Sutoratosu

"I see then. This fellow have a name, by any chance? Even just his household's would be enough" She slid 100 vespers across the counter as she asked the question. Just encase the man's memory needed a bit of loosening. Whatever the answer might be, Cadence takes the others north towards the Estates, hoping to find the home of their culprit since chances are, they wouldn't be able to infiltrate the shop and the deal is probably done by now anyway.

Aurora orders whatever dish is highest in meat content- to go -before returning to the castle. Ghost meanwhile, seeing as no one else seems to desire it, scoops up all the remaining loot from the Lich's demise and returns as well. (Tier 1 Level 50) Small Vial of Exotic Perfume: An expensive and Fair smelling perfume, made to cover the stench of death, it can cover almost any scent with a vague but pleasant smell that seems to come from no particular direction.

"We're not here to drink, I'm afraid," Cade answered "We're royal guardsmen, conducting on an official investigation. Do you know anything at all about a particular poisoner's shop nestled into a back alley? Or a certain brown haired nobleman who walks around in ornate armor? Any info you could give would be appreciated..."

"See, just as I thought" Ghost muttered. In the aftermath of the battle, she sensed something inherently... off about the silver bell the undead had dropped. Picking it up, her senses were soon proven correct, as Tama called in her mind "Well, at least he dropped something useful. Reminds me of what some Imbuer back home might make. Who knows, could maybe even make an interesting arm.. or a bauble of some such." It was then however, that she also noticed the cap. It wasn't as good as an actual face covering, perhaps, but it was better than nothing. Her days of having her corneas burn like hellfire just by so much as looking anywhere near direct sunlight would be far more bearable. She took it as well, before turning her attention to the menu. In all honesty, half the shit on there was absolutely foreign to her and the other half that was at least vaguely familiar didn't seem edible... to humans at least. Ghost takes the Silver Bell and the Rapper's Cap Well, not like she was that hungry anyway. Not like Tama needed to eat or anything either. Aurora meanwhile perused the menu with a nigh childish mirth, mind reeling at all the exotic options, but not quite sure which to try first... It was like the Val Habor market all over again. Except this time, she didn't need to steal anything.

"Hmmm..." Cadence sighed in thought for a few moments, before "Then he's most definitely the man I saw, without mistake. Thanks for the info, it's a good enough place to start." with that said, she turned to the others, heading for the front door. "Come on, let's make this quick. The longer we take gathering probable cause, the more time they'll have to finish whatever they're doing and get away." Cadence leads the others out of shop and proceeds to check out the Taverns Biden mentioned.

"Odd, I thought it would be hotter here..." a dry wind blew across the sands. The sun beat down upon the barren dunes, yet... Maya wasn't really all that bothered by it. Yet as she stood there, there was one thing that roused her... the presence, right behind her... "..." "...what's wrong?" "... that woman... that face... that hair... so familiar...but I know we never ran into her before. So why... no." "I know why. I know exactly why..." "Are you going to explain what you're going on about? What woman? That green haired one on the horse." "No... you'll see her soon enough, though. Or, you'll feel her magic as it drops out of the sky, more like it. Be careful sis, I've got... a bad feeling about this. If I'm right though...maybe, just maybe..." "My. you seem to have become as cryptic as ever, brother. But I'll keep that in mind, I suppose... whatever you're talking about." "Good. And trust me, you'll understand when you see her... when you see the resemblance..." And he was gone. Just as always, there was no trace he'd ever physically been there at all. Sighing, Maya walked over towards Ecquis. If there really was as much magic about to be slung down from the heavens as Freyl warned, she supposed she might as well make sure the Rider and the others were prepared. Already, a faint blue Aura washed over her palms, and soon it covered Ecquis as well, dozens upon dozens of tiny hexagons layering themselves in the air above his skin and armor, before fading away. Someone with decent enough sight or a sense for the arcane however, would easily spot the lingering glow. "Well, I guess now's the time to test this out~" K11, Barrier up Ecquis

"Yeh," Cade answered "sorry to bother ya with this, but I checked out that shop you mentioned. You weren't kidding when you called it shady, and I ran into that nobleman you mentioned the second I left the place. I was just wondering if you might be able to point us to someone who knows a bit more about that place or who that guy might be; I've got a pretty bad feeling that whatever's going on in the back ain't legal, and chances are we're gonna end up having to take action against them."

