Mirthholme Saga 1: A New Peril Beckons

[Astral Harmony]

Inside the Azure Street Stop, so named because of the blatant fact that it was located about halfway down the broad spine of Azure Street, the most prominent street in Marldukes...

The warm smile, voluptuous figure, and friendly aura of Millie Frodnoth greeted patrons new and old. Millie's story was a weird one. If one could decide that a story could be quite true and yet hilarious at the same time, Millie was the noble wife of the noble Billy Frodnoth and the mother of Terrance Frodnoth, two men who carried the Frodnoth Family curse of having supernaturally powerful and lethally toxic farts. Billy became a living legend in his own right by halting an invasion of brutal barbarian pirates by himself with the power of his deadly ass.

Millie didn't mind that her husband had the most powerful farts in Mirthholme, but she didn't want that cursed destiny for her son Terrance. Most likely something to do with the obvious childhood trauma. So she set out with son in tow, and had been to numerous places looking for a good wizard to remove a curse that held power over a bloodline for many generations. Millie had kept in good contact with her husband for the majority of the time she was gone, but word had it that the relationship was getting quite strained.

She looked up from her magic manual and regarded the new arrivals. "Welcome to the Azure Street St-" then she squinted and her eyes seemed to fill with stars. "Oh wow, it's Alexander Vorenthall who silenced the Flame! And Adeze, who destroyed the terrible monster in the sealed mountain! And ohmigosh it's Asche, the famous monster hunter who was able to suppress a powerful demon trying to possess him! I have ALL of your action figures!"

Millie quickly bent below the counter and came up with her full collection. Holy shit, she did have action figures of you. "Check it out, Asche, this is you, and if you press this button on the back of the shoulder, he swings his giant sword with a kung-fu chop! Ya! Ya!"
Her antics and raving over the present individuals was amusing, but it was kind of getting tiresome. For a noblewoman in her late thirties, Millie had all the energy of a little girl and then some. Maybe she had superhuman powers as well? Oh, but there was no mention of her doing anything legendary.

Fortunately for everyone's tempers, Millie recollected herself and gestured to one of the doors in the back corner. "Ah, are you all looking for those twin geniuses? Then look no further than-"
She was interrupted by the door opening and in stepped an underaged girl with a bowl-cut hairstyle and lean muscle covering her entire body. But what truely identified the girl as Chelsea was the omnipresent sucker in her mouth. Chelsea always had a sucker in her mouth. "What's going on, Millie? You sound like a bunch of legendary heroes entered the place all at-"

She broke when she saw Alex, Adeze, and Asche. "Ah. I see Millie's shown you the action figures. They're actually a little side project of mine and I'm not mass producing them yet...at least not until we've talked royalties, first. I wouldn't want you all beating down my door because I'm getting rich off of your fame. I have to admit though that for my first time ever making toys, I did a pretty neat job, wouldn't you say? I have a few extras of each below if you want one yourselves."

Chelsea took a seat near Alex and faced the general direction of Asche and Adeze. "Well, this can't be any stretch of a coincidence for at least three of you coming here. Whadaya need?"

[Overcast]

Scott was finally through to his destination. It was odd the mixture of admiration and total superstition one can face in the crowded streets of a town like this. Stopped here for being suspicious, stopped there so that a youthful scholarly fellow may pester him about his third theory on negative plane morality, stopped again for being an abomination, though too fearful to be attacked. There was so much to see in the city. Though he just wanted one place.

He stepped through the doorway and caught himself a bit of a strange sight populating in front of one of those necessary little prodigies. He scritched at his head as he let out a soft chuckle. Well heroes, this was an information center and they could all be about getting info for different things, but he doubted that. Nothing is ever really coincidence, stop the universe and map all the motions and you could pretty accurately predict the next twenty years,

"Something tells me that assassination attempt wasn't an isolated incident."

He turned off to Chelsea giving himself a seat and laying his bag on a chair nearby him so as not to lose access to it, just in case an assault came about in this place. He worried a bit too much, but he had dealt with people trying to kill him before, and if that last girl had got him with fire or acid or liquid freezing agents then he would be in a much more dead than he was used to. He caught his eye on the little figurines,

"Got one of those for me, or is my appeal a bit too much of a gamble. Wouldn't be surprised, had a rather surreal experience getting here."

