RedMageCole

Pinecone, as always, remained very stonefaced as the marauders appeared. Not only did Pinecone actually have no real idea as to what they really wanted, but he actually didn't have any emotional stake in this. All he knew was that these people were all in the way of him doing his job, and that was no good! Even if Stardust hadn't been barking orders, Pinecone was pretty sure that his orders were perfectly clear here. "Understood! I won't be using my skull as that would be counterproductive, but I do have my trusty lance!" Pinecone draws his lance, raising it into the air in triumph and shouting a mantra before hurling it at the enemy. "For Her Majesty! For the Hierarch! For the General!" Pinecone moves to D12, activates Guard+ for Stardust and anyone else in range willing to accept guarding, yeet javelin at Marauder B

Pinecone perked up the second Unbending had done his work, going into a salute and proving poor Bright wrong. "Understood! I eagerly await your briefing, sirs!" With a bow of respect, as much as he could bow in his hefty wooden armor, Pinecone marched to the side to 'hold up', get out of everyone's way and, of course, break eye contact.

If Pinecone heard or noticed the two ants whispering, he did not seem to show any visible input. He did not take this as a staring contest, but he did wonder if he was being sized up or something. If so, he decided to stand tall and proud and of course, not break eye contact! Perhaps if he looked impressive enough, they'd give him an even more important job compared to now!

When Stardust insulted him and Sting turned her attention away from him, Pinecone noticeably stayed silent and didn't stop smiling; his smile was almost unnerving at this point. When Sting's attention was changed from him, he immediately turned his attention back to his superiors and just watched them as if immediately awaiting an order from them.

Pinecone had been standing there with not much to speak (for what use were his words? Listening was much more useful and productive, because then he would be able to take orders at any given moment!) until he had been spoken to directly. In which case, was not the case when someone slammed right into his fuzzy body; due to the amount of mass and fuzz on the bee's belly, he barely even flinched or gave any notice minus turning his head downward once the superiors were not speaking. His smile was unflinching as he did what he did best; listen. While chances are she was not someone who would give him orders, and normally he would not engage, he was told to 'take some time to introduce himself'. So, that's just what he would do! "Good afternoon, Sting!" Pinecone responded merrily. He didn't seem to get why his name was funny, but he continued to smile nonetheless. "My name is Pinecone, correct! And..." Suddenly, the question brought to him was one he wasn't sure of how to answer. What did he like to do for fun? What... did he like to do for fun? Ah, what was he doing? He was being silly; of course he knew what he liked to do for fun! "Tending to the fields, guarding the hive, and above all obeying orders from my Queen is what gives me joy in life! Hard work is what I strive for, yes indeed!"

Proudly standing among the rest of the troops with an excited demeanor, plain wooden armor without any carvings or paint on it, and a lot of stocky fuzz was a bee who listened very carefully to each and every word that was given to him. However, he noticeably did not have any extreme reaction to any of these words; even Ebon Knight's warning didn't phase him in the slightest. Stardust's words seemed to be just about the only thing that snapped him out of his silent obedience. "Pinecone of Sunflower Hive, reporting for duty! She and I were both tasked with this assignment, and I am proud to be doing this!"

Famine's face gains a little smile, as if he knew his question wasn't going to be answered and he was fully expecting this response. It's difficult to read what lies beyond that smile, other than the fact that the smile does not reach his eyes. In a completely out of tone moment, his levitation flips him back upside down. “Shame? My dear Marvel Thief, what will shame do for me? Will that mean that the lives I've taken will suddenly forgive what I've done? Would you forgive me?" His smile is unwavering. Suddenly, the nature of Famine's goofiness clicks in; with it on, he's impossible to read. And yet, there had to be a reason for why. "And another good thinking question; I love those! What will money do for me? Money is the House Daxter way of thinking, the House Daxter way of motivation." A little laugh escaped Famine at Lenore's response. “My guess is as good as yours! That's such a silly answer! Of course you'd know what you were stealing, why would you go along with stealing something without knowing what it was? Either you're just overly obedient, oooor you're forgetful. The problem with that? You don't seem like the type who would be either of those things! So I wonder what it may be..." Famine feigns thinking, but he doesn't seem to be thinking in all actuality. “Aaaaanyways, it's no fun playing a game with only two players, right? Sooooo, I think I'll bid you both goodbye for now!" Twirling the final antidote bottle in between his fingers, Famine gave a little wave with his free hand, raised his fingers and then snapped them, vanishing into the same puff of black smoke that gave him distance between himself and Baldur... ...and then there was nothing but the night sky. Lysander obtained Famine's Antidote x3 (x2)! --- While Famine was having a good time, Simeon was not. His normally gruff face was even more gruff than before as he listened to Baldur. There wasn't any fear in his emotions towards Baldur's sudden shouting; the only thing that seemed to remain was disappointment. Not anger: just disappointment. He scratched the back of his neck as he considered his next words. "...Well, it sure was a damn good thing Ferdy was there for us, wasn't it? Ye don't focus on the past, ye focus on what ye're gonna do now. If ye're busy thinkin' about how Mim coulda died the next time ye need to save her, then ye, she can end up dyin'. Ye want my advice? Ye need to take a deep breath, take a step back, realize what and who ye were up against. Find it in yerself to ask; what do ye need to improve on now. Not what ye need to improve on then. Blubberin' about it ain't gonna help ye improve. And realize that ye ain't gonna get anywhere worryin' about what others think. The amount'a times ye let somebody die isn't gonna go down no matter how much ye dwell on it... but that's just me words. I'm sorry, but as much as I wish I could, I can't fix yer problems, Baldur. I fix weapons. There's plenty'a me own things I've left broken and unable te fix, and plenty'a people hate me for it as well." Simeon slowly turned around. "I hope ye can learn to make peace with yer mistakes. Ye're still young... 't'd be a damn shame if ye had to waste yer youth worryin' rather than improvin'." He left the tent. His stern face of disappointment quickly managed to turn to pity and regret as he began to move to a campfire and tinker with a few knives.

