HOW DO YOU DO MY FELLOW KIDS-
I'll be here and there in the next...hour I'm gonna say? But after that I'll be here full time ;w;
(Also sorry for the internet comment, my DS is on charge ;w;)

Here! Nice cover-pic btw!

Hey King! I dunno if you saw it yet, but I left a question(?) in the chat room for you. Could you reply to it here (unless you've replied already and I just haven't looked XD)?

Hi Aggron, thanks!

So, today's going to be cool. I've got a few surprises planned that are bound to be /killer/. >:D
Before we begin, you ought to know, in Jerry and Dianne's interaction, they'll be referencing someone named Lucci. This guy is a character who is exclusive to Dianne's backstory. This character will never appear in this RP and is not my next character. Dianne will likely explain her past to someone at some point, so I guarantee it'll all make sense eventually. Ok?

(Aggron) Alrighty! I'm curious to hear more about her backstory as things progress. She's certainly an interesting character.

Oh, and when Dianne and Ana meet, I won't be keeping them together too long, alright? I don't want Ana to be in one place for ages, I have plans for her. X)

That's fine. By that time, Dianne'll likely have to get Pythia out of some trouble....All part of the plan! XD

Oh yeah, I remember, Pythia is still talking to that bad guy. XD

I don't know whether we should start before King is fully here, but I do have some long posts for the Count that I need to write. So I think I'll just do that now, if nobody minds.

I replied on the chatrooom-
(Ech, still tied up for a little longer--)

@Radiant Go ahead.

In the top room of the tallest building in Shacklestone, Count Sargon sat at a rickety wooden desk, bathed in the ethereal glow of candles around him - he despised electrical lighting - as he mulled over a vast stack of papers. Standing behind him, hands behind her back and watching attentively, was a young-looking woman with long violet hair and glowing green eyes.

Sargon's long, pale hand reached into the pile of paperwork and drew out a photograph. It showed Armin and Jeremiah approaching the investigator's office, unaware that something was watching them from far behind. It was slightly blurred and had clearly been taken in a hurry, but was still clear enough to make out the appearance of the two men.

'These two have been a thorn in our side for quite some time now,' said the Count, voice unnaturally loud in the silent room.

(Continued...)

'Armin... he was my right-hand man, before he turned against us and went over to the other side. And the investigator... he is only human, but he is formidable. He could cause trouble for us in the future if he is not dealt with.'

Behind him, Anastasia seethed with rage, but he cut across her before she had a chance to say anything. 'However, now is not the moment. I will not underestimate them, but there is little they can do in a few hours that will cause us irreparable harm. No, I have a smaller mission for you today.'

'But, my Lord!' Ana protested shrilly. 'Why not leave small tasks to other, lesser beings? I can do whatever you ask of me, just give the word, and I'll--'

'No,' Sargon said shortly. 'Not yet. Today you will be doing something else for me, and do not fear - it is still an important task.'

(Continued...)

(Oh.....Oh no.....XD)

Sargon pulled out another photograph, this one a little clearer, as it had been taken in full daylight. It showed Mortikai, along with Crowley and Thorn, entering the ruined hospital on the other side of the city. The Count pointed at him.

'This man... there is something very strange about him. Reports say that he is not one of us, but nor is he truly human, and there is an aura of darkness that surrounds him. I have heard rumours that he has some sort of connection with a powerful spirit, but we all know rumours can get out of hand...'

Sargon put the photo aside and finally turned to look up at Ana. 'Whatever he is, I am curious about him. I need you to find him and bring him here - if you cannot, then I want information on him, as much as possible.'

'Yes, my Lord! I will do it right now!' Ana exclaimed, already walking out of the room, nodding excitedly.

Left alone, the Count stood up and went over to the huge window that took up almost an entire wall, and gazed out blankly.

(Done! We can start whenever.)

(Got it, King! I'll go ahead with what I was intending to do, then.)

