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[Rhiannon]

Rhia frowned as she saw Toan close by Lena. She remembered him. She totally kicked his butt in the recent war. Her frown soon turned into a smile and she skipped off the bench, waved at the boys and began walking slowly and with masked confidence towards the group. She nodded a curt hello and stood behind Lena. She didn't trust him yet.

Edited by Rhiannon, 10 August 2006 - 02:43 AM.

[Xeres]

Xeres followed Selena, not taking much time to figure out that *she* was the 'eternally pissed off looking' one. Appearing from the shadows, she stuck close to Selena, choosing to disregard her disparaging remarks, rather than bother with being offended.

Looking nonchalantly at the fish, Xeres spoke up, not sure if Selena knew exactly how nearby she was.

"I'm right here."

She paused and considered their situation. Any chance of stealth was surely out of the window, with the size and appearance of their group. Proceeding forward was going to be a challenge, to be sure. But perhaps a change of pace would be more interesting... Better than posing as common folk and lounging about in bars, certainly. Maybe this was an avenue that could withstand more bloodshed... Xeres always enjoyed disposing of the filth that was the kingdom's armed forces.

Something still troubling her, Xeres laid a hand on Selena's shoulder, whispering into her ear.

"While I do trust your decisions, perhaps at the next available opportunity... I could have a word with you. In private."

Saying that, Xeres stepped back and went silent, having nothing else to add to the current situation, and feeling more out of place with the newest additions to their travelling party. She worked alone for a reason, and that work ethic was quickly being compromised.

[Goose]

Goose was following along behind his leader. Or his betrayer. They were one in the same. It said so in the stories passed down. Hence the reason Goose had been sent along, by the powers above him. It would be sad how he'd have to kill her, but he couldn't allow them to return. Even Khuffie was better than LoD. But he didn't have to kill her yet, just play along.

He caught up to rhia. "So my child, did you get up to any mischief while I was away?"

[Selena]

Everyone, with the exception of the supposedly nude Shiima, was now together and Selena was far too anxious to just get the hell out of the town before anything else happened. After nodding at Xeres' request she took a few steps forward, and pointed up towards a path leading to the northwest. That was a good place to start, though she imagined they'd naturally be trekking off the path soon enough. Luckily she still had her map and compass with her. Otherwise she, in all her navigational glory, would have been going in circles.

"Let's head out then. You guys can talk on the way," Selena said. "My fishy brother, would you mind taking point for a moment while I have a brief conference with one of my soldiers?"

It was his territory, anyway. He probably knew the area better than any of them did, and so long as no one up in the front broke into a fight, everything should go well enough. She stood still while the group moved out of hearing distance, leaving her and Xeres free to talk. Still behind the group, Selena began to walk, using her scythe as an overly dangerous walking stick. Though she was hesitant to speak, having a feeling that Xeres was going to act like a parent and scold Selena for her behavior.

"Well, Xeres, what is that you..." Selena began to say, then noticed a rather large arachnid crawling along the path next to her. She gulped, calmly scurried to the other side of Xeres without trying to look frightened, and continued. "...What was it that you wanted to speak with me about?"

[Rhiannon]

Rhia looked back at her two previous companions nervously but kept on walking ahead. Goose had asked her what she had done. Honestly she hadn't done much but sit on a bench and look at the flower... and the man-candy.

"Well Goose..." she began.

[Xeres]

Xeres found herself biting her tongue as she was referred to as one of 'her soldiers'... It was like she was doomed to be insulted this entire trip. Saving that indignation for later, she decided to get straight to the point, before she noticed Selena's skittish behaviour.

"...What..."

She spotted the arachnid, looked at Selena, then back at it, puzzled at her reaction. Surely a woman who could raise the dead and enjoyed nothing more than the most morbid things the mind could concoct... Was not afraid of spiders? Was she?

Xeres found herself chuckling before she had a chance to stop herself, quietly, so the rest of the troupe couldn't hear her, she laughed at Selena's expense. It was enough to be exposed to the periodically lighthearted antics of Ikana's leader, but this was just amusing. She shooed the spider in question out of sight, and returned to her previous train of thought.

"...I suppose this is not simply an Ikana mission." She paused, making absolutely sure they were out of earshot. "...The Labyrinth seems to be out in force. Are you sure that it's entirely safe to mingle the two allegiances? Those who are unaware might have agendas contrary to our own... And we risk a very serious battle if such an event were to occur. I..."

She paused, choosing her words with care.

