Journey of the Elementals RP (Pm if Interested, Started)

[blaze96]

'Oh no, I agree but that isn't exactly what I meant.' He thought to his shadow.

'I more meant that if it becomes a choice between our communication or your physical form, I'd prefer if you'd go back to being a voice in my head. Of course it is ultimately your decision, but I appreciate the council and conversation more than the second pair of eyes. Having somebody to bounce ideas off of no matter where I am has been invaluable. As for the book, the chapters have been explaining what we know, but the notes have been illuminating. Apparently gates and doors affect the areas around them, possibly to the point of being their exact opposite.' He said as he read the rest of the second chapter and began to read the rest of the book. He was purposefully reading as fast as he could manage, as he didn't know how long he would actually have here.

'As for Lord Edgar, I don't know what to think of the man and this place honestly. It could be he stayed here due to the map, a man who masters the secrets of the gates could go anywhere it seems. It could be that he has made this place a home or base of operations of sorts, a safe place to experiment and prepare before leaving. There could be something keeping him here that we have no idea about, or something that he stays here to keep out. Or we could both be wrong and it could be something nobody would ever expect. As I said I have no idea to be honest.'

 

[Pm0n3y]

Joey put on a face of slight contempt as he watched the two mages out of the group get personally attended to, basically leaving all the others of the group high and dry. "The hell? Where'd those girls come from? Swear this place was absolutely empty just this morning!" He thought, crossing his arms as Drew and Alexander wandered into different parts of the estate, each with a piece of a delicious looking arm candy. With the other Earthshaper long gone, it whittled down the troupe to just three. The other, entirely silent, almost nonexistent, mages. Horatio gave a quick glance towards the other male mage. "I think he said his name was Gabriel at one point?" He shrugged and meandered off.

There was a whole castle to explore, still, with a possible unlimited amount of small expensive things to swipe. It was just no good to try and take something when you're in full realization of who you were taking from, yet had no idea to the limitations of their powers. And yet, Joey still had the urge to check every room. "Maybe he has another weapons room!" It was entirely possible, considering the dagger he found just the day before. Deep in thought, he proceeded down a corridor, one relatively close to the main entrance of the castle.

"Well, okay. Let's see where you lead..." His incessant mutters echoed through the small hallway. There were rooms lining the wall of the corridor, sure, but Horatio figured he could check those out on the way back. As he walked, he realized he was being followed. Or rather, the individual following him made its presence known as it trotted up to him. It was one of the cats from earlier. He smiled at the little grey kitty. "You should know this place better than I, where does this hallway lead?" He asked the feline, the question clearly a rhetorical one.

 

[UnusualStranger]

"Well....they worked before by other things. Generally, storms. Big ones, which would start things and keep them running for a very long time." Alice explained as Drew began his work on the orb.

"And in my experience, these kinds of things made everything quite...marvelous. Good mood lighting, defenses, tricks and traps that did all manner of things. Very useful under the right circumstances, of course...But, don't worry about me getting hurt. Tougher than I look, so don't think I'm just a delicate flower." She continued with a small wink as Drew began work.

As the energy jolted into the orb, lights around the castle suddenly began to flicker to life, offering more illumination in the castle than the torches from before. Some additional whirring was heard in the walls, and even some gates began to raise, and doors began to shift as some locks fell into place.

As energy continued to go into the orb, it seemed to try and pull something extra from Drew, and with it the entire castle seemed to rumble, as if it was trying to spread the energy throughout the entire castle. Alice almost seemed to go giddy from the reaction, and jumped to hug Drew.

"Woo! Seems you got something important going onward! Wanna go to the next one? Oh....wait, sorry, Lord Drew. Shouldn't overreact like that. Try not to let it happen again..."

As the energy pulsed about, more stone statues seemed to be coming to life, or at least showing more energy in their movements. Two of the guards were now watching the room that the pair were in, but otherwise the guards that had been in there before had taken off to other areas of the castle.

[hr]

"Going back? I...have not considered that option. In honesty, the thought of going back seems...foreign to me. Dangerous, I would think. Is there room in there for another voice? Distractions that we can ill afford in a strange land..." Alexander's shadow went over one of the books, and attempted to affect it in his own way. While he managed to shift the book slightly, the effort was otherwise wasted.

"Hmph...So you suspect that Edgar is perhaps part of the cause, or stuck here for reasons yet discovered. This is quite the interesting idea...but lets move to another point. This castle...while he is obviously claiming lordship, it doesn't seem like he is in full command of all of it. Do you think he perhaps executed the inhabitants, or changed them? This land just seems to not be...inviting..."

