[Lvneel: Contestation Arc] [Part I] Disaster Breeds Sin

Dax dismounted the Direwolf behind his impish captain, pulling out a bottle of whiskey from the saddlebags. "So what's the plan, shri..-?" He started before pausing midway, shocked by the presence of the girl all the same as his captain was. Dax turned back and gave the wolf a glance, who in turn responded with an innocent shrug. "Turns out neither of us knew where the fuck this Nilf place was, soooo…." Dax responded with a shrug, "So now she's your fuckin problem kid." Dax finished, tipping the bottle towards the little man before slugging back the liquor and walking off into the golden house, glancing at girl wearing his apron as he walked passed. "Be careful what you ask for.~" He whispered int her ear in the creepiest way possible before pulling out a chair with his foot and plopping down on it.

The goldmonger continued to throwback the whiskey periodically as he listened to the conversation between the tiny one and the princess. The mention of spies brought a golden fanged smile to his face, at this point in the witch hunt any active spy was as good as dead or compromised. Like Castor said, with her father gone her brothers were nothing more than boys playing war. "Tis a fools fuckin folly if you ask me." He chuckled under his breath, preferring to do just about anything over joining the losing side of a war. Even an idiot knows that’s not a very profitable venture.

"Turning her over is probably out..*hic*… at this point." Dax mumbled, "I say we tie her up and leave her here, cut our losses, and get the fuck outta here." He continued, taking another swig off the bottle. Annabelle turned to them both desperately as she pleaded for their help, the initially reluctant Dax was immediately swayed once the magic word was uttered, spewing out the liquor that was in his mouth. "..Gold you say~?" He whistled in her ear, creeping up on her like  monster in the dark. "Why we would be real fuckin happy to help.~"

WC: 346 (346/5,000)

Dax hovered over the dishes prepped by the young princess, wafting in the smells that drifted off them. His eyes fluttering as they carefully studied the lack of aesthetics as the food was just slopped onto the golden plates without care, with bits of food all over the counters. A look of disgust slowly washed over his face, nostrils flared and mouth grimaced, the thought of such shit fuckin food being cooked in his kitchen. With his utensils?! Fuck nah yo. With a snap the plates encircled the pig slop and jettisoned it out of the golden hut, catapulting it into the woods where even the most starved animal would most likely pass it over.

In a fit of rage, the goldmonger whipped around towards the young pasty princess with an ill prepared, profanity riddled lecture ready to roll off the tongue, a verbal abuse so bad it might send her to a dark place from which she might never recover mentally. That is, until he observed his little fuck of a captain keeled over in his chair, sprawled out on the ground and foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog on its death bed. “Bwhahahahaha! Serves ya right, ya dumbass little fuck! Bwhahahahaha!” He boomed out laughing, completely abandoning his enraged demeanor. “You ain’t to fuckin bad kid!” Dax laughed, “But do us all a fuckin favor and stay the fuck outta my kitchen, cause you can’t fuckin cook for shit!”

“Now then, sit your pretty little ass down and lemme show ya how its done!” He said with a golden fanged smile as the golden utensils danced through the air. Using the leftover ingredients, the goldmonger worked his magic, taking the bits of crab, egg, and vegetables tht remained untainted to make seafood omlettes. He set the table for himself and the princess and tossed the third plate to the direwolf just outside of the shack. “Here ya go miss.” Dax said, sliding the golden plate in front of her before taking a seat at the table across from her. He glanced over towards the end of the table where his captain laid, “There was only enough left for the three of us and well, I figured you already had some food to eat so it wouldn’t be fair to everyone else if you had seconds and they didn’t even get firsts.” Dax joked as he chowed down what remained, leaving Castor to finish the disgusting slop the princess had made or starve till the next meal.

WC: 420 (766/5,000)

Nilf | The Cathedral | The Note Boy’s

Following the events of the vassal’s summit, Paris and Sully managed to escape the massacre thanks to Lord Bearington’s sacrifice. The twins were met at the border by an escort from Nilf, allowing them safe passage back to their homeland.

“War!” Paris shouted, slamming his fist on the table, rattling the old wooden structure. “That’s what this means! Muspell, Asgar, Jotun, all of em!”

“They shall all pay!” Sully barked, echoing his brother’s statements.

“With what allies, my lords?!” Tibias, their fathers close advisor and younger brother. “Not only did we lose your father and Bearington, but we also lost our forty best men!” The grey haired man shouted back, possessing the same fiery attitude as his late brother. “Neither of you have ever seen real combat, nor have any of the soldiers that of your ages either…” He paused for a moment with a heavy sigh, “And I am what they would call a scholar...*ahem*…. not a fighter.”

“So we just let them get away with killin da?!” Paris shouted back, tears running down his flushed face. “Killin Barney…”

“Barney died so we could fookin live!” Sully wailed, the tears flowing down his fat rosy cheeks.

“Right now we need to focus on survival, not revenge.” Tibias said sternly, “Soon enough Stein will be here to snuff us out, we need to prepare.”

“But…” Paris attempted to but in before his uncle shut him down once more.

“No buts!” he said, “We still have no word of your sister, nor the movements of enemy troops. Until we can understand our situation better, we will not haphazardly go to war! Now stop being the two stupid fooks ya are and make yourselves useful by getting stronger in the time we have!” Tibias barked out, much to the twin’s chagrin.

Though before they could form any semblance of a rebuttal, the wooden door flung open with the face of a young woman, gasping for air with sweat running off her brow. “M-M’lord!” She gasped, waving a parchment in the air as she collapsed to the ground from exhaustion.

Muspell | The Dread | Malice Stein

“Where are we on finding the girl? We need her before Waldon gets his grubby hands on her.” Malice snarled as he loosened his tie in the mirror.

“yessssss, about that…” The shadowy figure behind him said, “Assss of right now, ssssshe is all but gone from our sssssspiessssss eyessss.”

“What?!” Malice shouted as he shattered the mirror with his fist, forcing shards of glass deep into his skin. His eyes drifted towards his now bloodied hand, the crimson liquid pouring out.

“My lord!” The figure shouted, but Stein waved him off, his eyes widening as he erupted into a sadistic laughter, combing back his hair with his bloodied hand, the blood giving it a slicked reddish hue. “M…my lord..?” The figures tone taking a drastic turn, “Are you okay..?”

“Why do you ask?” Malice questioned as he gave the figure the ole crazy eye before being interrupted by a knock at the door. “…Come in.” He declared as a man dressed in black entered the room, kneeling before Malice as he presented a sealed letter. “And what might this be~?”

Base Camp Jotun | Dax Mother fucking Morgan

“Why should I feed ya when you got a fuckin wife now?” Dax snickered pointing his golden fork towards the woman’s poisoned cooking that graced Castor’s plate.

