RedMageCole

The blood that stained his hands was too much to bear. What made him think he could do any good in this world to try and help when all he was good at was harming, no matter how careful his staff hands were? It had started on a brief travel. He was never much to stay in one place, merely riding upon his horse in search of anything he could do to help. A sort of charity, community service to try and make up for the things he had allowed himself to do. He wished, oh hell did he wish that he could stop being the person he was, and yet any and all attempts were utterly futile. But he tried. He tried to keep making amends wherever he could. And yet... he clearly blew it. He saw that they were all understaffed. Healers running left and right, completely out of breath as they attempted to tend to everyone's wounds... he knew he could lend a helping hand, or at least he thought so. It was hard, going past all of that blood while his horse remained outside, unable to move around as freely as she'd have liked to. It took all of his effort, all of his will and a lot of clutching onto his staff that he didn't go completely nuts at the sight of all of that blood. He was doing fine, though. It seemed like his chance. But then he failed. He knew he'd never be able to get the disgusted look of that commander's face out of his mind. He tried his damnedest. He pushed himself to his very limit, trying to heal her. He nearly collapsed from the exhaustion, he knew that poor girl was only inches away from death and that he could still do something if he just tried... ...and now she was dead. He tried to explain that he did all that he could, that it just was too late, and yet she didn't even have to respond for him to know that he was a complete and utter failure, a useless outsider who failed to accomplish anything. What a fool he was, to think he could help. There was just one more person he had to attend to... and once the guard insisted he would take him, he knew that was his cue to flee. Flee and never return... he knew the lightest punishment he was going to get was a stern yelling at, and he didn't want to stick around for that, nor did he want to stick around for what might have been in store for him as a worse punishment. All he wanted to do was save. And yet, all he managed to do was harm. He was a failure as a human. He was more akin to a monster. "..." Shaking, knowing that he was on the verge of breaking, knowing that he had to get out of here before he caused even more damage than he already had, Clement clutched his staff and immediately headed for the exit, not even bothering to make eye contact with any of the nine people who had just entered.

Fey hurls a hatchet at the Tactician, who is promptly stricken down. Kane engages the Hunter. Lysander and Baldur move again! Baldur is a perfectionist! +5 HP healed! Arthur recover 14 HP! EXP: (98/100) Stats

Cecily attacks the Hunter; they're on their last legs, but manage to bring down Cecily's dragon scales. EXP: (88/100) Stats

"The offer is appreciated, Thistle. But as long as the job is done, I'm fine." Baldur is a perfectionist! +5 HP Recovery! Arthur is back up! Arthur recovers 10 HP! Arthur mumbles a quiet "thanks" as he gets back up. Mim opens fire on the Fighter, swiftly ending him. EXP: (86/100) Stats

Lysander and the Tactician have an amazing time showing off their flashy lightshow... but don't really get much done otherwise. EXP: (81/100) Stats

Nil to M10, attack Jinba

Kane to N16, make Liz equip Worm Shin to N17, equip Training Bow and rescue Kane Lysander sets an Arcane Barrier! +1 DR! Enemy Phase Hunter B moves to P15 Mercenary B moves to P16 Shaman A moves to Q16 Fighter B moves to N16 War moves to O8 Mercenary A moves to E16 Hunter A moves to C15 Tactician A moves to E15 The Hunter on the right side begins the onslaught, attacking Lizaveta with a blast of light... and missing. The Mercenary attempts to make up for his ally's blunder and attack Lizaveta. He's a little more successful, putting a dent in her. The Shaman moves to attempt to finish Lizaveta off... and his dark magic brings Lizaveta to her knees. Shaman A's Anthropomancy takes effect! +10 Evade/Dodge, +3 DR, +3 CON! With Lizaveta out of the way, the Fighter moves past to attack the vulnerable Shin. Shin is able to swiftly dodge. Unfortunately, Shin didn't have long to celebrate. A flaming aura appeared from afar, brightening even the day sky, threatening to burn the trees around it... “Let flame be your beginning, and let flame be your end... Succumb to the will of fiery heaven! Meteor!" The theatrics were more than theatrics; within moments, a blazing boulder had appeared above War, and came hurtling down at Shin! Even the escapist is unable to escape as he's quickly engulfed in flaming fury. In unison, another aura similar to War's blazing aura appeared, but it was more of a darkening aura, blending with the shadows of the trees, this time surrounded by Famine. “Don't take it personally! Just my job!... Uh... Darkness and dark stuff! I'm not as good at this as War is! Hel!" A blackened moon appeared above Arthur, threatening to engulf him with its darkened energy... only to have the moon suddenly move out of the way. “Oops! Slipped! Oh well, I'll get 'em next time! Don't worry so much! Death, I see you glaring at me! It was a total accident, promise! Don't worry so much, I'll get 'em next time!" Left with no other choice, the Mercenary goes in with no damage advantage thanks to Famine. He lands a hit, but gets retaliated against. The Tactician joins the Mercenary, hurling a fireball at Arthur. The Fighter hurries over and attempts to finish off Arthur... putting him back where he started; on the ground, bleeding. TURN 2 Player Phase EXP: (80/100) Stats

