Citadel Posts

He was idly prodding at a small bobble head as the first few people slumped to the floor around him, a smell of strong mint on the air mixing and fighting against the other scents lingering in the air. Instinctively he held his breath; Gas? Could it be? He didn't feel dizzy, but . . His heart started pumping as he stormed toward the door, reaching down for his kerchief. Worse still if this was a dense gas, that would be hard to deal with if this place was already full of the stuff, he knew he wouldn't be able to feel himself suffocating if this really was a well planned out trap. He had to get out of - "Oh, you must be like me,"
. He stopped in his tracks, surprised but shocked out of his stupor - His brief panic had gotten the better of him. He stared at the approaching figure, another man who seemed to walk with an elegant gait, mouth uncovered and breathing normally. Feeling silly, Alexander tucked away the small silk cloth as this newcomer approached, not having gotten it over his mouth in time. There was something familiar about this man, something about the way he spoke was appealing, but Alex knew not to trust him, the obvious pick-pocketing aside. He kept quiet and straightened himself, glancing around in case there were others creeping about nearby.

"Do you smell them out here? The rest of us?"
Alex narrowed his eyes, was this man a bloodhound or something? How could he- No, that's right. Those strong scents, they were associated with the claimants. He lowered his head and sniffed at his coat warily as the man looked away. The other scents were too strong, especially the waft of mint flowing off this chatty . . frenchman? He couldn't smell anything off himself. He followed the eyes of this stranger, his eyes widening at the two figures in the air. The first seemed to fly with purpose, it was uncanny, like she was pulled along by unseen wires, but the second seemed to arc in the air like a rock. What had thrown her? Another claimant? Should he even try to save her? No, he was only here for the book, and he had little control over the copies. And besides, there was something about that figure that gave off an annoying vibe in the brief moment it passed in view, tiny angry tendrils of black curling at the edges of his jacket. Like something inside him was indignant that it even existed. He shoved down the feeling as the other man wandered out, watching him briefly as he walked before following out into broader amphitheater. Another voice had cried out, echoing through the ancient ruin, pleading for help in place of the falling person, but what could Alex do? He frowned and left it be, he'd need to conserve his strength if whoever kicked that person came for him, too. A loud voice cried out a reply, but he couldn't understand the jumbled language. No matter.

With the guards down this would be made easier, though it seemed he was indeed late to the party. He stalked over to the staircase and placed a hand over its lock, forcing it open with a creak as an inky black substance crawled inside the key-barrel and rolled the pins in order. A simple feat, but he was already feeling tired from the journey, and he'd been out in the sun longer than he'd have liked, though where had all that light suddenly gone? A storm, brewing, here and now? He started towards the staircase before yet another voice echoed up the hall behind him; Was that laughter? Or perhaps the voice merely sounded that way? A full-body shiver ran down him as the air seemed to buzz again briefly. "What the hell is coming our way?"
New plan. "Go!"
He hissed, pointing back down the hallway. An amorphous blob detached itself from his shadow, forming a vaguely human shape that quickly formed into a jet-black mimic of himself, if only one third his actual size. It glided swiftly toward the entrance. Shrieked words followed, that same strange voice, the little shadow fleeing in it's own fright back to Alex, reforming with the blob of his shadow.'Sword Man' was all his less intelligent copy had said while rejoining his shadow. He eased down the steps to hide partly behind a wall as he watched the entrance, curious and wary. What on Earth was heading their way? A champion of the arena, or something? Was this ferocious fighter their 'test'? The one that had kicked the woman earlier? Alex idly fingered the spider ring on his right hand, glancing to make sure he wasn't too far from the frenchman. Can I really rely on them here? . . Then again, can they really rely on me?
He smirked.

She crept through the ruins, careful at first to avoid notice from above, scurrying from rock to rock and pressing up against each in turn. She couldn't help but think of herself as if she were in a Mission Impossible movie, the song playing in the back of her mind as Fife scampered along behind her. "Here Mr Textbook . . Where are ye?"
she mumbled, glancing around for anything vaguely book shaped. Nothing. Not even so much as a page. Her lips drew to a line once more, just how hard was it going to be to find this book? And this place reeked! Mint, licorice, charcoal, metal, and something else mixing and coalescing into one rotten experience. She rubbed at her nose as she crept over to the far side, finding her way to some stairs. Someones shadow was cast down the steps in front of her as she waited, hidden around the corner. There was some noise from above and the creaking of metal. Had she been spotted? Would this be her getaway scene?! She knelt down tensing her muscles, ready to run away in a burst of speed when a confused squeak sounded from up the steps, her initial panic changing to worry for the mouse. "Fife! Get yer' furred butt back'ere!"
Gytha whispered, peering around the corner. There, slumped against the gate lay two sleeping guards. Confused, but taking the convenience that it was, Gytha crept up and past them. What an odd time and place to sleep!

More and more she found that people had just decided to go for a nap! This place really was strange, was this what they called siesta? She'd heard about that, but wasn't that in a place called Spain? Maybe that was nearby. Then again, maybe this was the work of a witch? An enchantment? She puzzled over one of the fallen when a voice rang out, a sharp and not at all pleasant voice to her ears. She'd missed the first half already ~ " I need to help them!"
Her eyes darted to the origin, a man looking to the sky in, despair? This guy was pretty intense, he- A figure was starting to fall from the sky above, and it suddenly clicked for Gytha. How'd she get up so high?! Gytha's mind was blank but her little legs kicked into overdrive without her. "Bratach Bhan Chlann Aoidh!"
* Gytha bellowed her little cry in return, moving as if the devil himself was after her. She shoved a hand into her backpack before flinging it aside, tearing out a small sachet and biting at the top. She glanced up, and then down where she'd best guess the figure would hit the ground, scattering out the seeds. "Con thigibh a’ so ‘s gheibh sibh feòil!"
** she commanded, the seeds immediately finding root and bursting outward, teams of thick flowering vines breaking brick and lurching up towards their flying target; though technically they were trying to ensnare her, they would probably do well as a springy, multi layered catching mitten, dull and slow witted as they were.

Immediately Gytha flopped to the ground on her knees utterly spent, skidding to a stop on the hard stone. It felt as if she'd been baking in the sun for days as all the water drained from her, apparently this place was quite different from the wet cool forests, and she'd used the entire sachet too. Maybe that was a bad idea. She reached backwards for the bottle in her backpack, but realized she'd tossed the pack aside in her run. Looking weakly to the side, searching, Fife was already clumsily rolling the bottle in her direction, having trouble getting it past the cracks in the ground. How far had she run in such a short time? "Water."
she rasped, already having forgotten the reason for her current state.

* The White Banner of Mackay

** Come here and get flesh!

DeVian's eyes traced across the sky in minute confusion, idly wondering how a storm was brewing so aggressively when it had been so brilliantly bright just a few moments before. She felt silly now with her sunglasses on.

'Do you hear that?'
'By the gods, he has the swords...'
'They're all going to die.'
'There are nine of them, just because of the numbers they should prevail, correct?'

"I'm curious, do you just bother me because I can hear you or--?"
Dev finally turned to face the phantoms, irritation clear in her light eyes. She argued with her 'invisible' companions for what was probably an alarming amount of time to anyone not included in the conversation.

'Look up.'

"Nice. Not falling for that one again."
She continued instead to make her way to the great amphitheatre that was the Colosseum. She couldn't quite shake the nagging feeling that something was off, though.

DeVian stopped short, starting in surprise, as a man ran straight up to her and broke into what sounded like a well-rehearsed speech. She exclaimed "Ay dios mio!"
a few words into his first sentence, but he didn't seem to notice or really acknowledge how bad he had scared her by just popping up.

