RedMageCole

Exhaustion was taking its toll, but Mercia wasn't going to let that stop her. Mercia to I8, shoot Revenant L Argos to I10, smack Skell Sword D

Unable to do anything, the maid that Lysander attacks can only make a slight pouty face as she tries to brace herself against the inevitable attack. Baldur's combat experience shows as his knife sticks into the maid's shoulder, her letting out a small cry of pain as her shot with her bolas goes just a little bit wide. EXP: (87/100) Stats

For even just a brief moment, the dancer looked at Mim with a look of surprise. Her sword lowers slightly and her knees begin to tremble slightly less. For even a brief moment, it looks like she's going to outstretch her hand... "Oh, so you want to go to them now? After everything I've done for you, you want to turn your back on me!? You selfish little-" "N-no, no, I wasn't going to...! I-I'm sorry...!" For the first time, she actually speaks. Her voice is squeaky and very nervous, though very quiet. Kane grits his teeth. "Figured as much... token abusive relationship. Good try, Snowbird... but... if we distracted him somehow, maybe..." Kane puts a hand to his chin, glaring at the vile king...

Oh, the bomb that King Darcy had set off in those halls among the members of Virtuous. Had he had known the magnitude of the words he said, if he had contained his arrogance, then maybe things would have gone more peacefully. And yet, with every passing word, the tension began to grow and the King of Ulux began to grow from impatient to angry. Justine's words showed some slight intimidation on the King's face, before he reverted to his smug look as he slipped the Relic into his bathrobe. The three women who clung to Darcy, they looked at Justine as if she had just said something very disgusting to them— the clumsy dancer showed some hesitance as she looked at Justine, breathing heavily before- "Oh, you silly little girl, why don't you just leave the adults to talk? Why bother attempting to fight someone who does not wish to fight you? And besides, don't you know that you should not speak ill of the dead? Girls, girls, don't let her upset you..." But Justine was just the beginning of the explosives that set off among the room filled with members of Virtuous. Impatience continued to settle in on Darcy's face, even if he continued his arrogant smirk, looking at Baldur and Lizaveta as if they were equally nasty stains on his nice, freshly-cleaned carpet... "You truly don't know anything, do you? You three stand there as if you know anything about diplomacy, it's honestly quite shameful. Now then, are we going to conduct business, or what?" Darcy looked directly at Kane, the flashy leader of the bunch. However, it was evident that on Kane's face was anything but willingness to continue with this deal. Even so, there was doubt, uncertainty... ...until Tabitha spoke up. "You... It was YOU who did it!? YOU dared to burn down Pud's establishment solely out of the whims of some stupid, whiny little brat who didn't know her place in this world!? YOU dared to defy me!? You should be rotting in that prison! Hmph...! So much for wanting you away from my kingdom, I was foolish to trust those Perusian idiots to do one simple job!" Darcy stood up out of his throne, face contorted into an intense fury as the three girls attached to him now stood up on their own, drawing weapons. One drew a sword, the other two drew a set of bolas each. The clumsy dancer looked reluctant, slight tears forming in her eyes as her legs shook and held her sword with two hands. She looked rather nervous; she was the closest dancer to the group entering from the wall, after all. As they prepared themselves, Darcy drew a knife from within his pockets, one on the longer side of knives. It glows with a threatening aura, an energy similar to Stella's bow but more intense. He grasped it with two hands, splitting the two apart with a burst of wind accompanying his split. Spinning his knives so that they faced backwards in his grip, the king looked ready to kill. "Simpletons who call yourselves Virtuous! I'm done being patient now that I see the fools you truly are! Petty emotions and stupid little brats who don't understand the sacrifices we go through! You are-" The sound of a loud throat clearing resounds from Kane, all respect finally gone. "If only you weren't such an arrogant bastard, you'd see the stupid mistake you've made toward us, Darcy. You've openly proven that you do not care for your people— you only care about those who bring you pleasure. I am only slightly less of an idiot for thinking you could be reasoned with. If my team calls for your head on a platter..." Kane looks to the team, his gaze particularly trained on Justine and Tabitha. It briefly stops on Lenore, an uncertain look of whether it should apologize or not, but her message had gotten to him. "...then I'm going to serve it to them on solid gold. Prepare yourself!" Arthur's hand is set aflame, a fury in his eyes that had been lingering ever since Justine had declared war. "I'm going to enjoy burning you to a crisp, as long as Minstrel doesn't immediately kill you for your impudence." Darcy gritted his teeth. "You all think I'm just some cretin who sits on a throne all day surrounded by women, don't you? Hah! With the twin knives Lust at my side, you'll all be dead before you can even blink!" Player Phase Updated Objective: Defeat King Darcy! *GAIDEN REQUIREMENT UNLOCKED* "Idiots!" Darcy yells to the stairwells to his left and right. "Are you not hearing these children preparing for battle!? Get up here immediately! I have better things to do than exhaust my energy on them!" EXP: (83/100) Stats

