[IC] The Aesteria Chronicles

[Lucius Cypher]

Harvey sighed, however that was possible for his metallic chassis. Stuffing his groceries into an empty compartment within himself he than took out some coin for the bartender and settled for ordering a drink for himself, since he obviously wouldn't let Harvey make one. "Fine, fine. You would at least allow me to purchase something from you than? Ice water and a glass of milk please. Surely my money is good for that." Harvey put a little more than he needed to pay for his drinks on the counter when a stranger came up next to Harvey and whispered into him.

"It's not too often you see an unbound spirit in civilized nations."

Eli Rondell

Harvey said nothing, but thought a bit. "So I've been outed huh? I was wondering when people would figure it out." Harvey didn't seem to take notice however, or rather, responded to a different comment that was never mentioned. "I know right? Who is this barkeep to say that my money isn't good here!? Here I am willing to pay him top dollar to simply make myself a drink, and he's denying me for what, because I'm a machine? What does he know about robots, hmm? Maybe I need some internal lubricant that only I know how to craft, which just so happens require some of your spirits and kitchen equipment!" That's when Harvey noticed the foppish looking character come up to Eli. He had vaguely heard the man insult one of these characters and it seems they have taken exception to that. Harvey would have left them to quarrel amongst themselves, but thought about it. Now that he wasn't getting his smoothie, he'll settle for the next best thing: Trouble. Harvey thought about what he would say in responds to the irate man, whom Harvey remembered as part of the Serpentines as he heard someone else mention them in passing. Harvey turned around and stood, and in his mechanical body was well able to dwarf both Eli and the Serpentine in height and mass. Frankly, it was a surprise that he was able to get through the door. "Certainly a match for yours, good sir. But that musician is no slob, unless you can match him blow-for-blow on the strings as well." This ought to teach the bartender to let Harvey access to his facilities.

[Fallenreaper]

Helen tried to listen to Adonai. She really did. She had tried so hard, her mind aimed to block everything happening around her, that it was giving her a headache. It wasn’t enough and the discomfort showed in her expression. Her lips curled into a sour, thin line as she noted the events spiralling out of control around her. She would’ve thought the Drunken Bards, the cheeky, liquored up bastards, would’ve hired another band to keep the friggin peace instead of allowing their pub to be continually torn to pieces. This seemed like the fourth time in less than a month things were getting intense and a fight on the edge of breaking out. Even now, her mind was recalling the details since it began. Her attention was first drawn when a Dercho Rider started toward Alan and his friend’s table. This had been subtle enough to cause her to sit upright straighter, her attention split between listening to Adonai and watching for trouble. Though she leaned and had her eyes down to examine his work, seeking something she could use to determine if his words weren’t a hasty cover up, she was ever alert to the ongoings at the table. Inside, Helen’s gut stirred while she watched the man calmly walk his way to the pair. He seemed rather determined when his path was blocked by Seru, Alan’s spirit, only to be ignored by the Dercho Rider. A flutter of anger washed over Helen to see the disrespect. Her fingers curled into slight fists and fought the urge to stand up, her hand reaching to his scarf and shake the fool’s brains from his skull. He didn’t realize that spirit could’ve roasted him alive? Damn fool! Just a damn fool. She fumed inwardly seeing that the man’s presence was upsetting Alan and attracting his friend’s attention. It wasn’t long before things got progressively worse when the Serpentines walked in. It was impossible to miss the three tall and armored figures waltz in, with Cedric Drake leading the way dressed in his signature red cape and lighter colored armor. Things had just gotten rather unruly as she watched them kick the former patrons from their seats, sending them making a hasty retreat and exit. Of course it had to happen not long after the bot had arrived, increasing her rotten mood for some odd reason, and caused her to inhale sharply. When Eli spoke, both to the Dercho Rider and egg the Serpentines on, she let out an audible groan. It was loud enough to reveal to Adonai she hadn’t been listening as much as she let on. Reflexively her hands rose to clasp her temple, rubbing it slightly then leaving her head cradled in its grip. Inside she was seriously considering something important. Namely if she was going to treat Eli after this or put the poor bastard into a pine box, six feet under! The latter was a temptation for certain because the friggin ass seemed to have a death wish even on his off days. Helen lifted her head upright enough to give Eli’s back a vicious glare before he came to a rest at the bar, leaning in beside the bot pestering the barkeeper. Her attention was centered so much on the tension stirring there that anything back at Alan’s table was ignored. It was then, she spotted Adonai’s and her food sliding to the bar counter. The cook gave a ding for the food to be server but before anyone could reaction, Helen gave Adonai a look. Patting his hand, she tenderly spoke. “I’ll get it dearie. You might want to cover your project because this atmosphere’s gettin’ a mit troublesome.” Without giving him a chance to object, she had already pushed out her chair and rose to her feet. Sira… git your arse out here! PPPUUUURRRRRZZZZZZZZ Yes, happy to see you too, you overgrown lamp. Helen slightly chuckled, her amusement shortly lived and under her breath. She immediately spotted Sira’s form shimmer into sight from under the table. Despite his element, Sira wasn’t energetic enough to draw attention to him and often just materialize from thin air when summoned. It wasn’t anything fancy or luminous, even more wasn't anything attention getting. So few patrons would’ve noticed the mother of pearl colored cat’s arrival unless they have been looking at the floor and there was few whoever did on common occasion. Sira had already appeared and started to rub its luminous coat against her husband’s boot, about to dart after her when Helen’s sharp words grazed his mind and caused him to grind to a stop. Stay there and gather some light. A sharp, simple reprimand. Mew… Fine...just be ready in case. Puurrrrr…. It seemed like a blessing Sira could only communicate through emotion, never uttering a word of the common tongue, as she reached for the plates. Her next step was simple and for it, she needed Ignis. Can you pop over to Alan’s table? I want to know what’s goin’ on and what a damn Dercho Rider’s doin' botherin' a pair of Red Hawks. Nothin’ good I can imagine and I rather you be out and about for breakin’ up the spite. Just don’t hurt Alan or his friend. The Dercho Rider I can easily patch later. Her last statement referring to the Dercho Rider seemed almost as frigid as Heimda, a fact Ignis might’ve realized was connected to the man’s brash push off of Seru. Helen was rather respective of spirits so it would’ve have came as a surprise. Her attention paused enough to look at all three at the bar, her arms reached past the robot and took up the plates. Her voice was sweet and motherly, yet it held an untone of venom as well as a small warning. "I hope you boys realize who'll likely be patchin'cha up when you all get done butting heads. I might forget to use painkiller when I'm stitchin' you all up if your little scene disrupt my breakfast. My brain tends to get mighty forgetful from lack of food, you understand don’t you?" With that little thought in the air and directed at no one particular, she turned on heel to return to her table. Careful to watch all three should one of them be an idiot and not take her warning seriously enough. After all, some of the more rowdy bunches had already experienced how cruel she could be when she was rubbed wrong and it wasn’t one they forgot easily.

[EliteCommander]

Ignis was only vaguely listening to Adonai, but neither was his attention greatly focused on rising tensions in the room, which were boiling over close to the breaking point. No, his attention was on something a bit more simple, and perhaps more selfish. He was watching the cook eagerly, hoping that the meal being prepared was one Helen would enjoy. If he were to tell that to someone else, it might sound perfectly selfless, empathetic, and even sweet, but his desires did eventually come back to him. Being a spirit, especially one as ethereal as himself, Ignis did not need to, and indeed could not, eat. It did not seem that food would matter in the slightest to him, but while he had no ability to consume the food, what he could do was feel, not directly, but vicariously through Helen. If she opened her mind to him to share her feelings and emotions, he could experience through her what he could never do on his own. It was not uncommon for him to take on almost a pitiful demeanor and personality to ask Helen to share her feelings, almost like a puppy begging for scraps of a meal. To most of his summoners, at least at first, that desire seemed like nothing but a quirk of his personality, or something akin to a hobby. However, the closer one became to him, the easier it was to see how much such a seemingly simple gesture meant to him. Ignis' attention was piqued upon the bell from the cook, but it seemed she had been paying more attention than himself to the argument that was brewing around them. She wanted him to head over to Alan and keep an eye on the situation. Normally, he would have no problem fulfilling the request, but now it was a bit disappointing. Based on her tone, she probably did not want him distracted, so he wouldn't get to enjoy her meal. Nevertheless, he did not want to upset her, so he had no choice but to comply. "Alan? Oh, yeah, I can, uh, I can do that. Sure." Ignis stammered out in Helen's mind. Taking his leave of Helen's body, Ignis floated across the tavern as an invisible cloud of heat. He could not be seen through normal means, so he was free to get in close to Alan's table. In particular, he found he liked to hang around Alan's spirit, Seru. Being a spirit of fire, she was quite pleasurably warm, and he was quick to absorb the excess heat into himself. It was not much, overall, but if he did need to break up a fight, he would take every little bit of energy he could get. He did not actually have too great of an idea of what was going on since he had not been paying attention, but since Helen told him not to hurt Alan or his friend, he assumed he was supposed to be on their side. In any case, he supposed that, even if he couldn't enjoy a meal, something exciting might happen.

