The Fate of Reim

Garret listened to Azix advise Kinala, and raised an eyebrow, wondering why the man was trying to make things more difficult. Kinala explained how she was happy to just have been a burden on their resources, and revealed that she wanted to delay them as much as possible.

A real pain. But orders are orders. Garret shook his head and sighed. Zhi walked towards her and played with Kinala's hair, explaining his plans for the future. Garret did not particularly care for the changes that the man was claiming he would make, but that was neither here nor there.

The man who was never truly introduced provided a half insult, half compliment, which Garret didn't pay much mind to. He focused on the tasks that were assigned to him, and completed them. It was as simple as that.

Considering that Kinala was paralyzed, somebody had to carry her. That somebody turned out to be Garret, as he was the one with the orders to ensure she didn't escape. Sighing, Garret hoisted her over his shoulder. The small thing was just another burden he would have to deal with.

As they left the building, the sound of an owl's hoot was heard. The man, who had never been introduced, turned to them and explained that a boy was hiding in the alleyway not too far from where they were at. The man ordered Garret to make sure they weren't being followed, and motioned his thumb across his throat. Sighing, he briefly glanced over to Zhi before rolling Kinala off of his shoulder and passing her over to Rin, who simply smiled at him while whispering "Wan~" to him. Again, Garret sighed. He would ignore Rin for now; he had another task to take care of.

"Soft, soft~" Rin would carry Kinala in the 'princess carry' form, instead of the rough way that Garret had been carrying here.

With wand in hand, Garret turned towards the kid while simultaneously gathering magoi and releasing it. Frozen Jagged Ice formed around Garret's legs, up to his knees, freezing them in place as a rectangular block of floating ice. It moved forward, carrying the blue mage with it as he stood straight with arms crossed and directing the ice to crash into the child, which moved at 10 m/s.

The child panicked when he realized that his snooping had been sloppy and that he had been discovered. He turned around and tried to run away through the shadowy alley, but Garret would quickly descend upon him. The child was knocked to the ground and began begging for his life. "Please, I don't know anything!"

The ice melted, and Garret grabbed the child with a tight grip around the child's left arm with his left hand. He slid around and behind the child while holding the arm and used his right hand's gauntlet to bring the sharp point of the index finger against the child's throat. "Move, and I kill you. Shout, and I kill you. Speak only when spoken to, and answer my questions quickly. Do you understand?" The gauntlet's sharpness, while not particularly deadly, would certainly get the job done. The boy could feel that it was just a little bit more pressure before it broke skin.

Tears streaked down the boy's face as he nodded. It appeared that this child hadn't understood the risks involved with snooping, he complied, hoping it would save him.

Having dealt with Kinala just moments before had made Garret much sharper with the child, as he had expected a greater deal of resistance. But the child's display betrayed that he wasn't anywhere near resolved enough to hold any sense of what he was actually doing. Garret let some of the pressure from his index finger off of the boy's neck, but did not loosen his grip.

"Good. Tell me, how many of you are watching us? Do you have orders to follow us?" If the boy hesitated, he would re-apply the pressure as a threat.

The boy shook his head, "I'm not sure, I know there's at least one or two more around. We're just supposed to watch that dome-shaped building."

"Oh? At least two others. Do you have a call for backup? That you can call the others to us? If you're willing to cooperate, I promise nobody will be killed." Garret hadn't made the decision on whether or not he would keep that promise, yet. It all depended on the answers he would receive.

The boy mentioned that there was an emergency meetup call that could be made, where they would gather at a place nearby. Garret directed the boy to use it and awaited for the others to approach as well. He had the child call them into a nearby alleyway, threatening harm if he didn't comply.

When the children walked far enough into the alleyway, they would see that their friend was being held hostage. Garret immediately took control of the flow. He pulled out his wand and caster Water Manipulation Technique, gathering nearby water and forcing it into the boy hostage's mouth. "Listen carefully. I am a magician. All of you have been poisoned through my magic, and I just gave this child the antidote." The children saw his use of magic and were frightened, not having a good grasp on what they should do.

The child who was the hostage up till this point was on the verge of tears.

Garret began asking details about who they worked for, and how they operated. It looked like they weren't part of any group he was aware of, and that they weren't too deep in their very own organization. "Here's the deal. The poison won't kill anyone for another three days. Meet me here again in two days, and I'll make sure to give you all the antidote." The children looked relieved, as if a lot had been taken off of their shoulders.

"On one condition." They all held their breath. This man before them was not something they had expected to run into. "Your report must include how dangerous it will be out here, and that everyone should stay inside. If I catch even one of you following us, or one of your friends following us, you'll never have the antidote. Understood?" The children nodded, solemnly. "When I leave, nobody moves from their spot for the next five minutes. If anyone tries to follow me..." He gave them a warning look as he motioned his wand to signify dire consequences.

Before he left to find his way back to Zhi's group, who he knew were heading towards the Inner Palace, he would watch the children from out of sight for a minute to make sure that none of them tried anything funny.