For Arthur, everything quickly started to feel like a blur, and he had a ridiculous headache as he lay there on the ground, slowly but surely succumbing to the poison. Mim's yelling was just a hazy thought in his mind that seemed to make his headache worse, and even once he was healed, he was still left with that splitting headache as he sat up, groaning and massaging his head, still sitting on the ground. Arthur recovered 10 HP! Arthur is back up! Arthur recovered 14 HP! Arthur is at full HP! "Thanks..." He quietly responded to Mim and Tabitha. He looked like he wanted to say more, potentially something angry, but it was pretty clear he didn't have the strength and did almost just die. As for Lizaveta and Baldur, he could only respond with a "It's alright..." and barely even noticed when he was shoved. Mim and Arthur move again! Over on the east side, Lizaveta hurled a Wind spell at one of the Mercenaries, starting the first blow. "Be careful about splitting up! These enemies are much more formidable than our previous foes; we're going to need all the strength we can get with numbers!" EXP: (69/100) Stats

Death growled, and seemed about ready to fire an arrow right at Mim... but it seemed Lenore may have been onto something, because despite how genuine she was, surprisingly, Death seemed... a little more passive than before. As if somehow, Lenore's words did get to him somehow, as if they struck one little light inside of the all-consuming darkness. Famine made a small "ooooh" noise of interest as he peeked at Death's change of expression, War also looked rather curious about Death's expression and Pestilence seemed to be understandingly be walking up to Death, not even shaking anymore, with a little whisper of "brother..." ...Then Lizaveta started talking. Then Baldur started talking. At that point, Death was back to looking as furious as before. Famine slapped his hand against his face, War shook her head, and even Pestilence looked more upset with Baldur than anything else, instead of being her usually anxious self. Death cut Baldur short just as he was finishing up speaking with a very annoyed yell. “Oh my fucking god, do ANY of you people know how to SHUT THE FUCK UP!? I should have just ended this conversation with you, little girl! It's a shame that your pitiful confidence won't save you in hell!" If anyone had forgotten, despite Death's calming down, Death still had a fully drawn back arrow aimed at Mim. "NO!" Death merely only needed to let his fingers open, and the arrow hurtling towards Mim did all of the talking for him... As if he couldn't even believe it himself, Arthur collapses to the ground in shock with the arrow having pierced through his cloak. With his blood blending in with his coat, he teetered on the edge of death as his entire body uncontrollably spasmed, his mouth started to froth slightly and his skin began to turn cold. Pestilence looked sick, with War and Famine reacting with nothing but slight discomfort. Despite his teammates' discomfort, Death's expression was unwavering as he merely spat at the ground. “Fucking idiot... thinking he'd live through that. I had these arrows custom made to wrack your body with my own specialized poisons. You'll be dead within the next couple minutes, and I'll get your little friend there too so you can know how utterly worthless your sacrifice was. Icons of Sin, move! Army, don't make me waste any more breath on these fools, kill them all!" “Good luck! Don't die! I'm probably gonna have to try my best to make sure you do, but really, no hard feelings!" “Don't waste your breath on them, Famine. Go get ready for battle." As the army Death summoned started to descend from the trees or rushed to the field immediately in fear of what Death might do to them if they refused, the Icons of Sin moved off to the other side of the lake for cover. Arthur continued to spasm on the ground, showing no signs of getting better in the near future. Kane rushed over to him, kneeling down. "Crimson! You-" "Don't... hrrkk... l-l... lecture... m-...m...me..." "I wasn't going to, not now anyways! You need help! Orchid! Rose! Snowbird! Tend to him immediately before the poison takes over! The rest of you, we're moving out! If Death wants to be so confident in his abilities, we'll give him a dosage of our own confidence! Nobody will die on my watch!" TURN 1 Player Phase Objective: Defeat the four Icons of Sin! EXP: (61/100) Stats Simeon and Sid both peeked out of the wagon to assess the situation. Sid's expression turned pale, and Simeon's expression turned into something full of regret as he looked at Arthur. "Shit… I remember that man. Ye'd better tend to Crimson immediately... I had that hooded man as a customer late one night, right before closing… he was one of the rare few who had a specific request; a silent yet tight-stringed longbow and a set of arrows that could be imbued with liquid and burst upon being embedded in the skin. Ye can tell by his eyes, that man’s a killer… I was skeptical, but he paid me well... and then he’d be able to replicate the craftsmanship I used for the arrows if he was that dedicated...” A huge amount of guilt struck upon Simeon’s face as he started to retreat back into the wagon. "I named that monstrous bow… Baalzebul. Be on yer guard… please. I'm... I'm sorry." Sid's face didn't change much. "Th... That was definitely the guy! The guy who wanted to kill King Tobias! Sc-Screw this! I'm outta here!" Sid retreated, intending on bolting, before a small thud was heard. "Ye're sittin' down with me... I need the company." "...R-... Right."

