We're doing what now?

Rolling dice to see which enemies we will be getting for this job

The member 'Tamashi' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

---

'Monster Dice' :

Advent took the second piece of paper that he had within his top opening it and holding it to the side allowing one of the guardians to tell him exactly what it said his eyebrow rising a little "I'm just getting use to what a magic council and now there are wizard saints... what are they about?" he huffed placing the paper back into his top. It had been agreed by Zeno and Zenshin that the three would also do this task that had been handed forward at the same time as the Lilith job. To be honest that hit a little to close to home and wondered if the same fate awaited him if any found out about his past, it was true he was trying to make up for his past crimes and even though it truly wasn't his fault he couldn't help wish that he wasn't born with such a cursed magic or if he had to have it remain that it wasn't as potent as it currently was but alas this was the cards he had been dealt and the had come to terms of what it meant.

It was now that he turned to his two companions and scratched the side of his face with his normal confused grin "So what are wizard saints? Why is their ten? Why are they important?" he asked in a childish manner. he couldn't help it seeing as he wasn't raised in Fiore of course this was not normally an excuse as they were known across all Earthland, but Advent had been raised in isolation away from prying eyes that would try to harm, use or abuse his unique talents so he was at a disadvantage on certain things than most. He continued walking towards their destination though continued facing the two in the hopes they could fill in a few gaps and help better educate him if they couldn't he could always ask his teacher later and hope that she could fill in the blanks though it had been a while since that had happened.

It was then it dawned on him "So where are the ancient ruins then?" it wasn't exactly like he could read a map and due to his new phobia on any kind on transportation it was decided that they would walk the magic council headquarters to where they where heading but even that was going to take a while so he tried to liven up the journey by asking questions "Oh you can ask me questions to so longs it's nothing to do with my magic, where I come from or them" he said knowing that would make it difficult but he had been told not to tell anyone anything on those things for his safety and until he was told otherwise he wasn't about to argue it never ended well for him.

Word Count: 480

This seems quite familiar. Have I been here before? Done this before? I'm sure I have. With Ryo. Sparrow sent us to dispatch of this Harper.... Is this this book playing tricks with my mind? It must be. he thought, a bit worried before his thoughts were broken by Advent's question. "You don't know what the Wizard Saints are? That's a bit interesting, Advent, as they are the single most well known group of mages in Fiore. While I can't tell you why there are ten, I can tell you that they are the most powerful and just mages in Fiore. If there was ever some existential threat to our nation, the Wizard Saints would be the first to respond. This is why they are so important. I was one of them, once, though that was a long time ago..." he said, trailing off and reminiscing on the past.

While it was unfortunate that he was no longer powerful enough to be considered a guardian of his home, he was hopeful that someday he would be again. "Glad to have a third mage accompany us on this job, Zeno. It's kinda funny. Someone by that very same name ran the first guild I was in. He was a card mage, though I don't know what happened to him. As far as I know, Eclipse Soul has been disbanded. Sad to see it go" he said in a genuinely melancholy tone. So much has changed. I hope it's for the better. "Oh? The Ancient Ruins are this way Advent. It would be very unfortunate to get lost around these parts" he said, walking quickly to the front of the group and changing directions sharply upon realizing they were going the wrong way. "Oh, and I have a question for you, Advent. What's your real name?" Despite having already gone on one job with the young blind mage, he was far from trusting him.

Word Count: 322

Advent tilted his head in his normal peculiar way, though the others would likely find this strange it was more an indicator for his unseen guardians to know that he was listening to them. "You're deep in thought Zenni, is something on your mind?" he would eventually he seemed concerned about the other that he became friends with over the last few tasks they had done together. He was concerned about his friends random lust for blood on the first one but had remained quiet on the whole thing not wanting him to feel self conscious or worry that he would scare the others away, but then he had no room to judge others his hands moved to be in front of his face almost as if he was inspecting them a sigh escaping his lips 'They'll never change will they...' his expression saddened as he shook his head a little his hair dancing just a little with the motion. His head moved up as he was addressed "If I knew who they were I wouldn't be asking about them" he explained in an uncharacteristically bland tone it was clear whatever had previously been going through his head was effecting him and not in a good way.

"I wasn't born in Fiore" he stated as Zenshin mentioned they where the most well known bunch of mages within the country, he wasn't about to mention where he was born or that he was raised in solitude by nine dead people who he seen as parents since that is what they raised him to see them as. "Power is what you make it Zenshin, a weak person can be far stronger than someone who has all the power in Earthland if they know what they are doing" it was clear just by how he addressed the mage that this wasn't the normal Advent that was speaking "Besides power corrupts and those whom it doesn't corrupt bad things generally happen..." he explained another small sigh escaping his lips "Putting such faith in just ten beings is idiotic and irrational" he ended he wouldn't go further into why he thought such things given he believed it needed no more explanation as he believed everyone could agree that given the size of Fiore that if there was a significant incident that no matter how powerful these people where they where still only ten and could be harmed or killed and where would that leave everyone else.

His head turned towards Zeno as he spoke on the wizard saints his head tilting a little "Why would you want to have a target on your back Zeno? Seems like an idiotic accomplishment to want to achieve." he wasn't against the other trying to gain his dream he just didn't understand why it was a good idea to become a target because to him that's all power seemed to do. He knew he didn't know everything on his magic after all there was very little wrote on it and what was known wasn't the whole truth; he knew his guardians knew more than they were willing to let on but he guessed that was for his own good and protection so never pressed on the point, he remembered what happened the last time and had wished he hadn't ever since.

Advent nodded a small smile appearing once more on his face as Zeno was mentioned and chuckled like his normal self once more "I met both in a park in Magnolia, they think with their stomachs" he commented remembering how the tree had said to Advent to take some fruit from them when he was gaining food for himself. "I don't know the type of magic he uses to be honest, never came up in conversation" he explained with a simple shrug as he bent forward doing a handstand and began moving at normal speed like that. "Eclipse soul? I don't think I've met one of them in a few years... horrible things... they're so very aggressive" he was talking about tainted spirits having no understanding that it was the name of a former guild. "You realised what you just said to the blind person right" he said tilting his head a little before changing direction to follow where Zenshin was moving to. "My real name?" he questioned continuing to walk on his hands and keeping pace as if he was still on his feet "My real name isn't Advent, but they don't trust you enough to allow me to say what it is... sorry" he finished at the end of the day his parents had final say and they told him to tell no one.

Advent couldn't help but laugh at what the other had asked to the point he almost lost his balance "You're still thinking with your stomach I see" he was glad that some things hadn't changed. "I have a spell that can creates food so we're all good on that front" well at least they would be, he on the other hand would still have to forage but he didn't want the others to worry about such small things. "Sorry about the fact we're having to walk, I have a fear of transport since I tried learning to drive" he explained knowing that the two were likely wondering why he had insisted on why they were having to walk from Crocus to their new location.

Word count: 902
Total word count 1'382

"Please, Advent. I know better than to think that you don't have some kind of sight. Even your ability to sense the vibrations in the ground are enough to tell which way I meant" he said, staring at the young boy. "And as for the whole Saints thing, I only repeated your question to denote my surprise. I'm well aware that you wouldn't just ask a question you knew the answer to. And if a weak person is stronger than someone with all the power in Earthland, would you really call them weak? I wouldn't, personally. It's easy to say that it's idiotic to depend on ten very strong mages is idiotic, I would argue that it's not irrational. Who else would you expect to defend our nation? The ten weakest mages? That seems a bit more idiotic to me." he told the youngest among them, explaining the rationale of recognizing the strongest and just mages in the land. "Power corrupting is just a cautionary tale told between generations. In truth, it certainly has its perks" he finished before turning his head to Zeno.

"And you think that you can surpass the power of the ten Saints, Zeno? Haha! Don't listen to Advent- I think that's a great dream to have. You and Tito have a long way to go, but it's good to have direction. What would you do with that power, out of curiosity? Power is never the end goal, but rather a means to achieve one's end goal" he said to Zeno as they walked past more foliage. "Oh, and if food is what you want I can also create food. Well, recreate it, but that's a technicality." The mage, to illustrate his point, recreated a bowl of buttered up and steamy pasta with a pair of chopsticks on top. Magic that allows me to bend reality and I choose to recreate a bowl of food. Huh. Maybe I should try to think up some new spells. he thought as he took the bowl into his left hand and the wooden rods in his right and began to eat as they walked.