"...I wonder who would be eager to dethrone the current ruler of Ikana... Who would replace you."

Continuing on this tangent, she allowed a touch of bitterness to ring through.

"And as much as you may paint me to be the 'eternally pissed off' one... Or refer to me as your subordinate when you know better than to do so... I would prefer working with you... Than some fool I do not trust."

She allowed herself to make eye contact, drawing back her hood to get the full impact of the expression.

"I trust you. Do not take that lightly. You know more about me than anyone else... That is still alive."

With that she made a motion to replace her hood, but not before allowing Selena a chance to respond.

[Selena]

Selena stared right back at her for a moment before leaning in, cracking a smile, and saying, "You aren't going to start getting all sweet and sentimental on me now, are you, Xeres? Though that last comment was somewhat unsettling."

Now, who could be after her throne? Well, for starters, everyone, but she supposed that was a bit too broad a category. Killing everyone to prevent a coup might be a little counter-productive. Selena had made sure to keep herself in a comfortable state of paranoia over the years. She'd attempted and been subject to many a failed coup, after all. But as she pondered that, she thought it best to address the Labyrinth situation before her somewhat blank stare went on for too long.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, in regards to the Labyrinth," Selena said coyly. "This is clearly an official Ikana mission, and nothing more. It's just 'coincidence' that my inner circle and entourage are filled with 'ex'-Labyrinth members. The only one who isn't is Goose. But if it comes down to it, I have a feeling that the combination of you, me, Rhia and Toan can outmatch him. Just a hunch."

"And if you're worried about the Zora, don't be too concerned. He's the obsessive type. His gods, revenge against Rhiannon, whatever. I flipped a mental switch of his that set him back to being obsessed with the Labyrinth. Fish though he may be, he's a man, so it's just that easy. He should be just fine. He secretly fears his sister, like any good boy should," Selena explained as the two continued to walk.

Her face frowned back into a serious expression for a moment, pondering on something or another, continuing on in silence for a few long paces as she looked back up on the forward group. No signs of a fight yet. Good soldiers.

"And of course I don't take your trust lightly," Selena said at long last. Then she sighed wistfully to lighten the mood. "You're deadly, you can put up with my incessant teasing, and ward off eight legged beasts born from the pits of despair for me. My hero."

[Rhiannon]

Rhia walked inbetween the Zora feeling fear and the two Ikana women feeling nervous. She nudged closer to Goose for comfort. With him being away from the group for so long, he knew nothing of the quest and obstacles they had gone through or destined to go through. She eyed Toan in front making sure he was a good distance behind. She looked back at Selena and Xeres, making sure they were busy. Quickly she hugged Goose and whispered "... I'm scared Goosey."

[Toan]

Being handed the reins of this wild chariot, Toan was given authority. He glanced around... Yeah, he knew the area alright. Just passed through here actually... I wonder if the ground is still bloody from "Merv"...

Silently, Toan began to lead the group back towards the edge of the Woods where he just left Ayden, Ken, and Motoko. As the troupe moved onwards, it divided into three seperate parts: Toan leading the group on his own, Goose and Rhia a little ways back, and Xeres and Selena taking up the rear. Hmm... He glanced back. In a group again... At least I'm not entirely dependent this time.

The Zora reached a webbed hand into his pocket and wrapped it on his religious rosary. It felt cold, devoid of the warmth it once filled him with. So that's that, eh?

They trekked on.

[Xeres]

Xeres sighed, becoming increasingly used to Selena's teasing, and nodded slowly. She had made a good point, anyone trying to overtake Selena would most certainly have a difficult time... Selena herself was powerful, and Rhiannon would no doubt defend her leader... On that tangent, Xeres knew she preferred Selena alive rather than dead.

When Selena had leaned in towards her, Xeres found herself flinching back, in a strange combination of fear and embarassment. People did not normally get that close to her face, and it was unnerving, to say the least. Recovering herself, she spoke.

"I worry not about your 'brother', as you seem to have a great deal of power over him. It is those you are unable to persuade that I shall worry about. Our numbers do instill some confidence in me, as the daytime leaves me without much of my magic, I do not feel terribly vunerable in this group... We are not terribly stealthy, however. We risk a greater number of hostile encounters, that is certain... But perhaps..."

She smiled, pausing in the donning of her hood to let the expression show, before letting her hood obscure her face once more.

"...I like it that way."

She nodded, satisfied with that possibility. As for Selena's playful banter, Xeres found it easiest to respond in kind,

"You've seen through my mysterious demeanour, Selena, you know that behind my rough exterior lies a woman scorned in her unrequited lust for you... Oh how shall I live with my secret revealed... The shame. Oh the shame."

