Everglow: Interlude

[Dalazar Denkou]

His plea was met with no reply. He expected as much biting down on his lip in frustration. Frustration that was pointed at no one but himself. To let himself be caught off guard like this. So enamored with the unexpected hospitality he was met with here his guard was completely down. His childlike and even credulous way of being could have led to the end of his life were the aim of the ones who spiked their drinks truly malicious.

“Just do me a favor and take a nap, yeah? I got a job to do, so it’s nothing personal.”

The receptionist stepped over Veronica and Bo and laughed her way up to the next flight toward Lana and the glass-bound Zero Venkage at her hip.

Nothing personal she says as she walks over them like a giant among ants. Her words stung Bo's pride like a wasp. Gritting his teeth in irritation his ego refused to allow him to collapse. Especially not with Veronica now completely out cold. What was bubbling in the pits of Bo's being was a feeling he was not too accustomed to.

Anger

Just as Veronica's body went limp he thought about this journey from its start till now. How he had staked everything on coming here risking more than just his pride. He risked his very life to get here and this was how it was going to end?

"The Emerald Ocean is a double entendre, it has two meanings. The one I just shared is the general knowledge. The other half is something that only one fated to walk the path of a true king can understand. Being king means shouldering the grief of your entire nation. Not just their grief, but their dreams, hopes, goals ambitions. Their fears and their anxieties. The title "Emerald Ocean" speaks also to the insurmountable weight that rests on the king's shoulders. Being a King let alone the Emerald King means more than just wielding power my son. To be a true king means to be an impeccable listener."

Their pain, their grief.

The light magic was rapidly becoming more effective as his mind briefly pondered the points of this adventure that had strengthened his conviction and granted him the courage when doubt tried to snatch his resolve. He had come so far traveled leagues from his home escaping the tyrannical hand of his brother to discover the origins of his birthright. All in so he could return home and liberate his people and his family. Was he going to fall here? Was this truly the extent of his resolve?

Their dreams...their hopes

"Oh Zero... didn't you hear me?"

He said as his index and middle fingers on his right hand began to radiate a soft green hue before a sharp snapping sound would be heard. This action activated a sigil of Bo's Shirt that caused it to dissipate into nothing revealing his bare torso. His body was quite defined and toned. Bo' had spent years honing his vessel into the perfect container for his inheritance. His standing as one of the purest Denkou blood duty bound him to train vehemently in the pursuit of mastering his physical so that he might one day master his magic just the same, Upon his body would be seen several runic tattoos. The Emerald Serpent, The Crimson Ant, The Ebon Bear, and the Sapphire Mantis. Each represents one of the Four glorious Houses of Denkou which have governed the precarious nature of lightning magic through several millennia. It was this his pride, for them his joy he stood here today. He would face toward the pseudo gateway to hell. He would inhale deeply, closing his eyes for but a second before exhaling and staring into the searing abyss.

"I...will not die..."

His tone was solid. Unshakable. A mere moments later and Bo would begin gathering his naten. His frame began to radiate a beryl hue as his eyes shimmered with a subtle blue flare.

"I..."

He heard the voice of the receptionist count down from 7-5 faintly he could hear Lana's voice. Her annoyed tone reminded him of someone else he knew with quite a temper. He could also hear the voice of a man but it was faint.

"B-but I am very good at helping people. I like to read and learn and heal so I know there is always something that I can do to make life easier in the kingdom. Mom, grandad, Evant, and Auntie Eme all said they believed in me too. So long as I have that...people who believe in me, father."

For the faintest moment, a slight green flare ignited in Dazuma's eyes

"I will not fail, I can also be king!"

Dracovi's eyes watered slightly overwhelmed with emotions at his son's dedication and bravery. He noticed the faint trace of magic and knew now there could be no doubt. His face and voice were filled with pride

"I believe in you my little Bo. Future Emerald King, the basin of the Emerald Ocean"

" Th..that's..right"

Bo would say as he laid Veronica down choosing not to take her up the stairs with him after all. He just might be putting her in harm's way. Instead, he held her hand. From his hand to hers the light of his magic would swirl and trace along hers manifesting a glyph. This was a protective ward that would create a small borg around her shielding her. That festering frustration went from a brisk gale to a spirited squall igniting his resolve sending his convictions into a crackling storm of determination. This vigor and the power of his healing spell gave him the strength to muster through the drowsiness he was feeling. It would not be besmirched here.

The honor of the name Denkou

Lana it's Bo listen just trust me right now, please. Close your eyes and if you are next to Zero, shield his!

He didn't have time to apologize for abruptly entering her mind. He'd beg for her forgiveness later. He reached just before the top of the stairs. They were closing in on her.

Within the palm of his left hand, a marble-sized sphere of emerald naten would come to be.

Lucio

The name of his scarf, an enchanted item created by Gamallow over 200 years ago and gifted to his grandmother the then-first seat of the Flonne House. Handed down to her daughter the now Queen Onohall; Bo's mother. The scarf is a product of "weaving" an ancient Denkou art that lets them treat stone like thread. Further enchanted by his mother's light magic, Bo can use naten to manipulate not only the density and shape of his scarf but treating it as an extension of himself letting him manipulate it whether it's on his person or not.

"1"

Bo said as he fired off the marble toward the middle of the enclosure. Right after it would explode releasing a mind-boggling array of disorienting lights that would hopefully temporarily blind their pursuers. If only for a few seconds. By the time the flare would end, Bo would be seen standing on his own two feet slightly leaning on the wall no longer nearly as haggard as he was earlier. His scarf though wasn't around his neck. Instead from behind VNYM would feel a tap on her shoulders. Should she turn to face it or not she would be met with a large emerald blanket-looking cloth that aimed to wrap itself around her like a python would its prey with an equal force which could prove troublesome for her. With durability like a diamond, she would find it hard to resist.