After swallowing a whole wave of the noodles in his bowl, he addressed Advent once again. "You know, Advent. You're quick to remind me that I do things like tell directions to a blind child, yet in the same breath you tell me that I'm lost in thought. A bit strange, don't you think?" he said to his partner, in part trying to pull his leg and in part trying to make him think. "But yes, I was just thinking on past events. One of those events is... well, my memory is a little cloudy. I believe it was a black dragon which attacked Era alongside some dark guilders. I was an ice maker mage back then and the head dark guilder was a fire make mage, so you know we had a sort of... magical rivalry. The battlefield is more chaotic than anything I've ever seen. When you're seeing innocent men and women die around you to whom you perceive as pure evil all while being forced to fight, it takes quite a toll. This is part of why I believe the Saints to be necessary and a force of good. Their power has not corrupted them- just look at me and tell me if I am corrupt. Bad things befall everyone, Advent, though we tend only to notice when they befall those that are well known" he said without looking back at either of his two partners on the job.

Advent's a cynical mage, but to so quickly put down the dreams of another while also speaking so ill of the heroes of this nation... he has a lot to learn. he thought while continuing to walk forward to the Ancient Ruins. This is where he had met that very strange wizard who was the only connection between him and the book which had robbed him of his power and which was slowly driving him mad. The two behind him didn't need to know about his deteriorating mental health, though, as that would only serve to create some sort of rift within their group, a rift which would be lethal if it reared its ugly head in the middle of a desperate situation. Even as he spoke he could hear the whispering of what William had called "spirits" from his tome which once sat underneath his trench coat but currently sat underneath his regal looking attire. There were many more places to hide it in his new clothes and now he wouldn't have to worry about curious eyes asking him about it.

"The Ancient Ruins are close now. This job is going to be quite dangerous, so be sure to look out for each other's backs." he said seriously with his head turned to the side to remind his two partners about the severity of this job. He took a few more waves of noodles down his gullet before dropping the empty bowl onto the forest floor. Before hitting the ground and shattering, it simply glowed a bright blue and broke into small pieces of magical energy which floated up and dissipated. Soon after, another bright blue light emanated from his back and side before materializing into the shape of his scythe and his long pistol. The hunt was about to begin and the hunter needed his weapons.

Spells used:
Sig. Spell - Hunter's Weapons

1228/3000

His eyes would stare at the ground as his feet came into the picture, the crimson hair would cover his eyes as Zenshin would ask a question that he hadn't been asked in a while. He was standing between whether he should tell him the truth or make something up so they don't become worried. His crimson hair would flow to the left due to the gentle breeze that had just barely managed to lift it up, as it would reveal eyes of blood lust. Pure blood lust, Zeno had been becoming stronger to defeat that person, even remembering him enraged him, causing his fists to clench and his teeth to grit, causing a sound to be heard by all his companions. "I just wanna surpass them so I can vanquish the evil from this world!" He would lie, putting on a fake smile. Though vanquishing evil was one of the things he really wanted to do, he had to kill that man first. The man that slaughtered his family and killed his mum with his own hands, that man was his father. A previous ten wizard saint. No one knows why he was plunged into the darkness, but Zeno does not care, he will get revenge.

His head would turn to Zenshin as both Tito and Zeno's eyes would sparkle like stars, "You both can  make food with magic!?" Zeno would be shocked as his jaw would drop, signifying how amazed he was, "A-A-Awesome!" Tito would run in circled out of amazement while Zeno would join in as they would simply be running around in circles like the idiots they were. "Why!? Why couldn't I make food for a magic!?" Zeno would cry in a comedic way as he tears would caress his cheek and squiggly-like manner. "C-Can you make us Steak? Milkshakes?" Zeno would beg as he would roll on the ground, Tito also joining again, making them look like a comedy act. "Fish!?" Tito would continue until they both felt a strange presence not too far away, causing them too stop and furrow their eyebrows as they began to, oddly, sniff the ground to see if they could pick up anything odd with their noses.

Suddenly, Zenshin would explain how they should have each other's backs, "I'm not good with this stuff, but I think as we go in we should have some sort of formation so we don't fuck each other over." Zeno would say as he would attempt to think of a formation hat would benefit their success, this was the second time he was thinking on this job, who are these people!? Zeno would jump up with a smirk on his face as he had an idea, "Me and Tito will stay in the front to go on the offensive, Advent can be our support in the back and Zenshin could stay long range with his pistol?" He would hope his idea was good enough for the team, though most people didn't listen to Zeno and Tito's ideas because they believed they were only good for jumping in the fight and staying on the offensive, but once one actually gets to know them, outside of a fight they are just their plain old food-crazed energetic selves, but in a fight, they are witty, and use their quick-thinking to win.

Before his companions could even respond to their battle strategy, there was a loud thump on the ground, causing the ground to shake immensely as small cracks would form on the rocky ground beneath their feet. Suddenly, out of a cave-like ruin not too far away from where they currently were standing, a man would appear screaming out to them, "Are you puny mages ready to feel the wrath of my Crystal-Make!?" The man would hold his hands together as a giant crystal bow would form in his hands, making him look puny compared to the over sized bow. Suddenly crystal arrows would generate in side the bow, as the man began to shoot toward them repeatedly. Six arrows would approach as Zeno and Tito would both jump on Advent and Zenshin, causing them to fall on the ground and avoid the barrage of arrows. "How did he know we were here!?" Zeno's eyes would widen as a vein would appear straight down his forehead as he clenched his fist so tight that veins would also become visible on all of his arms intensely. Crimson flames would encompass his whole body making him look like a crimson red fireball, and to add on to that, Crimson lightning would static around his crimson flame encased body.

1216/4000

OOC:

Advent grinned as Zenshin mentioned that he had his own kind of sight, it was true he could feel vibrations up to his maximum range of a single target spell but it still had limitations such as if an item was still as Zenshin found out as he fell over the wall the job they had met. He could also feel on sand as well but it was far more difficult as the ground itself shifted, and believed it would be just as bad if he was ever dragged onto a boat. His guardians occasionally gave information on when things were coming, but normally that was only if he was in immediate or deadly danger even then they wait till the last moment to see if he could manage on his own which he most often did. Advent couldn't help but feel a lecture coming on as to what he had previously said and would bare with it, it was hard for him to explain the reasons he said such things. He leaned back his feet touching the ground as he stood up.

"Strength is what you make it Zenni..." he began his head lowering as he shook a little his hand going to the markings on his arm touching them, as soon as he did the purple markings turned black, eerie and unearthly wailing would be heard for a few seconds "a child can be strong and that strength..." he didn't want to finish the sentence not that anyone could have blamed him given his own personal experience and the last job the three had undertook together. It was the first time he had revealed such about himself to anyone and it left him feeling somewhat exposed. "Those who realise their own weaknesses are stronger than those who have power to spare" he explained sighing wishing he hadn't opened this can of worms because it was clear that the elder male and himself would bash heads on this subject. "Weakness and strength are just words it's how you use what you have at your disposal that makes you one or the other." he smiled shrugging continuing to walk "Ten people can only be in ten places at once and what happens if there's something bigger behind the scenes or an eleventh large thread and they're otherwise engaged, injured or the spirits forbid... dead" he explained "Your nation not mine" he said bluntly which was true as Fiore wasn't his home he was just visiting but at the same time if he had to help defend it he would as it was now a school for him. "I would expect everyone to fight to protect their home not just ten people" he said, but this is how he was raised to believe things should be done "We have our opinions on the subject and I'd rather end this subject here before the discussion becomes us butting heads" he said his tone warm showing he meant no disrespect but at the same time he didn't want to continue.