Arthur visibly winced at Mim calling him a prince. The part about her risking her life for him especially making him wince. There were thoughts brewing in his mind, but he knew that this wasn't the place to say them, and so he kept his mouth closed. He listened. He wasn't sure how much he was listening, but when Mim had started to break down, he was definitely listening. Without a moment's hesitation after she had fallen to the ground, Arthur knelt down and held her close to him. "...He's going to pay for what he's done. I have no sympathy for him... but right now, we'll focus on making sure you feel better. Emotionally. I... I can't stand to see you hurt. Physically or emotionally." He didn't have many words; comforting two people in the span of a few hours was not something Arthur did on a daily basis... or ever. But his words were still genuine, and his hug was equally so. --- Simeon simply nodded to Baldur, crossing his arms and thinking about the situation. As if he attempted to get a picture of what had gone on in his head. "...Hm... Again, I have no idea how the fight went besides what I've heard outta whispers... but I would ask ye to not put yerself down on the basis of one fight. Especially against a demon of a man such as that Death... but ye've protected plenty'a people in the past fights, haven't ye? Ye've tended to their wounds when they needed it and faced up against powerful adversaries with only a scratch... the brain wants ye to think ye're a failure based on one of a hundred experiences, but I can tell ye that it's tryin' too hard to zoom in on one small mistake on the giant canvas that is yer experiences. We all have our blunders... the only thing ye can do is pick yerself back up and try again. And when that Death inevitably comes crawlin' back as a man like he does... ye give 'im what's for." --- Famine stifled a little laugh, tossing the second bottle to Lysander. “No, no, I totally get what you're doing here! It's totally smart, right!? But don't worry, I'll run you ragged in a second. As for my answer..." Famine levitated himself off of the ground, laying down and looking at the night sky as if he were ready to spill his deepest, darkest secrets. “Now, what do I know about House Daxter that you don't... what do I know... ah! I know! I'm the one who made their specially-made poisons for them!" Famine turns his head, a very un-Famine-ly smirk reaching across his face. “Surprised? I'm a bit of a poisoning expert, actually. You think Death makes all of those little concoctions and then I just happen to have antidotes to every single one of my poisons? Naaah. He needs me. That's why he's put up with me for so long. A pinch of this, and a pinch of that, and wa-la, you got a slow poisoning that feigns itself as a deadly illness! It's genius, right? Then I give House Daxter the antidotes to sell, and it's easy money! And why am I telling you all this despite our previously vague answers?" A little pause, his smirk starting to fade. “Because nobody will believe you. Or, at least, nobody who isn't too scared of House Daxter to spread the truth. You can count on me for that one." Famine puts his hands behind his head, looking at both Lenore and Lysander, back to his goofy grin as if he didn't just confess to a heinous crime. “So, I ask one last question... What is it you're thieving? Sounds pretty impoooortant."

Famine smirked at the answer, tossing Lysander the potion. Putting a hand on his cheek and looking at Lenore, he thought to himself, before... “Yeah, nah, Death was just playing it cool, in reality we were just ordered to be your enemies." Famine pauses for a little while. "Next question! Whaaaaat's the mission about? It's gotta be a pretty important one, hmm?" His smirk returns.