"Lana, are you alright?"

He took a breath as he gained his balance and stopped using the wall for support. The healing magic was doing its job though not as fast as he would have hoped.

[Fate II]

Lana’s mind was infiltrated by Bo’s voice and the only thing she could do was cover her eyes like he said. Team work makes the dream work and they were in a very bad way at that exact moment.

Hearing the countdown completed by another guest coming up the stairs, HNTR donned a defensive stance while the bony tendril slipping from his sleeve quickly coiled around and up his body, encircling his face underneath the hood in a bandage like layer of bone. The bony creature swirled around and under the hood staring directly into the flash of light, hiding his eyes from the blinding rays.

“I prefer it this way anyway.”

“GAH!”

While HNTR raised his hand toward the pair of interlopers, Bo’s scarf ripped a frustrated yelp from VNYM’s bound face. She scrambled to remove whatever vengeful cloth it was that interrupted her countdown and pulled her back down the stairs. She screamed muffled expletives and turned wildly, waving the karambit in her hand wildly. She pulled with her free hand and stepped blindly down some of the steps slashing at where she thought Bo was, slinging a corrosive fluid from the tip of the blade It cut deep, scorching marks into the walls and banisters. Lana grabbed Bo by the shirt, pulling him out of range of VNYM’s frustrated flailing, but not without using her body to guard him from one slash that threatened to scorch off his sleepy little head. The corrosive fluid lashed her back, disintegrating the clothing, skin, and sinew on her back in a strong arc . She withstood the burning solution without a wince, just pulling Bo photo her shoulders in a fireman’s carry and turning to face the deadly duo.

“Vapid Python,” HNTR said as Lana pulled Bo onto her shoulder , sending the bony snake from underneath his hood to strike at Lana and Bo with a wide mouthed hissing strike, growing in size and length as if it could stretch and grow forever. It’s fangs dripped with their own seething venom, burning holes in the floor as it whipped towards her. Lana turned to the striking serpent and lifted her free arm in defense, letting the snake chomp down on her forearm and get a good grip on her. She couldn’t remember exactly what to look out for, but poison was definitely on the docket from the predatory pair. Lana just smiled, skin melting from her forearm into a gooey pool beneath her. From inside the bottle, Zero could only watch as Lana’s body was lashed and melted away while she carried two full humans, albeit one very small and easy to carry. Even met with this daunting trial, she seemed to be smiling, almost reveling in the wake of her flesh dissolving.

“Stupid fucking snake,” she grunted, putting all her weight into a gargantuan pull to rip HNTR from the hallway into the body of his cloth wrapped compatriot, still fumbling with the karambit, trying to slice through the diamond strength sash with the seething blade. Their bodies collided with a thunderous boom, sending the both of them into a crater in the sandstone wall on the landing beneath them. Her gargantuan strength made a forceful vacuum out of the empty hallway, pulling a layer of sand from the walls, ripping the doors to the rooms flying open into the hall, unfurling the carpet like the snap of a rubber band. All that force sent HNTR and VYNM splatting into the wall like a wrecking ball, complete with the falling rubble and resounding boom that shook the foundation of the lodge, crackling the ceiling of each of the floors below.

“Thanks for the heads up, can you walk?,” she asked Bo, sinew still spilling from her bones and back. She hadn’t skipped a beat or winced at all, but was definitely nervous about what awaited them downstairs. But with their cover blown and more than their fair share of trouble possibly waiting for them somewhere else in the establishment, they had no time to explore their options from the top floor. “We need to go like 15 seconds ago.”

[Dalazar Denkou]

Ngh!”

Though the magic of his healing spell was readily working on him his movements were still a bit sluggish. A testament to the potency of VNYM’s toxin. Denkou are able to simply metabolize weak poisons but hers was giving his magic a run for its money. Luckily for him Lana was able to yank him out the way. But what of Veronica?

WHABLAM!

Was the sound of Lana’s mighty display of raw power as she slammed one snake into the other. When Bo first laid eyes on her he could tell she had a strong person I he never imagined she held this kind of physical power behind that frigid gaze of hers. A display so filled with fury it tore the carpet from the floors and sand from the walls.

“Thanks for the heads up, can you walk?,” she asked Bo, sinew still spilling from her bones and back. She hadn’t skipped a beat or winced at all, but was definitely nervous about what awaited them downstairs.

Her skin was practically pooling on the ground before them but here she was concerned for him? Shrugging off her wounds. Wounds she might not have received had Bo been more careful about his intervention. She wouldn’t even been in this predicament of only he wasn’t so damn weak. Even now after all this others were still suffering for his inadequacies.. his anger contained to fester he frustration with himself grew. To answer her though Bo was indeed able to walk. The remnants of the poi son at this point were just about filtered out soon to be an afterthought.

“Me?! What about you? At least let me… damn, Vernoinca!”

He said as he helped himself down. He had placed her on the stairs hoping to keeping her safe from whatever danger he was about to encounter coming up the stairs. He placed a protective ward over her to keep her from being harmed so long as the enchantment magic stayed active.

Snap

He snapped his fingers having his scarf releasing the hopefully stunned VNYM. The scarf accosted Veronica scooting beneath the sleeping beaut and lifting her body hovering it to where Lana and Bo were.

“We need to go like 15 seconds ago.”

“I’m with you when your right. We need to get somewhere safe, then I can take care of that wound for you.”

