Times of Darkness

*Lumyr grabbed Ranmaru and got out of there with him so fast it almost looked as if they teleported. He knew that goo well enough to know what it can do to him.*

Lumyr: <You're becoming more and more of a pain. Should've known better. A lowly thief like you wouldn't be anywhere near this place by normal standards.>

*Lumyr draws his sword and closes his eyes.*

"This shit is nasty."

---

Ryzell is dreaming of laying in a field of flowers with Rhea with love bubbles popping in the air and a giant anthropomorphic fox playing the shamisen.

Outside

*The thiefess falls from the ceiling and dashes to them. Meanwhile, another thiefess exactly like her drops from the palace roof behind them and slashes at Lumyr.*

???: <Watch your words, murder!>

=====

*Ryzell wakes up in a luxurious bed in a room decorated in tones of silver and blue. Rhea is sleeping next to him, lying over the sheets.*

*Lumyr opens his eyes and disappears again, re-appearing away from it all. He slashes downwards with his sword, a huge purple wave of energy shooting at the newcomer.*

Ryzell smiles and takes Rhea's hand before closing his eyes again.

I'm so happy to be... free again.

---

Ranmaru dodges boredly.

Outside

*The shockwave causes her to explode violenty, like a grenade except with lots of purple goo added to the mix. The other one leaps upwards and drop-kicks at Ranmaru's head, while three more land around Lumyr and slash at him.*

=====

*Rhea wakes up when he takes her hand but doesn't open her eyes. She attempts to smile, but thinks of Kelphy and fails to do so. Instead, she turns to him and lies close to him, curling up and pretending to fall asleep with her head next to his torso when she's actually crying a bit in silence.*

"What happened when I was asleep Rhea?" Ryzell reaches up to stroke her cheek.

---

Ranmaru goes flying like a boss.

*Lumyr jumps upwards, slashing as another wave comes down to hit all 3 of them.*

"A cursed forest, huh?" Enkidu smirked. "Rubbish. Such things are the inventions of a coward's mind. Now, Soul, shall we proceed?"

OOC: Forgotten Dungeons added to the "map" topic.

Inside

*Crone and Winston enter the palace through the main gate, the Great Hall doors closing behind them. A rookie soldier in white armor with a twig and vine staff is standing by and bows to Crone upon seing him.*

Crone: <Yes?>

Helzol Soldier: <Sir, Ice Commander Queen of the Seven Universes Aera is-->

Crone: <Wait, who?>

Helzol Soldier: <Ice Commander Queen of the Seven Universes Ae-->

Crone: <...Did she tell you to call her that?>

Helzol Soldier: <She ordered all soldiers refer to her this way, sir.>

Crone: <Just... just say what you came here to say.>

Helzol Soldier: <She came back rather tired, and is resting in her chambers. Soldiers Olympe and Balmung have been severely injured and are under intensive treatment. The prisioner has been taken to the dungeons. That is all.>

Crone: <And General Lumyr?>

Helzol Soldier: <He hasn't come back from his mission yet.>

Crone: <...Go.>

*The soldier nods and runs off. Crone turns to Winston.*

Crone: <I want you to go down to the dungeons and check on the prisioner. After this you're free until further instructions. I will make sure your completion of the mission in former General Ryzell's stead is acknowledged.>

*Crone walks off.*

---

Outside

*Soul smirks without taking his eyes off of the forest.*

Soul: <It seems you're right for this mission. Let's hope nothing ... bad happens to you.>

*He proceeds through the swamp area towards the forest.*

=====

*The clones all explode in flames, smoke and acid all around Lumyr. One kicks down at Ranmaru from above as he's being hurled from the previous strike.*

=====

*Rhea wipes her tears and hugs him tightly.*

Rhea: <(No-nothing ...don't worry.)>

"Rhea... you can tell me" he hugged her back.

---

There were three knocks on the door to Kelphy's room. "I brought fresh bread Kelphy... you want some?"

---

Ranmaru hits the ground and coughs, "Well... that hurt."

*Lumyr jumps away from it all, lands his feet on a pillar, and uses it to jump across to a safer area.*

=====

*Winston nods and heads for the dungeons.*

Enkidu walked beside him and began scanning his surroundings in an attempt to get a better grasp of their location.

Inside

*Walking down to the dungeons, he arrives at the initial dim-lit area, with a few sells. All sort of creepy noises echo from the dark depths of the endless hallways, from desperate sobbing to heavy breahting and even enraged roaring. Sitting on a fortified steel chair by the stairway leading up to the rest of the palace is a muscular man, almost twice as tall as Winston, dressed like a typical executioner. He has red eyes with slitted pupils and his mouth is deformed, some of his teeth as sharp as knives. He just stares at Winston, sitting there, and the young man can probably assume that is one of the wardens, beastly creatures tamed by Legel, that people say guard the dungeons.