Tabitha and Baldur's thoughts felt a similar echo with Arthur, who could be faintly heard mumbling to himself. "Piece of fucking trash, like you're any better than Ruslan..." Kane did indeed appreciate Baldur's willingness to do the talking though, and followed up his statements. "We will not hesitate to engage you in combat if you do not hand over the Relic, that is all we're here for. You're outnumbered, King Darcy." King Darcy lets out a laugh, and the three non-clumsy girls near him giggle along with him in a cacophony of arrogance. "Hah! To even just consider turning your swords against me, the King of Ulux! You are all bold, very bold! But it is unnecessary, truly unnecessary... why, look! It's right here!" King Darcy reaches behind his throne and pulls the Relic out. Indeed, it is the genuine article: a shimmering, crystalline octahedron. Despite the blackness of King Darcy's heart, it actually shimmers very brightly in his hand: noticeably brighter than the one that Queen Stella held. The glow brings out its true colors; blue, just like King Darcy's outfit. "So, you have heard of the Relics of Purgus, then? Do not worry, I have no use for this trifling thing. Why should I hold onto it? Between such a useless artifact and my life, there is truly no contest. After all, who will take care of these poor girls?" The three get closer to him with a few 'awww's. The fourth girl does not budge. "Before I hand this to you... you there," King Darcy picks out Baldur in the crowd by the door. "You should learn to mind your tongue. You know nothing about the sacrifices we royals must make, now do you? Or perhaps you do, yes... I can feel it in the air." Suddenly, Arthur freezes up, as if trying to constrict his breathing. "Of your age, though, surely you are nothing more than a middling prince... though I would wager you to be more of a commoner, and the true nobility among you has failed to educate you. But that is fine, I can do that. Especially with such words coming out of your mouth; pleasuring myself while my kingdom rots? Hah! Do you not know the suffering Ulux goes through and how it extends itself to myself? It is difficult to manage such a tightly packed kingdom with nowhere else to go, but I assure you that everything I do is for the benefit of my kingdom. You see here, tonight was an important night. Do you see these four girls? They're all poor, lost souls. You may be aware that there is no Queen of Ulux, and so I have made a very important decision. To bolster the morale of Ulux, I have decided to marry a commoner, and tonight is the night where I choose someone to marry. Ulux has long suffered, and I can do very little without a woman by my side. Oh, and these poor girls... I truly pity them." The three girls fawn over him. The clumsy dancer is, as always, silent. Kane is equally silent, looking as if he was waiting for the right time to just listen and get the hell out of there. Whatever King Darcy was saying, it was clear that Kane wasn't buying it, but as long as they got the Relic... "They all lived together in such good conditions, until a very terrible thing happened. Their home was burned down for fun by some cruel joke of a monster, who is thankfully rotting in prison. You see, this was the home of a very dear friend of mine who selflessly took care of these poor girls. Unfortunately, he perished in the flames... dearest Pud, may the Goat treat him well in the afterlife for his faith." The three girls seem to weep just a little bit, but the clumsy dancer— hearing that name made her visibly wince. "Out of respect for my dear friend and with my mind fraught with worry over the conditions of these poor women, I took them in and have taken care of them ever since. So then... can you truly say that I do not care for my people, young man?" King Darcy leans on his throne's armrest, hand on his cheek with a toothy smile as he held the Relic. King Darcy should have kept his mouth shut. That name, Pud— it's not a friendly name at all in Ulux, and King Darcy referring to him as a 'dear friend' would say a lot about his true colors— either blundering ignorance, or unspoken malice. Though most would not know his name, those who grew up or slummed around in the streets of poverty in Ulux would know it; whispers of the easy way out of poverty, a man who would take any woman off of the streets of Ulux at a price, a terrible price... and then there would be no going back from it. No going back... until someone burned his vile establishment to the ground. Someone... ...familiar.