Bo was ready to get a move on. By her lead

[Fate II]

The thundering boom rattled every floor of the lodge, dimming lights on the first floor, knocking stones loose from the ceiling in the luxurious lobby below. David's heart sunk even lower into the pool, knowing full well that this could only mean disaster for him. The Gemini Triplets didn't miss a beat, and were still rough housing in the corner with one another, but the Arceneauxs gaze was locked dead on David. Mr. and Mrs. both canoodled with one another, giggling and necking one another with no care in the world other than David staying right put. The rest of the patrons were terrified. Their eyes darted back and forth looking for some kind of answer while the staff began scrambling to make sense of the ruckus, moving through the crowded and now bustling lobby to make sure their patrons weren't going to hurt themselves or anyone else. Little did they know what unfolded upstairs was already on its way down to meet them when HNTR and VNYM were able to pull themselves from the crater Lana left them in.

With Bo in tow and Veronica on her own airlift right behind them, Lana bolted down the stairs with her scorched skin clothing flapping off her arm and back like tissue paper.

"It's nothing but a flesh wound. We need to get David and get out of here." Lana pretty much skated down the stairs her steps were so rapid, the first floor approached within seconds and she could hear the troubled murmurs of the patrons as they were also evacuating their rooms from the upper floors, most of them already unnerved and unlocking previously unheard of levels of shock seeing a woman carrying a whole person with massive, fresh scarring adorning her body. Lana paid them no mind, pushing through the crowd and sliding to a stop in the lobby, frantically looking for David in the midst of the chaos. With a cursory glance, she gave up looking and he couldn't see her disembark the stairs while everyone panicked and the Arceneauxs remained eerily calm. But Lana wasn't one for extended periods of uncertainty, so she took a deep breath and let loose her and David's last resort.

"Estamos abiertos!," she belted as loud as she could above the worried murmurs and screams as the lobby filled with fear. Once it hit David's ears, his worry transmuted itself into resolve, and their escape was underway.

"Copy," he said mostly to himself as the Arceneauxs watched the shift in his focus from between the fluttering bodies between their field of vision and David's semi-private bath. He rose from his bath with a hand still submerged and the water started to bubble and swirl around his wrist. In a similar polished movement, the Arcenauxs stood from their seats and kicked over their table. They disappeared behind it and a flurry of small black orbs emerged from it and moved to fill the airspace between them, David, and Lana above the frenzied patrons. David's hand launched out of the bath and the water cascaded from the pool into the gunmetal peppered air, engulfing as much of the cloud of gray orbs as he could in a watery prison. From the bottom of the stairs, Lana watched the pair of forces meet in the lobby airspace and knew they were in the worst possible version of this situation, full blown hunt for Zero's head in the middle of a civilian space.

"BO, we need cover!" she screamed as she stepped into the fray and started making her way through the panicked crowd beneath the persistent, muffled rattling of what could be hundreds of thousands of rounds of high powered gunfire pelting the bubble David cast just in time to keep the carnage from befalling the innocent guests of the lodge. The shimmering water of these natural springs lit up like fireworks as the Arceneauxs' Rahk City Tech unfurled what seemed to be endless clips of gunfire on the inside of David's protective bubble. His forte was specialized suppression, one of the key reasons Fenri sent him on this mission knowing the kind of resistance they might come up against in retrieving the wily Speed Demon. He designed the bottle that detained Zero himself with the help of Azul, making it one of the few items that could keep Zero from disappearing. Even without his clothing or tools, David was a world class craftsman and a trained Tinjutsu practitioner with decades under his belt, not one to be counted out, even butt naked in a crisis. The Art of Service made him a force to be reckoned with, and the people of Uran would thank Diamond Dust for their service here later.

"Three top hasn't been greeted!" David yelled to Lana, hoping she could hear him over the screams and rattling gunfire. Lana just barely heard 'Table 3,' and it was all she needed to know to keep her head on a swivel. Wherever those three who hadn't been greeted were, she only had so much focus to divide in the chaos. Lana tried to dash straight through, hoping Veronica could be brought with, but she wasn't a priority on Diamond Dust's list. David lost sight of the The Gemini Triplets and had to leave them to Lana, Bo and Veronica, if Veronica could even be useful in combat. Lana made a call and barreled under the cover of fire towards the door.

"BO!"

[Zero Venkage]

"Is that the Arcenauxs? What are they doing here?!"

Zero could only watch from the inside of his clear, ornately designed bottle as chaos unfolded in front of him, because of him. It was sobering, he got to see first hand the consequences of his actions affecting real people with nothing to do with him. The Arcenauxs ran Rahk City like a tight business, and only stepped out themselves when they couldn't trust their CEOs to get the job done. It made sense, Zero outpaced every CEO of NauxCorp after he stole their prototype buster rifle years ago. His naivety led him to believe returning the broken pieces would make up for the staff he injured or the damage he did to their headquarters, but his bottomless optimism made him believe they were even. Lana must have really been pressed to get them involved, but how could she trust a tech conglomerate with the Waves of Horus? She must have been paying a pretty penny to even consult with them, let alone invite the owners here personally. Perhaps she failed to understand the kind of reach they had or the sordid history that followed them. NauxCorp funded some very deadly operations on the Muu continent and controlled a large swath of the Saltwater Sea with an iron, technological grip, something he felt guilty for passively inviting to their doorstep in the wake of his own treachery.

He could only add it to the list of reparations he needed to issue to make up for his long history of reckless abandon.

[Dalazar Denkou]

In a flash Lana took off with Bo hot on her trail. He knew this thing had the potential to get hairy but he never expected this. Ghost, bounty hunters, mystic voices and being drugged and now Lana had been wounded because of his incompetence. Inside him this gnawing sense of frustrating regret and the desperate need to see them arrive on the other side of this conflict alive.

What they came downstairs to was utter cacophony as the patrons shrieking screams filled the air. His eyes widened at the madness. How quickly this all turned on its ass. The people of this place did not deserve this fear. The fact that he knew the love and generosity they so freely gave now see their smiling faces twisted in despair and confusion truly brought his blood to a boil.

