Faith in the Spirits Arc 1: To Align the Stars

[GoldsbroTSG]

There it goes again. She suddenly changed her tune regarding Ingverd. She knew he had to have done something, but... He'd probably write it off again. A sigh, thankful at least nothing crazy happened. Besides, he asked about her book.

Her smile lit up, "Well, it’s a stor-- no, more of, a collage of writings about an ancient hero of Holy Lufiria. They called him Gran Falcnir. Some excerpts are from him, others from acquaintances. Apparently, he was a big icon, and as Lufiria began to collapse, he suddenly... disappeared." She was clearly mystified.

"It's a big book and has a lot of stuff in it. I've been on it for about... I wanna say a couple months now." She handed it over, seeing if Ingverd wanted to look at it.

[mcd900]

"Noticed, huh? Would be surprised if you didn't. Wasn't trying to be subtle." Rustal stalked off before she could say much more, but Cin looked about as ready as she did to charge in there. "Right. Good luck. No mercy for him, okay?"

Cin's run through the arena was impressive, to say the least. Making quick work of the arena's challengers was no small feat, and his battle against Rustal had been quite the show. The last contender - must have beaten Rustal consistently, to take the top spot - went down in a single blow from Cin; something of a victory lap, it seemed.

Her own fights, though, were a different matter. The first two fights were hardly anything of note - she barely registered the single blow they'd delivered against her before she cut them down quickly. The third - frustratingly evasive, or perhaps her aim was wavering in her anger, but she focused enough to deliver the last slash she needed to floor the lancer. The fourth missed his opening strike, and as she dodged she cut across his side, flipped her sword in her hands, and delivered a strike with its crossguard directly into his stomach, flooring him.

As she stepped back into the arena for her fifth bout, she focused intently on the foe in front of her; but before she'd taken two steps, she was flat on her back, a strong magic strike having laid her out. Her vision fogged, then faded.

She awoke under the care of the healers, and a moment passed before she realized her bout had ended before it began. More frustrating than the loss even was the fact that she wouldn't even get to give Rustal a taste of her swordsmanship; hopefully she wouldn't see him again, lest he inevitably gloat at her loss. Cin's victory was a consolation, at least, but a small one at that.

Bastard.

[TheRoon]

"Ah..." She watched the flames dance in his hand, and almost seemed entranced by their movement. Renais was always interested in magic, the school only taught so much as it was by the books. So seeing Cin use his magic in a flashy way was very welcome to Renais, similar to how Tio used her's. "I don't know about that. Magic ability or no I don't have the physique to fight like you...maybe it's a bad idea." She put a hand over her arm and looked aside.

"Mm...that aside...I'm sorry!" She bowed her head to Cin. "I told you to leave me alone but...it was only because I was scared of you. You're just so much bigger than me and I...well my mind went to terrible places. I judged you simply on a glance and I shouldn't have. I really am sorry, Cin."

Edited February 17, 2022 by TheRoon

[scorri]

She seemed to like the flames he had made, tempting him to make more, but for now he refrained. Perhaps later, but for now he was more focused on her ridiculous objections that she wasn't suited for fighting. "Hey now, I'm not talking about teaching you how to punch someone. Though... Honestly some minor self-defense might not be the worst thing to learn, if you wanted. I'm talking about using your magic. But you seem to think that just because you're not tall like me, you can't fight? Guess that means you better be off to talk to the Evokers. After all, Elisa, she's strong, so she must be built for fighting, but Tio, well, I guess she's got to stop fighting and just stick to healing. She's just not built for it. A shame really..." It was clear how much Renais admired the two of them. Hopefully by pointing out the flaws in her logic, he could start to see some of the real reasoning behind her hesitation. After all, he wasn't going to force her to fight. But he wanted to see the real reason before he gave up because some part of her seemed to want to fight.

And then the unexpected encounter turned even more unexpected. Not only was she willingly talking with him, she was apologizing. "Hey, hey there, come on." He, very gently, slid a hand under her chin and tilted her head up to be looking at him instead of bowing. Once they were making eye contact again, he dropped his hand back to his side. "Look, I'm not going to lie and say it didn't hurt. But it's also not the first time I've had someone react like that to me. I promise you this, though. I'll never purposely hurt you. Physically or in any other way. Ok?"

