Hero, Don't Kill The Demon King! Chapter 1: Lives Not Yet Thrown Away

[Nanami Touko]

A hug was expected... The caressing wasn't, Thesephine's tail shooting straight up, her wings a sensitive spot to be caressed in such a way. She had to push Nessraya away after that, knowing that things would likely escalate if she didn't stop her. With Sollowy right there, Nessraya doing anything untoward would cause an argument... "Ah... R-Right, sorry. They came in a few weeks after you all left... Sollowy helped to make sure it wasn't as painful as it could have been. Sollowy is..." Thesephine took a step back and gestured towards her, blushing gently and swallowing hard. "My... Girlfriend." That would likely be... A bomb, but it needed addressed, sooner than later. They couldn't get into this in the middle of a battle.

"It sounds like the battle here went well, at least... If you all laid waste to their forces today, then yes, we should regroup and press the attack. Don't give them a moment to recover, not properly, anyway... Who's in charge here?" It would be best to get a meeting going as soon as they could.

---

Lavinia hadn't expected Marina to panic that hard... They'd spoken the night before, hadn't they? She was just concerned that Marina was suddenly not holding onto it, not about to lambast into her over the lack of a sword. In the middle of their hero launching her breakfast, Bridgit had come over, looking rather troubled. "Bridgit, I... W-Wait! I, dammit... Ugh." Lavinia shook her head. Bridgit needed spoken to, but she couldn't just leave Marina to her plight. "Marina, I, I need to speak with Bridgit, just... I'm not upset at you, I was just concerned. Agni! Please watch over Marina!"

Lavinia took off after Bridgit, trying to catch up to her despite the armor and sun bearing down on her. "Bridgit, wait! Speak to me! What's wrong? Amera can handle the onis, I'm sure things will be fine, but... What is it?" She'd said in private... They were far enough away from the rest of the group that a quiet discussion likely wouldn't be heard. "Tell me."

---

Asami flinched, but said nothing more, letting the girl run off. "Fool... Ugh. That'll leave a mark... She didn't punch me, but that still stings! I just said the truth, anyway, I didn't deserve that..." With another huff, Asami gave Ren one more look, deciding that it wouldn't do to whine to him about his angry cousin. He was tending to the poor lizard, anyway... "Mrrhh... You take the mess, then, Amera. I need to touch up my face before Bladen gets back... Last thing I need is him getting angry over me~" With a smirk and a sigh, Asami turned towards the fort.

"I, uhm... Th-Thank you, Ren. I'll, b, be okay. I just... I wasn't expecting a f-fight to break out." Taliyah slowly picked herself up, sniffling, nodding slightly. "I'm, okay. My wounds aren't th-that bad... I patched myself up... Wh-What about you, Ren? Will you be okay...?" Tali stared up at him, too curious and worried.

Amera sighed as the slap went through. At least the fighting had stopped... She didn't know much about the group beyond Nessraya, so their little infighting, she couldn't do much about it. Seilan had come about to fix up their prisoner, before Amera hauled her off to the fort... But her wounds weren't closing? "What?" Amera leaned down to check, making sure he was telling the truth... He was; somehow, his magic wasn't closing her wounds. "That's... Bizarre. Yeah, do that... We can't have her dying on us before we get to interrogate her for... Anything. Ithraxl is still our main problem, but we can't have the church sending people in on us during that fight... I'll carry her off when you're done." Amera put her hands behind her head, stretching a bit... And giving a glance towards the fort... Some people with Nessraya?

---

"I..." Tenna squeaked up, behind her tears. "You're... A m-monnnster, but you're, still... You, w-were woun-nded. I couldn't, ignn, nore that..." Perhaps too altruistic of her, Tenna couldn't help herself seeing a wounded soldier. She was terrified, and disgusted by the being around them so closely, but she hadn't wanted this fight in the first place. Ariana had been so forceful on engaging, on having to kill Marina... "I... I-Is, Marin-na, s-safe...?" She looked up at the dragon carrying her, fear still evident, but hope peeking through.

---

"Mnnhhhhhh..." Suki chilled out and smiled softly as Nisha pet her, tail wagging swiftly. "I, know... mmnn, she scared I... Not good at, sword... So, get in trouble. Little scare, but, I okay! She not need worry so hard..." Suki whined quietly, letting the petting continue... Slowly she leaned forward and nuzzled up against Nisha, content to continue getting pet. "Cozy... Pets good after fight." They probably had to get back to the fort, but she was getting rather absorbed.

"Mrr... I just do better... And, she no worry as much. Simple... I get stronger~ Amera no worry. Everyone happy... You help me get stronger, Nisha? You, strong... Swing axe, powerful. Even if can't, take hit... Good idea?"

[Ether]

Nessraya blinked vacantly for a moment, her face coming to rest between her fingers as she massaged her temples.

"This Gathlain, that I am certain is the same that I met for the first time mere weeks ago whilst dealing with one of the local problems along the way... somehow had time enough to not only make it to Attisio, but to become your girlfriend." Nessraya relayed back, her eyes narrowing into slits. The jovial flirtation and familiarity seemed gone in an instant, replaced in a rare, blunt seriousness as the General questioned her King. It was a side that Thesephine had likely rarely if ever seen of her close friend and advisor, asking the followup questions all it's own. How did this happen to quickly? Did you think about any of this whatsoever? A single time?

...

Did I really mean so little to you?

___

"I mean, I can try, but I'm not the best at the whole sparring thing. You saw what happened in the barracks. I can try to teach you the best ways to snap a guy in half but uhh... a lot of my methods rely on getting in close without being noticed." Nisha replied with a sigh, content to continue petting Suki, since the latter clearly held no qualms with the arrangement.

"As I recall, you had a bit of a close call earlier, so I think she's just a bit more worried than normal. As long as you can show her you're alright, I think that should help make her feel a bit more secure. I think she'll give in if you show her that you're serious."

[Nanami Touko]

"Mrrr, okay... Please help, train. Yes. No spar... Just train. Practice!" With a sudden, swift movement, Suki picked Nisha up, bridal style, carrying the girl towards the fort while still nuzzling against her. "Mm, warm. Feel good after big fight... I help you get back, then, you tell Nessraya, Amera, that I good for combat~ Yes. Good plan~" Her tail wagged happily, and despite her injury, not a single step was limped as she walked back to the fort.

Edited March 9, 2021 by SnakeMomMelissa

[scorri]

"Th-the princess??" Bladen didn't know what he'd been expecting. Princess certainly wasn't it though, he could guarantee that. A princess who healed Xal even. He stared at her for a long second before getting knocked out of his thoughts by her question. "Ah, flying, yeah, probably? It's... Complicated. The size of my wings is controlled by me and sometimes it... Doesn't work great. But I'm getting better! Probably. We can try at least, right? Worst case I have a crash landing, but getting her back to everyone sooner rather than later is probably a good idea. People need to know she's here."

It seemed like the princess had some words of her own. "A monster but you couldn't help yourself, huh? Don't know if that's an act or you're really that innocent, but either way, pretty sure where we're going most people would view you as the monster, not the other way around, Princess. As for the Hero... Who knows? Seemed fine last we saw her, but that was before this battle. Who knows what your people did to her?" He wasn't lying, really. He had no idea if she was alive, uninjured, whatever. But even if he had, he wasn't sure he would have told her. Not knowing who... what she was.

