Lol sorry, overslept. How you doing?

Pfff, that's fine, you're early anyway. XD

I'm doing OK right now, how about you?

I'm doing well, finished my last final yesterday, so I'm on a week break. Yay!

That's great! Hope you enjoy your break. :D

Oh, I will. It'll be a nice break from grinding out papers, reports, and data. I am greatly looking forward to it.

Glad to hear it. X) It's nice to get some time to chill and do things you want to do.

Should we start?

Sure! I believe you were next.

Armin walked over, his expression turning grim as he raised his sword. 'Great. Can I kill him now, then? And don't even suggest that we take him back to the city to be executed. I won't have him pulling a trick like that again - I want him dead, now, while we've got him.'

'The heck?' Crowley yelped. 'Why d'you want me to say that? Besides, I AM the better criminal. OK, I've screwed up a few times, maybe, but when I'm on form, I'm way better than you!'

(I AM HERE watching the rest of this go down if that's cool ;w;
I read through everything and wow yous have done some cool stuff :0 I was also thinking, and Radiant was wondering, and I wanted to see if there's any place for me in this final round!! If that'd alright with you guys that is, it all seems pretty close to the end,,,)

{Dianne looks to Armin, half amused.}
"By all means, go right on ahead. Just don't screw it up."
{Dianne moved her hand down to Sargon's back and lowered her stance, giving Armin a clear shot at his neck.}
"Do it. "

{Vitis just chuckles, shaking his head.}
"Well, can't say I didn't try. Have a nice life, Crowley, or, what's left of it. Peace."
{With that, Vitis turns to leave.}

(King - Hi! :D
I'd love if you want to join in for these last bits. Sargon's pretty much about to die, but it's going to take a while to wrap up all the character interactions and the ending, so you're welcome to jump in.
Is there anything in particular you'd like to do with your guys?)

{ @King I'd be cool with that. :/ }

Armin levelled his sword at Sargon's neck. 'Any last words? No, wait, that's a bad idea. I shouldn't be giving you time to say or do anything.' He shook his head, gazing down at the vampire with a look of disgust.

'Killing me will not reverse everything I have done,' said Sargon softly. 'It has happened. And the past will never change.'

'I don't give a dam.n about the past anymore,' said Armin. 'I'm just here to make sure you don't screw up anyone else's life the way you screwed up mine.' He took a deep breath and gripped the hilt of his sword tighter. 'This is for everyone you've killed, and everyone who's ever wanted you dead.'

With that, he swung his blade. An instant of fear flashed through Sargon's eyes, as if he'd finally realised that he was really, truly going to die. Then it disappeared as Armin slashed cleanly through his neck, missing Dianne by a centimetre. Sargon's head thudded to the cave floor, and then all was silent.

'Wait! I'm sorry, OK?' Crowley exclaimed. 'Don't leave me! I messed up, I admit it! You're an awesome guy and I'm sorry that I got you in jail!' He pushed his muzzle through the bars out of sheer frustration.

{Dianne lets Sargon's body fall, letting out a breath of relief.}
"Well, he's dead now. Everyone he's ever killed can rest peacefully now. How do you feel?"

Armin was staring down at Sargon's body with a blank expression. '...Weird. I expected to feel happy, or triumphant, or something... but I don't feel much of anything. I'm just relieved that this is finally over.'

Behind them, the tribe dragon quietly left the cave, to go and tell Viridi that it was time to call off the hunt.

{Vitis stops and turns his head.}
"Do you mean that, or are you just saying that so I'll let you out?

'Of course I mean it!' said Crowley. 'I enjoyed hanging out with you, y'know. It was pretty fun. You might not like me, but I wanna keep hanging out with you. Even if that means being forced to apologise for whatever I did the other day.'

{Dianne nods and stoops down, picking up Sargon's head.} "Yeah, that sounds about right. Revenge doesn't bring happiness or triumph. Most of the time, it just feels...empty."

Armin gave a quiet chuckle, sheathing his sword. 'It's strange, isn't it? People desperately seek revenge, but it never brings as much satisfaction as you think it will.'

The small tribe dragon spotted Viridi and spoke to him in her own language. Viridi nodded, then turned to address Titan and Wendigo. 'Your prisoner is dead. He was killed while trying to hide in one of the caves.'

{Vitis crosses his arms, giving a very unconvinced look.}
“‘Forced’? Honestly Crowley, I did enjoy your company, but if you’re just going to keep treating me like a lackey rather than an equal, well, I’m not interested. If I let you out, you’re going to have to stop impulsively putting us in danger out of whatever whim you decide to follow.”