It seemed like while they were talking, Lanvia had entered the arena. He watched as she easily made it through the first two fights, cheered her on in a difficult third fight, and chuckled to himself as she made short work of the muscled axe user. She was fighting well, but just as he was beginning to think she would be giving Rustal a run for his money, there was a devastating flash of light magic. When the light cleared, Lani was down. "Damn. She was doing so well too... Lucky hit from that magic user."

Edited February 17, 2022 by scorri

[Ursali]

Alriana let Rustal leave with nary a word, having escaped the focus of his attention due to Lavina's taunts. She took to the stands to wait her turn, watching as Cinaed entered the arena and began to make short work of its fighters; it wasn't long before the dragon had reached Rustal. They exchanged taunts, then got to fighting. True to his word Cinaed managed to knock the mask off the smug monster hater and promptly put him in his place shortly after before moving on to clear the arena. Lavina was up next and was doing well, though the magic user made full use of the opening Laniva gave her and took her out with a worryingly powerful blast. She would have to watch out for that when she got there.

Though she somewhat resented going last, Alriana hadn't been just watching her companions in the stands. She'd been watching her soon to be opponents as well, looking for openings in their fighting styles or weaknesses in their armor. Her first opponent proved too nimble to exploit his openings, but he still went down after a few exchanges. The magic and lance users however weren't as prepared for her; the mage found out that she could throw her daggers even through spell tomes and lancer found out she only needed the slightest opening to slip her daggers under his armor. 

Her fourth fight proved to be a dangerous one, though more so for her opponent. They traded blows, he shrugged off hers while his sent her tumbling to the ground. Growling, almost ferally, the lizard picked herself and launched herself at him like a bullet. She collided with him hard enough to send him tumbling, ending in a heap on the ground. Head not clear and forgetting her place she moved to properly neutralize him. Thankfully, the roaring cheer of the crowd snapped her back, reminding her that this was for sport and not meant to be fatal. She was no stranger to violent thoughts, but never before had she had such a pervasive desire to kill another, that she must do it. It worried the lizard a small amount, but it didn't stop her from trouncing the magic user that had floored Laniva. She even hit her extra hard for the cat.

Finally, it was time to put Rustal in his place...

[Mercenary on the Winds]

After flurry of internal words, screaming and arguing, Karin moved to gather the requested pitcher of water. The crab shouldn't have been too far away from being done--magic had it's benefits for cooking food quickly--so all she had to do was the water, and then wait. She was just going to shut up, and not say a word. Something was up, and it wasn't her. She poured the pitcher, and set off for the table. This time, she kept a very close eye on Ingverd as she placed the pitcher in front of Miria. 

"Your crabs will be out in a moment or--" A bell rang as Karin spoke. "Never mind, I'll be right back." A glance at Ingverd, before she hurried off, and quickly returned with both plates of crab. "The Kanseian Chili Crab for you, and your... crab and salad, sir." The sir seemed to have been stuck on her tongue, but she got it out. "If there's anything else you need... just ask." Karin walked away slowly, waiting for Ingverd to speak up and for that feeling to overtake her. It only happened when he spoke, she was noticing. 

[Nanami Touko]

"Hoh, old tales of Gran, are they...?" Ingverd took the offered book and gave it a look over, a rather old and weathered tome, likely read by many hands before Miria got hers on it. He didn't quite care for tales of heroics and legends, but if they were inspiring the girl, as long as she took the right lessons from them, there was nothing wrong with her indulging it. Before he could begin to leaf through a couple of pages, their crab arrived, along with the very gruff and bothered Karin. He was growing quite attached to her at this point, not sure if it would amount to anything, but he had half a mind to come and speak with her later and see if she was willing to divulge any of the deeper parts of these feelings.

"I'll make sure to shout for the bill, Karin. Take care of yourself~" He didn't mess with her any further, his magic having worked her enough for a favorable outcome. "Now, Miria, if this is your first time with crab... All you have to do, is~" He picked up  the claw, placing his thumbs against the joint, and with a harsh snap, pushed it back the other way, slowly wriggling the joints apart. "Then the insides are all yours. Fun, huh~? As for your book, I'll take a look at it later tonight. Don't want to stain its already tarnished pages with the juices of a crab..."