The goldmonger watched the seagulls come and go, leaving more words on paper for mr I lIkE tO lEaRn StuFf FrOM bOOkS. Dax rolled his eyes in disgust as Castor’s own eyes fluttered across the page at high speeds before the paper was devoured by tiny flames and turned into black smoke. “well..” Dax started, finishing the food in his mouth before stuffing it once more “I say we …*munch* Munch*…go check it out and play for the winnin side. Usually..*munch*… more gold that way” He mumbled as he chewed. “No matter what.. *gulp*” He said swallowing, “We got the winnin fuckin chip right here.” Dax smiled, pointing his golden fork at the red haired princess.

Dax finished his plate and stood up, letting out a grunt as he stretched, “Time to pack up.” He said with a snap, causing all the golden structures, including the ones Castor and Annabelle sat on, to explode into dust before gathering together in a funnel cloud like fashion as it collected in the bag o’ gold knapsack. Whether either of them fell, was entirely up to them.

“Lets go ya shrimp fuck.” He snickered, mounting his golden clad direwolf and strapping his bag of gold to the saddle.

WC: 783 (1,549/5,000)

Dax rolled his eyes as Castor loaded up the princess onto the electric eagle, the surging electricity humming as it desperately kept its shape. “wE’lL gEt tHeRe fAstEr..” The Goldmonger mocked as he signaled the wolf to climb aboard, following closely behind.

As the bird soared through the air, Dax did his best not to listen to the little captain blather about his various adventures across the island. Though the bit about the doctor did catch his attention, for once the tiny tike was right, a doctor would be indispensable too their cause.

“When I say its better to just ignore whatever the fuck he says, I mean its better to not listen to a god damn word that comes out of that shrimps fucks mouth.” Dax groaned, his words directed to the overly invested princess, asking questions at every pause as she clung to the poets words like Dax did gold. “You’d be better the fuck off for it.” He chuckled at the end, knowing full well the pint sized pirate had zero interest in returning the girls affections. Though his warnings fell on deaf ears, as she cared very little for what the Goldmonger had to say while Castor spoke. The bit about the dual identities brought a grin his face, though before he could utter a single fuck or insult, the bird took a nose dive before pulling up just before they hit the ground.

Dax watched as the middle aged man swung for the boy, only to miss like he had himself so many times in the past. The exchange between the man and the boy was short, but to anyone watching it was anything but sweet. “Oh great, another fuck’in book.” Dax scoffed, “Can’t ever be fucking gold you bring around-…” His mumblings cut off by Newport shoving the gourd into his chest, for a moment the goldmonger looked at the man and then back to the container, “I already like you better than the fuckin pipsqueak.” Dax grinned, showing off his golden fangs before slugging back the gourd, guzzling down a good bit of the liquid, all the while depositing microscopic pieces of gold back into the container before retuning it back to its owner.

“Hey man, I gotta ask.” Dax said, waving Newport over, “Could you check something out for me?” He questioned, the golden clasp on his belt unfastening on its own as his pants hit the ground before Newport could respond. “So, I got this weird fuckin bump right here, what do you think that is?” Dax inquired, both hands firmly clasped onto his rooster, firmly highlighting the abnormality much more than any person would like too see.

WC: 447 (1,996/5,000)

“Huh..” Dax grunted in response, “Must be a grower.” He snickered in response to Newport’s birthday suit. “I see what you mean though..” Dax mumbled to himself, examining the battle scars as Newport made them more obvious with his hands. “Ahh well, guess I’ll ask the next guy.” Dax said, using his powers to pull his pants back up by the belt, fastening them back around his waist.

“Books and fuckin speeches, that’s all it ever is with you, ya shrimp fuck.” Dax groaned in disdain as Castor foreshadowed a long winded speech filled with nonsense and bullshit, “Annoyed is an understatement. “All you ever do is run yer fuckin mouth.”

The rag tag group of misfits gathered at the emergency entrance, Castor with his little man syndrome took the lead, while the child like princess pleaded her case. It was then that something Castor said piqued the Goldmonger’s interest. Most Wanted he though with a gold toothed smirk. “Yeah pretty bird, I’d bet there’s a pretty high price on your head~” His ominous words being drowned out by the crackling that was Castor in his ethereal form.

“Oh, we will keep her very safe~” Dax said, snapping his fingers with a devilish smile on his face, sending Newport to his knees clutching at his stomach.

“Are you okay..!?” Annabelle gasped, as she fell too the floor with the middle aged man, though before he could respond liquid gold spewed out of his mouth.

“C’mon princess!” Dax shouted, binding her with golden shackles as he tossed her over his shoulder and whistled for the wolf. “Let’s go ya fuckin mutt!” He said shouting again, breaking out into a full stride alongside the beast before mounting it while moving, the pace in which they traveled immediately doubled, leaving the crippled Newport far behind. "We'll see which one of your family members is willing to pay my weight in gold for ya back~! Bwhahahaha!"

Once the greed sin was no longer in range, Newport was released from the alloy’s painful grip, allowing him to run back an d tell Castor of the events that transpired. While Dax and the Princess inadvertantely took off in the direction of Nilf, relying on the goldmongers shaky at best navigation skills.

WC: 375 (2,371/5,000)

Paperwork. Nothing was more tedious than paperwork. Sure, Victor was used to taking down notes and chronicling his experiments, but that was for his research. This paperwork was all forms and waivers and the like, stuff he would never have bothered with. It was tedious and boring. Victor barely had any time to do his research, especially when one had guards constantly following him around. Evidently the government felt it necessary to protect him, though honestly, with was just overbearing. He had thought that running his own hospital was a step up. And normally, it would be, if it wasn't for all the guards!

fortunately, it seemed like something would break up the monotony very soon. He could almost feel it before he appeared. That slight tingle on his skin, the scent of o-zone in the air. And then, there he was. Castor O. Nox, appearing before him in his office. Being a lightning logia certainly had its benefits, such as being able to travel through metal quickly. Good thing none of the guards were in the room when he appeared. Victor did not want to worry about covering up a potential scandal.

He sat up in his seat, giving the supernova a small smile. "Well, what a pleasant surprise. How may I help you today?"

The moonlight flickered through the trees as Dax raced by on his galloping dire wolf, the princesses unconscious body bouncing almost lifelessly on the saddle with every step. The beasts thudding footsteps echoing through the forest as more and more distance was created between Castor’s cronies and the handsomely awesome thief that was the Goldmonger.

Eventually, he happened upon a small cave on the border of Vana and Nilf, nestled deep in the woods where no one would stumble upon it in such a short amount of time. There, Dax dropped the shackled princess inside and sealed off the entrance to the shallow cave with a solid gold wall several inches thick. “Be sure to stay here toots, need to go hustle some dumbfucks.” Dax snickered as the last gap in the wall sealed itself up. “Now then, who should I see first~?” He whistled, mounting the dire wolf once more and disappearing into the thicket of flora.