His history with the two was rather simple. When he woke up dead he was more than a little confused. Even though he already knew who the Trefoil Knot was, and the lowest rung of their organization he had never taken any deal they gave seriously and thus never actually knew how to locate the truly important figures at the top. A short trip to this town where a genius little girl well known around the technical circles as a little prodigy. He found out she didn't quite know about them either to his own dismay. Though she did know who did. Off to the master of information himself who pointed him in the direction he needed to go on the warpath. He had returned once or twice mostly for Chelsea who's youthful and radical mind was always an interest to compare theories with, but hadn't truly needed Joshua again until right now.

[Astral Harmony]

"Heh. Speak of the devil, I'm having a kind of surreal experience right now," Chelsea said. "Four legends already, and I'm betting on others gathering here just as quick as you all have. I think we should probably wait for others to arrive, but I get the feeling this is damn important if there's so many of you here. Hang on, I'll go get Joshua. He's probably trying to get it on with some new girl. Just a moment."

Chelsea rose from her chair and promptly went back through the door leading to the basement. Millie brought up an action figure of Scott. "Check it out! Potion throwing action power!"

After about half a minute, a young woman in half-undressed was pushed into the room with Chelsea and then Joshua. "Sorry, lady. Josh's real busy all day."
"Listen baby, I'll get with you later, okay?" Joshua stammered with a visible panic. "Don't take my sister's threat seriously, she's not going to bash your face in with a wrench. I'll call you."
With a furious "Hmph!", the woman dressed quickly and left, leaving a stunned Joshua and a satisfied Chelsea.
"That was very uncalled for, Chels." Joshua chided his sister despite the fact that everyone could hear their dialogue. "I have a right to have a girlfriend and you can't take her away from me."
"You're sixteen and you're not supposed to be doing that stuff anyways."
"We weren't going to do it. We were just making out."
"She was just another floozy, Josh, or did you not notice that she was setting you up? You're a lot better than that."
"Yeah, well...a night with a floozy is better than being stuck with you!"

Chelsea's face was hidden from view...but her weapon, and where the hell did she get a wrench that size, was not hidden. Joshua was on his back and couldn't even move before Chelsea was already gone from the inn with only so much as a "Big brother, you're a big jerk!"
Joshua recovered quickly after that. "After she stews for a while, I'll apologize and get her something sweet to eat."
"She's still calling you 'Big Brother', even though she's the older twin," Millie observed, making the action figures Asche and Scott fight over Adeze's affections. There were weirder things to see in Marldukes, but they weren't that much weirder.

Now that Chelsea was out, Joshua picked a seat, the same one Chelsea used. "I dunno why. I'm not even bigger than her in size. I guess she just prefers it that way."
Joshua, true to his word, didn't have the muscles Chelsea possessed, which was because of the difference in their hobbies and what they did for a living. His figure was slim and flexible, which made sense given that he often did a lot of sneaking and moving through difficult areas. He'd make an excellent sneak thief. "So, is this all of you? I get the feeling there's something you all want to ask me and that it's all the same thing, and I have a feeling you're all not the only ones who need that answer. If you sought me out, that means that I'm probably the only one with that answer and that it's urgent, so please, tell me what's going on with all of you."

[Malkadocian]

Answers. Answers. Answers. Everything revolved around them. Why this? and Why that?... There were far too many things unknown, and never anybody to ask. Nobody to talk to... couldn't do that, it'd be dangerous for anybody. Poisonous skin, and all that. Hell, only thing that benefits from contact with him is plants. Everything else just.... withered and died before too long.

A bandaged up figure was slipping through the alley's and the side streets of this large city. His wraps were practically in tatters from the long excursion, though only darkness and shadows were in the holes seen. Other then that, a rather old pair of worn boots were on his feet, a belt upon his waist, but it was the cloak that stood out from the rest of the bedraggled figure. It was actually new. Well, newer then anything else this figure was wearing. It was so long that it dragged on the street by a couple inches, and it hung snugly around his form, thanks to him actually holding it closed in the front.