[Whoami]

Ryza looked to Alan as when he addressed her about her popularity. She shook her head, "No... Normally I'm always on the sideline of all the popular people..." As she stood, she felt Alan's grip and stopped, looking at him with a bit of confusion. She listened to the veteran, realizing that he had a good point. Ryza looked at Kuro, her caution raising some more. The swordswoman kept her eyes on the rider as Alan took her side and covered for her. However, she didn't expect Seru to step in and guard over her. It was a comforting feeling that the Red Hawk would stand up for their freshest recruit so quickly. The voice in her head from Seru caught her off guard, she was only used to Oni's voice. The Kusagi drank in the information, not taking her eyes off Kuro as she was filled in. When it was time for Kuro to speak about his issues, she had a bit more of a stand-offish look about her. She didn't want Alan to completely cover her, that wouldn't be very dignifying. Ryza spoke up to Kuro, "You speak our language, rider, but that's where the similarities apparently end. Seishin swordsmen are honor bound, and once we pledge our sword, we serve until we are told that we are no longer needed." she paused, "My late master also told me that I should strive to help where others need it. As you say, the Red Hawks are not competent in swordsmanship. They are not familiar with Kusagi spirits and they do not know our ways as much as some other bands." Ryza looked over to Alan, then Seru, then back to him, "I'm pledged to the Red Hawks. And I fill in their blanks." Ryza was grateful that Alan and Seru had so quickly jumped to her defense, so she returned the favor, "You speak badly of my band, insult our dignity. Kusagi do not stand for disrespect." At some point during her retaliation, she had pulled the katana half way out of its sheath. The plain folded steel blade glinting even in the low light. Ryza may never have taken a life, or needed to draw her blade on somebody, but she never tried to maintain that streak. If she needed to, she would have. The look on her face didn't have that delicate and graceful expression, it was steely and prepared for extremes. Something that she hadn't really shown anybody since she came to Meduzart. Her eyes looked around the pub, noticing the tension and the eyes of some bystanders. She pushed the blade back into her sheath. Her hands went to her sides and she bowed at the waist to him, "You've been given your warning, rider. Now please let us be."

[Terminal]

Kuro met Ryza's gaze with his own - eyes glazed and lids lowered, his expression unperturbed - almost sleepy, uncomprehending and uncaring for the stern and hardened expression she had for him. "Not yet. I have one more matter I need to discuss with you." He said blandly. "You may have taken notice of the man at the bar. The one with the sword spirit and the loose tongue." His right arm rose from the table slightly as he thumbed over to Eli. "His spirit has been eyeing you since the moment you walked in. Far be it from me to tell you what you can and cannot do...but you should not associate with that man, or his spirits. His name is Eli Rondell, and even the Riders think he is untrustworthy. Avoid them where you can. Now you have been given your warning, Hawk." He abruptly rose from his seat - his left hand sliding out from the inside of his jacket from where it had previously been concealed by the tableline. Had he been holding a weapon on them under the table...? "I will trouble you no further this day. In parting, all I have to say is this: あなたは家に帰ることはないものとします." He then turned and began walking away back towards his table in the corner, his pace unhurried and unaccompanied by sound. 'As I thought.' Kuro thought grimly. 'This too, was a mistake.'

[Rtron]

Eli chuckled at the robot spirit's evasion of the question. No matter, he wouldn't go about trying to add another spirit to his collection, and he wouldn't go announcing the spirit's presence to everyone within shouting distance. He merely grinned when the Serpentine walked up to him. Ah, the arrogance of the rich and the youthful. I remember what that was like. He thought, ignoring Atra's snickering and what she meant by it. Before he could say anything, and likely make the situation worse, the first of two odd and unexpected things happened. First, the robot spoke in a challenging manner to the Serpentine, causing the boy to hesitate. Eli he could have taken, especially since he was injured. A giant steel robot, however, was another matter entirely. But it was too late to retreat now. Eli used this brief moment to lean over and retrieve his shot glass. "The day you admit your a spoiled little bastard," He said pleasantly to the Serpentine as he poured some of the Black Velvet whiskey into his shot glass, "is the day I give you an apology. Seeing as that will never happen, you'll be waiting quite a long time for your apology." He paused for a moment, considering something. "Oh that's right, you couldn't understand me the last time I insulted you could you? Here let me say the insulting part a little slower. Yoooouuuu'rrrreee aaaaaa sssspoooillllleeed liiiiiittllllle baaaaaassssstaaaarrrrrd." Every part of that drawn out phrase was said in a mocking, condescending tone. Before the Serpentine could do something, likely violent from the angry look on his face, the second odd and unexpected thing happened. Helen Govannon, the widely respected Guild doctor, interjected with a none-to-subtle warning. Eli knew of her, of course. She was the one who had, on many occasions patched him up after a mission. However, he had never really looked at her face, as he did now. There was something about her face, something disturbingly familiar. He struggled to draw up memories from a happier time, before he became a murderer. A red headed shadow... When he finally put the pieces together, Eli felt his blood turn to ice. The recognition, surprise, and yes, fear, were in his eyes for only a second. But they were there, and his spirits certainly noticed. Atra laughed aloud, Zaz and Kal both displayed picture's of surprise(Zaz, cheekily showing one of Eli's face), Lumin snorted, Saruk gave a low hoot of surprise, Eredan gave the impression of rolling his eyes. Only Shreckt and Ragnarok spoke aloud. Isn't that your sister? She asked, never moving from her position and intent to talk to Rzya. Yes. Eli replied. Yes it was. Well, isn't that just amusing? Ragnarok commented, his slow voice bringing up images of the earth slowly changing. Land slides, erosion, the list goes on and Eli ignored the images, and Ragnarok's comment, with a practiced familiarity. When Helen spoke, Eli reached into his trench coat with his good arm, grasping the handle of his pistol. "I assure you, madam doctor, if this turns into a fight, it'll be quick, and there will be only one patient." From behind him he heard a pointed cough followed by an even more pointed "Eli." The bartender had seen where his hand was, thanks to his positioning and simply pointed to a sign when the bandless Guild member turned to him. The sign read 'No Firearms Allowed To Be Discharged. "Oh come on. Just once?" Eli asked, almost pleading. "No." "It'll be quick though. Just through the kneecap and walla, it's over." "No." The bartender remained firm. "Fine." Eli turned to the Serpentine, switching his grasp from the handle of his pistol to the hilt of his sword, while grabbing his now filled shot glass. It always paid to be cautious after all. He noted with approval the Kusagi girl's rebuke of the Rider, and merely grinned at the warning to avoid his company. That could be dealt with later, right now he had a snake to deal with. "Well, you've done your little pissant display of bravery and cockiness. You've discovered I'm not going to be bullied into licking your boots, now could you please slink back to your little, my apologies, big bastards of friends? Be careful on the way back to the table. I don't want you to get dirt on your shiny toy, or, Aer forbid, get a splinter. Or maybe a stubbed toe? The list of horrors that could happen to you and reduce you to a weeping child between here and now is almost too long to comprehend. Do try to be careful." The bartender gave a sigh as Eli's mocking tone pushed the Serpentine over the edge. "I think it's time someone taught you how to hold your tongue and respect your betters. He growled, thrusting forward with his sword. As Eli promised, it was over quickly. He was already moving as the thrust began, stepping to the side and drawing his sword out in one smooth motion, his shot glass still in his hand. With a speed that spoke of his years of training and experience, Eli shoved his short sword through the Serpentine's leg, just above the knee cap. As he began to scream, Eli slammed the shot glass into his face, wincing at the pain this movement brought to his shoulder, and let go of his sword to grasp the Serpentine by the back of the head and slam his already mangled face into the edge of the counter top, his nose pleasantly breaking against it. Fortunately for the Serpentine, he was unconscious upon impact. "A waste of-" That was as far as Eli got, as a blinding light consumed his vision. He stayed in one place, a hand over his eyes. "Fuck!" He spat, leaning against the counter top as he waited for his vision to return. You deserved that. Shreckt noted, continuing as Eli cursed some more. In case your curious, it was a spirit of either your sister's or her husband. Not sure which as I only noticed it walking from beneath the table before you were blinded. No one else seems to have been. When Eli's vision returned, he withdrew his sword form the unconscious Serpentine's leg. "He'll live. Maybe this will teach him a valuable lesson in assumptions." Eli said this to no one in particular, wiping his blade clean on his sleeve before sheathing it.

