The Phoenix Wedding (IC/FanT/Signups)

by **Notalien** » Wed Jul 29, 2020 9:19 pm

The General looked around, yes.
"Statement: I am in agreement. Inquiry: Perhaps while on the way to The Grand Foyer you can inform me on who or what is this "Wintersend"."
They were assuming it was a "person" and not an organization. But they couldn't be sure.

This attack likely wasn't premeditated, so this probably wasn't an assassination attempt. But it would still be useful to know who they worked for.

by **Zhenshiwa** » Wed Jul 29, 2020 9:20 pm

Kalmarnavia wrote:"It's quite alright, Your Majesty." Argalaic smiled genuinely. The Princess has fight. He liked that. It reminded him of his sisters, and of his dear betrothed. A woman like this would fit in well within House Wend.

He turned to the Princess.

"Forgive me, Your Highness. I was educated that public discussions are always formal affairs where true fawning comes in useful... But behind closed doors where true diplomacy happens, stick the bloody boot in and make no mistake. I will be honest- the Emperor seeks an alliance with my House. He has fierce enemies, and we have many princelings eager to win glory for themselves... And enough dragons to win every war going. But that alliance, well, would not be used purely to prop up a regime of slavery and frank brutality. I believe that alliances are a conversation- with trade flows ideas, with ideas come change. If, for example, the alliance went through and spices from here flowed in to the Six Realms while our industrial might traded here. We both profit. But say for example, our major traders abhor slavery and refuse to purchase slave made products. Well, if Phaenix wants a functional economy and peaceful trade, they would have to change that. Trade, diplomacy and openness even with nations one finds repugnant in many ways can be used to alter such nations for the better."

He turned to include the Empress.

"The Six Realms are... Well, not perfect. We have poverty, we have struggle... We have extremely wealthy nobles and industrialists. But no slavery. Not even serfdom. We have strong government aid for those who need it. We have doctors and medicine for all. We try to give all our common folk a fair chance in life. We aren't perfect, but we are not at all like this. In fact-"

Argalaic signalled to Dontas and Ser Jace. They approached cautiously.

"Apologies- Ser Dontas Greenbow of Oakdeep, and Ser Jace of the High Hill. Ser Jace, do you have that tome I had brought to donate to the Emperor's collection on you?"
"Yes, Your Grace."

Ser Jace walked over to a box in the corner of the room amidst the pile Arge had had brought down containing the gifts for the Emperor, and removed 4 heavy looking leather bound books.

"These are the complete volumes of the The Peoples and Stories of the Six Realms from The Conquest to the Reign of Argalaic VII. No more complete tale of the nation of Kalmarnavia in the whole time since my ancestors forged the Realms into one can be found. Please, accept these as a token of friendship. Along with my personal invite, Your Majesty, to the Princess to journey to Roskilde in person in the near future. I would be beyond honoured if you would grace our realms with an official visit, and you would enjoy hearth and health within the halls of my father the King."

Ser Jace bowed low with the books, as Argalaic smiled.

"That method of thinking, that trade will bring change, presupposes that the Empire will want to change." Shikinami observed with her usually present scowl. "This Empire... It is a house of cards erected upon a foundation of sand. Even now, there exists a concern that the Emperor's own betrothed will attempt to seize power." The Princess glanced about the foyer, looking upon the various slaves, unable to hide the sorrowful revulsion in her voice. "It is a nation without principle, without honor. When its decadence leads to ruin, its leaders will seek any means to prolong the inevitable, and undoubtedly attempt to save themselves, undermining your own economy in the process." The Princess' eyes fell upon the Emperor across the room. "If the Empress-to-be were to attempt a coup, where is it you would stand...?"

"Shikinami, please... There is no need to be so pessimistic." Fuyutsuki stated, looking somewhat apologetic at the Prince. "I am relieved to hear that your nation does not practice the same methods as Phaenix. It takes a great deal of wisdom to be willing to speak of ones failings." The woman gave a slight bow of respect. "The important matter is that you seem to understand the fundamental truth that accompanies the title of Sovereign... To serve the best interests of those they rule. If what you speak of is truth, then you are a man of great honor."

As Argalaic's entourage approached with their books, Shikinami took a closer look at the man himself. He was well dressed, for a foreigner... A tad naive for her liking, but so long as it failed to impact his nation's well being it was actually rather charming. Something, however, just felt slightly off... Not in regards to the Prince, but rather the celebration at large. Her hand once again found itself resting upon her waist, though not in an overtly hostile manner.

"These shall find a home within the Imperial Library, once I have read them, of course..." The Empress stated graciously, accepting the books and looking to the Honor Guard. He in turn took the books, wordlessly slipping them into a well decorated leather pack on his back. "While your invitation is most gracious, it is up to my Daughter to decide whether or not she accepts..."

"I would not be averse to such a venture." Shikinami admitted, biting her lower lip as she then noticed a man in bronze plate rapidly approaching. "In the interest of better relations between our two nations..." The Honor Guard straightened upon spotting the approaching tall figure, his hand slipping to his belt, but a quick shake of Fuyutsuki's head stayed the Guard's ire for the moment.

"Thank you, Sir Kennald..." The Empress said, accepting the small metal circle and examining it quietly. "There have been attempts at creating similar devices within the Empire, though none have been entirely successful. I am certain the Arcane College will be most pleased to examine this." The woman handed the small band to the Guard, who once again made space for it in his bag. Just as she was about to speak again, however, it seemed someone else was also approaching.

An animalistic form, unlike any the Empress or the Princess had ever seen before. Given all that had been happening thus far, it seemed the Honor Guard was once again just about ready to intercede. Just as before, the Empress signaled him to keep his sword at his side. Typically, in Zhenshiwa, to so flagrantly approach the Empress without any sort of fanfare or sign of respect was grounds for removal from the palace grounds at best... Fuyutsuki was not altogether fond of the more 'severe' punishments demanded by Imperial law, so forcible removal was the preferred method of dealing with those that disrespected the traditions of the Imperial Palace... Her, in this foreign land, such traditions did not apply... As much as she found the constant new arrivals somewhat irksome, she was not about to hold foreigners to account in regards to Imperial tradition.

"Er... Greetings?" Fuyutsuki stated with a bit more caution than before. "I am Empress Kashiwa Oboro Fuyutsuki, of the Zhenshiwanese Empire. This is my daughter, Crown Princess Kashiwa Shikinami..." She gestured to the young woman, who by this point seemed like she was gradually growing all the more discontent with how the night was progressing. Yet just as she was preparing to speak up, she heard a rather familiar clanking of armor approaching from behind.

Glancing over her shoulder, she was pleased to see the return of the Honor Guard the Empress had sent to the ship. He in turn was accompanied by a two more Honor Guards, totaling four, as well as a man that Shikinami hadn't expected to see. He stood at nearly seven feet tall, with broad shoulders and well defined muscles hidden beneath his comparatively drab attire. This included an olive drab cloak that concealed thick leather armor, a brown scarf, and a black hood... His face was hidden beneath an impassive wooden mask, and a slew of daggers and throwing knives rested upon his belt beside a pouch of crossbow bolts. The location of the crossbow, currently, was unknown.

The man wordlessly clenched a fist, smacking against his open palm before bowing deeply to the Empress and the Princess, then returning to his full height.

"Ozymandias...?" Fuyutsuki stated with genuine surprise. "I had not known you would accompany us on this journey."

"I am the Imperial Shadow, your Majesty." The man stated in a low, throaty voice, muffled by the wood of his mask. "It is my business to remain unseen... But in this case, things being as they are, I am forced to step into the light." He quietly examined the group before him, mask gradually shifting over each face, unseen eyes pouring over every detail, until eventually stopping upon Malik. "You, stranger, should not be so brazen..." He spoke with cryptic intonation, before assuming a somewhat relaxed posture. Even then his head would occasionally crane to take in their surroundings, searching out any sign of foul play or other mischief, his hand idly drumming against one of his throwing knife sheathes.

by **Notalien** » Wed Jul 29, 2020 9:43 pm

The Grand Foyer

Sxdevik-Lhsdam/The Diplomat/Simon-Land

The Diplomat observed how each of the other emmesaries have gone up to speak with the small-eyed ones. And observed each of their mistakes.

The Emperor made the mistake of having slaves.

The ally of The Emperor made the mistake of being allied with someone who had slaves.

The Furred One made the mistake of getting to close.

Of course, there is another thing they observed. Another thing that filled them with nothing but joy. There is hope.

There are Primitives who aren't complete savages. There are Primitives who see the light.

But that left a question in their mind.

The Diplomat stepped forward but still kept their distance. They didn't get to close.

"Greeting: I am Diplomat Simon Land, emissary of The Council of Notalienia."

by **Kalmarnavia** » Wed Jul 29, 2020 11:22 pm

Ser Gerold had been on his way to the Foyer to relieve Ser Jace when he had heard the screaming, followed by the sounds of something heavy being dragged nearby. He slipped into an alcove, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

He watched from the darkness as some brutish guard dragged... oh by the grace of the Mother and sweet mercy of the Holy Maiden a child's body, up the stairs of one of the towers. He had a black armband.

Gerold fought against the urge to confront him, and once he was out of sight Gerold hurried into the Foyer.

He glanced quickly around the packed room. There were more guards with armbands. Too many. And many of them were congregating in a corner of the room, next to the soon to be Empress...

It clicked in Gerold's head. He quickly sighted Argalaic and Dontas, conversing with many of the other dignitaries. He hurried shouldered his way through the crowd.

"Your Grace?"

Argalaic sighed and smiled apologetically.

"Ser Ger-"
"We must go. Now."
"Ser Gerold what is the meaning of-"
"There's no time we have to go now Your Grace."