BAM. CRUMBLE. The combined sounds of Tabitha kicking the door open and Baldur blasting through the wall echoed throughout the throne room. The sound that echoes following... of all the sounds one might expect— resounding battle cries, eerie silence, angry gasping in horror... There was the sound of multiple sources of loud, female shrieking, and the faint thumping of people falling onto the floor. The source is evident: four girls, three of which who managed to get up and cling closer to the throne that stood in the center of the back of the room with the fourth having some trouble trying to get up. Two of the girls, in the back, are dressed in frilly servants garb, while two of the girls in front (the one fumbling on the ground included) were dressed in skimpy dancer outfits complete with ribbons and swords by their side. As the clumsy one finally manages to slink to the throne, noticeably a little further from it than the other three girls, the imposing figure sitting at the throne gazes down at the group at the door (his imposing figure is slightly reduced by the fact that he is wearing a bathrobe, though whatever he may be hiding underneath it is a worry). His gaze slowly moves to the group at the wall. It's difficult to tell from that distance, but... you can tell something's wrong with him. Amidst his cold gaze comes an arrogant smirk. "...How rude, barging into my domain like this. And to take down my wall as well... hmph, I suppose that goes to show you should not ignore cracks in the wall. I thought I heard some scuffling outside... so that was you after all? Hm... Those masks..." He points to each of you, his gaze piercing through each and every one of you. "Virtuous? Or a theater troupe? Do not concern yourselves if you are the latter, I have plenty of performers." He lets off a sharp laugh at his own joke, the three non-clumsy women giggling in response. "So... you have come to kill me, then? Or is there more I can do for you? Go on, speak. I am not an unreasonable man, unlike those rambunctious curs in Perus and Ria. Surely we can work out some sort of an agreement without violence."

"Whuh-" Is the Cavalier's last words before he gets a knife jammed into him, causing him to fall off of his horse and collapse. Cecily recovers +9 HP! Cecily is back up! And on Lysander's mark, all was silent. "That's the last of them, I doubt they had anyone else on patrol in this vicinity... Alright. Orchid, Ficus, Crimson, Minstrel, Mink, you're with me. The rest of you group up by the front door, figure out who gets the key and wait for my signal: it'll be on three. We'll take a little bit of easy pickings before then... don't worry, Mink and I will make quick work of it." A few lockpicks (x5) later... "Some gold, and... hm, lucky day." Kane holds up a very sharp dart, tipped with some very noxious poison. "Looks like Death won't be too happy that I'm stealing his tricks... What about you, Mink?" Some gold and a staff are among Lenore's haul; Kane gives a nod of approval. "Rose will like that." Kane obtained 1000 Gold and a Plague Dart! Lenore obtained 1000 Gold and an Inspire! Automated Movement Tabitha G9 (with Door Key) Ferdy F9 (Renewal recovers all HP) Cecily H9 Fey G10 Mim F10 Liza H10 Lysander E9 Reiko I9 Baldur O4 Shin N4 Arthur N3 Kane N5 Justine O3 Lenore O5 As the group positions itself around the door, with Tabitha's key in hand and the door having been chipped by Kane and Arthur, the group is in place for a pincer attack. "Alright, we're in position, team! Remember: our goal is to get the Relic, if we can avoid killing King Darcy then all the better for us! One... Two..." "Three!" EXP: (83/100) Stats

Ebon to D8, i gotchu powder Lotus to E8, i gotchu rain

A gust of wind blasts through the Fighter, too fast for his eyes to even comprehend. He gets bruised and battered and, thanks to his previous injuries, gets sent tumbling to the ground. Brandishing his javelin, the reluctant Ferdiad prepares an exchange of javelin blows with the opposing Cavalier. His javelin gets the Cavalier in the arm, throwing off their aim completely. With an elegant display of both swordsmanship and dance, the Mage can't even keep up as Justine tears them to shreds within the blink of an eye, her sword gleaming in the light now that it was finally getting a little more taste of action. Still recovering from their javelin wounds, the Cavalier doesn't get even a moment's rest as Fey rushes in to utterly annihilate the Cavalier before they even get a chance to breathe. EXP: (73/100) Stats

The Fighter doesn't even see as he gets riddled with an arrow... but he does see enough to dodge the second arrow that is fired his way, EXP: (59/100) Stats

Argos to J9, invoke mayhem on Demon B

"..." Mercia let out a sigh of slight annoyance at seeing the reinforcements be doubled up. Does the minotaur really have such little faith that he'd resort to throwing quantity over quality at them? It wasn't so much a test as it was just repetitive. With yet another sigh, she took an effortless potshot at the one who knocked out Ignacio. Mercia to I10, shoot revenant Alunda to I12, heal Ignacio