As the shadow finished, the door opened, letting in Jade who was carrying a small plate with a bit of dessert. As she stepped in, she put the plate down next to the books, and gave a small sigh upon noting the other plate of food largely untouched. As Alexander finished his quick skimming of the book, it detailing on some portals having different colors, or inviting newer individuals into the world, the castle gave a small shake. Jade almost dramatically took it as a cue to sit down in Alexander's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Ooh! Guess your friend is doing some things to the castle! I imagine this is a little more exciting than only reading a book, isn't it? And I see you haven't eaten either! I think you might need a bit more hands on help than just those thoughts in your head. Or were you distracted by something else on your mind...?" Jade said, smiling all the while clinging to Alexander.

[hr]

As Joey posed the question, the cat gave a small meow, and then proceeded down the hall, and slipped into a door, and gave several more meows in the mean time. If anything, it was an indicator of sorts to follow along. Before he could begin his following, the lights around the castle all seemed to get much brighter, with more grinding into place, and the castle seemingly coming more alive as it did so.

With that occurrence happening also seemed to bring some of the stone guards coming into play as well, which all rumbled past Joey without so much as a glance. Someone who did seem to give him a glance was a sudden pretty face peering out of one of the doors down the hall. Upon noting Joey, she gave a small wave, but then ducked back into her room in a hurry. She had a golden head of hair, which was the most notable thing to be seen about her before she slipped back into the doorway...but it was different from the one with the cat.

 

[Mr.Ivebeenframed]

"Cause with a thief inside, and some random man named Edgar who's been here a while isn't inspiring confidence here. Rather stay by the lake..."

"I feel like we should do what suits the group best." Cale said, realizing what his ominous warnings. "If it is for the short term then we should go to Edgar's castle for the night or whatever night is here. At least there we have rooms and a roof over our heads. The walls will serve us well too but just be mindful and careful of Edgar. He seems a bit 'unhinged' but the others seem to trust him."

And give their blood to him... Cale thought.

"I can lead you back now unless you some other ideas." Cale offered.

 

[blaze96]

Alexander couldn't help the blush that formed having the obviously beautiful woman in his lap, and at the very same time his stomach took the opportunity to voice its displeasure with him. He made no move to remove Jade from his lap as he took a bite of the first plate of food, figuring she would remove herself.

"Hmm, you are right. I've been trying to figure this all out for so long I forgot to eat and just how hungry I was. Besides there are enough books I'll be busy for a time anyway. Not eating might just make me miss something. Though while my friends exploration of the castle most certainly seems exciting, I'm trying to gain a deeper knowledge of the entire world and those who inhabit it." He as a reflex went to put his hand on his thigh in a resting position, forgetting for a brief moment the exact position of the current situation. Which causes him to accidentally place one of his hands on her lower thigh while he spoke. Once he finished speaking he immediately blushed again out of embarrassment and removed the hand.

"Excuse me for that Jade, I didn't mean to be improper."

 

[Mr. Omega]

Drew laughed with Alice's sudden burst of enthusiasm, returning her hug for a couple seconds before the two separated. "No need to apologize. Caught up in the excitement of the moment. I get it." He shrugged and stretched as she walked back. "You certainly seem to be enjoying yourself, so don't worry. How about we see what the next one does?"

He once again let her lead the way, walking a little slower. That last orb seemed to take a little more out of him than the other one, but he was enjoying himself too much to want to stop now. "So... speaking of enjoying yourself, what is it you do for fun around here when you aren't entertaining guests? All I've seen around this castle are empty hallways and the occasional study."

 

[UnusualStranger]

"Other ideas? Not really...Though, a good point if its gonna even be night here. You think it'll turn around? Hell, do you think they have weather here? I mean, this place looks...well, livable, but its kind of peaceful at the same time...and I mean the wrong kind of peaceful. The silent peaceful that means everything else realized it was time to shut up." Seth replied, almost wishing that something would be willing to challenge him at this point.

"But sure, lead on Cale. Hope you didn't sprint all the way here, because I'm not doing any of that unless I have to." Seth started, walking over to Cale then to drop his voice down to a whisper as they began to make their way back towards the castle.

"Unhinged is an interesting way to define someone. What, is he eating rats or something? Cause if thats it, you've been in the city far too long." Seth whispered as the rest of the group followed close behind, leaving the lake behind.

[hr]
[hr]

Jade made no efforts to remove herself from Alexander, and even seemed interested in helping Alexander. She grabbed a small bit of food that was on a stick, and plucked off the top bit offering it to Alexander. She seemed to grin even wider as the blush Alexander gave off was only encouraging her behaviors.

"Nuh uh, my Lord Alexander. No reason to be shy. Leave it there, and just relax...I'm sure the journey and fights have been hard." Jade spoke gently, as if putting a small whisper behind each word. "We all need an opportunity to...relax, don't you think? Time to enjoy yourself, maybe take a look at the finer things in life. Too much reading, working, and trying to make sense of all of it. Maybe you should just get an understanding of what you have on hand, hm?"