"Now see here, Ser Gerold I am in the middle of a diplomatic engagement I cannot leave what in the name of the Twelve has gotten into you."

Ser Gerold didn't get any chance to answer. The whole building seemed to shudder and nothing could be heard save for an earthshattering roar.

Everyone else stopped, screamed, reached for weapons... But Argalaic's heart soared. He knew that roar. How... Why... Surely not...

He took off at a run, followed by Dontas and his knights.
In the vast yard of the Palace he heard the screams of the city, the terror. He saw panicked guards swarming the walls. And high above, shadow cast across the world by the moon, he saw his dragon.

Styrax circled the city, bellowing her mighty roar as her massive red wings beat slowly. Argalaic quickly glanced round the yard. Barely. Just barely. He let out a high pitched, long whistle.

Styrax's roar changed to a sqwuak of recognition. Shs pitched down, swooped low and with an all mighty quaking of the ground landed squarely within the Palace yard, her massive frame just fitting.

She threw her head back and roared. Then stopped. She looked down, eyes growing wide and whickered. She put her head low to the ground and stared at Arge.

He approached, putting his hand up to touch her enormous snout and raised his voice.

"I advise you men that lowering your arms is in best interests. She will do your city no harm. But fire upon her or me, and fire and blood shall reign."

by **Shwe Tu Colony** » Wed Jul 29, 2020 11:56 pm

Notalien wrote:The General couldn't stand here and just talk about simulacrums...

A glimmer came to Elijah's face as he noticed interest — it was just about the only emotion that he really cared to see in a conversation, after all, and the glimmer of it always drew his attention. Dolls and Golems were his life, after all, ever since he was young. Unfortunately, as he opened his mouth, he heard the sounds of heavy armor, and he stood there, baffled and not quite hearing the departing words as he thought. Well, did his Domeses back home wear heavy armor all the time? Certainly. Yet, there was something about this heavy clanking that seemed most inhospitable, as his dearest Keiunkan M. Bellhop, Domeses of Hospitality, might say. His thoughts were interrupted by Caleb tugging on his robe. "Mr. 'lijah sir—"
Then, the General opened the door. "Ah, would you look at tha—"
Caleb pushed Elijah away from the danger with a flurry of ribbons, and the Dollmaker instinctively reached into his pocket, throwing out a small figurine of a pale Doll-boy, his face one of surprise, and his body covered by a dark cloak. The underside of it was a beautiful array of flowery fabric, and underneath it, a dark long-sleeved tunic with a creamy-white column down the middle. His waist was decorated with a wide array of fabrics, and much of his pale, jointed legs were exposed in between black shorts and spats. The moment the figurine landed on the floor, it grew to the size of a child, his aura one of frail sweetness.

Of course, by the time that happened, the General was long stabbed, and was now tumbling down the stairs, though the figurine turned to Elijah instead of the fall. "What do you need of me, Elijah? And what's that noise?"
"Behind you," the Dollmaker said. The new figure turned around, his movements mechanical and jerky like an unoiled machine, and he covered his face with his hand as he looked down despite the obvious lack of glaring light. "Seems to me this party of ours is going another way." Next to him, Caleb's four back ribbons had grown to be long enough to reach the ceilings and floors, and were blossoming across them as fractals, and the boy's head was now flying a few feet in the air. Once Herr Reinhard landed and cracked. the other turned to Elijah with the same mechanical movements. "Did you want me to help him, Elijah?"
"No, no. I do believe our would-be associate there was trying to murder a fellow."

"Oh no," the other said, his voice sweet with innocence. "That's terrible. But you're not hurt, right?"
"Ah, not at all." Elijah rose, and the aged paper and ghost-like dolls from earlier flew back in from the balcony, with the Dollmaker turning to them. "Ah, good to see you two... no trouble to report? Delightful. Mac knows there's an awful lot of trouble here." A chuckle. "Oh, Scout, do you think you could..." The three dolls formed a perimeter around Elijah, rotating around him with strings linked to the white roses on his hat, whereas the paper dove towards the Doll at the stairs, continuing to flutter around him. "Let us hope that our host does not take offense to my... precautions."
"I don't think he would, Elijah." The Doll smiled. "Oh, where are they anyway? I don't see anyone else. Except... I wonder what this is all about."
"Ah, we went to this here balcony, and just never really saw much reason to join the rest. I don't think the main celebrations begin until later."

He paused. "You know, that's as good a reason as any to join the rest." He began his journey down the stairs, his gait like a little dance upon the steps. "Why don't we join them?" Caleb was silent, but nonetheless wrapped around his chaperone, whereas the other boy followed just behind him, trying to imitate the Dollmaker's movements as the dolls and paper floated around them. Juxtaposed against the body below, it was surreal to watch.
"Oh, mind the dead body, you two." Elijah looked down at the man's remains. "Caleb."
"I got it, Elijah." The other Doll ambled forward, grabbing one of the fabrics at his waist and throwing it forward. Rather than be properly thrown, the piece unraveled out, forming a stone-like bridge over the man's corpse and the paste beneath it. "You know," Elijah said as he walked over the bridge, "I can't help but be reminded of the Maivieux Region's flesh seeing this pink under it. Can't help but wonder what this fellow was doing..."

The clumsier Doll recollected the bridge, wafting it in the air to clear it of its blood as it reformed into fabric. Meanwhile, Elijah bent down and prodded the man with his umbrella-cane. When it seemed probable that there would be no response, he opened his hands, and five glowing strings of evening orange came out from his finger, which he held out towards the man. As they moved towards his target, Elijah stopped them. "You know, I can't help but think that this might count as obstructing a crime."
"I think they'd understand, Elijah," the unknown Doll said.
"Can't be too sure of that, My Saccharine Prince." Elijah looked down at the paste again. "Crushed to a mess. Just how heavy was this fellow's armor?" A red ribbon from Caleb grazed the top of it. "Very, Mr. 'lijah sir."

"Unfortunate." Elijah got up, swinging his umbrella-cane. "Very unfortunate. Can't help but wonder what this murder was for." The postcard flew in front of him, but slowed immensely as it neared his face, with a scribbling noise coming out of it. "Ooh, yes, a good point, My Endless Domain. Well, we best be careful then."
"Elijah," the Doll evidently named My Saccharine Prince said, "I'm not detecting any soul in the thing underneath. Do you think—"
"Ah, no need to be so hasty. Perhaps they move on quick in this world. That still wouldn't explain the murder, though. Really quite unfortunate. Makes me quite sad that they don't have Golemancers — they'd be able to keep their secrets and their heads. Ah, no matter. Perhaps we'll find our chance eventually to introduce those glories here." They continued their walk in their former formation: Caleb at Elijah's neck, Prince behind them, three dolls around Elijah's head, and the piece of paper flying in front of them.

The strange parade was interrupted by a roar. Elijah paused, index raised skyward, and Prince bumped into him. "Oopsies, sorry, Elijah."
"No need, no need." That finger twitched. "I'm just a little baffled that someone's brought a whole dragon to this affair. But perhaps... perhaps..." Elijah paused, examining the rooms in the hallway in front of him. "Something is off. And it might be more than just here. If anything happens..." He looked down at Caleb and pet his cap, then he let his hand fall down near the inside of his cloak, where his figurine Dolls and Golems were stored and from where he could throw the rest out in a hurry. From there, he continued to the The Grand Foyer, albeit at a casual, slow pace. Where there were corners, the paper, evidently called My Endless Domain, flew high just before, searched from that altitude, and came back to Elijah to tell him whether anyone awaited from around the corner or no. Meanwhile, the three dolls rotating around his head were constantly scanning the nearby area for any sort of power or threat.
Death at a wedding was never a good sign, and as a Psytrine, he was obliged to take the highest measures possible to preserve himself.

by **SF n F** » Thu Jul 30, 2020 1:32 am

Phaenix wrote:
Imperial Palace, Grand Foyer

Praefectus M'Salonino and Antoniae Galvisia both stopped dead in their tracks upon reentering the Grand Foyer. The blinding light of Damnage and Malik's souls almost incapacitated the two, and Antoniae briefly felt fear. Not for herself, but where she would put two souls as bright as these. Dexsius pulled Antoniae aside and whispered into her ear.
"We must pretend that nothing is the matter. These two may or may not be demons or angels. From the way the small furry one is acting, he is possibly an angel, or even an archangel. The other creature, however, is...different. It is certainly not human, not by the light of its soul. But it is similar to a demon of sorts, though its soul is purer than the average demon's. Perhaps a reformed demon."
Antoniae licked her lips. A reformed demon's soul was a delicacy she had enjoyed but once, when the poor creature had been waylaid by demon hunters and was weakened. She could still hear its agonized screams as she slowly pulled its soul from its body.
"I will introduce myself to it."
Dexsius looked at Antoniae in horror.
"What if it sees through you? What if it alerts Titus? What if-"
Dexsius stopped when Antoniae glared at him, before she walked over to Damnage and smiled warmly.
"Hello there. I do not believe we have had the pleasure of meeting. I am Antoniae Galvisia, soon to be Empress Venatius. You are?"

Imperial Palace, Grand Foyer

They weren't as experienced as they thought they werre. If they had been, they would have known how good a demon's sense of hearing was. 'Noids often had companion animals to make up for their weak senses, but demons had no need of them.

So...she feared The Name finding out that she was involved in something--and she was using somekind of subterfuge. Damnage understood completely...so, for all he cared, she and her friends could go on believing that he hadn't heard them. Something was a little off about her anyway. Though he had easily demonstrated a certain utility to them, Antoniae was the first local to speak with him. Despite the boss he was working for, he was so insignificant in their eyes that none save the leg humper even bothered with him. Damnage didn't have a problem with this--it meant he could perform clandestine tasks more easily--but he was aware of it.