[Lucius Cypher]

That was rather disappointing. Harvey had hoped that the Serpentine's money would have been well spent, with his armor being more than simply ornate and gaudy. He had heard, in passing, of Serpentine's reputations and infamy. Harvey would always take into account their accomplishments and made sure to prepare accordingly, and had hoped that Eli and the Serpentine's fight would have dragged on long enough to involve the others, causing a nice brawl to occur. Alas, flash and appearance seems to be all the Serpentine was good for, as shortly after the two drew their blades the boy had fallen and Eli was in pain. Harvey new that Eli wasn't even touched by the Serpentine, so Harvey guessed this was the work of a spirit. And if he had to guess further, from the good doctor from earlier. Her name was Helen, as far as Harvey could remember. A fairly renowned doctor within the city. Obviously Harvey never had much reason to visit the physician, even on behalf of his former master, but from her words she made herself seem like a more influential person than one would think of a doctor. Sure her profession was certainly admirable, but there were plenty of doctors within the city of equal or greater skill, as far as Harvey knew. He himself had a job in pharmacy and did a stint as a general surgeon, though the latter he did simply because he was the only one at the time with an ounce of medical knowledge. Never work in the backwaters kids. And Harvey could assume from the tone of her voice that she would not tolerate any trouble in this fine establishment. And Harvey would go so far as to guess that she would try to do something to prevent or punish anyone who tried. It would explain Eli's predicament, but than it just made Harvey wonder what Helen could have possibly done to him between getting up and out of her seat. But maybe she didn't do anything at all. If it was anything like him, this was the work of a spirit. Unless Eli just had problems, Helen must have sicked a spirit on him. Harvey didn't know enough to make any accusations, but at this point he didn't care. The Serpentine was obviously not going to be much of a fight, so unless Eli can rouse others into violence there was nothing that Harvey could do. Well, he could try to make the Serpentine fight to the death, but he had a feeling this would not bold well with the others. Turning back to the bartender the ice and milk arrived. "Finally." Without the proper tools or facilities Harvey had to make his smoothie crudely. He took out some of the fruits from his bag and torn them into smaller bits into the cup of ice. Than he mixed the ice with milk, before putting it into a compartment inside his chest. When it closed he worked his magic. Literally. First he activated the robot's body, with lights glowing and sparks of electricity shooting out from his body. This served absolutely no purpose but to make a bit of noise, as the real Harvey simply took control over his smoothie mix and shook it violently within the robot's body until it was pureed. Once it was done Harvey turned off the machine and presented a bizarre drink. It was literally glowing a faint blow light, like the reflection of the moon. Harvey topped it with a cherry. "Feast your eyes on this. This... Is Moon Water. Blue sky ice, with white cloud milk, topped with a a reflection of the full moon." Obviously it was just fancy embellishment, but it was certainly a testament of Harvey's skill to produce such a magical drink with his mundane items. "A good chef requires the best ingredients. The best chef can use anything." Harvey lifted the cup up to his robotic head. It had no mouth which to imbibe this mystical drink, yet it seemed like he was about to go through with it anyways.

[Sundered Echo]

Adonai began to explain to his wife the nature of this particular side-project, assembling several gears into one of their possible configurations and spinning them a little. He was slightly lying about its exact purpose, but when he looked up to see his wife's reaction, he noticed the lie was unnecessary. She was not listening too closely, her attention taken by the brewing trouble at the bar. His own words trailed off as he turned to look as well, hands tidying away the meticulously laid out machinery almost unconsciously As a successful inventor (a title that could be claimed simply by still being alive with minimal disfigurement after several years of inventing) Adonai had a sixth sense for when something was about to explode. Usually that meant steam-based devices, sometimes more esoteric things, but it also often extended to environments like this. The tension in the room was building significantly, and while this kind of explosion meant a bar fight instead of a wall of fire and pressure, it was still an explosion. When Helen went wading in to help calm them down, he was ready to leap to her defence at a moments notice, despite his gut feeling that he really ought to run away from the explosive situation. He felt the (unusually) reassuring touch of one of her spirits on his leg, reaffirming once again that his wife was always prepared for anything. He breathed a sigh of relief when the Kusagi situation sorted itself out with nothing more than harsh words, and when Helen returned to him with their food. The mood in the bar was still grim though, as the resident troublemaker Eli had succeeded in provoking one of the Serpentines - a band known for being predominantly rich snobs. To Adonai that usually meant ‘well paying customer that didn’t disturb him’ so he had no real problem with them, unlike most of the people in this room. “Just another day at the adventurers guild.” He said drolly as Helen sat down with the breakfast at their table, the brief sound of a scuffle on the other side of the room. The tingling sense of an imminent explosion had died down now, tension in the pub dissipating now that everyone's differences were resolved. One thing had caught Adonai’s eye though. There was a robot at the bar - something of a rare occurrence in itself - but more than that, it was acting very oddly. Not only could it speak in a remarkably realistic voice, not something Adonai was aware the robot makers had yet accomplished, but it also seemed to asking some very strange things. He suspected it had developed a fault and gone rogue. “Dearest? What do you think of that one?” He said motioning to the robot with his cutlery in between bites.

[vietmyke]

"Ignore him." Alan said plainly as Kuro left, "Eli's a bit unstable, maybe even dangerous, but I wouldn't call him untrustworthy." "In fact," Alan added, gesturing towards Eli as he quickly dispatched an offending Serpentine. "I'd say that his motivations and feelings are rather plain to see." As the commotion within the bar started to die down, the front door of the pub slowly opened. Passing through the door around chest level was a golden blonde head of hair, tousled and messy. A second head of similarly colored blonde hair followed, this one more well kept. The two heads were connected to the- rather short- bodies of what appeared to be a pair of siblings, one male, the other female. The siblings appeared to be young, much to young to have a reason to visit a bar. They didn't stand around for long, and quickly made their way to the bar and dipped behind it, silencing the already flustered bartender with a bright golden coin. Alan who had returned to his seat, watched the children enter with mild interest. He was mildly curious to know why a pair of underage youths were in the bar- though not enough to go up to them and talk to them. "Today just keeps getting stranger," he mused, nudging Ryza with his elbow, as he referred to the young twins that had went to hide behind the bar. He didn't have to wonder long however, as the front door swung open again- this time rather harshly, and into the bar stepped a quartet of rather thuggish looking men. None were particularly aggressive in their appearance of nature, but like almost every patron in the bar, they wore their weapons openly. The four men were clearly not members of the Adventurer's guild, as they bore neither Guild insignia, nor identifying brand of any Guild Band. They stood in front of the door looking around, before the one in the center, obviously the leader, gestured to the rest of them. The four men took a seat at a table nearby bar, next to where Helen and Adonai were sitting, and ordered themselves a round of drinks. They seemed to mind their own business, making small talk with one another, occasionally looking around and observing the rest of the pub. The leader of the group eventually turned around and tapped Helen on the shoulder. Pulling off his cap, he revealed his dirty blonde hair and shot her a toothy grin. "Erm, excuse me Ma'am," the man said in what was apparently supposed to be a pleasant voice, "You wouldn't have happened to have seen a pair of younglings come in here, have you? Blonde hair, just below the shoulder in height?" From the corner of her eye, past the man who spoke to her, Helen could make eye contact with a pair of bright, soft green eyes belonging to a young girl with golden hair hiding behind the bar. Her eyes widened as they made eye contact, and she rapidly shook her head, as though trying to convey a message. Moments later, a hand pulled the head back under the bar, and the soft green eyes were replaced by a pair of piercing ice blue ones. The the blue ones glared at her and the man as he watched their conversation, waiting.

