Nightmare Lillith with Lumindis [Job/Private]

The world was supposedly a large place. One could meet some random person one day and never see them again as the pathways of fate took each person on their own given path. Every once in while though a rare occurrence takes place where a person's pathway crosses with another one long forgotten, leaving both parties to be surprised. A lot of the time it happens with unpleasant individuals that makes one question their own luck, but sometimes the appearance of a contact once lost can be good. Although, Aliarey was not certain where her current example of pathway crossing stood. To end up in the same area with one of her past job associates was one thing, but both of them? Something out there had a sense of humor. She did not dislike either of them per se but her first experience with them was not a memory that she would want to stick in a scrapbook.

Aliarey had once again acquired the curse of laziness. Ever since the three had made it out of that trap of a job she had been taking it easy. Job taking was minimal and even if she looked like she was a bit stronger she could probably be categorized as a bit rusty. Grema and Liam seemed different though. When they all stood together she could sense that the magical power of the two had increased since the last time she worked with them. A sarcastic thought of how lovely that was went through the blonde's mind. If she did not start working on her skills soon they would surely pass her. Not that that was a bad thing as a whole, but that did mean more competition on the better paying jobs, and Aliarey quite enjoyed high paying jobs.

The three stood in their little mini circle once the reactions of having run into each other once again had passed. Aliarey's was one of disbelief with a mix of self pity. Why did she have to suffer so? The mere presence of those two surely meant some form of doom would fall upon the land! Or rather, just her. Her job armor was not currently being worn and instead she was in a short black and white sleeveless dress with a thin white jacket tossed over her shoulders. Black thigh high stockings covered her legs and ended with a pair of small white shoes. It made her look a little more girly, especially with her long hair flowing past her shoulders rather than being up in a ponytail, but she did not mind. Her armor was only worn when she went out for jobs and that day she hadn't planned on taking any.

Arms crossed across her chest, the requip mage stood there awkwardly in silence. What was she supposed to say? She was more experienced with her failed attempts of haggling shops than small talk. It was then the hunchback of the group suggested on taking a job. Aliarey nearly keeled over at the words due to how the last one they all took turned out. "Hey now! The last one you guys brought me in on nearly got me killed!" A bit of an exaggeration, of course. She had been no more injured than they and the bandits that had ambushed them as well as the forest of Sukai took much more damage. That would not stop Aliarey making how that turned out their fault though.

(Word Count: 577/6000)

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HP: 220
MP: 100
Spells Used: N/A
Abilities Used: N/A

"What?! I'm not scared, I just like the side of the living!" Aliarey could not believe Grema had gone back to using the old chick nickname and was actually hoping she had forgotten about its usage. She herself did not miss it and it triggered her nerves every time. It wasn't even fair! The gun mage was bad at giving out nicknames of her own and besides obvious cruel ones she had no idea what to call the hunchback that would both cause a reaction and not have her try and murder her after using it.

Grema would be right to assume she could easily switch outfits to be ready for a job, but her actual mentality was another issue. Luckily, all it took was a verbal jab to get Aliarey going and ready to prove the other holder mage wrong. As soon as the mage donning the pirate garb walked away, likely to find out about a job, Aliarey turned towards Liam who had declined the invitation. Something about having to deal with guild affairs that went above her level of comprehension since she was guildless and kind of tuned out the whole explanation since she did not care for the small details. It would just be Grema and herself then. Great. The two would surely work together quite well without the more childish distractions of Liam and likely Ignis. Nevertheless, Aliarey left the celestial mage and ran after Grema. "Fine, I'll do it, but don't think just because you're wearing that get up that I'm calling you captain." She said after catching up and walking side by side with the other holder mage, resting her hands behind her head as they headed towards the nearest Rune Knight outpost.

She allowed Grema to ask the knight behind the desk about jobs near the area. While she wasn't a dark mage it was still awkward having to deal with the guys as a guildless one. It was just far easier to allow one representing a legal guild to do all the fancy show off the tattoo routine. When eyes were set on her, likely expecting to show off her own tattoo, Aliarey just smiled sweetly and pointed to Grema. "We're like a team or something. Job, please!"

