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quazartranslates · 4 years ago

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Welcome to the Nightmare Game - CH135

**This is an edited machine translation. For more information, please [click here]**

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Chapter 135: The Dream of the Holy Nun (XXV)

When he walked out of the Garden of the Holy Tomb, Dr. Lu still seemed to be dreaming. He stumbled to keep up with Ning Zhou's footsteps and looked back again and again, his eyes red and swollen.

"What happened last night? Is the Witch of Nightmares dead? What about Su He?" Dr. Lu still didn't know what had happened the previous night. He’d been in a daze since he passed out from the pain. He vaguely felt that he had been carried back to the Lord's castle. At dawn, he’d woken up and there was a note left by Qi Leren on his pillow, saying that he’d gotten the antidote and the poison in his body had been cured, so he had left him to have a good rest.

Dr. Lu had guessed that they were at the site of the Vatican and had come here as soon as he’d woke up, but he’d received such a terrible news.

"There is no Su He," Ning Zhou' s hoarse voice came, filled with a murderous coldness. "Only the Devil of Fraud."

Dr. Lu froze, a chill spread from his feet, such that even the bright sunshine couldn't make him feel the slightest warmth.

Su He, was the Devil of Fraud?

Dr. Lu suddenly looked back. Qi Leren’s death…

"Did he... Did he do it?" Dr. Lu could hardly say the words.

Ning Zhou nodded his head.

Dr. Lu stumbled, fell to the ground, and cried bitterly.

The details that he’d once ignored emerged one by one. If Su He's bizarre appearance in the Novice Village could be explained by the bug in Novice Village, then why did he suddenly appear in Castle Cry? He had talked to each of the two people alone, why was that? Since then, Qi Leren had been wary and alert to Su He, seemingly for no reason. What was that reason?

He’d never thought about it.

When Qi Leren had come to invite him along on the Dream of the Holy Nun task, he’d happened to bump into Su He, who came to say goodbye to them... If all this was not a coincidence, but a deliberate plan by the Devil of Fraud... Then his role in this tragedy was as an accomplice who had pushed Qi Leren to his death.

"Let's go," Ning Zhou said in a low voice, walking towards the highest church of the Vatican.

The time left for him was running out. This long-dead field was losing its balance. If it was allowed to continue, it would collapse into a black hole and destroy the whole Holy City. Before that, he had to break this field and release the people trapped here.

Returning to the church, the half-destroyed building was magnificent under the sun, and the damaged angels in the square surrounded the disk with a diameter of four or five meters. Now Ning Zhou knew what it was. It was the Vatican’s statue of Maria, and Maria's will had revived it, holding high her sword of judgment and killing the Devil King.

Once again when he stepped toward the building, his heart, which had already been riddled with holes, fell into mourning again. Just remembering the mood when he’d pushed the door open the previous time, he almost lost the courage to push the door open again.

There was no time.

Ning Zhou took a deep breath and the wound on his stomach ached with pain. He put his hand on the door and pushed it forward.

The sun shone down through the damaged dome, like a bright blade of light, cutting the darkness.

Ning Zhou carefully circumvented the rusty blood trail on the ground, and the wandering soul came to the deepest part of the hall. Standing before the remains of the black dragon which had been stabbed through the neck and died by the sword held in Maria’s hands, he was filled with disgust.

That sword was the pledge of destruction.

Pull it out, cut open this dead field, and then everything will end.

This was what Dr. Lu saw when he came to the church-

Ning Zhou knelt on one knee in front of Maria, piously drew a cross on his chest, and the golden light lit up from him. Countless bright spots densely covered created the illusion of a six-winged archangel and the wings curled up behind his back. As the blazing angel stood, the huge six wings spread out and became pieces of golden light and shadow.

The illusory shadow of the blazing angel gradually became clear. Ning Zhou stood up and took a step forward. The majestic blazing angel also took a step forward and held out his hand.

The sword inserted in the black dragon’s neck began to shine, and the metal sword was inspired by the divine power, was slowly pulled out from the dragon’s body, and fell into the hands of the blazing angel.

An ethereal hymn came from the ruined church and countless golden and silver spots at his foot surged up like fireflies. The holy light lit up and the pure white enveloped everything, as if annihilating all the evil in the world.

The song continued, and the church that had been destroyed in the war seemed to return to its past brilliance. Dr. Lu, who was standing at the edge of the stone door, stared at all the incredible things in front of him. The cathedral in front of him was intact and countless believers wearing white church robes were passing by him like running water, walking towards the depths of the hall.

Just under the cross in the deepest part of the church, a holy nun with blonde hair and blue eyes was smiling at them. A sad smile that saw through all the mourning in the world and could easily heal the pain in people's hearts.

But the tears still fell unconsciously.

Dr. Lu looked at Ning Zhou, and the huge archangel behind him who held the sword in his hand, his eyes lowered in prayer. Ning Zhou, however, looked at the illusion of the Holy Nun deep in the hall sadly and sentimentally and walked towards her step by step.

The blonde Holy Nun smiled at him gently, held his face, and dropped a gentle kiss on his forehead.

The illusion disintegrated and the figure of the holy nun disappeared, the countless praying believers disappeared, and the magnificent church disappeared... The lonely Ning Zhou stood in the ruined hall facing the huge cross and drew a cross on his chest.

Blood and tears, life and death, crime and punishment, first and last, everything came to an end here.

The blazing angel holding the sword opened his eyes. He held up the sword of judgment belonging to Maria and a brilliant halo condensed. Even the sun could not compare with its shine at that moment.

The sword was lifted and swung in the direction of the rising sun in the east—

The world was silent for a moment, and then the next second the sky was torn apart, the earth was divided, and countless fragments fractured from the gaps in the sky like a broken mirror, falling apart and then disappearing into the air. The Holy City, which was once hidden in the field of Holy Nun, finally returned to reality from its temporal space.

The Dream of Holy Nun was overlapping with the Nightmare World, and the people living in the dream were returning to reality - a bloody and cruel world ravaged by demons.

The blazing angel who’d pulled out the sword sighed at the falling sun. It was not the real sun, but the illusion constructed by the Holy Nun in her own field. When the field was broken, it also fell with it.

The blazing angel's light was getting weaker and weaker, and some strange black fog rose from his feet and began to pollute the holy power. The blazing angel looked at Ning Zhou in astonishment. He did not understand why the devout believer suddenly wavered.

The sword of judgment was falling and the huge blade was gradually shrinking, turning into a sharp sword that pierced the ground in front of Ningzhou. He slowly opened his eyes, and his blue eyes were faintly flashing with crimson light.

Ning Zhou painfully covered his face and grasped the sword of judgment inserted in the ground. The power from Maria poured into his body silently, calming the restless demon energy. When he opened his eyes again, the red colour of his eyes had disappeared without a trace.

The blazing angel summoned by faith dissipated, his golden figure gradually turned into nothingness and the beautiful wings behind scattering and falling, like dandelions blown away by the wind. Gold, silver, sporadic pieces of black, and countless feathers flew to the earth in the wind. Among them, a black feather whirled in the air, colliding with a small blue and white fallen flower, and the petals were pushed by the black feather, riding the wind again and flying farther away.

It fell slowly and floated into the quiet Garden of the Holy Tomb.

Under the warm sunshine, the blue and white petals whirled down and gently kissed Qi Leren’s cold lips.

Gentle as a lover's kiss.

[Player Ning Zhou has completed the task The Dream of the Holy Nun. The task completion rate is 117%. Obtain special task clues and reach the Purgatory deep in the Underground Ant City within 30 days for the next task to auto-trigger. If it becomes overdue, it will be regarded as giving up the task.]

[The reward is 90 survival days, and the unexpected factors interfering with the task progress have given an additional reward of 10 survival days.]

[Data synchronization countdown, ten, nine, eight...]

"Cancel the transfer," Ning Zhou whispered.

The beam wrapping around him disappeared. He would be transferred back to his residence after the original mission was completed but, since the mission was in the main world, he could also cancel the transfer and go back on his own.

Dr. Lu, surrounded by the transmission beam, said eagerly: "Then I won't go either... Cancel the transmission!"

Transmission cancelled.

"Aren't you going back?" Dr. Lu asked in a low voice.

Ning Zhou shook his head and looked ahead with dim eyes. The illusory sunrise had fallen, the real sun was hanging in the sky, and the fog outside the Holy City had dispersed. Those wandering demons would soon find their way here. The residents of the Holy City had been at ease for too long and they didn't even know how horrible the outside world was now.

They were sheltered by the wings of the Holy Nun for twenty-two years. But they don't know that their peace could no longer be maintained and that the false peace will eventually be broken. Those who were used to this peace were vulnerable to reality.

"I need to contact the Holy See’s headquarters, evacuate and transfer residents... and I must catch up with the Devil," NingZhou said, walking towards the outside of the church.

Dr. Lu followed in his footsteps and looked at his back. He was speechless.

They walked down the steps of the old site of the Vatican and stopped when they passed the Garden of the Holy Tomb. Dr. Lu thought Ning Zhou would walk in, but he didn't.

The gold and silver rays of light that had been hovering over the church slowly lowered, shrouding the Garden of the Holy Tomb as if it had been wrapped in a golden enchantment. The eagle flew out of the garden, a small branch of blue and white petals in its mouth, and it dropped these into Ning Zhou’s open hand.

Ning Zhou quietly looked at the petals and slowly clenched his palms.

He turned away without saying a word.

He was ready for any trial. Even if he would suffer forever in the fire lakes of hell after death, he would bravely tell his God that he loved this person, no matter right or wrong, no matter life or death.

Leaving the site of the Vatican, they walked through the busy streets. The vacant residents didn't know what had happened. They talked loudly about last night's night of the new moon. Sporadic conversations drifted into Dr. Lu's ears and he suddenly shed tears.

"Roy is dead. God, he killed himself. What happened last night?" "Suicide? Isn't the night of the new moon supposed to make people disappear? Why did he kill himself? People who commit suicide can't go to heaven!" "He said in his suicide note that he was going to Purgatory to clear his sins. Did he do anything?" "Poor Roy, he has been depressed since his wife Susan disappeared a few years ago..." "I just saw the sun fall! What the hell is going on here?" "It’s said that the fog outside the city has disappeared. Can we go out?" "Really? Great! We can go out!" "Thank God, we’re free!"

These people who knew nothing about the filth and sacrifice were singing and dancing, simply feeling hope and happiness. They were so happy, their faces filled with happy smiles that made the whole world bright.

In this happy ending, two people passed through the joyful crowd in juxtaposition, one walking dead and the other in tears.

The wind was blowing. The gentle wind blew over every treetop, and the crumbling petals were blown off and sprinkled on the ground in a swirl.

In the Garden of the Holy Tomb, protected by an enchantment, there are many blue and white fallen flowers covering the grass on the ground.

Qi Leren, who slept quietly in the tree tomb, wore a black Vatican uniform, and those fallen flowers favored him, kissing his cold and pale cheeks again and again. He would sleep here and slowly decay over time, until he turned into bones - if there was no accident.

[Easter Egg: Players who hold coloured eggs will be resurrected and have all skills and items returned after seven days if they die with their bodies intact. If the player holds other resurrection items or skills, the order of using an Easter Egg is last. 0/1 usage times remain.]

Countdown to resurrection: 6 days, 17 hours, 32 minutes, and 58 seconds.

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Editor’s Notes:

[The reader has completed all main chapters of Welcome to the Nightmare Game part 1. The rewards of two fanart links have been obtained. The reader may access them {here} and {here}.]

[Unlocked: Epilogue chapter]

[Unlocked: Lighthearted extra]

[Data synchronization countdown, ten, nine, eight...]

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#I can't believe we're here already #Welcome to the Nightmare Game #欢迎来到噩梦游戏 #danmei

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solynaceawrites · 4 years ago

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End of Sanctuary

Fandom: Nanatsu no Taizai | The Seven Deadly Sins Characters: Mael, Meliodas Tags: Post-Canon, Character Study, Canon Character Death, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort written for @nntzine Summary: After the defeat of the Demon King, Mael returns to the only home he knows and engages in a festival to honor the ones who were lost.Originally written for Nanatsu no Taizine: Volume II and published in celebration of autumn.

»»————-　⚜　————-««

The sun is low in the sky when he reaches his home. Former home, he supposes, landing lightly in what was once the grand courtyard: the immaculate marble has cracked and fallen, the flowers overgrown by thistles and weeds. Mael tilts his head back, taking in the ruins of the spires of the Supreme Deity’s palace, listening to the wind whistle forlornly through the shattered windows and holes in the walls, and wonders if this is their punishment for their hubris. Dead leaves whisper through the grass, like the voices of so many ghosts; with a sigh, he kneels, sweeping dirt away from the walk. This is the place of his birth, and he remembers with a fond sort of ache the feasts and festivals that were held here, one in particular which was always dear to him.

The Feast of All Souls began as a prayer. To remember those who’d come before, goddesses lit candles within their homes and laid offerings of food and wine on their doorsteps. Eventually, with the war looming over their clan, the Supreme Deity had made it a public event, one which all were encouraged to attend. Private offerings were still left, yet the majority of the evening was spent in the city streets, buying masks and scraps of finest parchment upon which to write hopes, dreams, or words of remembrance. And, once the sun had set and the world was cool and quiet, in the grand courtyard a chosen member of their race would light the torches and dance, and those little bits of people’s lives would be fed to the bonfire, to reach the next life. Mael rubs a dandelion between his thumb and forefinger thoughtfully. There is no one here, and yet . . .

He has no place in Britannia, nor a reason to return there. Too much suffering is on his shoulders, too much grief for him to express his own. And with the role he played in Escanor’s passing — how foolish he had been to believe that Elizabeth could heal the damage inflicted by Sunshine, how naive to trust in Escanor’s words over his own understanding of the man’s life — he would no doubt face scathing ire from the Sins, who loved Escanor as a comrade and a friend. And the Celestial Realm is in ruins, hardly fit to live in. Mael is well and truly alone in this world, and he presses himself to his feet and lifts his gaze to study the first blooming stars. He does not know where he will go from here, but he decides that, before he meets whatever fate is in store for him, he will honor those who lost their lives in this senseless war.

He will reignite the flames of the Feast.

»»————-　⚜　————-««

Mael stands in the center of the courtyard, watching as the sun begins its slow trek below the horizon. It is cold now, the seasons caught between autumn and winter, and the ivy that climbs the stone pillars is a vibrant, otherworldly green against the tawny hues of the rest of the world, and his breath condenses on the inside of the mask he wears. Only the Grace that had returned to him keeps him from truly feeling the chill; he is shirtless, his feet bare, and without Sunshine he would be trembling. Surrounding him are torches, burning brightly against the oncoming gloom, plates of food and wine at their bases, and a pile of dead branches waits for him to set it alight. His mind is as clear as it can be, his limbs tense for the dance he will perform. When the sun kisses the edge of the sky, he leans over and presses one of his own torches to the kindling, and the bonfire, soaked in oil, roars to life.

Then Mael begins to dance.

