[center][b]Collab between Crescendo and Fox[/b][/center]

"I know you're the royal messenger and all! But no ID means no entry!"

"I hardly had time to pick up my ID with dragons threatening to burn down my country! Now let go you batty man!"

The servants of the castle stared in confusion and disbelief as two figures rushed past them, the taller of the two hanging onto the shorter girl in the foreign uniform for dear life as she ran down the hall, not caring that the royal butler and a few bunny guards were hanging onto her legs and feet in order to try to slow her down. A few more bunnies tried to blockade the halls but Zephy merely plowed on through, knocking the poor fluffy guards down like bowling pins. 

The girl had managed to run to the castle in record time, all the while punting aside any monsters in the forest who dared try to get in her way until reaching the border of Nowhere that she had leapt across despite the many complaining screams of the border patrol. The crowded marketplace proved no match for the royal messenger of Sol either, with her leaving behind a trail of knocked down citizens. They'll be fine though, it wasn't like they were in danger of being eaten by dragons who were hell bent on destroying everything they loved. For goodness' sakes, the dragons had even burnt down the bakery! Now that she had finally managed to reach the castle, she was going to get this letter into the queen's hands no matter what.

Suddenly the messenger paused at a fork in the hall, causing Skitz to look up from where he had flopped down to the floor, exhausted. 

"The Queen's in the entrance hall... which is this way, right?"

Zephy pointed to the left hallway, staring down at him with a grim frown.

"Er, no. It's to the right- Gah!"

Without wasting any time, the girl was off again, Skitz flapping behind like a flag in a strong wind while wondering exactly why he had answered.

Soon enough Zephy and her white-haired attachment (and small entourage of cuddly pursuers) reached the grand double doors that led to the banquet hall which she threw open with a loud slam. 

"Miss your Majesty the Queen lady! I have an urgent letter from Sol!"

The Queen had just began introducing the old humans to the new arrivals when a flash of color bolted into the dining hall.

"Your majesty! I...I couldn't stop her." The butler finally released his grip on Zephy and crashed to the floor with a whimper. Everything was spinning like crazy, and just as he was about to get up several bunny guards fell flat on his back, creating a fluffy hill on the poor Schizophrenia's back.

Queen Delirium stared at the messenger. At the moment, at least a dozen bunny guards clung to her in an attempt to hold her back. "Oh my, if it isn't Zephy. It's been far too long since you paid us a visit. Did you come for cakes and tea, you're just in time for the party." The queen pointed to the new humans, then gave the polite Inadi a smile. "There's so much excitement, but don't you fret, I'll answer all questions later." She grabbed a plate of glowing cookies off the table and pushed them into Zephy's arms. "How is Sol doing? You should write to us more often."

"Sol is... " Zephy juggled the plate of glowing cookies as she tried to retrieve the letter from Tobias from her bag. She finally decided to balance the plate on poor Schiz's head, handing the sealed letter to the Queen with a flourish. 

"Please read it right now! It's really, [i]really[/i] urgent!"

Tobi was probably being pushed around again without her around, and all the messenger wanted to do was to go home quickly and chide the boy for being unprincely. She fidgeted in place, snabbing a neon pink cookie off the plate and stuffing it in her mouth in an attempt to quell her nerves. Mm, strawberry.

"Urgent, you say?" The queen frowned before accepting the letter. She brought it close and began to read. "Oh my, a dragon invasion? They burned down the bakery?! This...this is serious." She paced across the dining hall. Sol needed reinforcements and she had plenty of bunny guards, but they did terribly at resisting heat and the dragon could swallow five of them whole without so much as batting an eye. "The bunny soldiers won't be of much help...I could send the airforce, but I think I have a better idea." The queen grinned brightly, as she placed both hands on Zephy's shoulders. "I think we can help each other out. You see, the next thing these humans need to find is a dragon's laugh. I'll send them to Sol with you and they can help with the dragon problem."

"Send the humans?" Zephy turned around, finally realizing that they had an audience. They stared at her and she stared back through narrowed eyes, trying to gauge exactly how much help they would be. They were certainly quite the mismatched group, but none of them looked like they could hold their own against a tigershark or even a colony of slimes. 

"Are you sure they'll be enough, Miss Queen majesty lady?" The messenger was rather dubious. "They'll be going up against dragons who are quite determined to burn down our castle, and although looks can be deceiving they don't really..." 

"Nonesense, don't underestimate them." The queen gave Hakuren and Leila a tap on the shoulder. "I'll have you know they helped the sky pirates destroy the chaotic star and they bested a the siren in yonder not too long ago, just ask mayor Spicy Tuna." She began passing plates of cookies and cakes to the new arrivals before she retreated towards a large chest in the back of the room. "Excuse me, I'll just grab something quick." The queen rummaged through the chest, pulling out a smaller jewelry box. She approached both the messengers and the humans then flipped it open.

"To aid you on your quest I'll also be giving the humans amulets and the guides will be going along too. You remember Songbird, Two-Thirds and the rest of the gang, don't you." She gave the guides a smile. The queen wasn't forcing them to go, but saying no was almost impossible considering their salary of stars came from her.

She pushed the box towards Harper's face. There were eleven amulets, just the right number. "I'll even give you a demonstration, Zephy." She kept the box in front of the boy and smiled kindly. "Pick whichever one you want."

[hider=The Amulets][center][img]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fv4tOlgny-I/TefCIYWgKaI/AAAAAAAAACU/DT-Klzgc2fg/s1600/soul+gems.jpg[/img][/center][/hider]
Hesitantly, the boy reached out for the grey one.

"Good, good, now put it on." The queen stated in a voice laced with excitement.

Harper did as he was told and as soon as it was around his neck, the gem lit up and began emanating a gray glow.

"Those gems will provide you with power. Some of you will have an affinity for a weapon while others will be able to perform magical feats." She approached one of her Knight statues and pulled a sword free from its hands. "You picked the Knight amulet." She stated before holding the sword out to Harper. When he hesitated she placed it in his hands and gave him an encouraging nod. 

Harper looked like a confused puppy. What was he supposed to be with a huge sword? Well, in order to please the queen he began swinging it around. At first it seemed as if he had no technique or skill, but suddenly the sword began guiding him and he began striking at the the air in a skilled fashion. He would slash then rush forward with a piercing strike, movements fluid and skilled. Eventually, the sword stopped on it's own and the sudden loss of momentum sent Harper crashing to the ground. The blade falling inches from his head with a clatter. "That was odd..." he muttered as the queen yanked him up.

"As you can see, that was the amulet's power." She pointed to the grey amulet, the liquid inside had gone down. "That glowing stuff inside is your energy. It'll be what powers your attacks. Make sure it doesn't run out...or," her expression turned serious, "bad things could happen."

The Queen held up the box with a smile. "Come humans, take your pick. Afterwards, I'll answer all your questions." Her glance fell on Inadi and she gave him a kind smile. "Let's not waste any [i]time[/i]. Sol needs your help, heroes." Zephy nodded enthusiastically, suddenly hopeful. Maybe these humans could help after all!

The Queen tapped her wrist as if staring at a watch, funny how the queen knew about such a concept.