Arthur obediently listened, attempting to not change his expression as he did. "..." When Mim had finished, he finally spoke up. Once again, he was having difficulty in finding proper words to actually use. "I... won't do it again. But... please look after yourself. I... I know what we're doing is dangerous, but I can't lose someone else. Not again... I was... I was scared. Both times Death had you in his sights..." "If I can't protect you... please, at least allow me to continue to aid you. Take down enemies that may be giving you trouble and whatnot." --- Famine gave a hearty laugh at the two. “Now this will be fun! See, isn't it nice having just the three of us? If Death were here he'd kick me in the privates or worse, and if that guy Phoenix were here he'd probably scold everyone! But with us, there's only fun times to be had!" Famine floats down from the tree, doing a little loop to get himself reoriented. He briefly held his head in dizziness, before pulling out a batch of three potions. “Here are the rules! It's a question game! I'll ask you a question about Virtuous and yourselves. You can answer the question, or you can not answer question! When you can not answer, the game's over! If you answer, then not only do I give you one of the antidotes which are each good for about... 3 people, I wanna say? But I'll also let you both ask me a question that I'll answer! And if I can't answer, then you get all the potions! And if you manage to answer all three of my questions, you get a special bonus prize! Pretty good odds, huh? Two rules! One; no asking questions about each other's identity! You wanna keep yours a secret, I wanna keep mine a secret. And anyway, don't bother interrogating me about the identities of the other Icons of Sin, I actually have no clue myself, Death runs a tight ship. Two; no lying! And trust me, I'll find out." Though he said his last bit with a smile, the tone turned gravely serious before turning back to his lighthearted tone. “With that, I'll go first! Whatch'all doing in a crummy place like Ulux, anyway? Ulux is kinda a crummy place, ya know?" --- After seeing Lysander leaving Baldur's tent, Simeon allowed his curiosity to take over. After peeking in on Sid and making sure he was actually doing his work, Simeon peeked into Baldur's tent. "...I won't bother askin' if ye're doin' okay, because I can tell ye clearly ain't. Would you be willin' to tell me why ye ain't doin' okay, though?"

Arthur had been hurriedly turning the spitroast, mildly annoyed with Kane for beginning to neglect it while people weren't eating it in favor of strategizing. A good batch of food shouldn't be left to be heated on one side for too long... ...Of course, when he saw Mim, he looked a little bit excited until he heard her tone. A little sigh as he took the spitroast off of the fire, gently moving it away. "...Yeah, I don't. As long as you just wanna get it out of the way," he had said completely resigned to this fate. He wanted to fight back, his eyes noting the little wound on her face and saying that she could have gotten a lot worse... but Arthur didn't have the energy to get angry, especially when she had just woken up.

Arthur paused, looking as if he was briefly worried his words didn't really do much. Justine's hug, however, proved him quickly wrong on that front. After a brief hesitation, he hugged her back, warmth filling his body as he did. "...You're welcome," Arthur whispered, holding it until she was ready to let go. "It's okay to lose sight from time to time... Nobody's perfect." You come pretty close, though. Obviously, Arthur wouldn't say that out loud, he could only imagine how she'd take that... it certainly wasn't a flirt in his mind, just genuine happiness that someone was willing to talk to him in this way. "Yeah, we'll get back to camp. Hopefully he hasn't worried too much." --- As Lenore and Lysander walked through the forest, it didn't take too long before they saw the crackling of electricity in the middle of a tree. The wind suddenly picked up in that specific area, blowing away from it as if the branches themselves were giving off a powerful force of wind. Suddenly, a black void appeared, an ominous all-encompassing hole that seemed to swallow up the tree's branches. It looked as if once it dissipated, an entire chunk of the tree would be gone... ...but instead, when the void vanished, there was Famine, looking at the two of them while hanging off of a branch by his feet. Without his bandana or his hood on. “'Allo! How's it going? Yeah, weird angle, but I can kinda tell you're definitely the Marvel Thief in the flesh! And I can tell from this weird angle that should be the person who thought I was smart, right? Cool! That's a great choice of person! Haha!" His tone is about as threatening as a caterpillar. "Anyways, you probably wanna talk about Daxter, right? First I gotta tell you about Dea-ath! Because he's really mad about the challenge you gave us. Like, really mad. You really shattered his ego. Good job! We haven't had a proper challenge like that in a while! Good job! But yeah, he was kinda playing with you guys. He didn't really see you guys as threats, so he kiiiinda played with you all. But now? He's gonna bust out his best toxins, ones that work fast. And let me tell you; those work fast. I'd know!" A laugh. "So yeah, next time you see him, don't expect healing staves to work out. Buuuu-uuuut I might give ya some doses of the cuuu-uuure... if you'll play a little game with me!"