Soon Grema was handed a wanted poster and kneeling down slightly she peered at it from behind her shoulders. What a weird wanted request. Since when were little kids able to make such a ruckus as to get the attention of the Magic Council? Aliarey very much disliked dealing with kids in general, but one that was categorized as a serial killer? And was located in the Haunted Village? That was very creepy and spelled out a serious case of danger. Everything in her gut told her to stay the hell away from the job. Then her blue eyes got to the reward and widened. With an excited grin on her face she reached over Grema's shoulder to grab the wanted poster so she could get a better look at it. "Fifteen thousand jewels?! Oh, we're so doing this!" All sense of fear temporarily evaporated when the thought of having more money in her account crossed her mind. It was about the only thing to get her to ignore the danger details. Having to deal with the kid in a severe manner would have been something she'd frown on normally, but considering the dangers the child posed she would do it if required. Grema likely had a different mindset altogether. If memory served her right, she seemed to remember her not even liking the fact they had destroyed part of the forest of Sukai while on their last "job."

"I guess we'll just try and bring her in alive for the better reward," Aliarey commented, still staring at the poster and certainly not mentioning she only said that to bring a small amount of comfort to Grema regarding the way the child would be dealt with.

(Word Count: 664
Total So Far: 1240/6000)

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HP: 220
MP: 100
Spells Used: N/A
Abilities Used: N/A

Thankfully for Aliarey that she kept her eyes focused on the wanted poster in front of her face in order to avoid the resulted reaction from the words she had given a moment before. There were two reactions she could think of; one being where Grema actually liked her being nice and the other where her attempts at being a decent human being would have been mocked. Either way, the fact she had taken into consideration Grema's stance on the child left her in a state of awkwardness that she was not used to feeling. The silence did not help matters, but that was eventually broken as her job partner requested for more details on what they would be dealing with. While the two had some similarities they were also very different in some aspects, Grema wanting to be more prepared for instance. Aliarey was more of the wing it type and seemed to never learn to think about all the details unless she was in real danger. A good thing it was that she was not going alone.

The two stood in silence as the man behind the desk went to go get the requested information. Having nothing else to do, Aliarey started to fold up the wanted poster until it was in the shape of a paper airplane. It was pretty much the only work of art she was capable of doing correctly and worked as an annoying long ranged poke. She tossed her paper creation over the desk and allowed its pointed front to smack on the knight's head as he looked for the information. "Hey! Hurry up down there!" Patience was not a strong personality trait for the woman, especially when drowning in awkward silence. While she was not as socially awkward as her teammate she was still not all that great at small talk.

It was then that her teammate brought up the fact that since they were a team they should probably have a name as well to go with it. "Uh..." The realization made her speechless. How could such an important fact be overlooked so easily? Making up nicknames was hard enough but to make up a team name that did not sound completely ridiculous? That was on a whole different level of challenge. There was not much time to think about it however as the knight was back up with a very small pile of papers and even the wanted poster, which was now unfolded. At the mention of something called M.A.I., Alairey raised a brow and looked at the pirate garbed hunchback quizzically. Was that a new nickname? Did Grema really think she knew how to scan anything of the sort? It got even more confusing when the gun mage realized Grema was not talking about her. Luckily an explanation soon came to relieve all of the built in confusion. The chick comment went ignored as she was far more interested in the talking arm...thingy. She reached out to lightly tap the magitech arm, fascinated by the talking and colorful lights. "Oooo, I want one!"

Aliarey pulled back her hand when it suddenly dawned on her what Mai had called her. Blonde bimbo? Forest Destroyer? Chick? "Wait a minute, don't you have to put that type of information into it?" Just how many humiliating nicknames did Grema have prepared?

Nevertheless, the two were prepared and it was time to go. That did not stop Aliarey from thinking up random team names during the trip though. "Oh, remember when you brought up team names? How about Cyborg Reapers! Since you're a cyborg or something. Then again I'm not so that wouldn't work. How about The Super Amazing Bombers?! We're both kind of like bombers and if we're making a name we might as well make it sound cool. Oh! The Eccentric Ass Kicking Demolition Expert Duo! If we ever run into Liam again we can just add 'and Pretty Boy' at the end." One bad team name right after another to further explain why she never bothered giving nicknames to other people.