Titan: “Good. Finally, we can put this all behind us.”

{Grabbing Sargon’s body by his foot, Dianne begins to drag him out of the cave.}
“I think it’s mostly fueled by a desire for balance. You took something from me, so now I take something from you. We’re even.”

Crowley snorted. 'I've never put you in danger on PURPOSE. Sure, I like being in danger, cuz it's exciting, but I do it for myself, not you. But, if you let me out, I'll promise to try extra hard to not accidentally get you killed or thrown in jail.' He paused. 'And I don't see you as a lackey. I don't have lackeys. I'm too cool for them.'

Armin shrugged as he headed out of the cave. 'Maybe. I've never really thought about what revenge means to me. All I ever thought about was wanting him dead.' Stepping outside, he looked around, blinking in the sunlight. Wendigo came over to join them, grinning excitedly.

'You got him? You actually got him?' the hydra asked. 'Awesome! I'm kinda disappointed that /I/ didn't get to do it... but, Armin, I guess you deserved the honour more than me.'

(Oof sorry for disappearing--
I think just wrapping up a bit with the turmoil between Morty and Dark Brink (and Ango, technically) is all I had planned before I, uh, died, so if you guys wanna I could yeet 'em out? I need to get Morty and Ango away for stuff to happen, so I'd imagine that he'd go and find Armin and Dianne to find out what's happened??)

{Dianne looks up at Wendigo, presenting Sargon’s severed head.}
“Yes Wendigo, we did it. Let’s go back.”
{She then turns to Viridi.}
“Thank you again, great chief. With our quarry slain, we will leave your great lands in peace.”

{Vitis just scowls.} “Yeah, that’s fine when you’re on your own, but I prefer it when jobs go smoothly, without incident. When we work together, you’ actions affect me as well.”

{Sounds good to me. @King}

(King - Sure thing! Go ahead and do whatever you want with them - I have no real future plans for post-Sargon's death, so you don't need to worry about messing up anything. XD
I'm interested to see exactly what's gonna happen with Morty and Brink.)

Wendigo nodded and took flight, starting on his way back to Sovereign City. He was eager to find the others and tell them the good news.

Viridi dipped his head in a gesture of respectful acknowledgement. 'Thank you for ridding the world of that monster. I wish you good fortune, wherever your path in life might take you.' With that, the chieftain spread his huge wings and leapt up into the air, swiftly flapping away.

Armin watched him go. 'Alright. Let's get back, then. We're done here.'

Crowley wrinkled his muzzle, considering.

'OK... what if I promise to be reeeeally careful when we go on missions together? Like, I won't do anything stupid and I'll listen to you instead of just thinking about what /I/ wanna do?'

(Alright, cool cool cool!!! I'll awkwardly insert myself back in ;w;

{Dianne shifts and waits for Armin to get on.} “Yes. Everyone ought to know that we won.”

{Vitis just raises a brow.}
“Are you sure you’re capable of it?”

Armin looked up at her. 'You know I can fly, right? But eh, this is better anyway. I'm too lazy to fly back.' He climbed on. 'I wonder how everyone'll react to this?' he said thoughtfully.

'Of course I'm capable of it,' said Crowley smugly. 'I can do anything if I have a good enough reason. Now are you gonna let me out of here or not? This cell stinks, and I wanna get outside and see what's going on.'

{Vitis just frowns.} “Go see what’s going on? When I let you out, we’ll be wanted fugitives! If I’m going to let you out, we need to leave!”

'We will leave,' said Crowley, grinning. 'I'm bored of this place anyway. I just wanna find out if they really did manage to kill that vampire dude.'

After his encounter in the prison, Mortikai had returned to the hospital to check up on Emilia and Ango. To his surprise, they were all asleep, Keenan and Toby included. They had been through a lot, he reasoned, quietly picking up his belongings - and, after some thought, a letter - before leaving, tilting the brim of his hat low over his face. Whatever had got Dark Brink to act a little strangely in recent days, he wasn't going to drag his newfound family into it. Instead, he was going to do something useful, for once. Firstly he wanted to see the results of the trial, what had happened with Sargon, since he had heard a lot of commotion but was in no place to see what happened.
He assumed that he would be able to get information from the courthouse, heading over there as quickly as he could.

{Dianne takes flight, followed by Titan.}
“With joy, I hope.”

