Here. Not sure how long I can stay though.

I really like the cover! Great job!

Hi there, and thanks! Sorry for the slow reply, I was out feeding my bird.

We can start as soon as everyone's here.

Alrighty! Looking foward to it.

So, is there a chance Pythia will appear at some point today?

Yeah, it's the first light of dawn, I'd like to introduce her. I'll just need to time it right. Also, is it ok if I use online comments later? It'll make things easier given the stuff I have to do today.

OK, cool! And that's fine. I might use browser comments on and off too. It's more convenient when I need to type long paragraphs.

Woahhh, this is an awesome cover! Your human style improves with every drawing! Nice job!

So, is Crowley going to attempt to kill Ango's mom, even despite Mortikai saying they could walk away if they provided an explanation?

I think it's very likely he'll try, yes. XD

(Fade) Thanks! :D

Where is everyooooneee

Aaaa the cover looks awesome-
anyway I'm hereee
Here to hide in the corner and type stuff sometimes

Hello Dracooooo

So now we just got to wait for King to show up. XD

@King is late sometimes. I'm sure he'll show up soon.

Let's go ahead and start, I'm guessing he's going to be pretty late if he's coming today. Just give me a second to check the last RP.

Yeah, boi, let's a' go!

In the kitchen of Armin's house, the vampire had been talking with Ivy while the two finished their copious amounts of coffee. During a lull in the conversation, he suddenly looked up at the ceiling, tilting his head to listen. 'Do you hear that?' he asked.

'Hear what?' Ivy snapped.

'Voices, upstairs. But there shouldn't be anyone up there, except for that investigator guy.' Armin pushed his mug away and stood up, heading for the door. 'I'm going to go and check it out.'

'Have fun,' said Ivy, sounding bored and disinterested.

(Draco: I need a reply from Toch)

(SHSJAKKSNJDKA I'M SO SORRY
FAMILY CAME OVER AND IT SLIPPED MY MIND AAA
My DS is almost dead so I'll grab my charger when I cannn-
THAT COVER IS FREAKING AMAZING THOUGH AAA)

"Well, we've got nowhere else to go," Tochi said. "I'm sure the journey will be worth it if we can find somewhere nice to stay."

(Well, I can't continue with Jerry until king gets here, so, I'll do Pythia now.)

(King: Heeey it's fine! I'm glad you're here, and thank you. X))

'I suppose so...' said Sheldon dubiously. He looked around; the forest looked somehow more welcoming than the world beyond, with its leafy canopy and narrow uneven paths. 'M-maybe we should try and stay in these woods for as long as possible?' he ventured. 'Rather than walking in the open, I mean, where creatures like that dragon can find us easily... among other things...'

"Good idea," Tochi said approvingly. "If we get hungry, we might be able to find some fruit or something?"

Sheldon nodded distractedly. 'Yes... and... I think I can figure out the way to the next village from here. So it doesn't matter much if we walk through the woods.' He was talking somewhat in a daze, the excitement and terror of the last few hours starting to catch up with him. 'Let's just keep an eye out for - for things.'

@Aggron
//I can certainly help you, if you aim to not use my powers to bring anyone to harm.//
The ethreal feline says as it settles upon a desk, curling it's "tail" around it's front paws.

Tochi made a "Mmhmm" noise and walked after him, looking around alertly for any sign of something unusual hiding among the trees.

(Whoops
I read that as 'walking in a daze' instead of 'talking in a daze')

{With the arrival of dawn, the city seems to have quieted down. The fires have mostly been extinguished and the sounds of violence have stopped. Despite the calmness, no one rests. Walking through the city streets, Pythia leads torrents of water carrying the bodies of the deceased. She leads them to the local park where a large hole has been dug and filled with bodies. She had been working since the sun rose to lay the victims of this attack to rest. With a motion of her hand, the torrents fill the hole, and moments later, vacate it, leaving behind the dead, laid neatly and bone dry. Pythia takes a moment to rest, looking about at the ruined city.}"Such reckless hate. Not even the children were spared." {She shakes her head disapprovingly} "Have they no compassion? No empathy?"

{Jeremiah sits upon the floor, facing Brink.}"Of course not, Brink. I just need some help retrieving some items from my house and getting a little information from some.....unsavory characters. I don't want you to hurt anyone."

