Earths Pawns (reboot)

Brad headed up to his room, taking one last look around with a slightly sad smile.
"Good times. Good memories here."
He shook his head, grabbed his guns and made his way out of the room.
"Ah well, whatcha gonna do? We all knew this might happen so there's no use getting all sad about it."
As he made his way back downstairs, he made sure all of his weapons were loaded and ready to go. He knew the king's men would be right on their tail and he wanted to be ready for them. But he didn't seem worried about it; if anything, he seemed eager to try out Bessie after making some modifications to it. The idea that they might be in mortal danger occurred to him, but he had complete confidence in Ella's leadership and their uncanny ability to overcome the odds. He walked outside the front door with a confident smile and saw the others waiting for him.
"I'm good to go, which way are we heading?"
He glanced around, noticing that not too many people were outside.
"Huh...it looks like the whole gang's not here. What's up?"

OOT: No new character this time around, it's been a busy week and I'm not quite ready to get that started yet.

 

The black cloud now took on a face as if entered the town the buzzing became apparent the cloud was swarms, Deafening noises were coming from the swarms as they flooded into the town.

Zillis quickly noticed what was happening as the sun was now blocked out. The only thing that was around Brad, Ella, and Him was the swarm. Zillis quickly ran over to both Ella and Brad so they wouldn't lose each other if they were to swarm around them. "Back to back. Ella, Brad we have no time to argue."

As the locusts swarmed into the town with the amount there was the gusts from their flapping wings blew open doors and forced people out of their homes. Their bodies rapidly beginning to Deteriorate and become rotten. The smell of death quickly began to fill the air, the return of the black death. One of the towns folk surprisingly made their way towards Ella, Brad, and Zillis.

"Help us! you promised you would!" was all she could say before the swarms began flowing down her throat and eating her body from the inside out.

Zillis was trying to find a solution for survival. No matter how imperfect it was. Knowing Oswald and Zoe were in the house. But not knowing how much longer they could hold was still there.

Oswald was rocking Zoe back and forth down in the basement. And keeping her calm she was clearly terrified about what was going on. "Is Ella, Brad, and Zilly going to die?" he could feel her tears on his shirt as they would begin to fall.

"No Zoe. They will make it through this just like we will." He forced a smile though he was terrified. "Don't give up."

 

Ushi stood on the steps of the building that she was helping out in, as she was preparing to leave, she noticed the sky getting darker...much darker. Ushi looked up, seeing a 'cloud' of locusts descending on the town. 'This can't be good.' Ushi thought to herself, as she grabbed her staff, and opened the door to the building she was just in: "Close all the windows, and seal every opening you can." She shouted, just before she closed the door. "This is going to get messy."

 