As Jade spoke, she leaned in closer, her hands gently pushing on Alexander as she did so. Jade seemed only interested in just laying down at this point. That, and it almost seemed a kind of massage as they began to lay back.

"You ever partake, Lord Alexander? Just relax enjoy finer things...?" She left the thought lingering, almost not really anticipating an answer.

Alexander's shadow in the meantime almost gawked at the pair, but simply seemed to get the picture, and made his way outside, walking through the door and out of the room without a word.

[hr]

"Of course, Lord Drew. Just...its exciting to see the castle come to life. I'm sure you would realize it...for other things." Alice replied, turning to again lead Drew down a set of halls, these seeming more alive than when they first entered. More lights had activated, and there seemed to be many more knights adventuring around now. In fact, some new creatures seemed to be coming alive in the castle. Gargoyles that seemed a bit...finer in their stonework. There were even a few more of the ladies walking about, seeming to do some cleaning. Though, some did stop for a few moments to stare at the travelling pair.

"This castle is actually usually quite lively sometimes, as you can see...just needs a bit of a jolt, and for....well, Lord Edgar to do something different. And there is fun to be had with the others...along with some exploring to be had. Lord Edgar is the only one who has really explored this entire castle. Some spots are...not as welcoming to people like us."

It seemed that the stares made Alice walk a little faster into another hall, which actually seemed to not be lit at all. In fact, even the lights that had activated from the other orb seemed to not work in here. As they stepped further in, a door shut behind them, cloaking them in darkness, and Alice audibly sighed.

"...Silly girls...oh! I had forgotten you had asked about my wings. Do you like them? I was born with them, of course. What kinds of strange things did they need to do to get them? It sounds...mmph. Odd. But are they beautiful? Its great to fly, and to feel the open breeze..." Alice said, the darkness doing a good job of keeping them at a much slower pace now, leading Alice to now more often bump into Drew.

"Er...sorry. Usually don't...uhm, have this problem. Do you have a light?"

 

[Pm0n3y]

Joey couldn't help but follow after the little grey cat, looking on as it began to disappear behind one of the nearest rooms. "Alright, what's behind door number one...?" Something caught him by the corner of his eye. Shimmering locks of golden hair grabbed his attention, even more than the brightening lights or massive stone guards. She disappeared behind another door, almost seeming to invite him along. "Ah, mademoiselle-" He began after her, putting on his best "hopeless romantic" accent. The door, still left just slightly ajar, was inviting just enough for Joey to peer into.

"C'mon girls, we need to find something in good taste. This isn't something that happens too often, so find something that shows you off best!" Apparently the golden haired girl had dismissed him quickly, with her back taking up the view of the room which Joey had been peering though. It seemed that there were other girls inside. He wasn't expecting that. He wanted to question again just the sheer number of new individuals he kept running into, but seeing that his latest discovery presented more attractive females, he wasn't going to protest. With a smirk and raised eyebrow, he stepped further into the room, one which looked to be more akin to some living quarters. "Ah, mademoiselles~"

As he stepped inside, he began to view the two other women in the room. One was wearing nearly nothing (one that practically made Joey's eyes pop out of their sockets as soon as he spotted her), as she seemed to be shuffling about in the closet looking for an outfit apparently. She was black haired, with the hair being a little bit on the shorter style. The other was a brown haired girl, already wearing what seemed to be a light blue ballroom dress. She also wore a few gems, and some blue sapphire earrings to match. However, the arrival of Horatio had the woman with the golden hair spin about to see Horatio, with a look of indignation. Almost as if she had a practiced hand, she did a quick slap right to his face. She was dressed in a slightly conservative maid outfit...but only just slightly.

"Mademoiselles? A fancy word for someone who just walks IN on ladies in their own rooms. Care to explain yourself?" Joey, still reeling from such a solid strike, made an attempt to salvage the situation. "A-apologies m'lady. I'm still getting used to this castle. I was wandering the halls...then, in the corner of my eye, I catch just a brief glimpse of this beautiful golden hair...I thought I was being invited in. I wasn't expecting to stumble into more people." That trademark smile of his surfaced once again. "I was just a little lost, is all. Though, I would love if I could just get a little...guidance?" He asked suggestively, raising an equally suggestive eyebrow.

The maid seemed to almost scoff, raising her hand once again seeming to intend a strike before the woman in the dress seemed to notice the action and made some attempt to bring some amount of peace.

"WAIT! Uh...." The brown hair girl shouted, seeming to struggle with what to say for a moment as the action alone was enough to stop the impending slap. "Its odd that someone such as....er, yourself would need some....uhm, guidance." At that, the maid turned back to Joey, and at this point just leveled a very dark glare. "Hmph! A little lost? I've seen you stalking about, little boy. What are you looking for?"

"Nothing, nothing!" He lied. "Or...maybe i'm looking for a fair maiden to sweep me off my feet, hold me close, whisper sweet nothings into my ear, and protect me from the harsh elements of this peculiar world?"