{Once they land in Sovereign, Jerry and his family hadn’t even had time to make it out of the walls, and were still running about in a hurry. Jerry sees the group land and approaches them.}
Jerry: “Hey, did you get him?”
Dianne: “See for yourself.”
{She then drops Sargon’s corpse in front of him.}

Armin jumped down and walked over to Sargon's body, giving it a nudge with his foot. 'He's as dead as he could possibly be. It's over.'

Frederick came hurrying over, having just got back from helping Ivy to the castle hospital. He stopped dead when he noticed Sargon.

'Oh my god, he's actually dead,' he said, wide-eyed with shock.

Wendigo grinned. 'He's deader than I am. Good riddance!'

{Vitis gives him a mistrustful look.} “And how do you plan on doing that without getting caught?”

'Listen, all those guys cared about was seeing Sargon dead. I'm pretty sure that even if they see us, they won't care about trying to catch us again. We'll just walk out of here, get out the city, and sneak a look at whatever they're doing along the way. Easy.'

(Who's controlling the people at the courthouse?)

{Dianne shifts back, looking at the body.}
“You sound surprised, Fred. Did you expect us to fail?”
{Jerry just shares Fred’s look of disbelief.}
“Well, I’ll be, it’s over! It’s finally over!”

(Idk.)

(King)

The front of the courthouse building was flanked by a couple of uneasy-looking guards talking in low voices. It seemed that they had stayed behind to keep watch, while everyone else had gone to join the search for Sargon.

As Mortikai drew near the building, one of the guards looked up and called out suspiciously. 'Hey! Who are you and what are you doing here?'

Frederick just kept staring at the body. 'I suppose a part of me did,' he admitted. 'After he teleported, I assumed that you'd never be able to find him again.'

'He couldn't seem to be able to teleport again after that,' said Armin. 'No idea why, but it was good for us - all we had to do was chase him down and cut his head off.'

Dianne: “I think he ran out of energy after the first jump. He seemed exhausted when we fought him.”

Jerry: “Well, we better let the general know.”

{Vitis sighs, then starts to work on the lock.} “Fine. But, just a quick look. I’m not going to get locked up again.”

'Obviously Brink couldn't help him after all,' mused Armin.

Wendigo snorted. 'Yeah, he got maybe an hour of extra life, and then got killed anyway.'

The hydra started to lead the way back to the castle, to announce the news to everyone else.

Crowley sat back and waited, smiling triumphantly. 'Thanks, Vitis. You're awesome.'

Dianne: “Brink’s lackeys always meet unfortunate ends. He feeds off their misery.”
{Everyone begins to walk back as well, looking to tell everyone the good news.}

{Vitis made quick work of the lock, before walking in and working on his chains.} “Let’s just get out of here as quick as we can, eh? I don’t want to get shot in the arse.”

It didn't take long for the group to reach the castle entrance. Wendigo started to walk in, then remembered that he didn't fit inside buildings anymore. With a disappointed look, he hung back and let everyone else go past him.

Armin walked up beside Jerry. 'So, what were you guys doing while we were off chasing that loser (here, he gestured at Sargon's corpse) across the mountains?'

'Sure thing,' Crowley said, grinning. As soon as he was free, he stretched his wings, wincing. They'd been trapped in the same position for too long. 'OK, lead the way out of here, buddy. I'll follow.'

(I think my wifi is going off soon, so I'm gonna call it a night. I'll reply once more if I have time, but if not, this is goodbye. See you!)

Jerry: “Scrambling to catch up, that’s what.”
{He says while grinning. }
“I guess the only thing left to do is party ‘till we drop.”

{As Dianne approaches the castle, Magnus walks up to her.}
Magnus: “Is it over?”
Dianne: “Yes. His corpse is over there.”
Magnus: “...Thank the Divines! I’m going home!”
Dianne: “...Yes...You can whenever you wish.”

(K, bye!)

'A party, eh? I'll be sure to stick around for that,' said Armin. 'Celebration parties are always the best kind.'

Frederick threw a quick glance at Wendigo sitting behind them. He knew that the hydra would be leaving, too, just as Magnus planned. He wondered if Wendigo would leave straight away, or wait a while longer. //Either way, it doesn't matter,// he thought. //He's going. All I need to think about is what /I'm/ going to do after this...//

(OOF SORRY FOR DISAPPEARING MY WIFI WENT DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF A THING FOR ANGO :')))

He considers the guard with a put-on aloof look, putting his hands into the pockets of his coat.
"I heard that vampire's trial would be set here. I just wanted to see the results. You can't fault a man for being curious, can you?"
Just from casting a quick glance around, he could tell that none of the "main players" of what became this game of cat and mouse were around.