Her voice carrying an amused tone, she drew close to Selena, her voice dropping back to it's usual whisper.

"...Not that I'd put myself above making a pass at you... It is, however, good to know you value my services... As I value yours."

With that, she fell back into step beside Selena, wondering if she'd been too open with Ikana's consul. Such revelations often came back to taunt her in the end. She shrugged mentally, deciding that she was beyond caring as a mere shadow of an identity she once was ages ago. Might as well give some personality to her new self... It would be... Fun. Quite.

[Goose]

"I'm scared Goosey,," Rhianon said.

"Me too darlin.. Me too." replied Goose.

It had been a hard time getting here. What with all the questing and the Shiima being left behind, but it had to be done. He had to stay with this party, for his safety, and for theirs. Sure, If they did try to start a resurgance of LoD, he would have to try to stop them, but it didn't seem like that was going to happen anytime soon.

So he may as well enjoy the ride, and the women too. He liked The captain, she was nice. She was like a daughter figure. No, he didn't like her in that way, but she was still cool. He liked the crew that he was hanging around with, apart from the Zora. Zora's just freaked him out for some reason, specially ones that were fanatical. He just wanted to electrocute the creature, but for a spell that strong, he'd have to sacrifice a virgin, and as he said, he quite liked Rhianon.

So he treked along, telling stories to those who would listen, stories about times long past, and legends whom he knew as real people. Like the Shadow storm, who moved like lightning, and the Almosee who nobody could quite work out the gender of. Yeah, those times had gone, and that lot had all passed on to another realm, far beyond here.

[Rhiannon]

Rhia smiled slightly gave Goose another quick hug and walked silently alongside of him. Xeres and Selena still stood back smiling at each other and walking uncharastically close for either of them. Rhia smiled wide, poked Goose and told him to look back as well. They giggled and Rhia finally felt at east. Goose made her feel that way. He was like the big brother she never had and she appreciated it greatly.

For most of the walk Goose told the tales of his adventures and stories from long ago. Rhia listened intently, keeping on eye on the girls in the back and the Zora who inched ever so slowly closer to Goose and herself. Rhia convinced herself that he just wanted to hear the stories. She breathed deeply. With the Zora close by it was easier to keep an eye on everyone. Besides that, he smelt rather good, like something she hadn't smelt in a long while. The smell reminded her of her childhood after her father had left her mother and her.

Rhia smiled and kept on walking.

[Selena]

"Yes, I'm sure there are plenty of other services we could value about each other as well," Selena replied, her mind diving straight into the gutter, as was practically protocol with her. "Though you might end up in a fight with Rhiannon over that. Or Chikara."

But as Strandheim disappeared behind them, and the edge of the Woods crept closer still, her mind switched over from perversion to business, and she continually checked her maps to make sure they were heading in the proper direction. Alsvard was on the edge of the Woods, indeed - the last convoy stop before the spear would end up in the territory of the forested domain.

Honestly, she was getting a bit worried about soldiers from the Woods getting wind of the convoy, or about having their scouts notice their little group before they could accomplish their mission. The people of the Woods were rumored to be notoriously xenophobic and reclusive, but now that the dorms were all recovering from the war, who knew how things had changed.

"Toan," she addressed, picking up her pace enough to where she was within speaking range of the overgrown trout, "are we likely to run into any Woods border patrols this close to the forest? I don't want any party crashers in Alsvard."

She checked her maps once more, and, without warning, she scrambled up a tree to get a better view of the land. Sitting on a tree branch for a moment, she could see the distant outlines of a town, much larger than Strandheim, but still small in comparison with the well known governing cities.

"Which... is not that far away! Hopefully we can make it by nightfall, but," Selena began, looking up at the sky and the position of the sun overhead, "I don't know if we can. Ah, well, a night raid might be more beneficial, anyway."

She leapt down from the tree branch, falling to the ground with a certain degree of graceful clumsiness, and resumed walking along the designated path, quite pleased that she hadn't gotten lost yet.

[Xeres]

Xeres paused, catching the double-meaning of Selena's gutter-thoughts. She nodded thoughtfully, and replied, before Selena caught up with Toan.

"... Like any good child, I'm all about sharing. And you seem to have very few stumbling points... Incest, primarily."