"I'll take care of him!" The black haired woman suddenly shouted, having switched to a short and tight red dress. "Don't worry, and start getting ready! You won't have to entertain this one tonight."

The woman quickly stepped forward, gently but firmly pushing Joey from the room and closing the door while the maid turned her attentions to the girl from before. "Whew...if you hadn't had me there, you would be getting the fine end of a broom! I'm going to guess you are crazy."

"I prefer the word "eccentric", m'lady." Joey quaintly replied.

"No, Lord Edgar is 'eccentric'. Even he knows when to leave a room, especially after being slapped. Are you actually interested in something, or just jealous of your friends?" The woman replied, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms. Joey had a chuckle at the query. She could read the poor boy like a mediocre mystery novel. "Ahh, little of column A, little of column B. I would've kept to myself during my little tour through this castle, until I found out that I wasn't alone. And I've always been a bit of a people person." He closed the gap between himself and the woman. "You sound like you know what i'm after, maybe you could be my escort for the evening, Miss...?"

"Ms Rosa, if it pleases you. I guess I'll just call you a troublemaker for now, since you don't believe in introductions first." Rosa replied with a wry smile. "And what would you happen to need an escort like me for? I don't have quite the wings that the others do, in case your eyes stopped working."

 

[Mr. Omega]

Drew took a moment to admire the more lively halls as they walked down, keeping close to his companion. However, he noticed a few new ladies taking looks at the two of them. Did I do something? What's up with them? He then noticed Alice had sped up, and he walked up to her. "Hey, is something wrong?" He didn't get an answer, the room instead going pitch black, and he walked right into her. "Oof! Uh, sorry about that..." He took a step back to what he assumed was a good distance. Can't see my hand in front of my own face here...

The pair continued to walk forward, and Alice spoke about her wings, and requested light. "Look, stop apologizing. You didn't do anything. As for light... uh... I haven't tried this before, but I think I can manage something." He took a moment to concentrate, letting electricity arc from his hands, flowing from one side to the other, a current occasionally running up his hairs. It wasn't the brightest light, and it was taking a lot more focus to maintain this, but they could at least see. He was now keeping his hands together to let the current circuit around more easily.

"I don't know much about what those folks had to do. Something about taking a trial. Certainly does sound odd." He was speaking a lot slower as they walked, but stopped when they saw another orb in front of them, in the center of a large, open room. "Hold that thought..." he quickly discharged his power to the orb, letting it power up. Like the last one, this one seemed to try and siphon a little more power out of him than he was using. A few seconds later, the room lit up, and Drew hunched over, a bit dizzy.

"Sorry. Still kinda new to this. But I think I got the hang of it." he smiled, now getting up and looking at her. "And yeah. The wings are nice. I kinda prefer yours, though. I could go without the feathers." Her comments reminded him of his Air magic, and he let out a somber sigh. "Used to be able to fly without wings. It was certainly something..." He realized he might be putting a damper on things and asked what was on his mind. "Uh... anyway. Feeling a bit lightheaded after that. Mind if we go somewhere I can rest for bit?" Some food would also be nice...

 

[blaze96]

"I have not had time to partake or truly relax. Always something to do, someone to help, something to understand that I needed to. Not much time for anything else." He replied as he took the offered food and laid back. In the back of his mind he knew that this probably wasn't a good idea but for once he felt incredibly relaxed and so he let the thought go. His hand once again coming to rest on jade's thigh while the other had ended up under her hip as they had laid back, but this time he made no move to remove either of them.

"What do you plan on doing exactly?" He asked as he ate more food as it was offered to him.

 

[Lambi]

"You're welcome." Silvana said to the boy of light, giving him a wave as he left. The goals I need, not just ones I seek? What does he mean by that? Maybe I'll find out in due time. She watched as the spirits left with the boy, and Seth spoke to her.

"Hey Silvana, nice work....with whatever it is you just pulled off!"

"Thanks. I guess. I just did what I could to help." She didn't have much more to say after that, watching after the spirits. Until one of the mages from the other group came. Cale, it seems was the one approaching them. He and Seth started talking, and not too long after that, they started to head back to the city. Silvana rubbed her eyes, a habit she was quickly starting to adopt after the trials due to the shadows she saw around everyone. She kept herself at the back of the small group, with a small distance from the others.

 

[Pm0n3y]

"Oh, heh, where are my manners?" He took a bit of a step back, and gave her his most elegant bow. "I'm Horatio. Horatio Dunst." He stood straight, showing a warming smile. "And, if it makes you feel any better, I like to keep myself grounded. Not really a fan of the wings." He added with a shrug. "So, is everyone here a vampire, or is it just Lord Edgar? Like, are you gonna lead me to somewhere secluded, and try to suck my blood?" He pondered on that situation, one of his eyebrows raising at such a potential outcome. "...I think i'd be okay with that." He said with a chuckle.