"Power has no perks, it's just a curse in the facade of a blessing" he stated in a cold dark tone never heard from the youth before 'stop it... you should be sleeping' he thought to himself shaking his head quickly for a second his normal smile returning he listened tilting his head "I said what now?" his voice was confused showed that he had no idea what was going on or what had been said previously. "Oh yeah wizard saints... who a-" he stopped almost like he was cut off his head turning "Oh, okay I'll wait til later then" he shrugged not realising that it had already been answered and a semi headed discussion had already happened. "You're really wanting to become better than one of these people" he asked turning to Zeno a wide bright grin appearing "I hope I can help you in the endeavour Ze" his voice bouncy as he spoke. His train of thought became derailed once more as he heard Zenshin speak "Well I am blind and you did try give me directions silly Zenni, the site you speak of is limited to what moves I can tell through the airs vibrations but that has the same drawbacks as the ground" he chuckled scratching his head a little as he processed the rest of what was said "Oh no, I was told that you seemed like you had a lot on your mind and grew concerned" he explained "Isn't that what friends do? If it's not I'll stop being concerned... I don't want to upset anyone" it was almost like he had no concept of what was deemed normal in socialising with other people which wasn't exactly far from the truth of things.

"Black dragon?" he questioned tilting his head, this time he wasn't listening to his guardians, it was more he was trying to find the right piece of information through the maze that he had build for himself within his mind "Are you talking about Acnologia?" even though he had been raised in solitude his entire life he had been told stories about the dragon of death and the fear it brought all across Earthland "Um... I don't see people dying innocent or otherwise, I can hear them really well though it's a bit of an issue at times." he reminded, he found out long a go that even if someone was to try implant an image into his mind all it would do was cause him immediate immobilising pain until they stopped doing it. He knew it was a flaw in the design of how he protected his mind but it's one that he couldn't fix without leaving himself vulnerable to everything else around him since he was sure if he let down those defences he wouldn't have to worry about his magic making him insane; as the thousands of voices around from living, dead, unborn, waiting to be born and nature would all hit him at once and it wasn't something he could contend with without special training and unfortunate for the white haired youth there was no such tutor to teach such a skill.

Advent sighed 'Yeah and what happened at home wasn't something bad' he thought to himself his tone becoming saddened once more as he lowered his head his runed arm holding onto the other one as if trying to console himself on something "I don't know you well enough to say if your corrupt or not Zenni but from what's been witnessed so far I don't think you are" his eyes moved almost to look right into Zeno's though there was a blindfold he would be able to feel his gaze burrowing into him "Ze, you don't have to tell us a reason..." he began poking Zeno's head several times randomly "but do us both a favour and don't lie about the reason, it's understandable why you would want to do it now and if I can help I will" he never went into any details as he never had a complete look but it was clear that he knew enough to be worried for his friend and want to help him in his task.

Advent fell back laughing feeling the vibrations and how the tone of how they where both acting when they heard that food could be made with both his and Zenshin's magic, he found it hilarious and was glad that they hadn't changed from being black holes with legs. Eventually Advent sat up starting to get to his feet dusting off his clothing "Well, yeah dependant on the tone I use I could make pretty much any kind of food" he explained to Zeno and Tito happy to see them excited over the whole thing. "Um.. Ze... since you know..." he paused it wasn't exactly a light thing he was going to propose given that Requiem's never let anyone see anything about themselves but he felt like he had a slight advantage over the other given he just gazed into his spirit and heard what it wanted the strength for. "I looked into you... I... um..." it was clear he was nervous and somewhat uncomfortable with what he was about to propose "Would you... um... like to see within mine?" he offered, it was clear this was a big step in trust for the youth given he knew that such a thing would bond the two and what would be seen could never be unseen even if the other had amnesia. "There are a few side effects I think but since nothings documented I don't know if it's true or not" he explained worried about the whole thing, he knew his parents weren't agreeing on what he had just offered to Zeno but fair was fair in his mind.

"Formation?" it was something that Yuui had often spoke to him about but it was nothing that he understood then, but then he never really thought he would understand it regardless of how many times he was told about it. "I'll try my best?" this seemed more like a confused question furthering just how lost he was on the subject matter but it was clear he would do what was needed for this plan to happen. Advent dismissed the enemy for now as he seemed not to be to much of an issue and dealt with the question at had "Well I was laughing like a lunatic and you were running around like a buffoon thinking with your stomach again" he laughed his head turning to look at the crystal make magic user "Can we help you?" he asked before being forced to the floor by Zeno poking his head "Hay, little warning next time if I started magic that could have went bad" he explained with a concerned tone for the other as he began to stand up "I guess the formation thing went right out the window." he asked with a sigh tilting his head as he somewhat inspected the bow "I think he's over compensating for something" he couldn't help but chuckle knowing it would likely make the opponent mad and thus make his own mistakes.

Word Count: 1'705
Total Word Count 3'087

"Yes, Advent. Acnologia. The black dragon. It was not a very nice time and, to be honest, I really thought my home was done for" he said, emphasizing the word "my" to let Advent know that he had heard the boy's words loud and clear on the subject of Fiore. Advent had a pretty interesting view on Fiore and the Saints, and it was pretty clear that Zenshin was not going to be able to change his mind - at least not in such a short amount of time. Still.... "You're arguing semantics, Advent. Powerful and strong are used interchangeably, so if it makes you feel better, then just think of the Saints as the 'strongest' Wizards in Fiore. And if there is some kind of thread to Fiore of which the ten Saints cannot stop then I'm afraid to say that Fiore would be lost." The mage had very little interest in arguing with a child, though that's not exactly how he viewed how he was interacting with Advent. To Zenshin, he was simply explaining, quite patiently, the truth of the Wizard Saints who defended his and, presumably Zeno's, homeland.

"Vanquishing evil is a great reason to acquire power, but I'm going to have to agree with Advent on this one, Zeno. You don't have to tell us, but to lie is a bit of an insult. It's not our business what you want to do with the power you seek, though I would much rather you simply tell us so rather than tell us some falsehood concocted in the span of about three seconds" he said seriously to the most energetic mage of their group. I've been lied to enough times by enough people to know when a kid is lying, but for Advent to know? I'll never figure out how he knows things that would otherwise be impossible for someone with that kind of disability, though I hope that he'll tell me. Blind and schizophrenic is a pretty terrible combination, though I suppose a broken clock is right twice a day he thought before his concentration was broken by Advent telling him about how he was 'told' that he seemed to have a lot on his mind.

"You were told? Well, seeing as how only Zeno and I are here I have a hard time believing that. Regardless, tell your spies to mind their own business" he told Advent, a bit concerned that there was some unseen force informing the child mage of Zenshin's emotional state. Soon after, Advent gave the Sabertooth mage his blessing. "Thanks Advent, good to know that I, at least, have your blessing" he said smiling, though the whispers in his head grew just a little louder and he could have sworn that they were laughing at him, or at least he thought they were laughing. With them, he could never be sure. Would you please keep it down? I'm trying to have a conversation with these two and it's a bit distracting to have to continuously hear you things talking to me in your whispers. I'd appreciate if you either taught me your language or waited until I figured it out before speaking to me. While he expected to invite their wrath - some kind of scorn from speaking what he thought may be perceived as 'out of line,' the whispers stopped. This only supported his theory that these voices, despite being from some kind of realm of darkness, weren't exactly malevolent. At the very least, they want me to do something for them. What that is I still have no idea he continued to think.

He probably would've continued to think if it wasn't for Advent getting a bit more weird that usual. "You... looked into him? Advent. That's a bit strange, even for you. What does that even mean?" he asked, quite curious at this point. Then, Zenshin heard Zeno mention the kind of formation that they should adopt. "I don't mind Advent supporting us, though I like to get up close and personal with my enemies. Firing this weapon too many times would kill me." he said in reference to his pistol. He had a bit more leeway since creating his regal attire with the leather from his old coat which had once belonged to his mentor, though he still needed to be careful with using any kind of magic which infused his mana with his own life essence. Quite a clever evolution of his magic which he had thought up, though it was also quite costly. As he was patting himself on the back for a job well done as far as his magic was concerned, the weight of one thousand suns pressed upon him and he was forced to the floor by Tito.