After Fey's first sentence, Death slowly turned to Famine, clearly with murderous intent in his eyes. Famine doesn't notice this in the slightest, instead having his bright aura come back to him. “Pretty much! I think I prefer Famine though over Horace." Famine puts his finger up in the air, hoping to draw attention to himself. "Famine's a cool nickname I have to hide my identity. Kinda like you guys! Horace is just a fake name, and where's the fun in tha-" “You didn't. Wear. Your fucking hood?" Famine pauses, his finger still drifting in the air. “Was I supposed to...?" “OF COURSE YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO!" Famine mouthed an 'oops' as his hand lowered. Death looked just about ready to slap Famine in the back of the head, but Mim managed to turn his attention away from him, which Famine noticed, giving Mim a quick thumbs up as Death went on a tangent with Pestilence continuing to shrink away. “Hmph. Maybe you in Virtuous decide to be lax and think everyone deserves coddling, but I demand perfection in this group, and Pestilence knows it. And don't even try it, little girl." Death raises his own nocked and drawn arrow in an instant, pointing it at Mim. "Your head will be blown right off before you can even draw back the string." Almost immediately, Arthur jumps in front of Mim, conjuring a fireball in his hand and an equal amount of fire in his eyes as he looked Death in the face. "Fucking try it, I dare you, you uptight piece of shit!" War gives a small laugh, snapping her fingers and summoning a brighter flame to her own hand, striding up to Death with her eyes trained on Arthur. “My, my... How pitiful that weak little flame is. Even when I'm not exerting myself, my flame burns brighter..." "You'll be after him, arrogant little bitch!" Death rolls his eyes at Arthur's words, and War remains calm and unflinching. While keeping his arrow trained on Mim, Death turns his head to Lenore. Famine smiles and flashes the same thumbs up he flashed to Mim over to Lenore, and Pestilence seems to stop shaking just a slight bit at Lenore's words. “Well, well, maybe you're not as foolish as you let yourself off to be. But maybe it loops right back around, if you think I wasn't prepared to hire an actual competent group of fighters unlike those fucking idiots at Gul." Indeed, it seemed as if there were more people in the trees, waiting to drop down. “And it should be obvious why we're here. We're obviously going to have a cute little tea party and talk about our feelings... I'm here to kill every last one of you, obviously. It won't matter why, because you'll all be dead before it even begins to matter."