When Ango wakes up, the first thing she notices is the fact that Mortikai is completely absent from the room. She glares at the seat he had once took, quietly getting out of her own and stretching. Taking her mask from the small table in the room, she looks at the damage sadly, finding a little medical tape left behind and fixing it over the cracks to hold it together before putting it on, noticing the letter. While it was addressed to her mother, she knew it would talk about her too and opens it. It barely takes Ango a minute to read, an annoyed grumble escaping her as she crumples the note and shoves it into her pocket.
"Toby, let's go."
She says quietly, waking the dog - and, in turn, Keenan, who gets up and shifts back into his human form.
"Hey, where're you goin'?"
"It's not like I can do anything here. Besides, he's left us again already, I'm gonna go find him and shove his stupid letter back in his face."
"Woah, hey, cool it, alright? Whatever it is, if you're trying to find Mr. Mortikai then I'll come with ya."
"Thanks, but we don't need protecting. It's what he told you to do, but we can handle ourselves."
"C'mon, aren't we friends now? I almost died for you! I wanted to ask him some questions myself, actually."
"What, finally doubting your decision to sell your soul for a dodgy eye?" She pauses at the door, staring back at Keenan for a moment. "Fine. I don't care what you do." Letting Toby go out first, she exits the room.
For a moment, Keenan's a little stunned, mumbling "Woah, what's got into her all of a sudden?" before following them out of the hospital.

{Vitis led Crowley down a quiet street.} “Ok, the gate’s this way. Let’s go.”

{Jerry just laughs and pats Armin on the shoulder.} “Yup, and we’ll be happy to have you. I wonder who else would stay for a party like this?”

{As Magnus walked off in a happy skip, Dianne watched him go, wearing a very subtle look of sadness. As she stood there, Pythia appears from inside} “I heard you all went after Sargon. Did you all get back ok? Is anyone hurt?”

(King)

The guards shifted. 'The vampire escaped,' one of them eventually said, looking a little embarrassed. 'He was about to be executed. Standing right in front of the guillotine, from what I recall. And then he just... disappeared. Teleported. Apparently he made some deal with Dark Brink to get this power. Everyone else ran off to search for him.'

Crowley kept behind Vitis, letting the serpent shifter lead the way. It wasn't really because he thought Vitis was the better criminal; he was just curious to see what would happen if he let him lead. //Maybe we'll get caught by the guards and then he'll admit that he's not better than me,// he thought, smirking slightly.

'Not Magnus, I'm guessing,' said Armin. 'Or Wendigo. And probably not Dianne. But I'm sure everyone else will stick around for it.'

'No, we're all fine,' said Frederick, answering Pythia's question. 'Aside from Ivy being knocked unconscious, I don't think any of us were harmed at all.'

"Huh. Oh yeah. I forgot that was something he did, got rid of some of those annoying kids. I assume you don't know what happened after that, but have they come back yet? I've got a few things I wanna say to them."
He muses the first part quietly, though he doesn't really mind if the guards heard.

'I saw some big dragons - Dianne, I think, and those two hydra things - flying overhead a minute ago, so I guess they're back, but I have no idea whether they caught the Sargon guy or not.' The guard shrugged. 'I'd suggest checking in at the castle, that seems to be the direction they were headed in.'

'Why do you want to speak to them?' asked the other guard, who seemed more suspicious than the first.

{Dianne begins to walk inside, seemingly lost in thought, but she’s stopped by Pythia}
Pythia: “Dianne, your arms. You’re bleeding.”
Dianne: “Huh? Oh, right...”
{Dianne looked at where Sargon had cut her during the fight.}
Dianne: “It’s nothing, really, I’m fine.”
Pythia: “Still, it’s not good to leave open wounds.”
{Pythia walks over to Dianne and begins to heal her arms. Dianne lets her, but seems a little uncomfortable with being touched.}

{Jerry gives a puzzled look.}
“Huh, yeah, I guess. Kinda wish they’d stay a little longer to enjoy it.”

{Vitis quietly walked down the street, away from the palace.}
“Ok, way I see it, we get out, go back to Shacklestone, get our goods, and find somewhere else to live. Ok? Ok.”

'Well, maybe they will,' said Armin with a small shrug. 'I know Wendigo and Magnus want to move on, but there's no harm in staying a couple more days. I hope they do.'