A bell rang from the far end of the building after the initial thump was heard. Beatrice set her glass down and made her way to the store half of the house, leaving Lust behind to finish her cup of wine.
"Odd. Who unlocked the door? I didn't plan on dealing with customers so soon."
Another thump was heard, probably from the newcomer's load being dropped. Beatrice nearly passed up something lying on the ground. She paused to look at it, and realized it was Adolph, unconsciously lying on his side.
"Adolf? Adolf!"
She ran over, checking him. Vital signs were still there, so that meant he was at least alive. Lust ran in from the kitchen upon hearing Beatrice's exclamation, kneeling down to check Adolph's temperature.
"His temperature has gone up even higher than earlier! Get some cold water and cloths while I get him into a bed upstairs!"
Beatrice jumped up, and ran to the kitchen for the supplies. Coming back, she noticed he and Lust were no longer there.
That was fast.
She made her way up the stairs, taking two at a time. Reaching the top, she noticed a door was left open in the hallway.
The guest bedroom. Did she know, or just a lucky guess?
Beatrice dismissed the thought and whipped around the corner and into the room. There, she found Adolph lying on the bed, his shirt already removed, completely exposing the giant burn wound on his chest. For the first time, she saw that Adolph's left forearm was covered in a brace, broken at the end where his mechanical hand connected.
He never liked exposing any part of himself to me.
She paused momentarily upon seeing the inflicted damage before moving to the bed as Lust worked on stripping his clothing from him. Lust quickly took the water bucket and got to work with the rags.
"I'll wipe him down while you get medicine for that wound he has. There is no way that burn on him is helping his temperature go down any."
Beatrice ran back down the stairs for the medicines and bandages. She returned with the requested medical materials, seeing that Adolph was now stripped down to his black undergarments. She began placing the disinfectant on the burn, and watched as it bubbled furiously. Lust began to strip off the undergarments as well, but as if by instinct, Adolph's hand shot over and clutched the waistband. Lust tried to pry the hand off, but the unconscious Adolph only clutched harder.
"Let go, you."
Beatrice glanced at Lust, feeling slightly uneasy.
"Is that really necessary?"
Lust struggled harder with Adolph's solid grip.
"We must get everything off."
"I'm worried about him too, but this is a little too much. I think he will be fine with that still on."
Lust grew annoyed with Adolph's unconsciously determined grip, ignoring Beatrice.
"Fine then. Hold on to that all you want. I'm still getting it off."
Using both hands, Lust grabbed the waistband of Adolph's shorts, and ripped them with a sudden final yank.
"Alright, that's it!"
Or at least, Lust tried to rip the shorts apart. Beatrice grabbed Lust's wrists and worked against them, preventing Lust from ripping the shorts off.
"Cassandra! Doing this will be going too far! You're violating his privacy! Sure, I am curious what lies beneath too, but not now!"
For a moment, they stayed like this. Finally, Lust let go.
"...Alright, I'll stop, I promise."
"Good. Glad we have that settled."
"I'll patch him up. You should go and see to the customer down there. It's bad practice to leave a customer without help."
"I'll be keeping my eye on you."
Beatrice let go of Lust's wrists and left the room, but not without giving her a distrustful glance before leaving. Lust began bandaging Adolph, applying the medicine to other cuts he had.
What did I do that was so wrong?
She smiled with amusement at that thought.
I knew exactly what I was doing. I wasn't using a normal human's strength, and she managed to keep me from doing what I tried to do. Seems my little test worked, her powers are present and not completely asleep. But does she know that yet?

Beatrice left the house half and entered the store half, wiping away her agitated and worried expression for the customer's experience. Stepping behind the counter, she smiled and greeted the customer, tilting her head slightly.
"Welcome to the Passionate Traveler, sir! We have a wide variety of items here, thanks to the amount of travelers that pass through this town. If you have any questions about items, you need only to ask."
He looks like he is from an eastern country. I wonder what language he will speak. And I wish I knew why that door was unlocked. Right now is not the best time for customers.

 

He was honestly enthralled by the strange girl. She moved with a strange kind of grace, the kind of step that never faltered, even for a second. Such confidence, such economy of movement... if Mutton had been taught the words, he could have written poetry about the way she walked.

“I’m sure you must have many questions.”
“You walk nicely.”

Wioki shot him a strange look as the town came into sight. Suddenly she stopped dead. “Oh no...”

A terrible black cloud hung over the town, a moving billowing black cloud. A cloud that split, dropped low, moved in vicious clumps, and wherever it touched screams soon followed.

Mutton stared somewhat blankly at it. “That’s not rain,” he said, matter-of-factly.

Wioki had to resist the urge to roll her eyes as she forced him to take cover under a nearby rock with her. “Don’t do anything to draw their attention,” she said urgently. “I don’t know if I can protect us both.” Mutton nodded, too scared now to formulate a reply.

 

Lunara had silently stalked the group, giggling at their conflict. As soon as Beatrice left, she decided for a bit of mischief. She thought to herself silently, I never promised anything. She moved towards Lust, "Sister, you promised to not take off any more clothing... but I didn't." She winked, followed closely by a giggle and reached forward to grasp Adolph's remaining clothing. With one smooth movement, the entire thing was torn off. She giggled at what lay underneath, dropping the fabric and looking at Lust.


