I'll also drop some replies here now, since I think I need to do them.

Ivy ignored Lucci. She pulled out her phone again and texted someone, feigning indifference but actually paying close attention to the conversation.

Armin, meanwhile, began to walk away from the group with Rex in tow. 'Since we're here, I might as well show you around the city,' he said casually. 'It's a pretty nice place.'

'Except for most of the citizens being terrified of us,' Rex observed as a nearby mother and daughter hurried into a supermarket to avoid crossing paths with the two vampires.

'Well, yes, there's that... but you can't really blame them. Until recently, only humans lived in this city. They're just not used to us yet.'

(Hello there. I don’t think I can continue until King replies. Unless you want Armin and Rex to run into Pythia.)

(Hey Aggron! Armin and Rex aren't going to be doing anything important, so feel free to throw Pythia at them.)

(Ok.)

{As Armin and Rex were walking down the street, Pythia comes into view.}

Pythia: “Oh, hey, Armin! You’re back! How was your trip?”

'Hey, Pythia,' said Armin, stopping in front of her. 'It was OK. I had to go out of the country, visiting every town and village I came across until I found this guy.' He nodded towards Rex. 'This is Rex; he's an old friend of mine.'

'Pleased to make your acquaintance... Pythia,' said Rex politely, offering a hand to shake.

{Pythia shakes his hand, smiling warmly.}
“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well. So, Armin, what are you two up to on this fine day?”

Armin shrugged. 'Not much,' he said. 'I was just going to show Rex the layout of the city, since he'll be staying here for a while. Oh, and Lucci's here. Apparently he wants to meet everyone who was involved in the war, so he might show up to bother you later, too.'

{Pythia raises a brow.}
Pythia: “Lucci? Here? No, he’s up to something. He’s not just here to check on us.”

'Up to something?' Rex repeated. 'Up to what?'

'He seemed OK to me,' said Armin cautiously. 'Though, it /does/ seem a bit strange that such a powerful being would show up like that just to talk to us... What do you think he's up to?'

Pythia: I don’t know. He is a benevolent deity, to be sure, but, I doubt that’s his only reason for being here.”

Rex looked nervous, but Armin seemed unconcerned. 'Well, if he wants something, I'm sure we'll find out soon enough.' Changing the subject, he added, 'So, what have you been up to lately? We haven't spoken much since the war... actually, we've never spoken much at all, now that I'm thinking about it.'

{Pythia: "Oooh, nothing too exciting. My order let me set up a new temple in this city. I've just been going around, feeding the poor, sheltering the helpless, healing the sick, you know, my usual duties. And let me tell you, I'm soooo glad that Crowley and Vitis aren't here to stress me out."

Armin chuckled. 'Yes, I wonder where those two are now? Probably killing people or stealing things, just somewhere other than here. If we're lucky, they won't ever come back.'

Pythia: “Good. I’ve had it up to here with Crowley’s whining and excuses about how he nearly died this time.”

{She shakes her head disapprovingly.}

“He and Vitis used to always come through my door, demanding care without so much as a “please” or “thank you”. And then, they’d go right back out, looking for trouble, which sends them right back to me.”

'They were taking advantage of the fact that you'd always heal them, even if you didn't like them,' said Armin. 'Crowley was an idiot who picked fights with everyone he met, and you were an easy way for him to get himself healed afterwards. If he ever tried asking /me/ for help, I'd throw him into the nearest drain and walk away.'

Pythia: “It does get tiring sometimes, this job. But, for all the people who really need help...that makes it worth it.”

(Hhk, sorry, I have D&D until pretty late on Saturdays now and I completely forgot about this until now bcs it's been a busy day, I'll reply asap - probably in the morning ;w;
Also, if either of you have anyone free, I can throw in one or two of the kids, but if having two scenes happening at once is good enough for yous then that's chill with me uwu)

(King - Alrighty!
I'm not sure if I really have any characters free right now - I have Frederick up in the royal palace, and he's not doing anything, but I don't have anyone else.

Although, I reeeeally want to throw Crowley back in so he can annoy everyone again. XD)

'I'm sure it does,' said Armin. 'You healers are underrated, in my opinion. Dealing with idiots like Crowley is probably more exhausting than fighting Sargon's minions.' He grinned.

( @King all good.
@Radiant Do it. Watch what Lucci tells him. XD)

Pythia: “Oh, you have no idea. You know, when Crowley first came to me, he had a hole in his chest! And after I healed that, he came back a few days later nearly hewn in half! I swear, that bird would have driven me to drink...”