Rosa gave a small laugh, but it was dripping with sarcasm. She returned the bow with her own, raising with a finger waving. "Vampire? You think that is what we are? I'm a little offended, actually." Rosa replied, baring her own teeth which were actually normal. "And I get the feeling you greatly underestimate what I could do to you other than suck your blood. Course, I don't think you are that lucky, Mr. Horatio Dunst." Joey also laughed, but more out of disappointment than sarcasm.

"Rosa, please, I've been cursed with unluck since birth. I don't think there's ever been a day I lived where something actually went right." He scoffed. "If I were lucky, i'd wouldn't of been stranded in this interesting world for close to half a year." He shrugged again, this time with a sigh. "...But c'est la vie, or whatever, right? I'm still alive, I guess." He broke eye contact in that moment, and briefly considered just continuing on his own. But, he realized he still had some questions to ask. "By the way, is something happening later on? What, with that one girl dressing so elegantly, and you as well. You guys gonna have a party or something? Some sort of get together? Shindig? Hoedown? Hootenanny?" He asked.

 

[UnusualStranger]

"Something wrong? I imagine doing this a few times will get...tiring." Alice said, grinning wide as Drew complimented her wings. However, when there was a mention of flying without wings, Alice seemed to have a small amount of interest in such things.

"Flying without wings? Sounds like...well, gliding to be honest. That was an interesting way of using that power though. I can see why the good Lord Edgar had me assist you in this. But, if you are finished with the orbs for now, then I guess it would be best for you to get back to your room...This way." Alice said, once again grabbing Drew's hand to lead him onward.

"So, is there something in particular you prefer as a meal? Or perhaps a particular set of plans you have for your stay? I would like to think that you have a plan when going forward with this..." Almost on cue, the castle again gave a low rumble, as more devices through the castle activated, more things coming to bear, more troops being awakened, and more sections of the castle being well lit.

As Drew and Alice came from the hallway, they arrived upon the room being far less crowded with the women who had been there before having left, and only a few troops still lingering inside. Alice audibly sighed, and continued onward. Alice seemed slightly pleased with the additional lights being on, more troops being awakened, and things seemingly being much more active this time around.

"Quite the events going on this day. Its going to be fun, I just know it! Don't you agree, Lord Drew?"

[hr]

"Well, you seem to be pretty available..." Jade whispered, giving a small tug to the robes that Alexander wore. "This is a bit of a problem. Maybe we should do something about this because its likely going to get very hot...and it wouldn't be good to add to it with this. Unless of course you would like to take everything else off?"

Jade traced a finger along Alexander's chest, pausing every so often to seemingly just draw attention to the action. Though, Jade wasn't willing to apparently wait too long, and shifted herself to practically be laying half on top of Alexander.

"C'mon, Lord Alexander, a nice little kiss to just get started. Then we can get you moving from there, OK?"

[hr]
[hr]

As they walked onward, Silvana found herself being approached by several of the shadows. While none seemed to intend harm, a pair in particular seemed a bit more alive than the others. Those seemed to be Raven's and Seth's, which both seemed to be interested in Silvana personally, which her shadow seemed to take some particular caution towards. However, the caution seemed to do little to dissuade the two more particular shadows.

Almost unbidden, Silvana suddenly heard a conversation enter her head, something which was out of place, and oddly enough seemed to be towards her specifically.

"...You see? Too much to be found, not enough that is useful. A price far too high." Seth's voice muttered through her head, only to be answered with Raven's.

"She can be helped, maybe. Should we? I don't think we should. Her mistake, her flaw." Raven's voice replied, looking over Silvana as they walked. It seemed that Seth had a look of askance towards Silvana, wanting an answer to a question that she either missed, or had not heard.

[hr]
[hr]

"If unluck is surviving for a long time in a castle and world which is not yours, I can only imagine what good luck would be in your case." Rosa said, shaking her head as Horatio continued his attempts at finding information about what was going on, which she already halfway knew what his particular plans were going to be.

"And what is your rush, exactly? Do you plan on heading out now that you have to deal with some form of competition? I can see why you might consider it bad luck now that you are here. But as for the festivities...well, if you want to find out, then I guess you are just going to have to stick around, arn't you? And you make it sound as if we never dress elegantly here, which I can say is still doing nothing for your manners, even after you told me your name, MR. Horatio Dunst."

As the pair waited in the hall, a pair of soldiers of stone wandered past, which Rosa smirked at Joey as they passed by. "Guessing you never noticed them huh? So whats your plan now, my unlucky wanderer? Run around to pick up something else?"

[hr]
[hr]

Meanwhile, on the outside of town...