---

Astrea had been following behind the newcomers, slowing to a halt as they did, hesitating. They'd been greeted by one of the members of the group... Nessarya? Something like that... She slowly started to move around them, not wanting to interrupt whatever they were talking about, but wanting to get to Marina, who she could see a good distance past them. She slowly made her way around the three women, finally getting past, with a straight shot to her friend. Free and clear.

[Ursali]

"As long as you're sure you'll be okay..." Xalrei didn't necessarily like the thought of Bladen pushing himself when he was already injured; though, if he comfortable enough to make jokes about it, he'd probably be fine. "Let's try it then. If you go down I'm sure the Princess here would love to heal you, since she apparently can't ignore that." Xalrei blew some air up at her hair, not sure how much she believed of what Tenna said. They'd find out soon enough if Bladen couldn't stay in the air...

"Yeah," Xalrei started, chiming in after Bladen, "as far as most of our group is concerned, you humans are the real monsters. I'm sure you saw it on you way in, what your soldier did to whatever was in their way..." Xalrei was already growling again, her claws gripping tight on the poor girls side and thighs. She stopped herself before saying anymore, or anything about Marina for that matter, that forced calm returning. "C'mon Bladen, let's get going already." Saying that she leapt into the air, wings flapping in overdrive to keep her airborne with all the extra weight she was carrying.

---

Sollowy quickly picked up on Thesephine's distress, looking over to spot the incoming succubus. They'd ended on neutral terms back in the forest but Sollowy got the impression this encounter wouldn't end amicably; in Nessraya's eyes she would likely be seen as a thief who'd slipped in and stolen her bride-to-be. "I'll try my best to not start one, but if she goes too far I won't make any promises..." It was one thing to say something, another to hold to it with something happening right in front of her eyes. 

The hug and hair petting was fine, simple affection like that wouldn't get under Sollowy's skin. As Nessraya touched upon the medusa's wing Sollowy did however feel a slight spike of possessiveness, but Thessy was quick to push her off so there was no need to act on it. A soft blush spread across her face from Thesephine's introduction, Sollowy herself surprised by how happy those words made her feel. She wanted to take her girlfriends hand it give it a squeeze after that, but that felt like it would only serve to aggravate Nessraya when that wasn't her intention. Instead she settled on floating directly adjacent to the tiny Demon King.

"Yes, somehow there was enough time for our feelings to blossom. I, It's not as though either of us meant you any ill will it's..." a glance over at Thesephine, Sollowy unable to contain her fond smile, "just, how things happened." She wasn't about to tell Nessraya to not be upset or hurt; words like that from herself would likely only make her feel worse.

[Nanami Touko]

"I, I-I... They didn't... You, you're, all... Just..." Tenna had no ground to counter them on, not like this, not while either of them could end her life. The talk of Marina seeming okay made her perk up, it was at least something positive for her ears, finally. "It's not annn, act," she managed to squeak out, frantically clinging onto Xalrei as the dragon suddenly took off! "Wh-Why!? Are, we, fl-flying!?" The horror in her eyes as the ground suddenly disappeared from beneath them, becoming so far, far away...

---

Thesephine scowled. Nessraya was so focused on that, she hadn't even mentioned who was in charge. Was she not a general in service to Vaia? She was going to let this much get in the way of her work? "It is just how things happened... And it was enough time. Not that I would expect someone like you to understand how love works... So clouded that you can't even tell me who's in charge. Are you not the general of my armies? Get it together, Nessraya." Thesephine folded her arms and sighed, not wanting to get this worked up, but finding it difficult to not. "Just... Bring whoever's in charge over here. We have a lot to discuss... Especially, how quickly we can gather our men and strike before Ithraxl can regroup. We can't waste any time..."

[GoldsbroTSG]

Marina nodded at Agni’s comments. Her coughing finally stopped, and she got herself up off the ground after Lavinia darted off for Bridgit. Nodding even if she wouldn’t notice. Bridgit was Lavinia’s family after all.

The girl reached into her pouch, trying to find some kind of rag, lightly wetting it with some water she still had on her and wiping off her face. “S-sorry, I…” After she had finished wiping, she looked over to Ariana again, being handled by Amera and Seilan. “Who, what is she--” Shaking her head she turned her head away, back to Agni.

“We can handle that later, I think I need to sit down for a minute.” And a scoff, with a small laugh, “And eat something,” It didn’t last very long however, she wasn’t in the best of places to simply take what had happened today in stride. However, another thing caught her eye. It was their new celestial friend. Marina walked along to meet with her.

“Astraea? What are you doing out here, you should be back in the fort…”

-----

“Hmm… very well. Good luck on your workings, Seilan.” Taiyute nodded before the two separated. She decided, maybe, going to the fort would be the best place to find those still wounded and getting them round up. It made the most sense, right?

On the way there, she encountered two other individuals, two girls, one being carried by one with a wagging tail. Without much thought, the genasi went to catch up with them on the way to the fort.

“Hello, do you fare well? The battle was tough, yes?”

Edited March 9, 2021 by Silver Gallade

[scorri]

Bladen was in the air just a few seconds behind Xalrei, black feathered wings spreading out to their full length effortlessly. He couldn't help the small sigh of relief that escaped when they did, the worry that he wouldn't be able to get off the ground gone. "Flying is faster than walking. Why wouldn't we fly? Better hold on tight to her though. Wouldn't want you accidentally falling after all." There was a small amount of satisfaction in how terrified she was, he couldn't deny it. She was clearly not nearly as big of a threat as some humans, but still, she was the princess of the country that had laid waste to his loved ones and their lands. A little needling of her felt deserved.

---

There. She was past the General and the others and her path was clear. She waved quickly to the approaching Marina, and then tilted her head, confused. "But the fighting has finished, why should I not come out here? I was... concerned. About thine safety and the safety of all in this group. To help remove this concern, I came out to find you. Is this wrong? I made sure to wait until the enemy was gone, I would not want to become a target that needed protecting after all. Perhaps thou has fear that I would be affected by this scene? It is not lovely, that is true, but I have seen similar, and worse, in my dreams before this. The history of this world was in front of me during my dreams. Surely you know that there have been worse battles." She looked around, a slight frown on her face. It was true that she had seen such sights before, however, she had to admit, she had never had to... smell them before.

---

The past for Xalrei, the future for them both, and the question of what to do with the shield, hmm? Circe smiled, glancing between the both of them, before looking at Asami. "Are you sure you're both alright with each other hearing such things? As well as your... Audience~?"

"I'll leave if they tell me," Asami spat out, really not appreciating the lamia in the moment.

"My, my... I keep the shield in my belonging in case someone curious enough wishes to purchase it and use it for their own. Three hundred gold, a meager price for something that could be repaired with some elbow grease and proper techniques... Especially if it does contain any magic. I can feel wisps every now and then, but nothing concrete. If there remains a spell attached, it would need a professional restoration." She gently shrugged her shoulders, placing her hands upon the crystal ball sat upon her small table. Slowly leaning forward while she sat on her tail, the tip of it snuck over the edge of the table and tapped the prices sheet.

