Sorry for troubling you with this nonsense.”

“It’s not nonsense, it’s just you feeling some bit of guilt over something that was not in your control. Which I hope you're not just saying this, just to go back to being depressed again.”

“No…” Zulik let out a chuckle. “I promise that I’m working towards changing my attitude.”

“Great, this is what being a soldier is about. There are things that happen that are out of your control. All you can do is stand your ground and fight.”

“Right… it’s the life I chose, I must live by it.” Zulik turned and waved. “For now, I need to see about getting this ankle healed. Thank you for your help.”

Charter patted Zulik back. “Any time friend, I’m always willing to help my comrades when they're in need. Or need a push in the right direction.”

“Until we meet again.” Zulik said as he limped away.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

"Raven"

Havenbrook Manor/Guildhouse
March 12th, 3349
11:35 p.m.

She was on the petite side, only 5'3", and by the look of her, weighing only around 100 lbs. Her armor was light, her ponytail of mint green hair bobbed back and forth, and the most intimidating thing about her was the mask of a Raven she wore on her face. Still, she strode into the Havenbrook Manor like she owned the place, ignoring all who told her to stop.

She made her way up the stairs. One of the Hunters moved to grab her. He suddenly found himself tumbling down the stairs, grasping his stomach. Another drew his sword. She drew hers and resheathed it in a mere moment, it being out just long enough to send the Hunter's sword flying away.

Reaching the top of the stairs, she turned towards the east wing, and faced a dozen Hunters standing in her way. From what she could remember from her notes, almost all of them were C-rank. She took a second to crack her knuckles before stepping forward.

"Oh, would you shut up?" Mina snapped in her office. "All you ever do is complain, I swear..."

A raven sitting on a shelf cawed angrily and tapped its beak against an empty bowl.

"I should have never fed you." Mina waved an angry finger at the bird. "You're not a pet, Bishop! And you are not a cuddly dove. For the gods' sake, go find a dead something or other to snack on."

Again, the raven cawed angrily, flying to her desk and doing it even louder.

"Don't give me that! There are plenty of dead things out there! Not like you have sensitive taste buds. Why I ever..." The sound of things slamming outside the room interrupted the Lady of the house. "What the Hell is all that racket!?"

The door burst open, Eraqus jumping back. The raven-masked girl rushed in, locking swords with him and somehow matching his strength. "Don't... ugh, worry yourself... Lady Havenbrook. Just some upstart that... thinks they can..."

The girl suddenly dropped back, making Eraqus stumble forward. She went for a strike, but he was quick to recover and parried her blow. "Hmm... you've improved," she said softly.

"Improved?" Eraqus asked, slashing at her.

Mina took a moment to recognize the voice. When she did, she quickly said, "That's enough. Eraqus, go attend to the wounded."

The Elf ceased his assault but kept his guard up. "But this person stormed in here... you are in danger, I can't..."

"I can take care of myself. But thank you for the concern." Mina stepped around her desk. "Now go."

The intruder watched as Eraqus walked out to attend to the dozen or so men and women she had beat down. With a small shake of the head, she said, "You defenses are lax. Any assassin could simply wonder in here to slit..."

She turned to find Mina pointing her Judge at the woman's face. "Don't underestimate your opponent."

"I didnt," the young woman countered. "I knew once you knew who I was, you would never shoot me."

Mina didn't lower the gun. "Don't overestimate the kindness of others either. That was always a weakness of yours, looking for the good in everyone. I'm surprised you can still think that way as part of the Demon Guild, Ti-"

"It's Raven," she interrupted, tapping the side of her mask. "I have no past beyond when I first put this on, and don't you forget that."

"Bullshit." Mina finally stepped away from her, placing her weapon on the desk. "Why else would you have come to visit? You know, if you had asked for me peacefully..."

"They wouldn't let me through without taking off my mask, so I made my way in by force."

"Yes, gods forbid anyone see your face. Then I'm sure you'd have to kill them."