It is Ludoshel he thinks of first, the brother he had all but worshipped in his youth. He remembers his first flight—more of a glide, really, his wings too small and his feathers too new to hold him aloft for more than a few moments—how Ludoshel beamed with pride as he landed awkwardly on his feet and ruffled the hair that never laid as prettily as his own. Nights passed with stories, his brother tracing the constellations in the sky and telling them how they came to be: the Warrior, forever chasing the Queen he loved; the clever Fox that marked the beginning of autumn, the Saint and the King and the Dove, until Mael’s head was full of starlight and dreams. Ludoshel’s comfort when he was injured, his hands calloused yet soothing as he bandaged scrapes. Ludoshel, his voice hoarse with held-back tears as he clapped Mael on the shoulder and congratulated him on becoming an Archangel. His brother, and confidante, who had his flaws yet was always good to him.

Mael flicks out an arm, the torch in that hand dangling by his fingertips. To my brother, without whom I would not be. I thank you.

Escanor comes next. Though they had barely known each other at all, the man had been full of kindness and love, the type of person Mael wished he had been three thousand years ago. Their meeting had been violent, to be sure, but even then, even as Estarossa, he had felt a genuine respect for the one who stood against his decree, and knows now that Sunshine did not aid him in that feat. Escanor had not been capable of hatred; his heart was too pure, his capacity for understanding too great. Even in his grief, he had not been cruel, each action meant to end Mael’s life as quickly and cleanly as possible. Well, perhaps that is too generous, but whether or not Escanor knew that Cruel Sun would cause a slow death, Mael does not know. They had been bound by Sunshine and Mael had found him, and Escanor had pleaded with him, not once but twice, refusing to accept the self-loathing brewing within Mael’s chest.

He crouches, twisting the torches over his head in a shower of sparks. To Escanor, who was all that I hoped to be and more. I thank you.

Sariel, who taught him to read the affection that lurked beneath abrasive words, and Tarmiel, the one who had never given up his hope that Mael was good, both dead by his hands. Sariel’s tongue had always been like sandpaper, yet he had been the one to teach him how to be agile, how to stay moving in the air so no one enemy could get close enough to do him harm. Tarmiel, gentle and sweet, had encouraged him, shown him the proper way to grip a sword and how he could use his size to make his opponents think he was slower than he was to keep the upper hand. Monspeet, an unwilling victim of the illness that had festered within Mael as the decree at away at his sanity; Derieri, who sacrificed herself in an attempt to save him; Oslo, who was Rou, a loyal companion that devoured Mael’s magic so that the Fairy King could live.

Without that, without them, he would not have survived, and he lets the fire lick his shoulders as he draws the torches along his chest. To those who gave themselves so that I would be free. I thank you.

In one fluid movement, he lunges forward and places the torches atop the fire, his magic working to heal his hands even as they burn. Then he steps back, removing the mask he had carved from silver aspen and the ceremonial trousers woven from red-dyed wool before placing them within the pile as well, the flames devouring the hopes and prayers held within the objects, turning them into smoke that will hopefully reach the souls they are meant for. The sun is long gone now, the moon at the apex of its journey, and the sweat that had formed as he danced grows cold along his legs and back. Mael picks up the flask of wine he’d brought for himself and opens it to drink, uncaring of his nudity. He must watch until the fire dies, and then he can rest until dawn. Checking the offerings will come in the morning; so he sits and drinks and fasts till only embers remain, smoldering against the shattered stone.

»»————-　⚜　————-««

The next morning, he exits his makeshift home, exhausted and more than a little hungover. A quick Invigorate cures him of the latter, but his bones ache as he treks by to the courtyard to clean up the remnants from the Feast. It is an unusually bright day, the sky clear and free of clouds, and the sun warms his back as he kneels down to inspect the first of the offerings, finding it nearly gone. With a faint smile, he moves to the next, and the next, and the last, and each of them has been disturbed more than the birds are capable of, the gifts picked thoroughly and more than half-missing. The sign of a good Feast and answered prayers lifts a weight Mael hadn’t realized he was carrying from his shoulders. He knows that he is by no means forgiven for the atrocities he committed, yet the sight of empty baskets puts him at ease; perhaps now those left behind can begin their healing. He pauses next to the remains of the bonfire to tilt his head back, studying the clear blue stretching endlessly above his head.

“Autumn,” Ludoshel says, placing a hand on his shoulder with a smile, “is a time of rest so that we can be reborn anew, like all that the Supreme Deity’s light touches.”

“I miss you,” Mael replies.

His voice echoes flatly in the air, and he closes his eyes against the grief that swells within him. Rest to be reborn anew.

Footsteps crunch over the dirt, drawing Mael’s attention to the ruined stairs. To his surprise, Meliodas is standing there, his hands in his pockets as he surveys their surroundings, his brows furrowed with what can only be contemplation. Then his green eyes cut across the theater to Mael, and his usual grin slides into place. “I thought I’d find you here,” he says cheerfully, crossing to him. “Or hoped, actually, but Elizabeth said this is where you were most likely to go.”

Mael can only stare at him while his mind tries to comprehend Meliodas being in the Celestial Realm. “Why?” he asks.

He supposes it could have meant why are you looking for me, or why did Elizabeth send you, and Meliodas chooses to answer the former. “I have a proposition for you.” He scratches the back of his head. “Well, the Sins do. With Escanor gone, we’re short one, and all of us are used to fighting with Sunshine around. So we want you to join us. There probably won’t be much fighting,” Meliodas adds when Mael stiffens, “since the war is over, which means you’ll mostly be helping run the Boar’s Hat and keeping the peace when we have to.”

He isn’t sure what to make of the offer. “I’m not sure I’m suited to becoming his legacy.”

Meliodas waves his hand dismissively. “No one’s asking for that, or for you to become the Sin of Pride. We’re offering a home, and a chance to do something other than stay here, alone.” His gaze is calculating now as he looks at Mael, almost as though he is daring him to refuse, and he nearly smiles as the old, Estarossa-like desire to meet the challenge swells within him.

“Alright,” Mael agrees. “I’ll go with you. On one condition.”

“Name it.”

“Buy me a drink.”

Meliodas grins, holding out a hand that Mael clasps warmly within his own, and there’s a rush of fear, longing and hope that makes him tremble. Be reborn, he thinks. I’ll try my best, brother.

#nnt #nanatsu no taizai #mael #nnt mael #nnt fanfic #nnt fanfiction #my writing #myfic #oneshot #zine work

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trolldomblog · 5 years ago

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Norse Banishing Ritual

Perform the Hammer of Thor as follows:

Take a Hammer in your right hand (or use your fist or other weapon). Begin by facing East.

Imagine the Yggdrasil (World Tree or Tree of Life) represented as a combination of many glowing green strands of various shades running up your body from the root of the world to the top of your crown. Hold this image for a few moments and let that light pool up into your crown chakra as the energy moves along the middle pillar of your chakras. Allow that mixture of green energies to continue to fill the crown chakra for a few moments.

Touch your forehead with your weapon and vibrate MEGIN - pronounced m-eh-g-eyn (Strength)

Imagine that green light condensing into your crown chakra now glowing bright purple as you vibrate MEGIN.

Touch the middle of your solar plexus with your weapon and begin vibrating vibrate VERJA – pronounced veh-rr-y-awe (Protect)

Move the weapon downward toward your root chakras as you imagine the bright purple energy moving down through your central line and pooling at your feet as you vibrate the energy shifts into a bright red color pooling at your feet.

Holding your weapon in your right hand to your right side vibrate RIKI – pronounced rrr-ey-k-ey (Power)

Imagine now those red energies at your feet as you vibrate RIKI becoming bright golden with the power of lightning as they flow through your body into your right hand. All of the energy becomes golden now as you do the intonation.

Hold your weapon in your left-hand extended left OR pointing to the left in your right to and vibrate VEGR – pronounced veh-g-err (Glory)

Imagine those golden energies now flowing through your body into your side as that golden energy begins to vibrate bright white within your body. Pool the energy into your weapon as you do so.

Clasp your both hands on the weapon again at chest level and vibrate æ - pronounce ah - (forever)

At this point picture the hammer extending out from you, forming a Mjolnir larger than your body and pulsing out into the heavens and earth a bright white and golden energy.

Hold your weapon outward now in both hands above your head and visualize that white and golden light surging through it vibrating HAGALL – pronounced h-awe-g-awelll

The Norse Pentagram:

The Norse Pentagram makes use of your ritual weapon to draw it. When using a hammer for this picture the energy flowing from the hammer head like a beam of light carving into the air. For each step of this ritual starting in the easy visualize the element in play surrounding you and your weapon as a bright glowing fire of the proper color associated with the element. Extend that element visually through your weapon as you draw the pentagram in the air. Vibrate the elements name as you draw this pentagram. Picture the pentagram burning as a creation made of this element and acting as an elemental gateway. Raise your weapon to the sky and visualize energy flowing from the center of that pentagram into a sphere above it. After this turn to the appropriate direction with your weapon still held at the sky point visualizing a line of white energy connecting it to the next pooling point of energy that will be created.

Begin this by facing the East and focusing on the element of Wind, then the South and Fire, then the West and Water, then ending in the North and Earth.

Begin drawing the pentagram from the upper left to upper right vibrating “v-ey-nd-rr” (wind) and performing the visualizations.

Now Raise the Weapon to the sky pooling energy and rotate in a semicircle toward the south. Draw the pentagram lower right to top point this time vibrating hyrr “huhr” (fire) as you draw pentagram.

Again, Raise the Weapon to the sky pooling energy and rotate in a semicircle toward the West. Draw the pentagram top right to top left this time invoking Logr “l-aw-g-rr” (water) while tracing the pentagram.

Raise the Weapon to the sky pooling energy once more and rotate toward the North. Draw the pentagram again this time lower left to top point vibrate the word grund “g-rr-oond” (earth) as you create the pentagram. Raise your weapon once more pooling energy.

Weapon raised turn toward the East picture the energy that you have placed on each corner circling around in a bright brilliant light connecting those weapon energies glowing around you. Visualize the elements mixing in your weapon and then within you as the circle completes.

Hold your weapon outward and say: BEFORE ME, then vibrate, THOR.

Visualize the God of Thunder standing before you with his red hair blowing in the wind. His might Mjolnir in one hand. Yellow energy crackles in the background as a refreshing breeze cleanses and purifies the air.

Then say: BEHIND ME, then vibrate, Aegir

Visualize Aegir as an older but strong giant with a frothy white beard standing there. Behind him are his servants and attendants. He stands upon the water itself holding a horn filled with ale. Imagine the cool spray of the ocean breeze rushing over you as he stands there.

Then say: AT MY RIGHT HAND, then vibrate, TYR

Imagine standing before you in full battle armor a man with one arm. In his left hand he holds a sword engulfed in fire. Behind him are a thousand warriors all dressed in armor. Flames leap from about him as his is the fire of justice. Imagine the purifying fire of justice moving about you cleansing you of false wrongs and fears.

Then say: AT MY LEFT HAND, then vibrate, Freyja

See the Goddess Freyja standing before you clad in fine silks. Around her are her attendants, Valkyrie, and other warrior maidens. You can see the green luscious grasses about her. Smell the earthiness and the morning dew as you feel the energy of her earthen power wash over you like laying on fresh grass on a cool summer’s day.

Now, say: ABOUT ME FLAMES THE PENTAGRAM, AND IN THE CENTER THE HAMMER OF CREATION

Imagine the circle of bright white light around you and visualize the Hammer of Thor energy moving through you.

Repeat The Hammer of Thor. In closing thank the Gods, Thank the Mother Earth, Thank the Elements, and Thank your own Soul.

The Hammer Sign

1. Stand facing east, hands at sides, and form hands into fists. Imagine yourself expanding upward and outward, until you experience yourself standing upon the Earth as though it were a sphere a foot across below your feet.

2. Sweep your hands up and out to your sides in twin arcs, and bring them together above your head, turning your hands as you go, so that the heels of your palms meet. This is best done quickly, with some "snap," and the hands should come together with noticeable force. As they meet, say the words, “Hallow me...”

3. Draw the joined fists down to heart level, imagining a beam of light descending from infinite space above you to your heart, and through it to the Earth below your feet. Say the word, “...hammer...”

4. Snap the arms out to the sides, hands still held in fists, until your arms stand straight out from your body with the palms of the fists turned up. Your body thus forms the image of Thor's hammer, and you visualize yourself transformed into Mjolnir, a hammer the color of lightning, a mighty weapon ready for the hand of a god. Say the words: “...in the High One’s name.” Then vibrate the word of power WOD.

Practice this several times, so you can do it from memory, before going on to the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram.

The Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram

1. Perform the Hammer-Sign in the center of the space, facing east.

2. Go to the eastern quarter of the space and trace a pentagram with the first two fingers of your right hand, beginning with the top point, and tracing counterclockwise to banish. (This is for the banishing ritual; you'd trace clockwise to summon.) Visualize the pentagram drawn in a line of light. Point to the center of the pentagram and vibrate the name THOR.

Trace a circle around to the south, draw the pentagram in the same way, point to the center, and vibrate the name SAGA.

Repeat to the west, trace the pentagram, and vibrate the name RIGR.

Repeat to the north, trace the pentagram, and vibrate the name IDUN.

Trace the line back around to the east, completing the circle.

3. Return to the center and face east. Say: “Before me the Spear Gungnir; behind me the Gjallar-Horn; to my right hand the Sword Sumarbrandr; to my left hand the Ring Draupnir. For about me stand the five-point stars, and upon me shines the Aesir’s light.”

4. Repeat the Hammer-Sign. This completes the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram.

Notes:

a) Sága is a goddess mentioned in both the Elder and Younger Eddas, and Rigr is another name for Heimdall.

b) You can also do a somewhat less complex form of the words in step 3: "Before me Gungnir, behind me Gjallar, to my right hand Sumarbrandr, to my left hand Draupnir," and so on.

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incorrectsmashbrosquotes · 6 years ago

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The pale moonlight of a foggy night was cast over a large gothic castle of massive size and splendor. Built from the very mountain that still made part of its daunting walls, the place was a basin of darkness and a storm of ice and wind to all, and very few traveled here for good reason. But that was not tonight as the castle was teeming with the forces of the Demon King Ganondorf, who simply could not pass up this opurtunity to take the dark fortress as his domain. Thousands of minions from the lowest Bokoblins to the mightiest Lynels were busy with orders to clear house and take whatever fancied their desire as clearly no one was home in the castle and it was ripe for the picking, the owner having been long gone that now the castle was a ghost town. However two warriors had managed to sneak in and evade the monsterous forces as they trailed after the King of Demons himself as he searched for something.