Who the hell was-- wait a minute. There was only one explanation. A claimant.

"¿Y yo qué coño puedo hacer?"
she muttered, squinting up at the sky in light disbelief to whatever he was claiming. There was... a person up there? At first she couldn't see it, but a second later, as the body started really falling, she couldn't help but gawk a bit. Fuck. It was really happening then, huh? "I'm not a bird, papi, I can't help you."
But she sure was interested in watching the events play out. The figure was getting closer and closer to making a wonderful splash of paint on the ground. Some sick part of Dev's brain was interested to see how it would all play out.
¿Y yo qué coño puedo hacer? meaning What the fuck can I do about it?

The arc of the body of the air was just nearing the earth when the very ground split open and rose to meet it. Dev watched in awe as what she could only describe as jungle vines and flowers rising up to catch what was quickly revealed to be a woman out of the sky. The perpetrator revealed itself to be a little ginger woman sinking to her knees on the ground. This trip was paying itself off by the moment.

'What a turn of events,' mumbled a ghost next to her, to which Dev simply shooed him away without responding. She could tune them out if she focused enough. Today had her so out of sorts that it was harder than usual.

"Guess we should go see if they're okay, right, hero?"
she jokingly said to the man who'd come running to her for assistance. The plant was a few yards in front of them, the woman who'd summoned them a few further back than that. She had collapsed onto her knees, clearly panting in exhaustion. "Two redheads, one plant."
She waved as she approached the women. There wasn't really much she could do for them in regards to powers unless one of them wanted her to kill something for some reason.

"You were almost a very interesting vacation story,"
she said, approaching the figure enclosed in the green savior's 'mitt'. The smile on Dev's face was pure smugness; she couldn't help it. "Didn't miraculously break your spine on the way down, did you?"
How disappointing it would be if, after all that effort, she died anyway. "Superwoman here's probably got her knees skinned to fuck."

3rd person perspective


In the eyes of the haunted remainders of the ghosts and other such creatures that lurked within and amongst the cold walls of the Colosseum, many of them preferred to hide within the darker tunnels and facets of the ginormous amphitheater and yet they all agreed that the forces that had come to disturb this night scared them more so than the masters who had bid and tortured their physical forms until there was naught left. So it came as no surprise that when a taller than average, rather lanky older male of this particular modern time period stalked the entire area of the hidden dark tunnels that the magic that had been left just mere hours ago started to creak and break.

As he walked his steps loud against the stone the humans who had fallen asleep within such a place started to wake from their slumber as if from an oddly drugged sleep. Most of them were confused and dazed as they stood up and dusted themselves off the floor? Why had they fallen asleep? Why was there a man wielding two archaic swords walking around like a lunatic? Most of them ran away, or moved towards the walls - even if they did not understand the significance of the swords; they certainly feared them nonetheless.

But as soon as they had regained their consciousness they collapsed back under the spell once the swords were no longer near, leaving them in further disarray than when they had first fallen asleep.

Outside



Mere moments ago, she had been whispering to a female in some very snazzy and very professional clothing when she felt a million strings of iron wrap around her, she barely had a moment to react when the air left her lungs and she was thrown into a world unlike the ground in which she had always lived. She dared not open her eyes as she flew for what felt like an infinite amount of time, was this is as a result of Echowix’s magic?

Is this how I die? By being thrown through the air by a force unseen?
Steph would have thought she would be praying to Evyette to save her, instead she found herself oddly at peace at the prospect of crashing into solid earth and being snuffed out. Wrapping her arms around herself, a sad excuse for a hug but that was all the comfort she could provide herself as she felt her body descending back to the world she had always known.

She had expected pain before nothingness, she had expected to immediately find herself disjointed from her body and in Elysian, she had expected that was that, instead the overwhelming sensation of falling onto plants was what she was met with instead, that and the mixed scents of roses and charcoal filling her nostrils and her body immediately at the thought of landing on plants of all things lit up like a fire. Evyette had explained that as an Assassin of hers that there would be very few and far occasions when she would become the definition of a human torch. She stood up from the flames, her eyes surveying.

The flames that consumed her entire form didn’t hurt it felt natural even; finally, her eyes settled on a smaller female who looked like she had been in a desert too long. Stephani stepped off the plants and backed away, only to notice the other female close by who had to be the one who smelt like charcoal, raising her hands she stood in a defensive position. Forget logic, she was running on pure instinct; that was the problem with become a literal fire ball.

Fire balls didn’t have brains and didn’t think. She knew between the two that it was the one who smelt like charcoal that was the biggest concern, death. The other one; roses was more like a victim to her flames and she decided perhaps to spare her - after all she had saved her life by catching her with plant life… plants that had now been singed to Elysian. Will have to apologise over the plant life in a moment, this other one though I need to get rid of her before she kills me.
“Hey Plant girl. Out of the way before I turn you into a pile of ashes.”
before she hurled possibly her first ever flame projectile ever.

That’s right she might have been a fire claimant and sure she had studied but not even her great grandmother from seven generations back had any idea on how to throw a pure fire uhh projectile? god I hope that scares her and doesn’t actually hit her… that would be pretty bad, but also how the fuck do I get out of this form!


As soon as the projectile left her, she had hoped she would be able to do so again until a tap on her shoulder scared her, was she going to be thrown through the air again I seriously cannot take another trip into the air
the touch felt oddly familiar. She felt the flames leave her body including the projectile it disappeared like it never existed. She swallowed nervously. “Whilst that was brilliant that is no way to greet people you don’t know. Even if they are from different houses. Not like they are out to kill you so why make the first move?”
she screeched.

Evyette stood between her, plant girl and death girl. Naked as the day she was born-created? “Oh for Phita’s sake. You’ve seen me naked before.”
“They haven’t”
she stuttered out, Evyette laughed before seemingly dressing herself with clothes that magically appeared; was that a gift that all Ancients had? Making things appear and disappear?



Evyette POV


She had been so happy to remain within the tub of flowing lava when she felt the inexplicable sensation of one of her claimants using a shit tonne of fire, further a projectile had been manifested and thrown, she sighed- pissed that she her bath had been interrupted. Sinking into the lava she let herself fall into the mortal realm.

As soon as she was solidified in the mortal realm, she found herself directly behind Stephani who was a hot flaming mess, she cracked her knuckles before any critical damage was done, she tapped the claimant’s shoulder and it was if the flames ceased into nothing, though the strong overwhelming scent of saffron made Evyette herself nauseous; why did Phita have to pick a floral scent? She dressed herself amused that her claimant had been so flustered; suppose she was right that her naked form would be a shock to anyone not accustomed to Evyette.

She then took a deep breath and dulled her flame, doing the same to Stephani until the area that the four females stood in returned to a normal temperature - also so that the nature claimant that had saved Stephani had saved moments ago could breathe; she wouldn’t hear the end of it if Florita arrived to her claimant roasted and cremated.

“Echanté. Merci d'avoir sauvé cet enfant stupide à côté de moi.”


“Nice to meet you, thank you for saving the stupid child beside me.”
Stephani muttered to the girl who smelt like roses. “My name is Stephani… beside me is my ancient Evyette.”
she bit her lip before turning and focusing on the female who she could have killed mere seconds ago if not for Evyette’s intervention. “Hey… sorry about that, I’m Stephani. Nice to meet you… won’t happen again. This is Evyette. I am guessing all three of us… are here for the book?”


Back outside

Nammay POV




"It seems Evyette has arrived."
he could sense his former partner from a mile away, Chaemai gave him a patient look, as if wanting him to make the next decision on whether they should approach, he shook his head "Go find them, those who are not aware of the danger they face. I'll go find mine."
"They will not listen to me. I am not their's. I came here to be your back up and to keep you safe Nammay."
"And I am asking you to protect them as if they are your own. I will be fine. GO."
he watched as the younger female dashed off into the Colosseum like a flash of lightning. He sighed returning his attention to Adaline who gave him a meek smile "Go. I'll stay here. We'll talk later."