A dark shape was perched on top of the royal palace, too large to be a bird. Gazing down upon the streets below, it lazily watched the citizens walking around for a while.

Crowley had gone back to Sovereign City shortly after he'd finished stealing from the vacant houses in Shacklestone. Now, he wanted to see what kind of chaos he could cause in this disgustingly peaceful town. Sargon's death had been weeks ago. It was time to... spice things up again.

Stretching out his wings, he leapt into the air and glided across the city, looking for people he recognised.

'He'd probably be dead without you,' said Armin, amused. 'He should be grateful that you were even there. Although, he probably didn't even realise how close to death he was. He seems to think his life has an undo button and it doesn't matter what stupid things he does.'

Pythia: “I know. But, do you think he ever said thank you? Nope. It was always some insult like, ‘Oh you’re weak’ or ‘Your life is boring!’ I swear, if I wasn’t a priestess, I would have smothered him in his sleep.”

'Don't worry. You're probably never going to see him again.'

Right as Armin said this, Crowley flew above them at high speed, landing on a rooftop about a hundred feet away. He was gazing suspiciously at his surroundings and didn't appear to have noticed Armin and Pythia yet.

'Oh, damn,' Armin muttered. 'Speak of the devil...'

Pythia: “What? What’s wrong?”
{Pythia starts to turn to see what Armin’s looking at.}

'Careful,' said Armin. 'He's going to notice us--'

As Pythia turned to look, Crowley met her gaze from the top of the roof. For a moment, he just stared, his face completely expressionless. Then he grinned widely, spread his wings, and flew down to the ground. 'Heeey, it's you guys!' he exclaimed cheerfully. 'The healer lady, the vampire guy, and some dude with a mustache who I don't know!'

{When Pythia made eye contact with Crowley, she made a face of shock. Turning back to Armin, she looked as if she might cry before trying to walk away, without any words.}

'Hey, come back!' Crowley exclaimed, sounding aggravated. 'I haven't seen you in /weeks!/ I've really missed making fun of you!'

He started to run after Pythia, only to be stopped by the sound of Armin drawing his sword. Beside him, Rex withdrew a revolver from somewhere in his coat.

'It's been a while since we last fought, Crowley,' said Armin casually. 'Shall I chase you into the sewers again?'

( @Everyone - if you have any characters you want to use, feel free to throw them at the Crowley/Pythia/Armin/Rex group. The more chaos the better. XD)

{Pythia turned to see Rex and Armin, armed and facing Crowley. She decided not to run, as she could tell that there was going to be a fight, and Armin and Rex might need her.}

Pythia: “Why can’t you just leave me alone, Crowley? Haven’t you tormented me enough?!”

At that, Crowley snickered. 'Tormented you? I've barely gotten started. Why don't you come over here and fight me yourself - or are you too chicken?' He tried to edge closer to Pythia, and Armin stepped sideways to block his path.

'Leave her, Crowley,' said Armin warningly. 'She's a healer. Not everyone needs to be able to fight.'

{When Crowley edged towards her, Pythia recoiled a bit. She takes a few steps back, watching from behind Armin.}

(As soon as King comes back, I’ll nudge Lucci over.)

'You guys are no fun at all,' Crowley complained. He sprung forwards, aiming a swipe at Armin's leg. Armin brought his sword down to parry the blow, and Crowley's claws clashed against the metal blade. At the same time, Rex fired his revolver. The bullet just barely missed Crowley's head.

Seeing this, Armin grinned. 'You just came half an inch away from death. Did you know that?'

Crowley snorted. 'A stupid bullet wouldn't kill me. I've survived /way/ worse.' His gaze went to Pythia for a moment. 'I mean, I'm pretty much invincible, right?'

{Pythia just gives an exasperated look.}
Pythia:” No one could survive as bullet through their skull! Not even you!”

'Yeah, well, I bet I could!' Crowley bragged, even though he knew he couldn't.

'Is he always like this?' Rex asked.

'Yes, pretty much,' Armin replied.

Suddenly, Crowley charged at them both, snapping his teeth at Rex's arm. The vampire leapt back to evade him, firing off another shot with his revolver, this time hitting Crowley through the wing. However, the wound didn't seem to faze him. He suddenly twisted away from Rex, and struck at Armin with his claws, catching Armin off-guard and slashing his sword hand open.

Armin retreated a few steps, swearing quietly, while Rex continued shooting at Crowley - most of his shots found their mark, but they wouldn't slow Crowley down unless they hit a vital spot.