(Word Count: 680
Total So Far: 1920/6000)

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HP: 220
MP: 100
Spells Used: N/A
Abilities Used: N/A

A huge wave of disappointment made its way through the gun mage as the idea of getting her own A.I. was shot down with barely any sort of consideration, at least none that she could tell. She figured it would of taken more than a few seconds before coming to a straight forward no. 'Jeez, it was just my way of saying it was neat', Aliarey said inwardly inside her own mind but made no further comment. It wasn't as if she actually asked for one to be made for her, not yet anyway. If she was going to have some mechanical A.I. it was going to have to do way more than just scan things. It would probably have to be able to shoot things, blow things up, and probably walk on its own. She did lack a magitech arm to contain such a technological being after all and she was not going to cut off her own to make room for one. Then again she could have it put into the eye visor that she normally kept stored away somewhere in that magical storage dimension that somehow held all of her stuff. Well, that would just be something she'd have to bug her now official teammate later on. At the mention of the doug, no make that dog, the long blonde haired woman could only deepen her frown. Seriously? Just how out of touch with family pets was she? Not to mention thinking a reckless gunslinger that could toss out grenades would be a great living pet owner in general. "Not likely," Aliarey replied with a grimace on her face, thinking of some poor puppy flying through the air after being near an explosion. Yeah, safer for Aliarey but not much for the pet.

"So she just came up with the idea of me being a 'Blonde Bimbo' all on her own?" She asked suspiciously as her arms crossed over her chest. Aliarey wasn't a complete and total idiot, and the way Grema interrupted MAI kind of proved her suspicions on the matter. How mean! The job had not even started yet and already she was getting triggered. One day she'd have colorful nicknames to call the tech savvy hunchback, hopefully ones not as bad as her suggested team names. For now, she let the issue slide so long as she wasn't called that to her face during their job.

As the two walked to the train station she noticed her job associate had stopped and so she herself stopped as well and turned around just as Grema spoke. It seemed her team name suggestions were not as good as she had thought. She had smiled at first when she was given the golden phrase of "good try", but it quickly turned upside down when it turned into what she thought was an insult towards her naming abilities. They weren't that bad. Sure they took all of three seconds to come up with but she thought they sounded interesting. Sort of. Maybe. Possibly. Yeah, even she had to come to the conclusion they needed some work. The suggestion Grema gave in comparison was a lot simpler than hers and admittedly not as bad. Good thing there was someone in the group that had ideas better than hers. It still lacked a bit of an explosive touch but it would do. "Not as catchy as The Eccentric Ass Kicking Demolition Expert Duo and Pretty Boy, but I guess it works," Aliarey replied, her smile returned to signify she liked the name. In truth she did not mind what they were called and had little motivation to fight over names, although she would have to wonder why her abbreviation came last. It was doubtful it was a save the best for last sort of thing, but it was probably best not to overthink it. There was a job to do and some jewels to earn!

Her feet started to move again, taking her towards the train station but in a backwards motion since she did not turn back around to face their destination. "But just so you know, Sir Dynamite Jewel Shooter would be an awesome dog name."

(Word Count: 698
Total So Far: 2618)

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HP:
MP:
Spells Used:
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"Jeez, you never really had much of a childhood, did you?" Aliarey did not really know much about Grema's past and she sure as heck never wondered about it until then. The explanation of pets was usually one even children answered for themselves. A fully grown adult asking about such a simple thing was confusing but maybe it was just cultural differences. Her statement was not meant to be offensive, just an observation that her mouth had proceeded to unleash before giving the mind time to think of a different approach. "Pets for a lot of people don't really need to fulfill combat or support expectations. Heck, for most they just serve as everyday companions. People get lonely, you know? And unless they talk, pets don't tend to judge unlike people. You also have those crazy whackos out there that have to have a pet just because it's the cutest thing out there, and then there are those pets that are a status symbol. I'd say it's mostly for the companionship part though."

A fit of laughter almost escaped from the tall blonde while she listened to the interaction between Grema and MAI. A deep breath had to be taken and she even had to cover her mouth in an attempt to hold it inside. It would seem the AI within the arm required a little more tinkering if it actually managed to get away with calling her master socially inept. Oh, she would be sure to give MAI some suggestive aid later on, although how she would do that with Grema literally attached to her was a bit of a problem.

The joke made about the name she would give a dog was not one Aliarey particularly found humorous. It was a cool name! Would people actually take it the literal route and actually think it would shit out jewels? Why not have it shoot from its eyes or mouth? Some people! Names were supposed to be fun and not taken so seriously. That was how boring names like Spot just because a pet had a spot existed. "Well if it did I would be the richest person in Fiore!"