He moved quickly, running back to the group. It would take him some time, as they were ahead of him as it had taken him some time to get matters settled with the children. Garret did not forget the primary orders he was given, either; he was to make sure that they were not being followed.

Keeping to the shadows as he took the quicker routes towards their destination, Garret moved in a manner as if he were shadowing someone who would shadow their group. He picked out places it would seem best to watch their group from through the use of familiar knowledge through working in the city, and then chose movement that allowed him a good view of those who would shadow their group. Once confident that nobody was, in fact, following them, Garret would make his way back to the group.



OOC:
150/250 Magoi/Stamina available.

I understand that everything I just did takes some time to do. Just let me know, IC, when I'm back in the group or OOC when I can join the group again before I post. I'll continue posting after your posts, and just describe things I see as I move along, nbd, until I'm able to join in again.

I worked with Azix on this post to create the responses/reactions from the children, since the children NPCs are his creations.

The poison was a bluff, and not something that's actually real.

2 posts until Kinala is no longer paralyzed.

Abilities used:

Even with Kinala's attempted escape, Zhi treated her as if he were teaching one of his flock the ways of the world. The Usurper was a curiosity to Azix, it was interesting to see what kind of person one of the Emperor's spawn had become. Azix noted Garret took it upon himself to carry the girl with a smile, the man had grown a touch softer during his time in prison, but he didn't appear to make it a weakness. Azix followed the group outside, glad to be finally moving forward with the operation.

Outside, Azix caught the sound of an owl call and a distant memory briefly resurfaced of the first time Azix had met the Contractor. The Grumptoes had been watching out for people, the owl call had been a signal to alert Azix of intruders. Afterwards, they had walked away. It clicked, that was how the Contractor had been aware. Azix felt stupid, but he didn't let it reflect in his body language. Azix met The Contractor's amused glance with an ignorant smile, using his years of practice to mask the spark of recognition.

While The Contractor ordered Garret to remove the problem, Azix caught a glance of the boy's face. It wasn't a member he knew, but they were sloppy. Internally, Azix was torn between feeling irritated that they were so sloppy and remorseful that his past actions pushed the boy into his current position. Externally, he appeared indifferent and was about to offer to carry Kinala before Garret passed the girl to Rin.

Azix waited behind, since The Contractor had asked Garret to handle the child spy. The orange magician continued to follow behind the others if they continued to walk. "I'm curious Zhi, what else do you plan to do once you claim the throne? You seem a compassionate man who is highly respected. Such a man must have a reason for inspiring people so."

Kinala hissed in anger at being touched by the man she called mad. "You fool, you'll doom everyone around even without your tool. Enough is enough with your idiotic games, let these people go and be on your way with no more flames." She attempted to struggle as she was handed around like a ball between little children. But her muscles refused to respond to her commands as they remained locked in place thanks to Garret's former attacks. She could do no more, so she simply resigned herself to remain as she was and try and keep on the up and up for things she could still do. She watched complacently as the group left from the building and started their way towards the royal palace. She watched as best she could in her attempt to understand what was going on, but she could still be thankful that she was being treated as well as she was. She had been tossed over Garret's shoulder like she was luggage, but when he left to chase after some child as she heard he passed her off to the girl who seemed to be more careful with her as she carried her. Kinala sighed as she held her position, things would only get worse.

Garret would not have to run long or far, as the group had stopped while he dealt with the Grumptoes children. There would have been no way for Garret to know which way they went if Zhi's party had continued on without him and the Contractor had an invested interest in how the magician handled his task. The unnamed enigma kept his eyes on the alley way and watched the movements obscured by shadow with careful focus while the rest of the group passed the time with conversation.

Zhi was acting surprisingly patient, all things considered. The white haired prince sighed in response to Kinala's retort and calmly looked up at the night sky and tried to gauge what time it was by the position of the moon and stars hanging overhead. Azix's question brought Zhi's attention back to earth and a subtle frown curved its way onto his lips. "As I just said, outlawing slavery and dismantling the coliseum are some of the first things I'll be doing. But that's not all. I intent to remove every stain and blemish upon Reim's people. Society must be cleansed of all moral pestilence." Zhi's fists clenched tightly and his teeth grit audibly in his mouth as he continued, "The cruel monster known as fate or destiny led this city to glory but left it's underbelly covered in a plague of mindless violence as men try to snatch a bigger piece of paradise for themselves. It is sicking that such a powerful nation would be so infected with avarice and so parched of compassion. I will destroy this fate and build a new destiny for Reim." This dialogue brought Zhi's mind to linger on curses directed at the fate of others, but these feelings all stemmed from his own depravity and a resentment for his own destiny. A flock of pitch black rukh would flutter around the man as he spoke and the air around him would feel heavy with malice.

"Zhi."