{Pythia started to move a little closer to Armin after seeing him get hurt.}

Pythia: “Armin! Are you alright?”

While Rex tried his best to hold Crowley at bay, Armin dropped his sword and inspected his bloodied hand with a grimace. 'Hmm... can you heal this at all?'

{Pythia comes over and takes Armin’s hand. Closing her eyes, she rubs her hand over his wound. Once her hand passes over the wound fully, his hand has been completely healed.}
Pythia: “There. Be careful!”

Armin blinked, seemingly not expecting the wound to be completely healed. 'Thanks. That was kind of amazing.'

'Out of ammo!' Rex shouted warningly. He was backing away, holding his now-useless gun as Crowley advanced upon him, grinning. The crowdragon was bleeding from several places, but seemed not to notice.

Picking up his sword, Armin strode towards Crowley and initiated an attack, forcing him to jump backwards. Meanwhile, Rex shapeshifted himself into a dog (a basset hound) and began circling around Crowley, intending to strike him from behind.

{Pythia once again backed off to avoid being in the way. She looked extremely worried, glancing nervously at Crowley, Armin, and Rex.}

(I'm going to wait a while before replying, in case King comes back and wants to join in the fight or anything.)

Mortikai nods slowly. He knew how they were able to work, but he wanted clarification from Lucci on how different they were.

"I'm all too aware of what my master is doing and might be planning, not to mention the prophecies that fuel his actions. I had to write a book about it, it's all committed to memory. I daresay that's why he's quiet at the moment."

He puts his hands into his pockets, glancing away.

"But I don't know everything. I'm meant to be his Champion, and yet he keeps things from me."

(oof sorry for such the late reply, same with nudging Morty over for fight club :0??)

( @King Np.)

{As Lucci listens, he blinks a few times, then looks in the direction of the fight.}

Lucci: “I see. He doesn’t trust you, as he knows you grow weary of your position under him. And yet, he won’t let you go. I’d very much like to keep discussing this, but I’m afraid there’s a problem happening on the adjacent street. Jerry, Ivy, you’ll need your guns. Follow me, please.”

{Lucci begins to walk for the fight. As he does so, he sends a telepathic message to Frederick.}

//Frederick, it is I, Lucci. I’m afraid your father is having a bit of a psychotic pigeon problem. Could you run down to the dungeon, grab those chains Dianne enchanted, and bring them over to 44th?//

'What is it?' said Ivy, instantly pulling out her pistol. 'Is there a fight going on?' She hurried after Lucci, throwing a brief glance at Mortikai as she passed him. 'You should come too, top hat boy - maybe you can actually be helpful.'

Up in the palace, Frederick jumped as Lucci's voice echoed inside his head. Then he sighed and, abandoning his post, hurried off towards the dungeons. //I'll be right there,// he replied.

Armin kept trying to hit Crowley, but the dragon was too fast, effortlessly dodging his sword slashes. Suddenly, Rex - in dog form - pounced on Crowley from behind, locking his jaws around his neck and trying to pin him down. Reacting instantly, Crowley rolled over several times, managing to dislodge Rex. He then swung around and started slashing at Rex like a maniac, with no heed for his own safety.

{As Crowley went after Rex, a ward appeared between Crowley and Rex, blocking his strikes.}

Pythia: “Stop it, Crowley! Leave him alone!”

Crowley howled in frustration as his claws glanced off the ward. He looked towards Pythia, his eyes narrowing as he assumed that she was responsible for it. 'You can't tell me what to do!' he screamed. 'You can't stop me! You're just a weakling who doesn't know how to fight!' He started stalking towards Pythia again, while Armin grimly stepped between them, trying to protect Pythia.

Rex stayed where he was, though was prepared to leap into the fight at a moment's notice. Crowley's claws had gouged him in several places, but he didn't seem seriously hurt.

{Pythia took a step forward, raising her hands. A dome shaped ward appeared around Crowley, trapping him.}

Pythia: “Crowley, stop! I won’t let you hurt my friends anymore!”

When he realised he was trapped, a screech of pure rage emanated from Crowley. He started throwing his body against the ward, trying to break through it, all the while yelling gruesome death threats.

Armin looked over his shoulder at Pythia. 'Couldn't you have done that sooner?' he said dryly.

{Pythia’s face is one of frustration and worry.}

Pythia: “Technically, I’m not supposed to be doing this at all...but I can’t just let him hurt people like this!”