Frederick watched Pythia working to heal Dianne's injuries for a moment, then said, 'Pythia, how is everyone who was injured in the battle the other day? Eliza and the royal soldiers? Did you heal all of them, too?'

'Gotcha,' said Crowley with a nod. 'I have to pick up all my spare daggers from my old apartment. And my treasure. And... uhh... other stuff.'

(This is the 97th RP room, guys.
We've gotta make it to 100. >:D)

{After Pythia finished, she turned to Fred.}
"Yes, I did. And I'm happy to say, they're doing a lot better."

{Jerry nods, smiling a bit.}
"Well, why don't we go ask them? Couldn't hurt, right?"

{As Vitis approached the gate, he noticed the guards. Ducking down an alley, he turns to Crowley.}
"Hmm, gate's guarded. But, we need to get out with a car, because ain't no way I'm walking all that way."

Crowley thought about it for a moment. 'Uhhh, I guess one of us will have to distract the guards. Y'know, lure them away from the gate. Or we could just kill them like I did to the guard when we first came in here.'

'Yeah, I think I will,' said Armin. 'I mean, if they're planning to leave this world once everything's over, they might as well have a bit of fun before they go...'
Frederick heard the conversation and sent a telepathic message to Wendigo. //Will you stay for the post-war celebration if Dianne lets you?//

Wendigo couldn't respond telepathically, but he let out a happy-sounding roar that Fred took to mean 'yes'.

Just then, Ivy appeared, looking as if she'd only just woken up and had a massive headache. She squinted at Dianne. 'Is he dead?' she asked, without preamble.

{Dianne turned to look at Ivy, not knowing what happened to her.}
“Yes, see for yourself.”
{She then directs Ivy’s attention to Sargon’s corpse down the road.}
“Ivy , I just saw you at the trial, how did you find time to nap?”

'Well, that's good,' said Ivy, giving a tired smile. 'Thank god you caught him... And I was /not/ napping. I was actually the first one to find him after he teleported, and he knocked me out.'

'Wonder why he didn't just kill you?' mused Armin.

{Dianne raises a brow at Ivy’s statement.}
Dianne: “Oh? Huh, first Oliver and now Sargon. I guess you’re just a magnet for trouble. Good job.”
Jerry: “I heard from Magnus that he found you two when you screamed. You’re lucky he was in the area, otherwise Sargon might have killed you.”

{Vitis strokes his chin.}
“Look around the corner, tell me how many there are.”

Ivy scowled at Dianne. 'A magnet for trouble? Can't you just tell me I did a good job?'

'Speaking of Magnus... I'd like to go talk to him,' said Armin. 'Don't wait up for me.' He turned and walked off in the direction he'd seen Magnus go earlier.

Crowley peered inconspicuously around the wall. 'There's... three,' he said. 'I could take that many, easy.' He glanced at Vitis. 'Unless you got a better idea?'

{Dianne just gives Ivy a quizzical look.}
“I...just did.”

{Jerry just laughs at this exchange.}
“Gee, Dianne, you really need to work on your ‘nice side’.”

{Armin finds Magnus tuning up his guitar, despite having only one hand at the moment. He turns when he hears Armin.}
Magnus: “Oh, hey Armin, what’s going on?”

{Vitis chuckles.}
“No, that works perfectly. Ok, here’s the plan. I’m going to go get a car. Once you see me approaching the gate, and they’re distracted, you teleport into their midst and kill ‘em as fast as you can. You’re gonna have to kill them before they can radio for help. Then, I stop outside the gates, you hop in, and we drive out into the sunset. Easy breezy, lemon squeezy. Think you can handle that?”

Crowley grinned. 'Of course I can,' he bragged. 'Go find a car. And make sure it's a good one.'

Ivy rolled her eyes. 'Whatever,' she said lightly. 'So, anyway... He's dead. What are we doing now?'

----

'Nothing much,' said Armin. He came over, hands in his pockets. 'So, I guess you'll be leaving soon?'

{Vitis gives a grin before departing.}
“Ok, I’ll be right back.”

{He then runs off, in search of a vehicle.}

Crowley leaned against the alley wall, looking bored, waiting for Vitis to show up with the car. 'Wonder where we'll go after this,' he mumbled to himself. 'Gotta find a cool new place... with lots of interesting people... and things to steal...'

Dianne: “Well, as soon as I let Magnus go, I’ll be leaving.”
Jerry: “Wait, we’re throwing a massive party in celebration of our victory. You should at least stay for that.”