Lily's trembling began to get even worse on Mim's words, her gaze quickly darting to the green haired man, who met it with an annoyed one. Before he could speak, Famine interjects alongside somehow managed to light up even further than he already was once Fey spoke up. “You remembered my fake name! I never remember that darn thing! I mean, it is just a fake name, how can I remember it!? That's so cool!" He beamed even further when Lenore gave her assumption on who everyone was. “I told you guys! I told you I was the smart one! She clearly gets it!" The red haired woman put a hand to her cheek. “Still, quite off base for such accusations. I could not hope to defeat our leader... and she says the one wearing a bandana when he has a perfectly usable hood 'is the one with the brains'." “Hey!" Famine's bright glow seems to fade. "It looks way cooler than that dumb hood! Unlike that dumb hood, this bandana helps me focus my magic way better than that dumb hood does! I just can’t be bothered to rip the hood off, that’s all, can’t be bothered! Plus, it looks waaay cooler. And helps me focus my-" “God damn it, we get the point, Famine. We've already heard the damn story, and it doesn't matter if they hear it or not, especially if they're clearly not bright enough to not make idiotic accusations." The green haired man clearly sounds impatient as his gaze turns to Lily. “I told you not to bring that up." He quietly hissed. "S-sorry..." Kane shook his head, turning to Lenore. "Sorry, Mink, I've never seen these people in my life, let alone the man in green. But that description..." Kane narrows his eyebrows and looks the green haired man in the face, speaking up as Tabitha brought his name up. "...If one of them is Famine, then... who are the rest indeed?" Famine looks extremely pouty at Tabitha's remark, the rest of his fading glow now having completely faded. “C'mon, you guys were so nice! 'Famine, you're notable enough for me to remember your fake name!' 'Famine, you're so smart!' And now this!? My name doesn’t sound as cool as the others, but y’know, starving’s pretty bad. I mean, just imagine how bad starving actually is, it’s-“ “War.” The female interrupts. “As long as conflict exists, there can never be peace… and I am the flames of that fury that humanity chooses to consume itself within.” "P-...Pestilence... um..." Lily says, clearly not wanting to talk any more than that despite having more to say, shrinking in fear of both Virtuous and her green haired brother, the latter of whom spoke up in a murderous snarl. “And I am the leader of the four named The Icons of Sin… the scourge of mankind, and its ultimate fate, consumed by the vices it fails to control. I am the one who will bring that very end to all of you… Death.” A small pause hangs in the air. “…You know, the technique is there, but he’s never made that one sound cool. Not once has he made it sound cool in our caree-“ In an instant, Death points his bow at Famine’s neck, the arrowhead only a couple feet away from his neck with Death fully pulling it back, a few fingers away from him murdering his ally the same way he may have just murdered many others. Famine doesn’t change his expression in the slightest, not so much as a flinch. “Can you shut the fuck up, Famine? I didn’t ask for your goddamn opinion, okay?” Famine shrugs, putting his hands up in a 'I yield' pose. “Sure.” As Death relents, keeping his bow drawn but lowering it, Famine whispers to Virtuous, still in earshot of Death. “Don't worry, it's just a bluff, he's kind of a jerk but he's not that much of a jerk. Not that it matters that I'm telling you this, because, well, I kinda felt badly about him preparing to kill you all, but that last comment about Famine being a childish name... well, I guess it doesn't matter that I'm telling you this, because, well... nothing personal, just don't like your chances very much." He seems to have hastily added that last part on in order to quell Death's fury.