The voice of the contractor whom had yet to take his eyes off the alley way would pull Zhi from his depraved thoughts through a stern and firm voice. The prince responded like a student being warned by his teacher not to do something wrong. He looked down in shame at losing control of himself and took a deep breath before thanking the Contractor and finishing his speech. "Apologies...thank you for keeping my mind on track, old friend." The black rukh surrounding Zhi lost their catalyst and faded away as his thoughts turned towards the bright future Zhi was aiming for. "In any case, Reim is just the beginning. It's a testing ground in many ways. Both to test if I am worthy of my father's recognition as well as a place to test if the path I've chosen is indeed as just as I believe it to be or..." Silver eyes fell on Kinala as Zhi said his last words, "...if I am indeed simply a mad man." A slight smirk came over the man as he felt rather pleased with himself, thinking that such a prospect was too outrageous to even consider as a possibility.

Garret would return shortly after to find the tophat wearing magician staring at him with the most disturbing of smiles. A toothy grin that spanned from ear to ear framed sharp eyes that were filled with an otherworldly glee. "That won't do at all. I thought I made myself clear that you were supposed to deal with them. Do you plan on letting Prince Zhi's efforts be foiled by yet another child?" It was a statement intended to provoke Garret, but it held a flaw of sorts. From the Contractor's vantage point, he should not have been able to see the children through the obscuring veil of shadows that existed in the alleyway. He inadvertently revealed that he had known about them for some time. "Go on~ Go back~ Finish the job, or are you a traitor to your country? Hmm?~" The Contractor seemed to be having too much fun and Zhi took notice of what was going on.

"Enough." The prince stepped forwards and placed a hand on the magician's shoulder before turning to look Garret in the eyes. After measuring them for a moment he would nod to the man in acknowledgement, "We have nothing to fear. I shall trust his judgement." The Contractor's enjoyment drained from his face swiftly but his expression simply returned to its default creepy smile. "Very well...Shall we move on towards the Inner City then? We've wasted enough time here."

[It will take two rounds of posts before travel to the inner city is complete. In that time, please ask any final questions and bring up any last dialogue you may want to say. Once the group enters combat there will be little time for discussion. If no one wants to pursue anything then we can expedite the travel to take only one round of posts. Just make an OOC note if you want to simply move on.]

When he had returned, Garret was slightly confused, due to several things in concert. The first of which was that they hadn't moved from their spot at all which, he supposed, made sense if he were to catch up to them at a good time.

The second of which was the man's slip of knowledge that he knew how things had played out. Garret had went down an alley way, and then had to go to another spot further from that alley way in order to meet up with the other children that were watching their location. Knowing the limits of his own magic, he understood that the man had some means of long range communication available to him.

The third, and most confusing of which, was the man's insistence that he didn't do what he was ordered to, and that he was somehow betraying the Zou empire. Garret voiced his concerns. "My apologies," he said, bowing to the man. He would walk with the group as he explained his actions. "I am a member of the Zou nation. I have been conscripted as a soldier under my current leader, who has chosen to go by name instead of title; Zhi. Zhi has made it clear that you are his partner in this endeavor, so I will work to cooperate with your goals insofar as they align with his." The underlying message here was that The Contractor did not hold any real known rank and, therefore, his 'orders' didn't officially come from Zou. Garret's compliance to move on his suggestion was entirely due to the fact that Zhi said they were partners.

It was only a part of Garret's explanation of his behavior to the man. "Their immediate threat level is minimal, and I have deemed that the use of force was not necessary. In fact, working to take them out would have been detrimental to unknown future operations today, as I do not know how much will be required of me before the day is over." This was Garret's way of implying that, without knowing what operations were in store and what would be expected of him, he would be forced to ration out his strength appropriately until the throne was under Zhi's control.

While that certainly covered, logically, why Garret had done what he had done, he was not finished explaining. "Furthermore, as my commanding officer, I will attempt to operate in a similar manner as Zhi, unless ordered otherwise by my commanding officer." This wasn't determined by logic but by emotion, as it was a show of respect for his commander's choices. It was not Garret's place to cross Zhi's choice of compassion over execution. Had his commander been a man who would prefer execution, Garret would have followed what he would believe would have been expected of him at that point; execution of the children.

OOC:
Kinala is no longer paralyzed in her next post.

Azix considered Zhi's words, there were indeed social injustices he had seen. He had formed the Grumptoes because he had seen starving kids and was outraged at the lack of compassion from those with wealth. With his own money, he had given them a chance to earn a chance to live, to eat, to have more than they did. Azix wondered how far the man was willing to go before a flock of black Rukh fluttered around the man as his words became more resentful of destiny. Recognizing the feeling of malice, Azix wondered if he too would become so spiteful.

He put those thoughts to the back of his mind as the Contractor snapped Zhi out of it. Azix wasn't surprised to learn that this was only the beginning of their plans. The thought of the Contractor playing Zhi like a puppet, over Reim gave Azix pause. It was certainly a frightening thought, but his attention turned to Garret's arrival. Azix wondered whether Garret had killed them, but was pleased to hear that he had let them go. For one, that prevented unnecessary deaths. For two, it also revealed the possibility that the Contractor in front of him, might be a clone. He remembered the Contractor's trick from his meeting with Zafar. The other possibility would be the real Contractor was with them and the clone was elsewhere, watching. Or, he had other means of sensing what Garret did.