Watching Selena take to the trees, Xeres thought back to the matter at hand. They were getting close to the Lost Woods, to be sure. A familiar rush ran through Xeres as she anticipated battle... More bloodshed was always welcome. It was another facet to her personality... One she was beginning to like... And possibly, fear.

She fell further back, until she was taking up the rear of the group. After revealing as much as she had, she felt vunerable and tried to counteract the feeling by isolating herself once again.

Xeres knew one thing... She was most certainly odd. Past self or new self.

[Toan]

Toan had been easing back, overhearing Goose intentionally as he spoke of ancient times... The Zora recalled a few excursions he and Shadow Storm had back in the day... even that stint on Windfall Island...

"Toan, are we likely to run into any Woods border patrols this close to the forest? I don't want any party crashers in Alsvard."

Crashing down to the ground off of Cloud Eight (not quite Cloud Nine), Toan responded in his half-whispered, soft tones he'd grown used to using in these parts as Selena scrambled up a tree. "I'm leading the troupe back the way I came, which ends at the edge of the Woods where I left the other 3 I just abandoned. They should be gone by the time we reach them, and if not, it's nothing you couldn't handle blindfolded." He winked to his sister and continued. "But no, nothing else mildly 'threatening' along the way."

Assuming Xeres and she were finished, he silently "handed the reigns" back to Selena, yet kept pace alongside her. "Do you plan to do this silently without casualties, or to make as much noise and bloodshed as possible?"

[Selena]

Selena stared at her brother for several long, tense minutes, her mouth agape and her eyebrows raised in utter confusion. Just what had those awful Woodies done to Toan? Surely he couldn't have meant that last question. Maybe he was just getting senile in his old age. Yes, that was it. Senility kicked in quicker in the Zora, maybe. Not quite sure if he was joking or not, though, she answered as seriously as she could manage.

"Um, well," she began, "quiet at first. But bloody. Quiet and bloody. Then as soon as I get my weapon, then we switch to noisy and bloody. You remember who you're talking to, yes?"

At least there was no expected patrols by the Woods. That would make things a hell of a lot easier. The closer they got to the Kanagida, the more her adrenaline began to pump. She was getting uncomfortable and tense, her mind crying out to recover the rush that only that weapon could unleash. The bloodlust, the carnage, the raw anger - it would be considered a curse by someone with any kind of morals, but for Selena, it was the perfect tool to tear any foe asunder. And she wouldn't let anyone have it. Not the Alliance, not the Woods soldiers, not even the other members of the Labyrinth royal line. It was hers.

As they got closer still to Alsvard, her pace quickened. She was practically at a jog by the time the city got into proper view, not caring whether the others could keep up or not. She walked low along the grass, her dark clothes blending with the night, gazing at any key points of entry. Soldiers were guarding the main road in. Alsvard was too small to warrant Alliance soldiers guarding the town instead of militia. That was a sign. The spear was there, somewhere.

Now, to sneak in and snatch the weapon. They had to be quiet at first. Any major, in the open assault would cause security to tighten, making things all the more difficult. Stealth was an ally now. The major bloodshed would follow after she'd gotten her prize back. She just had to find the damn thing.

She hopped up on top of the wall that protected the city from a major army - not a hell of a lot it could do with just a few soldiers. Trusting the others could make it over either individually or as a team, she fell to the other side, landing on an empty street in what appeared to be a business district of some kind. Looking around, Selena quickly sized the area up. Buildings placed close together, all under three stories high. All had solid roofs. None of that straw hut crap one found in the rednecked hamlets. That would do.

"Follow," Selena said to her team simply.

Her scythe in one hand, she scaled a ladder that was found in the alleyway between two buildings, and climbed up to the rooftop. Travel up there would be much simpler, and safer, giving them a bird's eye view of the streets below without ground patrols getting in their way. It would be easier to spot a well guarded convoy from up there.

But, as she reached the roof, she noticed she was not alone. A civilian man was up there, having a smoke. Well, that wouldn't do. So, with silent footsteps, she crept up to the man, who had is back turned to her. With a powerful swing of her scythe, she impaled the weapon in his back, digging it in and dragging the blade down, ripping his flesh apart. He barely had time to sound off with a death rattle before the actual reaper came to take him away.

She grinned maliciously and almost laughed, feeling somewhat satiated already. She paused then, allowing for the others to catch up. Never the less, she waited impatiently, her eyes always scanning for large groups of soldiers or secured wagons. Hopefully they hadn't brought the weapon indoors for the evening!