The two had then entered the train and took their seats and before things could get too silent Grema had flipped the holographic screen so she could see and then declared the possibility of the girl from the wanted poster being an illusionist. She really was the prepared type. Unfortunately as the hunchback's words continued the gun mage would have to disappoint her. She had never faced anyone using illusion magic and those she knew that used it had never really given her any advice on how to confront and deal with it. Granted, she could have bothered to ask to duel against them for practice but it was a little too late for that now. There was also Grema's admittance to being somewhat naive towards pure magic in general and that she was still learning. That explained a lot as well as the fact she was raised within Bosco, which she remembered that being mentioned on their first job together but never questioned it since the tech savvy mage had went on some long and boring explanation that put her to sleep. "Nope!" A wide grin appeared on the blonde's face as she answered Grema's hope on being experienced with illusion magic. "It's not really the most common magic around. If we really are dealing with an illusionist I guess we'll just have to not believe everything our eyes see." Still, that tended to only work on the weaker illusionists. The more advanced ones could do a a whole lot more and simple tactics like she suggested was not going to work if the young girl fell under that category. It would have to be a game of wait and see.

The whistles of the train sounded and soon started to head towards its destination.

(Word Count: 658
Total So Far: 3276)

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HP: 220
MP: 100
Spells Used: N/A
Abilities Used: N/A

It was time to queue the facepalm. Grema was just going to continue to overthink the existence of pets and anything Aliarey said would of just been used as some fodder for some sort of logical and scientific reasoning that missed the point. Being too smart did have its flaws, and the blonde was glad she did not have such a mind that had a tendency to overthink something so simple. "There are some things that just are and aren't supposed to be broken down into random bits of logic. You kind of ruin the fun that way." In the back of her mind she did wonder if Grema even knew what normal fun was. No, spending time in some boring lab for several days like a weirdo did not count. If she barely knew the purpose of pets and lacked a true childhood it was doubtful.

As Grema started asking question after question, Aliarey opened her mouth to speak but was silenced by even more questions before she could get a word in. A hand went through her long blonde hair as she just gave up and allowed the rambling to continue. Clearly the words were more of an out loud thought process than actual questions that needed answering. She then slouched in her seat and was on her way to Nap Town when there was finally a pause. Was there finally a moment for her to speak? Aliarey slowly sat up and looked at the other holder mage silently, making sure that really was all that there was to say. Her mouth opened once to test and once more just to make sure. No interruptions. Great!

"Okay, I don't remember everything you said because I stopped listening somewhere," Aliarey said, not really being mean about it but just honestly saying a fact. With all of that information thrown her way she needed a clipboard to keep up and she lacked one. "First of all, illusion magic is going to be different depending on the mage that uses it. I only said a basic idea before that covers weaker ones. I seriously doubt it's going to work as well against little Lilith here. Assuming the reports of her strength aren't overly exaggerated which could be a thing. If they are, great! If not, we are just going to have to go with the flow and hope we don't die. I suggest we run before we get to the dying part of Plan B though." Aliarey crossed her arms below her chest and got comfortable in her seat once more by leaning against the back cushion. "From the reports it seems like she's crazy and for being in a place called the Haunted Village I don't think we'll be seeing rainbows and sunshine, but I am sure you could have guessed that. The people that I know back in Talonia don't really have offensive moves in the normal sense and based on that I am going to guess we'll run into a lot of tricks and our emotions will be toyed with. Heck, she may be the type that turns us against each other." Aliarey went silent for a moment and then shrugged her shoulders as a new thought crossed her mind. "Honestly, I am not sure if she will even attack us. The reports did say she mainly went after dark mages, right? You're a legal mage and I...well I'm not in a dark guild. She's just a kid so maybe we can just trick her into coming with us."

(Word Count: 591
Total So Far: 3867)

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HP: 220
MP: 100
Spells Used: NA
Abilities Used: NA

"Don't mention it," Aliarey replied with a shrug of her shoulders. While she appreciated Grema being grateful for giving her own opinions on the matter the gun mage wasn't sure it was something that needed a thanks. They were going into the job together so it was only natural that they discuss it. "You're probably right though, and if you're not it would still be hard to talk her down if we went that route. I'm all out of candy and fuzzy stuffed animals." The girl they were after was not going to be a normal child by any means but there was a chance she still had the immature emotions of one. It just had to be a kid, which she did not enjoy having around to begin with under normal circumstances. Dealing with a psychotic one was not going to be easy considering the reward was higher if she was brought in alive, and there was already her promise to try and bring the brat in alive due to her teammates views on the matter. Things were likely going to get dangerous playing that way and even she of all people was going to have to be cautious from the moment they enter the village.

