[color=ed1c24][b]“Okay, just wanted to make sure I wasn’t going crazy.” [/b][/color]JAakuna said. He tended to go a little batty at times. [color=ed1c24][b]“but that aside, what on earth is the Midnight Shard doing here? I mean, last I checked, it was in that shitstain ruin of Nabudis, where your dick of a Esper was imprisoned before reasons happened.”[/b][/color] Jaakuna sighed. He was getting off topic again. [color=ed1c24][b]“Whatever, so the Midnight Shard - how’d the fuck it get here?”[/b][/color] Jaakuna asked. As Lorenzo started voicing his own thoughts on it, he actually started to sound all princey. Jaakuna wanted to rip his ears out, but Lorenzo had an interesting point. Regardless, as soon as he finished, he had grabbed the Midnight Shard, holding it in his hands. Jaakuna couldn’t help but chuckle at the idea of Emiri suddenly growing bunny ears and a furry, fuzzy tail. He’d probably play with those constantly(much to her annoyance). [color=ed1c24][b]“Now that is a thought I shall cherish tonight.”[/b][/color] Jaakuna said, chuckling As Emiri and Lorenzo would go on even more about the Midnight Shard, with the former talking about how she could hear the thoughts of the Midnight Shard and how it desires power. [color=ed1c24][b]“Can you ask it how it got here? Oh and who took it. It would save us a lot of time and effort.” [/b][/color]Jaakuna, surprisingly non-sarcastically, said with the most serious, if not mildly annoyed, face. And they ignored him, but perhaps for the best. Lorenzo was on her ass about being drawn to it. Jaakuna arched an eyebrow when he himself was wondering that same thing. Even more to the point, he saw the way Emiri was looking, specifically at the shard, which was in Lorenzo’s hand. It seemed like she was. Even more so, it seemed that she wasn’t far off from grabbing it and possibly doing something she would regret. When Jaakuna saw that she wasn’t far from doing that, he was about to step in and stop her. Luckily, Lorenzo would be holding onto it. Unluckily for them, a sword came at them from a distance. Joy, more fighting. Regardless, Jaakuna dodged it in the knick of time. And who did this sword belong to? Well, Jaakuna looked up, and sighed rather annoyingly. [color=ed1c24][b]“Oh fucking wonderful, it’s the Miss Sadistic Big Tits.”[/b][/color] Jaakuna was obviously referring to the always-hot-but-equally-annoying Lola. [color=ed1c24][b]“Don’t you have some strip joint to be working at?”[/b][/color] Jaakuna commented. As Lola would demand the shard, Jaakuna looked at her as if she was a fucking idiot. [color=ed1c24][b]“Yeaaaah, sure, we’ll give you the shard. And hey, while we’re at it, why don’t we just give you our espers too. I bet you’d like that, wouldn’t you, ya crazy brod?”[/b][/color] As a little exchange between Big Tits and Lorenzo was exchanged, Jaakuna raised an eyebrow to how Lorenzo seemed to be offended by being called old. [color=ed1c24][b]“Yeah, cause her trying to kill us definitely isn't as much of a top priority than getting mad at her for calling you old.[/b][/color]” Jaakuna commented to himself, but probably was heard by Lorenzo. It looks like it was a stroll down memory lane, mostly with Emiri voicing her disgust towards Lola and, of course, Big Tits being creepy as ever. Jaakuna sighed. [color=ed1c24][b]“Lorenzo, that’s a long story, but to make it short: this crazy bitch here has some weird master-slave fetish and Emiri is the object of such a fetish.”[/b][/color] Jaakuna told Lorenzo, [color=ed1c24][b]“I’ll tell you the full, in-depth version, but for now we take care of her.”[/b][/color] Jaakuna said as he saw Lola pull out a katana, and splitting herself into three copies. [color=ed1c24][b]“Great, even more crazy.”[/b][/color] Jaakuna sighed, holding out his hand. It shone with a red glow. [color=ed1c24][b]“Belias, I have no time for your silly incantation. Just get your ass out here. We have someone that needs to go back to the looney bin.