Regardless, while the idea of taking out the possible clone seemed like it would be amusing, especially if Kinala proved a distraction, Azix wasn't sure it was a good time. He hated the idea of the Contractor entrenching himself, but it would do no good to react in vain as Kinala had shown up. As Azix would expect, Zhi stepped in between Garret and The Contractor, trusting Garret's judgement that the child would be no further threat. Azix would have to find out what Garret had done later, for now, he was ready to continue on.

Kinala twitched the hand that was still wrapped around her staff, her motion was coming back. She could move again, but this was not a good time for her to attempt to escape again. If she tried to run she would either be defeated again or she would be killed, and neither actually seemed like a good choice at that moment. Instead she tried to remain as frozen as possible, she could wait until a better moment to take a chance at saving Reim. She only moved her eyes to look at Zhi and cracked a smile, "You won't win, not with your sins. You claim to be a savior of some kind, but really you're just a man with a sickened mind. You want the praise of your people and your father, but it won't happen as long as I can still be a bother. Make all the claims you want about peace and hope, but you can rest assured you'll hang at the end of a rope."

There were not many words shared between the group as they walked down the paved Reimian roads of the capital until Kinala voiced further objection towards Zhi and his actions. It was already clear to everyone by now that she disapproved of his methods and perhaps even his goals as well. It was almost impressive how she persisted in speaking out against the man. No doubt, it would probably have been a wiser choice for Zhi to have ordered her death long ago, but even now he appeared to be tolerant of the young wolf girl's words. Only one of her comments actually managed to strike a chord with the man, bringing forth a twist of agitation on his expression as he retorted without looking at the girl. "You should hold your tongue child, flaunting your ignorance of others will get you no where. I'm not doing this for praise and least of all to please my father. If I had such sentiments, the Emperor would not likely have given me this chance to prove myself in the first place..."

As the white haired usurper clenched his fist and looked up to the night sky, the Contractor spoke after him and explained a bit more about the nature of Zhi's mission. "The ruler of Zou is not a man who appreciates familial bonds. He had long since cast Zhi aside from the time that he was still in his mother's womb and it was only through my recommendation that he was allowed an audience with Gao Yuan Zu. Can any of you guess as to the reason why the Emperor entrusted so many resources into the hands of an illegitimate heir whom he'd never met before this year?" There was a pause to let anyone present try their hand at the question. Zhi was listening, but he appeared to be content to allow his partner to enlighten the group, opting to spend his time sharpening his focus for the conflict that was soon to come.

[There is 1 more round of posts before the group arrives at the Inner City]

Garret was somewhat surprised to hear from the man that their Emperor had not known of Zhi until a short while ago. He briefly contemplated the implications, and understood that this man didn't simply have a connection to the prince, but to the Emperor as well.

He understood that this meant that, insofar as influence and political power as concerned, it was blatantly obvious that this unknown had incredible pull with those in the Capitol. Once Garret was reinstated in a position within the intelligence group, he would have to gather more information on the royal lines as well as the nobility and those who hold rank. Garret had thought he had known a good deal about his country's rank system, as it was important to know who held authority to give orders. It seemed that even after studying under Spymaster Takahashi Sato, on those who held authority, neither of these two were part of his teachings.

This meant that neither of them held traditional standing within the rank system at the time of his training. It was understandable for Zhi, who recently met with the Emperor and convinced him to command a takeover operation in Reim. It's a sudden promotion that obviously took place while Garret was in prison. However the same could not be the case for the unknown man.

This unknown man had some sort of connection with the Emperor that wasn't formally recognized. Garret briefly closed his eyes, considering this fact. After he analyzed these things, he came to believe that this had several implications. The man could be part of a hidden private group, directly created and led by the Emperor himself. These individuals would be discreet in their execution of orders, perhaps bearing the burden of truly atrocious acts that the Emperor deemed necessary. Such an army could also be in the employee of the nobles, or perhaps both nobles and the Emperor could potentially make use of such a group.

Or perhaps he was a merchant. While merchants didn't directly have any traditional power, the influence of money was not to be underestimated. It was how they had converted some of the Reim official's loyalty over to Zou's.

Of course, there was also the chance that the man filled a position more along the lines of a personal guard to the Emperor, in which case there would still be a high level of influence if he was a trusted individual.

Regardless of what the truth was, Garret would not bother with the answer, as a guess or otherwise. He had spoken enough as it was, any further speech would give up information about himself and his thought processes. Instead, he would take this opportunity to listen to what the others would say. The man could attempt to provoke an answer, but Garret had no reason to say anything.

Finally Kinala had invoked an aggitated reaction from Zhi, which Azix noted. It seemed that Zhi was annoyed that she thought he was attempting to seize Reim for his father. Azix wondered what motivated the man, if not for a father's approval. The Contractor's words surprised Azix, the man claimed to hold a great influence with the Emperor. If Azix had a bad feeling about the mysterious magician, it had grown now.

If the Contractor was respected enough to hold sway over the Emperor of Zou's decisions, then he was an important man. He was a most dangerous man as well. Azix wondered at whether the Contractor had the Emperor dancing by puppet strings too, that would be a sight to see. Either way, the Contractor was either highly respected or trusted, which didn't fit the Emperor at all.