Jotun Knights | Outpost Camp | Border of Vana and Nilf

“hmmm…” Bizelle muttered to himself, shuffling through the papers scattered about on the desk in front of him. Maps, letters, and official documents, all pertaining to the impending war, or rather genocide, with the Nilf forces. A guard’s voice could be heard from outside, “Enter.” Bizelle responded.

“Sir!” A fresh-faced knight said as he entered through the tent flap, “Lord Raddott has returned with news from the battlefield!”

“Ahhh… very good, send him to me right away.” Bizelle declared sternly before returning his attention back to the paperwork, his eyes resuming their fluttering as they danced across the pages.

“Y-yes sir!” The young warrior responded before hastily exiting the tent the same way he came, not sticking around to earn the infamous ire of the senior knight. As the young teen traversed the camp he truly grasped the scope of Lvneel combined might, his fellow knights numbering in the high hundreds, possibly even thousands as the camp itself encompassed several miles along the border. I’ve never seen this many people in one place before…. He thought to himself as he drudged his metal boots through the mud and horse shit paved roads of the camp, his eyes darting from person to person. Recognizing the sigils emblazoned on their armors almost instantly. The Green Hawk of Vana, The Blue Ox of Jotun, and the Black Snake of Muspell…. All gathered together to hunt the Golden Rams… His mind continued to wander as his boots continued to walk, his body going through the motions while his thoughts were elsewhere.

“Hey! Watch it ya runt!” A deep voice barked out, snapping the young knight back to reality right before he collided with a gruff looking man wearing the sigil of Vana on his breastplate. “Keep actin like that and you’re sure to get yourself killed.” The Hawkman mumbled as he continued his path, shoving passed the boy in armor.

“Shew…” The young knight sighed with relief before continuing on his way as well, having heard rumblings that Sir Raddott like to enjoy the company of the whores along the outer rim of the encampment. However, to get there he would need to pass through the Muspell knights territory, “Shit..” He muttered, slowly shifting amongst the passing soldiers, doing his best to avoid being noticed, or worse, cross paths with one of the creatures he had heard so much about. Shit, shit,shit,shit,shit,shit He thought, doing his best to remain calm on the outside while simultaneously trying not to shit himself on the inside. This was not part of the plan, no one told me I might run into a Shadow…. In and out they said, it’s just grabbing some papers off a desk and getting out of there they said…. The young knight continued in his head, Thank god I have this armor on, otherwise everyone could see how fucking sweaty I am… Once again his body went to auto pilot as his thoughts ran rampant in his head, losing focus of where he was as he broke from the crowd of traveling knights and strayed from the safety of the numbers.

As he continued to walk, exposed and unaware, the young knight did the one thing he wished not to do as he walked right into a massive being. The thud shocked the boy back to reality as he say a hulking form in front of him, cloaked in tattered black rags. As his eyes drifted up, the creatures gaze difted downwards, as they met the young knight stared into the sunken black abyss that was the monster’s eyes. H-…hol…..holy…shhh-i-…t The words refused to come out, being audible only to the boy in his mind, his eyes wide and filled with fear. A golden liquid ran out from the cracks in the knight’s armor along his legs and onto the dirt as the creature slowly leaned in closer and closer, until it was just inches from the knight’s face. Hi…his breath… He thought, his fear so great he was unable to continue his own train of thought as the monster took in a deep whiff of the boy before straightening itself back to full height and wandering off.

Once gone, the young knight was released from fears grip, sending his body straight to the piss covered earth beneath him. Tears rolled down his cheeks as the adrenaline began to wear off, “First time?” A voice echoed from behind him as a hand was gently placed on his shoulder. The young knight slowly turned his head and met the gaze of a fellow Blue Bull, his face was stubbled with small blonde hairs and his head was filled with a much darker mess of hair.

He…he seems kind.. The boy thought, “Y-…yeah… first time. He repeated, wiping the tears from his eyes and rose to his feet without the mans help.

“Unnatural creatures they are, born from hate and darkness….” The Jotun knight responded with a shiver, “The names Ham.” He said with a smile, reaching out his hand for a shake.

With a skeptical look the young knight examined the man known as Ham’s hand before coming to a conclusion, “Aerin.” He responded, outstretching his hand as well.

“Let’s be off then, eh? Best we not hang around to much longer..” Ham stated, his eyes alerting Aerin towards the glaring Muspell warriors around them.

“Yes, let’s..” Aerin responded, dusting himself off before following closely behind Ham. Theres something about this man… Aerin thought as he trailed behind his newfound friend, I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something off… and I mean besides the fact his name is supposedly ‘’Ham”.

“So, what is it Bizelle has ya doing? I saw you leaving his tent earlier.” Ham questioned playfully.

So, he’s been tailing me since then, huh….Aerin snickered at the thought before responding, “He tasked me with locating Sir Raddott and sending him over to him.” Aerin responded sternly, continuing to follow the man.

“Sir Raddott, eh!? Gihihihihihihi!” Ham laughed in response, “Well why didn’t ya say so earlier?! Follow me, I know where he lieks to hang out!” Ham shouted, picking up his pace as he ran towards the eastern edge of the camp, “There’s a group of whores that follow the army around to make sure they are ‘serviced’ correctly!” Ham shouted back to Aerin, who was struggling to keep up with the older knights pace in his piss soaked trousers. “Be sure to keep up!”

Keep up he says… Yeah let me do that as you are running at a break neck pace, does this mud not even bother you?! He thought angrily, desperately trying to keep ham in his sights.

Eventually, the pair ended up outside of a large black tent nestled at the edge of the woods, light could be seen peaking out of the small cracks and slits in the cloth. Music and yelling could be heard from the inside as the they approached, filling their ears with a taste of the chaos inside.

“This is it!” Ham declared proudly, “Raddott loves this place!”

“You better be right, Bizelle isn’t known to be patient.” Aerin groaned, God I just want to go home… He thought to himself as they entered the establishment, as soon as they were through the tent flap Sir Raddotts booming voice could be heard. “Well, that was easier than I thought.” Aerin stated, pointing out the blonde knight sitting at the center of the room surrounded by women.

“And then! With all my allies dead and nothing but my wits, beautifully sculpted naked bod, and a spork, I managed to vanquish the army of evil animal human abominations that threatened Jotun, earning my place as the strongest knight in the land! YEEHAWHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Sir Raddott boasted, loudly and proudly for all in the tent to hear as the paid whores around his ooo’d and ahh’d around him, gasping at his so called conquerings.

“Sir Radott!” Aerin said, kneeling to the senior knight, “Sir Bizelle requests your immediate presence!”

“Ehhh?” The senior knight grunted, “And what does that geezer want?”

“I believe it is about the war! Sir!” Aerin responded quickly and respectfully.

“Ahh damnit…” Radott moaned, “Well ladies, it seems we must postpone this too another time, I for one, am greatly saddened by this..” He said in an over dramatic fashion, drawing more ooo’s and ahh’s from the surrounding women.