[EliteCommander]

Ignis was carefully watching the movements of everyone around Alan, just as requested. Part of him wanted to make something happen, if only to make the situation more interesting, but that would probably annoy Helen. There were some tense words that might be considered an argument, but not long after Helen made her point, they seemed to be calming down. However, that was not the case just a short distance away, as another man was quite suddenly knocked to the ground with a few shards of glass in his face. Ignis was still invisible in form, but his gaze darted back and forth between Alan and the incapacitated man. "Wait, what? I'm confused, which fight am I supposed to be stopping?" He asked Helen. Helen sighed when she heard the glass shatter, her head tilted back to spot Eli's fist come into contact with the Serpentine's head and cause him to crumble. She inwardly groaned while Sira knew what to do. After all, she hadn't discouraged her spirits free thought and action as long as it didn't worse the situation. The cat immediately flash banged Eli sending the man to stumble after being blinded and made her smirk slightly. Damn fool. She might've found the thugs from the Serpentine's little band annoying, but didn't mean they deserved to be provoked. When Ignis' thoughts hit her own, his emotions filled with confusion and concern, she poured some the more soothing sensations from her current mood his way. Alan's table though it seems to have tapered off. Now, are you still eager to eat? While she knew he didn't really need to eat or use the food, she noted long ago how much Ignis liked to 'taste' it. She had made a point not to touch her food until he was free so he could experience it. Helen settle Adonai's plate beside him and nudged him to dig in, followed by taking her own seat. Waiting for Ignis, her ears caught her husband's comments about a normal day at the pub. He immediately followed up with an observation on the robot which she herself also noted, a thing that had bothered her since it originally walked in. "Yes it is. Nothing like a little conflict for the morning, but I swear anything else happens then I'm going to bandage someone's mouth shut." Helen said, adding a bit more. "The machine's odd, that's for sure. I've never seen or made one that advanced. I think it's almost alive which means someone's a genius or it's a fake." Sira trotted up to her calf and started to nuzzle, his head wrapped and pushed against her leg for his reward. His mewling cries shortly followed. "For crying out loud Sira! Can't I eat first?" Ignis looked at the man on the ground with at least a small measure of curiosity. He had not been paying near enough attention to know what he did to earn the hit, especially one that involved breaking glass over his face. Ignis had been with Helen more than long enough to know that cuts like that could easily get infected, so there was a good possibility he would need a doctor. However, that was something that Ignis actually couldn't care less about, since Helen was currently offering him the chance for a meal. After floating away from Alan's table without a hint of him ever actually being present, Ignis finally materialized into a visible form near Helen's table. Taking on his normal, translucent form, he sat down next to her, not unlike a dog. Although, he was a fair amount larger, and much more...exotic. He did not know what she was eating, but it didn't really matter as long as she enjoyed it. Of course, Sira was not going to let him have all of the attention, so he made it a point to show up again. Ignis sometimes fell into the trap of trying to compete for attention with the feline spirit, but this time, he just ignored it to enter the conversation. "Oh, are you talking about the big spirit-robot thing? I've seen it around sometimes when I...wander around. I wonder if you would like that drink it made?" He commented, not all that concerned about the spirit's presence. Sira continued to meow louder as Helen scowled, her voice trying override the annoy thing. "Spirit? Are you sur... Fine, Sira! Impatient thing!" Helen huffed and paused in her conversation, her hands bent down to scoop up the shimmering cat. He naturally looked rather smugly at Ignis' direction while Helen took a deep breath. She placed her mind on a key memory and trying to calm down. Slowly the memory filled the spirit's core as she held the tom on the table. A sudden rattling sound came from Sira's throat before his image vanished slowly, yet Helen seemed to have gone paler then usual. "Ignis, are you sure it's a spirit?" Ignis nodded to Helen. Even if he had not been capable of feeling her emotions at the moment, he knew well her feelings about unbound spirits. He had been the one to save her all those years ago, but even so, he couldn't quite understand the fear. Of course, he also couldn't understand the concept of death in the same way she could. And he could recognize how dangerous some spirits could be to Humans. "Yeah, of course. Spirits can sense spirits. Summoners can too, not that I really understand how that works. Just...don't worry. I mean, we don't even know for sure it's unbound. I go wherever I want, don't I? It could too" "I'm sure it'll be nothing" Adonai joined in with calming Helen. Despite how much she cared for her own spirits, she was particularly uncomfortable around unbound spirits. He didn't really understand any of the spirit things she did or why, but it didn't matter. He grasped her hand in his to reassure her with his touch. Shortly after that, however, an even stranger event happened with which he could draw her attention. A pair of children edged their way in and then sprinted to hide behind the bar. "Now what are they doing here? I wasn't aware the Guild let members bring their children here." Things got even stranger then, and as the door opened for a second time, Adonai's sixth sense crept up on him again quite suddenly. The men that came it looked thuggish, not like any Guild member he had ever seen. There was a certain style that all guild members seemed to adhere to, whether it was int heir clothing or the way they walked and held themselves, no matter the band. It was part of the Free City pride. Even the shadiest of Bands had it to some extent. These men didn't. At that moment he cursed the fact that they were sitting next to the door. They marched right up to the table and looked at Helen, asking her rather bluntly about the two kids. Adonai pulled a vial of brightly coloured liquid from his coat and set it on the table. Helen, and some of the pub regulars that had bought from him before would know that this was one of the explosive kinds, though to anyone else it could be anything. "A word of advice friend, whatever the answer anyone gives to your question, dont go causing any trouble here." He said with a friendly tone to the newcomers. He had a feeling they'd ignore it if they didn't hear what they wanted to hear, but that was what the vial was for. Helen's spirits, Sira as well as Nahor and Heimda sensed the discomfort within their summoner. Sira made an ear splitting hiss that made her flinch, accidentally sharing the pain with the others. Nahor snorted followed by swirling images in the form of steam rushed into her vision. Finally Heimda snarled before his icy sensation filled her body making her feel rather cold. All three had their own way to make their feelings known while they sought the source of her fear. Rattling her after all was rattling them all. "I hope you both are right... now, these damn nerves got everyone shaken up." Helen commented before her attention was shifted by Adonai's odd mention of children. She gave him a look and immediately twisted in her chair, her body half turned to spot the pair slip behind the bar. Her expression was nothing short of bewilderment. "No, I don't think they are anyone's, Adonai." Helen said still watching the spot where the two had vanished. It was then she noted his hand wrapped about her own causing her to give him a warm smile and gentle squeeze of thanks, keeping a firm grasp on his for comfort. These little gestures were a reason she loved him so. Her attention to her husband was short lived when someone new entered and took a table nearby, one of them tapped her on the shoulder. Something wasn't right. While Adonai gave the man a bit of sound advice, Helen noticed the younger one's, a girl by her dress and smaller frame peek out to shake her head. Her heart felt a warmth to the child almost instantly before she pulled down and was replaced by the cheeky little bugger, her mini protector, giving her a cold stare. An image of her brother and herself flashed in her head causing her to communicate with Ignis. I hate to farther delay your treat, Ignis, but something's not right. I'm going to tell you to withdrew, but instead I want you to head over to the pair currently hiding behind the counter? I get a feeling there's more to this story then meets the eye. Could you ask them if they know these men and why they are looking for them? I promise not to eat until you get back. "Let me put my spirit back and I'll see if I can recall. A little fight happened not too long ago and I might be needed shortly. So pardon me if I have to suddenly excuse myself. Now to answer your question, I want you to answer one of my own. Namely what would four burly, rough men who seem to be rather new around here would be wanting with two young children?" Helen asked while allowing Ignis to do his thing. Ignis was silently proud of his own answer to what the spirit-robot might be. She seemed to calm down, or at least not get any more upset. He moved from a sitting position to a laying position, not that either was any more relaxing to him than the other, and simply waited for the meal to begin. Ignis was not a spirit that liked to be idle, but for a few situations, he could make an exception. Unfortunately, now that he actually wanted everything to be calm, it seemed like the universe was making it a point to have everything happen at once. At first, Ignis paid little mind to the children who stepped into the tavern. Adonai and Helen thought it was peculiar, but he had seen far stranger in his time. However, it was not long before another group entered the tavern, took a table nearby, then started to question Helen. Out of all the people they could have bothered, they went straight to her. Can't everyone just leave them alone for a few minutes? It's like the world's only interesting when I don't want it to be. He thought to himself. Not only that, but apparently Helen wanted him to do something as well. "Alright, I guess. But it's not my fault if they start screaming or something." Ignis responded to Helen, dissipating into the air after Helen claimed she was recalling him. He made his way across the room to the children, then positioned himself behind the counter along with them. While he was still out of their line of sight, he coalesced once more into something close to his normal form, but smaller, and with features that were all around less harsh. He had no real problem speaking with children; in fact, they were some of his favorite people. Adults could be exciting in their own ways, but Ignis found that children had much looser interpretations of societal rules. That, or they just didn't care about them, much like himself. If he ever wanted an accomplice, or a target who would give a more entertaining reaction to one of his pranks, a child was always a good choice. "So...what are you hiding from?" Ignis finally asked in a quiet voice. He acted as if he was hiding with them, just to make himself seem a bit less threatening.