"Should you both wish for your fortunes, I do expect to be paid~ This magic does not come easily... Or without effort. I don't charge all that much, as you can see, but a service is a service." She giggled and waited for the two of them to penny up. "Shall I do your reading after, Asami?"

"Not on your life, Circe."

"My, my, my..."

Bladen glanced at Xalrei, spreading his hands as if to say 'oh well'. "I don't mind her hearing my future. Either of them, really. Asami would just pester me to hear it at some point anyways, so it's easier to just keep her around." He smirked at Asami briefly before continuing, "As for Xal, well. I trust her to hear the future, no sense in hiding it when we are joined in the same group for as long as I can see into the future at least. Though obviously, you may see something different. But if she wants her tellings to be secret," especially her past... "I would gladly step out."
 

It seemed like the shield was a sore point for Xalrei. Something hidden there that he didn't know. Still, it piqued his interest too. "Magic, you say... What do you think, Xal? Going to get it? That might make it a little hard to punch someone if you're holding onto a shield. Though I suppose you could just bash their face in with it..."

"If they want to leave out of concern for my privacy they can, but, I don't mind if they stay. They both already know who I really am. But, before we start, I have another question..." Slowly she pulled Requiem out of it's sheath, holding the blade out for Circe to see. It'd been on her mind since Circe had mentioned the possibility of her gleaning information from the shield. "Can you look into this thing's past, too? I don't know how fortune telling works, but it has a mind. Or, at least I think it does... I don't know if you need more than that."

"I, maybe, I don't know yet." Bladen seemed to have some interest in the shield, too. She didn't want to get in his way if he wanted it too, especially when she still hadn't sorted her feelings on the thing yet. "And that's a good point, too. If you want it you can have it."

"It seems you're all comfortable enough with each other, then... As for this... Weapon?" Circe gave it a cursory glance, almost reaching out to touch it, but stopping herself before her hand could make contact. "No. I cannot... This weapon is touched by the Gods~ As powerful as I am, I cannot interfere or see into the history or future of things that the Gods have meddled with. My apologies, Xalrei..." Circe bowed her head gently, then looked between them both, once again.

"That settled... Who is first?"

Bladen shook his head in response to Xalrei's question. "No, I don't think I would be able to adapt well to a shield and sword style. Especially with my flying sometimes, I think it would end up too bulky for me... Maybe some day but not right now." It was something he should consider learning probably. After all, being more defensive was rapidly becoming important to him, with his desire to protect Xal, but his father would have warned him against going into a real battle with equipment he was uncomfortable with. He could almost hear his dad telling him that feeling awkward with his gear was a good way to end up dead.

There was the question of who was to go first then. "Well, unless Xal objects, I can go first. After all, I've only got the one fortune to tell, so it should be quicker."

"Just what in Hess' name are you..." Xalrei mumbled under her breath as she returned Requiem to its sheath. So much for learning anything about you here... Well, that had been a bust, aside from the tiny tidbit Circle had given her. At this rate it might be faster to fix the cursed weapon and ask it about itself. 

"Well, if you don't want it maybe I'll take it then. I do have some training with a shield, even if that doesn't extend to punching people." It wasn't like the thing was terribly expensive, and it couldn't cost more than what she'd have left after paying for her fortune and the shield. Hopefully. "And yeah, Bladen can go first, I don't mind."

"Very well, then~" Gold collected for services rendered, Circe's room began to glow a dull red, as her crystal lit up. "Ohh... Well well~ You're there, Asami... Several of you... The other tails?" Asami grunted in response to this information, as Circe's lips curled in confusion, then interest, then excitement, smiling again. "Mmm, this is a wonderful power you contain within you, Bladen... You wield a sword, it glows in matching with the ones floating around you. You're... Fighting... Well."

"... Who is he fighting?" Asami was annoyed that she was apparently present in this vision. It wasn't as it she'd wished to run away any time soon, but the pause on who he was fighting boded poorly.

"You. You seem quite angry... I don't understand, though, the others there are... Ah. And that is all. Hmm... Trouble in paradise?"

Asami hissed quietly, frowning. "Your predictions mean nothing, Circe. You yourself have said they aren't perfect."

"Of course~ But this is something that will happen should Bladen continue on this course on his life... What that means is up to him. Best of luck~ At the very least, neither of you looked to be dying. Perhaps a very heated argument? Weapons were drawn, though..."

"Well... Xalrei?" Circe looked towards her next. "Still curious~?"

There was that comment about tails again. Something was going on there, and maybe now Asami would explain it. Maybe not, but his attention was quickly diverted from that question anyways. His swords... glowing, floating, his power harnessed at last it seemed. Something he could be proud of, look forward to!

Only to have it all come crashing down around him. "I'm fighting Asami? But... Why?" He looked at Asami, in shock. She was angry, in the vision, and didn't seem exactly happy now. Was there something she was hiding? Some reason he might... No. He couldn't go down this path. Not now. "Well, that's why I asked about the future. So that if there was something I wanted to avoid, I could work to change it. So that's what we'll do. Right Asami?" He smiled, he hoped in a reassuring manner, at her, keeping his confused and worried thoughts locked behind the expression. "Hopefully your news is better, Xal, right?"

 At first Xalrei had wanted to cheer on the future glimpse of Bladen; he looked so confident, so cool, as he fought with what appeared to be mastery over the magic he'd wielded when he'd briefly taken up Requiem. But, that excitement slowly died and was replaced with an awkward silence as it became apparent who he was fighting. Xalrei couldn't help the glance at Asami, studying her before looking back at the one in Circe's magic ball until it faded away.

"Yeah, now he can work on avoiding that future." Xalrei added, hoping it would dispel some of the silent tension in the room. Bladen had managed to remain optimistic, somehow, so she didn't want to make anything worse by bringing anything other than optimism to the table. At least, about his fortune telling. "Well, I can almost promise you my past won't be anything better, but I can hold out hope for the future, yeah?"

"Ready whenever you are, Circe."

"Pay no mind to some ancient snake's stupid crystal ball. I've no reason to fight any of you, and I don't think I want to try and find one." Asami didn't go further than that, looking away from the display, tail swishing every so slightly, but definitely angrily.

"I'm sure you don't," Circe added, letting Xalrei deposit her gold. The crystal began to glow anew as visions of Xalrei's past began to appear on it... "Let us see... If you are asking for your past, you wish to know something that you already do not... And here it is." A clear image of Xalrei's mother, if she even remembered how Ralsvelgr would've described her, or ever seen a painting... Handing a baby over to soldiers from Khach, who disappeared without a trace a moment later... Her mother brandishing Requiem to return to a fight for an outcome that had already been decided. "I see... So this is how they kept you safe all of those years. A shame that Thesephine wasn't able to meet you for so long."

The vision ended, Circe staring at Xalrei behind her veil. "Was there something else you wished for me to perceive of your past? I do believe this is plenty, but... You did not specify."

As Circe crystal ball lit up yet again, Xalrei watched as the vague shapes barely resembling certain memories danced around the ball until the image took the shape of her mother. Her eyes went wide, tiny tears forming as she stared at the mother she'd never known. "Mother... I..." A claw reached for the ball, but she pulled it back before it got too close. Ralsvelgr had only shown her pictures of her grandmother, he couldn't take the risk that Xalrei would ask why her mother looked so much younger. She'd had a chance when they were all at castle Tassion, but she hadn't been paying attention at the time.