Regardless, Azix also would keep quiet, preferring to hear them voice a reason. If Azix guessed or was told, he was sure that the true reason would be hidden behind clever words and preferred to see what they said.

Kinala huffed, anger was such an easy emotion to invoke if you could find the right strings. Speaking of strings, or rather strands, she carelessly blew a few of her loose strands of hair from her face as she was carried along like loose cargo. "Blood and water run so close together, but here we will see which stays and stands the weather. Forgive my offense however, I did not mean to ruffle feathers. My tongue is sharp and has been known to sting, but other times it has been said to sing. I know not about how this political system of yours plays out, I just wish to see people alive and not without. You've killed so many back at the jail, why must more be slaughtered while babes cry and wail? It is a tragedy to see it so, must you continue on with this show? I understand your reasons for this conquest, but you will create a land without rest. This path is dark and full of pain, let it end now like the stopping of rain."

Zhi kept his focus sharp as they approached the Inner City. The sounds of conflict could be heard ringing out through the city and he appeared to be done listening to the lyrical tones from the small girl. Now was not the time to be distracted. He turned to the two men, his face stony with concentration, his voice once again composed after lashing out at the rhyming girl. “We will use the commotion of the combating groups to infiltrate the Palace of Kings. Keep the girl contained.” He turned to the Contractor, who tittered calmly and waved his hands as though to move them along more quickly. “Time and tide wait for no man, Zhi. The fighting will not last forever. We should move quickly to ensure victory.”

As they approached the Inner City, a blockade of Brotherhood of Ash men were standing guard, using their magic tools to fight off the intermittent groups of Reim soldiers attempting to reclaim the city. At the approach of Zhi and his group, two of the Brothers turned, their weapons at the ready in case they were being flanked. Upon noting the unique appearance of the Contractor and the white-haired prince, one returned to securing the blockade as the other offered a brief overview. “Sir, the General and his forces have appeared in the Inner City and are attempting to secure as much area as possible. The last we heard, he was holding his own fairly well, but elite soldiers are being forced to fight more and more due to the sheer number of Reim soldiers.” With that, the Brother turned back to ensuring the group could pass through the blockade without harm.

The group breeched the Inner City to be met with complete chaos in the distance, Kou and Reim forces fighting viciously, one to protect their home, the other to try and rip it away from them. The entire Inner City seemed to be in complete uproar, soldiers battling as sentries attempted to secure vital choke points to stave off the invasion and protect the Palace. Zhi and his group had entered the Inner City, the fighting was quickly spreading and they still needed to make it to the Palace to ensure the success of their plan. The fighting was visible but not an immediate threat, and the Contractor cleared his throat, waving to a nearby building. “Perhaps a better vantage point might suit us well.” Zhi scanned the area and found a set of stairs leading to the top of the building and nodded in agreement, leading the group to the top. The bastard prince glanced back at pair of magicians as they climbed, waving at the Palace of Kings in the distance. “Our goal is to find the quickest route to the Palace of Kings, avoiding as much fighting as we can. I do not suppose either of know of any secret passage ways? A way to get past these soldiers without being seen?”

---Front Lines---

When Asisiak, Lagi, and the Imuchakk forces breeched the inner city, the sight in the distance was one to behold. Troops along the front lines were embroiled in a dangerous dance with death, the Zou forces barely holding their own, but steadily gaining advantages through the use of magic tools and the elite forces on the magic carpets. The Reim forces were too busy fighting to take note of any reinforcements for the moment, but would rejoice at the first sign that they were not fighting alone. General Hei Lu had made an admirable dent in the Reim forces, considering his limited number of soldiers, shouting orders to his troops and the prisoners as he sliced and slashed his way through soldiers. He pushed his own troops forward steadily, trying to cut through the lines and clear the way to the Palace, the prisoners taking the brunt of the damage while the troops ensured a slightly more even playing field in battle. The elite forces were still trying to stay out of the fray as much as possible to reserve their strength, but as they pushed closer to the Palace, they were forced to fight more and more often against the formidable onslaught of the Reim soldiers.

Asisiak would take stock of the situation, pondering on the best manner in which to approach the fray before turning to Lagi, clapping him on the shoulder with a strong hand. “Are you prepared for this, human ally?”

Garret continued to listen to the Contractor as he trailed off and the walking turned into uncomfortable silence. The battle raging about them, and the sound of steel clashing against steel, made Garret wonder exactly how deeply their forces had penetrated the Inner City. Zhi provided further instructions to contain the girl, and Garret bowed, turning over to Rin who was still holding the girl with no problem.

Rin didn't seem willing to hand her over, so Garret moved to walk side-by-side with Rin in order to keep an eye on the girl. It seemed as if his entire job throughout this operation was babysitting. Rin seemed in incredibly high spirits, and was humming along as she walked where it wasn't necessary to speak.