[Rtron]

Eli ignored the spirit robot, glaring at the spirit cat of Helen's. "Damn thing." He muttered under his breath, ignoring Shreckt's snicker. He turned back to the bar and got another shot glass, sliding over more money to pay for the shot glass and any other damage he may have caused to the bartender. The man took it with a sense of resigned familiarity, as if this wasn't the first time Eli had gotten in a fight in his bar, and he doubted it would be the last. He gestured to Shreckt, giving her free reign to pursue her conversation with the Kusagi. Sensing her opportunity the spirit took two steps towards the Red Hawks before she stopped as Eli and all the rest turned to see two twins walk in, give money to the bartender, and hide behind the bar. Eli could easily see them, and there was an actual, genuine smile on his face, even if it was a concerned one. Trouble. Stay where you are for now Shreckt. He ordered mentally. The spirit muttered something in Kusagi under her breath, which turned into a loud groan as Eli's prediction turned out right. If those thugs weren't the trouble he expected, he didn't know what to expect. Still, he refrained from making any aggressive movements. Taunting a Serpentine into a fight was one thing. Taunting what could be innocent men was another matter entirely. Even if he was a rude man, Eli still had scruples. These men could simply be workers wanting to refresh themselves in the bar. Looking at them, Eli somehow doubted it. But still, there was a chance they could be unrelated to the children. That notion was quickly shot down as one of them asked Helen about the whereabouts of the children. Eli's smile became much grimmer and if one of the children were to catch his eye, he'd wink at them. As he listened to Helen's answer he raised an eyebrow. Why would she not just say no in the first place? He saw a spirit materialize next to the children and speak softly to them. "Ah, you were always clever Hellcat." He said softly, primarily to himself. Shreckt, get ready for violence. I'm always ready.. Eli chuckled at her reply, before pulling out his steam rifle and setting on the bar counter. At first it looked like he was merely checking his gear and maintaining it. Then the ominous sound of a bullet sliding into the chamber came from it, and Eli pointedly looked at the bartender and gestured with his head towards the thugs. The question was clear. Can I shoot these ones?

[Terminal]

Kuro sat at his table in the corner again, taking momentary note of the unconscious Serpentine lying on the floor besides Eli's seat. He paused mid-stride, looking from the woman whom he recalled by sight if not by name as one of the guild's doctor, just idly sitting there at her seat in plain view of the fallen man, not lifting a finger to check on him and the sword-puncture through his leg. Even more surprising was the sight of the other two Serpentines - Cedric Drake was still coolly mulling over his glass, apparently unconcerned for his comrade. His crony appeared to be angry at least, but was keeping his peace. The bartender didn't even seem to care about the blood splattered all over the lower end of the bar and the floor. It wasn't the most bizarre sight Kuro had seen,

Hey boss, those guards that were chasin' us just got crushed, dirt-nap crushed, by a mountain of watermelons that fell out of the sky! Ain't no airships or anything I can see tha coulda sent 'em nearby.

Highwayman

...but it was nonetheless disconcerting. After a brief moment Kuro shrugged and sat down at his table in the corner. He figured, if nothing else, the unconscious and bleeding yuppie on the floor added some character to the bar's aesthetic. Before he could even settle back into his seat properly, two children quietly barged in and greased the barman's palm, which was interesting enough on its own - Kuro though, had much sharper vision than most of the others in the bar, and as the girl crossed the room he caught sight of a particular detail of her person - something he had never seen before. His eyes immediately shot to the boy to see if he had the same feature, but if he did, it was well concealed. Either way, this was what Kuro had been waiting for - the coin Tribal had promised had just come in. Even just by being in the same room as them, Kuro could sell the information on what he had seen of the girl at least to the pursers back at Rider HQ for a favorable sum. Perhaps even more if he could get a closer look at the boy before he left... Kuro was about to stand to try and get a closer look when the four thugs walked in. Kuro gave them the same discriminating eye he had given Ryza - two sweeping glances from head to foot for each of them. Immediately he knew - they weren't with the Riders or the Guild. They weren't unaffiliated assassins or cleaners either, and he seriously doubted they were from the Church of Aer. They were acting nonchalant enough, but any imbecile with eyes could have told why they were there. Kuro's gut abruptly turned into a yawning abyss, and the hairs on the back of his neck stiffened. Over the many years, he had honed a sense for unseen, imminent danger - and it was here in the bar. Something massive, gigantic, greater than any threat he had even felt before, eclipsing even Tribal with its gravity. Kuro's eyes darted around the room - everyone was tense and eyeing the thugs, most of them Guild regulars with anywhere up to thirty spirits between them all and every manner of blade, pistol, explosive, and magic ready to be levied at any second. The room was a powderkeg, but even so it shouldn't have warranted such a nerve-wracking sensation. Kuro felt like he was standing on the edge of a great, bottomless chasm, darkness howling up at him with unfettered rancor, the Earth itself threatening to devour him. For the briefest moment, Kuro's mask flickered, dismay spreading across his features like a pox. He recovered shortly, his mind furiously racing to establish all available options. Taking the anguishing level of anxiety he felt, Kuro immediately considered making headway for the nearest available exit - a window immediately to his left. It had no latch or hinge, but the measure of some broken glass was of little consequence besides the enormity of dread that was hanging over Kuro's thoughts. Other than that, he could approach the table where three of the thugs had taken a seat and question them - that they had not already started a fight was indication that they were hesitant to do so. There was not much chance they didn't know the entire building - and the entire plaza outside - was occupied by Guild members. There was no chance they would risk starting a fight, even if Kuro had gone out of his way to antagonize them. Causing trouble so close to the Epicenter of the Adventurer's guild would be a death sentence. The downside being that, if they were to start trouble, he would be the foremost target of their ire due to proximity alone. Kuro could sit where he was and simply observe, which as ideas went was the one he currently favored. It kept his body out of the firing line of everybody else in the bar, for one thing, and he would be surreptitiously placed to intervene at the moment of his choosing if the event escalated. ...None of those seemed appropriate however. Then, the gears in Kuro's mind clicked. He was thinking too much of himself. Distancing himself too far from the others present in the room. The various bands of the Guild might have found the Riders distasteful, but when there was a common enemy... And besides, he was no longer Cutthroat Kuro, Bandit or Highwayman. He was a member of the Adventurer's Guild, and everyone in the room - bandless or blacklisted or not - were his comrades in arms. Kuro grabbed his mug of water and turned it upside down beneath his table, emptying it. He then got up and casually headed for the bar hold holding it, adding a faint slouch and an exaggerated sway to his motion as he did so, and for once made no effort to reduce his noise as he crossed the room. Hopefully the thugs would simply think him a patron halfway into his cups fetching another drink. As he crossed the room, he looked around for any features that might be of use - and almost instantly his eyes were drawn to the iron candle-fixture suspended directly over the thugs' table. The chain connecting it to the ceiling was too thick for any of his pistols to sever it, but that wouldn't be a problem. Shoving the ever-increasing sensation of apocalyptic portents screaming through his nerves out of his mind, he took a seat next to Eli at the bar. Not his first choice, but approaching the Hawks would have been awkward and the the doctor too obvious. "I'm going to roll a billow canister at them once they start trouble." Kuro muttered to Eli without looking at him. "If you have any spirits that can cut the chain of that fixture above their table at the same time, it will illuminate their forms in the fog on top of the havoc it will wreck with them. Let us shoot at them while providing us cover. They aren't locals or affiliated with the Riders." Kuro sounded completely certain. Perhaps he was being paranoid, but the sense of overarching peril, which had only grown by magnitudes as he had come to sit down at the bar besides Eli, made him sure that the four were going to start something. What else was there nearby that could possibly be causing such a response?