Xalrei finally blinked once the vision end, lightly sniffing as she wiped the tears out of her eyes and shaking her head. "I... No, that was enough. I, finally got to see my mother. See how much she loved me... Thank you..."

She was angry... Bladen frowned, watching Asami turn away. He felt helpless. How could he help her? It wasn't his fault the future seen showed such a thing. But he also didn't know how to change it. He was going to need to find some way though. Change my path... There's one way, but... He looked over at Xalrei, something fighting in his mind. It wasn't something he could act on now though, so he pushed it away. He could come back to it later. For now, her past was being shown before them.

Her mother. Letting her escape before turning to fight, Requiem in hand. A sight that she would never have seen before. A memory of someone so precious, but stolen away from her so cruelly. He gently reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder. A light squeeze, and then he dropped his hand back to his side. What more could he do? There was nothing to say here. He knew the pain of losing a parent, and he at least had memories with him. Time spent together. All she had was this vision. Nothing more. She deserved so much more... A happy life. Something she had never really had a chance at, had she? The only way he could help her was to try and help her fight towards a happy future. And yet... A glance at Asami, then back away. He couldn't think about all of this. Not right now.

"As for your future," Circe continued, as Xalrei had decided her past had done enough. The orb glowed showing far different scenes... Another dragon, missing a leg, someone Xalrei knew. Then a sharp cut to a jail cell... Xalrei locked behind bars, a red haired human speaking to her from the other side. A soft look held on her face, but they couldn't hear the words being spoken. "Oh, my. How very interesting... It seems your destiny is quite intertwined with Coteon~" Giving the name of this girl away wouldn't do Xalrei any good, so Circe kept to herself.

Then, for a moment, a flash of Requiem, but in a different form. No cracks, smooth, different, glowing. Repaired. It was a flash, a second, but it had happened... A chance future that Xalrei could perhaps grasp.

Mmnhn... My true form. I had forgotten... A pleasant surprise. You would do well to continue using me... Kill in my name, princess of monsters.

Xalrei appreciated Bladen's show of support, no matter how slight it was. She managed to shoot him a small smile before Circe started on her future reading. A good thing, given that what she was about to see would agitate her all over again. "N, Nala!? She's alive!?" How!? How did she survive the attack? Xalrei, without thinking, shot Asami both an accusatory and questioning look before quickly turning her attention back to Circe once she remembered Bladen was still right there. 

Then, before she could think much more about it, the vision continued to a jail cell and... "Who the Hel is that?" Someone related to Coteon, apparently; Xalrei had the faintest impression Circe wouldn't give her a name just because she asked. More importantly, why was she the one inside the cell and not the other way around? Was she going to be captured? Was that fake Hero going to try something? She's just have to stop her the next time she saw her...

Perhaps it was a bit greedy of her to ask with the telling already over, but... "Can you tell me more about Nala-- About that dragon? Like, where she is...?" There was evident worry in the dragon's voice, a slight panic painted on her face. Nala hadn't been captured, had she? She wasn't being tortured in her stead, was she?

Finally, as she awaited the lamia's verdict, no matter how brief, there had been something about Requiem in the mix as well. She'd nearly missed it with all the questions swirling around in her head, but she'd caught the glimpse of a completely restored Requiem. The sword itself had as well, too... Bout time you're awake... More importantly, what was your deal when I tried to use you against that fake Hero? You tried to say something. What was it?

"That dragon? She is alive and well in Khach, from what I can see... Well... She is alive. Losing an am and a leg can definitely do a warrior no good." Hopefully Xalrei would be pleased enough to know that the girl was alive and breathing somewhere safe, instead of dangerous.

Her armor. It is blessed by Ilrios... I cannot interfere with the armaments of the Gods... Not as I am now. Feed me. Improve me. I shall be your power in due time... Now, allow me to sleep, until battle... I cannot spend the energy I have sought for so long.

It seemed like an important person in Xal's life had been shown. The dragon, presumably. And then she was in prison. That was... worrying. Along with a human. He crossed his arms, frowning. Another future he would have to try and work to prevent it seemed. And then there was that sword again. Ugh. I'll be happy if I never need to hold that thing again in my life. But even amongst all of that, Xal's focus was on the other dragon, Nala apparently.

"So she's safe then, that's good news, right Xal? And she's in your future, which means you'll get to see her again. So there's something to work towards. We'll get you back to her, safe." As for what came after, well, perhaps best to not speak of it right now. There would be time to discuss it more in the future. And time to find out how to avoid both of their possible futures.

The Gods...? Why does that fake-- Just, what the Hel are you, Requiem, aside from my mom's sword? Her questions would have to wait, Requiem returned to it's slumber just quickly as it had awoken. Bladen was talking at her too, no need to complicate things by holding multiple conversations.

"I-- Yeah... It's great news." She managed to give Bladen a stoic reply, mind swirling with a swarm of emotions. She was relieved, undoubtedly so, even happy with the news; however, accompanying those feelings were ones of guilt and regret. She'd been too quick to write Nala off as dead; not even a day later and she'd done things she couldn't ever take back with Nessraya... A silver lining that things hadn't progressed any further than night relations. 

It was hard to force herself to look passed her guilt, even if just for the moment, but she had to. Nala actually being alive and safe outweighed everything else. It had to. Glancing around the shop to keep her mind busy now that their fortunes were told, Xalrei's eyes fell back on shield and then to a ring beside it. "What's the deal with the ring, same as with the shield?"

"Ah... This ring is... A lot more special than the shield. Gifted to me by... Mnhhmhmhmhm, someone you know~ But, it wouldn't do to share their name, so I shall not. It is a very powerful magical artifact, after all... It wouldn't do to have such rumors spreading, if I were to tell you." Circe, carefully picked up the ring, holding it up for Xalrei to view, but just out of her reach.

"Once worn, it will grant you various boons. Your strength, vitality, stamina, they will all improve... But if you ever take it off, it will break. It will also not work if you try to use any other sort of magical trinket alongside it... A fickle little thing, but that is how it works. I don't dare to ever wear it. What about you, Xalrei?" Circe chuckled about the odd twist of fate... Ralsvelgr's own granddaughter, coming to find the ring that he'd tried proposing to her with, so long ago. I never did properly answer him... But that sort of spotlight wouldn't do me any good.

"Someone I know...?" Xalrei repeated the words as she tried to work out who in her, relatively short list, of acquaintances could have possible given Circe the ring. Probably not someone currently in the group, half of them didn't even count as people she knew that well. Laselia doesn't swing that way, does she? I don't really know now that I think about it. But that ring doesn't seem like something she'd go for. Dorian... Circe is way beyond his league, and he's been watching out for me as soon as he was old enough. There's no way they could've met...

That only really left one person. "Was it, my grandfather...?" It had to be, didn't it? He was the only one left, not to mention the only one with the money to throw around to give something like this away as a gift. Knowing that, she wanted it beyond some idle curiosity... "How much is the ring? I, can't imagine you'd just give it to me even if I'm right about who gave it to you. Not if it really does all that."