There was something going on here--something too big for one little not-even-a-demon. Time for backup.

"Damnage, son of SmashMouth," he replied to the Empress, ""diplomat of the Etherial Realm." He smiled a smile that was as phony as anything he'd ever managed. "Pleased to meet you."

No one detected the silent prayer he said at the time--almost no one, anyway.

Imperial Palace, Main Kitchen

No one noticed the small, dark-skinned, winged woman who appeared out of nowhere. This was not the least bit unusual. This was Sister Envox, Patron Angel of the Ignored. Patron Angels were a cut above the average grunt. They generally came with specialty magic that interlaced with their patronage. If Envox didn't want you to notice her, you wouldn't know if she was standing in front of you. In a strange quirk, Envox also had the converse power that she could cause the attention to be focussed on as well as away from something. Large was the club of those who had tried to win a belching contest with Sister Envox...and failed. She was a recon unit in one individual.

Spreading her fingers, she ran he hands over the frame on the main door. getting a feel for the vibes of the place. As she did, the door started to open. She spread the fingers on her other hand and a loud clang came from behind the door. The head chef turned from the doorway. He was not happy. "Oaf!" he bellowed, "the next time you--!"

Envox was already gone.

by **Alegeharia** » Thu Jul 30, 2020 6:07 am

Malik:

Malik followed Argalaic outside due to the commotion eye balling the apparent assassin that appeared; who was he to give cryptic messages? He shrugged it off and looked up to see a large dragon looming over the castle, practically filling the entire square. “Well, if the people weren’t mad before…” Malik huffed, that creature was enormous! His ears then perked and started running back into the hall. “It’s a trap!”, though he didn’t say that, instead he used some of his angel powers to blast the aura of recognition of a trap through all the nobles.

He was rushing towards the door only for it to get slammed shut in front of him finding the shaft of a pike square against his chest pushing him back, he instinctively flicked his wrists and cut the wood with blades growing from his arms and hopped back to regain balance, looking at who had smacked him, it was a guard with black cloth. “Damnit” he though, he couldn’t fight them here, he undid his blades and instead made his hands glow blue, he wondered if they could be affected by magic, “Sleep” he said in hope.

Aither:

Aither cursed, he hadn’t made to the stairs in time but was relieved to see the general ok, he moved towards them again but stopped, he looked around as others screamed in terror, it seemed a dragon had appeared, and it was causing quite the distraction, he looked back to the stairs and sighed, he wouldn’t get to investigate, he looked around for the general, and watched the another calm person walk around in the foyer.

“Must be another VIP,” Aither thought as he looked around, the guards with the black cloths seemed to be moving now, he perked up feeling a sensation coming over him, it felt like a trap was being sprung and he grabbed for his sword, but wait…. If he pulled it out it would like he was attacking, no, instead he would wait for them and use their own attacks against them instead, he looked calm but he was ready.

by **Notalien** » Thu Jul 30, 2020 8:36 am

The Hallway

Thgasif-Mntud/The General/Thomas-Man

The General heard the roar and felt the ground shaking. looked out the window an-
"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!"

The Hallway

The Pilot

The Pilot saw The Dragon land in the courtyard morphing the ground under it.

That creature should not exist on a planet like this, not with this type of gravity. Maybe on a low gravity world but not here!

They got a message from a crew member.

"Command: Hold youre fire. Elaboration: Keep your weapons ready but don't fire!"

The Grand Foyer

Sxdevik-Lhsdam/The Diplomat/Simon-Land

The Diplomat was already thinking of ways in which they could ally with The Small Eyed Ones.

Remember the missi- no.

Technically the mission doesn't forbade getting an alliance with The Small Eyed Ones.

Would they be reprimanded? Probably.

But it would be worth it.

Then the ground shook and it felt like the planet itself had come to life.

The General covered their ears when the piercing roar vibrated through their skull. Ow.

by **Phaenix** » Thu Jul 30, 2020 9:11 am

Imperial Palace, Grand Foyer

Before the nobles could panic at the thought of a trap, Antoniae Galavisia cast a simple spell over them.
"Calm yourselves, my good men and women. There is nothing wrong. One of the foreign emissaries has a dragon with them, that is all."
Normally, if they had been told there was a dragon, the nobles would panic, but due to the spell, they simply laughed at the foolishness and walked back to the grand foyer. Antoniae turned to Malik, and practically growled.
"You, you almost ruined my entire plan. Luckily, foreign magic is dampened in the palace. Only magic approved by the Emperor can be cast at full effectiveness."
The guard confronting Malik became tired, but did not fall asleep. Antoniae motioned for her guards to surround Malik.
"So sorry about this, but we can't have yhou causing anymore trouble till after the wedding. Guards, seize him."
The five guards moved in on Malik, rifles drawn and faces grim. Unbeknownst to Antoniae or Malik, Lord Brorgar was making his way to Aither.
"Act natural. Pretend tae be under 'er speel, ur else she'll gut yer mukker loch a fesh."
Brorgar looked around, and began pushing Aither to the Tower of Battle.
"If we reach th' Tower ay Battle, we'll be able tae alert th' entire Imperial Army an' Navy ay what's happenin' haur."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Imperial Palace, Courtyard

Emperor Titus held up his hands.
"Hold your fire! I repeat, HOLD YOUR FIRE!"
The few guards without black armbands lowered their rifles, but the twenty guards with black armbands kept their rifles trained on the dragon. Titus thought of how beneficial being allies with the dragonriders would be, and it further solidified the action he would take during the wedding.
"This must be your dragon, Prince Argalaic. I would have liked a warning that she was coming, as I fear the zealots will have another mob in the city tomorrow."
The sound of bells rang out through the city. Not alarm bells, but the sweet sound of the Midnight Bells. To most, their weddings were times of joy. To Titus, it was an unfortunate duty.
"Friends, it seems it is time for the ceremony to begin. If you will join me at the Tower of the Sun's balcony for the ceremony, I will thank you."
Emperor Titus, not wanting to walk all the way up to the Tower, simply levitated up to the balcony, where he would wait for everyone else. Strangely, there was about fifteen guards at the balcony. Titus paid them no mind, but noticed that they all wore black armbands.

by **Kalmarnavia** » Thu Jul 30, 2020 9:55 am

"I had no id..." Argalaic began to explain himself and the presence of Styrax as the Emperor flew off. He was greatly confused by the laughter and gaiety of everyone who moments earlier had been in a flight of panic, and uneasy that so many guards had not heeded the order to stand down.

His efforts to follow the Emperor were interrupted by a low growl from Styrax, and noticed the Emperor's betrothed. She was smiling unnervingly, and her guards had drawn their weapons on Malik. Dontas noticed too a split second later.

"Stand down and withdraw your weapons!" he bellowed across the yard drawing his sword. Ser Jace and Ser Gerold followed suit.

Some of the guards turned at the shout, and their weapons followed suit.

It was at this exact moment Styrax raised her head from ground level and roared. On her back just behind her neck, where the lie flat saddle had been left chained to her sat, Argalaic stared down.

He stared directly at the soon to be Empress.

"I know not what you think you are doing, madam. But it stops. Now. You have threatened the life my friend. Cease now and attend His Majesty in the Tower and nothing shall come of this. Continue on this course, and... Well I'm sat on the back of a very large dragon. You get the picture."

by **Notalien** » Thu Jul 30, 2020 10:20 am

The Hallway

Thgasif-Mntud/The General/Thomas-Man

A conflict was brewing outside, and now a giant lizard was involved.

Wait, no.

A dragon.

How long has it been?

How long do they have?

The General grabbed the nearest hand sized heavy object and chucked it at the window.

They do not have much time, not that much time at all.

by **Phaenix** » Thu Jul 30, 2020 10:36 am

Kalmarnavia wrote:"I had no id..." Argalaic began to explain himself and the presence of Styrax as the Emperor flew off. He was greatly confused by the laughter and gaiety of everyone who moments earlier had been in a flight of panic, and uneasy that so many guards had not heeded the order to stand down.

His efforts to follow the Emperor were interrupted by a low growl from Styrax, and noticed the Emperor's betrothed. She was smiling unnervingly, and her guards had drawn their weapons on Malik. Dontas noticed too a split second later.

"Stand down and withdraw your weapons!" he bellowed across the yard drawing his sword. Ser Jace and Ser Gerold followed suit.

Some of the guards turned at the shout, and their weapons followed suit.

It was at this exact moment Styrax raised her head from ground level and roared. On her back just behind her neck, where the lie flat saddle had been left chained to her sat, Argalaic stared down.

He stared directly at the soon to be Empress.

"I know not what you think you are doing, madam. But it stops. Now. You have threatened the life my friend. Cease now and attend His Majesty in the Tower and nothing shall come of this. Continue on this course, and... Well I'm sat on the back of a very large dragon. You get the picture."