@Rad/Draco
Mortikai glances to Crowley and Ango, then back to the quivering form of Emilia, frowning slightly. He then reaches out and gently places his hand on her shoulder, after a moment of hesitation.
"It's alright...I'm sorry for scaring you. Now come on, I promised that you'll come to no harm, and I intend to keep it."
She slowly calms, trying to even out her breathing before trying to speak.
"How...h-how can I trust you after you've broken your promise to remember us?"

Behind Ango, Toby and Jed, Keenan looks around a little and spots a wall socket, keeping it in mind in case he needed to boost his powers. (because I forgot that he's part electricity too lmao)

Sheldon was quiet for a long time. In fact, the only thing he did in the next few minutes was walk, albeit slowing down slightly to fall into step beside Tochi rather than in front of her.

@Aggron
It smiles slightly, a slight purr in it's voice.
//Then I shall be glad to help. As long as you don't harm anyone while our contract is still in motion, I will deliver the items and information you need.//

Armin trudged up the staircase and cautiously approached the closed door of Jeremiah's room - at least, he assumed that it was, because he could hear the man's voice on the other side, accompanied by a second voice he didn't recognise. He might have described it as 'ghostly', except that it was also somehow warm and reassuring. Frowning slightly, the vampire tiptoed up to the door and stood outside to eavesdrop.

Watching the scene suspiciously, Crowley sat back on the cold floor and tried to fight the urge to jump on the woman and rip her apart, regardless of Mortikai's order to stay back. //Stupid magician wannabe, trying to tell ME what I can and can't do,// he seethed silently. //As soon as he's finished whatever the heck he's doing over there, I'm going to choke him with his own hat.//

(not sure what to make Tochi do except walk?)

(Draco: you can make her say something random
or you can make something dramatic happen like a bad guy showing up if you want)

They kept walking until Tochi stopped dead, staring off into the woods. "Sheldon, look," she whispered, pointing at a dark shaped creeping about in the undergrowth.

{Jeremiah heard Armin's footsteps. Before continuing his conversation with Brink, he turns to the door.} "Don't you know it's rude to eavesdrop? Come in! Ok, Brink, I will not harm anyone while this contract is in effect. Here's what I need."{Armin hands the spirit a list of items to be retrieved from his house.}"Of all of these, none are more important than this."{He points to an item on the list that says 'Antique locket'.} "Of all of it, I need this the most. It's an old locket made from the shells of an extinct bivalve, about six inches long,end to end."

Sheldon looked. His expression rapidly changed from dazed, to confused, to terrified. He grabbed Tochi's arm as if to pull her away from the thing in the bushes, and whispered in a high-pitched voice, 'Wh-what is it?!'

Outside the door, Armin paused, then let out a long-suffering sigh and let himself inside. Curious to know what was going on, he glanced around the room, going unnaturally still when he spotted the ethereal cat. 'Don't you know it's rude to summon spirits in somebody else's home without permission?' he said quietly while Jeremiah was still talking to Brink. Not expecting to be answered, he leaned against the doorframe to watch what would happen.

"I can't tell," Tochi answered. "It doesn't look too big... and it has a tail."

This description didn't do very much to reassure Sheldon.

'M-maybe it's... one of those shifters? Like... a rat shapeshifter?' he said wildly. 'Or something else that's probably going to kill us?'

{After her rest, Pythia got up once more, and began to sweep the streets for the bodies of the fallen.} ( @Radiant So, Sargon and his forces are ok with this random lady in blue burying all the people that died?)

{Jeremiah gave Armin an annoyed look, then turned back to Brink, waiting for his answer.}

"I don't know, but maybe we should run," Tochi said with concern. "We could-"

Before she'd finished speaking, something poked its head out of the long grass and stared at them. It was indeed a rat, and it was almost impossible to tell if it was a shapeshifter or not.

(Aggron: They've all been occupied elsewhere, but someone's bound to notice her soon.)

Armin ignored the look Jeremiah cast him and continued watching from the side of the room, arms folded. //Mental note: ask him why he didn't mention the spirit summoning part before.//

@Aggron/Rad
Brink looks briefly towards the vampire, acknowledging him with a nod before turning back to Jeremiah. It holds and reads the list with an unsettlingly humanlike manner.
//I will be back soon. And not to worry, Arminus, my circle can be erased now that our contract is in motion.//
With a slight smile, it disappears with the list into a cloud of white smoke.

Sheldon yelped and backed up a few steps, pulling her with him. 'Uhm, I don't really care if that's a shapeshifter or not,' he said falteringly. 'It's still a rat. I'm not going near it.'