Deep within the castle grounds, Simon and Richter had managed to find Ganondorf as he was watching a group of imps search through various powerful artifacts they procured from the castle treasury and brought to him. Sensing the two Belmonts enter the room as he barked out orders and the imps left with their haul before turning to the two Vampire Hunters. A Haughty smile on his face as he greet them. “Simon, Richter, still being petulant dogs i see.” He grinned wickedly as the two had recovered from thair last beating and gripped their ancestreal weapons for a fight. Ganondorf just took their silence as compliance for another smackdown as his hands were coated in dark magic. “If there is one thing I enjoy about you pesky holy warriors, its your stubborness to submit. Alas i’ll just make use of your souls.” He chortled out in a chuckle as they did battle once more, and once again it was in the favor of the Gerudo. Richter was beaten down first like he was nothing and Simon had his legs broken followed by the King of Evil proceeding to choke him with the Vampire Killer. Richter was currently pinned to the floor with the Sword of Sages impaling him through the gut, weakly reaching out for Simon as his metal whip was shattered to dozens of pieces before him.

“What’s wrong kid, your pathetic ‘holy god’ not lending a hand?” He mocked as he took to enjoying himself with viciouly beating the Belmont duo within an inch of their lives, who knew Ghirahim would have solid advice to release work stress. Simon gurgled out though strained breath as he weakly grasped a flask of holy water and smashed it against Ganondorf’s face. Which did absolutely nothing to faze him mind the light steam coming off as the shards of glass fell off and water dried away off his face. The Gerudo God King felt insulted by the attempt as he let go ov the chain whip and backhanded Simon as a few of his teeth flew out and he collapsed. Getting off and yanking his sword from Richter’s body as he watched the younger one crawl to his elder.

“Its been fun, you two, oh who am I kidding, your both pathetic.” He sneared out in mild annoyance as these two were mere gnats to his presence. If you can’t rely on others, gotta get your hands dirty yourself. Charging dark magic thorugh the long blade, Ganondorf watched in humor as Simon cradled Richter who was losing blood fast. “Rest easy son, Lucina is waiting for you at home.” Simon said as he pressed a hand to Richter’s wound and vowed to get his family safe despite both facing imminent death. Ganondorf just rolled his eyes at the show of love and fired off a beam of warlock magic to the two. Time seeming to slow as Simon shielded Richter’s body and smiling to him in pride.

However the air around the trio darkening as shadows and power condensed before the two Belmonts and took a form, the form of a crimson clad figure as the beam rammed into him. splitting apart in many directions as the beam was cut and pushed against a strong force. Ganondorf caught off guard but growling and pushing more power as Simon looked up to a pair of glowing red eyes and a pale handsome face. “You…” Simon uttered out with a frown as he stared at Dracula, who held the beam of magic off from obliterating Simon and Richter. Dracula raised a finger as if asking for a moment then looked to Ganondorf through the magic and clenching his fist as the beam burst in power and Ganondorf was pushed back a few inches from the force. The dust and smoke clearing to reveal Dracula, the Prince of Darkness, standing before Simon and Richter Belmont and facing Ganon. Dracula dusted off his hands and sighed out before looking to his 'family’.

“I see your as stubborn as my own grandson, ironic you both share the same name…” Dracula commented as he cast a spell with a wave that had Richter’s wound freeze over with ice to stop the bleeding. “While I should admonish you for acting reckless again, now is not the time. Loki, get these two children out of my castle…” Dracula said as a dwarf being burst into the room in black smoke, his green eyes sparkling with mirth as he gathered their weapons and grabbed them as all three vanished with Simon getting cut off as he was gonna speak. As Dracula focused on Ganondorf, he grew a smile and greeted his guest.

“How kind of you to invite yourself into my home and act like you own every tile, Dragmire. But what can i expect from a thief posing as a king.” The Vampire said as Ganon just glared at being stopped yet again from disposing of two peons and denied his fun. The ground next to the Dragon bubbled up with blood as it took the form of a humanoid creature, woman in figure as it bowed and spoke in a raspy voice, “My prince~…” It said as Dracula replied in a curt tone as if adressing the news. “We have uninvited guests, see to it that my legions are freed from the hibernation spell i set up centuries ago.Been a long nap, I deduce everyone is quite famished,” He said with a hint of humor as the blood creature sprouted a toothy fang filled grin and seeped into the stone and marble floor.

Dracula watched Ganondorf and could feel his anger growing at him, the one being that dared defy the Demon King and twice now disrupt his activity. Gabriel just reached into his cloak and brought out a familiar old weapon as he paused and tucked it back away. “On second thought, I’d rather not make it quick and easy. You, my little pig king, deserve a stern punishment.” Icy magic emenating as Dracula summoned his favored mystical weapon, The Void Sword, as Ganondorf lunged with his sacred longsword in a roar of fury.

Within the caverns beneath the castle was a titanic collumn, known simply as 'The Tower’, the obsidian marble was the very foundation of Castlevania and the exuded dark energies that would draw creatures of the night from around the world. The blood being reformed and moved to the beheamoth pillar as it was chanting Enochian and hands glowing with the blood of The Dragon it was connected to. Stepping up to it as its hands pressed on the black stone and glowed in power, the chanting finished on a forboding note, “AWAKEN, LEGIONS OF THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS.”

The castle let off a light glow of red power as the forces of Ganondorf all began to feel the grounds shake as some stumbled and they looked aorund in confusion and worry. Then the noise followed as they picked up the roars and wails of thousands of unholy monsters as the darkness poured out every manner of supernatural. Needless to say the forces of ganon were woefully unprepared as they were swarmed by the legions of Dracula and torn into. The sights were bloodbaths as the monsters of the night proved too fast and too overwhelming for the army of the Demon King. Harpies and Gargoyle littered the air and took down flying beasts while many beasts, undead and enchanted being overrun the invading military. One would spot a Necromancer decked in red and purple robes in the graveyards hunting the Poe’s as it was flanked by Dark Acolytes and reaping souls with fun. Lycans running down and dragging down big Moblins as Vampires cut down Lynels and Darknuts with large enchanted armors smashed away the small fry or crushed them easily. Even demons, those that submitted to Dracula after the fall of Satan got their fill as they hunted down many others. Any that were not torn apart by the supernatural were dragged off screaming and struggling to the kitchens and dungeons to be made use of.

Simon and Richter reappeared away and out of the castle grounds as they watched the castle from a distance, The imp letting them go and speaking in a humored tone. “There we are, apologies gents but I must be getting back, i can smell the goodies these visitors will be not needing~” He beamed with a smile and then reached into his pack and brought out a pair of medallions embalmed with five blue gems. “A gift from my Prince, a sign of good will and hopes that you two don’t do anything rash again. Light Magic medallions, powerful holy work capable of benefitting any warrior of light and tuning their gear for the better.” The Chupacabras smiled and tucked it into Simon’s tunic as Simon nodded in thanks, though a bit repulsed by the lil imp. He got up and felt a gauntletted hand on his shoulder, looking to see a pale dark blue clad vampire looking at him in light concern.

“Its time for you to return home young Simon, father and I will attend to this thief. May both of you have a safe journey.” The pale vampire smiled and took his hand off Simon’s shoulder as he walked to the castle. “Wait, what is your name, vampire?” Simon called out, curious and surprised the being did not attack him. The vmapire turned back and replied. “Alucard, formerlly Trevor Belmont, til we meet again, Holy Warrior.” He gave a bow and turned away as the Chupacabras already left and Simon turned his way and into the woods with Richter sleeping while the laght magic slowly seeped into their bodies and worked on healing them. Alucard approached the gates and drawbridge as two heavily armored Moblins had managed to excape free of the horrors and spotted him coming, not the brightest of Ganons races, they thought him easy prey and charged with roars as Alucard just burst forth in a teal mist and blur of white and dark blue speed. Appearing again and still walking as he flicked The Crissaegrim free of black blood and sheathing the blade with a bored look as he walked past the gates. The forces of Darkness taking a moment to bow to Alucard as they were feasting on the enemy.

The two Moblins collapsing as their runs slowed and one froze up before shattering into shards of ice and the other had white hot holes stabbed into and thorugh its armor in the vital spots, being cooked alive by hellfire. Collapsing as their shadows pooled out and they were pulled in by Shadow Beasts claws into their own shadows and the inky black mass moved into the castle to continue their fun.

Unknown to all, or just ignored by Dracula’s forces, a certain woman watched the whole carnage from a cushioned seat as she held her opera glasses up and focused on the battle between Dracula and Ganondorf, the Demon King actually being hardpressed and a scowl marring his face as The Prince of Darkness had him on his toes easily. Void Sword vanishing as Chaos Claws came out and grasped the sacred Sage Sword in one hand as another came in to deliver a punishing right hook that had Ganondorf tumble back and growl as his blood leaked through grit teeth while Dracula let out a smirk, this was gonna be fun~.

Palutena watched in light worry for Dracula as she knew to mess with Ganondorf was to risk certain death, but here Dracula was, making Ganondorf his lackey and besting him in combat, all while having that handsome smirk on his face. She had a light blush as she focused on Gabriel and his every move as he beat and humiliated Ganondorf, the orb of her staff recording the whole thing as this was gonna be a great story for the others who disliked Ganondorf and his armies.

Ganondorf was gonna never live this mockery down, and the others wouldn’t let him either.

#incorrect super smash bros #super smash bros #incorrect quotes #Gabriel Belmont #Gabriel #Dracula #Ganondorf #Palutena #alucard #Trevor Belmont #Richter Belmont #Simon Belmont #Palutena x Gabriel #Black Light #Castlevania #Legend of Zelda #Kid Icarus #submission

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lattefics · 6 years ago

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heart and might in the forest

Summary: Caduceus finds some troublemakers near the Mighty Nine's camp, and takes care of them.

Rating: Teen/General

Words: 1582

AO3 Link

Caduceus’ ears flicked, picking up a light noise from the brush in the forest. He blinked, vibrant violet eyes adjusting quickly to the still present darkness and the shadows looming around their campsite.

Sound chimed at the edge of his hearing, ears flicking again to angle and catch the direction of the sound. With a great, lumbering sigh, Caduceus sat up and stretched his long neck, craning it up and out.

Something glowed in the forest, almost too far to catch behind the massive dark shapes of the trees that surrounded them. The pale moonlight reflected back shades of blue and green, and among them were the sharp slivers of lights bobbing freely like tiny flames. Caduceus blinked and whuffed out a low breath, getting his staff and pushing himself up to standing. Around him, his new friends dozed peacefully, and the one on watch–Yasha–was nowhere to be found. Caduceus dug his clawed toes into the earth to feel the refreshing coolness of the dirt, one hand running up his staff to cradle around the gem at the top that glowed its constant soft pink light.

“Do you see them?” Caduceus whispered into it, his eyes fixed on the lights. “Yes, so do I. I think we have nighttime visitors.” He paused to turn his long neck back to the camp and his sleeping companions. Yasha never went far without telling them. He could trust her.

With large, silent steps, Caduceus padded across grass and low brush, deeper into the trees, letting himself be guided by the tinkling, twinkling lights some hundred feet away. He hadn’t seen any like them since leaving the graveyard and his heart fluttered to know he hadn’t lost some fundamental part of himself, that the ethereal creatures just beyond reality still called to him. Not everyone would know them for what they were on sight, thinking them fireflies or the glowing embers of ghosts. He was certain some of his new companions would destroy them without question if they laid eyes on them. But Caduceus knew these delicate creatures, had seen them fluttering around gravestones and hiding in the caps of mushrooms at his home.

The chimes sounded louder the closer he got. Caduceus moved slower as he approached, careful not to let his paws snap a twig or crinkle a leaf. The wrong move would send them scattering to the wind like a snow flurry, forever lost and untrusting of the beast that had invaded their celebration.

Their glow became less of a mask as he stepped closer, nostrils wide to take in the scent of fresh rain and dewdrops that surrounded them. He could see bodies within the tiny lights, shapes that morphed and stretched to imitate the world around them and never quite settling in one place. His tail flicked behind him to mimic their shapeshifting dance, inviting them to see him as one of them.

The cluster of fey lights bent and stretched, forming a path. Caduceus sighed out his approval, knowing anything louder would scare them. He tiptoed around the trees, one hand on his staff and the other in front to brace for any accidental impact, hand outstretched in silent invitation. None of the creatures took it but a few of them swirled around his fingers, bodies shaping around his hand as they inspected. Caduceus grinned, flashing wide teeth in a message of delight and warning. The light creatures bobbed rapidly and darted away, back to their glowing cluster to swirl among their brethren and titter about the giant monster who could so easily eat them if he chose.

They eventually led him to a clearing, where his prize awaited. The cluster of lights had gathered around a ring of mushrooms, dancing and spinning across the tops in a circular pattern that left an afterglow as their magic collected and condensed. A fierce, angry light rested atop the circle waiting to be set off, for a friend or foe to trip the border and set chaos upon the forest.

Caduceus tutted and kneeled next to the faerie ring, stretching his hand out to brush the barrier. He could feel the magic cooking within, piled upon the poor mushroom caps for days or weeks. “Well,” he said, his voice like a low drumbeat that boomed across the cluster of fey lights and shocked them into stillness, “we can’t have this, can we?”

The cluster shook, vibrating in protest.

“I know,” he soothed, chittering at them like an insect to its hive. “You see, I have friends nearby, and they wouldn’t much appreciate your type of fun. In fact they might come back here and try to destroy this entirely,” he waved a hand to the mushroom ring.

Another angry vibration from the lights. Their forms shifted fast now, twisting and crying with unspent magic. Caduceus could smell burning mycelium where they stood on the mushrooms, the glow sizzling the mushroom caps like fresh embers. He cooed again and reached out but when his fingers drew close, one of the tiny glowing forms lashed out and swiped the tip, teeth gnashing into the tough finger pad to prick him.

Caduceus jerked back and glanced at this finger. A thin drop of blood welled, like red crystal against pale pink skin. “Oh,” Caduceus snorted and stood, “oh, my little friends, I was trying to be nice. I truly was.”

Another angry vibration from the glowing fey sprites. They hummed low like a swarm of bees. Caduceus flashed his teeth, and raised his hand. “You’ve drawn blood,” he rumbled, the single drop shimmering pearlescent on his skin. “I hope you’re prepared for the contract this seals, little ones.”

The sprites drew back as a cluster, fluttering above their mushroom ring. “Are you going to stop this nonsense?” Caduceus asked, spreading the toes of his paws out to brace himself on the forest floor.

Another hum and this time the fey burned a vibrant orange, a wall of fire circling their magic ritual. Caduceus tutted, shaking his head. “I see. Very well.” He flicked his finger, the drop of blood arcing out over the lights and falling in the center of the faerie ring.

His staff hummed with bright energy and Caduceus gripped it with both hands, smearing his wound across the gem to seal the contract, his violet eyes shining to mirror the single drop of blood that now refracted the fey’s magic like a prism, absorbing and reflecting with a hundred times the intensity. The glowing lights screeched in protest, the cluster collapsing in on itself and scrambling to avoid the circle that grew where the blood had fallen, consuming the faerie ring from the inside out.

When it touched the mushrooms themselves they shriveled, burning death consuming them and collapsing the magical barrier. The cluster of fey wound tighter and tighter over the center of the ring, fighting off the energy of Caduceus’ magic, but only singed themselves as the bright beams scattered across their ever shifting forms.