Reiko manages to stab the Cavalier before they can notice her quip, but they manage to counterattack right back at her, leaving a nasty gash. "Try harder, kid-" Just as he taunts her, Reiko feels adrenaline course through her veins as she prepares a strike that the Cavalier can't even see coming until- "Ah, shit." The loud piercing of metal with a pained horse whinny marks Reiko's vengeful strike, and yet... the Cavalier continues to stand, coughing up some blood and smirking at her despite looking like a stiff breeze would knock them over. "A-As I said... Try harder, kid." EXP: (57/100) Stats

Stella gets a determined smile, one that quickly turns into a bashful blush at Hades' compliment. "Oh, you truly think so? Why, that's very sweet of you, Sir Hades— I appreciate it." She collects herself in a moment, however. "But I must make sure beauty is not everything; I hope that I can prove my skill in battle! Though it would be nice if we did not have to worry too much about combat. Rein's head slightly tilted down, as if a bit disappointed in themselves, before perking up and clapping their folded-over hands together. "I greatly appreciate your help, truly!" Rein's voice seemed overly excited, though they managed to calm themselves down realizing how they broke character just a bit. "...And thank you for the compliments; I'm very glad that cooking is not one of the things I had forgotten about. Strange, it just came quite naturally to me, actually."

Automated Movement Cecily moves to L14 and equips Hatchet As Justine works it, the healers feel motivation to get moving. Tabitha and (reluctantly) Baldur move again! Tabitha's reluctance to let anyone be hurt no matter how much they want it catches up with Reiko. Reiko recovers +18 HP! And after Baldur rips Lizaveta's tomes out of her hands and gives them back to her, Ferdiad and Baldur share mutual benefit. Baldur is a perfectionist! +5 HP Recovery! Ferdiad recovers +21 HP! Baldur lives to serve! Baldur recovers +10 HP! Enemy Phase Mage C moves to O14 Cavalier C moves to L15, equips Steel Sword Fighter C moves to M14 Fighter D moves to M13 Cavalier D moves to N13 Conjuring up a few blades of wind, the Mage sends them flying at Cecily from afar. She is able to bolster her defenses against it, but unfortunately they pierce through Myrdwyn's scales. Seeing an opening, one of the Cavaliers rides in, brandishing their sword as they engage Cecily in combat with the advantage. He ends up being a major frustration as he rides circles around Cecily and cuts holes open past her defense, not giving her room to strike... ...and then the Fighter moves in, brandishing his mace and getting a tad cocky with his first swing, just barely whiffing it as Cecily's hatchet digs into his side— however, he learns his lesson and manages to slam his mace into Cecily on the rebound, causing her and the wyvern to go down in defeat. The Fighter does a little flex of triumph, as the Mage shakes their head in disappointment at getting that unnecessary nasty hatchet wound. The other Fighter looks with a 'yeah, I can do that too!' kind of expression as he rushes in to attack Ferdiad. A resounding clang lets it be known that Ferdiad was indeed hit, and a lack of a cry of pain afterwards lets it be known that Ferdiad did not care much nor did the Fighter actually get counterattacked. The second Cavalier rides in brandishing a javelin and exchanges blows with Ferdiad. It goes about as well as any physical attacker would expect to do when attacking Ferdiad without anything but high strength. TURN 5 Player Phase Ferdiad recovers +6 HP! EXP: (55/100) Stats

The Mage isn't fast enough; Fey's impressions of the Mage are too strong and she manages to get a swift and powerful hit in, enough to put the last of the third squadron of troops down. Now all that was left was to take care of the guards down the hall and make it to the throne room...! EXP: (42/100) Stats

One way or another, Pinecone found incentive, most likely (in fact, most definitely) called to fall back. He was not sure of why; he'd rather stay in the fray and do his work, but if this made it easier... Pinecone to C7 Bend to C8, perform Pinecone Pinecone to B7

A blast of wind, and the Soldier believes he's safe... until Lysander catches him unawares and causes him to be knocked to the ground, finished off for good. At least he won't see his hard work go undone. EXP: (38/100) Stats

Rein, as always, calmly awaits the questions that are presented to him. He gives a slow nod to Davor. "It is an unfortunate side effect of the magic I used to summon you all. I assure you that it will wear off when our mission is over; over time, you will feel the effects wear off as well, I'm certain. If it is any consolation... I do not remember who I am either." A pause, Rein's head slowly turning downwards. "All I know is my purpose, to which..." Rein perks back upwards. "In the Domain of the Lost, there is a warp point that will take us to the other side of this small dimension. It is there that..." A pause, lost deep in thought. His voice turns from mysterious to just plain awkward. "...I actually don't know. I promise that it is the right thing to do, though. And when we get there... I will know what needs to be done. We need to get to somewhere. Something, I should say. Something that has been interfering... not just with this dimension, but with every one of your dimensions." Stella looks quite pleased at Hades' kind introduction, giving him a slight bow; one that doesn't go too far due to her armor. "The pleasure is all mine, Sir Hades." Stella's hand drifts slightly upwards, almost in a curiosity. "That crown of yours... I wonder what your life was like before we were pulled into this dimension. Mine isn't quite as striking..." Stella fiddles with her own little tiara, running a hand over it. "But I know I mustn't be of much noble birth; the armor says it all. I think it must just be a keepsake, don't you think? I just wonder who gave it to me..."