While Pythia was searching the city for more corpses, a tall cloaked figure stepped out from between two buildings and began to follow her. Once it was within earshot, it called out to her, in a hoarse male voice. 'Stop.'

"Well, er... maybe we just walk off?" Tochi suggested, starting to edge away from the rat. It kept looking at her in an unsettling way.

'Uhhhmmm...' Sheldon couldn't quite seem to take his eyes off the creature. 'Yes, let's, um, go. Over this way.' He tugged on her sleeve, trying to pull her towards another path that they could take to give the rat a wide berth.

But Tochi didn't move. She kept staring back at the rat with a strange expression, not speaking. Then, slowly, she started walking towards it.

(look out guys
it's HYPNOTIC RAT)

(Hypno Rat
that sounds like... the worst band name ever)

'Wh-what?' Sheldon stood there for a moment, gawping at Tochi as she walked, seemingly in a daze, towards the animal. Then he snapped back to his senses and grabbed her arm again, attempting to forcibly drag her back onto the path. 'Um, Tochi?!'

"Sheldon, no... it'll help us," Tochi mumbled, trying to push him off. The rat didn't move, waiting paitently for its victim to reach it.

{Jeremiah looks about confused when Brink leaves.}"I never got to the information I needed! Ah, well, he'll be back soon."

{Pythia stops in her tracks when she hears the voice. She turns and faces the cloaked figure.}"What?"

'Have you gone mad?' Sheldon spluttered, tugging fruitlessly on her arm. 'That must be a... a non-human shapeshifter thing! Why do you keep walking TOWARDS it? Normally people walk AWAY from evil shifter things! Oh, no...'

He looked around desperately as if hoping someone might appear and help him. When nobody did, he grabbed Tochi around the waist and forcibly dragged her away from the hypnotic creature.

Armin frowned as he watched the spirit fade into nothingness. 'So,' he said at length, 'anything else you're going to do in my house that you haven't warned me about?'

----

The figure continued walking until he was only a few feet away from Pythia. 'Are you part of Lord Sargon's army?' he asked in a slow, raspy voice. 'He has not issued an order to dispose of humans' bodies.'

(ah heckie, I forgot about the info XD)

@Rad/Draco
"A...a promise?"
He squints at her, obviously confused.
"What-what do you mean a promise? I-I don't...I don't remember."
He says, despite having the vague memory of a promise after one of his "time loss" phases. Mortikai then looks back at Crowley for a moment, a little worried that he would begin to attack at any moment.

Once far away enough, Tochi gave her head a little shake and looked at Sheldon in a slightly confused way. "...What was that?"

The rat considered running after them, but it decided to leave. It ducked back down, disappearing from sight in the grass.

Crowley, however, had decided he was going to hold off killing this woman for a while, mostly because he wanted to know what her connection with Mortikai was.

Yawning boredly, he turned his head to observe Ango and Toby waiting in the doorway. A nasty smile split his jaws, and he whispered, 'As soon as he's finished, I'm gonna deal with your stupid mum... and after that, you're next.'

'Oh, NOW you come back to your senses!' replied Sheldon a little hysterically. He squinted hard at the patch of bushes just to make sure the creature was definitely gone, then turned back and said, 'That - thing was controlling you somehow! We can't trust anything anymore! Even the ANIMALS are going to kill us!'

{Jeremiah chuckles.}"Yeah, I probably should have given you a heads up about what I wanted the markers for. My bad."{He gets up off the ground.}"Trust me, this will help. While I wait for him to come back, I'll explain the rest of my plan in detail. C'mon." {He begins to head downstairs.}

'Sorry, but I'm not liking this,' said Armin as he reluctantly pursued Jeremiah back downstairs. 'How many times now have you told me you're going to explain all your plans, only to 'forget' some important detail? Are you actually going to tell me everything this time?'

In the kitchen, Ivy glanced up at the sound of approaching footsteps and Armin's slightly raised voice. She stood and peered around the doorway curiously.

"Hey, calm down, I'm okay now - I'm sure not everything in here is against us, that must've just been another shifter or something trying to catch us." Tochi said, though she didn't sound entirely certain. "If we keep walking, we'll lose them eventually..."

{Pythia frowns at the cloaked figure.}"I do not answer to this Sargon, for he knows no compassion. These people are dead, and must be laid to rest. If he can't understand that, than he can take it up with me himself." {She then turns from the individual to continue her work.}

'What if we don't? What if they're following us? Maybe... maybe the Sargon guy is tracking us for some reason!'

