Member
Kero
Festive
Nakushita
Chrys
Majoraa
Ladypug
Lemons
Crimson Flame
Bugman
Nyxella
? W H O ? W H O ? W H O ? W O H ? W O H ? W O H ? H O W ? H O W ? H O W ?
Gluttony's body trembled when Chieko embraced her. ”Oh?” Her smile faded away. ”Well, you've been through a lot. Far more than I ever have.” One of her hands slid around Chieko's waist and the other caressed the back of her head. ”I can only imagine what that feels like. You can rest here as long as you need.”
Wrath floated up behind Chieko and extended her hand towards the girl. But she couldn't bring herself to come any closer. With s sigh, Wrath turned away.
Alistair had asked the witches about the game, stating that he didn't feel things were mutual. Sloth swallowed before answering. ”We, call, it, a, game, but, it, is more, like, a deal.”
Greed hopped off of her perch and took hold of Alistair's arm. She was pulling on it lightly. ”We're all sealed away in this place, and have been for a very long time. But our magic is strong.” Alistair could feel his arms suddenly becoming the rope in a game of tug-o-war. ”That's why you keep coming back to life.”
”But we can't do shit by ourselves!” Pride took hold of Alistair's chest and started to pull him in a third direction. ”That's why we need Talus. He set up this gnarly system where we can influence you guys with our magic.” Pride pressed her head against Alistair. ”And we call this arrangement a game, because its got rules and shit.”
Greed chuckled. ”Wasn't Hiro the one you wanted?”
”Yea, but since he's dead and shit, Alistair's looking pretty good.” Pride gave a hard tug.
”He, was, my, first, choice. Let, go, you, sluts!”
Talus laughed at the boys. ”Boy are you two so much fun! Always scrambling to make sense of things you can barely understand.” He walked towards Ashton and flame. ”As amusing as someone offering their souls is, such things have little value to me. Furthermore, one of the witches moved the point where death resets past Hiro's death, so there's really nothing I can do.” He faked a frown before grinning again. ”But you shouldn't be so hard on yourselves! While you are not desired by any of the witches, someone certainly wants you here. If any of you became undesirable, You'd go the way of Hilda, Walker, Aaron, or Yuuki.” Talus bent over so that his head was level with Flame's. ”So don't worry your pretty little heads off about all the hate you're getting. Someone, somewhere, really wants you to be here. And that's not even including me!” The giant shadow stood up and turned to the witches. ”I've made my decision! We're going to transport everyone back into the world as if Vainglory didn't do anything. It's the easiest way to maintain the rules of the game.”
”Hey!” Wrath fret her brow. ”I only saved Aerith so that Chieko wouldn't be in such a predi-”
Pride released Alistair. ”You fuckin' biiiitch!” She pounced onto Wrath, who screamed as she went to the ground.
”I guess you should have thought about that before conspiring an illegal move with Vainglory.” He scratched his chin. ”And to make it up to the suitors, lets grant them all a learning boon.” Talus chuckled. ”We'll speed things up right to the end! For a week, your ability to absorb techniques will be enhanced to inhuman levels. You'll be the prodigies you all dreamed of being.” Talus placed his fingers together. ”I'll see you again in twenty-five years seven days.” and with a snap of his fingers...
Clinic
Gris was holding his ribs, barely able to stand. ”I followed a boy here so that I could help him find his friends.” he growled. ”A woman committed suicide right in front of us. One of the boys said that the demi-human rebels were after them for their powers. We fought against a cloaked man, he was strong enough to fend us all off, and then he fled with Chiyo and another girl. That was when one of the boy's friends murdered a man to help one of the bandits escape. Then they all just vanished.” Gris managed to summon the strength to sit upright. ”I saw it all and I don't know what happened.”
Chieko found herself standing in front of the clinic, no longer able to feel Gluttony's warmth. Oddly, Aerith's body wasn't present, but Hiro was laying in the sand right where Ashton had stabbed him.