---

Outside

*As he's doing so and seing the deep vegetation and immense amount of mist, he feels his feet sink into the thick layer of green, purple and black goo covering the swamp waters. It is so thick it barely lets his feet touch the actual water, but it also makes walking extremely hard. The silence is broken by large bubbles that start emerging at the surface of the goo, very slowly popping in clouds of stenching gases.*

=====

*A barrage of needles is shot to Lumyr by two of the remaining three thiefesses visible near the palace entrance. The third, having just downed Ranmaru, steps back and raises the foot she kicked him with all the way up to her face, showing him a large needle sticking out of her boot. She smirks and spits a ridiculous amount of purple goo at him.*

=====

Rhea: <...Her parents were attacked.>

=====

*He gets no reply, but realizes the door isn't closed.*

"I... wasn't fast enough" Ryzell brought his hands to his face and wept silently.

---

Alto entered, "Kelphy?"

---

Ranmaru grins and dodges out of the way before tossing a hidden kunai into the clone's head. There's a tsch sound then an audible hissing.

Enkidu growled and pressed on, using his physical strength to combat the difficult terrain.
As the bubbles began to appear, Enkidu lifted his staff defensively before him, "This place stinks. I can imagine why no body has bothered with it before."

*Lumyr sheathes his sword and puts both hands in front of him. A barrier forms, knocking the needles out of the way.*

Lumyr: (If this keeps up I might end up losing control...)

=====

*Winston cautiously walks up to the man.*

Winston: <I'm here to see the prisoner.>

Inside

*The warden simply turns his head to a cell separated from where he is sitting by only two others. These two are empty, some pieces of bones scattered across their floor.*

---

Outside

Soul: <Those aren't normal.>

*A giant black tentacle bursts from the swamp, and the ensuing water movement dissolves the layer of goo, causing the two to sink into the dirty greenish water. Underwater they see that the tentacle belongs to a sort of giant black squid, with glowing pink eyes that look more like those of a feline, and a wide grin of countless sharp teeth.*

=====

*She widens her eyes in fear and tries to jump to dodge, but isn't fast enough and the kunai goes right through her chest, below her neck. She falls, gasping for air. Ranmaru's breathing becomes heavy from being stinged by the needle on her leg.*

=====

Rhea: <You couldn't have done more. They... they are so strong. That man... I'm afraid of even seing him again.>

*She lets go of him, and uncurls so that her head is next to his instead of near his chest, before hugging him again.*

=====

*He again gets no reply, but walks in to see her lying on the floor on her side, turned away from the door, to the window.*

"Tomorrow I should be strong enough to begin preparations for the coming storm. I'll need you and Kelphy here bright and early since I still don't think I'll be able to move much; though the preparations I have in mind don't need me to be up and about really." He finished right when Rhea put her face just a few inches from his.

"I...uh... eh heh" he blushed.

---

Alto walked over and sat on her floor next to her and without hesitation he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm here for you if you need me Kelphy. The way its always been."

Lumyr: (Better try to wrap this up quickly...)

*Both of Lumyr's hands glow purple as he aims them both at the floor in front of him. Soon after, they release as flames that burn the ground. The flames morph into two apparitions shaped like humans, both with a sword and shield in hand also made out of flames. Lumyr points at the two thiefesses and the soldiers rush at them.*

=====

Winston: <Right.>

*Winston heads for the cell without bones scattered everywhere.*

Enkidu pushed himself back up above the water and lifted his staff above his head, letting it spew out fire towards the black tentacle.

Inside

*Allina's arm swings out from between two bars aiming a punch at his face.*

---

Outside

*The monster roars loudly as it pulls its burnt tentacle underwater, the other nine emerging, splashing water everywhere and causing the two men to lose each other. Two of the tentacles near Enkidu bend over, darting down towards him.*

=====

*The clones explode before the soldiers even reach them. Lumyr sees the last remaining thiefess lying on the ground near a poisoned Ranmaru, a kunai stuck in her rapidly bleeding chest.*

=====

Rhea: <Minister Hollymire should be taking over as Regent if the King doesn't survive, at least until Her Ladyship is 18... I suppose he's the one you should talk to.>

*She looks around awkwardly upon finishing her sentence.*

=====

*She's looking at the window with a cold blank scare, her face soaked from crying.*

*Lumyr orders the soldiers to come back. He orders them both to pick up the bleeding thiefess and hold her in place while he goes to check on Ranmaru.*

Lumyr: <Are you okay? Do you need to head back?>

=====

*Winston backs away from the cell until he's out of her reach.*

Winston: <Aha, so you're still mad at what went on, are you?

*Winston smiles.*

Winston: <I don't know why someone like you would be kept alive... honestly, it isn't worth any information you may have. But orders are orders, I guess.>

Once again, while trying to stay above water, Enkidu span his staff and unleashed a large amount of fire into the oncoming tentacles.

The kunai explodes.

---

"I see..." Ryzell says sadly.

---

Alto just sat there doing the best he could to comfort for her.