Chapter 3 The Icons of Sin The road is short yet bumpy, as the border between the distracted country of Ulux and the sedentary country of Ceda is crossed with relative ease. Virtuous prepares to settle in a small forest encampment near the sea in the center of the continent, near an offshoot body of water. As the journey continues, Kane seems ever more tense, and makes his worries quite clear before the group arrives in the encampment, unaware of what lurked in the shadows of the trees... The smooth ride that signified the travel on road quickly turned slightly rough and bumpy, signifying the arrival on forested ground. After this change in road, Kane stopped the horses, donned his mask and looked back into the wagon, speaking in a low whisper. "First off, make sure you're suited up. Second... do not get out of this wagon until I say so. I'm going to make sure the coast is clear first... and try to sit closer to the sides of the wagon if you can. We're being followed." Without another word, Kane continued the ride. It didn't take too long until the wagon was stopped once more. Sid got up, but Simeon sat him back down in an instant. "Didn't ye listen to Phoenix? Besides, ye don't even have a mask yet. Sit down." With a small grumble, Sid sat back down next to Simeon, who kept a watchful eye on him, while also trying to peek out of the front of the wagon. Kane was still in view from the front, looking around with a knife drawn... ...All of the sudden, the firing of an arrow is heard, arcing downward from the trees. In an instant, Kane manages to roll out of the way before the arrow lands away from view, clearly making a deep mark into the ground... before another one is fired, with Kane proceeding to dodge with ease. The rustling of leaves is heard as Kane keeps a sharp eye out for whatever was moving in the trees... and another arrow is fired, this time right in full front facing view, the arrow traveling quickly into the wagon... before Kane catches it between his middle and index finger, snapping the arrow in half with his thumb. Still holding the top half of the arrow, Kane called out. "You'd better make yourself known, prowler! I can dodge your arrows all day, but can you continue move from tree to tree without following?" A small snarl is heard, before the sound of four people landing from the trees is heard. "Virtuous, we have our targets! Come on out!" As everyone exits the wagon, three figures are noticed. Two are completely new, one is vaguely familiar, and one is... definitely familiar. “How dare you mock me for being a prowler, when prowling is all your insignificant group of rats does?" “Yep! There's our wonderful leader, jumping out of his perfect situation just to keep his ego intact! Wonderful!" “It was the best call of action, Famine. We don't move quite as well in the trees." Nothing was said from the definitely familiar figure, just enough shaking to make them look as if they were on the mountains of Ria without a coat on.

If Horace heard Fey, he showed no indication of having done so, pretty easily brushing it off and continuing on his merry way. Lily does, however, turn around with a really confused expression on her face after Mim spoke, slowing down her pace before hurriedly catching up with Horace. Kane walked up to the group as he looked at the two newcomers leaving. "...What was that all about...?" Kane gave a small shrug, but seemed a little tense at the same time as he sat under the cover of the wagon, difficult to recognize from either sides but the front. "...Either way, well done with the cover story, Fey. That could have turned out pretty poorly. All of you, time to head into the wagon. I put our gear in there, and I ask you all to suit up while we're on the road. I have a... bad feeling, to say the least."

Lily looked even more on edge when Fey asked about her brother. "My brother? I-I... I don't think-" “THERE you are! Goodness gracious, I was looking for you for forever, but there you are!" A sudden, rather rambunctious voice appears from the side. A man in plain purple robes and a rather wild haircut comes rushing up to Lily's side, putting his hands on her shoulders and prompting a nervous yelp from her. “Man, oh, man! Your brother hates my guts right now for letting you stay behind! 'Fahuh-Horace, why the flip didn't you notice Lily was gone!?' I've never felt my guts so hated in a loooong time!" "H-Hood... Y-Your hood..." “Huh? What about my wood? I don't have any wood! Why would you ask about my wood? Silly Lily, don't you know you shouldn't ask about a man's wood?! Haha!" Horace suddenly turns to the rest of you, still holding a rather uncomfortable Lily's shoulder. "Hey, you guys were looking after Lily, huh? Thanks so much! Don't you worry a bit, I'm gonna get her right out of here so you don't have to worry one darn bit, don't worry about it, okay?" Horace gives a wide, clearly faked smile. “Alright, we'll be on our way, goodbye and farewell!" Horace clearly has more courage than Lily, as he doesn't seem deterred by Fey's attempts to block his path, striding straight right past her with Lily in tow.

Fey somehow managed to work things out, if not just because Lily's terrible anxiety turned into bewildered confusion. "Th... theater troupe...? Uh... n-no, I'm not really looking for them, I guess... or a theater troupe for that matter...? Uh..." Lily now looks just more awkward than anything. Though her anxiety still hasn't faded, still being a bit suspicious. "...I-in any case... I-I need to go now, please... m-my brother doesn't like it when I'm late... or around strangers..."