Simeon put one of his big, firm yet gentle hands on Baldur's shoulder, looking at him with understanding eyes. "Aye, I understand. It's one hell of a time getting out of that spiral... but know that there're people who care about ye. They'll help ye get out of that rut... of course, we don't have to do that now. Just try'n get some rest, me boy." A gentle pat. --- Arthur crosses his arms, just thinking to himself. He stands there for a little bit, but not too long. "Mmm... Well, if it helps any... I don't think you've been acting. I mean, we all make mistakes. I've made a hell of a lot of mistakes. Sometimes... sometimes I wonder the same thing too. If I should have left home. If I should have just... stayed and was obediently the crown prince of Ria. But..." A sigh. Arthur briefly opens his eyes to look at Justine's, before looking back down at the ground. "Look at me, talking about myself. That's not at all helpful, sorry... I don't think you're feigning guilt at all, though. Your eyes don't lie... to be honest, I'm not much of an eye reader, but I think they look pretty upset about everything. And that guilt... that willingness to admit that something had gone awry... It'll be hard, but I know you can get past it. You're strong, and you've been such a big help from what I've seen, you know? Your dances are very inspiring... though I wish I would get to see more of your swordplay, it really does feel like you don't get enough time to do that. Maybe we could fence sometime? I don't use swords very often, but I'm no slouch with them... I want to be able to see your skill. Help you realize that you do have that skill... in any way I can, really." Arthur looks back where the camp is. "...Oh, they can wait. I'll stay with you until you're ready to return..." ----------- If there was any indicator to Kane's versatility and agility, it was now. Once the tents were all set up, Kane was practically cooking, keeping an eye out, checking in on the patients, giving quick orders to people, and most importantly, keeping an eye on Ferdiad who had been sitting close to the edge of camp. When talking about Ferdiad, he had this to say... "Knight is our guest. Please, feel free to talk to him... say your goodbyes," Kane would say the last part, as if almost pleading with himself internally that Knight would not say goodbye this time. The smell of meat permeated the air as Kane tended to many spitroasts over one of the fires over the campfire. The plan... "We're approaching nightfall. It's pretty pitch black out... but just to be safe, we're going to take one more hour to prepare. Food's almost done, please help yourselves to that... and get ready. For in one hour, we strike Castle Ulux. King Darcy's Relic will be ours by morning, I promise you all that." Mim and Baldur, thankfully, were feeling much better. Shin... well, he's not bleeding anymore, whether he felt better or not was entirely a question of his own mental state. Simeon stayed with Mim and Baldur, particularly Baldur, making sure they're okay. Like a good dad would. Arthur, of course, stayed with Justine as long as she needed. Sid is stuck in Simeon's tent, the faint sound of metal clanging together from within. One last hour.

"Time's-a wasting! Come on, everyone! We have a job to do! I'll back you all up, that's the best I can do!"

Arthur looked distressed, trying to find the right words to help Justine. Though he was in a panic, it was clear that he wanted to be able to do something for her as he continued to walk with her through the woods. "I... I know how it feels, too much dreams and not enough sense. To be honest... that was basically my whole life. It's why I landed myself in prison, and it's why I'm tagging along here. But..." "Even if your dreams feel too big... I'd like to think that you can make them work. There are still ways to turn dreams into reality, after all... it takes courage, the drive to move forward..." A pause. Arthur sighed, putting a hand on his forehead, somewhat irked at himself. "I don't know if I'm making much sense, sorry. I guess... I just know that... if you weren't here... well, I don't want to think about that. Because you are here. We met. And... even if you didn't belong, our experiences... I feel that's enough to justify any reasoning for being here." ... Simeon carefully watched Baldur, and he sighed pretty deeply, the sigh of a father who just learned that his son had been into underage drinking solely through smelling the breath and the alcohol from the canteen, granted at an old age but drinking nonetheless. "Trust me... there're better ways to cope with yer stress. I would know..." Simeon talked vaguely enough so that anyone in earshot wouldn't question much what he was talking about, clearly intending on keeping Baldur's secret as secret as he could.

Arthur caught Justine right as she spoke, worry cementing in his heart even further. He looked down at Mim, then up to Justine, before shaking his head and looking down at Simeon, opening his mouth to speak- "Oh, go check on her. I won't pretend I know what happened, but she needs yer care too. Don't worry, Snowbird will know what ye did." Simeon gently pats the coat that enveloped Mim, and Arthur nodded and took off after Justine. As he did, Baldur began to force himself up and yell at himself, to which Simeon got up and put his big, comforting hand on Baldur's shoulder. Simeon didn't even so much as wince at the pain. Kane had looked over to Baldur, looking as if he wanted to ask Ferdiad to wait for a moment, but Simeon held his hand up to Kane before turning his attention back to Baldur, with Kane turning his attention back to Ferdiad. "Orchid. Ye need to rest... Phoenix doesn't want ye overexerting yourself. Snowbird's gonna be fine, she's tough and see?" Simeon gestures to Fey walking over with Tabitha over her shoulder. "Immediate care is on the way. Snowbird's got a lotta fight in her; if ye have it right now, she also has it. People say they may want to die, but nobody really means it unless they truly, absolutely have nothin' left in the world. And considerin' who we got here... I'd say ye both have plenty to fight through a little bit'a poison for. C'mon, sit back down." Simeon pats Baldur's shoulder, ushering him to sit down slowly. Once more, Simeon fights back whatever pain he was feeling to go at Baldur's pace. "I heard the screamin', ye know. It was a loud battle. Ficus' heroic sacrifice, ye tryin' to get Snowbird to initiate a plan... Kid was whimperin' like a baby, but I've already heard it all in my age. Did I tell ye I was a pirate in me youth?" A brief pause, before Simeon gives a hearty chuckle. "I guess that mighta been obvious, never did want to ditch the fashion and the accent stuck with me ever since." Meanwhile, Arthur didn't take long to catch up with Justine. "J-Minstrel! Minstrel, wait! He ran as fast as he could to try and catch up, whether he was speaking while running or standing afterwards was on Justine's terms. "I... I know you'd be fine on your own, so I won't make the crappy excuse of 'there might be leftover enemies nearby', but... please let me walk with you. I'll understand if you want to be alone for a bit, but... ugh...!" Arthur kicks the ground, completely unaware of any worries Justine might have had regarding him. "I hate that bastard, Death... you finally got a few more chances to fight with your stellar swordplay, and he pulls that cheap bullshit on you... It's not fair to you. But... I know Snowbird won't blame you. She's gotta save her yelling for me from the beginning of the battle."