Imperial Palace, Grand Foyer

The guards, though facing down a dragon, prepared to fire when Antoniae laughed.
"My good man, I believe there's been a misunderstanding. My guards had convinced me that this...person was an intruder, and not wanting to waste Titus' time, I decided to handle it myself. If he is with you, you have my most sincere apologies."
Antoniae patted Malik on the head, hiding the fact that she had just injected an admittedly harmless poison that would merely dull one's senses and make them more talkative.
"Now that the unpleasantness is solved, would you accompany me to the balcony? This event will surely go down in history."
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Off the Coast of Phaerix, INS Domination

Alaberii Vopiscus sighed and looked at the dark sea. The bay was unusually violent, and the night was almost pitch black. Alaberii turned to the other watchman, about to complain about the churning sea, when he saw a silhouette approach the man. Before Alaberii could warn the watchman, the figure drew a strange, curved blade and slit the watchman's throat. Alaberii quickly got over his shock and ran to the signal fire, shouting the whole way.
"Boarders! Boarders, we're being boarded!"
Bells rang out on the INS Domination as crew members armed themselves. Losing the element of surprise, the boarders quickly clambered onto the ship and began cutting down tired sailors. As Alaberii ran up to where the signal fire was, he felt a sharp pain in his leg. Looking down, he saw an arrow had embedded itself into his calf. Ignoring the pain, he lit the signal fire, only to be cut down shortly after by one of the boarders. The boarder cursed as watch lights on the mainland turned on, sweeping across the bay to reveal several small ships heading towards the rest of the First Fleet.
"What do we do, qayid? The Imperial dogs have discovered us, and the boarding ships will be easily destroyed."
The qayid turned to his soldier and spoke.
"The mission comes before our lives. Summon the Makhluq."
The soldier nodded, and while the small craft were being destroyed by the overwhelming power of the Imperial ships, a dark shadow appeared under the ships. Several long tentacles, easily over five-hundred feet long, wrapped themselves around the ships and pulled them under, Imperial and boarder alike. The qayid barely had time to congratulate his men when the INS Domination was pulled under. The shadow then swam out to sea, away from the harbor.
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The legionaries sent to guard the Empress' ship gaped in shock at what they had seen, before the Centurion sent with turned and yelled.
"Don't just stand there, go warn the Emperor!"
The two legionaries nodded, but before they could get far, they noticed a dark, impenetrable darkness flooding down from the Noble District. They heard panicked footfalls, and saw a man running down the street.
"RUN! RUN! DON' LET IT CATCH YOU! RU-"
The man was grabbed by something, and went screaming into the blackness. One of the legionaries opened fire on the blackness, while the Centurion and the other legionary ran up the ramp onto the Empress' ship. The legionary who had been firing was grabbed by a tendril of darkness, and pulled towards the approaching blackness. He screamed, but as soon as he passed into the blackness, the scream cut off. The Centurion started yelling.
"Lights, we need lights! Is there a magus here?!"
Luckily, there was a magus sent with the legionaries, who quickly surrounded the ship in a shield. The darkness collided with the shield, but the shield held.

by **Alegeharia** » Thu Jul 30, 2020 10:46 am

Malik:

Malik was calm, despite everything going on he was prepared, he looked at each guard, and smiled running through all the different scenarios that could happen. “So… Do you, wanna go one on one? All together? Fat chance? Yeah? Ok…” Well they are table at good guy bad guy small talk Malik thought as his ears perked hearing Argalaics voice, he wagged softly and noticed some the guards turned, Malik was never defenseless, he used some angel magic to knock the rifles up with gusts of wind using his tail to smack others and unfurling his hidden wings to smack others,

Finally, he flicked his wrists slicing into the lower center backs of the guards in front of him, he didn’t aim to kill, possible paralysis was high, but it was better than death, especially in this situation, it would look better if he didn’t kill, but alas, there might not be any choice in that matter, he turned back to the other guards, some still scrambling to regain control of their weapon, that dampener was fierce for normal magic, but it proves a small challenge to celestial magic it seems, he ducked one riflemans attacks, fool; who uses their gun as a club? Panic, fear, these guards were less concerned about him and more so the dragon at their back.

Silence, a loss of mind, seems Malik ended up striking true this time hitting the guard in the center of the chest, he lost focus for a second. This must be where the killing starts then malik thought, he pulled his hand free from the ebbing form turning the body for protection as several of the guards starting firing at him. He ran forward with the body, hiding his wings again to make for a smaller target pushing the body into the closest guard, using the forward momentum to flip and roll over the pile up slicing at the nearest guard. Finding he connection he moved to the next one, confused seeing him fall over from a random object crashing through the window. He turned back towards the guards and counted, paralyzed 2, killed one, sliced the other and the 5th is…. Incapacitated by poor placement.

With his attackers sufficiently taken care he undid his blades, and summoned his holy weapons, his shield and sword phased into the realm again, his form burning bright blue again, his halo came into full form again and shined just as brightly. “You ready lady? Cause you done messed with the wrong child.”

Aither:

Aither looked thumbed a bamboo shoot in his hand and placed it in his maw as he began to idly chew, walking guided by the small one, “If I hadn’t been calm before it be hard to figure out when I do become calm.” The thing was Aither had been focused on everything going on slowly watching a puzzle complete, he eyed things and continued his normal pace as the dwarf pushed him different directions.

by **Phaenix** » Thu Jul 30, 2020 11:02 am

Alegeharia wrote:
Malik:
(Image)

Malik was calm, despite everything going on he was prepared, he looked at each guard, and smiled running through all the different scenarios that could happen. “So… Do you, wanna go one on one? All together? Fat chance? Yeah? Ok…” Well they are table at good guy bad guy small talk Malik thought as his ears perked hearing Argalaics voice, he wagged softly and noticed some the guards turned, Malik was never defenseless, he used some angel magic to knock the rifles up with gusts of wind using his tail to smack others and unfurling his hidden wings to smack others,

Finally, he flicked his wrists slicing into the lower center backs of the guards in front of him, he didn’t aim to kill, possible paralysis was high, but it was better than death, especially in this situation, it would look better if he didn’t kill, but alas, there might not be any choice in that matter, he turned back to the other guards, some still scrambling to regain control of their weapon, that dampener was fierce for normal magic, but it proves a small challenge to celestial magic it seems, he ducked one riflemans attacks, fool; who uses their gun as a club? Panic, fear, these guards were less concerned about him and more so the dragon at their back.

Silence, a loss of mind, seems Malik ended up striking true this time hitting the guard in the center of the chest, he lost focus for a second. This must be where the killing starts then malik thought, he pulled his hand free from the ebbing form turning the body for protection as several of the guards starting firing at him. He ran forward with the body, hiding his wings again to make for a smaller target pushing the body into the closest guard, using the forward momentum to flip and roll over the pile up slicing at the nearest guard. Finding he connection he moved to the next one, confused seeing him fall over from a random object crashing through the window. He turned back towards the guards and counted, paralyzed 2, killed one, sliced the other and the 5th is…. Incapacitated by poor placement.

With his attackers sufficiently taken care he undid his blades, and summoned his holy weapons, his shield and sword phased into the realm again, his form burning bright blue again, his halo came into full form again and shined just as brightly. “You ready lady? Cause you done messed with the wrong child.”

Aither:
(Image)

Aither looked thumbed a bamboo shoot in his hand and placed it in his maw as he began to idly chew, walking guided by the small one, “If I hadn’t been calm before it be hard to figure out when I do become calm.” The thing was Aither had been focused on everything going on slowly watching a puzzle complete, he eyed things and continued his normal pace as the dwarf pushed him different directions.

Imperial Palace, Grand Foyer

Antoniae pouted and blew a strand of hair out of her face.
"You have no respect for dramatics, do you? I had a whole plan to stab Titus in the gut and kill a few nobles, but noooo, some furry little runt has to ruin it all."
Her eyes blazed with a blue fire as she grabbed the slain guard's soul and with her magic combined the fallen guards into one horrible abomination. Finally, she forced the soul into the Abomination and smiled.
"Let us see how you fare against my servant. But I have a wedding to attend to."
She looked at Argalaic and smiled, before raising seven skeletons to distract him.
"Don't die. It would be a shame for your soul to go to waste."
With that, Antoniae portaled up to the balcony. The abomination turned to Malik and roared. The sound was incredibly high pitched, and the Abomination swung its massive arm at Malik. It was easily thirteen feet tall, and it was incredibly angry.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Imperial Palace, Tower of Battle

Brorgar stopped pushing Aither and stared at the door.
"Awe rite, we're haur. I'll need ye tae activate th' alert since it requires magic, an' us dwarves ur unable tae dae magic."
Brorgar looked back, thinking he heard what sounded like a roar.
"Ye shoods coorie. I'll stain haur an' watch fur anyain comin'. Aw ye hae tae dae is step in thaur an' say 'Phaerix is under lat at.' Got it?"

by **Alegeharia** » Thu Jul 30, 2020 11:25 am

Malik:

“Aw fluff…” Malik huffed raising the shield to block the brunt of the hit flying back with the momentum instead of fighting it, he regained control and landed a few feet back. He stared at the large creature, “what in gods name is that?” He thought, as he rushed towards it but shortly stopped jumping back again. Wait… something was off again. Fluff it, he jumped and started to flap upwardly rising in the air, he summoned several celestial swords, the grew in size and intensity.

Malik started raining down celestial swords onto the creature floating back down to the ground, he needed to be careful, he could only do something like that one more time before resting. As the swords came raining down, he used the one in his paw to slash around the ankles. He moved quickly less he get stomped on.