"I wish you warned me first..." he said before recreating a huge salmon in his hand and tossing it up. "Fetch. I'd like to get up now" he continued before getting up off of the ground. "Very cool, Zeno, but you need to strike fast and strike hard" he told his partner as he evoked a kind of red aura around him. Zenshin sprinted forward, requipping his his Hunter's Attire and feeling the life force drain from him. At the same time, he physical abilities were now double than what they used to be. As he ran, the crystal maker fired an arrow straight at his head which was blocked by a red bullet fired from Zenshin's sidearm. The two projectiles clanked in the air and before the crystal-maker knew it, Zenshin was already crouched down in front of him. The Sabertooth mage removed the blade of his scythe to use as a sword and shot up, cutting his enemy across the chest and causing him to stumble backwards. That'll only work once. Let's see what you've got, Zeno

HP: 175/200 (-30 from Hunter's Attire; -10 from firing weapon; +15 from Armor)
MP: 100%
Spells Used:
Sig. Spell - Hunter's Attire

2203/3000

"Don't treat me like a cat!" Tito would lecture Zenshin as he pouted, though he still went and fetched the raw fish, gobbling it up within seconds as he watched the white haired man commence his attack. At the same time, Tito would transform into his Battle mode as his muscles would widen and ripple outward, causing them to become more visible as he would grow significantly taller than everyone on the battlefield. With a wide grin on his face, the ripped exceed would slowly watch as his new partner would fight on the battlefield with all sorts of weapons that they hadn't even known of. Impressed at the man's fighting skill, the two of them would begin their attack. Tito would dash towards the crystal mage as a magic circle would suddenly appear on the ripped exceeds back, soon after white wings like an angels spread out from the blue magic circle on his back, allowing him to fly in the air at high speeds towards the injured crystal mage. As Tito rapidly flew towards the crystal mage, he would hold out his fist yelling, "Ao Amplifier!" his strong spell which allows him to do a devastating punch that even Zeno himself fears.

Just before Tito was about to punch the crystal mage, Zeno also cast his own spell, "Crimson Lightning: Travel!" Which he would pump his fist in the air, causing crimson electrical currents to zap everywhere, as this happened he would quickly and swiftly merge into one of the crimson bolts and would reappear where it zapped, which was behind the crystal mage. To his companions it would like it had just disappeared but in real he had merged with the bolt and came back out of it once it hit the designated spot he wanted it to hit. Because of this quick and crazy fast spell, the crystal mage had no time to react as he ended up being hammered in the back by Zeno as Tito would punch him with his enhanced fist in the face, causing the poor evil mage's jaw to break. Before the crystal mage could get up, Zeno would jump on to him before he sat on the man's stomach whilst beginning to barrage his face with many punches. "He's down, let's continue on." Zeno would say blatantly, not even caring that the man could not even move or talk because of both his and Tito's barrage of attacks.

Suddenly he would signal Advent and Zenshin to follow them as they began to venture into the Ancient Ruins, searching for the evil man who was said to be looking for the treasures in the ruins. "Oh yeah." Zeno would say as he looked at Advent and Zenshin, "About that little quarrel you guys had about the ten wizards of saints, I would like to put my input in." He would smile at them as Tito went back into his cute mini size and continued to fly to the top of his head, deciding to rest there. "In my opinion, you are both wrong. I agree with Advent as of how ten of them can only be at ten places at one time. Though I also agree with Zenshin as of how they are probably the strongest. But, you are both forgetting that when mages combine their power together, they can defeat any mage in their way. Even if one of the wizard saint's could not defeat them, when mages come as one, their is no opponent that can stop them." Zeno would say graciously, ending it off with a cheeky smirk as he walked a bit more ahead into the ruins.

"I would also like to say that I am sorry for lying to you. It's just a bit.." Zeno wouldn't finish sentence as he would instead grit his teeth and clench his fists to the point that they hurt. Suddenly, he would shake his head, attempting to get the thoughts of his father off his brain as he looked to Advent, "So you know, huh? Weird thing is that it makes me feel a little at ease that you are fine with what I wanna do to him. So back to what you were saying, before we were interrupted by that crystal mage. If you are willing to show me, then hit me with it!" Zeno would end off his talk with a pat on Advent's back as he and Tito both decided to race to the end of the tunnel, though it would be pretty dangerous since not to far away was a horde of enemies along with their boss, waiting to be encountered by the four mages.

As they ran down they smelt another presence, in fact many which were the hordes of monsters and their boss. So without a second to waster they would dash back up, leaving dust trails behind them as the yelled all the way to their destination, "There's more!!" which they finally stopped once they made it back to their other two companions who had different and odd magics which were quite interesting. They're face lit up as they once again realized that the two mages could make food, and without an ounce of hesitation, begged for a break where they could feast on every food in the world! "Make us every food in the world!" Tito would beg in joy as tears of happiness caressed his cheeks, without a doubt those two could finish someones supply of food for a year in the span of an hour or two.

2143/4000

Advent bowed to Zenshin hearing the tone used when he was speaking of Fiore "I... I'm sorry..." his voice stuttered he knew what was going on and he didn't like it, but it wasn't exactly like he could openly speak about the corrupting sickness his magic gave him and what it done to him to people, his parents would never allow such a thing until they they all trusted a person and that had yet to ever happen even when they were living, breathing people. "I.. I'm not myself Zenni, I didn't mean offence to you or anyone else with my words" the tone showed he was being sincere in his words as he spoke them, he was taught never to speak things he didn't mean more so if it was an apology for his own actions or the actions of his guardians. He hoped that the other would accept the apology remaining there a little longer it was clear he was raised with a strict compass on honour, duty and etiquette.

Standing a sigh escaped his lips, he had no idea what he had said but it seemed to have caused insult to the elder mage and it meant that penance would have to be paid "Um... Zenni, since I insulted you I have a penance to pay, since it was you who was insulted get to decide it and it has to be done" he would be calm about it. He hated when having to penances when he was bad because his parents made sure he remembered not to make the same mistake again. What he didn't voice was if that the penance was information on him he would also have to give that up without hesitation or avoidance but he would only have to answer three questions before the penance would be instantly done. He didn't mention this because he feared that his parents wouldn't like it if he did so after all his information was guarded for a reason.

"Semantics?" the word seemed to confuse the youth, it wasn't something he had heard before so tilted his head listening to his guardians as one of them tried to explain what it was to him, but his face just looked more confused as he still didn't understand. "I understand strongest" he said quietly, it made sense to him that the strongest would be the first line of defence when it came to protecting something allowing others to get ready for the fall out if it ever happened. "Fiore isn't my home but while here I would fight to protect it, it's my temporary home and school..." he smiled a bit "not to mention it's my friends home and important to them... friends fight for and with friends right for important things" he grinned happily hoping he had at least gotten one thing right since this whole argument what ever it may have been about started.

"Yuii and Ayu say only dishonourable curs lie to allies" he said poking Zeno's head "We're friends right Ze?" he asked his tone almost sounded saddened at that point in case the other said no. He had found it hard to interact with people so grew quick attachment to those who accepted him for who he was and got upset at the possibility of rejection. "Zenni's right Ze, he's asked me about my magic and such before and instead of lying to him I just told him I couldn't say..." he began poking Zeno's head again at random intervals "I wasn't lying when I couldn't say, my parent's don't allow me to" he explained hoping the example was good enough for the other to understand what he meant, but to be honest he didn't know if it was anything alike what had just happened. After a moment he turned to Zenshin with an almost knowing smile followed by a giggle as if he knew what had just went through the man's head, wither he did or not could only be left up to speculation.

"Spies?" he sounded caught off guard and scratched his head "They aren't spies and told me because they knew I would be worried about you" he stated his voice showing he was concerned for the older man "They don't mean offence you know" he sighed his eyes lowering under his blindfold feeling somewhat awkward now in regards to the eldest of the three. "And Zenni we are not the only ones here, there are nine others and an Tito making ten" he corrected Zenshin though he couldn't exactly go into much more on what he meant by that. 'Seems I'm not the only one with a darkness imprinted on them' he thought to himself a sigh escaping his lips he hated that everything in existence pretty much had their own kind of spiritual force and due to it he could hear it even if it was only faint and inaudible whispers.

Advent came out of his own thoughts looking to Zenshin as he was spoken to "Exactly what it sounds like" he stated as if it was a common thing "I looked inside him" he seemed proud that he could teach the older mage something that seemed so trivial to him a wide smile on his face. "I can support quite well" he stated feeling the need to itch his sleeved arm given he felt the aching wounds hidden beneath the surface of his skin starting to emerge. His head tilting a bit more as he moved to yawn knowing that the first minion would be dealt with efficiently given the to weren't holding back in any kind of terms of the word. Hearing that the task was dealt with he walked forward but stopped for a moment "Since you've accepted my proposal Ze you might want to come here." he said stepping over the unconscious man "If you see my name don't speak it, I swear to the cycles you'll be starting a new one yourself" his voice showed he was serious on this matter "You'll see why I they protect me with all these measures most likely Ze" he was trembling as he approached the other scared about what was about to happen.