Arthur managed to pull himself together the second Mim whispered his name. Trying to shift her weight onto him from Lenore and Justine, he mentioned, his angered tone completely diminished. "Let me handle her... I'll set her down gently." He tossed off his coat, spreading it out on the ground; it managed to cover a large enough amount of ground for Mim to be completely laid in it. Arthur didn't flinch at all at the idea of dirt or blood getting on his coat, setting Mim down on it and wrapping it over her, using the sleeve to block the wound on her gut. He whispered to her, tears welling up in his eyes. "I... don't care if you want to yell at me later... just please, let me keep you safe... I'm not going to lose anyone else... I can't..." He does make sure Tabitha has enough room to heal when she's brought over, but he doesn't leave Mim's side. Kane is about to have Tabitha go over, but he gives a nod to Fey as she carries her over, whispering a thanks. Kane called over to the wagon as he walked back to the group with Mim... "Anvil! Kid! It's safe now! Please grab my bag and bring it over, it has camping supplies!" From the wagon, the faint noise of Simeon getting Sid to do all the work is heard, using excuses like 'have ye seen me back?' and 'this is good discipline work for ye, boy'. As the two get ready, Kane heads over to Ferdiad. "...You... You saved our lives. I... I almost felt like I was just hallucinating... but it truly is you. I... I was afraid I never would see you again." For a brief moment, it looks as if Kane is about to hug Ferdiad, but he manages to restrict it to a simple arm pat. "I... don't know your personal stake in this, Knight... but I'm very thankful you came when you did. They've made an enemy of us and I doubt they want to forget us anytime soon with Death's mouth... so we have that in common now. I won't beg you to come to Virtuous, as much as we nee-... would appreciate you back," Kane revised his word choice, not wanting Ferdiad to feel obligated. "But I do want to ask... what will you do from now on? Just... Just so I can know how and what my friend will be doing." Outside of the wagon, Simeon and Sid (who is struggling with carrying Kane's bag) join the group. Simeon looks absolutely befuddled. "Well... I'm very glad ye beat that cursed man." It doesn't take long for Simeon to notice Mim and Baldur. With a wince, he manages to kneel and then sit down with the two of them. "She's a tough lass, and he's a tough lad. They'll be fine... and if I gotta drag them outta heaven, I'll do it even if me back protests. Simeon does not let down loyal customers." He gently pats Baldur and, with a look toward Arthur resulting in a nod, pats Mim. His hands are big and rough, but the touch is soft. Suddenly, Simeon turns his head around to yell. "Boy!" Sid had been nervously looking around, presumably to make sure that Death was not in view, before flinching at the sound of Simeon's voice. "If I have a codename, can you at least use it, old man?" Sid grumbles. "I'll call ye what I like; yer my apprentice, now! Yer first job is setting up whatever equipment Phoenix has in his bag! And if ye're lazy or sloppy, I'm gonna show ye where ye can stick that Swordbreaker ye stole from me with a polearm! And don't go beggin' for help, either! People can go help ye if they want!" Sid rolls his eyes, setting down the bag and getting to setting up tents for everyone. Surprisingly, he's actually pretty decent at the job, but it's still slow work.