Aurora and Ghost had both awoken from their slumber and found their way into the parking zone after the castle stopped. Following a few others into the actual dinner and seeing the madness within however, both were left rather... speechless, to say the least. Aurora had been driven down those stairs by the smell of food. She hadn't particularly cared about the lines or the beings within them, but when she saw that skeleton, bedecked in robes, wielding that necromancy... she knew immediately what he was. Yes, even in her state, it was impossible to forget the warden of what for years of her life had been the glorified prison she and so many others were trapped in. Nor could she forget the faint whispers of the one who had overthrown that warden and freed them all, that they may descend upon the world. His method of... invoking spirits and energy however, was.... odd to say the least. She'd not quite heard rhyming so bad outside of those odd little humans who liked to carry lutes and harps and sing ludicrous tales of other, more murderous and self-righteous humans of eras past and the many monsters they'd felled. She simply stared on next to one of the tentacled beings documenting the brawl on it's magic black slab, not quite sure what the hell to do or to think. This whole situation was beyond bizarre, but either way it had seemed so far that the other Castle Denizens would win this fight even without her help. "Crazy Fools..." she muttered to herself, which was actually something, coming from her of all beings "Crazy, crazy fools..." Ghost meanwhile, was rendered just as, if not even more, confused as she watched the battle go on. Still near the entrance to the dome, one of her eyes twitched, ever so slightly, as Tama called in her mind, hovering right beside her, "Is that a Revenant? Must be a quite old one at that, to have been reduced to bones. And... hmmm, quite an interesting thing he's doing with his words. It almost reminds me of a Godspeaker... except I sense no Voice from him." "Neither...do I..." Ghost shook her head, "Tama, you have any inkling as to where the hell are we?" "Ha, as if I would know... I'm afraid I've never seen any place quite like this, even in the Exiled Lands. Wherever it is though, clearly it has something to do with this whole idea of multiple verses and such. These beings all around us probably hail from countless different world, just like the ones we're travelling with... and are currently wailing on that bag of bones. Do you suppose we should do anything about that, by the way?" "Um..." Ghost looked at the ongoing battle a bit closer. The swordfighter she'd met earlier had seemed to be the primary opponent to the undead wizard, and there were several others already backing him up, including some girl in foreign garbs (which was no longer surprising to her, in all honesty) and a dark skinned man, dark haired man who reminded her of many a face she had seen on her home continent. "No..." She answered, taking a breath to steady herself as she gripped the bridge of her nose, eyes closed "No, let's just... let's just watch for now. I think there's already enough parties involved in this madness; they can probably handle it themselves right now."

"..." Silence. Silence was all marek gave. "he....hehehe..." A chuckle ended it's reign however. Followed by another, and another "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA! By the grace of the lunar father, dude, you are so damn predictable. A stick all the way up your ass and a distorted view of reality in your heart all the way to the end- geez, and here I was, extending a gentlemanly challenge to a duel, aaaaaaah. Just as I thought though..." "You turned out to be a waste of my time. So here, since you ignore me and wanna wail on my comrades, I'll make good on my promise to put each and every last one of you scumbags down, like the rabid dogs you are. Starting with you." Erce was airborn, her shadow spreading over the ground, then before anyone knew it, the Wyvern was diving like a falcon, the wind streaking by faster, faster, her velocity growing, growing, until she was nigh a meteorite. And in those split few seconds in between her diving and ascending right back into the skies, her Rider's eyes were fierce as flames as he lashed out with a harrowing arc of iron, snarling at the captain in disgust, not unlike the Wyvern beneath him did. Anyone who had ever seen a Lestlian Kinshi knight, either training or in actual battle, would probably have recognized the maneuver nigh instantly L9, Show the Captain the price of his insolence, Canto to K7

"Such is the price of brigandry." would've been the last thing the man heard before he toppled like a tree from the massive blow. Marek pulled his axe out of his ribs and set his sights on yet another target... a very special target. The craven wandrought who had insulted them all, got haughty when he and the monk retorted and then ordered this whole brawl to begin in the first place. Yes, old captain boi. Without saying a word, for wyvern and rider had been together for so long, words were hardly even needed anymore, Erce took off, looking a bit disappointed at being stopped short of devouring the looter's remains. With a plume of dust under their feet, soon they landed on the front steps of a house not too far from the very man Marek intended to end next. "Well well well, so this is where you've been hiding?" He smirked. But only because he relished the thought of running this coward through oh so much. "You disappoint me though, old Captain- you insult us Queen's Knights to our faces and then draw your weapons to attack, and after we were so generous to find your little runaway for you... hahahahehe, aaaaaaah man..." "But enough playing around, asshole. I'll put this plainly- I've already killed a few of your boys, well... one of them, and a random looter who was just in the wrong place, at the wrong time, doing the wrong thing. Now... see normally, I'm a pretty nice dude, I would let something like this slide in most circumstances- what you did though? How you just... ran away from me like that, and let your lackeys fight instead of standing your ground like a man? Pathetic, man... I've gutted bandits with bigger stones than you." "But hey... like I said, I'm a nice guy. I should just rush you right now and cut you down where you stand. But I'll give ya a chance to make up for your earlier mistake instead- hell, I'll even give you the opportunity to strike first. Just you and me, no one else, ESPECIALLY" he turned his eyes to the fighter nearby "Any pesky wandroughts weilding Axes who are in earshot of us. Single Combat, my friend, and who knows, if you actually fight worth a damn, I might find it in my heart to spare your men once you've been reduced to a bloody mess on the ground. You don't have to answer right now though, of course. Your actions in a little bit will tell me all I need to know. Whatever they may be..." Canto to J8, issue a challenge to the Captain