Lana paid them no mind, pushing through the crowd and sliding to a stop in the lobby, frantically looking for David in the midst of the chaos.

His eyes rapidly scanned the rule his magic sense working in tandem with his eyes trying to decipher the best course of action. When he thought of different reasons this could be happening everything pointed back to Zero ,after all, he was the grand prize. Needless to say if they succeed in escaping his pursuers would have no reason stay and cause further trouble for the fine people of Uran. His heart was racing the effects of the toxin by now had vanished leaving Bo free of its effects.

Taking advantage of the brief pause Bo kept his magic working by preformed a swift set of signs. This would repurpose the light magic currently protecting Veronica filling her ward with the healing waves of the spell that had been steadfastly working on him hoping to revitalize her. It would take a little time but now that Bo was completely coherent his ability and control over his Naten were just about at its former glory.

No one else…

He said as he got his teeth his body steadily becoming encased in a green glow.

"BO, we need cover!"

Her words were muffled by the turbulent air around them as the people cried out for help. Their cries sounded like the cries of his people that he hears in his dreams. Nightmares of the horror his people now face. That filled him with a searing desire to see this conflict reach its end. And so…his hands created litany of seals with a speed that to the naked eye would only present as a blur of space.

I won’t let anyone else get hurt because of me!”

The air was filled with the sound of gunfire and terror and yet in him all he could hear was the humming of his magic steadily rising. Like a storm filling his heart lightning emboldened his stride.

”BO!”

Just as she yelled his name he finished his final sign. His hands were brought together and as the parted way green electricity came to be. It grew into a swirling orb of magic that shines bright upon the spell completion.

“2nd Tier configuration; Lightning: Arashin’s Denial !”

Defensive magic that manipulates the repulsive aspect of electromagnetic fields. The force of this field was enough to push everything around them within 4 meters away with vehement force, however, the spell would not fully erupt into a dome as Bo would now add an additional command into the spell.

“ Concentration Magic: Wrap!”

Bo’s unique magic, Concentration, is a form of magic that allows him to repurpose the properties of a spell ( essentially it’s like meta magic ). What would’ve normally created a swirling dorm of repulsive force with the additional command instead became covered them like an aura. Whenever a bullet would try to hit them it would instead have its course diverted. Bo would be by Lana’s side going for the exit as swiftly as possible. With his right hand raised in front of him, glowing with the same force as their aura's. He was concentrating on two spells at once, with his level of control was child’s play at the same time the sooner Veronica awakened the better the longer he held both of them the more energy they would drain in the long run.

[Fate II]

Pandemonium spread from the lobby of the lodge onto the streets as the patrons, guests, and staff spilled out onto the streets. They bum rushed the door, most of them scrambling to crawl over one another to make their escape, with the people on the streets responding in turn to the plight of their fellow citizenry. Uran knew peace and grace for so long, in the face of true fear, in a real moment of crisis, they still managed to come together in whatever way they could. The bustling streets around the city’s only lodge filled with the some same patrons who had surrounded Bo at Rafal’s stall, this gracious individuals elated to have brought a blight upon their history to heel. In their gratitude to Bo, they showed just a glimpse what the community was capable of, but more importantly, what they valued above all else: Community.

A small ways away, Rafael was barking orders to man, woman, and child, coordinating the relief effort within minutes. Those spilling out of the building had little more than scratches and bruises from scrambling over one another, nothing even flirting with physical trauma, but the mental scars would run far deeper and further than anyone could see.

As the people clamored out of the lobby, David was doing what he could to withhold the massive ordnance unleashed on the unsuspecting building. the orb had grown out of every drop of flowing or still water in each of the pools, bursting with bullets and shrapnel escaping its liquid grasp. What he wanted was a way to reach his clothing beneath or behind the Arcenaux’s table, secreted away from him just moments earlier, but they disappeared from sight just as their strike began. Bo did well to protect himself, Lana, and Veronica, redirecting the flow of escaped bullets from them, but he couldn’t get to the door fast enough. As they crossed the lobby, Lana could only rue the fact that she was without any ranged or real defensive options. She came as the muscle, which is why Zero’s containment was given to her. David’s versatility lied in his pack of goodies he somehow lost while he was trying to survey the room, now even more lost to him under this suppressive fire. He could only rely on Bo and Lana to make it to the door, the one way out they saw since the privacy of the building precluded windows from being a part of the design on this first floor. In addition to the fact that his bubble was quickly filling with steel multiplying like a plague, his options grew ever more slim.

Bodies lie on the floor splattered in carnage, Bo, Lana, Veronica, and David were the last of very few individuals who hadn’t been marred by the Arcenaux’s calculated strike. For everyone else, they cowered in corners, under tables, behind the reception desk covering their ears in hopes that the nightmare would be just that, and they could awake in their beds. The screams hadn’t subsided, more had the growing number of Bullets outpacing the volume of water that was once flowing into the room which had since stopped. A bead of sweat rolled down David’s face as the scene seemed to unfold into a surreal vision of the macabre. His eyes darted back and forth between Lana, the door, and the protective bubble quickly losing restrictive volume. All in a matter of moments that seemed to pass in slow motion, David realized he had to make a more than executive decision for the sake of his crew and the innocents of Uran, as a member of Diamond Dust and upholding their prime directive, humanity, humility, and service to the greater good, he made a simple hand sign with one of his hands. His eyes flashed a glossy color before the rumbling bubble full of artillery swirled into a whirlpool above them even more violently than the destruction already unleashed. He opened his mouth gaping wide and the whole of the water available to withstand the artillery strike of what seemed to be millions of rounds funneled down his throat, glowing with the same glossy energy of his eyes. His body didn’t change shape, but certain symbology emerged on his skin like a color reactive ink being activated, a similar design and grain of the bottle that held Zero within it. The more of the whirlpool that flowed into his body, the more the tattoos crawled across his body, all tracing his extremities and converging around his belly button. The whirlpool and all the ordnance within drew itself into the vessel David created of himself to protect his friends and the innocents in the only way he could with his satchel and clothing gone. His feet vibrated wildly, shaking up the solid stone earth beneath them as the last bit of the lobby’s pool’s water became trapped within his belly.