Getränk entered the shop soon after Neji, his briefcase in hand. He quickly moved to the counter and flipped open said case. "Hello my good gal. I have you an offer you can't resist, " he pulled out a sparkling purple bottle, the top screwed on. "This is my newest beverage and is currently the most advanced both in taste and how long the taste lingers. It's a smooth elderberry taste and goes well with everything! The alcohol content is barely existent at low, low number of 2%. I'll even give you the first bottle for free. My only condition is that you taste it right here, right now, with me." He pulled out two more identical bottles, placing them on the counter. "One for me, one for you, and one for my follow traveller!" The vines on his arms shifted ever so slightly.
Little would the others know that the ingredients contained a strong aphrodisiac of which acted almost immediately. Assuming they each took a bottle, the vines on his arms shifted greatly, the active ingredient in Neji and Getränk's bottles became null.

 

"Lunara!"
Lust scolded her, delivering a quick blow to her stomach.
"That is my department! I am trying to get him fixed up right now, so if you aren't part of the solution, then you are part of the problem."
Lust grabbed a towel to throw onto Adolph's nether region, but paused when she noticed that he was still wearing something, something other than the small, torn, useless scrap of his shorts that he still had a death-grip on.
"How about that. No clothes, but wearing an armored cup. Underarmor. Makes sense for when you get kicked. It is rather funny when you think about how concerned men are for their goods. No wonder you laughed."
Lust resumed her patching of Adolph, properly covering up Adolph with the towel after wiping him down.
"But seriously, don't try that again, or else."

“Oh, welcome! So you came to the Passionate Traveler to sell some wares? I would be glad to accept a sample. But instead of opening up perfectly good bottles of your concoction, let's just share the contents instead. No need to selfishly drink away an entire bottle when a taste will do.”
Did you really think I would just willingly and readily accept some witch's brew from some guy that waltzes into my store while the “Closed” sign is still up? At least the first guy has the benefit of the doubt since he doesn't look like he knows our language.
Beatrice was no fool when it came to merchandise. People she never met before would not earn her trust so easily. For all she knew, she could be getting a poison. And selling unknown drinks worked against her ethics of business. After taking the bottle that was intended for her, Beatrice pulled out three crystal cups from beneath the table, a bit of merchandise she was saving for later.
“Since my bottle is a sample for the product, I'll pour it into these cups so we may all have some. I'll let you have the first try, good sir, since you provided us with this drink.”
She began pouring the drinks into the cups, trying her best to make each one even. Once done, she held out a cup filled with the purple brew to each visitor, smiling cheerfully.
“Enjoy!”

 

Lunara quickly took a step back, avoiding the punch and giggling. "You know you wanted to see what was under!"

Even though it had not gone to plan, Getränk was prepared to go all out for this little stunt. He looked at the woman who had poured the
beverage, beaming a smile at her and lifting his glass, "Cheers!" The vines around him shifted again as he drank, the active ingredient quickly being absorbed into his bloodstream. Gently, he placed the cup down, "Sometimes I wonder how I make these amazing drinks!" The effects of the drink would take a while longer to kick in than it would the others - him being a god and whatnot

 

Neji was not familiar with the ways of this country, but he could tell something was strange about the other person who had entered the shop behind him. Since he couldn't read the language of this land, he was not aware why the woman behind the counter seemed to be so on guard. He was not aware that the shop should have been closed. Taking the cue that he was supposed to be part of something, he immediately began to examine the contents of the cup he was given. As a samurai, he was familiar with attempted assassination and was very careful when accepting drinks from people he did not know.

"Arigato." His word for thanks. Perhaps by letting that one word slip, someone would recognize where he was from and what language he spoke. He lifted the cup to his nose and sniffed the drink, much like someone would test a new batch of sake. He didn't seem to notice anything wrong and was about to take a sip when the flash of a vision hit him. Within a split second he had seen what potential havoc the simple drink would have. No expression on his face showed the vision except maybe his eyes having gone out of focus, cloudy, and then back to normal.

He placed the drink down on the counter and placed a hand over the top while shaking his head. "I do not trust this drink. I do not trust this man." He said. Or at least that's what he would have said if what he said had been in the native tongue of this land. He looked at the stranger narrowing his eyes while his hand went to his katana at his side. He wasn't going to draw it, but he was going to make his point clear.


OOT: That's it for me till I come back from Thanksgiving. Nejat and Core. You two have the helm. I'll return probably on sunday.