[vietmyke]

The three men at the table- while each a rather large and brutish looking man, began to exchange looks of unease with one another as Guild members seemed to stare them down. It was quite obvious from the attitude as well as the general atmosphere that they were not exactly welcome at the Guild's pub. Several of the men slowly began reaching for their weapons- but didn't draw them. The tension in the air was palpable. On the other hand, the blond man speaking to Helen didn't seem to even notice the tension in the air. "I am just doing as I have been instructed, ma'am." the man said plainly, hints of a Varisie accent creeping into his voice. "I believe you Guild members understand the concept of completing a job, no matter what the costs?" He asked, with some measure of foreboding. The three other men exchanged uneasy glances again, obviously doubting their willingness to be here. "You may call me Walkins," the man spoke, introducing himself, "I am.. something of a problem solver for my benefactor. These children have... stolen something valuable... from my benefactor, and I wish to retrieve them in order to bring them to justice." he continued, "Justice, ma'am, is my only reason for being here. There will only be trouble, if someone decides to start said trouble..." he said to Adonai, implications thick in his voice. As the conversation continued, the bartender shot an uneasy look at Eli as he drew his rifle and placed it on the bar. The bartender caught Eli's gaze and held it for a few moments. Eli could tell the bartender was weighing the options in his mind. The bartender's eyes flitted to the ruffians at the table conversing with Helen and her husband, then down to the children at behind the bar nearby. His gaze returned to Eli's for a moment before they slowly closed. He breathed out quietly, and made his way over to the sign that in bold words spelled out "No discharging of firearms", and quietly flipped the sign over to its blank side. He looked back at Eli, the man had his answer. The twins kept peering over the bar, spying on the conversation, making sure to poke their heads down whenever the men at the table began to look their way. They made motions to each other, communicating in a combination of mouthed words and hand gestures. They failed to notice Ignis as he materialized behind them. When he spoke, the girl's eyes widened considerably as she yelped in surprise, her high voice only being cut off as the boy clasped his hand over her mouth and slid down out of sight. At the sound of the yelp, the blonde man named Walkins suddenly stopped speaking. Looking back at Helen, he smiled, a devilishly toothy grin- one that could be described as anything but justified. "Ah, it would appear that they are here after all." The tension in the room seemed to have reboiled to a new climax, for as soon as the blonde man stood up, so did Alan- silver-plated revolver drawn and leveled at the non-guildsmen. The three thugs stood up as well, weapons drawn, and were met by a variety of gun barrels, and blade tips from the dozen or so patrons of the bar. Walkins seemed undisturbed by the sight of weapons pointed at him, as rather casually stood out from the table and took a step towards the bar. Eli and Kuro could hear a faint rustle, as well as the sound of wood and metal sliding against one another as the young boy bounded over the bar with grace and dexterity surprising for his age. One hand grabbed Eli's steam rifle as he vaulted over the bar, his other hand pulled what was presumably his sister over the bar with him. The young male landed flat on his feet, standing, with the girl behind him, rifle leveled at the blonde man. From his stance, it was clear that the boy had never held a firearm before, and the slight tremors in his body implied that he had never shot a man either. Walkins noted this, and smiled at the boy, as he took a step forward. -BANG- The distinct sound of a steam rifle firing echoed throughout the bar, the hissing sound of excess steam following the crash. Vapor slowly crept out of the barrel of Eli's rifle as it shook in the boy's hand. The boy had hit Walkins, at that range, even a complete novice would've been hard pressed to miss. The force of the impact forced Walkins to take a step back, but the man didn't fall. There was a small clink of metal as a crushed rifle slug fell to the ground. Walkin's casually brushed off a bit of dust his chest. The boy scowled and pulled the trigger again but was only granted the sound of steam hissing into the weapon- Eli had not finished loading the weapon. "That might've worked on someone else, boy." Walkins hissed, evidently pleased with himself. He took another step forward but paused as a swirl of fire appeared in front of the two children. Stepping back, he found himself confronted by a woman in a white wolf mask- ever silent. "Not another step." Alan called out darkly, slowly stepping forward. The man smiled, and a shard of ice slowly blinked into existence behind him. The ice shard began to grow in size, reaching the size of a human before it started sprouting sharp limbs. The resulting creature was a rather tall humanoid spirit of ice, various appendages sticking out of its back and limbs, each made of a razor sharp white ice.

Ice Spirit

"Do you intend to stop me?" Walkins asked, as he drew a brass mask out from within his coat. He fixed the mask to his face- which adhered through some odd force as opposed to straps of clasps. The mask glowed an eerie blue. "No one suspects the Varisie Inquisition!" "I encourage you to try your best." came the muffled voice from behind the mask.

[Lucius Cypher]

Harvey downed the Moon Water on his face, though only a sharp eye would notice the liquids vanishing as soon as it reached where his "Mouth" would be. Harvey was consuming his drink in spirit form, letting a little bit of his real self out of his metal shell to consume the drink directly. He savored the magical taste of the Moon Water and could feel his spiritual energy reinvigorated. If he was wounded he would have been healed, or so he thinks. Honestly he doesn't know what Moon Water does aside from being magically delicious. "Barkeep! Another round of ice and milk." As the bar keep gave Harvey another round two children came in. They seemed rather out of place in this rough-and-tumble place but also seemed to know what they were doing. Harvey was making himself another drink when another group of strange people arrived. For obviously thuggish looking men who, unlike the Serpentine, actually took a seat at an unoccupied table. Harvey would have ignored them if their presence didn't make the air around him thick enough that it could be smashed with a hammer. Something about these four newcomers seemed to put everyone on edge and it made Harvey wary too, simply because of how concerned everyone else was. He was making another batch of Moon Water when things quickly got out of hand. The boy picked up a rifle and fired it at one of the thuggish men. Weapons were drawn. A fight was at hand. "Finally!" With the first shot fired Harvey didn't hold himself back. With his body activated he turned around on his seat and launched his fist across the room. The massive ten-pound metal hand flew towards one of the unnamed mooks, grabbing hold of him. Harvey was crushing him in his hands but this was just the beginning. Retracting his first Harvey pulled the unfortunate thug towards him while Harvey's other fist started to wind up. Just as the thug got close enough Harvey released him and let his other fist uppercut the thug into the ceiling. He hit the ceiling with a solid crash, and as he fell Harvey caught the thug and slammed him onto the ground. And to ensure that he was out for the count, Harvey leap into the air and fell belly first onto the thug. Rolling off the flatten mook Harvey got back onto his feet and raised his massive fists up. "Quake in fear, fleshlings."

[Fallenreaper]

Helen didn’t like the man's nonchalant attitude of the scene’s rather thick atmosphere. His words were too calm and ignorant of the anxiety in the scene that it made her hair stand on end, her eyes studying him for a sense of tension which wasn’t there. Unlike his men, he seemed unaware of the many dart like eyes setting in his direction while he continued to talk. Inside her head she was urging for information from Ignis. The spirit had floated to the bar back and crept behind the child likely by now, part of hoping he had the sense enough not to scare them. Then again this was Ignis she was talking about and the heat spirit loved his pranks. Her thoughts were pulled back to the blonde man when he subtle threatened Adonai. Her eyes flickered with anger, the only acknowledgment to his warning causing her to grit her teeth together. The green irises flashed and almost glowed in fury. The doctor was highly pissed that someone would dare to hint ill-harm, no matter how subtle, to her husband. She was about to answer when sudden a high, sharp yelp gave the twins away. Immediately her figure stiffen when the man gave her smile, commenting on finding them, then rose upright. His three men jerked upright alongside him with their already drawn weapons only to be surrounded by over half the patrons’ pulling out theirs. Clearly these strangers weren’t welcomed. Yet the seemed not to bother the man, his foot took a step toward the bar. It took more time then Helen had considered while two of her spirits, Nahor, the steam horse, and Sira were summoned forth. The steam horse spirit gave an ear splitting whinny while the cat darted to the bar. -Bang- Eli, you stupid- The thought died within Helen’s skull when she spotted the boy. Her eyes jerked to see the discharged weapon letting off steam from the muzzle, both twins on the counter, and the boy glaring. Smoke rose from the man's outfit where he was shot while he brushed off the bullet that clearly hit him. His eyes filled with mirth while he hissed his reply, again moving forward. In moments the scene erupted into an more unpleasant one while Alan confronted the man with Seru’s flame magic, causing the man to summon his own spirit, questioning the boy’s bravery. Some sort of ice being stood behind him and just within reach of Helen, making her even more uncomfortable. Nahor snorted and caught her flicker of a plan. Ignis, aid Alan and Seru. Use your best judgement, but make sure Alan and his friend aren’t hurt. Nahor nail the summoner with your hooves, keep him away. Sira flash the bastard, get to the children and do whatever you can to get them to follow you. I’m right behind. After the Inquisitor finished his threat, his mask on, Helen whispered. “Sira, Nahor, Ignis.” Three things happened as the spirits reacted in the order she whispered. Sira skirted toward the bar, his coat illuminated then popped off with a flash at the man and his spirit. Possibly blinding both. His body, followed quickly by Helen skirting around the man just within reach, rushed to the children. Immediately, faster if the man made a grab for Helen, Nahor rushed toward the man’s back. His hooves flared up in a rearing position and came down where the man was currently. More to separate the man from Helen and the children rather than to harm, Nahor snorted in wrath then reared to attack again. When Helen reached the children, her hands wrapped around the black bag where her gun and medical supplies were kept. The Serpentine that been injured was ready being tended to by his buddies, one being decent in patching, as they beat a hasty exit. Following their idea and example, Helen shoved the empty rifle to Eli with a blaming glare as she spoke, grabbing the young girl’s hand. “This way and stick close!” She made sure to avoid the 'bot', who was sitting near Eli and Kuro earlier, while she took the bar's back exit. Already the spirit was getting into the fight, her nerves unsettled farther. She focused on the children's safety and tried to lead them out.