A gathering of troops had wandered up the hillside, with a few birds circling overhead as they seemed to survey the city. They noted the travelling of spirits that were making their way through the town, along with some note of another group of individuals making their way from the lake. With a quick gesture, one of the figures sent some centaurs out to meet with the odd group that was near the lake, and then proceeded towards the castle itself. Those who might look outside the castle from some vantage would now see a gathering of force outside, seemingly planning to be on the assault shortly, if the weapons and campfires being prepared were any indicator.

 

[blaze96]

Alexander at this point didn't even have a voice telling him to stop. Had he been in his right mind he would realize he should probably stop this considering it was somebody he didn't even know, but now he wanted nothing more than for this to go forward. He removed the robes leaving him bare chested in front of Jade and he leaned up and without a bit of hesitation kissed her and rolled them over.

"Hardly fair that you are the one doing all the work, and that I'm the only one who happens to be losing clothing. You have my full attention now, the question is what to do with this?" With that he kissed her neck. Even though he had never known the pleasures of the flesh up to this point didn't mean he had somehow never been a hormonal teenager. He'd read plenty of writings on romance, love, and pleasure and he had always been a good student.

 

[Lambi]

It was certainly odd how the shadows approached her, but even stranger were the voices that started talking in her head. Silvana wasn't sure what exactly to think about them. A price far too high? Her mistake, her flaw? Were they talking about me and the price I had to pay to get my shadow? "W-wait, you can help me?" She wasn't sure who she was asking, but if there was a way for her to not see all these shadows, she'd gladly take it. She'd still want to see her own shadow, and if the others had a similar shadow, she wouldn't mind that. But there were too many shadows, and as much as she liked darkness, it was just too much. She noticed the look on Seth's face, and wasn't sure exactly what to say to him, so she kept quiet.

 

[Pm0n3y]

"Huh." Rosa's words gave Joey a bit to ponder about. "And what is your rush, exactly?" He wanted to verbally note that she was the second person to ask such a question, but instead he thought on it. Other than just not being in this particular dimension, there wasn't much else in terms of motivation for the rogue Earthshaper. He was certain no one in his primary dimension missed him, or expected him to return, or even knew who he was. And the more he thought on it, the more he realized that he didn't really have much of a reason to leave. And then she played coy in the answer to his question, which made him chuckle at the runaround. "Geez, doesn't seem like anyone knows how to give straight answers around here."

"And you make it sound as if we never dress elegantly here," "Well, I've only been here a few days, and today's my first day at seeing this place's residents. Looks like i'm not the only one making baseless assumptions." He decided to interject verbally. "Well I hope you wouldn't dress like that everyday! I mean, it just doesn't seem like that would be a very comfortable way of living, y'know?" He replied in a tone of playful concern. "This would be the part where I would say something like 'maybe I could help you get comfortable' or 'the only dress i'd like you in is your birthday suit', but those wouldn't work."

Once the second set of stone soldiers stomped past, Rosa smiled again. "Guessing you never noticed them huh?" Joey smiled back. "Nope, kinda hard to miss the giant stone golems moving about...makes me wonder if I could ever get to a point where I could control stone formations of that size...But, some people find it disrespectful when you don't give them your complete attention." "So whats your plan now, my unlucky wanderer?" She asked. "Well, I was gonna do what I do best and wander about a bit more...but you sound like you actually want me to stick around. Why? Do you have something in mind?" He asked back.

 

[Mr.Ivebeenframed]

"Cause if thats it, you've been in the city far too long."

"The man has a literal taste for blood." Cale whispered tentatively. "I don't know about you but I don't exactly trust those who have a yearning for such a thing. It only smells like trouble in the end."

Cale lead the group back but on the way he could feel some other group make their way to them. He could feel their movements through the earth and he didn't even have to focus all that hard. He wondered if they were being followed. Cale looked to Seth once more, this time preparing himself in case the worst was coming their way.

"There's another group coming." Cale said to Seth. "Were you followed?"

 

[Mr. Omega]

Drew let Alice lead him by the hand, looking around the grounds and seeing the troops walk around. After taking a second to admire his handiwork, he spoke to Alice. "It was more like floating, but that's not important. Just get me whatever you think would be good to eat."

They arrived at the hallway, and Drew noticed her sigh again, but kept his mouth shut. "Not sure what the plan is. I'm just waiting for Cale and the others to get back. That should be fun."

"...Should be fun? Are you expecting something in particular?" Alice asked as she continued to lead Drew down another hall in particular, this one having quite the variety of smells coming from it. "Of course, I do hope that you enjoy the festivities that we are going to have. We always try to enjoy ourselves a bit before, just in case the fight doesn't go well."

As Alice continued to tug on Drew, another woman seemed to almost try and intercept them carrying a plate with a cover. Alice seemed to have anticipated it, and stopped just a step short of pushing into the woman, bringing their brisk pace to a halt.

"Eliza." Alice said curtly, obviously not pleased with the close call. The woman who they had approached, golden blonde haired, paused and opened her mouth to say something in response before noting Drew.