 

"Killing Gods brings unintended consequences. The ramifications of which you may be unable to comprehend," Laeta said in a cold tone. All the cheer that had been there before was gone now. The look she was giving Terios wast he kind that you reserved for the unexpected spider you found on your cupcake before killing it. "Tyrants come and go, humans normally don't live forever. If you sever the threads of reality, you risk destroying everything that has been made."
With that said, Laeta disappeared.
----------
Laeta 2.0 looked between Old Hedge and Vox. The two older gods were looking rather malicious at the moment and Vox was giving her a rather pointed look. It would make sense that she wanted and apology for the stick poking incident. Laeta was never one who enjoyed others having grudges, it just made them mopey dopeys.

A white daisy appeared in her hand and before Vox could react, Laeta had expertly arranged it in her siblings hair.
"There you go, all pretty and everything," Laeta smiled happily.

Helen regarded the outraged god next to her with some concern. The mood shift had come so suddenly that it almost seemed like it was a separate entity before them. The cheerful aura had turned into an icy wetness that seemed to permeate everything and tinge the world a subtle red. Laeta's voice was quiet, almost whispering, and her intent was made clear.

Helen then watched as she departed without any warning or fanfare, in stark contrast to her entrance. Looking around showed the goddess nowhere in immediate sight, but that didn't mean the cosmic entity wasn't still watching them now that Terios had shown himself as a potential threat.

"That didn't seem to go over well."

 

"Hmm."
Terios shrugged nonchalantly and closed the book, stowing it away in his pack before turning to Helen.
"That just means I can't kill the god. She didn't say anything about leaving the king alive. If I can find a way to bring him down, that'll work just fine for me. Still...it'll take me a while to read through these old books and figure out where that god-slaying power might be."
He gave her a questioning look.
"What are you going to do now? That weird goddess said something about your..."situation." Are you going to try to reverse it?"
He got up from his seat, waiting to hear her response before he decided whether or not to leave her to her own devices.

A lone figure watched the two from a distance. He had a bemused smirk on his face as he watched them scurry to the nearest rock for shelter.
"Ooh, that was a close one; they must not have seen it coming. I guess this is their first time getting stuck in an invasion. Maybe I should go over and walk them through it."
With a quiet laugh, he disappeared from sight and some time later, reappeared directly behind the pair from seemingly out of nowhere. While smiling wryly at them, knowing they'd almost certainly be shocked at his sudden appearance, he whispered to them so he wouldn't draw any attention from the oncoming swarm.
"So, is this your first time seeing the king's handiwork? I hope you've got a good place to hide when the soldiers get here."
When they turned around, they'd see a tall figure with fair skin crouched down behind the rock with them in a grey cloak with the hood down, his shoulder-length blonde hair flowing in the breeze and his silver eyes staring right back at them. Even if they didn't see his guns at first, they'd probably notice the large two-handed sword in its sheath on his back. He certainly looked like a man who was ready for combat, but his relaxed, easygoing expression and calm eyes showed that he wasn't looking for a fight at the moment.

Name: Diarmid MacCallum
Age: 24
Sex: Male
Weapons: .45 Semi-Automatic Pistol w/ Suppressor; Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle w/Scope; Claymore (the two-handed sword, not the mine); Grenades
Power: Ghostwalking
Special Characteristics: Has a slight Scottish accent and a small scar just below his left eye.

 