It was quite instantaneously easy to see that Baldur just ruined the discussion, due to one fatal flaw. One, simple, fatal mistake. He had his mask on. Lily immediately gets sent into shivers, looking upon Baldur's masked face, and is immediately thrown into a panic, one that makes her almost incapable of proper speech, as her stutters overwhelmed any sense of conversation. "V-V-V-V-V- y-y-y-y-you're Virtuous, a-a-aren't you!? O-Only Virtuous wears m-m-masks! Wh-what do you want from me!? I-I- s-stay away from me...! I-I'm warning you, I-I c-can fight you, j-just leave me alone...! M-My brother w-won't be happy if... i-if I'm not back...!" Lily, in a panic, raises her hands in front of her as if she were either ready to try the world's most unsuccessful push or cast a spell while also backing up; she had a few bushes and hedges to jump, but she was clearly prepared to do just that.

Lily looked very much like she wanted to get around Fey, but it looked as if she wasn't going to. She opened her mouth to reply, only to stop and think for a second. She seemed to rush herself slightly... "Er... I-I think so, um... h-he did, uh... t-tell me where to meet up... I-I just got... um... t-tired." Lily whined a bit. "C-can I go now? I-I'll be fine on my own, I-I promise...!"

Even despite Fey's comfort, it was pretty clear that this person wanted to be anywhere but here; they were showing no signs of calming down... almost as if they knew just who everyone was despite the lack of decorum, and how dangerous everyone was... or maybe they were just that anxious. "I- er... um... well, see... I'm... uh..." They started breathing heavily, and grabbed their head, as if they were trying to remember their own name. "Uh- uh- L-Lily!" Well, now it was at least clear this stranger was female. At the same time, she sounded... somewhat unsure when she said her name. "Lily, and- um, I'm supposed to, um... g-get back to my brother... uh... i-immediately now!" Lily immediately started to speedwalk, trying to hide the fact that she was in a hurry and not doing a good job at it at all.

Nil honestly seemed like a better reward would be getting away from the wolves; they were happy to see they were doing some sort of damage, but at the moment they were really nervous and afraid of the canine, despite their otherwise stoic nature. When they were performed for, however, they didn't see reason to reject Fuefuki's... gift, for not listening to Ivoh'to. Nervously, they conjured up the same words and the same spell. Move to L12 and attack Demon Wolf 1

The poking seemed to have had some sort of an effect on the sleeping person. They seemed to stir. "...zzz... mngh- huh...?" They opened their eyes sleepily, looking up at Mim. They blinked a few times, looking over everyone... and suddenly letting out a loud, high pitched yelp. Whether they were a boy or a girl, their voice did sound very feminine. "Oh no, oh no, ohnoohnoohno, I was supposed to, I-I was supposed to- eep..! I-I, um, um... er-..." They seem to be panicking slightly, looking from side to side, as if they were looking for the best possible way to make a break for it before they passed out again from sheer anxiety...

Nil was more than happy for the distraction from Ivoh'to's requests, because they were quite honestly beginning to confuse them quite a bit. They indifferently followed Yoriie without a word (not that they could give any of the sort) and prepared themselves for fighting when they saw harmful spirits. They... didn't like fighting. But it seemed that they had no choice... Nil walked, his feet dragging into the ground, up to a wolf. They didn't really see who they were fighting, until they looked up. They flinched horribly, backing up and seeming as if they wouldn't attack. For once, they were actually quite obviously scared... but in a fit of desperation, they hurriedly traced words into the air. SWARM These words didn't light up, but instead stayed black and immediately turned into a swarm of flies that rushed after the wolf. Nil moves to M12, attack Demon Wolf 2