Just as the last of the strike became trapped within him, David closed his mouth, and his body rocked wildly, adjusting to the massive amount of force he just condensed into his body. Lana looked on in horror as her partner used a very seldom seen technique she only ever saw once before, but with the airspace clean, and most of the guests and staff out the door, she stopped running behind Bo, having to take a better gander at the situation herself. Her cover was gone, as were most of the opponents they were briefed on. Two she hoped were still knocked out upstairs, the Arcenauxs disappeared in the midst of the chaos, and David was effectively out of commission. Her options drained as quickly as David absorbed the brunt of this coordinated strike and planning wasn’t her strong suit. She slowed down, almost in awe, unable to think of what to do next while the floor beneath them rumbled, but was it all David’s resonant force? She scanned the room, ready to defend herself from whatever angle danger would emerge from, but would it matter? She was outgunned, definitely outnumbered, and her only truly reliable support is essentially dead in the water at the moment. As panic started to set in on her, David was able to make a simple movement with his arm free of his focusing mudra.

He just pointed toward the door that seemed to be closing slowly, ominously, shutting with two slabs of earth like a deathly trash compactor. Her face dropped as she scrambled to get there with her only way out growing tinier and tinier as the short moments passed.

“Time’s running out, what’re you gonna do?” A voice rang out from somewhere behind her. David’s already strained face grew shocked, as if he forgot a very pertinent detail when adjusting for the enemies’ pressure on their situation. Even though he couldn’t move, he was locked in regret as he remembered the Gemini Triplets were nowhere to be found in this chaos until now, the younger sister’s head poking out of the ground beside their closing exit with a sinister glare and even more menacing smile. The middle sister emerged from behind the overturned table dangling David’s pack over her shoulder and giggling coyly. Their big brother gave David a pat on the back like a job well done, leaning on his statuesque body stuck focusing on his only task, removing the Arcenaux arsenal from play. Outside, the calming scene gave way to curious onlookers like Rafael wondering what the commotion could be. After Zero’s original betrayal, what else could this mischievous imp have wrought on their sacred, peaceful land? How else could he have brought chaos to their doorstep if he was here to pay for his crimes? A strong gust of wind blew the onlookers around, moving them from the entrance bringing Azul back to the scene, his long black hair and flowing clothes whipping wildly as a whirlwind descended with him in the center. Their faces all asked the same host of questions, save for Rafal whose normally jovial demeanor was drawn down with sadness at the glimpse he caught in the fractions of seconds before the slabs pressed close.

Some mechanical whirring could be heard underneath the persistent screams that still filled the room while nobody there with breath in their lungs spoke. With their only means of exit closed, and being locked directly in the jaws of the enemy’s trap, the mismatched crew at a major disadvantage was stuck snugly between a rock and a very hard place.

With enemies all around them, an earthen head receded back into the earth, David’s satchel held hostage, no sign of the CEO’s of NauxCorp, and a massive dearth of options, including a semi conscious anthropologist, Lana’s breathing grew ragged and uneven.

“Bo,” she said, placing a hand on the bottle at her hip, in case someone somewhere just tried to lift it off her person. “This is really, really bad.”

“Yeah, it is,” the eldest Gemini sibling said, leaning on David’s statuesque body. “So drop the bottle and we’re out of your hair. Maybe you’ll be able to salvage Diamond Dust’s reputation if you’re quick about it.”

He chuckled, having heard of Diamond Dust throughout his whole life. They were supposed to be this global sanctuary for the weak and weary, but now they’re accessories in one of the most tragic massacres perpetrated by Zero Venkage. “At least, you’ll get a chance to explain yourselves to the innocent people outside… Heh. Haha. Ahahaha!” He cackled into the air.

[Dalazar Denkou]

Bodies lie on the floor splattered in carnage, Bo, Lana, Veronica, and David were the last of very few individuals who hadn’t been marred by the Arcenaux’s calculated strike. For everyone else, they cowered in corners, under tables, behind the reception desk covering their ears in hopes that the nightmare would be just that, and they could awake in their beds. The screams hadn’t subsided, more had the growing number of Bullets outpacing the volume of water that was once flowing into the room which had since stopped.

Though succeeding in protecting himself and his party Bo could do nothing but stare in absolute horror as the bodies of the Urani natives began to litter the floor. His heart sank as they were struck down in droves, callously their lights snuffed out with no regard. Was this truly the only way things could have gone? Where? Where did they go wrong for things to wind up this bad? Women, and men, decorated the floor like bloody ornaments. He was not a battle-hardened warrior, a sheltered soul thrust into a world of blood. Bo kept going ahead a few feet of Lana but suddenly stopped as the pools of blood etched closer to his feet. He gasped in terror as a man grabbed at his ankle barely clinging to life.

"P-please...I-I don't want to die...My-"

"Lana I. I can't."

Bo quickly crouched down to the man's level turning him on his back. The bullets finally stopped thanks to David's abstract ability, though the sound of those last fired rounds echoed, still ringing in his ears inspiring fear in the few alive. Lucio, his scarf, stuck by Lana's side. His heart raced though weighed down with deep pangs of guilt. He accompanied Zero here completely unaware of how deep this well ran. What started as an adventure in search of treasure and truth soon became a harrowing blood war where the lives of the innocent were all but currency. This is his largest lesson in the truth of the world.

That terrible things do happen to good people

Loving people

"I...I will save you!"