And through the streets this figure moved, with a natural grace and smooth movements. He never touched a soul, always moving out of reach at the last moment. His eyes darted about constantly, wondering what to do, where to go... he remembered the faces of those he accompanied so long ago... but not the names, outside of one. One of them... a gun man, spoke of a child-like prodigy that he went to, to fix his... well, near everything. The gunner spoke of a respect that he never gave anybody else, and Taharial figured she would be a decent place to start. A name and skill was better then nothing.

"Do you know Chelsea the Mechanic?" Tahalrial asked soul after soul on the streets, hoping to find this one. His voice was like the crackling of dry leaves on an autumn eve. The responses he got were less then enthusiastic... not many would talk to a leper. And Taharial fit the bill, if you were to look at him. It didn't deter him one bit, for it was something that needed to be done. He had to know why somebody tried to kill him. If the Gunner trusted her... then so shall he. Now he just had to find her...

[Steel Shadow]

Before anyone could get around to asking Joshua anything though, an arm wrapped itself around his shoulders and pulled him back up to his feet. Soan ruffled his hair with his free hand, happy to see the younger twin again.

"Josh! Man, it's been ages! How've you been? Was that Chelsea who ran me over going out the door? She didn't use the wrench again did she? That thing hurts..." he winced at the memory, but didn't stop talking. "Anyways, Elly... Uh, Master Shara sent me to ask you two about something, I have a note some...where..." he moved to start searching through his pockets again when something caught his eye.

"Woah. Are those action figures?" He asked, releasing Joshua at last, zipping over to the bar. "Oh wow, you've got a bunch of them! Hey, is that Adeze?... And Alex Vorenthall? Oh *wow*, you've even got Asche! Aw man, can I see them, pleeeasssseee?"

[rapter200]

The Streets of Marldukes were just as crowded since two days ago. He had been contracted to blow up a building in the way of a renovation project, and he of course jumped at the opportunity. Anything to show off his handiwork and to prove that explosives are better than anything that magic could do. Though he was 26, he was the world’s leading expert on explosives, though that wasn’t saying much since there weren’t many. Most just relied on the dirty art form of magic. Sylen’s mind wandered off as he walked the distance to information center of the world. It was all that assassin’s fault that he had to visit them, he hated having to deal with people younger than him who also considered themselves smarter than him. In retrospect it was partially his fault for wanting to find out who these assassins were. Though near death experiences sorta do that to you. Luck was with him when the knife aimed at his head and stuck into the wall next to him as he lit the fuse to the bomb that would blow up the building.

As soon as he realize that he was under attack he grabbed a BoR bomb and snapped his fingers causing enough friction on the short fuse to light it due to the finger pads he was wears at all times. The brilliant explosion of light stunned the assassin who was completely blind for the next at most 10 seconds. While running outside of the building to escape the assassin and the impending explosion he got a glimpse of the assassin, a beautiful young lady who had a strange tattoo on her hip. Some kind of flower. He then turned around and got the hell out of their just making it outside the zone of "your going to be FUBAR" before the explosion went off, and debris slammed near his head into the tree he was next to as he ran. It was a knife.

As soon as Sylen was pulled out of his deep though due to hitting something he realized that he was here he needed to be. Damn doors, always being there to slam into. He opened the door and step inside. “Oh you got to be kidding me.” Sylen said out loud when he noticed everyone in the room

[Arcanum]

"Well isn't this getting crowded," Alex said as he looked at all the other legends arriving. So many people, so little time, and an assassin who still needed to die. Alex stood up and shrugged off the old and dirty cloak he had been wearing in hopes of disguising his appearence. He was wearing his usual adventuring/fighting clothing: black boots (with padded soles for extra comfort), dark green cloth pants (a little loose for extra mobility), a white short-sleeved shirt (same style as the pants), and strips of white cloth wrapped around his hands and forearms (just for the hell of it).