"....OH! Uhm....Sorry, Miss Alice. Just want things..."

"Prepared. Yes, could you please get a small snack plate ready for Lord Drew? He is quite exhausted from all that he has done and that you are likely already taking advantage of." Alice cut her off sharply, and Eliza nodded and almost seemed to flee down the hall. "...Sorry about that. Some girls don't seem to realize how things works sometimes. Now...Uhm, Cale, you said? Who is he?"

Drew zoned out and took a moment to take in the scents before they were interrupted. He saw Eliza was about to say something before noticing him, and then ran off "The hell was that? Seemed rude..." "Uhm...Sorry, I forgot that you don't know the girls. Some of them are a little more...spirited than they should be. Don't worry, it won't happen again." Alice said with a smile before a bit more slowly began to lead Drew down the hall. He didn't linger on that thought once he actually remembered what Alice had said. "Wait. Back up a second. Fight? What fight?"

"The fight? Oh, its just a good thing that happens every so often. Keeps the city interesting, that's for sure. Though, I'm wondering how it will go this time around. Especially since you've been helping out so much! It'll be exciting to see what Lord Edgar can do this time. I can only imagine what he'll offer once the fight is all done."

As the two walked, they came to what could only be described as a great hall, with many stone soldiers all in the room. Also inside were a few spirits that had seemed to join in. Some made of more earthly rocks, others of shadows and lights.

Looking at the stone soldiers, Drew thought out loud "Geez. Who's stupid enough to try and fight that?" A couple spirits flew around the pair, making him jump. "This stuff happens regularly? Without me activating those orbs? The hell is that like?" I gotta admit, I can hardly see Edgar as a defender. But looks can be misleading...

"It happens...actually quite often, thinking about it. More recently, things have been strange, which I guess has just added to the excitemet! Last few times have been getting closer, but I'm expecting great things..." Alice began, leading Drew notably past a lot of the spirits and soldiers to one of the frontmost tables. "Its actually not that exciting. Lots of spirits, a few notable guests, and a few generals come in....But you still didn't let me know who Cale was. Are there a lot like you? Do they....do that thing that you do?"

Drew spoke quickly to respond this time "Oh yeah. Cale is... an ally of mine. Good guy. Doesn't talk to me that much. Very reliable in a pinch. He left to go get my other companions. There aren't a lot of us in this world, but we can do things. Seth can use fire, Raven controls shadows, Cale uses the ground, and so on. Still, nobody has the ability I have. Hell, nobody in my own world is able to use lightning naturally."

"Oh....So you were....created, right? I've seen Lord Edgar try that, to create. It looks very....difficult." Alice inquired. Drew wasn't quite sure how to react to that. "Created? No! I was born like everyone else in my world!"

However, she suddenly stopped at the mention of using fire. "Fire? You mean someone is using the darkest of powers? Is he dangerous? Bloodthirsty? Does he go about destroying all about him? Why would you travel with that? Isn't it a problem?" Questions seemed to suddenly come from the girl, just as Eliza walked over with the small plate hearing the word of fire. The woman sat down on the spot, and Alice didn't even seem to notice as she went even further. "Control shadows? As in...the spirits here? They must have an impressive army indeed...perhaps they would join in the fight? I just KNEW you would be bringing so many great things!"

He was startled by Alice's sudden barrage of questions. "Darkest power? Not at all! Seth's... well, ok, he's a little odd at times, and quick to action, but he's not bloodthirsty! It's no problem at all!" he took a seat to try and keep up with her. "And as for the shadows... I don't know if they could control the spirits. We never tried. And we don't have an army! And we're not joining the fight!"

He took a moment to consider everyone involved, then spoke up again "...probably. You'll have to ask them when they get here. They have no idea what's going on."

 

[UnusualStranger]

"Mm, a good boy, Lord Alexander." Jade said as Alexander rolled them over. After laying there for a small moment, she wrapped her arms and wings around Alexander, increasing the warmth between the pair, and also allowing her hands to drift downwards towards the last bits of clothing that Alexander had on at this point.

"I think you're well read enough to where to go next, my Lord Alexander. I think we might get along great together...so how about instead of thinking, we get to doing things, hmm?" Jade whispered, giving a few small tugs as she spoke. "Or do you have a few more tricks? Because I think I might be getting a bit hot myself...so maybe you could help me while I help you? And then we can turn this into something...better."

Jade's breath was coming in deeper, obviously enjoying having Alexander close. She pushed him back off her neck just slightly so she could this time give him a kiss of her own. "Ready...when you are...my Lord."

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"Yes, shadows are many. Many souls that you see and know, but none complete. None ready. The eyes can find them, but they are useless. Crowded. Worthless. Seth's Shadow seemed to echo, glancing about for a moment before returning his gaze to Silvana, which the Shadow Raven did not appreciate.