The senior knight collected his belongings and returned to Bizelle, leaving Aerin and Ham to their own devices. The pair exited the tent and began the long walk back to the Jotun section of the camp.

“Hey, I appreciate your help earlier.” Aerin said, extending his hand out towards ham in a fist bump like fashion.

“Yeah, yeah, no problem my man!” Ham said with a smile, returning the gesture, marking the start of a long friendship. “Hey, are you okay walking back yourself? I have something I need to take care of.”

“Oh yeah! Im fine, go ahead!” Aerin quickly responded with a smile of his own, feeling indebted enough   to his new friend as it was. With a wave he bid Ham goodbye as the man disappeared into the chaos that was the outpost camp. Guess he was just a really nice guy after all Aerin giggled to himself as he wandered off into the woods alone. Once he was far enough from the camp, he stripped off the Blue Ox armor and removed a parchment bearing the kings seal from the breastplate. I can’t believe I did it, this can win us the war, Lvneel will finally be safe under Nilf rule… Aerin thought, bringing a smile too his face as tears of joy rolled down his cheeks, clutching the paper tighter as he affirmed his determination to complete his mission in full. With a whistle, an owl flew out of the darkness and landed on his arm, Now, with this, we have won… He thought with an audible sigh, sending the bird into the air with the parchment tied to its talon.

*BANG* The gunshot broke the silence of the night, echoing out through the woods, Wha-..! Aerin heart sank, but before he could react his body was falling too the ground, paralyzed from the poison now rushing through his veins. H….am..? The young knight thought just before he lost consciousness as he watched a shadowed figured approached his downed body.

Several Hours Later

“Ahhh.” Bizelle said, “I see you are finally awake.” He finished, tapping on Aerin’s skull with his index finger.

“Wha…What’s going on…?” Aerin questioned groggily, realizing his arms and legs were bound too an ‘x’ shaped board. “What the fuck!?” He shouted, realizing the situation he was in, desperately yanking at his limbs to no avail.

“Relax, struggling will only make things worse for you.”  Bizelle said calmly as he ran his hands along several metal tools on a tray before picking up a scalpel an examining is closely. “Now then, I do have some questions for you my boy.” His voice was as cold as it was calm, as chilling as the cold steel was going to be as it sliced through the young knights tender flesh.

“Bizelle!” Raddott shouted as he barged into the tent.

“I told you not to interrupt me.” Bizelle responded with a glance that would send the fiercest predator running.

“You are going to want to see this, I insist.” Raddott declared, stressing the seriousness of the situation.

“Is that so?” Bizelle responded, his eyebrow raised with intrigue.

Note Boys | The Cathedral | Nilf

“Where the fook is our sister?!” Paris shouted.

“Yeah, where the fook is she?! Our spies haven’t heard from her in days!!” Sully shouted as well, the impact of his fat fists caused cracks in the stone table.

“We are trying everything we can, the last we had heard she was taking refuge with a noble young prince of a man with a heart of a gold and his wretched beast whose foulness knows no bounds near Port Thor in Jotun.” Tibias responded, doing his best to be the calming voice of rationality as he had done so many times with his brother in the past.

“Foulness knows no bounds?! What the fook is that?! And who the fook is this prince fooking charming???!” Paris ranted in disgust.

“Yeah?! Who the fook is prince fooking charming?! This is fooking ridiculous!” Sully shouted, once again pounding his fists on the table, causing the cracks to ripple even further.

“Fooking ridiculous!” Paris echoed his brother’s sentiment quite loudly, “We have already called our banners to war, we just need to fooking attack now, its what Da would have done!”

“Yeah its what Da would have fooking done!” Sully declared after his brother, pounding his fists down for the final time as the stone table snapped, as did their uncles patience with them.

“Enough! Your Da isn't here, I am!” Tibias shouted over the twins, “I have a plan set in motion as we speak, it’s the kind of plan where if its successful there wont even be a fooking war! You dumb fooks!” He shouted, losing his temper in rare form, “Your cousin, my son! Aerin is risking his life right now inside the enemy camp! If his mission succeed’s we ensure our survival, so until then, we cannot risk fighting!” The elderly advisor finished, his mood calming as his speech went on.

“M’lords..” The words accompanied a knock at the door, “Pardon me but there is someone here who insists on seeing you, they say its about the war and the princess…”

“Ahh, this must be him now.” Tibias said, “See, patience is key my boys.” He snickered smugly.

WC: 2,454 (4,825/5,000)

Victor quirked an interested eyebrow. So, he was being called in for an assignment? He had to admit, he was curious about just what this assignment was. More importantly, it got Victor out of this hospital. the guards outside of his office were surprisingly accepting of the fact that Castor had suddenly appeared and was now calling the head of the hospital away for some sort of crisis. Victor hadn't kept up with what was going on, so he was still curious about what Castor needed him for.

Before he could ask though, a scream had gotten his attention. Well, trust for something like this to happen. The pair of them ran towards the room in question, only to find a naked man accosting one of the nurses, who took off running with her clothes. And it seemed that Castor knew this man. Victor sighed. "While I do appreciate the opportunity to get away, I would appreciate next time if you did NOT cause any problems throughout my hospital. I'd rather not deal with the Vana authorities without at least knowing what was going on." Castor certainly had an interesting pick in accomplices, but more importantly, what the pair of them said. Apparently they had a young woman with them, and someone called Dax had pulled a fast one and run off with her. And there was something about her being sold or something.

Victor followed the pair of them out the back of the hospital, where Castor summoned some sort of electric bird. Well, that was certainly an interesting application for Castor's abilities. And he could climb on without getting shocked as well. As the bird took off, the trio on its back, Victor held on tightly. "Now then, mind telling me just what is going on?"

Dax and Borer Camp Squad | Nilf and Vana Border | Lvneel

Bizelle tailed closely behind the youthfully beautiful Sir Raddott, his dead eyes constantly assessing the ever changing chaos that was the Border Camp. He wore a mask of disapproval as the pair aptly navigated the choppy sea of flesh before Raddot came to a stop as they approached the liquor tent. Filth. He thought, All of them.

“It’s over here..” The blonde haired knight said with disdain, “Says it’s got information on the Nilf princess..” He finished, pointing out a familiar figure amongst the crowd of drunks.

“Does this look infected too you..?” Dax asked, hotdog in hand as he displayed it too a group of several others, earning the disgust and shock of all but one.

“N-…nahhh…*hic*… I…my…my brothers a doctor…I would…-.” The man said, stumbling before faceplanting into the mud below. “I would know…” He finished before passing out in the mud.

“Excuse me!” Bizelle interrupted, his presence alone scattering the drunken soldiers like terrified roaches. “I was informed that you have information pertaining too the young miss Annabell.” His ice cold eyes focused on Dax, “Is this correct?”