Despite this, he started walking again, mostly out of fear that something would attack him if he kept still.

(That was Sheldon's post, in case it was hard to tell. XD)

@Radiant
"You're just a big bird. I'm not afraid of you, and I won't let you anywhere near her. And besides..."
She looks at the bloodied bandages around his chest.
"...with that sort of injury, I don't think you'll be fighting for too long."
Tobias lets out a warning growl, directed at both of them, but mostly to Ango to not go any further with edging him Crowley on.

The man did not attempt to stop Pythia, but he said, 'If you must bury these bodies, then do so. But do not burn or otherwise destroy them, or Lord Sargon will be most displeased with you. The corpses of the humans we kill will be of use to him later.'

'Oooh... tough words from the little girl who ran in here crying for her mummy,' taunted Crowley, slinking closer to the group in the doorway. He raised his bloodstained claws in a threatening gesture. 'You wouldn't last three seconds if I decided to kill you right now... And trust me, a little scratch like this ain't gonna slow me down whatsoever.'

"If he is, then... we can't do much about it. We'll just have to keep going, no matter what happens." Tochi said bravely, following her friend.

{Jeremiah sits in the living area and kicks his feet up on an ottoman.}
"Yes."{He replies simply.}
"I was never avoiding telling you details, there was just a //lot// to cover. And now that we're not being hunted by Sargon's bloodthirst goons, I can finally explain in full. So, are you ready to hear the full version, or do you still //not like this.//"

'I guess so...' responded Sheldon, then subsided into a wary silence. He was extremely twitchy the whole time they followed the forest path, constantly glancing over his shoulder as if he could feel something creeping up behind him.

After almost half an hour, they finally reached the edge of the woods, now nearly a mile from the front gates of Shacklestone. Peering past the trees at the landscape beyond, Sheldon murmured, 'I THINK the village is over this way... it's right next to a river. If we find the river, we can follow it along...'

{Pythia, not even turning to face the figure, replies angrily.}
"Only cowards mutilate the dead and use them for dark purposes."

Armin glanced around the living-room, then dragged up a green armchair and sat down opposite Jeremiah. His crimson eyes were narrowed as he settled back comfortably in the chair, not taking his gaze off Jerry for a moment. 'I'm listening,' he said shortly.

'You believe that? Using tactics in war is not cowardly,' replied the cloaked figure. He sounded almost amused now. 'Perhaps I should inform Lord Sargon that you consider him a coward for doing what he must.'

"Okay, seems easy enough," said Tochi as she gazed around for any sign of the river. "Any specific landmarks next to that paticular river?"

@Rad
"I've had worse threats."
She says with a glare, pointing to her scarred face with a slight look of discomfort as she realises how many people are around and able to see what she actually looked like and it was all just unsettling and upsetting but she forces herself to not cry, biting her tongue and balling her fists so tight her nails dig into her palms.
Keenan slips into view at the back of the group, letting a ripple of blue electricity run through his mane as a sort of threat to not come much closer.

Sheldon surveyed the hilly landscape, looking somewhat more relaxed now that he had something to do besides walk and panic.

'I've only looked at maps, but... I heard there are several tall fir trees close to the village. And the river... is really just a river. But it's quite big, so we SHOULD be able to spot it quite easily...'

'Yeah, but how about I add to those scars?' Crowley hissed, thrusting his long-jawed head close to Ango's and baring his teeth menacingly. Before he could say any more, he noticed Keenan behind her. His snarl turned into a grin at the sight of the lion with electricity crackling through his mane.

'Is that supposed to be scaring me?' he asked.

{Jeremiah takes a deep breath.}"Ok, so, as we both know, an individual by the name of Sargon's siezed control of Shacklestone city last night, and killed hundreds. He clearly has a bigger plan than this, because he simply doesn't have the numbers to hold a city this large. So, first part of my plan, sabatoge and recon. We need to identify Sargon's ultimate goals, and prevent them by any means necessary. I summoned Brink because I needed to get some items and information from inside the city, which, from now to the forseeable future, is a red zone. We can't get in or out without getting killed, so until I can work out a way for us to get in and out undetected, we will rely upon indirect means for gathering intel and sabatoging Sargon. We can do this by use of the Brinks, and a friend of mine in the city. Her name is Dianne, you saw her that night at the bar, when we first met." (Cont...)