The green aura that shielded the trio vanished. He tore a piece of the man's shirt that wasn't soaked in blood pressed it on the most troubling of his wounds and applied pressure. He had experienced several scraps from bullets fortunate enough to miss him but had been shot twice in his lower right side striking his vital organs. The man's blood-curdling screams sent a desperate chill down Bo's spine. Though the place was filled with shrieks of terror this one was right in front of him.

I won’t let anyone else get hurt because of me!”

The air was filled with the sound of gunfire and terror and yet in him, all he could hear was the humming of his magic steadily rising. Like a storm filling his heart lightning emboldened his stride.

A people who showed him kindness

Bo's eyes filled with tears trying to do what he could but it was limited. Dammit! All of this was because he was weak. Him, King? How? When his words lack the power to see them through. All they ever will be without power are shallow proclamations, romantic dreams, and fantasies. This quest of whimsy to escape his bindings, travel the world with a group of adventurers learning the lost secrets of the world. He wanted it to lead to some ancient Denkou treasure as he had read in the books. His books failed to capture the darker, bloodier side of truth-seeking. To save this man's life he would need to stop healing Veronica. Without the proper preparation, his healing magic wasn't nearly as effective. Could he truly watch a man bleed out in front of him? Could he forsake one life for another? He had done so already, never imagining these villains would turn their weapons on the innocent here he didn’t even think to save them. Was he just as bad?

"My...sson."

Bo became more desperate. With one hand he kept the pressure with the other he signed his palm igniting with green naten the magic active within Veronica would leave enveloping his palm. At this point, his magic would take eons to help her wake up but could keep this man here breathing. He placed the hand directly on the wound letting the magic congeal on both hands as they pitched a tent over it. He was responding at this point. All he could think about was the feeling that if he let this man die the pain would be too great for his heart to endure. For another son to lose their father like he had lost his. To add to the many families that had been destroyed here today. It's as if his very sanity depended on it this man not drawing his last breath. Not here, not like this. With everything in him, he tried to stop the bleeding but to little avail. The man's breath became haggard coughing up blood that would stain Bo's cheek.

A people that reminded him of the power of love.

Yes, and now you share in the deaths of those very same people. Though one would think you'd be used to it by now.

A voice crept into his psyche like the soft drumming of an emerging beehive. It carried a foul and negative vibe that slowly gripped Bo's neck like a hand seeking to strangle him. He looked around but no one was talking to him. Only the maddening wails of the very few to have survived. The man before him was fading his hand reaching for Bo's face landing softly on his cheek.

"After all, your wretched twin has wrought the same death once before. Oh, but wait...you've forgotten that. The accursed woman that she is, your mother, The Lightbearer, sealed them all away. A hereditary trait, a cosmic joke, truly, for even your forefathers were bloodthirsty murderers with no regard for anyone but themselves. Denkoushi, they STOLE everything from me! They are no different than those who have sown death here today. How blissful it must be to pillage and murder only to be blessed with the divine gift of absolution when your pitiful ancestor rewrote the bloodline. Protecting his people from their sins..."

The weight of this presence was staggering like he was frozen in space. The man's hand was cold to the touch.

"Lies! My people shared knowledge they did nothing but survive and thrive! We scoured the crevices of mountains we braved the turbulence of storms. We roared back at the coast that devoured our kin, those we lost finding the way!"

He lashed out back at the voice his gaze caught that of the dying man before him. His body wasn't receiving the treatment, the damage was too severe and Bo was far too ill-prepared. His eyes swelled with tears at this brave young man trying to save his life. The man took his other hand and cupped Bo's face. With a faint smile, he passed from this life, falling dead on the floor. In that moment Dazuma's hand went limp falling helplessly by his side. His will to fight faded as did the magic in his hands.

"YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW YOUR PEOPLE! Yet you stand here in defense of those who would've had you MURDERED at birth?! Your hatred is misplaced. That flame of frustration should be used to burn down those who dare stand in our way, those who question your ideals. Start first with these devils here, destroy them!"


His despair soon became a bottomless rage.

“Bo,” she said, placing a hand on the bottle at her hip, in case someone somewhere just tried to lift it off her person. “This is really, really bad.”

A dark insidious sapphire aura began to seep from him as it did the heat rapidly began to rise. This aura carried within a permeable sense of hatred and malice the likes that all here would be able to feel. Like a ton of weight suddenly befall their shoulders if they did not possess the gal to resist it.

"L-ana Get.Away!

He snarled as the essence coagulated until a crest emerged on his forehead.

“At least, you’ll get a chance to explain yourselves to the innocent people outside… Heh. Haha. Ahahaha!” He cackled into the air.

"You are unworthy incapable. Small, inconsequential Relquish the birthright. Wallow in your guilt and LET. ME. IN!!!


The cackle of the elder Gemini brother was cacophonous, it was the straw that broke the camel's back for Dazuma.
The crest glimmered brightly as a star for a moment as the sapphire anima wrested control of his body from Dazuma before producing a powerful pulse of pressure and heat that would fling the old man body about a 5 meters away from him. However, it remained intact, pushing everyone and everything around him away with just as much force. The aura around Dazuma would erupt enveloping him in flames so fierce that if anyone approached him they would be mauled by the heat.

His boiling hatred and self-loathing were magnified by the malefic spirit that had awakened within him. It all came back, his mind flooded with the memories of the day Nazuma slew both his captors and his rescuers. The screams and howling winds, the blood dripping from the walls, entrails splattered on the stone. The utter savagery of Nazuma's power left unchecked had seared images in his mind that left him scarred. He came for the truth, he found it.

He stood.