"Her mistake is costly. Interference even more. Assisting will be dangerous. What would it solve?" Raven's shadow asked, keeping her gaze locked firmly on Seth. At that, the shadow offered a hand to Silvana.

"The trade is simple. The shadows are all we require. We win, you win. Give us the shadows, and your sight will clear. We will be made more....whole, and you will be made more...clear. Is the deal fine?" Seth's shadow offered his hand, and Raven's shadow next to him offered hers on top of his, slightly as a sign of protection, but also apparently going with what the shadow Seth was planning.

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"Oh, I do have something in mind, my good mischief maker. I think you want me to guide you around, don't you? No need to be shy, because I know how scary it can be with the Lord Edgar and miss 'headmistress' herself." Rosa teased, stepping forward a bit more invitingly, and offering an arm.

"Well, c'mon now. No need to sit there and be so shy. I've heard that you will be sitting at a fine spot at the feast today before the fight, and that is always nice to see. Supposedly the drinks at that table are the best, but I don't think I believe that." Rosa said, obviously entertained by Joey's reactions.

"And I would like to think that this is quite comfortable. Of course, there are other kinds of things that tend to be comfortable, but I would think those are much too high class for yourself. Imagine you never went to a dance before either, my mischief maker. Such a shame, as I imagine that the pair that got taken by a...selective pair of ladies could dance." Rosa continued with a small smirk, doing a small spin.

"While I'm sure you won't be quite as interesting as them, I would like to hear if you have anything to offer. Maybe I can find something that Lord Edgar was wrong about!"

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"....OK, that sounds a tiny bit more serious. Guessing you saw him...drink some?" Seth asked, before shrugging it off. "Nevermind. Guy's a goddamned bloodthirsty monster. Any idea's what we'll be dealing with in the meantime? Any surprises in the castle? And do we have good rooms, or is the place rat infested too?"

While the idle chat happened though, Seth noted that Cale tensed up slightly, and then asked about him and the others being followed, which didn't help the situation.

"Followed? I don't think so. What you feel? Armed group or something? Just...great." Seth muttered, slowing a small bit so Silvana, Raven, and Fei could all catch up.

"Hey, we apparently are going to be having some...other things join us. Be ready, I'd rather not end up with...more gargoyles."

As the group got close to the town, and much closer to the castle, the guests that Cale had felt from before stepped into view....well, one of them did. A centaur, well armed and armored stepped through the streets behind them. Some distance away, but that did little to hide the armor, spear, and bow that he wore. It was a deception, as there were others still lurking about among the ruined buildings, but the one that did present himself showed no fear.

As they approached the castle, from when Cale had initially approached it before it seemed a lot more manned, a lot more active, and with stone guards at the front gates. There were even some lights on in the main courtyard.

"...Place seems pretty lively. How many...well, are already here?"

The soldiers didn't seem to intend to block their path, nor did they seem to mind the odd cat that was sitting on one of their shoulders. There were also a variety of women making their way around the castle grounds. One was a fox tailed individual, tending to some of the flowers nearby, while another with rather small wings to go with some small black horns was tending to a few of the cats in the area.

Some of the cats that had been tended to seemed to notice the new visitors, and wasted no time making their way to curiously look them over and wander around them.

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"You....have very interesting companions, Lord Drew. Though, I must let you know that fire throwing is....not an acceptable thing to show. You should let him know, as many would see him taken care of for being so dangerous." Alice whispered, obviously intending it to be a personal warning to Drew. "And I would rather not see such a helpful individual like yourself get in trouble because of....that." After the explanation, Alice seemed to quickly realize Eliza was just sitting there and spun towards the girl.

"Not. A. Word." Alice instructed, and Eliza got the message and nodded, standing and quickly making her way away again. As she proceeded away, a large Centaur entered the room. With a large green cloak covering most of his black horselike body, he seemed to be almost dressed as some kind of royalty. The human like body was wearing a sort of stylized armor, with intricate designs and curves worked into it.

Many of the stone knights made extra room for the slightly larger size, while the centaur surveyed the room. His eyes eventually settled on Drew and Alice, which with his dark blue eyes he seemed to weigh their appearance. As he did so, Alice leaned in close to whisper even more quietly than before.

"Lord Kane. Leader, warrior, and 'friend' of Lord Edgar. Be careful with him as well." Alice said, keeping a little closer as well to Drew to talk. "If you want, I can stay close and advise. Lord Edgar...anticipated this."

 

[Lambi]

It seemed kind of suspicious to Silvana. Could she really trust what they were saying? It seemed simple. Too simple, in fact. However, if she kept the shadow she got from the trials, she didn't mind it too much. She was still a bit careful about it as she shook their hands. "You're only taking the excessive shadows, right? Not the 'main' ones we have. Because I don't want to lose her." she said after the hand shake, pointing to her shadow, who still seemed cautious of the other two shadows.