Circe didn't answer Xalrei, or even smirk, or provide any hint on if she was correct. She wasn't going to give up that information and she meant it. "Three thousand gold, my dear Xalrei. I've put a costly price on it to make sure that it goes nowhere easily... I don't suppose you're about to drop that much on me, right now? I won't accept any haggling~"

"Th, Three thousand...?" She had most of that on her, but not all of it. "I don't have all of that on me. Maybe if I ask Laselia she'll give me the rest as allowance..." As she thought of ways to acquire the money her gaze inevitably fell on Bladen after quickly glancing over Asami. She couldn't ask that of him, could she? Not after he'd gone and pledged to protect her...

A magical ring that could provide protection and other boons... Well, that certainly seemed like something good for Xalrei to have, right? "How much do you need? I can help cover the rest of it, probably. I don't really need anything with my gold right now, so if you really want this, it makes sense to get it, you know?" He pulled out the small pouch of money he had on his belt and offered it out to her. "Here, however much you need. It could potentially make the difference between life and death for you or one of our companions, right?"

"Are... Are you really sure?" It almost felt wrong of her to accept his money, especially considering who she was, and what she had to guess were his motivations behind lending her the money. Even as he explained his reasoning, she was at the forefront of his concern... "Fine, fine... If you really want to borrow me the money, I'll let you. But don't think I'm gonna take it for free! I'll find a way to pay you back, even if it's just giving you back what I borrowed!" With a tiny huff Xalrei took what she needed of Bladen's gold and placed it and the entirety of the contents of her pouch on the table. "That should be enough, then..."

"Oh, my... Yes, there's definitely enough here. I'm surprised~ Here, then..." Circe smirked and took hold of Xalrei's claw, slipping the ring onto her pointer finger. It grew slightly, and then tightened around the digit with ease, not constricting it, but fitting snug, enough that it wouldn't shake off in the heat of battle, nor slip off when she washed her hands or bathed.

"The ring is yours... Make sure not to take it off, or use another accessory with it. It gets jealous quite easily... Don't forget it'll break if you ever remove it~"

"Of course I'm sure. And of course you'll pay me back. It's why I said I didn't need the gold right now. I trust you, no worries." He grinned at her, putting the rest of the coin back onto his belt. The ring was settled onto Xal's hand, looking like it belonged there, and he nodded.

"So then, thank you for your help, Circe. Do we have anything more to do here, Asami? Xal?" He had things to think about, that much he knew. The vision of him, with his magic working perfectly, fighting Asami, left him worried still. He had to find a way to keep that from happening. He refused to let it happen. It couldn't.

"I'm done here... If the both of you are, then let's leave, already. I want nothing more to do with this snake." Asami huffed and was already out of her little hut, not waiting for the other two.

"My, my... Good luck with her, Bladen~ A tip, for free... Give her a push, or, several... She's hiding far more than this little ordeal with Ithraxl on your hands." Circe giggled, leaning back on her tail, nothing more to say...

"I was listening... You don't have to tell me twice." Xalrei lightly huff at Circe's teasing tone but left it at that, bringing the ring closer to her face so she could inspect it. It almost felt like the ring belonged there, but maybe that was just her imagination. With that it seemed like everything was taken care of, then; Asami was already heading out the door...

"I'm good if you're good, Bladen. And, thank you again, Circe." After a final bow of respect for the lamia Xalrei turned and followed the fox out of the tent, choosing to ignore the bit of advice she'd offered her feathered friend. 

Give her a push, huh? Maybe I'll just have to do that... There's too much I don't know about her that I need to know if I want to prevent that future... He was caught up in his thoughts enough that he only gave her an absentminded bow before following Xalrei out into the sun. The bright lights blinding him briefly, he stood, lost in his thoughts, stuck on the futures seen that he needed to prevent.

[Ursali]

Were it not for the fact that they were mid flight Xalrei would've growled out more accusations at Tenna for her attempts to defend her country's soldiers. Instead she loosened her grip just enough to give the girl the sensation that she falling for the briefest of seconds. It didn't take them long to reach the fort at all, flight proving to be much faster than they could've possibly traveled on foot. Touching down near the fort, Xalrei looked around for someone to hand off their captured princess to. There seemed to be a group near the fort, Nessraya and-- Xalrei nearly dropped Tenna straight on the ground when she saw who Nessraya was with. Why was her sister suddenly here!? Was now a good time to talk to her? It's not like she'd know who she was...

It was, probably for the best to not meet her sister right now. Not before she could off load Tenna, the dragon concluded. It wasn't hard to find the group that had formed around Marina: Agni, of course, was there as well, as well as someone she didn't remember meeting. Looked like another human... Whatever, Tenna was supposed to be the human's problem, so Xalrei was going to make sure she was!

Approaching Agni, Xalrei was tempted to just dump Tenna onto the young nobleman and see how fast he could react to catch his princess. In light of not actually damaging the terrified girl, Xalrei elected to not actually go through with that. "I got something that belongs to you, Agni." Still, though, she couldn't resist being the slightest bit antagonistic towards him, angling Tenna down in her arms so he could clearly see her face. "How much is she worth to you?"

Edited March 10, 2021 by Ursali

[Nanami Touko]

Tenna could only cling harder to Xalrei as the dragon teased her death, sniffling and whimpering, completely at her mercy. Only when the ground came closer did she finally calm down somewhat--

"Marina!?" With all the power in her body, and all the adrenaline she had left, she slammed her hands against Xalrei's chest to push herself out of her arms, frantically rushing to the girl's side-- only to collapse at her feet, clinging onto her leg. "Marinnn, naaa...! Marina! You're okay! Y-You're, okay...!" The sobbing renewed, Tenna's somewhat iron grip clung onto the girl's leg for dear life, not daring to let go.

[sweet podado]

Something inside her, a little ugly thing, had her feeling surprised that Lavinia actually followed her.  Turning around, she swallows back that feeling and blinks instead as her sister catches up to her.  Bridgit opens her mouth, but no words come out before closing it again.  It's hard to focus, and the Pureblood feels lightheaded at having to do this out in the open.  Yes they were away from the others for now, but...

"I..." she starts, and for some reason she feels like a child again.  She...still is one, out of race technicality, but still.  Still.  "..." Instead of responding with words that aren't coming out, she lets herself lean against Lavinia with a shuddering breath.  Who cares if the other was still in armor, Bridgit just wants to be as close to her sister as possible.

"The sun is out," she calls out weakly, a poor excuse but something that she still addresses.  "I'm tired, and I feel exposed.  Not here, just...please."

Please hold me and tell me everything will be fine.

---

You most definitely did.  He said nothing of course, but Ren does return her look with a tired smile before she heads off.  Hopefully they can talk more later, maybe get a drink again.  Turning back to Taliyah he nods and simply holds back his worrying for now.  "That's good, you did well.  As for me...I will be, eventually."

Whether she asked about his own injuries or the rift forming between Ayane and himself, Ren leaves it up in the air for interpretation.

When one of the newer members of their group appears to heal their prisoner, he merely gives her a passing glance before turning back towards the group still gathered.  "Since everything seems to be settling down now, I will take my leave.  If you need anything my cousin and I will be at one of the training grounds in the fort," he says, bowing his head slightly before moving away.