[Rhiannon]

Rhia kept walking alongside Goose, listening to his stories. They kept her at ease and comfortable. This worked until Xeres started lagging behind and Selena walking far ahead. She didn't like her previous teamates so far away. Man I have to get it together, what would Lena think of me actually depending on her

Rhia didn't say anything more, keeping an eye on both Selena and Xeres Rhia kept walking when all of the sudden Selena bounded forwards.

"Lena! Wait!" Rhia ran after her only to stop short of the city. Wow was the only word that came to mind. Rhia had never been to big a city before. Her main goal now was to not get lost. She struggled up the wall after Lena, only to get there in time to see her drawing her blade through some old man's back.

"Ugh," Rhia hid her face, that much blood didn't do nice things to her stomach. "Was that really necessary? Couldn't you have just knocked him out?

Rhia sighed and plugged her nose while they waited for the others.

[Xeres]

Xeres watched Rhia struggle up the wall, arriving after the young captain, as she was watching the group's rear. After judging that there was in fact, no danger present, she lept up to the wall, using one hand to swing herself over. She saw the aftermath of Selena's attack, and while impressed at her method, Xeres sighed at the complications it could cause if they were discovered. Oh well, all in due time.

Calling upon her powers of the night, she sunk into the shadows, appearing silently beside Rhiannon. She paused, trying to find some way to ease the girl's skittish nature. She whispered softly to the younger girl,

"...Be thankful it's not your blood."

And stepped forward to dispose of the body. Holding a hand out, she addressed Selena.

"If you're finished admiring your handiwork..."

With a snap, the shadows sprung forth and the newly deceased man's corpse sank into them, disappearing without a trace.

"...I suppose someone should make a joke about 'smoking will kill you' or somesuch."

With that, she peered out over the city, hoping to spot some sign of the convoy carrying that weapon.

[Selena]

Selena perched herself on the edge of the building for a moment, getting her bearings. Now, they would of course keep the spear at the most secure location possible, which naturally meant the military facilities the town had. She leant her body over the edge of the building further, probably at an unsafe angle, before spotting what looked like a complex consisting of a barracks, training arena, and a command center. And, as logic would have it, three military wagons were resting just beside it.

"There we go," Selena said with a childlike grin. She then turned back to Rhiannon for a moment, making a face. "You know, you really have to learn to appreciate the finer things in life. Homicide, manipulation, torture... that kind of stuff. You'll be a lot happier once you get used to it."

Standing up and heading towards the furthest side of the building, she stood back up on the edge, knowing that jumping from rooftop to rooftop would land them all quite close to the objective. Getting past the soldiers on the ground would be another story. Maybe they'd just have to storm in traditionally. Not that Selena would have minded that. It was hard to sneak around in a group this size.

"I hope you're a flying fish, brother," Selena said with a grin.

She lunged forward and leapt across the gap between buildings, sprinting across the next roof before repeating the action again, her feet swift enough to where they barely spent any time on a solid surface. She came to a halt at the last building before the street below opened up into the military complex, and she knelt down to avoid being seen, keeping very still.

She couldn't tell whether it was in the wagons, or if it had been moved inside the command center. The guards were evenly dispersed between both areas. Patrols were thick to the point where a stealthy approach was going to be nigh impossible. Guess they'd have to storm in after all. There was one officer holding a sword that was clearly overcompensating for something. He probably knew where it was.

"Kill the guards, interrogate the officer," Selena commanded. "I don't think we're going to be able to do this quietly."

[Goose]

"Wait, your hignessness. I know you have an urge to kill people, but surely some of my magic could come in handy here. One thing I am good at is creating illusions. Just make sure you grab the officer."

With that Goose started to chant silently. He did so for about 30 seconds, and pointed over to behind a corner, a fair distance away from the guards. In a puff of smoke, down by the corner, an army of prostitutes appeared. They strutted down the street, calling out to the guards that they were going to give away some freebies to those nice brave men who protected them so. If those big strong men could catch them that is. They then took off in the other direction.

The funny thing was, all the girls looked like his highnessness.

[Toan]

Toan watched as Selena scurried up the wall like a mouse, after which she killed some bystander and jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Toan sighed and preferred a much easier route. He looked to where his sister ended her kangaroo escapade and gave a twirl of his cloak, much in the same fashion as he did when Gary and Vern were watching, and silently appeared next to Selena.

Goose, nearby, performed an enchantment causing prostitutes to appear luring most, if not all, of the guards away. At this rate I'll end up doing nothing, Toan thought. So be it, then. He sat and dangled his feet from the rooftop,and reached inside one of his many pockets for a lighter. He flicked it open and shut, open and shut, and watched.