With one final push, the blood scorched the earth below it and the last mushroom fell, a rumbling like a small avalanche sounding through the clearing. The fey screamed and dove from their precious ritual, slamming into trees and grass and bushes in their desperation to escape the wrath of Caduceus’ vengeance.

Caduceus breathed out hard and blinked, watching the last of the sprites scatter to the wind. Where their circle had been there stood now only blackened earth and the remains of dead plants, wilted and cracked and dry. “That’s a shame,” he murmured. “Those might have made good tea.”

Footsteps stomped through the forest and a low voice called out, “Caduceus?!”

He craned his long neck out, head tilted as Yasha came barreling through, her sword out and her posture ready for a fight. She stopped at the clearing edge, eyes narrowed as she took in Caduceus’ calm demeanor next to the smoldering earth. “What- what happened?”

“Oh, nothing much,” he said, with a slow smile. “Just taking care of some… unwanted tricksters. These forests can be dangerous.”

“Tricksters?” Yasha skirted around the circle of burnt earth, moving to scuff it with her boot.

“I wouldn’t,” he cautioned. Yasha stopped with her boot hovering above it and set it down warily as he said, “The sprites are gone but the magic might not be. Best to stay clear of it.”

“All right.” Yasha raised a brow at the burnt ground and looked to Caduceus. “You’re not hurt?”

“No more than a scratch.” He raised his hand, the bloodstain still smeared on his finger pad. “Sprites can be nasty.”

“I wouldn’t know.” She pursed her lips and tilted her head back toward the camp. “Let’s get back. We might have woken some people up with the noise. Jester can probably heal that for you.” She pointed to the wound.

“Oh,” Caduceus drew his hand in close, tail swaying lazily as he followed Yasha back through the dark shadows and looming trees, “it’s all right. A good night’s rest will see this perfectly well by the morning.”

Yasha shrugged, unbothered, and Caduceus took his chance while her back was turned to lead them. He tilted his staff and peered at the gem atop it, tracing his bloodied finger across the surface. Inside it, there was a soft, familiar yellow glow, and the low buzzing of the ones who hadn't made it. He grinned. “There, beauties,” he said. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

#critical role #critfic #critrole #caduceus clay #fae #fairy #blood tw #fanfiction #writing

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thegreatpikminzx789 · 6 years ago

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Beyond the Stars - Etrian Odyssey V - Chapter 6

Wattpad | Ao3 | Fanfiction.Net

Chapter Summary: The Lux Guild begins to explore the labyrinth, only to find a mysterious item of sorts. When things turn for the worse that night, they turn to an experienced treasure hunting guild for help.

AN: Starting from here, there may be certain points where I will use prompts from @theshatteredrose to fill in some story segments for Beyond the Stars. Not that there's anything wrong with having nothing but explore and explore, but sometimes a little fun with another guild can add variety, and it never hurts to change things up a bit.

Drayce belongs to TheShatteredRose.

The day was still bright, as the Lux Guild finally set foot in the first floor of the labyrinth. The soft, wet grass soaking against their feet- well, for Keiko, the grass merely felt like an obstacle. The sun's rays pierced through the leaves, hitting the floor with enough sunlight for explorers to venture through the floor.

"Whoa… this is… beautiful..." grinned Korey, as he looked around in awe. "Ladies, and gentleman, this is the Yggdrasil’s first stratum: the Tutelary Forest." Hilda declared, as the other girls started to wonder a bit from the group.

"It’s so gorgeous… Out of all the forests I’ve been to, this one takes the cake." Kyo sighed, glancing toward Keiko as she knelt to place her hand in the water.

"Even the water here is pretty… Ooooooo~" the Therian cooed, making little ripples in the water.

"So, who’s going to do the mapping?" questioned Demetria. "Well," Hilda began. "I won’t be in charge of mapping the floors after a certain point on the third floor, but I can teach you how to make maps, Demetria. We’re going to need someone with a sharp eye, and you proved that often back in Iorys."

"Alright," Demetria nodded. "I suppose learning never hurts…" Hilda takes out a piece of paper and places it in Demetria's hands, as she goes over how mapping works. The brown skinned Celestrian walks over to Korey.

"I’d never thought we’d see such a beautiful sight for the first floor…" she began, the fencer nodding in agreement. "Neither did I, Kyo… Once we’re done with the mission, we can start climbing the Yggdrasil tree beyond the first floor." Korey hummed, noticing Keiko hopping around a bit before stopping next to Kyo and Korey.

"It’s going to be so much FUN!" she chirped, as the fencer couldn't help but chuckle at her excitement. "You bet it will, Keiko. I guarantee it!" He beamed.

"Though, are you sure our current equipment will get us through this first floor?" Kyo inquired, seeing as everyone got new weapons to start off their journey through Yggdrasil. "I’m positive, Kyo. We’re gonna need to get items from monsters in order for new weapons to be made, as Syrik said to us, it shouldn't be hard..." Korey reassured the Celestrian.

"Though certain monsters have conditional drops… And I’ve heard that explorers had quite a hard time trying to get some of them." Keiko protested, as Korey placed a finger on his chin, almost reconsidering his previous sentence...

"...Okay, maybe it WILL be harder than I thought." He admitted, as Keiko and Kyo laughed at his sudden take back of his sentence. Hilda and Demetria soon stood beside them.

"I’ve taught Demetria the basics of mapping, but for the time being, I will map out this floor and the second floor. After that, it’s completely new territory beyond one particular point on the third floor." Hilda declared, letting everyone else know why they had to wait for as long as they did.

"Got it. Everyone ready to go get this mission done?" Korey inquired, though needless to say, he already got his answer when they nodded at him.

They start by marking off the left side of the beginning area, as Korey notices some fish around a certain part of the area. "This spot seems like it’d be a good spot to get some fish…" Korey noted, as Keiko overheard the Fencer.

"It sure will. But we’d be here all day if we do…" Keiko disputed.

Well, she's right about that. Depending on how good the fisher is, they'd either be here and gone in a few minutes, or just stuck here for hours. "...Good point. Let’s just get back on track." He sighed, getting up to follow the others.

After coming across a guard whose watching over some chickens, they continue onward. Even conquering a mud puddle, for one weird reason or another... Yet, despite their searching and mapping of the entire area, they've yet to encounter one monster.

"I’m staaaarving…" Keiko groaned. Kyo rolled her eyes, "Seriously, Keiko? We JUST ate right before we left to go see Prince Ramus, how could you be this hungry already?" She questioned.

"She can be like that, on occasion... something I don’t quite understand how it works." Demetria stated. "Well, once we’re done here, we can get something to eat at the inn." Korey reassured the Therian, as she sighed, looking around a bit before noticing an acorn on the ground.

"Oooooh, an acorn…" she groaned, making her way over to it, with no one else paying attention to where she's going. "That’s nice, Keiko, just don’t try to-" Hilda stopped herself, both in speech, and in movement. She made a sharp turn to face Keiko.

"Don’t eat that acorn, Keiko!"

"Huh? Why not?" As Keiko turned to face Hilda, the Therian was blissfully unaware of the acorn breaking free, gaining eyes and feet, before jumping and hitting Keiko on the head. "Owww!" She yelled, getting knocked to the ground as the Acorn attempted to tackle her head multiple times.

Everyone else's attention turned to Keiko when she heard her yell in pain. "Keiko!" Korey gasped, bringing out his weapon as he swiftly went to Keiko's side. Demetria pulled Keiko away from the sentient acorn and helps her up.

"You bloody idiot! Why did you think it was just going to be food for you?!" Demetria shouted, as the other Therian weakly reached for the Acorn. "It looked so innocent, I just wanted to eaaaat it…" She replied.

"That’s a Rabid Acorn, Keiko." Hilda began, placing the map away. "Alone, or with groups similar to it, it poses little to no threat, but when grouped with two other creatures, these guys can become a problem real quick." she explained. Korey quickly realizes she did not draw her weapon.

"Aren’t you going to help us fight it?" he asked. "And end the fight like that? I already have some experience fighting against these creatures, you know... because..." Hilda looked away from Korey, the fencer recalling what she meant.

"Oooooh, right, right, I getcha…" He uttered, before focusing his attention back to the Rabid Acorn before him. "Kyo, let’s show it how its done!" The purple haired Celestrian nodded in return.

"Got it." Kyo hummed, taking out her staff as it emitted a purple light, before turning red like a raging fire. "Taste Fireball, sucker!"

She points at the Rabid Acorn, as the energy condenses together at the end of the purple light, forming a literal fireball, launching it at the Acorn as it falls backwards from being hit. Beta hears a bush shake, growling as another Rabid Acorn shows up to assist in the fight, making its way right for Kyo. "More company. Go get ‘em, Beta!" Demetria ordered, shooting an arrow at the Acorn to get its attention.

Upon being hit, the Acorn turned to the source of the attack, only to be greeted by Beta's sharp claws in its face, launching it back. "How about this?! Optic Thrust!" Korey yelled, swiftly running to the launched Rabid Acorn and cuts through it, as its now split corpse falls to the ground, as the other Acorn finally managed to get up.

Keiko starts growling. "Why you’ll… you’ll pay for this, Mr. Innocent Acorn!" She screamed, charging right for the Rabid Acorn.

The poor thing didn't even see it coming. Before it did anything else, Keiko went in, swords swinging like a madman, and just cutting the Rabid Acorn to shreds. And it kept going for a while.

"I think it’s dead, Keiko." Korey said, befuddled by Keiko's constant swinging. "Keiko, I think that’s enough…" Hilda tried, but still no sign of the Therian stopping anytime soon. They turned to Demetria, who sighs before taking a deep breath.

"Keiko! That’s enough!" She yelled, getting the Masurao to stop swinging wildly. "Wha-?!" Keiko blinked, looking where the Rabid Acorn once stood.

It literally turned into mere powders of what remained of it. Freaking brutal, yet surprising, coming from somebody who called an Acorn, 'Mr. Innocent Acorn'. "O-Oh… d-did I just do that?" She asked, looking at the others when she did.

"Yes... Yes you did." Korey confirmed, before a sudden snarl made everyone on high alert. "Seems like we’ve attracted something..." He uttered, as Hilda blinked in surprise.

"Huh… here I thought we wouldn’t see them this early into the first floor." She spoke to herself. "See what, Hilda?" Keiko inquired, curious as to what she was talking about.

"...A Wild Dog." She began. As if the timing couldn't be excellent, a giant red hound-like creature rushed out of the bushes, charging right towards the Harbinger.

"Hilda, watch out!" Korey warned just in the nick of time. She swung her scythe at the dog, causing it to stop then and there, leaping backwards to the others.

"Thanks for the warning. I've heard that their bites can hurt quite a lot. I suggest you be cautious and not stand too close to it." She thanked Korey, before warning everyone of its bite.

"Understood! Take this!" Demetria shot an arrow at the Wild Dog, as Beta shortly followed suit, scratching the enemy before backing away before it could strike back.

Kyo’s staff soon starts emitting a light blue glow where the purple light once remained. "Icicle Lance!" Kyo raised her staff into the air, before pointing at the enemy, as a few icicles launched from the lance. The Wild Dog flinched every time the icicles hit it.

Hilda couldn't help but whistle in surprise, looking at the Warlock with a smile on her face. "Impressive... I never thought you knew the weakness of a Wild Dog this quick." She complimented, as the purple haired Warlock blushed a little bit.

"Heheh, I may have guessed that on my own but... T-Thanks for the compliment. " Kyo admitted, trying to hide her blush as Korey rushed in for the final blow on the enemy.

"Hiyaaah!" Korey yelled, slashing his sword at the Wild Dog, as it let out one last whimper before it falls, no longer breathing. Korey takes out his weapon, and cleans the sword of the blood on it, as everyone started to calm down from the battle that occurred.

"That takes care of that… And we didn’t even have to suffer more severe injuries." Korey took a deep breath, sheathing his weapon as everyone else started to sheathe their weapons too.

"That’s a start." Hilda nodded, before turning to Keiko, who was rubbing her head where the Rabid Acorn hit her. She notices Hilda, and looks to face her.

"Although I can only advise you- more specifically, to everyone: there will be points in the labyrinth where we can get food. But whatever you do, do not go trusting suspicious food, like the Rabid Acorn. If more Wild Dogs were around, that would’ve been quite disastrous…" Hilda explained, as the Therian gazed at the ground for a few seconds.

"I’m sorry, Hilda… I’ll try and heed your advice." Keiko apologized, feeling the Harbinger's hand pat her shoulder. "Apology accepted, Keiko." she beamed.

"It’s a learning experience for all of you, and I’m only telling you what I know so that you all can survive the labyrinth. Cause while it is pretty, we’re not even close to starting on our journey. To die here this early is, shall we say, a kick to the face..." She continued, getting the map she previously stowed away back out.

"But now that the monsters are gone, we can proceed back on track." Demetria beamed, getting up from petting her hound. "Right… The sooner we get the samples and the map complete, the better." Korey concluded, leading the guild away from the area the battle occurred.

After walking around for a few minutes, they spot the huge tree they had seen earlier from the entrance of the stratum. "This must be the tree where we get a branch sample, right?" Korey asked.

"Indeed. There should be one that’s close enough for us to reach it..." Hilda noted, as Demetria points to the nearest one.

"There's one. Keiko, can you reach it?" Demetria queried, as Keiko stood under the branch and grabbed the branch, snapping it at the end portion. "Got it!" Keiko exclaimed, as Kyo chuckled to herself.

"Talk about cheating with height..." Kyo grinned, as Korey scratched his head. "Well, she does have those shoes that make her seem more taller than one would expect." He explained, leaving the Celestrian to shrug.

Demetria walks over to Keiko, before her eyes glanced at something in the water. The Harbinger noticed and walked up to her. "What’s up, Demetria?"

Demetria turned to look at Hilda. "There’s something down where Keiko pulled the branch sample, but I’m not sure what it is..." She replied, pointing to where she saw the item. Korey bent down and placed his bag down beside him.

"Allow me to try and get it." Korey hummed, reaching in the water. It took some time to get an actual grip on it, but he soon gets it out of the water, washing some of the dirt on it revealing the item to be a box of sorts. It was decorated rather fashionably, jewels and gems placed all around it.

"Whoooaaa…" Kyo gasped, looking at the box from afar. "That's soooo cooool!" Keiko squealed, as Demetria knelt to her knees to gaze at it.

"It’s so beautiful..." Demetria chirped, shocked at the sheer beauty of the decorated box before them.

"Is that a jewelry box?" Hilda inquired, as Korey looked at it from multiple angles to be sure. "Seems like it. But who would leave it here on the first floor?" Korey wondered.

"I'm not sure who, since nobody seems to be around to confirm its theirs..." Kyo also wondered. "Can you try opening it?" Keiko inquired, thinking there might be some way to open it.

Korey attempts to slip his fingers through the line and break it open, but after trying a few times, nothing seems to come to fruition. "Can’t get it to open..." He admitted, the box quickly vanishing from his vision.