(Morty's probably gonna get punched by someone when he gets taken to Sargon purely by just being really sarcastic XD
Also I'm here fully now-)

(So, we're starting now?)

(Yep! I need to check the last RP to remember what happened. You guys can go ahead if you want while I do that.)

(Constructive, Draco)

(all around me are familiar faces)

(Ok, Pythia first!)

{As the cloaked figure begins to walk away, Pythia turns away as well and continues to speak, not caring if she's heard. She's had quite enough of bloodthirsty, hatefull goons.}"Two wrongs doesn't make a right. You're only continuing the vicious cycle of revenge, one that won't end."

The hooded man paused and looked back for a moment. 'Maybe you're right,' he said. 'But lying down and letting the human race to walk all over us is not part of our plan. They've given us no choice but to use force.' He began to walk away, for real this time. 'And remember what I said about the corpses.'

Once he was about thirty feet away, the air around him rippled and his body contorted into the shape of a seven-foot-tall, spiky dragon. He leapt upwards and disappeared into the sky, where the sun was now at its highest point.

(I'll reply with Keenan first-)
@Radiant

Keenan rights himself mid-flight, landing on the ground and sliding backwards, hissing quietly as his pawpads scrape against the tarmac. He shakes out his short mane, a tiny bit of static running through it.
"Then if you have better things, fly away birdie."
He snarls, trying to convince him to leave him alone.

{Jeremiah settles back into his chair and takes his feet off the ottoman when Armin asks his questions. Taking a deep breath, he continues again.}"A long time ago, long before you or I were born and before Shacklestone even existed, Dianne lived in the volcanic reigions of what we now know as Ferros. This was when she was a young adult. She had a family consisting of her spouse, a strapping young dragon named Ogden, and her daughter named Mirabella. At least, those're their translated names from the book I found. At some point, her and Ogden had a falling out and he killed Maribella as a way to hurt Dianne." {Jerry stares blankly at the floor for a moment before continuing.}"Apparently, Dianne made Mirabella a locket, and it was lost in the dispute. The reason I have it now is because someone gave it to me. A man by the name of Lucci claiming to know her. I don't know what he was, but it wasn't human..."(Cont.)

'Of course I have better things,' Crowley sneered, though any attempt at intimidation on his part was ruined by his gasping breath, the many wounds trickling blood down his body, and the way his head hung low with exhaustion. 'But I want to see you run away first, like the coward you really are.'

(heeeey @Draco
want me to reply with Morty to get doggo fam going?)

{Pythia swats her hand in the shifter's direction and turns away, as if to say "away with you!"}"Stooping to their level makes you just as bad as them." {Looking up at where the shifter disappeared to make sure he was gone, she began to head to her temple. //It's my duty to help those who can't help themselves. I can't let Sargon defile these bodies with Necromancy!//(That's what she's assuming.)}

@Radiant

"Why would I run away when you look like you're about to pass out? I could just walk away without having to worry about you lumbering up behind me."
He taunts, regretting it almost immediately.

Once Pythia was occupied with moving the corpses, the dragon wheeled around and circled over her once, a hundred feet overhead, before turning and starting to fly back in the direction of Sargon's skyscraper base. //I don't think she's dangerous to us, but she's worth keeping an eye on... Idiotic woman, how could any self-respecting Magical Being not despise the human race?//

( @king Alrighty!! I can finally make Jed do something worthwhile x'D)

(Cont)"I was skeptical at first, but then he showed me his memories, and, well, I knew he wasn't lying. He was a powerful telepath, you see. He told me that hard times were ahead and to give Dianne the locket when 'my need was most dire'. I don't know, but I'd say my needs are pretty dire now. God, I hope this isn't a trick....The last thing I need is to have my flesh melted right off my face by an angry sorcerer...."

Crowley hissed, curling his lip back to reveal rows of small serrated teeth. 'Oooh, you wanna be careful, flea boy,' he said menacingly. 'If you were worth wasting time on, I'd fight to the DEATH just to see you die first.'