Dax stared back blankly for a moment before using his powers to ascend his trousers back to their rightful place around his hips. Without a word, he reached down and picked up the bottle of whiskey had been enjoying prior to show and tell. As Bizelle attempted to interrupt, Dax simply held up a single finger to silence the man before slugging back what was left in the bottle. With a sigh a relief he pulled back and his finger and finally responded, “Yeah, I fuckin got her, but it’s gonna cost ya.” The goldmonger snarled a golden fanged grin.

“Cost me..?” Bizelle responded in a confused tone, “Do you and your retainer not work for my lord?”

“Retainer….?” Dax mumbled while he pondered the word, “The fuckin shrimp?!” He snapped, “Yeah fuck that readin ass little piece of shit fuck and all his plans, I got the girl and you got the fuckin money, that’s what fuckin matters.” He paused for a moment, “Or should I take my business elsewhere?”

“No, that is not needed.” Bizelle responded, making a clear mental note of the word plans.

“Are you fucking kidding me?! You’re actually giving into this freak’s demands?!” Raddot lashed out in anger.

“Silence!” Bizelle shouted, his unfeeling gaze now fixated on the brash young knight, sending him sulking backwards like a beaten dog. “Now then.” He said, turning his attention back towards Dax, “I believe we were discussing the bill of sale for the princess then?” The elder knight continued as he cunningly steered the conversation back towards Dax’s interests as he motioned the goldmonger to follow him back towards his tent, sealing the deal with a friendly pat on the shoulder.

“I like your fuckin style, bub.” Dax snickered, tailing behind Bizelle as Radott tailed them both, closely. As the elder knight disappeared behind the tent flap, a sudden wave of warmth rushed over the young man’s body as he fell tumbling to the ground, his body motionless as the impact was absorbed by the mud. “Well shhiiii….t…” He mumbled, his mind slowly fading to black leaving the image of Bizelle’s ice blue eyes burned into his mind.

About a Half hour later

“Hey, you, you’re finally awake..!” Aerin whispered.

“Wh..what?” Dax muttered, realizing his current predicament of being strapped to an ‘x’ shaped board next to a kid who looked like he already had foot in the grave. “Fuck dude, you look like you’ve had better days mate.”

“Tch…I’ve..*cough* definitely had better days.” Arein snickered back, “Names Aerin Note, you?”

“Dax...” He replied with a nod, his eyes drifting around the room as he gathered the full extent of the situation. Bloodied surgical tools, saws, a drill, and what appeared to be several severed digits on a steel plate.

“Well I am so glad two of you have gotten acquainted.” Bizelle remarked sarcastically as he entered the room polishing a fresh scalpel before laying it down on the dirtied pan.

“Well that didn’t make much fuckin sense.” Dax remarked in the kind smart ass way that reminds you why you dislike him so much, earning him the cold glace of the ice man in front of him.

“It is a shame your friendship will be so short life though.” The knight said sternly, ignoring the goldmongers comment entirely as he casually strolled up too the boy and slid a razor across his throat. The skin delaying just a moment before it finally separates, giving way to the flood gates of crimson liquid as it spilled out of the boy body. “I will return.” He said calmly before exiting the room as if nothing had happened.

Dax turned his head watched as the young man’s last few seconds on earth were filled with nothing but pain and despair, desperately gasping as the blood ran out of his neck. What were mere seconds seemed like centuries to the pair, until finally, the boy struggled no more. “Looks like your day just got worse pal.”

Note Boys and Shrimp & co. | The Cathedral | Nilf

“Greetings Sir Bastion! Tales of your heroics have reached even the furthest corners of Lvneel, it is an honor to be in the presence of such an esteemed knight.” Tibias declared, welcoming his guests in a rather expected tone, hunting down Castor’s hand with fervor for a handshake. “These are my nephews, the current rulers of Nilf, Paris and Sully Note.” Tibias continued as he rounded back to his seat, though the Note boys responded with little more than grunts before their eyes went back to the battlefield maps, having little respect for the tiny golden knight. The words dripped out of Castors mouth like honey, leaving Tibias in the role of the hungry bear. He gobbled up every word that was said with a grin that could not be matched.

Though, the second Castor’s proposal had finished, the air around Tibias flicked like a switched as he leaned back into his chair, “Now you say the princess is currently being held by your associate..? Hmmm…” Tibias began, running his finger back and forth along the finely carved wooden table that sat in front of him. “And you say that this, Castor, is it? Yes, he is going too aid our good nation of Nilf out of the kindness of his heart just because you ask it of him… Must be some associates you have there, I envy that, the people you consider friends must be next to godliness.”  The shrewd man continued, clearly pulling at each thread that made up the web of lies the spider that was Castor sat upon. “Victor Abio, yes, it’s a name I have heard murmured several times now… little birds bringing whispers on the winds…” His tone drifting into a murmur by the end as he sat forward in his chair, adjusting his posture to a more intimidating demeanor. “Your words would have worked on my brother and they surely had the boys behind me fooled... But I am what you dream to be, I have spun more tales than you have even thought of. Nothing more than a pup playing a mans game, I am spider with webs all over the world and especially all over Lvneel…” The spymaster of Nilf responded with an ominous tone, “Now then, sit, lets speak candidly, no more façade.”

WC: 1,253 (6,078/5,000)

Well, this had certainly been a lot to absorb. Granted, Victor wasn't really much of a history buff himself, unless that involved the history of biology, science and evolution. Politics, not really his big thing. But, he was able to filter through the massive exposition dump Castor gave him and summed up his entire plan. Make himself king of Lyneel, use that position to lure out a World Noble, and then murder them. He wouldn't have expected anything less from Castor O. Nox at this point. He couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, quite an interesting plan. Though I think at that rate, even having a kingdom at your command wouldn't save you from the wrath of the World Government." He gave a small shrug. "But, if those World Nobles are anything like I've heard about them, I'm sure there are ways we can make one...disappear." Indeed, World Nobles believed themselves above all else. People that self absorbed would most likely see eachother as potential rivals. There were ways one can convince them to look away when one of their own vanished.

But, that didn't seem to explain the importance of the little girl that Castor's associate had kidnapped. A part of the plan perhaps? They'll come to that bridge when they get there. But in the meantime, he was curious about why they brought him along for this. Guess they were in need of a doctor, and one that could handle himself relatively well...and wasn't bound by morality of course.

Before long, the three of them arrived at a Cathedral, where Victor learned they weren't the only ones involved in this conspiracy. Castor certainly had been busy. He remained quiet, listening to Castor spin his web of lies to the man, before the man, in turn, responded, showing a good deal more knowledge than Victor gave him credit for. The implications behind the man knowing him was quickly painting a picture of someone they they may have to kill at some point. Oh, how he would love to see that. "Do be careful," Victor said, with an ominous smile, "Spiders are tolerated only so long as they're not a nuisance. And with Castor Nox involved, if word were to get out about this, I think you'll find the World Government's patience will run out very quickly."