"Yes, I would. You are lucky you are allowed to remember me. As for why I am here, I need information."

Mina slipped into her chair. "What possible information could I have that the Demon Guild wouldn't?"

Raven placed her hands on the desk. "You know there would only be one reason for me being here. Monster activity has gone up of the past half a year. Demon sightings in Fairaven. Wendigo abductions in Lustania. Gug rising from the earth in Virando. A looming civil war in Themosa. Hostility with Merfolk at practically every coast."

Mina gave her a solemn look. "We have... had quite a few problems her in Serasam."

"I am aware. In fact, we know of many, many Hunts you have had dealing with unusual circumstances." Raven narrowed her eyes behind her mask. "Tell me what you know. Any connections, any clues."

Mina laughed. "Why? You're not a part of my Guild anymore. You made that very clear when you fought your way in here. We are opposing Guilds, and unless we are on a mission together, it makes little sense for competing businesses to share info."

Raven slammed her hands on the desk. "Why are you always so stubborn?! If you have a connection to these events, the fourteen of us will be more then enough to burn your Guild to the ground!"

Mina jumped to her feet, staring the masked girl down. "Don't come storming in here, expecting to get answers and make threats and get away with it just because of who you work for, Raven! I have people dying here. I have poor souls I am trying to care for. I have old friends in serious trouble. If you want to add a guild war to it, I'll gladly take you on!"

Raven's expression remained hidden under her mask as she slowly stood up straight. "I... apologize. I should know better to make baseless accusations."

"Yes, you should. We taught you better." Mina sighed, and sat back down. "I have no information to give you. We only recently started to suspect outside foul play connecting the missions. I have sources looking in on who could be causing this. I'll let you know if we find a suspect... if and only if you show up in a more reasonable fashion next time."

Raven nodded. "Very well. Thank you. And good luck with the dark forces you'll be facing."

Raven moved to the window to jump out. Before she did, Mina said, "Regardless of the circumstances, it was good to see you again, Tina." Raven said nothing in response, simply dropping out the window.

 

[Dahlexpert]

Dhalexpert & zombiesplitter53

meeting your Vampire neighbors

Venakin castle
March 12
12:35 pm

Alice looked over what to wear when she visited her neighbors. She chose to wear her typical dark red dress, and since the sun was up, she wore her hood and gloves. As for her disguise, she put in her contacts to change her eyes blue, as well as putting on a blonde wig. The wig being actual hair she got from woman a she killed and scalped.

"Ah, not bad, not bad at all. Now then, time to meet the group this god wants me to kill so badly." Alice stepped outside, got on her horse, and made her way to the Havenbrook manner. After a couple hours, she was stopped by guards by the gate. "This must be it."

The guards looked up the unusually bundled up woman, then exchanged a glance. Lucky for Alice, however, vampires were not on the front of people's minds, and a woman dressed to hide from the sun was far from the oddest clothing choice they had ever seen. One stepped forward and said, "If 'this' you are referring to is Havenbrook Manor, then you are correct. Are you to be joining the Havenbrook Organization, or are you client?"

Oh, they're hiring. I could use that to take them down from the inside... no, spies can't be trusted. Besides, they could be found out."No, I'm just your new neighbor. I moved into the castle up the road and wanted to let you know."

"Ah, I see. You move..." He stopped and tilted his head a bit. "I... what castle is this? The haunted one? I have not been informed of the massive exorcisms being performed. I am hoping it is safe for you to be moving in, miledi."

"Thank you for the concern, but I took care of the spirits there. They have been put to rest."

"I see. Um..." The guard motion for the other man to open the gate. "The Lady of the Manor would like to hear about you and the castle, I am sure. Why don't you go and introduce herself, yes?"

"Yes, thank you." Once past the guards, Alice smiled under her hood.Such fools. I guess vampires being gone for 300 years has its benefits.Once inside, she removed her hood and looked around. "My my, this place is impressive. Not bad, all things considered. Now, where is this person?" Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw an elf man. "Um, excuse me, but where is your boss?"