[Rtron]

Eli grinned at the bartender, nodding, and his grin only widened even farther as Kuro approached him. Apparently the Rider had set aside the prejudices the entire band held against him. "I can get the chain cut, give me-" Then the girl yelped and Eli winced as Walkins, as he had introduced himself, took a step towards the bar. Eli turned to see every Guildmember with a weapon in the room leveling it at the four newcomers. Shreckt had her own blade out, and dragged it across her palm. Rather than dripping off of her hand or blade as her blood welled, from the wound, it simply pooled in her hand. Shreckt waited for something to happen before she attacked, however. "Shit. No time for fancy tactics. At least this will be a qui-" Eli began to reach for his rifle as he spoke, only to abruptly stop talking as his gun disappeared into the hand's of the boy. Before Eli could do much more than draw the pistol on his hip, the gun was fired. Nothing happened. Despite this Eli only laughed aloud. This is going to be fun! He thought gleefully, pulling out his short sword as well. Kal, Lumin, Zaz, and Saruk all appeared behind him. Kuro immediately floated over to the twins, protectively circling around them. Eli laughed again as the man revealed himself to be an inquisitor. He only briefly noticed the robot murdering one of the thugs, focusing on the real threat. "Oh good!" He called, aiming at Walkins. "I'll certainly try my best, and succeed. Because I love killing Inquisition dogs!" He only shrugged at Helen as she thrust the rifle at him, leaving the useless weapon where it was. He hadn't meant for the kid to get the gun. Eli emptied the pistol at Walkins, Saruk increasing the piercing power of the second shot. Shreckt ignored the remaining thugs, who were obviously deciding living is better than dying, quite literally throwing her blood at the ice spirit. An unnaturally solid and long stream of blood floated horizontally at the spirit, before breaking apart into spikes of blood that flew at it. Shreckt swung her sword at Walkin's back. Lumin sighed, then breathed in deeply before spitting out a fire ball at the ice spirit. Zaz crackled with electricity for a moment, then shot a bolt at Walkins.

[Terminal]

Kuro swiveled in his chair, one hand gripping the handle of a pistol inside his jacket ready to be drawn at a moment's notice in perfect synchrony with the rest of the patrons in the bar actually drawing their weapons as the three thugs at the table stood up. He then took a mental tally of the other patrons and the weapons they had leveled at them - more than a dozen in total. The thugs were already dead, and Kuro's bullets wouldn't contribute much to the proverbial pyroclastic hail that was about to sweep through the space they occupied. He turned his attention to the new man - Walkins - instead. He seemed completely at ease, his voice lax, and he possessed an air of effortless confidence. He hadn't even reacted to the sight of virtually every single Guild member in the pub standing and drawing their weapons on him. Kuro immediately drew two conclusions from that observation. The first possibility was that Walkins was like him, and had simply adopted a facade intended to unnerve and intimidate his opponents. The last thing anybody would want to see on the face of their enemy was boredom, akin to what Kuro displayed, or the self-assured, lazy smirk on the man's face. Both indicated the same thing: That your opponent was not actually investing much effort into killing you. Which, if they were running you ragged and thwarting your every attack and evasion, could cause panic or at least urgency in most foes. It was a trick that almost all of the senior members of the Riders utilized - a few were so good at it that they could make you feel like a rat being crushed in a serpent's gullet (Kuro didn't really have the eyes for that look). The second possibility was that Walkins genuinely felt that he wasn't in any danger. He did not appear to be wearing heavy armor, but it was possible his clothes were enchanted, or that he possessed a rare spirit combination that made him invulnerable to conventional forms of attack. Either way, the man was bad news. Kuro didn't allow his own, creeping sense of urgency to show. He never let his mask slip. He just gazed lazily at the man, eyelids half-lowered, mouth set into a thin line, the draw of his face lax. He discreetly repeated the tally of the other patrons of the bar, and cursed inwardly that he was the only member of the Riders present. One of the first lessons he had learned as Freerider Kuro was to never permit a standoff. You never pointed a weapon at somebody unless you attacked them immediately, and you never froze if somebody drew a weapon on you. The notion of a standoff was absurd, a tactic for idiots. And yet here in the bar, he was amongst the few present who were not currently caught up in one. Still, as long as the standoff existed, he could exploit it. Perhaps the man could be negotiated with - intimidated, bullied, bargained. That option went out the window when, unseen, the boy somehow managed to snatch Eli's heavy steam rifle out from under the man's own hands as he leaped over the counter and shot Walkins in the chest. The bullet compacted from the force of its own impact and then clattered harmlessly to the floor. 'He is, at the very least, resilient to bullets.' Kuro thought idly, his estimation of the man's defenses rising. There was no doubt that he was the true threat in the room. Kuro briefly considering rolling a steam canister at him, but decided it would do more harm than good used against a singular, outnumbered foe. There were too many allies nearby to risk a blackpowder grenade. He couldn't be shot. Which left arrows and knives - blunt trauma likely wouldn't work, if the man could shrug off bullets. Even as Alan rose, gold-plated pistol pointed straight at the man (why did none of these heels ever use their weapons when drawing them?) Kuro levered his arms up onto the bar-counter behind him, lifted himself up onto it, and then slid over the edge to fall in a crouch behind cover. An aptly timed maneuver, as a scant second later all hell broke loose. The man summoned an ice spirit, the air surrounding him flashed with blinding light as no less than three spirits descended on him, and the massive golem executed what must have been the fourth most unnecessarily telegraphed attack Kuro had ever seen.

The Kusagi rocketman bent to one knee, reached behind his back, and carefully unstrapped a blackpowder fire-rocket from the bundle of them stashed in the wicker basket he wore. He took a moment to stake its launch-rod into the ground at an angle using a small wooden mallet before reaching into a pouch at his belt and producing a piece of flint. Kuro shot the rocket. His men continued to find pieces of the Kusagi Rocketman littered around the camp for more than a week.

Flashback of the Third Most Unnecessarily Telegraphed Attack Kuro has Seen

"Golem! Ignore them, they're already dead! Attack the ice spirit, keep it off-balance!" Kuro shouted at the Harvester. "Eli, put that man into a lock - even if he can't be hurt, he can still be suffocated!" As he shouted over the bar at the combatants, Kuro hurriedly crab-walked behind the counter-top over to the rear exit and intercepted Helen, hastily grabbing her by the arm and pulling her, and the children, down behind the bar. "He may have men waiting outside the rear exits, doctor." He hissed. "Inquisitors operate in teams." He drew a blackpowder grenade and set it on the floor in front of her. "If anybody untowards comes in through that back door, use this." He indicated. "Keep your eyes open." He then began to crabwalk back down along the rear of the bar towards the other end, peeking over it and waiting for the air to clear of projectiles and magic so he could join the fray.

[EliteCommander]

"I told you they would scream" Ignis said to Helen, dissipating himself into the air once more as the children ran out from behind their hiding place. He was actually curious to see what the strange men would do once they saw the children. He thought it might cause some sort of an entertaining scene, but that thought ended once weapons were drawn. As much as Ignis liked to cause trouble, he never wanted to cause violence. Immediately, Ignis brought himself to the ready . He started to draw in as much heat as he could, creating a surprisingly chilly area around a rather hot core. He still could not be seen, but if someone passed through him, he could certainly be felt. For a few, brief moments, everyone just stood with weapons drawn, staring one another down. The first to fire was actually the boy, carrying Eli's rifle. but, because the universe did not seem to want to end this easily, the shot seemed to have no real effect. The fight broke out quickly, and while most of the thugs were falling easily, the leader remained, along with his terrifying ice spirit. Ignis quickly received his orders, along with Helen's other spirits. Helen herself was starting to run away, which was good. Humans were too fragile, and if Adonai ran too, Ignis would not have to worry about who mattered dying. Even so, fighting an ice spirit was inherently frightening for him. Spirits that manipulated the cold could harm him much more easily than most others, and when given the choice, he preferred to avoid them altogether. Still, at the very least, heat and fire could usually hurt them just the same. Okay, okay, that spirit is very...cold. Very cold. Ignis thought, his attention frantically darting around the room as he searched for options. There was far too much happening at once for him to be able to pay attention to it all, but luckily, there were still plenty of obvious options. In particular, Alan's spirit, Seru, was front and center in the middle of the fight. Oh, but that one definitely isn't. He thought as he positioned himself inside the ceiling just above Seru.