[ninja kitten]

Most unfortunately, it was at that moment that Ninja Kitten appeared, landing right on her rear. "Oww, owchie, owwie" she spat out, raising to a standing position. "Damn that bard. Last time I ever let him send me anywhere by magic!"

Looking around, she saw that she had landed just inside the walls of some military area. Disoriented from the travel, she slumped against a wall and sat there feeling quite ill. Suddenly she noticed a change in the guards near her. They seemed to be lured away by something interesting. Moving into a kneeling position she strained her eyes to see what they were looking at.

[Selena]

Selena was still for several moments as she watched Goose do what Goose did best, summoning up hookers of all things. But, no matter how unorthadox it was, the tactic seemed to be working. The officer and one or two of his lieutenants were all that remained, shouting for the others to come back, lest they face the consequences. And it was then, when looking back at the fleeing prostitutes and soldiers, that Selena realized just who the girls were modeled after.

She slowly turned around, her face absolutely livid. She slapped Goose upside the head, her hand lashing out like a striking cobra. "You stupid little bard, that was uncalled for!"

It was worth little concern, in the grand scheme of things, however. She turned her attention back to the objective, where she then noticed a younger, non-Lena clone in the area. She squinted. Was that... was that Shiima? Oh, bloody hell. Now she was trapped down there, surrounded by enemies. This wasn't exactly a good day for the young ninja, now was it? Time to bail her out of there and get that spear back! Noticing Toan's lethargic behavior, Selena put her boot to his back and kicked him off the edge of the building, knowing full well he could land on his feet without injury. No slacking on the job.

"Keep the guards off my back while I look for the spear, and make sure Shiima down there is unharmed. Go!" Selena ordered.

She leapt off the edge, right behind her brother, landing roughly on the ground. Scythe in hand, she sprinted forward towards the wagons. It wasn't long before the officer with the gigantic sword noticed her approaching, and he spung around, fumbling for his weapon and calling for his soldiers to come to his assistance. Without any hint of ladylike grace, Selena essentially clotheslined the officer, knocking him to the ground. She kept right on going, hopping into the central wagon to rummage around.

"Get her!" The officer shouted as he got back to his feet, and his lieutenants scrambled to his defence, drawing their weapons and heading right for the consul, who was obviously more interested in tossing around cases and crates to find her precious item.

[Toan]

A rough foot to the back ensured an on-time departure aboard ToanAir. All the same. Toan had expected such a "reaction" from dear 'ole sis. Spicing up his majestic dismount, the Zora added a twist and a forward flip to his fall before landing spectacularly on his left foot and right knee, his right hand in the dirt for support.

Standing, he brushed his knee off and cast a glance around for his lighter - ah, there it-CLINK.

A guard intentionally stood on it. Toan squinted his eyes and cast a glance up to the guard. Boy, did he look pissed. No prostitute poon-tang tonight really puts an underpaid guard off, it seems. Keeping his word to Selena, he lept onto the guard, knocking him backwards onto the ground. Faster than a strike of lightning Toan had locked his hands behind the guard's head and sank his salivating jaws into his throat, ripping organs and blood out in a magnificent spray into the starry sky.

Standing, he swooped to retrieve his lighter, and gave another glance around. ...Fun. The guards' attention was certainly drawn to their fallen comrade and his attacker.

He glanced at Shiima. "You, get behind me." He grinned devilishly at the crowd and swooped in, ready for combat, his gloves glowing darkly.

[Xeres]

Watching the fiasco below with little amusement, Xeres kept a close eye on her fellow teammates, still perched on the rooftop above. As much as she wished to showcase her own skills, she knew that someone should keep watch. Possible exit strategies, ambushes, and any other complications rushed through her head as she bore witness to the strange skirmish taking place below.

Drawing her swords out from beneath her cloak, she crouched and felt every muscle in her body tense, preparing for battle. Whether or not her services would be needed was unknown, but in this kind of work, preparation was key.

"...This will at least be interesting... Prostitute illusions, a feral Zora who practices dark magic, and a powerful spear that could cause the death of thousands... "

Xeres whispered quietly, pretty much to herself.

"...Interesting, indeed."

Watching the shadows on the ground below, Xeres started a low chant, the tattoos on her arms and legs taking on a strange glow as she took steps to ensure the safety of her comrades... Regardless of how odd that idea sounded to her.