He opened his jaws and spat out a small burst of purple fire, which shot towards Keenan, exploding on the ground just in front of him.

{As Crowley and Keenan converse, Vitis watches from the sidelines, munching loudly on chips.}

Armin rested his head in his hands and stared down at the carpet. It was a few seconds before he answered. 'So, you don't know for sure if you can trust this... Lucci guy, and there's a chance Dianne will brutally kill both of us if we talk to her.' He let out his breath slowly and looked up at Jeremiah. 'I'll come with you, but I'm warning you now - if things start to go wrong, I won't be sticking around. And I won't be able to help you, if she's really as powerful as you say.'

@Draco
Looking to the family, Mortikai clears his throat, quickly fixing his appearance.
"If you're all done, we should get going. As you know, humans are getting slaughtered in the city, so it would be ideal to get you outside the boundaries. I wouldn't imagine that they would kill pets, or..."
He studies Jed for a moment.
"...or somehow manage to turn them into shapeshifters or vampires or the like."

Nodding, Emilia gently taps Ango, who finally lets go of her mother.
"Lead the way."

{Jeremiah sits up.}"Wait, you can't just run if she starts to get angry! If it all goes to sh!t, I'll need you to shoot her with the tranquilizer rounds from my rifle! Look, she's just an incredibly bitter person who's sick of how life's been treating her. That doesn't warrant death. If she doesn't want to help, then we put her out for a few hours and disappear. She'll probably just wake up and leave after, ok, you won't have to ditch me to save your own skin. Jeez..."

Jed barked loudly before shifting into his human form and giving Ango and her mum a little smile. "I'll stay like this for a while, in case I want to say anything other than 'woof'."

Thorn watched uncertainly from the corner. One of her party members had got caught up in family buisness and the other had jumped out a window.

Armin raised an eyebrow, giving Jerry a faintly amused look. 'Well, from the way you've been talking about her, you've made it sound like we're both doomed. You can't blame me for not wanting to get involved.' He leaned back into a more relaxed position in his armchair. 'Alright, I'll be there, and I'll help as best as I can - but I'm still not going to sacrifice my life for you. Also, are you sure a simple tranquilizer gun will put out a huge, ancient, powerful dragon like her?'

*business

{Jerry frowns.}"It's not a simple tranquilizer. It's top of the line, expensive stuff. Plus, it won't have to travel far to put her out if she's in human form. {Jeremiah gets up.}"Well, I'm relieved you're willing to help, despite the dangers. Now, I just need Brink to come back, and we can do this.

The city was surprisingly quiet as Anastasia winged her way between the crumbling buildings, in her dragon form, observing the wreckage that lay beneath her. Since the attack had started the night before, most of the humans had been taken care of pretty fast. Now the only people wandering the streets were non-humans patrolling or guarding assigned areas. Not for the first time that day, she was awestruck by how swift and cunning Count Sargon's invasion had been; the humans hadn't even had time to fight back.

She swooped down and landed on top of a mostly intact office building, peering around for any sign of the man she was supposed to be finding. Was he still in that hospital, maybe? But the photograph of him going inside had been taken hours ago. He might have left by now.

Armin stood up too, adjusting his leather jacket as he wandered off towards the kitchen. 'Brink might be a while. I'm going to have another coffee and check on that human girl we picked up last night. Call me if anything interesting happens.'

@Radiant
Keenan jumps back from the purple fire, a look of fear similar to a spooked housecat. He quickly regains his look of distaste towards Crowley, growling softly, deciding it better to bite his tongue and say nothing.

@Aggron/Radiant
//You called?//
The ethreal feline says as it comes back into existence, the items Jerry had asked for appearing on the desk.
//Everything is accounted for. As long as you wish no harm with these items, our deal is sealed.//

@Draco
"As I thought. Well, we should go."
He looks to Thorn.
"You're welcome to join us, unless you wish to join our feathered friend outside."