Edited February 18, 2022 by Mel the DM

[Billy12510]

Syndra couldn't help but start to chuckle a bit, part in due to Nyx's display, and also due in part to the fact that; unbeknownst to her; she seemed willing to commit an international incident over her. "Haha, patience dear Nyx. If we just stick to the job our employers have set out for us then you'll certainly get your chance. That is of course, if you're being serious for once. It certainly would make my life a bit easier if I didn't have to worry about him anymore but... I wouldn't want you to be burdened with the consequences of that. Especially since you seem to have a lot going on as is." 

Edited February 18, 2022 by Billy12510

[GoldsbroTSG]

Ingverd took the book, and it seemed like he had an idea of who Gran was. That was... an interesting thought. Miria thought she'd never actually meet someone who recognized the name but, here he is.

She had dropped off the pitcher, and almost immediately after, Karin was back with the crab. Miria could smell it. Her mouth was practically already watering. When it was placed in front of her, she could almost already feel the tear-soaked eyes and runny nose. Her smile would've lit up the entire city if it could. "Thank you Miss Karin!" She hadn't meant to say it so loudly, but her excitement was clear.

And Ingverd set her book aside, not wanting to stain it. Miria nodded in response, and watched him pick at the crab. So that's how you eat it. Good, I probably would've bitten at the leg...

Miria finally removed her vambrace from her arm and placed it on her lap. She went for a piece of the crab, and with some wiggles, there was a SNAP, and she pulled the leg apart, seeing a... juicy, soft piece of meat on the inside. Her eyes shone. Did she pull it out, or--

Almost instantly she took it to her mouth, and sucked out the meat like it was a straw. For a few moments, she chewed on it, and there was a clear, muffled yelp. Her face started to redden. After swallowing the crab meat, she grabbed her pitcher and took a drink from it. Setting it back down, it was clear she was trying to cool her mouth with her breathing.

"This... This is, s-so, good! Wow!" She took the second half of the leg she broke, and instantly sucked the meat out of that piece.

[MRDRHAWK]

So close. But just as it seemed Nyx had successfully gotten Syndra off tooi , she just had to remind the archer that they were talking about her own issues. Not that she really wanted to, especially not in a bar.

”Look. If y’really wanna talk ‘bout this shit, s’not th’place t’do it. If we got a place t’sleep tonight, ye should crash wit’ me n’ Gean. M’sure we’ll have enough space, or… somethin’.” Smooth, Nyx. Definitely also not her best idea, realizing that Gean would definitely poke and prod about it all, but… well, so it went, Nyx supposed.

”N’ye, I mean it. S’not like it’d be th’firs’ time ‘ve been foul o’ then noble types. N’sides… yer worth the effort.” And then Nyx buried her face in her glass again, hiding the reddening of her cheeks even through her tanned skin.

[JakezuGD]

Natalya had figured Alvira had that sort of attraction going on, but this was the first time she'd put it in words as such. Perhaps, if she were to actively pursue that attraction, there would be some things the tiger would have to talk about as well... but this was Alvira's moment to speak, and if she was so devastatingly infatuated with her looks, it would be for the best if they spoke the serious matters through before going to the bath. "That's alright, Alvira. We can do the talking however you feel more comfortable, so let's get that out of the way before we go to relax, eh?" A smile as she got the rest of her armor off, Tasha was soon left in her middle layer, what looked like a padded sweater and slightly baggy pants, sitting down on one of the beds and expecting Alvira to sit as well.

---

There went Tio, disciplining the man just enough to get them the amount of gold charged that they ought to be, before coming back to Elisa's side. The other three who were present had already slipped into their rooms, so they should as well, taking that invoice with a shrug. "You always have been better at things like this, even if you don't like doing it. More reason for me to give you a massage in the bath~"

She quickly followed behind her wife, giving a quick wave to Aegean as she made her way down to the baths. Natalya and Alvira didn't seem to be heading over just yet, but that was their business, not hers. Elisa would have more than enough to do just being with Tio~

[Nanami Touko]

"Hah~ I can't believe you're going at that so hard... Well, so long as you enjoy things, and, I'll cover the cost." Ingverd idly snapped another leg as Miria dove into her spicy meal. He wasn't one for it, so he only hoped she enjoyed it.