"..." Kane looked very unhappy with this news. It was clear that all of the sudden, he had been having second thoughts about this whole plan despite his confidence in it. He sat there in thought, the complete silence pressuring him to make a quick decision. Thankfully, he was able to read the room and spoke softly. "...I said that if anyone wanted to leave... they would be allowed to do so. I... am not going to go back on that... even if losing Knight means losing a piece of Virtuous itself. I hope that you all will wish him well, wherever he may be... I know this mission will be even more difficult without him to aid us, but I still have confidence in our ability to-" Kane was cut off by the opening of a door. Standing in the doorway was the thief. "Hey, uh... bad timing? I, uh... just wanted to say thanks for helpin' me out, I feel better now and I'm gonna head back to-" The thief froze up, his gaze meeting someone on the table. It was no secret that he had met Simeon's gaze, as Simeon got up from the table and immediately started striding towards the thief, as fast as he could go without damaging his back. The thief started backing up. "Uh, well... I-I'm gonna head back to Gul, so, uh, later-" Suddenly, Simeon broke into a small sprint. He groaned in pain as he reached the thief, but Simeon managed to grab him by the ear as he clutched his back with his other hand. Simeon started to only wince with his back pain as the thief was chanting a small mantra of 'ow, ow, ow'; it was clear that the thief's ear was probably hurting more than Simeon's back. "What's yer name, kid?" "S... Sid." The thief whimpered quietly. Simeon simply nodded in response. "Do ye like knives, kid? Specifically, swordbreakers?" The thief, now named as Sid, protested. "L-Look, I-I'll return it, okay!? I'm gonna go on the straight and narrow! I have a knife collection, y'know?! I like knives! But I'll return it, I promise!" Simeon shook his head. "Oh, no ye ain't. Ye can keep it... but ye're gonna work it and the time you spent 'renting' it off, and ye're gonna work off the damage I did on me back tryin' to get to ye. Let's see... Kid... hm, ye know what? I kinda like that. Everyone, this is Sid, codename Kid, my new apprentice. Newest member of Virtuous. He can't fill Knight's shoes, god knows he ain't nearly big enough for 'em, but he's gonna try his best, aren't ye?" Sid seemed like he was about to protest, but Simeon's grip seemed to squeeze even tighter, and all Sid could think about was trying to pry Simeon's big meaty claw off of his ear. Kane stood up. "Anvil, are you certain? I haven't even thought of recruiting this man..." Simeon nodded. "Positive. He'll be learnin' the tools of the trade and gettin' ye all better quality weapons. Don't that sound great, Kid? Jules'll want someone to help him in the shop when this whole thing's over. We don't have a mask for ye, but we can just have ye pull yer hood up til we get back to the base." Sid now started to whine. "Okay, okay! I'll join Virtuous, just let go of me, alright!? C'mon! I'll even keep the stupid codename!" Simeon obliged, and Sid rubbed his rather painful-looking red ear tenderly. "...Very well... I suppose that will be that." Kane spoke up. "Anvil, Snowbird, I hope you'll keep an eye on him, make sure his kleptomania doesn't become a problem for us. Now then... We'll be heading outside. Queen Stella has been gracious enough to provide us a new, larger wagon that'll hopefully be a little more cozy than the prison wagon... we'll ride for Castle Ulux straight away. I've found a spot where we can camp until nightfall, it's near a nice little lake. And then... we'll strike." Stella clasped her hands, looking as if she were in prayer, but her eyes were still opened as she looked out among you. "...Stay safe... all of you..." A pause. "...I... hope Knight makes it back safely to you... one day." --- It wasn't too long of a walk to the front doors of the castle. It was quite peaceful outside, nice and sunny, bright and early... the caravan was waiting with all of its horses as Queen Stella promised. However... One thing was amiss, someone may notice as Kane was preparing the reins. Specifically... someone, whether a boy or a girl; difficult to tell which with their hood up, was sleeping peacefully on the grass in front of some bushes in the front. Their cloak and the front of their hair seemed to be covered in leaves from the same bush... it seems they had fallen asleep on the bush and accidentally rolled out of it. "...zzz..."