Aliarey allowed her eyes to close during the temporary moment of silence between the two. With not much else to do but chit chat it made for the perfect time to rest. After all, there was no telling when the next opportunity to do so would arise. One blue eye opened when the magitech mage spoke again and even after the questions were asked Aliarey remained silent for a moment. She wasn't sure if answering those questions was something she really wanted to do. Making friends, getting close to people, hell even being part of a team were things she considered abnormal for her. It made it possible to take on higher paying jobs with people that had proven capable enough, but she still was not the type that was completely comfortable being close to others. With answering those questions, even as minor as they were, it would prove she was allowing herself to be more open about herself and she was not sure she wanted that. Aliarey preferred to have ties with people that were easy to cut off when things got bad. The higher up friendship got on the priority list then the more difficult it would be to sever them. However, was it really fair to be part of a team and not disclose even the most basic of information? Grema herself did not seem to be the type that made getting friendly with people a habit and even she had answered those basic questions without being asked to do so.

The one opened eye closed as the blonde sighed, letting herself lose the mental battle and deciding to answer. "Yeah, I'm from Fiore," she replied calmly as both eyes opened once more to look at the other mage. "The family has been around this place for generations, but I don't think it's always been called Casady. I had a habit of taking naps during the family history lectures so I kind of missed some details." Aliarey let out a small laugh and continued. "What I do know is that the family ancestors were part of some clan that favored strength above all else and so the families that actually know they are descended from them tend to put a lot of effort on using magic that makes use of or increases strength. I'm more of a rebel in that design. I go pew pew rather than bash and smash. Most of the time anyway. As for the weapons," Aliarey trailed off as she pulled out one of her normal pistols from its holster and held it up. "Most aren't like you with the whole building weapons and AI stuff. You go to the nearest weapon shop, pay the jewels, and ta-da! You got yourself a weapon. This one is actually pretty weak but it was cheap and with my magic ammo for it is free aside from a small amount of energy." She tossed the weapon over at Grema to catch and examine if she wished. If not then the weapon would just teleport immediately to its owner the moment it hit the floor. "You way overestimate me if you actually think I build them myself. I just know some people and that's all. Maybe one day I'll make something, but I don't think I have the patience for it."

(Word Count: 761
Total So Far: 4628)

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HP: 220
MP: 100
Spells Used: NA
Abilities Used: NA

It was a small surprise that the magitech engineer had offered to help fix her equipment up and even show her how to do it herself. Wasn't she the one that had flat out said no to the idea of building one of those AI whatchamacalits for her? Then, of course, was the mention of payment in return. Well darn. Nothing was ever free. "Maybe I'll take you up on that offer one day. Do you take payments of IOUs?" She was not expecting a serious answer to the question since it was really only a joke. Rare was the day when she had the spare money to even buy upgrades so there was no way she would be able to hire someone to help her build something. Grema did mention things being built if the materials were gathered as well, but it wasn't as if she knew what all sorts of materials were needed. It did put the thought of actually learning to do the stuff herself in her head though. Now if only she were not so lazy to do it.

Aliarey hopped off the train and stood there looking at the village as Grema spoke about the best way to get to the Haunted Village and of stocking up on supplies. Her right hand took a place on her hip as she thought about it. Walking for hours would sort of suck, but she was rather athletic and could likely handle it fine assuming there were few obstacles along the way. Although, If Grema was the stereotypical scientist then it was doubtful that she had any sort of long term endurance. There was just one itty bitty little problem that came with renting one of those magical vehicles. They probably checked for drivers licenses. The blonde could drive one just fine but it certainly was not by any law standards and she lacked the proper paperwork that said she was an okay driver. Honestly, she probably would never pass the test as she would be the type to go at the fastest speed possible while trying to do tricks. Until she crashed anyway, then she'd learn never to do that again. Maybe. "I'm going to go out on a limb here and say they probably won't give us a magic powered vehicle unless we have a license. I hope you have one because I sure don't." Aliarey then looked at Grema with a mischievous smile. "We can always steal one." How interesting that would be. Two mages wanted for vehicle theft taking out the wanted psycho child. Would they even get the reward upon their return? Most likely not. Good thing the gun mage was not at all serious with the suggestion. Regardless of how they got there, she thought the cuffs were a good idea but unless they actually managed to get a vehicle the supplies were going to be a pain to carry around. It was common sense to stock up, but still such a pain.