---

"I... O-Okay." Alvira sighed, sitting down next to Tasha, trying to focus. "I... Th-There was a fortune teller in the town. I asked her to look into my future, a-and... And, she, mmm... Her orb, lit up. It was my siblings. They... There was a dark haired man, wearing green, with green eyes. A white hilted sword. He was pointing it at them... I... I don't have any idea who he is, or what he wants. Syndra and, and the lady managed to calm me down, s-saying that it was... More like a premonition, rather than a guarantee, or something h-happening right now, but... I, I... If they're in trouble, what am I doing here...? I... I need to get back to Lufiria. I need to get back to them..." She sighed, holding herself. It felt a lot better to get that out, staying relatively calm, as calm as she could get.

"There was... Something else, with me, some giant force, myself wielding a lance-- that one didn't make sense, I, I have no martial weapon experience, s-so... But, the rest... mmh. I guess a bath might help my nerves... Or at least provide a distraction. There... There really isn't anything I can do right now, is there...?"

[Billy12510]

"Hmm... I suppose if you're offering. And it's really alright with Aegean." Since none of them knew she was from Islexia she didn't anticipate there being an issue, but doubt still lingered in her mind if she'd be accepted by the others if they knew. I'll have to tell them eventually. I'm not sure how they'd react. Actually, no that's not true. I know how at least one of them will react to me. Syndra sighed and went to finish off her glass. "Well then do let me know when you're ready to get going. It'd be better if I could get you to the inn before you can't walk straight, but like I said I'm in no rush."

[TheRoon]

When Cin lifted her head a little, she locked eyes with the dragonic fighter. He was very kind, and gentle. A far cry from what Renais' fears had convinced her of, she felt ashamed for assuming so much from the man. "Mm...alright." She just nodded at his promise to not harm her intentionally, it was reassuring. It put the cleric at ease around the man. Though he brought up the Evokers and how Tio should drop combat magic and become a full time medic like her due to her logic, it did annoy Renais a little but he had a point. Tio wasn't very far off from her own build, just a little taller and more matured. So it probably wasn't impossible. "I...I'll admit I had some basic tome training. But Tio has so many years of experience behind her, I can't match her magic. Though..." She mumbled a bit. "I do want to be more helpful if I'm being honest..." She was so stuck in her thoughts she didn't watch Lani or Aly fight.

[MRDRHAWK]

“Ah, m’sure Gean won’ mind! Prob’ly.” Nyx really didn’t know if that were the case, but she could always work her silver tongue - well, maybe. Knowing how she was, Nyx would more likely just spring it as a surprise on Gean and try and fail miserably to woo Syndra in front of her erstwhile not-daughter.

Huh. She really needed to spend more time with Gean soon, huh? Even though they roomed together on the boat, Nyx was in the middle of moping, so she kind of ignored Gean. Some not-mom she was, huh?

”’Sides, knowin’ Gean, she’ll prob’ly tease ye a bunch if she thinks we’re an item.” Which, to be fair, Nyx would appreciate highly, but still… oh, right, she was forgetting one thing even as she headed towards the tavern door. “Thanks fer th’booze, Fe! Yer a real lad fer this!” Bounding over to the man, she slapped a few extra gold pieces on the bar for his troubles, and gave him a little pat on the cheek. “N’hey, ye'll find yerself a helluva lass o’yer own one day. Sorry I kinda found this’un first on ye.” 

And, with that out of her system, Nyx looped her arm into Syndra’s. “Awright m’lass, lead th’way~” She kinda had to; after all, Nyx had no idea where they were staying for the night even if she was sober - and she really fucking wasn’t.