Eraqus turned to face her. "Lady Havenbrook? She's in the back. I'll show you the way, Ms...?"

"Black. Miranda Black. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Eraqus Velmonte. Come, Ms. Black. Follow me." Eraqus led her to one of the rooms in the back of the manor. She led him to an indoor pool, fairly spacious and heated enough to be tolerable despite the cold weather outside. Mina was make her rounds in the pool. While they waited, Eraqus asked, "So what brings you here, Ms. Black?"

"I'm your new neighbor. See, I just moved into the former haunted castle down the road. And I wanted to thank your boss for clearing it."

"Venakin castle?" Mina pulled herself out of the water and grabbed a towel. She wore a blue one-piece that showed off her fairly attractive form without being too revealing. Rubbing her hair with a second towel, she said, "We only took out the Phantom there. It should have still been swarming with ghost, some likely still not friendly, and gargoyles nesting on the top. You say you moved in there?"

"I can handle myself just fine. It was rather simple actually. You must be their leader. I'm Miranda Black, it's good to meet you." Alice removed her hood to show off her blonde hair and blue eyes.

Mina shook the disguised woman's hand. "Wilhelmina Havenbrook. Owner and head of the Havenbrook Organization. A pleasure. Please, come with me to my office."

"Oh, yes. Please lead the way." As Alice walked with Mina, she got a good look at her.Hmm, a nice figure, healthy. and strong willed. Heh, I like her already.

Mina led her into her office and offered her a chair, Mina herself grabbing a pitcher of water from her ice box. "So tell me, where do you come from. Serasam, or elsewhere?"

"I hail from Stormrend, so I'm very far from home. Figured I'd try seeing the world and all that fun stuff."

"I see. By you accent, I placed her coming from the west, not easy?" Mina shrugged. "So why settle down in the castle? You have a goal here in Serasam or just saw it and said 'Oh, free castle!'"

"Oh, I have plans here. See, I plan on taking out the bandits around the area and helping with the trade routes. That way, I could help people avoid the bandits, actually I was hoping you can show me a map of the area. Show me where the large and small villages are, and where the main bandit camps are. If you don't mind, of course?"

"Sure, I don't see why not. Just excuse me for a minute or so." Mina stepped out of the room, into her ajoining bedroom. For the moment, Alice was left alone in her office, save for the Raven by the open window that stared at her, as if judging her.

Alice looked at the bird and gestured it to leave. "Go on, get. Leave."

The Raven cawed loudly, flying on to Mina's desk. Alice could swear it was glaring at her.

Alice started to see what was going on. "Leave now, you are ruining my plan." Alice growled in annoyance.

Mina walked in, dressed, and frowned at the sight of the bird. "Bishop! Get off my desk!" The bird cawed at her. "I don't want to hear it! I have a guest!"

It finally flew up, going to sit on the window again. Mina sighed as she walked to the desk. "He didn't bother you, did he? He can be touchy about people he has never seen before."

Alice blinked a few times, confused that the bird actually belonged to Mina. "Oh, that bird belongs to you. I'm sorry for yelling at it then." Alice stood up. "So, um, do you have those maps?"

Mina reached into one of the top shelves of a dresser and brought several large maps over to the desk. "This is a basic geographical display of the region, and this one shows the smaller villages and towns as circles, and larger cities as stars, along with the roads and routes. It is up to date as of the first of the year, but you know how quickly things can change." She left Alice to look at them while she searched for something in another drawer.

Alright then, this is very well done and organized. She has her shit together. Alright then, I can see a few targets right off the bat. Hmm, oh this will help me out significantly.

Mina returned with a smaller version of the map and small notebook. Reading the notebook, she started marking the map with X's. These are the areas with the most bandit activity, meaning there are likely nearby camps. The royal guard does an okay job patrolling, but we still need escorts for some people to travel. Though crime in the cities themselves aren't exactly low either. We have an fairly large underbelly in this country."