”Huh?” Gris looked up at Chieko. ”Weren't you being carried off?”
”There you are.” Elder sibling picked up Chieko again.
”Hey!” Gris pointed. ”I don't know who's side the other girl is on, but if you don't drop Chiyo right now-”
Elder sibling lowered Chiyo to the ground. ”There seems to be a misunderstanding. I'll let Chiyo fill you in on all the details.” and with that, Elder sibling and Chieko vanished from sight.
Gris leaned forward. ”Chiyo! What happened?” But the little girl was already crying when she ran up to him and gave the oni a hug. ”I guess it's going to be a bit before I know exactly what happened, Grisaia. But if you would, could you see if Donovan is safe? ”
”Quill!” Donovan's voice boomed from inside the clinic. There was still smoke billowing out of it, but less so with every passing second.”You're not here, are ya girl?”
Hideout(?)
Elder Sibling continued to teleport at an alarming rate. The rapid change in scenery was making Chieko nauseous. But after a few more seconds, the cloaked individual lowered Chieko onto her feet. The ground was covered in hay, and there were a few land dragons in pens, clicking at each other. A smaller land dragon hopped over to Chieko's side to inspect her. Possibly looking for food, or it had become accustom to strangers petting it. This had to be a stable for land dragons.
Elder Sibling immediately threw back their hood, confirming Aerith's suspicion that Fritzi and Elder Sibling were one and the same. ”Ahhh!” She threw her hands against a wall and started panting. There was a visible amount of sweat running down her face. ”They're dead, Aerith and Hiro are dead!” Fritzi's eyes were wide open. ”Why did she do that? Why did Ash- Why? Why didn't anyone stop them?” She stood up and looked at her hands. ”Why didn't I stop them!? Why didn't? Why?” She threw her hands onto her face. ” I could have protected Aerith from herself. I could have protected Hiro from Ashton.” Fritzi pulled back her hands. Just enough for Chieko to see her eyes. They were dry. ”Oh right, I remember why I didn't.” Her hands fell to her sides. ”I was being slothful again.”
The corners of Fritzi mouth curled into a smile. ”So, I think I know what we're going to do.” She put her hands behind her back. ”I think having you run around as free as a bird with your passports, gobs of money, and diplomatic immunity isn't really in anyone's best interest. Not at the moment anyway. Here's what we're going to do instead.” Fritzi appeared directly in front of Chieko, with her forehead pressed against hers. ”Fire! How fortunate.” Fritzi placed her hands on Chieko's shoulders. ”You'll be taught how to fight. Quill knows fire magic, and Chiyo is a martial master. They will be your instructors. I won't get you a passport, but we do have some hideouts where you will be able to live comfortably.” The wolf demi wiped away Chieko's tears with her fingers. ”The death of Hiro and Aerith changes my plans dramatically. Grieve for your friends now, because there won't be time later.” Fritzi placed a kiss on Chieko's forehead before taking a step backwards. Her hands were still on her shoulders. ”Today you will rest, Chieko. But your training starts tomorrow. I'll honor your desire to keep the others alive, but I'm not sure if Ashton's going to have a place in the new world I wish to create. I want you to really consider if he's worth sparing.” Fritzi put her hood up to obscure her identity. They didn't have to wait much longer for Quill to show up. ”Keep an eye on her for now.” Quill said nothing, and simply nodded to her master's request.
Tavern
Alistair found himself in the center of the tavern, standing on top of the chair he had been teleported out of. Crunch was running around with her sword drawn. ”Alistair! I was looking all over for you!” After getting close, she suddenly froze. ”Wait, something's different about your smell.” She leaned in and took a few sniffs. ”A-Alistair! You smell like a cultist!” She raised her sword higher in the air. ”They almost abducted you again! They must be close!” Crunch charged out of the Tavern, much to the relief of everyone still present.
!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!