[Selena]

As her brother used his own brand of violence against a guard, drawing some of the others' attention, Selena frantically grasped at a large metal case in the central wagon, her nails tearing at the locks that secured it. She could feel an amazing surge of power without even touching what was inside, her magical abilities already enhanced by the spear's amplification effects. Her weapon was most assuredly inside that damn case, and she didn't come all this way to let... five combination locks prevent her from accomplishing her mission at hand. They were made of reinforced steel, made to withstand most weapons save for explosives. It would have taken ages to get them off. But, thanks to that amplification effect reacting with Selena's royal blood, it would be quite simple.

She held her hand out, using the enhanced magical field to summon up what would have otherwise been a mild fire based spell that even novice mages could use. But now, with that spear so close, the locks rapidly turned red hot, and became liquid as she increased the power. The locks then nothing more than a puddle of liquid metal on the floor, Selena flung open the case, and within was her weapon, wrapped delicately in a red cloth to prevent people from accidentally touching it.

She flung off the cloth, and wrapped her right hand around the weapon, hoisting it up and out of the case. In an instant, her desire to fight multiplied tenfold, and she stood, putting her free hand on the wagon's ceiling while her lips curled into a sinister smile.

...

The officer in charge of the convoy was sprinting over to where Selena had disappeared, knowing that if he failed to protect the weapon, he'd be exiled or even killed for his ultimate failure. His two supporting soldiers were a bit ahead of him, but they skidded to a halt when they noticed movement from within the central wagon. Then, just as he was about to order them to go forward, the wagon's roof was ripped to shreds in what looked like some kind of explosion.

The smoldering fabric and wood flew away, leaving smoking remains and an image of Selena coming to stand at her full height, a spear crackling with energy in her right hand. She looked less like Selena, the Consul of Ikana, and more like Selena, the Heir to the Labyrinth. Her entire posture and her mannerisms had switched back to her younger days, and she smoothly dropped herself out from the wagon and sauntered towards the officer and his soldiers.

"I'm sure you've all been wondering just what exactly this little spear is capable of, if it warrants such an escort, right?" Selena nearly hissed out, her mind focusing entirely on how many ways she could rip the man apart.

The lead officer paid her little mind and charged forward without hesitation, lifting his sword over his head and then swinging it down in a diagonal slash, confident his heavy blade would be enough to shut the female braggard up. But she smirked, and quickly lashed out with her own weapon, meeting his sword with the oversized blade mounted on the tip of the Kanagida. His sword was split into two pieces, the spear slicing through without much trouble. The top half of his weapon clattered to the ground, while he stared in shock at the half left in his hand. He went to throw it down, but found himself instantly impaled by the heir's familiar weapon. She lifted him up and tossed him off the spear, and took no time to lunge forward towards the other two soldiers.

The two were on the ground before they knew it, hit by two wild bursts of black lightning. She could have easily upped the power to kill them, but that would have been far too simple. So she left them disoriented, walking forward as they struggled to stand, and with one giant arching swing of her weapon, sliced through both armor and flesh, finishing them off directly. Her eyes darted across the area, searching for more enemies, her mind no longer taken even a moment to size up the situation to determine the most logical attack pattern. Now, everything was automatic. Instinctual.

"This," Selena said as the soldiers who had previously been distracted by her whorish clones came running back, "is much better."

[Rhiannon]

Rhia stood in awe as everyone jumped into action. Goose forming people, Toan getting pushed off buildings, Xeres forming protective magic, Shiima popping out of nowhwere and last but not least, Selena becmoing psychotic. Suddenly aware that she was very much alone on the rooftop and that she still stood in the exact same spot since they had gotten there, Rhia stumbled forward. Everyone had something to do, and they knew exactly what they were doing. Rhia was completely lost. She moved to the edge of the building and caught site of Toan and Shiima. They were terribly outnumbered and no matter how skilled both were, it seemed they might be having a little trouble.

Perfect.

Quickly, but steadily Rhia jumped off the building, bringing the sword they had bought for her from the previous town she landed squarely on top of one of the guards in the back row. Her sword sliced right through the top of his head. His skull splitting three ways. Sitting on his shoulders Rhia leaned foward, causing him to fall to the ground with a loud thump. Smiling, she pulled her sword out only to find that half of it was missing.

"What the hell?" Rhia groaned, only she could do something like that. Selena was not going to be happy, since they had just bought that for her. Rhia growled loudly, too loudly it seemed for a dozen men were now facing her.

"Erm... Hi..." she smiled sweetly and waved. Quickly focusing on the barrels nearby she sent them rowling towards her oncomers. Rhia giggled as they flipped over the barrels, shocked looks on their faces.