Some soldiers, that Garret could only imagine belonged to Zhi's ally, approached them and filled the man in on the current situation. As they continued up a series of stairs, Zhi asked a question of the two. Garret bowed to the man. "I myself do not. However, before I was incarcerated, there was a mole that was planted. His superior was implicated of crimes and our mole, a treasurer, took position in a higher level of authority. He has more intimate knowledge of the palace."

If Zhi was interested and asked, Garret would offer to lead the way to where the man could be found; the man's place of office within the Inner City, where he would be holed up.

Azix walked behind the group, keeping to himself as they continued into the Inner City. He had been curious to know the Emperor's reasoning for allowing Zhi the resources to attack Reim, but it seemed neither the Usurper or the Contractor intended to provide an answer. Kinala lectured Zhi on the consequences his actions might have and Azix recognized the truth in her words. After a brief exchange of words, the party resumed the journey in silence against the noisy backdrop of fighting.

A little while later, they approached a checkpoint guarded by the Brotherhood of Ash, if Azix had to guess, seeing as they did not wear the uniform of Reim's guards. They provided a brief report on the situation to Zhi and The Contractor. The Brotherhood of Ash member's report gave Azix the impression that any advantage Kou had was slowly being lost with time. Knowing that Reim's forces could break through the front lines at anytime, Azix kept a closer eye on his surroundings.

The Contractor directed the group to a roof to look for a quick route to the Palace. Azix looked down on the fighting, wondering who would be the victor this night. He wondered where fate would lead him by the end of this night, as well. Azix was brought out of his thoughts when Zhi asked them if they knew any secret passages to the Palace. The orange magician was about to reply that he did not when Garret informed Zhi that a mole had been placed prior to his incarceration. Azix hoped the mole would prove useful in getting them there unharmed. For now, he kept behind the group, keeping an eye on Kinala.

After catching up with the Imuchakk, Lagi jumped off of Zygus and told him to stay put. “I’ll take care of this, but you’ll know when I’ll need you. You have permission to act on your own as you see fit, but be mindful of your injured partner. “After saying that, Lagi walked over to Asisiak, who pat him on the back and asked if he was ready. “ To be honest with you, it’s Saturday. I was expecting to sit on my ass and sleep the day away, but it doesn’t seem that ill have that luxury today. I have my bird, so I’m pretty good to go when you are…. Leader of the Imuchakk.” Neutral grounds for neutral gain, Lagi saw her as an invaluable chess piece in order to take back his home. That was the method that he had to resort to, and the lady herself was tolerable. He had his bow as well, which was a cheap but effective way of combat. Along with his other Magic tools, Lagi wasn’t without the necessary requirements to achieve victory. At the very least, he refused to be the weakest link.

Kinala wiggled her nose as she attempted to keep herself from moving her arms to scratch it. Things had grown a bit boring now, the walk was long and just as dull as she had imagined. But the girl who was carrying her seemed nice enough and the tune she was humming had a sort of ring to it that Kinala couldn't quite grasp, but it was still beautiful. But the fight would come soon, and she would need to be prepared to strike at a moment's notice. If she moved quickly she could attack Zhi directly, that would be a key vantage in her plan. But for now biding her time was important. A distraction would come, they always did sooner or later for those who waited.

Zhi listened carefully to the words of the magician, nodding and looking to the Contractor for guidance. The Contractor offered a shrug and nodded, anything to speed their trip along would be welcome. He did not want Zhi to lose sight of the urgency of their goal. Zhi would confer briefly with Garret and get directions on how to find the mole he mentioned before waving them along. He would direct the group back to the ground and into an alley. As they walked, Zhi would ask for directions here and there, the Contractor keeping a close eye out for any opposition. As they turned down another alley, they were met with the appearance of two soldiers, one wielding a spear, the other with a sword in a sheath at his waist, both on high alert. At spotting Zhi’s group, the spear wielder would move forward in a defensive stance, leveling his B-tier spear at the intruders. “Halt, or we shall attack.”  His partner would draw his B-tier blade from his sheath, the slightly curved metal extending a meter beyond the hilt.

Zhi turned to the Contractor with a sigh, “Nothing can be easy, I suppose.”




Asisiak would nod at Lagi before waving her forces forward with another battle cry, her eyes picking out the enemy with care. She noted the dirty-looking prisoners, who appeared to have only the most basic of combat training, and the forces on the flying carpets, who seemed to appear at areas where the prisoners were struggling to push their line forward before swopping back to the air. In the midst of the battle, her eyes were drawn to a crazed looking man shouting out orders. That was the man she would be focusing on. She made her way forward, but she and her troops were quickly overrun by a mass of Reim soldiers. She shouted out orders, reminding her troops to try not to harm the defending soldiers, but the forceful push the soldiers made required a certain amount of force. “We are here to help you, soldiers of Reim! STAND DOWN!” She used her spear to ward off an incoming sword and swiftly spun her spear to block another strike.