{Dianne just frowns at the notion.}
Dianne: “Yeah, I’m not much of a party person...”
Jerry: “Oh, come on, if you’re going to go off to another country, I may never see you again. Why not just have one more drink with me, for old time’s sake? Besides, this is your victory too. You should celebrate it with us.”

{Magnus nods.} “Yes, at long last, I will be laid to rest. But not before I melt some faces at this party I keep hearing about! I just need Dianne to replace my hand...”

{After a few minutes, Vitis appears in a black Dodge Charger Hellcat. Grinning at Crowley, he begins to drive for the gate..}

'I agree,' said Frederick, looking at everyone in turn as they spoke. 'If you're going to leave afterwards, at least stay for this. Besides...' He smiled faintly. 'Wendigo wants to stay for the party, and I'm sure Magnus feels the same.'

'Yeah!' Ivy exclaimed. 'Their souls are bound to you, right? So if you leave now, they won't be able to stay for the celebration! That wouldn't be fair.'

----

Armin eyed Magnus, trying to remember when he'd lost a hand, and being unable to. He just shrugged and said, 'Well, I'm glad you're staying for it. It wouldn't be the same without you. We should have a drinking contest - actually, nevermind, you probably can't drink.'

Crowley gave Vitis a thumbs-up as he drove past. He then waited eagerly for his chance to strike.

Up ahead, the guards had noticed the car's approach. 'Halt! Who goes there?' one of them shouted. 'Nobody's supposed to be leaving the city without permission.'

{Dianne just sighs and rubs her face.}
“...Fine. I’ll stay for the party. But, in the morning, I’m sending Magnus and Wendigo on their way, and leaving. Sound fair?”

Ivy grinned and punched the air in a victory gesture. Frederick smiled and nodded. 'If that's what you want to do, then yes. That's fine by me,' he said.

{Magnus chuckles heartily.}
“Well, technically I can, but...it would just be falling through an empty rib cage. I think it’s cheating if my body doesn’t process it.”

'Yeeeeah... if it's impossible to beat you, then I don't think I'll be doing that,' said Armin. 'But it's nice to have you around for the party, anyway. Dianne will probably be leaving straight afterwards.'

{Vitis stops, rolls down his window, and smiles right at the guard.}
“But I do have permission. Open the gate.”

One of the guards moved to open the gate, but the guard who had spoken stopped him. 'Wait.' He walked up to Vitis's car, peering at him suspiciously. 'You look a lot like that guy who was supposed to be in prison... wasn't your name Crowley, or something?'

{Dianne screwed up her face at Ivy’s gesture, but said nothing. Jerry just smiled at her.}
“That’s ok. After all, you can’t just leave friends behind without letting them say goodbye.”
Dianne: “Well, I know you consider me a friend, but I’m sure everyone else will be quite happy to see me go.”

'Well, I don't consider you a friend, but that doesn't mean I'll be HAPPY to see you go,' said Ivy. 'We probably wouldn't have beaten Sargon without your help.' Frederick said nothing, but nodded slightly as if in agreement. He seemed to be saying something to Wendigo telepathically.

{Vitis just sneers right at the guard.}
"Do I look like a Crowley? The name's Shackleford. Rusty Shackleford."

{Dianne just nods. This, she seems to understand.}
"Of course. I understand that."

{Magnus chuckles heartily.}
"Yeah, you shouldn't try it. But, if you do challenge anyone, I'd like to watch."

The guard laughed. 'What kind of a name is that? I'm pretty sure you're--'

He didn't have time to say any more, because at that moment, Crowley materialised right behind him and slashed his throat. The other two guards just stood there in shock for a moment. Then they jumped into action, one of them pulling out a radio to call for help while the other pulled out a gun.

Crowley let out a birdlike screech and threw himself at the radio guard, kicking him hard enough that he flew backwards into the gate. By then, the last guard had managed to aim his weapon and shot at Crowley several times, punching holes through his wings. Crowley didn't respond at all. With a grin, he leapt on the guard and calmly tore him to pieces.

'I'll win,' said Armin. 'Probably.' He thought about it. 'I was considering challenging Dianne, but I feel like Dianne getting drunk would be a really bad idea.'

'Well, I suppose we'd better go up and tell the general - or whoever's in charge - that Sargon is no more,' said Frederick, looking up at the palace entrance. 'The whole city needs to hear the news.'