"Sorry." She tilted her head and gave them appologetic looks as she swiped her broken sword through the necks of the ones closest to her.

She waved at Shiima, it was nice to see her again.

"Long time, no see! How have you been?" She called over the men standing between them, stabbing and slicing her way with the now short, pointed in two directions and bloody sword.

[ninja kitten]

Pausing in her attack to wave back, Shiima felt quite odd greeting her commrade in the midst of battle. It had been quite some time since she had seen any of the group. The enemy took advantage of this opening and left Shiima sporting a trail of blood across her bare arm. Wiping it on her leg she quickly got back into the action. Swinging her daggers with quick, small swipes, she quickly fell the attacker. Dodging around one of the many prostitutes that were still lingering, she flew at the next man, chanting a spell and lighting his clothing on fire in the process. A moment later she was on him, ripping his skin savagely and leaving splatters of blood across the ground and herself. In a flash she was back beside her rescuer, on to the next enemy.

[Selena]

ooc: Posting on request, because Rhia is going to have a mental breakdown.
-------------


The consul gave Rhia a wayward glance which slowly progressed into a glare as she realized just how the quirky fighter was handling this brawl. But, thanks to her weapon's driving force, she didn't dwell on it long, barely having time to make a mental note to lecture Rhia before she concentrated more on the soldiers nearby, reinforcements coming in from the barracks.

She slid forward, impaling her spear into the cranium of an approaching goon, a pleased and twisted grin forming on her face. Withdrawing her weapon she hacked through another who was trying to back him up. She glanced around, wild and illogical thoughts going through her brain. Now was the perfect time to withdraw. But Selena wanted nothing more than to get rid of this entire damn military complex, and maybe even encourage the rebellious townfolk to rise up against the Alliance. If she killed all the soldiers, after all, no one would start a search party for them.

"I think it's time we said goodbye to these little worms," Selena declare simply, and began to walk forward, cutting down a stray soldier or two if her path was crossed. "Fire in the hole!"

She held her hand up with an excited gleam in her eyes, and tapped into the Kanagida's amplification effect. Using the same spell she used to blow apart the wagon, she sent it forward towards the still partially occupied barracks. Rather than some impressive display of fireworks, it was more like a shockwave. The air was rapidly sucked in towards the building, and a mild distortion could be seen as the wave moved forward. But when it finally hit the barracks, it was hit hard by the spell, shingles and wood flying off from the structure until it finally caught on fire. The barracks began to burn, to Selena's delight. She needed marshmallows.

As smoke escaped from the burning building, she moved about the battlefield, coming to put her hand to rest on Rhiannon's shoulder. "Isn't this fun, sweet child? Just... try not to do anything stupid."

But back to work. She continued walking along, sending weaker powered spells flying into Alliance soldiers as she went about her business. Eventually, she reached the edge of the military complex, where several young civilian men and women were watching in awe and fear. They flinched and began to retreat a bit at her approach, but she smiled and waved, looking friendly despite her obviously psychotic nature.

"If you've all been waiting for the start of a revolution, then now's your chance! Muster up all your courage and fight back against these moronic grunts," Selena shouted. "To hell with this Alliance. Let's beat them back and return to the days of independent nations and domains!"

They weren't entirely sure what to make of that, but she never the less continued on with her merriment, sending another more massive shockwave into one of the other buildings, turning it into another smoking piece of firewood. But, eventually, a few of the civilians ventured inside, throwing rocks and debris at both Alliance soldiers and the buildings alike. Well, that was refreshing. At least someone appreciated vandalism!

"Okay, we can go now," Selena sighed. "I'm getting bored."

[Toan]

A scarlet, lumpy blanket scattered with bits of flesh, innards, weaponry and fabric covered the path Toan had ripped his way through thus far. It was a sight to behold in a grotesque, macabre sense, but a sight nevertheless.

Hearing Selena's shouts of glee to the villagers, Toan stood up from the latest tasty corpse and cast a glance towards her. He was barely recognizable under the torrents of bloods soaking and streaming down his face, hands, and robes. Mmm.. He licked his teeth and swallowed before walking over to her, finally at ease with himself, the group, and the fact he was more full now than he had been in ages.

"Bored, sis?" He looked around at the crowd and the burning buildings. "...Because that makes so much sense. Well, your work here is done," Toan growled. "...Can we find a place where I can clean myself up and set up camp? We're definitely on the radar now - I'd suggest we get back under it."