Though Kane had been panicking, he knew it was mostly an act and that he could put the act down (though for Shin, he genuinely did panic. He would be talking with Shin about this, later). He kept himself in order, looking to Ferdiad with pride in his eyes. Though Ferdiad now had the face of someone full of vengeance, and Kane could see plainly that there was more to this whole thing than just Ferdiad attempting to help his old crew, Kane was thankful. "My dear friend... you saved our lives, despite all I've put you through... Thank you so much." However, Kane had more pressing matters to attend to. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Tabitha beginning to whale on Shin, and Lizaveta tackling her. Kane took a deep breath as he went into action, pulling Lizaveta off of Tabitha and looking down with a disappointed expression at Tabitha. "Neither of you are getting yelled at, because this is an extremely stressful situation. Scarlet, thank you for the restraint, but try to ease up on the force next time. Rose, I understand what Ficus did was... very foolish, but physical punishment is wholly unnecessary. I'm trusting the both of you to make a quick decision on what happens next, as long as it does not involve injuring any more team members." Kane let go of Lizaveta quite gently. Arthur looked like he was just trying to avoid a panic attack, and it was not because of Death. "Stop mentioning that name, stop mentioning that name...!" Arthur did push through, however, to try and get Mim to safety much like Justine and Lenore were attempting to do. Death, meanwhile, was still barely clinging to life, grabbing onto Ferdiad's lance with every last bit of strength he could to avoid him from twisting the wound even further. He was in immense pain and his anger at both what had happened and his cowardly troops now all beginning to flee was not helping matters. Though Death prepared to block Justine's attack with any sort of resistance he could find, both her, Arthur's and Lenore's attempts to grab Mim were met with zero resistance; if anything, Death was happy to get rid of the extra weight. “Keep the little waste of breath...! Mark my words... you're lucky I used... my weaker poisons... fucking get off of me!" With a single thrust, Death ripped himself off of the lance, letting out a loud gasp of pain, Quickly, the hand that had let go of his arrows that had been fumbling to his side threw a smoke bomb down; it was a deep one and covered the entire area in black soot; Baldur was going to have some dry cleaning to do especially for himself. Death scrambled away, looking not dissimilar to a heavily injured wolf from what you could barely make out in the soot as he scattered to the trees, his bow now tied to his back. He left a trail of blood where he went, and Death clearly did not care; he looked anyone who looked at him in the eye, full of anger. His eyes met Ferdiad's for a brief moment, and for that moment, he snarled to complete the picture of a feral animal. As a parting gift, the same arrow he attempted to shoot into Mim had been picked up from its resting point in the ground and embedded into Baldur's body... wait, weren't Death's arrows rigged to burst with the rest of the poison in them when they were fully embedded in the skin?... At least he'd have a little more time than Mim, but not long... Tabitha certainly had her work cut out for her. “You won... only because I underestimated you all... take the rest of my poison as a little parting gift. Enjoy it... because it's nothing compared to what I can bring; you all have no fucking clue of what I am capable of. Gloat all you want, call me whatever things you want... but mark my words; sleeping with one eye open... is going to be a requirement for you all from now on... Where the fuck are you, idiot!?" A puff of black smoke as Famine appears next to Death. “Hey, Pestilence has been watching the whole time with me, she's been crying her little-" “I don't give a flying fuck about what that crybaby is doing GET ME OUT OF HERE NOW, FAMINE." With a shrug, Famine and Death teleport away, Famine giving you all a wink, a wave, and a fingergun motion as he does- ah! He sent a bolt of dark magic after Lysander just as he disappeared, though it was thankfully slow moving. It wasn't going to be too hard to dodge, or block, just- ...Wait. This isn't a bolt of dark magic... it's a scroll of parchment enshrouded in black flames, complete with a little black ribbon tying it all together. Hm.

First Class Level 6

Death's maniacal laughter was enough to set Arthur off, too. Much like Lizaveta, he grabbed his Fire tome and began to start casting. He didn't care much about Shin, but he wasn't going to waste an opportunity casting. Kane looked... frazzled. A bit too frazzled to even answer Fey, but he didn't look like he was exactly jumping to deny it, either. "Ngh... Not now...! Wait for an opening...!" Kane's tone doesn't sound... like an order, strangely. And it sounds oddly loud for an order, as well as... him not looking at any of you when he gave the order. Even if he wanted to order you all to not attack, it was clear he was too late. He couldn't do much, being separated from his knife due to running over to Shin, so he could only pray that the rest of Virtuous acted. Death's resounding laughter stopped with a halt, replaced with confusion at Baldur's yelling and his bow arm suddenly yanking downward, which was then replaced with a sudden 'ack' of pain... before he loomed, silently, watching you all go towards him. After all, you all had to pick up your weapons... “You idiots." He said with a malicious smirk, snapping his fingers as his bow arm returned to position. Suddenly, the troops surrounding him closed in with a sword-wielding Pegasus Rider, two of the Scholars charging their own spells and a Mercenary brandishing his sword charging in to threaten Lizaveta, Arthur and Lysander's spellcasting. Fey evaded the sudden tides of battle, going into the murky depths to rescue Shin; thankfully the lake is not that deep, Shin still has a faint pulse, and Fey is able to grab Shin. At the same time, a glitter of a gemstone right near Shin catches her eye... hm, perhaps it could come in handy. Fey obtained an Element Ring! As all of this transpired, the people on the surface not busy focusing on the battle can hear an audible cracking sound... Justine is a little quicker on the draw before the battle really flares up due to her maneuvers and is able to reach Death before the soldiers can move in, but Death is ready for her. Death's reflexes were far too great, and Justine's target was just a little too close for Death to not be able to swing Mim in the way of Justine's attack. As Death finishes using his hostage as a defensive maneuver, the lance-wielding Pegasus Rider rushes in to fight Justine back, not giving her a single moment to realize what she had done. Kane bit his lip, drawing blood and keeping his eyes behind Death and his complete lack of guard. Death's laughter began to start up again, his arrow having been embedded slightly within Mim's flesh during the previous chaos as she now suffers a moderate-sized slash wound on her body, blood trickling down her neck and torso, and judging by how close Death's boot was to the ground, Baldur's now-broken wrist was the source of the cracking sound. “I see what the plan was. Pull a completely, utterly outlandish stunt to get me distracted, then go on the offensive while I'm not paying attention. Was that it? Let me reiterate for you all; don't worry, the poison I've embedded in your little 'Snowbird's' neck won't kill her for another eight minutes without treatment. I am much faster, much cleverer than any of you combined. I laugh because I have the upper hand, and I will not lose the upper hand. Foolish girl... what kind of shitty assassin do you think I am that I'll keel over, crying my eyes out over a piss-poor arrow wound that didn't even hit my vitals? You're all pathetic. You're all weak. And you will tell me..." Death pauses, watching you all. Suddenly, he pulls his arrow back to Mim's neck, aiming exactly for the spot he stuck her with previously. His arms were completely and utterly occupied; he had his target, and nothing else was going to deter him, nor was anything else going to prompt his swift reflexes to jump out in retaliation. “Fuck this. I've changed my mind. Why am I bothering with all of you? You've all behaved too poorly for me to give you any more chances, and thinking about it, I'd rather just have you all dead at this point. Say goodbye to little Snowbird, and pathetic Orchid." "Snowbird! Orchid!" "NOOO!!!" ...