Aither:

Aither nodded, barely understanding, opening the door and stepping in looking around and sighed, “Phaerix is under… Attack….?” Aither waited for a bit to see if something would happen before rejoining the dwarf. “ok… Now what?”

by **Phaenix** » Thu Jul 30, 2020 12:05 pm

South Durikadi Border, Sixth Legion Camp

Legatus Decius Florii Maursus was sitting in the command tent, wondering if the Durikadi were going to attempt a push, when a magus ran in.
"Your Grace, message from the capital!"
Legatus Maursus motioned for the magus to continue.
"It say's, 'Phaerix is under attack.' That's it."
Legauts Maursus immediately stood up and spoke.
"Alert Tribunus Suillius and Primus Pilus Manlius. Have them get the cohorts ready to march."
Within the hour, all six-thousand men in the Sixth Legion left the border for the capital. Along the way, they met with the Second and Third Legions. After combining the might of all their magi, a portal allowed the eighteen-thousand men to quickly arrive at Phaerix. The legions then formed a perimeter around the city, blocking all from entering or exiting. In the command tent, Legatus Maursus of the Sixth Legion, Legatus Britannicum of the Second Legion, and Legatus Synistor of the Third Legion gathered around a map of Phaerix.
"No sign of the Imperial Navy, or any soldiers."
Reported Legatus Maursus. Legatus Synistor coughed and spoke up.
"No sign of the citizenry either. Or any sign of conflict. The only signs of life seem to be at the palace and one ship at the docks."
Legatus Britannicum slammed his fist on the table, causing several figures to fall down.
"Why then do we not storm the city to ensure the Emperor's safety?!"
Legatus Synistor glared at Britannicum.
"Because, the magi have said that a great evil is present in the city. I will not march my men to their deaths."
Britannicum visibly deflated, and Maursus was glad for it. Britannicum was an extraordinary commander, but he was also incredibly tempermental. Legatus Maursus spoke up once more.
"Well, gentlemen, we know that someone at the palace must be alive, as someone had to be able to send the message. I suggest that we..."
The legati continued to debate what course of action to take.

by **Kalmarnavia** » Thu Jul 30, 2020 12:18 pm

Phaenix wrote:
Alegeharia wrote:
Malik:
(Image)

Malik was calm, despite everything going on he was prepared, he looked at each guard, and smiled running through all the different scenarios that could happen. “So… Do you, wanna go one on one? All together? Fat chance? Yeah? Ok…” Well they are table at good guy bad guy small talk Malik thought as his ears perked hearing Argalaics voice, he wagged softly and noticed some the guards turned, Malik was never defenseless, he used some angel magic to knock the rifles up with gusts of wind using his tail to smack others and unfurling his hidden wings to smack others,

Finally, he flicked his wrists slicing into the lower center backs of the guards in front of him, he didn’t aim to kill, possible paralysis was high, but it was better than death, especially in this situation, it would look better if he didn’t kill, but alas, there might not be any choice in that matter, he turned back to the other guards, some still scrambling to regain control of their weapon, that dampener was fierce for normal magic, but it proves a small challenge to celestial magic it seems, he ducked one riflemans attacks, fool; who uses their gun as a club? Panic, fear, these guards were less concerned about him and more so the dragon at their back.

Silence, a loss of mind, seems Malik ended up striking true this time hitting the guard in the center of the chest, he lost focus for a second. This must be where the killing starts then malik thought, he pulled his hand free from the ebbing form turning the body for protection as several of the guards starting firing at him. He ran forward with the body, hiding his wings again to make for a smaller target pushing the body into the closest guard, using the forward momentum to flip and roll over the pile up slicing at the nearest guard. Finding he connection he moved to the next one, confused seeing him fall over from a random object crashing through the window. He turned back towards the guards and counted, paralyzed 2, killed one, sliced the other and the 5th is…. Incapacitated by poor placement.

With his attackers sufficiently taken care he undid his blades, and summoned his holy weapons, his shield and sword phased into the realm again, his form burning bright blue again, his halo came into full form again and shined just as brightly. “You ready lady? Cause you done messed with the wrong child.”

Aither:
(Image)

Aither looked thumbed a bamboo shoot in his hand and placed it in his maw as he began to idly chew, walking guided by the small one, “If I hadn’t been calm before it be hard to figure out when I do become calm.” The thing was Aither had been focused on everything going on slowly watching a puzzle complete, he eyed things and continued his normal pace as the dwarf pushed him different directions.

Imperial Palace, Grand Foyer

Antoniae pouted and blew a strand of hair out of her face.
"You have no respect for dramatics, do you? I had a whole plan to stab Titus in the gut and kill a few nobles, but noooo, some furry little runt has to ruin it all."
Her eyes blazed with a blue fire as she grabbed the slain guard's soul and with her magic combined the fallen guards into one horrible abomination. Finally, she forced the soul into the Abomination and smiled.
"Let us see how you fare against my servant. But I have a wedding to attend to."
She looked at Argalaic and smiled, before raising seven skeletons to distract him.
"Don't die. It would be a shame for your soul to go to waste."
With that, Antoniae portaled up to the balcony. The abomination turned to Malik and roared. The sound was incredibly high pitched, and the Abomination swung its massive arm at Malik. It was easily thirteen feet tall, and it was incredibly angry.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Imperial Palace, Tower of Battle

Brorgar stopped pushing Aither and stared at the door.
"Awe rite, we're haur. I'll need ye tae activate th' alert since it requires magic, an' us dwarves ur unable tae dae magic."
Brorgar looked back, thinking he heard what sounded like a roar.
"Ye shoods coorie. I'll stain haur an' watch fur anyain comin'. Aw ye hae tae dae is step in thaur an' say 'Phaerix is under lat at.' Got it?"

"Oh no you don't!" shouted Dontas as he leapt into battle, followed swiftly by Ser Gerold and Ser Jace. They deftly deflected the blows of the skeletal figures and ran to Malik's defence.

"Foul, loathsome, evil creature!" screamed Jace as he hacked at the horrid beast.

Argalaic, meanwhile, laughed. Laughed heartily.

"Oh, you foolish witch." he shouted up at the balcony. Styrax drew herself up fully, teeth bared looming over the skeletons.

"If you want to try me." Stryax reared back, mouth open. A yellow, orange glow passed up through her gullet and eminated from her mouth.

"Give us a real test next time." In one swift movement, Styrax craned her head over the seven skeletons and bathed them in fire. The light reflecting off the white stones of the Palace was blinding. The skeletal figures were soon reduced to ashes, proving the pointlessness of the endeavour.

Styrax roared and beat her wings. The force of air knocked Dontas, Ser Jace, Ser Gerold, the creature and everyone left in the yard off their feet. Windows shattered all over the front of the palace, and Styrax took flight. Argalaic gripped the reins as his dragon reared and climbed into the air. She swooped around the Palace, circling it and roaring defiantly. Argalaic stared at the balcony, and could see the woman.

"Ara, noia! Ara!" he cried in High Eralian. Styrax swooped as low as she could past the tower, and Argalaic deftly unhooked himself and threw his body off the saddle. He landed with a thud, but rolled out of it and emerged on his feet. Styrax roared fiercely, circling out over the city thrice more before again landing in the yard with a bellow.

Argalaic hadn't fully thought this out, he realised, noting the number of black-armbanded guards on the balcony. Clearly, there was still a threat. He felt the inside of his doublet...there it was. His gun, carefully hidden. He would be hard pressed to fight off all the guards, but some.

He looked at the Emperor.

"I am here, Your Majesty. In spite of your fiance's efforts to thwart me. My fellows will be here once they have dispatched the foul beast she unleashed upon King Malik."

by **Notalien** » Thu Jul 30, 2020 1:28 pm

Thgasif-Mntud/The General /Thomas-Man

The General turned to Alfred.
"Suggestion: follow me, The Control Center isn't safe. Or stay, either way I am going through the front door."

The General crawled out, they heard the battle going on in the distance.

The Dragon wasn't immediately attacking The Primitive Control Center and didn't seem hostile.

Right when they got out they got a message.

"Command: Don't fire on The Dragon. Elaboration: Keep your weapons ready but don't fire."

They got another message.

"Appreciation: Thank you for letting me know.

Over the next few minutes they were quickly making their way to the front door. They knew were Sxdevik-Lhsdam's room was. Now they just had to get their.

After getting to the front door they got another message.

Oh... no. It seems like The Leader Savage's concerns weren't fully unwarranted.

They burst through the front door.

Sending out one final order before they go in.

The Palace Courtyard

Everyone likes to make fun of energy weapons. It is true that energy weapons don't cause as much damage as kinetics from a long distance, you can't exactly do a energy based orbital bombardment. They aren't as flashy when they impact, and they aren't as cost affective. But energy weapons as a close range attack? With the attacker right above you, with nowhere to dodge? You could hardly ask for anything better. Whatever enemies left on the courtyard would learn that in
3
2
1.

by **Shwe Tu Colony** » Thu Jul 30, 2020 3:19 pm

The saunter of Elijah's party was interrupted by their master stopping, with an index in the air. "We all felt that, correct?" he asked, turning around. "That pulse. Someone put a sedative over the natives. Oh, and there was a scream..."
"Wow, that rhy—" The Prince cut himself off. "Oh, that's probably not good, is it?"
"Well, who knows? I'm sure us Psytrines would do the same thing for a dragon, but... oh, yes." He threw out another figurine, this time of a girl in lavish white and purple robes, her sleeves billowing in the wind and a purple braid coming from behind her and reaching down to her ankles. She wore a white helmet, with two purple gems resting atop it, and around her head was a patrolling mass of the same ghost-like dolls patrolling around Elijah, although there were clearly three missing. Once she landed, she grew to her normal size as a young woman or perhaps teenage, and she stretched once the growth was complete. "Hello, Elijah." She nodded. "What do you need me to do?"
"The usual. Get your dolls ready, My Scout." Nodding, she held a hand to her head, and the dolls swirled around Elijah and the group, scanning the area. "I don't sense much, but it's hard for me to get a reading here. This area's probably blessed of some sort, Elijah. I'm a little suspicious, so we really need to be careful from now on."