[GoldsbroTSG]

"W-Wait, really? Are you sure?" Miria's face tilted some, the red in her face was clear, even the light tears trickling out. That was typical spicy food stuff, she didn't mind. "Like, I could cover my own costs, it's okay." Miria sat back some, she had went in so hard initially, she took some more water. There was something refreshing about the cool water after gorging on spicy food.

[Nanami Touko]

"Ah, not at all. This is my treat~ You've paid me enough with the chats, Miria." Another crack, he was going at the insides with a knife instead of her rather aggressive approach. He still had an appearance to maintain. "I know a good inn that the group has likely gone to, that I can bring you back to, so enjoy your food for now. There's a good bath area, if I remember... You looking forward to a nice bath?" He was. He could still feel some of that pirate blood on him, he needed to really scrub himself down.

[JakezuGD]

She had heard Alvira mention her family earlier, but having it said again reinforced Natalya's serious expression, listening intently to what the dragon had to say. Whoever this mystery man was didn't sound familiar, though if he was threatening Alvira's siblings... Well, that couldn't be good, no matter how you interpreted things. The other part was a bit more confusing, both to the tiger and Alvira herself. The idea of seeing her fight with a lance sounded odd, since she herself said it, she had no martial training, but it sounded like a striking image. Just something about dragons wielding lances...

Regardless, what was important was getting Alvira's priorities straight. "I'm afraid not. We're already heading toward Lufiria as safely and quickly as we can, and you wouldn't make it across the Severed Sands by yourself, if you even managed to get through Islexia alone. But, if things go like we're kind of expecting them to, the Evokers will leave for Lufiria once we confirm what's happened to the previous envoy." A bit carefully, Tasha put an arm around the dragon, pulling them closer for comfort. "If you still want to return to your family as soon as possible then, I won't stop you from going with the Evokers. They're probably the best escort you could have for that trip."

[Nanami Touko]

"I-I..." Alvira leaned against Tasha, trying not to start crying again. She sniffled, wiped at her eyes, and sighed. "You've all been so good to me... S-So... So if I go with them into Lufiria, and I find them... Can, can I bring them back to the tigers? I... I feel like I haven't given back to you enough for all you've done for me, Tasha. I know that children are probably not amazing to have to take care of, b-but..." She looked up at their leader, hoping for a positive reaction.

[Bluemask 96]

Making her way down the hallway, Aegean once again ran into her employers, this time it was Elisa who she interacted with, giving a small curtsy. The girl definitely had a sense of humor. Standing upright again, she took more time to look at the pair. She knew the two Evokers we eyecatchers, but it definitely spoke to her how the two complimented each other. Hopefully they don't notice her looking all that much and that she might get to know them better as this trip went along. Turning back around, she finally entered the baths properly.

The warm air of the room greeted Gean as she disrobe in the changing area and stepped inside proper. The only thing she kept on outside of her towel was her necklace, and she tied her hair up into a ponytail. The hot spring style room had a large bath in the middle with plenty of washing stations on the side. Taking her time and looking the place over, she let a small smile form on her face. Right I should have enough time to think things over before Tasha gets here.

Edited February 18, 2022 by Bluemask 96

[GoldsbroTSG]

"Well, thank you Ingverd. That's... very kind of you," and now there wasn't a way to tell if Miria was blushing, or she was still hot from the food, it didn't matter. When she noticed Ingverd with a knife. She decided, that's probably a good idea, she probably looked like an animal compared to him. She got her fork out, and after breaking the next leg, she got out her next bit of meal with the fork. Almost like a complete shift, she took a bite of her crab, refined stature and all. Though, she couldn't fix the problem of an entire pitcher of water. She should've asked for a glass with it...

After a few minutes, Miria had developed a small cough. Now it was starting to get to her. Not that it botheted her, "S-She was right, this," she gave a small breath, not helping sate the hot, "this is really hot. Haha," Her laugh was light, but she was enjoying herself. 

"How about you, Ingverd? How's your crab?"