"Wow, this is very good. You are quite organized, this is amazing. Yeah, I can get a lot of use out of this. I very much appreciate this Mina. Can I call you Mina?"

"I don't see why not. Isn't like you work for me." Mina made the last mark. "Why the interest in stamping out the bandits? It is quite the noble cause, but not an easy one for a lone woman. Not to mention a long and tedious goal. Have a bad history with bandits, perhaps?"

"I have plans, and I can be very convincing. Don't you worry about the bandits. I will handle them and make things safe for the traders, so don't you worry your pretty little head about it."

Mina raised an eyebrow at that, but decided not to comment on it. "Unfortunately, I have to continue working on it." She sat down. "You... are an unusual, you know that?"

"That's good, Makes things a lot more interesting, don't you think? I prefer to be straight forward with things, so I will handle the bandits while you and your guild continue doing whatever it is you do."

Mina nodded. "Well, that smaller map is all yours. And you're free to do as you wish, of course. Though we do occasionally get contracted to deal with bandits. So if you come across us fighting them, try to keep at a distance, okay?"

"No promises, but I appreciate your concern. You're a very nice person. It was great meeting you." Alice smiled at the woman, making sure not to show her teeth.

"Yeah. Nice to meet you too. Would you like an escort out?"

"No, no, that would be fine. Thank you, though."

"Be careful out there," Mina said. "It can be real dangerous at night, and the sun is already almost below the horizon. Oh... and ol' Bishop here has a Conspiracy in the woods. Try not to hurt any of them please."

"I will. Thanks for the concern." Once outside, Alice put her hood up, mostly for show. Alice got on her horse and went on her way. Once the sun was fully down and she was far away from the manor, she got off the horse, let her hood down, and took off the wig and contacts.

"Ugh, finally. Damn, that's uncomfortable, but at least I have my maps.. Now the nearest bandit camp is very close. Time to make some trouble." Alice ran with amazing speed back to her castle to drop off her newly acquired maps, and went into the night to cause some havoc from some raiders.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

ExoGrim & ZombieSplitter53
Good, Evil, & Corruption
Part One

Havenbrook Manor/Guildhouse
The Labs
March 12th, 3349
7:15 p.m.

Zulik half limped his way to Erin’s lab, his knee still damaged from his training. He slowly opened the door and said. “You there Erin? I need a bit of your assistance.”

There was an inhuman growl coming from the back of the room. “Ow, stop it!” Erin shouted before saying, “I-is that you, Zulik? I, um… take a seat. I’ll be right there.”

Zulik sighed, taking a seat by one of her tables. I don’t even want to know what she found this time… The corrupted elf thought as he stretched his swollen ankle.

After a minute, Erin quickly rushed over, her hair a bit frazzled. “Zulik! Good to see you again. I…” She noted him nursing his ankle. “Did you injure yourself… again? Do I even want to know what you were up to this time?”

“I’ve already been chastised by Arlia, Titania and Charter…” Zulik muttered. “I should be fine as soon as I get this healed.”

The rabbit woman sighed. “Very well. Far be it for me to beat a dead horse. Besides, Betty is more the motherly type anyway…” She grabbed a stool and pulled it over. “Come on, let’s see it.”

Zulik placed his leg on the stool. “The dead horse has been revived, by the way… I’ve seen the error in my habits and am working to fix them.”

“That’s good to hear. Growth is what I am all about these days.” She looked the ankle over. “Besides, I am running out of corrupted artifacts. I do have a ring that should at least be enough to heal you.”

“That’s good to hear.” The priest remarked. “You know… I’m starting to wonder what effect this is having on my body… have you found anything in your research on my state?”