Death just watches silently, as if someone watching a play might enjoy the show, but mostly just be there for the food. However, Shin's sudden shouting was enough to get him to really pay attention, this time with keen interest. Kane looked as if he really was trying to keep his focus, but Shin really made him lose his cool. Kane jumped after Shin... "FICUS! NO!" ...but it was too late, as his scream echoed throughout the forest and he plunged into the lake. Kane grits his teeth. "Rgh...! Golden Eye, you have seafaring experience, correct? I need you to retrieve Ficus, now! Look, Death-" Before Kane can continue further, Death does something so strange, something you can hardly imagine him doing. This stern-faced, completely and constantly angered individual... Bursts into laughter. “Hahaha-ahahahaha! HAH! What a fucking idiot! The fucking moron thought his sacrifice was going to deter me for even a moment! Hey, you fucking dumbass!" Death mockingly yells at the lake, completely distracted, still laughing. “Do you not know who I am? I am Death of the Icons of Sin! I have murdered King Tobias of Ceda, or have you forgotten? And guess what, I'm sure your pathetic little brain doesn't know what Vini is, but guess what? I've murdered King Cyrus of Vini as well! Did you actually think- good Lion this is the fucking most hilarious thing I've ever seen in my life- did you actually think your pathetic sacrifice would be enough of a sob story to get me to relent and not do the fucking thing I'm an expert at doing? Well, then! Go rot at the bottom of the lake, you worthless pile of trash! Die knowing that your death absolutely succeeded in doing. Fucking. Nothing!" Death looks like he almost wants to stop laughing, but he can't. Even with his death grip on Mim and Baldur, he is completely, utterly unable to stop laughing.

Death honestly looked... really bored with everyone talking. He rolled his eyes at pretty much what everyone said, clearly wondering to himself if anyone was even bothering to pay attention to the fact that he had hostages rather than running their mouths. Pestilence, unfortunately, didn't hear much of Mim's speech, trying to run for her life, but she did seem to stop for a brief moment. It was clear that she at least heard up to 'meeting in better circumstances' before running off. Death didn't care much about this. “Little girl, if you're trying to mock me and get me to lose my focus, it's not working. Your petty insults hold no water when you're right up against death's door. You and I both know that I am the superior. And you all... does it look like I give a damn about what any of you think? If you want to escape with your lives, I'll be making the demands. I would like to leave knowing-" Shin's outburst interrupts Death, who sharply turns his gaze to the interrupting voice, still keeping a harsh grip on Mim and still keeping an eye on her; not quite the opportunity to stab just yet. However... “Cute. Because one, not even considering how less you are than the dirt beneath my heel..." Death grinds his boot on Baldur's wrist for emphasis. "...is better than two, clearly. I'm not interested in you, I seek knowledge. The identities of all of you in Virtuous. That's my demand; take it or leave behind your friends." Kane, who has been dead silent the whole time, looks to Shin. "Ficus, please. Just give it a moment..." It looks like Kane is really holding out for something, as he considers Death's proposal. "You seek our identities, then?" “Yes. What's it going to be? Hurry it up, already."