[/b][/color]” Jaakuna said. A moment later, Balias the Gigas appeared in a light display of fire magick.. Always tall, and always doing that weird shaman dance. [color=crimson][b]“The least you could do is say please.”[/b][/color] Belias said, sounding displeased. [color=ed1c24][b]"Okay, please will you help me torch this bitch?”[/b][/color] Jaakuna requested of Belias. [color=crimson][b]“Fine, let’s do it.”[/b][/color] Belias sounded pleased again. Jaakuna pulled out his Vengefull Daggers. They were black and red and the length of short swords. Belias had his halberd in hand, pointed at the Lola that was coming towards him and Jaakuna. The two of them darted forward. Both of their weapons already having flowing fire magick from it and both waved their weapons downward, sending two, originally individual waves of Firaga that combined, at Lola. [hr] This did not please her one bit. Ultima, though she did what was necessary, did not enjoy this tactic at all. She was, as most of the Hume stories made her out to be, didn’t like underhanded, brutal tactics like binding a Hume girl. She wasn’t a brute like The Gigas or Bringer of Order, nor was she underhanded like The Condemned or The Walker of the Wheel. She was an Esper of class and dignity, but even one such as The High Seraph sometimes needed to resort to these tactics to prove her point. As she stared at Nadeline, her arguing with her Hume companions, mainly The Redeemed, Arrogant Prince, she waited for them to finish. Perhaps this one - Zeromus’ Hume - could convince her to give up. If he could, Ultima could refrain from that of which she was about to do. [b]“Listen to the Male Hume. If you do not, there is no guarantee that you will survive much longer.”[/b] Ultima was clear in her threat. If Nadeline kept up her persistence to pursue this delusion of grandeur that she had of being the sole fighter against Ultima, the High Seraph wouldn’t have any other choice. Grant plead with her, and Nadeline just stayed silent. Ultima knew she didn’t have to speak. Her eyes send it all. It was clear to Ultima that, though Nadeline was crying right in front of her, Nadeline Lenore Roselia wouldn’t give up. Even if the tears on her face said otherwise, Ultima knew. She could sense it in the girls soul. That determination, that desire to prove herself to the very being that was causing her to doubt herself. Ultima knew and she would be forced to test that determination, that seemingly unwavering will. By the end of it, one of two things would happen: Nadeline will die trying to prove her strength, or her true power will be unlocked, and [b]“Very well. It cannot be helped, can it, Hume Girl Nadeline?”[/b] Ultima said sorrowfully, her spear dissolving into bits and pieces, but the light magick bind keeping Nadeline from doing anything. Ultima held her right hand out in front of her, the string of the bind now showing at he center of her palm. As she would ball that hand, the grip of the bind around Nadeline tightened immensely, no doubt the pain from it. The puncture wound from her rapier must only be getting deeper and deeper into her body. Ultima truly didn’t want to do this, but it was out of her hands now. Ultima didn’t stop there. Raising her arm with the balled fist, Nadeline was raised up as well. By emitting magick into that arm, Ultima sent a pulse of Holaga right through the thread that bound the princess. The power journeyed to Nadeline, inducing massive amounts of light magick right into her body. Just when anyone thought that Ultima was done, she quickly brought her arm to her side, sending Nadeline to crash to the ground. And then suddenly, the thread was cut, much to Ultima’s surprise. She scanned the canvas for Nadeline, and there she was, still bound up, bleeding, bruised, and seemingly unconscious in Wesley’s arm, his eyes glaring at Ultima, an aura of deep brown and gold surrounding him. [b]“I see Hashmaal’s taught you a few things.”[/b] Ultima commented. [color=a36209][b]“Ultima, was that really necessary?”