“Possibly,” Erin stated. “From the study of the magic sample you gave me before your last absorption and the following day, it seems that your capacity for Chaos magic goes up when you absorb it. Likely a natural defense mechanism to keep it from… you know, ripping you apart from the inside out. Likely, as your percentage of overall Corruption goes up, it’ll take more and more energy to push that percentage up. Not that you really want to raise it up too much, right?”

“I’m willing to take it has high as it needs to be to help this guild out…” Zulik remarked.

“Don’t just accept that, Zulik. We don’t know what this will do to you at greater amounts. Just… take it slow.” Erin smiled at him. “I’ll be here to help you, though. As long as you don’t mind me writing a paper about you some day.”

The corrupted elf chuckled. “Hey, it might put me down in history…”

“I will go get that ring. Don’t move around too much. Don’t need you injuring yourself anymore.” Erin walked off to the side, grabbing a step stool to climb on a shelf.

While Zulik waited, he couldn’t help but feel like he was being watched. A very, very small dark presence was felt nearby, and he could hear something skittering around. The dire wolf pup Erin was doing test on let out a low growl.

Zulik tried his best to ignore whatever had eyes on him, thinking about what his next mission might be. After a few minutes, he could hear something inching closer and closer to him. Zulik looked over to the noise, hoping to see what this thing that was eyeing him was. What he found was a demonic child, lightly knocking her fist against his gauntlet arm. “Lngd alhmb rmjd…”(1)

Zulik looked at the child curiously. “And what are you doing here?”

“N'a beecnjv mh hrl lngd mga,”(2) she answered him. She stood up and grasped his arm, trying to sink her teeth into the gauntlet. When that proved fruitless, she lifted it and looked up at him. “Ro ni nh bncl hrni?”(3)

“You don’t speak Doloran, huh?” Zulik noted. “That’s going to make things a little complicated.”

“Ro ni nh bncl hrni?”(3) she repeated, shaking the arm lightly and pointing at it.

“If you’re wondering about the arm… the metal is permanently infused with it due to a massive amount of corruption I gained long ago.” Zulik explained to the demon child. “It’s not coming off anytime soon.”

“Er, hrmh iepjdi wmnjzpb…”(4) she carefully placed the arm down again.

“Eliza!” Erin rushed over. The demon child reacted by jumping onto the nearby table and hissing at her. “What are you doing out here!?”

“N dej'h bncl nh fmsc hrlgl! N dej'h bncl oep! N mjh amam!”(5) the girl yelled back.

“You’re not supposed to let anyone see you!” Erin turned to Zulik. “This… isn’t what it looks like.”

The priest looked at her confused. “See what’s bothering me at all… what’s the big deal?”

“I… I, um…” Erin bit her lip. “No one is supposed to know she is down here. If word go out there was a demon in the basement… people might, you know… freak out.”

“They don’t seem to mind me and I’m a corrupted being.” The Elf pointed out. “Plus, she looks innocent enough.”

“Yes, well… looks can be deceiving. I mean…” Erin scratched her head. “You… you do understand that she is a demon, right? Like… the bad kind of creature that usually kill humans on sight? You are taking this… awfully well.”

“Well…” Zulik looked at Eliza. “She’s young… so she can be taught differently from other demons… that and I feel a connection to her, as if I’m one of her own.”

Eliza watched as they spoke, staring at Zulik curiously. She finally jumped down from the table and took hold of his other arm. “N smj hmihl?”(6)

Zulik looked at Erin. "Do you understand what she's saying by chance?"

Erin sighed. "No unfortunately, other then she's asking you something. He demonic vocabulary seems to have improved, and I don't know how, but she seems to understand Doloran. But she can't speak it. I am studying context to try and learn. Um... she wants to do something with you arm... I think."

Spoiler: Translations

(1) Weird Metal Hand...
(2) I’m looking at the weird arm...
(3) Why is it like this?
(4) Oh, that sounds painful…
(5) I don’t like it back there! I don’t like you! I want mama!
(6) I can drink?