He took that as his sign that she was truly ok before turning away and walking in the general direction of Nier, using the surrounding metal to guide him to the weaker pulse of a metal claimant, once he was in eyeshot Nammay cleared his throat “You attempted to return earlier, I am here now Nier. I come with bad news this whole meeting has been but a plot by Echowix to trap us. Or in the very least have us fall to the mortal man running inside like some hapless God.”
Nammay took the time to examine his Claimant, glad to see there was not a scratch on his skin; though he looked exhausted, had he been demanding too much of Nier? “You look as though you’ve not had a moment’s rest.”


Inside

Chaemai’s POV




She whizzed through the underground area, uncaring that her abilities were on full display as she attempted to locate each of the remaining Claimants who had been summoned to this very meeting; she had completely avoided the part of the Colosseum that held Evyette and other females. The first Claimant she stumbled upon was none other than a child of Daenu; holding her breath she approached cautiously, the claimant had yet to notice her, she was blind. Chaemai cleared her throat and that caused the child to lash out with what seemed to be a leather whip – obscured normally. Chaemai raised her hands.



“Whose there!”
her voice was harsh and it echoed in Chaemai ears, she took a step back and kept the bolts of electricity within her at a minimum, if she had to she’d knock out and drag every child regardless of Ancient out by the legs if she had to. “It is I, Chaemai. I have come to escort you to safety.”

“Under whose orders? Did you take away my ability to speak to my mistress?”
“No. I am afraid that the man who is a mortal; is wielding swords of great danger, I have come in her place to save you and bring you to her. Do you know of the other’s and their whereabouts?”
she turned her head she could sense the swords approaching her and the child of ice; she had to hurry up.

The claimant seemed to believe her and lowered her whip, concealing it again; Chaemai breathed out a sigh of relief. Before sending a single bolt of electricity against the walls, allowing the bolt to bounce off like a ball – this was going to be quicker and it’d locate a claimant faster than just running around. The female Ancient pushed the claimant against the wall as the man wielding the sword breezed past whistling, skipping and laughing gleefully.

Vivian’s POV



She had been just about finished with her second pouch of weed brownies when she was hit with a small bolt of electricity, it felt like static electricity but it still stunned her nonetheless; she nearly spilt her container of treats. Vivi had yet to find anyone of any interest but she had avoided the man who was hopping and howling like a lunatic – she knew she was mental but he seemed insane; had he made a deal with Xainayne or Novevu? “Christ… what was that?”
she rubbed her upper arm – the area that the bolt had hit and was soon greeted by the sight of an Ancient and the girl who smelt like vinegar.

She pinched her nose and wondered if now was the best time to run? “Stay where you are child of air.”
“Who the fuck are you to tell me what to do?”
it seemed that this female who protruded power had no time for her nonsense because she was knocked with a bolt of electricity this time a stronger dose, as she fell to the floor – still managing to keep her snacks in their packaging she hissed with pain. The two females passed by her “Just follow us, I’ll explain on the way. We’re in danger apparently and she’s rounding us to take us someplace where we can see our Ancients.”


She limped after them, rubbing the parts of her that stung from the electricity, the Ancient seemed not to care but there was an air of concern regardless; they soon stumbled across a male who seemed to be dressed in a trench coat. The ancient turned to the females “Look I don’t care what you have to say but…”
she raised her voice “OI! YOU IN THE TRENCH COAT!”
her voice echoed louder than she would have liked and she was given another bolt of electricity for that she winced but continued on “We’re in danger just follow the lady with the fucking volts before you get fried like me...”
they watched as that male suddenly disappeared… was that a mirage? Chaemai snorted “I am sure you have a lot of questions where ever you are child of darkness. Xainayne is on his way. Follow us if you want. I need to keep looking, I suspect there are still more of you to find.”
the female ancient trudged ahead leaving Natasha and Vivian in the dust.

Up in the air

Quinnox POV



He saw it before he decided to land, as he changed his position he sped towards the Earth before landing in the center of the beautiful Amphitheatre, he decided internally he had to travel more. He stretched his limbs, as he scanned the area he noticed what he thought was the head? Shoulder? Whatever it didn’t matter, he jumped up into the air and flew towards that general direction, landing close to what he now determined was a female, as he took a step closer; the soft scent of honeycomb filled his nostrils and he sighed in contentment; how long had it been since he had met one of Solaria’s kids? “Hey kiddo. No harm from me. Quinnox’s the name of the game, how ‘bout you? You know you’re in a lot of danger, right? Being here? Not cause of the others and their angry ways but cause of that crazy man waving his swords around like a lunatic. He’s about ten steps or so from topping the stairs behind ya. He’ll kill you if he sees you. Take my hand. I’ll lift you to safety no biggie.”


He offered her his hand a warm smile on his face, he meant no harm whatsoever in fact thanks to Evyette abruptly standing him up on what was supposed to be their weekly takeout date; he felt the need to check up on everyone; he had noticed trouble when the skies became stormy only to clear over the Colosseum, perhaps most of his siblings were there to make sure their Claimants weren’t dead… which reminded him that one of his own was also there. Was she alright? Hopefully she hadn’t met death by sword. “So how’s about you come along?”
whilst he waited for his response he smelt the slightest hint of mint. Destodai wouldn’t come even if it was her treasure, he swallowed his breath and said loud and clear so that whoever the kid was would hear him “Make haste to leave, avoid that mad man at all costs. Meet us outside the colosseum. I don’t want any blood shed but that man, he’s hellbent on making a point by running around with those swords, who knows if he’s killed anyone yet.”

Nier watched in awe as the new arrival kept into action quickly. He wasn’t very well versed in knowledge when it came to other houses, mostly due to his normally busy schedule, but it seemed as if he wouldn’t be the only one who’d be willing to play nice. Well, at least for now. Still it was a marvelous feat indeed; the vines tore through the sky following a few words that he had never heard before, what must be a form of incantation of some sort. He just needed to command and things would move to his bidding, but he couldn’t even properly repeat what she had said!

With the person who had been falling assured a safe landing Nier would only be left to worry about Nammay, but before that he did manage to notice the small creature pushing a bottle towards what must have been its caretaker. He approached the creature and lifted the bottle to open it quickly before lying it down next to her. “Thanks for the save. I couldn’t have pulled it off with my power alone, but you’re quite the helper.”
he reached down and patted her on the shoulder. At least now he could relax is what he thought into the heat began to rise rather hastily.

He focused quickly onto the source, it seemed this person was rather temperamental. Of all the possible times now is when something like this would happen? He hadn’t even manage to notice her until she simply became incarnate flames! Maybe a possible wife, maybe a possible enemy, looking around that seemed like the standard. Lucky for him the smell of these three was enough to keep him in check, he needed to stay alert until he couldn’t keep going. The more time passed the more he seemed like he wasn’t truly there, as if he were fading into the background. It all seemed like a dream at certain moments, but it was all too real for him to ignore.

This can’t be real, am I falling asleep? At a time like this? Of all the times to be running so low on energy and now is the time?


He took a deep breath and held it in, a quick moment of meditation and focus. He instead decided that this was all rather too dangerous at this time for him. He wasn’t really needed here anyway since the person was saved and staying her was simply a matter of putting himself at risk. Retreating was the proper action to take now. He quickly ducked out of the fight into the nearest alleyway, making a dash to the next street and stopping for a moment.