"Well since mister-five-year old over here can't finish a sentance without getting distracted by something shiny," Alex said, gesturing at Soan, "I might as well go first– err... second, considering miss Adeze here already announced her problem aloud before you arrived Josh. Well her problem is my problem because an assassin tried to kill me last week too. She was good and I got lucky, but I managed to catch a glimpse of a tattoo on her thigh. It looked like a flower with a scythe blade – I'm not too sure though, I didn't get a good look at it. Although she did have rather admirable assets." Alex paused for a moment, lost in a fantasy over the woman who tried to kill him. That last though broke him out of it. "Oh, on a side note, nice to see you again, you're looking well. And might I add what a fine choice for a lady friend."

[Premmy]

Adeze looked around and listened to the conversation going on around her, she teleported into a seat at the table and leaned her scythe on her shoulder. "See, now I just figured someone from the Mirthholme government was out to get me, looks like this assassin thing is contagious" she Looked at Soan's energetic entrance, and wiggled her fingers at him."Oh hey sweeeetie. hand me that...... me would you?"

[Astral Harmony]

Joshua stood back up and scratched at his head. "Ah, Soan. You never change. By the way, how's Shara doing?"
He wasn't just wasting time on idle conversation. With Millie enjoying Soan's energy and company, Joshua was already writing an extensive list on a sheet of paper he tore from his notebook. Once finished after nearly a minute and a half of writing, he walked over and presented the paper for all to see. It was a list of names. Two lists of them, actually. Most of the names weren't all that familiar to anyone. The names on the left list included military ranks and titles...high profile titles like general, admiral, high chamberlain, and even king. The list on the right contained no ranks, and they were all female names. No doubt whose names those were. Joshua stepped back where everyone could crowd around it. "The names on the left are possible employers," Joshua explained. "From what Alex told me, someone's hired the Reaping Lillies for a synchronous slaughter on some really big names in Mirthholme. They're a high profile guild now, but they used to be connected to the Mirthholme Army as one of its special task forces. Still, it's difficult to even know about them unless one, you're extremely well connected and two, you can fill a small lake with money. Now, check that name there."

Here, Joshua indicated one of the names on the left list, which is the only name he circled. It belonged to one High Chamberlain Ashley Dormond. "This is your most likely suspect. Dormond's a frighteningly talented man with power, money, and charisma in shiploads. Rumor has it he was behind the kidnapping of Princess Sulea that made now-Commander Remalia Stockword a living legend like yourselves. I don't see her here but I'm certain he may have ordered her dead as well. Anyways, Dormond's got a lot of bad rumors that I was able to pick up. Demon summoning. Coldblooded murder. Backdoor politicking. Bribery and blackmail. And he's quite possibly the one behind Sulea's recently acquired two additional personalities, but it's anyones guess as to why. Remalia came to me sometime after Sulea's rescue and asked me to look into it, so that's how I found about all this, but there's no concrete evidence to support any of Remalia's claims, unfortunately."

He straightened. "This all happened...oh, about two months ago exactly, I think. Now, the list on the right side is the name of each Reaping Lily assassin. There's a letter A next to it for active assassins and an R for retired or reserved. That just means that they're not really trying to stay in the shadows and are more or less ready for action if the deed requires more than they can do with their active numbers. Unfortunately I don't exactly have anything on them other than names, but you at least know their numbers...kinda."
The numbers he spoke of weren't exactly reassuring. There were thirty-six names in all for these Reaping Lily assassins, with only ten of them counted as active. "The top name in the reserves is actually the leader of the guild, Sophia. Given how long she's been an assassin to my knowledge, she's gotta be old enough to fart cobwebs by now. But even a very old lady could kill you with a single stroke so don't underestimate any chick with that tattoo."

The path was more or less clear. Even if Dormond wasn't the asshole who wanted you dead and spent a ridiculous amount of money to ensure it was done right, pretty much the whole left list included high ranking military and castle officials who, as Joshua pointed out, were the only people who would even know about the Reaping Lillies to begin with.
As everyone slowly drew to their own conclusion, gunfire and then holes started to punch through the inn's walls. It wasn't from a single gun or even the kind of firepower you'd get from a firing squad. There was something big just outside. Millie screamed and dove for cover. Joshua fell to his knees, covering his head. "What the hell?!" he cried out. "Oh my God! Chelsea's still outside!"