{Magnus chuckles and rubs the back of his head.}
“Probably. Well, it’s hard for her to get drunk, given that her body metabolizes so quickly. But, so far, the few times I’ve seen her drunk, no one’s died as a result. Yet. To be honest, you probably won’t win against her unless you’re downing something extremely strong, and have an insane tolerance.”

'Well... we'll see,' said Armin, sounding slightly amused. 'Challenging her doesn't sound like a great idea - I doubt I'd win - but hey, it wouldn't be the first time I've done something regrettable at a party.'

{Dianne nods, and she heads inside. Jerry does the same.}
Jerry: "Hmm, I wonder if the general will give us medals for our actions."
Dianne: "He's more likely to order our execution for association with dangerous non humans."
Jerry: "...You're just a ray of sunshine, aren't you, Dianne?"

{Vitis just watches, humming as Crowley finished up.}
"Nice. Hurry up and hit the gate button and get in. I want to get out of here quick."

Ivy snorted. 'Association with dangerous non-humans? We just got rid of the dangerous non-human. Nobody else here could have done it. If he's not grateful, I'm going to be /very/ annoyed.' She began to follow them inside the palace, with Frederick a little way behind her.

{Magnus laughs.}
"Heheheh, yeah, we've all done stupid sh!t at parties. Tell me, since you seem so intent on getting wasted, what kind of a drunk are you?"

'Yeah, yeah, I'm on it.' Crowley darted off to press the button. As the huge gates began to slide open, he ran back to Vitis's car and leapt in. 'Where d'you keep finding such good cars?'

'The kind that can swing between 'inexplicably cheerful and friendly' to 'really depressed and overemotional' and back again, in the space of thirty minutes,' said Armin dryly. 'But that's only in severe cases. I don't plan on getting THAT drunk.'

{Dianne just shrugs.}
Dianne: "Wouldn't be the first time I've gotten burned."
Jerry: "Given that both your hydras are still in city limits, I'd wager that, even if they wanted to hurt you, they wouldn't try out of fear of those two behemoths."

'Yeah, probably,' said Ivy. 'Now, can we please stop talking about people dying just for a few minutes?!'

(Which of us was controlling the general? Or has the general never appeared before? I honestly forgot. XD)

(I think it was me. XD)
{Dianne gives Ivy a side glance.}
"Ok, Ivy, what do you want to talk about?"

(Alrighty!)

'Anything except death,' Ivy retorted. 'Oh! I know what to talk about. Where exactly are you planning to go after you leave this place?'

{Magnus tilts his head.}
"Ok. I mean, I don't think you'd want to be overemotional at a happy celebration. I trust your judgment. Yeah, Dianne also varies a little as a drunk. Most of the time, she's just a little tipsy, but otherwise normal. Sometimes, however, she can be a real downer. She's not a weepy drunk, but when she gets into that sad slump, it's just depressing. I doubt she'll do that though."

'I hope she doesn't,' said Armin. 'And don't worry, I won't go overboard. I do plan for it to be a fun party, not a miserable one.'

{Dianne sighs at the question.}
Dianne: "...I don't know. I'll have to look around. But..."
{She glances down at the locket hanging off her belt.}
"I need to take care of some family issues first."
{Jerry caught the glance and spoke up.}
Jerry: "I'm probably going to stay with my parents fora while, try to find a good city to live in."

{Vitis just chuckles.}
"I guess I just have a gift."
{Punching the gas, Vitis speeds off out of the city.}

Ivy eyed the locket curiously and made a mental note to ask about it later. 'Well, I've already decided that I'm going to stay here. In Sovereign City. I love this place.'

Frederick, who had been quiet for a while, said: 'I'm going to find out if there are any plans to rebuild Shacklestone. I'd like to be able to live there again someday in the future.'

Crowley rolled his window all the way down and hung his head out the window like a dog. The car was barely big enough for him; he was stuck in dragon form until sundown, when he would be able to shift back.

{Magnus smiles.}
"Good. I'm sure it'll be a great time all around."
{Magnus sits down and begins to finish tuning his guitar.}
"So, got any plans after this?"

'None at all,' Armin admitted. 'Everyone seems to have plans except me... I just don't know what I'll be doing. Shacklestone's my home, but that's obviously not an option. I've thought about leaving the country, like Dianne. But I'm not sure. I still like this place.'