Indeed, the instant Castor's name came up, that locked them all in this. After all, Castor O. Nox was a supernova, a feared pirate. What were the chances of the World Government Buster Calling the island just to get at him? "So, let's keep this all civil between us, shall we? It'll make my job of keeping you all alive significantly easier." Granted, WHO he was keeping alive was up for debate.

Dax hung from the boards by his wrists and ankles, whistling an ominous tune as he awaited his captors return, his body wiggling and worming as best it could to the sound. “C’mon pal, show me whatcha got! Don’t be afraid, dance like there’s no tomorrow!” He joked to Arein’s corpse, “Oh wait! You aint got no tomorrow! Bwhahahaha!”

“Good lord, don’t you ever shut the fuck up?!” Radott shouted, coming through the tent flap a few seconds before Bizelle entered as well.

“Remove the corpse.” The elder knight declared coldly to his younger counterpart, “Do it now and leave me with this…” He paused for a moment, “This heathen.” He finished, looking Dax’s golden pierced body.

“Yeah, why don’t you get the fuck out and let the grown ups talk.” Dax snickered, drawing the rage of the beautiful lord Radott.

“You freaky little scoundrel, I shall slay you here and now!” He shouted, drawing his longsword in the blink of an eye, appearing as only a shimmer of light to the untrained.

“I gave you an order…” Bizelle began softly, his words locking Radott up like an unoiled engine, “..and I expect it done!” He finished, his tone much more aggressive as he did so.

“Tch… one day demon, one day I will be the one to take your head.” The younger knight snarled, sheathing his blade in a dramatically slow fashion before taking down the boy’s corpse and throwing it over his shoulder. “With the others than?” He asked as the elder knight bound the goldmonger’s mouth shut, exiting the tent as he did so.

“No… no, I think I will take that one.” Stein called out, approachinh the tent, “That one will be of use to me.”

“Very well.” Bizelle replied as he exited the tent behind the younger night, nodding to Radott, “What brings you here lord Stein?”

“My cart is over there.” The Vassal lord stated to the blonde knight before responding to elder, “I received word of… of an interesting visitor to the camp.” Malice said with a grin, twirling his cane as he approached Bizelle, “A visitor so interesting in fact, that he claimed to have information regarding my missing ward, my dear sweet Annabelle.” His words seemed too slither out like snakes, though their content is what concerned the Jotun knight more. As far as he knew the information regarding Dax’s involvement with princess had been contained to just his men and it showed. “Oh, don’t worry Bizelle, if it’s any consolation your men themselves don’t even know their spies.”

If there is one man on this earth I hate, it is Lord Stein of Muspell. Bizelle thought, the rare feeling of anger causing his fists to visibly clench, signaling too Stein that he had indeed won the battle. “I have nothing to hide from an allied Commander, my lord.” Bizelle replied begrudgingly, admitting defeat. “Thw man is known as Dax and from what I know, he is the masked knight of Jotun’s attack dog.” The knight began, “While that fool Bastion runs around saving the people, he has this mongrel do his dirty work, though now he claims to have abandoned his retained and is currently acting of his own accord. Though, before this I did not think he had enough brain cells to do such a thing.”

“Hmmmmm..” Stein mumbled as he leaned in closer, “I do believe I shall have a look myself.” He declared, “Now then, the reason I am here is too advise you that there has been a change of plans. There has been an…unforeseen complication regarding the pirate known as Castor O. Nox.”

“A change of plans…?” Bizelle questioned in a confused manner, “I have received no word of such a change.”

“That is correct, I am your word.” Stein said bluntly, daring the knight to challenge his rank any further than he already had. “The timeline has been accelerated due to his recent involvement.”

“Yes, of course…” Bizelle said, grinding his teeth, “Apologies, my lord.”

“Now then, I want you to have your two best men, this masked knight Bastion and Sir Radott lead that the vanguard tomorrow morning. You will push the Nilf army back while my men, reinforced with my legion of Shadows, will flank them before they can take shelter back inside of the Cathedral.” Malice declared, “Meanwhile, Vana’s forces will assault the Cathedral directly, they are currently making their way up through the green mountains now. Ready yourself and your troops, you leave first thing in the morning to attack the outpost.” Malice finished, already leaving the area before he uttered his final word, leaving no room for response or rebuttal from the prickly elder knight.

Without a word, Bizelle turned his attention back towards the goldmonger inside of the tent, ripping the gag off the mans face.

“Fucking finally!” Dax shouted, “Holy fucking shit, and here I thought the fuckin shrimp talked a lot. That guy is a real piece of fuckin work, huh?!” He snickered having overheard the earlier conversation, “Oh and this fuckin Bastion the goodie two shoes masked knight fuck and the little piece of worthless shit Castor cunt are one and the fuckin same! Bwhahaha! I can’t believe you fuckin idiots actually fell for that nonsense of a charade! Bwhahahah” Dax declared brazenly, giving away his captains secrets freely.

Of course.. Bizelle thought, We’ve all had our suspicions, though due to our aligning interests up until this point, we had no reason to challenge it.. “Did you know there are over four hundred and thirty nine different ways I could torture you right now, and all of the tools that I would need are right here in this tent. It is a collection I have maintained over a lifetime of service to the Waldon family, something I am quite proud of..” Bizelle questioned, his voice laced with an ominous malice as he reached for a pair of pincers from the table beside him.

For just a moment Dax stared back with a blank expression before responding, “Weird flex, but uhh okay” Dax mumbled, “… Look, I can get over the annoying ass bad guy speech, I get enough of that shit already, but I think I like where this is going, so shut and take me big boy.” Dax said with a golden fanged smile, snarling at the knight like the beast he was.

“Your humor will soon turn to screams and only then will your punishment truly begin.” Bizelle said, calling Dax’s bluff by ripping out one of his golden nipple rings with the blood-stained tongs.

Shrimp & the Note Boys | The Cathedral | Nilf

"The fook do you think you are doing?!" Paris shouted, longbow drawn on the pirate as he stood over his uncles left shoulder.

"Yeah, the fook do you think you are doing?!" Sully shouted from the right of his uncle, his hammer hovering mere inches from Castor's skull.

Tibias snickered as the little pirate known as Castor now towered over him, “Yes, you are indeed strong, look at my nephews who have known doubt wet themselves." He jested, motioning them to lower their weapons, "Yes, any point you could wipe us all out, hell you might even be able to take out the whole army, who knows, maybe even the whole country if you played your cards right….” He paused, " But playing your cards right requires working together, which is why you are here. You see, I know abit about Castor the pirate as well, like how the Navy would react to a pirate of such notoriety taking such a deep interest in the political affairs of one of their islands. Which is why you need us, you need Lady Annabelle, and you need to get back your estranged associate before we lose everything to that vile lord Waldon.” He sighed for a moment as he stood up, dusting the bits of rubble and dust from his cloak before addressing the pirate once more, ignoring the dirty man known as Newport entirely, “You will soon find that we are not afraid of death, because at this point we are fighting a battle with only two outcomes, and very few paths lead to our survival. So if yo-..” His long winded speech cut off by the sudden entrance of a cloaked woman, her clothes covered in mud.