This was too much, he had been putting off sleep for only about a day and this was the result? If he hadn’t been in the middle of a job before this all came up he could have gotten more than enough sleep to get through all of this; at this pace he’d be in complete passive mode before he even made it to the colosseum. He took a few more deep breaths. He kept moving until he couldn’t smell them anymore, but the scents still lingered around him. I suppose I should have expected conflict to break out that easily. Still, it just doesn’t sit well.
He sat on the hood of the nearest car and let his shoulders sink. It didn’t even take long for him to fall strait to sleep.




It felt oddly cold, the sand that brushed against his ankles. The sky was so think as if it were open and yet closed to anyone who dared to reach up. A small arm reached up and touched the sky, a barrier that locked it off from the true freedom that it so longed for. It’s fingers sinked into the sky, as if being surrounded completely by liquid silver; the feeling of falling and flying mixed within its heart until it reached the surface to the sky. It was met with a strong warmth as the sky was burning brightly with metallic shades of deep colors reflecting off of one another-




He awoke with a quick motion, landing on his feet before falling to his knees. The world was swirling around him and his focus was steadily dripping away; all of that didn’t keep Nier from knowing the voice of Nammay. His posture was sloppy and at this point his exhaustion was just going to need to be another stepping stone for his objective. Or, at least that’s what he thought before he registered Nammay’s words. “A trap? A mortal that could kill an Ancient? That would require...”
he paused for a moment, remembering back to the article he had read while traveling here. “The swords. So they weren’t just spouting nonsense”
, he said under his breath. This all went from bad to worse so quickly that a plan on the fly would cut it here. If someone here is a threat to the ancients then he probably would even stand a chance.

Nier stood and prepared himself mentally. He’d have to do a lot here. He’d finally gotten to speak to Nammay and it was here? He’d have to protect him now and yet if his abilities weren’t the proper option then he’d have to fight with his pure strength. However he was caught by surprise by Nammay’s observation. Was he that visibly tired? Had he run himself so rugged without realizing it? “Was it that obvious? I apologize my lord, I won’t let it hold me back in this situation. Right now we’re in quite a bit of danger and I must guard you with my life. Rest is for after my job here is done.”
he couldn’t afford to let his guard down anymore, this was a matter of great importance and he’d have to operate at his utmost capabilities to make sure Nammay would be completely safe, even if that meant fighting this dangerous mortal man he spoke of.

"'I exist to fight, and you?'"


Her mentor chuckled lightly, rubbing the spot on her back where she'd fallen. "Very well. I suppose you've grown into those fists of yours after all."

Najya lowered her fists, letting out a long breath as she finally got out of fight mode. "Making me recite the mantra during training? Is everything all right?"


"I am just nervous for the quest you have been given."

"Why? Have I not proven myself the greatest warrior that ever lived?"


The older woman smiled lightly, the determination of her young protege amusing her to a new end. "The world is just... much bigger than I could have ever taught you. It is bigger than my stories."

"Of course it is. But I have not forgotten who I am. I am Najya, the One Who Brought the Light, and it is my sworn duty to--"


"Yes, yes, spare me the speech."

"But--"


"I'm just saying, you're going to fight what sounds like... the devil."

"Oh, Novevu is not so bad. He certainly is not the enemy."


"See, that is my point. I don't understand this part of your world. This part of you that's... something out of a fairy tale. Like the old gods."

Najya's earlier hurt at being interrupted was quickly replaced with an optimistic grin. "There is no need to be afraid of what you do not understand. Alvax is the mightiest Ancient of them all and I am the tip of his spear. This mission is... inconsequential in the grand scheme of my story."
Confidence radiated off of her in waves as she approached her mentor. The other woman's slightly graying hairs were the only real indicator of her age.

"You're not listening to me, Najya... I had a dream... A terrible, terrible dream..."




Najya stood, impatiently tapping her fingers against her thigh as she eyed the scene in front of the colosseum. Everything was happening mostly on schedule. Alvax's cunning never ceased to amaze her. It was all exactly as he said, though the makeup of the Ancients that had come to save the day was slightly different. Now she was just waiting to spring into action. She vaguely thought about helping when she saw a woman get kicked into the clouds, but decided watching was much more fun. What kind of warrior would get taken out like that so early in the game, anyway?

Nammay, Chaemai, Evyette... so many Ancients in one place. Najya couldn't hold her excitement in any longer, a bright smile on her face stretching from ear to ear as she finally emerged from the shadow of the street vendor she'd been lounging near. Evyette was just putting out a fireball that had apparently been summoned by a claimant of hers. Najya was fairly impressed.

"Hey! Heyyy!"
The woman waved profusely as she ran towards the group of women, counting three claimants and an Ancient as she approached. "I, Najya of House Contus, greet you, Evyette; it is an honor!"
she exclaimed, her hands coming together in a sign of respect as she dipped her head in Evyette's direction. She wondered if Evyette had ever heard her prayers or if they were something she didn't care to tune into. It felt like meeting a hero or historical figure you never imagined being able to meet in real life. It was exhilarating for a few moments before the dark-haired woman had to think about why they were meeting there in the first place.

"Why are there so many of you here? Did Alvax not inform you that this was staged to trap you?"
She glanced toward Rome's former battlegrounds. "Not like it matters now. I have come to slay the beast before he can advance any further."
Then, as she thought about the claimants surrounding her, she added, "I am sure the rest of you can find some way to help when it comes down to it."


The power of the swords was like a hum in the air. It was undeniable, raw power. It was sure to be an adrenaline high like no other when Najya brought their wielder's head out on a stick. As far as she was concerned, there was no greater living swordsman than herself. Alvax's directions were clear. There was no room for error or failure.

"Do we confront him out here, or do we charge him in there? There are a lot of bodies in the way, but I am not opposed to battling over them."

Evans had a certain swagger to his step as he walked about. The way the sky was swirling around, he had a feeling there would be a storm sooner than later. It wouldn't do to get caught in the rain in his current dress.

He and the white-haired man exited the gift shop, one after the other, making their ways toward the coliseum. The vibe in the structure was that of an unknown danger. There was no way of knowing what tribulations waited at the center. Evans just hoped that they would at least be worth his while; other than finding the other guy from Dark, this trip was proving mostly monotonous.

One of Evans' brows shot up in light interest as he watched the other man pick a lock almost effortlessly. It was like an inky black substance came directly off of his hand and went into the lock to manually open it. That was probably a very useful skill. A moment of envy made Evans wonder if he could make more use out of it than this guy--just imagine, the possibilities after he could pick a lock with no tools?

Further down the path, the white-haired male used his abilities once more, appearing as if he were using part of his shadow. Evans was liking the way this guy operated by the second. A high-stakes heist would probably be a cake walk for him. Of all the allies to make, the New Orleans native was actually looking forward to making this one.

He followed behind him idly, his hands snugly in his pockets. There were noises coming from somewhere inside, but it was more difficult than it seemed to pinpoint a source. Evans wasn't all that sure he even wanted to. Destodai asked him to pick up a book, not necessarily make it his business to slay bodies along the way. It would've been like a tourist stop in the long term of the journey.

Evans and his new companion seemed to consensually decide to play it safe inside the Colosseum. There was no need to talk about it. It just seemed like the smarter play since they had no idea what their enemy was going to be like.

The redhead's expression was slightly bored as they walked down the hallway. The first break in the monotony was when a woman's voice started shouting after them. The Dark claimant's shadow clone had come around the corner faster than Evans, prompting someone to shout "Oi! You in the trench coat!" Evans stalled for a moment to try to determine if the callout was friend or foe before just rounding the corner after his new acquaintance. The man's shadow came scurrying back around the corner and rejoining the majority.