(Word Count: 501
Total So Far: 5129)

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HP:
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Stingy? Her? No way! She just needed a lot of cool stuff that just so happened to always be overpriced. They were all just greedy! It sounded though like her teammate would not ask for too much due to the fact that they actually were part of a team. A song of discounts played in the blonde's head and if that was a perk for having a team then why the heck did she never sign up for one before? Oh, right. The whole loner thing and getting close to people. Forget that! Discounts!

Aha! So Grema did lack a license as well. Aliarey expected as much and was satisfied with the idea of walking the rest of the way to their destination. However, for something expected there is always something unexpected. The hunchbacked woman actually liked the idea. Or maybe just had similar thoughts. Was she really from a legal guild? Aliarey had thought them all to be very obnoxious law abiding citizens with hero delusions. The gun mage was given a vocal list of supplies to gather with instructions to meet up a few hours later and Grema would be handling the vehicle situation. Aliarey's eyes filled with horror at the thought of her teammate going grand theft auto and ruining the chances for their reward. It was too late to stop her though as the other woman took off to complete her task. "Hey! You better not get us in trouble!" The blonde shouted loudly, getting the attention of random citizens that had been standing around or walking by. It did not bother her at all, but what did was the fact that she actually had to get all of the supplies, which meant she had to say goodbye to some precious jewels. "Aw, man. She could have at least given me some money first."

A half hour was left on the clock as Aliarey was getting the last of the supplies. Strapped upon her back was a large camping backpack that looked as if it was about to explode from having way too much shoved inside. The straps of two large duffel bags were also draped around her shoulders and each hand carried another. Even though her normal strength was higher than a normal person's it was still quite a heavy load and she was barely able to move.

"That is a lot of stuff you got there, missy." Said the salesman after the transaction was complete. She had made stops to a few shops in the village to get everything she thought they needed and that had been the last one. The salesman realized she had no more room in either hand for the last smaller bag. "Just hold out the strap," Aliarey instructed and once he did she opened her mouth and bit onto the strap, planning to carry the bag with her teeth. The salesman stared with wide eyes, hardly believing she actually needed all of it. She had nearly bought one of everything in his store alone! "Where in Fiore are you going to think you need all of this?!" Her response came in incomprehensible gibberish due to the fact she was using her mouth as a bag carrier. He asked again and same thing. She finally spit out the bag strap, annoyed that the man could not understand her obvious and clearly said answer. "The Haunted Village."

The sales clerk's mouth dropped and his eyes went wide. "You would have to be insane to go there! No one that does ever returns." Aliarey's head tilted to the side in slight confusion. "Eh?" The man put his hands on the counter. "Every week we used to send supplies up to that village. It may have a name that spooked people but there were normal folks living around there. One day, the men we sent to make the delivery never came back and it kept happening until we had to give up. We haven't seen anyone that lived in the village come by either."

"Scary," Aliarey said, giving some thought of it being a little bit exaggerated but she believed him. It made sense with the job too but if regular citizens were disappearing then the theory of Lilith not attacking legal mages was out. Her blue eyes looked at the bag that had fallen on the ground and then she looked at the clerk. "Could ya..." The man nodded before she could finish and went around the counter to pick up the bag. Once held instead of letting her bite onto the strap he instead raised his arms over her head and placed the strap around her neck so she could carry the bag like a really large necklace. "Hey that works! Thanks!" Aliarey turned towards the door and, upon realizing she could not lift her arms or use her hands to open it after a few attempts, she raised her leg and kicked it open and exited the shop.

Slowly but surely she was making her way to the meeting spot. Slowly but surely the fact she had yet to get the magic suppressing cuffs crept into the front of her mind. "Damn, I forgot. Where is that Rune Knight station?" She still had some time left before the deadline so it wasn't a total catastrophe. She asked someone nearby and made her way to the small building where she could hopefully get one of those cuffs. As she entered the building with her stash of bags and supplies she got a few odd looks and could hear some chuckles and giggles in the background. "Hey! Stop making fun of the one who's going to take care of your psycho child problem! Now give me one of those magic cuff things! This stuff is getting heavy."

"You're not serious? You're taking the Lilith case?" As Aliarey nodded her head the main Rune Knight was at a loss for words. Well if a guild mage was taking the case then he may as well assist in any way he could. He pulled out a pair of magic handcuffs and was starting to attempt at making room for them in one of her bags when he asked, "what guild did you say you were from again?"

"None." Aliarey was not one to tell a lie.