Edited February 18, 2022 by Silver Gallade

[scorri]

"Heh, helpful, huh? As if being our merc group's only healer isn't helpful enough?" He was teasing her now, amused that she somehow didn't consider keeping the entire group alive to be carrying her weight. "And, well, look. If you could match an Evoker's magic when you're, what, 15 or so years behind them in age and experience? I think you would be getting your own Evoker title. And then you could travel along with them, leaving us poor Tigers behind." He chuckled, suspecting she might like that idea at least a little, before continuing, "But that being said, you clearly have magic potential. Your healing spells alone are impressive, given how far away you can heal someone from. I can only imagine any offensive magic would be just as impressive. I can help, if you want." He held out his hand again, producing a sphere of fire that then morphed into two small diamonds dancing around each other. "I can only use fire, myself, but as long as you aren't trying to use ice, I should at least be able to help you with the base you already have. Between some basic offensive magic and maybe a little bit of physical self-defense, we should be able to get you able to protect yourself and maybe some of the rest of the group too."

[Ursali]

Rustal walked out of the gate with a roll of his shoulders. “Well, well. I guess the cat needed to send… whatever the hell you are. Hope her pride is doing alright. Suppose it's better to have lost early than to have been crushed by me. Shame you weren’t as lucky.” Rustal took his stance, making sure not to let the girl rush him down. She was even faster than the dragon from before, and he wasn’t about to let another one by him. He’d already lost his mask… and he was going to make her pay for it. “So… what color do you bleed, anyway? Oh well, I guess I’ll find out when you’re a crumpled heap. Bring it, reject.” 

Though Alriana visibly bristled with the monster hater’s words, she had few words for the loudmouth as she dropped into a low stance, her dagger drawn. “You talk lot, for coward afraid of monsters.” She gave him no time to formulate a response, springing forth and slashing at him. He was nimbler than her other opponents and only caught his arm, rather than a devastating slice across his chest.

Rustal had opened his mouth to retort when the lizard took off moving far faster than the dragon had before. But at least this time, he was marginally ready. Dodging completely wasn’t possible, but she’d only taken his arm… the wrong arm. Rustal immediately retaliated with a swing of his sword, connecting with her offarm, and sending her backwards. “Ha… don’t even hit as hard as he did. But I guess that’s not much of a surprise.” He looked at his blade, and face contorted in a weird look of confusion and fascination. The thing that he assumed was blood was an eerily white color. “...Huh. You see something new every day. It’s fitting that your blood is white. Maybe it’s proof that you shouldn’t really exist. You don’t matter.” He flicked the fluid off of his blade, “You know, I saw it with Ramirez. You’re hiding something from me, right? Come on… show me, I want to see your true colors.”

“Hghh!” Alriana grit her teeth as his blade cut into her arm, thankfully pulling it away before he could do lasting harm. She didn’t know if she could take a hit like that on a more vital part of her body, especially with her armor still in disrepair from Ramirez and his axe. “Haa… Don’t need, you to validate, self…!” With a low growl she leapt at him, her dagger aimed at his chest, but she was too obvious and he managed to avoid a more crippling blow from her attack. She was ready for his counter, she just had to dodge…!

It was all too easy. The girl was definitely fast, and equally capable, but in a straight line… none of that mattered. He took the knife assault, but he’d narrowly avoided any serious harm, and now she was perfectly in reach. Rustal swung his blade with all of his might in a diagonal fashion as long as he was quick enough there would be nothing the girl could do. He felt the familiar resistance of body against steel, and the girl was sent off to the side in a heap. A couple of sharp breaths, and he quickly moved over to the crumpled girl. A sickening grin on his charred face, “...What’s the matter? Surely that’s not everything you had?” 

She saw the strike coming and desperately tried to jump away but was just a hair too slow and felt the blade impact her armor then continue to cut into her flesh. She crumpled into a heap, teeth grit as she fought to hold on to consciousness. She felt the urge she experienced against Ramirez surface, clouding her thoughts even if she couldn’t act on them. Then the bastard opened his mouth, taunting her even now. “RhaaH!” She rose to her knees in a second, aiming a fist at Rustal’s stomach.