As the Reim soldiers pressed in, Asisiak’s great height allowed her to see three of the prisoners fighting for Zou slip through the fray and approach from the side and she shouted to Lagi and her troops to draw their attention to the invaders. One of her men pulled out the earthen magic tool he had taken from one of the Brothers of Ash and used it to erect a small wall between their battling group and the invading prisoners. It would only provide a momentary pause in the men’s approach, but Asisiak knew this could help prove their desire to help Reim and rallied her men and Lagi to attack the incoming invaders.

Lagi was moving along the front lines with the blue haired giants,  but he was weary ad cautious. The first few struggles had left him with only a significant amount of stamina. Lagi could literally see the extent of his limitations, as if it was right in front of him. Lagi wasn’t going to push himself too hard, the only pet that hasn’t took a lot of damage was Orie, she remained as a surprise trump card as usual. Her utility wasn’t as extensive as Zygus and his multiple ways of combat, but Orie was definitely a useful companion that not many would notice.

When lagi and the blue haired giants were surrounded by Reim soldiers, Lagi sucked his teeth as he gave his own introduction. "Lagi El Nagi, From the El Nagi clan. I'm on your side. " The soldiers arent foolish enough to not notice their own native dominance beast users, the last name spoke volumes in that retrospect. However, the individuals still seemed a bit pushy, so maybe they needed some proof. When some Zou prisoners slipped through the fray to attack from the side, lagi only saw that as an opportunity. "Orie..." In response to that, ORie created two gooey squid like tentacle that generated from lagi's body, originating from the back of each respected shoulder. The tentacles itself was three meters long, They both came down with full force on two of the attackers with c rank strength and speed, leaving the last one for the blue haired giants to validate their allegiance. "Good girl" Giving small praise to his symbiotic companion.

100/250

Abilities used

Spoiler:

Azix patiently waited as Zhi, The Contractor, and Garret discussed the best route to travel to get to the mole. When they decided on directions, Zhi led the group from their vantage point on the roof back onto the ground. Azix kept to the side of Rin as they walked, keeping an eye on the 'captive' who laid peacefully in her arms. The orange magician noted in amusement that Kinala seemed content to be carried like a princess, at least she hadn't tried to run off yet. If she did try to escape again, he hoped his position would make it easier to contain her.

They rounded a corner to see two guards further down the alley. The Reim guards were alert and reacted by immediately getting into a defensive stance. It seemed weird to Azix that the soldiers were in an alley away from the main fighting, was there something of importance nearby? Regardless, they were hindering the group from proceeding to their destination.

"Avert your eyes," Azix said in a tone loud enough for the group to hear as he stepped forward. He raised his staff, whispering commands to the Rukh, towards the soldiers and a wide ten meter diameter Bright Beam of light formed in front of him. Knowing the effects of his spell, Azix turned his head to the side, casting his vision on Kinala to make sure she stayed in place. The beam was illuminated brightly and would temporarily blind anyone looking directly at it. It quickly sped towards the guards and would deal damage in the form of second degree burns if it hit them.

After he released the Bright Beam spell, Azix began conjuring his Piercing Light spell immediately. They didn't have much time to spend on these two, so he wanted to make sure they got hit. He was counting on Garret to utilize the opening Azix had created to deal with one, so he focused on the other. A narrow one meter diameter light beam formed above his staff before shooting towards the Remano guard. The beam would not impair anyone's vision but it would deal second degree burns on contact. He risked a glance back as he released the spell to check on Kinala's position again before focusing on the guard's reactions and planning his next attack if necessary.

Spoiler:

Garret led the group through a series of alleyways, hoping to avoid combat and get to their objective quickly. It was upon the turning of one such corner that they had run into two guards. Garret figured that, seeing as how they were so close to their current objective, these men must be guards for some of the important figures who hadn't made it to the palace before it was deemed to dangerous to simply walk the streets.

Garret heard Azix tell them to avert their eyes, and he did not miss a beat with that. Rin, on the other hand, was confused and took the full brunt of the bright light hitting her eyes. She held Kinala closely to her, in a manner that seemed more protective than aggressive.

When Azix's spell had finished casting, Garret looked back at the soldiers to gauge the damage on them. Azix was gathering Magoi and Rukh for his next attack, and Garret immediately moved forward to strike down one of the enemies. The distance between them wasn't great, as it took him about two and a half seconds to reach the group at a jog and then a run, as a second beam from Azix shot past him while being aimed at the man to the left.

Garret shot his fist forward, using River Styx Style: Tranquil Strike. He had aimed it as a blow to the man's gut, hoping to drop the guard to the ground and knock the wind out of him.

If that were successful, Garret would attempt to disarm the wounded soldier so that he could be interrogated.


OOC:

130/250 Magoi/Stamina available.

Abilities Used:

Zhi and the Contractor both averted their eyes at Azix’ direction, Zhi looking impressed as Garret and Azix worked in tandem to take out the guards with very little fuss. The Contractor offered a soft, almost mocking, applause before moving forward again. Zhi would consult with Garret once more to ensure they were moving in the right direction before proceeding down another alley. Zhi cast an almost worried glance at the small fox-girl to see her being oddly quiet before they arrived at a door. Zhi waved Garret forward to knock on the door, assuming that there was perhaps a code word that would be necessary. With a nod to the door, Zhi reminded Garret, “Time is of the essence. No unnecessary chatting, we simply need the fastest, least guarded route to the Palace.” The Contractor would be humming a soft tune to himself, seemingly unstressed and worry free amidst the sounds of battle that could be heard.