A pause, then he turns once more with a rueful smile.  "Ah, but please wait till a bit later.  Ayane and I won't be...approachable at the moment," he warns, and then finally picks up his pace before anyone else can stop him for a chat.  Time to find a cousin and beat some sense into her.

[Ether]

I wasn't ready to settle down... just like you weren't ready to be my sole provider. I never held that against you, it was something that would come with age... so why? Taking on a committed relationship... it had never been something Nessraya had pursued...

Whenever the thought came up... there was no need to pursue something like that. In the end, it would be with you. Even if I didn't understand the appeal yet, that thought was always comforting, warm. If anyone would accept me and all of the flaws of my nature, surely it would be the woman I had grown up with, whose hand I had always expected to take someday...

Perhaps not.

"Captain Amera Kasrian. I'll have her brought here as you wish, Your Majesty." Nessraya replied flatly, giving an uncharacteristic salute before turning on her heel, floating off towards the direction where their Church agent had fallen... Nessraya could still see the catfolk vaguely in that direction.

___

"Whoa whoa whoa, Heel Suki, down girl!" Nisha exclaimed, immediately flailing for her freedom as she was scooped up. If there was one thing she wasn't keen on, it was losing the freedom of her own movement... it was hard to get out of danger without feet on solid ground.

[scorri]

Bladen had been following along behind Xalrei just fine, if a bit slower due to his injuries, which meant he was still in the air when she started heading towards the Hero's group. A small grumble escaped his lips and he looked around, hovering in mid air for a few seconds, trying to find somewhere else to land. Spotting Asami making her way back to the castle, he smiled. He needed to talk to her anyways, after everything with the fortune teller, might as well swoop in on her now. Changing directions, he started to make his way towards her when something changed. A sensation he recognized... "No... No no no NO." But it was recognized too late. As his wings disappeared, he did his best to brace for the impact, a gesture he was far too familiar with at this point. He landed, hands first, followed swiftly by his face, in a crumpled heap in front of the fox with a dull thud. "Ha... ow... Ah... Hello Asami."

[GoldsbroTSG]

Marina sighed as Astraea spoke. Her points made sense, so all Marina could really do was pat her shoulder and smile. "Well, thank you. I'm grateful you came out, it's good to see you're safe."

A sudden entrance by Xalrei was quickly noticed, turning to see someone in the dragon's hands. Was it... It was...

"No way... T-Tenna?" She quietly mouthed, before watching the girl push herself out of Xalrei's grip and run all the way to Marina's feet, sobbing. It was... confusing, Marina didn't know what to think. She really didn't know what to do at first. "Wha-- How-- Why--?" She looked at Xalrei for a moment with surprise, not entirely certain what to think, but... what mattered now was Tenna was here. Marina kneeled down to the girl at her feet.

"Come on now, Tenna, please," She began feeling her hands through Tenna's trying to break her grip, but the death grip the princess on her leg was surprisingly powerful.

At the same time, Marina couldn't help feeling some of her old self come back at the girl's arrival, "Please, the ground is no place for a princess, milady." She smiled. "It's okay, no one here will hurt you," She started petting the top of her head. Truthfully, Marina didn't like she was here, and she wasn't entirely positive of her claim. But, she kept a positive outlook about it. At least a little bit.

In truth, Marina only felt more contempt for this poser girl, endangering Tenna's life for bringing her here...

Edited March 10, 2021 by Silver Gallade

[Nanami Touko]

"I..." Lavinia bit back a sigh and gently knelt down to hug Bridgit properly, petting a gauntlet against her hair. "That's fine, Bridgit... The fight is over now, you're alright. Just remember that you can talk to me about anything... I know I'm taking care of Marina, but you're still family, no matter what. Remember that..." She didn't want to push Bridgit to speak further if the girl was uncomfortable, so this would have to do. She'd been so charismatic until just now, perhaps something finally hit a breaking point, or something had gone wrong during the battle... She didn't seem injured, at least. Anything would've closed up by now with the weapons finished swinging.

"I'm here for you as much as you need me to be."

---

"A-Alright, Ren..." Taliyah watched him walk off with worry, before looking at Amera again. "Uhm! I, I can help, carry her!" Quickly jumping over, Taliyah did her best to lift their wounded prisoner up just a bit, Amera sighing, chuckling, and picking up the rest of her.

"Alright, alright... Don't push yourself too hard, though, Tali... You look like you took a few nasty hits. I might be a bit tired, but they didn't land anything on me... Just don't collapse." Amera started with Ari towards the fort, slowly, so Tali could keep up.

"I... I just want, to help. That's all..." With determination on her face, Taliyah made sure not to drop her half of carrying Ari."

---

"... As... You, should." Thessy muttered the rest as Nessraya walked off... Slowly turning and slumping into Sollowy. "I don't know how to be patient with her... I figured this would happen, but I'm mad that it is. I don't... I... I just, w-wanted, what my parents had. How could she expect me to think I could have that with her? I couldn't... Every week it was someone new with her, I, I just... Sollowy... Am I in the wrong, for being so blunt? I'm so lost..." The slump turned into a hug, burying her face against the gathlain's shoulder. She wasn't going to cry, but she needed to be away from everything, for a few seconds.

---

Asami yawned and gently touched her cheek, pouting at the small swelling that was already occurring. "Well, you reap what you sew, but it was her fault for being so prideful... Oh, well. They can interrogate Ariana and find out all the painful things they--" Her path, monologue, and thoughts were all interrupted by the sudden body of... "Bladen...?" She blinked, staring him down for a few moments, before a chuckle slipped out, turning into full blown laughter. "You c-crashed~!? Ahahahahaha~!" Despite her mockery, she knelt down to pull him up a bit into a hug, still laughing, trying to stifle herself. "You're so funny...! Ahhahah... Ahhn, I needed that~ Heehee...!"

---

"No heel! Like warm, you warm even if wraith... Mrrrr..." Suki whined and tried to keep a tighter grip on the squirming girl, not batting an eye as Taiyute approached them. "Yes! Suki, all good! Nisha good too, even if stubborn... Battle tough, but, experience good. Need to fight, learn to fight better... Yes." Suki nodded sagely, like some important life lesson had been learned--

"Wahh! N-Nisha! Bad!" The wraith had finally squirmed out of her arms and onto solid ground, Suki pouncing onto her back and holding her in a hug, at the least. "We walk, like this! Please... Comfy."

[sweet podado]

Yet how many more fights do we have left?  

Bridgit simply lets Lavinia bring her into a hug, letting the closeness of someone she loves and admires chase away the ugly feelings pent up in her chest.  "I know," she says softly, more to herself than to her sister.  Pushing back a bit to look at Lavinia, Bridgit musters up a small smile as one of her hands gently brushes against her cheek.  "Later, please?  I...I do wish to talk but doing so just after a battle...is not something I feel comfortable with," she admits quietly, patting Lavinia's cheek once more before gently pulling herself away from the other.

"Besides, the sun is such a dreadful thing on one's skin.  Do be careful sister, I will see you then," she goes for the usual haughty approach, her free hand flipping a twin tailback in place as the other brings her parasol up.  Still, the look she gives Lavinia is earnest before turning around and heading back to the fort.  