“Oh?” The girl got up and swung her fist for his stomach, but she certainly wasn’t anywhere near as fast as she had been, nor were her fists as heavy as the dragon’s had been. He grabbed the girl’s arm, and slammed the hilt of his blade into Aly’s face, knocking her backwards. “Now that’s more like it.” He marched forward and planted his sword in the ground next to the girl’s tail. “Alright, so let’s get facts straight, thing. Don’t ever try to step to me. If you didn’t get it before. You. Are. Nothing. Ha, even the Cat might have been a better challenge, and she didn’t even have the capacity to withstand a little light.” He knelt down next to her, just waiting for her to make some other move. He wanted her to. He wanted a reason to put the sword through her stomach. “Your friends are abominations, but at least they can fight. You? You’re pathetic. I almost can’t even put you in the same category. You’re even more meaningless than they are. I’m glad your friend broke my mask, so you can look at the face of someone who is simply superior. Why don’t you swing again, thing? Do something. Or have you accepted that you’re useless?” Rustal’s smile grew wider and wider, he’d lost one, but this was all the satisfaction he needed. 

“Ghh!” She grunted as the pommel collided with her face, collapsing onto her back, forced to stare up at the twisted smirk on Rustal’s face. Were she a different person, a normal person, his words might have caused her to doubt herself or caused her emotional pain. Instead, all his words served to do was further infuriate the lizard, especially as clouded as her thoughts were. “Not meaningless…!” She spat at him, panting as her chest heaved with labored breaths. She wanted to shove her dagger into his chest, but, somehow, she was still possessed of enough of her mind to know killing him, here at least, was not a viable option. “Not, hgah, useless, either…!” Pooling her strength and her rage she rose to a sitting position to strike at him again, but caught him moving to swing with his sword. Without thinking she bit at his hand only to miss and bite his sword off at the hilt, spitting the metal shards out as she glared murder up at him, flashing her razor sharp rows of teeth at him. “Next see you, kill.”

Rustal had been waiting for it, but things didn’t go at all as planned. He’d gone for his sword, ready for the kill… but his sword was suddenly missing damn near all of its length. He watched in terror as the girl spat out the shards of steel. “Ha…” The man threw his head back and started laughing uncontrollably. “Now that… That is what I was waiting for! For you to show your monstrous colors!” And then his mirth cooled instantly, his face morphing into a glare of hatred. “You made a mistake earlier. I’m not afraid of you, or any of your abominations. I despise your very existence.” He turned, and left the girl for the healers, “You and I agree on one thing… I will kill you when I see you next. I don’t lose to useless things.” With that, Rustal took his win and vanished through the gate.  
 
“Grrrrr…” All she had left for Rustal was a low growl as he finished his taunting and turned to leave. Grunting, she picked herself up, and staggered towards the healers. Her tail was the only thing keeping herself upright as she made her way out of the ring.

[JakezuGD]

Tasha raised her hand to Alvira's head, patting her a little. Her defiant and vulnerable selves were so different... no doubt the result of all the hardship she'd had to endure so far. Above all, Natalya wanted to make sure she could grow from that and be confident without needing a sharp edge to it, even if it meant separating for possibly quite some time. "Hey, would I let you call me Mom if I thought kids were annoying?" A small giggle and back to a smile, "If anything, I've wanted kids for years now, but I just haven't had luck finding men I'd actually fancy. So I did the next best thing, started playing mom for some misfit teens who joined the mercenaries... And here we are now."

[Nanami Touko]

"It's freshly caught and cooked crab. I have nothing to complain about. Kudos to the chef~" He was still wary of her spicy dish, but she seemed to be getting it down well enough. So long as she didn't try and push it on him, things would be fine. She'd gone through the crab quick enough, anyway, there wasn't much left. It was amusing that she'd slowed down to eat with her utensils, though. "You don't need to match my pace. Eat as quickly as you'd like."

---

"Heh... Mmm. You really are... Really, are the best." Alvira slowly leaned into Tasha, sniffling a little, really appreciating the comfort she was receiving. "We... Shouldn't, keep Aegean waiting, right? She's still... one of your, 'kids', too. I can't monopolize you... L, Like that. Like that, anyway..." Alvira had a few ideas of how she wanted to monopolize Tasha, but she couldn't bring herself to voice them. Admitting she was attractive was one thing, saying more was... Another challenge.

Edited February 18, 2022 by Mel the DM