"Let me try..." Demetria spoke, as she tried bashing it against the ground, hoping it would eventually give in. "Don't do that, sis! What if the thing inside that box is fragile?!" Keiko exclaimed, as Demetria stopped in her tracks.

She did have a point. It's a box. It's most likely containing something within it. Demetria dusted off the dirt on it and sighed in defeat, handing it back to Korey.

"Are you sure it’s not magically guarded?" questioned Hilda. "I can’t be sure. Even if I happen to know what it is, getting it off might take some time..." Kyo spoke up after trying to detect its mana. She probably wasn't proficient enough to detect what kind it is.

"Oh well. Might as well take it with us and see if we can find any means of opening it..." Korey shrugged, placing the jewelry box in the bag and started to stand up. "I suppose it can’t hurt to take it along, seeing as that didn’t happen before on my first visit…" Hilda agreed.

"So all that’s left is the dirt sample, right?" Keiko commented, as the white haired girl nodded in return. "Right. The map segment Ramus required to be drawn is already done, so the sample of dirt is all that remains." She explained, letting Korey take the lead once more.

It didn't take them long to find the spot in question. The ground had a different texture compared to the floor they've been walking on this whole time. Kyo grabs a sample, slipping it into a plastic bag that Korey had brought in his bag.

"Done and done~" Kyo beamed, giving the sample to Korey to place in the bag. "Well, that about does it for the mission, I must say." Demetria hummed, glad the mission is over with without any major issues.

"Indeed. Everyone did a fantastic job." Korey grinned, giving everyone a smile, which caused a few of them to smile as well.

"The second floor onward won’t be this easy, Korey. We must exercise caution at all times." Hilda reassured him, recalling the words she said earlier from their battle with the Wild Dog and Rabid Acorn.

"Right. Anyways, let’s report to Prince Ramus." Korey concluded, after looking up at the sky to see what time it was. They made their way back to the entrance of the Tutelary Forest, and walked back to Iorys, making it back around sunset.

Prince Ramus was reading a book that intrigued him, before he noticed the Lux Guild approaching him. He placed the book down as he stood up and walked over to the approaching guild.

"I see you've returned. Did you get the samples, along with completing what I outlined on the map?" Ramus inquired.

"We sure did!" Keiko replied, handing him the samples, and Hilda showed off the map to him. "Ah, marvelous work. Marvelous work indeed." He hummed, handing the samples of the dirt and branch to the guard next to him.

Korey placed a finger on his chin, seeming to be in deep thought for a moment before looking at the Earthlain prince. "So, why make us go through the labyrinth to get a sample of wood and dirt?" he inquired.

"It’s to make sure that the explorers are worthy of traveling through Yggdrasil. And you all passed with flying colors." Ramus explained. "Exploration of the Yggdrasil is now open to you, members of the Lux Guild."

Needless to say, Keiko, Demetria, and Kyo both cheered in joy, as Hilda and Korey grew smiles on their faces. "Oooooh, it feels like I’m dreaming…" Keiko sighed, placing her hands next to her cheeks.

"Seeing the prince again, or the fact we’re finally exploring Yggdrasil?" Demetria inquired, confused by what Keiko meant. "Prooobably both~" Keiko replied, leaving her twin sister to sigh and shake her head.

"Now that you’re able to explore the labyrinth, you can now buy an important item known as the Ariadine Thread." Ramus began. "They’re helpful since they return you to Iorys in a matter of seconds. Just show this card to Syrik and he’ll sell you them." he continued, picking up a card and hands it to Korey.

"I see. I guess it can't hurt to get at least one or two of these Ariadine Threads before we head back into the labyrinth." Korey noted, placing the card in his bag.

"You’re also now able to handle the quests at the tavern. We only allow certified guilds to tackle the quests that are posted there." Ramus added.

"Probably for a good reason, I assume?" Kyo queried, as the Earthlain Prince nodded in response.

"Anyways, we should head back to the inn, night’s about to fall." Hilda declared, as everyone took note of the sky's color slowly changing. "Good idea…" Demetria concurred.

"I hope you rest well tonight." Ramus hummed, waving good-bye to the guild before him. "We will, your Highness." Korey waved back, before catching up with the others.

As they arrive back in Jenetta's Inn, the green haired Therian hoped over to them as soon as they entered, wondering how the exploration mission went. Hilda and the others took turns on explaining how it went, and that they made it with not problems whatsoever. "That’s wonderful! Soon, you’ll begin climbing the Yggdrasil for real!" Jenetta hummed, clapping her hands in joy.

"Yeah, everyone’s excited to get started. It only feels like yesterday that we started out recruiting three guild members..." Kyo chuckled, already feeling like they've accomplished so much.

"It sure feels like it, Kyo." Korey agreed, as he lets out a yawn, before placing some money in front of Jenetta. "Anyways, we need a room to rest, Jenetta." He groaned, trying to stay awake.

"Ah yes, your room. Let me show you to your room for tonight~" Jenetta graciously accepted the money, before skipping to the stairs, motioning for the guild to follow her. She stops at the third door on the second floor, opening the door for them.

"If you need anything, feel free to let me know!" Jenetta added, as Korey, Keiko, and Demetria passed by her. "Got it, Jenetta." Hilda noted, before closing the door after Kyo came in. Korey opened the curtains to reveal the gorgeous night sky...

"Well, this room is more bigger than the other room..." Kyo commented. "Still got two beds though." Keiko sighed, not liking the idea of having to deal with two beds. They were close to having more beds, but not in the way she expected it to be.

"I guess she just expects us to be all comfortable with each other, or something." Demetria shrugged, unable to find the right words to call Jenetta's attempt of 'group bonding'. "But there’s only one man in our entire guild. Here I thought a guild full of girls would tickle his fancy, or something." Hilda disputed.

Keiko couldn't help but snicker at what Hilda said earlier. "That’s something I certainly never thought you’d say..." She began, seeing the Harbinger's cheeks turn red and attempted to hide her face from the other girls.

"Argh, Keiko, why’d you have to point that out?!" Hilda groaned, as Keiko chuckled to herself. Korey sat on the bed and took out the jewelry box from the bag, gleaming at it in wonder.

"Just what are we going to do with this thing? We can’t take it around the labyrinth with is, it’ll just be dead weight." He asked, as Kyo placed a finger on her chin.

"I don't know. We just don't have the right means of opening it somehow..." Kyo uttered, feeling like they were getting nowhere with this subject matter.

"Either way, we might as well prepare to for bed. Come on, girls." Demetria sighed, motioning for the girls to follow her, following closely behind her.

As Korey stands up to place the box down, he is startled by the sound of the window crashing behind him, quickly turning to face the source of the crash. "What the-?!" he yelled, as the girls swiftly turned to face the same noise he heard.

In front of the window was a Therian. From his garb, he appeared to be a Masurao, with black hair and light brown skin. "Excuse me sir, this room doesn’t belong to you!" Demetria exclaimed, as the Therian stands up from crashing through the window.

His purple eyes darted to the Fencer, who had a tight grip on the jewelry box. "Jewelry box... must obtain!" The man yelled, charging right at Korey, swinging his fist at him. Korey dodges the first swing, before he gets picked up by the Therian and thrown against the wall on the other side of the room.

"Agh!" Korey screamed in pain, falling onto the bed below him. "Korey!" Hilda yelled, grabbing her scythe as Kyo activated her staff.

"That’s my friend, you bastard!" The Celestrian exclaimed, starting to cast a spell, as her staff's purple light soon changed to a golden yellow. "Feel the Lightning!" Kyo screamed, as lightning bolts emerged from her staff, striking the Therian and getting his attention before he could get any closer to Korey.

Hilda made her move, charging right at the Therian, as her scythe is soon enveloped in electric miasma. "Paralyzing Reap!" Hilda slashed at his chest, causing him to flinch back, taking a few steps back as he covers his chest, blood soon staining his hands.

"Why you... pesky Harbinger!" The man snarled, attempting to move closer to Hilda, who backed away from him. "Air Blade!" Keiko hollered, slashing at the Therian so fast that it created a physical form of air, making direct contact with the Therian Pugilist.

Beta jumps and attempts to bite the Pugilist, but the man punches Beta away before he gets an arrow to his left arm. "Graaah!" he yelled in pain, clutching his shoulder.

"It’s over, you intruder! You can’t outmatch us!" Demetria exclaimed, as the man looked around to see himself cornered and surrounded. He clenches his fists in anger.

"You keep shiny jewelry box for now... But next meeting, won’t be so lucky!" the man grabbed an item from his pocket, and tossed it to the ground, as smoke appeared from where he stood, causing everyone to cough at the sudden surprise.

When the smoke vanishes, the Therian is gone, but the window is still destroyed.

"What the hell was that about... That was just rude to bust into our room and try and steal our prized jewelry box!" Keiko growled, placing her sword away now that the threat had been cleared.

"I have no idea, Keiko..." Demetria sighed, as she tended to Beta to make sure he was alright. Hilda climbed onto the bed and turned Korey over, who still had the box close to him.

"Are you alright, Korey?" Hilda asked, as Korey attempted to sit up. "I-I’m fine... But why the sudden concern over me all of a sudden?" He inquired, feeling a little confused.

Hilda's cheeks turned red, as she tried to avoid eye contact with him. "I-It’s just because you’re our guild leader! We wouldn’t want you dying to a Therian Pugilist of all things, that’s all!" She exclaimed, concluding the discussion rather fast.

"My dear guests, what’s with all the ruckus going on up here?" Jenetta's voice asked from the other side of the door. Demetria gets up from petting her hound and opened the door to speak with Jenetta.

"Listen," the dark skinned Therian began. "as strange as it is to say this, some Pugilist decided to bust through the window and started to attack us over a jewelry box we found in the first floor of the Tutelary Forest." Demetria explained.

"Oh my... no wonder I heard a window crash earlier!" Jenetta gasped upon seeing the proof of the window crash. "I don’t want to risk it happening again while we’re asleep so… mind taking us to another room?" Demetria asked.

The green haired Therian nodded. "Why, of course! I just have to make sure I have someone repair that window tomorrow. Right this way, my beloved guests!" She motioned, as everyone grabbed their belongings and followed behind the innkeeper.

Thankfully the room she picked was father from the scene of the attack. Keiko and the others didn't mind if it was similar to the room they were in earlier, they just decided to get to sleep as soon as possible. When morning arrived, the sound of knocking on the door soon rouses Korey from his sleep.

"Ugh... who could it be this time?" Korey sighed, sitting up and rubbing his eye. The same knocking sound occurs again, causing Hilda to groan in annoyance.

"Do you think it’s Jenetta trying to tell us that it’s morning?" Hilda asked, as Korey was unaware if that was the case. "Let’s go check, just to be sure..." He uttered, as the two got out of bed and made their way to the door. When Korey opened the door, he was- for lack of a better word, surprised at who stood before them.

Some guy with a dark red coat, red hair, blue eyes, and light brown skin lowered his hand and looked at the two people who were looking at him. "Terribly sorry for disturbing you at this hour, but is this the room where the Lux Guild is residing in?" He asked, seeming a little bit lost.

"Y-Yes... that would be us." Korey stammered, as he let out a yawn and stretched his arms. "Who are you, anyway?" Hilda asked, having never seen the man before.

"Oh, terribly sorry, I haven’t introduced myself. The name’s Drayce, leader of the Angelward Guild." Drayce introduced himself, extending a hand as if in greeting.

"Drayce, huh… I’m Korey, leader of the Lux Guild." Korey uttered, before introducing himself and shook Drayce's hand. "And I’m Hilda." Hilda disclosed her name, shaking Drayce's hand after Korey withdrew his hand.

"Pleasure to meet you two. Do you mind if I discuss something to your guild in the lobby about something?" Drayce asked, as Korey tilted his head, seeming a little slow on the uptake.

"About what?" He asked, just so he can get a refresher going on in his head.

"About the attack that happened last night. I heard there was a fight here and I wish to know the details of what happened." The red haired man explained.

Korey and Hilda stare at each other for a couple of seconds, before glancing back at Drayce. "Sure, just allow us a few minutes to get dressed and wake up our other guild members." Korey agreed, seeing a smile bloom on Drayce's face.

"Got it. See you in a little bit." He said, making his way down to the lobby as Korey closed the door, before turning to face the other girls.

"Rise and shine, girls! I repeat, rise and shine!" Korey announced, eventually getting the girls to stir from their sleep.

"Is it... morning already?" Kyo asked, rubbing her eye as she sat up. "Yeah, it’s morning, Kyo. Better get dressed right away." Korey instructed, going off to get dressed himself.

"Why’s that?" Keiko inquired. "Somebody wishes to discuss with us about the attack that happened last night." Hilda explained, as she starts getting dressed.

"At this time of day...?" Demetria groaned, questioning why someone would speak with them this early. "Better now than never, Demetria." Hilda urged, not wanting to argue with the Therian in the morning.

"Alright, Hilda..." Demetria sighed, getting up to let the other girls get dressed. After everyone is dressed, they take their possessions, items, and weapons, making their way down to the lobby. Korey notices Drayce waving at them, and approached him.

"Sorry if we kept you waiting." Korey chuckled, taking a seat in front of Drayce, as Hilda took the seat next to Korey. "It’s fine, Korey, I'm in no rush." Drayce replied.

"Who’s this guy, Korey? Is he a friend of yours?" Keiko inquired.

"Heh, I wish I knew him. Only met him a few minutes ago." Korey chuckled in response to Keiko's question.

"The name’s Drayce, guild leader of the Angelward Guild." Drayce introduced himself to the other guild members. "Interesting name... I’m Demetria, and this is my twin sister, Keiko." Demetria motioned to the 'taller' Therian beside her.

"Pleased to meetcha, Mr. Drayce!" Keiko hummed. "My name’s Kyo. It's certainly is nice to meet you, Drayce." Kyo spoke, smiling at the Dragoon before her.

"The pleasure’s all mine. Please, take a seat." Drayce motioned to the other chairs, as Kyo, Keiko, and Demetria sit down on the empty chairs.

"Now then," the red haired man began. "from what I understood, somebody came into one of the rooms in this very inn and attacked someone from this guild in particular. Am I right?"

Everyone nodded in response. "Yes, that’s correct. Although the attacker went straight towards me, he seemed to be after this thing..." Korey began, taking out the jewelry box in question and placed it on the table.

"A jewelry box?" Drayce pondered. "Tell me; where did you find that?" he asked, wanting to know where they found it.

"We found it on the first floor of the Tutelary Forest. We didn’t know why it was there, and we certainly can’t open it, no matter how hard we tried..." Hilda explained to Drayce.

"I see..." Drayce placed a finger on his chin. "I guess if you can't open it, there's no way of knowing what's inside." He muttered to himself.

"I don't quite get it though," Demetria wondered, looking at Drayce as she continued on. "the man that attacked us was Therian, yet he fought like a Pugilist. Do you have any idea why that's the case?" She continued, hoping the Dragoon would have an answer.