The pain of those memories felt tailored to his flesh like living scars. The firey magic would mirror this burning, condensing and coalescing around Dazuma giving him the appearance of a walking flame, a wraith of torrid retribution. His eyes emanated a furious red the likes of which could piece the deepest darkness. Despair poured out of him like a festering miasma endowing any it latched onto with a feeling of sunken dread that would make the weak-willed fall to their feet. Through the blazing ire of his vengeful conflagration, he would lay eyes on the triplets, the lovers who were responsible for the massacre had managed to slip through the chaos. Able to think of nothing more than inflicting even greater atrocities on them should he ever set sights on them again.

"If you've got a god, I hope you made peace before coming here."

The power coursing through him, the rage was unlike anything he'd known. The agony of the flame magic harming his flesh underneath. It was like being drowned in an ocean of scorn only to be reborn in a sun of agonizing resentment. It was swelling, writing within him, and it

wanted

out

" For by the time I am done with you nothing will remain. Neither dust nor bone! I will sear the very stain of your gutter existence from Vescrutia. Move. Or. Die!

In a swift and fluid motion, he crouched down into a stance like a predator preparing to pounce on its prey. The intensity and stillness of his glare, his intent to kill washed over the area. The doors were blocked by slabs of earth. His eyes stuck on them. His hands dug into the earth with enough force to crack it. His naten roared sweltering around him giving his flames a lion-like veil appearance. In a dazzling flash of cobalt, accosted the doors with a blistering speed threatening to pierce straight through anything in his path. His hands were enveloped in molten magic as he reached the door those flames would be released as a myriad of sharp searing slashes eviscerating whatever was in the vicinity of the stone slabs
those slashes would combust creating an explosion that blew the walls to smithereens creating a massive scorching cavity where they once were.

Dazuma stood in the aftermath of the explosion his eyes peering from the smog.

[Fate II]

Outside the sandstone lodge, a crowd gathered frantically shuffling to get a view of the scene. Within the walls of the building they heard a terrible scene, and only caught a glimpse of the carnage from within before stone slabs cut off their vision. Rafal and Azul were there, excessively nervous at what could possibly happening within the normally peaceful establishment. Lambda was still away, the intensity of light radiating from her Anthem's abilities drained her proportionally to the Output of the individual. Holding Zero down put her into a deep sleep after Azul escorted her away. Back on the scene, he had planned to join the party in their domicile but arrived too late as the situation devolved into chaos on his approach. Rafal stared on, towering above most of the crowd, a tear coming to his eye as the ground shook, and muffled screams kept pouring from the once peaceful building.

An eerily pleasant looking pair of people moved through the crowd together, holding onto each other for dear life, shaking in their boots.

"How did he escape again? I thought Lambda would avenge our honor!"

"She invited all these outsiders and Diamond Dust is helping him escape!"

"Zero's going to escape with Diamond Dust?! That can't be, can it?!"

They crafted a dialogue between themselves as they moved through the already panicked crowd, rousing suspicion and fomenting anxiety. Diamond Dust was a world renowned and respected organization with a previously beneficial relationship with Uran, but these two were determined to drag their names through the mud with Zero's. To the Urani on main street, Diamond Dust was also a guest of theirs, now aiding and abetting public enemy number one in their eyes, but why?

"Did you hear? They're in cahoots together! And people are dying! DYING!"

Almost on command, the mechanical whirring grew louder and the screams could be heard outside the lodge more clearly, building an air of utter confusion and palpable fear among the gathered crowd.

Though they had yet to meet, Rafal and Azul shared an almost knowing glance with one another across the murmuring crowd, both certain that the object of Uran's collective ire was at the center of this crisis and uncertain how the next few moments would shape the city's future.

Within the lodge's walls, the Gemini Triplets mused at the prey trapped in their web. The same mechanical whirring ramped up beneath the sustained screams of nobody in particular. The last of the patrons had escaped at least the ground floor and all that was left were Diamond Dust, the Triplets, Veronica, and Bo. Bo seemed to be having trouble with one of the patrons he thought he could save, but falling short since the massive damage was already done. She only took her eyes off of David for a moment to assess Bo's situation, but had no real options to work with. She didn't want to endanger David, stuck in damage control, nor leave Veronica to the wolves, and they needed to get Zero out of the city for sure. The same ire the city held for Zero's rebuff of their grace was what brought this ragtag band of baddies to the city as well, enlisting the help of some of the most prominent hunters, trackers, mercenaries, and surveillance Vescrutia knew to begin tracking a man who arrived on their doorstep in the custody of a stranger. She thought that Lambda invited some of these individuals here with the same prerogative, but this band of seven proved to have their own agenda far beyond what Uran or Diamond Dust considered.

It proved to be an oversight with dire consequences.

"If you've got a god, I hope you made peace before coming here."

The power coursing through him, the rage was unlike anything he'd known. The agony of the flame magic harming his flesh underneath. It was like being drowned in an ocean of scorn only to be reborn in a sun of agonizing resentment. It was swelling, writing within him, and it

wanted

out

" For by the time I am done with you nothing will remain. Neither dust nor bone! I will sear the very stain of your gutter existence from Vescrutia. Move. Or. Die!

In a swift and fluid motion, he crouched down into a stance like a predator preparing to pounce on its prey. The intensity and stillness of his glare, his intent to kill washed over the area. The doors were blocked by slabs of earth. His eyes stuck on them. His hands dug into the earth with enough force to crack it. His naten roared sweltering around him giving his flames a lion-like veil appearance. In a dazzling flash of cobalt, accosted the doors with a blistering speed threatening to pierce straight through anything in his path. His hands were enveloped in molten magic as he reached the door those flames would be released as a myriad of sharp searing slashes eviscerating whatever was in the vicinity of the stone slabs
those slashes would combust creating an explosion that blew the walls to smithereens creating a massive scorching cavity where they once were.

Dazuma stood in the aftermath of the explosion his eyes peering from the smog.