Ferdiad and the Soldier exchange lance blows; the Soldier looks particularly happy that his lance made a dent in the mounted mass of armor, about a few moments from getting his entire day ruined. EXP: (34/100) Stats

Arthur rushes in, weaving past enemies before launching a blast of wind at the soldier that Lizaveta hit. It slices through his armor and then his body. "Well... This sucks..." He groans as he kneels to the floor before collapsing. Arthur, without skipping a beat, signals to Mim to continue moving. Mim moves again! Spurred by Arthur, Mim took aim at the Mage and shot him directly in the elbow. It's enough to throw off his aim and cause Mim to dodge the oncoming wind blast, but his survival instincts kick in enough to take advantage of Mim's fluff and dodge the slightly slower second arrow. Meanwhile, through gentle persuasion, Baldur manages to get back up! Baldur is up! Baldur recovers 9 HP! EXP: (32/100) Stats

Even though Lizaveta let out her loud and boisterous speech, it didn't seem to do much to strike fear into her opponent; in fact the Soldier just looked more confused than anything. "Uh... Y'know, our kingdom has two 'U's in it, and I know we're not exactly a bright and shiny kingdom, but-" His attempts to correct Lizaveta are quickly replaced with cursing as the dark magic pierces his armor and causes him some bleeding and stumbling backwards. EXP: (24/100) Stats

Mercia, in all of her years of battle, could tell that they were very lucky to be alive right now. Counting her blessings, she noticed Argos getting a tad frantic and tried to ease the situation as best as she could. "Don't worry; we'll watch our positioning and make sure a few of these monsters are cleared out. Focus on taking out those axemen; you're the best chance we got for hitting them! Alunda; get back behind us! Aristotle-" A pause. She did know him. She hadn't thought of what Argos had said earlier, but the 'Bull' and his appearance, albeit the few times she remembered seeing and hearing about him, suddenly looked familiar. Those shackles he had been wearing not too long ago suddenly felt tighter around her body, despite her being freed. However, it was too late to change her mind; an embittered Mercia went to go shoot down some Revenants as Alunda already noticed Aristotle's injuries. Alunda to G11, heal Aristotle Mercia to J11, noscope Revenant D, canto to H10 (preferably before Korinna moves) Argos to I9, INVOKE MAYHEM on the sorry axedemon

The Scholar's magic is not good enough for Mim; now that the guy had caught Baldur off guard, the criminals knew exactly how to avoid such harsh druidic magic. At the same time, Mim's shots ring true with her quick and trusty bow, and together with Kane, the two have avenged Baldur. EXP: (22/100) Stats

Rein sat there in silence, watching. It was, of course, difficult to tell whether they were indifferent or feeling some other sort of emotion. Stella, however, would not settle for standing there awkwardly as her attempts at an introduction were ignored. Her armor still continuing to clank (on further inspection, it did look a bit big on her) as she made her way to the group. "Please, surely there is no need for us to fight among ourselves. I'm sure that we will make good allies for the time being. As long as we voice our concerns, I'm certain that everything will be okay!" Rein stirred the pot with his ladle some more as Stella spoke, as if to silently call attention to it but not wishing to bother anyone any further. They continued to speak as they stirred. "Beaumont is correct. Do not worry, however, I assure you that this journey will be a short one. Fruitful, but short. I understand that many of you must be frustrated, both with me and the new nature of this realm, but I will lead all of you to victory. Not that you cannot lead yourselves, of course. I can map out this dimension in my head... first, we'll be needing to head to the Domain of the Lost. We'll need to get to the other side of this dimension, and I know that the Domain of the Lost is the only way to the other side as small as this little dimension can be. The journey to the Domain of the Lost is a difficult one and I'd rather us not leave while we're in high tensions or on empty stomachs," Rein's voice has begun to lose the dramatics it had before as they stops stirring the pot and looks at Onyx. "If there's anything I can do to ease your or anyone else's troubles, let me know."