-----

Outside the inn, people screamed and fled for cover as an unmarked, heavily-armored, four-legged mechanical walking tank started shredding the Azure Street Stop with four vulcan cannons. Several people were already injured from gunfire, and two were dead from rapid bloodloss.

-----

Taharial found Chelsea, though the encounter wasn't exactly as he might have hoped. A beautiful man with long black hair and green eyes had his left arm around her slender neck. Standing next to him was a blonde woman wearing what appeared to be a wedding dress for those on a serious budget as there wasn't much material. He hadn't seen her much at all back when she tried to kill him, but Taharial recognized Isabella much the same.

But something was much different about this girl and one who tried to killed him. She had another tattoo on her left breast, some kind of coiling serpent, and her eyes weren't focusing on anything at all. She had a strange weapon with her that resembled a giant bubble blower wand.

The man gently shushed the struggling Chelsea with a sleeping spell and raised his head to face Taharial. "Well, if it isn't Taharial the Cursed One? How are you this fine day? Normally, I'd love to sit and chat with an interesting individual such as yourself, but unfortunately I am a little pressed for time and there are so many more of you to kill in this city. Isabella, my sweet?"
Isabella did not budge an inch.
"Take care of that annoyance you failed to deal with last time, would you?"

The Reaping Lily assassin Isabella gave no response to Ashley, and simply turned to face Taharial. She looked at him, but Taharial observed that she didn't even really see him. Her entranced gaze peered right through him. Then, she began to advance, that bubble blower wand of hers at the ready. Ashley, satisfied that Isabella would take out Taharial this time, vanished in a plume of black tendrils with the sleeping Chelsea in tow, leaving the toxic dryad and the possessed assassin in each other's hostile company.

-----

Enemy Data: Killbug MkII - Designed for light sieges and quick raids on enemy camps, the Killbug MkII is the more heavily armed, slower brother to the MkI. With four vulcan cannons, two racks of stinger missiles, and an afterburner for turning the mecha into a charging bull of crushing force, the MkII is a popular model among many militias and even some well-to-do citizens who desire such over-the-top protection. Manufactured by Leborge Industries.

Enemy Data: Isabella - Reaping Lillies assassin assigned to kill Taharial. Uses a large and magical bubble blower wand to unleash bubble attacks. Her deadly bubbles release sonic bursts upon popping, damaging all nearby. Additionally, bubbles can be used to contain hazards (like toxic gas) and can even suffocate or physically crush victims when the magic is reinforced. Bubbles of all kinds are subject to being blown by the wind and popped by force like from a flung icicle or a lightening strike. Something's definitely got a hold of Isabella's mind and body, and there's no telling just dangerous she's become by it.

[Rhiya Ravenwing]

~The Previous Night~

"Full status report," Kestrel's words brooked no argument as she sat on the medical bench. A healer tended the scratches and bruises on her carefully. The fierce, hawk-like eyes almost made Ignean wish she was somewhere else in this kingdom. Instead, she cleared her throat and began, watching the scroll of information flash past her and picking out the necessary details.

"Ma'am. The aerie has sustained heavy damages and will be hazardous to return to tonight and I have arranged for temporary lodgings in the guestroom. Collateral damage includes part of the Advanced tower and two thermal flux elevators. One of the Advanced Air classrooms has sustained cosmetic damage and can be fixed with minor repairs."

"Casualties?" pause. "Come on, I don't have all night. Out with it."

"A-aside from the initial ca-casualties," Ignean stammered, whithering under the Headmistress of the Academy for Elemental Mastery's gaze, "there a-are n-n-no further reported injuries." The woman watched the hybrid woman like a cornered rat. Kestrel's eyes softened as she turned away from glaring at Ignean. She had no right to blast her anger at the woman. She wasn't the one to blame for Dylan's death and Moraine's current comatose state. She rubbed the bridge between her eyes carefully.