Bo's ambient Naten pushed many of the corpses to the edge of the room and they all flickered in one way or another as the electromagnetic force acted on their bodies. In the wake of the explosion, the youngest Triplet receded back into the ground to dodge the blast, and emerged hidden within the smokescreen to the side of the scorched slabs. Bo definitely left a mark, but not enough to free them from their gridlocked chamber. The youngest's maniacal grin only grew more wild as they started throwing punches in Bo's direction, sending sizable chunks of the now damaged slabs flying right toward him. They held mass enough to maim and bludgeon, but she still kept just enough mass on the slabs to keep the outside from peering in, even at the cost of its structural integrity. She had been waiting for a reason to play and she liked to play rough, so she felt a personal joy in playing her role finally. The surge in Naten coming from Bo felt like a breath of fresh air for her, lying in wait for their trap to be sprung. As she bent the earth to her will and sent it barreling in Bo's direction with a pugilist's grace, not once did she move from her position near her fortification.

"Wow, he's pretty mad right now," the eldest Gemini Triplet said, patting David on the back twice and bringing the incessant rumbling within his belly to an abrupt halt. To his elated surprise, David immediately regained his ability to move, since his focus was allowed to shift from damage control to gaining control, even if he didn't know exactly why he was relieved of his duty. But with a new range of movement, he made a big swing at the eldest Triplet who jumped backwards from him, cackling more wildly than before. Lana leaped into action, following David's lead and chased down the eldest with a tiger's leap in his direction, her hands quickly grown larger with bony talons extending from her fingertips she reached out with to slice the man to shreds with. She brought massive force to him, but with a mischievous giggle, he slipped away from her grasp into a lick of flame, that danced its way quickly around the room before disappearing into its smoky atmosphere with the utterance of a single word, "Check."

"David!" she called, now at his side with Zero's bottle still at her hip. Regaining more of his composure, he took a deep breath with his eyes locked on the Triplet dangling his satchel from their finger at the table where the Arcenauxs were sitting. Visibility was down, but David was up and ready again, with the Arcenaux arsenal in a reserved state within him, he needed to act fast before more conditions changed to their detriment. He unleashed a flow of metal filled water in the direction of the middle sibling who smiled expectantly, and was hit full on with David's hydro pump gullet. His Arbiter mastery involving water kept his satchel from being washed away, as it was the object he intended to retrieve while washing away the opposition holding it, but she almost welcomed the attack, getting washed away into the heavy stream and disappearing from sight. The ground was now strewn with bullet casings and slightly larger spheroid tools that fired them, but the middle Gemini Triplet was nowhere to be found. With the rushing return of water to the scene, it drowned out the now louder mechanical whirring and pooled at everyone's feet. The bodies lying about flickered ever so gently as the water made contact with their bodies nudged to the side, leaving the metal casings and spheres to roll right through them.

At David's side, Lana's forearms grew larger, with blade-like glaives growing from beneath her skin. David's satchel was soaking wet now, and moving toward him through the water pooled on the floor of the lobby. They had finally reunited and could make a concerted effort to solve this conundrum, but their options were still very limited, especially now with Bo seemingly on a rampage. As a fast friend, he seemed to be putting in the work, but they still weren't sure how these next moments would play out. They only hoped they would be in their favor.

[Dalazar Denkou]

The youngest's maniacal grin only grew more wild as they started throwing punches in Bo's direction, sending sizable chunks of the now damaged slabs flying right toward him. They held mass enough to maim and bludgeon, but she still kept just enough mass on the slabs to keep the outside from peering in, even at the cost of its structural integrity. She had been waiting for a reason to play and she liked to play rough, so she felt a personal joy in playing her role finally. The surge in Naten coming from Bo felt like a breath of fresh air for her, lying in wait for their trap to be sprung. As she bent the earth to her will and sent it barreling in Bo's direction with a pugilist's grace, not once did she move from her position near her fortification.

The slabs must have been reinforced with quite a bit of naten to still stand after encountering such vengeful magic. It returned his vehement onslaught with an attack of its own, sending a barrage of chunks of earth barreling at him. His magic sense would alert him to the sudden appearance of another energy signature. When he turned to face the direction he felt the presence in, there it was, a woman sending several of the earthen jabs would strike him with impressive force, prompting him to throw a defensive stance as he jumped back, casting a barrier of solid magic in front of him as he placed distance between them. He gripped his side for but a moment, barely able to feel the pain but knowing the damage was there.

Kill

"Skulking within the shadows like a scared little mouse. Unaware, blissfully."

Kill

The barrier was pelted by the slabs of the earth fending them off, though it wouldn't hold for long as it was now; the wraith stood behind it; he would perform a swift series of gestures, flame magic trailing behind each movement, and his physical flaming form became almost amorphous and blurry as if it was a spatial anomaly before two other identical doppelgangers manifested from both his left and right sides. One had flames dancing around his gloves, and the other had flames at his feet. Dazuma still possessed his sword, which he still had yet to draw. Guttersnipes such as these were not worth the stain on his steel. His form was "resolidified" as flame clone magic was completed.

KILL

"About having entered the Lion's Den"

With that, the clone with the flames on his hands fled from behind the right side of the barrier, returning to the door speedily and impressively avoiding any stray slabs of earth that might've still been barreling Dazuma way.

"Burn."

When it was, but a few meters from her, it was released, a belligerent beam of flame magic
the power of which incinerated any of the slabs that happened to contact as he aimed to devour the girl.

BURN IT ALL AWAY!!!

The Dazuma, with flames at his feet, governed his back while the barrier arched around them. Encapsulating them both. Striking a defensive stance while the Dazuma conjured the others, he would perform another series of gestures, magic trailing and proliferating as he did so. He was unconcerned with any of the fools from Diamond Dust. His only concern was killing every enemy he possibly could. His only desire was to snuff out their lights.