"As far as I know, since explorers are working together to get through Yggdrasil, the government allowed for every race to learn the skills of a particular class." Drayce explained, placing his hand down part way through his explanation. "If a Therian can become a Pugilist, they can, much like an Celestrian can become a Botanist." He added.

Drayce turned his attention back to the jewelry box. "Still, why would someone target a jewelry box of all things?" He questioned.

Korey shrugged in response, having no idea why the Therian Pugilist went for the box. "Beats me. For all we know, something of value is inside, we just need to know how to open it." He sighed, glaring at the jewelry box.

"Then allow me and my guild to assist you." Drayce began. "You see, unlike other guilds, we’re not interested in exploring the Yggdrasil."

Hilda looked at him in surprise. "You're not? Then, why do you go to Yggdrasil for?" She asked, wanting to know more about Drayce's guild.

"We’re more interested in the treasures and myths the Yggdrasil contains, Hilda. I believe this jewelry box may be something worth your while." Drayce continued, explaining his answer to the white haired Harbinger.

"I see... well, all of us are quite intrigued on what may be in the box." Hilda glanced at the jewelry box. "Korey, what do you think? You’re our leader, after all." Demetria asked, as everyone turned to face him, waiting for an answer.

Korey let out a deep sigh. "As much as I want to leave this to a professional, I can't say I'm intrigued by whatever may be in this box. And even if that Therian Pugilist comes back, we'll have more in numbers than he might have..." Korey mumbled to himself, before shaking his head to rid himself of the thought, looking at Drayce with confidence in his eyes.

"We'll be glad to have you assist us, Drayce." Korey declared. Drayce's smile made itself apparent once again. "Thank you, Korey." He thanked.

"So, where do we start?" Kyo inquired. "Let's start by heading to my guild house. Follow me." Drayce began, getting up from his chair and pushed it in, motioning for Korey and the others to follow him.

Korey grabs the jewelry box, and starts following Drayce, with the four girls following close behind him, heading out of the inn as Drayce stands next to a caravan. "We'll be going to the Crescentia via caravan. It’s easier than walking all the way there." Drayce continued once everyone was close enough to hear him.

"Crescentia?" Korey questioned. "That's the name of the guild house I inherited. Great name, isn't it?" Drayce quickly explained.

"It sounds cool!" Keiko hummed, giving Drayce a quick chuckle. "Thanks. Now, let's get in." He urged, letting the girls go in the caravan first, as he and Korey follow them soon afterward, as the caravan began to head towards Drayce's guild house.

#Etrian Odyssey #Etrian Odyssey V #EOV #EO5 #Writing #Angelward Guild #Lux Guild

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lostonessoulworld · 3 years ago

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Project Symphony file 5

MS: X-0027J-G10H: Gundam Starlight Waltz:

Primary color: Blue (Ice blue)

Secondary color: Grey (Ice grey)

Power plant: solar energy

Armaments: Beam Magnum, beam “Sword” (Exia style beam sabers X4), Beam rifle(s) (2-barrel beam gun x2 (Secondary) + GM 3 beam rifle [primary]), 100mm machine gun X2 (Primary non beam guns)

Special armament: Beam shield (F91 style X4)

Special system/feature: GN drive Tau

Beam color: Shield 1 (right arm): Ice blue

Beam color: shield 2 (left arm): Ice blue

Beam color: Shield 3 (right leg): Ice green

Beam color: Shield 4 (left leg): Ice green

Beam color: E-2 beam spray gun: Ice blue

Beam color: 2-barrel beam gun: Ice green

Beam saber 1 (left shoulder): Ice blue

Beam saber 2 (left arm): Ice Blue

Beam saber 3 (right shoulder): Ice green

Beam saber 4 (right arm): Ice green

Tactical Data: Regarded as the most versatile of project Symphony, the Starlight Waltz is known for it’s speed, and it’s GN drive Tau. Threat level: PRIME

Report: That Dr. Akarui. She is something else. Within a day she had already built, and tested to unbelievable levels, a device to help us improve the Tau drive. She calls this device, rather simply, the Tau filter. Like the name inplies it filters the poison from the Tau drives released particles and releases them as purified GN particles, the only “negative” side effect is it changed the glow of the GN Tau drive from red to a icy green. Honestly I’m surprised no one on the team has put a ring on her finger yet. Sure she’s a bit cold at times (Oddly fitting considering the Waltz as a Ice blue and grey color scheme) but I’ve seen the real her. She’s kind, a bit naive at times, but cares more about her team then herself. I suppose I wouldn’t expect anything less from the young doctor. On a side note she’s actually the one, along side her father and grand father, who designed the Waltz. I’ve seen her stare at it at times. Reminds me almost of a mother looking at her child. She’s even ordered we begin proper weapons testing, giving us now more weapons. To be exact we now have: A variant of the beam magnum which was used by the RX-0 Unicorn, four beam sabers based off of the design of one we found in the Celestial Bio Engineering data for a suit called “Exia” with two of them stored in the shoulders, and two, much like the unicorn, stored in the forearm but in our case it’s the lower forearm, I believe this is a temporary design choice, both sets of beam sabers will be two different colors: the shoulder set is Ice green, matching the once light green left eye now turned Ice green once the Tau drive got it’s filter, while the forearm sabers will be Ice blue, matching the Ice blue right eye. We’ve also been told to give it a GM 3 beam rifle, while also giving it a extra two-barrel beam gun, making said two-barrel beam guns it’s secondary. Dr. Akarui is already at work on a holster design for them, or so I’ve been told, after that we’ve been told to give it a pair of 100mm machine guns from the ground gundam as it’s only form of non-beam based combat. But that’s not all. Before now the Waltz has had no form of a shield, now though it will in the form of a energy shield, or should I say Shields? Two in ice blue will be going onto the arms and two in ice green will be going onto the legs. If that’s the case perhaps I can convince Dr. Akarui to put the beam sabers in the knee’s instead of the forearm’s. Just in case me and Dr. Akarui have decided to place GN condenser’s in key locations along the Waltz: The knee joints, elbow joints, and the cockpit’s opening hatch. Both A. to gather more particles quickly, and B. Not over complicate the design of the Waltz too much. As for the details that still need to be built: The face mask is one but that seems to be a small matter compared to how everyone is arguing over how the V fin, the signature look of any Gundam, should look. Seems this project really has blazed ahead thanks to the tau drive.

Minor update: This has nothing to do with the Waltz but I asked Dr. Akarui out on a date, figure maybe we could grab a pizza or something, I obviously didn’t expect her to say yes or anything but...she kida did. She said, and I quote “Sure. On on condition. No where fancy please. I on’t do good in those high society fancy restaurants, and for the love of god just dress CASUALLY. Nothing fancy. Just something casual. OK?” Seems under that cold but kind shell is someone who really needs to learn how to take a break.

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17caratstorytime-blog · 7 years ago

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You Were My Fairytale

Member: Jeon Wonwoo

Words: 2.85k

Genre: Angst with some fluff

Warnings: none~

A/N: This was actually a story idea I had a little while ago and out of nowhere I was like “oh shoot, Wonwoo would fit this so well” so I went back last night and wrote it up and there you have it folks~ I hope you guys enjoy! Lemme know what you think~!

This was never meant to happen. None of this. I was never meant to be at the bookstore until closing hours. I wasn’t supposed to have fallen asleep reading another novel, the cup of coffee from before long forgotten and cold. I don’t remember what I had been dreaming, but I remember waking up to find a red leather-bound book glistening from one of the bookshelves. As soon as I blinked, it was gone. Despite every neuron firing in my body, screaming at me not to touch that book, to walk away and pretend I never saw that soft flickering light, I couldn’t fight the strong pull of my heart leaping towards that book. That was how I found myself in his word for the first time. Granted being pinned against a shirtless, very disheveled young man amongst a room of about a dozen other young men in the middle of what seemed to be a dinner plus drunken brawling was not what I was expecting but it left a strong impact on our friendship. At first, he didn’t believe me, labeling me instead as another alien from somewhere in the galaxy out to take his throne, but as I began to appear and reappear out of nowhere, it started to hit him. As for me, I realized eventually the red journal would teleport me to his world every time I opened the book, the memories of our adventures with a pre-written destiny bewitched into each piece of parchment. That was how Jeon Wonwoo and I first met.

“Wonwoo, you’re so dead when I get my hands on you ” I seethed as I blindly stumbled through the cavern, the damp coldness sticking to my body like a second skin. Behind me, heavy footsteps caught up with mine, snickers spilling out of the lips of the men accompanying me.

“This should be interesting to watch,” one of the mages behind her cackled. “Wonwoo’s told us of your anger issues but seeing you take it out on him is going to be the best yet.” Normally more silent and nonchalant, Lee Jihoon was fairly ecstatic to see one of his best friends be turned from unbreakable to shattered china.

Next to Jihoon were Jun and Soonyoung, the two also beaming with mischievous grins. Before any other words could be spoken, a burning ball of flame flew past the group, barely missing them before another flew right at them. Jun immediately snapped into action, dropping to his knees and slamming his palms into the ground. As he began to mutter words, a pale mint force field surrounded the four of them. Jihoon closed his eyes, mapping out their location and finding the source of the flame as Soonyoung and I deflected any flying flames that Jun couldn’t stop. Just as sudden as they came, the flames stopped. A few terse minutes of silence ticked by, not even our breathing audible. Until...

“(Y/N), look,” Jun whispered, fingers pointing at the dark floor barely illuminated by their torches. At first I noticed nothing, until the stone Jun was pointing at jumped. Soon, the entire cavern was shaking, from the small pebbles on the floor to the ominous stalactites hanging above. Jun’s force field kept them safe. Otherwise they would’ve been turned into human kebabs for whatever flame breathing monster was headed their way. But before that...

“WONWOO?!” the group collectively yelled at the stumbling figure that appeared, the edge of his cape still alight with dying embers. Rather than explaining, Wonwoo grabbed my arm and began to run.

“There’s no time to explain,” he panted out. “Let’s get out first, and avoid being eaten alive.”

That was all we needed to run alongside him, the thudding footsteps of whatever beast Wonwoo messed with much louder and faster than before. We barely managed to find the exit before a massive shadow flew over our heads, knocking us into our backs.

“Shit,” Wonwoo hissed as he stood up, hands glowing a bright red as he unsheathed his sword, Soonyoung and I right behind him as Jun took rear with Jihoon.

I glanced at Wonwoo from the side of my eyes and found my heart pounding. His eyes were set on the beast, focused and sharp. Smooth skin with a sharp jawline. Rosy lips set in a straight line. It was something I could never get used to.

“Something on my face, (Y/N)?” Wonwoo asked, a smirk overtaking his features.

I huffed and instead turned my head to stare back at the yellow serpentine eyes staring us down, thankful the dark made it very hard to see the red creeping along my cheeks. “Nope, just planning on how exactly to murder you when we get out just to bring you back and murder you again for being an absolute moron,” I retorted. He chuckled, a deep sound that made my heart skip.

With that, the creature charged at us. Jun’s force field kept us just out of its reach but the light glow illuminated on its body, scales lighting up in shades of sapphire. It’s long, massive body was covered in scales. Sharp teeth, heavy feet, large webbed wings...

“YOU MESSED WITH A DRAGON?!” Soonyoung just about shrieked as we all turned to stare at Wonwoo with shock and horror decorating our faces.

Wonwoo was undeterred by the outburst, eyes instead going back to me. The sudden seriousness made me take a step back. “(Y/N), didn’t you say you always wanted the scales of a sapphire dragon?” he asked me, to which I could only nod. His serious expression was then replaced with a soft smile. “Well, I’d been meaning to find a way to confess the right way and w-“

Before he could complete his thought, a burst of fire charged towards us. The five of us all split up in five different directions, moving out of the dragon’s reach. Jun and Jihoon took front, immediately launching an array of spells as Soonyoung charged up his sword with magic. Wonwoo found his way to my side, worry etched over his faces.

“Are you okay?” he asked as he grabbed me by the elbow and helped me up.

For some reason, this small action was enough to make me shy away from his touch, his unfinished confession ringing through my head. “I’m fine, Wonu,” I mumbled, looking at everything except his eyes. His hand reached out to cup my cheek, inspecting a cut I didn’t realize I managed to get as I had dodged the debris. His thumb gently ran across my cheek, my breath stuck in my throat as our eyes met. It was fairly dark, yet I could feel his eyes on me, taking in what he could. Time seemed to slow down around us, everything forgotten but the two of us. Well, until a screeching Junhui went colliding into a wall near us with Soonyoung following moments after. Our heads then snapped back to the situation at hand, the cavern full of dancing shadows and ferocious flames as the livid beast rampaged.

“We would very much appreciate it if you two lovebirds would help us out here for a bit,” Jihoon screamed as he jumped away from the dragon’s tail only to be launched back by a gust of wind from its wings.

Wonwoo chuckled before leaning over and kissing my forehead. “I’ll finish what I was going to say when we get out of here,” he promised. All I could do was dumbly nod and watch as he ran to help the rest of the group. I shook my head, pulled myself out of my reverie and joined them, doing my best to focus on the task at hand. The rest was history. We defeated the dragon. We went home. We confessed and were harassed by the rest of our friends.

It had been a good few months since that day. The dragon scale had be forged into a small ring, one I never took off, one that matched Wonwoo’s charm. For some reason, my heart was aching when I woke up in the evening from a nap. I hadn’t seen Wonwoo in a few days, not having been called into the book, but today the book glowed fiercely bright, the red harsher than an angry setting sun. Slowly, I walked to my desk. Sweat trickled down my neck. Saying I was nervous was an understatement. The book then flipped open, and it was then that I realized the amount of pages I had already taken up.

My eyes flitted word to word on the page, the scene of flying dust and raging shots of condensed magic filling my mind. All I could think of was him. As though reading my thoughts, the pages of the book flipped themselves, stopping at yet another blank page. “Are you okay?” the words imprinted themselves onto the word without a sound escaping my mouth, my mind penning down the letters instead. A few long moments passed before he wrote back. “I don’t have long left,” he solemnly wrote. “We’re at the end of the book you know.”

And with those words, I was yet again transported to the space in between. This time it was the edge of a cliff, the sun slowly kissing the horizon as the sky began to drown in inky purples and pale pinks. His dark calculating eyes looked into my worried ones, a small bittersweet smile on his face.

“Remember how earlier into the book, when I first fell in love with you…I said to you ‘Please, don’t close the book. I don’t want to die’ and you listened, kept the book sitting there and open for days as the story wrote itself?” Unable to speak, I simply nodded and silently urged him to speak. His eyes broke from mine to look back at the sun, the dying rays making his eyes shine. But when he turned back to me, I realized it wasn’t just the sun that made his eyes shine. It was the tears he was trying to hold back. His large, calloused hands grabbed mine the way fear was grabbing my heart. “I need you to let me go,” he choked out. My knees gave way and suddenly I was kneeling in the dirt. Pebbles bore into my skin, but the pain was nothing compared to the sensation of my heart being slowly ripped apart. He kneeled down in front of me, one hand holding mine and the other cupping my cheek for the last time. “This book, this world, this is my home. This is where I am from, where I will live, and where I will exist. This is my world. You have your own. Where magic doesn’t exist. Where humans drive mechanical vehicles and fly in the large machines from one place to another. You do not belong here,” he softly said, the tears making their way down his cheeks. “I want to be selfish. I want to keep you here. I want to travel with you across the worlds, build a home with you, a new life…a family, but…” he managed to choke out.