He stopped, backed off, and placed the handcuffs on the desk behind him. "I'm sorry. We don't give these out normally even to legal mages. I was going to let it slide due to the fact we need help with this case but I can't risk giving them out to someone not even aligned with a legal guild."

"Oh, come on! What if I said I was in a team with someone from a legal guild?" The answer in summarized form was that since that teammate was not there then it could not be confirmed. There was five minutes left before the deadline. Someone else in the building had called the main Rune Knight and distracted him before he could put away the hand cuffs properly. With no other way to handle this, Aliarey made a reckless choice; she stole them. Boosting her strength with her bloodline, the gun mage was able to carry her load much more easily and move normally. She rushed to the desk, leaned over it to bite down on the cuffs, and rushed out the door while shouting a thank you that could be mistaken for some unknown language due to the distortion. Aliarey heard shouts for her to stop but she kept on moving. They would get over it once they returned around the wrists of Lilith. Maybe. At that point who cared?

Aliarey ran to the meeting point, which happened to have an actual vehicle waiting. Grema had actually done it. There was no time to wonder how since a couple of Rune Knights were on her tail. Good thing they seemed to lack any sort of experience. That or they were really rusty while being stationed in the small village. Now the problem was getting into the van with all of her supplies. She couldn't exactly open the doors and she was kind of in a rush. With her teeth clenched around the cuffs she also could not call out to Grema. The most she could do once reaching the van was jump around while pointing one of her arms in the direction of her pursuers. Yeah, so much for Grema being the one to cause trouble.

(Word Count: 1409
Total So Far: 6538)

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HP: 220
MP: 100
Spells Used: NA
Abilities Used:

Brute of Fiore:

Brute of Fiore CD - 4 Posts

To answer Grema's question on what kind of trouble Aliarey had caused now only garbled gibberish came as a reply. The cuffs were still being held by her teeth, preventing any sort of clear communication. If anyone were to translate though it would come out as her saying the whole thing was not her fault. With her companion saying she would handle the situation Aliarey got into the van and tossed some of the bags into the back. The larger of the bags still remained on her back and the smaller one still around her neck which added some difficulty with even getting inside the vehicle. The cuffs that were behind the whole situation? Removed and tossed nonchalantly in the backseat to join the rest of the baggage. Grabbing those things better have been worth the effort.

Considering the door was wide open and she was sitting in the dirver's seat, Aliarey could hear everything that was being said as well as see. The comment about Grema being a pirate was a sweatdrop moment and, quite frankly, an outcome she did not expect. The knight really was taking a bit of a stretch with that one. What stereotypical pirate raids a village in the middle of nowhere with a van? They're supposed to be on ships and yelling 'argh!' with every spoken sentence. "But I don't want to go to jail!" Aliarey whined from her place inside the van and then followed up with a high pitched low whine on how they wouldn't let her keep her money while she was in custody.

A bright flash appeared and blinded the gun mage temporarily and then she felt herself being shoved hard into the passenger seat. Ow! Aliarey's sight started to come back as the magitech mage tried to get the vehicle moving. Her sight was still blurry but she could definitely feel the backwards movement of the van along with hearing the surprised shouts and angry voices of the rune knights that got hit. It would appear allowing Grema to do the driving was going to be an idea turned horrible. Slowly Aliarey's hands reached up, pulled down the shoulder belt of her seat, and buckled it into the clasp of on the lower left side of the seat. The ride was going to be one heck of an experience.

Aliarey jumped in her seat once Grema had the time to finally focus her attention on her. No answer was given at that moment for she was too busy holding on for dear life and even closing her eyes with each problematic catastrophe that occurred. With the mention of the cliff and it quickly approaching all Aliarey could do was scream and shout "I don't wanna die!" At least there was the possibility of being buried with all her jewels and weapons when she died. Then again, anyone she knew was likely to just take it all for themselves and upon that quick realization she had to cry. The van swerved, missing the cliff by an inch, and an awkward silence fell upon those in the vehicle. Deep breaths were taken by the blonde and she was sure she would die by some heart attack at the rate the ride was going. "Yeah, lets....lets just go with that," she shakily replied and then opened the passenger side door to make her exit. Never again was she allowing Grema to take the wheel. Never!