"Well yeah, when I look into someone I see everything but I didn't see absolutely everything I only seen him and what he had done" he explained to the other taking a deep breath "When you see them ignore them for now, you must concentrate solely on me and what is going to be done; if anything takes your attention while this is going on, we are going to feel it you understand?" he was uncharacteristically lucid at the moment. When Zeno indicated that he understood he would take the other by the hands clasping them with his own, the moment this was done he would instantly be able to see the nine spirits that Advent called his parents. Seven female and two male it was clear from their appearances they each specialised in a different kind of magic but they'd all be dressed in hanfu "Yaes ona zes mozija, yaes xnaeuksq za oth taad za zoma awar rael" he explained to the other, though Zenshin wouldn't be able to understand unusually Zeno would understand each and every word the white haired youth spoke clearly as if he was speaking the common language of Fiore. "Esaeu zued taad aesa yaeaioyq liy za aen esaeu lizz raeq zaa liyir. Gae esaeu uthabbiedoth?" he said calmly he was scared but he knew he had to remain calm or the other could get seriously injured by his abilities and that would amplify onto Advent for breaking certain laws of his magic.

When the other had shown that he understood what was being asked of him he broke contact with his left hand pulling off the blindfold he had kept around his eyes since he had left the place he called home allowing it to fall but it never touched the ground instead it seemed to almost hover beside him by Zenshin's and Tito's eyes, what Zeno seen however was a girl with long flowing lavender hair that touched the ground tied back in a white silk ribbon wearing a white and baby pink silk hanfu and white sash holding it her green eyes looking at him a concerned smile on her face. "Eyes on mine" his voice stern he had to be sure that the other was paying attention to him before he even dared to open his eyes they only had one shot at this or it  would go all wrong and they would be in for hell.

When he was satisfied that the other was giving him full attention he opened his eyes, but they wouldn't be what Zeno would expect, there was no pupil nor was there an iris, sure there was the white of the eye, and there was a moon blue color where the iris should have been but there was strange golden text going through the moon blue colour that started to glow. The moment that it did Zeno would see everything from the moment that Advent was born up until now. He would hear the name his parents gave him, the fear in their eyes when they spoke his kind of magic, he would see a woman clad in red and white coming to claim him, the magic on advent activating the mass genocide that happened on shadow island sixteen years before hand, the fact the nine people who travelled with him where to be his tutors in life, that some of them resented him to the point at eight they told him what he had done and the break down that happened afterwards, the fear, worry and guilt that followed why he tries so hard to make amends the thoughts of his hands always being stained with blood that will never wash away. The forest that he was raised in by these nine people who where his only interaction with the outside world, the corruption his magic gives him, the fact he can hear spirits of living, dead, yet to be born and reborn, the protection he created for himself and what it done to his mind.

After a while the blindfold would be placed back on around his eyes, he knew Zeno would have felt everything as if it was him that had been put through it "Now you know everything Zeno, there's no secrets between us... it was a two way door... you experienced my life and I experienced yours." he explained so the other knew exactly what had happened removing his hands from the other moving to scratch the bruises on his sleeved arm, Zeno would understand exactly what they were and what would happen if they got bad and what needed to be done to cleanse them.

His hand went to his head as he felt dizzy "Will you stop talking about food Ze" he stated as he sat down trying to stop feeling sick, he had no idea that what he was hearing was actually the others thoughts. He didn't expect it to take so much out of him his eyes turned to his family which Zeno would still be able to see "Not a peep from you, I know what your going to say already... it was a law for a reason, but it was unfair I knew of his secrets when he knew nothing of mine... well ours..." he said laying back wanting the world to stop spinning.

Word Count: 1'927
Total Word Count: 5'014

Translation 1:

Translation 2:

Zenshin watched as Tito flew up into the air and caught the fish. He would clap before launching his attack and afterwards, he would look upon Tito and Zeno as the former transformed into a hideous beast and the latter cast some kind of red lightning around them. With a single punch to the jaw by the overgrown Tito and a similar attack to the back by the lightning mage, the crystal maker mage was taken down. Soon after, Zeno made sure to finish the job by jumping on their opponent and raining down a brutal barrage of blows upon his head until he lost consciousness. "Impressive. You two are quite a good team. Rarely have I seen such a synchronized pair of fighters. Also interesting to see a lightning mage - a precise and deadly element, though you're not very graceful Zeno." he said, remarking on their coordination as well as Zeno's assault on the mage's head. He had gotten a blood everywhere, though it was of no real concern to Zenshin. Given what happened in his job with Advent, this was but a drop in a bucket.

"I may be prideful, Advent. Just a bit, at least- but I'm not wrathful. You're much too formal for your age. A simple apology is more than enough and besides, you didn't do anything wrong. You simply corrected me. You don't need to view Fiore as your home nor should you consider speaking up about this view a mistake" he said with his hands up, trying to seem as genuinely passive as possible. He listened as Advent detailed his feelings towards Fiore and how it was his temporary home and simply nodded in affirmation. "Ah, you're right Advent! Me, you, Zeno, and Tito! That makes four. I know you're young, but at the very least I would hope you know how to count" he said with a smile, teasing Advent a bit. He's surprisingly sane for a schizophrenic, so I see no harm in having a little fun he thought, rationalizing this seemingly uncharacteristically cruel act to himself.

It wasn't long until Zeno chimed in on the little discussion he was having with Advent. He listened and at the end he responded: "So we're both wrong and you agree with both of us. I suppose that makes you doubly wrong, then" he said, laughing a bit to himself afterwards. That was the point where he completely lost the plot between Zeno and Advent. They were both speaking in riddles to each other, but from what Zenshin gathered Advent knew the truth as to why Zeno wanted his power. "That's a gross invasion of privacy, Advent. Please never 'look into me.' It sounds weird and I would like no part in it" he said in response to the young mage explaining what he had done to the third one among them. That's when Advent and Zeno did a... strange thing. That was the only way that it could've been described. They looked into each others eyes for a while and apparently gained the knowledge of the other's life.

"Maybe after the job, Tito." was the only response he could muster to the exceed who seemed in some kind of food induced high. They needed to focus until the job was over. Overconfidence was a truly insidious killer. Before he could continue to lead the group forward, a pain shot through his head and he instinctively took his codex from his coat and opened it to a seemingly random page. Do you guys really have to do that in order to get my attention? I guess so since we can't speak. Oh? That's interesting. I suppose I learned a bit more of your language then. Now this is a ritual I can use! he thought excitedly before closing the book and putting it away. To his allies it would just appear as if he had taken out his book and stared intently at it, unmoving, for an entire five minutes but to him it seemed only a couple of seconds. When he was broken from his trance, he looked around to see a group of criminals ambushing him and his group. "Um, guys? I think we were heard." he said as he counted that they were surrounded by thirteen grave robbers. Now that the warm up is over, I suppose it's time to really get started.

With a smile, he holstered his gun and attached the curved sword back to the wooden "v" at the top of the bent staff on his back. He removed this staff and straightened it out, revealing that it was a two handed scythe. Zenshin would cast a vector box in front of him to send him at an angle to put him just above one of the tougher looking criminals and another box in the air where he would end up to send him straight down into his target. With a step forward, he was catapulted through the air at high speeds until reaching the second box whereupon he would be launched downwards, feet first, onto the head of the treasure hunter. To his allies it would seem as though some unseen force shot him between positions, though he knew better. With the wooden bottom of his scythe, he would inflict a quick but fierce blow to the man's sternum - fracturing it and, as a result, making it painful simply to breathe.