"As long as ye'll all support me, I'm with ye. Makin' weapons is me life... so knowing it can help all of ye in that way gives me a little bit of joy. Thank ye for yer offered help." --- Kane patiently listened to Lizaveta, and nodded in understanding. "I understand. You have my word that the gods will not be put into power, nor will they be used to make the currently existing monarchy even stronger. There will be no strengthening of any systems or powers that would cause unjust harm to the people. We will work towards this goal to punish, not reward, the gods for their inaction. I promise." "It's getting a little late... I need to talk with Queen Stella about Castle Ulux's layout before I head to bed, I imagine she's the type to not sleep very much, and neither am I, so hopefully she won't mind. Get some rest too, okay? Things are going to turn out well in the end, I promise. You can hold me to both of those promises if you'd like, I don't intent on breaking either of them. Goodnight, Lizaveta." ... The next day... For once... most everyone was able to have their own rooms and as comfortable of a sleep as their beds would allow them. Albert helpfully put a note outside everyone's door to meet at the dining room, same as where everyone had dinner before, before everyone headed out. It also contained quite the polite message saying that he hoped everyone had slept well despite the whirlwind of events that had happened the previous night... though the handwriting seemed a bit rushed on all of them. As everyone made their way to the dining hall, Kane and Stella were in furious discussion over a small hand-drawn map of Kane's working as well as the ancient book Stella brought... well, Kane was in furious discussion as Stella mostly nodded or shook her head. Kane, however, would give a small nod to anyone who came in, ushering them to take a seat and potentially have some breakfast. There were rare moments where Stella spoke, notably when Kane opened up to a page in the book and his expression hardened. "These two pages right here; why are they ripped out? Surely the book isn't that old, is it?" Stella seemed to look rather worried as Kane asked this, softly clasping her hands together and looking downward. "...My mother ripped them out of the book herself. I... I never learned why she did that." Kane didn't press the subject further. His talking continued, mostly consisting of going over the castle layout with Queen Stella to verify everything. Arthur and Simeon both arrived, Simeon giving a loud yawn, with Arthur looking... considerably paler than he was yesterday, certainly looking like he wasn't able to talk to anyone. Eventually, as more and more people arrived, Kane finished with putting his hand on the table and looking over everyone. "Alright. As Queen Stella said, Ulux is definitely our best target for our first heist; most of the castles are well guarded, but Ulux is a joke at night due to King Darcy mostly emptying the castle. He's sure to still have a few guards up and about to keep an eye on the place, but we won't have to worry about reinforcements. Not to mention, as Ulux is a rather poor country, King Darcy's guards aren't the most effective of the bunch. However, it's a definite that we have to be careful of his own fighting prowess; according to Stella, he wields a long knife serrated on both sides that seems to tear the very wind around it. It's imperative that we do not underestimate him. As well, we would do best to try to have some stealth in the matter; the less we have to fight, the better our chances at getting to King Darcy before he can esca-" Kane paused out of nowhere, squinting his eyes and looking over the table. "...Knight doesn't sleep this late. Does anyone know where he is?" The immense worry in Kane's tone was evident.

Aidan to K20.

Lizaveta may have had to look for a little while, as Kane was quite mobile for a while, but she eventually caught him wandering at the top of the castle, almost as if he were a sentry who was deep in thought questioning himself. He stopped as Lizaveta caught up to him and spoke to him, and he gave a little sigh. "I figured you might want to. I know how you feel about the royalty, especially the monarchy in this world... but I do believe that this is our best shot at changing things for the better. Right now, we have corrupt rulers all over the place... but Queen Stella has proven to be someone who we can trust despite everything. And it's clear that there is still some good within the royalty... Arthur clearly wants a change as well. If we have to go to the gods to figure out what's going on, why these Crests exist... then it's something. We may be able to find clues along the way to find out what's wrong... and if nothing else, we're certainly doing a little bit of toppling of the system. No way will the monarchy be able to be as stable as it once was when we've taken such precious items from them... but I know it's difficult for you to want to do this. And I understand. But please, tell me what's on your mind... is there anything more?" --- "Heh heh... ye sure know how to make a blacksmith feel appreciated. I must say that its been an experience bein' here... a challenge I appreciate havin'. Usually I'd go nights without bein' able to make somethin', I'd just have it all on the shelf... which I had to stop showing the customers ever since someone made off with that precious knife I made, but regardless... knowin' you all won't swindle me like that is comfortin'."