Lust wrapped up on applying the bandages and medicine to Adolph's wounds.
“That should do it.”
She placed wet cloths across his body. After straightening the cloth on his forehead, she left him in peace after removing his brace. Leaving the room, she glanced at Lunara.
“Don't molest him, alright? We are trying to get him to recover. I'll go and see if Beatrice knows how we can get his hand fixed.”
With that, she left the room and made her way down the stairs and crossed over in the store half. She came in at the time when the man who appeared to be a traveler from the far east lands rejected a purple drink.
“[I see then. But do be sure not to use that sword here, in case you have any plans on doing that.]”
Beatrice responded to the easterner in a language she did not normally use.
“What is going on here? Trying out a new drink?”
“Oh, yes, that's all. According to the votes right now, I would be the deciding factor on accepting this man's drink as wares to sell, if the sample pleases me.”
Beatrice held a glass of the purple liquid, seemingly undecided on whether she should take a drink or not. For all she knew, the man trying to convince her to drink this mystery juice could be a suicidal madman trying to convince her to join in on the self-destruction. Her suspicion only grew when the eastern man stated he did not trust the other man and his brew.
I can tell where this eastern man came from. Been in those lands a while back and got to learn the language well.
“Allow me to try it. And since you won't be trying it...”
Lust pulled away the crystal cup from beneath Negi's hand. She tasted the drink, and after being pleased with the initial taste, smoothly drank it all.
“Hmm. It is rather good, but somehow, drinking wine seems to give it an odd aftertaste. Perhaps you should save it for later so you can really enjoy it.”
I need to buy her some time to see if this drink does anything. I should be able to resist a lethal poison.
“Really?”
Beatrice placed her glass down behind the counter.
“In that case, I'll purchase your drinks, sir.”
“By the way, Beatrice? Where is the hand? Adolf's hand? We need to get that thing fixed. Would you know of how that can be done?”
“I have his hand and spare parts here. I forgot to take it out of my pocket. There is a watchmaker around here that I can have work on it. I'll need to head there to get it fixed.”
“You can trust me to mind the store while you are away. Believe it or not, I used to run a store as well. Or at least help run one.”
“I'll leave that to you then. Though I'm not so sure how well you will be able to handle the easterner. I doubt you can speak his language. Oh, and be sure to get the right price for the drinks.”
Beatrice left the counter to Lust, taking the brace Lust held out to her, and made her way through the store's front door.
“Don't worry about it. Go get that done so we can get Adolf back up to speed. I'll lock up the store when these two are done here.”
Negi eyed them, feeling that his warning was not taken seriously.

Beatrice walked through Greenforge, greeting others with a wave and a few words along the way, until she came across the watchmaker's store. Entering the building, she greeted the watchmaker.
“Hello.”
“Beatrice?”
The watchmaker straightened his glasses, stopping at his tedious task of repairing someone's watch.
“Beatrice! It has been a while!”
He jumped up from his workbench, and shook her hand happily.
“I'm glad to see you back in town. And safely, too. But I didn't expect you to come so soon. Is there something you need help with?”
“Actually, yes. It's not a watch, but since you don't stick to just fixing watches, perhaps you might be able to fix this.”
She produced the smashed and ripped hand, along with the brace for it and the bag of spare parts. The watchmaker's eyes widened upon seeing it.
“A mechanical hand? This should be interesting. It is rather rare to come across these. Where did this come from?”
“Someone I traveled with used it. I didn't know he used this until yesterday. Will it be too hard to fix?”
“Not sure. I'll need to open it up to find out. Care to watch?”
“I would be glad to. But what about the other things you are working on?”
“Those can wait. This hand is more amusing than any other hand I had to see all day.”
He brought his attention to the gloved hand.
“A nice glove. Probably helped with grip and kept it from getting scratched.”
The watchmaker sat down on his bench, and carefully pulled the glove off. The prosthetic was now exposed, and though it was not scratched from use, at leas a dozen symbols were scratched into the top of the hand. It's metal was mostly a silver colored with a hint of gold in it. It was obvious by the dent in the back of the hand where the damage would be located.
“Well, the glove protected it from being scratched from everything else except the owner or someone. So this person, is he very religious? There are plenty of different symbols from different religions. Ones for angels, demons, mediation, war. Quite a few different ones.”
“He never told me about it since the time we first met a month ago. He never said much of anything about himself. He would disappear at times when we were at an inn.”
“Perhaps for a few prayers. We all have our own little secrets.”
The watchmaker unscrewed the scratched plating of the hand, exposing the workings within.
“He must be secretly conflicted. And judging from what I see here, the design is complex but seems simple to work on. This should not take long.”
The watchmaker pulled the parts from bag, and picked up what appeared to be a gear box.
“Well, this is going to be even easier than expected. I just need to drop this module in after pulling out the old parts and replace the connectors. The gears all look rather bent anyway in there, so a full replace will be needed there.”
As the watchmaker switched out the parts, he and Beatrice continued speaking.
“Do you think he is really conflicted?”
“It's a possibility. A person trying to find out the reason for their existence and purpose can be driven insane.”
“I should probably talk to him about it as soon as I can.”
“It could be, he just likes carving symbols that he likes into things.”
“I doubt that is the case.”
“I wasn't too convinced on that possibility either.”
The watchmaker continued replacing the damaged parts with the fixed ones while Beatrice silently watched. The job was soon finished due to the simple build of the hand.
“That should do it. Perhaps you could leave the old parts here. Those can be repaired, while the fixed hand can be used in the meantime.”
“Alright, I will. Thanks for the help. How much do I owe you?”
“You're welcome, and don't worry about paying me, this was a fun little break for me anyway.”
The watchmaker paused for a moment to consider something.
“Actually, perhaps you could tell me about the nature of your relationship between this man and you. That should cover the fee for my help. Is he a special friend?”
“Stories as currency. Alright, I'll tell you. Won't be too many details since he is not an open person.”
Beatrice proceeded with the story of how they met, and their experiences together.