"Well, nice to hear that this wedding is getting wild." He looked down at his left fingers, rubbing index and thumb together. "Oh, yes, Domain, do go investigate that scream." The piece of paper glided for a moment, then soared towards the Grand Foyer. "But! I do believe that those bells we heard earlier mean that our celebrations will begin shortly. Caleb." The boy hopped off from around his master's neck, giving his usual hopped-salute. "Why don't you go ahead and prepare some garments for them. As gifts. I think your dress will be quite pleasing to the new empress, but of course, there's the emperor, and... oh, how could we forget." The Psytrines began their walk up the stairs by this point. "There's guards, I'm sure. Prestigious ceremony, this. I think they'd appreciate some goodwill gifts from so-called constructs."
"You've got it, Mr. 'lijah sir." Another hopped salute, and Caleb touched the spool at his waist to grab a thread, and from there, his hands unraveled into a squirming mass of ribbons as they began to weave more outfits. Meanwhile, Domain returned and reported back to Elijah, who nodded.

Soon enough, Elijah and his entourage were in front of the balcony, at which point all of them bowed, with Elijah taking off his hat. "Delighted to make your acquaintances," he said. "Awful lot of guards here, but it's as I would expect for such a prestigious affair. Actually, that does remind me..." He strode towards a guard, and whispered to him, trying not to tell the two royals. "My sincerest apologies to spoil the mood — but some of you guards really ought to go check out what's back in... was it The Grand Foyer?"
Scout telepathically spoke with him. "It was a large room. I think something of that name is pretty accurate, Elijah."
"Yes, well, wherever that is, I heard a scream come from there. You really should check it out — some beast is fighting the guests." With that, he pulled back, and gestured for the rest of his entourage to follow him onto the balcony. "Oh, yes, I nearly forgot my gifts. Caleb." The boy nodded, and one of his back ribbons produced the blue dress from earlier as though the ribbon were a fruiting tree. "A dress for the soon-to-be empress, enchanted with the speed of the ocean currents. I trust you won't mind these magical gifts of dresses and suits that are being sewn before you, yes? They are lavish things when they are made by Caleb, and I think he would like to give one to all of you gathered here, guards included. It won't take him long." The boy nodded several times in a row, visibly excited to make more clothes. "Ah, yes, and one more thing." He took out a figurine from his pocket, that of a golden statue with a maw at its torso with a loyal, protective soul, and he balanced it between his index and thumb. "I don't suppose that I might be able to invite the rest of my entourage? They're all Dolls, so I trust that that won't offend you, but it's been quite some time since any of the attended such a prestigious event as this, and I really think they'd like to see."

His free hand ran adjacent to his cloak pocket, where a total of seven other souls were stored. There was one loyal guardian, a tenacious therapist, and five fragrant souls: a desire-sensing amber, a revelatory musk, a modest jasmine, a recalling cinnamon, and a protective vanilla watching over all of them. Hidden inside of his cloak, their aromas were faint, though there was a certain hidden lethality within the vanilla-scented soul. However, Elijah's posture indicated that he was unconcerned about any potential violence, and that he really did wish to invite the other members of his entourage to the party.
"Oh, yes, how could I be so silly as to forget introductions." Elijah bowed with his hat off again, his hand balanced heavily on his umbrella-cane. "I am Elijah Phee Loew. Dome— master. Master of Dollmaking and Golemancy. "The wisdom of sending someone like me to a construct-torn nation is questionable, I do agree, but I am here, and I am delighted to make your acquaintance. At my side is Caleb, a dear little tailor." He patted the boy's cap, which floated and fell yet again as he continued to furiously weave more clothing. "Behind me are My Saccharine Prince and My Scout." Prince gave a mechanical bow and sprang straight up after, whereas Scout nodded as she kneeled, her dolls still floating around Elijah's party. "The paper floating around me is My Endless Domain, and I have at least eight other to introduce — maybe nine, if my apprentice feels like showing up."

He seemed genuine, though also completely oblivious to any danger. Or was he confident in his protection? Whatever it was, he was smiling and leaning on his cane, his bizarre entourage waiting as well.

by **Phaenix** » Thu Jul 30, 2020 4:01 pm

Kalmarnavia wrote:
Phaenix wrote:
Imperial Palace, Grand Foyer

Antoniae pouted and blew a strand of hair out of her face.
"You have no respect for dramatics, do you? I had a whole plan to stab Titus in the gut and kill a few nobles, but noooo, some furry little runt has to ruin it all."
Her eyes blazed with a blue fire as she grabbed the slain guard's soul and with her magic combined the fallen guards into one horrible abomination. Finally, she forced the soul into the Abomination and smiled.
"Let us see how you fare against my servant. But I have a wedding to attend to."
She looked at Argalaic and smiled, before raising seven skeletons to distract him.
"Don't die. It would be a shame for your soul to go to waste."
With that, Antoniae portaled up to the balcony. The abomination turned to Malik and roared. The sound was incredibly high pitched, and the Abomination swung its massive arm at Malik. It was easily thirteen feet tall, and it was incredibly angry.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Imperial Palace, Tower of Battle

Brorgar stopped pushing Aither and stared at the door.
"Awe rite, we're haur. I'll need ye tae activate th' alert since it requires magic, an' us dwarves ur unable tae dae magic."
Brorgar looked back, thinking he heard what sounded like a roar.
"Ye shoods coorie. I'll stain haur an' watch fur anyain comin'. Aw ye hae tae dae is step in thaur an' say 'Phaerix is under lat at.' Got it?"

"Oh no you don't!" shouted Dontas as he leapt into battle, followed swiftly by Ser Gerold and Ser Jace. They deftly deflected the blows of the skeletal figures and ran to Malik's defence.

"Foul, loathsome, evil creature!" screamed Jace as he hacked at the horrid beast.

Argalaic, meanwhile, laughed. Laughed heartily.

"Oh, you foolish witch." he shouted up at the balcony. Styrax drew herself up fully, teeth bared looming over the skeletons.

"If you want to try me." Stryax reared back, mouth open. A yellow, orange glow passed up through her gullet and eminated from her mouth.

"Give us a real test next time." In one swift movement, Styrax craned her head over the seven skeletons and bathed them in fire. The light reflecting off the white stones of the Palace was blinding. The skeletal figures were soon reduced to ashes, proving the pointlessness of the endeavour.

Styrax roared and beat her wings. The force of air knocked Dontas, Ser Jace, Ser Gerold, the creature and everyone left in the yard off their feet. Windows shattered all over the front of the palace, and Styrax took flight. Argalaic gripped the reins as his dragon reared and climbed into the air. She swooped around the Palace, circling it and roaring defiantly. Argalaic stared at the balcony, and could see the woman.

"Ara, noia! Ara!" he cried in High Eralian. Styrax swooped as low as she could past the tower, and Argalaic deftly unhooked himself and threw his body off the saddle. He landed with a thud, but rolled out of it and emerged on his feet. Styrax roared fiercely, circling out over the city thrice more before again landing in the yard with a bellow.

Argalaic hadn't fully thought this out, he realised, noting the number of black-armbanded guards on the balcony. Clearly, there was still a threat. He felt the inside of his doublet...there it was. His gun, carefully hidden. He would be hard pressed to fight off all the guards, but some.

He looked at the Emperor.

"I am here, Your Majesty. In spite of your fiance's efforts to thwart me. My fellows will be here once they have dispatched the foul beast she unleashed upon King Malik."

Imperial Palace, Tower of the Sun

Emperor Titus sighed and turned to Antoniae, who had just accepted the dress Elijah offered her.
"Prince Argalaic, thank you for bringing this to my attention. Guards, arrest her."
But the guards made no move to arrest Antoniae. Margrave Reimar stood and drew his sword.
"Come on, you cowards! Arrest her!"
When the guards instead leveled their rifles and shot the Margrave, Dux Petilium Decii Arriano stood.
"What is the meaning of this!? If you aim to take the throne, then you will be sorely disappointed. Only those of the Old Blood may take the throne, and you are nobody."
Antoniae turned to the Dux and smiled.
"That is where you are wrong. I am Antoniae Venatius, daughter of Emperor Marcus Aelius Venatius, and rightful Empress of Phaenix."
Titus looked at Antoniae in surprise. He had seen the Venatian features in her, but had been to busy with the guests to realize it. Dux Arriano, however, was not impressed.
"So you're the Usurper's bastard. We will not bow to any offspring of that traitor."
He spat in Antoniae's direction, and her eyes went white. She stretched out her arms and sucked the Dux's soul from his body. Holding the soul in one hand, she smiled at the shocked guests.
"Such a beautiful soul, this one."
She crushed the soul in her hand, causing the Dux's consort to scream. Antoniae scruched her nose in disgust.
"Someone shut that whore up."
A guard stepped forward and brained the consort with his rifle. Antoniae turned to Titus and scowled.
"You took everything from me. My father, my home, my throne. But I will take it all back, starting with your death."
Titus gasped as Antoniae stabbed him in the stomach with a dagger. He could feel the poison running through him, slowing his heartbeat.
"Not...not l-like...this!"
Titus cried, as he drew his sword and sliced Antoniae's shoulder. The vigilium blade cut into her bone, and she yelped in pain, pushing Titus off the balcony and down at least a hundred feet.
"So this is it. This is the end of my story. At least my soul will pass to the Phoenix's Embrace."
Titus thought as he fell. He closed his eyes, and saw his father, his mother, his brother all waiting for him. But they disappeared in a blaze of fire. Horrified, Titus thought he was doomed to Infernum, but instead, he heard a voice.
"You will not die here, Emperor. Not yet. Take this blessing, and live once again."
Titus felt an excruciating pain in his arm and looked down to see a phoenix burned into his arm. He then landed infront of the doors to the palace with a thump.

by **Shwe Tu Colony** » Thu Jul 30, 2020 5:41 pm

Phaenix wrote:Emperor Titus sighed and turned to Antoniae...