“But, I don’t belong here,” I finished for him. He slowly nodded.

“You and I both know how this story will end,” he gently said, his hand wiping away my tears as they fell. “I love you. I love you very much and I will love you until my last breath. This…this is my last mission and after that, I too will be gone. The book is ended as we speak. So, this…” he trailed off, unable to find it in himself to say those words.

I decided to say it for him. “This is the last time we will ever see each other. You’ll cease to exist and I…” I let out a bitter chuckle. “I will have to live the rest of my life pretending you never existed.”

He pulled me into his arms, cradling me as my tears turned into sobs. “I’m sorry, my love. I truly am sorry,” he continuously whispered. He pulled back, his hand grabbing me by the chin, eyes scanning my face as my own scanned his, desperate to memorize everything there was about him. And with the last light of the sinking sun, his lips descended on mine, soft and gentle, full of love and apology. Before he pulled away, his hand pushed a small, cold object into my hand. Little by little, his body disintegrated into ashes, flying away in the wind. The last to fade was his face, one last “I love you,” escaping his lips and as the sun finally vanished, so did he and once again, I was all alone on my bedroom floor, my only solace the cold gripping my body and the locket he bought months ago in the arabic market, inside it the only image I would ever have of him. I watched as the last words of the book imbedded themselves onto the parchment. And as the reality finally sunk in, I sobbed. The love of my life was now dead and for him, I would mourn. This was it. This was goodbye.

For months afterwards, I was unable to continue the way I did before. How was I supposed to? No one knew of us. Our story. Our love. I could tell no one. Who would believe me? Soon enough, the journal was packed away and hidden from sight. I had reread our story many times, tears littered across multiple pages as the memories burned my heart, the embers liquefying and falling from my eyes. The day I locked it away, I sobbed. It was like saying goodbye over again. I moved to a new apartment at the opposite end of town, a new job and a new setting. The clothes, random trinkets, the dagger Wonwoo forged for me...I parted with them all, each item placed deep in the back of storage. I was able to put everything away except that locket and the ring. No matter how hard I tried, I was never able to put those away. Eventually a year flew by and the unbearable pain dulled into an ache, the ache a dull throbbing. I was able to smile, go out, actually live my new life. I did try my hand at dating, but found myself comparing each to him. Maybe I wasn’t ready just yet.

The autumn air this morning was fairly chilly, the promise of winter on its heels. It was an off day, streets buzzing with the sounds of the city and its inhabitants. Today, I found myself wondering about Wonwoo. For the first time in weeks, my heart was back to that initial suffocating heart break where my lungs were unable to take in air and sobs were threatening to escape my lips. That was how I found myself wandering around the city, my feet stopping in front of a familiar bookstore. As I opened the door, the scent of book pages and fresh coffee hit my nose and immediately I remembered that day. Sad smile on my lips, I went to order the same sweet concoction I had that day. I slipped the red boom out of my bag, fingers running across the unblemished red leather. Taking my coffee and thanking the old lady behind the counter, I found a small, secluded seating area and began to read with a fond, bittersweet smile on my lips. Time ticked by without me ever realizing.

“May I take this seat? All the other ones are taken I’m afraid,” a deep voice questioned, snapping me out of my reverie. My eyes flicked up, immediately widening in shock as I took in the appearance of the young man before me. Dreamy brown eyes, dark messy hair, a sharp jawline, those pink lips...it can’t be. I could only nod as I stared at him, speechless. The man gave me a grateful smile before taking a seat across from me, ignoring my presence as he sipped his coffee and read another book, the velvet blue cover matching his calm persona and oddly enough the suit he was in. I took a deep breath. It’s just a coincidence, I told myself. He’s not real. This is someone else.

Silence ticked on between us as we eventually engrossed ourselves in our respective stories. I was rereading the day Wonwoo and I confessed to one another when I heard the man close his book and clear his throat, gaining my attention. Our eyes met before his flickered to the red journal in my hands as mine looked at the blue one gingerly held open by his hands before we once again looked at one another. He gave me a small smile before reaching out his hand, a sapphire scale charm peaking from his sleeve.

“My name is Jeon Wonwoo and I believe we’ve met before.”

-Admin 🐯

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colorofichor · 7 years ago

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* * * Her quarters had become the corner she backed into. It was oft quiet in the afternoons, the same hour the sun beamed inside; sweat condensed beneath her thick lockes and the only way she could manage to keep the stench of King’s Landing’s population’s sewage out of her mouth was with pitcher after pitcher of wine. The vineyards were sweeter in the east than they were in the west and gave her teeth a tint of red. She missed the cages of lions lining Casterly Rock; she missed when Lady Cersei Lannister’s word was final. Though daughter of the Hand of the King, they treated her as another woman whose name would be meaningless when she was sold to the highest bidder and given his. No amount of gold could fix the callous smirk embedded upon her face. She was drunk on her third glass of pinot noir when she heard the knight’s footsteps. They were heavy, flat, and made a terrible conundrum as they marched right through her door. She made no effort to smile, nor acknowledge his presence other than with a sharp glare as he tore her chalice out of her hand. “I do hope this has made you happy,” he began, like he always had. “I poured a drink just for you,” she mocked him, almost spitting. “It’s an honor to be your servant, Ser Jaime. Shall I clean your chamber pot next?” “Do you have any idea what this station has brought unto me? Of what I must bear witness to and to say absolutely nothing?” Do I care? With a cocked brow and a great exasperated sigh, she refilled her chalice to the rim. “I expect you’ll give me every detail.” Knighthood was all Jaime had ever cared about. He was never interested in their father’s politics, or the glory of House Lannister. He wanted to play and swing his sword and be a little boy forever, ignorant of responsibility. When she discovered their father’s plans to wed Jaime to the flighty little Lysa Tully, Cersei s a v e d him. She deliberately abolished Tywin’s ambitions for an opportunity to make him happy. She would fight him with teeth and claws if he regretted it.

#cersei lannister #jaime lannister #cersei x jaime #game of thrones #asoiaf #winemom-writes #got

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inquisitorradcliffe · 7 years ago

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Burn the Witch

First Place reward for @jdlegacy from the Recruitment Drive contest

Radcliffe’s revolver banged in his hand as another body dropped. He spun, arms swinging around to bring another target into his crosshairs and fire again. His revolver clicked dry. Radcliffe swore and danced back into the cover of a stone plinth. Lasrounds peppered the plinth, sending plumes of masonry dust into the air with each strike. The Lord Inquisitor opened his weapon’s cylinder with a flick of his wrist. Spent shells fell out, cascading down to jangle as they struck the tile floor. With practiced ease, Radcliffe reloaded and flicked the cylinder back into position before swinging out into a kneeling position and firing again.

“Leave some for the rest of us, Lord Inquisitor.” Radcliffe frowned as his vox bead crackled and Inquisitor Dolman’s smug voice came over the link. Dolman was a member of the Ordo Hereticus, and offensively stereotypical of its agents. He wore a tall, wide-brimmed hat at all times with a brown leather greatcoat that had the collar turned up. He carried a Condemnor patter bolt gun and enough anti-psyker trinkets to put a Culexus assassin to shame. The only redeeming quality about the man was his service record and the few choice souls that made up his retinue, all of whom seemed to find the man as irritating an insufferable as Radcliffe did.

“If you hurried and caught up, you might not be so reliant on my generosity,” Radcliffe shot back. He had no intention of saving any glory for Dolman. That wasn’t the game he played. If the Hereticus inquisitor wanted a share of the victory he would have to fight harder for it.

“Heads up, boss.” Remus’ voice came through a moment before a rocket screamed into the air. It spiraled towards Radcliffe on a tail of grey smoke. Radcliffe raised his arm to shield his face and the rocket detonated on a telekinetic barrier. Smoke and fire rolled around the Lord Inquisitor, but apart from a hot wind ruffling his coat, he was unharmed.

“Can someone get that fekker?” Radcliffe snapped. He was beginning to grow tired of this. The deeper they made it into the basilica, the more opposition they came across. Radcliffe launched himself forward, leaving the stone plinth for the safety of a marble support column. He peered out for a moment, taking stock of what lay ahead.

The corridor widened out ahead at a cross junction. Service platforms ran overhead, almost invisible against the high, domed ceiling. A number of cultists, their eyes dark and empty, had their guns trained down at the strike team, red beams of las stitching the air. Radcliffe, for the briefest moment, caught sight of the rocket launcher as the man toting it hefted it up onto his shoulder again.

“Incoming!” someone cried just before the launcher belched its payload at them. More tile and masonry flew into the air as the rocket blew a crater in the center of the corridor.

“I said can someone-”

“Patience, Lord Inquisitor,” Dolman chided. Radcliffe would strangle the man if they survived this. “We have it.”

“Damn well you better,” Radcliffe muttered. A moment later and fire boiled across the upper catwalks and Radcliffe heard the three distinctive percussive blasts as grenades went off. Cultists were thrown from their perch, falling to their deaths with unnerving silence.

“Target neutralized, Lord Inquisitor.”

“Much appreciated, Mister Danforth,” Radcliffe replied. He turned on his heel and whistled sharply. On cue, the rest of his team broke cover and sprinted the remainder of the corridor until they were all backed up against a set of ornate double doors. Thatch stepped forward, holstering his inferno pistol so he could plug into the door’s security pad. The techsorcist had the lock undone in a matter of seconds. Radcliffe pressed he vox bead in his ear. “We’re in position, Dolman.”

“Understood, Lord Inquisitor. We are-” Static burst across the link, causing Radcliffe to flinch.

“Say again, Dolman. You’re breaking up.”

More static. It hissed it waves that receded periodically to allow the sound of gunfire through. Gunfire and screaming. Radcliffe nodded to Thatch. “Open it.”

The doors squealed as gears engaged and massive hydraulic rams recessed into the floor pushed them inwards. The sound of gunfire and the horrid screaming, before only audible over the vox, now flooded out and engulfed them. Radcliffe ducked inside, mind already roving forward to assess the situation before the rest of his team followed him in.

He was met by a mental barrier of immense force. It was blunt and unwieldy, the result of a combination of untrained minds accumulated into one gestalt force of will. They were the source of the screaming and their wailing was a symptom of Dolman’s work upon their physical form.

There were hundreds of them, all chained together via metal collars around their necks. Their eyes had been removed, scorched out to leave nothing but blackened sockets. Whether this was intentional or the result of some warp power was uncertain. They were on their knees, pale, shriveled bodies trembling as they sobbed and wailed. They were wretched, and Dolman sought to end each of their wretched lives.

He killed without mercy as he marched down the line, executing each psyker in turn. They died effortlessly, their heads evaporating into red mist and grey matter. Each passing resounded i the warp as a violent shriek. “Dolman what are you doing?” Radcliffe shouted. “Stop!”

“The Emperor’s work, Lord Inquisitor!” Dolman replied. “You may join me at any time.”

“Stay your hand you ignorant man!” Radcliffe shouted. The air was growing unnaturally cold and each death only pushed the temperature down further. Radcliffe could feel a growing pressure. The veil between the warp and reality was failing. “Dolman!”

It was too late. There came the sound of shattered glass and for a moment everything froze. Tendrils of glowing haze bled into reality from a point just above Dolman’s head. They shone with impossible colors and seemed to coalesce into something greater. Then it all exploded. Dolman was tossed backwards like a rag doll, sailing through the air until he struck a stone pillar. The sickening crunch his body made indicated to Radcliffe the man would not be getting up again. The psykers, those that Dolman had not yet killed, simply ceased to exist, evaporating into a cloud of bloody mist that swirled on the sudden wind. It rose up and condensed until the blood was a shimmering, floating pool recessed high into the vaulted ceiling.

“Boss?” Orval’s voice over the vox link betrayed the slightest hint of panic.

“Kill anything that comes near me,” Radcliffe instructed. Thunder peeled overhead and lightning flashed inside the blood. Then it began to rain, warm and sticky.

“Lord Inquisitor, what do you need of me?”

“Danforth?”

“Aye, Lord.”

“My orders stand for you as well, Mister Danforth. For the Emperor.”

“For the Emperor, Lord.”

Radcliffe looked up at the blood cloud as it spit down on him. The warm fluid ran down his cheeks and he wiped it away with the back of his hand. The cloud seemed to sense his defiance, and the light sprinkle turned into an absolute deluge. Something moved within it, something large and with wings. A giant claw, the fingers gnarled and grotesque, pushed through. The blood strained at first, as if it were a membrane. Then it broke, popping like a bubble. It fell from the ceiling to swamp the floor.

And the bloodthirster fell with it.

The daemon landed with a heavy thud, tiles shattering under its hooves. The force of the impact caused a shock wave to ripple across the blood pools. Wings, leathery and scaled like a dragon’s, unfurled from its back as the bloodthirster stood to its full height. The whip in its left hand wreathed and snapped with a mind of its own. The axe in its other hand pulsed with arcane power. Radcliffe drew his force sword, already acutely aware the wraithbone’s abilities would be of little use against this foe. The bloodthirster roared, shaking the building with its primal bellow. It stared Radcliffe down with eyes that glowed like hot coals. The challenge was unmistakable.

Radcliffe’s grip on his sword tightened. “Let’s see what you’ve got then.”

The first blow nearly drove his sword from his hands. The whip only made things more difficult, snaking about to try and snare and disarm. Radcliffe counted himself blessed to have sparred with so many Mechanicus armed with dendrites. He stomped down hard on the whip, wincing internally as he registered the fleshy feel to it. A downstroke severed the whip in two.

The bloodthirster roared. “Ĭ̡ͯ ẅ̢̝́į̄ͮl͓ͪ͟l̥̠͝ c̳᷈̎l̫͂̏a̍ͬ᷅i̼̺ͫm̲̏ͅ ŷ᷇̌o͚̜͕u̺᷊͆r͐᷆͠ s᷁̆͝k̥͊ͬu̓̅᷇l̿̋͘l̶̝̥ f̶ͤ͡o̶̳̙r̼̐̏ Ḵ̙͂h̙᷉͒o᷈̆̃r᷁͏᷈n͂̿͗ȅ͊᷃.ͥͣͯ“ The thing was clearly not used to Low Gothic, and it showed in the way it spoke. It raised its axe. The other hand, now free with the loss of its whip, reached forth to grab the Lord Inquisitor. Radcliffe threw himself to the side just in time to avoid being grabbed.

Something exploded on the beast’s back, prompting the bloodthirster to shriek in pain. It stumbled backwards, turning as it looked for the new threat. “I’ll keep it distracted, my Lord.”

“Danforth?”