 

Getränk waited for the other girl to leave, staring at Lust. "Do you really not recognise me, sister?" He reached into his briefcase, pulling out multiple bottles full to the brim with the purple liquid, however these didn't have the same effect as the others. He placed them on the counter, "As for the pricing, you know there's no need." After reaching in again, he pulled out a small glass and blade, held it under his wrist casually slit it. The flowing 'blood' wasn't normal. Instead it was a pale red. As the glass was almost full, he quickly put the blade back and ran his free hand over the wound, watching it seal itself. He took a small sip from the glass, "Delicious as ever."


Vox cocked her head to the side, her eyebrow raised in confusion.

The Old Man left shortly after, climbing up through the latch he came down from.

 

If you didn't know any better, at a glance you'd be forgiven for assuming the palace was deserted. In the old days, the palace would shine in the dark, a beacon of light for those who would see it. Since the new King had ascended the throne, you were lucky if you caught sight of a candle flickering in a window.

And while the exterior sat as a memory of its former brilliance, the interior had not been so fortunate. The ballroom that once played host to extravagant balls was now home to workshop filled with large machines of undetermined use and racks filled with loose parts and metal plates. The dining hall had been repurposed as a laboratory filled with specimens both alive and dead and tools that only those of a strong constitution would dare hazard to guess the purpose of. The great observatory on the palace grounds sat in almost complete silence as what little of the staff that remained in the King's employ had been forbidden from entering. Not that they had any mind to. If any of the stories they had heard of the man that had taken up occupancy of the place were true, then they wanted nothing to do with it.