“M’lord!” she shouted in a tizzy, gasping for breath at every word, “Aerin…!” She shouted, tears streaming down her eyes, “He was captured!”

"Ethel!!?" The Note Boys shouted in unison, unaware their friend had secretly been spying for their uncle.

“What…-?!!” Tibias shouted in disbelief, collapsing back into the wooden chair in shock, a few seconds passing by before he could gather himself once more. “What happened?!”

“I-…. I’m not too sure… I was…” She choked on every word as if they were rocks lodged in her throat.

“Spit it out woman! This is my son!” Tibias exclaimed.

“Ahh! Y—yes! I was in the camp, s-spying like you had s-said and then I saw the knight Radott returning back to Bizelle’s tent with Lord Aerin slung over his shoulder. I tried to get c-close, I heard them talking, but I couldn’t really understand much so I came back here as fast as I could, but I do know they are planning to attack tomorrow morning!” The poor girl did her best, her voice was frantic, erratic from hysteria.

Tibias rose up from his seat and approached the girl, embracing her in a comforting embrace, allowing her to break down, letting out all the tears she had held back for so long. “Shhhh, you did very well my dear, thank you… *crack*..” He said soothingly before snapping the girl’s neck, her body falling limp into his arms before he rested her gently on the floor.

"Ethel!! Uncle?! What are ya fookin doing?!" Paris shouted, scooping up the body off the ground, the corpse already ice cold.

"Yeah uncle?! The fook are ya doing?!" Sully echoed the sentiment, both boys having grown up with the girl known as Ethel. Her hair was blonde as a sunflower and her smile brightened up every room she entered. "The fook is wrong with you uncle?! Answer us!!" Sully shouted again, grabbing his uncle by the collar and lifting him up off the ground.

“Look closer at the thing you know to be your friend Ethel.." Tibias mumbled, struggling to articulate his words with Sully's hand around his neck. With everyone's attention now on the corpse, the color of its skin slowly began to fade leaving behind a shriveled gray husk. The color melted into the floor and forming an oozing pool of black before the entire corpse was sucked into it like a vacuum, the shadowy substance collapsing in on itself and disappearing with the body. "Now then if you would...?" He muttered to the rounder twin. "One of Stein's Shadow's... He's gotten to our people already..." He continued, "This is problematic.. What he said must be a trap, however we cannot afford to ignore it.” He declared solemnly, once more dusting off his coat he turned back towards Castor and his company, “To win the war you must retrieve your wayward compatriot and lady Annabelle by any means necessary, and while you are there you must retrieve my son! Then and only then, can we win the war, and you must go tonight! Paris, Sully, ready yourselves and your men, we ride for fort Ramshead!”

WC: 1,920 (7,998/5,000)

Well, it certainly seemed like Castor had decided to drop all pretense on who he was, tossing away the disguise and revealing who he was. Well, so much for subtlety. Victor quickly deduced that these gentlemen were either going to end up dead by the end of the day, or perhaps this was the end of them playing pretend. Still, the reactions of everyone in the room earned a small chuckle from the doctor. Castor certainly had a way of making people lose all composure.

And then came in a woman, a spy, who revealed that Tibias' son had been captured. The name meant nothing to Victor, only a minor complication. But then things took an interesting turn. Not only did Tibias kill the woman in question, but then she seemed to melt away into shadow. "Well, that's certainly interesting." Victor murmured with a small smile. So, this Stein person was able to turn people into these...shadows? Well, now he was curious as to how such things worked. At first he wondered just why he should bother with this little exercise. Well, now he had something of interest here.

He glanced over at Castor. "So, we're on a little rescue mission huh? Unexpected. Anyway, shall we get going?" It was better than simply standing around doing nothing.

The Cathedral | Nilf | Lvneel

Tibias had a hint of defeat in his eyes as he had no choice but to stand by and listen to Castor’s outlandish demands. Something the pirate would surely notice, signaling to him that this game of wits had been won by him. “Tch. Fine! You can have whatever you want if you bring them back safely! Just go now!” He shouted angrily, pointing for the door, somewhere Castor was already heading with an arrogant smirk plastered across his face as he and his companions faded too black.

Sully and Paris quickly followed behind, leaving their uncle alone in the destroyed council room, the moonlit sky illuminating the area. “Insolent child…” Tibias mumbled, clearing off the debris from his chair before taking a seat, slumping over with his head resting on his fist. With a sigh, the man addressed the form that seemed to almost slither out of the shadows behind him. “You can let your master know everything is going according to plan, the pirate has no idea he’s being played like a fiddle.” Tibias said with a hint a glee in his voice.

“Thisssss issss very good..” The shadowy figure responded before slinking away, disappearing into the abyss like darkness behind the man’s chair.

Border Camp | Vana and Nilf Border | Lvneel

The once bustling encampment had come to a slow grind, with the Vana company having left for the mountains and the remaining soldiers spending what could be their last few hours in debauchery. A strange calmness had over taken it as a light fog began to roll in, almost like mother nature was setting the stage for something, though that something was not yet clear.

“The boy isssss coming…” A voice hissed from the shadows.

“Good.” Bizelle stated sternly, “We are more than prepared for such a lowly pirate.”

“Remember, ssssssstick to the plan… There issssss no room for deviation..” It hissed once more.

“I do not serve your master, I serve Lord Waldon of Jotun!” Bizelle retaliated, losing his cool for the first time in a very long time before buttoning his persona back up to his cool, calm, and collected aura. “You should do best to remember that, creature…” He threatened, his cold eyes piercing into the darkness.

“Yessss, of coursssssse.” The shadow responded before fading away.

“Sir Bizelle.” A squire interjected, his meek voice growing louder as he poked his head through the trent flap, “Sir Bastion is here, Sir.”

“Very good.” Bizelle muttered as he fiddled with a bloodied blade before tossing it back onto the tray where Dax’s golden nipple ring sat in a small pool of clotted blood. The room was empty aside from Bizelle, the elderly knight waiting fr the golden mask to come swaggers though his threshold.

“Sir Bastion, it is good too see you.” Bizelle began once Castor stepped through the flap, “Please, take a seat. Tea?” He began, gesturing to the chair before moving on to a small fire where a whistling tea kettle hung. Without an answer from the disguised pirate, Bizelle made two cups of tea and returned to the table, taking a seat across from Castor. “It is good too have you on our side for tomorrow’s battle, while I don’t care for your unwillingness to completely ally yourself with us, I do recognize that having a warrior of your caliber will only increase our chances of winning.” The elderly knight spoke between sips of tea, “Now then, tell me where you have been all this time, will you?”