For once, he was going to try and avoid killing. That would exactly be setting a good example. He would be lying, though, if he said he'd not been fighting the temptation to simply decapitate one of these lowlifes. To wrap the beard of his blade around their necks. All it would take was a simple jerk of his scythe and their heads would come clean off.... His fantasizing was broken by a loud boom followed by the appearance of a metal sphere getting very large very fast. It was about to hit his head, but instead did a U-turn in the air was sent flying back at its owner at the same speed it had left the cannon. Unbeknownst to the thief, Zenshin had thought that he might've fired a cannon from his clear position and thus had formed a third vector space in the air around where the cannon ball would travel based on the position of the cannon. Thus, the cannon ball was redirected back at its owner and exploded, weakening the cannon user significantly.

3288/3000

HP: 190/200 (+15 from Armor)
MP: 92% (-10% from D-Rank Spell; +2% from Armor)

Spells Used:
D: Leyline Manipulation - Vector

Enemies Remaining:
9x Professional Treasure Hunter
3x Rookie Treasure Hunter

One Prof. Treasure Hunter is weakened from cannon ball explosion

It looked like someone had stumbled upon something good this time, as Akeya went through the job description in her head even as she was already flying towards the target location. The description of this job was actually pretty straightforward: somewhere inside the famous Ancient Ruins the first set of Wizard Saints buried a bunch of treasure and magical artefacts. The wrong kind of people were about to find those artefacts. Keep those people from finding the treasure trove and the job was done. Oh, and retrieve the treasure trove, but that was effectively synonymous with stopping the treasure hunters. Of course this being the Magic Council and this being a legal mission and all they would frown upon killing or maiming, so Akeya would have to try to keep that to a minimum, but other than that there weren't any obstacles like having to keep up a good image in the eyes of the public or anything like that, since the Ancient Ruins were left alone by anyone who wasn't searching for treasure like these guys. It was the kind of job which made you grateful for sticking with the legal side of Fiore because of its sheer simplicity and the opportunity to flex your physical and magical muscles a bit. Not that Akeya was one to indulge herself too much during missions, but it certainly had something of an easy feeling to it.

This time having taken the form of a swallow Akeya scouted the land before her, flying high enough that from the ground it would be difficult to notice her or discern her form. Her ability to change shape was pretty good so she wasn't necessarily afraid of being found out, but on the other hand she didn't want to be negligent. Besides, even from up here she would be able to see the ruins just fine, and once she had arrived she would be able to descend to get a closer look. Fortunately it was also a clear day so there wasn't any bad weather limiting her vision range, so when she finally arrived at the Ancient Ruins she could immediately spot them and begin to descend with a large spiral, moving slowly so she'd be able to inspect the ruins thoroughly before getting low enough that people would be spotting her.

The ruins looked as abandoned as they were supposed to be, except for a group of people who were working together at something. As expected, since the leader of the treasure hunters had claimed to already have a good idea of where to find the treasure trove, so they'd be busy narrowing down the exact location. From the looks of it they hadn't actually found it yet, which was good. If they already had their hands on the treasure trove it would make it harder to take them down without potentially damaging the artefacts, which was about the only real limitation Akeya had on what she was allowed to do besides at least making a good attempt at not killing anybody. Of course Akeya being Akeya she would aim for zero deaths, if only to test whether she was capable of such a thing. Most of her offensive techniques were lethal in nature since she herself preferred not holding back, but that didn't mean she was completely incapable of it.

More importantly, if she could take enough of them out before they found the treasure trove she could then use the remaining to find it and then knock them out as well. Akeya was a good tracker, as befitting of a predator, but treasure hunting wasn't exactly her forte. Unlike most dragons she didn't have a nose for gold and even if she was sensitive to magic a hidden cache designed by a bunch of Wizard Saints was going to be well protected against most methods of searching, especially those that relied on magic. No, the best course of action would be to take advantage of the professionals. After all, that was what they were here for anyway, so she might as well make full use of that.

Once she was low enough to the ground she simultaneously turned back to her true form and turned invisible, falling the rest of the way down to the ground unseen. By coming in from above she already had a good idea of the surface of the place, so she should be able to navigate her way towards the group pretty well, after which she'd plan how to best take them down. Skilled or not Akeya was for the most part an assassin and single target combatant. A whole group of enemies wasn't her thing: she would probably be able to pull it off, but it'd require caution and planning. Remaining invisible and hiding her presence and magic as well the dragoness moved like a ghost, unnoticed and unseen as she kept to the surface layer to make sure she knew her way. The ruins had more than one level, since it was a very big and complex system, so even a view from above would only work if she stayed on top.

When she got close enough her spiny fin-ears spread as she caught a faint sound. Frowning she turned towards the source of the sound, it not being where she remembered the group of treasure hunters to be. Of course there was nothing to say there was only that group: the report hadn't stated how many followers Harper had, and what else she could find about his little gang of Gem Brothers hadn't been very exact either. It seemed like the treasure hunter had a tendency to take in newcomers pretty easily even as some were kicked out or died in the more dangerous excavations, so the number was too fluid for a headcount more accurate than 'more than a dozen, less than fifty.' Considering the possibilities Akeya changed her course to move towards the new group instead. If there were more treasure hunters she'd have to eliminate as many groups as possible without Harper catching on. Of course she wasn't sure which group Harper would be in, so she'd have to do a little bit of reconnaissance.

Remaining invisible Akeya looked around a corner to see a group which she honestly hadn't been expecting to see. For one thing she recognized the people who were in it, and they weren't treasure hunters so far as they knew. A youngling with a blindfold and markings on his arms, a man with blood-red hair followed around by a biped cat, and a man with silvery hair and a curious scent. She wasn't too familiar with them, but she had worked together with them in another mission, one which had been quite a lot more mysterious than this one. A girl had been massacring the entirety of the population of the infamous Haunted Village, and Akeya had teamed up with these three to find the girl and bring her back to the Magic Council. Not friends, exactly, but at the very least they shouldn't be enemies, since they probably were also here on orders of the Magic Council to stop Harper and his little band of treasure thieves.

Akeya studied them for a bit longer before deciding to move parallel with them, staying hidden from them even as she noted that they were also heading for the group of treasure hunters. She could once again meet up with the group and offer to join them, but she'd rather first get rid of those treasure hunters since they were close. After those were taken care of she'd reveal her presence and then return to being stealthy, hopefully without being noticed by any other treasure hunters. Akeya preferred not being noticed as she did her job, after all. As a predator catching the prey by surprise was both the best option and the most impressive option.

Once they reached the group of treasure hunters it seemed like they didn't waste any time getting into a fight, the one with the crimson fire and lightning and the one with the silver hair and scythe showing more initiative than the one with the blindfold. More of a support character, which wasn't necessarily bad since it meant he'd be able to choose where he used his magic and when. As for Akeya herself, she moved to behind the treasure hunters, watching from their perspective towards the invading mages and waiting for a good opportunity to strike. Even while invisible she'd still be able to help thin the numbers of the treasure hunters a bit, although honestly it would have been even easier if the Magic Council wasn't so picky about who was allowed to die...

An opportunity presented itself as the man with the scythe deflected a cannonball back at the one who had shot it, causing an explosion that knocked the man off balance and made it hard to see what was going on. Seeing the man holding the cannon staggering and trying to stay upright Akeya silently stepped forward to chop the back of the man's neck with the edge of her scaled hand, knocking him unconscious and resulting in him falling down while Akeya retreated, looking for another opportunity. If people randomly started falling down it'd become suspicious, so she'd have to wait for the other three mages to give her more opportunities to make it look like it was their fault while Akeya used stealth and precision to speed up the process of taking care of this bunch of robbers and thieves.

Word Count: 1595/3000

His eyes would be looking at the rocky ground beneath him, the cracks could be clearly seen all throughout the ruins, depicting that it would give out in a time like this if they continued to fight more treasure hunters. He had three companions along side him, except he did not know of the stealthy lurking girl that was trailing them. Though she was not a threat since they had taken on the last job alongside her and she seemed to be quite a person. Zeno and Tito both had a smell under there noses of her, but they just thought of it as nothing and dismissed whatever scent they had caught. As he walked around the ruins carelessly, he could do nothing but stare at the strange markings on the walls, they had been nothing he could understand, most likely the same case with his companions as well. They had been written in a way that looked out of this world, it had most likely been formed millenniums ago. He would imagine what in the world it could be saying, possibly telling the directions to treasure or warning people from entering. What if they are telling us about the past? What if we are standing where others have starved or fought? Zeno would think, being interested in them completely, though he kept quiet, well being them they obviously couldn't stay quiet for long.