Emilia looks suprised at Jed, but simply smiles back. The red eyes were a slight giveaway, she thought.
Toby barks excitedly, seeing his friend had changed again. Laughing, Ango pets his head and keeps him from jumping up.
"C'mon Tobes, it's still your buddy!"

(just say Brink appeared a minute or so after Armin left, late comments ftw XD)

Finally deciding that he'd done enough to be able to leave with his dignity intact, Crowley snarled and deliberately turned his back on Keenan. 'Go back to that hospital and play with your little human friends,' he said in a low voice, before spreading his tired wings in preparation to take flight. He wanted to be somewhere else - didn't even care anymore that Morty was still inside and if he left now he might not see him again.

Besides, it didn't matter. Morty had sided with the humans too. He'd tried to defend that freak woman and her weirdo daughter from him. Morty was a traitor.

{Jerry nods and heads upstairs to wait for Brink.}

{Meanwhile, Pythia arrives at the temple. It is of considerable size and all brick. Leaving her torrents outside, she enters and heads to her personal chambers. Opening a drawer, she retrieves and odd looking object; It looks like an avacado pit with strange symbols carved into it. With it in hand, she heads out the door and back towards the park.}

{Jerry grinned at Brink.}"Thanks, Brink, you're a life-saver. Now, on to the info I need."{Jerry hands the entity another list.}"I need to know where Sargon's keeping all his supplies, I need to know everything you can find about his current and future plans, and I need to know where Sargon is. Don't worry, no one will come to harm from these items or information, you have my word."

"Uh... wait a sec, I'll see if he wants to tag along." Thorn went over to the window and saw Crowley about to take off. "Hey! Crowley!" she yelled. "Are you going with Morty or staying out here?" she looked at Keenan and added, "And what about you, lion dude?"

Jed laughed, also reaching down to give Toby a pat. "I just remembered... if only we still had that toy fish."

(Quick note in case it's ever needed: the place Sargon is currently using as a base is a large office block called Atlas Tower. However, he does have other, secret emergency bases.)

In the moment before he leapt into the air, Crowley craned his head back and yelled up at Thorn. 'Tell /Morty/ he can go and choke on his own stupid hat! No way am I hanging around with someone who tries to stop me doing what I want!'

In a violent movement, he threw himself upwards and rapidly flapped away over the treetops, leaving a few drifting dark feathers behind.

{From the side of the fight, Vitis laughs obnoxiously at Crowley.}"Ahahahaha! Damn, chicken-wings! That's one of the craziest things I'd 'EVAH' seen! How'd you get tha' fleabag to jump four stories out a winduh?"

(Dangit, late comment is late.)

(We could just say Vitis was talking to himself. XD)

After leaving the hospital exterior, Crowley flew higher, clearing the trees completely and coming down to land heavily on the side of the street. He was too tired to fly any further, but he had a funny feeling it wouldn't be safe to just lie down and sleep here - somehow it seemed like someone had been watching him.

He slowly turned in a circle, before yelling loudly in the general direction he'd just come from. 'Hey! Who's there? If you've been spying on me, I'll rip your eyes out and throw them into the drain.'

From the kitchen, Armin faintly heard Brink's voice as the cat spirit materialised inside his house, but opted not to go back just yet. Instead, he poured himself a cup of coffee and then went to lean against the kitchen counter, eyes closed as he strained his vampiric hearing to pick up every word of the conversation.

Ivy, as it turned out, wasn't even in the house any more; she'd gotten bored and decided to go outside to investigate the woods more intently.

"Ah. Off he goes." Thorn frowned slightly, then gave a shrug and turned back to Morty and the others. "He tells you to go choke on your own hat and that he's not hanging around with people who stop him doing what he wants."

{Vitis gets up, gets on a car, and yells out to Crowley.}"I've been watching you, stupid chicken! Come 'ere, I want to talk to yah!"