{Pythia turned on a dime, suddenly rageful.} "War?! What war? This is not war!"{She points a finger at the dead floating in the water torrents.} "This is 'genocide'! Muder most foul! These people have done //nothing// to harm you, and yet you slaughter them like beasts! They had no way to defend themselves, and you killed them without hesitation! Cowards, all of you!"

@Rad
Ango stumbles back, taking Toby with her due to him still grabbing onto her. This gives Keenan the opportunity to step forwards, a challenging grin on his face.
"Have you ever seen a bird get hit by lightnning? It's not very pretty, but at least there'd be something left of something the size of you. Maybe a leg, or a smoldering eyeball."

"Okay - lead the way," Tochi told him.

(whoops that was short)

{Jeremiah hesitates a moment, then continues to speak.}"Dianne......isn't what she seems. I mentioned she was a sorceress. What I didn't get a chance to say was that.....her magic is inherrently(sp?) evil. She practices Necromancy and Dark Magic. She's very, very old, and used to be a //really// bad person, known by names like "Nightmother" and "Orphanmaker". However, she changed a good while ago, and I'm hoping to get her to help. By using re-animated corpses of things like rats and birds, she can spy on Sargon and covertly sabatoge his operations, assuming she's even willing to help us..."

The man took a step back, surprised by Pythia's sudden outburst. 'You are right about one thing,' he said quietly once he'd regained his composure. 'This is not war. But nor is it 'murder'. Lord Sargon is simply cleansing Shacklestone of the people who are not supposed to be here and giving the city back to its rightful owners. You, a mere priest, cannot possibly understand why this is being done.'

@Rad/Draco
(idk if it's still relevent to direct it at you two but hey do I care no I'ma still do it)
Somehow managing a tiny smile, Emilia looks up at the top-hatted man.
"You really don't remember..."
"That's what I've been saying this entire time."
Mortikai replies with a hint of bitter humour. Her smile grows a little.
"Nine years has done well on you. You look exactly the same."
She says softly as she cautiously reaches out and places her hand on his cheek, after some flinching from both of them.

'You're kidding, right?' said Crowley, still grinning uncontrollably. 'There's no way a lightning bolt can be strong enough to completely vaporise someone. On the other hand...' He lifted his front paw, displaying three-inch-long claws already shining with blood. 'Have you ever seen a lion get its guts torn out before? It's not pretty, I tell ya.'

Armin remained motionless in his chair while he listened to Jeremiah's speech, carefully filing away each piece of information in his memory. Once the investigator finished talking, he stayed quiet for another minute or so before finally speaking up.

'What you're saying... seems to make sense,' he said reluctantly. 'Of course, you could still be keeping other things from me... but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.' He looked up thoughtfully at the ceiling. 'You're telling me this Dianne woman used to be incredibly dangerous. What are the chances that she'll kill us just for requesting her help?'

@Rad
"Heh, you might be right 'bout the lightning thing, but I guaruntee(sp?) that it'll make your heart skip a beat...literally."
His short tail swishes slightly, his body shuddering slightly as another wave of electricity ripples through his fur in anticipation.

{Pythia scowls at the man, taking a step forward.}"Who are //you// to decide where people do and don't belong? I may be a simple priest, but I still know ignorance and hate when I see it."

(King: It's 'guarantee', in case you wanted to know. XD)

Crowley flared his wings out and scraped his claws along the hospital floor, leaving deep grooves. 'You wanna fight, lion boy?' he hissed. 'You're gonna get more of a fight than you expected.'

With a sudden, ear-splitting shriek like a hunting hawk, he lunged forwads and aimed a vicious swipe towards Keenan's face.

(I really need to get going now, it's almost 1AM. XD)

(oohhh, right! XD it didn't look right either way tbh, words are weird
and yeah, same ;w;
my arm's already gone to sleep (probably because my cat's asleep on it) XD)

{Jeremiah stays silent for a moment, trying to remember if he left out anything important.}"That's just the first part. I'll work out the rest after I get some more information on our enemy. Chances she'll kill us? If I screw up the wording, well, pretty high. Oh, that's what I'm forgetting to tell you. That locket belonged to her deceased daughter. I want to propose a trade to her....."{He trailed off nervously.}

((King) Yeah, there are some words I never remember how to spell correctly. XD

I think this is an OK place to stop though, so we'll carry on next week.)

(That's fine with me. See y'all next time!)

(See you, everyone!)

For 3ds Reading Purposes.