Green Mountains | Vana Nilf Border | Vana Company | Lvneel

The clanking of knights in metal suits echoed through the dark of the knight as the Vana company marched across the uneven terrain, the treacherous slopes all the more dangerous in the dead of night guided only by the moonlight. The very same moonlight the flickered in the deep dark woods that covered the mountain range, catching the eye of two young friends in service of the Bolden family. They slipped off from the end of the march, ditching their armor to move with more agility and silence, allowing the pair to escape dying for a war they know nothing about.

As they ventured through the thick woods, they stumbled upon a small clearing, revealing a small filed with a small trickling stream running down the center. The duo quickly fell to their hands and knees, scooping out the clear water with cupped hands and gulping it down as fast as they could. This continued as a repeating pattern until one of them noticed something strange, so strange that it just couldn’t possibly exist. He blinked and blinked, rubbing his eyes when he realized that the blinking didn’t work, until suddenly, the young man realized that what he was staring did indeed exist and what he was staring at was a wall of solid gold catching the moonlight just ever so slightly.

In a blind fit of greed, the young man picked up a rock and beat in his partners head as he was still drinking the water from the creek that now ran red with the blood of an innocent. After which, the boy slowly approached the wall of gold, muttering to himself about all the things he’s going to buy.

WC: 886 (8,884/5,000)

In all honesty, this whole thing was just over Victor's head. Politics was never his field of interest, and now he was stuck as part of a political takeover. All this talk about captured nobility, political intrigue and revenge, it didn't matter to Victor. All that mattered was his experiments, which Castor had pulled him away from for this little exercise. In all honesty, if he was going to be brought her, and there wasn't going to be any fighting, then why was he here?

Before long, the pair of them had arrived at a camp. Well, Castor had certainly been a little busy bee, setting up a sort of civil war within Lyneel. When Castor, in his knightly disguise, was led away, Victor was left all by himself. Well, if he was going to be here, he may as well do something to alleviate his boredom. There were plenty of soldiers here, many of them drunk out of their minds, or otherwise engaging in self destructive behaviour. Who would notice if a few of them went missing, or ended up dead due to 'drinking themselves to death'. And in this place, he could certainly pass himself off as a medic.

Looking around the camp, he took notice of a medics tent that was currently empty. Hmm, so even the military doctors were off having fun. Victor couldn't help but give a wicked smile as he entered the tent. Time to set himself up, and then wait for the first poor fool to come stumbling into his 'clinic'.

Dax | Bizelle’s Tent | 1 hour prior to Castor’s arrival

Dax hung from the planks, beaten and bloodied, his body covered in whip lashes and cuts. With Bizelle’s menacing figure standing over him, “Now where were my boy? Oh yes, right here.” The elderly knight snickered as he dug a knife into the goldmongers shoulder, twisting and turning it as he thrusted deeper and deeper.

“Nghhhhhh.” Dax moaned loudly, something Bizelle mistook for grunts of pain.

“Yes, feel it dig deeper and deeper, tearing into your flesh..” Bizelle whispered into the goldmongers ear, doing his best to emphasize the torture, something that would work on a normal human being. “This is going to be everyday for the rest of your miserable life…”

“Holy fuck, he’s pitching a fucking tent!” Raddott shouted out from behind the pair, “He fucking likes it the sick freak!”

“Wha…Augh!” Bizelle shouted in disgust as he quickly removed himself from Dax’s immediate space, leaving the knife firmly planted in his shoulder.

“Aww c’mon! Don’t start somethin ya can’t fuckin finish!” Dax snickered while flexing his muscle through his pants, much to the disgust of the knights.

“Let me just kill this sick fuck and be done with it!” Raddott shouted, storming towards the man with his swords drawn.

“You will sheathe your sword and leave, now.” The elder knight said coldly, “Lord Waldon has use for this…..beast..” He finished, hesitating as he gave the man known as Dax a disgusted glare. “For now, we have a war to plan, come.” Bizelle stated, exiting the tent with the younger blonde, leaving the pirate alone.

“Fuckin tease…” Dax grumbled with an irritated sigh, “Now what am I supposed to fuckin do…” He said, glancing around the now empty tent before notice a figure in the shadows.

“Ah so this is the man that has everyone talking…” The voice said as the figure came into view, “I do believe we have met once before… Yes, at Lord Waldon’s estate, with none other than Lvneel’s own living legend Bastion!” Lord Stein said excitedly, tapping his cane on the floor.

“Sure.” Dax shrugged in response, completely oblivious to the man’s importance or the event to which he was referencing.

“You may call me Stein, Lord Malice Stein.” The dapper gentleman said with a pause in his statement to give the goldmonger courtesy bow, “And I have a proposition for you my boy..” He finished, looking up with a malicious smile, his words perking up the pirate’s ears and soliciting a golden fanged smile of his own. “Oh, and it pays very lucratively.”

“You got my attention…” Dax snickered sinisterly in response.

Shrimp and Bizelle’s Tea Party | Bizelle’s Tent | Present Time

“Ahhh yes.” Bizelle responded with a sip of tea, “The stars are lovely here… I find myself looking up at them quite often in my older age.” The elder knight paused to take a glance at his own reflection looking back at him in the tea before directing his cold gaze back towards the man supposedly known as Bastion. “There are no stars here…” Bizelle stated bluntly, and he was right, Vana was known for its dense rainfall and cloudy skies. Even the so called dry season they were in rarely afforded a clear view of the sky even on a night like tonight where there was no rainfall.

“By now I’m sure you have noticed a certain feeling..” Bizelle snickered as Castor grasped at his gut, “Intense stomach pain, blurry vision,….. paralysis… Yes.” He laughed, wandering over towards the boy pirate as he curled up on the floor. “You are in my world now, boy… Ready him!”. With a snap, the fifteen men stationed around the tent surrounded the pirate and bound him, loading him up and scuttling off towards another part of the camp.

“Now all that’s left to do is too obtain my niece Annabelle.” Tibias said with a chuckle as he stepped out of the shadows, “Speaking of which, where do we sit with that?”

“Lord Stein is taking care of it.” Bizelle snapped back, the mention of the lord striking a cord with him.

“Oh my, don’t get your knickers in a twist.” Tibias chuckled, “Pretty soon we shall have everything we have every desired and more.. Now then, I must return to my nephews before they get suspicious. I will see you in a few hours, my boy!” Tibias said gleefully as he exited the tent out the back, taking precaution as to not be seen by anyone.

“Come out now Raddott!” Bizelle shouted, sensing the younger knights presence.

“So, what’s the plan?” The blonde knight asked, gripping the hilt on his blade tightly.

“You will tail the beast, I have my suspicions on if it can actually follow orders.” The elder knight began, “Meanwhile I will take care of the pirate child who would be king.”

“Perfect.” Raddott snickered arrogantly.

WC: 819 (9,703/5,000)