“Don’t take too long. I’ve only got three charges left.” Radcliffe spied the man ducking between support columns. He paused once, exposed halfway between points of cover, to release another charge. It was square, the size of a small briefcase. It spun through the air, arcing up and over with Danforth’s expert throw until detonated in the daemon’s face.

Radcliffe looked around. They were running out of time. The longer the bloodthirster was allowed to exist, the stronger its tie to reality became and the harder it would be to banish. Radcliffe reached out mentally, testing the waters as he probed the daemon’s defenses. As he expected, his mind was rebuked. Khorne’s servants always boasted a number of safeguards against psykers.

But flying chunks of masonry were a different story. Another bomb went off, drawing another frustrated scream from the daemon. Radcliffe focused on a long piece of marble, jagged and dangerously spear-like. It was longer than he was tall, and judging by the difficulty he had lifting it even with his prodigious mind, weighed in the neighborhood of several tons. The third and final bomb went off.

“My Lord,” Danforth said, urgency in his tone. “Any time now.”

Radcliffe flung his improvised missile with all his might. The bloodthirster seemed to sense what was happening and turned to face the Inquisitor, but too late. The marble spike impaled the beast through its tainted heart. Blood, black and steaming, fountained forth as if released from a great pressure. The daemon began to thrash about in its death throes. More pillars collapsed under its wild charge until it fell to its knees and toppled over, dead.

Silence fell.

“Are we done?”

Radcliffe coughed powdered marble from his lungs as he turned to look for his erstwhile assassin. He found him secreted up in the rafters. “Yes, we are done. Mister Danforth, are you okay?”

“Aye, but....”

“But, Mister Danforth?”

“But Inquisitor Dolman is...”

“Dead,” Radcliffe said. He felt that nothing of great value had been lost with the man. Dolman, and the rest of his bloody Ordo, could rot in hell for all he cared.

“Yeah.”

“His body will be collected during cleanup, as will the rest.”

Danforth nodded his understanding. “So what does that mean for me?”

“For you, Mister Danforth?”

“Only one left. Inquisitor’s dead. Teammates’re dead. I’m the only one left.”

Radcliffe paused, looking towards the man standing solemnly over his former employer’s corpse. “It means only one thing, Mister Danforth.”

“And what’s that?”

“You work for me now.”

#drabble #400 Follower Recruitment Drive #Taggert Danforth #jdlegacy

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cpurubyheart · 8 years ago

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Adopted Jaune au stuff

Ideas I had that I just wanted to put somewhere.

Schnee Weapons -Long/arming sword -Sheath>kite/heather shield -Multi-action Dust lance>round spiked shield (only has this to make Weiss happy)

-Sword(blade first)+sheath=great sword -Sword(hilt first)+sheath=spear with cross guard grip (Dark souls Dragonslayer spear)

Attire Pretty much canon V4 armor with extra protection(shin guards) and a cape. Wears black shirt, brown slacks and black shoes.

Semblance -Astral/Cosmic energy/Blue moonlight(actually turquoise) Able to imbue weapons with blue(turquoise) energy. Allows letting loose of shadowy light waves. -Right pupil will expand before launching a blue(turquoise) gem-like projectile (Bloodborne Blacksky eye). Pupil must readjust through blinking a few times before attempting action again. Painful to do. -Left pupil will shrink before firing a similarly colored beam. Beam itself is harmless but causes the ground/wall it hits to glow just before exploding (delayed explosion laser). Pupil must readjust through blinking a few times before attempting action again. Painful to do. -Making contact with this energy feels like a painful ache on point of contact. User is not immune to this at all. -Others are able to utilize this energy. His blood(along with other bodily fluids) can be imbued with the energy and then contained within a special cartridges/canisters for use with other’s weapons(acts like dust). Begins loosing potency within a day or so and completely in about a week.

The rest Mama Schnee(Willow) owed a debt to the Arc’s(mainly Mama Arc or Joan) for saving her life many years ago.

Arc household and village was raided by bandits when Jaune is about 4. He was the only survivor.

Willow heard about the incident and immediately set out along with General Ironwood to the village.

Taken back home with Willow to live with the Schnees. Papa Schnee(Jacques) was not pleased.

Made to address Schnee family (by Jacques) formerly (miss, missus, mister or sir). Willow and Weiss hate this.

Older than Weiss(a couple of months)

Teams Weiss+Yang Blake+Jaune

Pyrrha+Ruby Ren+Nora ____________________________________

Belladonna Weapons -Long/arming sword Black Heavy bladed sheath>kite/heather shield -Dagger

-Sword+dagger(attached at hilts=double bladed sword(Darth mauling it/Bloodborne Rakou) -Sword(blade first)+sheath=cleaver/club>heavy bladed/blunt whip(Bloodborne beastcutter)

Attire V1-3 armor but completely white. Light grey slacks, white hoodie and light grey combat boots.

Semblance -Pale mist/fog Can create pale mist/ fog. Used for concealment. -Can be condensed for offensive and defensive purposes. Condensed mist is pitch black in color with pale mist surrounding it. -combat with condensed mist around weapons(mostly sword and dagger) would look like phase 3 Maria(Bloodborne with the blood) increasing weapon’s range.

The rest Papa Belladonna(Ghira) was taking part in a then peaceful White Fang protest which soon turned violent(courtesy of Schnee security). A passing by grandma Arc(Jeanne) stepped in, siding with the protestors and saving Ghira’s life.

After the protestors were safe, Ghira invited Jeanne over for dinner where she met Kali and a 4 year old Blake. This is also when Jeanne showed off pictures of her many grandchildren.

Two months passed and Ghira got word of the Arc household being burned to the ground after being raided by bandits(although, witnesses claimed said bandits made use of some high-end weaponry… like that used by the Atlas military). Apparently only the sole Arc son survived.

Brought home and quickly accepted into the Belladonna family. Some of the new Fanus arrivals to their village(Belladonna’s) are not pleased to have a human living among them.

Younger than Blake(three months)

Too dense to notice that Illia has a crush in him.

Sneaks into the white fang (has false fangs). Get found out and has his tongue cut out (lied about being a fanus so now he can no longer lie).

Teams Ruby+Blake Weiss+Jaune

Pyrrha+Yang Nora+Ren ____________________________________

Malachite Weapons -Long/arming sword -black Sheath>kite/heather shield -telescopic arrows

-sword(hilt)+sheath=bow(string produced from tip of sheath and is attached to tip of sword)

Attire Black suit like the rest of Junior’s men but replace the red with dark blue. Dark sunglasses.

Semblance -Halos (Nier: Automata) A form of telekinesis. Semi-transparent golden rings(halos) can encircle objects which then can be manipulated. -used for interesting sword combat and to retrieve arrows easily(to save money)

The rest The Malachite twins(6 year old orphans) found a 4 year old Jaune in their hideout. Discover he was also orphaned and took him in.

Years later (Twins 16 and Jaune 14) earned money in underground tournament fights. They were noticed by Roman Torchwick who owed Junior a favor and decided to introduce them all. Junior ended up hiring the trio (Jaune and the Twins) as bodyguards.

Teams Jaune+Yang Nora+Ren

Ruby+Blake Weiss+Pyrrha ____________________________________

Torchwick

(Not an awful lot for this one)

Weapon -Cane with a concealed sword -Hidden blade in each shoe(pointy shoes) -(Only AU where Jaune doesn’t have a shield).

Attire -Nice unbuttoned white jacket with equally nice black dress pants and shoes. Wears a black shirt underneath jacket.

Semblance -(Not sure)

The rest A then 11 year old Neo found a 4 year old Jaune on the streets with a broken right leg. She took him home to her uncle Roman who took him in with little convincing needed.

Did what they could but Jaune was left with a bum leg.

Roman would spoil both Neo and Jaune.

Teams Ruby+Jaune Pyrrha+Yang

Weiss+Ren Nora+Blake

#rwby #ideas #jaune arc #ruby rose #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #pyrrha nikos #nora valkyrie #lie ren #miltiades malachite #melanie malachite #roman torchwick #neopolitan #dark souls #bloodborne #nier automata #nier (series)

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xoanffxiv · 6 years ago

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Xoan Grahm - Beginnings X

Martin stood outside the door to the The Black Wing trading company's main warehouse, Grant had already taken the girl inside. He looked over at his partner, the slender Miqo'te male with blue eyes watched the road intently, as Martin was supposed to be, but he found his thoughts drifting. This girl was a fine catch, young and blonde, and quite pretty. He smiled a little, wondering if Grant would let him take a turn beefore they handed her over to the boss man. He stroked the mace hanging on his thigh, a gesture that brought him some comfort as he played through the possibilities in his head. He was about to turn and say something to the man next to him when he heard something odd. Laughter, and not any sort of regular laughter, but something that seemed more befitting comming from the mouth of a high voidsent than a man. Two sets of eyes turned down the street and Martin felt his blood run cold. The Highlander boy stood at the end of the street, his eyes replaced by two orbs of fiery crimson aether. He was taller than he seemed in the alley when they had him and his girly pinned down and helpless. That laugh though, hollow and malicious, inhuman, kept rolling between his lips. "Bugger me!" His companion shouted, reaching for his crossbow. He let fly with the bolt, the barbed piece of metal shrieking down the alley to carve a gash on the massive Highlander's arm. Swearing the Miqo'te began to reload as Martin stepped forward, pulling the heavy mace free. He barely registered the movement at first, the kid was fast! He barely got the face up in time to stop the heavy blow that would have taken him in the jaw. Xoan howled, pulling the arm back as motes or aetheric fire swam frenziedly in the air around him. Martin's eyes widened as he felt the sheer heat coming off of him, it was like standing under the full force of the Thanalan sun at noon. The big man tried to backstep, but his opponent was faster, one too large hand closing over the head of his mace and yanking forward. Martin tried to hang on, contorting himself as the momentum of that tremendous jerk carried him closer to the dangerous Highlander. His companion finished reloading his bow and leveled it at the pair, Martin throwing himself backwards just as he fired. The bolt buried itself in the heavily muscled abdomen of their berserk attacker, but if he felt that barbed bolt he gave no sign. The roar that followed shook the seasoned fighter, rattling his teeth in his head from the sheer volume of it as his companion dropped the bow and turned to flee. Martin tried to call after him but his voice caught in his throat as the large man turned, throwing his hand outward as those motes of aether solidified into a long chain, catching the Miqo'te around the waist and binding his arms to his sides. With a great heave Xoan pulled backwards, stopping the running man fast and snapping his neck forward with the force of it. Roaring loudly he pulled on that chain, immediately pulling the man off his feet and swinging him like some grotesque ball and chain. Martin swung, the heavy head of his mace connecting with the man's shoulder with a crack before Xoan's spin brought him around. He saw for a dizzying moment, the other guard fly through the air, then crash into the door hard sending splinters flying and causing the heavy oak to shatter inwards. Xoan released the chain, turning his full attention to Martin. The veteran combatant swung again, aiming for the temple, anything to bring this monster down. His blow stopped short as a massive hot forearm blocked it, the last thing he saw before the world went dark forever were the too sharp canines and trail of steam coming from the man's lips.

Grant heard the crash, and was already ordering the others to to front of the warehouse. There wasn't supposed to be a raid on their warehouse today, the boss had paid their dues and the Blades were supposed to look the other way. Taking his bow from a nearby alcove, he did a final check to make sure the girl's chains were fastened, then bolted for the front. As he arrived, all he could see was chaos, and at the center of that maelstrom, the berserker from the alley. He quickly fumbled in his pockets, looking for the flash of the aether dampening poison. As he found it and pulled it free he saw the broken body of Martin, even with his face reduced to a bloody mound of bone shards and flesh he recognized the man's large stature and his blood ran cold. Quickly Grant unstoppered the vial, pouring the remainder of the expensive concoction on the head of a readied arrow and lined up his shot. In that short span of time he watched as the frenzied assault worsened, Xoan ripping a large axe from the hands of one of his men and in a single swing removing the head from another, slicing clean through a support beam in the process. He wiped the panicked sweat from his forehead and took aim carefully, he couldn't afford a miss here. His count made made for three dead, including Martin and the other guard. He held his breath for a heartbeat, then two, then loosed. The arrow streaked through the air, stopping an ilm from the 7 fulm Highlander's face. Grant's look of disbelief turned to horror as he realized the man had caught it mid air. Burning baleful eyes turned on him, and the stolen axe swung once, and then again, felling two more of his men in fantastic sprays of blood not unlike one would see from fountains in the Sultan's garden. The man waded through the dead before him, literally carving a path as those tiny cinders of aether surrounding him began to condense, running over his body and igniting into crimson flames covering him. The half-Elezen turned to flee, dropping the bow in favor of his family longsword he ran back towards the girl. His only way out of this that he could see. Her eyes were shining with hope, she knew who had come to rescue her, and he needed to be quick. The bellowing roar behind him drove that point home and he caught the girl by the arm. She fought, clawing and scratching at him until he thrust the cross-guard of his blade forward, splitting her lip and causing tears to well up there again. He could hear that roar coming ever closer, and now he could smell smoke and feel the heat of the big man's body. As the hulking man came into view, his blood ran cold. A dozen cuts lined his body, but even as he watched he could see all but the more serious ones closing, knitting together with crimson threads of wild aether. The man's face was inhuman, his grin more demonic than anything Grant could remember seeing. Twin balls of flames regarded him as he opened those blood stained lips to reveal teeth far to bestial to be human. "What the fuck are you!" The half Elezen shouted, holding the girl in front of him, sword to her throat. What answered him, chilled him to the bone despite the insane heat filling the room. He could hear the crackle of fire behind the too large man, a knocked over lantern had started a blaze among the flammable goods stored in the warehouse. Xoan growled, a low rumbling noise starting low in his chest and then rising and contorting into a hideous laugh that burst through his lips. He raised the axe high, taking a step forward as Grant held the blade even tighter, a line of red appeared on I'meri's white throat, and with another roar Xoan dove forward, axe driving downwards at the pair. Grant screamed as I'meri gasped and then the world went black.

He blinked, his vision blurry, his whole body hurting as he looked up. The world spun on its axis and it was all he could do to not be sick. The last thing he remembered he was laying wounded in the alley after I'meri was taken. The pain on his arm from a fresh wound stun, but not as much as the deep horrible burn in his muscles. He could feel a weight on top of him and began to struggle until he heard a gruff voice. "Don't make me kill you boy. Someone needs to stand trial for this!" Xoan looked around, trying to get a look at who said it, and noticed that the weight pressing in on him were a trio of Brass Blades. The strong sent of smoke caught in his nostrils and he coughed, sending flecks of blood onto the stones of the Ul Dah street. He felt his head swimming, like he might loose consciousness at any moment, but the last words he heard before everything around him faded into a haze would haunt him for the rest of his life. "We count eleven dead inside, ten of them members of the trading company, and one Miqo'te girl of unknown origin." He heard a soldier give his report to the officer. "This one killed them all, that much is plain." The horrible howl that escaped the boy on the stones echoed even over the crackle of the fire burning the warehouse down as Xoan succumbed to the exhaustion that extreme use of his aether cost him and passed out on the stones.

#XoanFFXIV

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