“We’re in danger just follow the lady with the fucking volts before you get fried like me...” the woman continued. It was obvious she was the same one that had called out before. Evans was surprised to see not just one but three women in total.

A thick brow shot up. Were there really so many of them here? He knew the woman leading was an Ancient, but he wasn't quite sure who she was. He wasn't too well-versed in any Ancient that wasn't Destodai.

"I don't wanna sound like I can't take your word for it, but this whole setup is kinda offputting, don'tcha think?"
His lips quirked up slightly in a smirk. "I'm just thinkin' how easy it would be to pick us off like fish in a barrel once we're all in the same place."
Nonetheless, he was still following them outside. He figured he stood a pretty good chance if it came to fighting. The Ancient, he'd rather not fight. Something about being made to spontaneously combust was not attractive. "I am Evans, by the way. My Ancient is Destodai."
Even speaking her name aloud made him feel giddy with excitement. "Who are you that I've had the pleasure of running into?"


While this may not have been the smartest time to strike up a conversation, Evans couldn't think of a better one. Sure, the 'Sword Man' the shadow clone had screeched about was probably running around somewhere, but at least in that scenario there was no confusion about who the enemy was. Seeing through a ruse would be a little more difficult. Evans considered himself a bit of a professional when it came to seeing through lies, though. After all, it takes an expert liar to recognize a good lie.

To say there was a lot going on would be an understatement. One accurate thing to say, though, was that it was slowly pissing DeVian off.

She had just arrived at the near-death by falling out of the sky scene when she was just as quickly being rebuked by the girl who had fallen. At first Dev was offended, because she couldn't believe this was the greeting she got after trying to do something nice. Then it turned into a deepset annoyance. Next time she'd just start greeting people by Siphoning off their life force and see how much they wanted to be friends after that.

A frown was obvious on her face as she put an arm up to shield her eyes from the bright flames of the redhead who'd literally just come back down to earth. Dev backed up a few steps, her brows low in confusion. What the fuck was going on?

She had barely asked herself the question when she saw the woman gathering up a fucking... what was that, a fireball? Some kind of cannon or something that she was making with her body. All Dev could think about was how pissed off she'd be if her eyebrows got singed off. This woman would regret ever lifting a hand to do anything other than say thank you, that was for goddamn sure.

Still, DeVian wasn't fazed. She had seen her death, for Novevu had showed it to her. And this was not it.

The whole time the fire claimant was preparing her attack, DeVian fantasized about torturing her soul in the Void. It was therapeutic. It was her go-to exercise for calming down when she found her temper growing beyond her control.

The projectile had just started its journey from the fire claimant to the death claimant when Evyette appeared--in the actual flesh. She materialized directly behind the troublesome redhead at hand, laying a hand on her shoulder and apparently immediately powering her down. She stood in the relative middle of the three claimants, her expression clearly disapproving of her assassin's behavior. Dev's own face reflected her smugness--in her opinion, Evyette's appearance had spared the redhead a lot of future pain.

Still, Dev hadn't expected to see her... naked.

Hazel eyes didn't hide the fact that they were interested in the Fire Ancient's body. It was something to be proud of, after all. It just made her wonder what training under the other houses were like. Novevu never let her see him naked--she hadn't known it was something to be envious of. But now that she was exposed to it, she wondered...

The fire claimant's bashfulness made Dev chuckle. Was it like being embarrassed of your cool aunt coming out naked in front of your school friends?

The two relented on how much heat they were putting into the environment. The descendant of death hadn't even noticed she'd been sweating during this confrontation; heat emanated off of Evyette in waves, hotter the closer Dev was to her. The dark-haired woman wondered if the nature claimant was going to shrivel up and die at this rate.

“Hey… sorry about that, I’m Stephani. Nice to meet you…" Dev looked up when she realized the woman was speaking to her. "...won’t happen again. This is Evyette. I am guessing all three of us… are here for the book?”

"Oh, I'm sure it won't."
I'll kill you first. "I am DeVian. I can't imagine another reason for us all to be right here, right now, can you, mamacita?"


You. Me. The Vacio. What do you say, love?

She was trying not to be mean, but the grudge she was trying not to hold was working its way into her mind anyway.

"Hey! Heyyy!"


For fuck's sake, how many of you freaks are there?

DeVian exhaled deeply through her nose as a fifth woman joined the group. Where were all the men? Where was the guy who'd enlisted her help in the first place--then left just in time for her to almost get charred?

The new woman approached the group excitedly and quickly greeted Evyette. She sounded like some kind of overeager worshipper. "Why are there so many of you here? Did Alvax not inform you that this was staged to trap you?"


Dev's expression immediately switched to one of alarm. "What?"


"Not like it matters now. I have come to slay the beast before he can advance any further."


"Wait, a trap? There's a trap?"
She rolled her eyes. It would be just her luck that she'd get caught up in this bullshit. She did not have time for this. Her schedule just didn't have enough space for the mission and a trap.

The woman that introduced herself as Najya didn't dwell on the fact that not everybody was on the same page. It was obvious she was itching to get into a fight. "Do we confront him out here, or do we charge him in there? There are a lot of bodies in the way, but I am not opposed to battling over them."


Dev rolled her eyes. "You can't fight over a crowd of tourists, Najya."


"No?"


"No."


Najya frowned. "Fine. Then we must lure him out here."
Her smile perked back up. "It is a good thing I came prepared with my war paint!"
She looked around the gathering of women before a confused look settled on her features. "Where is... your war paint? How do you intend to do battle without it?"

He was not a patient man, but even he could have have foreseen the current events, he had thought that with the swords he would finally be able to challenge the Ancients and maybe even their descendants who he understood were capable of the same gifts as that of their creators. He had hoped that they would charge at him and he would slice them in two; and yet here he was in the centre the colosseum completely and utterly alone. He stabbed the two swords into the sand, he wanted to curse whoever had warned those who should be here to face him. He had written a speech too! Was that going to go to waste now?

“I should have seen this coming and I should have not bothered to come. For where are you children of the elements. Did you not hear the summons from that lady in white? Oh why do you choose to hide in the stone walls and not face me? I am but a mere human, a boring old one that won’t live much longer I suppose. Oh what a waste! I wrote a speech! A speech! A grand one! The last one you will hear before you are to fall and die at my feet! Oh where are you! Show yourselves. It is not too late to prove this old man wrong!”
His voice echoed through the many holes and walls of the building and he waited for the slightly sound of footsteps pounding; alas he was met with mere silence.

“Preach your message Professor Pickering. We will hear it.”
the voice was like the wind in which it echoed from every direction and no direction at all, he turned this way and that trying to spot the source of the voice until he saw a single figure standing at the very top of the colosseum, he cleared his throat almost out of shock. Had an ancient truly come? “And who are you sir?”
“Does it matter?”
again Phillip found himself struck by how this mysterious male’s voice seemed to travel through the air like gunfire. “I simply wish to be polite.”
he bowed.

“I am Quinnox.”
If it had been anyone else, Pickering would have laughed but with the announcing of this man’s name, he felt a shutter fill him… this was the Ancient of Air. He started to think, what did he know of his adversary? Not much… not anything that would help him anyway; though Pickering had been glad that it was someone as docile and calm as Quinnox and perhaps not say his sibling Evyette the ancient of Fire. Pickering decidedly picked up one of the swords in the sand and pointed it right at Quinnox.

“Come to meet your death Quinnox?” Are you the only one here who wishes to meet your end? I would have hoped some other parties would join us. But alas beggars cannot be choosers.”
he swung the sword to demonstrate “You seem to be of the opinion that I want to die Professor. I have no plans on dying today. I only wish to tell you that if you had arrived a little sooner than perhaps you would have gotten the battle you so crave.”
“What of your older brothers? Will they not be here to entertain me?”
he was referring to Novevu and Xainayne. “My brothers have no time to dally here with you. Their jobs are far more important. I am merely their messenger.”