"Oi, do Ya hear that, theif boi?" Hearing the bard's music, Rider and wyvern alike seemed to have their ferocity again peaked. Marek smirked as he stared down the looter, Erce stalking forward as she licked her lips. Then she charged, and just as before, to marek the world seemed to invert its colors as he called to the elder ones. "That was the sound of your requiem playing, hope you fucking enjoyed it!" One queen's knight, one looter, a wyvern, and an iron halberd. Four simple things on their own, but together, they were about to spell the very bloody end of a particular criminal's story. END THIEF 1'S LIFE

"No, surprisingly," Cade answered, "At least not this time. We found a certain poisoner's shop not too far away, nestles itself into a back alley and has a crap ton of security around the door. We both went there a while ago to buy some new gear, and when we left, we bumped some the shady looking noble who went in. I was warned about that same dude by a different shop owner earlier. Anyway, we both got suspicious and went back to scope the place out, but the door was locked tight and even had an enchantment guarding it. We're fairly certain that whatever's going on inside right now though, it's nothing legal. Actually, ya know what, maybe it would be better if you saw the place yourself. Words... words alone can't describe how sketchy it all was."

"Eh, not bad, little man" Marek remarked at the surprising accuracy the boy had thrown his axe, "as heavy and off-balance as that thing is, I'm surprised you got anywhere near him with it, let alone actually landed a hit." It was ironic, coming from him, considering the previous incident last turn. But hey, he had held that thing in his own hands, and he'd been able to tell instantly the worksmenship on that handaxe was shyte at best. Figures, of course fennway probably didn't want to shell out that much to properly outfit the boy. But perhaps that fact just spoke all the more to his ability. Regardless, Erce had other concerns. Her nose turned to the sky, taking in a new scent, and seemingly frenzied by the previous blood they had spilled, the wyvern readied herself beneath her rider before taking off again in a pouncing lunge, taking them both far to the west. Marek didn't question her instinct, simply grabbed on tighter as Her eyes narrowed on the lone rogue standing nearby, and with a savage roar, she descended, right next to the poor fellow with a rising plume of dust and grit from the cobblestones. Marek didn't hesitate, bringing his halberd down in an arc not unlike the one he'd felled the Soldier with. K3, Hack up Theif Boi 1's shit

A wet sickening sound as his halberd crushed the man's already battered armor and rent the flesh beneath, and Marek knew it was done. Pulling his weapon out of the corpse, Erce knowingly veered upward, bringing him back around to their allies. Even without him having to say a word, she easily grasped the situation like it was nothing- her reliability both in and out of a scrap had always been great. Wheeling around, she landed near the troubadour. "No need to apologize hermann, you did plenty" He adjusted himself on Erce's back, no saddle or anything, just bare wyvern scales, resting the bloodied weapon shaft-wise across her mighty shoulders, before flashing the troubadour the same smile he had when they met not even a full hour ago. "Without your help there, I wouldn't have been able to finish that wandrought off...my only regret is that me and erce were a bit off the first time we tried." "If we had, you wouldn't have had to take that nasty blow. Try and stay behind for right now, alright? Our monk friend and I can deal with the rest of these bastards..." Canto to P2