[scorri]

"I didn't, I mean, well yes I crashed, but it wasn't..." He blushed, grateful for the hug that let him hide that blush at least for a few seconds. He couldn't help the mutter that escaped though, "I get my magic to activate twice during battle and then this happens... Of course. Ugh, no way that future vision will ever come true. As if I'll ever have the control over my magic needed to fight you with it."

He immediately regretted letting that slip, knowing that she heard it. "Ah, dammit, sorry. I didn't... Well, I mean, I wanted to talk about that but not right now necessarily. I mean, if you want to, but it didn't seem like you were in a good mood and..." He finally managed to get himself to stop talking. A breath. Then another. "Right. Ok. I'm glad that I could amuse you some, at least. We found a human, by the way. Me and Xal. Apparently she's the princess of Coteon, so that should be interesting."

[Nanami Touko]

"Yes... Later. I'll be fine, Bridgit. Promise." It was a bit of a cruel thought, but romance aside, Lavinia felt like the only 'fine' person here, sometimes... If the worst she had to deal with was making sure that Jade wasn't disappointed in her, truly her worries were quite normal.

---

"Wow, so concerned about fighting little old me~ I can barely handle myself against these clods, what makes you think I can take someone like you, hmmm? As for the princess, she can wait... Probably couldn't hurt a fly, anyway~" Asami leaned back enough to give him a playful eyebrow raise and smile, before taking her opportunity in being this close to lean in proper and kiss him. Perhaps harder than he was expecting... Was that tongue--

[Ether]

Well, feet on solid ground was a good start, finally managing to wrench herself free from Suki's grip. Even if the wolf had pounced on her afterwards, at least she had control of her legs again.

"Fine, fine. At least I can walk now, geez you're stubborn..." Nisha acquiesced with a sigh, reaching up and patting Suki's ears as she was hugged from behind. She knew the wolfkin didn't mean any harm, but it didn't make being carried any less uncomfortable. She just trusted her own feet to get her out of potential danger more than someone else's, especially when they were slowed down carrying someone... plus her outfit was just not made for being carried in that kind of way...

Nisha couldn't help but blush a little bit, only hoping that the genasi that had approached them hadn't gotten a full show.

"The battle went fine... a lot of fighting around walls and cover is good for an archer."

[scorri]

"You know that's not why I'm worried, besides I'm pretty sure you have more power than you show here and mmphft--" Whatever else the young Fallen had been planning on saying was quickly cut off by the unexpected kiss. After a split second of indignation (He had been talking!) he leaned into it willingly. The fear and worry was stripped away, replaced by a deep and burning desire to stay here in this moment for as long as possible. His hands moved, one wrapping around her waist, pulling her closer, the other reaching up to get tangled in her hair. The future be damned, here and now, this is what he would protect. 

When the kiss finally ended, Bladen could hardly remember what he had been in the middle of protesting. His hand slipped free of her hair and instead caressed her face, tracing along her cheekbone before finally falling down to his side. He shook his head, a crooked smile on his face. "You are a dangerous force, though I doubt I'm telling you anything you don't know... You make it so easy to let go. I think if I'm not careful, I'm going to lose myself completely in you." Even with his stated reservations, he still leaned in and gave her another kiss, softer and shorter than the previous one, but still full of emotion. "What did a lowly Fallen like me do to attract someone like you?" 

[Balcerzak]

It was oddly cursed, that the removal of the immediate threat occasionally--who was she kidding, frequently--caused a bit of a descent into disorganized chaos. If the enemy were smart, now would be their best time to strike. Those were the thoughts Jade had as she watched various squabbles breaking out across the group. The zombie sighed, turning to one nearby companion with a good, steady head on her shoulders.

"Things did get a little worrisome there for a moment. You're good in a fight, no doubt about it, and it wasn't that you over-extended... Just, they really pierced deep into the town, didn't they? I'm glad enough of us were able to rally together, and nobody was badly hurt." Jade shrugged and continued, "And at times like these, it's an odd feeling of not knowing what to do for me. I can't heal anyone, am probably better off staying away from the wounded, actually. I don't have enough familiarity with strategy or tactics to be of any use in planning retaliations or to properly fortify defenses either. It's... uncomfortable, not knowing what to do after a battle. I'm sure there's something I should be doing, you know? Can't always just go, take a bath, get changed, pretend it didn't happen..."

A small light came to her eyes, as a bit of realization hit the zombie. "Actually, I should feed my 'mares. They worked hard for me, and did a good job." Fishing out a pair of silver apples from her pouch, she turned to the siren. "I forget, have I ever had you help me with this before? I kind of think I haven't? Do you want to?"

Edited March 13, 2021 by Balcerzak

[Ursali]

It didn't take an expert to see the tension between both of the other women, nor one to tell how upset Nessraya was as she turned to leave. Catching Thesephine as she slumped against her, Sollowy began to tenderly pet the medusa's hair. "I can't say I know how your relationship was before I came into the picture, Thessy, but..." The gathlain sighed, pulling Thesephine into a hug proper. "Don't be so quick to give up on her, okay? I'd hate for you burn such a longstanding bridge for my sake. Sit down and talk with her, when there's proper time for the both of you to say what you need to say. Okay?"

[Nanami Touko]

"You've simply interested me, Bladen... Even if you play hard to get sometimes. Keep it up and we'll both be happy~" Asami picked herself up, doing her best to hoist up the Fallen, as well. "Now that you've recovered from your spectacular landing... Let's head back in with the group, yes~?" An arm around his, Asami happily hugged up against him, doing her best to hide the other side of her face.

---

Thesephine sighed and hugged Sollowy, letting her go after a moment. "Yes, I... I don't want her to stop being my friend, either... I just hope that she doesn't hold it against me. Or you... I'll try and, talk to her properly. I promise." Doing her best to smile, Thesephine headed towards the fort again, ready to meet with the people in charge... And see Marina again. She had something important for the hero...

---

---

---

Half an hour later...

Dragging Ariana into the fort and removing her armor had given the group insight onto two things. One, despite Seilan's inability to heal the girl, her wounds had already began to start closing, much faster than his combat treatment would have given her. It was definitely not as fast as one might expect from a the types present; Lavinia and Bridgit healed their wounds much, much quicker than anyone else. It was still too quick for a human... Why it was, they had quickly discovered.

The second find was that Ariana was not entirely human. Not quite a monster, either... Removal of her armor provided view to an odd lump in the bodysuit she wore underneath, wrapped around her waist. Fearing a complication, damage or otherwise, it was swiftly opened up... Revealing a tail. Long, thin, covered in a small layer of fur. Complete removal of her mask also revealed a set of ears aside from those on the side of her head, hidden below her hair, seemingly having been pressed down with the mask and other headgear.

Lavinia, Asami, Amera, and Thesephine had all gathered in the prison of the fort. Ariana had her wrists bound, set upon the bed in the cell. Perhaps deeming her too terrified to do anything, or docile enough to not even try given the chance, Tenebria hadn't been placed inside of a cell. Her wrists had still been bound to avoid her casting a spell proper, but aside from that, the girl had been left in Marina and Agni's care, a few feet away from the rest of the group. Amera glanced over at her and sighed, unable to properly believe that they had Coteon's princess on their hands... Nor that she was such a shaken mess.