[Whoami]

Ryza breathed easy after Kuro had left. But unfortunately, things weren't done there, they were never done when they needed to be. The nudge from Alan told her as such, and when she followed his gaze to spot the children, looking hurried and out of place, she sighed. Just as she suspected, more figures made their appearance. Ryza instinctively felt bad mojo from them. Her initial thought was that they were another less than adored band of adventurers; but upon spotting their supposed ringleader, she threw those thoughts out the window. "He looks... Familiar..." Ryza mumbled to Alan, "I swear I've seen him before, talking with my father." Ryza was curious, taking in his features rather than paying too much attention to the happenings around her. She knew she had seen him before. She knew her father was in the same memory. But who he was or what they were talking about was all too vague. No matter, she never liked him to begin with, just the general air about him was unlikable. Ryza's mother had always told her that she was an excellent judge of character. Ryza looked to Alan and whispered to him, "My father knows him. Maybe he's here for me?" Nope! The man announced he was searching for the children, and judging by the look on the kids' faces, it wasn't for anything good. She started thinking about her father, what was he talking to this man about? "Careful, Alan... I don't like this..." Ryza gripped her katana in one hand, her other at the mouth of her scabbard that the keen blade was sheathed in. And when Alan raised his pistol, so too did Ryza draw the full length of folded steel blade. As if on cue, Oni materialized and floated behind her right shoulder. The same expression she wore when confronting Kuro was back, that steely glare on the familiar stranger. Then she saw the young boy mantle the bar and take Eli's rifle with him. She saw the look of fear in his eyes as he pulled he trigger. That's when she noticed the mask, and the emblem on it. She remembered who he was, an inquisitor of the Varisie. And at that same moment, she remembered her father calling him a 'business partner' and telling her to go play in the garden. She didn't understand, but she wanted to. Once all hell broke loose, Ryza ran to intercept the two thugs that the rest of the patrons didn't seem to pay much mind. She got between them and the door, to cut off chances of escape and help her fellow guild members (liked or not), to deal with the evident enemy. She gripped her sword tight, "Stay where you are, it'll end better that way." But the thugs didn't seem concerned about what was better. One drew a pistol and the other drew western longsword. "Oni!" Ryza exclaimed despite not needing to, it was more instinctual than anything. But the mask responded like it didn't matter how she communicated, moving in front of her face like a mask should be used for. The air around Ryza began to ripple as Oni projected some sort of safety bubble, just in time for the shot of the pistol to leave the barrel. There was a 'thwump' sound as the projectile struck the strange spiritual field. Ryza's adrenaline peaked. That was it, the moment she knew that her first moment in real combat had come. Hundreds of lessons came to her at once as she saw the thug with the longsword come at her. With her natural grace, she stepped back once and parried the swing of the iron longsword. There was that clanging report of metal meeting metal. Ryza felt it in her hands as the two blades made brief contact. The reverberation traveled up her arms and caused a strong chill down her spine. She retaliated, swinging the Kusagi blade horizontally, but the thug was no amateur, and made parried in return. Another thwump, another shielded projectile from the pistolier. Ryza was grateful that she had a guardian spirit at her side. The seishin swordsman kept up her offense and defense, striking when she thought she had the advantage, blocking when she was back a foot. When she trained, she did quite well for herself, but real combat seemed different; when another swung for life and not for pride or respect. She could feel it whenever the two blade struck, the desperation in his assault. If she was facing off against somebody armed with a katana, who was trained in the same martial style, she probably would have won by then. But this man was no honor bound seishin swordsman. He was brutish in his strikes, with a weapon she never thought to face. So Ryza remained on the defense in the swordplay. Defense always stepping back and struggling with the opponent, she always seemed to be composed and graceful, such was the beauty of her art. And while she wasn't quite sure how to handle the other sword fighter, she wasn't without a plan. Every step she took back, was also partially to the side, making her circle until she was approaching the pistolier with his useless weapon. She had taken note that the gunner wasn't maneuvering, that he had faith in his ranged advantage to win. She noticed that the pistol needed a brief reload in between shots. As she neared with her back faced to the pistolier, she continued to defend until she heard it, the thwump of a deflected shot. And when she heard it, Ryza quickly span to face the reloading thug, both hands clutching the blade above her head. The air around Ryza returned to normal as the gleaming steal started to appear distorted. Oni used its force to sharpen the blade tenfold. It was slow motion, she had timed her strike perfectly so that opposing swordsman was reeling back from a parried heavy strike. And in that time, her katana came down on the pistolier. In that moment when she watched the unstoppable motion, she witnessed as the man reflexively raised him pistol arm to helplessly defend. There was no resistance as the blade sliced through the arm, down his chest and stomach and hip. Her blade was a hand wafting through smoke, effortlessly gliding through flesh and bone. Ryza had claimed her first life, but in the heat of the moment, didn't feel any remorse. It was him or her. In the slow motion, she watched as the blood fizzed away from the spiritual force around her blade. The red that didn't get caught in the energy baptized Ryza. As she turned to face the thug with the longsword, prepared to defend against another slash, she instead received a hard punch across the face. Ryza was sent sidelong, dropping her katana and detaching Oni from her face. The large man then pinned her to the floor and drew a knife. She gripped at his clutched hand to fend the blade off, to slow it from piercing at her heart. But she knew she wouldn't last long without help, he was simply larger and stronger. Oni had projected itself to lend strength to Ryza. It helped a bit, allowing for Ryza to level the playing field, keeping the knife in place between the two of them. She called out for help, not sure if anybody was able to with ice spirit and inquisitor causing the majority of the trouble.

[Lucius Cypher]

If Harvey had eyes he'd roll them as Eli sicked his spirits onto Walkins. Not entirely a surprise considering the guy practically walked into a death trap, but Harvey figured that the Inquisitor had a trick up his sleeve. Whatever it was it likely had to do with Walkin's own spirits, whom Harvey figured he ought to deal with. That Ice Spirit seemed like Walkin's main power house so distracting it, or even defeating it, would be key to beating Walkins if bullets don't work. Someone else, the same person who seemed to have business with the Kusagi women, started shouting orders. Harvey figured he should follow them if only because they made sense, but as his mind thought about the Kusagi women she noticed that she was in a bit of a bind. One of the thugs that the man claimed to have already been dead seemed to be close to taking her life. "Looks like some of these men still have some bite!" Though not something he'd like to do Harvey was willing to try something a bit risky. Namely, he was going to fire off both his fists. One was launched at the Ice Spirit with the intent of pulling it towards him. Harvey wasn't sure if the Ice Spirit was incorporeal like he was so for all he knew his fist could just fly strait through it. But his other hand ought to hit it's mark, which was the thug that was assaulting the Kusagi women. He didn't seem any bigger than the last guy Harvey thrashed so he should be no problem. There was a lot going on at the moment, but it was a familiar feeling for Harvey. "Just like old times. If only Master Cypress was here..." Harvey allowed himself a moment of nostalgia before taking in the chaos around him once more. He noticed the doctor Helen escorting the children out of the tavern, only to be intercepted by the same man who barked orders at him. They moved towards the back of the tavern so presumably they weren't going to be going through the front door. Harvey also took note that Eli had just summoned four spirits. Though only one of them were humanoid, it took a powerful Summoner to be able to conjure even just two animal Spirits, if Harvey remembered correctly. And Eli not only summoned three but also a humanoid. Certainly a heavy hitter if nothing else. Harvey also took note of Seru but not Ignis. Harvey's body wouldn't be able to feel the difference in heat on account of being a robot as well as being too far away. He was fairly certain Seru was a spirit if only because of her appearance. And lastly there were the children. Harvey only caught a glance at them before Helen ushered them to safety. Whoever they were, Harvey knew they were the cause of this mess. Sure Walkins was the one they're all trying to kill right now, but he came after these kids. Harvey would like to know what it was about them that would make someone like Walkins chase them to a place like the Drunken Bard. All those people Harvey observed in the chaos he put a Mark on. For whatever reason he may need to find them, which he hopes he can. They were nothing but trouble and that would keep Harvey occupied for quite some time. Focusing back to the battle Harvey first prioritized the thug menacing the Kusagi women, and once she was in a better position to fight Harvey would think of plans to deal with the Ice Spirit.