"Well, I see she's certainly whipped you into shape. Nice job, she did there, probably wouldn't have done better myself. Neeways, that aside, I'm glad to see you're a bit more motivated to do than just throw people under the carriage to save your own skin, mate." With all his talking though, the wyvern snarled beneath him growing impatient as she eyed the man they'd originally tried to strike, it was all the cue she needed to give Marek before his focus was back where it actually mattered. The rider returned his gaze to the Soldier just as Hermman was struck. Yes... he saw now what Erce had been trying to tell him. Halberd in one hand, a good handle on her scales gripped in the other, he took a single breath, calling forth the elder spirits. And as their hushed tones filled his mind, the world seemed to almost... invert it's colors. The motions of the same soldier they were about to go after again laid themselves out before him, as the spirits explained each potential path. Just like they had last time. Marek just had to be swift enough to act on the foreknowledge before his foe could even move... which he had every intent to as he gave a war cry and sent Erce charging through the air at top speed, his weapon arcing around with the intent of hacking the man down where he stood. "EH, SOLDIER BOI! Do me a favor and fuck all the way off, would ya?!" Q4, END SOLDIER 1's CAREER WITH AN IRON HALBERD

Hmmm? oh yeah, forgot all about this. Anyway, yeh, I'm here too.

"Oh, I'll do more than just 'manage' these stuck-up cowards..." with her partner taking His Halberd in hand, Erce carried them into the air, both prepared to follow up the Monk's assault with one of their own... O4, Hack at Soldier 1 with Halberd, Canto to P2

"Tch, that it then, mate? Fine, I was getting tired of you wandroughts and your attitudes anyway...just a bunch of pompous lackies-" Marek held out his hand, a flame darker than midnight burning in his palm, seeming to absorb all light around it as it spread out into a shaft and finally a head. With one flick of his wrist, his mind at work recalling every last detail of the halberd down to the nicks and notches it had earned over the years, he brought the pole-arm to bear, it's dark flames fading into embers and finally nothing as the light returned. With one mighty bellow to the heavens, his voice carrying almost like a wyvern's cry, there came a sudden roar in the distance. And as soon as it reached them, there was a shape in the skies to the north, a streak of fiery orange silhouetted against the mid day sun, before the beast's war cry intensified and she touched down in-front in front of the man. "Erce, it's feeding time." The wyvern gnashed her teeth at the declaration, tongue flaying out with a snarl as her rider hopped onto her back, eyeing the Captain just a few yards away. Bastard was too scared to even face him man to man, it seemed. Oh, but he'd take care of him soon enough... "Screw what I said earlier. I've heard enough; the boy lives. You lot though..."

"He's got a point there." Marek retorted after Marcus. He largely tried to... ignore the oddly dressed woman leveling her blade at the bard. in all honesty, he was getting rather fed up with the guy himself, so... he'd get no help from the rider here "besides, you lot were so damn incompetent you literally missed the boy while he hid in plain sight. Were it not for our intervention right now, you'd be scouring every inch of this damn city trying to find a little runaway. So don't ask what we've come to, bucko, but what you have. Technically speaking, We just completed part of your job for you."

"Huh? oh...well, look at that." it was only then that Marek actually heard the guards coming around again in the distance. He glanced once at the boy and the resolve on his face, back in the direction the men were coming, then finally to the archer. "Eh fine, I suppose you have a point. Don't know what you're about to do, but I suppose it won't matter if we happen to turn him in later rather than sooner... if we do at all." because, of course, who knows? Maybe the kid's master was an asshat, in which case, Marek would have no real issue with turning a blind eye to all this. "here, catch" he said before tossing it underhanded to the archer, making it carry through the air in such a way that it would take an absolute dunce to somehow completely miss the handle and cut themselves on accident... especially in the shoulder.

"Hmph... a gladiator eh? Well, guess that explains what that fool captain mentioned about little foxes and pens. Not that I really care about gladiator events or really agree with the practice of glorified slavery in the first place, but it is under the law, unfortunately... and when in Rome..." Marek paused, thinking for a moment "Who was your master, by chance? I want to hear the whole story first before we decide to cast final judgement."

"...." Marek took the handaxe without a word, holding onto it as he waited for the boy to answer the question.

"I'm just gonna take a wild guess and say he's the one those soldiers thought they were chasing" Marek remarked as the monk manhandled the ruffian. "Man, that's just pitiful though, if you managed to trick them with oldest trick in the book..."

"Huh, well then..." before the rider could really get an answer, the ruckus outside drew his attention away. He turned towards the hallway before briefly glancing back at the girl "sorry to cut this short, but like I said, I should be going... and probably checking that out." with that said, he turned on his heels and started off towards the doors outside, not quite knowing what mess he'd find beyond...

"eh, no need for any of that, it was nothing..." he said, waving the remark off. In all honesty he had her pegged as a cleric of some type from the moment he'd seen her struggling. "the name's Marek by the way, used to be a part of the Imperial Dragoons. Anyways, if you're set here, I think I'll be going now."