[center][h1][color=tomato]Zoe Helena Alexandris[/color][/h1][/center]

[center][h3][i]Banquet of Kings, Academy[/i][/h3][/center]

Initially Zoe had keep in following alongside her teacher and taking notes from his performance, though soon things began to get more interesting and dangerous as the time passed. 

At first she had been sitting back with her servant, playing her guitar and doing her best to act as an accompaniment as she listened to the melodies he played and tried to keep up and in tune. She wasn't doing half bad at least, though it wasn't the first time she'd put her mind to something to hone her skills either. At least the talk about kingship was some form of entertaining, though not much relevant to her own interests and goals. However, what had her servant told her? [i]"Set the mood, witness the interactions, and record the stories being told"[/i]? That was right, yes. He was a great hero, but he was also someone who had witnessed other heroes and used his mastery of music to record that! So a hero could be one who did great deeds, but also took note from what was going on around him like a good musician! It was great advice, really, though she was no stranger to putting her effort into something. 

Indeed, hard work was a necessity! Every effort was a Herculean labor that pushed one to the brink, every bit of training an absolute measure to dedicate all of one's self to, every bit of-

-...hey, who was that barging in? Wasn't that the fake Heracles guy she'd been told about? He seemed as hammy and fake as she had imagined hours ago, much to her ire, but had he really just brought in a random Japanese guy in a lion suit and chopped his neck?! Zoe had to restrain herself from yelling out at the big fake, who of all things imitating her country's greatest hero of old like some clown! She bet those stupid parameters of his weren't real either, much like his big fake personality! Though wait...the Japanese guy seemed to still be alive. Whew. At least the big, loud servant here seemed to be taking in the false bravado in stride. 

Zoe let out a small, slightly exasperated sigh as she played before looking over to her servant. At least that Japanese guy from earlier was here, with his Greek servant in tow. 

[color=tomato]"Hey teacher, should we see if you know that Japanese kid's servant-"[/color]

Her words did not come fast enough. A rain of ruinous spears, falling down from the sky like arrows, shot down towards them all. Her servant clicked his tongue, strummed his instrument, and a barrier arose. The heroine only had time to listen to her instincts at first, diving behind her servant for cover from the spears. Though in her haste she also cast a single-action spell, erecting a small water shield between her servant (who was between her and the spears) and the spears. 

Despite not being much to cast on the fly, maybe it would help? She had no idea, but she couldn't just do nothing either!

[@Whine and Dine]

[hr]

[center][h1][color=salmon] Berserker (Yamato Takeru)[/color][/h1][/center]

[center][h3][i][s]Disaster Zone Ground Zero[/s] Fuyuki Park[/i][/h3][/center]

Yamato felt her Berserk skill kick into gear, and her instincts cry aloud as her foes made their move. An oni hurtling at her with lethal intent, a great club hefted at her. A stroke of lightning was being fired her way. She could feel what was going to happen in an instant, and the Berserker's body shot to the side to avoid the attack with the help of an instant jet of wind and her own sheer speed. The oni's club would smash into the earth, and the lightning strike at her position, but the Brave of Yamato was far from being hit by them. No, she had darted to the side, away from the lightning and away from the impact zone of that demonic club. 

It would have been so very "samurai" of someone, much less anyone, here to think that anything but a clusterf*** of things would occur. Of course, that had never been the case for her. She was no samurai. She was a warrior. She was a prince of the Emperor. She was the divine blade that smote the unruly peoples and their gods to ash, and that slew evil and brought civilization and order to them! Such was her function. She too wielded her ancestor's divine blade, a holy object that defied evil and smote its foes like a tempest! And now her killing intent was too akin to a tempest, yet glowing hot like the hot fires of the sun. Her fury was channeled into raw skill and instincts that had slain many a foe in her lifetime, into even the form of the peerless warrior that had conquered all before her! 

There were no words needed.

[center][quote][h3]
EVIL EVIL EVIL EVIL

DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE
[/h3][/quote][/center]

Yes, that was correct. This abomination had to die, whether now or later. And it would do so without fail. Even the sword held in the Berserker's hands seemed to pulse somewhat, as if ready to cleave its head in half and tear its body to ribbons. 

Without another word, Yamato flowed from finishing her dodge away from danger into a counterattack. The Berserker lashed out, firing off a potent burst of divine wind from her sword at the oni it was pointed towards. Time to rumble.  

[@Scallop][@Froppy][@wug][@flood][@argonaut][@BB]