The only rooms that had remained mostly intact outside of the those that didn't serve a direct purpose were the library, which served more as war room nowadays. Within, the King sat at the end of a long table, filled with charts and maps that covered the entire known world.
"What news of the northern front?" His voice was level and cold, speaking words he had spoken too many times in past few months.
A rather rotund man stepped up to the table. He was a general, but that title didn't hold the same esteem it used to. Now he was merely a glorified secretary. He would have complained if he hadn't seen what the King was capable of when angered.
"Lord General Stravum has reported that progress has slowed by the mountain tribes, Your Highness. He's stated that their knowledge of the region gives them an advantage that numbers alone can not overcome."
The King's face did not change, giving no hint on how he truly felt about this turn of events. "Very well. Inform Stravum that I will be sending the 203rd to expedite the situation."
The general blanched. "T-the 203rd, My Lord? Isn't that a bit excessive for simple tribesmen?"
The King shot him a gaze that could freeze the fires of Hell. "Do you question my orders, general?"
He suddenly became aware of two things; Firstly, the other people around the table, as few as there were, were the part of the King's Inner Circle. Monsters and madmen that were unwaveringly loyal to the King and could and would kill someone without a second's hesitation. If you were lucky. The general had heard the stories. Secondly, he remembered the armoured...things at the door. They had once been men, now they were corpses revived with the power of science and magic. And unlike the hulking behemoth's that had been sent to Haven, these were humanoid in shape, fast and above all efficient. He'd be dead before he hit the ground.
"N-no, My Lord." He stammered, scrawling the orders into a notepad.
"Very well. Any update from the fleet?"
The man was sweating heavily now. "They h-have taken the Sol Archipelago and have blockaded the City of the Sea. Fleet Admiral Valga has delivered the ultimatum that they have 2 weeks to surrender before he orders the city be razed"
Again, the King's face didn't betray any emotion. "Have supplies shipped to the them immediately. And Haven?"
"The Repurposed how been deployed to the front as requested. If all goes well, you shall see Haven destroyed within the week."
The King stood from his chair, and inspected the charts. "No, I want Haven intact. It has become a beacon of hope to resistance forces around the world. I wish to see that hope be corrupted and wither. You are dismissed."
The man bowed hastily and quickly made his way out of the room. Then came a chuckle from the man seated beside the King. He was slender and gangly and wore circular frame glasses and a traditional doctor's coat. Beyond that, he was anything from what one would expect from a normal scientist. His eyes were like that of a eagle, his lupine ears protruded from the side of his head and his mouth almost literally went from ear to ear.
"You definitely put the fear of death in him, Your Majesty!" He continued laughing, "I can smell the results from here!"
"Omnes." the King said slowly, "How goes the progress on The Device?"
Dr. Omnes laughter slowly petered out. "The Device is currently under construction by my esteemed colleague. We are currently waiting on samples perfect the output."
"And the Sanguimancer?"
Omnes smiled his unnatural smile. "That's exactly what he's gone to accomplish, My Lord."

~~~
A messenger came to Cecil's tent, looking panicked and out of breathe. "Cecil Valence. Your audience has been requested in the depot's main office. I have also been told to inform you that the man wanting to see you is of the King's Inner Circle and would rather not be kept waiting".

 

The Deity of Death showed himself beside Ella once again, this time wearing a more 'stereotypical' costume. He had on a black, hooded cowl which caused a shadow to hide all features beneath it. On his back, he still had Day's End strapped securely. As he spoke, his voice echoed around Ella, "She's already dead."
Venenum kept up with her with more than ease, chuckling. The ground around him wilted and/or cracked as he came in contact with it, leaving a path following them. As before, he was invisible to all other than Ella.

 

Tranquility had hidden away from all others, beneath the waves she had once created. The cavern that she had came to was far beneath the waves, in what could be called an air pocket of sorts. She did all of this to keep herself from the things that would bring Chaos out; however, she knew that there would be a day where all the things she did would not matter. The tug she felt earlier was usually the first sign that things were not going the way of the other Gods...and soon enough, Chaos would be out, free to reign over the mess that would eventually occur above.
But for now, Tranquility would stay in her sanctuary, listening to the water around her, the animals within the waves.

Ushi had done her best to warn as many people as she could, to stay indoors, and to seal any and every opening in their homes. As the cloud began to descend upon the town, Ushi got to 'work', protecting those who didn't have time to get to their home, or similar shelter. She grabbed her staff, leaving her bag within the inn that she had stayed in the night before. She whipped a great wind around her, using both her staff and her arms, as well as her body, to move the wind where she wanted it to go. In the back of her mind, she knew that the whole purpose of her journey is to become stronger...not only with her own power, but in faith. She had managed to keep the swarm at bay....at least from the area she was in.
From the corner of her eye, she saw a woman, with a baby, and a small child. Ushi motioned to them to come to her, and they did.
"Stay close." Ushi spoke warmly, as she whipped the wind around her, the woman, and the child. She walked towards the inn, and tapped on the door with her staff. The door opened, a older man standing in the crack. "Shelter them." Ushi nodded her head, then turned back to the descending swarm. It was clear by now, that this would be something that Ushi wouldn't be able to handle on her own.

 

Neji watched the exchange between Lust and the other gentleman after Beatrice had left. His eyes taking in what he had seen the other man do and was very much unfazed. His culture in of itself held the belief that other beings could walk the planet just as easily as the humans could. He now understood that if he had decided to draw on the man, he would likely be dead.

Before the two would get locked into conversation and completely exclude him from it, he pulled out a pouch of jingling coins and placed it on the counter. His eyes spoke of a need. "I need provisions. Rice, anything for sustenance." Since he wasn't sure whether he could truly be understood, he made motions with his hand to his mouth like eating. He knew it was likely that these two would understand his gestures. He found some provisions in the store but he couldn't read what they were.