"By morning, I want a full report and postulations as to how the assassin could've breached all our security systems without stirring so much as a fly. Keep me up to date on Moraine's condition and alert me if there are any changes. I will be on temporary leave tomorrow. List it down as vacation, time: indefinite."

"Ma'am?"

"I'm not going to repeat that, Ignean Siuran," Kestrel said softly, she was tired and this was a pretty crappy night. Outside, the stormclouds gathered, and the wind picked up. "Any inquiries through normal means will be hampered by time and people. I will be conducting a full-scale private inquiry while I am away. Strike that from your notes and keep this between yourselves and the staff - except for Taella. Keep an eye out for her if you discuss this matter amongst yourselves as she tends to gossip so with her students. I do not want to come back and find the students gone because they were terrified assassins can get them too."

"Ma'am," Ignean realised the safest thing was to agree right now. She scorched her orders onto the laval storing tablet, bowed and took her leave.

Kestrel's fists unclenched as the soothing magic of the healer coursed through her. It cleared her mind somewhat, but the images of Dylan and Moraine in those crucial moments were still fresh in her memory. Their pain and anger... Ah, but she will find the right time to mourn later. For now, blood is denied, and she will hunt it down tomorrow.

~~~

"Reconstruction has begun on the damaged tower, Headmistress Kestrel. I've also placed the full report on your desk," Ignean came in early next morning bearing a breakfast tray. Kestrel was dressed as much as possible as she gratefully took the tray off the nervous fire elementalist with a small, grim smile on her face.

"Thank you Ignean, but I won't be going into the office," Kestrel's decision startled Ignean, but the woman quickly recovered.

"S-shall I begin searching for a substitute for your classes then?"

"Mhmm. Until then, postpone any ongoing Advanced classes and find replacements for Dylan and Moraine. I trust you can handle more difficult matters like explaining what happened to them, and I know your judgement of teachers goes a long way in finding the right substitute. Sort out the papers for repairs, and look into a new security system. Don't fail me."

"M-ma'am!" Ignean almost saluted. She was stunned by the sudden load of responsibility. Not knowing when Kestrel was coming back was prehaps just more incentive to getting all her requests completed in the shortest allotted time possible. If Ignean was voicing any of these thoughts, they were lost to the Headmistress of the Academy, who'd just stepped to the window, opened it, and leapt out without so much as a second glance. She was off already on her 'vacation'.

~~The Now~~

Kestrel didn't know what the hell to expect when she went deep into the heart of Mirthholme. She only knew that what she was after was probably found in the tavern that has even the dirtiest sources of information on her (a younger student of hers' talked about a woman having action figures of a birdy-woman painted black and white, with a longbow in her hand). What met her eyes didn't look like she'd arrived at the best of times.

Below her, the lower air traffic had suddenly increased with the flight of bullets and other missiles. There was a ruckus below that even more, a woman holding another woman and advancing upon a man who--- wait... wasn't that Tahariel?!

What is a legendary doing here, of all places? Could he-- wait, she was here too, wasn't she? Kestrel stopped thinking as she summoned the Storm bow. There was a large machine rampaging down there, and it needed either to be stopped or distracted horribly. Kestrel climbed higher into the air, her hawk eyes never leaving the the machine.

"Mmmm... been so long since I've used this for real combat," she murmured into the rising wind that billowed beneath her wings and held her aloft without much effort, steadying her aim, "I wonder if I've still got it?"

She drew the string back, and the wind increased, rushing in to the bow until a shimmering arrow composed entirely of highly pressurized air manifest itself fully in the notched longbow. Let's disable a vulcan cannon, shall we?

Time seemed to slow briefly as Kestrel loosed the arrow. Then, with barely the sound of a sigh, the arrow flew true. It sliced through the air like a silver fish and struck the left rearmost cannon of the machine. The moment of impact released all the air at once from its unwilling shape.

There was an explosion, and a vulcan cannon tore free of its holster, dangling uselessly off the machine in mangled metal and sparking wires.

"Nyaaaah, and I wanted to destroy those missile launchers," Kestrel whistled, a little disappointed.