"Alright, let's... Get this started. You gonna talk in there, miss Church enforcer?" Amera leaned up against the bars of the cell, peeking in at Ariana. The woman had woken up at some point, realized her situation, and clammed up tight. "Guess not... You had plenty to say before, though, didn'cha? Guess getting abandoned by your own knights after being laid out really ruined you, huh~?" Amera scoffed and took a step back, glancing over at Nessraya. "Think you can make her talk?"

"I, I'm not sure that's a good idea, Amera," Lavi chimed in, also glancing at Nessraya. "What, exactly are you proposing she do?"

Thesephine stepped forward, placing a hand on Lavinia's arm to calm her down. "Nessraya is a magical specialist. If our assailant here is as constructed as we feel she is, perhaps the general can figure something out by touching on her leylines."

"Her, ley, what...?" Lavinia had been trained to fight, not the intricacies of magic.

"I'll let Nessraya explain... Even if I understand the process, she knows much more than I do--"

"I, am human!" Ariana suddenly interrupted, tail swaying... It really killed her argument, but she pressed on, despite it. "I, I just... This is simply a curse placed upon me, just like those oni in your group! The Church promised to cure me once I had finished my mission... You were lucky! Nothing more!"

"Riiiight, a curse..." Amera rolled her eyes. "Alright, Nessy, have at 'er. Figure out what's going wrong with that brain of hers." Amera moved to unlock the cell and opened the door--

"!!" Ariana shot off her seat at that moment, trying to escape from-- "OoghF!" A swift kick from Asami knocked the wind out of the girl, sending her rolling back into her cell, coughing. "D-Damn, you...!"

The fox threw up a piece sign, sticking her tongue out.

"Nice catch, fox. Like I was saying, Nessraya? As for you, princess..." Amera turned her eyes on the red haired girl, who merely shrunk and squeaked. "Talk to Marina, if you won't talk to us. Tell her why you're here... Anything. If you aren't going to fight us, we aren't going to do anything to you."

Tenna couldn't respond, simply looking to Marina and Agni for help, advice, anything. She was even worse than before with Xalrei, eyes darting around, voice not coming out properly at all... Most of all, her eyes kept making their way to Lavinia, fear laced in them, an absolute terror towards the vampire.

---

"Aaaahhhhh~" Suki flopped onto the grass of the interior training area, sprawling out against it and yawning. "Good fight! Good rest... Nice place, sun warm, air fresh. Favorite in Tepel~" The wolf had no qualms about laying there while the rest of the group waited for the interrogation to proceed. Not a care in her mind...

Taliyah, meanwhile, had finished tending to her wounds, and spotted Ayane... Looking rather beat up? Had something happened after...? She shivered, closing her eyes for a moment... before taking a deep breath, swallowing, and slowly approaching her. "A... A-Ayane... Can... C, Can I talk, to you? You, uhm... You look, kind of... W-Wounded. Did you get, hit during the fight? Was, i-it... bad?" She hadn't noticed any wounds, but she'd also been terrified out of her mind. Maybe something had happened and she hadn't noticed. "I, I can patch you up. If you'd, like..."

Asami, meanwhile, content with sending a clone off to the meeting, leaned lazily against Bladen and yawned like the wolf had. "So tiring, these long, drawn out fights... Wish Ithraxl would simply hand over his neck and let us chop it clean, save us the ordeal~ He wouldn't, of course, ever do that, but... What a bother. Ah, well... Are you holding up alright, Bladen? I did notice a few wounds... Aside from your bruised ego from the crash."

Aithlin, who hadn't been present for the fight, wandered into the training area, armor left back in her room. Had she missed something important? Everyone looked totally drained... Wait, had Ithraxl's men attacked them!? She'd slept through the whole thing! "How'd I manage that...? Er, J-Jade!" The zombie, she'd know! She was a real sucker for punishment, so she had to have been on the frontlines, right? "Did, something happen? I've been conked out all morning, didn't think nothin' special was gonna happen today... Don't... Don't tell me they actually assaulted, the fort, did they...?" Aithlin felt like a right fool, a blushing forming on her pale skin, hand scratching at her hair. "Really hope not..."

[Ether]

"Her ley lines... the paths through which magic moves inside of the body. Think of them as... the spirit, to her body. They determine one's magical affinity, their basic nature. If anything is amiss with her, then her ley lines might hold a clue. I can certainly give them a look." Nessraya explained, floating towards Ariana. Flipping the girl onto her stomach, Nessraya sat herself down on the captive's lower back, applying her weight to Ariana's core and bound wrists, while her tail reached out and wrapped up the girl's legs.

"No struggling, now." The General noted, placing her hand flat against Ariana's back, between her shoulder blades. It only took a few moments for her to sync with the girl's magic circuit, although almost as soon as she did so, Nessraya forcibly removed herself from Ariana, a look of abject disgust on her face.

"You... you..." She began, hands balled into fists as her knuckles blanched white.

"What kind of twisted, sick joke is this?" Nessraya exclaimed, hand slamming against one of the bars of the cell. Combined with... earlier stressors, it was simply too much, a brief magical discharge causing the bar to glow red hot under her touch, before she pulled her hand away. 

"Err... no one touch that. Ahem... Hess above, where to begin..." Nessraya muttered, unable to remove the grimace from her face as she looked down at Ariana.

"I've never seen someone's ley lines so... twisted. There's been... an absolute order, plastered all over her psyche. Magic forcibly injected into her to override normal function... I... had read that such a thing was possible, but to see it in practice..." Nessraya shuddered, pressing her back against one of the bars that wasn't presently glowing like a lamp for support.

Edited March 13, 2021 by Ether

[GoldsbroTSG]

As much as Marina wanted to speak with Tenna, she couldn't help her focus on what had went on with Ariana. This thing claiming to be a cursed human, a disgusted sigh breaking out. She was no human, how could she? The real person was right here. She shook her head, returning her focus back.

Amera had given her basically the order to try and get something out of Tenna, but she was still focused on this ley line conversation. After a bit, she took Amera's words to task. Maybe this was a start in Amera's trust in her? Maybe it was just that Marina was conveniently the one who could talk sense into her. Either way, it probably really was only up to her. She remembered the poor princess barely left her room, if only to watch Marina train. Now she was all the way across the continent.

Seeing a couple of chairs, there was a moment Marina took to arrange them so she can set them face-to-face. Gently taking Tenna, she sat the princess down on the chair looking mostly away from the monsters. The young hero took notice to how she had been looking, especially towards Lavinia. A topic Marina wasn't entirely comfortable of bringing up herself. She hadn't even been able to ask about her theory...

Sitting on the other chair, Marina took both of Tenna's hands, one in each of hers. Gently caressing them, doing what she could to make the princess comfortable. Even now, Marina was still having trouble keeping her good face on. Not just the untold hate she had for Ariana, but... the Demon King also in the room. Marina wanting nothing more than to just be quiet and do nothing. She was so uncomfortable in this room, but the Coteon princess was likely even moreso. Taking a deep breath, Marina finally started,

"You've gotten so strong Tenna. When I left, you'd barely leave your room. Look at you now, all the way in Vaia. I'm proud of you," She softly spoke, a warm smile equipped to her lips. "But please, talk to me. Why did you come here?"

Edited March 13, 2021 by Silver Gallade