His eyes would widen as he would hear loud noises from not too far away, but as soon as he was prepared to propel himself forward, Advent would say that he would show him everything about him and apparently they were going to become connected. Zeno and Tito were completely surprised by this, they thought he would simply just tell them, but he began some weird ritual that required him to clasp both him and Zeno's hands together. But before he did, he would explain how he saw everything about him, meaning that he knew everything about Zeno and how blood thirsty he is to find his dad. His crimson red hair would cover his eyes as he would begin to be scared that he knew everything, would he hate him? Everyone who truly found about all his secrets disowned him as a friend except for his one loyal friend, Tito. That is why no matter what he would never let anyone touch Tito, because the blue little fur-ball is the one who truly cared with him and stayed with him all his life. "You know everything?" Zeno would say as
tears swelled up in his eyes, slowly beginning to caress his cheek becoming more faster each second. "Please don't hate me.." He would say after Advent would have probably seen that he was the one to actually kill his mother. His father had slain his whole family though what happened with his mother was quite different and ended up causing him to actually kill her...and the baby residing within her stomach. As he remembered these things, he would have a sudden flashback to all the events that had occurred.

The morning would be fresh as a young boy with crimson hair would be picking out flowers from the forest for his mother. She had a child in her womb, and the boy would want to make her feel happy because of all the pain childbirth causes according to his mum when she pushed him out of her womb. "Ma likes roses, but I can't find them!" The crimson haired young boy would pout as he scavenged the forest continuously, hoping to find just one rose for his beautiful mother who was most likely in intense pain. In the house, his mother would lay on a chair that leaned further down so that she could relax more. She would be waiting for the crimson haired son who went to get a surprise for her. "Oh, what a sweet boy, I hope you can follow his path, Ruby." She would say to the child in her womb as she rubbed her large stomach's surface. A man that was the father of both the boy outside searching for flowers and the girl in the woman's womb would walk in the house and would begin to make tea for the woman who was conveniently his wife. He would, soon after finish making the tea, hand it to his wife who began to gulp it down without an ounce of hesitation. Seems the crimson haired boy got his bottomless pit of a stomach from his mother. Suddenly after she had drank the tea, she would fall unconscious on the comfortable chair. "Sorry, you were the last one I had to take care of." The man would say, not caring about how he had just poisoned his wife and the baby she carried. The man would instantly teleport out of the house, leaving no trace as if he was never there. Not long after, the crimson haired boy would barge through the door, with one beautiful rose in his hand for his mum. Though all he would see was her looking lifeless in her favorite chair. "M-Mum!?" He would scream out, causing his mother to open her eyes slightly, "My son. Run away..G-Get stronger because- AHHHHHHHH!!!!!" She would scream in pain before she could finish what she was saying, the poison had been affecting her badly and causing immense pain. "You have to kill me, son." She would say as she gestured in pain to the knife that rested on the coffee table. The crimson haired boy would refuse as he would hold his mum up off the couch and onto the floor so that she could be more stable. He would listen to as she told him what his dad had done, but she told him to not hate him. "It must have been for a good reason. So son, please end my suffering." She would say, her hand on the boys cheek. The crimson haired boy would stand up and pick the knife up from the coffee table whilst he cried holding it over his mother's heart. "I love you, MA!!!!" He would thrust it deep into her heart as his mother said, "You really are brave, Zeno, my little fireball." Tears rolling down her eyes, "I will always be with you. I love you." And with that she lay atop the ground lifeless, with the baby being poisoned so bad that she had too, become lifeless. He would begin crying nonstop, smashing his fists onto the ground
as he yelled to the top of his lungs. Every action would stop as he looked to his left to see a note under the chair saying, 'Zeno. I left you alive so you can grow up and get stronger. And when you get stronger, come get revenge on me. Love, Dad.' The crimson haired boy would drop the note as crimson flame encompassed his small but strong body. "I will get you...I will kill you!!"


The flash back would end as suddenly Advent would speak to him in a language that he knew clearly, seven females and two males suddenly appearing behind him, shocking Zeno to quite an extent. He would see him take of his headband which would turn into a person!? By the side of his eye he would see the girl, but was warned by Advent to keep his eyes on his, which he directly obeyed without question. Suddenly, text would show up on his eye, and he would see afterimages of everything about his past from where his born and up till now. He felt his pain, he saw everything and was amazed at the sight. "Prince A-Advent....WHAT THE FUCK!?" He would curse and would slap himself to check if he was just imagining what he had saw. "Thank you for trusting me with that, Advent. And, hello Advent's guardians." He would calm down soon after bowing towards Advent's guardians.

"How did you know what I am thinking of!?" He would say but his question would be interrupted as treasure hunters began to attack. Though he did not care and was just poking Advent for answers.

3507/3000 (New wordcount because of extra person. WC achieved.)

Advent looked to Zenshin shaking his head to what was said to him "It is the rules I was brought up with, please..." he wasn't doing this to make the other uncomfortable it was purely because of upbringing and it wasn't something he would be allowed to change if his parents had any say in it and their words were absolute to the youth so they'd never allow it "Even if you don't wish it, then pass the responsibility to my parents" he said knowing that his mind wouldn't be able to handle the change very well. it was then he realised the other tried to make fun of him he just smiled innocently "I can count unlike you I don't need my fingers and toes to do it either" he said starting to tap his fingers as if he was counting "There are five living here..." he explained picking up on the new presence "and my parents" he explained with a sigh, this was the third job that they had been on together and he knew the elder mage was likely thinking he was crazy as they come so bit his lip his arm going up Zenshin's trousers and touched his bare skin with a finger. While there he would be able to see the nine Advent called parents.

"See, I can count... Welcome to one of my secrets Zenni. Happy now?" he asked wondering if it would make him less willing to push him for information for a while. "Okay going left to right... The pale purple haired girl is Zen-Ze, the one who almost looks like a dancer is Yunalesca, the black haired girl that looks like a priestess is Toshi, the girl with the katana, wakazashi and wooden sword is Ari, the serious looking guy in the black and purple is Yuui.." he started as they where introduced they each bowed as a hello "The red head Elven woman is Takara, The lavender haired woman with the staff and blindfold is Valanthe, the man in the white, blue and ice blue is Ayu and the blonde with the ninjato is called Leto" he finished who followed suit with bowing it was then that Advent removed his finger and the sight of them left from Zenshin "They're my parents" he explained once more to them both, his mouth opened to yawn but he covered it with his hand as he took his hand back sitting up slowly making his way back to his feet.

He hadn't expected for it to have effected him so much but it had and it was something he would have to deal with as the job continued. "I might seem crazy Zenni but I'm not" he explained his facial expressions becoming harsh as it finally clicked as to what the elder mage had said "And I don't go looking into to people on purpose Zenni, like the mind a spirit is a sacred area and shouldn't be invaded by anyone for any reason!" his voice showed he had truly taken offence to the accusation that he would violate someone, he hadn't meant to peer into Zeno's spirit it just happened due to the way his magic was acting and the corruption he was currently having to deal with it was unpredictable when he added in his emotions and concerns. "Ayu, I told you he shouldn't have left home, it's not good for him" Yuui would comment to the other male though only Advent and Zeno would be able to hear. "Yuui, it was a group decision and he was getting to that stage he would have eventually have went one way or another" Ayu would comment back with a sigh "This way we are with him and in a year he will return home" Zen-Ze added "Only if he hasn't found a place to call home here" Yuui said crossing his arms "What would be so bad about that Yuui?" Toshi asked sweetly "He's dangerous, and being in the open makes him a target that's what's so bad about it" he scowled back making the youngest of the nine take a step back almost hiding behind Ayu "Don't use that tone with her, she's a priestess you barbarian" sighed Leto "Staying at home made him a target, there's only so much we can do, here he can gain living allies that can help him" The lavender haired woman now spoke up "And Yuui bring it up or use that tone on Toshi again we're going to have another falling out, remember the last time" She said with an innocent tone and smile but Yuui bowed in acknowledgement. Advent just face palmed at what went on "Valanthe, was the archmage of the place I was born, Yuui was the head assassin of my family" he said his head going to Zeno so he understood.