[/b][/color] Wesley said, but not Wesley. His voice was deeper. [b]“If only to make the girl see that she is not strong enough, then yes it is, Bringer of Order.”[/b] Ultima coldly stated. [color=a36209][b]“You never were cold like this, not to our brethren, not to any Hume who challenged you -no one. So, why her? What makes her different?”[/b][/color] [b]“Why not her?”[/b] Ultima coldly stated once more. [b]“She wanted to fight me alone, did she not? I simply gave her the respect she deserved. I gave her a little taste of what was to come if she remained so foolish and arrogant.”[/b] [color=a36209][b]“While I cannot deny it was a bit arrogant on her part to take you on alone, she did not deserve that-that beating. She didn’t deserve that.”[/b][/color] [b]“Is this the Dalmascian Prince talking, or you, Hashmaal?”[/b] [color=a36209][b]“Does it matter?”[/b][/color] [b]“I suppose it doesn’t.”[/b] Suddenly, without even so much as a warning, the brown and gold aura surrounding Wesley was gone, and it seemed Hashmaal’s impromptu possession of Wesley was over. [color=a36209][I]My apologies, Wesley. There was no time to ask you for possession of your body. Ultima would have killed the Rozarria Princess if I didn’t act sooner.[/I][/color] Wesley heard Hashmaal’s voice in his head, still unsure what had just happened. As he would look into his arms, he saw a bloodied, beaten Nadeline in his arms. She seemed unconscious. Wesley, through what Hashmaal just told him, and what he was witnessing, he now put it together. [color=fff79a][b]“I see. Thank you, Hashmaal."[/b][/color] Wesley said softly. [b]“Why thank him? He only stalled what would inevitably happen. If he did--”[/b] [color=fff79a][b]“I mean no disrespect, High Seraph, but would you kindly mind your tongue.”[/b][/color] Wesley snapped at Ultima, the latter gasping as if she didn’t expect it. [b]“I beg your pardon?”[/b] [color=fff79a][b]“You speak about how you wanted to teach her a lesson, about how you wanted to show her how she wasn’t strong enough to hold a candle to you.”[/b][/color] Wesley said. [b]“This is true.”[/b] [color=fff79a][b]“You wanted to make her see that she was not strong enough to take you on single-handedly."[/b][/color] [b]“Again true.”[/b] [color=fff79a][b]“Yet,”[/b][/color] Wesley gently put Nadeline down, eyes glaring at her. [b]“Yet?”[/b] [color=fff79a][b]“Yet, she proved to be plenty strong against you. She made you dissolve that castle of yours, something I’m sure you wouldn’t have done if she wasn’t truly strong. She even made you, what I am to assume, was a last-resort effort of separating yourself into six versions of yourself. That’s how you got the upper hand. You may not want to admit it, but you were backed into a corner, and you tried to pass off your anger that you were getting bested by a mere Hume - a Hume you called unworthy - by restraining her, and attacking her when she couldn’t’ defend herself.”[/b][/color] Wesley aimed his sword at Ultima, his eyes filled with furious anger. [color=fff79a][b]“in the myths, you were a leader, someone to look up to, but if you ask me,” [/b][/color]Wesley took a step forward, [color=fff79a][b]“the one who is to be truly looked up to is not you, High Seraph, it is my soon-to-be wife, and future Ruler of Rozarria, Nadeline Lenore Roselia.”[/b][/color] Wesley took another step forward, [color=fff79a][b]“until such a time arrives that she is able to , I, Wesley Alexander of Dalmasca, will be her proxy.”[/b][/color] Wesley declared to Ultima. [color=fff79a][b]“I will ensure that the amount of damage you inflicted upon her is dealt back ten times.”[/b][/color] WEsley boldly stated. [b]“And you too, like your Fiance, will know that one single Hume cannot defeat me." [/b]Ultima stated, about to poise her body for battle. [color=lightblue][b]“Thing is, Queen Bitch,”[/b][/color] Savayna said, cracking her neck joints, [color=lightblue][b]“he isn’t alone, isn’t that right, Grant?”[/b][/color] She looked to Grant.