Upon noticing that the guards had fired upon the Magrave, Elijah looked down at his golden figurine, one foot perpendicular to the other and the floor. "Oh, dear me," Elijah said as Caleb's back ribbons encircled the Psytrines in an iridescent rapture of purple silk that resembled a childlike imagination; any bullets fired at it would easily bounce off, and his voice was muffled. "So this is a regicide, I take it? Caleb." Inside of the barrier, Elijah threw the figurine, followed by his other Dolls: first came the other tenacious guardian, which was a harlequin-like mask with a shattered left eye, and the rest of his body was a wild purple fabric. Next came the therapeutic soul: a young blonde man dressed in dark blues and whites, with a large clown puppet floating behind him. Last were the five fragrant souls. Vanilla was a young woman in a blue dress and hat; amber had short red hair and a birdcage; musk held a short sword and had long red hair, resembling a feminine amber; jasmine had a dull pink dress and a little teddy bear; and cinnamon had a giant clock. With the exception of vanilla, the dolls seemed to be paired, with amber and musk being young teenagers and jasmine and cinnamon being older kids.

Once everyone became their reasonable sizes, the fabric unraveled in a beautiful flourish, with little stars and strings coming off of it. Caleb's back ribbons fractalized before the balcony, snaking along the walls and floor and practically embroidering it in rivers of red, and he now floated in the air, suspended by his fabric, which created little platforms that the scented-soul Dolls sat upon, observing the field. In front of Elijah were the gold guardian-Doll lying on its stomach, the purple guardian-Doll crouching, and the piece of paper fluttering in the air. Behind him, Prince's hands were spread out before him, his hands connected by shimmering threads.
Elijah leaned on his umbrella-cane, feet still in their usual position, and he smiled as he lifted his top hat. "Under standard circumstances, I would introduce my entourage, but alas, I do believe this wedding has gone sour. Now then, if I might set some ground rules for combat." He gestured towards Antoniae. "Soul-rending any of my creations will hurt them grievously, and I will not be held responsible for what they'll do after. You must understand that with how they are bound to their vessel, it will be no easy task. Now then." He tapped his umbrella-cane. "Under some other circumstance, I might not have minded your attempt, but alas, as a Psytrine, I am cordially obliged to step in because murder is frowned upon, and regicide less so. So please don't try to do anything to us, and I'll give you all the time you need to formulate a plan." He smiled. "Not because I'm generous, but because I think this issue can be solved with much less violence. I shall not engage unless you engage me or anyone else. Let's seek peaceful forum, now, yes? After all, as soon-to-be sovereign, I expect for you to hope for the best for your civilization."

In terms of souls, they were all indeed bound to their vessels quite well, but from there, they varied: the tenacious guardians were mighty, and taking theirs was liable to be a great issue. The five scented Dolls were all linked to one another by their sheer love and devotion, and it was probable that they would all engage if any one of them was hurt. The therapist had a similar dedication to his craft, as did the paper, and the prince was supremely indebted to Elijah, whose soul was in turn linked to and watched over by someone else from outside this realm. To target him could very well draw someone else's ire, not withstanding the eleven Dolls surrounding him.
Somehow, Caleb's soul felt the weakest, but with his shivering eye and baleful gaze, his all-too-familiar and just-out-of reach aura and fabric, perhaps he was the one least apt to react well. He had an obsession with tailoring, but not an undying devotion as the other Dolls. He loved, but was not wholly in service of, Elijah and Psytronius. That is to say, he had the least to lose; indeed his soul felt like one that had already passed beyond. And yet, standing there, trying to examine his fabric and form, it was like looking at a bygone and faded memory, a dreamlike reverie of a time long gone.

And deep within him, there was the horror and the beauty of his universe — but surely, something like that should not be too frightening to the soon-to-be empress? After all, magic was dampened in the castle, and they were far from their land, yet something about Caleb's very substance felt unmagical in terms of his homeland's magic that Elijah and most of the other Dolls exuded, yet nor was Caleb steeped in some logical scientific. It was something else, something creative, something imaginary. Who knew what potential was housed within that small, fabric vessel?

by **SF n F** » Thu Jul 30, 2020 6:50 pm

They were ignoring him. It was almost as if he was invisible.

Wait a minute! He was invisible! He had disappeared from sight the moment things got too confused for his liking. And not being seen was actually...quite an opportunity.

So...there hadn't been time to talk to Titus. The Empress had simply launched a coup. Good initiative, but bad execution. In the end, she was going to leave herself at the mercy of... beings like himself.

Slowly, Damnage made his way through the crowd, putting new spins on the karma to turn the tide of the battle.

When he heard the Empress mention the damping ward on the building, he almost snickered. There were illusions that were effective even at a small fraction of their full potency--and, after what they had just done, the Empress' forces were just waiting to find out what a few of them were.

Damnage prepared his mind--not for battle but to keep from losing control and violating his non-lethality pledge. Ironically, he had once called this mental state Calm of the Assassin.

By the time he had sorted it all out, Damnage had made it to the final stand between The Name and Bug (the one with the Antoniae)

He stood a few feet away as a Phoenix-force gifted The Name with a second chance on life. That wasn't going to be enough. Bug still had the soldiers. Not acceptable.

"Genglemen," a disembodied voice addressed the guards, "you seem to lack fire in your bellies. I'm feeling generous, so I'm going to give you some. Say a big 'hello' to CRAMPS." It never ceased to surprise Damnage that such a simple spell could be so diabolically effective--and that it had all the characteristics of Mercy Magic.

He turned to Bug. "And you. You have been stupid on so many levels that it is difficult to count them. First, you tried to launch a coup to achieve--what? Nothing you could not have achieved by letting the ceremony run. Second, there was launching a war against not only the source of your wrath but all those who sought his hospitality, making an enemy out of every one of them at a time when she needed allies. Third and finally, you let your emotions influence your judgment to the point where you didn't notice any of the other mistakes she was making. That had cost you--especially when the dragon so many had thought was one of your weapons turned on you and took its freedom.

"Now you will be as blind IN reality as you are TO reality!" He had a special illuion ready for this one. This wasn't just your garden-variety blindness, this one was pitch tar wrapped over her eyes and ears. A moment later, he had made the stuff appear to ignite. That it couldn't actually burn her flesh was the true cruelty of this illusion--because it never went out, and left its victim feeling the full as if it continuously DID burn.

As the illusion took hold, Damnage jumped off of the balcony and, using his wings, came in for a perfect touch-down landing beside the one man in this whole affair whom he respected most.

He reappeared then--dropped his invisibility--and looked at Titus, with compassion. "This," he said, "is not an illusion. It is to help ease your pain." And with that, so fast that it could barely be seen, he sank the barb from his tail into the man's rib cage, releasing a small amount of narcotic venom. In larger amounts, it could be similar in effect to the drug the Empress had used on Malik; more still made it a truth serum; too much and it was a lethal poison. But Damnage felt that the Emperor was level-headed enough to handle the effects of a limited injection--it would do him good.

"I can carry you back to the top if you so desire--but, understand me: your upstart fiance is the end result of what slavery does to people. In the end, it corrupts their souls. They start to think of everyone as they would their personal slaves. No vengeful deed becomes sufficient to sate their wrath. "

by **Zhenshiwa** » Thu Jul 30, 2020 7:33 pm

IZN Divine Spirit

The Imperial Warship Divine Spirit sat currently at the port while her two cohorts had anchored in the harbor. The ship's steam engines had been kept up, if only to allow for the generation of power and other essential systems. At the behest of the Imperial Shadow, the ships had all been placed on heightened alert. The arrival of an unidentified dragon overhead seemed to justify that order, as the crews were rapidly roused to man their battle stations. Anti-Dragon drills had been instituted as a means of preparatory defense with the coming advent of the new 'Dragon Carrier' concept... Yet as they were anchored or otherwise in port, there was little the ship's gun crews could effectively do against the apparent foe. The Captain had already sent word to the Home Island by way of the ship's resident arcanologist, summoning the bulk of the Zhenshiwanese 2nd Fleet to come to the aid of the Empress. It would take some days at full speed before they arrived, but late arrival was better than no arrival at all.

Meanwhile a detachment of sixty or so ISLF Troops was assembling below the deck of Divine Spirit, equipped with the new percussion rifled muskets and swords for a full combat assault. Additional ISLF troops had arrived by boat from the other ships in the squadron, their ranks rapidly swelling as the minutes ticked onward. Many of them were chanting prayers to the Star Spirits and their ancestors, others donning green headbands inspired by the Zhenshiwanese flag. A chef from the mess hall, meanwhile, was pouring sake into a large line of glasses set upon a hastily erected table... It seemed the hour of battle grew near.

The other two ships, having discharged their ISLF troops to Divine Spirit, had raised anchor and brought their main guns online. Churning through the water, black smoke wafting from their funnels, the Armored Cruisers now readied themselves to face a possible threat from beneath the waves as well as from the sky above. Upon the main signal masts of each Zhenshiwanese ship, a single 'Zulu' flag rose to catch the wind, fluttering furiously in the breeze... When a red star filled the heavens, the Zulu flag would fall, and the ISLF would go ashore to recover the Empress, whatever the cost.

The Palace

After observing the arrival of the dragon, following behind Argalaic and the strange animal creature, Empress Fuyutsuki found herself suddenly grabbed from behind by one of her Honor Guards. The other three of which had drawn their swords, and even Shikinami appeared to have blade in hand. Yet as the battle began to further unfold, Ozymandias pointed frantically towards the exit before drawing one of his throwing knives from its sheath. Argalaic and his fellows had departed, and matters were far beyond the depth of the Princess or the Empress to handle... Whilst Shikinami was a skilled swordswoman, her place in the line of succession meant that the risk was simply too great for her to remain. Reaching to his crossbow bolt pouch, Ozymandias withdrew a bolt inscribed with red arcane runes. Producing a hand crossbow from beneath his cloak, he loaded the bolt and pointed it skywards in the direction of the harbor. A bright red light flared to life, lingering in the sky for thirty seconds or so before fading out...