'What now, though?' said Armin. 'You can't keep him in there forever.' While he spoke, Crowley continued screeching death threats in the background. Rex shifted back to human form and stood nearby, keeping a wary eye on him.

"He can't let me go, not until there's a Champion to take my place."

He mutters, already following after them and rolling his eyes at Ivy's nickname for him. As they go, he was sure he recognised that voice and those threats from somewhere, and he was unsure whether or not to transform and disappear or transform and fight. Either way, it was a dangerous situation that he didn't want to get stuck in, but...he knew he would have to face it.

"Is that Crowley? I've been dying to see him again, after he and his friend beat the hell outta me."

Lucci: “Yes, Ivy, it’s a fight involving Crowley. Well, Mortikai, I doubt he’ll find a new one of those anytime soon.”

{Lucci walks into view of the fight. He approaches Crowley in his bubble ward.}

Lucci: “Mr. Lockwood. You’re not supposed to be here.”

Pythia: “hopefully, he’ll just tire himself out...”

As the group approached, Armin raised a hand in greeting. 'Nice to see you've all come to join us,' he said.

Crowley immediately started raging at Lucci, clawing at the inside of the ward as he tried to get free. Then, quite suddenly, he froze. '...Mr Lockwood?' he repeated. A grin stretched across his jaws. 'Oooh, I /like/ that. Everyone should call me that from now on. Who are you, anyway?'

He hadn't yet noticed Mortikai among the rest of the group.

Lucci: "I am Lucci. You don't know me, and explaining myself would be a waste of time. What are you doing here, Crowley?"

'Well, I /was/ having an awesome fight with these two idiots,' he said, jerking his head in the direction of Rex and Armin. 'But then the little weakling healer over there just had to trap me in a bubble.' He scowled at Pythia.

'He appeared out of nowhere,' said Armin. 'The last time I saw him, he was in Shacklestone. I guess he came back here just to cause trouble.'

{Lucci shakes his head, sighing. He pulls out a phone, dialing a number.}

Lucci: “Crowley, I’m calling your mom. You’re going to remain here, in the dungeon, until they arrive.”

(Y’know, I’m surprised he hasn’t teleported out yet.)

Crowley scoffed. 'Yeah, like she'd come to help. She probably doesn't give a cra.p what happens to me.'

While all of this was going on, Frederick came hurrying down the street, carrying the shackles Lucci had asked for. He stopped and eyed the scene, taking note of how many people were here. 'It took all of you to defeat one crowdragon?'

(So far, he's been too busy screaming at everyone to remember that he can teleport. XD)

{Lucci turns to Frederick}

Lucci: “Oh, no, it doesn’t. All it took was Pythia. Everyone else is just precautionary.”

{He then turns back to Crowley.}

Lucci: “Don’t be so sure, Crowley. You’re still her little boy, even if you did try to kill Lucifer.”

'She hates me and I hate her!' Crowley exclaimed. 'And if she comes here, she'll bring Lucifer. No freaking way! If I see him again, I'm going to destroy the little white-feathered brat! I'll tear his guts out and leave him to be eaten by the crows! I'll rip out his throat while he screams for mercy! I'll--'

'Who's /Lucifer?'/ said Rex, talking over Crowley's hysterical rant.

'I think maybe his brother,' said Armin. 'Or some other family member.'

(Does this get through?)

(Colors keeps eating my comments. >:( )

(It's really annoying when that happens. :( I guess you'll just have to try posting again later.)

{Jerry leans in towards Ivy and whispers.}
“He wants to ‘rip his guts out and leave him for the crows?’ Does that mean he’ll eat him too? Heheheh.”

{Lucci puts his ear to the phone, waiting for someone to answer. Seeing that Crowley won’t calm down, Lucci swings his arm, his hand phasing through the ward, and slaps Crowley hard. The sound of the slap echoes off the buildings.}

Lucci: “Stop it, get some help. Your mom doesn’t hate you and you’re just jealous that Lucifer stole the attention from your parents. That happened because he was a baby, and you were older. Are you a baby, Crowley? Do you need your mommy’s attention every waking moment?”

Ivy snorted. 'He probably would, he's crazy enough.'

Crowley reeled back from the slap, looking dazed and shaking his head. He stared at Lucci in complete shock, unable to believe that someone would actually have the nerve to hit him like that.

A moment later, Lucci's phone call was picked up, and a female voice could be heard. 'Hello?' It was Crowley's mother, Whitney. She and her husband, Rook, and son Lucifer were living in a small village just outside Sovereign.

(I posted a new room, since this one is getting hard to access on my DS.)