Famine still looked a bit giggly, but now a bit more worried as Baldur actually was going through with his threat. "Haha, well, ya see, well, you kiiiiinda didn't go through with the deal, I mean, the Marvel Thief was meant to beat me and then I'd give you answers, right? The deal wasn't 'guy with fancy outfit and fancier mask' beats me then I'd give you answers, right? I mean, if we didn't have that kind of order, we would- Death, if Pestilence is gonna give you an extra opportunity, how about using it to help me, huh!?" An annoyed groan surfaces as you all begin to look behind you, unable to see what happened. However, Lenore and Shin... as well as Mim got the full blast of what happened; Death crept up from behind without everyone noticing, grabbing Mim in a surprisingly crushing grip for someone of his height. The rest of you do not see as he dives back into the trees, only to resurface again, kicking Famine out of Baldur's grip, knocking Baldur to the ground and crushing his foot on Baldur's head and dominant arm to prevent him from moving. Famine looked about ready to complain about how much that hurt; Death could tell without even looking, as he drew an arrow close to Mim's neck. “If you didn't have an opportunity for me to take a second hostage, you'd be at this group's mercy for your fucking idiotic stunt. Now get out of here!" Famine shrugs, waving goodbye to you all as he teleports in a puff of black smoke. Pestilence whimpers in a bush not too far from you. "Wh... Why her, brother...? Why-" “Do you need to know why!? Get out of my sight before they take you too! Do you want to slow me down!?" Pestilence hesitates, but anyone so much as taking a small peek at her will make her run for her little life, the thought of becoming a hostage fills her with enough adrenaline. Kane heads to the front of the group, and Arthur pushes his way past, literally going in blazing. "You fucking bastard, you worthless waste of skin, unhand her right now or I'll burn you to the fucking-" Death's arrow gets ever so closer to Mim's neck. “You'll burn me to the fucking what? I could have filled her with five arrows for every second of breath you wasted trying to threaten me. You've let anger consume you, but I know that I am vastly superior to you, 'Crimson'. Unless you'd like to try and take an arrow for the girl while it's inches from piercing her neck and filling her with my lethal poison? I'm sure you'll definitely give two shits about this idiot that'll just start crying as her entire vitals shut down." Death grinds his shoe on Baldur's arm; though Baldur may try to get him off, Death is really strong for his size. Arthur looks to both Mim and Baldur, shakingly putting his tome away. "Please... please, not again..." Kane, in a better state of mind than Arthur, clearly, doesn't take a step forward to intimidate Death, but stays put. "Name your terms that will let Orchid and Snowbird go, Death of the Icons of Sin." “Very well. Famine may be an idiot, but he had somewhat of the right idea. Don't think I didn't hear his little stunt... he likes to think he's smarter than he actually is. But I'm much smarter than the rest of the Icons of Sin put together. I'm not interested in deals; you're going to answer every question I have. But first... drop all your fucking weapons right now! There will be no negotiations! Don't try anything funny, either! I'm much quicker on the draw than any of you lowlifes are." Without hesitation, Kane's glue pack drops to the ground. Death continues to look at Kane, prompting him to drop his knife as well. After a little bit of hesitation, Arthur drops his tomes. Kane looks behind you all, slightly defeated but clearly trying to remain calm in the face of danger. "As he says, Virtuous." He briefly mouths trust me.

Famine laughed a cheeky laugh in response to Baldur's anger. “Uh oh, a sore spot! Was my singing really that bad?" Famine gives a little yawn. "Welp, that's that deal off! Kinda sad, it would have been interesting... buuuut I was kinda setting you up for failure, you know?" A laugh. "Come on, now! It would have been really impressive if the Marvel Thief actually did beat me! But alas, that's not how magic works. Dark beats Anima, you know? But hey, kudos to you for not dealing with that for too long! Because let's be real, as much as I admire the guy, my magic outpaces his by a longshot." Famine smirks as Kane approaches him, looking somewhat annoyed that they got their hopes up. "Let's see whatcha got, 'leader'!" "That will teach you to screw around with us." Famine stops laughing, but he looks very amused, despite being rooted to the spot and also very injured. "Oh no, whatever shall I do? Are you going to take me captive? Torture me for answers? Beat me to a bloody pulp for all of the crimes I've committed during my miserable, pathetic existence? No, no, seriously, I wanna see this! Go on, go on!" For someone who looks completely defeated and on the ground and very close to a pissed off Baldur, Famine looks immensely chill. He snickers, looking at Baldur. "House Daxter! House Daxter! Eviiil~" EXP: (37/100) Stats

More Automated Movement, Anyone? Lysander move E16 and Wind Famine Shin move to G15 and longbow Scholar A, canto to F13 Justine move to F15 and perform for Shin and Lysander Lysander Wind Famine again Lysander moves in to accept Famine's challenge... “Hah! That tickles!" Judging by Famine's slight wince, he's mostly bluffing. Mostly. Shin moves in on the attack, opening fire on the Scholar who prepared too well for his advance. Shin and Lysander move again! This time, Lysander is a bit more on the attack, getting Famine while he's still stumbling. “Oof- 'Kay, that didn't tickle. That just hurt... Nice!" EXP: (15/100) Stats