Why was Quinnox being so calm? Did the swords not affect him like Pickering had initially thought. That could not be right, these swords were meant to be the weapons that the ancients feared, and yet here this male of air no doubt was joking with him and if he didn’t know better that tone was a mocking one. He huffed and puffed his chest out in order to look more intimidating, but he was old so to Quinnox the show of intimidation must have been a jest.

“Speak now or forever hold your peace Pickering. We’re not patient people. Especially considering you have come here with the intent of threatening us and our children.”
“Our Children? Ancients cannot have children. You make a fool of what I know!”
“We are more than capable of having children. Our claimants are of our blood. They have our gifts within them. But. I don’t suppose you care. You only want to kill the one who made you for making you weak and feeble.”


Pickering hated that Quinnox was right; well partially right. “I was once. Once. ONCE. ONE OF YOUR children! YOUR SO CALLED ‘beloved’! I wanted to be like you like my creator. But he threw me away when I became something more than what he had hoped!”
“Don’t make an insult of Novevu Pickering. You knew exactly what you were doing when you killed Arvid.”
“I was a kid. Besides they make a reappearance every what. Hundred years? He’ll find him again and then fall in love. Then someone else will kill him. I thought I was doing him a favour by killing him. I mean come on. Death is meant to be scary. Meant to you know. Kill things. Not love something and be obsessed over it.”
“That was not your decision to make. You, becoming a human, was a fitting punishment.”




“Sire. Please! Please I beg of you do not do this to me. I did not know! I would have save them otherwise! Please I beg you. I beg of you do not do this. I am forever in your debt. Please! Please!”
Novevu rarely had the patience to listen to a man’s pleas. Xainayne stood beside him, his arms crossed leaning against the gothic inspired throne of which Novevu found himself sitting in more than he originally thought. Phillip was bowing down at the bottom of the flight of stairs, Phita stood behind the claimant of death.

His hands were bloody and it took everything in Novevu not to kill him right there and then for taking away his love; whose body was currently amongst the several hundreds that he kept as a memento of each of the lives he had, had with his love. He crossed his left leg over his right and continued to listen to Phillip utter out apologies in every language known to man - mortal man at least. “You had the choice and you killed him anyway.”


There was no secret that Novevu kept his gloves on unless he was killing someone. He looked at his claimant, Phillip had been a most peculiar soul when he had first come out of Novea’s realm, Novevu stretched his arms as he stripped his hands of the crimson red velvet gloves that had become a trademark of his; he stood from his throne and Xainayne reached out to stop him; he nearly snapped the neck of one his closest friends for touching him.

“What is it Xainayne.”
the younger male in white gave his uncle a wink before skipping down the steps in front of him. “Death would be too easy. Removing him from existence would also be a waste of what you could do to him instead? Don’t you think Phita?”
“I am not opposed to hearing what he has to say Novevu. I don’t suppose death would be a fitting punishment, not with his betrayal.”
Novevu proceeded to watch as Phita kicked his claimant, normally he would have been opposed to the show of violence but he did nothing to stop Phita from beating Phillip who refused to defend himself against the female ancient known for her cunning and destructive ways.

“I propose we make him a fate worse than death. Death comes for us all in the end. I am aware and so one day you will have the chance to punish him, but for now. Whilst he has a beating heart. Let us make him. A mortal. Just a boring human.”
“I quite like that idea.”
“He would be a pest then.”
“A weak pest. Incapable of doing anything to you. To me. To her. To any of our children.”
the way that Xainayne would phrase the claimants as their children was endearing… they did indeed think of the claimants in their houses as children or in the very least the only way they would ever have a family of their own. Phillip had demonstrated that he was no longer a child of any of the houses for his actions and so he would be punished accordingly…



Outside the Colosseum

Nammay’s POV


“Good you’re all here.”
he counted the heads of each of the claimants he could see, some of them were still emerging from the ruins of the colosseum, he was glad that none of them were injured. He could briefly hear the conversation going on between Quinnox and that mad man Pickering. “I hope you are all alright. I know that is must be a shock to all of you. That this could be seen as a trap. I don’t believe it was intended to be that, it only became so because of that man inside swinging swords. I am Nammay. Ancient of metal. I have come to give those of you not already equipped with arms and blades. Your own.”


He placed the palm of his hand against the earth and shut his eyes as objects from his home realm began to emerge in their own individual cases. The cases themselves engraved with the houses and their crests. “I hope that this will. Assist in your individual mission to locate the book that Echowix has released into the world.”
“Though we believe this is meant to be a call to come together. To work together. We have the first clue. The book is not in this realm.”
“Then what realm?”
Nammay watched as a female with bright pink hair rubbed her chest, he gave Chaemai a look of annoyance and the female ancient shrugged her shoulders.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see that a female had approached where Evyette and some other claimants stood and was greeting her with a kind of cheer, he chuckled before straightening his back and waving over his fiery relative and their group. “Why yes it’s very nice to meet you as well.”
was all he heard as the females finally joined the rest of the group. “As far as we’re concerned. Quinnox is currently covering for us inside the colosseum. We received a scroll before we arrived here to warn all of you. That the book might be in, Naiick’s realm.”
“Well that’s my cue to bow out. No way in hell I’m going there.”
Nammay understood why the fire claimant standing by her ancient would be so worried.

“Look. Either way you all need to find the gateway to Naiick’s realm that seems to be the only fucking direction that Echowix has been nice enough to gift us.”
“What about mad man inside? Evidently he came here for a reason. Why don’t we just eliminate him, right here and now?”


There was a sudden feeling of the air becoming bone cold and it made Nammay tremble, even his own solid metallic constitution could not tolerate the cold for very long, Evyette bristled under her breath as a woman in a flowing white dress approached them her arms crossed; the claimant who spoke last was quick to fall to her knees in reverent respect. “As much as death is nice. We cannot have all of you charge him. None of you are prepared nor strong enough to take on a man like him. As much as he is. A mortal. Those swords prevent us from touching him and I don’t believe any of us are in the mood to die.”
“We’d all end up being a lot of work for Novevu.”
Nammay agreed with Daenu who looked over each of the claimants who stood circling around the small assembly of Ancients.




Daenu’s POV


She had waited till her family members had rounded out the claimants who had arrived to Echowix’s call to action to settle into talking amongst themselves before making her arrival known, she knew that she had a slight effect on people and that was something she enjoyed for being someone vain. She looked at Evyette and had to hold back a scowl, Evyette much like her predecessor reminded her dreadfully so of Phita. That bitch had fucked off into the past and had forgotten to tell Daenu that they were effectively over. She looked over each of the claimants including her own before settling one one who seemed to be jumping on the balls of her feet.

If Daenu didn’t know any better - this was one either hyper or just very much interested in impressing the ancients. “How nice… to see you Daenu.”
“No need for pleasantries Evyette. Now that we are all here. We ought to leave before Quinnox loses interest in Pickering and leaves us here to defend ourselves.”
she clapped her hands and a giant almost impossibly large orb of glowing blue ice rocketed from the ground and opened in the centre with a swirling mass of energy. “I will meet those whose ancients are here in my realm, of which they can travel without aid. But the rest of you will step into this orb and be transported to my realm. Hurry. We do not have much time and I would rather not face my death.”


She watched as Evyette, grabbed both the female who was almost oozing with excitement, and her own claimant before shoving them both into the orb “Don’t freeze! Before I get there!”
was all the fire ancient said to the claimants she had effectively shoved into the orb-portal. Daenu snorted. Evyette saluted before disappearing in a puff of smoke, god she was just as dramatic as Phita.