There were no pursuers thankfully and so Aliarey took off the rest of her baggage and tossed it into the back. With the two mages having switched spots, she was now behind the wheel and in control. Honestly, her being behind the wheel was not going to be much better. She could control a vehicle just fine but she was a little tiny bit of a speeder. Her lips formed into a mischievous grin as her hands gripped the wheel. "Buckle up," was the only warning she gave before working the stick shift and stomping on the pedal, causing the van to take off in a high speed. She could have gotten back on the road but what was the point? The route they were taking could of been a shortcut! The van swerved around random trees and bushes, barely avoided large boulders, and at one point in a large clearing she felt the need to yank the wheel to try out a donut trick, which led to the van nearly tipping over. "This is actually pretty fun!"

Going in a straight angle once more the trip continued, making great time due to her need for high speeds. The hellacious car ride had one final bullet point. Old buildings came into view and with no other landmarks that she was aware of Aliarey assumed it to be the infamous Haunted Village. A large creek stood in their way, creating a gap between their side and that of the village's. The speed of the van increased as the gun mage directed the vehicle towards a convenient boulder in the shape of a ramp that went upwards. They were going to jump it. "Better hold on to something!" She shouted almost maniacally just before the van reached the ramp and then went sailing through the air. The vehicle reached the other side barely and landed with a hard metal and uncomfortable thud. No doubt a lot of repairs were going to have to be made before it was returned.

While the landing itself did provide some annoying aches and pains, the blonde seemed to be unaffected as she pushed the door open and jumped out with arms raised above her head. "We're here!" She was completely unaware at first of the fact the village was completely deserted. At least they actually made it in one piece though.

(Word Count: 969
Total So Far: 7507)

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HP: 220
MP: 100
Spells Used: NA
Abilities Used: NA

Brute of Fiore CD - 3 Posts

"Ooowwww!" Aliarey covered the spot of her head where Grema had struck her, thankfully with her human arm instead of the mechanical one. The scolding was starting to become the norm, and with that particular instance, annoying. Almost die with her driving? Grema had nearly ran over a cliff! At least her way was on purpose with the intent on knowing what she was doing. If the car happened to miss that was just a miscalculation. If the car exploded on landing that just meant the car was poorly made. "Yeah, okay, She Who Nearly Drives Us Off A Cliff." If in the future Liam was allowed to drive they were surely in trouble if he was just as terrible as they were.

It was time for the blonde to take a look at their surroundings and notice just how eerie it was. Not a single person in sight aside from herself and Grema. That explained why the other village had not seen anyone come down, but what of the delivery people that stopped by? A shiver coursed through Aliarey and she was ready to get back into the van and get out of there. Unfortunately her companion wanted to actually go through with exploring the place and actually finding Lilith. Joy. They were actually going through with it. In a quick flash Aliarey's civilian clothing was switched out for the leather armor that covered everything besides her head. Whether it would actually protect her from anything in that place was anyone's guess but it was better than nothing. She took the supplies she was given and as soon as Grema was out of the way she reached for one of the larger bags and pulled out a smaller backpack for which she used to stuff her half of the supplies in. Hey, extra bags were important! "And the adventure continues!" Aliarey commented with sarcastic enthusiasm as she followed after the pirate-garbed woman.

As the duo made their way along the main road of the village Aliarey began to hear what sounded like low whispers although she couldn't quite make out what was being said. It appeared as if Grema was hearing them as well so at the very least she wasn't going insane. Unless, of course, they both were. The requip mage's hands lowered and placed themselves on the holsters around her hips, ready to grab onto her weaker pistols if needed. "Got it," Aliarey replied to her teammate, her tone now flipping to be more serious. Things were going to start getting dangerous and not even she could allow herself to be the typical self centered and lazy blonde she normally was. The whispers came to a stop suddenly, causing the gun mage to tense up. Was the silence supposed to mean anything? The sound of a slamming door thundered through the silence, and instinctively Aliarey drew one of her pistols, turned around, and shot in the direction of the sound. The loud bang of the shot echoed around the village and even startled a flock of crows that took off in flight as they cawed. What had been the lurking in the direction of the sound? A floating...sword?

Aliarey squinched her eyes but no matter how much she stared at the thing she couldn't see anyone actually wielding it. "That is actually floating there, right?" She questioned Grema before the sword started to come closer. Another shot was fired at the sword but nothing happened. The bullet just seemed to go right through it. "Okay, either weapons can die and turn into ghosts now or that is an illusion." A step was taken towards it, and then another, but each movement that was supposed to take her closer to the weapon just seemed to make it go farther instead. "I...am going to assume it's okay to ignore it."

(Word Count: 641)

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HP: 220
MP: 100
Spells Used: NA
Abilities Used: NA

Standard Pistol Ammo - P1: 6, P2, 8