Jerry: “I wish I could live here. I doubt I could afford the rent though.”
Dianne: “I could help you out, get settled, if you want.”
Jerry: “Oh? That’s very kind of you, but I’d hate to be an inconvenience.”
Dianne: “It wouldn’t be an inconvenience. I’d just need to return those gold bars you gave me in the beginning. They were your life’s savings, were they not? I couldn’t just take that from you.”

Magnus: “Then why not stay? It’s a beautiful city.”

{Vitis looks at Crowley, amused.}
"Heh, enjoying yourself there?"

'Yep,' said Crowley, grinning. 'I can't wait to see Shacklestone again. I bet the place looks like a creepy ghost town, with all the ruined buildings and no-one around. Even Sargon's lot have left now.'

'Maybe I will,' Armin replied, shrugging. 'I just need some time to decide.'

Ivy watched the exchange curiously, a bit of greed coming into her eyes at the mention of gold bars. Frederick looked at her, sighed, and then turned to Jerry. 'What's this about? Why did you give her your life savings?'

{Jerry chuckles nervously.}
"Heh, well, back when this all started, I needed some supplies, and the only way to get her to meet with me was to...bribe her."
{Dianne just shrugs.}
"Eh. I probably would have met with you in the end anyway."

{Magnus nods understandingly}
"Well, there's no rush. Take your time and think about it. Tell me, what's the first thing you want to do now that Sargon is no longer a problem?"

{Vitis smirks at Crowley.}
"Heh, you've got the weirdest interests, you know that?"

'Old, ruined stuff is cool,' said Crowley proudly. 'It's not weird, it's awesome. I bet they'll be dead bodies. And treasure. I mean, think of all the cool stuff that got left behind when everyone died!'

'I've never thought about that,' said Armin. 'I've been too focused on killing him to consider what I'll do afterwards. I guess I just want to find somewhere nice to settle down, and begin building a new life for myself.' He glanced around. 'Maybe not in this city - they don't seem to trust non-humans - but maybe in one of the neighbouring villages.'

Ivy just shook her head incredulously. 'He had to bribe you with gold to get your help? Well, I guess that makes sense, since you're a dragon and all...'

{Vitis shifts his head from side to side.}
"Well, I guess all the abandoned goods would be cool. And nobody to tell us not to take stuff. Ok, I see what you mean."

Magnus: "Hey, it's a beautiful province. What other villages are in the area? So far, I've only seen Shacklestone, Riverside, and this city."

{Dianne just smirks at the remark. Jerry just keeps chuckling.}
Dianne: "At the time, I didn't realize Lucci sent him. If I did, well, I would have known that I really didn't have a choice in the matter."

'There's a village south of here called Cerasus,' Armin said. 'It's supposed to be a pretty nice place, with less prejudice towards non-humans than most other places. I heard that a lot of the Sovereign townsfolk evacuated there when Sargon's army attacked.'

'Yes, well... I'm glad for this Lucci person,' Ivy said, rolling her eyes. 'Otherwise I suppose you wouldn't have helped us at all.'

'Come on, let's go up to the general's office,' said Frederick. 'The sooner we tell him what's going on, the sooner we can think about this party.' It was obvious that Fred intended to go to the party just as Wendigo was.

'Maybe they'll be really cool stuff left behind in Sargon's old place,' said Crowley. 'Y'know, that big office building or whatever it was. I should take a look. There won't be anyone in there.'

Magnus: “Sounds like as good of a place to live as any. Too bad I won’t be sticking around long enough to see it. But, I’ll take your word for it.”

{Dianne just gives Ivy a side glance as they walk for the general’s office.}
Dianne: “I’ve already explained the dangers of revealing myself. I tend to try not to get involved unless absolutely necessary. “

Jerry: “Well looks like it was in this case.”

Vitis: “Hey, I didn’t even think about that. Remember when we got into his treasure room? Reckon it’s still there?”

Ivy said nothing more, but subsided into a thoughtful silence as they walked to the general's office. Frederick decided to go up to the door first, and knocked, waiting for a response.

Crowley shrugged. 'Yeah, probably. Unless it got blown up or destroyed or something.'

'Hmm...it's a shame you're not staying after this,' said Armin. 'But then again, you've been around for what, a thousand years? You're probably tired of existing by now.'

"Come in."
{The general's voice called out. Once the group entered, he addressed them.}
"You come with good news, I hope."

{Vitis shrugs.} "Eh, probably not. I doubt anyone's been there since the battle moved to the Sovereign. More for us, right?"

"Two thousand."
{Magnus corrected.}
"That's one thousand younger than Dianne. Heheheh, and she has the mind to call Sargon and Grim old men."