“I’ll wait here for Quinnox.”
“I’ll let him know you are safe in Daenu’s realm.”
Nammay reassured the pink hair girl who took a deep breath before sprinting into the orb. That was four down, Daenu scanned the remaining crowd, a male in a trench coat, blue hair male, a female in an expensive outfit? A girl who seemed to be covered in plant life? Or very dead plant life depending on how you looked at it. A red head and a girl with a shimmer… probably a child of Solaria. “Come on. Whose next?”

This sudden information they had received caused Nier’s brow to furrow, even managed to make him more alert and awake. As far as he was concerned the Ancients were above all other things in their own right and to even seek out the items or means needed to take their lives was a cardinal sin at best. His eyes fell to the ground as he absorbed all of their words. This all doesn’t make any sense. I could understand someone wanting to come for us claimants, but this doesn’t just seem like it’s a target for us. Who even is this crazy guy who’s collecting the swords?
he pondered to himself with slight annoyance.



Nier tapped his foot quickly, his mind racing. All this thinking didn’t suit him and he was thinking about more stuff than normal recently. What a bother, and here I am doing it again. Maybe I’m just straining myself, I’ve barely gotten any sleep and I haven’t even been able to propose to many people today. Damn this is really a bother.
He ran a hand back and forth through his hair, clearly deep in strained thought for anyone to see. Thinking so hard really wasn’t his strong suit and only served to exhaust him more in the end. No wonder the day had managed to wear him out so easily. Now that I think about it, I’ve been in such a hurry I’ve made proposals and I haven’t even used any rings! Shit, maybe that’s why it hasn’t been working!


His eyes lit up, a goofy smile stretching across his face and one that no one other than his closest friends and Nammay himself knew all too well. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small metallic sphere of what seemed to be a rose-gold. If I’m thinking too much, then I just need to start acting instead!


With a swift motion and before Nammay could even manage to stop him he made his way forward with gusto and pride. His eyes homing in on a person who had caught his gaze and his body gliding over in a glorious fashion! With a quick flick of his fingers the sphere that waited patiently in his hand took the shape of a perfectly blooming rose, a skill that no doubt required more practice and accuracy than even the most careful potter could proclaim to have. He lifted it in a noble fashion with an air of royalty about him, before letting out a sigh of relief and wonder. “Oh, indeed I’ve been blessed today. My mind was in disarray before the full refined beauty that lay bare before me took my breath away and held my heart hostage. With my very being I stand before you prepared to rip every star from the sky and give them to you if I must!”


“Nier... you cannot be serious. Stop bothering Chaemai and hurry, if you would be so kind as to stop messing around!
Nier looked to the person he held such high respect for with a pained look, his free hand moving to rest over his heart. “My lord Nammay I had once heard a saying, the most beautiful flowers bloom in times of turmoil, and would it not be normal for me to stop and be entranced even with such grave news on our hands?”
The rose almost seemed to melt in between his fingers and take on the form of liquid. With a master’s precision he made his way down onto one knee and with a seasoned thief’s skill he managed to take her hand before she could even realize what had happened. “Of all the flowers that bloom in this troubled time you, Chaemai, are my rose that glitters and shines in even the faintest of light. A beacon of hope for my heavy heart.”
With a slow and accurate motion accompanied by careful focus he formed the rose gold sphere into a ring around the Ancient’s very finger; then, without any hesitation, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a colorless emerald diamond about the size of a pumpkin seed and placed it into the head of the ring.

“With everything I have and without restraint or any shackles to bear, I have but a single request... marry me.”


Before Nier could even register the outcome he found himself quickly heading towards the orb before landing on his back inside. “At least try to control yourself! You’re wasting precious energy and time for someone in your particular position”
, Nammay scolded as he gave Chaemai a silent apology. Nier simply coughed a few times, the pain in his stomach now setting in. He was gonna go... just, after he was done. “Yeah... sorry... I deserved that”
, he said in between coughs. He wasn’t expecting Nammay to literally kick him into position, but it would be the first time and at least now he wouldn’t have to worry about walking there. Besides, this was about as far as he could drag this out for the time being. “I have no quarrels against this. I’d rather be working together with everyone rather than fighting, so this has actually managed to work in my favor. Anything that avoids conflict works for me”
, he said as he relaxed himself on the ground with a yawn.

It felt odd being so comfortable around everyone, but he couldn’t help acting on his own nature and simply wanting to be kind to them all and trust them. With Nammay there as well, and all the Ancients even seeming to agree on working together, it only served to put him at even more ease. Just enough for him to close his eyes and fall into a dead sleep.

Du-dum … Du-dum … Du-dum … Du-dum …

So strangely queasy, her heart was pounding in her ears as she knelt there, feeling like she'd been wrung out. Desperately thirsty she shuddered as she shifted to her side. 'Too much, too quickly
' she thought, peering up as a man carrying a bottle appeared. Too tired to be wary, she reached for the bottle when a burning heat arose nearby. Shying away, her addled mind could barely panic as a fiery figure stood, shouting something at them. "Wh- wha . .?"
she rasped as flames erupted, firing out from the woman like a projectile. A consuming, all encompassing flame, filling her vision as she was engulfed . . or perhaps not? Blinking in surprise there was yet another figure there, interceding on her behalf. It was probably best to drink that water before yet another nutter showed up. She downed the bottle in greedy gulps, eyeing the departing man. She simply nodded responses at this newcomer, there was something about them . . something otherworldly? She had a lot of questions for Florita now, the next time they met.

On wobbly legs she followed the others, the patches on her pants were scraped by the brick as she skidded across them, a slow dribble of blood now staining her pants. At least Fife was okay, having scrabbled up silently to sit on her shoulder. She crept along as quietly as she could, but she still felt horrid, she was probably even paler than usual. A man began speaking to the now gathered crowd, who was this guy? He seemed vaguely familiar . . Nam . . what? Nammy. . . ? Apparently there was some kind of trap, did she miss it? What had happened? Surely she wasn't that oblivious? Fife looked confused as well, it seems he still couldn't really understand what was happening either. A man with swords of power, surely she hadn't missed something like that? Suddenly, a large case engraved with Floritas symbol emerged from the ground in front of her.

Feeling unusually shy in her woozy state, she prodded the casing. "Er, I'm thinkin' ye got this one a tad wrong mate. This bugger's bloody as tall as I am . ."
she trailed off eyeing the claymore again. 'Not that I'd ever use it anyway, even if it was the right size.'
The others all seemed to go off on their own tangents, talking about mortals and swords and stuff, it was all probably important to someone. One of them seemed to practically be dragged away after spouting some nonsensical flowery monologue, it's like he was trying to propose or something. She eyed the blade again before taking it, sheath and all. It was heavy too, just great. Fife however seemed to approve, squeaking encouragement. She turned to the others again when they all started shoving and bustling their way into . . a super freaky orb? "Iz-zat what ye city folk use te get around then?"
she asked half-jokingly, still nervous. "Hi. So - I'll, err - just go, in, then. Yes, I'll do that, then. Shall I?"
gesticulating wildly with the sheathed claymore, nodding at the various gathered figures. What a weird crowd. This had been an exceptionally strange day.

Voices echoed out around them, it seemed his little display had been spotted. Damn it all, he hated having to work in the daytime, sneaking was so much simpler at night. More figures appeared, unaffected by the earlier display. Clearly the others had all made it too. Of course, he in part expected this, and thus had no choice but to come sooner rather than later. His earlier companion spoke up, giving voice to the guarded part of Alexanders own thoughts. Well, perhaps it would merely come down to a battle of wits, then. If not, he'd just have to back away while the others all took each-other out. He'd been found and simply running now would almost certainly lead to failure, he shivered as he thought back to that otherworldly place. He'd follow along for now.