"The ship will know we mean to depart, we must return at once!" Ozymandias declared, before planting his feet firmly as he stood against the breeze given off by Styrax's wings whilst the other Honor Guards and the Empress were knocked down somewhat. Shikinami, meanwhile, also managed to weather the gusting wind fairly well. Gritting her teeth, the Princess gripped the sleeves of her silken robe and tore them asunder, then kicked off her bothersome shoes in favor of simple bare feet. Each muscle was a coiled spring, each movement graceful as those of a dancer. Shikinami helped her mother to her feet whilst the Honor Guards righted themselves. "Use of lethal force is authorized..."

"No, we cannot-" Fuyutsuki began.

"The Imperial Shadow may overrule you in matters of your immediate peril, Empress." Ozymandias stated coldly as he started towards the gate with the guards, the Empress, and Shikinami in tow. "We will use any means necessary to preserve the Imperial lineage." He looked ahead to face anyone that might've stood in their way. From behind his mask, his voiced boomed in the local language. "Move out of our way, or you will be moved by force!" The towering behemoth roared, twirling the throwing knife in his fingers.

Shikinami, meanwhile, cast a brief glance upwards at the dragon overhead. It was a magnificent spectacle, and to think a single man could control such raw power with the sound of his voice. Unfortunate that she could not stay and make his acquaintance a while longer, there were so few people of his spiritual strength in Zhenshiwa, strength that could possible match her own... With what had happened, however, it was very likely that she would meet Argalaic again... At a war summit regarding this very incident, undoubtedly.

by **Phaenix** » Fri Jul 31, 2020 11:23 am

Zhenshiwa wrote:IZN Divine Spirit

The Imperial Warship Divine Spirit sat currently at the port while her two cohorts had anchored in the harbor. The ship's steam engines had been kept up, if only to allow for the generation of power and other essential systems. At the behest of the Imperial Shadow, the ships had all been placed on heightened alert. The arrival of an unidentified dragon overhead seemed to justify that order, as the crews were rapidly roused to man their battle stations. Anti-Dragon drills had been instituted as a means of preparatory defense with the coming advent of the new 'Dragon Carrier' concept... Yet as they were anchored or otherwise in port, there was little the ship's gun crews could effectively do against the apparent foe. The Captain had already sent word to the Home Island by way of the ship's resident arcanologist, summoning the bulk of the Zhenshiwanese 2nd Fleet to come to the aid of the Empress. It would take some days at full speed before they arrived, but late arrival was better than no arrival at all.

Meanwhile a detachment of sixty or so ISLF Troops was assembling below the deck of Divine Spirit, equipped with the new percussion rifled muskets and swords for a full combat assault. Additional ISLF troops had arrived by boat from the other ships in the squadron, their ranks rapidly swelling as the minutes ticked onward. Many of them were chanting prayers to the Star Spirits and their ancestors, others donning green headbands inspired by the Zhenshiwanese flag. A chef from the mess hall, meanwhile, was pouring sake into a large line of glasses set upon a hastily erected table... It seemed the hour of battle grew near.

The other two ships, having discharged their ISLF troops to Divine Spirit, had raised anchor and brought their main guns online. Churning through the water, black smoke wafting from their funnels, the Armored Cruisers now readied themselves to face a possible threat from beneath the waves as well as from the sky above. Upon the main signal masts of each Zhenshiwanese ship, a single 'Zulu' flag rose to catch the wind, fluttering furiously in the breeze... When a red star filled the heavens, the Zulu flag would fall, and the ISLF would go ashore to recover the Empress, whatever the cost.

The Palace

After observing the arrival of the dragon, following behind Argalaic and the strange animal creature, Empress Fuyutsuki found herself suddenly grabbed from behind by one of her Honor Guards. The other three of which had drawn their swords, and even Shikinami appeared to have blade in hand. Yet as the battle began to further unfold, Ozymandias pointed frantically towards the exit before drawing one of his throwing knives from its sheath. Argalaic and his fellows had departed, and matters were far beyond the depth of the Princess or the Empress to handle... Whilst Shikinami was a skilled swordswoman, her place in the line of succession meant that the risk was simply too great for her to remain. Reaching to his crossbow bolt pouch, Ozymandias withdrew a bolt inscribed with red arcane runes. Producing a hand crossbow from beneath his cloak, he loaded the bolt and pointed it skywards in the direction of the harbor. A bright red light flared to life, lingering in the sky for thirty seconds or so before fading out...

"The ship will know we mean to depart, we must return at once!" Ozymandias declared, before planting his feet firmly as he stood against the breeze given off by Styrax's wings whilst the other Honor Guards and the Empress were knocked down somewhat. Shikinami, meanwhile, also managed to weather the gusting wind fairly well. Gritting her teeth, the Princess gripped the sleeves of her silken robe and tore them asunder, then kicked off her bothersome shoes in favor of simple bare feet. Each muscle was a coiled spring, each movement graceful as those of a dancer. Shikinami helped her mother to her feet whilst the Honor Guards righted themselves. "Use of lethal force is authorized..."

"No, we cannot-" Fuyutsuki began.

"The Imperial Shadow may overrule you in matters of your immediate peril, Empress." Ozymandias stated coldly as he started towards the gate with the guards, the Empress, and Shikinami in tow. "We will use any means necessary to preserve the Imperial lineage." He looked ahead to face anyone that might've stood in their way. From behind his mask, his voiced boomed in the local language. "Move out of our way, or you will be moved by force!" The towering behemoth roared, twirling the throwing knife in his fingers.

Shikinami, meanwhile, cast a brief glance upwards at the dragon overhead. It was a magnificent spectacle, and to think a single man could control such raw power with the sound of his voice. Unfortunate that she could not stay and make his acquaintance a while longer, there were so few people of his spiritual strength in Zhenshiwa, strength that could possible match her own... With what had happened, however, it was very likely that she would meet Argalaic again... At a war summit regarding this very incident, undoubtedly.

Phaerix Outskirts, Legion Encampment

As the legati were arguing over what to do, a scout ran into the tent.
"Your Graces, three foreign ships moving in the bay, along with five smaller craft landing at the harbor."
Legatus Maursus turned to Legatus Synistor and Legatus Britannicum.
"I believe now is the time to strike. Legatus Synistor, take the Second, Fourth, and Fifth Cohorts from the Third Legion and the Second Legion's Tenth Cohort and secure the harbor. Allow no one to disembark."
Synistor nodded, and soon the force of one-thousand nine-hundred and twenty men were forming up on the harbor, rifles leveled at the approaching smaller craft, and two cannons aimed at the Zhenshiwanese ships, as they were unknown to the legionaries. The darkness that had surrounded the harbor had dissipated, and the legionaries on the Empress' ship ran off it.
"Don't shoot the warships! They're guests of the Emperor!"
The cannons instead aimed for the five smaller craft, who had just landed.
"Rhodari shock troops! Cannons, open fire!"
The heavily armored Rhodari, slowed by their armor and weapons, lost most of their troops to cannon fire, but as the smoke cleared, the legionaries could hear the terrifying battle cry of the Rhodari as they wrecked havoc in the lines.
"Za Úniu! Smrť do ríše!"
As Legatus Synistor led the defense of the harbor, Legatus Maursus marched eight-thousand of the men of the Sixth and Second Legions to the palace, and had them build fortifications to ensure no one left. Using a magus to enhance his voice, Legatus Maursus spoke.
"This is Legatus Maursus of the Sixth Legion. Whoever you are in there who has had the gall to attack the Imperial Capital, I recommend you surrender, so we don't have to go through the trouble of slaughtering you all."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Imperial Palace, Tower of the Sun

Emperor Titus looked at the creature that had saved him.
"Thank you, though I fear my niece is not done yet."
Titus pointed at Antoniae, who should have been screaming from the blindness, who instead had a blade to her palm.
"If I cannot have the Empire," she began, drawing the blade across her palm, "no one can!"
Praefectus Dexsius saw this and screamed.
"NO!"
The Empress quickly consumed the souls of her guards, and a tide of darkness shot out from her. At the harbor, Rhodari and Imperials alike stopped to gape at the darkness encompassing the palace. Legatus Maursus himself was frozen in terror, before ordering his men to charge. Those who touched the darkness, however, immediately had their souls consumed. Titus looked around at the few nobles and soldiers left on the balcony, and raised his sword, which was glowing with an ethereal fire.
"Stand, stand and fight! We cannot allow this abomination to live!"
The darkness solidified into a giant dragon, a black dragon twice the size of Styrax, and glowing with the power of the consumed souls. A few Keirch knights charged the beast, only to be consumed. The black dragon laughed.
"You puny, insignificant creatures. This is the true power of magic! You allow yourselves to be held back by ethics and morals, when you could be gods amongst men!"
The dragon lifted it's claws and sliced through the exit, darkness locking all on the balcony.
"Come, fight me. Your souls burn bright, and I am hungry."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Imperial Palace, Grand Foyer

The Abomination shuddered as the blades pierced its hide. Before it died, the Abomination attempted to squish Malik with its body.

by **Alegeharia** » Fri Jul 31, 2020 2:20 pm

Malik:

Malik flapped rapidly out of the way, up and over the castle dropping onto the roof hiding his wings again, he clambers over the edge and slides down the roof stopping at the edge looking over the balcony, he was blown back the darkness sliding up the roof, it burned to touch being a creature of light, thankfully however he knew some shadow magic and started to try to manipulate the barrier. “Dang”, Malik thought, if only Aither was here, he was the adept in fire and necromancy…

The Phoenix Wedding (IC/FanT/Signups)

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