Hearing how Zeno reacted he scratched his cheek nodding "Yeah, I was born a prince..." he said sheepishly "Still are a prince" Ayu commented 'Some prince, I killed everyone while destroying everything...' he thought a sigh escaping his lips as he shook his head knowing that while his parents still seen him in that light he himself just couldn't because how could you be a prince to a crater that ran for one hundred and fifty miles all round filled with vengeful spirits 'I'll have to figure out how to help them at some point... not their fault, they shouldn't have that hate in them' he finished coming out of his head as Zeno spoke "Oh, by the way I don't hate you... I understand fully and will help you in every way I can, but shouldn't you honour your mother's dying wish?" he asked finally remembering the others fear from before he started the ceremony "She doesn't want you living in anger and hatred, I think she would be saddened but I know she still loves you. You grew still happy and strong" he said shaking his head knocking it a little as if he was trying to get out of the serious mode he was in at current "You were thinking about food?" he seemed almost surprised before rolling his eyes under his blindfold "We're mentally linked it seems" not that he minded it meant that they would be able to work well together without having to let anyone know what was going on but that would be something interesting as neither of them seemed to sane to be honest. "Don't worry, they're being dealt with" he explained just walking ahead knowing the now fifth unseen member was ahead taking care of a few stragglers but there was still more to contend with.

Word Count: 1'117
Total Word Count: 6'131[/color]

Zenshin felt the explosion which came from not too far in the expected direction. It seems as though Zeno and Advent have forgotten that there are still existential threats present he thought as he dashed into the mix of smoke and dust that had been created on account of the bomb he had redirected. He could hardly see within the cloud and, as such, decided it would be best to call upon the beings which had been watching over him since he lost his power. The white in his eyes turned a royal shade of purple and his irises became black like ink. Now, he could see perfectly through the massive cloud of dirt particles kicked up by the force of the explosion. Most of the bandits caught inside were recoiling from the sound of the blast, coughing on the cloud that filled their lungs, or trying to find their way out of the cloud. They were confused and they could not even see half a foot in front of them. Perfect

The mage's eyebrow raised upon seeing the cannon wielder drop from within the smoke. The reason? It appeared to be in the shape of a person, but Zenshin, even with his nearly perfect sight, couldn't quite make out the figure. Regardless, it seemed to be on his side so he wouldn't worry about what he'd witnessed too much - at least not until he had eliminated what he knew was a threat. He observed the more inexperienced bandits carefully as they were the first to panic and when they did, he struck. A sweep of the bottom of his scythe, a strike to the temple, and a jab in the sternum. Three strikes to confused, panicked, and vulnerable young criminals were all it took before the least of the threats were dispatched. While he knew they weren't exactly the highest of priority when it came to targets, he figured that the time it would take to be rid of them was sufficiently small to warrant his actions.

"Hey Advent, Zeno, would you two mind getting in here and helping me take these criminals down?" he said, hopefully loud enough to get their attention from his current location.

3657/3000

HP: 200/200 (+15 from Armor)
MP: 94% (+2% from Armor)

Enemies Remaining:
9x Professional Treasure Hunter

Akeya wasn't too sure what to think about the fact that two of her allies didn't seem to be too interested in joining the fight. Since Akeya was more busy with the treasure hunters which they had to disable she wasn't too sure what the two were doing, but from what she could gather with glimpses they were busy with some private conversation even as the exploding cannonball covered the battlefield with smoke. The dragoness felt a certain amount of disapproval at this, wondering who had taught the two of them that in the middle of a mission, when there were enemies in sight, was the best time to hold a discussion about whatever had captured their attention. If Akeya had been the one responsible for their performance she'd have chewed them out for that once the threat had been taken care of. As it was she could only wonder what they thought they were doing in the back of her head as she herself kept her focus on the enemies.

Fortunately one of the three mages who she would be joining in their shared mission of taking care of Harper was still entering the fray, although his magic was making Akeya somewhat uncomfortable as she kept her distance form him. She wasn't easily bothered, but that magic gave her the strong impression of bad news. At least he didn't seem to have any issue moving about through the smoke, taking care of some of the targets with swift strikes to have them fall down. It looked like her ally agreed with avoiding actual deaths, although Akeya would have bet some money that he would have done it for the sake of morals whereas for her the main reason that she was so careful not to take any lives was that people would object if she killed more than necessary. Well, either way, they'd have to make sure that the treasure hunters wouldn't be an issue once they woke back up.

Since Akeya had enhanced senses and didn't solely rely on her eyes like most humans did she could distinguish the nine remaining targets, all of which were still coughing and getting out of the smoke so they could mount a new attack on the three invaders on the ruins that they were aware of. Akeya had been planning to let the other three do most of the work, with she herself only making sure that targets of opportunity were taken care of, but with only one of the three showing a lot of enthusiasm for this fight the dragoness would reluctantly have to be more aggressive herself. As a shadow she slid across the ground towards one of the treasure hunters who was still trying to get free from the smoke from the explosion, wrapping shadows around his ankles and pulling hard to have the man fall down with a loud crack, his head bouncing against the hard ground before he stopped moving. It was a good thing that these men were sturdy from years of hardships, or making their head impact with stone so harshly might have caused some permanent damage. As it was Akeya checked whether the man was still breathing before she moved onto the next one, quickly repeating the trick to leave two men dazed and unable to gather their wits while laying flat out on the ground before the smoke cleared up far enough that she couldn't rely on it to keep her actions unnoticed.

With the smoke clearing up Akeya hid herself in the shadow of one of the remaining treasure hunters, waiting for them all to turn back towards Zenshin, the only mage they could see that was actually causing them trouble so far. Advent and Zeno had done little, so they would prefer to take care of the aggressive mage before the two other mages got serious as well and things would get even more complicated. Sensing that the man whose shadow she was hiding in was focused on Zenshin Akeya materialized two claws, which she used to quickly slice through the tendons in the man's ankles. Having both legs struck at once would make it nigh impossible for the man to react or move properly.

The man yelled out, a sudden declaration of pain as pain shot through his body up from his feet like bolts of lightning. Reflexively he took a step to the side while trying to figure out what was going on, only to lose his balance and fall over, to the surprise of the other treasure hunters who hadn't seen any of the three mages do anything to cause that. Akeya herself meanwhile had Korikami swallow the man's weapons while the man himself was distracted by the state of his feet. Since Akeya had cut his tendons cleanly they should heal easily as long as they were treated properly... since Akeya wasn't allowed to kill them the Magic Council should still be willing to extend healing magic to heal any serious wounds should it come down to it.

Akeya herself moved from the disarmed and crippled man's shadow to another's, staying invisible even in broad daylight as the stoic assassin once again sliced the tendons and then stole all the weapons, her pet's stomach of holding easily taking in the other weapons as well so the main would have to use his fists should he still desire to attack Zenshin, unable to move easily and with tears in his eyes from the unexpected pain.

Unfortunately it seemed like the treasure hunters were aware that there was something else attacking them as well, as they took more wary stances, ready to react the moment that Akeya tried to strike them again. Frowning to herself Akeya once more wished that she didn't have to restrict herself to non-lethal damage, the dragoness with great irritation obeying the Magic Council's will as she instead began to use some real magic. Taking command of the shadows in the area she made the shadows that would otherwise be hidden underneath the clothes of the treasure hunters creep up to condense and concentrate in front of their eyes, forming a layer of darkness which would make it almost impossible for them to see anything at all.

Since this was a more subtle attack the hunters couldn't do a lot about it, resulting in the seven hunters who were still standing wildly aiming their weapons towards any direction which they thought there was an enemy, shooting and cursing as they tried to wipe the darkness covering their eyes away only to realize that their fingers went straight through without touching anything or even giving indication that there was anything there. As long as she didn't use them for anything but hindering their vision Akeya could keep the shadows completely without solid form or mass, unable to be moved about by mere physical hands as the hunters could see nothing but swirling darkness. Akeya remained hidden, now having moved a bit further away as she kept the darkness in front of the eyes active while waiting for the three other mages to round the hunters up. They shouldn't have trouble subduing a group of humans who had little training dealing with actual darkness, and who were randomly shooting without anyone to even tell them if they were hitting anything or not.

Word Count: 1226
Total Word Count: 2821/3000