So, Evans, dog of Destodai. Appropriate enough. Then again, was Alex not a hound himself? Working for the whims of a different, probably creepier creature? He walked with careful, considered steps ignoring the attempt at conversation with a sidelong glance. Were there perhaps powers that relied on names? Better to give a false name, or even no name at all. It seems he had been right that this was a trap after all, though still not quite what he'd expected.

A small gathering awaited them, and at its head the creature Nammay. Alex had a cursory understanding of the others, it came with the role, but he had yet to meet many of them. Nammay was just about as expected, maybe a little less muscular than imagined. Alex snorted in derision as he listened to the explanation, shaking his head to himself slowly. Why should he be listening these people? They were practically just competition. Although . . They did have information . . A shift in the air swept over him briefly, a coldness like that of the oceans crushing depths. He reached in response for that well inside him as well, instincts telling little tendrils to poke out from his shadow, but he swept that feeling away. He couldn't fight this, couldn't fight these people like this. 'That girl'
he thought, sparing a glance at the surprisingly frosty woman. 'Is . .she blind? No, a trick of her powers. . .'
He thought dismissively. He too could hide or change certain things using shadows or tricks, he had to be on guard against these people. The coalescing scents from these gathered few was also becoming rather overwhelming, it took effort to resist going for his handkerchief again to block his nose.

It seemed the others had come to a decision, and outbursts aside it was time to move on from this place. He wasn't sure how much he could trust Daenu, but if it was really that big of a worry Xainayne probably would've shown up to meddle. He raised his head and puffed himself up a little, pointedly ignoring the saber presented to his side. 'Better to seem defenseless or weak anyway.'
He paused and spared a glance for the frenchman. Maybe . . ? No. He strode forward toward the orb.

Evans had never seen so many of the Ancients at once. To be honest, he wasn't too heavily involved with the world beyond whatever Destodai asked of him. He appreciated the perks that being a Claimant gave him, but it'd never dawned on him that the other Ancients could be just as involved in their Claimants' lives. Shit, it'd never dawned on him that there were so many other Claimants. It made him feel like a kid in a candy shop.

Most of what was going on was above his pay grade. He was trying his best to keep up, quizzically piecing together pieces of puzzles from Nammay's explanation. The ancient of metal... was there to give them weapons. Seemed like a straightforward enough explanation.

The whole part about the meeting not being a trap in its origin still seemed suspicious. How could a single human man with some ancient swords outsmart and outmaneuver all these Ancients? With absolutely no outside help?

Evans' eyes brightened as an ornate case rose from absolutely nowhere in front of him. It was as if a seam in the dimension opened to spit it out, the case hovering for a moment before smashing into the ground. Despite the implied heaviness of the case, it left no scratches on the ground. Nammay talked them through what seemed like a rather rushed ceremony. Maybe in another life, it was a wonderful, memorable event.

Upon opening his, Evans was presented with three beautiful decks of cards. Two of the decks were in metal cases, easier for carrying, he assumed. They were adorned with Life's crest. He turned the bare deck over and over in his hands, amazed with how wonderful they were. He felt more powerful with them in his hands. It was difficult to explain. It was like... holding your hand close to an open flame. He quickly pocketed the new closed decks, taking the trusty old deck that had previously been occupying the space out and tossing it aside. Sure, the old thing had seen him through a few months in Nola, but there was truly nothing in this world he'd seen that was more beautiful than the cards he had now.

He looked about the rest of the Claimants around him, wondering what their weapons were like. He couldn't see all of them. It was probably a given that they'd think he'd drawn the short straw by getting playing cards, but in his mind, he was more deadly with these than any swordsman on Earth.

"What a lucky day this is,"
the man mumbled to himself with a knowing grin. He felt like a god. He didn't need friends. He had 52 in his hand right now.

There was a bristling among the Ancients as another one of them appeared, quickly introduced as Daenu. Evans couldn't remember if Destodai had ever spoken about her to him--in all fairness, Destodai rarely talked about anyone but herself.

As they talked amongst themselves, Evans found his mind drifting towards the white-haired man he'd made acquaintances with just a few minutes before. There were a few people with their respective weapons between them now. It hadn't escaped him that the man never revealed his name or any other identifying information about himself. He'd been quiet the whole time. The claimant of Destodai wondered what could be going through the guy's head--what did he think of all this? He seemed like the analytical type. There had to be some kind of ideas or theories.

A smirk settled on his features. Interesting indeed.

The man absently played with his new cards, getting comfortable with them as he passed them over his knuckles. He noticed the case of the woman near him, a dark-skinned woman who had on an outfit that screamed money--and inquisitively asked her, "What's that?"
as he pointed to the crest.




DeVian looked up from her intense study of the weapon before her. Of course she knew what it was, but she'd only ever used it with Novevu in the Void. She didn't actually think he was going to give it to her so soon!

A redheaded man was holding a deck of cards in one hand as he pointed at the crest on her weapons case. "Death."


"Is it? I didn't think death could produce something so beautiful."


"Because you are so experienced with it, right?"


He smiled, regarding her in a new light. She was witty, this one. It was certainly going to make for interesting banter. Especially since it was looking more and more like they'd be forced to work in rather close quarters.

Evans produced a card from the deck he was holding, showing her the crest of Life on its back. "I'm Evans, mon cher, you are?"


"DeVian."
She openly looked him up and down, wondering what his deal was. He had a look about him that was... sly. Sneaky. Considering her first interactions, she wasn't too excited for the future with this group. She recognized his crest, though. In the back of her mind, she wondered what it would be like to work with him under different circumstances. They could be something close to unstoppable, ideally. They all could be. If they wanted, they could have anything their hearts ever desired in this world.

But all she said was, "This is all very exciting, but something smells like shit. Do you smell that, Evans?"


He shrugged. "I suppose. There are a lot of smells."


The woman frowned, clearly lapsing into an angry tangent in her head. It kind of made Evans chuckle, but he didn't want to seem like he was laughing at her. He turned back to the group, catching the middle of some kind of... marriage proposal?! The Ancient being proposed to looked so caught off guard that he couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey, I like that guy's spirit,"
he joked. The man called Nier was promptly sent flying before landing on his ass, no wife in tow. He lightly challenged himself to steal the ring that Nier was proposing with at some point. But of course, first, he'd have to observe his target, since this was going to be different from conning tourists.

DeVian recognized Nier's face from when she'd first come over to engage the flaming girl. It annoyed her, to a degree, but she supposed she couldn't hold a grudge. Would him staying have changed that matchstick attacking her?

That, paired with Evyette dragging Najya and Stephani into the portal, only incensed her more. She was surrounded by fucking idiots.

She reached forward and took her halberd from its case, noticing its heaviness compared to what she'd practiced with in the Void. It was then that she noticed Evans didn't have any visible weapon, nor any kind of sheath or way of hiding one.

Calm down, the Death claimant chided herself. No need to be so negative so early on, right?

"I assume we shouldn't keep everyone waiting,"
he offered to DeVian, nodding to the odd portal they were instructed to get into since their Ancients weren't there.

She sighed. "I didn't dress for this,"
she mumbled, walking forward to the portal with Evans beside her.

Najya was already shivering on the other side. She was wearing clothes like she lived in a forest or something somewhere, so it made sense she was getting absolutely shit on by the cold temperature. Her teeth chattered as she held herself, but she didn't complain.

"I have... n-never be-en... anywhere s-so c-cold!"
she chattered delightedly, observing her new surroundings as she turned in circles. Her eyes were wide in amazement. She began pacing back and forth to generate some kind of heat.