Crowley glanced around uncertainly for a few seconds before his sharp gaze fell upon the tall figure of Vitis standing on a car nearby. 'Who the heII are you?!' he shouted back. 'Who just walks around calling complete strangers 'stupid chickens' anyway?'

Despite himself, he took a couple of steps closer. This guy looked way cooler than Morty or Keenan. Maybe he'd be fun to talk to - or maybe he'd just be annoying and Crowley would have to kill him.

{Vitis grinned visibly at Crowley.}"I do what I want! When I want, how I want! If you don't like it, deal with it!"

@Draco
Keenan watches Crowley fly off, then limps closer to the hospital.
"If Mortikai needs me, I'll be staying."

Mortikai, hearing his "acquaintance"'s remark, laughs to himself.
"Well, I hope that scarf of his happens to wind itself tighter whenever he returns to his human form."

Toby whines a little, ears angling back at the thought of leaving the fish behind.
"Hey, isn't the kid's home on the way out of the city?"

"I think so."
Emilia smiles, staring to Morty with a look, as if to say "make it on the way".

He sighs softly.
"We can make a detour."

Crowley moved even closer, hesitating momentarily - and then suddenly jumping up onto the hood of the car. It creaked in protest, and his talons left long scratches in the metal surface. He grinned up at Vitis, barely showing his exhaustion.

'You're a nasty guy, aren't you?' he said. 'But I gotta admit, I kinda like your style... Still, I promised to rip your eyes out for spying on me, so how about I do that now?'

Jed looked pleased with this arrangement.

Thorn glanced back out the window at Keenan, the asked Morty, "What about the... the lion guy? Do you want him to come with us?"

Meanwhile, Ana had left the rooftop and was flying across the city, heading for the area where the hospital stood (or at least, most of it). The route she took was a little slow and meandering, for she didn't know the layout of the city as well as some others. Not that she hadn't lived here for long - it was just that she had an awful sense of direction, and the locations of hospitals had never been on her priority list.

(BRB)

{Vitis chuckles.}"You can try."{He whips out a knife and brandishes it.}"I haven't had a good fight in a while. Care to get yer as.s beat?"

'You talk big for someone standing on top of a car to get a height advantage,' sneered Crowley. Flaring his wings for balance, he leapt backwards onto the ground and backed up a few steps. 'How about you get over here and we'll do it properly? C'mon, tough guy... come and fight the big scary dragon. I won't kill you... too quickly.'

(Hey, I gotta get going now. My wifi's being switched off early tonight.)

"Hah, what?"{Vitis jumps down, showing that they are equal height.}"Please, this isn't even my real form! Besides, aren't you a little small for a dragon? You're more like an oversized......//Chicken//!"

(Ok, @Radiant, see you next week!)

@Draco
As Mortikai opens his mouth to speak, a shot of crippling pain blasts through his head, almost bringing him to his knees. Despite the pain, he quickly rights himself, pushing the palm of his hand into his forehead in a feeble attempt to subside the pain.
"I'm fine, just my boss being a bl.oody...nevermind."
He mutters, thinking that swearing would give him more pain.
"Plans have...changed. Keenan will take you out of the city. I have something...important to take care of."

Emilia looks to him with worry.
"As long as he's trustworthy, then it's fine."

"He's...okay. He helped us into here to find you."
Ango says in the lion shifter's defence.

(See you next week, everyone!)

(ah, okie!
see yous all next week!)

(Bye King. X))

bye byeeeeeeeee

For 3ds reading purposes.

I SAW YOU SAW THE SCONE THING

gOOd hight difference
SUCH SMOL AND SUCH TALL

and aahaha probably
dUDE WHERED YOU GET THAT STRANGE LIKING FOR SWEET THINGS-

///aaaaaa///

Re: Thank you, I'll do that! Yeah, I'm trying to clear out my tags. ':D

Re: ...oh yeah-
uhm, it kills people
and has a hidden mouth with many rows of teeth
um
it enjoys tracking and killing
yeah
XD