One of Asisiak’s men took the opportunity Lagi made, moving forward swiftly to jab his spear through the next of the final Zou fighter. The blue-haired leader then turned back to the Reim troops and waved a hand at the defeated men. “You see? We are here to help.”  The Reim troops hesitated before a man moved forward, the confidence in his stride demanding respect. This was apparently one of the Commanders of the Remano forces. He looked Asisiak up and down, suspicion still apparent in his hard eyes. His voice was like gravel as he finally spoke up, holding up a hand to stay his troops. “I am Commander Barto. If you are truly on our side, then help us to take out the men on the flying carpets. They are the biggest danger, as they have magic tools. The other men will be easily defeated without their support.” The Commander then turned to look at Lagi with an arched brow, unsure of what an obvious human would be doing with a group of Imuchakk warriors, making a note to keep special eye on him.

Asisiak gave a loud laugh and nod before addressing her men. “Men, you heard the Commander. Take down those carpets and annihilate the men on them!” She turned back to the Commander with a serious look. “I am Asisiak, Chief of the Imuchakk tribe. We came to see about a treaty and walked into an invasion. But enough talk, let us end this danger to your city!”

With those words, Asisiak would nod at her troops before moving forward, getting them within range of the flying carpets. The Reim soldiers stayed close to their sides, partially to keep the advantage of numbers and partially out of distrust. While the Commander would like to believe this woman, he would not let his guard down just yet. When the Imuchakk were within range, the men on carpets would take note of the incoming group of unmistakable blue-haired warriors. One would raise a magic tool only to have a spear come flying from one of Asisiak’s men, striking him in the chest and knocking him from the carpet. The other two men on the carpet quickly brought the magic tool down and jumped to the ground, directing three of the prisoner soldiers to focus their assault on the Imuchakk while they backed them up. Asisiak looked at Lagi with a hum of contemplation. “If you could try to use your bow to take out the two men from the carpet, my men will deal with the riff-raff in front of them.”

“I’ve done this for so long, I wouldn’t believe it if I missed even once.” Lagi definitely had faith in his abilities as an archer. He nodded as he took out his bow, read to take aim at one of the individuals with the magic tools. Upon pulling back the bow string, the light arrow would form. Lagi would then release the light arrow, which moved at the speed of 20 m/s. The b rank capabilities it could inflict also played a huge role on top of its speed and the 30 meter radius in general. The arrow headed right at one of the enemies with the magic tools.

95/250

Abilities used

Spoiler:

Rin blinked the blinding light from her eyes. She desperately wanted to rub them, but could not as she held Kinala. When her vision was restored, she looked at the aftermath and whistled. "Hey, firecracker busboy, bring me those weapons. A girl needs to have something to defend herself with." She looked to Azix as she said this, though it seemed she changed her mind fairly quickly. "No, on second thought, Iatsu. You bring me the weapons. Strap 'em on for me, too."

Sighing, Garret brought to her the sword and spear, belting it onto her and placing the spear through the back side of the belt. It was an awkward fit, but Rin seemed pleased. "It's not a Naginata and Katana, but this will do." They moved forward with haste, and Garret brought them to the door of a building. Zhi stressed the need for haste, and so Garret knocked on the door in a special rhythm.

A thin man answered the door, opening it slightly and looking at the group. "'The turtle is in the stew, but I require the rabbit.'" He whispered through the crack, a sign code that had a counter sign.

Almost like old nature, the countersign was provided. "'Salmon eggs make a great side dish.'" The man opened the door. He seemed frightened at first, but was now reassured.

"This is it, huh? The big changeover. I can stop hiding who I support?" The man seemed excited. He quickly grasped the nature of the attack, making it apparent that he was fairly intelligent and that his position could have been earned with hard work and dedication. "So, I'm assuming you need help getting through the Palace? I can show you what I know..."

"Exactly. We want your help in making this transition faster. Think you can get us past guards?" Garret asked, quickly, ushering the man out of the house and to the rest of the group.

The man began to lead them to his best known routes...

Azix turned his head away from The Contractor and rolled his eyes, the mock applause wasn't necessary, they needed to continue on immediately. Before they departed again, Rin requested to be equipped with the fallen soldier's weapons. He blinked at her when she appeared to hint that he should retrieve the weapons, but she quickly changed her mind and asked Garret to. He patiently waited as Rin was equipped with weapons and was happy when they began moving again.

When they approached the house, Azix noticed Garret using a coded knock, before a man peeked out from the crack of the door. After an exchange of coded messages, the man relaxed and proved to be an intelligent man, already seeming to grasp the intent of the fighting. He was glad to see that the man wouldn't have to be urged or threatened to comply and promptly began leading the way. Azix took up his spot behind the group, keeping an eye on their surroundings to make sure they didn't get snuck up on.