Ashton and flame did not find themselves where they were prior to be teleported. Instead, they found themselves in another dark space. It wasn't as foreboding as Talus's realm though. They could tell they were in a forest. It might have been dark, and there wasn't a single star in the sky, but florescent flowers and mushrooms made the area easy enough to see. Ashton and Flame only had a moment to enjoy their surroundings before an angel appeared before them. It's radiance was intense, but not impossible to look at once one's eyes adjusted to the new light source.
Do not be alarmed. The angel spoke. I am Od Laguna, or more specifically, I am a spirit acting as one of its avatars. I have chosen this form because I felt you wouldn't find it frighting, was I correct? The angel put its hands together. I've been trying to reach you, but the magic of the witches makes you difficult to approach. But now I can finally explain to you your purpose. Od Laguna stood up. There are those in this world that were brought here by the artificial witches. They are most unholy abominations, as is the cult that spawned them. When the others were summoned into the world, you were pulled in along side them to ruin their plans. At the time of the summoning, there was no way for Talus to know who the witches actually wanted. For all intents and purposes of his spell, Od Laguna qualifies as a witch, and its desires were just as important as the artificial witches. The angel walked closer. I will grant you each a blessing. Then you will have to train vigorously, for Talus is preparing to put his plan into full swing. I do not know what it is, only the moment he puts it into motion is close. The high council is on the move. The angel looked between the two boys. If you have any questions, make them short. Our time is limited, and we must make use of what we have.
Fight Pit
Vertti shook her head side to side. She was walking backwards away from Mie. "You're not making sense." She turned around and took off running.
Mie had already attempted to blind Aer with a spell and was moving in to attack. Spears are dangerous weapons. Many people undervalue their speed without realizing that a spear's greater leverage makes it stronger and faster than any sword. Inflicting Aer with momentary blindness would be essential to closing the distance and disarming her weapon. But Mie could tell that something was wrong, as she could still perceive a threat inside her spell. Aer's body was enveloped in black smoke, but when it parted, she was still fully capable of seeing. Moreover, her weapon was covered in frigid barbs that revolved around her spear. "Seems your magic needs some work." It was evident that Aer's strength lied in her magic, as she didn't even need to utter a incantation to cast her spell. But Mie's strength was in her physical prowess, which she used to quickly roll out of the way of Aer's strike.
That was about when Belrigger came charging through the hallway screaming
"NO TOUCHING THE STAFF."
. Aer only had a moment to react, and she didn't possess the same level of danger awareness or agility that Mie did. She put up her hand and made a barrier of ice. While it did slow him down, Belrigger was still able to charge through it with his shoulder. The blow was hard enough to throw Aer a few feet backwards and even caused the elf's hood to fall off of her head. Her pointed ears were revealed to everyone.She pulled up her hood as soon as she regained her stability. "It's a spear, and it's mine!" Aer would perhaps need a moment more for all of her senses returned.
”Fucking adventurers!” Mono and twelve of his guards filled the path outside. ”They think that their guild card means that they can bust an operation like this by themselves.”
Aer blushed. "N-not at all. I just wanted to make sure my mark made it out okay."
”Then wait a fucking second.” Then, a bit quieter he said. ”And do a better job with that hood. Next time, I'll be forced to take action. ”
Aer groaned. "It will not happen again."
Mono pointed behind himself. ”Deca, Get the civilian outside. Everyone else, remain on standby.” Once Aer had been removed from the premises, he folded his arms and looked directly into Belrigger's eyes. ”So I got a tip from a civilian. She's fairly credible, given her status as a registered adventurer. ” Mono took a step closer. ”Apparently house Larchmond and the demi-human bandits have been working together, and they have quite the tunnel system worked out. I think it was reported as an 'undercity; if memory serves.” Another step closer. ”Apparently there's an illegal fighting ring directly behind you. Prize fighting and the abuse of woman are just some of the naughty things that go on around here. This would normally be the job for the city guard, but the bandit's connection to the cultists places this under my jurisdiction.” He pointed at Belrigger ”You can make this interesting for us and try to fight, or you can surrender and tell me everything. I don't care which one you choose, you fucking degenerate!”
